Olivia Frost (doublemagick) wrote in darkcarnivale, @ 2012-01-06 01:04:00 |
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Entry tags: | olivia frost, sioux peterson |
WHO: Liv and Sioux
WHAT: The two meet in New York City
WHERE: New York, New York
WHEN: Backdated to the carnival's break in New York
RATING: Low-ish. A little cursing and a kiss.
STATUS: Complete
New York City was gorgeous. Sioux wasn't blessed with an abundance of money, but she had enough saved up from dancing that she was able to splurge a little on the two-week holiday. She'd gotten a small hotel room for the holiday, paying her a few hundred dollars for two weeks. Sioux had spent the day wandering through the park, eating hot dogs and pretzels and watching people, and now that it was nighttime she was unable to avoid the huge skating rink on the pond. Glossy mirror-like surface lit with streetlights, overhead ropes of Christmas lights and so much more, and the skaters whirling across the ice. Sioux wasn't sure that she could skate; she was fairly clumsy for a dancer, so instead she hung on the railing with her combat boots sunk into the snow a bit, nursing a styrofoam cup of hot chocolate and watching the skaters.
Ah, New York. As the words from the RENT song went, it was the center of the universe. Liv wasn't sure that she believed all that, but that didn't stop her from taking a little trip to the Big Apple as the days drew closer to Christmas. Buffalo was, in a word, boring. So she'd spent holiday-time in New York City for the past few years. It was fun, definitely. And considering she couldn't go out during the daytime, a city with great nightlife was more than perfect. That year was no different. With her hair glamoured to its dark brown with the purple streaks and dressed nicely enough, she hit the streets. She had no heavy coat. Just a lighter North Face left open over her clothes. With her hands tucked into her pockets, she just walked. The flow of people had her heading for the park. And really, she wanted to ice skate. The Christmas lights lit up the rink so nicely and she just couldn't resist. After getting skates and getting on the ice, though, it wasn't hard to tell she was a little rusty. She could stay on her feet well enough. But as she attempted to skate backwards, like she'd learned how to do the year prior, she felt the telltale bump of a wayward chunk of ice get caught under her skate. And before she knew it, she'd fallen against the rail surrounding the rink...and in front of someone too. Just wonderful. Brushing her hair back out of her face, she looked up at the person with the intent to apologize. Just her luck...it was a hot girl. Damn. "Uh...sorry about that. Didn't mean to startle you or anything. Just...a little rusty, apparently."
"Oh man, are you okay?" Sioux asked, the bump having sloshed a bit of the hot chocolate out of her grasp but most of it saved by a quick jerk of her arm. She set the cocoa on the railing and reached over to hold out a hand, her own not glad in a glove or anything. She wasn't used to the cold weather; she was a West Coast girl and this was sort of aweosme and sort of unpleasant. She wasn't sure which sensation was winning yet, but she couldn't feel her nose. "Hey, I hear you, I can't even skate so you're doing better than me. It looks tricky."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," was her answer, though it was maybe a little rushed. Attractive creature of the night or not, she still retained some of those less than perfect social graces. And said less than perfect social graces definitely came into play more around attractive people. The embarrassment of the situation only made it worse. Still, she took the offered hand to get herself back up standing straight. The girl's hand was cold, but that probably had all to do with the lack of gloves. A little odd considering the weather, but who was she to judge? "Can't skate? Have you ever tried?" There, no awkward pauses. Little victories.
Sioux shook her head emphatically. "Oh hell no. I'm a dancer and I have enough trouble with both feet staying on the floor for that," she grinned. "I'm scared I'll break something and then I'll be out of a job. Can't afford to risk it, unfortunately." She pushed white-blonde hair out of her eyes. "I'm Sioux, by the way. Spelled like the Indian tribe, and-or the goth-punk singer from the eighties."
So she was a dancer. Interesting. "Fair enough, fair enough. And, you know...it'd be a shame if you broke something. No one likes seeing a pretty girl get hurt." Innocent enough compliment, right? It was honest! She just didn't want it to come off as creepy or anything. Apparently introductions were in order though. "Sioux..." she repeated, smiling to herself some. "That's a pretty kick-ass name. I'm Olivia...not nearly so cool. But you can call me Liv." She shrugged a little bit. "Slightly less lame."
"Well, I had to see you bite the ice, so... strike one," Sioux laughed, leaning on the railing, her hot chocolate totally forgotten and abandoned. "Liv's a cool name. Steven Tyler liked it enough, anyway. So are you from here?" she asked. "I can't hear an accent really. And you seem too friendly, I thought New York people were supposed to be mean."
"That's what I get for trying to skate backwards, I guess." With a hand on the rail, she was holding herself steady. Though standing still made it much easier to keep upright on the ice anyway. "It's better than Olivia, I think." Going by her full name reminded her of how much more awkward and odd she'd been when she was younger. Not exactly something she wanted to revisit. "Um, from New York, yes. From New York City, no." She brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes, tucking it back so the wind couldn't blow it out again. "I'm from Buffalo. And not all New York people are mean. They just...well, they're cranky when they're all smushed together. You'd be surprised what a lack of elbow room can do to a person."
