Walk of Shame (OPEN)

[Tristian]

The sound of the heels on the tiled floor echoed around him and caused him to wince with each step.

Why had he fallen asleep?! Why had he left all of his usual clothes in the club?!

The show had gone well, very well, so well that the audience had asked for a couple of encores and so he had sashed back out to give it to them. Once again as he was coming off stage at the end the owner asked if he wanted a show all on his own and as always he refused, he was fine just being a part of the rest of the acts. He did not want that kind of publicity. The more posters that were out there the harder it would be to keep this particular past time of his a secret , and he needed it to remain a secret.

Which was why, right now, he was kicking himself.

After the show he had stepped out briefly, still in his dress and heels, to speak with a couple of the members and noticed a familiar face. The kindly thug that had helped hold of the rest of them that time he and Mordred had to run away. Well…he couldn’t not buy a drink for the man after he had been so nice in helping them out, and well one drink turned into a couple of drinks and the rest was a history he would rather forget. He at least had been sober enough not to suggest they went back to his but apparently not sober enough to remember to take the bag that had his jeans and shirt in it.

Which is why he currently found himself in his three inch gold heels, the gold dress that barely covered his arse and his slightly tousled blonde wig, walking through the mall at 6am. He had toned down the make up a little bit (because apparently drunk Tristian had decided that make up was an essential…to be honest, he thought drunk Tristian was right, but still…) to make it look natural and thanked the gods that he was blessed with being one of those queens that could pass for an actual girl, so long as no one looked too close.

He had decided to take the shortcut through the mall to get back to the flat, as he often did whenever he was doing the walk of the shame, it was usually open by this time and he could sneak through it and avoid most people. The only people that tended to be here at this time was people going to open up their shops and even then there were very few. Madam Marshon was there, an early bird and waved to him and said, “Morning Emma, another late night?”

He waved weakly and said in his ‘Emma’ voice, “but a good one.”

“Swing by once you’ve had some sleep, I just got something you might like,” she said with a wink.

“Will do,” said Tristian.

Madam Marshon, other than his mother, was the only other person that knew about his ‘secret’ and given that she ran a clothes shop he was very grateful for that. However he had been so distracted by their conversation that he hadn’t realised he was just about to walk into someone.

Tristian’s Drag Persona Emma Knightly (actual Drag Queen – Courtney Act)

[Aiden Mumble]

The only reason on Guin's green earth Aiden would be up this early was because she too was participating in a rather long walk of shame. She was coming from the male dorms because of...reasons. She was wearing, you guessed it, black leggings and a worn out shirt. She hadn't gotten much sleep, she usually found it best to bail on these situations early or else people get the wrong idea. It had been a wonderful distraction for the night. A little liqueur and a lot of fun can go a long way to help you forget. Unfortunately it was morning and her head hurt and she was alone again and she still had a million problems. She'd been having trouble with her anger issues in particular lately and even the most dangerous foreplay wasn't making it all that better. This is why she nearly cussed the woman out when they ran into each other.

"Whoa" she said turning to one side to regain her balance. It was her fault too, she'd been shielding her eyes from the rising sun. Still, she looked up to glare at the woman. She was much taller Aiden, especially with the big heels. Her dress was rather short, but not by any means ill fitting. Aiden's gaze softened. That was a party dress, this girl was just trying to get home too. Not to mention, she was pretty hot. Maybe if Aiden played her cards right, this could be her next distraction. Aiden didn't usually go for blondes, but she was running out of people she didn't recognize.

"Sorry" Aiden said, smirking a little. "Looks like you had a fun night too."

[Tristian]

It took him a moment to recognise the girl in front of him but when he did his eyes widened and he felt the fear running through him. Oh no. Of all the people that he could have run into in this state she perhaps was not the worst but from what he gathered she was ‘rooming’ with the worst. He tried to calm himself down and well…given what she said he was getting the impression that maybe, maybe she hadn’t figured it out.

He forced himself to smile, pushing himself back into ‘Emma’ mode for the moment. Bubbly and flirty, in his ‘Emma’ voice he said, “no it’s my fault, too busy window shopping I forgot to look where I was going. I love your shirt by the way, very hungover chic.”

