Trying Something New (Xavier&Jaxon)

[Talia Spencer]

Talia had been particularly reclusive this week. There was work, but other than that she had spent all her time in her studio apartment working on her latest painting. It was hard enough to tear herself away from the creative process for work let alone anything else. But she had finally finished it, so she was going to reward herself with a night out.



It had taken awhile to get herself cleaned up - painting was a messy business after all - but finally she had managed scrub all the paint from her skin. She removed the ponytail from her hair, styling it in loose waves and donning a black dress. It was a little too chily for a short dress, but she figured she’d be indoors most the night anyway, so it’s not like it mattered. Grabbing a black leather jacket as she passed by, Talia headed out the door.



She finally ended up in a bar. She hadn’t been to this one before - she felt like trying something new tonight. Talia grabbed a seat at the bar, ordering herself a strawberry daiquiri - vodka, not rum - before turning her sights to the crowd around her. She wanted to have fun tonight, and one of her favorite ways to have fun was meeting new people after all.

[Xavier & Jaxon Wright]

Particularly in a good mood was none other than Xavier Wright - he wore a smile that was only encouraging with its pristine perfect shine. Well, not perfect, per say, but white enough that the 28 year old didn’t feel worried that about the next dentist appointment Jaxon and Xavier attended. His hair was in the usual lopsided mess that he learned to love and his facial hair was trimmed to only a slight stubble. Had it been Jaxon, the facial hair would have been removed out of preference (Jaxon didn’t enjoy the feeling of facial hair unless it was neatly trimmed). If Xavier would have thought about it, he would have found it ironic. For the soul who really cared about what others thought of him, he really didn’t give much of a care towards hair and looking pristine whereas the soul that truly couldn’t care any less about what others thought always looked well groomed.

However, Jaxon wasn’t in too good of a mood at the moment and it did quite a bit to try and dampen the mood of the more optimistic soul of the night. As it were, Xavier had been planning a night out to the bar where he frequented when Jaxon wasn’t around in their mind, so when the announcement came that they were heading out for the game that night, there was a bit of a fight. Jaxon had been just tired - more stressed than usual and he wasn’t necessarily sure what was on his mind, which was odd, but each soul had their own mental block on each other, and when they wanted one another out, they could do so.

In the end, Xavier had left with jeans, a simple white tee and a black leather jacket adorning his figure, not feeling the need to be any less than casual in that point in time. Appearing at the bar from their apartment took no less than five minutes, and the more outgoing soul made quite a ruckus in greeting the men that he knew behind and sitting at the bar where the football game was playing. One of the guys offered him a seat and a beer, which Xavier took gratefully, taking a swig immediately.

“Xav, there’s a new chick over there - never seen ‘er b’fore,” The guy grinned, shrugging a shoulder in the opposite direction. “Thinkin of gettin her number or somethin. Hell, hot thing like that, I’d be okay with her spitting on me.”

‘Charming’ Jax mumbled in the back of their mind, and Xavier snickered. It wasn’t noticed.

“You’re fucking sick, you know that? I wouldn’t pay anybody to spit on me, hot or not.” Even so, he turned in the direction of the shoulder shrug and saw the figure of a petite woman sitting at the bar, from what he could see all by her lonesome, and there was something that struck him as familiar, but neither of them could pinpoint how.

“At least I ain’t the one starin’ like a fucking idiot,” Xavier’s attention was captured back by the man beside him, and the outgoing soul offered a sheepish grin, not sure whether he was noticed by the girl or not.

“What, me? Naw, I don’t stare. I observe.”

‘You sound like a serial killer, idiot.’

Oh shit, good point.

[Talia Spencer]

Talia was gazing around the bar. The overall vibe was pretty chill which was nice. Her attention quickly shifted though as a bartender slid her drink over the counter. She turned around, taking it in hand and taking a sip. As she did, her eyes gravitating down the bar towards a cluster of men who seemed to be watching some sports event on the TV. Glancing up at it she saw it was a football game. She didn’t follow football particularly closely, but she knew a little.

Still, she was more interested in looking at the people - one of whom seemed to be looking back. She offered a wry grin as he seemed to realize he was staring and quickly looked away. She took another sip of her drink, studying him a moment longer. She knew she recognized him - one didn’t forget a mop of hair like that very easily - but it was hard to place. After all, being the social butterfly she was, she knew so many people.

