Down Here It's Better {Gus}

[MADELEINE SIMONE TALLULAH]

She had so few friends in this stupid state, she was inclined to give them what they wanted, more often than not, so that she could keep them. But if she could have gone back to France and her friends there, she wouldn’t have been desperately lonely enough to roll with the whims of others. Her friend- Amanda- had whims that also included dressing her for some house party to which she had absolutely no interest in going. Finding a few people inclined to put up with her rather stoic, intelligent behavior though, was so rare that the needy part of her nobody knew about let them get away with quite a few things she had no interest in. So, oui, she let Amanda select her attire and apply some makeup, and after she'd slipped her phone and wallet into her pockets, drag her out to a waiting car, driving around until they reached a small, quiet neighborhood that was currently thumping with sound. Maddy’s insides fairly curled up and died, but she got out of the car.

People didn’t make her nervous, per se, but she found that people tended to behave a lot more stupidly in crowds. And stupidity, that was something she just plain didn’t like. Maddy also had no fondness for being abandoned, which was exactly what Amanda did the second they crossed the threshold of building, calling for her to ‘go have fun’ as she was dragged away by some guy the shifter had never seen before. Fantastique. Her slight frame was bumped out of the way and she walked, looking fairly confident, to a quieter spot behind a couch, having a seat to wait. She knew with almost certainty that she would not enjoy this eveni- the singing grabbed her, worming its way under her skin with an ease that should’ve been illegal. The song was familiar, and the voice had a quality that pinged over her body, but they weren’t familiar together. It was the only reason the shifter left her seat, really, to figure out just what was going on. Not because she was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Of course not.

Her heeled feet carried her across the living room into something more like a den or family room, set up with a television and, get this, karaoke machine. And who should be singing but Augustus Adrastos? Temporary bane of her existence- along with his pesky siblings- and generally bad memory. No wonder the voice had been familiar. Too bad she hadn’t ever remembered it sounding like this… this gorgeous rumble that made her hair stand on end. Merde, what kind of unfair hell was this? He- she swallowed hard- he was certainly different, looks-wise than she remembered. Mhm. Yes, different. She needed to find Amanda and get out of here, because while she doubted he remembered her, she had no interest in sticking around to find out. Really, she meant to walk across the den unnoticed, but the damn fucking heels from hell made that fantastically impossible. Why did she not see the cord? Logically, she should’ve known it was there. That was only reasonable. Power source required. But no, no, it completely escaped her notice, but not the flimsy stiletto that hooked it, sending her to the ground in a quick heap with a thump. In terms of falls, it was not spectacular, but that didn’t make it any less embarrassing. Especially when she looked up and caught the eyes- what the hell had happened to make his eyes look so appealing? ugh- of Gus, making an embarrassed blush spread over her cheeks as she struggled to get up. Nobody had explained how difficult it would be to accomplish in shoes like this.

Eventually, she managed, leaning against the wall for support and studiously avoiding looking at anyone as she recollected herself. The shifter should never have picked up the phone tonight. And after a couple minutes, she had serious plans to correct that mistake in judgment, whether it pissed her friend off or not.

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clicketh for clothes!

[AUGUSTUS LEE ADRASTOS]

If you can't hang then, there's the door baby.

Mike rolled over off of Gus panting heavily. Gus’ smile widened as he rolled off the bed. ”You want to go to this party my friend is having later?” he asked while putting on his boxers. Gus thought about it for all of two seconds before nodding and saying, “Yeah. Whose party? Do I know them?” Mike shrugged. “Don’t know. Her name is Alyssa Lyons. You might know her since you seem to know everyone in this damn city.” Gus chuckled and nodded. “Yeah I know her. I was fucking both her and her sister at the same time and neither ever found out.” Mike didn’t find it too entertaining though Gus didn’t seem to notice. Instead, he left the room to take a shower since he smelled of sex. Mike went into the kitchen and had fixed them up some dinner by the time Gus was finished getting dressed. Because he knew Alyssa wasn’t going to be throwing a party that was classy, he decided to dress in a pair of expensive jeans and a black V-neck sweater accompanied by a pair of Italian brow leather shoes to match his belt.