"No, I believe it," Sioux laughed. "I pride myself on being pretty cantankerous too but I'm from California so it's more rare out there. Here I'd blend right in." She flashed a grin. "Although I've lost all of my tan. I can't remember the last time I just laid out in the sun and caught some rays. I'm all pasty-bitch now. Better for my ink though."
"California girl, huh? Wouldn't have guessed. But I'm not so good at guessing that sort of thing anyway...unless it's totally obvious." The more Sioux smiled, the harder it was to not stare. It was just difficult! She was so hot, and in such a different way. It was hard not to openly appreciate it. "You look good even without a tan, though. Can't be too bad." It was kind of funny, how people talked about being pale. Liv wasn't ever going to get a tan again. "Then again...I couldn't imagine that you'd look any less good lying out in the sun either."
"I trid to get rid of the voice... and all of the 'likes'," she giggled, shaking her head a little. "My hair wasn't this light when I was tanned, that would've looked totally odd," she remarked, smirking. "It was usually pink or purple. I've made some interesting choices through the years. Not as cool as yours right now though," Sioux said, reaching over to tweak the streaked strands with interest.
"Oh yes, the 'likes'...who could forget about those." She chuckled some, leaning more fully on the railing. "The light hair's cool, though. I don't think I could ever pull that off, but it looks good on you. Pink and purple are cool, though. Love them both." A bit of a grin touched her lips when Sioux reached out to touch her hair. "I've been doing my hair like this for awhile. It used to be blonde, but I think this suits me better."
"It's really awesome. This bleaching is pretty high-maintenance and every few weeks I have to get it trimmed so the ends don't break right off," she laughed, "but overall it's pretty good, I'm at peace with it." She lowered her hand from the girl's hair, not wanting to be rude. "So anyway. Um. I'm kinda freezing... and I'm keeping you from skating..."
"Beauty is work, that's what they say." Okay...so maybe she didn't have to do anything to her own hair to maintain the dark color and the streaks, but if she was normal, she would. "And all the work's worth it to look good." Did she mind the hand in her hair? No, not really. But oh well. The possible end of the conversation, though, she definitely did mind. "Oh...right. Well, I've done enough skating, I think. Don't want to end up falling again." She ran a hand through her hair. "What else are you up to?"
"Nothing much, just exploring. I've actually never really been here before," Sioux confessed, "but all of my friends kept saying that this city's just unbelievable and that I should get out and explore it, you know?" She grinned. "So that's what I'm trying to do. If you know any cool places you should show me around, spill your secrets."
"People say that this city is one of the greatest in the world. I personally haven't seen too many cities, but I still think New York is pretty great." She made her way off the ice, stepping through the opening in the railing. It was kind of a wonder that it hadn't fallen, and even more of a wonder that she hadn't made a fool of herself yet. "Well...what do you like to do? There's food, there's clubs, there's shopping. It's basically like the city is your oyster."
"I am always in the mood to shop," Sioux admitted with a guilty grin. "If you know someplace fabulous to try on clothes that I can't get anywhere else, I am down. Ooh! We should go to the really swank stores, the ones we can't afford, and try shit on."
"Sounds like fun. There is no shortage of really fancy stores around here." Made it really fun to window shop and browse through the racks, but not so fun to actually shell out the money to buy anything at those ridiculous prices. "Just give me a second to put my shoes back on." She found a bench nearby and sat. It didn't take long for nimble fingers to untie the laces so she could get the skates off. They were replaced with her boots. Once she'd turned the skates back in, she went back to Sioux. "Shall we then?"
Sioux nodded, sort of bouncy; alright, maybe she'd gone too long without hanging with someone who wasn't from the carnival. She had forgotten what normal people were like, ones who didn't think about drinking your blood or doing a spell or turning into a wolf. She waited for Olivia to come back, then smiled at her warmly as they rejoined. "Alright, lead the way. Do we need to call a cab or can we walk?"
She brushed her hair back with her hands, pulling it into a quick ponytail and tying it back. With the contrast of her hair pulled back away from her face, it was more than easy to see that she was pale. Paler than most, definitely. Most thought nothing of it, though. She wondered if Sioux would. "Hm...cab would probably be better." As they made their way out of the park, she raised her hand to hail a cab. "This one store I have in mind is really cool. Pretty new. It's basically like shopping in the closet of a female rock star."
"Oh very cool... that's so totally up my alley," she laughed, nodding excitedly and grinning when the cab pulled over to the side of the road instantly. "Oh, this place is badass! You don't even have to wait for a cab!" Sioux said with a bright smile, pulling open the back door and holding it for Liv. "You are so cool!"