Social she might be, but she knew better than to try to interject into a cluster of men - it could only go one of two ways, and neither ended in her favor. Still, there was something about that one guy that was nagging at her. She knew him, she was certain that she did. So why couldn’t she figure out from where? Well, the only way to do that was to try and draw him away from the group.

She shrugged off her leather placing it on the bar beside her, revealing the low cut neckline of her dress and her mostly bare arms. Talia glanced over in the mystery man’s direction, waiting to see if he had taken notice, fingers running through her hair as she did, a small smile on her lips. She could always get his attention if she needed to, but she preferred to draw him to her. After all, she had come out tonight to have some fun, and that wasn’t going to happen if she spent the whole night wondering why on earth he looked so damn familiar.

[Xavier & Jaxon Wright]

Familiar or not, Xavier wasn’t one to let a pretty little figure disturb his sports and beer time - a fact that was in part due to the power that he had manifested, if he could even call it a power. Rather, he never felt as though he was entitled to stare because it wasn’t just his eyes staring anymore. Everything about Xav and Jax were together, and that’s how it had been for 17 years.

“God dammit!” The group of men hissed in unison, some slamming their drinks down on the bar counter angrily, Xavier being one of them. Referees, in Xav’s opinion, did more harm than justice, showing obvious preference to the team owned by the city wherever they were playing at. It was alright, that biasness, when it was in favor of his team, but anybody else? Fuck them.

“That was in bounds! He had the ball. The hell?!” Jaxon was cringing at the sudden frustration that ensued, even if the frustration was mild in comparison to how Xavier had reacted to things before. Worried, Xavier reached out almost immediately, but Jaxon shoved back.

That was all he needed to know.

The hell is wrong with you?

'I just have a headache. Plus I hate football.’

Bullshit

‘What about that girl. Is she still staring?’

What does that girl have anything to do with you?

‘I don’t appreciate being stared at. Can you just look?’

Jesus, fine.

And so Xavier looked, only to find that the girl’s jacket was off and she was far more exposed than normal; in response, Xavier raised a brow and noted the smile that was seemingly aimed towards Xavier.

His friend seemed to take notice of the gaze - “She’s lookin’ at me, man. Move out of the way.” Xavier laughed then, turning his gaze away from the girl for a moment.

“That’s bullshit and you know it - Short, beer belly, and a beard that can be braided versus me? You’re out of your mind.”

“Damn, Ain’t that harsh, Xav. Fuck you too. But seriously, go talk to her if you’re so sure.”

“Maybe I will.”

Meanwhile, he was trying to coax a reaction from Jaxon, but the only thing he could feel was slight disgust seeping through the walls in his mind, and decided then that it was best to leave his brother alone and simply work on his own.

Attention back on the woman, he sent her a quick wink before standing up and making his way to the side of the bar in which he sat, but not before offering a ‘watch and learn’ to his gawking friend that was once beside him.

“You know, with the way you were looking, I had to just come over here and ask what’s on my face? Because there’s no way a girl like you is looking at me willingly.”

[Talia Spencer]

Soon enough the group seemed to take notice of her again. She didn’t turn away at first - she wasn’t some bashful girl who had gotten caught trying to sneak a peek after all - but after a moment she looked away, at which point she turned her attention back to her drink before glancing back one more time, just briefly. She saw him offer a wink before walking over to her.

His words earned a short laugh from her. “Don’t you trust your friends over there to tell you if you have something on your face?” she quipped back, grinning at him. “Well, I’m sorry to disappoint, but there’s nothing on your face that shouldn’t be there as far as I can see.”

Talia paused to take another sip of her daiquiri before continuing. “I’m sorry, I hope I wasn’t being too rude.” She paused, looking down sheepishly before turning her brown eyes back to him. “No, but seriously, okay, this might sound a little crazy, but I swear I recognize you from somewhere. Maybe that’s just me, but it is driving me insane trying to figure it out,” she said with a laugh as she flipped her hair over her shoulder.

“Who knows though, could just be wishful thinking on my part,” she said with a wink. What? A little flirting never hurt anyone after all.

