Re: Day by Day (Drifter)

by **Chellizard** April 2nd 2016, 10:43 am

Mulling over all the songs in her head, she settled on a few. Some of them were considered newer pop songs, whereas some others were older, but just old enough to not really be considered a classic - yet.

When he called for shots, she took a few as well, but her rapid cellular regeneration nullified any of the alcohol's effects. She almost felt bad for practically wasting his money, so she would make sure to order another round if he wanted and help cover the cost.

"Honestly? I have no idea what I would even sing with you. Do you have any song ideas?" She took a few more bites in between her audible thoughts.

"I mean, we could throw back to some Evanescence, maybe do some Pink and Nate Ruess." She hummed lightly, still contemplating the song choices.

She just really wanted to hear his ideas.

She broke open a crab leg and plucked out the juicy meat. Dipping it in the butter, she took the morsel and bit it happily. This was a great date so far.

Even if she was being overly emotional and girly. Part of her was really mad at herself for acting this way - the other part was just giddy that this was happening.

by **Red** April 6th 2016, 9:58 pm

Lukas didn't like Pink too much, her music style at least. However at the suggestion of Evanescence he got an idea. He had sung Broken with his sister when he was young, it was horrible, but he knew the lyrics quite well. He decided that was probably the best, considering she seemed to be at least familiar with that sort of music.

"Yeah..... I like that idea. Maybe, Broken? I know that one well." Luke said, waiting for her answer. Assuming she said yes, then they could eat for a little while longer, listening to others sing until finally they were called up. Drifter barely managed a smile as he walked to the stage, not because he wasn't happy but because when he was nervous smiling was truly difficult. With Skyler likely behind him, he went to pick up a mic, only to slightly trip and catch himself. A little embarrassing...... But he laughed it off.

"Let's hope i don't mess up the song as badly as i do walking." Drifter said into the mic with a laugh, getting a few faint chuckles from the crowd and people who were eating.

"Anyway, without further embarrassments, this is my lovely friend Skyler, and we're performing Broken." Drifter announced, just as the music started to pour from the speakers. This was it, he was doing it. What did he get himself into? Butterflies filled his stomach, but he closed his eyes briefly, pushing everything aside but his emotions and the music. Then he sang.

I wanted you to know, I love the way you laugh.

I wanna hold you high and steal your pain, awayy."

The first few lines poured from his mouth, he focused his eyes on Skyler, rather then the crowd, almost as if he were speaking directly to her. His voice didn't match the usual song, but it brought a new style to it. It was less growl, more emotional, yet still quite masculine. He sang softly, letting the music speak for him in a sense.

"I keep your photograph, I know it serves me well!

I wanna hold you high and steal your pain!"

You could see he was into it, not only singing but acting it out with his partner. It felt like this was personal, not just a song. This is the point Skyler would join in.

"Cause I'm broken! When I'm, lonesome!

And I don't feel right, when you're gone away...

You've gone away...
You don't feel me here...
Anymore."

Their voices intertwined, creating a new sound with two perfect constrasts. After this, Luke dropped back and let Skyler do her thing.

"The worst is over now, and we can breathe again...

I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain, awayyy..

There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight!

I wanna hold you high and steal your pain...."

He listened and watched, wondering what this feeling was inside him. He didn't know. it was a mixture of his own sorrow and a desire to make his life better, plus true pity for what Skyler had survived. He didn't want to say he loved her, not yet. He resisted he always seemed to. He couldn't love, it was cliche..... It wasn't for him....

But then why did he want it so much?

"Cause I'm broken, when I'm open!

And I don't feel like I am strong enough...

'Cause I'm broken! When I'm lonesome!

And I don't feel right! When you're gone awayyy."

Tears found themselves rolling down Lukas' cheek as he sang, as if all the pressure from his entire life was pouring out. He continued, not missing a beat however. He stared at Skyler the whole time, he was happy with her she healed him, she made him forget....

"Cause I'm broken! When I'm open!

And I don't feel like, I'm strong enough

'Cause I'm broken! When I'm lonesome!

And I don't feel right, when you're gone away..."

Lukas drifted toward Skyler, getting closer and closer, a smile on his face despite his bloodshot and wet eyes that were clearly visible. Was he just happy....... Or did he really feel this way about her? Did it make him weak if he did?

"'Cause I'm broken! When I'm lonesome!

And I don't feel right, when you're gone...

You've gone away...
You don't feel me here...
Anymore..."

