Re: Oh what do you want? Invite only; Sachin [Zaboo]

by **Ember_Fangs** March 6th 2012, 5:05 pm

Gracie examined the colour of her skin and wondered what planet Sachin was from. She had never been called 'white' before. She had been about to reply in Hindi when the girl began to wake up. Gracie managed a small smile despite the cold harsh tone and slowly slid her hands into the front of he jean pockets, rocking onto her toes then to her heels. Well this was awkward.

"Name's Gracie Daniels ma'am," she said in that Southern Drawl that made you think of lazy summer days on the beach, the caress of the ocean and your summer romance's kiss. Gracie's deep chocolate brown eyes moved upwards to look at the man who stood on the other side of the bench.
"Sachin and I go a little way back, he helped me and a friend out. Rather brave man," her lips twitched into a half smiled before she looked back down at the girl, dark, long eyelashes grazing her high cheekbones. Her heart shaped face framed by a mass of glossy black curls which bounced against her back and blew across of her face with the wind. It was the windy city for a reason after all.
"You've got a nice young man ma'am," she smiled then nodded. It almost seemed like she was missing the cowgirl hat - which she would tip at this moment then ride off on her white horse to go beat up more bad guys.
"Can I get you two a cab? You should really rest Ma'am," she raised an eyebrow, every bit the sweet, innocent girl laced with mystery and that little bit of danger that made you step closer for a better look.

by Guest March 7th 2012, 1:12 am

(I mixed up Gracie and the girl in your avatar. Pretend Sachin said 'American', not white, lol. Razz

)

Meera nodded, now looking more kindly depositioned toward Gracie. He then to Sachin and spoke in a rapid fast mixture of French and Hindi and some other words, effectively saying that she would see him tomorrow and that she really would rather want to walk home today by herself and she might see him tomorrow. She shook his hand and then turned to Gracie. "I would rather walk, thank you." she said in accented English, shaking Gracie's hand before walking off into the distance.

A minute passed while Sachin watched her go and then sighed. "That could have gone better. I'm unsure if she'll be coming back now, considering that most girls rather dislike a first date where they get kicked in the head by random drunks. What was that guy's story, anyway? Why were the two of you fighting?"

"But chances are that we'll probably end up dating again, since our families like each other. I knew her back when we were little kids, but haven't spoken to her since I was seven or so and moved to LA while she moved to some country in Africa. Mauritius, I think." A pause followed. "I haven't drunk any beer since my eighteenth birthday. Today may as well be a good day for it. You want to come along?"

by **Ember_Fangs** March 9th 2012, 4:15 pm

Gracie could just about follow the woman's dialogue but it gave her a headache and it played better for her to keep the carefully placed mask of confusion on her face. Obviously the girl hadn't wanted her to understand or she would have spoken in English - she didn't know that Gracie spoke most European languages and a few Asian ones to. Latin was the worst of course but all languages came from it. She thought over this while the couple said their goodbyes then slid out her cell phone as she walked away. As Sachin began to speak she held a finger to her lips and then began her conversation.
"I'm fine. With a... friend," she glanced to Sachin then to his fading girlfriend. "Look, I need you to make sure the girl I was with gets home okay. She got caught in my fight."
A pause.
"Lucritio's."
Pause.
"I'm sure."
Pause.
"Franco-Indian, slim, long hair."
A snort.
"Just make sure nobody bothers her. I'll catch you later and give you the details," she sighed and ended the call, glancing up to Sachin with a faint smile.
"A drink sounds really good right now. I have a place we can go, come on," she nodded one way. It was odd to think Sachin was older than her, though when she glanced sideways at him she could see he wasn't the boy he sometimes acted like. He wasn't taller than her, they were actually a similar height and the slight stubble along his jaw was an indicator of his older age. Odd. It wasn't until she'd seen him stab that man calmly through the hand that she was seeing him as someone older and maturer than her.

"He was picking on some woman, I said stop then I was flying though a window," she shrugged and made herself stop staring at the young man beside her. Thankfully the woman would have been found by the police, as would the man lying in the Indian restraunt. Gracie led them away from the hustle of Chicago to the back streets which boomed with life and music. She led him down a flight of stairs and pushed open the door to the night club/bar. It wasn't packed nor over-loud but it was comfortably full of people with a good beat and damn cheap drinks.
"Little Haven - best bar in the city," she flashed Sachin a genuine smile which just lit up her entire face.

by Guest March 10th 2012, 1:10 am

He gave a laugh. "There are lots of bars in Chicago. You're lucky I'm a good innocent Hindu boy and I haven't been in most of them. So I'll take you at your word here." he said, his eyes plainly going around the room and settling on any attractive girls he saw. He then glanced away from them, pulled out his wallet and looked at Gracie. "I have cash on me. Since you beat up that guy and helped carry Meera- OK, you carried Meera-" he grinned, admitting he didn't do very much on the carrying part, "I'll pay for as much as you can drink. We'll have a contest on whether you go unconscious first or I do. Or whether my wallet will run out before that happens."

