→ you know I'd rather work alone than play a supporting role

[studmuffin]

When: August 14th.
Rating: R.
Characters: Everyone! Tell your friends!
Summary: There are no Star Wars people in the City so let's have ourselves a bit of education.

What started off as a brosession quickly turned into a free for all movie night. Not that Stiles minds considering, but it means he has to plan and execute everything a lot more smoothly. So when Saya offers up the equipment they need he jumps at the chance.

Isaac helps cart everything about - werewolf strength, Stiles is envious -, and together they track down a space in Xanadu and fill it. It's not a hot night but it's warm and balmy and nobody's going to end up with pneumonia. Squashy beanbags get borrowed off a particularly hipster coffee shop and placed liberally about the place. They take what they can, couches that fit out of doors and large obnoxious cushions so everyone has a place to settle. There's a fuckton of candy too. Stiles pretty much wipes out a weeks allowance alone getting it and the soda. But if he's doing something he's doing it properly and he texts everyone the time and the place and all but collapses into a beanbag.

When people arrive he'll move. Honest.

Comments

[lefthandedgenius]

"Do what you know." counsels Lydia casually, twirling her Twizzler between her fingers. "You're good at archery. You know how to take care of yourself. You know a lot about firearms from your dad, and your mom," Lydia's tone is slightly gentler at mention of Allison's mother, because that's a topic to be respectful about, "Had really awesome taste and so do you. I'll bet you could teach classes or give private lessons or something. Maybe work in one of the clothing stores if that's not feasible? Ginny and Angela have a store." Who?

[daggers]

She hadn't been so sure she'd wanted to do anything with archery or weapons, but when Lydia suggests it it almost makes sense. She nods thoughtfully, ripping off more Twizzler with her teeth, and chews for a few beats, swallowing before answering.

"I met Ginny on the network. Who's Angela?" she asks. It only serves to remind her that Lydia's been here longer than she has, knows more people, knows a lot more about what's going on. Something tells her that'd be the case even if she'd been here a week. Lydia's got a knack for getting down to the bottom of things quickly.

[lefthandedgenius]

"Friend of Ginny's. I think she helped put Ginny's birthday party together which was the same night I arrived. I don't see her, though." Lydia is playing with her food, scoping the crowd occasionally while keeping an eye on the movie.

"So listen, you know I'm living with Scott, right?"

[daggers]

"Yeah. He told me right before he and his mom asked if I wanted to stay there, for now," she replies, shrugging one shoulder.

"I - I don't think I'm going to stay there for much longer, though. It doesn't seem like it's the most appropriate idea." Especially given what she and Scott had gotten up to once they were home alone the other day.

[lefthandedgenius]

Lydia has put a self-imposed moratorium on things Scott gets up to for her own sanity.

"I was thinking you know, between our respective allowances and if we could both find something to do, we could actually afford an apartment for ourselves. We wouldn't have to go very far from Scott and Melissa." Oh yes, she's Melissa now.

She can't help but add, "I don't think Scott would let us anyway." Her smile is wry. "Go that far, not get a place of our own, I mean."

[daggers]

"You want to?" Yes, Allison brightens immediately at that idea, nodding quickly. It might feel a little weird with the two of them on their own - at least without her dad around - but it'll be less so than living in an apartment with her ex-boyfriend and his mom.

"You're right. I think he wants to make sure we're all safe." It's a noble thought, and it's one of the reasons she appreciates Scott. She doesn't want to do anything to make him worry about her, even though she knows he probably will anyway.

[lefthandedgenius]

"Obviously." says Lydia with a grand wave of her hand for emphasis. "I'd even consider putting up with being like...a salesperson or something for you to make this work."

Now in the mouth of most people this sounds horribly snobby, but from Lydia Martin? This is a sacrifice for friendship, yo.

[daggers]

Allison grins around another bite of her Twizzler, wordlessly passing the bag over to Lydia in case she wants any more. They're low-calorie?

"Maybe we can both be salespeople. You can sell clothes, and I'll sell - clothes. Or archery gear."

[lefthandedgenius]

"I'll text Ginny and see if she has any openings or knows any openings." Lydia decides, helping herself to another Twizzler. "We'll see if there's a range or something, too. And I'm gonna see if any of the local intelligentsia could use, I don't know, a lab assistant or something."

[daggers]

Something tells Allison that even Lydia could find a way to make a lab coat look cute. It's probably all in the accessories. She settles into companionable silence for a moment or two before feeling the need to blurt something out.

"Scott and I hooked up the other night."

[lefthandedgenius]

Lydia's brows flicker upward and her eyes light up. Gossip? Personal gossip? Yes, please!

She leans in a bit closer so that she can lower her voice - Allison telling her something like this doesn't mean her bestie wants to share it with everyone, nor should she.

"Yeah?" she says, her tone encouraging for more detail. "Are you guys back together, or was it more like you had an itch and he scratched it?" Regardless of the circumstances there is absolutely no judgement in Lydia's tone at all.

