OTA ; Don't Stop, Make it Pop, DJ Blow My Speakers Up

[walkingheroin]

Who: Lucifer Morningstar and OTA
Where: Deux Lux, Floor 6, Room 66
When: Anytime in March
Rating: TBD, probably PG-13 or so
Summary: Lucifer does what he does almost every other night - he has a party. Shenanigans and conversation ensue. This is essentially a catch-all for March for him. Let me know if you want something specific.
The Story:

[Once the drama of New Years dies down and he's drunk the entirely of his bar two or more times, Lucifer finally reopens his club to the public, seemingly no worse for the wear. He's chatted with a few specific people, reflected (marginally) on himself a bit, and has come to several conclusions.

All of which he'll be keeping to himself for the most part.

That said, he seems a bit brighter than even when he first arrived, as if there's a bit of weight off his shoulders, and he's almost less of a businessman and more of a guest in his own place as the nights continue on. He drinks along with everyone else, dances when he pleases, and plays the piano often, lending his singing voice more than occasionally.

Still, a few things weight on his mind that he'll need to take care of, but on the whole, he's quite chipper and easily approaching....or as approachable as the Devil can be.

That said, he's not seen a whole lot outside of his nightclub or his penthouse up the stairs, which means he might be a little more reclusive still than he first appears...]

Comments

[poppycock]

[ the smile of his lips purses, though he doesn't quite hide his grin even in looking away; a short exhale of a laugh leaves him, and not entirely for her comment about elena's choices. it's for her, caroline.

klaus reaches behind the bar for a glass and a suitable scotch. he pours himself a few fingers. ] We certainly need not, [ he lets her know. he never particularly wants to talk about damon salvatore, or the epic love story of him and elena. long ago he once professed to wanting to talk about her. he believes this is just as fitting, here and now. ] What would you like to talk about?

[persevere]

[She watches him pour himself a drink, submitting herself to the fact that she's not getting out of this. Focus, Caroline. Just don't let your mind wander.]

Well, why don't you tell me about you? [Funny, that she'd go to that.] You apparently already know about me, right? That's not really fair, if you ask me.

[She takes a sip out of her drink.]

How's...life?

[poppycock]

[ he can't argue that logic; it is hardly fair to know her darkest secrets and the current path of her life while she knows naught about him. he has said so very little, though it isn't from lack of wanting. because he does and would want to but more to the point, he wants her to want to know. a fact that is unavoidably apparent when her request warms him.

klaus begins to draw in a breath as he glances to the side. his resulting smile is rueful, considering the answer to her final question is far from simple and riddled with heartache. in other words, it's particularly effusive material for this moment, but neither would he intend to lie to her. ] In a word I assume you'll relate to, given the trials of our shared world: complicated. [ #naileditagain ] Less so perhaps, as I just made amends with the devil. [ #dramaticoneliners ]

[persevere]

[That draws a genuine smile from her and even a breath of laughter because she definitely follows that sentiment.]

Yeah, I know how that goes. Life isn't normal if it isn't also a mess.

[Kind of depressing, and yet comforting at the same time. Sometimes things were worse when nothing was happening, like waiting for the other shoe to drop.]

Oh. That's good, I think? I can't imagine it would be fun to be on someone like that's bad side. [Her smile grows a bit more mischievous.] Kind of like you, right?

[poppycock]

[ it's difficult to consider, or perhaps he is only too willing, to put those issues usually rioting around his thoughts to bed, in her presence. certainly they exist, ever present and pressing, but there is something about her smile that is diverting. klaus returns it, dimpling as he not so much listens but takes her in.

and wow if he were another man he might blush. as it is he does glance down, unequivocally pleased with the implication. ] Us scary things often should come with a warning. [ like right now for instance, with his gaze lingering on hers. ] But I think Lucifer will be a loyal friend. [ he hopes, anyway, and his voice is sincere with that hope with and despite his uncertainties and reservations. ] Those are... [ rare ] all the more [ he pauses barely a beat, searching for a word with appropriate weight; meaningful weight ] valuable in messes. [ he nods to her; he means life, as she put it. ]

[persevere]

[This is why she's been avoiding him, because so often he looks at her like that, and there's this undercurrent of flirtation that she'd can't exactly deny or avoid at this point, and her ability to fall back on sarcasm and sassiness has been drifting away from her for...awhile now.

