Charlie Burghard (charlieburghard) wrote in tiberiusswann, @ 2010-03-18 22:18:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | charlie, loghan |
Sunday: April/20/08
Who: Charlie and Loghan
When: around 3am Sunday
Where: outside near the stables
What: talking and drinking after Loghan's fight with Cherry Saturday night
On his second bottle of Absinthe, Loghan was off wondering about the grounds, shadowed by the veil of night time. Fortunately he was left with even more solitude than usual and it made it all that much easier to drown his misery. Propped up against a tree a somewhere between the staff apartments and the stables, Loghan had lost his sense of direction or any real desire to walk back into the building he'd stormed out of earlier in the evening. He was still trying to curse her, write her off but he was failing miserably. Pulling out his cell phone from his pocket, he started scrolling through the painfully short list of contacts in search of the pretty red head he'd met all before the fiasco with Cherry. She'd said to call if he ever needed someone to vent to. Though Loghan hardly intended to bore her with his tales of woe, he could still use the company.
A heavily sigh fled him, the stress weighing heavily on his shoulders. It wasn't just the fight with Molly. It was the way it'd sprung up seemingly out of nowhere, the fact that she'd aired out his alleged offense for all to hear, that by now, all of the staff and quite possible most of the students had heard about it and he'd suddenly go from the quiet groundskeeper to that asshole. Still only in the early stages of drunken numbness, he was alert enough to feel the tremors of nearby footsteps and Lo perked up to see who was coming. Spotting Charlie in the dim lighting, a lazy smile haphazardly spread over his mouth. "Charles!" He called out, raising the bottle of green liquor up as if to wave him over. An old friend was even better.
---
Charlie was in the middle of his rounds, and it was turning out to be a quiet night so far. Strolling toward the stables, because it was a popular location for curfew breakers, Charlie heard someone breathing as well as the slosh of a bottle. Cautious steps brought him closer to the source of the noise, when he was spotted. Thank fuck, it was only Loghan. Rolling his eyes, Charlie corrected the man. "It's just Charlie, dude. Not short for Charles." A common mistake, though he had friends who called him Charles just to annoy him. It was better than Chuck.
Crouching down to where Loghan was sitting on the ground, Charlie glanced at the bottle then back at his friend. "Mind if I take a shot?" Wasn't good for Loghan to drink alone, and a quick swig wouldn't do any harm. It took a lot just to get Charlie tipsy these days. Come to think of it, Loghan had a high tolerance as well, and here he was drunk.
---
Loghan wasn't nursing the alcohol, either. The man had been chugging rapidly, in need of mental relief. He was his own enemy with the way he kept imaging her with Malakai and Garrett and the few others whom he only knew by name and face. It needed to stop. "Yea yea, Chuck." He grinned wildly at his friend, waving him over, knowing he'd come despite having used two possible variations of his name that Loghan knew he wasn't fond of. The elemental wasn't exactly all sweetness and gentleman like when inebriated.
"Of course." Grin lingered, glad to have a much desired distraction arrive rather than having to go searching for it. Charlie had asked before Lo had gotten the chance to offer it up. "Have at it." He suggested Charlie take advantage as Lo handed the bottle to the vampire. Maybe they'd get their drinking in earlier than previously planned or expected.
---
Lucky for Loghan that Charlie knew the dude was going through a rough patch, or he might have gotten punched for using the name 'Chuck'. Ass. Loghan was apparently a bit of a dick when drunk, but Charlie could be that way too, so he understood completely.
Taking the bottle, Charlie downed a decent portion of the strong liquor and handed the glass back to his friend. "Good shit. How much have you had tonight?" Charlie sounded like a cop in the middle of a traffic stop for suspected drunk driving. Well, he was on duty, so it made sense. It was Charlie's responsibility to keep the residents of the school safe, and sometimes that meant saving them from themselves.
---
Brows wrinkled at Charlie's accusatory tone. "Seriously?" He wasn't asking if Charlie wanted a serious answer, more like he was asking Charlie if he was seriously going to patrol him. Loghan had never given anyone reason to worry and in truth, last night might have been the first time he'd cursed or even yelled in decades. "I'm fine, man." He rose up a hand to assure him, the same hand that would take the bottle back when it was passed to him.