[daggers]

She keeps her voice low, because as much as she wants to talk about this she's also not in the habit of broadcasting her personal life to anyone sitting around them. This is definitely for Lydia's ears only.

"No, we - we both agreed that we're not back together," she replies, shaking her head firmly. Regardless, there will still always be feelings on both sides, and she knows they don't care about each other any less. "But I think it was something we both needed, and besides - it's complicated."

Definitely increasingly complicated once she and Isaac hashed out their own feelings - or the establishment thereof.

[lefthandedgenius]

Lydia nods knowingly. "You and Isaac." she says lowly in understanding. "And the - thing, that happened. To save your parents." The darkness around their hearts. It's very complicated. Lydia isn't even one of the people carrying the darkness and it's complicated for her, too, even if the burden of darkness isn't one she has to carry.

"Hey girl, no judging. As long as you and Scott were up front with each other and he isn't following you around all puppy face, I'm glad you guys where there for each other." Lydia's totally serious.

[daggers]

Allison's eyes widen because Lydia totally gets it, totally. "Exactly," she murmurs, swiveling to face the other girl more directly, candy and movie forgotten. "I don't know, it's - I care about Scott. I'm always going to care about Scott, but - Isaac and I, there's something there too, and -"

She sighs, tucking some hair behind her ear. "Complicated, right?"

[lefthandedgenius]

Lydia puts her arm around Allison and gives her a squeeze. "There are worse problems in the world than having two hot guys wanting to get into your pants." she says with a grin. "But I'm not denying it's complicated, definitely not."

[daggers]

Sometimes Allison is still surprised by how many layers Lydia actually has. She still remembers when she thought she was just dealing with the popular girl who was dating the captain of the lacrosse team. It makes her all the more grateful for their friendship now, because Lydia's confident and smart and definitely knows what she wants, and she's got a different kind of strength that Allison secretly hopes to emulate.

"I don't know if it's all about that," she replies, blushing a little. "I just don't want anyone to get hurt."

[lefthandedgenius]

The funny part is, of course, that Lydia can't help but wish that she was more like Allison. She's strong and supported by her dad in a way that Lydia never has been with her own, and in some way she can't help but think that if she'd been more like Allison she might have been able to prevent what happened to her with Peter Hale.

The grass is always greener on the other side.

"People get hurt." says Lydia frankly, "That's just the way life is. But if you're up front with them both you can at least say you were honest and you can live with yourself." LBR, when Lydia was with Jackson she was with Jackson, and she didn't set any expectations for any of the guys she used as party favors that they were anything other than distractions.

[daggers]

That's alright. At least they have each other to counterbalance. It's probably why they became such good friends in the first place.

"Well, I can't say I haven't been honest with both of them," Allison admits. There'd been a lot of honesty happening lately - probably the byproduct of the weekend she'd spent unable to say anything but the truth.

[lefthandedgenius]

"Then you're golden." says Lydia expansively. "I, on the other hand, think I'm going to enjoy myself while I'm here with what opportunities present themselves."

Amazing how Lydia seems to check out the entire the entire male population of the party with one easy sweep of those pretty green eyes before grinning at Allison, full of mirth.

[daggers]

"Why not?" Allison agrees, grinning broadly now that the subject's shifted off her.

"Seems like there's a lot of potential around here." She might be occupied with two individuals in particular, but she's noticed a surprising increase of hot guys on the network lately.

[lefthandedgenius]

"I know, right? There's this one, he's Russian - hottest accent ever, adorable hair, built really well, and actually smart enough to keep up with me. But, girlfriend." There's a flick of Lydia's fingers and a shrug. "C'est la vie."

[daggers]

"Bummer," Allison replies, definitely sympathizing.

"But I'm sure you're not going to be at a lack for options." She lets her own gaze sweep their surroundings, to the other couches - and maybe it lingers for a beat on Scott and Isaac in turn, as she smiles faintly.

[lefthandedgenius]

"You know," drawls Lydia slyly, watching Allison's lingering glances, "You could possibly go out with them both. I mean, if they're willing. You don't really want to pick right now and neither of them would want you to walk away."

Have your cake and eat it too. That's what Lydia Martin do!

(It rhymes, okay?)

[daggers]

"What?" Her gaze snaps back to Lydia's face, and she gives her something closer to an incredulous look. The idea of - well, of dating both of them hadn't even really entered her mind as a viable option, but when Lydia suggests it she can't help but wonder if it isn't the right thing to do.

"You mean, at the same time?"

[lefthandedgenius]

"Sure, why not?" says Lydia, smile blazing to life. "I mean, if you tell them both that's what you want to do and you don't lie about it and they both say they're willing, why not? Then you're not sneaking around on either of them and you can sort out your feelings without it necessarily being an either/or situation. I don't know how Isaac would feel, but I'm pretty sure Scott would be willing. You know him, he just wants everyone to be happy."