He sat down at Mike’s kitchen table across from Mike. It was chicken and pasta with white sauce, which was perfectly okay by Gus since he really only ate when food was put in front of him. Sometimes he forgot to eat for an entire day because he was thinking about other things. He never really ate food for out of boredom either because Gus never got bored. There was always something for him to do even if it was four in the morning. It was people like Mike that got him busy all the time. He had dozens of people exactly like Mika. The two had a mutual agreement that they were friends who could have a good night of fun together without obtaining any sort of emotional connection further than friendship. Gus didn’t want a relationship with anyone. He was more of a hit it and quit it and move on to another one kind of guy. And even though he did sometimes screw around with someone more than a few times didn’t mean he ever felt anything towards them. He had learned at an early age to never get attached to someone unless you were 100% certain that they wouldn’t let you down. And that had only happened a few times in his entire life.

When dinner was finished they cleaned up and headed out to the party. When they got there, both he and Mike parted. They were both looking for someone new since they had already gotten everything they wanted out of the other tonight and wanted something new for later. Gus hadn’t found anyone that had caught his eye, though he had obviously caught a few pairs of eyes himself. A cute little redhead winked at him and he grinned. She was cute, but he wasn’t in the mood for a redhead tonight. He pushed off the wall he had been leaning on and went into the kitchen. He made himself another drink, his fifth of the night, and chugged it.

There was a call from a guy who said the karaoke machine was finally up and shoved the mike into Gus’ hands as he passed. Gus looked down at the microphone and shrugged. He figured why the hell not just go for it. He hopped up onto the small platform and picked a song. When the music began to play, he started singing. Being a siren, he had a beautiful voice, one that lured people to him. So of course when he began singing, a crowd of people started coming towards him. Gus looked around at all the faces watching him, some even cheering him on. One girl in particular caught his eye though. She had a killer body and lips that were made for talking dirty with eyes that were so bright he could see them shining from where he stood. He watched her as she moved, examining every inch of her while he could. Then she disappeared, falling to the ground. Gus couldn’t help a little laugh escape from his lips before the songs end.

He handed the microphone to the guy who shoved it at him before and walked to where the girl leaned up against the wall, all but clutching onto it for dear life. Gus smiled charmingly at the girl and asked, “You okay?” He leaned his shoulder up against the wall beside her and half listened to the next guy who followed him on karaoke.

words! enough / outfit! here / notes! SO EXCITED VNSKDFJNVM,

[MADELEINE SIMONE TALLULAH]

This was not her idea of a good time. Having someone else dress her in attire clearly designed for sticking out, taken to a venue that she was unfamiliar with, surrounded by people she didn’t know? Not anything that would have qualified under her definition of fun. But there she was anyways, humoring her friend, and humiliating herself a little, all in the same event. Oh, joy. Her inner cynic- hell, her outer cynic- was rolling her eyes. Who had invented this particular kind of shoe, anyways? The shifter made a note to look it up when she got home… maybe write a ranting little speech about the impracticalities of high-heeled footwear. Not that anyone would ever see or hear it, such an endeavor might make her feel better. And after spotting Gus at the party she was loathing already, she would need such an activity.

