[I won't be going home tonight] My generation will put it right (rp for its-phoenetic)

[magic_fratboy]

NOTE: Bendy time to next Saturday. :)

Maybe it was like being home twice over that made the hotel one of his favorites, but just walking over the fake cobblestones and manhole covers, staring at a miniature Times Square looming before him eased a knot between his shoulderblades that he didn't realize was there. It had gone away in Brooklyn, too, at least as soon as he'd left Bess's graveside...

Avoiding darker thoughts, Tommy absently reached up to remove his baseball cap, rolling it up and shoving it in the back pocket of his jeans. Absently, he noted they were looser than usual...his workout routine hadn't changed in nearly three months, but even his mom had commented on it: he looked like he was training for the Olympics or something. Dad had brought the truth to light when they finally sat down and discussed his power: as his magic grew stronger, his body would follow.

He still couldn't believe his dad had been hiding from the Fraternity all these years. Real magic at his fingertips, and he'd given it up for love. It was kind of romantic, actually.

Letting it slip from his thoughts, Tommy amused himself by trying to get the sound right under his feet...the shuffle-clack of stone under his boots as he walked, getting it with a triumphant laugh only when he'd reached the restaurant, and spotted a girl standing out front in just the spot they'd agreed to meet at.

Walking up to her, Tommy cleared his throat twice before he could get his voice to work. "Uh...hey. Listen, are you Dee?"

Comments

[its-phonetic.livejournal.com]

Teddy had called her insane for agreeing to meet a completely random guy, called her insane and a lot of other things that meant insane and then Dee reminded her they needed to eat sometime soon and if Teddy kept being so damn obvious about the cards (she wasn't, but Dee was in a mood) then they wouldn't have any money and Costas couldn't afford to float another one of their bills. A job was a job and in order to get one, Dee had to meet the guy offering it. That had shut Teddy up, but Dee had kept up the mood for the remainder of the morning, soft features hardened by her annoyance.

But the time she'd ventured out though, she was generally calm. She'd taken a hot bath, done a few exercises to relax, and splurged on a tiny package of Ferrero Rocher. Something about the chocolate and hazelnut made her happy. Endorphins or some such nonsence.

She'd been early, early and nervous, and her head snapped up when she heard her name. Uncrossing her arms, she straightened up and smiled. She was drowning in layers, a long sweater nearly to her calves over a thin long sleeve tee shirt and a white scarf wrapped around her neck. Her skirt was long, a rumpled white peasant skirt that brushed the ground when she walked, the hem perpetually stained black from the grime. Baby blue Chuck Taylors poked out from beneath the skirt. She dressed like an urchin, but she held herself like a dancer, head high and back perfectly straight.

Shaking her sleeves back, she smiled, tucking her long curls behind her ear before holding out her hand. "In the flesh. Dimitra Panagopolous, nice to meet you," she said brightly, her voice soft and thick with her natural Greek accent. The girls had learned to Americanize the accents for show, but most of the time they went au naturale.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

The sound of her accent made him smile, reminding him of the sounds of home. Extending his hand to her with a grin, he nodded politely.

"Dimitria...geias sas." he replied in greeting. "Tommy Karras, the pleasure's mine...and it's nice to meet a fellow homelander, my dad's from Attica. Hope I didn't keep you waitin' too long, I got kinda caught up wandering. I love this hotel, I swear...anyway. I'm babbling."

Flashing her a shy smile, he gestured ahead towards the entrance to the restaurant. "Shall we?"

[its-phonetic.livejournal.com]

"Oh my Julie Cooper," she breathed, her smile turning into a full blown grin as she started towards the restaurant. "You're Greek!"

Her words trailed off into a tumble of Greek exclaimations of awesomeness before she put her hand over her mouth and forcibly stopped herself. "Sorry. We're from Parnassus. It's even nicer to meet you now. Of all the gin joints..." Trailing off again, she just kept smiling. What serendipity.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Tommy chuckled lightly as they approached the maitre'd. Gesturing for a table for two, he led the way as they followed him through the restaurant.

"I don't actually speak Greek? But I know enough that I could talk to my Papouli when he was alive, and I know enough to be sure when my parents are really pissed at me." he laughed. "But I understood about five words in there, all good, so thanks."

When they reached the table, Tommy pulled a chair out for her and waited for her to sit before taking his own chair. "I've never actually been back to Greece...what's Parnassus like?"

[its-phonetic.livejournal.com]

Picking up her napkin and folding it across her lap, Dimitra shrugged out of her sweater, her thin black shirt underneath displaying just how thin she was. "It's beautiful. Parnassus is actually a mountain just above Delphi. We went to school and Uni in Delphi, but we actually lived on the mountain. Everything there is just so... alive. Vibrant. The energy is... so real. I miss it. But here, Vegas has the energy. Places like this are like a battery charge for us."

