A Case of Mistaken Identity Who: Brandon, Shiloh, and Brennan Where: Avarice When: Friday evening
The last week had been pretty trying on the entire community that the Bale family ran with. Between knowing he now had a grown daughter from a future timeline running around, dealing with a friend of the family having been murdered, and now a welcome but highly emotional reconciliation with his estranged twin brother... yeah. It's a shock that Brandon Bale was still only drinking iced tea as he sat at the bar, lost deep in thought.
"Buy a girl a drink." Shiloh said with a soft smile as she settled herself on the stool at the bar next to Brandon's. Not that she was actually expecting the guy to get a drink for her, Shi had just said it to get the man's attention. There was just one problem with this little scenario, though, as the man she had just sat down beside wasn't who she had thought he was.
"Sorry?" Brandon asked, blinking as her... forcefulness brought him a little out of his thoughts. He looked her over, appreciatively. Very pretty girl. "Gotta say, I've been hit on in some interesting ways, but that's about as upfront as it gets. Sorry, though... I've got a girlfriend. Very flattered though. Seriously."
"A girlfriend? Your kidding, right?" Shiloh looked at the guy pretty much like she wasn't believing him. Brennan certainly hadn't acted like he had a girlfriend, and Shiloh was pretty much under the impression the guy had not so long ago lost his fiancee'.
"Um... no?" He asked, blinking in disbelief a little. "Is it that hard to believe? I mean, YOU seemed to want to have a drink with me just a few seconds ago..." Snippy, yes, but he had a lot on his mind and felt, frankly, a little insulted. "...are you on drugs or something?"
"Believe it or not, yeah it is." Shiloh slipped off her stool then with a grumble. "Should've of known the nice guy act was just that." The blonde turned then to face Brandon. "And just for the record I wasn't hitting on you, nor am I on any kind fo drug." And not giving the guy a chance to respond Shiloh stalked away to take the shortest path to the door. And to think she had kind of liked Brennan.
Brennan was wrapping up another night of questioning and decided to stop by Avarice on his way back to David's. Dressed in a simple black t-shirt, jeans, and his work boots, the lycan approached the steps the club as he hoped to see his brother or maybe Shiloh. Of course...he hadn't really wanted to literally run into her, which he narrowly avoided doing so as he caught her. Catching her expression, Brennan held her at arms length and inquired, "Shiloh? What's wrong?"
Shi was digging the keys out of her bag when found herself bumping into someone as she exited the club. Looking up at the guy that caught her the blonde glared daggers at him. "As if you would care." Shiloh pretty much snapped at Brennan as she pulled away from him and tried maneuvering around the guy. One moment he barely knew her and the next he was standing there seemingly concerned about her. Well, Shiloh wasn't wanting either. She wasn't into playing games with guys, especially ones that apparently had girlfriends.
"Uh, yes, I do care." He paused, following after her as she moved around him. Brennan jutted a thumb behind him, "Did someone bother you inside the club?"
"Oh come on, don't act like you don't know." Shiloh stopped to spin around to look at the guy not believing he was actually trying to get her to believe he didn't know what just had happened in the club not a moment ago. "What are you doing here without the girlfriend anyway? And to think I was kind of starting to like you." Shiloh then turned around and started walking away at the moment not caring what he might have to say.
"Girlfriend? What girlfriend?" Brennan hurried after her, catching up to Shiloh and gently, but firmly grasping her upper arm to stop her, "Shiloh, I don't have a girlfriend. I mean, the only guy I know who has a girl--" The lycan cut himself off when Brandon came to mind and he suddenly understood Shiloh's reaction.
"That's not what you told me two minutes ago in the club." The blonde pulled her arm free of his grasp after she turned to face Brennan once more. "And really how can you switch so quickly from apparently not knowing who the hell I am to recognizing me and showing concern. What, do you have some kind of split personality that works like a light switch? Cause you're really starting to confuse me here, Brennan."
"Two minutes ago I was walking down the sidewalk, on my way here." Brennan paused in his explanation and turned toward Avarice slightly, gesturing with a hand, "If you come back into the club with me, I can explain."
"Fine." The blonde huffed out as she started to walk back into the club not thinking Brennan could offer any kind of explanation that she'd find believable.
Brennan paused a few feet in the doorway and checked out the bar area, spotting his twin. Pointing out Brandon to Shiloh, he asked, "I don't suppose you were talking to him?"
"The guy I was talking to was... "Shiloh had started speaking before her eyes followed the direction Brennan motioned toward and landed on the guy sitting at the bar. A guy that was the mirror image of the man standing by her. Oh shit. The words moved silently through her head as Shiloh looked at Brandon, then Brennan, and then back to his spitting image sitting on a stool at the bar. "I feel like a perfect idiot."
A sympathetic smile curved the lycan's lips and Brennan shook his head, "Trust me, you aren't the first to make the mistake and you probably won't be the last." Nodding his head toward the entrance, "Why don't we talk outside where it's more quiet." Brennan started toward the door and when he reached the exterior, he turned back to Shiloh, "Before you ask, yes, we're identical twins. Guy inside is my brother, Brandon."
Before the two of them could go back outside, Brandon blinked when he saw his brother... chatting up the same woman he'd just spoken to. Crap. NOW it made sense. Getting up from the bar, Brandon quickly made his way over to them and gave an impish, somewhat embarrassed smile. "You know... I didn't think this stuff happened outside of bad 80s sitcoms. Sorry about the misunderstanding." He said to Shiloh, offering a hand. "Brandon Bale. Pleasure to meet you." He shot his brother a look and snickered. "If Baily saw this, we're NEVER gonna live this down, Bren. Fair warning. Chick's ruthless."
"Shiloh Stonestreet," Shiloh returned offering out her hand to Brandon, "and I should be the one apologizing." The blonde said still feeling a bit embarrassed about the whole thing.
As Brandon and Shiloh spoke, Brennan's gaze wandered away from his brother to look at the girl more than once. The lycan couldn't help himself and it wasn't because Shiloh was a dead ringer for Lauren. There was that, of course, but despite the similarities in physical appearance the two women were completely different. Lauren was shy, reserved, where it seemed that Shiloh was more outgoing.
When the lycan realized he'd gone quiet and hadn't replied to Brandon or Shiloh's comments, Brennan piped up, "Uh, right! Never live it down and..." He glanced at Shiloh a mixture of shyness and embarrassment in his gaze, "You don't need to apologize." He shrugged, "You didn't know."
"He's the handsome one. Best way to tell us apart." Brandon quipped dryly, as the two were identical outside of a few small scars.
Out of habit, Brennan punched his brother in the arm and quipped back, "Yeah, we all know you're talking about yourself."
There was a slow spread of a soft smile as Shiloh found herself being witness to the playful exchange going on between the two men. "I can tell you two get along real well." Shiloh smirked looking between the indenticals knowing she'd have to be a little more cautious in her approach should she unexpectedly run into either man again. Shi wouldn't want to mistake one for the other again and end up in another embarrassing moment.
At Shiloh's words, Brennan couldn't help but exchange a glance with his twin. The lycan pressed his lips together to prevent a laugh, but it didn't work and a snort escaped him and peals of laughter quickly followed. The poor blond was just going to have a confusing night it seemed.