Phantom of the Burlesque, Part 5
Title: Phantom of the Burlesque, Part 5/7
Prompt: Claire / Drinking
Summary: Elle and Claire celebrate in Elle's dressing room; Elle goes missing.
In Elle’s dressing room, Elle and Claire surveyed the contraband they had acquired to celebrate that evening’s conquest. “I thought you couldn’t get drunk,” Elle said with an absent frown. When Claire had suggested a drinking game, Elle had been all for it, mostly because the game revolved around Gossip Girl and she’d fallen behind.
“No, I can still get drunk if I drink fast enough,” Claire lied. “Come on.” She hit play and sat on the worn couch and poured them each a shot. “Did you see the new boy?”
“Yeah. He was trying to do the dance moves when we were in the middle of our set. I almost died laughing.” She sat next to Claire and took one of the glasses, downing it when Gossip Girl started talking.
Claire chuckled and refilled her glass. “I’ll be happy to keep him occupied…”
“Don’t you make that same offer with everybody?”
Claire frowned and made sure Elle wasn’t paying attention to the TV. “Chuck in tie. Drink.” She waited until Elle had downed the glass before giving her another pour. “I don’t make the offer for everybody. Just people I really, really like.”
“Like the new benefactor?”
Claire grinned wolfishly. “Yes. He looks like he has muppets on his forehead, but I’d totally fuck them back to Fraggle Rock. He seemed to have heard of you, though, spill. Blair, ugly dress, go.”
Elle kicked back the new drink and coughed a little at the burn. They were using something new this time, she could tell. And what would Lydia think? Lydia had practically raised them both - Claire moreso than Elle, since Claire had been working here longer - but still. “Um. Our dads knew each other.”
“Oh? So you know the dirt on him. Tell.”
Elle frowned and ran her tongue along her teeth. “I don’t know. He’s tall.”
Claire filled Elle’s glass again. “Aaaaaaaaaand?”
“And, I don’t know. I used to call his eyebrows caterpillars and used to be terrified of them? I’d run away whenever he put his face too close to mine.”
Claire grinned. “No way. Seriously?” Another pour. She didn’t think anything had made Elle drink that time, but Elle had way too many secrets and was way too annoying when she was sober. The drunken Elle was much easier to put up with.
“Yep.” Elle drank and grinned. “I got over it but I really thought he had bugs eating his face off.” She turned to the TV, and this time, her head lolled a little more than necessary. “Wanna know something?”
Gold. “Yeah, sure.” Claire tried to sound as if she didn’t care one way or the other as she filled Elle’s glass again.
“I used to think he was my Angel of Music.”
Claire spilled some liquid on Elle’s floor. “The what?”
“The Angel of Music. You know how we have that ghost? Well, we also have the Angel of Music. He teaches me to sing and dance and stuff.”
“Really.” Claire surreptitiously checked the label on the bottle and wondered if this brand of whiskey could cause hallucinations. She had expected Elle’s present slur, but… Huh…
“Uh-huh. He’s really nice. Never seen him, but one day, may- Oooh! Serena, eyeroll! Drinkies!” She held out her glass, spilling a little more, and Claire rolled her eyes as she pushed Elle’s glass to the woman’s lips.
“So this Angel of Music, what’s he like?”
“I dunno.” She wrinkled her nose. “I hope he isn’t like the new guy, though. That would be a load and a half.”
“A load of what?”
Elle looked confused. What had they even been talking about? “I dunno.”
Claire sighed. “So… the new benefactor?”
“Pervert!” Elle giggled.
“Uh-huh. So what does he like?”
“I dunno! But he’s a pervert!” She fell back, still giggling, and Claire sighed. Okay. Elle was marginally easier to handle like this. Just… not enough. “CATERPILLARS,” Elle shouted gleefully, waggling her fingers over her eyebrows.”
Claire was glad for the interruption of a knock at the door and went to answer, grinning at Luke. “Hey, new kid. Come for my autograph?”
Luke grinned. “And more, if I can get it.”
Gabriel cleared his throat. He didn’t know what it was about young people these days, but they never seemed to give him any sort of respect. Not that they ever had, but still.
Claire glanced up at the new part owner of the Burlsque and blinked. Goddamn, he was tall. Elle hadn’t been lying about that, at least. “Um. She’s right inside.” She moved aside and looked Luke up and down as Gabriel went past. Yeah, he’d do for some good old-fashioned fun. “Want to see my dressing room?”
Luke bit his pants. He’d thought these pants weren’t so tight as the others, but... “Sure. Has it got anyplace to sit down?”
“Better. It has someplace to lie down.” She took his hand and was almost halfway down the hall when the new partner - Gabriel? - stopped her.
“I thought you said she was in here?”
Claire nodded. “Yeah. She might be passed out on the couch.”
Gabriel shook his head. “She isn’t here. She’s gone.”
Claire frowned. This man was preventing her from getting some. Or at least criminally delaying the opportunity. But he also paid for her housing and paycheck, so she whipped around and stomped back into Elle’s dressing room. “See? She’s right-” She froze as she pointed at an empty couch, then started looking in earnest, ducking her head into the bathroom and under the table. Finally, she gave up. “She’s gone.”
