Lucas Harper

“Oh, I’m definitely always eavesdropping,” she answered. “It’s fun.” Dakota gave a slight shrug. “But I mean more on social media. Like no one cares about your tweet on a sandwich.”

"I mean... I suppose you're not wrong there but the last time I did that, I leaned too far on my chair and it tipped sending me to the ground. Since then I've learned to kind of tell myself no in the way you'd tell a dog not to do something when you know they have naughty ideas going through their head."

"That is a very sweet sentiment, Lucas," she replied with a smile. "Some people just don't mesh and that's how it plays out. But we're bonded with a mutual affection for you so surely there's some ground for us to stand on there."

"And you say I am sweet. I think my face might have just turned beet." Lucas snorted in flattered embarrassment when Aryana described her affection for him. "Drinks. I should get us drinks. Yep. That sounds like a plan."

"I won't lie, it is in part to make other people a little jealous," Vera admitted with a laugh. "Are you sure? There's plenty of singles here. Anyone you've got your eye on? Or have you maybe got a particular type that I can go off of?"

"I don't see why you'd feel the need to make anyone jealous." Lucas mused when Vera explained that to him. "Ah. No... I mean, I don't have a type or anything or a gender. I like to say I'm not picky but it's a feeling I go for so it's more difficult than just picking out someone hot. Not that I'd grumble at being given a hot person."

"Aren't you typically like that though?" she teased. "I've learned not too expect too much from the evening. It usually works in my favor as the night always ends up better than expected if the expectation was nonexistent– if that makes any sense," Eva shrugged when he'd asked her if the night had been living up to her expectations.

"Not being able to sit still you mean? Because yeah, that is typically me." He agreed with a little chuckle, rubbing at the back of his neck at the admission. "Man... that's a really negative way to look at things Eva." Lucas couldn't help but laugh though despite his words. "But I suppose it makes you right once more though, even if I don't prescribe to your way of thinking."

"Ah, it's not in the way you think, I promise. I am not someone who likes scaring children." He assured the man, holding up his hands lightly. "Well, it'll make finding you every year much easier then." Still, that would be a lot of superheroes to go through but it certainly narrowed it down at least a little.

"Not that I know of," Vera snorted. "Actually that's a lie– there's been a few people. But it was out of jealousy that I'd label as childish," she then said with another amused scoff. "Am I to add you to that list today, Lucas?"

"Are you labelling it as jealousy because you want it to be that, or was it actual jealousy?" Lucas put to the woman with curiosity. "And that depends really, do you plan on holding that over my head forever?" Not that he was good at hating anyone. It was usually how he ended up caught up with guys who were no good for him and trying to befriend them despite knowing better.

"No denying that," she assured him with a warm smile. "I'm not opposed to the idea," Arya shrugged. "I'll certainly try for your sake but I'm sure the world will keep on turning even if we don't end up getting along."

"Yeah I guess it will but then I won't be able to hang out with you both at the same time which is a big shame in my books." Lucas admitted with a little smile.

"Well sure. But when you say it like that you're making it sound like you've got no good qualities at all. Which is severely untrue," she insisted. "I don't know about the whole optimist thing," Lucy replied with a sheepish laugh. "But I do at least try to see the good in things. Sometimes it's challenging but other times... well it's surprisingly helpful. I hate that people are right about the whole changing your own perspective thing."

"I'm lucky to have someone like you in my corner." Lucas said with a warm smile when Lucy insisted on building him up and reminding him of his good qualities. "You hate that people are right about that?" Lucas laughed at that comment, curious as to the reasoning behind that. "What do you mean?"

"There's certainly no shame when it comes to being on a journey," she told him when he'd mentioned that he probably had a long way to go. "The fact that you're trying and chasing is big in the first place. Looking at the road ahead and deciding not to walk it at all is far worse than getting there in years time."

