Bagged Down {Ella}

[Tim Lyne]

The tie looked weird. Though, really, Tim thought most ties looked weird. Who wore ties, seriously? Dr. Campbell, and nerds like him. So why exactly was Tim looking a tie? Because he was seriously convinced he was going to need one in the near future, and most of his had various cartoon characters prancing about. There was the one with half-dressed ladies lounging around, but Tim somehow doubted that said "I'm a responsible adult."

"So, do you think I should go for the lame striped one or the dorky spotted one?" asked Tim. He held one up to his chest, then another, switching them off a few times. Perhaps his choice of companion for this was a little odd, and he might, just might, have lied a little to get her to come. But Ella was the only female that Tim knew that he hadn't slept with yet and wasn't exactly slavering to do so in the near future. Female eyes were very much needed for this, as was good taste.

Seeing as Ella only half counted for that (since Tim was more than a little convinced she was the dude in her relationship), he'd have to settle for what he could get.

"Remember," he said, looking at her, "I'm trying to look like I'm an adult here."

Which was a weird sentence to say in itself. also probably didn't help that, again, Tim had fibbed just a little to get Ella here. Mostly in that he'd invited her for coffee, promising "details about recent events." Which mostly meant that he'd have to tell her that he'd accidentally sort of on purpose invited her along to go clubbing with an incredibly awkward guy, and that he was far, far too worried about an upcoming date with a saucy Irish redhead.

See why the subterfuge and tie shenanigans?

[Ella Tate]

Without much prompting, Ella had agreed to go tie shopping with Tim, of all things. She and Chloe have been spending more time apart and Ella was glad for any distraction. And Tim was as good a distraction as any.

Even tie shopping sounded better than handling a whole day with Chloe giving her sad eyes.

She scrutinised the two ties against him before snorting at his reminder. "Would need more than a tie to make you look like an adult." Ella commented with a smirk. "Why are you making such a fuss about pretending to be someone you're clearly not?" She asked, sucking on the juice she had bought beforehand.

[Tim Lyne]

"You mean it's not the clothes that make the man? I've been lied to," said Tim. He sighed and tossed both ties down, staring at them. This did seem... a little weird. But he couldn't quite help it. Or could he? Man, this thinking thing really sucked.

"C'mon, I brought you here to give me advice and stuff," he said. Tim looked over at Ella for a moment, studying her. When had she gotten that juice? More importantly, why didn't Tim have one of his own? "I mean, you're a girl," a pause while he blatantly checked her out, "right? So you should have girl tastes."

He looked back at the ties, reaching down to finger them again. They felt odd in his fingers, mostly because of the whole "hadn't done something like this before." Tim lifted and lowered the tie a few times, before sitting it down and looking over at Ella again.

"I'm so overthinking this, aren't I?"

[Ella Tate]

"Horribly lied to, my man." Ella thumped Tim's back, shaking him as she did so. "What would you do without me?" She shook her head, not making any effort whatsoever to hide the amused grin from her face.

Ella snorted out a laughter when Tim remarked on the reason why she was even here. The juice she had been drinking choking her, making her cough violently. When her coughings stopped, her laughter picked up once more. She clutched Tim's shoulder as her laughter died down. "Oh man, I was due for a good laugh. Thank you!"

His query on her gender made her brazenly grab her crotch and took hold of one boob with her free hand. "Yeah...anatomically speaking, very much so." She nodded. "I'd let you cop a feel if it serves to demonstrate just how real they are, but it might make people uncomfortable." The female recruiter smirked.

"And...okay if you want my girl tastes, I'd go with the stripes. But if you want Ella taste, go with a plain silk one. It would go with whatever you're wearing." She slid her finger against the row of ties and picked out a dark blue slim tie and held it up against Tim's chest. "There. You're looking dapper already."

Raising an eyebrow at the obvious tone change of Tim's voice, Ella turned around to face him. "Tim...are you dying?" She asked.

[Tim Lyne]

"Die miserable and alone, most likely," supplied Tim, grinning. So what if he hadn't managed to attract many friends around here yet? Okay, so he was working on one with the awkward gym coach guy, but that didn't really count. You only needed one person willing to go out and get hammered with you every once in a while. Like when you really needed it.

