Can't Get Enough (Lucy)

[Rowan Booker]

Rowan was a bit full of himself. Okay, a bit is putting it lightly. He's an arrogant douche bag. And, yes, he knows this. Rowan is convinced that everyone and everything is in love with him because honestly why wouldn't they be? He was hot, and charming, a great dancer oh and hot. So this was why he didn't care if he was intruding on anyone's personal life when he just popped in out of the blue. It was a habit of his (among stealing pants, but that's for another story). Today's victim was originally going to be little Alex Rothwell, but seeing as how Rowan had already terrified him enough in one week, he figured he'd just pop in on his best friend instead. After all, it was the same place anyway.

He of course made himself look way too good for anyone to deny. Even if it was just Lucy he was visiting, there was still a possibility of running into people that he hadn't shacked up with yet. And he had to look good for that. Lucy had already been his first prey (though she took his vcard too), so it didn't really matter much to him if he looked good for her or not. Not that he ever looked bad, but he's thinking slightly less than perfect. After a nice shower, shaving and putting on his usual attire of jeans and a t-shirt (that would usually be accompanied by a leather jacket, but he was indoors), he headed over to the dorm room that was on the same floor.

At least he was polite enough to knock, though he never felt it necessary and only had people knock if they wanted to bang, but that was beside the point. He was eventually let in by someone he didn't recall, but would later have to strike up conversation with and made his way to Lucy's door. The roommate said that he thought she was taking a shower or something, but wasn't entirely sure. It didn't matter much to Rowan anyway. Hello, he'd seen her naked already. So he just meandered to her room and checked to see if the door was unlocked. Surprisingly enough for him, it was. Oh Lucy, she was in for quite a surprise if she wasn't in her room.

He flopped on her bed and made himself comfortable, kicking off his shoes. Man, this bed was comfortable.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Ever since she'd come back from the Retreat, Lucy had been... Different.

She was shorter with people; sharper in her responses and her insults were (somehow) dipped deeper in arsenic poison than ever before. She was even less sociable than she had been before, often spending her time in her room alone. She'd even opted to use headphones for her music; at least that way it was less obvious that she was hiding away in the Zelda inspired pits of her dorm room.

Recent - though it hardly felt recent now - company had been a silent reminder to keep her room a little cleaner.

The walls of Lucy's were strewn with personal drawings, portraits or prints she'd picked up. It would come as no surprise to Rowan that his face was adorned in pencil somewhere in the mix. An interpretation of Hyrule field at nightfall seemed to run the space of an entire wall, though each piece of it was done on a simple A4 paper sheet, and a few were threatening to fall off at the corners.

Her usual favourite purple and green checkered blanket was no where to be seen; shifted for something in a singular deep shade of green instead. For it to be changed was a rarity - even if it was washed, it was usually put back on instantly.

Her artistically carved desk sported the usual extensive computer; its duel screens were alight, as if she'd just left it. Or she had the intention of coming back. One side carried an open itunes page; Janelle Monae's The Electric Lady had been on repeat before she left. The other side was just the desktop, with a flashing skype tab settled beside a minimized Halo tab. Shifted onto the desk as opposed to the bedside table was the cage that housed her beloved bunny rabbit Inky, who happily bounced around as per usual. And beside it were a few empty energy drink cans; the remnants of a Serrano all night gaming bender? That wasn't odd. But her lack of responses to his texts was.

Her roommate was right, though. She'd been in the shower when Rowan arrived, which was why the door was unlocked. When she walked back in, she didn't expect him to be there. At least she'd gotten dressed in the usual; skinny jeans and a graphic printed tank top. She felt her heart practically jump into her throat - she'd been ignoring him as best she could since she got back in early September. "Shit," She exhaled a little harshly - by now she should be used to people randomly invading her room. "What're you doing in here?" The Australian offered flatly, tearing her dark eyes away from him and opting to settle in the chair near her computer.

Even the lion on her arm didn't seem happy to see him. "You know which one's Alex's room." Lucy pointed out. Because if he didn't, that was poor form.