Come on now. What special, sinful thing had she done to garner this treatment from the fates? Nevermind that he only looked, in the most basic features, like the same person, having been elevated to new heights- in many ways- she still knew exactly who he was. Remembered who he was, to her and her family. Suffice to say she would not have anticipated reuniting- only in the loosest sense of the word- with one of the Adrastos siblings thanks to Amanda, when she’d met the girl a couple years ago. The silly bird- literal bird, actually, since her shifter form was an ostrich- had had some obscure interest in talking to the quiet orca, and as she’d been a bit lonely, well, she let the interaction continue into the relationship it was today. Her friend rather seemed to like that Maddy would just humor her in most things, despite the fact that she really wasn’t of a particularly sweet or amenable disposition, usually speaking. She far preferred avoiding trouble or discomfort, if at all possible. And that had been her plan for escape when she had seen Gus, and he’d clearly missed her. Or so she’d thought, until she biffed it and, like some cruel magic, there he was, smiling at her like nothing was wrong, inquiring about her state of being. Maddy looked at him, dared a look at him, searching for that recognition, any sort of glimmer that would tell her he knew damn well who she was. And saw… nothing. Not one little flicker of awareness. Her jaw almost dropped and her eyes almost bugged out her head. Almost, but she’d been taught better than that. Had more control than that. That asshole really didn’t remember her. Mon dieu. What were the odds? Well fine, if he didn’t remember her, she could certainly pretend that she didn’t remember him, she could pretend a lot of things when she was feeling both spiteful and somehow, strangely, scorned.

Her chuckle was breathy and light, perhaps betraying some of her surprise, but he could contribute that to a large number of things, she was sure. For just a moment, she was torn, and then some wicked streak just… took over. ’I’m pretty sure that ‘okay’ would be an overstatement at the moment. But I’ll get there. Thanks.’ Maddy rocked forward on her pink heels, standing less on the wall, feeling a little more sturdy. Her teal eyes wandered back to the karaoke machine and its newest victim, purposefully ignoring him, just the slightest bit. That wouldn’t do though… He didn’t appreciate being completely ignored. So the shifter sighed softly, and glanced back at Gus with a small smile. ’He’s not as good as you. Where’d you learn to sing like that, huh?’ She turned her slighter frame- much slighter, in comparison to his tall, muscled self- leaning against the wall again, almost mimicking his pose as she looked at him in quiet appraisal. He really had changed. He was older now, bigger and more… comfortable in his own skin. It was… oh ugh, but it was appealing. Most traces of awkwardness had left him, and that was impressive, even though he hadn’t had much to begin with, that she knew of. It wasn’t as though they’d spent much time together, none in fact, when not under duress. So why was she doing it now? Because some part of her was curious, but a bigger, petulant part of her was upset he had the nerve to forget her. Oh, and her family. Right. She didn’t always like to be considered ‘forgettable’ just because she wasn’t a drop-dead hottie…

[AUGUSTUS LEE ADRASTOS]

If you can't hang then, there's the door baby.

So far it looked like tonight was going to be a good night. People were buzzing around chatting and drinking, occasionally smoking a little or taking some pills. To him this felt right. This was the scene he felt most comfortable with. If he were stuck in a library with the dead silence of people reading he would go bat shit crazy. But here with the music loud and the drinks being poured, he felt alive and free of his family business. He knew what he was doing was probably wrong, but that was so far in the back of his mind that he didn’t even register it anymore. Attina had drilled it to him that humans were nothing more than scum, which is why drowning them and bringing their lifeless bodies to her was okay. In his mind it was a job. He didn’t think about the families he could break apart with their loved one lost forever at sea. He didn’t think of the lives he could ruin by taking someone they cared about. All he thought about was the fact that Attina would get off his back for a week or two.

To say that Gus was selfish was a bit of an understatement. Almost everything he did he did for himself. He never thought about people unless they were family and even then he had to occasionally be bribed to do something for them. Gus didn’t like doing favors either. He needed to get something out of the deal if he was going to do something for you. It was why he didn’t buy drinks for every pretty girl he saw. He liked to know that they would put out at the end of the night. He wasn’t going to waste his money on some chick that would disappear. Since this was a house party he didn’t have to worry about that since all the drinks were free. Any girl he sought fit he could just hand over a drink.

