Julian Markum (tangiblemoments) wrote in darkcarnivale, @ 2011-06-13 20:18:00 |
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Current mood: | indescribable |
Entry tags: | julian markum, riley poe |
Who: Julian and Riley
What: Three AM rolls about and the boys head out. If only Julian remembered that touching something unprepared has... side effects, alas!
Where: Town
When: Several hours after this
Rating: Low/mild
Status: Complete
When three AM rolled around, the last of the marks had been shooed from the grounds and Riley had long since changed clothes. The last freak show was at midnight so he technically closed up at 12:30, heading back to his trailer for a shower and to pull on clothes. Dressed in Diesel jeans and a white t-shirt that somehow still made him look like money and status, Riley knocked on Julian's trailer door, shifting from foot to foot impatiently.
Much like Riley, Julian had long since closed up shop and headed back to his trailer to have a shower and change clothes. Even though he could wear a majority of what passed for regular attire for him on a night out, Julian was feeling a different look.
The different look consisted of hip hugging jeans that accentuated the length of his legs and a sharp black shirt, high collar and lines that hugged and complimented his shoulders and waist. Most of the time he kept the sleeves long, but today he opted for rolled back sleeves and a thick leather bracelet watch around his right wrist. The look was finished off with a well polished pair of shoes and his hair whilst immaculate still managed to be slightly dishevelled and worthy of sinking your hands into.
“Coming,” he hollered as his fingers found purchase in a dark leather jacket, a jacket that was in the process of being pulled on when he opened the door to Riley.
"Well, look at you," he said when the door opened, grinning. "Are you seriously putting on a jacket? It's fucking ninety-five out here, it's miserable. Makes me wish I was a bloodsucker." He shook his head, then folded his arms over his well-sculpted torso. "You look pretty good without it though. Very butch with the leather bracelet, I like. I called us a cab since we don't know our way around this stupid city. The driver says he knows a good after-hours bar we can go to."
“I feel the cold really easily,” Julian muttered with a shrug. In fact it was a left over trace from when he was an awkward teenager and trying to figure out what his deal was because everything he touched seemed to set him off. It hadn’t been the best time of his life.
He locked the trailer and gave Riley an appraising look. “Nice look.” What? He’d never been that great with off the cuff compliments. Especially as he worked them into the marks and he was far more prepared than people gave him credit for.
“Cool, let’s do this.”
"Rock on," Riley said, shrugging and leading the way toward the main gates, which also served as a cab stand. "So how was the rest of your night? Any good sales? There's money in Dallas, man, real money, not J.R. Ewing-style shit."
Julian tucked his hands into the hip pockets of those scandalous jeans and turned his head to look at Riley. “It wasn’t too bad. Couple weirdos came in trying to sell me stuff they picked out of a dumpster, but aside from that I got a pretty good haul.”
He glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the Carnival and then looked away, figuring he could leave all his worries behind him as he just enjoyed the time ahead of them both.
“Got a few things at a total sell.”
"Good deal. At least you make a nice profit. Can't believe you're hitting me up to buy the drinks, you rich little fucker." Of course, Riley had plenty of cash; he was no moron and had several bank accounts loaded with cash under various names and aliases. The interest on some of them was pulling a few figures a month for sure. He didn't even allow Arkady to pay him half the time, since he worked of his own choice.
Julian tipped his head back, exposing the length of his throat, and giving a low rich chuckle. “What can I say? I’m a cheeky sonofabitch.” He briefly checked his pockets and was relieved to find he had remembered his cigarettes and lighter. Julian never left his trailer without them.
He slid into the waiting cab and shifted over to allow Riley to join him.
"Cheeky and greedy. For that I should get you drunk and leave you with a cougar from New Jersey," he scoffed under his breath, sliding into the cab beside Julian and promptly giving the cabbie directions to take them to the after-hours bar.
“Hey,” Julian muttered as he leaned back and made himself comfortable in the interior of the cab, some of which had a few questionable stains. “You said you’d find me somebody hot so I wouldn’t have a shit morning after.”