[Xavier & Jaxon Wright]

"Now tell me, would you trust them to tell you what's wrong?" Xavier pointed toward the group of guys, namely his companion at the bar, what with grease stains on his shirt and a crooked, yellowed smile. "It'd be more useful to ask a blind man." The eldest hybrid soul found himself immediately amused by her ability to speak to him with confidence, as if she wanted him to know she was looking at him. It wasn't the case for most women, who would much rather act shy and bashful than admit to actually looking. Some called it being mysterious, but both Xavier and Jaxon preferred a more direct approach.

'Don't bring my likes into this. If it were me, we wouldn't be standing here.'

Jesus christ, I'd ask what crawled up your ass but you're just being pissy for no god damn reason.

'Shows how much you know about me.'

Xav tried his hardest to hold back his anger, and suceeded (mostly) in hiding it from his facial expression. His smirk only faltered once, but when it did the cheers of the crowd gave him a distraction to regain his composure so he could look back and catch her next comment. So he wasn't the only one in this.

"I could be corny and say I am the man of your dreams, but that would be wishful thinking on my part." His lips turned up into a genuine grin as opposed to the flirtatious half smirk he sported just a few moments earlier. "But if I am to be completely honest, I feel the same way. You look way too familiar for it to just be a coincidence."

[Talia Spencer]

Talia followed his gaze back towards the group of men that he had been with. "Okay, you've got me on that one," she said with a laugh. "That aside though, you seem to do well for yourself without any help," she said with a grin. He was attractive, there was no denying that and Talia wasn't the sort to get embarrassed over admitting something that was simply fact as far as she was concerned. Besides, he didn't seem to have any issues with her straightforwardness thus far.

She tilted her head slightly as some fleeting emotion seemed to flash over his features for a moment - so quickly she almost wondered if she was seeing things. But he seemed receptive enough that she didn't fret over it.

Talia leaned forward slightly at the mention of dreams, a warm smile on her lips. "Oh no, I would definitely remember if you had made an appearance in my dreams before," she replied, her grin widening. Had she visited one of his dreams perhaps? No... she didn't do that often and she really did believe she would have remembered that sort of an encounter. "Who knows though, sometimes wishes do come true after all," she added with a soft laugh.

Her focus shifted as he admitted she looked familiar to him as well. "Oh good! Glad to know it's not just me, though the excuse to get your attention would have been good enough for me." Her eyes sparkled brightly as she flirted, thoroughly enjoying herself.

[Xavier & Jaxon Wright]

"Why thank you," Xavier offered, observing the woman's body language carefully. There was no physical indication of discomfort, and in fact, she seemed more than interested. In him. Either way, he took a quick seat beside the brunette, taking a quick glance back only to find his gawking counterpart. Satisfaction surged through the man, but only then did he realize his brother was gone.

Maybe it was for the better, though. At least that's what he tried said to try and reason with himself.

"Damn, there goes that." The man gave an exasperated sigh, his face dropping to rest against his hand before he rolled his head back up slowly, running the hand through his curls which exposed the slight pout he was wearing. Childish, he knew, but he figured, if anything, it would elicit a positive response.

But her next statements seemed to surprise him thoroughly, and he respond as such, "A gorgeous girl like you wouldn't need much to get my attention." Xavier laughed lightly then, turning towards the bartender who made his round. Xav ordered his usual, and turned to the woman, "Would you like anything?"

[Talia Spencer]

"My pleasure," she answered flirtatiously. She was certainly enjoying this exchange. Her grin widened slightly as he took a seat beside her, grateful for the company. Not to mention that he seemed more than receptive of the attention she was offering. Some people found her a little overwhelming at first, but Talia had never seen any point in holding back. As far as she was concerned, holding back usually caused more trouble than anything.

She laughed at his antics - not a polite chuckle or nervous giggle, but a full warm laugh. "Sorry to disappoint," she said with a shrug. "That's the thing about dreams though, they're always subject to change," she added with a wink. After all, it wasn't often that she met such handsome strangers. To say the least, she was glad that she had decided to go out tonight.

"Why thank you," she responded, her eyes lighting up at his compliment. "And I will definitely keep that in mind." Hopefully their paths would cross again and give her a reason to remember that bit of information. "Oh, yes, I can think of a few things, but not all of them are on the menu," she purred in reply to his question of what she wanted.


