Oh yeah, I write things, don't I?
Title: A Girl Like You
Characters: Veronique, Linkara, Marzgurl
Rating: PG-13, because Hookerverse.
Summary: She was out of place in the best possible way.
Author's Notes: Sometime around 2007, I printed out a prompt table from somewhere or other. I no longer remember where or even what it was. However, my computer was out of commission recently, and in a fit of boredom I found it and worked myself up a lotto with characters and verses. This came out of that. Prompt 38 from the Table of Mysterious Origin: If. Set in the Hookerverse, which I am terrified of. (Then again, I did include it in the lotto.)
She was tall and leggy, and her sweater was stretched far too tight to be accidental, and she was grinning shyly up at the dancers when Linkara saw her. Insano wasn't there yet, and Marzgurl was glaring at him more and more the longer he supported the wall, so he made his way to her table and slipped into the chair across from her.
"Hey."
"Hi," she replied, only mildly startled.
"You here by yourself?"
She shook her head, dropping her eyes to her drink. "My friends brought me here. They heard...rumors, about this bar."
Linkara gave a wry smile. "People do talk. You have a lovely accent."
She smiled at him then, shy and a little flirtatious. "Lots of people notice."
"French, am I right?"
They settled into an easy conversation, talking about her hometown and his high school, both of which gave her a wistful, faraway look, and eventually he coaxed a name out of her.
"Veronique," he repeated, exaggerating the accent, and she giggled.
"What's your name?"
"Linkara. You know, you remind me of someone."
She started to reply, but was cut off by her friends approaching the table.
"Come on, Ver." Linkara watched the annoyance flash across her face at the abbreviation.
"Where is Sarah?" she asked. "Are we leaving without her?"
The other girls looked at each other and giggled. "Sarah's busy," one of them said, and with a slight lean Linkara could see the basement door swinging shut. Of course.
"We were going to get some stuff while we waited on her." Veronique's spine stiffened.
"And where, exactly, were you going?"
"Just down the block."
Something clicked in Linkara's mind then. He saw Veronique with an elastic band around her arm. He saw dark hair, splayed across dirty sheets. He saw eyes glazed over and fingers gone limp, and something inside him recoiled.
"I'm rather enjoying Veronique's company," he said, and Veronique looked at him with confusion. He met her eyes briefly before looking up at her friends. "I promise to take care of her."
"I bet you do," one girl sighed. "Look, it's your choice, Ver. We're leaving."
Linkara laid his hand on Veronique's, and she shook her head. "I'm staying. I'll wait for Sarah and meet you back at the hotel."
"Whatever," the girl said, and the pair left. Veronique turned back to Linkara.
"I didn't think they'd leave me," she said quietly.
"How old are you?" Linkara asked abruptly.
"21," she replied, surprised. Linkara pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. Rubbing a hand over his face, he pulled a wad of bills out of his pocket and handed a few to Veronique.
"Get a cab and a hotel room for you and your friend," he said quietly. "Not the one you're in with them. You don't want to be anywhere near them tonight."
"I - no, I don't," she agreed, still staring at the money. "But - why - "
"Because I think too goddamn much," he muttered. "Just...when your friend comes back, get out of here, okay? Be safe."
"O-okay. Thank you. I don't how - "
He waved a hand, cutting her off. "Just...you know your friends from high school? The ones you were talking about earlier?" She nodded. "Give them a call." He stood, moving towards the bar, stopping when Veronique grabbed his arm. "What - "
She pulled him down, pressing her lips against his briefly. "Thank you," she whispered.
"Just stay safe," he responded, disentangling himself and making his way to the bar. He sat there, face in his hands, until he heard Marzgurl's voice.
"Did I just see that? Do I have to kick your ass?"
"I'll make it back when Insano gets here," he muttered, not looking up.
"And if he doesn't show tonight?"
"Then you can kick my ass." There was a sigh and then silence, and Linkara just stayed where he was.
Then a drink was deposited in front of him, and he looked up in time to see a flash of blue before it vanished. He took the glass with a small smile, remembering dark eyes and a shy smile before he downed the liquid in one go.
