Enlisting Help From the Wife (Lucy)

[Carleigh Davidson]

Backdated to: July 5th, 2014

Carleigh didn't know what to do.

The blonde hated to admit defeat, but eventually, her stubbornness and pride fell short to the confusion she felt about a certain boy. A cute boy, with muscles, a cheerful demeanour, just like herself, and a big sweet tooth.

Her thoughts had been consumed by River, and although pleasant, it was the source of all of her internal conflicts at the moment. What was their relationship? Friends? Were they something? There was no easy way to pinpoint the relationship between herself and the Asian boy. She had spent sleepless nights analyzing every last detail, to the point of insanity. She felt, for lack of a better word, crazy. The feelings he made her feel drove her wild. The blonde knew how she felt, but had always wondered how River thought of her.

Until Spin the Bottle.

It had taken some liquid courage, but finally, their feelings for one another became apparent, and the two had eased into a relationship of the sorts. But there was no 'official' label. Was it necessary to have one? What Carleigh and River seemed natural, and the confused, cheerful girl would hate to ruin it by asking the inevitable; was she his girlfriend?

So, the only conclusion that Carleigh reached was she needed to talk to someone. And that someone was Lucy.

She didn't bother knocking, entering her wife's dorm room and waiting in the common area. Waiting. What if she wasn't here anyway? Her face showcased the frustration she felt, which faded into relief as she saw Lucy coming out from her dorm room.

"Love, we need to talk."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

It'd been a while since Lucy had gone back to Australia. With her sister here, she felt little need to really do such a thing. As much as she missed her family, it wasn't exactly the cheapest thing to try and do, and so she rarely did. But this time it was necessary, and she was genuinely excited to do it. Nica had flown out a few days ago. Lucy stayed behind, at least for a little while longer. Because she knew Penny had plans to go back to New York for a bit anyway, and however much time she could get, she was most definitely going to take.

After a morning of struggling to get out of the psychometrist's bed, Lucy finally made her way back to her own dorm. She spent a few hours playing video games before she starting getting bored. Or tired. Or both. To that end, she decided she needed something to keep her spirits up for a little while longer.

So she decided it was time to at least dash to the first floor to get something to eat. Processed sugar. Because why the fuck not?

As she went on the proverbial hunt for clean shorts to wear, someone knocked on her door. It wasn't the usual knock, so she knew it wasn't Penny, and so she weighed her options for a second. Had it been Penny, she likely would have just answered. But she gave herself a few extra moments as she scooped up a denim set and threw them on.

Opening the door, the ink manipulator caught the evident frustration on the blonde's face. A flicker of concern caught her eyes as she pulled the zip up on her shorts and folded the button through.

"What's up your ass, aye?" She asked with a lighter tone to her voice as her hands rested on her hips.

[Carleigh Davidson]

Thankfully, Carleigh wouldn't have to wonder what to do if Lucy didn't come out or if any of her roommates caught the blonde pacing in the common room area. Her patience had already thinned out, and she knocked on the door, pleadingly. She stepped back, still the picture of frustration even as her wife revealed herself and Carleigh began to feel a bit better.

It lasted only a moment, as now she had to think of how to bring this up in a conversation. She was always the picturesque of radiating confidence, but... she needed help. Carleigh had no experience in the realm of dating/seeing someone, and figured someone as attractive as Lucy must have had something... which reminded the blonde about Lucy's serious looking girlfriend from her visit some time ago. She filed that away to talk about later before her eyes flickered, seeing her love zipping up the pair of shorts. A frown, and very slight blush, appeared on her face.

"I'm sorry, did I wake up you just now?" Carleigh asked, hoping that wasn't the case. "And I need help. Advice, actually." It only made sense to talk to Lucy about this. Nobody else came to mind.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Immediately, the corner of Lucy's mouth dragged into a grin as she watched Carleigh's sight line lower. It was just a little moment, but it was still a pretty decent hit to the ego in the best of ways.

"Nah," She replied. With a nod of her head, she indicated past her, letting the door go so she could enter. "In you pop."

Lucy's room was a stark cry from the blonde's by far. One whole wall was its own mural of Zelda's Hyrule field at night painted straight onto the wall, dotted with the occasional glimmer of fairy lights among the grass. Her desk housed a costly duel monitored computer - the desk itself being so covered in pen carvings that little of the original wood still remained to be seen. A mini fridge underneath housed - of course - various stacks of energy drinks. Bottled water was a new addition she was still getting used to.

Above the bed tacked fair into the wall was a myriad of sketches of seemingly disjointed things. A pair of dark, naturally wide eyes in tandem with a peculiar curving nose. Another house the structural lines of a male's face; a jaw, and a mouth. The line of a neck. Another, the corner of a mouth pulled into a grin; the familiar curve of a female's snarky lips. And another was a spiralling cascade of blonde curls. Blue eyes underneath. Barely hidden. Almost unnoticeable.