Maybe that's what Tim needed about now. Would help the stupid buzzing.

Though he hardly needed it to take Ella up on her offer. Naturally, he had to reach over and give the mentioned pieces of anatomy a good honking, confirming the fact that yes, Ella was, at least anatomically, female. Actually, Tim was fairly well convinced that she was girl in the brain too; she just hid it very, very well.

Proof: the tie. Tim grabbed it and studied it, narrowing his eyes as though it were a dangerous animal about to attack, a viper painted in blue determined to strangle the life out of him. Dapper. That even sounded like a compliment that snobby people gave one another. "You're looking quite dapper today." "You as well, my good chappy." "Rabble-rabble-rabble." Gah, even the internal voices sounded snobbish today.

"Probably," agreed Tim. "I mean," he rolled his eyes, "I asked a woman on a date. Not a girl, not some bimbo, but a woman. A smart one. A smart one who probably shouldn't be talking to a guy like me. So, yeah, now I'm overthinking it and looking at stupid, frickin' ties."

He stared at the blue monstrosity again, willing it to obey his every whim. Or to be half off, because his pocketbook was already whimpering.

[Ella Tate]

"That's right, amigo. You would." Ella ruffled what little hair the male recruiter had. She, of course, did not believe that one bit. Tim was far too friendly not to have anybody besides her as a friend. But even if that was the case, Ella was definitely going to introduce him to more people.

Tim held on to her breasts a tad longer than necessary but all Ella did was raise an eyebrow. "Enjoying ourselves are we?" she said dryly before taking a sip of her juice. It was rather refreshing and it was way better to concentrate on how refreshing the juice was than the stares the pair was receiving.

And of all things she thought Tim was going to say [colonic cancer was at the top of her list], him freaking out over asking someone out on a date did not even cross her mind.

"Dude that's..." Ella didn't even know what to say to that. They had always been open with each other but not on these kinds of subject. They kept "feelings" out of their friendship. And it's worked quite well for them the whole time they'd been friends.

"We need drinks." She announced, slapping the tie out of Tim's hand and yanking him out of the store. Disposing the finished juice cup in a nearby trash can, Ella maneuvered through the teen infested establishment until she found the restaurant with a bar. "Therapy session now commencing." Ella sat herself and Tim down at the bar and ordered them a round of whiskey. "And keep em coming."

She turned to Tim and nodded at him. "So...you like her."

[Tim Lyne]

Tim just smiled, glad to be back in familiar territory. Touching women's breasts, doing immature, naughty things, yeah, that he could handle. It was anything more serious that got him acting like the lead in a romantic comedy. Thankfully, he had one successful relationship with someone who fully realized what Tim really needed out of life (meaning ale and whores, obviously).

Drinks mentioned; tie slapped. "Wait, I'm supposed to buy that and look matuuuuure!" whined Tim. He made noises as he was pulled out, not too far from what a small child would make whenever pulled away from the candy he wanted. He stopped after a bit though, instead just glaring at Ella in a way that communicated that she wasn't being nearly as helpful as she should be. Tim actually kept that glare up all the way to the bar too.

Restaurant. Bar. Drinks. And suddenly the glare was replaced by a grin, with Tim saluting Ella grandly. Unfortunately, that grin slid a little as the word "therapy" came out.

"No shit," he said. He tapped his fingers and rolled his eyes. "That's why I asked her out. I thought I was the dumb one here," he chuckled for a bit, extending both arms to stretch, even leaning back slightly. "But, yeah, I like her. Which would be why I'm all, 'I wanna be an adult' about it. Because, yeah, she's clearly not--" Tim paused, stared at the drink for a while, then looked at Ella. "Couldn't we just get drunk and make out or something? This feeling's crap feels weird."

Especially with Ella, for some reason.

[Ella Tate]

Tim's whining did nothing to abate Ella's desire to get him away from his purchasing desires. If this tie buying business is only to impress a woman, Ella doubted it would help. Sure, dressing nicely was definitely a bonus but really, Tim could do that without a tie.

And besides, Ella really wanted a drink.