"Somehow I thought so," she said with a bit of a smile. As for a cab, it wasn't at all strange that one pulled up so suddenly. Cabs in New York were everywhere. Not to mention that most drivers didn't have any problem catering to two beautiful young women. Climbing into the cab first and sliding over, she gave the name of the place to the driver. "You're the first person to call me cool in a long time. And really, I'd say you're cooler than me, hands down."
"Oh really? Well I'm hardly the end-all be-all on cool, but I do try not to suck on a daily basis," Sioux grinned, settling into the backseat. "I'm a stripper--- they don't like you to call it that, they want us all to be old-school burlesque and classy, and I am pretty classy, you know, they don't see anything that you wouldn't see if I was in a bikini, but it's so much fun to get all dressed up in these rad clothes..."
"Pretty sure you could never suck. Never in a million years." Her legs crossed at the knee as she got comfortable, and she looked perfectly comfortable...at least until Sioux mentioned being a stripper. A sudden look of surprise flickered over her features, but it was good surprise. Definitely good. "Oh wow...um...well, wow." She fiddled a bit with her ponytail. "Getting dressed up has to be fun. And I can't imagine that you do badly with crowds with the getting dressed down part."
"Ah, flatterer," she scoffed. "It doesn't matter what you look like as long as you get naked. They really don't give a shit." In truth she thought it'd actually be wonderful to have some fuller-figured girls in the burlesque tent, but they tended to shy away from applying. A pity, since Sioux was often a little insecure about her own small boobs and boyish curves. She was too athletic to look overly feminine.
"You say flattery, I say being able to appreciate the obvious." She was still playing with her hair. One of those nervous or flustered habits that she hadn't gotten rid of when she was younger. "Somebody has to appreciate it, right?" It was hard not to be awkward. Liv had always been awkward. And hot girls or guys? They didn't help.
Sioux grinned. "You should come see our show. We're not playing NYC, not this go-round, but we have a New Years Eve show in Salem that should be totally badass. We go all out for the holidays. We're a bunch of heathens."
Salem on New Year's Eve. Not normally something that people talked about. But she couldn't help but be intrigued now. "Always up for a little adventure. Most especially badass adventure with heathens." Liv smiled some. "You can consider me there. Though...what kind of show is it?" She took a quick glance out the window and noticed they were close to the store. Another minute, maybe. "Is it all burlesque or...?"
"Oh no," she laughed. "See," Sioux stage-whispered, leaning in, "I work for a traveling carnival. We go new places all the time. And we have everything... burlesque, fire-spinners, tightrope walkers, an animal show, and even a real freakshow," she confided. "With total oddities."
Traveling carnival. Now that was something she hadn't heard about in a long time. "Sounds really awesome." By then they'd reached their destination. Liv didn't hesitate to shell out the money for the cab so they could get out. "What kind of oddities?" She didn't find the same things odd as other people did. After all, she was a vampire and a witch. As she asked the question, she led the way into the store. Inside it was rocker chic all around, with music pumping in the background.
Sioux had intended to split the cab but Liv beat her to her wallet, so she resigned herself to the idea that she'd catch up to her with it in some way. Inside the store she gazed around with wide storm-colored eyes for a moment before remembering herself. "Mm, well, we have a lot of weirdos. Like a snake-girl, her spit's venomous and she has scales on her skin. She's so beautiful though. She's one of my besties. And there's a guy who swallows glass and pierces himself for fun... lots of things like that. Total freak show like from the old-school carnivals."
Her choice in store seemed to be the right one, given the reaction. It made her chuckle a little bit. The list of things in the freakshow was definitely intriguing. "A snake-girl who's venomous and a guy who swallows glass, huh. My interest just keeps growing." She looked around as she talked, trying to find something fun to try on. "See anything worth trying on?"
"I see a lot of things worth trying on," she laughed, shaking her head and then grabbing a dress that was about knee-length, studded vinyl bodice that dissolved into frothy layers of black tulle. "This is so rad. With fishnets and boots? Oh, it'd rock," she crooned, stroking the material with her fingers admiringly.
The dress choice was so great. Studded bodice and black tulle in the skirt. "Yeah, this store's good for that. I think the chick who owns it dated some rockstar or another, so the whole idea was she wanted to share the style." She chuckled some. "Try it on. I want to see."
Sioux smirked. "I will, you have to find stuff too," she urged, draping the dress over her arm and grinning. "We're gonna do a fashion show thing but I can't be the only one making an ass out of myself." She tossed her white hair back, tucked a bit into her hat. "So tell me about yourself, Miss Livia. What kind of music do you dig?"
A fashion show was clearly the best thing to do while you were out shopping. She kept looking around at the racks, her fingers hesitating on a red dress. One sleeve with a sequins and studs snaking up the side. It looked tight, like a second skin, and that was more than enough to have her picking it up. "Music...well I like rock. Classic and a little bit of punk. But I also like the more folksy stuff. All my mom's doing."