He walked up to the bartender. "Aye, mate, get me a..." A pause. "What the hell is a Screaming Orgasm?"

The bartender gave a snort, and Sachin blushed a bit while some of the older patrons laughed out loud. "Gracie over there can teach you that one, mate!" one of the guys from the gym said. (I'll assume most of the guys here are familiar with Gracie and exercise at the gym.)

Sachin continued blushing a bit, and continued, ignoring the man. "I mean, who the hell names a drink that? I know what a Screaming Orgasm is, but why would you name a drink a-" he paused himself. "You know what? Just give me two glasses for a start, one for me and one for my friend." he said, bringing back the drinks.

"Don't you dare say a word. It was either the Screaming Orgasm or the Gargle Blaster, and I'm not taking a drink named after a Hitchhiker's one." he said, putting a glass in her hand.

It had been a hell of an interesting night so far. His mother would be severely annoyed with him, but he didn't care right now. He was hanging out in a part of Chicago he generally tried to stay the fuck away from, was pretty sure he had shattered his arranged marriage before it began, and now he was with a pretty girl he had once drawn borderline pornography of and sold it. His publisher was still incredibly angry that he had stopped making that series and put it on indefinite hold, but Sachin had to respect Gracie's feelings, though he hadn't said that.

"I don't usually do these, but what the hell. Let's have a toast to friends." he said, clinking his glass with hers.

by **Ember_Fangs** March 10th 2012, 4:53 am

Gracie couldn't help but smile when he said he would buy the drinks and then shook her head ever so slightly. He was honestly going to try and out drink her when he hadn't had a drink since he was eighteen years old? She followed him to the bar, raising a slight eyebrow at the looks from the women who had glanced up from their own beverages or partners to check out the new meat. Some put their heads back down quickly but others had a considering look in their eyes and she was sorry to say some of them could get Sachin in to a LOT of trouble. Mind you, Gracie probably aligned herself to that group of people. And, as per usual, she was utterly clueless to the looks she was getting. Gracie had never been a big dating person nor a one night stander so she tended to keep her conflicting and confusing emotions to herself. Gracie was highly aware however she was the only girl in the entire bar who wasn't revealing leg-flesh. While she championed the leather trousers that hung off her hips and a clingy vest top that ended a few inches above her belly button, the other women championed short skirts or shorts, tops which could only be described at bra's and leather jackets with army boots. Maybe Sachin would have preferred a more... normal bar.

"Gracie over there can teach you that one, mate!" Gracie flinched when she heard her name and her fingers slipped half way down her thigh, heading for her knife when she realized it was the bar tender. Then the rest of his sentence tumbled through her mind and she realized she had fallen behind. Sachin really was a newb. Oh boy. Perching on the stool in front of the bar Gracie's lips twitched as she shook her head at the bar tender.
"Hey, he may look like he needs teaching but he just took down one of Lucritio's men," she lowered her voice rather dramatically for him and the bar tender raised his eyebrows, cast his eyes to Sachin in a new, appraising light, and sauntered off to tell another and get them a drink. Hopefully that would earn Sachin a big enough Rep that he wouldn't have to be watched over her every second they were in the bar.

"It's fine," She smiled to Sachin and watched as he clinked glasses with hers and then downed it one. She'd personally stayed away from the hitch hiker drinks the moment she had got out of that car. Never, ever, again.
"To friends," she nodded after the burning liquid at made it's way down her throat. "Next round?" she raised her eyebrows. "I'd like to warn you, I can out drink a LOT of people in here," she smirked.

by Guest March 11th 2012, 12:53 am

Sachin raised an eyebrow. "So I see my challenge has been accepted." he chuckled. "Well, what's the worst thing I can lose? My wallet? I'm not too worried." he said, downing a second glass, getting it refilled by the bartender, who gave them both a whole bottle afterwards.

"I'll give you guys the beer for free right now. I just want to see somebody try and fail to beat Gracie in a drinking contest." the bartender chuckled, having lost many, many of these very contests to the young teenage girl.

Sachin laughed. "Well, I don't have much to lose." he said, downing some of the bottle.

