[Nightclub] But this isn't lovely ~ [Ruari, Aline]

“..And so the bear is his. Well, not the bear, but Bear. Bear’s the dog, did I mention that? Bear’s the dog’s name and now he’s his. He’s a puppy. Though I suppose he’s not really a puppy any more. I wouldn’t know, I haven’t seen…” The brunette’s voice trailed off as a frown appeared above her pretty hazel eyes. Her gaze was unfocussed for a moment before she remembered where she was. “I’m sorry,” she told the man who was standing next to her, leaning against the bar. The club was dark and the music was loud and everyone was sweaty and gross. Aline had done a pretty good job of getting her drunk, but this was not her idea of fun.

The blonde stranger next to her had offered to buy her a drink while they were waiting for the bartender and somehow she’d ended up talking about the dog she and her ex boyfriend had bought together. She was buying a round for her friends. The bartender hadn't come yet (thank Merlin), and she hadn't really given him an answer. Really, she'd only considered it for a second. So it turned out she was a mopey, talkative drunk. Big surprise. Poor guy. Zoning back in, she gave man (who, for some reason, had been listening politely) a furtive glance. “I’m sorry a lot. But no.” Still frowning, Dash turned back to the bar, where a young bartender had appeared to take her order. Finally. The witch ordered a beer and two French martinis and skittered out of there as quickly as she could.

She did not want to be here.

Dash was not a nightclubby girl. She did not like dancing sexily. She did not like random strangers pressing against her or eyeing her off. The only times she ever came out was when Aline got her drunk and forced her into it. More often than not, they’d end up playing dress-ups and Aline would make sure that Dash’s dress was a little too short or low cut. And she always doubled whatever make-up Dash put on herself. Tonight was no exception. When it came to drinking, Arden Dasher was more of a beer-around-the-campfire kind of girl. Cocktails were too sweet and getting drunk at clubs was not her thing. Besides, Sindri had never really liked her going out by herself, even if being “by herself” had been with a couple of girlfriends. It had never been a problem because she didn’t like it anyway...

The young witch got back to the place where her friends were sitting and set their drinks down clumsily, spilling a bit of liquid out of one of the cocktail glasses. The beer was for her. If Aline had been buying the drinks, they’d be more shots and Dash really didn’t want to get more drunk than she already was. Her head was fuzzy and she didn’t want to be here. She took a seat next to the others, straightening out the too-tight dress that Aline had squeezed her into. Her expression was sullen and a little bit dazed. “Can we go home now?” she mumbled to the others (Aline, specifically), already knowing exactly what the answer would be.

Enough was enough.

There was a thick, dense, heavy cloud of depression and sadness looming over her apartment. It wasn't Dash's fault, of course. She'd just come out of a serious relationship and Ruari wasn't sure what else she could possibly do for her friend. She'd sat in and listened as her friend had cried her poor little heart out. She'd cooked (or tried to), she'd wiped her tears, she'd tried everything but still, nothing. The only bright side of the other girl's dilemma was that Ruari had less time to dwell on her own shambles of a love life.

Bloody stupid Trickett men and their bloody stupid way of ruining people's lives.

Because, yes, Hal had ruined her life. She was certain. She was fine before he came waltzing back into her life after a seven year absence, all tall and handsome and successful. Urgh. He'd capsized her. Totally. She was floundering. Her head was barely above water. Who needed love, anyway? Not her. Nope. She was vodka.

Ruari just needed to get out, even if she wasn't having a lot of fun. She'd spent most of the evening with Dash while Aline was being her beautiful, glorious self and had a million and one boys wrapped around her finger. Ruari had never been a particularly great flirt. Oh sure, she knew the basics; laugh at his jokes, tilt her head, make eye contact, play with her hair but she'd forgotten how much a night club resembled a savanna. Men were out hunting in packs, picking off the weakest female in the group and Ruari had a sinking feeling that she was going to be a lion's supper.

She stood out tonight. Ruari was dressed in a plunging white glittery dress that was a stark contrast to her usual floor skimming chiffon numbers. The dim lights picked up on the sequins and as she moved, she seemed to cast mini rainbows. The tall blonde stood in the corner, nodding her head to the beat of an unfamiliar song as she clumsily slurped her fruity drink through a long red straw childishly. She had no idea what was in it but it was fizzy and cold and faintly tasted like raspberry.

She didn't really know what to do in this sort of situation. She'd attracted a few glances, a couple of smiles from the people in this sticky club. She wasn't a teenager any more. She was getting a bit too old to be out clubbing but honestly, Aline would not take no for an answer. Ruari could see why. The apartment she shared with Dash was looking more and more horrific. Since her friend had moved in, she hadn't decorated her room, despite Ruari offering to help her paint. Most of her stuff was still in boxes and they often spend the evening sobbing on the sofa.

Ruari cried a lot but she wasn't sure what about. Breaking up with Dante had hurt but she knew it was for the best, she was cheating him of his chance at happiness. Deep down, she sort of knew that she was more upset about her inappropriate feelings for another Healer. As she sipped her drink, Hal's face swam in front of her eyes. Damn it.

Turning, she placed her empty glass down on the bar, just as a man offered to refill it for her. Ruari blinked. He was handsome. Tall, well dressed, smelt nice, had a lovely smile but…no. She'd been drinking steadily now and she was feeling the warm, wobbly-wobbly thing that made her relaxed. Could he buy her a drink? Of course he could. "No thank you," she said politely. "I'm gay." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them and she had no idea why she'd said them. Offering the man a quick smile, she teetered on her heels as she plonked herself back down.

