[zapdragon555]

Lucréce stared at Leriun for a long time, his eyes flickering softly. He wondered how much of that was true earnestness, and how much of it might be the boy trying to get on his good side. Lurcréce had heard a lot of speeches like this, though usually they were accompanied with a flirty smile and a touch on Lucréce's hand. So far things seemed to check out alright. Surprising. Pleasant.

Lucréce was observant. He prided himself in being observant. But he was also modest, and unobtrusive. He watched the way Leriun stared at the woman on stage, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he catalogued this information. Not terribly interested in women. And if he was, then not strippers. Which meant his tastes were either unconventional, or for another sex entirely. Or nothing. Lucréce blinked, frowning slightly at himself for thinking such thoughts. He often found himself thinking about people's lives, what they do and how they live, but always felt a little bad about it.

Lucréce was staring at Leriun when a back door banged open, and Lucréce blinked and jumped, peering over Leriun's shoulder to see the man from before looking around, and Lucréce's face grew drawn and pale, flicking his eyes down to stare at the table with a small, frightened intake of breath.

[SpringsSong]

Leriun was not blind to the sudden change in Lucréce's behavior, noting how the sharp intake of breath came almost immediately after a door from behind him slammed open.  He also noticed how the other's face grew pale, and how Lucréce's eyes lowered to the table.

"Is... something wrong?" Leriun asked in a hushed voice.  He peered over his shoulder slightly, noticing the man there and frowning, running a hand through his hair.  "He, uh... doesn't really look very happy," he murmured as he looked back to Lucréce, keeping his voice low.

[zapdragon555]

Lucréce was silent, staring very intently at the tablecloth, and he drew in a shuddering breath before standing up quickly. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I need to go. I hope you enjoy your night." Lucréce gathered his skirts and slid out from the chair, and stepped up to the man that was easily a foot taller than Lucréce. The two talked quietly for a moment, Lucréce seeming to look as small as possible, before the man's voice raised slightly and barked a word of abuse. Lucréce flinched as the man's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, and jerked him rather roughly after him as he made his way back to the back room. Lucréce glanced behind himself at Leriun, his blue eyes apologetic, and he offered a small smile and a nod before being half-pulled through the reddish wood door.

And all the while, the club activities seemed to continue on as if nothing had happened, more and more articles of clothing being shed on stage as men cheered and whistled sharply, drowning out the slow jazzy music wafting through some old speaker.

[SpringsSong]

Leriun offered a nod and began to speak, but fell silent as the other departed.  He turned around when he heard the man bark a word of abuse at Lucréce, and saw the man grab Lucréce's wrist.  He caught the other's apologetic look and nod, and offered a half-smile, nodding in return.  As Lucréce was pulled into the back, Leriun returned his attention to the stage, although his participation was not nearly as eager as the other men in the lounge.

I do hope I didn't get Lucréce in any sort of trouble, he thought to himself, as a few more articles of clothing were discarded on the stage.  Maybe I should leave a note before I leave... he thought, and he did just that.

Lucréce - I'm sorry if I got you in any trouble tonight, with talking to you.  I hope I can meet up with you again--you seem like a nice person, and it's been a while since I've been able to just talk with anyone.  ~Leriun

He placed the note and a few Keystones just under the candle, and slipped out of the lounge, quickly making his way back home.

[zapdragon555]

There was a reason why Lucréce tolerated the rough touches and rougher words of men. They were frank, and honest most often. They knew what they wanted and were intent on getting it. They were crass and often drank or smoked too much (the latter a habit Lucréce tended to dabble in when particularly anxious) and treated Lucréce and the other workers like objects or machines that didn't always work right. Nothing a shout and a good hit wouldn't fix, or complaining to the Madame.

So Lucréce did what he was told, most all of the time. He feared the Madame far more than he feared the men who ordered a bed with Lucréce; at least they didn't ask so many questions about his body. Half of them couldn't see straight, anyway. Lucréce received a black eye that night once he'd left Leriun at the table and gone back to his client, and even though the man was thrown out and told to get lost, the ice held to his eye still stung more than he would've liked. Nothing a bit of makeup wouldn't fix.