Even drunk, as much as Loghan wanted to be a jerk, his tone was somber. He couldn't really muster up the strength to put on a front or pretend nothing was wrong, though he wasn't going to run about spouting off about he misfortunes either. A private and proud soul, the last thing he would do was openly talk to people about that had happened, well that and surely, by now, everyone knew.
---
Charlie simply shrugged. "Sorry, dude.. just.. it's hard to turn off sometimes." It was easy to get stuck in work mode, but right now, Charlie needed to put that aside and take care of his friend. "You don't look fine. You look like shit. This because of Cherry?" Charlie had heard about the fight, but he didn't really understand the back story. Seemed as though Loghan and Cherry had a relationship in the past, but what that entailed, Charlie didn't know.
After a moment, Charlie sat down on the grass across from Loghan. Long legs stretched out, and Charlie leaned back on his palms. He could spare a few minutes to help a friend, and if it looked like Loghan needed more of Charlie's time, the head of security could always call one of his guys to cover the rest of his shift.
---
He nodded in understanding as Charlie explained. Though that mellow expression soon tensed at the mention the pink haired woman that'd tortured his broken heart and bruised ego. A growl rubmled quietly at the back of his throat before he took another swig from the bottle. Charlie's question only proved that the news had traveled and hearing the alleged name she was known by, as a whore, only irked him still. "Yea." He admitted dryly, diverting his gaze away from Charlie, ashamed of the way he'd let this woman effect him to such a degree.
Bringing his left leg up, Lo bent it at the knee and drapped his arm over it. Elbow to knee, his hand rose to rub over his forehead, still seemingly perplexed by the entire thing. "You just can't be friends with a woman you want." He concluded, the final lesson learned, as if he'd just come to this realization right then and there.
---
Charlie only knew the woman as Cherry. Truth be told, he knew her by that name before either of them arrived at TJS. Internet porn was a wonderful thing. Pretty much the reason the internet was invented. Charlie's own experiences with Cherry had been mostly positive. She was nice, flirty, tasted great.. though that wasn't an altogether great memory. Charlie still felt bad for leaving the woman so weak after feeding on her. He might have brought it up with Loghan, but then the elemental went and made it clear he had some serious feelings for Cherry.
"Yeah... I think I know what you mean." Only Charlie had been on the other side of that problem for much of his life. Women were always falling for him, despite his words of warning. "So what's the deal with you two? I got all my information through the rumor mill, so fuck knows what's true and what isn't."
---
"Eh..." He let out a slight groan of indifference, unsure of whether or not he really wanted to get into it. He'd give Charlie the brief version. "I met her a year ago, got close, got intimate, she disappeared. I get here and run into her, she apologizes we say we're going to try for the 'friend' thing..." He trailed for a second to take another swig and a breath. "I show up yesterday to hang out and she's wearing this fucking silky, lacey thing." Hand was drug down his face, the foul mouth just seemed inevitable now in reference to her. "And I'm sure you know how she is, all cute and touchy."
Lo gave a slight shake of his head recalling the urge to leave then, an urge he knew he should've listened to. "So we start fooling around, she flips out, I pretty much accuse her of being what she is... and she decides to recap everyone she's screwed here. That's basically it." Sure Charlie was free to ask questions, but Loghan was sure he'd covered most of the important details.
---
The comment about Cherry being 'cute and touchy' made Charlie a little uncomfortable. The vampire cleared his throat and nodded in agreement. Yes, he knew what Cherry was like. He also knew what she probably looked like in a silky, lacy thing. Fucking HOT! Wait, focus. Focus on Loghan, NOT on the memory of Cherry naked and sandwiched between Charlie and his wife.
An eyebrow was raised just before Loghan finished his explanation. Thankfully, Charlie and Cherry never actually had sex, otherwise he might have been included in that recap. Clearly, he wasn't, because Loghan was still talking to him. It occurred to Charlie that such information might leak out eventually, and maybe he should be upfront with Loghan now before the man found out from someone else, but now really didn't seem like the right time to spill. "Sounds like a mess to me. This is going to require more booze."
Charlie pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and sent a quick text to one of the security guys who was on call tonight. "Alright, keep drinkin' and talkin'... I asked one of the guys to cover the rest of my shift." Loghan needed someone to talk to, and frankly, Charlie didn't trust the guy to be alone right now. Loghan might do something stupid, and then Charlie would have to be the dickish head of security.