He got very close now, he couldn't take it, he let go. Almost without him knowing he tried wrapping his arms around her and leaned in, trying to kiss her for the second time. He was sad, but this kiss was far more genuine then the last one. Like she was the answer to all the emotional distress inside him. He would, if successful, remain kissing her for several seconds as the song faded, causing some in the crowd to cheer. He would pull away and stare at her with a blank, almost child like expression. His eyes were red, tear streaks were on his face. And that's when he walked off the stage, not saying another word.

by **Chellizard** April 6th 2016, 11:07 pm

Skyler picked and plucked at a bit more of her food, waiting for Lukas to actually suggest a song, too. She would glance from him to her food and back every now and then, her eyes almost always lingering on him a bit longer.

She smiled softly when his face seemingly lit up. Not as noticeable to normal people, no, but the sudden twitch of his lips at each corner, and the slightest motion of his eyes getting wider. But only slightly. It was likely a subconscious reaction to finding out a perfect duet for them to sing.

When he said it, her face actually did corkscrew into a smile.

"Oddly enough, I know all the lyrics..." Chuckling, she took a few more bites in between small talk, her stomach tying into knots at the thought of singing in front of people.

She sang in front of Lilia all the time! She danced, too. She wasn't bad, at all. She was actually really good at singing. It was her only musical prowess. She had never picked up any instruments in her life. At least, none that she wanted to. She had been forced to take piano lessons at a young age by Dayne. He wanted to make a child prodigy out of Skyler. She broke off from that, thankfully. Her mother was very lenient toward things. It didn't mean Skyler could get away from the private beatings, however...

Walking behind of him when it was their time to go on stage, she moved gracefully. It was out of habit, mostly. Her insanely precise movements looked mechanical to those with enhanced vision, but to others, she just looked like she had practiced walking her whole life.

Unfortunately for Lukas, he was not that good at walking. At least, in this moment. He tripped forward, but caught himself before landing face first on the small, but very inviting stage.

Skyler almost reached out and grabbed him. She had to mentally fight herself from exposing her skills in public.

She was given a secondary microphone, and she grasped it with both hands at first. She then let her grip loosen from her right hand. The appendage trailed down, her digits smoothing over her dress against her abdomen. She looked so thin in this dress, and it wasn't intentional. She just had an amazingly fit body.

Breathing softly, she willed herself to focus on the music. To focus on Lukas.

"Heh..." She chuckled into the mic as she was introduced, her head nodding toward the crowd. She then let herself go.

The moment Lukas began singing, she felt like a great force swept her off of her feet, lifting her up and into the clouds. He was a lot better at singing than he let on. Maybe it was just her over stimulated brain - dopamine is a powerful hormone.

The first verse was his to sing alone. She was so high on life right now, she was unsure if she could keep up.

As soon as it was her time to come in, she eased into the lyrics, her voice sounding much more southern than intended - but the twang gave even more soul to the lyrics. Skyler's voice carried, surprising a lot of people. She had what some people would call 'mutant lungs.'

"... anymore..." as she sang, her left eyes became teary. She may be blind in her right eye, but she was still capable of crying.

She sniffled gently, making sure to relax the mic down to her side. She had her right arm almost wrapped around her waist, holding onto herself as she sang. Her chest heaved as she took in a deep breath, keeping up with Lukas and belting out powerful notes to mesh wonderfully with his. There was something about him. Something about this song. It made her feel safe. Was it weird? Yes. She was certain half of these feelings were caused by the hormones being secreted by her pituitary gland - but she also knew that there was such thing as love. She was just afraid of admitting she had those feelings. Especially after only being on a few dates with Lukas at this point - and their first one being a complete and total nightmare... despite the happy ending.

As it came to her part, she closed her eyes for a few words, her tears slipping down her cheeks. The eyepatch she wore hid her freakish blind eye, but the tears rolling from beneath it, staining her cheeks.

"The worst is over now," her chest rose and fell as she breathed, her voice drawing out to put more sensation into the words. "...and we can breathe again..." She moved a step closer, her eyes locked to his. Everyone else in the restaurant had disappeared for her. "I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain, awayyy..." She took in another sharp breath, her right hand reaching out for Lukas. "There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight! ... I wanna hold you high and steal your pain...."

She retracted her hand, however, and went into the chorus with him, her body swaying gently as they finished the song. She had complete tunnel vision on him. No one else was here anymore. The bright spot light was on the two of them, and no one else mattered.

She moved her arm back into herself, clutching at the edge of her dress along her collar. She leaned down, singing with all her heart. She put the soul into the words. The way they sang together, it was like they were telling a dramatic tale of two star-crossed lovers.

