<div class="floatleft">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/0/07/Charmed_helen_b.png)</div><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">H</span><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;">ELEN</span> <span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">B</span><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;">RIANNE</span> <span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">M</span><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;">ITCHELL</span> <span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 7pt;"><br/>          it is in you to carry on      |      it is in you to lay down fears that hold      |     it is in you to find your way home          </span></span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial;"><em>it seems like there are too many coincidences happening tonight. just what is happening to our demon-free lives?</em><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 8pt;">   » jacqueline . melinda </span></span><br/><hr/><br/>Even though it was obvious that the club environment was not her choice place to relax in, Jack seemed comfortable enough at the bar that Brie didn't feel it necessary to have them move to a more private booth. Taking sips occasionally between her comments and questions, the witch marveled at how long it had been since she'd really gone out and gotten to know anyone. With what constituted as 'work' taking up most of her life, and dance and family taking up the rest, she really hadn't been seeking out opportunities to meet new people lately.<br/><br/>And, well, even if she and Jack only spoke tonight and never spoke again, it was still a nice interlude and break from her usual routine when she came to P3, which would typically be to run in, disappear onto the dance floor, and not emerge until most of the night had passed.<br/><br/>Getting the usual kind of reaction when Jack exclaimed over her short stint of work with the DJ (which, incidentally, had been a music video for an indie artist who wanted lyrical and contemporary dancing to accompany his song, rather than the ever-popular hip hop) - Brie smiled and nodded. The novelty of meeting otherwise famous people had worn off for her, but she could imagine how someone else might hear her stories of the work she got and the people she met and think it was glamorous. She'd learned long ago to take in the other person's perspective, rather than trying to brush off the comment with something like,<em>it's normal</em>, or its less tactful brother,<em>it happens all the time</em>.<br/><br/><strong>"I do get to meet a lot of interesting and inspiring people in my line of work,"</strong>Brie said warmly, the dimples adding a youthful look to her face. It looked odd, especially paired with her sultry waves of hair and the alluring outfit.<strong>"It probably comes from working in the entertainment industry, what with most of us being creators of some sort. Of music, or images, or movement."</strong><br/><br/>She couldn't help but laugh at her more well-known, edible namesake.<strong>"On the contrary, Ms. Blakesley. I find cheese infinitely more amusing than petty attempts to insult me by mangling my name."</strong><br/><br/>When Jack mentioned noticing how Brie was a dancer, she had to smile. She had a lot to owe to her greatest love, not the least of which was her ability to be comfortable with herself. Rewinding the conversation slightly, she transitioned the topic back to the subject of inhibitions and life.<strong>"Sometimes, it's the events in your life that make you realize that inhibitions and fear too often control our behavior and prevent us from going where we're meant to go. Dancing, well..."</strong>Her sentence trailed off as she thought, trying to figure out a way to describe the amazing amount of freedom that she felt in the throes of the music, suspended in the air or letting her body take its own course. There just were no<em>words</em>.<br/><br/>How had she come to express her emotions so freely, seeing them less as obstacles in her path and instead embracing them and accepting them, and using them to propel her where she wanted to go? Preoccupied, Brie shifted so that she could rest one elbow on the bar, dangling her glass of cider on one knee with the other hand. She rested her cheek in her palm as she thought, for the first time in a long time, of her mother.<strong>"Something happened when I was pretty young that was hard for me to accept had happened. Dancing helped me to channel my emotions - and in essence, inhibition <em>is</em> a kind of fear of letting go or moving forward - and ironically, because I've learned to express the full range of human emotion through my passion, I'm a much more balanced individual because of that. Whenever I get frustrated or don't know what to do, I just find some empty place and let go."</strong><br/><br/>Confronted with the topic of socializing, Brie let the policewoman say her piece before she contributed her own thoughts.<strong>"I think criminals are a lot more straightforward, Jack. And honestly, there's nothing wrong with preferring a book and the solitude of your own company over a noisy place like this, even if it does have good music. I actually like spending time alone."</strong>That was always a surprise to people who didn't know her well, but Brie cherished her time alone, and if she had the choice, preferred her own company to that of others. Dancing, clubbing, and parties were fun places to let go, but if she needed reflection or introspection, she usually took off in the direction of the ocean, or found an empty studio where she could play the music so loud, it drowned out the sounds her feet would make against the floor.