---
Loghan himself was having a hard time forgetting the memory of her naked. The faces she made during sex, the little squeals, moans, and giggles. If only the alcohol were stronger. At this rate, even if Charlie had told him, Loghan wouldn't care. It didn't matter. It was all irreversable and before any of them knew of each other. Loghan knew were to target his resentment, at the woman who'd seemingly used him.
"Not anymore." He said quietly and quickly in response taking another sip. He was done with her, done with her games and her nonsense. He didn't need her. Lo took another quick chug and handed the bottle back to Charlie. "There's not much else to talk about..."
---
Didn't sound like anyone really deserved the blame in this situation. Feelings were fucked up things, they had a way of making your life a wreck. You could easily hurt someone without intending to, because you never knew how they would react to shit. Charlie knew he'd hurt a lot of women over the years without meaning to do so. Maybe that's why he wasn't so quick to place blame on Cherry for what Loghan was going through. As a slut, he understood the woman.
Charlie took a bigger swig this time. Now that he wasn't going to be working the rest of the night, he could afford to have more. Plus, if he drank it, then Loghan wouldn't. "There's plenty to talk about. For starters, why the fuck did you fall for a hooker?"
---
"I didn't know she was a hooker at the time. When I met her she was going to school." Though in hindsight it might have been clearer, it wasn't. She'd hid it well from him. Loghan gave his cohort a sarcastic smirk, almost insulted that he would even consider Lo to be dumb enough to do something like that.
It was actually infuritating, the way she'd led him on, hiding her job from him and yet bringing him along to meet her faimly. She hadn't given him a fighting chance whatsoever. "Shit was never clear with her, not until last week." When he'd found her again just out of the blue.
---
Hey, Charlie had seen the movie Pretty Woman! Granted, that movie was full of shit, and the only thing good about it was Julia Roberts' amazing legs, but Charlie supposed there had to be a few men out there who had fallen for whores. Hollywood kept making movies about it, so there was surely some foundation of truth. "Well, now you know. You know what she used to do for a living. You know she's an empath.. which I'm assuming you also didn't know before. And you know that she can be a bitch sometimes." Charlie paused, unclear on something still. "Wait.. why did she freak out on you? You said you guys were screwing around and she flipped. What sparked it?" Totally possible that Loghan didn't know. Women could be fucking crazy like that. They were like cats. One second, they were all purring and shit, totally loving a good petting, and in a flash they turned around to bite you and run away. Edelweiss did that sometimes, and it was infuriating.
---
"Yea." He agreed to the bit about knowing. Now, fortunately, he did know everything and was capable of making an educated decsion in regard to her. Which was currently to just stay the hell away. She'd only continue to sucker him back in and crush him once more. Cocky grin replaced his lazy smile as Charlie asked why Cherry had flipped out on him. Hand rose up, reaching to the back of his head for a a theatrical scratch of his head. "I told her to turn over." Grin lingered, a little proud of himself and a little amused, still, that she, of all people had been offended by the request. Sure Lo was sweet and romantic, but the elemental had a potent sex drive and a taste for a little kink. She'd actually been the first to catch an attitude about it.
---
Charlie chuckled a little and took another swig of the toxic liquid before handing it back to Loghan once more. "Funny, I never thought Cherry would have a problem with fucking doggy style. I mean, come on," Charlie made a 'seriously?' sort of face, "She was a hooker! You know she got paid to do some nasty stuff. Freaks don't do that shit with women they love, they pay someone else to do it." Charlie figured the kinky shit made up about ninety percent of a whore's business. The rest were just dudes who couldn't get laid otherwise.
"Well, whatever, her loss. You're a cool dude. Hell, at least you're single. I heard gossip that Cherry's the reason Garret and Lloyd broke things off." Garret hadn't said as much to Charlie, and the guys talked quite a bit, but if the rumor mill could be trusted, Garret cheated, and that's when things went to shit.
---
"Really." He concured with Charlie's assesment, it had been Loghan's exact thoughts on the matter. He didn't want to think about all the things she might have been paid to do. Even if he was writing her off, he still couldn't let his jealousy go entirely. Though the thoughts had occurred to him a few times since finding out, he did whatever he could to shove them away. Hearing about Garrett only made it a little worse. Rumors were more than enough to confirm his suspicions about that 'friend'. No guy took a woman panty shopping unless there was some invested interest. He hated being right, atleast about this. Taking back the bottle, Lo didn't waste any time in continuing to drink.
