Ask Just a Little Bit

[Darth Tiamat]

Lyra was ready to head in a different direction when she realized Emryc had departed from her; it took her a moment to figure out where he went in the masses of beings that where moving about the shopping center. She took a few steps eventually seeing a top of head that looked like his own and followed. Lyra frowned as she weaved through the crowd eventually spotting him in a beeline toward the hologame center. She never understood why guys found to be playing games at the mall so appealing when there were so many other stores and so very little to visit them all.

The redhead caught up and stood quietly, watching him play for a moment, her own gaze shared between his eyes and the screen. "Dude, you can play holo-games anytime." she said watching him blast the opponents in the game. Lyra looked at his face again for any reaction to her statement, but instead of his more hardened and serious features, or even his devious grin, it was more...normal? She knew nothing about him other than his need for spice and high-end alcohol, "Or do you not have holo-games at home?" she asked with genuine curiosity, most people she'd known had it all, especially the latest in entertainment, including her own family.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was entirely oblivious to her simply staring at him and noting the changes on his face. He was enthralled by the game, his eyes wider and his focus entirely honed in on what he was doing. He missed her first comment entirely, but he did catch the next one. He said nothing for a moment, simply continuing to play as he finished up the combat scenario.

He turned to look at her then, quirking an eyebrow, “This is a demo for a game that hasn’t come out yet,” He said icily, “No one has this yet. Warzone 5000 has been in development for a while and this is basically the teaser after the trailer,” Emryc realized it was pointless to keep explaining, but his segment with the game was done. He pointedly dodged her question, sidestepping the fact that he didn’t exactly have a ‘home’. His set up was something he put together in his ship. He would never understand the concept of simply getting something from parents or others.

Emryc stepped away and began to walk again, spotting a store that looked as if it carried women’s clothing and shoes. He had no desire to walk in, but he would fall into step beside her as she did. He looked at the sharp and appealing attire on the mannequins and then looked over at her.

“Why do you dress so frumpy?” He couldn’t help but blurt out. As awful as the question was, she would note it was genuine. There was no malice behind it and there was actual curiosity in his eyes.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

He was quiet except for the aggressive clicking of the buttons on the controller as he focused on his game. Lyra was about to open her mouth to ask her question again when he explained the significance of the game. She had heard of the Warzone games, they were well known at the school she attended and even the kids at the shelter spoke about it. He seemed to know a lot about the game and eventually set down the controller after the segment was completed. "Huh, I didn't know they made a new one already. I don't play Warzone, I like the Holo Scrolls series like Spacerim."

He decided he was done with the game and started walking, Lyra walked beside him with her hands in her pockets, she didn't like the silence between them. It left her to her own thoughts and she was concluding she was entire too exhausted for her own ruminations. Emryc then spoke, asking about her taste in clothes, "Frumpy?!" she was taken aback by the observation and looked down at her plain clothes: a shirt probably two sizes too big and her hooded jacket. "I..." she looked at him, eyeing suspiciously as she waited for the punchline, but when it didn't come, she glanced back at her clothes, "I dunno...I just don't want any slime-o's to look at me." she explained and looked at the mannequins and then at her own reflection in the window, seeing how brightly her hair contrasted to her outfit.

"Plus I'm too thin, people don't tell me to eat more when I wear this clothing." she explained and walked into the store, she saw the shoes on the wall in the back, but she needed to look at every aisle stand before she made it to her desired destination.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

There was a visible glint of curiosity when she mentioned the Holo Scrolls series. He hadn’t expected her to be into gaming, and it revealed that she was an rpg fan. He had to bite back from asking more as they walked into the store.

Emryc stared at her blankly as she had the initial outburst and waited for him to say something else. Seconds ticked by in silence before she finally looked down at herself and gave some noncommittal answer about creeps looking at her. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

“You probably don’t even look at yourself, forget the slime-o’s,” He muttered dryly. He couldn’t understand this obsession she had with people looking at her or being overt in announcing she had no desire to sleep with anyone or hold hands. It almost sounded strangely forced and phony, and it made him wonder. Her remark about being skinny also puzzled him, “When they say that, ask for a free meal,” He shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

He lazily walked around as she rifled through the different aisles. He was surprisingly patient and didn’t rush her, but he did wander off. By the time she had found some shoes, he was standing by the earrings section talking with a few girls. His pointy ears had been the excuse they had used to strike up a conversation and it only went from there.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

As much as she liked his response to her concern about people calling on her low weight, she wasn't going to admit his suggestion was a good idea. She did bookmark it in case it came up again.