Winking at her she said in response, “you better believe it. Although it’s strange, the clocks must have gone back at some point because it seemed to be over very quickly.”

He pointed ahead of him and said, “I should get going, I require a bed that doesn’t stink of beer and a nice warm cup of tea. I’ll maybe run into you again some morning A-”

He had been about to say her name, she hadn’t even said it yet, “-mazingly styled hair you have there, looks great.”

[Aiden Mumble]

Aiden looked down a chuckled a bit. 'Hungover chic' perfectly described her everyday style. Probably because she was more often hungover than not. at least she didn't have any stains on her shirt this time. Maybe just hungover was a better way to describe her outfit, Aiden never felt very chic. She'd like to think she didn't care about fashion much, but she'd caught herself actually trying to look like she wasn't trying before. She had a reputation to uphold, anyway. Besides, she felt most comfortable wearing something she could easily move in. She had dance classes almost everyday anyhow.

"Isn't that always the way" Aiden said wistfully. The nights always seemed to have gone so fast when the morning came. Not to mention the crushing depression that came with it. Aiden was not a morning person. She was desperate to stop thinking again. She had just so happened to run into a hot girl who also liked to have a good time. It was like the stars had aligned. Although, she had to admit, there was something a little funny about her voice. Still, Aiden knew what a long night of partying could do to your voice. Unfortunately for Aiden, she made a comment that made Aiden believe she was all partied out. Then something strange happened.

Aiden noticed things. She was very observant, and she would have to be an idiot not to notice the strange structure of that last compliment. She'd begun to stay something else that started with an A. Also Aiden's hair was not by any means styled or amazing at the moment. It was falling out of a messing bun. Something was up. Aiden narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Sorry, have we met?" She tried to remain casual. Aiden knew most people probably knew her by her reputation for sleeping around, but it would be a pretty large leap to assume who she was based on one walk of shame. Aiden was starting to think she might look a little familiar. Had they slept together before? That seemed unlikely, Aiden usually at least vaguely remembered the people she slept with. However, if they hadn't met Aiden didn't want to scare her away by being too direct. "I'm sorry, you just look a little familiar, but that could be the hangover talking." She smirked coyly.

[Tristian]

Tristian cursed internally whilst keeping the cheery smile on his face.

Shit.

She recognised him. She might not have figured it out yet but he could see the wheels beginning to turn. He needed to distract her or throw her off course somehow, come up with some sort of plausible way that they might have met each other before.

“I get that a lot, I think I just have one of those faces,” he said, still keeping up the smile.

He then looked thoughtful for a moment and said, “Although, come to think of it, you kind of look familiar to me as well. I might have seen you in the club last night?”

What did he know about Aiden? She lived with Mordred, she drank coffee and she had just witnessed her first duel and thus what was possibly her first stabbing. So, she probably didn’t go to the more seedier bars in the city. However, she was clearly a girl that liked to have a good time on account of her walking home at the same time he was, so…

It was time for a guess. A real shot in the dark.

“Were you that girl that was doing that amazing dance on the pole?”

[Aiden Mumble]

One of those faces? No that didn't seem right. Aiden was actually just thinking how she looked uniquely sexy. Something was just left of center, but Aiden couldn't put her finger on it. It worked, certainly, whatever she was doing was working, but it wasn't common enough that Aiden could assume she was mistaking her for someone else. Not to mention she had a pretty loud statement going on with her outfit, if she always dressed like this Aiden was sure they hadn't met. She didn't usually hang around her type outside of a few secret places she visited upon occasion. She made a point to not pick people up in those places, the whole point was that it remain a secret. It was decidedly difficult to conceal your identity when having sex with someone unless you're into some really weird shit. The point is, this was not some mistake. She looked familiar and she may know her name. Aiden was getting more suspicious by the moment.