Surprisingly, the room was relatively clean. She couldn't practically live with her psychometric counterpart and get away with having a mess of clothes on the floor, but the occasional shirt dotted the area.

"What'd you do?" Lucy asked, shifting around on the spot to sit at the edge of her bed. If she wanted, Carleigh could take her desk chair. It didn't really matter to the Australian.

[Carleigh Davidson]

With Lucy's permission, Carleigh entered the dark haired girls dorm, willing away her blush from the distraction that was Lucy Serrano. Her eyes first landed on the impressive mural that took up an entire wall. She didn't recognize the scene, but was still able to recognize it as a great painting. "Damn, wifey." Carleigh breathed out, finally tearing her eyes away from the painting. Although their rooms were as different as the two girls were, it still felt comfortable the blonde. She scanned the rest of the room, taking in all the details. She never could explain it, but part of Carleigh enjoyed seeing what other people made of the same, standard room given to all students. How everyone chose to decorate the blank walls, or not.

Until Lucy spoke, Carleigh had been in her own little world of awe, gazing at every painting and sketch in her love's room. She blinked out of the daze, nodding. Right. Back to the problem at hand. Pulling up the desk chair, the blonde sat down and twisted in order to face Lucy, her hands curling up in her lap. "It's not really a what did I do..." She began, thinking of the best way to word things. Or was it? "It's more of a what I didn't do. Haven't said."

Now she was just being vague. Carleigh bit her lip in frustration, exhaling. "When... when it's clear you like someone, like, you both reciprocate feelings for each other... should there be a title for that? As a boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever sort of thing?" Pausing, Carleigh played with the singular silver ring on her thumb. "As in, is it better to leave it unspoken and be natural... or do I bring it up?" She was sure it wouldn't take Lucy long to figure out who Carleigh was talking about.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

It dawned on Lucy in that moment that Carleigh knew so little about her. Or rather, the things she genuinely liked. The artistic side of her was greatly represented on her skin, but how was she to know they were her own designs? Her own choice? There, in the ink manipulator's home, there was a definite sense of her artistic sensibility. Her skills. Truthfully, Lucy couldn't help but smile within her own pride. This girl seemed impressed, and that was something to rightfully be a bit smug about.

Lucy raised her eyebrows at the notion of what this girl hadn't done as opposed to what she had.

As Carleigh explained herself, Lucy was listening. Really, she was. But her eyes very quickly traversed the line of the blonde's form, flicking down to take in the way she was sitting. How she looked as she was doing it. Her physicality was just as important to the Australian as the words she chose to offer.

Plus, she looked good.

When she was finished, Lucy raised her hand. "No." She replied quickly. She recalled having asked the same question to Monroe almost two months ago, and his reply wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear. "You don't have to title that shit unless you're keen to. If you're keen you, you can have a lash at bringing it up. Are you keen to?" Shifting her hand slightly, she pointed towards her. Specifically, her hands.

"Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" Lucy grinned, "You tryin'a put a ring on it?"

[Carleigh Davidson]

For lack of a better word, Carleigh felt... dumb, since she never realized how deep Lucy's interest in art was. She of course knew about the interest in tattoos, with the ones that covered her body and with her power and all. "Never realized how talented you are. Seriously." Part of her wanted to reach out and touch the mural. Carleigh's eyes lingered a moment longer. "It's just so good." She complimented, shaking her head. How people like Lucy did this, the blonde had no idea.

She crossed her ankles once she sat down in the desk chair, explaining herself. As much as the blonde tried to project herself as a peppy, confident, all knowing person, Carleigh was... lost. The dating world wasn't something she knew about, and she couldn't pretend any longer. The subject remained unspoken between her and River, and the two went on without the official title. It was clear they were more than friends.

Was it absolutely necessary to call River her boyfriend? No, but part of Carleigh wanted to. But what if he wasn't comfortable? What if he didn't want to? It was all so frustrating, not knowing. The blonde wished she had telepathy as an ability instead of her useless one.

Carleigh returned her focus to the situation, waiting for a response from Lucy. No? it was that simple? She looked down, not aware that she had been playing with her ring for the duration of her explanation. Letting go, Carleigh's eyes met Lucy's before nodding twice. "I... yeah, I am. But what if he doesn't want to?" Not that she had seen signs of River not wanting to commit. It was her overthinking everything.

At Lucy's next question, Carleigh laughed. "Oh Lucy, my love, you know I would if you weren't already spoken for." She said, referring to the dark haired girl... Penny... no, Penelope. She raised an eyebrow pointedly at her wife.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

"You dunno the half of it." Lucy replied, keeping her tone light. The last thing she wanted to do was talk as smugly as she looked in that moment. She simply loved the surprised expression this girl wore.