Grabbing a few pieces, she turned to show Emryc, but he had wandered off, leaving Lyra to decide what looked best. She held a couple tops to herself, trying to decide if they looked good against her skin tone and if they fit the definition of something frumpy. She set down a couple tops that she would have normally worn. It was familiar and it brought comfort, the only clothing she would wear close to her body was those for dance. With an armful of clothing, she felt excited to try on each piece.

She stood in the three-way mirror looking at herself at all angles, new leggings, boots, and an off-shoulder sweater that didn't seem too...frumpy. At least this one pinched at waist to give herself some figure. Lyra tried to decide if she liked her hair up or down as she released the tie and wished pointed-ears was near give her some advice. He seemed to have better taste than her in clothing choices.

Lyra peaked out from the dressing room to see Emryc by the earrings, chatting up with some other girls. She felt a twinge of jealously that they were taking his attention and Lyra walked over and hooked her arm around his to get his attention, "What do you think?" she asked him.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

“-And you were in the Outer Rim all by yourself?”

“Well yeah,” He said with a grin, running his hand through his hair to mess it up a bit. He could see the direct impacts. The girls had been asking him questions about his very independent life and how he had no parents to worry about.

“Hey so Cindi and I are having a party tonight and we were wonderin-”

Emryc felt the girl from earlier come by then and hook her arm through his. He couldn’t hide the mild surprise, an eyebrow sliding up. The other girls hadn’t missed it as they suddenly whipped around to look at Lyra. Emryc said nothing at first, silver eyes lingering on her new look. The hair was down and her outfit was much more form fitting, and she looked like an entirely different person.

“Just needs a belt and you’re perfectly dressed for this party,” He turned his head to look back at the blond in front of him, “That Mia here was telling me about.”

Mia looked from Lyra to Emryc to Lyra to Emryc to her friends to how they looked at Emryc then Lyra and where their arms were linked. It was an entire tennis match before Mia brought up her comlink and texted the information to Emryc’s comm that she had just gotten done putting her number into. His comm, his secondary one, beeped a second later.

“S-See you there…” She said before she and her friends shuffled off looking far more crestfallen.

Emryc watched them go before sliding his arm out of the girl’s to respect the no handholding rule. He turned to look at her, “Want to try out your tricks at a party?”

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

One thing that Lyra was pretty good at was putting on a show as she played the part of the close friend of her pointed-ear acquaintance. She could tell she just made the situation awkward, but Lyra had known girls like Mia and their groups, they were the type that two-faced anyone they did not think they were "in". There was a silence that lingered too long, but anyone who saw the group knew there were strong emotions, but would they boil over? The store manager was hoping the kids would just leave his store and not spill over in a fight.

But then Mia spoke and Lyra instantly picked up the disappointment and in typical teen fashion, took it personally. Lyra watched at the girl gaggle exited, whispering among themselves; she didn't acknowledge how quick he was to break from her grasp, it bothered her very little compared to Mia et al.. It took her a moment to process what Emryc had said as her thoughts turned with frustration.

"Did you see that?" she scoffed, "How they looked at me? They don't want me at the party, they just want you." she glanced at Emryrc, but as soon as their eyes would lock, she turned her head away and busied herself by looking at the belts, but moved on to the scarves and hats, finding one to stuff her red locks inside. "You're so much better looking and you have those cool ears, dress nicer, smell better, talk better," the Force reacted to her emotions as she named off his traits while she looking at herself in a nearby mirror, "look better-" the mirror suddenly webbed with cracks and Lyra stopped and quickly took off the hat, pretending she did not see a thing happen.

She wanted to crawl back in her oversized jacket and turn invisible, "I'll go, as long as there isn't any Hutts." she grumbled.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc stared at her as she replayed the events that had just taken place. He watched her with the same expression one would have as they watched a mildly entertaining soap opera they didn’t quite understand. It was a mixture of amusement, fascination and confusion. Yet through it all he was analyzing her and drawing all the information in. There was a tremendous amount of unchained emotions there, so much potential for her to wield it and she was wasting her energies on frivolous things.

None of this was betrayed on his face, and he let her finish speaking before shrugging after she pointed out all the ways he was better than her, “Yeah, I am,” He said casually, walking over to pick the belt that would complete the outfit and handing it to her. He stood behind her when she was at the mirror, not missing the cracks that began to form. She would be able to see a grin slowly spread on his face, “But it’s from knowing I can do whatever the kriff I want to whoever I want,” He spoke to her reflection, his face just above her shoulder behind her.