(Really sorry that it's short. I just can't work up a post right now.)

by **Ember_Fangs** March 11th 2012, 5:38 pm

Gracie shook her head with a rather musical laugh - a REAL laugh - not her bitter, short, cut off one that usually showed it was painful, or laced with sarcasm. She raised an eyebrow at the bartender when he said he wanted to see her loose and then stubbornly downed the next drink as well.
"Well you'll be losing a lot of your drinks George, you moaned at me for a month after our last bet," she smiled rather sweetly at him before glancing back at Sachin who seemed to be doing fine on a bottle.
"Better give us some more then," she raised her eyebrows as Sachin carried on his merry way through the bottle. She took a deep breath and started on her own.

~

It was three hours later before Gracie shook her head at the last shot. She just couldn't do it anymore without knowing she was really over the edge. She was bordering on the fine line between utterly smashed and in that blissful tipsy-but-crazy stage. If she took that last shot she wouldn't remember a thing for the rest of the night and she couldn't take that risk while being in Chicago. Sachin on the other hand didn't even look slightly tipsy. Gracie shoved the barstool back and stood up, wobbled slightly and clutched the bar before putting out her hand in mock surrender.
"Okay..." she hiccuped. "I give up. I give up. You must have some crazy shit power or something..." she shook her head slightly. The room was beginning to do that weird spinning thing drunk people talked about. Oh god was she that close? The lights flickered for a second as she took a deep breath, drawing in the energy and trying to push out the alcohol from her system. All it did was give her a nasty little shock to keep herself alert but it worked. She still couldn't walk very straight.

The bar tender of course was in fits of laughter and clapped Sachin on the shoulder.
"You ever need a place mate, you're welcome round here," he smirked, stuck his tongue out at Gracie as she glared at him, then sauntered off. The crowd which had gathered patted Sachin on the back too in congratulations and promises before wondering off. Gracie put her chin on the bar and glared at the last shot.
"Damn. You," she mumbled, eyeing it up as if just staring at it would make it go away.

by Guest March 11th 2012, 6:12 pm

Ah, a healing factor was so damn useful at times. The obvious thing was that it kept him from being brutally killed, which would have happened several times if he hadn't had this power. It also helped him seriously hold his liquor, since the toxins would be destroyed by his healing energy. It generally wasn't useful in the latter case, since Sachin rarely drank anyway. But right now it was very, very useful.

Everyone was cheering him on and clapping him on the back, most of them rather drunk themselves by now. Drinking tends to be contagious, and by this point the only sober men and women in the bar were ironically the bartender and Sachin, and even the bartender was slightly tipsy.

George chuckled at Gracie. "I don't assume you want another drink?" he said, breaking out into another laughing fit. "I'm sorry, I really am, but-" here he broke off again, laughing outrageously. "This is one of the best things I've seen. Little Gracie just lost hard in a drinking contest."

Sachin took her hand, lifting her off the bar and half-leading, half-dragging and half-carrying her off. I know that's too many halves. "Alright." he grunted, having to actually use some physical strength to carry off a girl who didn't really want to go anywhere. "Alright." he repeated. "You're coming with me for now. You are way too drunk for me to think you can make it home by yourself right now, and I don't know if you're in the same flat as last time."

by **Ember_Fangs** March 12th 2012, 5:16 pm

Thankfully, Gracie was not an angry drunk. In fact she was one of those drunks whose reactions were just heightened. Where at an amusing thing she would normally just smile, while drunk she would burst into fits of laughter; if something that would normally irritate her happened she would get really angry and so on and so on. So of course when Sachin began to basically carry her out the door she found it hysterical. Gracie waved some what dramatically at the bar tender who just shook his head and mumbled something into his beard about 'kids these days' before they were on the street and Gracie was over Sachin's shoulder when he began to carry her. Of course, being upside down utterly confused the drunk Gracie and she squinted at the man's shoes trying to work out why she was wearing posh shoes instead of her army boots.

"Hey!" She exclaimed suddenly as if the best idea she had ever had came to mind. "I think we're in Australia! Everything is upside down. I knew it," the awe in her voice and her own stupid comment made her crack up laughing again. They walked - well Sachin walked and Gracie bobbed on his shoulder - in silence for a while before she sighed rather sweetly and then rested her cheek on his shoulder, her body relaxing very slowly. Gracie did like her sleep - loved it in fact. That only made the drink worse. When you were sleepy - and pissed - you said things that should never be said like:
"You know what Comic boy?" Gracie mused. "You have a great arse for a Comic Book guy."Of course this just set her off into another giggle fit but she managed to continue.
"You know... I never looked at you like a proper guy before tonight. But now - you're actually alright Sachin man," she patted his shoulder. She hadn't realized they'd got to his apartment just yet though.

by Guest March 15th 2012, 12:58 am

They were at his apartment by now, him opening the door with his key and walking in right when she basically said he had a nice ass. Which nearly made him drop her before he realized it'd be a somewhat bad idea to drop a girl who could easily kick his ass without breaking a sweat. So he laid her down on his couch, sitting in the chair across from it. He decided to continue the conversation to see where it would end up going.