It doesn't help that Elena warned her about his feelings for a certain other woman.

Her teeth tug slightly on her bottom lip, because she knows exactly how scary he can be. In her own mind, at least. She's not exactly innocent, either.]

You seem to have a couple of those lying around, at least.

[Is she included in that number? Maybe. Probably.]

[poppycock]

[ she is, always, included in that number, though he would be remiss to consider anything to do with her or his feelings for her a "mess." a complication, perhaps, but nothing unwanted; nothing so tawdry or unimportant to merit a baseless adjective.

just as his friendship with lucifer is complicated and valuable, so is she and all things related to her in his heart. he is no fool in love, though he has often been proven wrong to the contrary. he may gaze at her with the world and his heart in his eyes, but he is nothing if not realistic. pragmatic. opportunist though he is, his life is complex. his heart is a riddled and dissected organ and though parts of it could easily, and as he has hoped, be one day hers, it would be foolish to consider the possibility now.

(he couldn't entrust his heart to camille either, though perhaps it was more she couldn't entrust hers to him.)

and that's without considering how far removed she is from what she's lived.

none of that is reflected in his expression, nor consciously in his thoughts, in this moment. he lifts his brow and asks with a hint of that flirtation in his smile, ] Messes? Or warning labels?

[persevere]

[Her life was a mess before the Salvatores ever stepped foot in Mystic Falls. To say otherwise would be a horrible, terrible lie.

It may have lacked the danger or the supernatural element, but it was a mess nonetheless. If anything, she had her shit together more now than she ever did then.]

As much as both of those are true, that's not what I mean.

[She purses her lips and grins simultaneously, Klaus' own smile infectious in a way that was almost annoying.]

Friends. I meant friends.

[poppycock]

[ klaus blinks, both mildly bewildered and softened by the presumption, because the notion she meant let alone believes that he has friends didn't occur to him at all. probably because he knows he so often doesn't. he does, he realizes, have friends—he has lucifer and leopold, in their ways. his own lips purse as he tries again and with moderate success to hide his smile; naturally he wonders if she includes herself on this list. ] I suppose I have a few. [ as if taken by a thought, he leans in conspiratorially. ] Actually, I could use your advice.

[persevere]

[Again, she's not sure. Maybe.

Probably.

As much as she might try to pretend otherwise. She seems to try less and less every time they talk, however.]

Really? [Her head tilts curiously.] With what?

[poppycock]

[ this is without a doubt an attempt to make her smile and to plant a few roots for this tentative, not-quite friendship. the warm light in klaus' eyes lingers at her curiosity; he taps the bar absentmindedly with his fingers ] Well, through a few unforeseen circumstances, none of which I could be blamed for, [ this is a huge stretch of the truth ok, but it's for humor's sake ] I've found myself as care-taker to three pets. Unfortunately, one of them doesn't seem to like me.

[persevere]

[She continues to look amused, but also slightly surprised because that is most definitely not anywhere near what she expected him to say.]

Is it one that would generally be afraid of things that howl at the moon?

[Her eyebrows lift because that is a totally reasonable question, okay.]

[poppycock]

[ a totally reasonable question met with a totally reasonable response: klaus smiles at her well-aimed wit with a playfulness to match her teasing jest. he breathes out a laugh. ] The cat doesn't seem to mind, nor the horse, but the bird...

[persevere]

The bird.

[So deadpan.]

Do I even want to know how you managed to get a hold of a horse here? What, did you walk it out of a closet and somehow have to get it outside, because I sure haven't seen any horses wandering the halls.

[poppycock]

[ by the time she's asking about horses and closets, klaus is dimpling in earnest. he takes a swallow of his drink as she goes on, his eyes bright. ] There are stables outside, you know. Perfectly functional space to acquire a horse.

[persevere]

I know that, but you have to get a horse to put in the stable first, right? Or is there a working closet thing out there?

