Of flirting and backup plans
Who: Draven & Brenna Where: Avarice 2 When: Tuesday Night
As happened pretty much any time he walked into ANY club, the heads of pretty much every young woman in A2 turned to look at Draven Leroux as he walked in. Simply put? The young man OOZED charisma. It had helped him make his escape from the government, and had helped him manage to stay free since then. As he walked through the club, black duster trailing a little behind him, chin-length brown hair framing his chiseled features, he managed to give a little wink to a few of the girls who he caught looking at him.
He'd left Project 27 back at the motel they'd holed up in, safe with... well... the guns and weapons the girl tended to enjoy handling. Tonight? He wanted to forget all the stress they were under, and just enjoy himself a little. But no alcohol... alcohol would impair his judgement possibly, and he needed to be on his toes constantly. JUST IN CASE.
As the music blared around him, he casually took in his surroundings, trying to memorize the layout of the place just in case he had to beat a hasty retreat.
Having a set of wheels did a lot for a girl's social life, even if it were a life that was set before she was born. Once her folks had relocated to Vegas, Brenna had done a super job of persuading the mom and dad to buy her a car so they wouldn't have to constantly chauffeur her wherever she wanted to go. Having the dad accompany you out on a shopping adventure wasn't the loads of fun one would think.
Draven leaned against the bar, and, after whispering something (likely flirty) to the bartender, began to look around again... when his eyes fell on Brenna. Well now... if THAT wasn't a looker. And there was... SOMETHING about her. He was picking up an aura of power to her... one that made him DAMNED interested in finding out more about her. He watched her for a few moments, deciding whether or not to approach her.
Oblivious at the moment to the attention she had drawn to herself, Brenna approached the opposite end of the bar from where Draven was. Settling herself down on a stool momentarily, the teen caught the eye of one of the tenders, and after he walked himself on over, Brenna ordered a a glass of ice water with a twist of lemon. And still unaware of the captivated audience of one she had the girl swiveled on her stool to look out over the club floor while she sipped her drink.
As he walked over, he made a point of approaching from behind her, so his smooth-as-silk voice would be the first thing about him she noticed. "Well now... you might wanna leave soon, before all the other women here get jealous and decide to revolt..."
Brenna continued sipping her drink just letting her gaze wander on over in the direction from which the masculine voice came. "Now, wouldn't that be a sight to see." Brenna casting him a casual glance, and soft, little smile, as her glass lowered to rest lightly on her lap. "Of course if I did choose to leave you wouldn't have anyone interesting to chat with."
"Hm. More like if you left, I'd be intrigued enough to have to follow, just to get to know you." He smirked, moving slightly so that she could actually see him better now. "Here alone, my dear? If so... I'd be happy to remedy that..."
"And what makes you think my aloneness needs remedying?" The teen questioned coyly as she swivel slowly on the stool with a crossing of her legs as Brenna got a better look at the man. The man was older then she was, closer to her mother's age in this time period then her own, but he did have good looks going for him. He could certainly prove to be entertaining for at least a few short minutes.
"Call it a hunch. Of course... if you'd rather be left alone, I could just be on my way..." those lips curled into a little grin, as he found her slight of importance fairly awesome. "You just seem like someone... who could provide some interesting and... visually stimulating conversation."
Brenna caught and held the man's gaze when she gave a response to his comment. "You could be quite correct in your assessment, that is if you're just looking for <i>stimulating</i> conversation." Anything beyond that? Well, Brenna didn't know the man well enough to provide him with anything else.
Oh, man... he actually LAUGHED when she said that. Not that she wasn't gorgeous, and not that he wouldn't WANT to do things with her... but considering he had a volatile, extremely dangerous 13 year old girl at the little shithole he called a home? Sex wasn't exactly something on his mind right now anyway.
"Trust me, dear. I'd never lie to a beautiful woman... and all I'm looking for is some company."
"Then pull up a stool and sit a while." Brenna smiled sweetly to the guy. "And maybe if I find your conversation stimulating enough I'll even allow you to buy me a drink." Which of course would be of the non alcoholic variety. Brenna did some wild things back in her time, but none had every involved the consumption of alcohol or the taking of drugs. Everything she did was done with a clear mind.
"Got a name, gorgeous?" He asked, his voice a mix of smooth flirtation and predatory growl. "I'm Draven. Draven Leroux. Fairly new around here, but suddenly VERY glad I'm here." He'd been, honestly, exhausted lately, but getting to do things like this... just simple flirting, energized him.
"Brenna," she offered softly with a slow extension of her hand out to the man. "Brenna Kellerman. And I'm fairly new to these parts myself." The teen added with a smile that seemed to light her whole face.
He took her hand, making a gentlemanly gesture of shaking it... then bringing it to his lips with a lopsided smirk. "Where are you from?" He asked, getting comfortable in his seat, trying to relax. "I'm from Mississippi. Well, originally. I guess more recently, I'm from Washington."