[Rowan Booker]

Rowan had been trying hard not to let it bother him when Lucy didn't answer. She was one of the few people that he enjoyed talking to in whatever form of technology it happened to be. Texting, calling, skyping, emailing, snap-chatting, you name it, he would no doubt be talking to one of his favorite girls on it. Lately though, they came less frequently and he had to admit, even he was starting to worry about her. This wasn't like her and he'd known her long enough to see that something was most definitely up. He'd just like to say though, that it wasn't the reason he decided to drop in on her. Nope, this was totes random. (Cough.)

As he awaited his dark-haired beauty's entrance, he looked around her room, taking it all in. He'd been in this room many times over the time they'd known each other. Probably as many times as she'd been in his room (for different reasons than most others went there for). The energy drinks on her desk, the tabs open on her computer, and his face on her wall among many other things, those were all what he expected from her. However, as small a detail as it was, he had noticed that the comforter on the bed was not the one he'd seen every other time he'd been in this room. It was sketchy in a way, but he tried not to let that add to the worry that he already felt. Rowan Booker didn't worry about many people and when he did, it was usually for good reason. He just needed not to jump to conclusions.

To Rowan's dismay (not really), she entered fully clothed and was actually shocked to see him sitting on her bed. He offered her a typical Rowan smile and propped himself up on his elbow. "Aw, c'mon, Lucky. Don't act like you're not happy to see me. Oh wait, maybe I'm wrong since ya know, someone hasn't been talking to me as of late. Don't worry, I've got other people to entertain me when you're too busy." And yes, he really was a little hurt (a lot hurt) by the fact that she was avoiding contact with him since she got back from the retreat that he'd skipped out on in order to visit the parents and Beatrice in Boston.

He was smart enough to figure that it had something to do with that retreat. He just didn't know what.

"And of course I know where Alex's room is. Duh." Because he full on creeped that kid out. It was still his goal to corrupt the younger boy and in order to do so, he had to make a few surprise visits.

Rowan sat up and rested his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together as his feet met the floor. "So you gonna tell me what's going on or should I take a crack at guessing? I'm probably going to be wrong, but I would be more than willing to guess if that's what it takes."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

"I have been too busy." Lucy replied flatly. Busy was evidently not the case given the state of her room, but even so she turned her back to him and dragged the flashing tab into the light. Skype was the easiest way to stay in contact with her parents, despite the time difference. Her mother had a tendency to leave her very pressing messages; How is Nica? Is Nica okay? Is Nica settling in? Does Nica have friends? Are you looking after your sister?

Pressing her lips into a line, she allowed her eyes to be engulfed in the screen before her. "Missed you, though. I guess."

She almost felt a little bad - he probably didn't expect a homecoming like this. When it came to the latest details of her life, he was completely out of the loop. And for that, she felt a little bitter. But keeping things a secret had been her idea, and she has to roll with it accordingly. Or rather, she had to.

"What're you talking about?" She asked, shifting in her seat slightly to glance back at him. The warrior on her arm gave him an almost pleading look - because yes, something was wrong. But they both knew how unlikely it was that she'd say anything. The emotional bleed of her ability could often be problematic when the tattoos decided to adopt and embrace their own personas. "You're the one who needed to go home. How 'bout you tell me why you did that."

[Rowan Booker]

"Riiiight," Rowan nodded, "Clearly." Because he couldn't tell with all of the gaming she'd been doing. But hey, if she wanted to game instead of talk to him, that was fine. Just peachy. He wasn't bitter at all. Lies. He understood having family business to take care of. He understood it a lot better than most people would give him credit for seeing as how he was an only child. In all honesty though, he might as well have been a big brother with as much as he looked out for Beatrice. He ran his fingers through his hair when she turned away from him.

It was going to be one of those talks it seemed.