"That and the lights are pretty," she added jokingly, wrinkling her nose.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Hearing her talk about Parnassus was something he could relate to...it felt like any time he went home, and he said so.

"I grew up in Brooklyn." he explained. "We moved to Vegas when I was ten, and I went to school in Calli when I was eighteen, I been living in Hollywood ever since. Still, when I come back here...the energy's amazing."

Regarding her for a moment, he tried to get a sense of her, but found it difficult not because she was hard to read, but because she was a lot like Sassy: a rich, overwhelming burst of hope and joy that energized him. Sassy had more depth, more darkness to her, but the lack in Dee wasn't a flaw. She was...pure.

Grinning, Tommy leaned back in his seat and reached for his menu, gesturing to hers. "Lunch is on me, order anything ya want. The job interview has officially begun, and I'm thinkin' I need to hook you early." he teased. "So you're a magician's assistant. You work strictly stage, or you think you could function close up? Some classic stuff, but primarily street magic. Plant, ya know?"

[its-phonetic.livejournal.com]

Nodding absentmindedly, Dimitra snatched up her menu. Well, he said lunch was on him... she wasn't going to deny him the right to be so gentlemanly. That and she hadn't eaten since before last night's act (to which she'd gotten quite the talking to from Teddy -- full name dropping and everything), so she was starving.

"We've been doing this since we were in diapers. Mum taught us, she was Dad's assistant for a while until she had Costas. After that she was teacher first, assistant second. When Dad died she was just teacher." Shrugging slightly, she looked up from her menu, her eyes sad but not with sorrow, with a sort of lack of happiness. Her father was a good man and she still missed him, even now.

"We're good at anything. Not to toot my own horn, but..." She shrugged again and looked back at the menu. "Toot."

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Tommy almost wanted to reference the Fraternity, see if she was a member, but it was pretty clear she wasn't. After all, initiates wore a talisman, like his own handcuff necklace, and pledged members had the tattoo. Her sleeves were long, but he'd see it if she rolled up her sleeve.

Her experience was a plus, though, given he was just starting out. Nodding to himself, he glanced at the menu unnecessarily before picking out his usual Cesar salad, deciding to add a pizza to it. He was starving, and he'd been doing a lot of magic. He always got super hungry when he used his power too much, he was starting to notice...another fact explained by his father.

"Well, I'd say lifelong training's a definite bonus." he quipped. "So your sister works, too? And as for work, what're you both doing right now? Who you working for, I mean?"

[its-phonetic.livejournal.com]

"I'm working, a two week gig for Hector Alejandro, you know, the 'Amazing Hector'?" She rolled her eyes a little but she'd willingly admit it wasn't a bad job, the guy was a hoot and a sweetheart to top it off and she was enjoying the blatant theatricality of it all, Hec pulled out all the stops. Still, it was vaguely boring. "His girl sprained her ankle and I've got the curls so I got the job till she's up again."

Reaching back, she twirled her long hair into a knot and shoved a pair of chopsticks in the bun to hold it up off her neck. She obviously had the chopsticks... in her pocket or something.

"Teddy's very busily bank rolling our stay here at the tables. They keep stalking her like vultures over an emaciated corpse, but they can't prove anything and she can't count for beans so..." She smiled, the expression of an absolute angel and put down her menu neatly. "I'm thinking cheese ravioli, if that's alright."

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

"Good call." Tommy grinned, referencing her food selection. Signaling a waiter, he ordered for both of them before returning to the discussion at hand.

"So here's the deal: I wanna see you work. Audition, as it were." he explained. "At the same time, I'm gonna try out some of my stuff. I won't lie, I don't even have a solid act built yet, but I'm working on it and I need an assistant to help. I can't pay a lot to start, but I'll cover what I can."

"Only thing I can guarantee is that I've got work in the bag...I've got a stunt coming up that I've organized solo, after that I'm gonna hit the stage and streets. I'm well connected within the business, too. I do a lotta business with Master Martin, he headlined for four years at the Aladdin? I also know Benny D, he's one of the top close up magicians in the country. Mike Kellar, the illusion engineer, is a friend of mine, and I got business dealings here in Vegas with Channing Vale, the headliner that's doing the Flamingo in December. I'm new, but I know magic. So if you got the chops? If you can ride out a few rough weeks with me, I promise you it'll be worth your while."

[its-phonetic.livejournal.com]

The list of names and most of his little speech went in one ear and out the other for the most past. She absorbed them, and recognized them, but for the most part was distracted enough by one name to be stopped dead.

If ever there was a sin Dimitra was good at, it was Envy. She and Teddy had tried for years to bring back the Panagopolous name since their father died but it apparently only meant anything when they were in Greece and when he was still alive. The two fatherless daughters were cute, but held little of Dimitri's former company. Like cast offs, they'd been taken care of but ignored.

