Friend or Foe - Temporary Alliance? (IC)

[Cyroa]

James nodded. He followed her and slip in opposite her in the booth. "So I'm guessing the theft had something to do with that? Not just about the money, but needing to buy food?" He nodded in understanding her situation a little better. "Sorry to hear that. At the very least, we'll make sure you don't have to be hungry. So, what do I call you," he asked. "Real name or code. Up to you."

[Elfy]

Still looking away, Stinger replies, "Or maybe...I’m just a bad girl." Despite her apparent protest at being there, her tone of voice is almost teasing when she replies.

She looks directly at him and answers, "Stinger." Her arms remain folded across her chest.

Since she’s going to be here for a while anyway, she feels she might as well speak to him. She inquires, "So what was the deal with those monster things, anyway, Firebug?"

[Cyroa]

James gives a wry half smile. "I see. Maybe, maybe. Either way, nice to meet you Stinger. I'm James, or Hellion if you'd rather use those names." He was clearly unconcerned about hiding his identity.

A little shurg of his shoulders indicates his level of concern dealing with such things. "Those things? Just minor demons. Imps, if you'd prefer their specific level or the common term. Pesky things. Not too tough or bright but they are are plentiful."

He glanced over as the waitress came over. He ordered a soda and a plate of hot wings before looking over at Stinger. He made a slight nod, a 'whatever you like' kind of smile on his face. He'd wait until the waitress left before continueing. James didn't care about who overheard really but he wasn't sure of Stinger's comfort level on these things.

[Elfy]

Stinger brushes a thick lock of hair out of her eyes. It’s black with a large, purple highlight. The blonde roots of her hair are visible to a sharp eye.

Curious now, she says, "Hellion? That doesn’t sound like a good guy name. What’s up with that? And why do you have those demon things after you? You take something from them?"

She requests a glass of sweet tea to drink. Stinger keeps her arms lying across her chest while she waits for her drink and the pizza to arrive.

[Cyroa]

James grinned. "Who ever said I was one of the big time goody heroes? Those people need to relax a lot. I might not be on the other side of the fence, but I admit to coming closer to the line than most of the 'good guys' though." He gave a short half-shrug. "I'll answer yours as honestly as I can if you do the same, or at least not lie. Deal? Or we could dance around topics and try lying through our teeth." He could do the social dance easily enough; he was quite good at it really. But sometimes he preferred the direct method. He wasn't sure but he doubted this girl had had the easiest time in the world and might appreciate a little direct honesty. He already answered one of her questions and even given his name (first anyway), so he figured he'd ask her something. "So, what's your story? How'd you end up in this spot?"

[Elfy]

Stinger asks, "So you’re saying you’re an opportunistâ€â€taking whichever side is most advantageous at the time?" Her arms come down to rest on the tabletop, but remain close to her chest.

Having no real reason to lie, she goes ahead and answers his question. She replies, "Things got bad at home. Real bad. So I left. Original, huh? Anyway, no honest jobs for runaways. A girl’s gottah eat, right? Besides, I don’t like being told what I can or can’t do or when to do it."

She accepts her glass of sweet tea once it arrives and sips on it through a plastic straw while she waits on the pizza to arrive.

[Cyroa]

James shrugged. "An opportunist? I suppose maybe a little. I did the hero thing one time 'cause I was just there and the other side mainly ticked me off doing stupid things they shouldn't. I certainly don't go out and 'patrol' or look for crooks or villains to fight. Though fights can be fun at times. Mainly I just look for fun. Clubs, raves, parties, racing, whatever really. As long as it might be fun, that's pretty much what I'm looking for. The whole hero/villain thing? Eh, seems more like kinda like actual work outside of a good tussle really."

He nodded. "Sorry to hear it. I'm not exactly fond of authority figures myself. Well, a little brief and light on the details but you answered. Your turn," he said, taking sip from his glass.

[Elfy]

Stinger says, "Fighting can be a rush, if you’re winning. Not so much if you’re getting the crap kicked out of you. Must be nice to be able to suck in fire and heal up after a fightâ€â€especially since you can make the fire yourself. I’m not so lucky."

As for the whole villain thing, she comments, "The world’s a harsh place. Not everyone’s born with a silver spoon...or whatever. The system holds you down, so a girl’s gottah fight for what she wants."

She asks, "So what’s the deal with those little monster things? Why are they after you anyway?"

She sips at her tea.

[Cyroa]

James gave a wry little half smile. "Lucky? I suppose in some ways. But everything has a price after all." He nodded slightly at her. Some parts of his life he knew were far and away better than most. But then, most weren't dragged down to Hell a couple times a week for a nightmares and tortures. "Yup. Gotta fight to survive sometimes. And it's still a thrill even if you don't win. Certainly not as much fun though. Can't argue with you there. But not everything is a fight."

"Those little monsters are, like I said before, imps. Lower echelon demons. Usually just do simple instructions. I must have looked particularly vulnerable for them to try and jump me. I don't know exactly who sent them or why but I can guess. Whichever demon manages to collect my ass is likely getting one huge bonus from down below. I suppose you could say I'm popular down there. Or at least wanted. I have the equivalent of a demonic bounty on my pretty head. They want me alive and they want me bad. Just hard for them to come get me and I'm not exactly going to roll over for them when they do come," he said with a grin.