---
Clearly, Charlie wasn't the best at providing comfort. He needed to shut his trap about the hooker stuff. Seemed as though it was only making Loghan feel worse. Moving on! "Alright, look. You gotta level with me, man. Do you want her? After all this shit.. now that you know the truth about everything. Do you still want to be with her? Because if you do, man..." Charlie sighed, "You're kinda fucked. I mean, this coming from a guy who knows. Yeah, it's possible to make a slut fall in love, and I'm proof of that, but it ain't easy." Still wasn't easy. Charlie and Ava were both sluts, and staying committed was hard as hell. Charlie had no idea if they'd last, so he was trying to not think about the future too much. He was happy right now, and that was what mattered.
---
Loghan shook his head. It wasn't necessarily a 'no' but he wasn't sure. He wanted to make a definite choice, seal their fates and move on. Deep down, even if he still wanted her, he wanted the girl he'd known in Nevada. She wasn't her, not by a long shot. "Nah man, just forget it." He didn't want to make a whore fall in love with him. She either did or she didn't and Cherry had already answered that for him. It had been both clear in her words and the way she'd acted the night before. She chose to be who she was and he wasn't worthy of changing her mind for. Loghan had tried to fight for her, and last night he'd gotten his answer. He couldn't continue on like this and he was sure it would always be like this. "Let's talk about you. How've you been? How's Davia?"
---
Shrugging, Charlie issued a reluctant, "If that's what you want." He wasn't going to force Loghan to talk about how he really felt, and Charlie could tell that Loghan wasn't quite sure. After all, when you loved someone, it was hard to let them go even when you knew you had to. Loghan needed to move on, but it was going to take time.
The elemental really knew how to change a subject, didn't he? Charlie wasn't expecting to hear Davia's name. "Riiiight... you, uh, don't know. Wow. You missed a lot." Charlie raised his left hand and flashed the wedding band attached to it. "I got married. To Ava. A student." Looking slightly sheepish, Charlie realized he had a lot of explaining to do. "It's a long story.. but basically, I cheated on Davia, some fucked up magical mayhem went down on campus, lost my memory, Ava lost hers... and we happened to be fucking when it happened. Several BIG assumptions later, and we came to the conclusion that we were engaged, and it wasn't long after that we did the 'I do' thing on January 28th." He cleared his throat before adding on to that, "Which was, uh.. ten days after Davia moved out."
---
Loghan's mouth dropping in mild shock at the wedding band and in preparation to issue congratulations, well until Charlie mentioned he'd married someone else. A student? Were they allowed to do that? Brows wrinkled with confusion as he went on to explain. He felt a little bad for Davia, but had always know how Charlie was. Marriage was almost ironic considering the circumstances and the more it sunk in the more surprised Loghan was that he'd actually made such a huge committment. He wasn't going to judge or give Charlie shit for what had happened, even if he did feel sorry for the woman who'd been victimized in the situation. All was fair in love and war, Lo was a definite believer, even if he wasn't exactly sure on the whole ritual involving the "I do"s. "Well, congrats, as long as you're happy." He raised up the bottle as if to toast to him and the bride he didn't know before taking a swig and passing the glass neck back to his friend.
---
Loghan's eyes gave away all the thinking he was doing, but in typical Loghan fashion, the man didn't say all that much. "Thanks. I am. I'm happy with her. It all happened in the most fucked up way imaginable, but it's working. I mean, fuck.. it's been nearly three months now. I didn't think we'd make it a week."
Taking the bottle back, Charlie let the burning beverage slide over his tongue and gulped it down his throat. He handed it over once more. "Anyway.. crazy shit happens. I never thought I'd get married. Never thought I'd fall in love. Never thought I'd do a lot of the things I've done since that bitch bit me. So, don't count yourself out just yet, alright? You might find yourself crazy about some other chick tomorrow. Or, maybe Cherry will come to her senses and realize she's mad about you. It's impossible for us to know what'll happen." Philosopher Charlie at his best.
---
"That's good." He commented with a bit of encouragement. Lo was sincerely happy for Charlie and the joy he'd found, even if it'd been in a highly unlikely place, well for him, like marriage. He offered an assuring nod of his head before glancing at the bottle as Charlie passed it back. They were finishing it pretty quickly. He laughed a bit at the vampire's comment about not thinking he and the Mrs. would have made it past the first week. He smirked shaking his head at Charlie and his attempt at philosophy. "Yea..." His voice trailed awkwardly before letting out a huff of air in the form of a laugh.