"Oh yeah?" Sioux asked with interest. "I love punk and metal, and old 80s stuff... if I can bang my head we're solid," she agreed. "But I like stuff like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, old outlaw country... do we count that as rock? It kinda is."
"Gotta love the 80s," she said, chuckling some. "And the head-banging stuff. As for Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson...maybe it's not totally rock. But I agree, it kinda is." She was still surprised at the ease she had talking to Sioux. Even if attraction was present in the back of her mind. It wasn't anything to complain about, though. Not by a longshot. "You have good taste, though."
"Hell yeah I do," she laughed in response, then grabbed a pair of shredded designer jeans, checking the size tag before draping them over the dress on her arm too. "I like these. So... okay, what kind of movies do you like? Name your top three," Sioux said, pointing her free hand at Liv.
"Movies, movies, movies...hm...well I'm kind of all over the board with movies. Depends on whatever seems good at first impression." She shrugged a little bit. "Top three, I'd have to say would be Black Swan, The Princess Bride and...The Breakfast Club." Three completely different. But she'd never had matching taste in movies to begin with. "What's yours?"
"That is definitely all over the board," she agreed with a delighted grin. "Good picks though! I had a huuuuuge crush on Ally Sheedy in 'Breakfast Club' man. And Cary Elwes in 'Princess Bride' come to think of it," she added, tapping her chin with her fingers. "Dread PIrate Roberts is so amazing. But umm. Mine are Little Monsters, SLC Punk, and Tank Girl."
"Just how I am, though." Some people called it weird. But really, it was just who she was. "I always went for Judd Nelson in that movie. Bad boy? Hello. And yet Cary Elwes also stole my heart. And with Black Swan, it was Natalie Portman. She's stunning." She listened for Sioux's picks, nodding in approval. "Nice, nice. Tank Girl is majorly awesome. And Little Monsters was hilarious."
"Oh totes, but also wicked creepy, right? Totally inappropriate for little kids!" Sioux laughed, grabbing a cut-up t-shirt and adding it to her growing pile, then topping it with a rhinestone-studded balconette bra. "I think I have enough, I can't feel my arm," she giggled.
"Oh yeah, real creepy. Not for kids at all, but more fun for everybody else." As they'd talked, she'd picked up some other things as well. Another dress with a tight black corset bodice that flounced out into a tutu skirt in hot pink, a pair of leather pants semi-reminiscent of the Halle Berry version of Catwoman and a halter top with rhinestones and beads. "Alright. Fashion show time, then. So we can either make fools of ourselves or be the best and most amazing ever."
Sioux made her way to the dressing room and waited for the coiffed salesgirl to unlatch it, then ducked into the big room and dropped her items on the bench as she began to strip down. "So yeah, what do you do for a living, Liv?" she called through the flimsy dividing walls as she struggled into the tight jeans.
She followed back to the dressing rooms and waited on one of her own. Once the salesgirl had unlocked it, she went in and put down all the things she'd picked out while walking around the store. After a few moments she was stripping down and trying to decide what to try on first. "I'm a professional job-hopper, I guess. Worked a whole bunch of nowhere jobs just for the money." She decided on the dress first and pulled down the zipper in the back before stepping into it and working on getting the zipper back up. "Currently I do the whole coffee shop thing. Really boring."
"Really? You don't strike me as like the weird entry-level chick. You look like a fashion designer or something, or like you work in a comic book store at the very least," Sioux laughed through the wall, wrestling into the cut-up t-shirt. "At least tell me it's not a Starbucks, right? It's a cool indie place?"
"Yeah well...kind of never went to college. My mom home-schooled me and everything. I wish I was a fashion designer, that'd be awesome." It took a little bit of effort to get the zipper all the way up her back, but after a little wrestling with it, she got it done. "No, not a Starbucks. I think I'd cry. It's an indie place, run by this really cool Brazilian lady. The coffees she gets are amazing." With the zipper done, she slipped into the black studded pumps she'd picked up. She was tall as it was, so she'd picked out shoes without ridiculously high heels.
"That's better," Sioux said, sounding clearly relieved. "I hate fucking chain coffee but I love amazing weird roasts and like, obscure blends. Flavored stuff this time of year especially. Pumpkin spice lattes are like amazing heroin." She groaned in pleasure, then swung open the door to step out and examine herself in the tri-fold mirror.
"Flavored coffee is one of the best things in this world." She chuckled some. "Maybe I can bring you some stuff when I come see your show. It's the greatest, really." She smoothed down the tulle of the skirt a bit. It hit her at about mid-thigh, like most of the dresses she liked. Satisfied enough, she stepped out as well. And when she got a good look at Sioux, those appreciative thoughts were coming right back. "Wow, you look hot." Oh damn...her tone had sounded a little too enthusiastic. She tried not to freak over it, though. "Seriously."
