Topic: A Chance Meeting

Dirk Stevens · Date: 2010-04-03 22:48 EST

Quinn was sitting on the windowsill at the Pavilion. A deep breath and he was rubbing at his temples. It was hard enough back home. The vampire hunter had explained to him that things here were different. He offers a straight man a drink and suddenly he's super homo hitting on straight men. Quinn chuckled to himself as a woman came over to seat him. He stood to his full height and followed her to the bar.

Dirk was all about discovering new things. He'd heard the stories of this tranquil place, how it could bring peace to a man's soul. God knows, with the beast that lingered just under his skin, he could use all of the peace he could get. The light of the portal dimmed, and, as promised, the lights of the pavilion glowed in the night. Drawn like a moth to a flame, Dirk hurried his steps. An explosion, loud and at the same time, comforting, came from over head and as Dirk gazed into the pitch sky his face was illuminated by the reds and blues of the fireworks. A smile, childlike in most ways and memories reflected in his eyes. In such awe, he tripped over the steps and was grateful for the helping hands of the staff. He was led by a woman to the bar, and he nodded his thanks as he sat down. Like a child, he turned this way and that to take in the wonders of the White Lotus Pavilion.

He turned to look at the young man and smiled casually before folding a cocktail napkin over and over again. The bartender walked over to him and he thought briefly on his order. "Whiskey sour, please miss." He said it softly as he strummed his fingers on the bar in front of him.

Dirk turned on the stool to study the alcohols on display behind the bar. Cocking his blond head a bit he didn't even hesitate when asked. "Badsider." He grinned, that eastern Kentucky accent thinned slightly by his travels. Feeling eyes on him, he turned his head to the man beside him.

Quinn picked at the corner on the cocktail napkin his whiskey sour was placed atop of. The lemon was pulled from the glass and he squeezed it into the drink. The cherry removed and lay beside the glass with the spend lemon wedge. Quinn smiled to the glass before he turned to the man beside him. "You?re American yes?"

The Badsider was placed onto a white square of napkin but Dirk didn't leave it there for long. Picking it up, he fully turned on the stool to more easily talk to the guy. "Yeah, kind of hard to hide the accent," He chuckled and extended his hand. "Name's Dirk. And you've the most incredible eyes I've ever seen."

"Quinn. You look like you belong in a cologne ad" He raised a brow after his retort to the eye comment and smiled complete with deep dimples before taking a sip from his whiskey sour. Eyes shifting sideways wondering if this gentleman was going to go back to his friends and laugh about the jolly good time he had living on the edge and talking to someone different. Quinn decided he didn?t care.

"Well, I have been in a few cologne ads, but I mostly do clothing lines." he grinned and sat back, bottle between his hands. "I?m a model, and my manager would love you." Dirk adjusted a bit on his barstool and took a tug from the beer bottle, his eyes narrowing just a bit. "You ok?"

"I fear I?m not the type to be in front of the camera, I avoid it at all costs. Oh Christ, I?m sorry." He reached a hand out and shook Dirk's hand firmly, he was intent on thinking of ill will he had forgotten his manners. A smile and he nodded. "This place is a lot to handle but yeah I think I'll manage well enough." He was staring, although he was trying not to, the rapt intent on his face was veiled with curiosity. Luckily he had enough of his manners about him to not stare all out.

Dirk Stevens · Date: 2010-04-03 22:49 EST

"Why do you avoid cameras? They could make you a very rich man." he grinned again and squeezed firmly when their hands met. "And Rhydin isn't everybody's cup of tea. But I've found It." he paused, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling as if searching for the perfect word. "Accepting," he finally settled on. A brow raised in question.

"I?m already a very rich man. The American Markets made sure of that." A smile and he nodded when he spoke of Rhydin. "I will have to take your word for it. So far I?ve met a dozen women in heat, a small handful of decent folks and a fist full of hateful bigots." He tried to speak of it lightly as possible, because he supposed that it was the same everywhere else in the multiverse. He sipped from his whiskey sour and smiled.