---
"Hey, don't just give me a 'yea', man. That's some solid philosophy right there." Charlie chuckled and pulled his knees up, leaning forward on them. "Seriously, dude. This place is wild. You never know what's gonna happen next." Stealing the bottle back, Charlie took a big ass swig and seethed a little as it burned his senses.
Loghan seemed to be in a slightly better mood now. Charlie didn't want to ruin it, but this seemed like as good a time as any to be blunt about what had happened with Cherry. "I, uh.. I gotta tell ya something, man. And you can punch me, seriously. I wouldn't blame you if you did. But, uh, before you got back," he shrugged, "Some shit happened with Cherry. Ava invited her over. It was our two month anniversary, and Ava's been trying to get me to... fuck... I don't know... be a better vampire?" Charlie wasn't sure if that was the right way to put it, but it worked well enough. "Anyway, I fed on Cherry. I'm only tellin' ya 'cause I don't want you to hear it from someone else."
---
Loghan had already put his hand up in protest but he heard Charlie out. It wasn't that Lo didn't want to hear it, but that explanations weren't even necessary. "Don't worry about it. I'm not holding shit against anybody." He couldn't blame all the people that'd slept with Cherry or done anything with her really. She was the master of her own universe and the things that she'd been involved in where of her own doing. "You're not the one who lied about who you were." It stung to be reminded of and his temporary contentment with thoughts of other things faded now that she was back on his mind. Exhaling heavily Loghan leaned back against the trunk of his tree again, wanting to fade away for a little while. That would more than likely be his route, especially with all the rumors circulating. It was safer to go back to keeping to himself than making things worse.
---
It was a relief to get the truth out there. Charlie liked Loghan, and he wanted to keep the man as a friend. Keeping secrets as big as that wouldn't help matters. Nodding his appreciation, Charlie muttered a, "Thanks, man."
But when Loghan dogged on Cherry, Charlie had to intervene. "Are you saying you were totally honest? And did she ever say why she kept some things a secret? I mean, I can't imagine it's easy telling a guy you're dating that you're a prostitute." Cherry didn't strike Charlie as the sort of whore who hated her job and felt like she was trapped. She seemed to just REALLY like fucking. "Maybe she is a lying, manipulative bitch. But maybe she's not."
---
"I was honest as I could be. I wouldn't mind her leaving out the fact that she was an empath the same way I left out being an elemental." Lo gave a slight shake of his head. "I'm thinking if you're a prostitute, one that enjoys the profession, than you really shouldn't be carrying on a dating life or anything like one. Even so... if she would've said something then, I would've dealt with it. But she just disappeared on me one day. And suddenly I'm supposed to be cool about it?" There was so much he didn't get to yell at her about, so much he was still upset about that he just needed to swallow down and get over. "I'm not really intersted in finding out anymore." Head tilted back against the bark as his gaze shifted to the evening sky.
---
Charlie felt defeated. He really was trying to help. It sucked to see his friend heartbroken like this. "I didn't say you were supposed to be cool about it," Charlie said in a soft tone. "And if you really don't want to talk to her... and, whatever, find out what the fuck she was thinking... that's your choice. Just don't let it eat you up because you never called her out. You've got a right to ask questions. She owes you some answers... so fucking get 'em if you want 'em." Burying shit never really worked. Charlie knew that from personal experience. Problems had to be handled eventually. You couldn't simply ignore them and hope they went away in time.
---
Loghan wasn't sure he really wanted to do that. Surely every question he might have considered posing, had a horrible answer to go with it. One that he wouldn't really want to hear and would probably drive him crazy later. The less he knew about her and what she did aside from him, the better. "I don't know." Lo's voice grew quiet, lost in the what-if's of that night. Maybe if he hadn't of said anything, they would've gone through with sleeping with each other. And then what? Would things have been better, worse, or just as equally shitty? Running his fingers through his hair and started to rise up, offering the last few swigs for Charlie to take. "I think I'm gonna just try to sleep it off." A coma would be a welcomed experience now.