He stretched an arm out across the back of the seat and bent it at the elbow so his fingers could lightly scratch at the side of his neck, brushing over a couple freckles that happened to be there.
“I’m holding you to that.”
"You don't even respond when I hit on you, I don't know if I owe you a piece of hot ass. But fine. I'll see what I can do," he half-sighed with a roll of his eyes, slouching back into the seat and watching the sideline roll by. The skyline was brilliantly lit up, green and white and gold neon, red lights from the airport towers. Enormous skyscrapers. Not like New York or Chicago but impressive nonetheless, and Riley quietly appreciated the view with his cheek against Julian's shoulder.
Julian’s eyes slid over to Riley as he made himself comfortable before his attention drifted to the world around them. He liked to think he wasn’t too easy, not the same way as everybody else, the types that fell over themselves when people like Riley and Ashley turned on the charm. Maybe because there was this small (large) cynical part of Julian who highly doubted the sincerity of the flirtations - what? he had issues - and he kind of valued his friendships over whatever else might come of it.
If he could find an alcohol capable of stripping away all coherent thought and rendering him utterly unable to construct rational argument then he was going to drink it and do it in excess.
Julian jaw angled upwards as he searched the skies for something beyond the neon flickering lights, but it was near impossible to see whatever it was he was looking for.
The club was a mixture of dive bar and douche central, as Sioux would've so eloquently dubbed it. College-aged girls and washed-up cougars alike squeezed into tight outfits and wore spangled eye shadow, sipping overpriced drinks and laughing too loudly at others' jokes. The men were well dressed for the most part but obnoxious. Riley led the way to the bar, wedging expertly into the three-deep throng of people to call out drink orders for himself and Julian and passing a credit card to open a tab.
Julian’s attention took in the crowd around him and he honestly despaired for a moment as he saw a bit too much of a fifty year old woman passed her prime, but clearly stuck in the mentality of her former twenty year old self. Sad really all things considered.
He trailed after Riley and made a point of not touching anything until he was absolutely ready for it. Then and only then did he do much like Riley and found his way through the throng of people at the bar, grimacing faintly as he was sure his foot had just been stepped on. He returned foot stepping with an elbow in the side, which thankfully made the person move.
"It's like a mosh pit for mojitos!" he yelled over the din of the crowd, grinning at Julian. Riley was a social butterfly and this kind of situation was completely at home with him; he opened the tab and then took their drinks, holding them aloft over his head as he made his way back out of the crowd and nodded for Julian to hurry up so that they could snag a booth.
Julian? Was not as much a social butterfly given his distinct dislike of large crowds, but here he was giving it a shot. Hopefully the night wouldn’t prove an absolute disaster. He squeezed out from between the people at the bar and fell in behind Riley, following the other man’s steps to finally slide into a seat at the booth.
“Interesting folk,” he said as he glanced at the crowds again. “Some of which are…” Yeah, well beyond their prime and it was a little scary how quickly humanity got old.
He reached over and snagged one of the drinks.
"Yeah, but there are some potential hotties. Watch and wait. The bait's been laid," he said confidently, sipping his own top-shelf drink. "Don't sweat it. And hey, the music doesn't suck, which is a bonus. Some of the stuff they choose to play in these places is positively vulgar."
Julian took a sip from his drink and wondered if he could get away with smoking or he’d be asked to step outside as some places didn’t look too kindly on smoking indoors. “The bait’s been laid?” He asked, lifting a curious eyebrow. “How exactly has it been laid?”
He shifted forward and pulled off his jacket, placing it to one side.
"Two attractive, well-dressed guys walk into an after-hours bar. We're obviously not a couple, we don't give off gay vibes and we're not engaging in PDA. The woman will notice. Watch." He smirked, taking another swallow from the glass and glancing toward the bar.
“Does that happen a lot?” Julian asked, wondering how many guys walked into a bar necking on each other and being clearly into one another. He waved the question off a second or so later as his eyes turned towards the bar and he did exactly what Riley said to do: he watched.