He nodded, "Sure sounds like it. A whole month and all I get is a 'missed you, I guess.'" Meanwhile he had gone through the trouble of getting her something when he was away to make up for not going on the retreat. It wasn't exactly something he felt bad about, but he did wish that the retreat had fallen on a different week, since he couldn't change the date of what he'd gone home for. That was pretty much set in stone.

Rowan shook his head with a slight smile on his face, but it wasn't the same, easy-going smile he usually wore. Nope, this was serious and despite his usual upbeat persona, he could be serious, too. "You know what I'm talking about, Lucky. But hey, you want me to go first, fine. Just don't get all sappy and pitying on me," Because he wasn't the one that really deserved it, even if Ben had been his family, too. This was mostly about Beat. "I had to go home for Beat and my aunt Maryna because the same week of the retreat was the week leading up to the anniversary of my cousin Ben's death and my aunt Maryna didn't want Beat reverting back to old ways."

He shrugged it off and looked down at his hands. Rowan wasn't a fan of talking about the suckier things that had happened in his family, even if Benny's death had been the only real bad thing that had happened to them (outside of the aftermath of his death). Looking back up at her, he waited for her to explain.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

"Better than 'go fuck yourself, asshole', don't you reckon?" Lucy shot back at him. But at the same time, she was glad he couldn't see her face at that point. Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip. He didn't deserve that, but then, what had he come looking for?

She simply stared back at him, a little curiously if nothing else. She didn't like that he read her so easily - she blamed it on the shift in mood that she couldn't shake. She hated the feeling; being bitter and snarky was fine, but being uncontrollably so was not. Maybe it was the lack of control that irritated her the most, but she couldn't say if asked. She could only just register that there was a problem in the first place. At his response, though, she twisted her mouth slightly. It was something bad. Something with feelings. And neither of them were very good at things like that.

"I didn't know." Lucy pointed out. It wasn't as if she felt the overwhelming urge to apologise - that wouldn't mean anything. "Did it..." Lucy stumbled, furrowing her eyebrows. What was the right way to say what she wanted to? "Was it... I dunno... Good at least? The visit, I mean."

[Rowan Booker]

"Actually, that might have been a little better. At least it has something behind it that isn't a guess," Rowan stated simply. Her attitude didn't have any affect on him. He was rarely affected by anger or irritation. That was probably one of the things people found most annoying about him. He always took everything in stride, shrugging off the way things were said and rather paying more attention to what was actually being said. Quite philosophical if you ask him.

It was true though. Part of him would rather have her telling him to go fuck himself than say she guessed she missed him. They knew each other well enough that it shouldn't have been a guess. And he knew that she was pawning her frustration off on him. It didn't bother Rowan though. If she wanted him to be the source of her problems, fine. It wasn't like he actually believed it. And as much as he hated talking about this serious crap, he didn't want Lucy acting like this forever. She wasn't nearly as fun in this state as she usually was.

Rowan nodded, "I know you didn't." He wasn't blaming her. He hadn't exactly told her willingly or anything beforehand. Neither of them liked talking about these kinds of things, but he was taking a step in order to help her out. Despite their aversion to sharing feelings, he cared enough about her that he did want to help. "As good as it could have been. The crying was a little much for my taste, but that's not one of my strengths, so," He shrugged again.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

It wasn't an attitude Lucy was offering up. It was something else. She wasn't surprised that he didn't get what she meant. That he didn't recognise how rare it was for her to acknowledge missing something, or someone. But his response was why she rarely used the word; much less with him. "I'll keep that in mind." She replied. And she would.

And it was okay that she didn't know the inner workings of his life back at home. She knew she wasn't the person to share that information with, and that she wasn't the type to share that information. Short of the fact that her sister had recently manifested and moved, Rowan didn't know an awful lot about her family life either. She reached across the desk and picked up a pen to fiddle with idly as he spoke. The admission, though small, was still a big one in her eyes.

"Yeah, crying sucks." She offered in the end. It was all she could think of.