"Rich is nice." he chuckled and set the bottle down onto the small napkin it had been delivered with. "You get all types here, that's true. I try to ignore the bitches in heat and the bigots. Though I've not ran into any that I'd call redneck." he turned his hazel eyes back towards the bartender and waved over another round of drinks. "You can't let 'em get you down, you know?"

"Rich is good yes." He laughed, one of those deep laughs. Listening he smiled finishing his first drink, and when the second was set before him he again squeezed the lemon and set the fruit on the napkin beside his glass. "I?ve never found a place where an olive branch may as well have been a pride flag." He's generosity had been confused for a pass more than once now.

Dirk drained the first bottle and reached for the second as the empty was taken away. He canted his head and gave Quinn a confused look. "Somebody assumed you were gay for being a nice guy?" He took another sip and then brought it down with a chuckle. "Hell, then they must think I'm straighter than a hat pin."

"They didn?t come to the wrong conclusion, but it?s not common knowledge." A shrug of shoulders but he was sure that Dirk already knew he was in the company of a gay man. A rub of brow and he laughed in a short outburst as if he hadn?t expected the last bit. Quinn shakes of his head. "Buy one man a drink and suddenly his buddies are giving him no end of hell. Luckily to save the kid a friend showed up to assert my...Heterosexuality." Finger quotes were actually here.

"I wouldn't have known." he spoke softly, and truly, Dirk wouldn't have. It's not something he looks for in people. "Well thank God for friends, right?" he tapped his fingers lightly on the bottle between his hands. "Though, really, there's nothing to be ashamed of. I'd have stared right into their eyes and said 'so, I'm gay, you got a problem with that?" And then the trademark Dirk Stevens grins. It was crooked and boyish with a hint of a dimple and a gleam to those honey brown eyes. "Backs 'em down, every time."

There was a brief instant of admiration; the young man?s attitude was wonderful. A deep breath and he sipped his drink trying to think of a way to put it. "I?ve never come out, where I come from there is something...wrong...with being gay, so I came of age, got married had kids. Then again I suppose coming here was a new beginning."

A light behind his eyes of understanding and knowing. "Yeah, try eastern Kentucky. Redneck city." he sighed and shook his head. "I tried being with girls, but I just couldn't." he shrugged and took another sip of his beer. "What part of the states did you come from?"

Dirk Stevens · Date: 2010-04-03 22:50 EST

"I was born in a small town in Brazil. So I understand completely, as for when I moved into the US I bought a house in Burbank." No one would think he would have no problem being Gay in LA but where he was already played up to be this wonderful playboy, it had made things difficult. A chuckle and he thought back. "It didn?t take my wife long to figure things out to be honest."

"Ah, Brazilian explains a lot." he nodded with a grin. "I've been to Los Angeles. The air's so thick; I don't see how anybody can breathe. But the women there are pretty smart. Once the honeymoon's over, it's like they look for a reason to see their lawyer and take half." he grinned again. "How old are your kids?"

"My son is six and my daughter is eight." He nodded thinking back, Michelle had inherited family money young, and so the prenup was important to both of them. Michelle got a lot, but it could have been worse. Then he paused and he canted his head to him with a smirk. "What do you mean it explains a lot?" His brow piqued and he smiled, once more with the deep dimples.

"I bet they're beautiful kids." he smiled and gently spun the bottle between his hands. He wondered how his kids took the news, if they knew at all. But, he wasn't going to probe that deeply. Not on the first meeting, anyway. His brows shot up and he laughed openly at the question. "I mean that the Brazilian people are some of the most beautiful people on Earth."

The blackberry was pulled from his pocket and he riffled through pictures. Both of his kids looked a lot like them and once he got to a decent picture of him and the kids, he handed the phone over to him. Apparently they were sitting on a beach in front of a sandcastle. ; A very crudely built sandcastle. "Like everywhere else there are some real woofers."