“That doesn’t come from my ears or my cologne,” If she watched the mirror, more cracks would begin to form. They slowly began to streak down, almost artfully as if forming a design. This also forced her to acknowledge and face it, “It comes from the power I wield. It changes how I carry myself, how I see myself and how others see me. You have the very same power. You simply have to stop being afraid of it.”

He didn’t linger there for too long, stepping back to leave her with the mirror that now had a design on it from him correcting the cracks she created. He had a party to go to, after all.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

He kept her from moving away from the mirror and focused on the grin forming on his face while he spoke. It was without a doubt she knew he could do whatever he wanted and didn't mind the consequences, he seemed like he always came out on top in the end. Lyra just was not pleased to be used in those schemes of his. The cracks continued to form, now taking a more appealing design and Lyra watched...and even listened to his words. Her eyes moved from his in the reflection to her own as she looked at herself.

As Emryc stepped away and Lyra fitted the belt that he picked out, looking at herself carefully. The kaleidoscope of glass picked up on the teals and oranges of her outfit and her hair, surrounding her in patterns color. Lyra step forward to look at herself closer, running her fingers through her hair as she looked into her own eyes and lifted her chin just a bit higher, she just simply needed to stop fearing herself...
________________________________
Or at least hold herself together until she could crash on a cot for some shut-eye.

Keeping on the outfit Emryc had suggested, Lyra walked beside them as they headed to the home that was hosting the party. It was your typical hot spot when someone's parents were on holiday or the like. Every floor was packed with teens from all over the city, word usually spread fast and when you were able to get free alcohol, sprice and a break from parents, it was ideal. The best part seemed even the adults did know, but rarely said anything.

Lyra took in a deep breath, slowing her own pace to let Emryc have the limelight when he entered.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

She wasn’t the only one that had done some shopping. Emryc bought himself a new jacket, a loose fitting shirt, some dark jeans and some overly expensive sneakers. He gelled his hair back to allow his ears to stick out more prominently.

The house was massive, and there were people spilling out onto the streets. Emryc walked alongside the girl, taking it all in as he heard all the chatter and the thump of music. The doors were wide open and he purposely slowed down so the girl’s steps suddenly took her by herself into the party. There were a lot of people from her school there, and they immediately paused and glanced at her. A few of them did double takes, including from some of the boys.

Emryc slowly walked in behind her, smelling the cheap alcohol already. There was a keg in the kitchen and there was a massive pool out in the back. He walked to the side of the hallway, pausing for a moment to look at the family portraits. The entire party raged around him and several girls made eyes, but his gaze was fixated on the family pictures. It was an alien concept to him, and he couldn’t help but look.

It wasn’t long before Mia came over to find him, bringing a cup of mixed drink for him that he would detest. Meanwhile, there were a few people that kept shooting glances over at Lyra, looks of surprise plain of their faces.

“Is that her?”

“She looks so different!”

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Lyra lost pointy-ears as she entered the home, realizing he wasn't anywhere near to take the focus off herself. It was too late to turn back and had to keep going further inside. The music was deafening, but she suddenly felt more relaxed being among peers her own age and it was nothing like the club that her handler had brought her earlier. She started to recognize people from the school she had attended. They spoke in low voices and gave her sideways glances of shock to see her here. Lyra had not been at school for almost three months and with as crazy rumors could get, she had suspected there were some pretty wild stories that floated around the halls.

She went to get herself a drink, the punch heavily spiked with cheap liquor made Lyra gasp, and dumped the cup and its contents in a nearby plant before continuing through the masses. She eventually saw Pointed-ears looking at the family portraits hanging on the wall and wondered if he was already high and decided not to bother with him as Mia approached with a drink. The blonde from the mall probably made better conversation than herself.

Lyra turned to head to the pool area outside when she froze in place. Of all people at the party, the one person she did not expect to see was Dona. She looked perfect with her dark locks of hair and on-point makeup. "Damn dummy Dona." she whispered while observing her talking with one of the spaceball players from school. It would be her disbelief that kept her in place long enough for her nemesis to spot her red hair in the crowd. Lyra preferred not to deal with her and headed out to the pool area, but Dona followed.

"Hey Ho!" Dona laughed as she caught up with Lyra who was uncertain if she was being overly friendly or pretentious.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was preoccupied with Mia and one of her friends and they were now hooked on his music tastes. They were listening to some of the mixes he had made, and he sipped from the nasty mixed drink. It wasn’t long before he navigated around the house and had broken into the top shelf alcohol stashed away in the dad’s office. He poured himself and the ladies some shots, throwing them back in the office.