[Rowan Booker]

Rowan was oblivious to a lot of deep feelings and thoughts, despite what he believed. He liked thinking that he could read people. He'd been with so many that in some ways he could read people. But Lucy was more complex than that and he knew it. It took a lot to figure a girl like her out. Honestly, he kind of wished that he did know her a bit better so that he could figure out a way to help. As big of a douche as he was, there were people in his life that he felt the strong urge to protect and she was one of them. She may not have needed it, but he still wanted to.

He rubbed the back of his neck and pursed his lips. Even still, they had gotten nowhere. Why couldn't she just tell him what was going on? He didn't like seeing her so mopey and he definitely didn't like being avoided. With as many people as he pushed out of his life and kept at an arm's length, he needed someone that kind of knew him that he could let in. And right now, it was Lucy. She understood a lot of things that he never expected anyone to understand with him. That was why a lot of people just thought he was a dick to be a dick.

"Lucky, talk to me. C'mon, you know I just wanna help, but I can't do that unless you tell me what's going on," He said softly. To someone that didn't know Rowan, this would be a shocking thing. Him, wanting to help, out of the goodness of his own heart. Crazy right? No, it really wasn't. He was a nice guy, but he did stupid things because it was just who he was.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy glanced back at Rowan as he spoke honestly. His honest wasn't lost on her - when he offered it, she rarely rebuffed the kindness. Rowan was in a different stream to the rest of her friends. He seemed to understand her in a way others didn't. The closest like him was Dom, and that was...

She turned slightly and stood up, crossing the short amount of distance between her desk and her bed. Her eyes studied his features carefully for a moment or two in the engulfing silence, and she eldest Serrano wondered what was safe to divulge to the boy. Despite the fact that most thought he was a jackass - and he could be, like she could be - Lucy knew he kept secrets well. They'd been keeping one between them for years now.

Her fingers brushed the edge of the blanket as she passed, but she stopped. Not quite close enough to reach him.

"It's nothing." Lucy replied finally, standing straight again as she breathed a sigh. "Not anymore."

Reaching forward, she cupped his chin in her hand and finally looked him in the eye. Lucy offered the boy a steely expression from her dark eyes. If nothing else, she was trying to make it evident that she appreciated his concern; "Quit worrying about me. I'm fine."

[Rowan Booker]

She got up from her seat across the room from him, and his eyes followed her as she walked over towards him. When she stopped, he kind of expected her to hit him playfully or nudge him and tell him to stop being such a pussy with the way that he as opening up to her. That was just how things typically went. They weren't the types of people that regularly had heart to hearts. In fact, they often tried avoiding them at all costs even with each other. But there were times when it was necessary to confide in the other and that was what Rowan was trying to get here. A confession, but in confidence. She knew she could trust him.

After all, who else knew their big secret? He hadn't told a soul, even if just to mess with her he cracked jokes about it a lot.

When she shut him down again, he let out a sigh and just started shaking his head. It was something otherwise she wouldn't be acting this way. He didn't like her like this, she was usually all spitting fire and snark. This wasn't her. Even if it was around him, she still jabbed at him and could play around.

She cupped his chin in her hand and he looked back up at her reluctantly. Couldn't she just stop trying to be so strong all the time? He let out another sigh and took her hand from his face, holding it in his own lightly. "Lucky, I'll always worry about you. You're one of the only people that I want to worry about. Just...promise me that whatever did happen is taken care of and I don't have to hunt anyone down. Can you promise me that?" He asked with a faint smile.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy glanced down at the boy on her bed, knowing she was making things difficult for him. Giving personal information never sat well with her; she struggled to admit that anything was wrong. It felt unnatural, even if she felt comfortable in his presence. The corner of her mouth twitched into something of a smile. She let him take hold of her hand, finding some way to be comfortable with the intimate contact.

"I..." She started, with every intention of lying to him. Of saying that things were okay - fine, even - and he had nothing to worry about. It was all taken care of. As her jaw dropped open slightly, she wanted to be able to say it; to will the words to flow. A decent lie was all it'd take to throw him off.

But this was Rowan.

