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In truth, Lux hadn't expected the girl to remember her. Few people usually did. Unlike many of her peers, she hadn't spent her school days making herself known. She had been much more comfortable staying in the shadows were no one paid her much attention.
She was surprised though, to hear the girl speak her name. A smile formed on her lips and she nodded, clearly happy that she'd remembered it. "Yeah, but you can just call me Lux." She offered. "It's easier, and sounds... Less strict." She added with a laugh.
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
"Oh, don't mention it." She waved him off. She honestly didn't need his thanks. He was good enough company and if he didn't eat it, it would have gotten thrown away anyway.
Taking a bite of one of the bacon strips, she chewed it thoughtfully. His story had her raising her eyebrows. "That's awful." Though, she supposed it went to show how some people didn't think through their actions. Of course, she couldn't blame the woman and it was in every form awful.
"Did they have kids too?"
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
She watched the redhead carefully; It seemed like the amount of drinking at that kind of pace was starting to show. She supposed it was a little ironic how she was a bartender that rarely drank any alcohol herself. Maybe that was just why, though; She saw what it did to people up and close almost every night.
"Harry Potter?" She asked, head tilting. She stepped back automatically as the glass tilted; Seeing powers that weren't directly visible always made her uneasy. It wasn't that she minded the abilities, but her family was entirely made up of enhancement like abilities and the few friends she had... Well, they couldn't move objects with their minds.
"You okay? Want some water?"
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
Leaning back against the bench, the brunette checked her clock. "Alright." He told her not be alarmed, which usually meant he was up to something people didn't consider normal, but she was hardly worried. How bad could it possibly be, after all.
She didn't think Jack could really surprise her anymore. "I'm listening." She was tired and she wondered if this was something that really couldn't have waited. She wasn't about to say that out loud, of course. To Jack, everything seemed bigger than it really was.
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
Though the brunette would strike her hand against him, she had to admit, it was tempting to at least scold him. She didn't, of course. What could she possibly say to something like that? She wasn't exactly the most experienced person. He had her by a mile there and while it didn't embarrass her, she had no response other than rolling her eyes at him.
"What is it with men and pasta?" She asked, more so to herself than to anyone in particular. Her brother and father both seemed to think pasta was the better choice. Maybe not always, but often enough. "You have someone to cook for you and you choose lasagna?" She shook her head at that. She supposed she should count her blessings. Lasagna was pretty easy to make, after all.
"Your place or mine?"
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
"Oh, no. I'm not disappointed." She assured him. She might have expected something else entirely, but she wasn't about to say she was disappointed she'd been wrong. He handled it perfectly, after all. As he did with most things in life.
She started a shrug, but stopped. She found herself looking at him again. For someone who always carried themselves with such a stoic nature, he was being surprisingly sentimental - even for someone who'd grown over the last four years. Averting her gaze, she let her body sink further into the cushions while she pondered over his words; her brows furrowed.
She could ask him directly, but that hardly felt fair. "I don't mind. I like having you around." She settled on finally.
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
"Don't say that." He'd been nothing but good to her. She wouldn't let him talk about himself that way. While she understood where it was coming from, she didn't agree with it. Perhaps she was biased, but it hardly mattered. It was still the truth, even if it was her truth.
"Good." She replied with a sort of finality.
She wondered how these men managed to survive on their own. It wasn't just Damian, but her father too. They seemed to wrapped up in everything else surrounding their lives, they completely forgot to take proper care of themselves. She supposed it was a good thing then, that they let her mother them to death. Until now, neither of them had really complained. Not that she'd let them, of course. "I missed you too." She said, smiling.
"So, what's on the menu?" She was a decent cook. She'd picked up on a lot after her mother had died. It was one way to keep herself busy, but also a way for her to feel like she was contributing at home. She supposed it had been natural for her to take on the role of her mother. She was the only woman left in the house. Perhaps it was a tad old fashioned, but she didn't mind.
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
When he claimed to have fought against his instincts, the first image that popped into her mind was Carter hitting on her dad. The image, and partly his words, made her chuckle.
What did she think he'd do?
She wasn't entirely sure what she'd expected. "It was... a lot more mundane than I thought it would be." She offered. Had she expected more flare? She wasn't certain. She'd just thought there would be... More.
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
She'd caught the way her father had looked at her and while he was a hard man to read, she could see something from within. Something she wasn't sure she liked.
She offered her father a smile and a nod. "Okay."
