Team Blonde's European Vacation

[Nailah Weaver]

After a couple more moments the splintering visions pull in closer and closer to the 'present' until they barely differ from Nailah's normal perception, safe for a kind of vague shimmer of milliseconds in the future with very little variation. That, apparently, is as 'off' as she can make her power.

[Haley Crusek]

Haley blinked and pulled back to the real world, looking up at Nailah. "Whoa," she said. "I hope you were able to read that because that was just pretty lights and colors to me, pretty much," she chuckled.

She finally let her friend's hand go.

[Nailah Weaver]

"It's really more of a... feeling to me. Like a vibrating fuzzyness."

[Haley Crusek]

"Vibrating Fuzziness is the name of your sex tape," she quipped with a smirk.

"So where are we going, Nai?"

[Nailah Weaver]

"Ha ha." she chuckles.

"We should go... that way." she points in a seemingly random direction. "Hotel, right? To get cleaned up and all that?"

[Haley Crusek]

"Okay! Let's go see what hotel we run into going that way. Hopefully something in between a creepy murder hostel and some 5 star place that'll be 2 grand a night."

She grabbed Nailah's hand again grinning and giggling, and practically ran down the street, dragging her friend along as music appropriate to a vacation montage began to swell.

We cut to the interior of the hotel room. Haley jumped into the shower first, turning the removable showerhead into a mic as she sang along with the music blasting from her phone. // A cut to her wearing nothing but the hotel-provided robe and opening the door to receive her covertly ordered room service as Nailah showered, and using a twitch of her wings to "accidentally" open the robe as she took the bottle of champaign and charcuterie board from the cute attendant, letting out a mock shriek of surprise, quickly closing the door, and giggling maniacally. // Obligatory bathroom mirror selfies as the girls killed their bottle of champagne while 95% of the way dressed. // Finally, the camera pans across the opulent entrance to the casino to Nailah and Haley striding in together, dressed to kill and ready to earn their fortune, a slight breeze cinematically tousling their hair, and Haley's wings shimmering under the crystal chandeliers.

"Fuck, we look good..." Haley grinned, casting a sidelong glance at her bestie as they surveyed the casino before them.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Maybe a little bit." she grins back. She'd eventually settled on combining a sleeveless, backless tuxedo-adjacent top with a white skirt and replaced the cummerbund with a gold sash. No need for too many bells and whistles when working with ruddy blond lion's legs and tail on top wings that run through a range of light-browns. No jewelry safe for some faux-gold earrings. Rings and bracelets just draw attention to her hands and the finger missing from one of them.

They probably draw as many appreciative glances as they do disapproving ones but Nailah at least doesn't seem to give a dang. The atmosphere is a lot more subdued than American (or less fancy) casinos, though it's still brightly lit and embellished, they lean a lot more towards old-world class than garish carpets and flashing lights. There's still a certain level of volume and excitement permeating the air though as they go exchange what's left of their cash for a measly two chips and Nailah takes one and confidently strides up to a roulette tables. "Allons-y dame dé chance!" she announces (she looked that up and practiced it before-hand because she doesn't really speak any French) and flicks the chip into the air and sends it spinning, much to the dismay of the fancy suits and dresses already at the table. Still, a bets a bet and the chip lands square on the felt without disturbing any other bets in the little spot labelled 'Red' before the croupier announces "RIen ne va plus." and sends the ball into the already spinning wheel.

[Haley Crusek]

Haley hooks her arm around Nailah's after she places her bet and watches with bated breath as the wheel bounces the ball around its compartments. "You didn't tell me you practiced up your French!" Her wings fluttered excitedly and brushed against Nailah's, but the other patrons seemed to be giving them a bit of room since they did stick out a tiny bit.

"So uh....how the hell does this game work? You just like...try to bet on what color or number the ball stops on?"