"In Brazil I mean, not my kids. My kids are gorgeous...Ill shut up now." He laughed and sipped from his drink again.

He took the phone and smiled as he saw the picture of familial bliss. "I've got twins." he held the phone back out to Quinn. "But I've not seen them since I signed the custody papers." it was part of his past he was not particularly proud of. Glad for the slight change of direction, he laughed. How close had Quinn come to describing the beast that lay beneath Dirk's skin. "They are gorgeous; you have a lot to be proud of."

Taking back the phone he knew best to just put it into his pocket and not ask about his twins. He watched intently the face of the man sitting beside him. He was thinking that he must have very handsome kids. Quinn smiled and a nodded as he was pulled out of that train of thought. "Thank you very much, hey, I might be way off base, but would you like to get something to eat? I hear the menu here is fantastic."

It?s funny how if you sit near somebody long enough, your thoughts start to mirror the one you're sitting near. At least, to Dirk, it was funny. The kids that he saw, their happy, smiling faces, were echoes of their father. He canted his head and finished off the beer as the blackberry was put away. "You know, I was thinking the same thing." He chuckled and leaned his elbow onto the bar. "Steak, very rare."

?Do you have any seafood allergies?" He peered over to him and ordered another round of drinks. Quinn smiled at the waitress. Since he realized that his bank card was fine here, he had become much less worried about his financial situation. He had only had a couple hundred in cash when he got here. It didn?t matter much now, banks existed and his wealth was good here. He smiled finished his second drink.

Dirk Stevens · Date: 2010-04-03 22:51 EST

"Nope, not a single allergy." he grinned and watched as the waitress had brought their drinks. "I do believe you are trying to get me drunk." He waggled his brows. "You don't need to do that to take advantage of me." The new beer was picked up and sipped. Dirk's system could handle anything. He didn't get drunk, didn't get sick. No allergies, nothing. Being a lycan had its advantages.

"Salmon and scallops. And a very rare steak it is then. As for me getting you drunk, it?s not a tactic I?ve employed in the past but I am always willing to try new things." Those brows were drawn in a playful manner and he smiled for Dirk. Now Quinn was a human, but apparently he was able to drink. It was all but inherited as a Brazilian to be able to drink the way he did. Quinn felt pretty decent, and relaxed. He watched as the bartender punched in their order.

"Sounds good." he grinned at the order. "Alcohol doesn't work on me. Good looks though.." he laughed and canted his head slightly. "How long have you been in Rhydin?" Dirk had a hard time knowing whether to tell his acquaintances about his little secret. Most times, with the people who had been in Rhydin for a while, it didn't bother them. And Dirk was careful not to infect. But others, those that hadn't been around to experience Rhydin's many species, ran away screaming.

He thought for a moment and tapped on the side of his glass thinking carefully. "You?re not the first one I?ve met who doesn?t get drunk. And I have been here two weeks now. Is it that obvious that I am new around here?" He laughed and sipped his drink, leaving the fruit inside just this once.

"And I probably won't be the last." he chuckled and set his beer down. "Rhydin is.. unique. There are lots of different types of races, species, and people. But you knew that, right?" he leaned back a bit and studied those steel gray eyes. "Yeah, you probably know a lot more than you let on."

"You?d be surprised, I know more than I let on, or more than people assume." He smiled and peered over his glass to Dirk before the bartender passed. He paused to study the woman; it was becoming a habit, pretending to be straight. He sipped from his drink and laughed quietly at himself.

Dirk studied Quinn as they sat at the bar. A bottle of Badsider was held between his thin, delicate hands. He had dressed comfortably, but semi-formal with his slacks and button down shirt. No tie, the top three buttons of the golden silk shirt hung open to reveal the pale flesh of his neck. "Like, what?" A brow rose as he watched the bartender walk by, head swivel back to Quinn. "Not that I?m nosey." He laughed at his own joke, relaxing visibly.