---
Charlie took the offered bottle and finished it off. He could feel the alcohol in his system, but he still wasn't tipsy by any means. Loghan had had a LOT more to drink, which was probably making it hard for him to think clearly about this right now. The guy needed time to process. "Think it over some other time. Pass out now, drink some more tomorrow if ya need.. and deal with it whenever. Neither of you are going anywhere. You got time to decide what to do."
Getting to his feet, Charlie offered a hand to Loghan. "Come on. I'll walk ya back."
---
Taking his hand Loghan stumbled to his feet, ignoring all of his words exceot for the offer to walk back. He didn't want to think about any of it anymore. Smile stupidly at Charlie, Loghan started for the staff building. "You're such a sweet date, walking me to the door and all." A goofy response most didn't normally get to see from Lo, especially not while sober. Charlie should consider himself incredibly lucky. As the two started the journey toward the building, drunk Loghan decided to pick his brain a bit. "So you're allowed to hook up with students? Most places don't allow that sorta stuff to go down."
---
Charlie laughed, a huge smile on his face. "Yeah, well, I figure maybe you'll put out if I pretend to be all charming and shit." Loghan was kind of a dick when drunk, but he was also funny. Who knew? Charlie would have to get the guy drunk more often.
Raising an eyebrow as he kept his eyes ahead of them, looking for anything his friend might trip over in his moderate stupor, Charlie was cautious with his response. "I think I got a free pass because of everything that went down. I mean, I didn't know I was a staff member, Ava didn't know she was a student... at least not when we got married. Sure, we knew that shit before, and we were definitely fucking long before we got married. Hell, we'd been flirting since..." he thought back to when it all began, "Early December?" That sounded right. "Anyway, Hope lectured me a bit, told me to keep my ass in line from now on, and she let me keep my job." Charlie tossed a sideways glance at Loghan. "Why you ask?" he inquired, the suspicion clear in his voice.
---
"I might if you give me the 'look' when we get to my door." Smirk lingered as the men walked, Loghan's steps set in a big of a sway, his hands shoved into the front pockets of his jeans. "I was just wondering... I figured you'd get fired for dating a student let alone marrying one." Sure, that was the only reason he'd inquired. Even if it were permitted, he was still bothered by the blurred morality line. Loghan didn't do well with grey areas. He needed consistent and solid black and white defining lines.
---
The laugh grew even louder. "Sure. I'll do that. You'd be totally defenseless, man. No one can resist me. Women and men alike cream over the thought of fucking the great Charlie Burghard." Ego much? "You could learn a lot from me." At least maybe in the attitude department. Loghan had the look down just fine. Charlie was sure the girls at school all got wet at the sight of the groundskeeper. He was rockin' that shy guy thing.
"Yeah, I thought I was a goner. But.. here I am. I'm sure it helps that I'm not her professor or anything." Charlie had his own strict rules, and he had been good about avoiding sex with students prior to Ava. She was just an exception to every rule. Well, not every rule. She was old enough and not a virgin when he met her. Charlie still wouldn't cave on those things. "So.. you're not thinking about a particular student?" Charlie asked, fishing for more information.
---
A disgusted look swept over Loghan's face as he gave a shudder. It was soon followed by a laugh and a nod of his head. "Yea, I'm sure I could." Lo probably could, atleast in regard to personality. The elemental was far too quiet and recluse. Charlie on the other hand was the sort of guy that could easily get a crowd gathered willing to bend and break at his will. And although Loghan certainly could score the eyes of most females and even some males whenever he stepped into a room, he was blissfully unaware. Which was probably a good thing, if he had any clue, it might've been a dangerous thing.
Shoulders tense for a moment at the question of whether or not he was thinking of a particular student. Thankfully he's physical reaction wasn't entirely noticeable in the dark. He didn't really want to admit it to himself, not even while drunk that he'd considered Raquel. He'd already made up his mind about her being off limits, though the way his drunken mind continued to lead back to thoughts of her, he worried. Loghan only shook his head in attempt to avoid the question. He was entirely confused still by the fiasco with Molly, everything still felt surreal. He had to keep reminding himself that it'd happened every time he started to forget, not because he wanted to remain miserable, but to keep himself grounded. Every choice now would need to be calculated and thought out. Last night was a prime example of why following impulse was the worst thing to do in any scenario.
---
Loghan needed to loosen up and be a little more vocal, that was all. He had everything else working for him. "I'm taking you out to party some night," Charlie decided. "We'll get you drunk in the company of some hotties and watch the panties drop. Since I'm taken and all, I can put my skills to good use as your wingman."