"You look pretty great in that dress," she agreed, sizing Liv up with a drop of those storm-colored eyes, her lips curling into a broad grin. "Seriously. With some ripped-up leggings and little booties that would be sick. I really like the shirt but the jeans are so tight I think my internal organs are showing..."
"Thanks." Compliments weren't something that she'd learned how to deal with the best. It tended to happen if you'd spent a good chunk of your life being the epitome of awkward. "It would look great that way, wouldn't it?" Not that she could really afford the dress as it was, but still. "Somehow I think your internal organs are fine. But even if the jeans are tight, you still look good."
"Hah, thank you," she scoffed, waving her arm. "I might get the top though... it really does amazing things for my nonexistent boobs." She grinned and ducked back into the dressing room, stripping down. "Man, you're even paler than me. I didn't think that was even possible," she giggled as she wiggled and squirmed out of the jeans.
"Any top that does amazing things for your boobs is definitely a keeper," she said with a bit of a chuckle. Time for the next outfit to show, so she got to work getting out of the dress. The comment about her being pale made her hesitate for a moment. Something she didn't even know she was doing. "...yeah...I've always been pretty pale, I guess." Which was true. But becoming a vampire had increased that tenfold. Once out of the dress, she worked on getting herself into the leather pants and the top. "Don't get out in the sun much."
"Yeah, I really miss it. We keep really nocturnal hours and it's insane... half the time I don't even wake up until sundown. I forget what noon looks like," she laughed as she wiggled into the studded dress with the tulle skirt, fluffing it up with both hands to make it poof. "Soooo where's a place you think would be super-cool to visit?"
"Nocturnal hours aren't so bad, I guess. But if you have them all the time it could get a little tiring." Not really for her, considering nocturnal hours were all that she could keep now. She really didn't remember what noon looked like either. Her focus went back on fastening the straps of the halter top back behind her neck. "Hm...in general? I think Europe would be super cool to visit. Never been out of the country." Smiling a bit, she stepped out of the dressing room. The top hugged her tightly in a wrap of jewel toned and black sequins and rhinestones. Nice. "What about you? Though I guess you've been lots of places, considering you're in a traveling carnival."
"Nah, I like it. The daylight doesn't do a whole lot for me," Sioux laughed, sliding her fingers over the fabric of the dress she'd wiggled into. She ducked back out to examine it in the mirror. "None of my friends are out in the sunshine so it's kinda lonely before sundown. Anyway, I think I'd love Europe because the food all looks amaaaazing on that Anthony Bourdain show," Sioux giggled. She twirled in front of the mirror. "I am loving New York though."
"I guess that makes sense, then..." She'd trailed off unintentionally, distracted by the dress and how the style suited Sioux so well. It was hard not to stare, but somehow she managed it. "The food does look amazing. And the scenery and all that? I just wish I could go." Not on her salary. Not by a long shot. "New York is pretty great. A whole lot of everything all in one place. No matter what you're looking for, chances are you'll find it."
Sioux fluffed her cleavage a little, hefting it higher in the bodice. "Do you like this? I think I should totally splurge on it," she said, twirling again to make the skirt foof. "Well, you're gonna come to Salem, right? I mean, we should do a witch tour or something, I bet they have awesome museums or something."
The not staring thing? It got even more difficult as she watched Sioux adjust the dress so her cleavage was higher in the bodice of the dress. "Uh..." Stop staring, damnit. "Yeah, I do. It's totally worth splurging on. And you look amazing in it, seriously." That was an understatement at its finest. "A witch tour could be fun." A little ironic in her case, but she wasn't about to go saying that. "It'd definitely be interesting. I hear the museums there are really cool." In an effort to quit her staring, she looked over herself in the mirror again. The pants really did look like Catwoman, with strategic "rips" and "tears" that looked almost like something had taken their talons to the leather. "What do you think of these? I kinda like them. And the top too."
"Thank you! I really like that one," she said, looking over and arching her brows. "Those pants make your ass look kind of amazing. Like they could base a religion on it." She grinned and nodded her head. "Definitely get the pants at least, but the top is really sexy with it too." She folded her arms across her chest. "You are so cute, seriously. You'd fit right in with our burlesque girls."
"A religion based on it? Really?" An interesting compliment. But a compliment nonetheless. "Hm...well if they make my ass look that good, I think they're worth getting." A little bit of a splurge, but at least she had the benefit of not needing to spend money on other expenses. Like food, for instance. "Burlesque? Come on, I don't have enough sex appeal for that. Not to mention that I probably couldn't even dance like you all do."
"You definitely have enough sex appeal, trust me. And I hate dancing... I like bump and grinding though. But I have two left feet when it comes to all other kinds of dancing," She grinned. "It'd be great to go out there on a waltz or something though, right? Look, I'll make you a deal. You wear the fabulous pants to come see me in Salem and I'll wear this dress."