"I?ve never met an attractive model that wasn?t just a touch nosey. But I know that the waitress is trying to figure out whether we are involved and if not which one she wants to talk to first." He up nodded to the bartendress and smiled down the bar and with two fingers he waved to her.

"Oh, you are a people watcher." He grinned and turned to give a friendly wave to the waitress before turning back around. "Why can't two guys just talk over drinks? You see it on the movies all of the time. So is it that inconceivable?" A soft chuckle and the Badsider's put down. "Excuse me for a moment, nature calls." He slid from the barstool and turned to walk towards the bathroom.

He casually watched as Dirk walked away. He was careful not to seem lewd or suggestive. He lifted his drink and smirked to himself the bartender brought over the plates and he peered down at his plate. A nod and he peered at the drinks. It was too soon for another round and so he politely informed the waitress they were taken care of.

Dirk Stevens · Date: 2010-04-03 22:52 EST

Dirk returned to his seat and slid into it. "Man that looks good." He picked up the cutlery and began to cut the steak. "Yeah, models are curious. There's this huge world out there and they only let us see a small part while they've got us going nuts in hair, makeup and that kind of thing." He shrugged and put the bite of meat into his mouth and closed his eyes, savoring.

"It's got to be nice to be pampered though." He had dated a model when he was in Rio, the teen spent three quarters of his time at some spa, and it had never been Quinn's cup of tea. "What?s it like; spending hours getting ready to have your pictures taken, over and over again?"

He put down his fork and frowned slightly to the posed question. "Truthfully, annoying." he sat back, fork resting on the ceramic plate. "But the money's good, so I guess that makes it worth it." he shrugged then and leaned forwards to take another bite of the bloody steak. It barely satisfied. Nothing ever really satisfied the appetite, but he made do. Bite taken, he sits back again. "I needed the money, when I first started modeling."

He froze realizing that one, he hadn?t eaten a bite yet, two he was being nosey and three, he was being insensitive. Mouth snapped shut before he could say anything else. The salmon was cut and he took a bite slowly, peering into his plate.

Dirk felt the moment of awkwardness and set his fork and knife down onto the plate with a soft clatter. "Hey, it's ok." he turned and gave Quinn a pat on the shoulder. "It's nothing ominous or anything. My baby sister was born with Down?s syndrome. When our parents died, I was left paying the bills. She was in a really nice center, but it was expensive."

"I don?t like the sound of the word was." He took another bite and nodded gently still watching his plate. He pushed around some sort of green garnish around on his plate for a moment before turning to look to Dirk. "I...You don?t have to make a response to that, any type."

"Abi passed away about a year ago," he responded anyway. It felt good to talk about it. Rational. "I didn't take it so well, but it's been about a year and life goes on." There was a sadness in his eyes when he turned back to continue eating. "But that's life, right?"

Quinn froze and nodded, muttering something in Portuguese. "O deus abençoa sua alma" God bless her soul roughly, he paused and cut another bit of his salmon eating it. He chewed painstakingly slowly. He paused and nodded his head. "It?s macabre to say it, but yes, living leads to dying."

Dirk gave Quinn a curious look, a smile quirking the corner of his mouth when Quinn spoke Portuguese. Stabbing the last bite of steak, he popped it in his mouth and barely chewed before swallowing. He was a rapid eater with a voracious appetite. The Badsider was lifted and drained to wash down the only part of the meal that he would eat. "I know Abi wouldn't want me to shrivel up and die with her. She would want me to go out and live life to its fullest. So I model and go places that I never dreamed I would go. So yeah, life goes on."

"Another beer, and a bottle of water please." He said to the waitress and smiled still eating slowly, he was finishing his fourth drink in a very short amount of time and didn?t want to start feeling better than he should. He nodded to Dirk and nearly beamed. "I think you?ve got a wonderful lease on how you should feel about this. I?ve never seen someone have such a wonderful grip on grief."

