Lily wa glad the ride was over. She understood Alex's reasons for driving the way she did, but still, she was glad. She smiled, though. Now her friend will have something else to take her mind off things. She was home, and Lily knew it took some time for that to sink in.
“Let’s see what we can find around here.”
She got out of the car and walked with Alex, looking at the signs on the street and glancing into clubs and bars through the windows. Some were too crowded, others just didn't look good; money was not the issue, and Lily wanted to find a place that would be good for some good drinks and girl talk. She stopped in front of one of the clubs; there was music inside, but not too loud, and booths where people could sit and chat.
"So, I say cocktails" she grinned at Alex "We have a lot to talk about."

Car locked. Walk. Watch.

Too crowded. Too boring. Too loud.

Almost perfect.

The club/bar looked good. The décor was fancy enough to go with the dresses she and Lily had picked for the night. The people looked classy enough not to expect someone to bother you in the middle of a conversation. The music was loud enough to actually make people dance and yet you could still have a conversation without the need to yell in someone’s ear to hear you.

Yes, almost perfect. Because nothing was perfect, ever, even if it looked perfect. With a nod, Alexandra gave her approval on the choice of location. “A whole bunch of new names to try since I doubt they have any Lost Paradises in here.” With a slight smile, Alexandra walked toward the entrance.

And clearly Ice Angels are out of the question.

Lily glanced at her friend as they walked into the club. Alex had changed a lot, during and after Romania, she could tell that much already. No wonder. She spent much more time there than Lily did. Among other things.
"Well, we'll just have to try something new." she smiled as she walked up to an empty booth that seemed to be just waiting for two mutant ladies in need of some serious talk and coctails.
"I've probably drunk more of these with you than I have in my entire life" Lily smirked, reading the list of drinks "And I still can't tell them apart, so..."
So, Lily ordered a Dragonfly. Once the waitress took their orders and left them alone, she rested her chin in her palm, and looked at Alex.
"Now, talk to me."

Alexandra nodded placing a confirmation smile on her lips. Try something new. Oddly, she thought that she should do that with her life as well. And yet, she kept returning to the past, no matter what she did. As soon as Lily walked away, she followed, the smile fading as a sigh left her lips.

Without a word, she sat and resting her chin in her hand, she glanced over the menu without actually reading any of the names or descriptions inside it. “Well, Lil, not sure that that night I drank more than in my entire life but it was probably the night when I’ve been actually drunk.” Blue eyes shifted from the menu to Lily, offering her a half-smile. “I wish that alcohol could solve my problems like it did back then.” Alexandra shrugged, shifting her attention back to the menu when she spotted the waitress walking toward them.

She let Lily order first and when the waitress turned to her, Alexandra simply ordered the first thing that she saw on the menu. Cosmopolitan. With a nod, the waitress left, leaving Lily and Alexandra alone… to talk. Or as Lily put it, Alexandra was supposed to do the talking. A corner of her lip rose slightly and straightening herself, Alexandra leaned back, placing her hands on the table. “Lily, tell me what you want to know or else I fear that I’ll just avoid discussing those subjects.”

“Lily, tell me what you want to know or else I fear that I’ll just avoid discussing those subjects.”
Lily nodded. She didn't like asking directly about things;she preferred talking to her friends until they told her about their problems themselves. But she could tell she didn't need to be that subtle with Alex. She just told her so.
"Well, you could start with... I don't know, telling me what problems you have that ned to be solved?..." she suggested "I mean, the months after the camps... I know it's not easy, and you got it much worse than I did. So, whatever you feel like talking about. Whenever you fell like talking." she added with a small smile "If you want to wait till a fe cocktails later, that's fine too. We have all night."

Lily’s question had no visible effect on Alexandra. Mentally, she sighed, pondering on what to answer. The truth was not an option. Not in some cases, anyway. The index finger of her right hand started to tap lightly on the table. “The problems are being solved, Lily.” Alexandra said, smiling slightly. “Or at least, some of them are. That’s why I stayed behind. To fix things.”

The approach of the waitress holding a tray with the two cocktails on it made Alexandra to stop talking, at least until the waitress had left. Stopping the finger tapping, Alexandra picked up the glass sipping from her drink. Well, it wasn’t bad for a blind choice. “This one’s pretty good.” The glass took it’s place on the table and Alexandra got out of her bag a pack of cigarettes and proceeded to light one. Another bad habit she had returned to in the past months.