<br/><br/>When she'd asked her question about current events, Brie hadn't expected anything more exciting than the usual - cold weather, rain, maybe a traffic accident or a robbery or two. Instead, she found herself struggling to stay in her relaxed pose, listening to events that sounded positively demonic. Hearing them gave her a sense of deja-vu, reminding her of times when her mom would tell her and Tray stories of her demon-hunting days, especially the ones in the early years after she became a Charmed One.<br/><br/>Swallowing, Brie managed to listen through all of it, nodding appropriately and trying to work some semblance of concern and puzzlement into her expression.<strong>"That sounds like a difficult situation you have, with your boss and with the kind of cases you get. It must be so unsettling to come across a crime that can't be explained..."</strong>Except by magical means, of course,<strong>"... and that you can't seem to find any leads on. It sounds so eerie... almost like it's something supernatural."</strong>It had to be - what else could it be? A body burned to ash with no trace of fire had to be the result of a fireball, or demonic powers of some higher-level demon. Brie would have bet that Jack also got any number of mysterious cases of disappearances in which the victims never showed up again.<br/><br/>It was hard for her to pull the corner of her lips up for a compassionate, sympathetic smile.<strong>"For all the frustrations you seem to have about your work, it seems like you <em>do</em> believe you can solve them... like you believe in the supernatural."</strong>Brie tried to keep her voice neutral, wondering if she was being too suspicious by pressing. As long as she didn't act too interested, she should be fine... and any information she could glean from this conversation would be information she could pass along to Wyatt and the rest of the Halliwell cousins when they all had a chance to sit down together.<strong>"But I hope you find whoever it is you're looking for in your current case. It must be tough feeling like you're constantly one step behind your enemy."</strong><br/><br/>When Jack wrapped up her own work-related frustrations with a stiff laugh and an attempt to lighten the atmosphere, Brie obliged after only the slightest pause. She was reluctant to let the conversation end without learning as much as she'd wanted, but the last ting she wanted to do was inquire too much into the case, and raise any suspicions on the detective's end.<strong>"Please, everyone can use time to vent about their work. That's what bars are for."</strong>She smiled cheerfully, raising her glass towards Jack with a slight wink.<strong>"Otherwise, we'd all explode from our pent-up anger and frustration."</strong><br/><br/>The policewoman surprised Brie when she joined into the song, singing a couple of stanzas in a smoky, captivating voice that seemed like it would have fit right in with a small, smoke-filled coffeehouse on an open mic night. Brie smiled appreciatively, her brown eyes contemplating this stranger who was much, much more than she seemed.<br/><br/>Now that she didn't have to actively listen, Brie shifted in her seat so she could lean back against the bar, allowing Melinda (who had shown up looking subdued and more than a little frustrated) and Jack to talk without having to learn around her. She reached over to give her cousin a squeeze on the knee - she didn't know what had taken place, or what words had been said, but it was plain to even Brie that Melinda was feeling considerably less than pleasant. Still, any kind of one-to-one talking would have to wait for a better time... maybe tomorrow.<em>I'll try to get away from Unity after dinner and drop by or something.</em>Brie was no empath, but Melinda wore her heart on her sleeve even when she tried to hide it, and snippets from her college classes sometimes drifted into her thoughts when they were triggered. In a family as large as the Halliwells, she could write a veritable book on human expression and emotion in family relationships.<br/><br/>Once the small performance had concluded, Brie waved over the bartender and ordered another gin and tonic and slid the glass over to Jack with a smile.<strong>"As a performer myself, it would be all kinds of impolite to not acknowledge a striking performance, however spontaneous."</strong><br/><br/>She waited for Melinda to finish introducing herself before she ventured a question, hoping to turn the conversation firmly away from Connor's appearance - or at least, take Melinda's thoughts in a direction that wouldn't lead back to that unpleasant human being.<strong>"So what are your plans for tonight, cuz? If you want to dance, I saw my friend Jaxom out there earlier... if not, the three of us can set up shop right here at the bar and people-watch. Make up stories, chat a little, drink a little."</strong>Brie's grin widened just a smidge playfully as she subtly winked at her cousin.<strong>"Of course, I also wouldn't object if you wanted to have a little fun and dance with <em>me</em>... I'm sure between the two of us, we can turn all a whole lot of heads and make some trouble out there."</strong>The mildly flirtatious banter - all in good humor, of course - was a warm invitation for Melinda forget her troubles, at least for now.