Dirk Stevens · Date: 2010-04-03 22:53 EST

He up nodded the bartender as the drinks were served and pushed his plate away. "You've caught me on a good day." he chuckled and wiped his mouth with the napkin before placing it over the plate. "I learned a lot from Abi after our parents died. She really didn't grasp what was going on, just kept on doing her routine. She stayed bubbly and happy. I was a mess, but I had to stay strong for her. So yeah, she taught me a lot about how to just keep things going." he glanced over his shoulder and "Enough depressing stuff. Do you like to dance?"

"I love to dance" He paused and peered over with a cocky smile. "Why would you like to dance?" The well kept chestnut brow gently piqued upwards as he watched for a response. He reached up and gently raked his fingers through the halo of curls. He was studying dirks face; he paused to carefully memorize his eyes. People watching wasn?t something you turned off.

"Because I love to dance? It's a fun thing to do." he laughed; a deep, rich and genuine laugh. "And thought that maybe, well, we could get together some night and hit a few clubs. Hang out and," he waggled his brows and brought his hands up to his shoulders and waved them. "Dance."

There was a deep bought of laughter then, the kind that started in the pit of the stomach and tumbled out of him. He nodded and his face was brilliant with a cocky smile. "I would love to hit a few clubs and go dancing. But the next time we go out, make sure I don?t have four whiskey sours. Because even though you cannot get drunk, I?m starting to know that I can." He was well on his way to slap happy.

"And here I thought Brazilians could hold their drink better than the Irish." Dirk was relaxed and feeling much more comfortable. "Do you need some help getting home? It would be no trouble, really. I'm shacking out in an apartment above the Deli while I'm in town, so nobody there to chastise me for coming home late." The Badsider was lifted and drank from once again.

?I can assure you, I can walk, I wouldn?t trust myself to drive, but considering I don?t have a car here I don?t see it as an issue. As for holding my liquor, we can talk about it when I am cheek against a seat. But I can assure that will never happen." He wasn?t much of a drinker. He was also social about it, made sure to drink plenty of water between drinks. Spread it out. Not lose track of how many he's had because has caught in conversation with a sexy blonde. "Who would typically chastise you?"

"You sure are full of assurances,? he chuckled and struck it up to the alcohol that had been consumed. In response to the question, he shrugged and sat back, hands folding in his lap. "You know, mom, dad, brothers, sisters, boyfriends..."

"Ahhhh, I dont have any of those...." He smiled to himself and opened the water bottle taking a sip and pulling his napkin off his lap setting it beside his plate. That lengthy body turned so he could face Dirk while he spoke. "But I have a very pesky assistant who calls me about a hundred times a day and sends out the neighborhood watch if I don?t return his calls."

"Sounds like a Chihuahua." Dirk sat back, and now that they were facing each other, could get a good look at Quinn's face. Dark blond brows creased together slightly and his chin acted as the counterpoint to the metronome that was the top of his own head. "You really should meet Marcia."

"I fancy his as more of a welsh corgi...Due to the red hair and the hilariously short legs." He perked up at the mention of the woman. "And who is Marcia? And if you tell me Marcia is your assistant I will have to pass, I?ve never poached an employee, that and Manny may be upset if I let him go."

Dirk Stevens · Date: 2010-04-03 22:54 EST

The mental image that Quinn painted had a short outburst of laughter that rumbled through Dirk's throat. "Marcia is my manager. And she would see dollar signs the minute you step into her office" It was difficult, but Dirk turned to glance around. Sure, there was attraction to Quinn, but with Dirk's secret lurking just under the skin, there was the fear of getting too close. He turned back and that smile was back on his face. "Ok, so you know about me, my family and my manager. All I know is that you're from Brazil and you've got two kids. So tell me, Quinn, who are you, really?"