"Bump and grinding's always fun. Other kinds of dancing...I'm so-so. You know, if I can even work up the nerve to dance in the first place." Not always the easiest feat. "A waltz...very classy. That wouldn't be so bad. Just 1, 2, 3 and all that." The proposed deal had her chuckling a little bit. "Alright, deal. We'll both be fabulous to the max."
"Absolutely," Sioux agreed, then slid back in to put her real clothes back on. "I think this dress will go really well with the shoes my friend got me. My friends all have wicked-better taste than I do so they keep trying to make me classy," she giggled, pulling back on her jeans and sweater, lacing her combat boots. "How do you afford to live here with a coffee shop job? I mean sorry if that's rude, but god everything here is insane."
"Oh come on, you've got good taste. And I bet you're plenty classy." She slipped out of the pants and the top to get back into her own clothes. Jeans and then her top and her jacket over that. "It's not rude, don't worry about it. I don't live in the city. I live in Albany. Whenever I come here, I'm just visiting...I just visit often because it's great."
"Albany sounds cool. More upscale or something?" she guessed, then waited for Olivia outside the dressing room. She tapped the toe of one combat boot on the floor, then smiled sweetly when Olivia appeared again. "That's good 'cause I think most people live in like, walk in closets that cost a couple thousand bucks."
"It's nice enough. Way less congested than New York City. More...residential, I guess you might say." Once she had her chucks tied she came back out of the dressing room. "Can't say I live in a walk in closet. My apartment's pretty roomy for what it is. I like it, at least." She looked at the clothes draped over her arm and decided she'd spend the money on the top and the leather pants.
"Awesome. Hah, it's probably bigger than my trailer. We get these cool RVs to live in, but we decorate them really badass and everything. I used to share mine with these cool hippie-chick named Reyna but she's gone now, she left it to me." She was chattering amiably enough, hauling her clothes to the checkout and setting them up on the counter.
"I think you still win, though. You know, because you get to travel the country and all." She couldn't imagine just picking up and moving every few weeks, or something like that. But it seemed really exciting. "Oh, I kinda thought that chick in the freakshow was your roommate. The one with the snake stuff." She waited her turn so she could buy her stuff. And really, she was already excited to wear everything.
"Oh, no, she's my bestie. One of 'em. The other is the animal trainer," she said, swiping her credit card. "God, Riley would be so proud of me. He's gonna love the dress," she giggled. "My friend Riley, he's got the fashion sense of a designer... it's so unbelievable."
"Animal trainers and sideshow performers for best friends. I get more jealous with everything you say." She chuckled a little bit. It was hard not to be jealous from the way everything sounded. And considering that her life was pretty mundane...even if she was a vampire and a witch. "A guy with good taste. The world needs more like those." Once Sioux had finished, she put her clothes up on the counter. And with one credit card swipe, they were hers. a rather satisfying feeling. "Okay so...what do you want to do now? Or do you need to get back somewhere?"
"Hey, maybe you'll love it when you come visit and you can stay," Sioux said brightly, smiling at Olivia. "And yeah, Riley has amazing taste, he just makes everyone feel like shit because we don't have American Express Black cards and he does. He has a sweet-ass car, he lets me drive it though," she grinned. "I don't have to rush back, but I have a hotel room."
"Maybe. I can think of a couple reasons already why I'd love it." What one of those specific reasons were, well...she wouldn't want to admit out loud. "So he's loaded and has an awesome car and fashion sense like a designer? Makes sense why everyone else would be jealous or feel like shit." A lot of sense. "Oh. Well...I don't have anywhere to be either. Did you want to take that stuff back to your room? It's kind of a pain to carry shopping bags around, yeah?"
"Yeah but he's so nice. Except if he's insulting your clothes or your taste in stuff," she admitted, grinning and running her fingers through her bleached hair. The shopping bag was cradled in her other arm. "Yeah, we can do that if it's not like, totally out of your way..."
She tucked a bit of her hair back. "It's not out of my way. Don't worry about it." And really, it wasn't like she wasn't going to be out all night anyway. Nocturnal hours for the vampire? Who would have guessed? "Where are you staying?"
"I got a cheap little room, it's nothing fancy," Sioux said with a shake of her head. "Basically like an off-brand Motel 6 kinda thing." She led the way back out onto the streets. "I'll grab us a cab... do you want any food or anything first? It's a little bit of a drive, we have to go across the bridge."
"Sometimes fancy is overrated, trust me." You didn't need the overly lavish room if you only needed a place to sleep. Liv followed out of the store and back onto the streets. The question about food almost made her laugh, but she held it back. "No, no. It's fine. I had a big dinner earlier tonight." Not technically a lie. Just...not anyone else's idea of dinner.
"Okay," Sioux said, nodding amiably enough. "Cool. I'm not that hungry either, I had a kickass hot dog at one of the vendor booths. Anyway yeah let's get going, it's chilly," she laughed, pulling open the cab door and holding it for Liv to slide in first.
"Gotta love the hot dog stands." Not that she'd visited one for years, but that was entirely beside the point. "Sure, let's get going." She slid into the cab first, settling her bag at her feet as she got comfortable.
