Lindsey McDonald (oklahomalawyer) wrote in btvsal, @ 2010-09-29 21:12:00 |
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Current location: | Bar Outside W&H |
Current mood: | drunk |
Entry tags: | charlotte valentine, lindsey mcdonald, place: la |
Answers in the Bottom of the Glass?
Who: Lindsey and Charlotte
Where: A bar not far from Wolfram & Hart
When: Sept. 28th, Evening
Lindsey sighed as he walked inside of the bar. It had been another long day at work, and he had pulled a sixteen hour day today. Of course, things had went into high gear at Wolfram & Hart since the sky basically fell to the fucking earth and then a series of earthquakes all but opened up the ground and tried to suck it into Hell. Yeah, he wasn't exactly feeling optimistic either. Plus, Lilah had turned down a marriage proposal from him. He wasn't sure what he was thinking when he had blurted it out, but it still stung like hell when she did say no.
He sat down at the bar and ordered a scotch on the rocks from the bartender, and, as soon as it was handed to him, he immediately drained half of it. Today had not been a good day, but this entire month had kind of sucked something awful.
The bar itself was actually a large rectangular shape in the center of the room, with people milling about on all sides and a staircase leading to a secondary level. Charlotte, however, was sitting at the bar as well, directly in Lindsey’s line of sight. Just on the opposite side.
She was silently contemplating the Gin and Tonic in her hands before taking an almost dainty sip, sighting him; she couldn’t help but arch an eyebrow in surprise. Although why, was anyone’s guess, since she’d witnessed him drink before.
Well, he had once told her that he dealt with his job by drinking too much. Sometimes he really did just want to say 'fuck it' and quit that place. Then again, he REALLY liked the money. Plus, he liked being able to both see and keep an eye on Lilah. Sometimes she needed it.
He suddenly got the distinct feeling that he was being watched. Eventually he sussed out the source of the eyes, and met Charlotte's stare dead on for a moment.
She gave him a courteous nod, a little overwhelmed by the stare. Not for the first time, she found herself thinking that he had a way about him that would catch most women off-guard. She briefly considered pursuing him, if only to fuck with Lilah, but… amazingly, she wasn't that cruel. "Good night for it, isn't it?" she smiled faintly.
He actually had no idea just how...powerful his stare could really be. He returned her smile and looked toward his drink for a moment before saying, "Yeah, I'd say so. Good month for it, considering." He looked back up at her. "How have you been doing?"
She nodded in agreement to that. Funny how horrible things had been happening lately and the only thing she was worried about was her increased workload. She paused for thought on that, knowing that she SHOULD care, but not sure how. "Okay. Almost gotten flattened by a jumper," she offered, her voice so deadpan that it might have been a story that she’d heard from someone else.
He arched an eyebrow at her when she mentioned that. "A jumper?" He had heard and read about more than a few since...well, everything that had been happening had happened. "Well, that isn't so shocking." He smirked. "It isn't shocking that there are jumpers right now. It's a little shocking that you nearly got hit by one. You alright?"
"Not a scratch," she confirmed, taking another quiet sip of her drink. She was still… conflicted, however. Out of sorts with the world and her place in it. Although she hid it very well. Maybe she could use a little direction? She’d heard about a karaoke bar that did that sort of thing… "How have you been doing, Lindsey?"
He thought on that question for a moment before answering. "I'm about as good as can be expected, I suppose." He took a smaller sip of his drink this time. "You know, with fire falling from the sky and such."
"It’s never boring here, is it?" She pondered, although she didn’t expect a response from it. "Do you think LA’s going to hell in a hand-basket?" And, while normally careful with her words, she wanted to know: "Would you care if it did?"
He snorted when she commented that it was never boring here. "That's one way of putting it," he said to her. "Going to hell in a handbasket is another, actually." Part of the reason he had been working so much was to try and find a way to prevent this stuff from happening. He actually had to think for a second before answering the last part, and then, scarily enough, he started to laugh. "You know what? I'm not even sure at this point."
"Good answer," she replied to the last part, quietly glad that she wasn’t the only one to feel that way. She liked it here, sure, but there were times when she wondered why that was.
That elicited another chuckle from him as he finished his drink and pushed his glass toward the bartender as a signal for a refill. "Sometimes I wonder how people like you and me can get so cynical," he said," and then I remember who we work for."
"Yes, it doesn't exactly inspire confidence in your fellow man," she replied. She finished the last of her drink, but waved off a refill for now. "I honestly don't think I'd be suited to anything else now."
"That's definitely a sentiment I understand," he said to Charlotte. "I think I'm a little too fucked up for the real world at this point." He took a sip of his fresh drink. "Pardon my French."
She waved off the swear. She'd heard worse, after all. "It's depressing to think about, really." Here was someone so desperate for human interaction, when it finally happened she lacked anything significant to say. "Still. Someone has to do it."
Even though she waved it off, it was habit for him to apologize for language like that. If his uncle, the man who really raised him, heard him talk like that, he'd be smacked upside his head. "Yeah, I guess someone has to do our jobs," he agreed. "Still, sucks that it always has to be us." Someone snapped his neck simply because he was doing his job.
"Hmm, could you picture Holland Manners sunbathing on the beach, though?" She countered with a small smirk. Well, what do you know? She has a sense of humor, after all. "Sorry. Bad mental image. My point is that some people were meant to do this job, whether they like it or not. You just… have to make the most of it and all that Hallmark crap."
He actually shuddered at the thought of Holland Manners sunbathing. "Not a nice mental image," he said with a laugh. "But I get what you mean. Some of us were meant for this job. Let's not get too Hallmark-like, though."
"Sorry. " She let out a husky chuckle, before getting up from her seat. She’d had enough to drink for the evening and could use a *little* sleep before work. "Thanks for the company, Lindsey. It’s always a pleasure." She actually meant that, too.
He nodded at her when she rose. "Same to you, Charlotte," he told her. Besides, other than Lilah, it wasn't like he truly had anyone to vent to these days. He liked her company.