"Never underestimate my lack of intelligence, Timbo." Ella waggled one finger in Tim's face. "That's always why people get trapped into being my friends. They think I'm smart and then suddenly bam, I'm getting them to shoot tin cans in a back alley and hitting golf balls into tow trucks." She knew what she said might not make sense, but then again, that was the whole point wasn't it?

When Tim asked if they could make out, Ella gave him a deadpan look before one hand shot out and hit the side of Tim's head sharply. "You were the one who lied to me and concealed the true nature of your intentions for this meet up. Don't blame feelings." She reprimanded him before shrugging. "I can't make out with you. I'm committed. And you seem to want to be committed to this lady friend of yours."

[Tim Lyne]

Tim nodded, not least of all because what Ella described sounded eerily similiar to what they'd done the last few times they'd met. In fact, he was almost positive that the hitting golf balls thing had been something they'd done after the celebration of Tim's finally getting a real job. Or something.

"No more doubting," promised Tim. It lasted right up until the head slapping, which, naturally, got a whine of protest and a ducking from Tim. Not like he had fully intended to lie about getting her here (he had). Or that he'd known full well that Ella would be upset about the whole thing (he had). Or that the suggestion was totally something that 83% of women would smack him over (proven science).

"But making out's so much more fun!" protested Tim. He held his arms out wide. "I mean, seriously: isn't that our secret code? I swear, we were going to get that tattooed somewhere. Thou shalt make out in public places. Plus," Tim lowered his arms, pointing at Ella, "this whole commitment thing is so your fault. It's catching. Contagious, even. You gave me your stupid girly commitment germs, devil woman."

And he needed a drink to punctuate that sentence, obviously.

[Ella Tate]

"Sweet, sweet child." She purposely pinched the man's cheeks. Just because she could.

"You know I, of all people, cannot dispute that. But no. Do you really want me to be on the forefront of your mind while you're making out with Little Miss Perfect when you're on your date? You know my kisses are unforgettable." Ella smirked cockily.

"What were we, seventeen when we wanted those tattoos?" Ella grinned at the bartender as he passed her the drink. "Thanks sugar." She held her drink up to the bartender before raising it at Tim. With one swift chug, her drink was gone.

She thumped the tumbler on top of the counter and laughed at Tim's accusation. "What the fuck, Lyne?" Ella snorted. "Look, if you're this worried about making an impression on this woman, I seriously doubt she's worth your trouble. Women with such high expectations or standards are just desperate prudes who want to think they have the upperhand. And they want attention." She shrugged.

Ella could be very chauvinistic when it came to her own gender. She didn't know what the defining moment was when she realised this but there was certainly no denying that fact.

[Tim Lyne]

"Maybe," muttered Tim. "I'd probably just imagine a threeway. You, mean, and Miss Perfect. I'm sure you can share, right?"

Naturally Tim's mind began painting this most beautiful of pictures for him. There was a certain aspect of his relationship with Ella though, one that said that talking about such things was perfectly fine, but actually committing them crossed an imaginary line somewhere out in the conversational aether.

"More like eighteen or nineteen," said Tim, grinning. It had taken him far, far too long to actually get out of school, though the moment he could, he'd been as far away from this place as he could. That buzzing; that never ceasing buzzing. Even though Tim had gotten used to it, it still bothered him. Enough that he was glad he was sitting here drinking and talking.

"See, that's committed talk. You're all like 'look at me, I'm dating a hot girl, and we have sex in the closet between classes.' Like you weren't all worried and stuff when you had to talk to Chloe the first time," God, he hoped it was Chloe. "Jeez, can't you just act like a girl or something? No, wait, scratch that. I wouldn't want to hang out with you then."

A pause as Tim drummed his fingers for a few seconds, letting his head rest on one upturned arm. "Sure we can't just make out? Maybe a little?"

[Ella Tate]

Raising a perfectly arched eyebrow, Ella looked to Tim. "Timothy Jeremy Lyne. You've known me far too long to ask me that question with a straight face." She kneed his thigh lightly as she waved to the bartender for a refill. "Besides, Chloe doesn't want what you have. None of it." She lightly patted Tim's junk with a grin.