Then she mentioned Aiden looking familiar and she was tilted of center. If she knew her name and was trying to conceal it, why would she agree to them potentially knowing each other? Aiden was all geared up for attack mode, but felt tripped by the change in events and forced to back down. The club? Sure, Aiden had been at a club before she headed off to a bar and then home with a fellow student. It was a late night, don't judge. She tried to recall if she'd seen this girl there, but to be honest Aiden didn't pay much attention to anything while she was there. It wasn't a regular thing or anything and she'll deny it if you accuse her of it. Not to mention she wore a mask and a wig and was careful not to speak to anyone. She was always so careful. She wasn't wearing any of the same clothes, she'd ditched her mask and wig like she always did. Perhaps it was the scraps of glitter on her neck and arms that lead her on. That was such a small thing.

"The club...?" Aiden repeated, trying hard to keep any concern out of her voice. The girl moved on. She didn't sound accusing, but Aiden felt guilty. She began to panic. Had she honestly just unwittingly run into someone who happened to see her an recognize her? What are the odds? Pole dancing had been such a clever outlet. No one cares who the pole dancers are at the club. You use a fake name and no one questions it. No one asked her questions. She was good at it. Good enough that she could dance whenever she asked and stay away just the same. She'd been having a rough go lately, she desperately hoped she wasn't about to lose this too.

"No!" she said too quickly. She cleared her throat "I mean, that must have been someone else." She lied, attempting to recover. It may not have been enough.

[Tristian]

That was a very quick response. Almost…too quick.

This was good; he could use this, shift the focus back to her and away from him.

“Oh I’m sorry,” he said apologetically, “I mean she was really good, did you see her? The way she did that splits thing whilst halfway up, that was amazing. I really wish I could dance like that, but sadly, two left feet.”

Which of course is when Tristian lost his footing in his own heels for a moment and teetered a little closer to Aiden, having to reach out and steady himself by resting his hands on her shoulders. This wasn’t good, he had bene subtly trying to edge away from her due to the closer someone was to him the less his ‘natural’ makeup held up, however now here he was right in front of her.

“Sorry!” he said quickly, stepping back and quickly snatching his hands away from Aiden’s shoulders, “these damn heels, they’ve been making me fall into people’s arms all night, so I suppose they’re good for something!”

[Aiden Mumble]

The flattery didn’t help. Even if she hadn’t guessed Aiden was indeed the pole dancer from the club by the way she responded so readily, her comments nearly made her blush with embarrassment. Aiden was rather wild when it came to her sex life so it didn’t follow that being called out on pole dancing in a club would cause her to blush, yet she sucked in her cheeks and looked away. Of course, it wasn’t the risky nature of the act that had her agitated, rather the fact that someone may have watched her performing at all. She wore the mask for a reason. It allowed her freedom from her fear of being perfect. She could be a pleasantly mediocre pole dancer in a mask and no one would call up at her ”Aren’t you Mumble’s daughter? Shouldn’t you be better?”

Aiden opened her mouth to excuse herself from the situation, all thoughts of bringing this girl home tossed from her mind as she creeped closer to discovering her secret. Then, just as she was about to turn away, Emma lost her footing and fell into her. Aiden had to brace herself and extended her arms to hold onto the girl’s waist to keep herself from toppling as well. Aiden’s eyes centered on Emma’s instinctively and she noticed something rather odd.

It was just a moment before they pulled apart, but Aiden had been thinking about Tristian a lot lately. They’d only met the once, but it was under some extreme pressure. She couldn’t decide if she should tell him about what was going on with Mordred, if she should ask him for help, or leave him out of it. He had been on Lorelei’s side often. That’s not to say Aiden thought she should have been stabbed, but it was likely that he was pissed at Mordred. The last thing that boy needed was more people telling him he messed up. She knew very little about Tristian. It was a far stretch to assume that he did drag on the down low based on what she’d seen at the duel. However, if it was him, then they both had a secret they wanted to keep and that was much better than a stranger running around knowing that Aiden pole danced. This could give her leverage. That is, of she was right.

”Tristian?” She guessed hastily, eager to be right. She moved closer to him and narrowed her eyes, suddenly she was recognizing bits and pieces that were a bit more masculine than they should have been. Even if it wasn’t him, it was definitely a dude. Yet, he was still pretty hot.

