calpico | (no subject)

[ she’s lost count, or how many drinks she’s had— she’d taken them whenever offered, partial to the shot glasses with sugared rims, and colored alcohol. at first it was because she was nervous, coming to an industry event like this, with models who have already established themselves ( are beautiful on almost another level ) and being expected to hold her own. and then it was because of lapis, who is stunning in the multicolored lights. the drinks make her braver, bolder, make everything warm and diffused around the edges.

she finishes her latest drink, this one is more sour than sweet and burns on the way down, and places the empty glass on the bar counter. suddenly, her head feels heavy, she feels warm and tired— and it would be easy enough to find one of the more secluded rooms in the club and a couch to rest on, just for a minute. but that would mean leaving lapis, which she doesn’t want to do. because it feels good, having lapis’s eyes on her, the attention making her flush which she hopes isn’t too visible with the way the overhead lights are pulsating.

she smiles, raises a hand to twirl at the end of one of her pigtails, and hopes the gesture doesn’t read nerves. ] You know, it’s kind of funny. Looking at you in magazines, I’d almost convinced myself that you weren’t real. After all, no one real could look that perfect, right?

[ the words are too honest, and not what she means to say at all. she wants to seem cool, aloof, untouchable like the other models here are. but… ] You look perfect now. It’s actually… kind of frustrating. [ she laughs lightly, ] I wonder how long it’ll take me to get to your level.

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[ Lapis herself had a few drinks alongside Ann. No hard alcohol, mind you, and her drinks were clear and bitter - mature, unlike the fruity, bright drinks Ann drank down every time she was offered one more. Lapis almost finishes what is her third and swirls the ice at the bottom of the thin glass around idly, looking at Ann with a smile on her own face. It's placed perfectly, almost too perfectly, and her gaze doesn't once leave Ann.

They'd been talking for a while. Ann was a younger model who'd recently began to rise to popularity, and she'd caught Lapis' eye with every new interview and magazine cover. That's why she'd approached her in the first place. She had promise, a beautiful face and a lovely body: and most importantly, it was the way she looked at Lapis from the moment she saw her. Lapis was older than Ann by at least ten years, but her body was still pristine, still just as beautiful as they day she began her modeling career. It's what Lapis already knows, but it was always good to be reminded. Very good. ]

Oh, you flatter me. You really do, and I appreciate it! Especially coming from a girl as pretty as you. But don't downplay yourself, Ann-chan. [ She says, somewhat genuinely... though she's mostly just trying to butter Ann up. Ann is so very... susceptible, like this. Lapis knows that Ann's had too much to drink, it's telltale in the flush that peppers across her nose and cheeks, in the way that her words just spill out of her. It's clear that she wants to impress Lapis. ] You're still so young and you have so much time to do more, especially with where you already are.

Say, Ann-chan. Do you believe me when I say that I truly believe you're going to reach amazing heights? I can just tell!

[ Lapis takes the last sip of the watered-down alcohol at the bottom of her glass. ]

And to tell you the truth, I've admired you, too.

Huh? [ her eyes go large and round with surprise at lapis’s last comment, the flush on her features only deepening— ] You… admire me? No way!

[ this is all too… surreal. she never thought she’d be able to meet lapis in person, much less capture her attention for this long. having lapis come up to her, and say something like that… it’s almost like a dream come true. there is a moment where she does wonder if this is actually a dream and if she’ll wake up to the sound of her alarm and her legs tangled in her sheets. but thankfully, it passes before she has the idea to pinch her arm to check or something along those embarrassing lines. ]

I don’t know what to say. [ her heart beats something erratic in her chest, and absurdly she thinks that it must be loud enough that lapis can hear it. ] But… if you think that I can succeed, then I have no choice but to believe it.

[ it doesn’t occur to her that the comment may be something other than genuine, or that lapis may be trying to win her over for a reason ( after all what would be the point of that? she doesn’t have anything that lapis wants ). she knows that models can be unpleasant, catty and ruthless when it comes to jobs— she’s had first hand experience with mika, another model from her agency who’d tried to sabotage her at every corner— but somehow…. she doesn’t get that from lapis.

if anything, lapis is kind of her savior in a way. she had been uncomfortable before lapis had approached her, eager for the evening to be done with and put behind her, but now she doesn’t want it to end.

she glances away from lapis for a moment to survey the dance floor, all the bodies moving together in a way that looks seamless. her eyes catch on a couple, a woman whispering into her girlfriend’s ear, their bodies pressed flush together and she watches for a second before snapping her eyes away feeling like she’s intruded on something private. she wonders what it would be to be that close to lapis, how they would fit together. ]

Um— [ she swallows, wincing at the already awkward way this is coming out ] did you come here with anyone? I came here with my agent, but I haven’t seen him in awhile.