It was only when he felt weird for watching that he decided to take a sip from his drink instead.
His busy brain was attempting to get the better of him and there might have been a moment when Julian wondered what exactly he’d gone and gotten himself into.
"Uh, yes. Not necessarily at this kind of bar, but yes," he said with a laugh, shaking his head. "God, it must be nice to be as sheltered as you. Lemme know what that's like sometime, Markum. The girls here want handsome, eligible, straight guys. So here we are. Voila." Almost on cue, a very cute college-aged co-ed walked past them, then did a double-take. "Hi," she told them with a smile.
Julian flipped Riley the bird at that moment and just opened his mouth to say something, about how he wasn’t that sheltered and if Riley could see some of the things Julian’s stuff had seen that he might think twice about making those sorts of comments. Just because he wasn’t outwardly… sexual and blatant didn’t mean he lacked for experience or variety, but, whatever, it didn’t matter.
He realised a second or so later as he was about to say something that somebody was talking to them. He turned his head and returned the smile with one of his own, “Hey."
The girl seemed a bit more interested in Julian when he turned to face her, and her smile was slow and flirtatious. "Hi," she returned. "I'm Jen." Riley rolled his eyes slightly, going back to his drink and stretching his legs out under the table, watching Julian work his magic.
"Julian," he offered with another surprisingly charming smile that portrayed a world of confidence that he might not always feel, but could be present when he wanted it to be. "My friend over there is Riley." It was only when he felt Riley's foot catching his own as the other man spread that he nudged him back and cocked his eyebrow.
He traced his thumb around the edge of the glass, feeling the condensation catching and pooling around the digit in question. He felt a brief flicker and Julian caught himself, blinking his way out of whatever the hell the glass was attempting to show him. No thank you.
There was a moment of brief dizziness before Julian righted himself, mentally. Yeah, he was definitely off his A game. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jen."
"You too," she half-purred, then grinned at him. "Do you dance? I requested this awesome Muse remix a few minutes ago, it should be coming on in a second if you want to come dance with me." Everything about her was an invitation, from her skin-tight jeans to her push-up bra, but she looked at him with genuine interest and hope in her made-up eyes.
Dance? Him? In all that close proximity with other people and the countless objects in the array of jewellery and... other problematical items that people wore everyday, but were so much more to Julian.
"I have two left feet," he advised with a regretful expression. "Honestly, train wreck, but..." He trailed off and gestured her closer. "If I could get your number maybe we could do something else another time?" Even if he had come out tonight with the intent of getting laid somewhere along the line his intentions had changed and now it was more about having a good drink, hanging out with a friend and just enjoying some time away from the troubling things he knew.
For a moment Julian's eyes were drawn to the bracelet on her right wrist and he considered it, wondering why he could almost feel its presence like a pull in the pit of his stomach.
Jen looked genuinely disappointed when he turned her down, and she shifted her weight in her spike-heeled boots. "Are you sure?" she asked him a little regretfully, and her bottom lip pushed out in a tiny pout. "Well... do you have something to write my number down with?" she asked a little dubiously, probably thinking he was going to blow her off and never call. Wordlessly Riley drew out a pen from his jacket pocket, sliding it across to them.
Julian accepted the pen and was glad that he felt nothing, for the first time in a while. He offered both pen and napkin to Jen, tipping his head to watch as she scribbled her digits down. "I'll call," he assured her with a look that could if aimed right melt the hearts of anybody in its path.
He found himself wondering if Riley walked around with a pen on the off chance he might get numbers or need to provide numbers.
That was exactly why Riley carried his pen, and he gave only the slightest arch of his brow to Julian in approval as Jen wrote down her number and passed it to him. "We're only in town for a few days," Riley told her in his low purr, "so it won't be long before he's calling, sweetpea."
Julian accepted the number back and curled his fingers around the pen in question, giving a laugh at Riley's comments. "Yeah, what he said." He tucked the napkin that now contained Jen's phone number into a pocket, making a point to show her that he was in fact holding onto it.
"Again, pleasure to meet you."