Thinking more on the subject, Lucy wondered if she was truly the best to talk to about the concept of dating at all. She quickly denoted that she was likely the last resort for this girl. "The worst he can do is say no, right?" Lucy replied, phrasing the concept as a question for her. She didn't know the guy. She was relatively certain she knew what he looked like, but that was hardly enough to figure out the person he was.

Immediately, Lucy dropped her head with a laugh when Carleigh referred to the person in her life. She couldn't help the way she smiled, covering the notion with such a laugh and a fluid look away.

"So," She started, running her fingers through her hair as she looked up again, sure she was composed enough to keep going, "Are you talking about the girly looking fella from the spin the bottle night?"

[Carleigh Davidson]

As a matter of fact, Carleigh didn't save Lucy as a last resort. Quite the opposite. While she had a wide circle of friends, she quickly deduced that the majority were probably just as naive as she was, if not more. None of them would be able to help her with her predicament. As a bonus, Lucy was honest, and that was something Carleigh valued above all, especially when she was already confused and needed someone to set her straight.

She would have loved to continue staring in awe at her love's art, but it was time to get down to business and have the serious conversation. She had been the one to approach, and it wouldn't make sense for her to change the subject at this point. "I.. I... guess so. When you say it like that, it's so simple." Pausing, Carleigh recollected her thoughts. "But, it's like, when I try and think in black and white terms, a nagging feeling comes in the back of my mind." Because above all, the blonde feared rejection. Of any kind. "How can I just... get over and ask and be fearless?"

Her eyes widened at her wife's reaction, and Carleigh couldn't help but to grin. "The girl.. Penny." She stated. Seeing Lucy... flustered was a sight unknown to the blonde. She thought she'd never see it. "I totally knew she was your girlfriend. You guys are cute."

And the attention was back on her. Carleigh thought back to the spin the bottle night, a distinct image of Lucy saying almost the exact same words. Of course, River had been by her side that night. "Yeah, River... him." She said, her lips curling up into a small smile.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy pursed her lips at the notion of this being simple. If she had the strength to draw from her own experience, she would easily argue the fact. It was well and truly hypocritical for her to offer the advice she did; to chalk a situation up to the basics as if it were ever that easy. But sometimes it was simply easier to express that way. Fortunately, or not depending on a person's viewpoint, Lucy didn't like to leave things so half-answered.

Because she too had been all but terrified of an ounce of rejection.

"You don't get over anything." Lucy explained, "If it were that easy, everyone'd be going with their first emotional recall and then we'd be dealing with a clusterfuck of failing relationships." It would have forced her into a stint of unhappy tidings with a certain blue-haired liar. And her favourite French twin, which could have only ended in disaster in hindsight.

Talking about Penny had caught the ink manipulator in her tracks. She glanced down at nothing in particular, dark hair naturally falling at either side of her face. Maybe her name was enough. But calling her a girlfriend dragged her gaze back up and towards the blonde. "She wasn't." Lucy admitted. At least, she wasn't then.

But they were talking about River, and that made things so much easier. "Look," The Australian started, working to find her way back to her original point as she paused, "If you deem it worthy enough, I guess you just find a way to put yourself out there, fear and all. Because the potential loss and rejection is still a lot less bitter than the idea of never trying at all."

[Carleigh Davidson]

Carleigh didn't mind sticking to the basics; in fact, it made the concept of a relationship and facing rejection a little less overwhelming. Simple, straight forward thinking. Lucy's honesty was also appreciated in a situation like this, where the blonde needed direct guidance and help in the relationship department.

"I suppose that's true." She agreed, thinking back to all of the fleeting crushes she had had over the years. Nobody in particular stood out, since none could compare to the way she felt about River. "I just have to... go for it?" Carleigh didn't understand why she was so hesitant, since River didn't seem like the type to give mix signals, or care about labels. Maybe he even preferred it that way.

Her eyes landed on Lucy's form, smiling at nothing in particular until their eyes met each other. Carleigh ran a hand through her hair, pushing the strands off of her face. "Past tense." She noted, but didn't say anything further. Even if she wanted to.

"Again, you're right." Carleigh let out a small sigh, playing with the ring again. "I don't even know why I'm so... afraid. It's stupid, really." She snorted, leaning back in the chair. "Maybe I just needed validation from someone." Shrugging, a smile appeared on her face. "Thanks, love."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy shrugged her shoulders. At the end, she supposed she was saying Carleigh had to get over it; to push forward regardless of the wrapped up connotations and proposed dangers. But she'd done her best not to boil it down in such a way on purpose.

Her eyebrows rose when Carleigh said the all important phrase. Past tense. Her grin broadened and she tilted her head a touch. Bonus points for the hot blonde for catching something like that. No wonder Lucy liked her so much.

At the time, she wasn't. But she well and truly was now.