Talia then turned towards the bartender to answer the implied question. "Another vodka daiquiri please," she said to the bartender, lifting her half empty drink slightly. As the bartender turned away, she took a sip and turned towards him once more. The corners of her mouth were slightly upturned in a smile even as she took a drink, her eyes focused solely on the man before her.

[Xavier & Jaxon Wright]

As a lover of human interaction in general, Xavier found himself unusually oblivious to when other's were going 'too far'. In his mind, it had always been about making others like him, and so if they offered more, he would return it with equal intensity. However, as years went on, he was less concerned with how people viewed him (to a certain extent), but rather, how they reacted to him. He didn't want them to hate him.

Though as this encounter went on, the unease began to fade. After all, even after all he had said, Xavier couldn't pick up on any hostility.

"Don't do that to my poor little heart, --" Xavier paused then, realizing that he had yet to receive the woman's name. Then again, he had yet to provide his own, but it would be rude to go on without so much as asking. "Forgive me, but I haven't yet received your name. I'd prefer to not have to refer to you as 'that woman with the gorgeous brown eyes', but it could always work."

Because obviously Xavier couldn't help himself.

"I'm Xavier, and this --" But he stopped himself, pulling for Jax in his mind but being given absolutely nothing. Not only that, but he wasn't even aware if she were a meta, and how she would respond to knowing he was, especially with their power.

"Is the point where I wait to see if my smooth moves have worked or I'm going to be going home a sad man." No, he didn't mean that he wanted to take her home, but rather, if he didn't get her name, he would be quite disappointed. The minute it left his mouth, he worried it wouldn't come across correctly, "And by that, I mean that a name will allow me to go home with a smile."

[Talia Spencer]

She had to admit that she was impressed so far. Often people found that she came on a little strong at first but so far he didn't seem to have any objections - in fact if anything he was actually keeping up with her and her quips. That was certainly a rare feat. Still, she had to admit that she was very much enjoying this fortunate turn of events. She didn't get out nearly as much as she used to after all.

Her brown eyes brightened as he inquired about her name - it was certainly a good sign that he was enjoying their little talk as well. She giggled softly at the compliment he spun though. "I don't know, I have a feeling I could get used to that," she said flirtatiously. This one certainly did seem to be a charmer. Not that she was complaining in the least.

She tilted her head slightly as he introduced himself as Xavier. It was certainly a unique name and one easily remembered. It even seemed familiar, just as his face had and yet against all odds she could not place him. It was perplexing to say the least.

However, any frustration that might have crossed her mind as she tried and failed to recall his face and name quickly fled as he continued, wondering if that was an intentional innuendo or invitation. However given the way he quickly corrected himself, it seemed his statement had simply had unintended implications. She couldn't help but laugh, though kind-heartedly.

"Well, I couldn't stand to disappoint your poor little heart," she said with a teasing grin. "I'm Talia," she continued, a smile on her lips. "And I would say that your 'smooth moves' are serving you just fine so far." Honestly, she didn't even mind the accidental innuendo. She mostly flirted in good fun, yet she couldn't deny that the thought of spending time with him outside this particular bar interaction had somewhat crossed her mind, even if it hadn't taken a turn of quite that nature.

"Besides, you look so good with a smile, I'd be lucky to be the reason behind it."

[Xavier & Jaxon Wright]

Xavier laughed at her response, knowing full well that any woman would love for that to happen; if he knew anything about them, he knew they strove for compliments, even if they didn't even intend to. "Well maybe I'll have to use it every once and a while to keep things interesting," He was well aware, by this point, that she was actively flirting, and that fact lead him to continue with his own flirtatious remarks.

However, he feared that it would be ruined with that little infraction that he made in his wording, and even he saw a quick falter before he quickly regained himself. It was almost as if his heart skipped a beat in anticipation. After all, if he came back to the group without so much as a number, he'd be the laugh of the bar for weeks.

And he did not want to deal with that. Nor did he want to lose this opportunity.

Never had he been so intrigued by a women than he had been in this one, Talia, she said her name was. Tally, he felt inclined to call her, but he would leave that nickname until they became more familiar with her; after all, he felt unbelievably compelled to actually continue some sort of contact with her, more so than he had expected.