[Elfy]

She sips her tea.

Stinger replies, "So, like you tricked the Devil and he’s looking for payback or something? Weird."

She stretches her arms out above her head, bends to each side once, and then brings her arms back down to rest against the tabletop as she waits for the pizza to arrive.

She asks, "I take it you’ve been here before. You live around here or something?" She rubs her cheek once.

[Cyroa]

James gave a half shrug. "Not exactly, no." He lifted his soda and took a drink, letting it go.

"My turn," he said with grin, "though I don't mind answering. So, you were out of options and turned to stealing. Happens. You're on your own doing minor thefts. Probably living in an abandoned building or some no-questions-asked rat hole. Now what? What are your plans? Obviously your situation sucks; so how are you planning to get out of it? And if I offered a hand to help, would you take it? Not gonna support you or anything; you can handle that yourself. Just a chance, maybe a job helping out from time to time. Maybe give you some options besides where you've been forced to," he said.

[Elfy]

On the first subject, Stinger replies, "I don’t have any immediate goals besides money. I live my life day-by-day. I like the freedom I have, but not the uncertainty it brings with it. I just haven’t figured it all out yet."

She brings one palm up and rests her cheek against it.

To the boy's second line of questions, she answers, "I don't really know. Depends on the situation at the time, I guess. Options are nice; usually I don’t have many."

She looks towards the waitress, wondering when their food is going to arrive.

[Cyroa]

James nodded. "Understandable and fair enough. Wouldn't expect more I was thinking more in the way of superpowered help, since you could obviously handle it. It's always nice to have some extra help to throw some muscle around when things get thick." He looked over and quieted down as the waitress finally came over. She placed their food down in front of them with a wink. James thanked her with a charming smile before taking a bite from his hot wings. "They always serve good food here." He chuckled. "Yes, I've been here plenty and I'm a good tipper hence good service and privacy."

[Elfy]

Stinger smells the pizza before she sees it and turns her head to look towards its direction. A small smile forms on her lips as the waitress approaches their table and puts the pizza pan down.

Looking at the pizza, she excitedly comments, "Let’s dig in," only a moment before she grabs the serving utensil and helps herself to it. She quickly puts piece after piece unto her plate until she has half the pizza piled there. She grabs the parmasian cheese shaker and covers her pizza with the powdered cheese.

She takes her fork, cuts off a piece from one of the slices on her plate, and takes her first bite. As she chews it, it's clear that she's enjoying the taste by the warm expression that comes over her face.

She doesn’t talk for the first few minutes after the pizza arrives, concentrating on eating bite after bite of the delectable food and drinking her sweet tea. After she makes her way through the first slice of pizza on her plate, she comments, "It’s great. I love this place. Thanks!"

She starts working on slice number two. Her demeanor seems to steadily improve as she works her way through the second slice.

[Cyroa]

James ate his food slowly, enjoying the taste. He didn't really need to eat at the moment, or tomorrow either really. But that didn't mean he couldn't. And it was good food after all. Instead, he ate slowly and watched his dining companion, subtly studying and watching. He certainly didn't want to disturb her when she was enjoying the food and beginning to relax a little.

He grinned and nodded. "You're most welcome. Everything on the menu is excellent. Can't go wrong. Enjoy the food. It's worth every bite." Beyond that, he let her eat happily, not interrupting. If she inhaled the whole pizza, he'd order more. Wouldn't want her to go hungry after all.

[Elfy]

Stinger enjoys her tea and pizza. Although she starts to loose momentum by the third slice, she manages to make it through six pieces. After she eats her fill, she slowly drinks her tea until the glass is empty.

She pushes her empty glass aside and rests her arms on the tabletop. She says, "Good food. I appreciate the meal."

[Cyroa]

James nodded. "Glad you liked it. You were certainly hungry. Tell you what, I'll have a tab set up. You get hungry and want to eat, just show up and order. It's on me. We'll call it a loan or maybe a minor favor. I've already taken care of the bill; well, they know to just send it to me." He slid out of the booth and stood up. "If I need some help or work done, I'll keep you in mind. Till then, take care of yourself. If you ever need actual help, leave me a message. I'll get back to you soon as I hear it." He stuck out his hand, willing to part ways in peace. It had been a fun night, nothing was at stake, he'd taken a few precautions.

[Elfy]

When Hellion holds out his hand, Stinger looks at it for a moment. She briefly has a puzzled expression. The idea of shaking someone’s hand after fighting them seemed odd to her. For a moment she even considers trying to pickpocket him, but she decides against it because, if she gets caught, he might stick her with the tab.

Still, he implied that he might pay her money for something done later. No point in being rude. She holds out her hand in a casual, feminine manner and briefly lets him shake it. She says, "Guess I’ll see you around, Firebug."

After he departs, she grabs all the leftovers and bags them up. There’s no point in letting good food go to waste – especially since she doesn’t know whether the next day will bring her fortune or loss.

She heads out, back to her home in a box.