"Glad to hear I'm a proper guy. Honoured to hear it, really. I was somewhat afraid I had something other than a prick in my pants." A beat. "That was a joke." A little known fact was that nerds, especially Indian nerds, had a rather dirty sense of humour. "You're a good girl too, Gracie." he said. Now he wished he had watched more romantic comedies. The girl usually got drunk and then something happened, generally involving blacked out scenes. The Doctor or Batman never seemed to have to deal with these awkward moments. Well, awkward for him- Gracie was far too gassed to really give a damn about awkwardness.

by **Ember_Fangs** March 17th 2012, 6:34 pm

Gracie shook her head slightly when he told her it was a joke but giggled none of the less before flopping back on the couch which made her look up at the ceiling. It was only then that it clicked she was not in her apartment. HER ceiling was littered with those lovely glow in the dark stars. It was a tradition of hers to cover the ceiling in them wherever she went. It was her little mark to show she had been there. It also provided her with an odd comfort - the stars watching over you while you slept. Poetry crap had been the words of her friends back at the orphanage but Gracie hadn't cared. But that didn't matter. What did matter was that she was not in her apartment and she was pretty far out of it on someone else's couch. A some-guy's couch. SACHIN's couch. She rolled onto her stomach slowly and peered at him over the arm of the chair in that weird way drunk people did - like they couldn't see you watching them.

"Good girl?" She raised her eyebrows. That was a compliment she had never received, even from the nuns. She began to fall about laughing and ended up actually holding her side where she got a stitch.
"Oh, good girls are only bad girls who haven't been caught yet," she said in a very husky slow southern voice. She hadn't been caught yet - that was true. The police had had no idea who she was. Gracie prided herself on keeping herself off the police radar but on her enemies radars. Just to get them scared. 'Good girl' was not a comment she was used to.
"Why am I in your apartment?" she yawned slightly. "Your date won't be very impressed."

by Guest March 17th 2012, 7:22 pm

"My date isn't very impressed anyway, in case you rather haven't noticed." he said dryly. "I don't think I need to worry about that." he stood up and walked over to his room, bringing back a blanket which he gently placed on her. "Anyway, I'll be frank here- you are completely and utterly drunk as hell. The Irish would call you drunk as hell. Satan would call you drunk as hell. A satanic Irishman would call you drunk as hell, that's how completely plastered you are." he said. "So you're spending the night here, since I don't think you're in the best shape to get home by yourself right now."

He himself didn't feel tired, since his healing factor effectively got rid of any real need he had for sleep. He slept for pleasure, not for need. So he just sat down in the chair across from her and used the moonlight to pull out his notepad and a pencil, and just generally sketched. "Don't worry, this sketch isn't going in my comic- that's been discontinued for now. I'm just bored and it'd be a bad idea for me to leave you alone right now. Can't have you running off." Though he pretty much knew if she wanted to leave, he'd be suicidal to try and stop her. But a drunk Gracie on Chicago streets made him laugh briefly and involuntarily.

He then realized he had a pretty girl in his apartment building. His mother would probably have a heart attack. He laughed again, continuing his sketch. Sure, this wouldn't go anywhere, despite his hopes. But his mother's face would be a funny one if she ever heard about this, though he would make sure she never did.

by **Ember_Fangs** March 17th 2012, 7:56 pm

Gracie was actually really tired and now that she had a blanket too she was really feeling it. It felt like one of those slumber parties where you didn't want to fall asleep encase you missed something interesting or funny. Except she didn't want to miss Sachin. The way he drew absolutely fascinated her. She enjoyed painting abstract designs and occasionally she would draw a person or an animal that caught her eye but right now she was content with mentally drawing the way Sachin looked right now. Even though he had sounded dry and bitter about the fact she had ruined his date he was being nice to her.
She had never apologised for that...
She should.
But she didn't want to disturb the way he gently bit on his bottom lip as he drew, or the slight puckering of his forehead as he concentrated on a tiny little detail that a normal person would have missed. She didn't want to close her eyes and miss the way his brown eyes flickered up from his pad and scanned her face or her shoulder, or the dip and curve of her elbow. She was used to an enemy looking at her in that calculating manner but Sachin's look didn't have the meaning of a serious kicking behind it, nor the threat of death. Sachin's eyes held that weird calm that Gracie was not used to. Her life was busy, on the go. She didn't like to stop and wait but while Sachin was drawing she was content to watch him back. It soothed her, oddly. She didn't need to think about anything else. Sachin had said she was staying here and she was sleepy and to calm and relaxed to bother protesting. Happy, Gracie realized with a jolt. She was happy and satisfied with where she was. Usually she was agitated because of a worry or because she was angry that her father hadn't shown up like in the novels. She hadn't realized those background thoughts affected her so much until now.

