Log: Lil and Julian

[x-diamondlil.livejournal.com]

After the basketball game, Lil is running late to complete the bar at Jean-Paul's party and enlists the help of Julian.


With the sun setting, the cue had been given for Julian and the other "kids" to be quietly dismissed from the boathouse. He'd tried to catch up to Callie, but was met with the cold shoulder as she walked off without him. As everyone else filtered back into the mansion, he sat down on the lawn to look out on the lake and think about the fight they'd had and what he was going to do about it. The topic was already under the bridge between he and Fred- so why was Callie clinging to it so fervently.

His quiet brooding was interrupted but the sound of clinking bottles and a vicious curse as one rolled across the grass, coming to a stop just by his foot.

"Fuck. Julian, can you get that for me?" Lil asked, shifting the remaining ones in her arms for a better grip. Most of the bar was set but the blonde woman had ended up stashing a few back in her room just to be safe and was running behind due to the impromptu basketball game she'd been dragged into. "Just... put it on top of the vodka if you could."

With a quick grab, Julian examined the bottle of clear liquid labeled 'Grey Goose.' After a long moment, he stood up and returned the bottle to the top of the precariously stacked tower of alcohol Lil was transporting. A thought entered his head, "Need a hand, Lil?" he asked with a confident smirk.

"Wouldn't say no," she replied, nodding to the collection of alcohol. "Getting them into the boathouse intact doesn't seem like a likely outcome if I do it myself," the blonde laughed, lowering her arms slowly to allow the student to take a few. "Appreciate it."

Taking seven bottles of various varieties into his arms, the pair resumed the walk toward the boathouse in the dim twilight. "This is a lot of alcohol, Lil. Can't imagine you need all of it."

Lil laughed cheerfully at that and gave a shook of her head. "You have no idea just how much these people can drink," she told him with another smile. "And what we've got here are just the reserves for when the alcohol already stocked in the boathouse runs out." Whether or not body shots would happen again as they had at Nate's birthday was still unseen but there was plenty to experiment with shot-wise as well as to make the world's largest margarita.

"Ah, I see, I see," the boat house was getting closer by the second. "So, what would it take for one of these bottles to...I don't know...fall off the back of the truck?" It came out about a thousand times less smooth than Julian had hoped it would- but they were getting close to the party now.

One golden brow arched quizzically. "Fall off and land where exactly?" Julian couldn't be asking what she thought he was. Though... "How old are you again?"

"I'm seventeen, and as far as landing where..." he shrugged, shifting the load in his arms so they wouldn't fall and break because of his sudden motion. "I'm just saying, it'd be gone, who knows where it went? Ya know?" He added a little wink as he stopped walking.

The Canadian likewise stopped and took a long moment to look him up and down. "Okay, first tip: stop winking. It's creepy and doesn't make you look smooth; it makes you look like you have tick. Second, I'm gonna know where it ends up because it's my alcohol. And you know, the whole fact that you're still way underage." Not that she had room to speak in that particular arena; Lil'd started drinking before joining Gamma but things were different at the mansion.

"Okay, okay," he said, mentally kicking himself 'Why did I wink?' "So say it fell off the back of the truck- yes, stupid metaphor, but bear with me. Falls onto the lawn and a random resident, for example me, happens to walk by and pick it up. Most innocent thing in the world really. As far as legalities are concerned, you accidentally dropped it when you picked up that wad of cash you happened to see, not your fault- and its not like I've never drank before, I'm seventeen."

"You can't be serious." Where did this kid learn his bargaining skills? Bad mob movies? Being approached for alcohol by a younger inhabitant of Xavier's wasn't surprising but Julian's approach? Dear God. Lil shook her head once more, her smile going softer but still amused. "A wad of cash, huh? Lemme guess,unmarked bills in a brown paper bag?"

"Of course not, its rubber banded into a roll and has your name stuck to it on a post-it note." He smiled again, "A brown paper bag? Come on, everyone would know it was me then."

"And a wad of fives and tens ain't gonna point in your direction at all," she chuckled. "You're seriously trying to bribe me into giving you one of these bottles, eh? Alright, how much we talking?" Lil asked, smirking as she wondered just how desperate the student was. And why.

"Um...well, I'm not really sure what the going rate is around here. Out west we'd pay the cost plus fifty-percent..." he shrugged. "Basically since I'm underage the ball is in your court...name your price."