The concept of a cross benefit analysis seemed to hit her blonde friend in the best way it could. For her to admit she was afraid was such a huge thing for Lucy. It was something she'd never have said about her own situation when she was amidst the most confusing aspects of it. "It's relationships and shit. If it wasn't scary or nerve wracking or mind numbingly irritating, it definitely wouldn't be worth the gain." It made relationships and feels sound dangerous.

Really, they totally were.

"What's with the ring, love?"

[Carleigh Davidson]

Carleigh just smiled in response to Lucy's own silent one. She didn't feel the need to talk about it or press further into her love life. What she wanted to share was her business, but the silent acknowledgement was enough. More than enough.

Accepting that she was afraid of rejection was a huge step for Carleigh. She was known for her confidence, and to finally fear something felt... almost wrong to the blonde. Even sitting here in Lucy's dorm, she was worrying about what to say and what to do come her encounter with River.

Her head snapped up when Lucy mentioned the ring. She looked down, letting go of the silvery band with a sigh. "Sorry. I just.. fidget, I guess when I'm nervous." Carleigh forced a smile. "You're right though, about relationships being tough. Need to go through trouble in order to appreciate what you have."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

The worry Carleigh carried was evident enough in her expression, but Lucy actively chose not to speak on the matter. It was hardly going to make it any easier if she opted to call her out.

Her inability to sit still dragged a more genuine smile to Lucy's face. One she didn't bother stifling as she continued on.

As she sat in silence glancing at the hot blonde she'd grown to consider a genuine friend, Lucy paused in a thought. She wanted to give her something; something worthwhile for even considering her to be a sounding board or someone worthy of doling out advice. Being confided in was so new, and it meant more than she could express to be that to anyone, let alone someone so seemingly together in life.

"When uhh-" Lucy tried, raising a hand to the back of her neck and brushing across it idly. "When I first met Penny, I hated her. I mean holy fuck, I didn't think I could've hated another person so much in my whole life."

And she laughed about it; nervously, at first, before she managed to settle it by tracking her nails across her jaw. "Pretty sure I spent the better half of a year making her life hell. Because I thought she deserved it for being such a right bitch. And because, honestly... It was funny." Cruel as it seemed, anyone who spent enough time around Lucy Serrano knew her brand of humour could burn. But it was hardly the point, and so she pressed her hands together, interlocking her fingers.

She stared at her entwined hands for a brief moment. And she took a breath before she managed to look up again.

"Can you imagine how it felt to realise the person it hated was the person I liked? And how bloody terrifying it was to even consider trying to make a jump like that?" Instinctively, Lucy felt the way her hands threatened to shake. She was never the type to put herself out there; never the one to offer her story for the sake of comfort. It was a first to even explain this to someone. "You could come from worse than friends and still find something perfect. Someone's gotta be the one to push. Given how you guys were around each other that night in the dorms, I doubt he's thinking about you any less than you are about him."

Exhaling on a laugh, she released her own hands and ran her fingers through her hair, crinkling her nose at the further admission; "Sorry. I fidget, too."

[Carleigh Davidson]

Carleigh quieted down, as both her and her wife lapsed into silence. It wasn't uncomfortable; she just had nothing further to add about the situation between her and River. For the most part, she was assured that everything was alright and she was merely overthinking it. They acted like a couple.. they pretty much were without the official title. She shifted, bringing a leg up on the computer chair. Carleigh wasn't aware that normally, people didn't choose to confide in Lucy Serrano. The choice was all too natural for the blonde. Her eyes lifted from her fidgeting fingers to meet her expression, as she began to talk about her and Penny.

The notion that the two girls hated each other at first was a strange one to think about. As different as they were, it just seemed to work, at least from what Carleigh had seen so far. She noticed the shift in Lucy's demeanour, but didn't say a word. She didn't seem like the type to open up easily, especially about her counterpart. A soft smile appeared on Carleigh's face as Lucy continued. It didn't surprise her to hear then that Lucy subjected Penny to that, but at the same time it... it did surprise her. She didn't expect to hear the history behind their relationship, nor expected it to have started off negatively.

Her eyes never left Lucy's face as she spoke, briefly flickering to her own fidgeting hands. Carleigh imagined she looked the same way only minutes ago. Without much thought, she rose from the chair and took a seat next to her wife, laying a hand overtop of hers for a moment. The blonde knew all too well that sometimes, a reassuring point of physical connection was necessary. To say that it was alright. "That would be terrifying, I imagine." She finally spoke, even if Lucy's question was meant to be rhetorical. She would voice her surprise, but figured that it was a given already. "But.. I bet you're relieved now." Carleigh pulled her hand back, resting it in her own laugh.

Her usual cheerful smile appeared. "It's okay. Totally normal." Pause. "Thanks, Lucy." For opening up. For listening to her ramblings. For everything.