Gabriel nodded. Young people. Such idiots.
Prompt: Claire / Drinking
Summary: Elle and Claire celebrate in Elle's dressing room; Elle goes missing.
In Elle’s dressing room, Elle and Claire surveyed the contraband they had acquired to celebrate that evening’s conquest. “I thought you couldn’t get drunk,” Elle said with an absent frown. When Claire had suggested a drinking game, Elle had been all for it, mostly because the game revolved around Gossip Girl and she’d fallen behind.
“No, I can still get drunk if I drink fast enough,” Claire lied. “Come on.” She hit play and sat on the worn couch and poured them each a shot. “Did you see the new boy?”
“Yeah. He was trying to do the dance moves when we were in the middle of our set. I almost died laughing.” She sat next to Claire and took one of the glasses, downing it when Gossip Girl started talking.
Claire chuckled and refilled her glass. “I’ll be happy to keep him occupied…”
“Don’t you make that same offer with everybody?”
Claire frowned and made sure Elle wasn’t paying attention to the TV. “Chuck in tie. Drink.” She waited until Elle had downed the glass before giving her another pour. “I don’t make the offer for everybody. Just people I really, really like.”
“Like the new benefactor?”
Claire grinned wolfishly. “Yes. He looks like he has muppets on his forehead, but I’d totally fuck them back to Fraggle Rock. He seemed to have heard of you, though, spill. Blair, ugly dress, go.”
Elle kicked back the new drink and coughed a little at the burn. They were using something new this time, she could tell. And what would Lydia think? Lydia had practically raised them both - Claire moreso than Elle, since Claire had been working here longer - but still. “Um. Our dads knew each other.”
“Oh? So you know the dirt on him. Tell.”
Elle frowned and ran her tongue along her teeth. “I don’t know. He’s tall.”
Claire filled Elle’s glass again. “Aaaaaaaaaand?”
“And, I don’t know. I used to call his eyebrows caterpillars and used to be terrified of them? I’d run away whenever he put his face too close to mine.”
Claire grinned. “No way. Seriously?” Another pour. She didn’t think anything had made Elle drink that time, but Elle had way too many secrets and was way too annoying when she was sober. The drunken Elle was much easier to put up with.
“Yep.” Elle drank and grinned. “I got over it but I really thought he had bugs eating his face off.” She turned to the TV, and this time, her head lolled a little more than necessary. “Wanna know something?”
Gold. “Yeah, sure.” Claire tried to sound as if she didn’t care one way or the other as she filled Elle’s glass again.
“I used to think he was my Angel of Music.”
Claire spilled some liquid on Elle’s floor. “The what?”
“The Angel of Music. You know how we have that ghost? Well, we also have the Angel of Music. He teaches me to sing and dance and stuff.”
“Really.” Claire surreptitiously checked the label on the bottle and wondered if this brand of whiskey could cause hallucinations. She had expected Elle’s present slur, but… Huh…
“Uh-huh. He’s really nice. Never seen him, but one day, may- Oooh! Serena, eyeroll! Drinkies!” She held out her glass, spilling a little more, and Claire rolled her eyes as she pushed Elle’s glass to the woman’s lips.
“So this Angel of Music, what’s he like?”
“I dunno.” She wrinkled her nose. “I hope he isn’t like the new guy, though. That would be a load and a half.”
“A load of what?”
Elle looked confused. What had they even been talking about? “I dunno.”
Claire sighed. “So… the new benefactor?”
“Pervert!” Elle giggled.
“Uh-huh. So what does he like?”
“I dunno! But he’s a pervert!” She fell back, still giggling, and Claire sighed. Okay. Elle was marginally easier to handle like this. Just… not enough. “CATERPILLARS,” Elle shouted gleefully, waggling her fingers over her eyebrows.”
Claire was glad for the interruption of a knock at the door and went to answer, grinning at Luke. “Hey, new kid. Come for my autograph?”
Luke grinned. “And more, if I can get it.”
Gabriel cleared his throat. He didn’t know what it was about young people these days, but they never seemed to give him any sort of respect. Not that they ever had, but still.
Claire glanced up at the new part owner of the Burlsque and blinked. Goddamn, he was tall. Elle hadn’t been lying about that, at least. “Um. She’s right inside.” She moved aside and looked Luke up and down as Gabriel went past. Yeah, he’d do for some good old-fashioned fun. “Want to see my dressing room?”
Luke bit his pants. He’d thought these pants weren’t so tight as the others, but... “Sure. Has it got anyplace to sit down?”
“Better. It has someplace to lie down.” She took his hand and was almost halfway down the hall when the new partner - Gabriel? - stopped her.
“I thought you said she was in here?”
Claire nodded. “Yeah. She might be passed out on the couch.”
Gabriel shook his head. “She isn’t here. She’s gone.”
Claire frowned. This man was preventing her from getting some. Or at least criminally delaying the opportunity. But he also paid for her housing and paycheck, so she whipped around and stomped back into Elle’s dressing room. “See? She’s right-” She froze as she pointed at an empty couch, then started looking in earnest, ducking her head into the bathroom and under the table. Finally, she gave up. “She’s gone.”
Gabriel nodded. Young people. Such idiots.