When he began to laugh she snapped out of her inner reflection and realized her eyes had drifted closed. Traitors. She looked up at him and yawned.
"Why you laughing?" she rubbed her eyes then rested her cheek on her hand. For a second she paused then.
"And I'm sorry I ruined your date," she said very softly and her eyebrows drew together in a little frown. "I didn't mean to ruin it," she looked down, kind of ashamed with herself for what she'd done.

by Guest March 18th 2012, 1:52 am

He gave another laugh. "I would have easily ruined it myself. I do not have the best of luck with women." he grinned now. His brown eyes narrowed as his pencil started moving again. "Besides, this isn't a bad way to spend a night. Sure, I have a drunk chick on my couch and I bet ten bucks that there will be vomit in the floor by the morning, but you're a good girl to be around. Or you're a bad girl who just hasn't been caught, but still nice to be around, even when drunk as hell." he paused. "I'm not very poetic when I'm talking, am I? I think I should just shut the hell up right now."

It was quiet for another minute or so while Sachin concentrated. Then he smiled and laughed a third time. "Now it's all done." he said, putting his pencil down and brushing his dark eyes out of his eyes, where they had been hanging while he drew. He placed the pad in her arms.

It was a sketch of her. An absolutely perfect sketch of her lying peacefully on the couch, down to every last detail. Her eyes were half-closed, but if she looked carefully (which in her drunken state she wasn't too likely to do), she would see stars in them. Actual tiny stars in her eyes. And if she looked more carefully, she'd see more stars, hidden in the painting all around her.

His eyes were alert, and he seemed almost nervous. He leaned down next to her head so he could see the painting too. "Err...what do you think?" he asked, a bit nervous. "It isn't too good...sorry about that..."

by **Ember_Fangs** March 18th 2012, 9:02 am

Gracie shifted slightly she was sitting up better when he handed her the sketch and she stilled. She had thought his comic book sketches were good but this was... breath taking. Gracie gently trailed her fingers over the lines of the work, a hair width above the paper so she didn't smudge the lines and traced the eyes which were staring back at her. It actually sobered her up just that little bit more. Enough so she could appreciate that Sachin was a talented young male. She looked up at him to see his face inches away from hers and she blinked very slowly then blushed. Sachin was actually a very attractive man and he was very very close to her. Her heart sped up just that little bit and she quickly looked back down to the drawing which was like looking into a mirror. He'd even captured the way her cheeks dimpled ever so slightly when she smiled in her sleepy, content haze.

"Sachin..." she trailed off not sure what to say. It was the nicest thing anyone had done of her. Nobody had taken the time to draw her before - unless she was basically naked and in a comic book. But then he was making up for it now.

"This is beautiful..." she stammered then looked up at him, her lips tweaking into a very slow smile. "You made me to pretty though," she murmured and then gently brushed his dark brown hair away from his eyes so he could see her better. Her fingers trailed down his cheek bone and then his jaw before her fingers splayed out over his warm flesh and she leaned forward. Gracie had no idea what possessed her to do it but it felt right. She gently pressed her lips to his in the softest, gentlest of kisses.

by Guest March 18th 2012, 2:55 pm

"Don't be ridiculous." he blushed. "It's not my best work, I did made it in a rush and-" his words ended when she kissed him softly. It wasn't bad. It definitely was not bad. Just very surprising, so he backed away after a few great seconds and then mentally cussed himself out. You asshole. There goes any chance at romance. You idiot, why don't you just listen to the stupid romantic dramas your mum watches and follow them? Nobody backs away from a kiss in any of those. But he took a chance a second of hesitation later, now him kissing her instead, slightly harder than she kissed him, but being gentle and not forceful in the least. He was rather cautious right now.

Sachin hadn't had a girlfriend since...give him a minute for this one. He didn't expect one right now either, but he figured he may as well go with the flow. His drawing remained in her lap while the two young people kissed each other.

A beat later, they pulled away from each other. "Wow." he said simply. "Err...you sure about this, Gracie? I recall our last attempt at a date didn't go too well." he chuckled shyly.

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