The head shake wasn't at all believable, but Charlie didn't press the issue. "Well, if you do decide to get involved with a student, keep it quiet. I don't know if the rules have really changed.. just because I got away with it. I don't want you getting fired over a good fuck, you know?"
---
"Pfft, yea..." The thought was ludicrous, Loghan at a party with hotties. Although it'd been done, he was sually the quiet go off in the corner discussing philosophy or great fiction with some nerd. Loghan was more like the wingman, the buffer for awkward moments and great with a save if anything stupid was ever said.
He nearly cringed at the way Charlie said it. Though it wasn't because Loghan couldn't handle the manner in which he'd mentioned sleeping with a student, but more the potential of losing his job over one. Although he wasn't necessarily desperate for work or money for that matter, Loghan did feel at home here. Well, as much as someone like him could. "Don't worry, it's not a possibility." He assured his friend as they stepped into the building.
---
"Don't dismiss my awesome plan, dude! This is going to happen. If you won't do it for yourself, then do it for me, because I need to keep my skills in tact. You know what they say, use it or lose it." Now that Charlie had gone 'domestic', he didn't get a lot of opportunities to practice the art of seduction. Ava already liked him, so there was no convincing her. With Loghan, Charlie could be the bait.. lure the women in, and then throw them at his friend. It was a perfect plan!
Charlie nodded, accepting Loghan's answer. "If you say so." They walked toward Loghan's apartment, Charlie keeping a close watch on Loghan's physical well-being. The elemental wasn't so graceful right now, but he didn't appear to be in any danger of blacking out. "Next time you wanna drown your sorrows.. call me. Drinking alone is dangerous." Charlie sounded like such a fucking boy scout.
---
Loghan couldn't help but laugh at Charlie's enthusiasm for this plan to party. Maybe he could give it a shot. Hell, maybe it'd be good for him. The nice guy thing usually left him feeling like shit, used up, unwanted garbage. Maybe it was better to take a page from Charlie's book and be the sort of person that wasn't always so careful about the situations he put himself in or the people concerned. Not that he should through all caution to the wind, but being sensitive to others wasn't proving beneficial to him. He nodded at Charlie's suggestion. "I figured you were working." Which he had been. If Loghan had known he wouldn't given himself a night off for the sake of drinking with a buddy, he might've called and invited him out rather than just happening upon each other.
---
Shrugging, Charlie gave a non-committal answer. "I'm still working, sorta. Taking care of your drunk ass keeps you safe, and that's what I get paid to do, right?" True, Charlie was expected to protect the general population, but sometimes individuals needed his help. It was a judgment call, and his gut hadn't steered him wrong yet when it came to work. "I'll be back on the clock as soon as you're locked up and out of harm's way."
They made it to Loghan's apartment, and Charlie fished around in his pocket, getting out his set of master keys. He could open any room on campus. Loghan's motor skills were lacking right now, so Charlie saved him the effort. "No more booze. Go to bed and sleep it off."
---
Reaching his door LOghan was working on retrieving his keys regardless of Charlie's obvious attempt at getting the door for him. His hand fished about the keys of his military jacket, but he failed to get them in time. When his fingers finally found the metal material, Charlie already had his door open. His words felt a little condescending even if he hadn't meant them to be, but Loghan smiled stupidly in response. Hand reached up to gently pat the vampire's cheek, almost affectionately, as he joked. "You're a good friend, even if you're not really going to come in and give me the reach around." Atleast he still had a sense of humor through all of it. Although it was the sort of sense of humor only a friend like Charlie would really get the chance to see, the fact that it was still there was a good sign. He wasn't completely hopeless.
---
Charlie chuckled and rolled his eyes. "You're kind of an ass when you're drunk... but funny." Giving Loghan a light shove into his apartment, Charlie added, "Jerk yourself off, you ain't gettin' my lovin'!" Sure, people might have overheard the sexual innuendos between the two men, but Charlie really didn't care. If anyone seriously suspected something was up, Charlie would laugh in their faces. Hell, he kinda hoped that sort of gossip got around. It would be hilarious.
Shutting Loghan's door and locking it once more, Charlie strolled off down the hallway, sending off a text that he was back on duty. He made a mental note to check on Cherry in a few days, but mostly, Charlie would be keeping an eye out for Loghan