At the moment she spoke up, both their drinks were offered to them, and Xavier, using this excuse to take a swig and think of a decent response, was able to come to grips with what was just said. He handed a decent tip to the bartender, and he gave a knowing look.

Xavier grinned.

"Maybe you will be," He offered with a sly smile, "After all, you did say that wishes do come true."

[Talia Spencer]

Her grin widened as he returned her flirtatious banter. "I do like interesting," she answered with a wink. It was entirely true. She hated dull routines. Talia was all about new experiences and spicing life up.

Silence fell between them, but it was a comfortable one. Talia took the opportunity to study Xavier and for the first time her focus wasn't on trying to decide why he looked so familiar. He really was a handsome man. She felt a little familiar flutter in her stomach - a feeling she had long forgotten. There was a certain draw between them, a connection of sorts. It had been a long time since she had found herself hoping to see more of someone.

But she was probably getting a bit ahead of herself thinking of such things.

Their drinks came then and they both took a moment to take a drink and collect their thoughts. His response earned a giggle and even the slightest hint of a blush. She took a second sip of her own drink, making him wait and glad for the excuse to calm her own nerves - since when did she have nerves anyway? This was all in good fun after all.

Even if it did lead somewhere...

She hadn't done something like this in a long time - longer than she could really remember truth be told - yet she couldn't ignore this persistent feeling that seemed to pull her towards him. Talia convinced herself that this - Xavier - would be worth the chance.

With that thought in mind, she placed her drink to the side before leaning in closer. "I'll tell you a secret though," she whispered, mischief gleaming in her brown eyes. "A wish is more likely to come true when more than one person has it in mind." There went that flutter again. Still, she ignored it as she pulled back enough to meet his eyes, wondering how he would react.

[Xavier & Jaxon Wright]

"Well, as it so happens, I am 6 feet of pure interesting," He leaned in close, looking back and forth as though he were whispering the most important secret out there, "But you didn't hear it from me." Life wasn't complete when there wasn't some sort of action, joke, or just another reason to smile within life. Jaxon may have viewed it different, but the two were entirely different entities. Xavier was a wholehearted extrovert while his brother was an incredible introvert.

It was probably why he wasn't there at the moment.

Xavier didn't stay too close for too long, knowing his boundaries and being a bit nervous about being that close in the first place. The man took another sip of his drink, especially when she took the initiative then to get closer to him.

He wasn't oblivious to the blush, nor was he oblivious to the insinuation that was made when she offered her 'secret', but he attempted to brush it off of his subconscious. After all, she had no clue about the second occupant of this body and how it would cause extreme issues if it were to go any further. Even still, there was a part of him that could hope.

"We'll have to see about that, then, Talia." He offered, voice low, before he straightened up and tried to avert that simple conversation.

"So, in an attempt to actually figure out how I know you, Talia, I think it's fair we should play a game of 20 questions, yeah?" He laughed lightly, tapping his index finger on his chin.

"First question: Do you work around here? And before you judge me on the small talk, I'm genuinely trying to narrow this down."

[Talia Spencer]

Her grin grew wider as he shared the 'secret' of how interesting he was. "Is that a promise?" she asked slyly. "If so, I just might hold you to it," she added with a laugh, reaching out to lightly nudge his shoulder teasingly. She really did love interesting. Surprises, adventure, even trouble - all of it was better than the boring same old same old. Something her life had been sadly lacking lately if she was being honest with herself.

His response to her secret was neither warm nor cold - simply neutral. "Only time will tell," she agreed as she pulled back. Talia was content to simply see what happened - she had never been one to rush. Most people expected her to be given her somewhat adventurous spirit, but when it came to such things, she was more of a romantic at heart, looking to be wooed. Not that that had any relevance to tonight. Did it?

She didn't dare hope.

Her grin grew as her whole face lit up in excitement at his suggestion, her hands clapping together. "Oh yes, I love that idea!" she responded eagerly, straightening in her seat as she waited for the question that was sure to follow. After all, she did want to know how they knew about each other and what better way to find out than a game? After all, even if they didn't figure it out, it would still be fun.

Talia laughed as he assured her that his question was genuinely an attempt to figure out the mystery of their possible acquaintance. "No judging here," she reassured him. "And I do work here in Pilot Ridge," she answered before taking another sip of her drink, her eyes fixed on him even still.