She nodded a little less hesitantly, then offered him a bright smile and walked away from them. Riley smirked. "So you really don't dance, or she just wasn't your type?" he asked, swigging from his beer.
"I really don't dance," Julian remarked with a shake of his head. "Too much close proximity." He shrugged his shoulders and took a sip from his drink, letting it sit on his tongue before he was swallowing it back. "And maybe I like it if they aren't completely obvious about their intent. The skin tight jeans, the push up bra, I dunno... I kind of want to see what she's like outside of a bar environment. Maybe there's somebody worth knowing."
Wow, had that just come out of his mouth? Apparently it had. Julian raked a hand through his hair and narrowed his eyes as a few errant strands slipped free and proceeded to be out of place. "I dunno, I just don't like dancing when I'm surrounded by a ton of people and there's a chance I might see something I'm not exactly ready for."
It was hard to put to words and now he knew why he never spoke to anybody but Arkady about his power.
"Man," Riley said with a little smile, "you're one hell of a wingman. You're like taking Slingblade out to a bar." He shook his head, then signalled a passing cocktail waitress for more drinks. "Maybe she was a totally awesome chick who's like, a rocket scientist when she's not dressed like a Hooter waitress. You never know."
Julian swept the misbehaving strands of hair back and his touch lingered at the tip of his ear, one shoulder lifting. "Maybe, maybe not. Guess I'll find her if I ever call her."
He picked up his drink and finished it in three long pulls, the visible strain on his throat evident in the way his Adam's apple moved beneath skin.
"Besides you were over there all rolling your eyes."
"You know your problem, Jules?" he asked conversationally. "You're too serious. You're never going to find a girl who can keep up with that kind of demand, you know? You've gotta loosen up and just be a flirty little slut once in awhile. Every so often it's nice to fuck an idiot."
Julian chuckled softly, eyebrow arching ever so slightly. "What can I say? I'm off my game at the moment." He glanced up when more drinks were delivered and he muttered a thanks before picking up his glass, taking a slow sip.
He enjoyed flirtation as much as the next person, but he'd never really thought of himself as a slut. Or was that even the word for a guy who liked to sleep around? Was that manwhore word that Ashley kept throwing out there more apt?
"But you're probably right, I have been taking life quite seriously as of late."
"Why?" he asked, leaning forward on his elbows. "It's confessional time, bitch. Tell me everything. What's got you so grouchy and serious and turning down hot chicks in push-up bras who want to show you a good time?" he asked, a light tone to his voice but his eyes serious enough for Julian to know that the puck was being sincere.
Julian snorted a little at the description of the lovely Jen who was now lounging on the bar, talking to her equally undressed friends. "Bad objects," he shared with a shrug. "Kind of had a run of them lately. Depending on the object the sensations linger and they tend to throw me off." The biggest secret he had was currently the one he'd been privy to about Angel and he'd take that secret to his grave.
He shifted slightly, leaning back as he attempted to make himself a bit more comfortable in the booth.
"Just gotta... work them out of my system."
Oh, c'mon. I gave you pirate gold. That should count for something. Should've been a libido thing if even," he said with a laugh, shaking his head. "Am I gonna have to start stuffing your trailer with happy thoughts? You know... handcuffs, my used underwear... things that bring good vibes?"
"That's disgusting," Julian pointed out with a long finger pointed in Riley's direction. "I wouldn't touch your used underwear if you paid me a million dollars." He sipped at his drink and shook his head. "And handcuffs? Wow, you're a kinky bastard. Not that I ever doubted this, but at least now it's confirmed." He gave Riley a wink and considered his drink. "And I'm sort of worried about how you'd gain enough access to my trailer to stuff it with those sort of things."
He leaned forward, resting against the table. "And just for the record? My libido is fine thank you very much.
"I can pick locks," he scoffed. "And if you think handcuffs are kinky you're even more vanilla than I feared, Julie, darling. Handcuffs happen when college girls drink Jose Cuervo. You should see my nightstand," he grinned devilishly, sipping his own drink again. "But for the record. Are you fucking anyone at the carnival?"