She laughed at Tim's statement, rolling her eyes. "It sort of helps that she was my tenant first. That cleared up the whole awkward, worried shit you have to deal with." She sounded so blase about everything despite feelings on the contrary.

"If I acted like a girl, I would want to sleep with you. And I know you far too well to want that while sober." She gave Tim a big grin, patting his head lightly.

Ella sighed and leaned in towards Tim and pecked him on both cheeks with one light peck on the lips. "There. Now. You should seriously stop worrying yourself to death over this girl. I really wish you would just relax. You're not marrying her." Ella paused a beat. "You're not thinking of marrying her are you, Tim? Please don't."

[Tim Lyne]

"You sure? Maybe if you just got her really, really drunk. Or I could wear this faerie--ooh, that's nice," Tim naturally squirmed a little, grinning like a little schoolboy. Not that he was excited whenever a girl touched him or anything. This was Ella though, so it was like being touched by someone with a shocking touch or something.

See, no awkward there, and apparently no awkward with Ella and Chloe. So not fair. Tim groaned and laid his head on the bar, thudding it a few times. Ella kept talking, discussing her non-desire to sleep with him, even giving him a little pat on the head. Tim couldn't help but feel very much like the younger brother right now, and he couldn't even quite remember which one of them was older. Still, he had words:

"Want some more to drink? I'm totally buying then," he just moved his head to grin at her, inevitably wincing as she aimed some form of physical retaliation. Because Fate was calling that now. Soon to be followed by Tim straightening and getting a light peck. Stop worrying. Relax.

"Marry?" asked Tim. His eyes went wide. "Are you nuts? I'm not even over thirty yet! I'm like a decade away from even thinking about marriage. Besides, don't you need like three dates or something? I mean, I'd probably marry you first, and if Chloe wasn't open about that first thing..."

Tim just whistled, pushing away slightly from the bar and letting his eyes widen.

[Ella Tate]

Ella burst out laughing at Tim's reaction to her groping him, shaking her head in amusement. People around were giving them furtive glances to which she ignored until she heard someone "tsk" at her. She turned to face the slightly older woman who was with a man who looked a little embarrassed that she had turned at all.
"My husband," she purposely grabbed Tim's junk once more, squeezing it to give emphasis. It was good the restaurant had an actual family section which was far away from the bar. She didn't want to be kicked out just yet.

"I say yes to the drinks." She grinned.

Laughing once more at the incredulous look on Tim's face, Ella rolled her eyes. "That's exactly my point though. So what if she's not impressed by you? All you have to do is bat those baby blues at some other girl and she'll drop trou for you." She snorted at his idea. "Now you're just dreaming, bro." She picked her tumbler up from the counter and drained the drink once more, waiting for the buzz to kick in.

"More please, thank you." She waved the tumbler about in the bartender's view. "Did you really drag me out to buy a tie just for a girl? Who is she anyway, someone I know?"

[Tim Lyne]

Husband? Why bring that---oh, yeah, family establishment and stuff. Tim was grinning and waving, pointing at Ella like he'd just won a lottery or something. Heck, he knew full well that he'd be lucky to land someone like her. Chloe certainly was. Not that it stopped Tim from the relentless flirting though.

"More drinks, barman!" said Tim. he slapped a card on the table and signaled, downing the first thing to hit the counter and shoving the other for Ella. He'd have to make sure to leave some sobriety left though, because he couldn't quite remember where they parked the car as it was. So unless they dropped a meta in there, they were screwed.

Not a bad idea, really. Tim would have to see if he could arrange it.

"Point," said Tim. He reached for the second drink, this one in a bottle and therefore likely to last at least a little longer. "But she's, uh, smart and stuff. A teacher up at Hammel. Redhead; very pretty. Kateri, I think. Irish."

Sentence fragments. Tim speaks in them.

"But no, of course this wasn't just for that," said Tim. He took a pull. "I also was hoping I could talk you into hitting the town with me. I kinda invited you along with this guy friend of mine," he held up a hand, "not on a date or something. Hell, bring Chloe. The guy's just uptight and needs a friend or something."

Tim was half tempted to insist that his interactions with Evgeny were totally not gay again, but there was already a conversation to that effect.