"I am an only child, my Dad died when I was nine my mom is still alive, she lives with my ex-wife and my kids. I made my money in American IT stocks; I keep it around with high yield real estate. Casinos, resorts, retreats...All over South America. Before I was somehow brought here I was seeing this twink casually, he broke it off a few nights before I woke up here. He had an affinity for nose candy and so I cut off his cash flow."

Thinking for a bit he wondered how he had gotten on that subject and he tipped his water bottle back looking around drinking wondering if it was the liquor that had snatched his verbal filter. He decided it was more his clean slate and fresh beginning in this place.

Dirk sat and listened to it all. The Reader's Digest Condensed version of It's Your Life! Starring Quinn. "Sorry about the twink." he snorted a bit, remembering somebody from his own past. "Knew a guy that was into that stocks and bonds and lucrative deals." He shrugged his shoulders and put the empty bottle of Badsider down. "Haven't seen him in a very long time. I hear he's doing well." another shrug of his shoulders. "And about the blow, I was into that just after Abi died. Anything to kill the pain. But it makes you do stupid things. The twink was lucky enough to have somebody who actually cared enough to not enable him."

"Well, he said I was an old...He used an ugly word, and informed me that he would tell anyone and everyone who would listen about me. At this point, I don?t think there is much he can do; he would get buried in slander charges. Funnily enough though I told Manny I couldn?t care less. Well after I made sure he was really 18, I told Manny I couldn?t care less."

"Did you love him?" It was a simple question, really. But Dirk knew that there was never a simple answer. A soft smile of understanding about the legality of being with somebody so young. He'd had his moments of waking up next to somebody he didn't even remember their name and wondering if he was going to end up behind bars before it.

"No. But I wanted to." The answer was seemingly simple he sipped his water and rested his elbow on the bar. He rested his cheek against his palm and thought for a moment. "He was fun, he needed a lot of help, I felt wonderful trying to help him, but I just couldn?t fill the void between life and love"

Dirk sighed softly and struck a similar poses and leans against the bar. He wondered if anybody in his past had felt that way for him. Like Quinn and his twink. He shook his head at the thought. No use in playing the what if game. A slow, sly grin jerked one side of his mouth up. "Ah, but the fun in trying to bridge that chasm, hmm?"

"It's a very delicate chasm, if you fall in, it can be fatal." He laughed, if someone was paying attention they may have thought he was turning on his charm, instead, it?s a sign that he was getting comfortable. "Didn?t someone say love was like oxygen?"

Dirk Stevens · Date: 2010-04-03 22:54 EST

"You get too much, you get too high." he nodded, finishing the lyric. "Electric Light Orchestra." Dirk did love his oldies and was glad to see Quinn relaxing a bit. "And you're right, it can be fatal. But what a rush." he chuckled then and stood up. His wallet was fished out of his back pocket and he tossed enough money on the bar to cover the drinks, food and tip. "Come on, let's get you home. And I promise. I won't take advantage of you. Not as intoxicated as you are." There was a laugh and Dirk extended his hand.

He peered at the money, and was raising a hand to argue the point before he realized Dirk had already paid. He stood up and looked at him. "I?m paying for the drinks when we go dancing." It wasn?t a question; it was stated very matter of factly as he slipped his hand into Dirks.

?You've got a deal." he closed his hand around Quinn's and gently tugged as he began towards the door. "And this means a confirmed second date. Right?" His brow lifted in question, but his grin gave away the teasing.

"Considering my business is on earth and I am in Rhydin, this place is like a pleasure cruise. Consider the second date booked." A bright smile and he allowed his fingers to tangle with Dirks. "Although I was unaware that this was the first. Not that I am complaining mind you."

"Oh, he's a semantics wise guy." Dirk chuckled and let his fingers fall naturally between Quinn's. It'd been some time since he'd held another man's hand in such a way and if he'd thought about it, it would have amazed him how easy it felt. His hand closed with a soft squeeze as he escorted Quinn from the building and into the night.