Sioux gave the name of the hotel, which was indeed a cheap hostel across town and in one of the lesser burroughs. She couldn't afford even a teeny room in one of the nicer places, but it was safe and clean enough. No roaches anyway. Sioux had stayed in worse. She settled back in the seat, then went back to chatting easily to Liv. "Sooo what's the coolest band you've ever seen live?"
She started playing with her hair idly, curling a strand of the purple around her finger again and again. "Coolest band I've seen live..." She had to think about it for a minute. "Hm. Well true to my weird taste in music, I have two. Earth, Wind and Fire and Jack's Mannequin. Not at the same time, obviously. But they were both really cool, so it's kind of a tie." Two completely different styles, but she couldn't help it. "What about you?"
"I think when I saw Tom Waits, it was obscene," Sioux giggled. "I camped out for like four hours and got to stand on the barricade... that man's like a god. It was unbelievable." She draped her arm across the back of the seat, then touched Liv's hair again, marveling at the dye job. She loved the way the wine color shimmered against her fingertips.
"Wow. Sounds like a great time. I've had friends who wanted to go and see him. But we never got around to it. Total shame." Her eyes were concentrated on her hair. But when she felt Sioux's touch in her hair, she looked over. Had she still been able to blush, she probably would have. "Do you guys ever have concerts at your carnival?"
"Yeah, we have a few musicians," she nodded. "Just a handful though. Arkady likes live music during some fo the shows." Her free arm played with the hem of her jeans as she fiddled with a bit of loose thread. "We have a little bit of everything, really."
"Cool. I bet the live music goes really well with some of the stuff. Like acrobatics and all that? Cirque du Soleil does that kind of things all the time." She smiled some. "I'm really looking forward to seeing everything in Salem."
"I really hope you love it," Sioux said enthusiastically. "It's so much fun. I'll introduce you to people... everyone's going to love you. They're all really nice. And we'll stay away from the couple who aren't."
"From the way you've described it, I'm really sure that I will." She grinned easily. "The people sound so cool and everything that goes on sounds awesome. And I'll be getting shown around by the coolest chick there. Seriously, it'll all be amazing." To be honest, she was curious to know if snake-girls were the extent of the oddities there. Maybe, just maybe, she'd find someone like herself.
"I'm stoked. Running into me was probably the coolest thing you could've done today," Sioux grinned, reaching over and giving her hair a playful twirl. She curled against the seat, her long legs crossing at the knee as the cabbie drove. "This is turning out pretty fucking awesome."
"Clearly. I'm glad that I ran into you. Or rather...fell on the ice like a klutz in front of you. Same difference." She chuckled a little bit as her hair was twirled again. Comfortable, she settled back into the seat, her legs crossing at the knee as well. "Tell me about it. To think my night could have gone so boring without you. But this is way better."
"This is way better," she agreed with a big, sweet smile. "You're probably the coolest person I've randomly met in a long time. I don't make a lot of friends who aren't in the show, but... we have to swap phone numbers or something whenever we bail Salem."
"And now you're going to give me a big head," she said with a little bit of a chuckle. "But I could say the same thing about you. Seriously." Liv didn't generally do as well with people. Awkwardness and all. "Sure, we can totally swap numbers. But if I end up liking the carnival enough to stick around, it's not like we'd be far away from each other anyway."
"Aw, don't make your head all big... it's so cute as it is," Sioux teased. The cab driver pulled up in front of the shabby little hotel and Sioux slid out, pulling a wad of money from her pocket and handing it up to the man. "Keep the change." She grabbed her shopping bag and purse, then moved aside for the other woman to follow.
"Then you have to stop complimenting me! Clearly you are partially to blame here." The cab was stopping in front of the hotel, so Liv grabbed up her bag and her wristlet from their spot on the floor. This time Sioux beat her to paying for the cab, so all she could do was slip out of the cab and follow into the hotel.
She was in the second floor, room 215--- she opened it with an old-fashioned key, not a keycard, and ducked inside to flip on a lamp and make sure no killers were lurking inside. Once she was satisfied, she hung her bag up on the closet coathook, then flopped down on the bed to take off her boots.
The old-fashioned key surprised her, but it also made sense, considering where they were. She followed inside, taking a look around before going to sit in the one chair in the room. Her shopping bag and her purse were set down right next to her. "Small but cozy. Nice."
"Yeah, it's really beautiful," Sioux agreed with a laugh. "I mean, not as great as my trailer... and JD's there, but he's being taken care of. I just hope no one eats him or something," she giggled. "JD's my dog. He's a huge French mastiff."
The mention of someone (or something?) named JD had her tipping her head a bit in curiosity. Even more curious when she mentioned him getting eaten. A little strange. "Oh...oh, he's a dog. Okay." That made more sense. "French mastiffs are awesome. They get soooo big."