He did end up finding the note and the pocket change after hours, and he'd taken both to his room as he avoided the frowning stare of the Madame. Accepting favors and messing around with customers, especially in the dining area alone, was frowned upon and prohibited. But the Madame allowed Lucréce to take them, on account of his injury that would surely last a few days. The note sat unfolded and slightly wrinkled on Lucréce's vanity table, carefully pinned by one corner under the lamp so that the ceiling fan in the small room wouldn't blow it away.

[SpringsSong]

It was a good few days before Leriun returned to the Crimson Sunbird, mostly out of sheer uncertainty.  Would Lucréce even want to see him again?  Had she (or he; Leriun was not quite sure, and dared not make assumptions based solely on what he was told) been fired because she'd stayed and spoken with him, instead of... well, whatever else she did at the Sunbird?

But, finally, Leriun returned to the Sunbird, making sure that it was a little later than the time he'd gotten there the first time he came.  Once he walked through the doors, he waited to be seated, noting that he had arrived just after a performance had begun.

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Lucréce was attempting something like a smile towards a man with slurred speech and bloodshot eyes, who was telling him some story about how this girl dumped him that Lucréce truly couldn't care less about. His black eye was only barely noticeable now, a faded purple shade that he'd matched somewhat with lavender eyeshadow on his other eye. He honestly hated wearing makeup, but it brought a kind of comfort to him sometimes. He blinked as his eyes flicked to the front door, and his entire posture seemed to perk up as he noticed Leriun had come back. He watched the man at the door greet Leriun and lead him to a table, and he felt a tug in his chest towards that table. He at least wanted to thank the boy for his kind words and the tip...

He blinked, realizing he'd been tuning out the man, and he made a soft 'wha?' noise as he turned back to stare at the man. "I said I wanted another beer," he garbled out, and Lucréce nodded curtly, offering a sweet little smile as he darted away. On his way past Leriun's table, he barely touched the boy on the upper back as he passed, glancing at him with a small smile over his shoulder before quickly retrieving the man's drink and returning to the first table.

[SpringsSong]

As Leriun was seated and told his server would be with him shortly, he looked around to see if he could spot Lucréce.  He didn't have to look very far; the other passed by him and just barely touched his upper back as he passed, and he returned the smile that Lucréce had given him.

There was a small group of three women on the stage--each wearing silks and undergarments, and their dance moves intertwining with one another.  From the perspective of someone who appreciated art, it was certainly a beautiful thing to observe, although Leriun did not express his appreciation as... ardently as the other men in the lounge.

When he was young, Leriun had been quite conflicted.  Having been born a girl, it was perfectly normal in his mother's eyes that he liked boys.  But, as he refused to wear more "girly" clothing, it became obvious to Leriun that he was not a girl, as he had been born--and, surprisingly, his mother had been rather accepting of this, while many others weren't--and just as many continued to address him as if he were a woman.

[zapdragon555]

At last Lucréce found a moment to break away, and he let out a harried breath as he darted back to Leriun's table. He sat down with a sheepish smile and a flustered expression, settling down on a seat and whispering a soft, "Hi." He smiled, then blinked, clearing his throat slightly and tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. "I ah... wanted to thank you for the note and the tip," he murmured, nodding his head at Leriun. "It was very kind of you to leave that for me, even after I had to leave so suddenly."

But then, who was he kidding. It wasn't his choice to leave at all. Lucréce leaned his cheek on his hand in a vain attempt to try to cover up most of the black eye, but it didn't quite work, and he winced at the dull pain instead. "Ah... b-but... I wanted to sit with you again. I mean... well, I wanted to thank you, and... now I'd like to sit with you again. If I may." His words were a jumble of mumbles and intakes of breath, like he wasn't particularly used to talking so much at once.

[SpringsSong]

"Hi," Leriun said, smiling as the other sat down at the table he was at.  When he thanked him for the note and tip, Leriun chuckled and said, "You're welcome.  I... well, I... oh, this sounded so much better in my head."

The last part was said as a bit of a chuckle, and he shook his head as he said it.  Why did words have to escape him?  How hard was it to say, "I was really worried that you staying and talking to me might have gotten you in trouble or fired?" to someone?

Apparently, very hard.

"Of course you may," Leriun said, his eyes brightening.  Then, after a moment, he shifted and added, "It... wouldn't get you in any trouble, would it?  I wouldn't want to get you in any sort of trouble on my account..."