The one he had in mind though was gorgeous. Something about her seemed a little familiar, but he shoved that thought away because he knew that if he had ever seen someone as beautiful as this he would have remembered. She had such nice eyes and Lord if those lips weren’t begging to be kissed. But he reminded himself that it was all in due time. He’d just have to work up to that. For now he was going to talk to her a little, which he actually didn’t mind most of the time. “Okay good,” he replied with a small smile. He watched her as she turned away from him and his smile all but disappeared. He wasn’t really used to not having girls fawn over him. But instead of saying anything or leaving her, he turned his head to watch the guy sing. He was at least in tune, but his voice wasn’t as smooth as Gus’.

Her statement made him grin and at her question he looked at her, keeping his eyes on hers, respectfully. Gus would have told her straight up that he was a siren, but she would think he was a crazy person. So he shrugged nonchalantly and said, “It’s a gift.” Gus shoved himself off of the wall and offered to get her a drink. “What’s your poison?” he asked.

words! enough / outfit! here / notes! SO EXCITED VNSKDFJNVM,

[MADELEINE SIMONE TALLULAH]

She couldn’t decide if she liked this secretly spiteful side of herself. It felt kinda good, but it also made her feel guilty and a little nervous. What if he figured out who she was? Then she’d have to feign ignorance, and she just didn’t know if she could pull that off… Oops. But it was too late to tell him now, ‘hey, I’m Madeleine, remember? Ex-relation. Yeah, that one.’ That wouldn’t have gone over well, she was pretty sure. As it stood then, well, it was going surprisingly well. Gus was actually being nice to her, which was a novelty she’d never had the pleasure of experiencing before. Huh. Something to be said for anonymity, then. Odd, how he was nicer to strangers than he had been to his step-siblings. Not that she could really blame him… None of them had wanted to be saddled with each other, it was only through some stupid parental machinations that they had even interacted at all. Maddy couldn’t recall ever being mean to them, though. Mostly, she’d tried to avoid and ignore them whenever possible. It seemed as though Gus had done a better job though, because he didn’t even recall her existence. Ouch. Way to make a girl feel special.

Weird then, that she really did feel special, if only because she fell on her face, so to speak. Not a good kind of special, until it earned her his attention. His ‘concern.’ She knew that wasn’t real, didn’t stop it from being nice. Oh, what the hell was wrong with her? The orca was still mad at him for forgetting her, yet here she was, thinking he was sweet for having taken an interest in the klutz. Her own brain boggled her mind sometimes. She wanted to trail him along and be a bitch to him later, but she kinda didn’t know how to execute that yet… So for now, well, she’d just throw herself into the game and make like she couldn’t remember him either. ’What, actually worried I’d bruise or something?’ Her head tilted, letting her hair fall down her shoulder while she grinned, a lightness in her tone that usually hid itself under layers of logic and analysis. For the moment, she was forgetting who she was too. Couldn’t neglect the fact that his voice had been practically hypnotizing though. Augustus was a merman, so of course he had a spectacular vocal talent, but it didn’t stop her from having a soft spot for it. And it didn’t stop her from asking about it, either, as though she didn’t know.

Gus was a guy of few words, it seemed, which was something of a surprise… Madeleine would’ve pegged him as much more social, if she had bothered to venture a guess about such things. ’So… no training or anything in your history? Just something you’re naturally good at?’ She paused, obviously dubious, before shrugging and rolling with it. ’Color me impressed, then, at your gift. I sing like a dying canary. It’s pitiful.’ A soft giggle left her, before it quieted, and she considered his question, unsure how to answer. Maddy didn’t actually like ‘posion,’ as it were. Full lips quirked, deciding. ’Soda, usually. But I don’t know what they’ve got, so how about I just go with you?’ If she could manage such a feat in the shoes. The shifter was incredibly tempted to remove them, but she didn’t really want to risk wandering around on the questionable floor without them. So she stood up a little straighter, arching an eyebrow and wandering closer to him, since she didn’t actually know they layout of the house very well.