"He's huge," Sioux repeated with a delighted grin. "I got him when my last boyfriend fucked off and abandoned me without any kind of warning. He was my Band-Aid. Best decision ever, too... he's freaking awesome."
"Oh...well I can imagine that having a dog would be pretty awesome. Especially one that big." But hearing that she'd had a boyfriend who just up and left her was really a surprise. "...so...is it weird that I can't envisioon any sane guy just up and leaving you out of nowhere? Because I can't. You're sexy as hell."
"Yeah... and thanks for that," she said with a big smile, a sheepish shrug. "I have horrible taste in lovers, honestly. I should probably just join a support group or something. I mean, in California it was all useless, stupid crap, no real connections... then I was with this really controlling guy who got me to join the carnival with him. He's a good guy, an amazing heart, but he kind of has a guilt complex that's ten miles wide. I broke it off with him and got with this piercer named Cass... he was great, but he just... bailed. Family drama. I got a note," she scoffed.
She listened as Sioux spoke and it was all quite interesting. Sad, of course, but interesting. And she was sincerely surprised that such an amazing girl didn't have somebody in her life that wouldn't just up and leave like that. "A note? Seriously?" That just wasn't fair, no matter how you tried to spin it. "I'm sorry. But seriously, he must not know what he's missing. And the other guy? He must miss you a hell of a lot. You're one of the coolest people I've ever met, and I haven't even known you that long."
Sioux grinned. "Well they're not all as sweet as you are, pumpkin," she teased, reaching over to touch Liv's shoulder. "Anyway, it's all in the past. Now I'm just doing my thing. If somebody interesting comes along, then I'm all ears. I'm just keeping a closer watch on my heart this time around."
"Sweet and awkward as hell, I guess," she said with a shy sort of smile. The touch to her shoulder might have made her blush a bit had she been able to. Luckily enough, she couldn't. "Sounds like a good plan, considering everything." She ran a hand through her hair idly, thinking about what interesting entailed. She was still playing with her hair, thoughts going on in the back of her head. "...I wonder if I count as interesting..." Once the words were spoken, she'd realized she'd said them out loud. A hand clapped over her mouth. "Oh dear Lord...pretend I didn't just say that. Please? I told you I was awkward."
Sioux's grin got even wider and more devilish. "Well, you definitely count as interesting in my book," she said. "I don't just invite anybody to come to the show as my personal guest." She shook her head, then arched her brows. "I don't usually hit on chicks right off the bat, since if they aren't into girls they get all creeped out."
She felt so stupid. But Sioux was smiling. A rather wicked looking grin, actually. Apparently Liv did count as interesting. "Oh...well...I feel less stupid now." Perhaps her inability to blush was a godsend right then. "Neither do I. Hopefully I haven't been creeping you out."
"You're totally creeping me out," Sioux said with mock-seriousness, "which is exactly why I invited you back to my room." She nodded sternly. "One should never hesitate to invite creepy weird lesbians back to their hotels while in a strange city. It always ends well."
"I'm not a lesbian actually...but clearly you're right. I feel like that situation is always made to end well." She chuckled a little bit. "What's supposed to happen now, then? Since you seem to be the expert on these things."
"Well if we're using my expertise as a basis, you make an awkward getaway and we never talk again," Sioux said before grinning and cracking up, a series of guffaws and half-stifled giggles. "But honestly? I'd rather kiss you and say goodnight."
"Any getaway I made would be awkward since I'm awkward. The never talking again sounds like a bummer, though." It was kind of hard not to laugh when Sioux started to. Though she was a little surprised when a kiss was mentioned. "...you want to kiss me?"
"Oh, I thought about it, briefly," Sioux said casually, arching her brows. "I'm all whimsical like that. I thought it might be a fun ending for the evening, you know?"
"Oh...okay. Well..." She ran a hand through her hair, glancing down for a second. "Yeah, it does sound like a fun ending."
Sioux grinned. "And that way, if you don't show up to Salem at least I can hold onto this memory," she murmured. "Of you looking insanely pretty, sitting in my hotel room in New York City and thinking I'm interesting." She smiled, then leaned in, closing the gap between them and pressing her soft, plush lips against Olivia's.
She'd wanted to say something. But she didn't get the chance. Because before she could? Sioux was leaning in and kissing her. It would have been a lie to say it didn't feel amazing, She returned the kiss readily, and there was even a bit of a smile touching at the corners of her mouth.
Sioux didn't pull back until the absolute last second, and then she was grinning too hard to even try to look stern. "See, now I have an awesome memory from New York," she murmured, her stormy eyes locked on Olivia's.
Liv blinked a couple times as the kiss ended, but a smile lit up her face right after. "I think I've got a pretty awesome memory too." She couldn't stop smiling. It was pretty much impossible. "And for the record...I'm definitely showing up in Salem."
"Can't wait," Sioux said softly, her smile widening a little bit. "It'll be great to see you again. Then I'll have a good memory in Salem."