[Tristian]

Oh. Shit.

This was what he got for falling asleep when he should have just left as soon as it was done. Karma was a bitch.

The panic in his face came unbidden, he didn’t have the energy to try and conceal it, that had all gone into his act, and he could feel the twinges of the hangover coming upon him. This was not good, this was definitely not good. Aiden was Mordred’s roommate, they drank together, they lived together, who knows what else they did together, but if she knew this then she would surely tell him, right? This…was not good…

The first option he had was to lie. To deny it. To go ‘who?’ and try and keep up the act long enough until he could bolt out of there in his pretty little size eleven stilettos. However…that might just lead to more questions, she might do a bit of asking around and then she definitely would bring it up with Mordred and then the manure would really hit the fan.

Oh. F*ck.

Option two it was.

“Aiden,” he said with a nod to her, going back to his normal voice, “so…what's new with you?"

[Aiden Mumble]

Aiden stared at him. She saw the horror dawn on his face and she knew her guess was correct. Still, she did nothing. She needed to process and her hangover wasn't during her any favors. Her face melted into stunned realization and she simply blinked. three minutes ago she had been planning on taking a hot girl home to hers and Mordred's house. She had been planning to take Tristian home to have sex with him. Mordred's friend Tristian passing for a very hot girl in drag. He began to speak in his normal voice and Aiden couldn't hold it in any longer.

She burst out in laughter, her head splitting with the force of it, but she didn't care. This was the lightest she had felt in weeks. "Jesus Tristian I was straight up planning on trying to get you between the sheets, you sexy bitch" She said between fits of giggles. It took her a second to catch her breath and wipe away a tear. "It's still not out of the question" she added with a wink, nudging him with her elbow gently. "It's a good look for you, why didn't you just tell me?" she said, aiming for a bit more of a serious tone. Aiden didn't care if Tristian was a drag queen, but then again, he didn't know her all that well. She would have hoped he got that vibe based on the... everything about her, but they had only met once. She didn't want people knowing about her club persona, perhaps he was the same.

[Tristian]

The situation was pretty ridiculous, she had every right to laugh, if he wasn’t so panicked he might have managed it right away as well. However that fear that someone now knew his secret was running through him, especially when that someone was close to the one person he definitely did not want finding out. Eventually however he managed a small laugh, of a little strained.

If he just went with it, yes, that would help, join in the joke, that’s what the other queens had told him. Then her words stared to make him feel a bit better. She had been planning on getting him into bed? Well, that wasn’t so bad was it? It’s then that he realised that she wasn’t laughing at him but at the situation they were currently in.

Back to feeling a bit more confident he smirked and said, “Unfortunately unless you too are moonlighting as a drag queen you’re not my type honey, but I might steal this look from you.”

May as well be honest about the rest, she’d probably have guessed anyway.

The smile faltered a little and he looked a little more serious, “because no one knows...no one...and...I would very, very much like to keep it that way.”

[Aiden Mumble]

Aiden brushed some hair out of her face and crossed her arms, still smiling. He looked great, he really did, but there was something else that had her grinning like a fool. He had this whole secret life where he got to be whatever he wanted and live free. Even wearing a mask and dancing on a pole wasn't quite the same. She wasn't free of her fears, just hiding them. Perhaps Tristian was doing a bit of the same, but he was doing a better job at it than she was, no doubt. Plus she could use a few make-up tips from him, damn. This was all not to mention that a massive weight was off her shoulders about him guessing she was on the pole. Even if he was certain it was her, she knew his secret now too. They were even. Well, perhaps not quite.

She watched his smile falter and hers did too. He didn't want anyone to know. Well, that was obvious from the fact that he hid it from her, but somehow it still made her wonder why. He looked great, he played it so well. It was a shame to think anyone in his life would disapprove of his actions. It occurred to her that Mordred might actually not love it. He could be painfully straight. She felt a little twinge of annoyance toward her housemate, but then felt guilty thinking on his current state. Either way, Aiden wasn't about to go blabbing about anything. She almost liked the idea that it was between them. She could use another friend besides Mordred at the moment. She cared about him, of course, just their depressions combined wasn't doing anyone any favors.