"Don't call me Julie," Julian muttered with a pointed look. He didn't even let Ashley call him shortened and somewhat feminine sounding nicknames of his actual name. He wasn't at all surprised by Riley's revelation that his nightstand was a pit of... depravity.
So what if he was vanilla and hadn't ever experimented with drunk college girls and handcuffs? Didn't mean he was any less of a person just because he hadn't apparently experienced every sexual thing there was out there in the world. Maybe he didn't like the idea of being cuffed and at the mercy of somebody else.
He tilted his head, eyes surprisingly intense for a moment. "No, I'm not." He shrugged and sipped at his drink. "Why? Should I be?"
"What? Have you somehow missed the memo that everyone is fucking everyone?" he asked in mock astonishment. "Okay, let's play a game. If you were on a desert island with a box of condoms and a tube of lube and one person from the carnival..."
Julian's eyebrow lifted and his fingers stilled around the glass, thumb resting on the rim. "Well apparently I didn't." He was aware of a couple hook ups, but that was about it.
He shook his head. "I'm not playing the game unless you play with me." Julian leaned back, taking his drink with him as he took a slow savouring sip.
"Oh, I'll play, sugar," Riley grinned. "My standards are notoriously low, dearheart. I find a lot of good in preeeeetty much everybody. There are a few I wouldn't touch with a borrowed dick, but in general? It's on."
Julian's lips curled into a slow smile that seemed to touch his eyes for a moment before they were surprisingly empty of apparent emotion. "Alright," he agreed with a nod of his head as he shifted slightly, the glass in his hand being placed down and arms being crossed over on top of the table between them.
He tilted his head at Riley as a would be predator might do if it was sizing up prey and just dropped his gaze for a moment, the brown depths apparently fixed on a point in his drink. "Honestly?" He asked. "There are a couple people I might consider, but you did say one didn't you?" And much like Riley there were a few Carnival folk he wouldn't touch with a ten foot barge pole.
Names and faces went through his mind and it was as he struggled to find the guts if you will to put that name out there he lifted his gaze and fixed with Riley with it. "Who would be your one person?" It was surprising how difficult voicing something like this could be. For him anyways. "Also? This doesn't go anywhere else. Our secret."
Secrets, he was good at those.
He held up his hand, pinky extended toward Julian, amusement and mischief in his eyes. "Consider it a secret I'll take to the grave," he said smoothly. "I'll tell you anything you want to know, and I promise yours won't leave my lips." His other hand made the 'zipping' gesture across his lips.
Julian considered the pinky and inhaled as he hooked his own around Riley's, wondering if he was going to live to regret this. Probably, but what the hell, his life was short.
"And I'll take whatever I hear from you to my grave however close or far that might be in the future." He scratched at his eyebrow with his thumb and cleared his throat. "So, just the one?" Julian considered the people he had the most interaction with and who he might feel the most confident and comfortable with. Plus? Who he thought of as attractive.
There was Aubrey, but she'd lied and whilst he was going to look into trying to restore their friendship by reaching out an olive branch it had put something of a dampener on their... blossoming whatever it had been at the time. Best not to think about it.
"Guess I'd pick..." He cleared his throat. "Ash." He shrugged. "I figure he keeps yanking my chain so why not, right?" It was a relatively well kept secret that Julian? Wasn't quite so straight laced as everybody thought him to be. Yes, he'd been with women (there had been that fling he'd had with Nyssa and now they just sort of flirted and teased around with one another) and whilst he may not have been with a lot of men, he'd still been with them. Only not so frequently or that often. Granted right now he'd exposed a very private part of his life to Riley and it was obvious he didn't do that very often.
"How about you, Riley? Who would you pick to be with you on a desert island for God only knows how long?"
