[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]in the dim light of a night club, fernando silph would normally stick out. tonight is different, however. he's almost unrecognizable. she doesn't even catch on right away that it's him nestled at the bar beside her. not until he speaks, until he makes his presence known. and by then, she's jumping at the use of her last name, as if it's a wild concept in and of itself to have someone in this crowd notice her.

her head whips toward him, eyes widening a moment later. recognition settles not just at his features but at the sound of his voice. parted lips settle into a small smile and she has to lean a little closer to be heard over the music.

"what a surprise, councilman," she didn't expect to see him here. actually, would anyone really expect fernando to be in a place like this? the same could be said of her and so she doesn't touch upon it. instead, she smiles a little wider before raising her drink to finish it off. it burns as it goes down and with it, her nerves lessen.

illeana glances away from him toward the dance floor, the shift in song capturing her attention for a moment. it's one she sort of recognizes. not enough to trot out there but enough to lightly tap a high heel against the ground. her eyes return a moment later, along with a question. "are you here for business?"

FERNANDO SILPH
dance the night away prompt.

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]she does nothing more than simply observe him for a moment. the way he holds himself, the way he finishes off both drinks in motions that are too fluid to not be molded. and in the dim light of the night club, he almost looks less unapproachable and more human. it's odd, really, to see him in such a light. and maybe it's the alcohol she's using as a crutch against anxieties or the sole purpose of having a good time tonight but she's actually glad she ran into him.

her own empty glass is discarded on the bar, slid back toward the bartender as he comes to collect fernando's. she doesn't order another just yet, instead turning back toward him as he signals for more.

"i mean, i didn't recognize you until you called my name," she lets out a laugh, as if the thought that his voice is the most recognizable thing about him right now is hilarious. his presence should be enough of an indicator and yet, it wasn't. the focus shifts, however, and he's turning tables on her before she can fully notice. her eyes dart toward the dancing mass of bodies and then back to him. a tapping foot increases slightly, whether by the pulsing beat or the urge to move is undetermined.

he's right, though. she normally wouldn't end up in a place like this. it's out of character for her but the sudden onslaught of desire to get out and focus on something other than work was too overwhelming to ignore. besides, she's never really done this before. it's new and exciting and she'd be lying if she said she didn't want to experience it all.

"me either," she finally agrees, smile holding firm. "but i wanted to see what the fuss is about." a half truth, maybe. she doesn't dwell on it for long. instead, the curl of her lips almost turns into the ghost of teasing. "you can call me illeana, you know. we're not in the office." something tells her he won't let go of formalities, not even in the middle of a night club.

FERNANDO SILPH
dance the night away prompt.

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]the implication she lays out should leave her flustered or embarrassed. it doesn't. instead, she tilts her head back slightly, laughter bubbling out to be half drowned out by music. he says it so matter of fact, as if the concept of her never experiencing a night club until now should be fiction instead of fact. and yet, she's about to prove him wrong.

there's no hesitation when she nods. the smile widens and with it, a faint flush spreads across her cheeks. "it is," she confirms. no sense in lying about it, right? besides, she's not a good liar. not in the slightest. he'd pick apart each and every lie she could ever tell, that much she has come to understand. for all his possible faults, fernando silph is observant and clever. it lends itself to business and most days, she sees the same traits in alex too.

"is that hard to believe?" she never thought it could be but looks can be deceiving, maybe. there is the outfit she wore for littleroot, after all. that, alone, betrays her innocent exterior just enough to show a different facet of herself. the shots come and she can't help the wary look she wears. two for each of them and he's already ordering more?

illeana's perhaps too quick to grab her respective shots, too quick to wrap her fingers around them and hold each one out for a toast. she's all smiles where she probably shouldn't be. "cheers!" the tequila is the first to go, bitter and too much for her to handle. like fernando had done earlier, she washes it down with the lemon drop too quickly. damn, she'll be feeling that in no time.

and once the shot glasses are abandoned on the bar does she fix him with a curious look and a slight tilt of her head. "just how many shots are we doing...?" he isn't trying to get her drunk, right? unless he wants to have to carry her back to her house, she hopes not. for his sake, anyway.

FERNANDO SILPH
dance the night away prompt.