"You're like having my own cheerleader around." Lucas said with a fond smile at the encouragement he was being given by Charlie. It was very sweet and not expected but welcomed all the same. "You sound a little like you understand it."

"Doesn't everyone to a degree? That's all part of what they do to our body's inner chemistry or whatever," she laughed when he'd warned her that caffeine made him more insufferable. "I suppose there's nothing wrong with that. I admittedly prefer a cocktail or some shots, but I won't turn a pint down," Eva shrugged, thinking about her own preferences despite not being asked to specify. "That's good. Nights like these are meant for having fun and giving in to the vibes," she mentioned with a smile. "I am, yes. I very much came to this event with the objective to let myself go with the flow of the night. Just have fun and forget that anything has consequences. They can be tomorrow me's problem."

"I know but I think I am more so. You'd have to experience it to understand. I just can't sit still." He explained, knowing that the way his brain worked was that he was either all focused on things or completely all over the place. The latter was certainly something that caused others a lot of frustration. He became almost unbearably annoying though he managed it better the older he'd become. "Well you don't have to have the same as me." Lucas responded when she said she could have a beer. "Has tonight been living up to your expectations?"

"We've spent most of the night doing that," Vera had no shame in admitted. "And we've got plenty of plans for later that are quite literally none of your business," she added with a wink. "Sounds like you're a little jealous. Need me to help wingwoman for you? I'm sure there's plenty of singles in here tonight who'd love to hang off of you."

"Oh?" Lucas grinned at that confession and he couldn't deny he was a little envious of the fact too. "You kinda give away your plans when you say stuff like that though so I mean, seems like you want me to know your business more than you let on." At the mention of helping him tonight, Lucas rubbed the back of his neck lightly. "Ah... I mean it'll be fine. It's a bit late now to make any moves. It's all good."

"I'm sorry," Charlie murmured softly at the brief insight into his family situation. "Sounds like this was always a little bit a part of you then," she replied after the anecdotes from his childhood. "Not sure if you believe in fate and all that, but I'm sure someone could use your story as a decent example," she offered up with a smile.

"What have you got to be sorry about. None of it was your fault." Lucas said, giving a shrug of his shoulders and trying to brush it off. He didn't like to think about it too much beyond a little conversation here or there. "Maybe. Hopefully I'll be a good role model in the future. Right now I've probably got a ways to go."

"All it takes to win you over is booze, hmm?" she joked. "That bottle didn't stand a chance," she exclaimed after the speed in which Lucas had helped himself to the bottle. "No, no it's never as good as you hope for it to be. And this is supposedly some of the good stuff too," Eva replied with a light snort. "Fair to assume that you're having a good night tonight, Lucas?"

"Tonight yes, other days... well I'd say food and coffee would give you a better chance but I become even more unsufferable when I get caffeine and sugar in my body, just as fair warning." Lucas told Eva with a grin. "I am sure it is the good stuff, but it's not normally my choice of drink. I'm a simple guy, I tend to stick to beer." He admitted after a moment. "But yeah, I'm having a great night. It's nice to let my hair down... figuratively speaking anyway. What about you?"

🍾 - our muses share a glass/bottle of champagne

"Who cares how you got it, i'm just impressed that you did... and with the sharing you have now become my bestest friend." Lucas encouraged with a grin, knowing that Evangeline did not do things like that lightly. "Is that even really a question?!" He balked at her before reaching out to take the bottle and down some in quick succession. "Man... this shit really never tastes as good as it should but I'm not complaining because right now any alcohol is good alcohol.

"Of course the good outweighs the bad. I can name plenty of your good qualities off the top of my head," she insisted. "The bad ones would take me more time to try and think of. I'm convinced you have barely, if any."

"Now we both know that's untrue. Everyone has bad qualities and I am by no means separate from that." In fact, he could probably do the opposite from Lucy. He was all too aware of his flaws. "But it's nice of you to think like that about me. I get the feeling you always see the best in people. You're optimistic like that, aren't you?"