Riley grinned slowly when the other man stated Ashley. "Oh, he's pretty... all eyelinered out. You have a thing for the ladyboys," he half-teased, flashing his teeth in a grin. "Mine would probably be Jael, hands down. I mean... she's a djinn, you know? She can make anything reality. The possibilities are endless. And she's incredibly hot. I've had a thing for her since the Roman empire. But if not Jael, then it'd be Ophelia. Holy shit. She can use one of those riding crops on me if she'll wear that leotard thing she performs in while she does it," he said with a devious grin.
Julian considered those for a moment and nodded. "Nice choices." He sipped at his drink and watched as his ice cubes seemed determined to melt away into nothingness. "So, if you've had this thing for Jael since the Roman Empire, why haven't you done something about it?" Genuine curious question.
He leaned back again and brushed a thumb over his eye before he drew a leg upwards, pressing the sole of his boot against the leather he was currently sat on.
"Must've been pretty cool to see as much of history as you have. Me? Most history I've seen has been in the last twenty something years."
"I've done things about it," he said with a grin, wiggling his eyebrows. "She's a feisty one, you know? It takes a lot to keep a djinn satisfied, but you don't see me complaining. We have a delicate relationship though. Nothing about her would make us have a monogamous relationship."
Julian lifted an eyebrow and chuckled. “Gotcha.” He picked up his drink and sipped at it slowly, just taking the time and letting the alcohol burn down the back of his throat. “But if it works then it works, right?”
He rubbed at the back of his neck before he pressed the edge of his thumb against the other tips of his fingers.
“Guess a person would have to be pretty fucking remarkable to be involved with somebody who’s been around before I dunno, the birth of Christ. Especially in a monogamous relationship.”
"Yeah... you know, monogamy's a very new concept," he said neutrally. "It's not something bred into you humans in the least. It's entirely a moral thing... you think it betters your karma to be exclusive. All it does it limit your gene pool potential." He shrugged amiably, finished his drink.
“Way to sound clinical about the whole thing,” Julian commented with a smile. “I don’t know about being exclusive, but some people like to be exclusive because of the whole being in love with one person. Of course there is always the chance you might love more than one person and that might get a little complicated unless said people were interested in expanding their horizons.”
Julian picked up what was left of his drink and knocked it back, resting the now empty glass on the table.
“And as for gene pools? God help me if I ever have children.”
"How else do you want me to be? I can be as convincing and exhaustive as the world," he said with a shake of his head, "and give a long diatribe about the pros and cons of monogamy... but you know the score. It won't change any minds. All I can say is to keep your options open. people surprise you."
“That they do,” Julian agreed with a nod of his head. “Sometimes in a good way and others? Not so much.” He smirked ever so slightly. “I guess views on people and the world differ depending on how long you’ve spent around them and in it.”
He clasped the table and rose to his feet. “And as for surprises, people are definitely full of them. Like right now, I’m going to try something I’ve never really tried before. Dancing.” Fuck it, he only lived once.
“Here’s hoping I don’t crack my head open on something.”
"You're going to go dance with that cute girl?" Riley asked, a grin spreading over his lips. "Well I am hella proud of you, sir. I will cheer you on, and hopefully find my own fair maiden to spank the planks with." He lifted two fingers in a pseudo-salute, then looked across the bar to where Jen was still near her friends, sizing any of them as potentials.
"That's the plan," Julian affirmed with a nod of his head. "The blonde on the right, she's been eyeing you up all evening." He shrugged and shot Riley a smirk as he turned on his heel and headed over to speak to Jen. See if he couldn't conquer his fear of close proximity with a lot of people, couldn't be that many objects out there that could hit him without warning.
He could do this, yeah, he could totally do this.
The fits were a thing of the past, he was in control and he could dance with a pretty girl and just have fun. Totally.
Riley watched him for a moment, then got up and made his way to the herd of Jen's girls. Within moments he had charmed his way onto the dance floor with the pretty blonde, dancing close enough to Julian and Jen that he could keep an eye on them but not quite near enough to cramp their own thing.
Julian was initially tense as they approached the dance floor, his eyes ticking from one person to another, senses hyper aware of where objects were sitting and how he might avoid them.