[Don't make her think about wanting a horse of her own, Klaus. Don't you dare.]

[poppycock]

[ but how can they take romantic horse rides down the beach then?! he dare, he double dog dare

also ok you caught him. klaus peers up towards the ceiling and answers purely hypothetically: ] It might be necessary to use one on the first floor, preferably closest to the Great Hall, if one were so inclined, [ he gestures that as an aside ] for the easiest, simplest, and least traumatizing experience for the horse and the owner [ a wry, crooked smile here because maybe it was somewhat difficult ] in question.

[persevere]

[That's not fair. It's not like she's always wanted a pony or a unicorn her entire life.

Or wait, she probably has. Dammit.]

...I wouldn't even know how to take care of a horse. You know, if I wanted one.

[She's...clearly getting ideas, though.]

[poppycock]

[ what a coincidence, because it just so happened that ] I know how to take care of a horse, [ he says, so innocuously. so innocuously and casually, if not for how obvious he is as he gazes at her. he offers his help as if there's nothing more he'd rather do. ] I could teach you.

... Along with the many tomes of detailed instructions you'd use for research, of course. [ he is using what he knows about her, and he's using it right now to tease her. ]

[persevere]

Considering you have one, I'd sure hope so.

[This may be, in fact, where she wanted to steer this conversation, at least unconsciously. It's probably wrong of her to be interesting in spending more time with him, and yet...]

I'd rather learn by doing rather than reading. If it's not too much trouble.

[Is she agreeing to pull a horse out of a closet??? How did we get here?]

[poppycock]

[ klaus mikaelson is how we get here. said reason for how we get here takes a moment to consider and wonder her words and if there truly is willing interest in them. a small smile touches his lips; he also considers there's no way else to know but see. he downs the rest of his drink and straightens to face her fully. ] In that case. [ there he pauses and nods pointedly at the door with just the smallest measure of challenge. ] Shall we?

[persevere]

[There's a pause as she seems to consider, followed by a gentle roll of her eyes before she gestures with a tip of her head towards the door.]

Alright, fine.

[She pulls out her device then, shooting a quick text off to Elena so that she doesn't look for her when if she separates herself from Damon and even notices that she's left.

That done, she slips it back into her clutch before raising her brows expectantly at him.]

Let's go.

[poppycock]

[ there's certainly no need for further prompting; not for klaus, considering the warm, triumphant eagerness he's feeling right about now. he gestures for her to lead the way, ever the gentleman. as a gentleman, his hand hovers behind her as they make their way through the crowd, his palm brushing the curve of her arm when the spaces grow tight; he opens the door for her once they reach the exit of deux lux.

he walks ahead few paces as they spill out of the noise and clamor of the night club. his hands fold behind his back. ] May I ask if you even know how to ride?

[persevere]

[Each gentle brush of his skin against her has her heart beating harder, her thoughts drifting back and forth from the present to a very real dream she had, and she swallows back any anxiety or excitement it might bring inside her chest. It's not going to be like that, and she hasn't even decided if that wasn't just some weird concoction of her mind. It wasn't real, and that's all there was to it.

Besides, he has a girlfriend...thing. Also, thinking about this at all was wrong.

And then they're suddenly in the hallway and he's pacing himself ahead of her, and she hopes to god that her cheeks aren't red.

Her steps are quick as she follows after him, keeping up with his long strides at a human pace.]

Are you asking if I've taken lessons? Or if I can keep myself in a saddle without falling off?

[So...technically no.]

I've done it before, at least. A couple times. At a brisk walk.

[poppycock]

[ he doesn't neglect to look back nor to slow and let his stride match hers. he does so truly want to be here with her, absent of his usual apprehensive and meticulous comportment—a comportment of which he has been intensely so lately. attentive and discerning though he may still be, there is no other thought in his mind, no other consideration besides the pleasure of her company.

if it is foolish or wrong, it does not matter to klaus. what harm is a stroll to the stables? ] Both, [ he answers. ] Either. I'm certain with your grace you'll grow proficient. Horses are malleable creatures; all they really need is to be understood.