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Lucréce smiled a little bit easier at Leriun's words, and he relaxed, lowering his hand to join the other one folded in his lap, one eye just the slightest bit squinted from the bruise but otherwise looking alright. He listened attentively, easily picking out Leriun's voice among the bass of the jazz, and he blinked at the boy's concern. "Mm..." he began, eyes lidding slightly in thought as he glanced at the hands in his lap, and frowned slightly as he fiddled with a hangnail that had been bothering him all day. "No, well... yesterday, perhaps. The man... ah..." Lucréce lapsed into silence, his expression growing fixed.

"I... am also a prostitute, here," he began slowly, softly, not meeting Leriun's eyes for a moment. Slowly, he summoned up his inner strength and put on a guarded, but level expression as he raised his eyes again and looked into Leriun's. "That's why I got in trouble... they needed an extra waitress and I was in the middle of... well, p-prostituting myself," the word came with a kind of nervous chuckle, or embarrassment, or disgust perhaps. He swallowed, wishing he had a water this time around. That man had been so rough... "But ah... no. Not... well, I don't think normally... If you were a client, then it would be a bit different. This would be expected..." Lucréce seemed to mumble and trip over his words as he thought, fiddling with a piece of raven black hair somewhat roughly, twisting it between his fingers. "...I don't know," he finally said, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "I'm not sure if I would get in trouble... by sitting here. But it isn't your account. It's mine."

[SpringsSong]

Leriun listened closely as Lucréce explained the situation that had arisen when he'd been there last.  He inclined his head ever so slightly in understanding, resting his chin on his hand as he took in what Lucréce was saying.

"Ah, I see," he said finally, nodding slightly.  "I can imagine that being pulled away from doing something like that to do other duties would be... well, certainly, a rude shock for the client, but would put you in a bit of an awkward spot yourself," he said.  He didn't seem to mind the admission of Lucréce's other work at the lounge; if anything, he was rather understanding of it.

"Well, let's hope that you don't get in trouble for it," Leriun said, offering a smile.  "You're... well, I hope this doesn't sound strange, with this being our second meeting and all, but it's been a long time since I felt like I could just talk to someone.  I usually have to be really... guarded around people."

[zapdragon555]

Lucréce was silent as Leriun spoke, a bad taste in his mouth. Leriun accept it; that eased some of his nervousness. But it didn't change the fact that Lucréce was still sore all over from the ordeal. It was a blessing that people so rarely requested him. Usually it was the perverts who heard about an oddball of a person from word of mouth and treated Lucréce like a freak show on display. Disgusting, disgusting...!

Lucréce jumped as he realized Leriun was talking directly at him, and he blinked slowly. "Mm," was his sole response for a long moment, his face turning a little pale as he tried to get his mind off of a few nights ago. He suddenly looked straight into Leriun's eyes, locking gazes with him, and not looking away for a moment. Slowly, he began to relax just a bit, and he blinked in front of dilated pupils. "I'm glad I look like someone you could trust. Most people don't think that."

[SpringsSong]

Leriun held Lucréce's gaze when the other locked gazes with him, and he offered a small, but genuine, smile as he sat back in his chair, pausing for a moment as the whistles and cheers from the other men in the lounge rose to a level that made it hard to speak without almost shouting.  When the din decreased slightly, he leaned forward to speak again, a slightly confused look on his face.

"I don't see how most people would think you don't look like a trustworthy person," he said, frowning.  "You're a really nice person.  I may not know why I feel like I can trust you after just having met you, but... I do," he said, his blue eyes fixed on Lucréce's.

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Lucréce's eyes flicked to the stage, then back at Leriun, looking to be the slightest bit uncomfortable. "You've spoken to me for all of twenty minutes, total, maybe... maybe a little more," Lucréce's voice had started out sharp and distant, then grew less sure as he spoke. He flicked his eyes down, letting out a small breath. "I'm surprised. I usually have the opposite effect on people, especially those who think I'm..." Lucréce paused, catching himself, then cleared his throat. Oh, what was all this nervousness? This anxiety? He needed... he needed to get out of there.

Suddenly he stood, pushing his chair back sharply, hands pressed to the table as he seemed to realize all at once the rather awkward and sudden movement. "Ah... I... I need to step outside for a moment," he murmured, offering Leriun a kind of smile. "You... you can join me, if you like," he added, wanting to smooth over the sudden rift in the air.