Lil clicked her tongue, disappointed. "Wrong answer, Sweetie." If he wasn't going to make it fun for her, there was no reason to play. "One more chance and then you're gonna have to find someone else to chuck bottles off the back of a truck at you."

Visibly panicked at the thought of having her walk away without selling him some booze, thus not assuring her silence in this matter, Julian threw out a number, "One-hundred and fifty three dollars." It was a bit higher than he'd wanted to pay, but it wasn't like he couldn't afford it.

Making a little choking noise, the giantess' expression shifted from amused to shocked. "A hundred and fifty three dollars? A hundred and fifty three dollars? Not only a really bizarre sum to choose but also pretty out there for a bottle of vodka or rum, kid." Which only went to prove the kid was too desperate for his own good.

"That really depends on the bottle doesn't it?" Shifting his footing he readjusted the load, "I mean, I don't think you have a bottle of aged scotch in this load, and I'm not a huge scotch fan. Are you really under-bidding me though?"

"Not under-bidding you," Lil clarified. "Just wondering why you're trying so damn hard to get one bottle, s'all." Green eyes flashed with curiosity.

A nervous look washed over his face, "I...well, I've been here for half-a-year now.... Back home, well, before... it was kind of the run-of-the-mill Friday night to party a bit. I guess I just miss the taste?" He didn't want to share the fact that he'd managed to piss off the one person in this place who was definitely a friend.

"I've been here half a year, too but that's not something to celebrate with shots of tequila; not in your case at least," she informed him, her tone going a bit more serious. This was turning out worse than she'd expected. "Lemme guess: you get in trouble or something and are trying to find a way to forget what you did or just brooding about it? Am I close 'cause this 'back home party' shit ain't flying with me."

He shifted uncomfortably, "Something like that."

Blowing a tuff of hair from in front of her eyes, Lil continued to share down at Julian. Drinking away her problems had always been the blonde's preferred way of handling things, even when she was Julian's age. Fuck. "And I'm guessing you don't wanna talk about it."

"If you really want to know," Julian sighed. "I made some...remarks about Callie's prom date. She didn't appreciate them- not that I can blame her- and she's not talking to me anymore... and yeah. That's about it."

Dear God, the kid wanted to drink because of prom drama. "Who is Callie taking?" Lil asked simply as the voice in her head laughed not only at her hypocrisy but her attempt at play at being one of the 'responsible adults' of the mansion's tribe.

"Look, whatever," he started toward the boat house again, "Just forget I said anything."

"Not a chance," she replied, following behind him. "You want the booze, I want the story. Part of the price."

"I don't know what you're talking about, I don't want any of this...I'm underage," Julian smirked.

Lil snorted. "I'm blonde, not completely stupid, Slick. You're almost eighteen; we were in Canada I wouldn't have a problem giving you this. But we're not, so you gotta work for it. I got rules and a prices and you're gonna follow them if you want a bottle of Captain."

He stopped abruptly and turned around, "Fred. She's taking Fred and I told her I was surprised that he could get a date- and I know I was a dumb ass and a jerk...so there ya go."

Her nose wrinkled in response to his confession. "Ouch. Majorly shitty thing to say," Lil agreed before cocking her head and heaving a sigh. "Shouldn't be generous to you after that but we had a deal so, rules. One, you can't drink the whole thing tonight, or even half the thing; I really don't need you getting alcohol poisoning or you know, showing up in class tomorrow with a hangover. Two, no sharing with anyone. Three, put it in Coke or something, eh? Four, you didn't get it from me. Five, you're on Mist cleaning duty for the next month - wax and wash."

He thought for a moment, looking into her eyes. "Deal...and I know it was shitty, I've already apologized to Fred. He thought it was funny, which, of course, made me feel like more of an asshat."

"I mean it, you show up hungover to class tomorrow and I am dragging your ass to the gym and using your face as a speedbag," she warned, expression surprisingly serious. "And you should feel like an asshat because you were one. We got enough fucking problems dealing with people who live outside of the mansion; we don't need the ones living inside adding anymore shitty and ridiculous comments 'causa someone's mutations, got it?"

Feeling more put-in-his-place than usual, Julian couldn't meet her eye. "Yes," was all he could get out. Suddenly he didn't feel much like drinking, but there was no turning back now.

"Good. Now, help me get these things to the boathouse and I'll give you one to smuggle back to your room. And quickly before I turn into fucking Heather Hudson," Lil ordered, a small smile coming back to her lips.