[Nailah Weaver]

"I guess?" Nailah grins awkwardly as the ball clickety-clacks across the wheel and finally settles on red. What follows is an evening of hopping from table to table, playing games they barely know the proper rules for and spending plenty of their winnings on drinks for them and the rest of whatever table they're at. One would think Nailah planned this out intentionally, spending and losing enough to not make anybody too suspicious of the two obvious mutants while still ending up multiplying their initial money by quite a bit. They get their fair share of dirty looks, especially from older folks, but free drinks placate a lot of animosity.

By the time they make it back to their hotel room they're more than a little tipsy and have actual bundles of (small denominations) of cash stuffed into their purses. Nailah grabs two handfuls and throws them up in the air as she lets herself fall backwards onto the bed, wings briefly flapping in front of her from the impact on the bed, sending the money scattering even more as Nailah giggles to herself. Though unlike earlier it's beginning to sound a little forced. Maybe she's just tired.

[Haley Crusek]

Haley was pretty tipsy by the time they made it back to the room so the sight of her bestie making it rain and then fall backwards through the fluttering cash had her giggling and trying to recreate the same effect and fall next to Nailah on the single queen bed in the room.

She promptly missed, landing on the edge of the bed, and bouncing to the floor prompting an "Ow..." followed by more giggles.

As she sat on the floor something about her friend's laugh gave her pause, and she crawled around the bed on the floor, and pulled herself up the edge to face Nailah. "Everything okay, Nai?" she inquired softly, resting her arms on the edge of the bed, and her chin on her forearms.

[Nailah Weaver]

Haley's graceful descent to the floor does elicit a more genuine snort of laughter that only highlights the previous laughter being a little off. Even tipsy as she is Nailah realizes that much and she sighs a little.

"Yeah. No. I don't know. It's nothing, really." she says, pushing herself up to lean back on her elbows. "Today was great. Really. I just... I don't even know how to put it." he says, slurring her words a little. "S'like... all the cool stuff and everything you might think I'm great for... I don't really know how to do any of it, you know? It all just... happens cause my power and I'm just stumblin' through it."

[Haley Crusek]

"Nai," she said quietly, her slight Texas twang much more pronounced under the influence of the booze, "Do you think I have any idea what the fuck I'm doing half the time with my powers?"

Haley picked her head up so she should slide her hand over to Nailah's and she gave it a squeeze, her eyes wide and sparkling, her smile reassuring.

"Did you have fun? That's the important thing. I had fun," she continued, not really giving Nailah a chance to reply as she climbed awkwardly onto the bed next to Nailah and snuggled up next to her friend. "Because I'm here with my super smart, super hot, super funny, super sexy, super awesome, super amazing bestie....s'fun to say sssssssuper," her slurred speech punctuated by another small giggle before she just stares up at her friend finally noticing how close she had gotten to her as she'd squeezed onto the bed.

"...you're real pretty, Nai, you know that?"

[Nailah Weaver]

"I mean... yeah, I had fun." she says and she can't stop a genuine smile form her face at Haley proceeding to lavish praise on her. Even if it does feel kind of unearned, it is still her power doing it, right? That's a skill like any other, so what if it fills in for nearly anything she does? She's so in her head for a moment she almost misses the change in tone in Haley's voice and does a double-take in turning her head to look at her friend. "Wh-what?"

Suddenly the room feels very warm and Haley very close and her fingers soft against hers. As she's grown accustomed to, when she doesn't know what to do or say she reaches for her power, but what immediate futures blossom around her only fluster her more. They're never very clear, more vague impressions and a sense of what to do to steer things one way or another and right now there are a lot of them that involve leaning down closer or rolling over entirely on top of Haley. Or intertwining their fingers and other flashes of skin brushing against skin. Or biting her lower lip just so to lead to breaths mingling and... She slams the lid back on the potential worlds her head is swimming in and freezes up, face flushed and her breathing feeling heavy.

[Haley Crusek]

Haley looks concerned for a moment, but then her brain has time to process what she just snooped.