"... You've gone awa~a~ay..." She sang the last bit with him, her heart seemingly stuck into the lyrics.

As the song faded, she let her grip on her mic loosen, it clattering to the stage top. She just fell into Lukas, her lips accepting him. She stayed locked like that for as long as he wanted and, as it came to an end, she looked over his face. She searched for an answer.

When he didn't say anything, that's when she followed him off, offering a little wave.

The cheers, clapping, and excited hoots and hollers made Skyler blush. She returned to her seat, but on her way, asked for to-go boxes.

After a performance like that, she kind of wanted to leave.

"Is it okay... if we leave?" She finally broke their emotional silence, her own eyes red and puffy. She was fighting an internal battle. Part of her wanted to be really angry. She could feel it rising. But the anger was pushed down by all the happiness she felt.

It was a strange time in Skyler Snowden's life.

by **Red** April 7th 2016, 12:15 am

A feeling creeped it's way up Lukas' spine...... What was he doing? He felt cold, yet hot. A side of him wanted to give in, to be alone, to leave Skyler behind..... But the other half wanted to accept it and love, whatever that was. Why give into something that has been felt so many times before? It was all just basic instincts, and here he was chasing it even though it would only spell trouble for him. He didn't want to get attached only to be hurt again. Everytime, even with family, people eventually pushed him away.

The two sides fought, the anger, he was pissed, the sadness, he was depressed.......... There was something more though, like his head would explode. All he had went through had brought him here, and he was suddenly going to try to be normal? His mind swirled with emotion, and he ignored Skyler, rushing to the bathroom with tears rolling down his face hidden by fire in his steps. Once inside, he went to the toilet, puking as he sobbed.

"Why..... w-why did you do this to yourself?" He said, luckily no one else was in the bathroom to hear the episode, but anyone could come in. He didn't seem to care though. He got up, seeing red, looking for anything. He tried pulling the stall walls down even, but settled for punching them repeatedly.

"WHY, DID, YOU, DO, THIS, TO, MEE?!" He called out, to all those who wronged him, to god, to his life, to his mind that had betrayed him. By the end of it the stall had a hole in it and his hand was bleeding, but he didn't stop there. He moved outward, smashing the mirrors with his fists and occasionally his elbows. He didn't care about the pain, it felt good, took the edge off, brought his self back.

Someone came in, staring at Drifter for a moment. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but the look in Lukas' eyes, it was violent, and the blood that seeped down his clothing made it all the more obvious. The man left.

I said i wouldn't...... I said i couldn't...... I said it would only hurt me...... I said it would draw my attention to bullshit when i needed to make something of my life....... But......but here i am. Fucking brain, fucking body, FUCKING LIFE! He thought, tearing off the rest of the mirrors and throwing them as he started to breathe slower. He was calming down, it took a lot, but he was. Plus that guy was likely going to tell on him, so he had to go. He didn't know if he could face Skyler, she would be.....mad? Maybe if he explained more, told her what he went through....... He didn't know, he didn't even know if he wanted to make it up to her.

He made it outside the bathroom, seeing no Skyler. He payed the bill, leaving quickly and hoping Skyler had went to his car. Her ending it without him at least explaining would only make matters worse.

by **Chellizard** April 7th 2016, 8:39 pm

She felt like she couldn't breathe. She didn't even bother organizing the food. She literally flipped the food from the plates into the boxes, closed them, shoved them into her bags, and left. On her way out, she stared at the hostess as the woman tried to stop her.

"He's in the bathroom. He'll pay." Her voice was cold, menacing. Her stare was even more so. The hostess was confused beyond belief, especially considering she had just witnessed something right out of a fucking movie.

Skyler pushed through the door and walked toward the car. She sat the bag on the hood of Lukas' car and took a few moments to just breathe. She looked at her faint reflection in the slightly tinted windows, her makeup streaking down her face. She cleaned away the dark streaks of eye liner and mascara. She should have gone with waterproof.

She had no idea she would be this emotional.

Her breaths quickened, her chest feeling tight. The dress she wore was literally suffocating her. She ripped up the edge of the dress, making it shorter. She grabbed the knife on her thigh and split it down the middle, cutting it to give her more room to breathe. She was almost hyperventilating.

Well, not almost. She was.

She gasped for air, clawing away at the gown. She screamed, kicked, and thrashed, her fists beating into the car. She bled onto her dress, the car, the ground, but her wounds would heal.

"I am an idiot..." she scolded herself mentally.

Onlookers were concerned, she just screamed at them as they questioned her. She then, in the last moments of her rage, punched a hole straight through the passenger side window. The shards of glass completely tore apart her arm, blood gushing to stain the seat. She retracted her arm from the window, her regenerating tissue forcing all of the shards of glass out of her body.