And here was this man, sitting on front of her and offering her a job, she was now no doubt going to foul up actually getting, who was eyeball deep in some amazing modern magicians.

"You know Martin?" Envy? Yeah, she was all over that.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Laughing a little, Tommy paused just long enough to thank a waiter that brought them water and a bread basket before continuing, leaning over to grab a slice and dip it in the accompanying olive oil.

"Yeah, I know Martin Mackenroy." he reiterated. "That other name I dropped, Benny D? He's a hot shot corporate magician...Mackenroy's nephew. I roomed with him in college, so I know Master Martin pretty well. So you're a fan? That's really cool!"

[its-phonetic.livejournal.com]

"You know Vale and Mackenroy and you want to try out a lowly Panagopolous girl?" Leaning forward, she put her elbows on the table, folding her hands together. Pursing her lips, she raised an eyebrow at him, fiddling with the ring on her thumb in a nervous habit she'd never been able to kick. "Are you serious?"

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

"I am serious, and that's a load." he replied honestly, his expression sobering a little without hardening. "Lowly nothing, if you know your stuff? Why shouldn't I hire you? If you're good, you're good, and prestige is shit to me. I can see it in you, Dee...the light. You love this stuff, enough to know Mackenroy, at any rate. Tell me I'm wrong."

[its-phonetic.livejournal.com]

Part and parcel of growing up almost the youngest meant Dimitra hated being wrong. Almost as much as she hated having to share the hair straightener with Apollonia back in Greece. It also meant she was real good at admitting she as wrong, which she was. Often.

"You're not," she conceded, poking a piece of bread in the olive oil. Taking a bite and chewing thoughtfully, she sat up straightening her back against the chair again. "How's this audition going to work exactly, now that you've successfully made me nervous."

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Tommy smiled then, only it wasn't shy or sweet...it was a rare and brash smile of pure mischief. Reaching out, he unrolled his silverware from the napkin with a deft flick of his wrist, then along with the napkin he picked up a butter knife and waved it lightly between his fingers.

"Houdini's Favorite Trick." Was the only warning her gave her before he flagged down their waiter, and within ten seconds had three servers at their table.

He ran down the trick with all the charisma and skill of a pro...how he and his associate, whom he'd just met for the first time today and was discussing a job offer, then explained that a conversation about the late master had brought about discussion of Houdini's favorite magic trick.

Draping the napkin over the knife, he encouraged each of the three servers to check underneath and see that it was still there. Reaching Dee, he leaned across the table and brought the napkin down over her lap, allowing the knife to fall away and into her waiting lap under cover of reaching to give her better access.

"Fair so far?" he asked with a smile. "Knife's still under there?"

[its-phonetic.livejournal.com]

Dimitra didn't even think, reaching out to feel the knife she knew wasn't there even as she willed knife to fall into limbo before it even touched her skirts. It would wait for her there until she called it back. It was something she had realized was rather handy, in case some skeptics -- and boy were there many -- thought she was in on the act. As the assistant she naturally was, but skeptics were skeptics and after the first person who knew the trick called her and Costas on it, it had become second nature to think it away until she could conjure it back. She actually got more of a kick out of it when people did call her on it. With no knife on her... well, it was a neat trick.

"Still there," she stated with the same casual curiosity as the others watching. "But really, should you be bringing up knife play already? We barely know each other." She smiled sweetly at Tommy, praying the gentle banter wasn't too much. The whole job thing? She needed it.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Tommy laughed as the other waiters did, surprisingly cool without a hint of a blush in his cheeks. It was easier to play the part, be more secure when he was performing because it was just that: an act.

"Well I'm buyin' you lunch!" he mock protested, grinning all the while. "Besides, It's cool, check this out..."

Trailing off, he hesitated, then tossed up the empty napkin to the amazement of their servers and his lunch companion. Once congratulations had been shared and the waiters left, Tommy took his seat again and flashed Dee a smile.

"Okay...that was pretty fuckin' great." he grinned. "For a trial run, anyway. I'd like to walk the Strip a little, see how you do in a bigger crowd? But that was good stuff, babe."

[its-phonetic.livejournal.com]

"Thanks, I'd curtsy, but I'm rather comfortable sitting." Wrinkling her nose, she tugged at one of her earrings with the tinest hint of embarassment, lowering her voice to nearly a whisper.. "And I took my sneakers off and restuarants tend to stick to the no shirt, no shoes, no service policy."

"Oh! Your knife." Pushing back her sleeves so her arms were bare, she laid her hand on the table. With a sly grin and a less than subtle wink, she picked up her hand after a moment and folded her hands together in her lap. Tommy's knife lay exactly where her hand had been.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

He watched for the move, but didn't see a thing. Once the knife was back, he looked up at her with a broad grin, shaking his head in amazement. So she did magic on her own, and near as he could tell? Her close up was on par with Ben's, if she wasn't using actual magic herself...