Brenna smiled to the man as she let her hand linger just a bit within his before it was slowly drawn back. Whether it was a genuine act or not, Brenna had always appreciated the gentlemanly gesture. It showed that a man had a semblance of class and a little bit of character. "I'm more recently from L.A. myself." She said with a lift of her glass to take another sip.
"LA, hm? So what brings you to The City of Sin?" He asked with a laugh, chuckling with a wink before scanning the room quickly again. Hey... maybe it WAS slight paranoia, but he didn't ever want to go back to where he'd escaped from... nor did he want his young charge being taken again.
"Family." She answered casually, noting his glance away, though wisely not commenting on it at the moment. "So, what is it that has brought you to Las Vegas?" Brenna asked. "My guess would be that you're here in The City of Sin merely for pleasurable reasons."
"Hardly." He laughed, not really caring if anyone knew why he was here... as much as what he was. "I'm hiding, actually. On the run. I've been taking care of a young girl, and we've been making our way across the country. This just happens to be where we are NOW."
"On the run? You didn't commit a felony or something, did you?" To say that Brenna was now intrigued by the man might be a bit of an understatement. To the teen being on the run might danger and trouble. Two things that gave the blond a bit of a thrill and got the adrenaline running.
"I suppose it depends on your point of view. One way or the other... I assure you, I'm not a bad person. Merely someone who had to take matters into his own hands to protect someone who needed it." There we go. Nice and vague.
That little vague-like comment only served to further peak the teen's interest. "You certainly know how to intrigue a girl, Mister Leroux." Brenna smiled softly to the guy. He had her now wanting to learn more about the man, where he came from, and why he had taken a girl on the run to keep her protected.
"I'm nothing if not... an intriguing person." He acknowledged with a short laugh, eyes taking another almost habitual look around the room. "And to be honest... I didn't exactly set out to... do what I did. It just sort of happened. I got tired of seeing a child suffer, and decided to free her. By any means necessary."
"And now you have people after you." That being more of a statement then a question from Brenna. Not many men that Brenna had known would willingly placed themselves in danger to aid another. At least none outside of her family.
"After the both of us. They want her back, for sure..." He sighed, shrugging. "They either want me back... or want me dead. Not sure which." Why was he telling her this? Mostly because if she DID turn out to be untrustworthy, he had faith that he could grab Project 27 and be gone before anyone got here.
"If you need help with anything," Brenna found a pen and slip of paper in her small bag and proceeded to write her cell number down on it, "and I mean <i>anything.</i> Don't hesitate in calling me." The teen then slid the scrap of paper toward Draven. Whether she herself would be able to assist the man, or if she might have to reach out to a family member in this time, Brenna would do it. She wasn't sure why, but something about the man or the story he was spinning for her, had Brenna wanting to help.
He raised a brow, staring at her for a moment before taking the paper. It was nothing personal... he had merely learned that almost nobody he met could be trusted. Somehow though... she just SEEMED to be sincere. He hoped to himself that he wasn't being naive here... too eager to trust SOMEONE.
"Thank you. I won't be asking for help... because I don't want to endanger anyone. But in a bad scenario... I may need somewhere to send the girl if they find me."
"You can send her here. If I can't be located she can ask for Bridget Bale." With her uncle Benny and cousin, Brayden still living in L.A. her cousin, Bridget was the most logical contact for the girl, should the need ever arise. Bridget ran the security operation at the hotel, and from what Brenna had learned of the woman, had her own contacts who might be considered on the shady side, but nevertheless were trust-worthy.
Would her parents disapprove of what Brenna was getting herself into? Most definitely, and in a major way. But there was something about the man that had the teen wanting to help.
"You, Brenna... are far too good-hearted of a person to live in The City of Sin." He said with a lopsided grin, winking at her. "Don't let this city dull that heart. It would be... tragic, really." He looked at his watch, and grumbled, knowing he had to get back to the girl he was protecting, before she accidentally destroyed the old building they were squatting in. "Unfortunately... I have to get out of here. But trust me... whether for good reasons or bad? You'll be seeing me again."
Brenna smiled at the man. "Soon, I hope." And she did trust that she'd be seeing the man again, real soon was her hope. "And," Brenna set her half empty drink down on the bar top, "if it wouldn't be too much of an imposition, or you're not in too much of a rush to leave, perhaps you could do me the honor of walking me out to my car." The blonde asked softly as she slid slowly down from the bar-stool. Whether he'd agree or not, Brenna had made the decision to leave the club to head back home.
"An honor? My dear... it would be exactly that." He responded with a gentlemanly bow, just oozing charm and charisma, tilting his head upwards during the bow to keep eye contact with her. "After you?"
Her smile brightened at his gentlemanly act, Brenna keeping her gaze focused on his. "I'm not sure is this gentlemanly act of yours is just that, but whether it is or not, it's acceptable, Mister Leroux." Brenna stated as she took a single step past the man toward the exit of the club. It just seemed to add to the man's character. He was still a bit of an enigma to the girl, but that was where the fascination lay with Brenna. Never before had she met a handsome, mysterious stranger with the charisma such as Draven Leroux displayed.