be my romeo, please be my voice in this world

[boomvox]

Who: Jae and various people.
What: Various activities.
Where: Various places.
When: ... Various times.
Notes: Thread starters for a couple of characters! Otherwise feel free to fling anybody at Jae, I am easy. If you want to work out something specific vs meandering, ping me and I shall work something out for you. :>
Warnings: Various threads have simulated drug use + references to real drug use, and TMI discussions.

Jae is not, in any kind of traditional sense, a celebrity in Baedal - he'd even hesitate to call himself particularly well-known, though since the crisis and his work on the radio, the general public would have to disagree. Percentage-wise he's more famous here than he was back home (D-list radio host and DJ, a cult following and niche celebrity at best), and while it's working out fine in terms of career opportunities, he can't shake the melancholy of being primarily known for something quite so dire. When people recognize him, more often than not it's polite appreciation masking the horror of memory that he triggers.

A girl at the coffee shop he frequents offers him a wasabi and chocolate candy cane. It's horrible, but he eats it anyway, the curled end of the bright green candy sticking out of his mouth as he descends off the train, laptop bag slung over his shoulder, leaf of fliers in his arms, heading off to a printer shop. And then - the world! it's a day for running errands.

Comments

[controlledvariable]

It takes her a little while to psych herself up to actually sending a message. Right now she's sitting on the steps outside the front of the library, CiD in hand. She just got off work, but she doesn't want to go home to Kate's empty apartment. She could go see Tim, or Babs, but she thinks they'd pity her and she doesn't want that either. So, instead, she decides to make potentially unhealthy life decisions and writes a text to send off to Jae. He got picked because she figures he'll actually know the answer to the question she has, but it's also partly because she doesn't think he'll fuss over her too much.

i need your wisdom.

i'm looking for a club to go for a 'forget this bullshit city' night, but it's not really my forte. any advice?

[boomvox]

As worrying a request as that is, Jae knows better than to just ask Steph what's wrong right off the bat. He gets the text as he's getting off the El Train to head into work, so it takes him a few minutes to respond - he checks in, and starts getting his shit together in the general dressing room (dancers and headliners get their own, and while Jae's moved up in the world lately, he's still not a primary performer). After a while:

I'm putting your CiD# on the guest list at The Vault. Ping me when you get here.

[controlledvariable]

In the time it takes Jae to reply, Steph has worked up the courage to force herself in a homeward direction, because even if she ends up going out, she'll have to get ready first and most of her stuff is still at Kate's. (She'll have to move it all soon; she doesn't want to think about that).

She knows she shouldn't be surprised when he suggests the Vault, but it does make her frown for a second, wondering whether it's the best idea. Eventually she decides it's a better option than going out on patrol when she's feeling like this, and she doesn't want to turn down the gesture. It was nice of him to put her on the list.

Anyway, it's an excuse to buy herself a new dress.

thanks, jae. i can finally make good on my promise to come see your show

She assumes that's why he's able to put her on the guest list tonight. She's less sure of if she did actually make that promise to him - she knows she did to Megan, which never happened - but she figures it doesn't matter all that much.

On her way back to the apartment she stops into a dress shop and buys the most fun-looking dress she can find, which ends up being a gold and sequined. At home, she showers, gets dressed and dips into Kate's stockpile of cash so that she'll be able to buy plenty of drinks tonight. This is probably not something Kate would approve of, but she's not here, so it doesn't matter.

About an hour and a half later, she's inside The Vault, a cocktail already in one hand as she texts with the other.

i'm here :) don't feel like you have to come hang out with me if you're busy, btw.

She doesn't want him to feel obliged to be her chaperone if he's got better things to do.

[boomvox]

Jae doesn't go on until late - he's managed to work his way up in the world, even if he's still just a DJ, and thus quite low on the performer food chain at The Vault - so he's got a bit of time still when he gets Steph's text. With the help of an eagle-eyed bouncer, he finds her, and meanders his way over through the crowd to her side.

"Hey gorgeous," he says with a smile, and greets her with a hug while he lets one hand linger at her side. Jae's bit more on than usual, fully decked out and groomed in his work get-up - his paycheck doesn't make itself, okay. "What's the occasion?"

[controlledvariable]

The hug is much appreciated, her drink held carefully so she doesn't spill it on either of them. She gives him a smile, genuine despite how crap she's feeling otherwise.

"You stole my line," Because seriously, look at him; Steph is constantly amazed by people who can do fashion. But at the question her smile twists a little, something bitter in her expression, "I figured out how to go home!"

And her tone is even more bitter, with an added dash of false excitement. She feels kind of bad about it, but it's too late to take back.

[boomvox]

It doesn't take an empath to see she's hurting; that declaration strikes him bittersweet in contrast to her brittle-edged straight up bitter (emotional cocktails everywhere tonight), and his smile turns comforting and he steps back, transferring his hand to her own. "Tell me later," he says, and tugs her along gently, angling at the dance floor.

[controlledvariable]

"Okay," And it's that easy to put her drink down on the first table they pass, her hand holding tight (not enough to hurt, she just needs that physical grounding).

It's easy because she likes Jae and she knows that later can be as far away as she wants it to be. He reminds her a lot of Cass, which probably has something to do with the whole empath thing, since Cass could always tell so easily what she was feeling -- Those thoughts make her miss home, so she puts them away.

"You're not allowed to make fun of my dancing," Self-depricating humor always works.

[boomvox]

"Nobody's allowed to say anything about anyone's dancing here," he assures her, voice canting a bit loud so she can hear over the music and din of the crowds. And indeed, despite the high risk red rooms and tendency to attract unsavory sorts, The Vault attracts everything else, too. It's the most diverse hangout in all of Baedal, really - everything goes, in this particular club, and nothing encompasses 'everything' quite like sex.

There's no live DJ just yet, merely pre-mixed music piped in and illustrating a number of dancers on raised boxes - typical for a dance club, though there's a clear uniqueness here; high quality and less stuffily crowded, there's enough room for people to slip through and socialize, or sit at the edges and observe.

[controlledvariable]

Well, there go her plans to make fun of his dancing, but she's willing to make that concession. Fortunately she's not as bad a dancer as she sells herself to be - you can't be friends with Cass for so long and not pick up a few things, although she doesn't have anything like the ridiculous grace Cass does. On the other hand, Steph's dancing is probably more appropriate for a club, so there's that.

She's also grateful for Jae's company. Not only because he's a good friend, but it makes other people less likely to hit on her if she's dancing with someone. Not that she thinks she's anything particularly special, but they're in a sex club, her dress is short; that sort of thing happens. (This is probably fortunate for other people, as well, since she's in a breaking fingers sort of mood if anyone annoys her). It means she can relax - as much as she ever relaxes in public places - and try to enjoy herself without thinking about all the people who aren't here.