<em>"The Kid" - Dean Logan - Basement Lounge</em><br/><br/>"So tell me about these rules," Dean said as Doc put down a glass in front of him. He had never actually drank alcohol before...in fact, this place seemed to be doing a lot of things he hadn't done before. His stomach started to stir a bit. Is this what they called butterflies? Doc listed the regular rules, some of which Big and Tall upstairs had already told him. The rest was the regular stuff. Y'know, don't harm the ladies sort of thing, or all the "fine gents" in here would come at you in the night and give you a nice shiner. Dean was too distracted to be paying much attention, though. His index finger traced the lip of the glass, looking at the brown contents inside, already able to smell it. Is that really all they put in there? It was hardly even a quarter full. His eyes, meanwhile, were distracted. Try as he might, he just could not help glancing over at little Nurse Naughty's bountiful cleavage.<br/><br/>"Like what you see, huh?" Suddenly her hand was on his head, tossling his hair like he was some sort of puppy lap dog, like her personal pet. "It's ok to look, just no touching kid." He sat there, quiet and taken aback a bit. This "Kid" name was really gonna stick, wasn't it? He felt his face flush slightly, though he wasn't sure if it was with anger at everyone treating him so inferior or out of complete nervousness.<br/><br/>He grabbed the glass in front of him. Screw it. Down the hatch, right? He threw his head back, swallowing two shots worth at once. He slammed the glass down, the remainder sloshing a bit in the air. The dry burn flooded down his throat, seeming to absorb the moisture as it slipped down to his stomach, before a warm fire flooded immediately back up. The smell...the very<em>smell</em>of the whiskey seemed to slip through his sinuses and to his nostrils. He could smell the damn alcohol<em>after</em>drinking it!<br/><br/>He couldn't help it. He burst into a fit of coughing, trying to cover his mouth with his elbow. Great. Just what he needed. More reasons for people to call him "Kid". Doc grinned, said something that he was sure had that same friendly jabber, or that Han Solo "Great kid, now don't get cocky" flair.<br/><br/>Dean was still recovering when a man with dark hair took a seat beside the Naughty Nurse. He didn't really pay any attention to him. After all, if he ignored others then they were bound to ignore him, and that's what he needed right now.<br/><br/>"“You there, young man. Don’t look so grim, this is a place for reverie," the new fellow said, turning his attention to Dean. What the Hell was wrong with these people? Why couldn't they just leave him be? He opened his mouth, ready to unleash yet another sarcastic remark, but couldn't manage to get a single vowel out in time. "Oh, and before I forget, I covered your deposit with Bert- so if you see anything you like, you don’t need to be afraid to look and touch if you so please.” I also kicked in a little extra so don’t hold back."<br/><br/>Dean was stunned. This man...wait, this stranger, this guy he didn't know, just dropped roughly $300 on him? What? Dean's brow furrowed in confusion, mouth hanging open. The man already turned his attention to another of the young ladies working the Gulch, but Dean's mind was reeling. What was with this place? Why was everyone trying to take care of him? Why did everyone look down on...wait, "don't hold back"?<br/><br/>"Just...just what do you mean-" he began, turning back to the man with Dark hair, but suddenly a new scent assaulted his senses. A perfume, smelling of fruit and flowers, as a young olive-skinned woman with dark hair sat beside him.<br/><br/>"Good evening sweetie… I’m Miss Orchid, and who might you be?" She extended her hand to him, her white teeth flashing as she smiled at him. "You are new around here, aren't you handsome?"<br/><br/>Dean felt his face grew hot. Women didn't approach him like this. Women never approached him like this. His hand trembled a bit as he took hers, only just now realizing how cold his hands were feeling the welcoming warmth of her own skin. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Why was he blushing? Why was he nervous? Isn't this what they are paid to do? They're not paying attention for any reason aside from it being their job.<br/><br/>He opened his eyes, and instantly he cursed himself mentally as they roamed down her body, taking note of her push-up bra and very, very exposed body. He tried to keep his eyes on hers as he spoke, but even that proved challenging as he started to look in all directions.<br/><br/>"Actually I grew up he-" he paused. No, they weren't supposed to discuss that...but what if they had no problem? He had nothing to hide. No, best not to screw up. "I mean, yes. New. First time." He noticed his hand was still in hers, though she had shown no sign of feeling awkward or uncomfortable. Even so, he took his hand back. "Sorry" he stuttered. "So you're name is...Miss Orchid? How...how long have you been working here?"<br/><br/>He didn't know why he wanted to make small talk. He hated small talk. It was the product of people that only wanted to seem kind and caring, but in truth they couldn't give a damn about you. Maybe he wanted to be polite. Maybe he was just too nervous. He was still a virgin, after all. He didn't know if he was ready for all this yet.