Characters: Veronique, Linkara, Marzgurl
Rating: PG-13, because Hookerverse.
Summary: She was out of place in the best possible way.
Author's Notes: Sometime around 2007, I printed out a prompt table from somewhere or other. I no longer remember where or even what it was. However, my computer was out of commission recently, and in a fit of boredom I found it and worked myself up a lotto with characters and verses. This came out of that. Prompt 38 from the Table of Mysterious Origin: If. Set in the Hookerverse, which I am terrified of. (Then again, I did include it in the lotto.)
She was tall and leggy, and her sweater was stretched far too tight to be accidental, and she was grinning shyly up at the dancers when Linkara saw her. Insano wasn't there yet, and Marzgurl was glaring at him more and more the longer he supported the wall, so he made his way to her table and slipped into the chair across from her.
"Hey."
"Hi," she replied, only mildly startled.
"You here by yourself?"
She shook her head, dropping her eyes to her drink. "My friends brought me here. They heard...rumors, about this bar."
Linkara gave a wry smile. "People do talk. You have a lovely accent."
She smiled at him then, shy and a little flirtatious. "Lots of people notice."
"French, am I right?"
They settled into an easy conversation, talking about her hometown and his high school, both of which gave her a wistful, faraway look, and eventually he coaxed a name out of her.
"Veronique," he repeated, exaggerating the accent, and she giggled.
"What's your name?"
"Linkara. You know, you remind me of someone."
She started to reply, but was cut off by her friends approaching the table.
"Come on, Ver." Linkara watched the annoyance flash across her face at the abbreviation.
"Where is Sarah?" she asked. "Are we leaving without her?"
The other girls looked at each other and giggled. "Sarah's busy," one of them said, and with a slight lean Linkara could see the basement door swinging shut. Of course.
"We were going to get some stuff while we waited on her." Veronique's spine stiffened.
"And where, exactly, were you going?"
"Just down the block."
Something clicked in Linkara's mind then. He saw Veronique with an elastic band around her arm. He saw dark hair, splayed across dirty sheets. He saw eyes glazed over and fingers gone limp, and something inside him recoiled.
"I'm rather enjoying Veronique's company," he said, and Veronique looked at him with confusion. He met her eyes briefly before looking up at her friends. "I promise to take care of her."
"I bet you do," one girl sighed. "Look, it's your choice, Ver. We're leaving."
Linkara laid his hand on Veronique's, and she shook her head. "I'm staying. I'll wait for Sarah and meet you back at the hotel."
"Whatever," the girl said, and the pair left. Veronique turned back to Linkara.
"I didn't think they'd leave me," she said quietly.
"How old are you?" Linkara asked abruptly.
"21," she replied, surprised. Linkara pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. Rubbing a hand over his face, he pulled a wad of bills out of his pocket and handed a few to Veronique.
"Get a cab and a hotel room for you and your friend," he said quietly. "Not the one you're in with them. You don't want to be anywhere near them tonight."
"I - no, I don't," she agreed, still staring at the money. "But - why - "
"Because I think too goddamn much," he muttered. "Just...when your friend comes back, get out of here, okay? Be safe."
"O-okay. Thank you. I don't how - "
He waved a hand, cutting her off. "Just...you know your friends from high school? The ones you were talking about earlier?" She nodded. "Give them a call." He stood, moving towards the bar, stopping when Veronique grabbed his arm. "What - "
She pulled him down, pressing her lips against his briefly. "Thank you," she whispered.
"Just stay safe," he responded, disentangling himself and making his way to the bar. He sat there, face in his hands, until he heard Marzgurl's voice.
"Did I just see that? Do I have to kick your ass?"
"I'll make it back when Insano gets here," he muttered, not looking up.
"And if he doesn't show tonight?"
"Then you can kick my ass." There was a sigh and then silence, and Linkara just stayed where he was.
Then a drink was deposited in front of him, and he looked up in time to see a flash of blue before it vanished. He took the glass with a small smile, remembering dark eyes and a shy smile before he downed the liquid in one go.