"I can't promise that." Lucy admitted, slowly trying to draw her hand back out of reach. "It should be over, but it's not."

[Rowan Booker]

She was going to lie. It was what they did. Situations like this weren't something they talked about and it was their natural instinct to lie through their teeth until people stopped asking. Rowan knew it all too well, but if she were to lie, he'd swallow it down reluctantly and get off her back. She'd tell him if she was ever ready and if she didn't, she find someone else to confide in, or some way of taking care of it all on her own because she was strong and independent. It was one thing that he really loved about her. She didn't need anyone, but she always had him if she wanted someone.

Before the lie came out though, she stopped and he found that he was kind of surprised by this.Sure they had their own special kind of friendship, but it never kept them from lying to each other when they thought it was necessary. Honestly, Rowan had been lying to her for years, but not outright. Usually he just put on that facade of being happy and careless because it was easy. He lied to everyone when he went out in the world with a smile and his crude comments.

Rowan allowed her to pull back from him because he wasn't going to force comfort on her. "You're killing me here, Luce. Why can't you just tell me what happened? How many times have I ever given up one of your secrets or given you a reason to doubt me?" He asked, standing up so that he was now closer to eye level. His words wouldn't have been taken as seriously if he was sitting down. No, he needed to be at eye level and she had to see that he wasn't leaving until he found out what was wrong or what he could do to get his best friend back.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Somehow, the thought of an admittance was easier when Lucy had been looking down on him. Her eyes traveled back towards her computer; her mind wondering how easily she could just drop the topic of conversation now and go back to it. She didn't have to tell him anything. Truthfully, she wasn't sure she wanted to. She didn't want to have to unload her issues onto his shoulders, but the pressure was... Confusing.

"It's massive. It's a big deal." She replied, almost harshly. But not for his sake, for her own. confusion settled in her dark eyes as the Australian wondered how she got herself into this mess. And why she bothered with it in the first place.

Shaking her head, she took a short step back. "There was someone, okay? And now there's not." Lucy exhaled sharply, breathing in again and forcing herself to keep going before he could interject. "And I didn't tell you because it wasn't anything. It was nothing. It- It wasn't even worth..." Stopping short, her eyebrows furrowed and her gaze fell to the floor. The more she talked, the more desperate she realised she was starting to sound. Desperate to convince him - or herself - it was alright. That it wasn't important.

Glancing up at him again, she searched his expression for something; anything she could find comforting, "Are you buying any of this?"

[Rowan Booker]

Rowan didn't understand what the hell was going on with her. He didn't understand the constant back and forth between wanting to tell him and not. She should have just lied and gotten it over with, that's what he'd have done. Lucy or not, he didn't take well to talking about this kind of thing. Not with anyone. Most of the time there was nothing to talk about anyway. Him and real feelings for someone just didn't happen. Not ever.

And for Lucy to have someone, or rather have had someone, it explained the strange way she was acting. Whoever this person was, clearly got to the deeper side of her for it to have this kind of effect. She wanted to make them both believe that it was no longer important, that maybe it never had been. Rowan didn't buy it though. It was one thing to outright lie to him in which case he'd gladly take it without question, but when she admitted that something was wrong, that someone did her wrong and then tried putting it off like it didn't affect her, that was different. He couldn't just stand there and let her hurt over it without talking.

Her question made him sigh and he ran his hand through his hair. This was far too intense for his liking. If it was anyone else besides his best friend, he probably would have found a reason to duck out. But this was Lucy and he couldn't do that to her. Not when she was like this. "Lucky...do you want me to buy it? If you want to believe that it's not important, that's your choice. But from what I can tell...it really is and whatever happened clearly didn't set well with you. You don't have to shrug it off just because you think it's easier. Not around me at least."

Rowan wished he could be more comforting, but he was kind of bad at it when it was serious comforting. As long as Lucy didn't cry, he'd be okay. First of all, crying just didn't set well with him, and secondly...Lucy crying was even worse to think about.