Lily sipped her own cocktail. It was not bad for a blind choice either. Even though she had more important things to do now than to worry about the drinks.
Problems are being solved, right. In Romania, maybe. Not at home. Lily decided this matter needed a more direct approach than she preferred.
"So, I hear you and Sam... are not together anymore." she said, sitting back in her chair, tilting her head at Alex "I'm sorry."
She didn't like being straightforward, really. But Alex did ask for it...

And there Lily went on the subject the touchy subject named Sam. Alexandra shrugged, putting on her ‘I’m fine’ smile. “Guess it wasn’t meant to be.” Another shrug. “Can’t say it didn’t hurt…” It still does. “But it’s the best. For both.” Cause he surely didn’t want to loose anything else courtesy of Alexandra Kettler… and she couldn’t watch him loose anything else because of her either. “We-” Abrupt stop. Alexandra took a deep breath before correcting herself. “I’ll get over it.” Because, as far as she knew, Sam could have already gotten over it, although the lil’ devil on the shoulder never ceased to wish she’d find Sam in the same situation as she was in at the moment. Still broken.

“Guess it wasn’t meant to be. Can’t say it didn’t hurt… But it’s the best. For both. We- I’ll get over it.”
Lily looked sad. She was sad. About her friends, and all they had to go through, during the camps and in Romania. And Alex didn't look like she was fine at all. For that matter, Sam didn't either.
"Why?" she asked more quietly, looking at Alex "Don't get me wrong, there is a lot I don't know, and I don't want to pry, and I really don't want to hurt you more. But... He doesn't look like it's better for him, at all. Neither do you." she sighed "I'm just trying to understand, why. You don't have to talk, if you don't want to."
She looked down at her drink, blushing. She wasn't used to prying even that much.

A long sigh left her lips. “Lily...” Hands found shelter in her lap as Alexandra looked down herself. “It hurt like hell to do it… the break up… staying behind…” She looked back at Lily, wishing she’d find the right words to explain. “But being near me hurt him.” The scene in the Danger Room was replayed in her head, making her to shake her head slightly to send the images away. “I never thought being who I am would hurt anyone. But it did. I wanted to protect him so much. And yet, loving him costed Sam his eye.” Eyes looked back down at her hands at she fell silent. The moment when she’ll get over what happened looked so distant from the present right now.

Lily sighed, and looke at her friend. She wanted to reach out and hod her hand as a way of comforting, but Alex kept her hands in her lap, so Lily just sighed, and sipped her drink quietly, thinking of something to say.
"Loving him didn' cost him anyting, Alex." she said finally "The camps did, and Romania, and people's stupidity, and maybe a few mistakes we made as a team. But not you, I can tell you that."
Even though Sam and Alex never told her (or anyone) how he lost his eye, Lily knew her friends enough to know whatever reason Alex had for blaming herself, it was not true. It was not right.
"Besides, not being near you hurts him too." she bit her lip "I spent weeks avoiding Shawn after we came home. I know how it feels like. Are you... sure you are doing the right thing?"

“If it wasn’t for me… he wouldn’t have many of the wounds he has.” Alexandra sighed, looking at her drink without much interest. Not even getting drunk and forgetting about everything appealed to her at the moment.

“I don’t know how much it hurts him not being closer to me but I’m certain that it will hurt him much more being close to me.” Her eyes shifted from her drink to Lily. “So yeah. I think it’s the best thing.” She extended her hand now, picking up her drink. She didn’t bother to take a delicate sip from it. No, she emptied half a glass, until she felt the alcohol burning her throat. She didn’t want to get drunk but tempering some of her emotions sure sounded nice, no matter if she lacked the interest to do it. After all, it wasn't the first time when she'd force herself to do something.

“I don’t know how much it hurts him not being closer to me but I’m certain that it will hurt him much more being close to me. So yeah. I think it’s the best thing.”
Lily sighed, and didn't comment on that. She coud have told Alex it hurt Sam more than she thought; she could have also told her about the drinking, and the random girls, or the one she's met, but she decided against it. Alex seemed set on not discussing the topic, and she looked sure about her decision. For now. Lily was smart enough to know when the time was not right for changing one's mind. Not yet.
"All right." she nodded with a small smile "Just wanted to make sure. Looking out for friends, and all that." she lifted her glass, drinking a lot less than Alex did, but still enough to keep up "Let's just... do whatever we did last time, and things might turn out well again."

Sigh. Alexandra picked up her glass again. That fit her thoughts perfectly. So without much thought, she emptied her glass in a few seconds, enjoying the sensation of lightheadedness the alcohol in her system provided.

“Let’s do that.” She said, putting the glass on the table. Smirking slightly, she glanced at Lily’s glass. “Your turn.” Meanwhile, she signaled the waitress to bring another round of drinks.