Relaxing got a bit easier when he exchanged idle chit chat with Jen and he allowed the music to wash over him, guiding his hips and movements. It was all a little too easy, especially as Julian was known for being in control all the time, but here he was letting his figurative hair down. Maybe he'd been wrong about the dancing thing, maybe all these years he'd been wrong?
There was a lot of touching and fingertips on bits of skin that were slick with sweat and for a moment the bracelet on Jen's wrist was precariously close.
Although, Julian? Was a bit too distracted to notice.
The other man was all over his cute blonde, his hand on her hip, her arms around his neck. "You are such a great dancer," he told her with a laugh, leaning in and brushing his lips across her cheekbone.
All it took was just one touch and it didn’t take very long for the bracelet on Jen’s wrist to come into direct contact with Julian, the links fully pressed against the vulnerable skin of his neck and resting over his pulse. It was instant and unfortunately with his barriers down Julian was far more susceptible to the pull.
“Julian?” Jen asked, her voice worried over the thud of music.
It was pretty much impossible to draw him out as the object was older than it looked, generations old, it had been passed down through the female side of Jennifer Watson’s family. The history was tangible, the emotion clear, the whispered words and the stories passed from the mouths of grandmothers to young children who looked up at them like they held the world in their hands.
His eyes were flickering and the rapid movements translated to his fingertips and breathing. The fact she kept touching him, pressing one vivid recall after another into his skin like a brand, a tattoo of her history and more, was not helping. She was reinforcing the effect, making it considerably harder to draw himself out as he attempted to navigate the sudden influx of images and sensations. He hadn’t been prepared, hadn’t known what it was until it was too late.
It was only as his hand curled around her wrist that she let out a yell, his name sharp and shrill. It did very little as Julian’s entire body convulsed and there was a babble of words a second or so later as he recounted names, places, events and other such things he couldn’t have knowledge of, but did.
The bracelet had belonged to her grandmother and had passed to her on the woman’s deathbed, he could almost feel the… cancer as it had eaten away at her, stripping her of everything that had made her who she was. It was smothering, overwhelming and all things suffocating.
He needed to control this, he needed to think clearly and get himself out. He could do this, he could. What was he without control? Nothing but a man lost in a sea of turgid memory and feeling, knowing more than he should and being at risk of being swept away in a history not of his own making.
He saw Julian stiffen up, saw the hand move down to the girl's wrist and catch it, and his eyes closed. "Shit," Riley whispered, opening his eyes again and staring over at the other man, mentally willing Julian to get his shit together and not spaz out in public. If the human started seizing or something then this would turn into one hell of an ugly scene, with ambulances and everything who wouldn't be able to explain what had happened. Riley apologized hurriedly to the blonde, breaking away from her to cut like a shark fin through the packed dance floor, grabbing hold of Jen's shoulder to get her attention. "I'm really sorry! He has epilepsy!" he yelled almost into her ear as the music thrummed around them. "I need to get him away from the strobe lights, they're probably triggering it!"
Julian dug down deep, sought refuge and found the control he knew he had. Granted he'd been stripped of it recently, but he needed to pull on the emergency cord and surface. He mentally latched on and yanked, breaking free of the tidal wave, rushing back into the world with a sudden breath.
His eyes were wide and full of panic, darting from the worried woman's face to Riley's. There was a blankness there for a moment before Julian without a word of warning was stumbling backwards, turning to break through the crowd and make for the door. His strides were uncoordinated at best and it was a miracle he didn't hurt himself in the pursuit of the fresh air and open space.
Julian burst free of the door and immediately careened around into a nearby alley where his legs finally gave out and Julian willed his eyes shut and fought to control his breathing, even as his chest felt so goddamn constricted that he practically clawed at the shirt he was wearing.
"Fuck, fuck," he muttered hoarsely as he pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes in the hope he might be able to shift the lingering mental imagery by simply pressing in deep and hard enough.
He hadn't lost it in public for a very long time and it felt like an extraordinary step backwards.
