Damon and Lydia, backdated to May 18

[om_panax]

Damon comes to talk with Lydia about restructuring X-Factor and opening Evolution. They are... weirdly awkward, but necessarily so.


There were very few times when Damon Salvatore was allowed on Xavier's campus, but since the man had begun helping him with his head, the leeway for invitation had eased a bit. Damon still had to be invited, but he didn't quite as much of an outcast as he used to. Or maybe he felt like more of one. These days, it was hard to tell.

He stepped into Lydia's office, which basically amounted to one of the downstairs parlors, ice-blue eyes scanning the new layout and the business environment she had created for herself. It was definitely different than what he'd built for himself, but he could definitely see her hand in the setup. Something about it just screamed uber-organized uptight statistics enthusiast.

Which made sense, since it was an uber-organized uptight statistics enthusiast who raised her gaze to meet his. The tiny papillion dog who trotted over to sniff at Damon's feet was another matter. "Damon. To what do I owe the pleasure. That's Prada, by the way." Damon had heard enough about her dog to know, she was sure.

Damon bent over to catch the dog up in both hands, lifting it up to look at, nose to nose. It - he - was pretty much just as he'd pictured. "Well, aren't you just the most adorable thing in the world."

Lydia snorted, but her smile was genuine. "Believe me, he already knows."

Not even phased by the animal, Damon tucked it under one arm and began petting it idly as he turned his attention to Lydia. "So. Do I need to make an appointment or is now a good time?"

"It's a great time." Lydia watched Damon with her dog, lips still twitching in amusement. "Make yourself comfortable."

He strolled over to an armchair, sliding down into the seat and letting the dog down lightly into his lap. He smirked at her, then began petting it again. "I'm here to offer to contract for X-statiX."

Lydia's brow furrowed, and she leaned forward over her desk in his direction. "What, now?"

"I'm turning X-Factor into a...kind of think-tank, I guess. Researching supernatural and mutant phenomenon and keeping a database. Scully and Rosen will be good at that kind of thing, anyway. Quire wants to develop tech - I figure he can make that kind of crap for when and if Summers' team ever needs it. To be honest, I'm not sure what Howlett's gonna do, but I'm sure we can figure out something for him to be useful at," Damon told her, and, sure, he was being vague, but it was hard to ramp up to certain topics. This was the easy part.

"That's a brilliant idea--and could be huge for X-Statix and the teams." Lydia cocked her head slightly. "But why? What brought this on?" She could guess, though. Tessa--Sage, that was--hadn't been very... present.

Damon gave a general wave toward his head and gave her a pointed look. He screwed up his face in a wince. "I nearly killed Little Red the other day on a consult. And, well. Remy's on his way back south, and Sage...is done. She's got her own agenda. Amicable parting and all that, but it leaves me short of hands that aren't...Sweet Valley High."

Lydia's eyebrows went up at the thought of Dana in that kind of danger; she made a mental note to talk to her protege and kept quiet otherwise. "True enough. I guess we always knew she wouldn't stick around, once everyone was 'safe enough'. Still..."

It was disappointing.

Damon shrugged. He'd spent too much time ruminating on that issue, even before she'd left. He'd always known it was an eventuality. Everyone left at some point, and Sage had made it no secret that she wasn't particularly attached. It had been business. "So I'm leaving X-Factor in the hands of the Scooby gang and I'm moving to New York."

Lydia's eyebrows stayed up. "Well, not that I blame you--there's not much to speak of in Salem Center. But... leaving it so much in their hands?"

"Depends on your definition of 'so much.' I still own the building. I have the lockout codes for the computers. I can monitor virtually, and you and I weren't much older when we started setting things in motion. Besides, I'm confident that Summers will squawk if they start to overstep." Damon made a face.

He wasn't exactly sure how he felt about leaving his main meal-ticket behind. On the one hand, it would be good to get away from his and Lydia's epic romance. At the rate they were going, Lydia would be ordering flowers and a dress sometime soon. He didn't really want to be around for that. On the other...well, it had been nice to use Summers to get his shields back in order. Now he had to figure out another way to make that happen. Still...time to move on.

Lydia frowned. "Speaking of. Will you come back when you need more energy? How long should you go without?"

He raised a brow at her, then set the dog down, leaning forward to rest his crossed forearms on her desk. "Look, Peaches. You know what you want and you've made your choice. If we're all gonna work together in this fucked up world, then it's time I walked away. From you and him."

Lydia's flinch was brief, barely there, but there. She nodded, then, jaw tightening. "You're right. And I respect that." Of course, they'd still see each other. Hellfire was always going to be there, and with recent developments... well. That wasn't the same as being around her and Scott, though. That was business. "If I can help with anything, though, let me know."

Damon's eyes narrowed at the flinch, silent for a moment after she finished speaking to really study her.

She wasn't sure what he was looking for, and didn't want to explain herself, so she went on with, "What's the plan in the city, then?"

He leaned back in the chair, settling his hands over his stomach. "A nest egg of mine finally hatched. A sweet old lady left some property for me in the city, and I've decided I'm going to fix it up and open a bar. Maybe some place mutants can hang out."

Lydia's eyebrows went up. "Are you telling me you've had a sugar mama all this time?"

"If that's what you want to call it," Damon smirked. "I set it up before I'd ever even heard of Xavier's."

"I shouldn't be surprised." Lydia snorted delicately in lieu of a real laugh. "But the idea of a mutant-friendly bar in the city is a very, very good one. You'll hear more news than I do." People were, after all, notoriously loose-lipped with bartenders.

"Jealous?" he smirked.

She pursed her lips, but had to admit, "Slightly."

Damon glanced toward the door, then back to her. "Well, like I said. We can work together then. I'll get you information, and you can point some of your clients in the direction of my bar."

She was getting the feeling he wanted to get out from under her dog--and out of her office. Or.... "You expecting someone?"

"Just making sure we're alone," he told her. "I need you to pass word of the bar to the rest of the HFC."

She nodded immediately, but leaned over her desk, obviously interested. Did he just want them to know, or did he have some plan up his sleeve...?

He raised a brow at her. "No burning secrets. I just figure it's a more informal place to meet up if we need to talk than the place that requires hosiery and silk ties."

She nodded. "Good point. Right, consider it done."

Yeah, okay. Things were definitely awkward, Damon decided. Pushing out of the chair, he crouched to give Prada one more scratch, then headed toward the door. "I'm moving at the end of June. I'll send you a note when I do. Let Summers know about X-Factor's new setup, will you?"

"Definitely. See you at Hellfire?" She watched him closely, carefully.

"Well, we'll just see about that, won't we?" he smirked, then let himself out.