She watched as it happened, finally the only person out in the parking lot. The fun was inside, and she was outside.

Alone.

As it should be.

She heard the doors open and she turned, looking back to see Lukas just as the last three large pieces of glass fell from her arm and onto the parking lot.

She looked at him with her chest heaving breath after breath. She was calming down, too. She just had no idea he went off to have the same temper tantrum she just had.

"You can't do this to me." She finally said, sure that he was going to be angry.

"I won't let you. I won't let you swoop in and say you want to see me again... and kiss me like that. How dare you." The rational side of her was now surfaced. Her rage ate up the dopamine she had been flooded with previously.

"I can't..." She finally said.

"I can't do this to you." Her voice broke, the softest cry escaping her as she collapsed to her knees, her hands falling limp, palms up in her lap.

by **Red** April 7th 2016, 10:22 pm

Lukas......didn't know what to do. He was having his own fight, he didn't know if he wanted this. He didn't know if he was good for her. Maybe it didn't matter regardless, seeing her this way........ It was just so heart breaking. He caused this, in himself and her. Blood flowed down his arm and into his hand, drying on his fingers and staining them pink. He looked at Skyler, half wanting to walk away, to get in his battered car and drive off...... But how could he do that? This woman had suffered, just as he did. Maybe in the end, it wasn't all about him.

He stepped forward, kneeling down to look at the woman. Grey eyes scanned her, lids wide open. He would try to help her up, to get her off the ground at the very least. He didn't want to hurt her, but maybe him being around was doing just that. He didn't know, but right now he didn't care either. Once he helped her up, he would try to transition into a hug, movements slow and persistent, but not sudden enough to anger her.

"I use to think these........feelings, these desires and emotions, were all pointless. I reasoned they were just hormones, chemicals produced by the brain, an illusion inside my head, something that wasn't real........... But, i'm slowly starting to realize; just because something is all inside your head doesn't mean it isn't real. Just because you understand where love comes from doesn't mean it is less meaningful. If this all is an illusion, i want it to overtake me......" He said, not moving to kiss her again, just holding the hug, if he were even successful with that in the first place. If not, he would just stand, staring at her with a deep sorrow. He wanted to steal her pain away, even if he had plenty himself.

by **Chellizard** May 2nd 2016, 3:24 am

She moved slowly, her knees shifting as she slid her feet to better support herself. She was bare foot now, having thrown her high heels at some passerby that gave her the stink eye. Her face was covered in tears, blood staining her green dress to make it appear darker.

She gently let her fist pound against his chest, almost persisting the hug, but she just accepted it eventually. Her head leaning onto his shoulder. She stayed like that as he spoke, listening to his voice rumble into her ear. She sighed into his neck and just breathed there, the sound of his heartbeat infiltrating her sense of sound now.

She stayed focused on that rhythm, but also listened to his words. She was good at focusing on multiple things. Every word he said resonated with her. She had the exact same feelings, the exact same thoughts. She knew there had to be someone who thought the same as her. It was a such a phenomenal thing - finding someone that felt the same way as you.

Her arms encircled his waist and she just held him, the sound of sirens in the distance.

"We need to go." She said, her silence and the prolonged embrace surely giving him the answer he needed. She just felt there were not enough words, or the right words, to say what she wanted. He had already said what she felt.

She gave him the faintest smile and kissed his cheek then moved to get into the car, putting her hand through the hole she made to unlock the passenger side door. She raked the glass off of the seat and sat down inside, grabbed the bag from the roof of the car before settling into her seat.

She could see the flashing red and blue lights in the distance.

by **Stoic** May 2nd 2016, 4:43 pm

The pair shared a long hug in the parking lot in front of his now busted up car. It was a little awkward for other people, and they got some stares, but Drifter didn't care. He held it as long as possible, only pulling away when Skyler did. She kissed him on the cheek, and then said they needed to go. That's when Lukas realized the Police were coming. Great.

While Skyler went to the passenger door, Drifter went to the drivers side door and simply reached in to unlock it rather then using his key, it was easier that way. After that he got in, and drove off, not taking the main road and instead moving through the parking lots to avoid running into the fuzz. He was sure it would just be a ticket or something for property damage, but he didn't want to deal with that now. Not with his head swimming like this. After a drive of mostly silence, he broke it. He couldn't stop himself. He felt bad, or maybe not bad, just, like he owed Skyler something. He didn't know where to go from here. Was this a success, or a failure?