Deciding to play it safe and treat it as if it were straight legerdemain, he reached out and picked up the knife in amazement.

"I...didn't even see that..." he laughed, referring to the key move. "Shit, I'm tempted to hire you on the strength of your magic alone. You didn't tell me you had your own act!"

[its-phonetic.livejournal.com]

"It was nothing," she shrugged, ducking her head and reaching for another piece of bread to focus on. The praise was lovely, to be sure, but Dimitra was not wired to accept it; she'd learned it from her mother -- assistants merely assited. "Just a little show for the showman. An assistant needs to know enough to make it look real. Thank you though."

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

"Don't blow smoke in my face, that's real talent." Tommy insisted honestly, nodding. "You could definitely make your own way if you wanted...hell, maybe you can after a while, Lord knows I can put you in touch with the right people."

He fell quiet for a few moments, reaching for a piece of bread and tearing off a chunk, dipping it in the olive oil before popping it in his mouth. By then, he'd come to a decision.

"I'll be in Vegas for about five days." he decided aloud. "I wanna work with you on a few street routines. If they play out well before I head home? I want you to come to LA with me. Translation: you're pretty much hired, so..."

[its-phonetic.livejournal.com]

"Are you serious?" For the second time, she looked at him with a look that possibly looked like she thought he was a little crazy, but so darn sincere. "Holy Seth Cohen, you are serious. Huh."

Breathing out a whispered Greek swear, the disbelieve slowly turned into a bright smile. To be perfectly honest, she never wanted to be her own act, she was far too shy for that -- she would pass out if everyone's attention was strictly on her. Teddy had to feed her Tums to calm her down before big shows that's how bad her stage fright was. But who ever heard of a magician's assistant being afraid of the limelight? One person was fine, even the waiters because their attention was still on Tommy... an entire audience with their eyes on her? Just the thought made her nervous.

"Thank you."

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Grinning, Tommy shrugged it off good-naturedly, blushing all the while. She was so simple, so sincere in her gratitude that it was more than a little overwhelming. And the way she talked...he had to wonder where she'd learned English from.

"Now I do have a day job, and along with this gig? If you want, I can get you work in LA, too...also working for me." he went on with a laugh. "I'm a graphic designer, and I've been asking my boss about a personal assistant for a while. Pay is good, hours are pretty flexible, and the environment's really laid back. So there's that side note, if you're interested. Ya know, when we're between gigs and shit."

[its-phonetic.livejournal.com]

Dipping her head forward, Dimitra's long hair tumbled out of its knot and fell across her shoulders, hiding most of her face. Steepling her fingers and pressing them together until her palms touched, she took a deep breath, her thin shoulders rising and falling heavily. As her eyes fell shut, she pursed her lips and said a silent prayer of thanks. She hadn't done anything spectacular to warrant this kind of kindness, it had to be a gift, and she was more than grateful for it.

After a moment she opened her eyes. Brushing her her hair back, she looked back up at Tommy, the same gratitude in her eyes. "And they say chivalry is dead. Efharistó."

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

He barely heard her words, the look on her face and the energy that radiated from her said so much, with such volume that it stole his breath for just a moment. With a smile, he reached across the table and offered her his hand to seal the deal with a handshake, and in a gesture of friendship.

"Hope springs eternal." he replied quietly, his smile growing to a grin. "Working for me, you'll learn that it's absolutely true."

[its-phonetic.livejournal.com]

With a soft peal of laughter, Dimitra took the too big ring from her thumb and held it out to Tommy. It was simple, just a slightly raised silver band -- her father's wedding ring -- but the inside was engraved, a soft time-worn cursive that she'd memorized when she was a child. While there's life, there's hope.

"I already know."

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Leaning over, Tommy looked at the ring, reading the inscription with a slow-spreading smile. It almost sounded like something he'd hear from Martin, or something he might have even said his last time around the block...

"Just outta curiosity, you don't have any tattoos, do you?" he asked after a beat. He just couldn't resist asking, and it was the easiest way to find out if she was actually a Fraternity sister...

[its-phonetic.livejournal.com]

Curls bobbing, Dimitra shook her head. "I am of the legion of uninked. We are few, but many." She nodded sagely, biting back a giggle as she toyed with her silverware.

"Besides, you can't ask a lady something like that."

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Tommy smiled, then discreetly pushed the band of his watch back enough on his left wrist to expose one of the two sets of handcuffs tattooed there...namely, his most recent one, the modern set, leaving the antique pair covered by his watch. He'd show that later, if it came down to it...but for now, he wanted to remain as anonymous as he could.

"Depends on the kind of ink we're talking about." he replied simply.