The room was returned to the two and her attention once fully captured by the blonde. She stared at him for a moment, at a loss of words. "You're actually..." She stopped, brows furrowed. Was he feeling uncertain? Her stare unintentionally intensified. "You really haven't met anyone's parent before." She finally added.
"You did fine." She promised. Still staring at him, curious green eyes taking notice, she sat down.
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
Her eyebrows shot up at that and annoyance flared across her green eyes. "Don't sell yourself so short, Damian." She said strictly, a finger pointing at his face. Her features softened then. She felt like giving him a hug. "You're better than that."
"Aren't children always?" She'd never realky considered having children. She didn't want her genes passed on. It would be equally unfair and selfish of her to wish that for herself. He seemed happy. It had helped him grow. "You both better." This time she did reach her hand out. Not to ruffle his hair, but to place her palm against his cheek. Then she pinched it.
She laughed: he couldn't keep the facade up for long. He'd never been a great liar. "Both sound hood. Either way, I'm cooking."
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
"Maybe I should rethink my life choices regarding that." She offered a simple shrug. She wasn't quite at the point where she felt the need to drink her sorrows away, though.
"He takes after his dad, then." It was still hard for her to imagine Damian having a child. It struck her as such a unrealistic thing that it was almost funny. It suited him, though. She could see the change it had forced on her old friend. "I'd love to meet him."
She pondered over his question. Tapping a finger to her cheek, she hummed lowly. "That depends. Do you feel like doing something low key and chill, or something more... You?"
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
"You should teach me that sometime." She envied the way he so easily did the things he did. The way he so easily moved through life without letting his demons openly haunt him. Or, at the very least; he made it seem easy.
Green eyes immediately snapped back, focusing in on that all too familiar face. She smiled then, the kind of smile only reserved for him. The kind of smile all demons hid away from. "You have my full attention." It was that easy for him to ground her. Always had been.
She was a little jealous of his life. The kind of life she'd never have for herself. "Because you're spending parts of it with me, duh."
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
"Mmm, I'm sure." She didn't doubt him for a second. And she would never hold it against him, either. She knew his flirting came from a different place than most would guess. He wasn't the kind of person who took most things in life very seriously. Perhaps that was why she'd always felt so drawn to him. It was easy being around him. It was almost as if the two shared a mutual understanding. No serious talk. Ever.
Pulling back, she smiled. "Aww." She could try faking disappointment to her voice, but she didn't see the point. She could have killed the mood by telling him she didn't really have a 'later', but quickly tossed the notion away. "Sounds like you have it all figured out." She felt tempted to reach her hand out and ruffle his hair. Sadly, he wasn't seventeen anymore. It wouldn't be cute.
"I'll just have to take your word for it." She mused, head shaking. She looked around the bar then. She wondered who'd end up falling victim to his charms next. He seemed content as of right now, but how long could she capture his attention before someone else came along that could offer him more?
"What are you doing tomorrow?"
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
His comments would have turned her cheeks flaming red before. Instead, his words were met with an almost defiant smile. "You would have liked that." In no way had the brunette become more experienced over the years, though, she'd come to realize there was no shame to be found in certain things. Or maybe she'd just gotten used to it working as a bartender.
The flick on her nose had her wrinkling it, brows furrowing. "Now, that's a bit harsh, even for you." Her eyes widened and saddened, and her lips pouted. "Someone as mean as you would never remain handsome." She even attempted at her most saddened voice, as if calling her an asshole had brought her to tears. It was all in good fun, of course.
She could play too.
"Really?" She looked at the bottle. "I just took the first one I could find..."
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
Lux had never been much of a drinker herself. She had nothing against it, of course and would never fault someone for it. She never really enjoyed the buzz and while it usually made her happy, it also made her into someone she didn't quite recognize. Not a bad thing, really, but she was perfectly content being docile. It didn't help much that she normally considered herself to be the kind of person that didn't yearn for human contact, while in a drunk state she was far more physical in nature. "It's very divine." She agreed. "Best selection in all of Oregon." She offered him a wink at that.
"Well." She began, pursing her lips. She gestured towards the bulky bouncer by the door. "If you start misbehaving, that's who'll end up manhandling you, not me." She offered the bouncer a wave followed by a smile. He waved back. She turned her attention back to her dear old friend.
"Besides, it'll be amusing to see how well alcohol fares with your aging body." She leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "Is that a gray hair?"