Dona dragged along her spaceball jock guy to come across Lyra.

“Wow Lyra, did you do something with your hair? Actually looks cute,” She said, still unclear whether it was genuine or not, “We were all sooooo worried about you,” She looked from the guy next to her and then back to Lyra, “There were rumors you left school because you got knocked up,” She eyed her up and down, “But it’s clear you’re definitely not eating for two...or even one. But hey, you finally look like you almost have an ass!"

She giggled, nudging the guy to laugh too, who gave a half committed scoff. Dona twirled her hair and grinned sweetly, “I’m surprised to see you here. I didn’t know you were friends with Mia...I mean, I didn’t even think she knew you existed.”

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

The redhead inhaled, readying herself for Dona as she approached; she wasn't alone as she dragged her boyfriend for support. Lyra combed her finger through a lock of her hair which Dona took notice right away. She always noticed her red hair and wondered if there was jealously behind her words. She continued, it was like word vomit at Lyra as she let Dona belittle her. Additionally, Lyra was certain Dona would have started the rumor she had gotten knocked up but then it lead to a jab about her own weight seemed to get under her skin further.

Immediately Lyra felt self-conscious as Dona eyed her up and then back down, a look on her face that gave a hint of disgust that Lyra was still present. When her boy-toy didn't laugh at her butt joke, Lyra lifted an eyebrow, "Ah, well, it looks like you gained an ass also." she said glancing at the spaceball jock and then back at Dona, letting her continue. She spoke about Mia and from what Lyra took away was she was clearly not invited to this party. Lyra was about to open her mouth to defend and justify why she was here and her encounter at the mall with pointed-ears, but stopped, recalling her image and his words.

"I'm not friends with Mia." she told her, flipping her hair behind her shoulders, "She probably still doesn't know I exist." she shrugged. "How did you find out about the party? I didn't think you could find your way out of your own bed." she gave a coy grin.

@Sreeya[/color]

 

[Emryc Thorne]

The guy Lyra insulted chuckled before looking at Lyra again. His face looked as if he were straining on a difficult math problem as he tried to work out if he had just been insulted or Dona had. Dona, in the meantime, was completely flabbergasted. Her jaw dropped and her face looked as if she swallowed something sour.

“I...you….ugh, whatever, you’re just a slut,” She hissed, “And I still got principal dancer,” She added, clearly reaching for insults at this point. The guy next to her began to awkwardly looked around before he used a casual distraction to walk away. Dona had nothing else to say, spinning on her heel and stomping off.

“Come onnnn you have to!” Mia squealed as she dragged Emryc by the hand towards the pool. She was already in a bikini and buzzed, along with two other girls. She had a bottle of liquor and salt and lime. Emryc was more buzzed than he planned, but he had no intention of undressing.

“Body shots!” Mia called out to cheers as she found a table to lie down on. She popped the lime in her mouth and used a finger to beckon Emryc over.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Lyra felt her nails dig into her palms when Dona decided to resort to insults and to rub in how she was able to get principal dancer, which was only because she was absent from practice and Dona knew that. If she was not already frustrated before, knowing she had gotten the star position of the show was overwhelming as it confirmed what she suspected. Lyra relaxed her fists, letting the blood flow more freely through her fingers as she readied for another round of comebacks, but the dark haired rival would not offer that opportunity. As Dona spun on her heel to walk away, Lyra reacted in a way that would make Dona pay for her insults.

She could feel the Force grasped around Dona's ankle in her open palm. All it took to close her fingers into a fist to ground Dona's ankle joint as the rest of the body moved sharply, her foot twisting in the wrong direction. There was a distinct sound of joint popping and then a loud crack and Dona fell to the ground, wailing in pain and Lyra felt a deep satisfaction.

With everyone coming down to the pool area for apparent body shots, Dona would have an attentive audience. Lyra had no sympathy for the girl who had bullied her for years.

"Jeez Dona, its pretty slick out here, you should be more careful, that may not heal in time for the show next week." Lyra looked at the girl's crooked ankle and then back into her eyes as though she were giving a stern warning not to mess with her. Perhaps breaking her ankle was not too bad of an idea after all.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was in the middle of the group cheering for the shots. He finally took the bottle in his hand. He leaned down to lick the salt off from between Mia’s chest. She could only squirm and giggle as he straightened up to take a big swig from the bottle. He leaned down to bite down on the lime in her mouth when he felt the Force pulse near him. He was frozen in place, tilting his head to look a blink before it happened.