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]"well, you have a point there." twenty two, almost twenty three, and barely experiencing all that life has to offer. a little sad, really, but no time like the present? she sees it as an experiment, trial and error until she finds what she enjoys. maybe it'll be drinking and maybe dancing or maybe nothing more than letting loose for once. and wouldn't that be a sight to see?

the clinking of glasses tries to echo in her ears but it becomes white noise to music. funny, it sounds better the longer she sits here, the longer she entertains him.

"oh, that won't be too many, then." if there's one thing she doesn't have, it's a tolerance for alcohol. her cheeks flush a little deeper, his comment hitting a mild nerve. she's quick to lay his comment to rest, to refute it with a wave of a hand. "no, i'm not that lame." she is but at least she's familiar with drinking. his kind of drinking is different than stormy's, however. where stormy and her share wine, he seems more of a down the hatch and go kind of man. funny enough, she's not complaining when he divides the shots between them.

a science to it. that earns another laugh, as if everything can be stripped down to scientific fact alone. this is no different, as he begins to explain. she stays quiet, watching while he gestures for easier absorbing of the materials he's presenting. it isn't until his final bit of knowledge on the matter that she chooses to speak up.

"so," she drawls, slowly reaching for her shot. "basically drink enough to be fun but not enough to be messy?" she puts it into simpler terms than she should but the point is still relatively the same. there's a pause, almost like consideration where she glances down at the drink in her hand. and then, she smiles before knocking this one back in a similar manner to the first.

somehow, it's a little better than the tequila. by now, she's at least comfortable enough to move, slightly swaying to whatever beat happens to be playing.

FERNANDO SILPH
dance the night away prompt.

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]messy is okay, blacking out is not. right, that's a thing huh? truthfully it's never happened to her but maybe that's in part to knowing when to stop. it's funny, that moment always comes with the first wave of nausea. right now, she's comfortable and loosening up yet still maintaining her wits. how long can that last, though?

"how does one not black out?" she's curious about the whole thing, really. does anyone even notice when they go too far? or is it more of a waking up the next morning completely confused and drawing a blank? "is it as simple as stopping when you're comfortable?" or does the urge to keep going persist? it's present now, lingering in the back of her mind.

ah yes, caffeine. her favorite. while she prefers her caffeine in the form of iced coffee with extra liquid sugar, these vegas bombs aren't half bad. sweet enough to satisfy her and apparently carrying added perks with an energy drink base. "is this the only one that has caffeine in it? it's kinda good, honestly," she smiles a little wider, as if content to be knocking these back for the night.

perhaps he already knew that, however, as he glances between the last shot and her.

and maybe it's her willingness to impress or to not come across as weak as she normally is but she nods, barely there confidence put on display. "i can do another," she murmurs. a pause follows before she's adding, "unless you wanted it?" he is, after all, paying for these drinks.

FERNANDO SILPH
dance the night away prompt.

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]"i see," she murmurs. it's a lot of information to retain and along the way, she'll lose track of one or two of the things he mentions. for now, she tries to tuck it away as important things to keep in mind while drinking. and yeah, his experience compared to hers is a massive difference but this isn't her first rodeo. it's her third, actually, as far as alcohol is concerned. still learning it would seem.

"maybe it'd taste good with vodka," she muses, glancing toward the bar. there's other options that are probably better suited to be paired with red tauros but her mind is drawing a blank on just how many there are. a personal favorite is coconut rum but after trying and failing to build a tolerance with that, she's had enough to last the rest of the year.

the shot is pushed toward her and she stares down at it for a moment. hesitant, even despite his insistence. it fades after a moment, the concept of taking what she wants lingering in its place. "okay," her fingers reach for the glass to pull it closer. she doesn't knock it back. not yet, not when he doesn't have one of his own. politeness and all, right?

it isn't long before he's ready to match. and by then, she's about done with waiting anyway. her smile is a little fuzzier at the edges but just as content. illeana mirrors the actions of the previous shots: raising her glass to his and then tipping it back in one fluid motion. it's discarded like the others and she's leaning toward him, an elbow settling onto the bar with her cheek resting on the back of her hand a moment later. "another?" her eyes shift for a moment to the dance floor as if halfway between envious and curious. "or maybe dancing?"

FERNANDO SILPH
dance the night away prompt.