"Do... those...possibilities?...scare you?" she said looking for the right words, trying to sound reassuring and maybe a bit sultry, with probably mixed results.

"I can show you some of the possibilities...I had in mind...if you want." She kept hold of Nailah's hand, for a moment before letting go to reach out and brush a few stray strands of hair out of Nailah's face. "You're my best friend, Nai... you're amazing, and beautiful too...I'd be a damn liar if I said I didn't have at least a little crush on you."

[Nailah Weaver]

"I'm not scared." Nailah shoots back almost immediately. "I just don't know... I've never... well once but that wasn't really..." she stammers. "What if I don't like it. Or you don't like it." says the girl who got flustered by seeing the exact immediate answers to those questions. Somehow, despite being the one looking down at Haley she feels small and uncertain, far from the confidence she normally puts on display.

[Haley Crusek]

"There's only one way to really know whether or not we'll like it, you know..." she smiled tipsily.

"Nai, you're my best friend. If we decide we don't like this, nothing has to change, and I'll be your wingwoman whenever you do find that cute guy or gal you wanna go after."

She stroked Nailah's cheek. "It's okay if I'm not pretty enough or somthin...I just am happy we're here together."

[Nailah Weaver]

Why does Haley's hand on her cheek feel like it's sparks running down through her chest and settling below her stomach? Like the thrill of free-falling but slower somehow. Softer. She sits back up a little bit so she has one hand free to place over Haley's still resting on her cheek.

"Wha--Hales, no, you're cute as heck, that's not... that's not it." she says as if something in her head just slid into place. "I just don't wanna mess anything up. And... using my power to make sure I don't feels wrong cause... I dunno."

[Haley Crusek]

"The only thing we could possibly mess up isssss the ssssheets," she slurred ....reassuringly?

She didn't stop stroking Nailah's cheek, looking down for a moment, "We don't have to if you're that worried though...but..." she looked back up, biting her lip subtly, her blue eyes wide, "I know I want this," she said quietly,

[Nailah Weaver]

Something about Haley's quiet assent and the way she bites her lips sends a twinge through Nailah. And before she can second-guess herself she leans down and presses her lips to Haley's. A little clumsy and awkward at first it's easy enough to get caught up in the moment of it and, owing to the vaguely off-balance position she's in leaning down and over, shifts over to straddle Haley, hands planted on either side of the smaller blonde's head. "That was... pretty nice..." she says a bit breathlessly, wings spread slightly and draped down at her and Haley's sides.

[Haley Crusek]

She eagerly returned the kiss and wrapped her arms around Nailah's back, her hands sliding down and grabbing her ass gently.

"Yeah it was," Haley grinned. "I think we should do that some more...and maybe some other things...if you wanna..." She looked up at her friend, giving her that same look once again.

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah's tail twitches wildly from side to side when Haley grabs her and sends a shiver up her spine. She's got a vague idea of what 'other things' are, obviously, but she's less certain about the exact details of what she's supposed to do.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think I do..." she whispers quietly.

((FTB time?))

[Haley Crusek]

"Don't worry...we can go nice and slow..." she grinned devilishly before closing the distance between their lips once more.

((FTB))

[Nailah Weaver]

Over the next couple days the two make their way around Paris, sight-seeing during the day and finding places to party at night, culminating in not-so-sober make-outs sitting on top of the Eiffel Tower, watching the lights of the city. The next day they pack up and move on, heading south-east towards the huge mountain range they're beginning to spot from the air. It's an awe-inspiring view and full of opportunities to catch updrafts and dive through picturesque valleys and speed along fields of wild-flowers much too close to the ground. At one point they meet a group of hang-gliders in mid-air and perform a series of stunts to much cheer and envious looks. In Vienna they find a thriving club scene and make a couple friends with fellow back-packers who recommend Kamchiya Beach in Bulgaria. Drawn by the promise of a beach-party that keeps going all Summer for cheap enough their funds will last basically forever, how can the two say no and off they fly towards the Black Sea.