paradisalost | (no subject)

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Who: The Ills (Jilly, Billy and Willow)
What: Friends reconnecting to a bit of karaoke
When: About 8ish, Thursday evening.
Where: Caritas
Rating: PG-13 for Billy's secret evil motives.

Sometimes it amazed Jilly how much the months in Paradisa could weigh on you. She argued against the people who claimed death had no meaning here, or that their struggles here were meaningless and easily forgotten, but sometimes she wished she could agree. In the midst of yet another crisis, with more people disappearing, slipping back to their own worlds and fates every day, it could be an almost overwhelming burden to bear.

But Jilly had bore other burdens before, equally heavy, and she already knew how this went. It didn't get easier and it didn't go away...and there was no way she could do it on her own. Legato, perhaps without even trying, had made her forget. He'd isolated her, making her in all ways the scared little girl too afraid to speak up about what was going on around her. Really, he'd barely had to do anything...and that's where the shame had been. The threat had been more implied than implicit. She'd filled in the blanks herself, with her own memories. And she'd forgotten the lessons she'd learned the first time around.

There was no fixing it alone.

So this was her, rewalking this path. It was a new problem with new faces, but the steps were the same. She had the Doctor. She had Allen and Lois. She had allies to turn to. But, even more than the "heroes," she had something even more secure to lean on. Her friends.

Her latest conversation with Legato had left her troubled, but that wasn't what tonight was about. Tonight was a reminder that, when this was all said and done, Legato and Riful and Arthas would not have won. Because there was more to this place than the fighting and the violence and the battle of wills. And tonight, she intended to dance and laugh and drink (just a little) and remember who she was for the days ahead.

It was still pretty early, the music just a recorded soundtrack being looped through the overhead speakers while Lorne waited for the nights' crowd to arrive, but Jilly's foot tapped along all the same. She had a bottle of beer that she hadn't really touched yet, and her finger traced patterns in the condensation on the surface. Waiting. Willow would be coming for sure. And, if Billy managed to fail to show (which would be unsurprising considering how distracted he'd sounded), well...they'd just have to go find him later. After they'd had their night on the town.

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Billy did actually show, and--more than that--he was on time. He was distracted, but his mind had been functioning under a sort of mechanical precision lately. It wasn't an often-seen state of his here-- with how meticulously this place had broken him down and made him forget who he was. It had picked him apart, and tricked him, and nudged him down paths he didn't expect until he couldn't even see where he'd come from when he looked back.

But, that was all better now. He remembered; he was focused. When his alarm went off to remind him about Caritas, he immediately up and went.

Not going might raise suspicion, after all.

So, he was still distracted when he showed up, glancing around when he wandered in, but not seeming to see Jilly right away. Almost as if he was looking for something that wasn't her. Hands shoved in his sweatshirt pockets, he was practically halfway to the table before he noticeably spotted her, giving a nod of greeting.

When she sees him turn her way she raises a hand to catch his attention, smiling.

"I wasn't sure you'd actually come by. You seemed pretty engrossed," she says as he gets close enough to hear. There's a faint teasing edge to her voice, but there's no actual judgment in it. She'd lost herself in more than a few projects, until the minutes slipped into hours where sleep and food were forgotten well beyond the point they should have been remembered.

"Yeah, I'm working on a couple...breakthroughs."

But he moved right along, not stopping to spend time on the topic. He dropped down into the seat across from her, and nodded toward her mostly-untouched beer.

"Oh, good. Looks like you haven't been waiting too long?"

She shook her head. "Just about fifteen minutes or so. I came over a little early to say hi to Lorne."

Willow entered the now-familiar bar then, scarring the crowd for familiar places. There had been avoiding, initially after Xander's departure. Not that this place was where things-that-were-bad lived. But Lorne did live there. With his insight and his understanding and there was a while where Willow didn't want it to be alright. She wanted to wallow. Wallow like a Willow until at some point? She didn't.

That point had come with beach sand as a gift with purpose.

There was a lot going on, now. And judging from the Chimera meeting she recently attended? There would be more. She'd spend the evening at the shop, cataloging supplies.

Bypassing the bar, Willow made her way directly towards Billy and Jilly.

It was like he picked her up on radar. Maybe he was just that hyper-aware of his surroundings at the moment. Either way, he turned and glanced back just as she wandered into view.

And there was the smile that he hadn't quite managed to manage yet tonight.

It was a relief to see Willow out and about. She hadn't disappeared from the room the way Jilly had, escaping into town, but there'd been an unmistakeable sadness in her demeanor as they adjusted to it being two instead of three.

The recent cheer from the beach and the glow of her involvement with the other mages had been a good thing to see, and it was only more encouraging to have the three of them together here.