"Nope," Ruari said as she leant across the table to grab the glass Dash had just set down for her, wiggling more comfortably into her seat as she did so. "Not until I get so drunk, I go home with someone." Nodding, she slurped her drink again, a lock of bright blonde hair escaping the fishtail braid that hung over her shoulder.

Dash watched her friend for a moment, before nodding once. It was in acknowledgment rather than agreement though. “You know what I miss?” she asked, a vague look in her eye. The girl leant forward to rest her chin on her palm, her elbow digging into her knee, “Sex.” Dash sighed, blowing a strand of dark brown hair out of her face discontentedly. Her beer sat, untouched, in front of her. The brunette stared at it. She was a babbly drunk, and somehow her thoughts were just turning into words without her consent. It was out of her control. Oh well. After a moment, her darkly outlined hazel eyes turned to the crowded dance floor. The lighting was dodgy, but there were a few guys that stood out to her. Handsome and well-dressed young men. Ruari was making comments about going home with a random man tonight, but Dash knew that she wouldn’t be following her friend’s footsteps. She couldn't.

The brunette clumsily grabbed her drink off of the table and took a sip. It tasted delightfully bland. Almost like water. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and then stared the smear of red lipstick left behind. Oopsie. Aline would kill her… Ducking her head in a way which the inebriated girl surely thought was inconspicuous, Dash tried to wipe her chin and corners of her lips to see if the lipstick had been smudged too badly on her face. Unfortunately, the low lighting wasn’t helpful at all. She rubbed at her skin and then checked her fingers, but it was impossible to tell. Huh. Maybe having makeup that looked like a blindfolded person had tried to apply it with a wand would be a nice repellent for attention tonight. Male attention in clubs didn’t really  make Dash feel attractive… most of the time it just made her feel anxious.

With a sigh, the brunette slumped back in her chair. “Guys have hit on you tonight,” she said to Ruari, turning her head slightly to look at her former housemate. “Why didn’t you just say yes to one of them and disappear?” Dash was quiet for a moment as she turned her attention back to the crowd. Her eyes were a little glazed. “Do you think she’s going to throw up?” she asked flatly, tilting her head to the side and pointing out a highly intoxicated girl stumbling through the dance floor, barely holding herself up.

Glumly, Ruari nodded along as she sucked her pink coloured drink noisily through her straw. "Me too," she added quietly. Sex was fun. She liked it a lot, she just wasn't really one of those casual sex sorts of girls. It just made her feel…uncomfortable, almost. Her relationships never lasted too long but when she was in them, she really liked the other person so sex just seemed like the natural progression. "Totally," the tall blonde added as she poked a slice of orange around in her fruity cocktail.

When was the last time she'd had sex? Six months ago, longer? She'd been busy looking after Dash. Not that she minded at all, she adored her friend. Her big grey eyes watched Aline amusedly. "Isn't she fun?" she asked the brunette, nudging Dash gently to get her attention as she watched Aline. She sighed heavily. "She's so lucky," she said wistfully as she sipped her drink again. "Her legs look incredible," she mused as she continued to drink. "If we weren't friends, I'd offer to buy her a drink and she'd be rejecting me as we speak."

Dash's movements caught her eye. Ruari squinted at her friend, feeling panicked to see a smear of red across her chin. Leaning forward, she grabbed the napkin that had been placed down instead of a beer mat and turned towards the brunette. "C'mere," she said softly, scooting forward as she tried to fix the mess of Dash's face before offering her another napkin. "It's pretty much still on," she said kindly. "It just needs neatening up a little. Did you use a liner?"

Oh.

Dash's question made her shift in her seat, her stomach muscles clenching and twisting as a feeling of nausea washed over her. The corners of her plump lips down turned to form a frown and she shrugged her slender shoulders gently. "I dunno," she mumbled. "I'm scared," she eventually said. The cocktail she was slurping was jam packed full of booze but annoyingly, she still had a sound mind. If she could feel shame, she wasn't drunk enough. "For one, I could get home, turn on the light and he could look like a troll with hair to match," she said brightly.

She knew the reason she was unwilling to go home with someone; she didn't want to. She'd never been into casual sex. Ruari fell in love too easily. She formed emotional bonds, even after knowing someone for half an hour and really, none of those men were Hal Trickett. Gah. When was her ex-boyfriend going to leave her alone? His memory was haunting her, taunting her. She was pathetic. She fell silent, still drinking as she watched a man with her back to her. "He's got a nice bum," she pointed out, chewing on her straw again quickly.

"I'm all out of fruity drunky," she said, sounding and looking dismayed at her empty glass as she sighed. She wasn't capable of saying the words "fruity cocktail" so she settled for the former. She felt a bit sick. And wobbly. "Do you want another?" she asked Dash.

Ruari forced her eyes to refocus as she leant forward to watch, grimacing as she did so. "Probably," she said cheerily. "Hang on," the blonde said, alarm growing and etched on her pretty face. "That's not…Aline, is it?" she asked, pointing to the girl who was walking like a newborn giraffe. They were wearing the same colour dress. Ruari snorted into her empty glass, feeling the happiness of alcohol that took the edge off all the depression and anxiety. She felt floaty.

"Where is she anyway?" she asked quickly, sitting up and looking around like a meer kat. "It's supposed to be a girls' night out," she said grumpily. "If she's gone home with someone hot and not told us, I'll be very disappointed," she grumbled in reference to their third and final friend. Ruari sniffed the air. "Someone's got food," she said quickly, her eyes wide. "I want some. I'll be right back." With that, she got unsteadily to her feet and wobbled back towards the bar to stand next to the man with the nice bum. "Hi," she said with a wide, sparkling smile that he returned as he turned to face her. "Are those mozzarella sticks? Ooh yum." That said, she leant across him to grab one.