"Well," Aiden began, looking down for a second. She should tell him, it's only fair. Then they would be even. They'd both have a secret they needed kept at all costs. Her stomach churned. "I'll tell you what, I won't tell anyone because..." She took a breath, this was stupid, just tell him. "Well lets just say your guess about that pole dancer wasn't too far off" She bit her cheek and tried to make herself look at him. Ugh this was hard. She'd not told anyone about it, but she'd rather he be certain and know it was a secret than say nothing and have him going around telling everyone to come see this amazing pole dancer at the club.

[Tristian]

Tristian’s eyes widened in delight; partly out of being right about his guess and partly because he was genuinely interested. “Seriously?” He sais, all fear of her knowing his secret forgotten for the moment, “I’m not even kidding, I was just talking out my ass there, but you’re really a pole dancer?”

Smiling he pushed back a bit of his wig that had fallen in front of his eye back behind his ear and continued, “that’s amazing. I mean you girls have got skills. I wasn’t kidding about the sucking at dancing. I’ve got a damn fine set of pipes but I’m lucky I can put one foot in front of the other never mind [/i]dance[/i].”

She didn’t seem so bothered about the drag get up, maybe that was why he was relaxing a little bit more. She hadn’t reacted with disgust or mocking, in fact she had traded her own secret about her pole dancing. Now there was a bit of mutually assured destruction going on, although, he found himself thinking that telling anyone her secret would be the last thing he’d do, not because she’d tell his, but because she actually seemed pretty decent.

“How long have you been doing it for? You must have built up some iron abs to do that, what got you into it?” He asked and then realised his genuine interest might be coming off more like an interrogation and quickly added, “sorry for all the questions, it’s just I have to live vicariously through others when it comes to dancing.”

[Aiden Mumble]

”Yeah yeah, keep your voice down” Aiden whispered, eyes the people now approaching the shops. Things were opening up and she was suddenly beginning to realize that they were not the only ones on the street. Her heart was racing just considering she’d told one person a secret, let alone a bunch of random shop goer’s finding out.

Aiden looked toward either end of the street, looking for an exit or somewhere they might be able to have this conversation in private. Or, even, an excuse for her to duck out of it. Aiden hadn’t expected Tristian to latch onto her secret so enthusiastically and it frightened her, yet there was a part of her that didn’t want to just ditch him. They had shared some serious secrets and she didn’t know Tristian all that well, but she liked him. He seemed decent at the duel and this whole drag thing made her like him better. Aiden had grown up in a very theatrical house. She’d seen and interacted with a lot of drag queens even as a little girl. Their bold natures and confidence always fascinated her. She even went through a phase where she told her parents she wanted to be a drag queen when she grew up.

”Ok!” Aiden said, a little exasperated by the barrage of questions, particularly with people nearby. ”It’s ok,” she corrected herself. ”Let’s just...walk somewhere and talk” She suggested. She didn’t mind answering his questions privately, he already knew the secret anyway, but she didn’t want anyone to overhear. ”I assume you’re not interested in heading back to mine and Mordred’s house” Aiden said, assuming Mordred didn’t know. She had to admit she felt like he might be weird about it.

[Tristian]

Tristian was a little confused at first when Aiden suddenly seemed a little jumpy however then he looked around and began to see more of the shops opening. She was right, it was not good to stand here in the middle of a just about to open mall which would soon have a few more people in it. More people around meant more people that might recognise him, and the more people that recognised him the more likely that word would get back to Mordred.

He looked at her in shock and slowly shook his head, “world of no.”

Smiling a little he leaned in and linked arms with her, “come on, my flats not too far from here and I can make you a nice strong cup of tea that should take that hangover away. My roommate doesn’t tend to wake up till much later in the morning anyway and it gives me a chance to change.”

He looked at her and said, “please don’t tell him either. He doesn’t know. My closet has a lock on it. Literally.”