A different three than their living arrangement, but a good three. And the smile on Billy's face made her sure he was as glad for it as she was.

"Willow! Over here."

As her gaze corrected with Jilly, Willow grinned. There should probably be words. Words that belonged on the sooner side of now about how much she appreciated the other girl's support. She would have gotten through Xander's departure without her.

But it would have been harder. Jilly? Made it not.

As for Billy? Well, he made other things. Like her smile tilt and color touch her cheeks. She joined them at the table, mentally coaxing herself into putting away all their current stress away for a few hours.

"Fancy meeting you two here."

"I know, right? What are the odds?"

He was smiling now-- pretty steadily, actually.

For now, he could forget the urge to keep an eye on his surroundings. He could at least try to ignore the desire to find a clock to glance at.

Because this, right here, was part of the reason that he was doing all the things that made him want to glance over his shoulder and keep track of time. --It was in a roundabout way, but still true.

"Really, its too bad we don't have a lottery here. This kind of luck shouldn't be wasted."

Her smile matches theirs, happy. Content, even for just a little while.

"No lottery needed. I am more than satisfied with my prize."

Willow looked at them both, clearly content in the moment despite everything else that was happening. Her gaze fell on both of their drinks.

"Well. One of these things is not like the others."

"You know, I was always a fan of being different...but I think we might have to fix that anyway."

Billy was in a good mood. Restless and a little high-strung, but in a good mood. So, scooting his chair away from the table, he climbed to his feet and nodded toward the bar.

"What do you want?"

See? He could be kind of gentlemanly if he really tried.

Willow blinked. Then looked from one to the other and then back again, finally landing on Jilly. As of the other woman might have some kind of answer.

"-- a beer?"

Try some confidence, Willow.

"Yes, definitely. A beer."

She gave Willow an encouraging smile before nodding along. "Two, actually. That sounds perfect."

"Nice and easy. Excellent."

And then Billy nodded and headed off toward the bar. As if getting drinks for a couple of girls was something he did all the time.

Willow searched for a full minute, before finally finding it.

There it was.

Her voice.

She looked to Jilly again.

"Does he seem different to you?"

Jilly had watch their friend walk off, more than a little bemused, when Willow's voice draws her back. She shook her head, though not from disagreement. "Different's a good word for it. Earlier he'd seemed distracted but..." one eyebrow quirked up as she looked in his direction again, watching him move to lean on the bar, "that was almost...smooth."

Billy." Willow repeats the person. The word. Trying to make them connect. But right now it is still a dotted line -- not a firm, continuous one.

"Smooth."

This is her, looking to Jilly for support.

"We did invite Billy, right? Not Barney?"

Though she's pretty sure Barney never quite pulled that off, either. He just thought he did.

"No......" Another look. Then another. Unlike some, Willow's never once had a difficult time telling them apart. But then, she knew Jilly hadn't either.

"That's definitely Billy."

"Maybe his work in the lab is going well. He said something about breakthroughs." Her smile curved a bit more at the corners of her mouth. "Or maybe he's just happy at certain company?" There's teasing, but its genuine. A real suggestion in a bit of friendly jest.

She sees, there, what Jilly is doing. And herself, conveniently without a drink to hide behind. Willow flushes slightly.

"We were stuck at the beach. That is the very definition of the opposite of breaking through anything."

"I wasn't necessarily combining the two," she said with a laugh. "Though if you have something to tell me-"

Willow blinked. And wished she had something for her hands.

Like a drink.

"--- why would there be anything to tell?"

"Why wouldn't there be?"

Her voice lowered as she carefully checked to make sure Billy wasn't back within earshot, yet. "You like him. He likes you. This is a good combination, usually."

It was a very good combination. One that they were only barely beginning to -- combine. Willow knew she shouldn't be hesitant in sharing the details with Jilly. After all, the other girl practically created the details. She should have full detail privileges.

"Have we discussed how out of practice I am?"

"We can, but then we have to go into how I think I might be even more behind than you are. But I'm going to guess and say we're all in the same boat." It's said with just the tiniest of glances towards the bar.

It wasn't that she didn't think Billy was capable of being in a relationship...but she'd have been very surprised to find out he was hiding an inner Fred Astair. Of course, he had surprised her before.

"Right. The same boat..."

Willow's voice trained off as she followed the direction of Jilly's glance. It looked like someone had found their way to the island. Or the cruise liner. Or -- something had to be appropriate here.

"Don't make me lock you both in the seasons room, again."

Willow looked genuinely shocked. And amused. And distrustful. Jilly actually might --

"You wouldn't."

[she just grinned, her eyes crinkling slightly around the edges]

[Only...]

You would.

[a laugh] Only if I have to.

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