Riley had chased Julian after giving him only a small head start; he didn't want to cause much of a scene. He'd hastily apologized to the girls and then bolted from the club, mourning the loss of his drink even as he tried to trace Julian's steps. Of course, he hadn't seen him duck into the alley, so Riley hurried past the opening at first, went two blocks too far. Swearing (Julian couldn't have come this far this fast, could he've?), he doubled back and then paused when he heard harsh breathing just inside the alcove entrance to the alley. "Jules?" he asked, hoping it wasn't some rabid junkie ready to roll him for his watch or something. "That you down there?"
"Yeah," Julian managed as he finally found his voice after what felt like decades of time. "It's me." He inhaled and exhaled, trying to will his heartbeat into some sort of submission and forcibly straightening out his legs as he'd all but curled into himself. It was surprising just how tense his body could get if he allowed and it wouldn't be very long until either cramp or pins and needles set in.
He still had his hands all but buried into the sockets of his eyes, trying to push out the images and shift the amalgamated voices. Julian hated being taken off guard, by anyone and anything, and that was exactly what had happened. Stupid fucking bracelet.
"Just getting my shit together."
"You really need to do that more often," he said neutrally, coming into the alley with a distasteful little grimace. Everything here smelled like trash from the big Dumpsters at the end of the row. "What the hell happened? I had to tell that girl you have epilepsy and the club affects you like an episode of Pokemon." There was a hint of concern in his voice despite the inane prattling, and he put his hand on Julian's shoulder. "You going to be alright?"
“Her bracelet,” Julian remarked with a shake of his head, which did absolutely nothing for the fast approaching headache. “I wasn’t paying attention, it touched me and the rest as they say is history.” It had been a vivid experience, right from the beginning to the very end, the end involving feeling exactly what it was like to have cancer eating away at your very living being.
He inhaled sharply and flexed his hands, disturbing the sharp little tingles that pulsed beneath the skin, and just focused on a point to try and bring his mind back into focus. The history of the object and all the many hands were still vying for his undivided attention.
“Yeah, fine.” He wet his lower lip and looked up at Riley. “I’m good.” He blinked a few more times, looking rather like an owl for the briefest of moments until he was reaching for the wall to steady himself as he rose to his feet. “Think I’m gonna head back.”
"There's got to be a way you can amp that shit down from eleven," he said as helpfully as he could, shaking his head. "Seriously, man. You aren't this totally psychotic unhinged dude... you usually keep it together. But lately your poker face hasn't been for shit."
Julian’s jaw tensed and his hand reached up to smooth a few dark strands back, inhaling and straightening his back. “It’s been a rough couple of weeks.” He couldn’t say much more than that, but honestly? He was going to have to take a couple days and just clear his mind, try and set his head back on straight, and pull every bit of his shit together. He would not and could not be that person again, not when he’d worked so hard to be where he was today.
Where there’s a will there’s a way and Julian was nothing if not fucking wilful.
Besides? What use was he if he couldn’t control his ability? He certainly wouldn’t be much good. Julian would not be useless, especially not when Arkady had shown him such good faith. Just some bad objects. One in particular. One that had all but stripped him bare and left him struggling to rebuild, but he would, he always did. That was what he did.
“Anyways,” he muttered. “I’m going to head back, but you? You should enjoy what’s left of this evening, morning, whatever the hell the time is.” He’d lost track.
"You want me to call you a cab?" he asked, furrowing his brows. "We don't know this city, man, I wouldn't just go walking around like crazy this late at night. We have no idea what's gonna happen." Ironic, that Riley should be a little wary of things that went bump in the dark given where he lived... but this wasn't the carnival grounds, and it wasn't anything in the carnival that he feared.
Julian shook his head. “I’ll be alright.” He rummaged out his cigarettes and struck up a light, taking his first drag as he headed off into the shadows. “The walk’ll do me good.” Clear his head a little, help him think and figure out what to do next.
"I'll see you back at the Carnival, Riley." Julian paused midstride and turned his head. "Try not to break too many hearts." He shot Riley a smirk and turned away, using the constant pull of nicotine and tar to steady himself.
Tonight had been... interesting to say the least.