"I'm sorry......... If this is going to hurt you, I'll........... I'll leave." He said softly. He wanted what was best for her, and if he wasn't that, then he would end it before things got serious. They weren't too far into it, they could still turn back and forget this ever happened. Neither of them had to come to terms with it if there was nothing to come to terms with. But the question was, what did Skyler want? Drifter wanted nothing more then to be with her, but if it only made her suffer then there was no point.

by **Chellizard** May 2nd 2016, 5:35 pm

Skyler leaned her head back onto the head rest, her heart rate finally calming down. She breathed gently, the safety belt secured around of her. Her chest rose and fell gently, her silver hair having escaped the bobby pins and clips during her temper tantrum.

It cascaded over her supple, porcelain skin, brushing so softly over her collarbone. Blinking away a few stagnant tears, she turned her head to look at Lukas as he spoke up, his attention clearly on the road to make sure he got them out of dodge.

"Leave?" questioning his suggestion, her brows furrowed and her body turned in the seat, one of her legs pulling up to tuck underneath of her.

Thinking it over she just reached out and let her hand cup the left side of his face. Her fingers shifted and gently slid over his skin, caressing him.

"I... don't want you to leave." settling on her answer, she just stared at him as he drove, the tips of her fingers resting along his neck, feeling his pulse.

"But, if you want to go.." she added after a few moments of silence. Her hand started to slip away from him as she recoiled.

by **Stoic** May 3rd 2016, 3:28 pm

She didn't seem to feel the way she did back at the restaurant, but Drifter didn't know what to believe. Was this going to be bad for both of them? Was this a turning point for the better? He was so confused. She reached out and touched his face, and he held her hand as she did, keeping his other on the wheel. He was still a bit upset, a knot in his stomach, but he stayed on the road just fine none the less. She asked if he wanted to leave, and that's when he stopped the car slowly and silently, looking to her after he pulled off the road.

"No....... No i don't want to leave. But seeing you that way, feeling the way i felt..... I don't know if we can make it work. I'm damaged Skyler, and i think you have been through your fair share of pain." Lukas said, staring at the woman with his dark grey eyes, which were quite watery now.

"I just, don't know if we can do it. I need to know it's what you want.... Do we keep going?" Lukas asked. He truly did want to keep seeing her, but with his vigilante shit going on and the paradox that was his mind, he didn't know if he was best for her. He needed to know she could take any pain he may inflict on her emotionally, if he were to break down or even die. He needed to know she was recovered enough to see someone like him.

by **Chellizard** May 7th 2016, 12:14 am

Skyler sat still, silent, the only real sounds coming from her being soft little sounds of her breathing. She gave him a look from the corner of her eyes, and then turned to face him fully as he spoke.

"We're both two special kinds of fucked up, Lukas. And... I think that's why and how we can work together. We're two really jagged puzzle pieces that just somehow work together. Sometimes I wish I was a perfect piece, a universal piece - from the cookie cutter manufacture puzzles of kittens, butterflies, and rainbows. But no. I'm fucked up in the head, I kill people for money. And I can kill you. Your... so fragile. But I don't want to kill you. I don't want to hurt you." She just sighed, her eyes bloodshot - she had cried so much... too much.

She was fighting more tears now, but it wasn't time to cry. It was time to make this relationship official.

She leaned in and kissed him. It was a committed embrace, one of her hands moving up to caress the side of his face.

When it was over, she would look at him and offer a smile.

"So, are you gonna fight that we work together so well, or just accept fate? It's not like we've done too many bad things. I feel Karma is on our side in this one."

by **Stoic** May 9th 2016, 12:53 pm

Maybe Skyler was right. Sure they both seemed like they could never do the whole relationship thing, but somehow, they just worked. All he was looking for was confirmation that she really wanted this, and he got it in the form of a long kiss. He held her head of silver hair, moving his hands through it as they continued their embrace. Once they separated, he looked into her eyes as she spoke. She was fighting back tears, he could see that, but she spoke confidently.

"I don't know what good deed i did to deserve you, but I'll take it." Lukas said with a smile in response to the karma comment, then went back to the whole kissing thing, After that was done, he pulled away and started the car. His answer to her question was clear. He wanted this relationship. In fact, he never wanted anything more then it in his entire life.

"So where are we going? Your place? My place?" Drifter said with a laugh as they sped down the road, the flash of red and blue coming from the crime scene behind him. Lukas felt happy. That's an odd thing to say, but for so long he hadn't been. Maybe this was a turning point toward better things. Regardless, he would give up control to fate, let life take him, and from here on out live day by day.

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