"You didn't have me waiting for long," Idris had said, grinning at Vanessa when she'd entered the lobby, looking her over with obvious, open appreciation. Strange to see her dressed down in comparison to the few other times he'd seen her. He'd asked if Vanessa would step outside with him, in order to speak to the cabbie and tell the man they'd be ready to leave in a few short moments. The driver had cursed vehemently in Italian, but agreed to wait longer nonetheless; Idris would make up for the wait later by slipping the man an extra set of bills. He was about to remark on Vanessa's appearance when the third member of their party stepped out of Pax, walking promptly in their direction.
Whereas Vanessa and himself were respectively garbed for an almost casual evening out, their neighbor was dressed to the nines right down to her--his--delicately applied make-up. Recalling a forum post from some nights past, Idris remembered the man's name. Funny thing, that; had their situation been different, Idris might not have realized the figure standing in front of them was male, unless by chance it all happened to be only a clever ruse, 'Benjamin' nothing but a masculine nickname. Regardless of the truth, Benjamin held his head high as if there were royal blood coursing through his veins, and he wore the clothes to match. He could call himself whatever he liked.
The cabbie waited impatiently, Vanessa had already gotten into the backseat, and Idris knew he was ready to get going, too. The night was still young and they could handle the small talk while on the way to CASKET. Hell, they were heading out to have some fun, and Idris had seen stranger dressed people in his lifetime.
"We almost left without you," he said with a laugh. "Benjamin, right? I'm Idris." Looking into the car, he gave Vanessa a quick, playful wink. "I'm doing great, and from the looks of it, so are you." He was flirting casually, so as to not upset the balance. Ultimately, he technically would be entering CASKET with not one, but two companions that, admittedly, were not hard on the eyes. It was a simple fact of life, and he looked forward to their arrival at the club. Being around Vanessa still felt natural in the queer sort of way it had before, and even odder was that Idris felt like he was getting the same vibes from Benjamin, whom he had definitely never met before. At least, not to his knowledge. Someone that looked like Benjamin did, well, they'd certainly be remembered more clearly.
Idris nodded towards the open cab door, implying Benjamin should take a seat to Vanessa. He'd then get in the cab himself, and they'd be at CASKET within a matter of minutes, traffic notwithstanding.
"Play nice, because I'm paying for the ride. Don't want our lovely chauffeur to feel snubbed."