Dona collapsed and her shrill scream pierced the air. The crowd gathered around her and girls screamed at the sight. Dona scrambled on the ground, yelling at the top of her lungs as her dancing career was effectively permanently erased. She pointed at Lyra.

“SHE DID IT! SHE DID SOMETHING! I DIDN’T FALL!” She screeched as people looked over at Lyra and then back over to Dona. Dona looked like the psycho, her hair frazzled and her face red as she went into hysterics. Tears streamed down her face.

“Aw bro, that’s gnarly I can see the bone!” A guy shouted out shortly before another girl vomited at the sight. There was more screaming and vomiting.

Meanwhile, the surprise of it all caused Mia to accidentally swallow the lime. She jumped off the table, choking and coughing. Emryc watched it all play out, quietly taking another swig from the bottle. There was screaming all over and someone shouted about calling the medical transports. This meant authorities, which meant that people began to scatter. The party had turned into pure and complete chaos.

And Lyra had done it all without ever losing face.

Emryc couldn’t help but grin. If she looked over, she would see him near an exit by the pool, simply jerking his head to the side to indicate that it was time to leave.

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Lyra frowned to Dona's accusation and looked around to the gathering crowd, "I think Dona is going into shock, someone call a medic! She needs help." Lyra pressed urgency in her voice tone, but the panic was quickly spreading through the crowd. The redhead took a few steps back away from Dona as some teens were started taking video and snaps of Dona's ankle and the chaos that was spreading like wildfire.

She saw Emryc standing calmly near an exit as she looked around to figure out where she needed go to get out of there. She bit her lip as she passed a couple girls throwing up in the pool and as much as she wanted to stay to see what else could go wrong, she decided to follow pointed-ears' cue and head on out.

The exit lead out into the street and the teen inhaled a deep breath, feeling her shoulders and jaw relax from getting out of there. As much satisfaction she felt in seeing Dona ruined, the present and possible drama that existed was taxing. "They didn't even have any food there." she frowned, "Who has a party but don't provide food?" Lyra shook her head in disbelief.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc had to file that away as a top contender for most entertaining thing in recent memory. The videos of Dona and the failure of a party was already going viral. His comlink began to buzz a few times and he glanced down to see it was Mia asking where he had gone, followed by a series of insulting names for bailing that only made him grin even more.

He still had the bottle with him, top shelf liquor nabbed straight from the office. He took another swig, maintaining the healthy buzz he had going. Lyra mumbled something about food and he only knew that he found himself agreeing. He eyed the streets around them, noting all the bars and restaurants still open.

“We could stop somewhere to eat,” He took a swig from the bottle before he would have to stash it away, “And it won't be a date."

Her rules, after all. He kept looking ahead, clearly having a good night.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Lyra glanced at Emryc seeing he had swiped a bottle of liquor from the party as he took a drink from the bottle and then tucking it away. He suggested they could stop and get something to eat and now it just left her with the choice of where to eat. But his added comment about it not being a date made Lyra smirk, "Its ok, I don't date older men anyways." she reassured him.

She took a sharp turn to the nearest pub where she knew they would have almost anything she could get that was deep fried and covered in some sort of sauce.

Lyra walked in and found an empty table, taking a seat and instantly scanning through the holo-menu to find what she thought would be the most satisfying. She brushed her hair out of her face, pulling it over one shoulder to hold it in place while she read through the options. It had felt like ages since she had classic Corellian pub food, there were some days where she thought she should have been eating trash compared to some of the options that were presented to her.

"So...you and Mia have a second date set yet?" she asked.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc sat across from her, looking through the menu as well. Most of it looked greasy and filling, but he could have it be a cheat day. He was normally rather strict about diet and exercise to keep in top form for his training. The space station would notice immediately if he suddenly began to pack on the pounds.

He was eyeing a platter of cheesy fries when she spoke up. He moved on to looking at the other appetizers as he spoke, “Didn’t care about Mia. It was the other girl I was eying,” He said quietly, moving onto the next page to look at milkshakes, “The cute and shy one,” Emryc paused before slowly looking up at her, taking another pause before continuing, “I think Illie was her name, the brunette,” She had been standing behind Mia at the mall, “She dug my music. I was about to talk to her before you made a scene.”

Emryc gave her a wink, “Or should I say before dummy Dona made a scene,” He called over the waitress to order just a milkshake. The waitress would take Lyra’s order as well before leaving. He eyed the girl for a moment, silver eyes glinting with curiosity.

“How did it feel?”

She had let go before, but this time it had been deliberate and controlled.

@GABA