Interceptors: Liquid Therapy IC

[quotemyname]

"Hell," Colt responded, "I reckon wrestlin' a football player's easier'n wrestlin' a steer." He said off the cuff with a shrug. He was starting to see why Jack liked all this showboating. It was fun. Not really his style, but it was good to pretend now and again.

"Sure, sure," Mac agreed amiably. "Well, it's good stuff, anyway. You two are welcome here any times. Just maybe take it outside next time, huh?"

"Sure thing, Mac." Colt gave the man a tip of his hat. "What'a'ya think, Eric? We got time fer one more drink?"

[Gizmo]

"You sure you don't have to ride off into a sunset somewhere?" Eric drawled as he pulled out the chair he'd originally been sitting in and took a seat. Miraculously, his drink appeared to be entirely undisturbed by the commotion. He took a long sip and set it back down. "Seems like it'd be rude not to stick around a little longer, don't you think?"

[quotemyname]

"Sure does at that." Colt responded taking his original seat as well. Remembering all of a sudden that he had finished off his own drink just before the fight. "Excuse me, little lady. If'n I could trouble ya fer one more'a these?" He offered his mug toward Tricia.

Colt pulled a pocket watch out of one of his coat pockets read the time and stuck it back in. "Besides, we ain't been goon too long. Grim might just need some more time with that detective friend'a hers. I'd be willin' ta bet she'll be callin' when she needs us."

[Gizmo]

Tricia fetched another drink for Billy then stood by their table eagerly. A pointed cough from Mac sent her off with a blush to see to the rest of the bar's patrons, who were slowly filtering back in now that the excitement was over. Eric took a another small sip of his beer and murmured in agreement. "Mmn. Hopefully she can help with... y'know." It took the fencer a moment to realize that he was clenching and unclenching his right fist on the table as he spoke. Self consciously he shoved it in his pocket, regretting it immediately as it grasped his lighter tightly. "So..." he said a little more loudly that was necessary, changing the subject. "You and Lynn, huh? That's getting kinda serious by now."

[quotemyname]

"Y'sir." Colt replied taking a sip of his new drink. He wasn't about to betray Grim, but he didn't want to upset the waitress either. After all, he was a gentleman. Colt gave Jack a look. Every guy knew that look to be the 'what? It's not my fault, I swear!' look. But no matter how many times he tried to direct Tricia's attention towards Jack, nothing worked.

"That campin' trip we went on a few weeks back even went really well." Colt sipped again, "I reckon thos're the types'a things that usually make'r break a relationship." He raised his voice ever so slightly at the last part. Maybe if he was lucky, Tricia would catch it. Maybe if Jack was lucky, she'd be spiteful enough to turn her attention his way.

[Gizmo]

"Huh," Eric grunted contemplatively, taking another sip of his beer. "Y'know, I feel like sould be more jealous of you two, but I'm just not. Maybe it's 'cause you've been dating most of the time I've known either of you, like it's your default state in my head or something." The fencer shook his head. "Part of me thinks I should be going out and partying and meeting women and all this stuff, but it just feels hollow lately. Honestly? I just want to run and fight and move, like I've got all of this energy building up that I have to burn off." Eric was silent for a long moment as he stared into his drink. When he spoke again, it was hesitant, as though he was having trouble framing his thoughts into language. "I like the fighting too much, Bill, and I can't even blame it on whatever's screwy with my fire. It started long before that. I got into what we do for all the right reasons but lately it feels like this," he indicated his civilian clothes with a broad gesture, "isn't even the real me anymore. Like this is the disguise." Eric chuckled as though suddenly realizing how much he'd said. "Heavy, huh?" he smirked.

[quotemyname]

"Sure is partner." Colt sipped from his beer and leaned back from the table. "Though I reckon it's funny ya should mention disguises."

Now Colt was leaning forward, his elbows on the table. One hand on his mug, and the other propping his chin up. "Yer sayin' that this is yer costume. Eric ain't the real you, even though that's the way ya were born." Colt shrugged, "I'm surprised ya think somethin's wrong with that. Take me fer example. That's how I am." Colt made an "on the one hand" gesture with his right. "It's like ya were sayin' bout me'n Grim. It's just the way things've always been." He made an "on the other hand" gesture with his left. "I've never even known Eric. Y've always been Jack ta me. But frankly, I don't think that's a bad thing." Colt pointed a finger at Jack, "An' neither's fightin'. Leastways not fer the right reasons." Colt looked at Jack over the top of his mug as he took another sip.

[Gizmo]

Eric leaned back in his chair, his expression contemplative. "It's not like I'm turning pacifist or anything," he assured Billy. "I mean, we essentially punch people in the face for a living, which I am oddly at peace with, since these are people I think we can all agree are in serious need of face punching." Picking up his glass, the swordsman used it to gesture emphatically. "I'm talking about motivation here. I started doing this to protect people. To make the neighbourhood safer. The plan was to do just enough to even the odds a little, y'know? Give the cops and honest folks a fighting chance." The last sentence was punctuated with a flick of the wrist which nearly spilled Eric's beer. Recovering the beverage nimbly, he realized he'd been rambling a bit, and chose his next words carefully. "These days I wonder if it's not just an excuse, my way of justifying it all. Wonder if I'm not just another junkie looking for another hit."

[quotemyname]

"Well, maybe y'are." Colt said matter-of-factly. "But what'm askin' ya is: Does it really matter?"

"Yer still playin' the game fer the right reasons. Yer still helpin' people. What's't matter if'n ya like yer job?" Colt gave a shrug, and sat back in his chair. "I mean, hell. Lookit me. I used ta be doin' this fer the wrong reasons. I used ta just wanna get paid. But now, I'm enjoyin' maself same as y'are. In a lotta ways, that make ya better off'n I'm."

[Gizmo]

Eric contemplated the cowboy's words. "So, then ends justify the means and the motivation, huh?" Without warning the fencer broke out into raucous laughter, open and genuine. As it died down, he sighed through a chuckle. "We are some messed up S.O.B.s, huh? But alright, sure, point taken. I guess it wouldn't do anybody any more good if we were miserable about it, huh?"

He swashbuckler groaned, throwing back his head and covering his face with one hand. "Argh, I have so many people I need to apologize to. Y'know Mona tried to talk to me about it? Hadn't seen me in like ten years, having just about the worst day ever, and she still asks what's bothering me. I pretty much stopped just short of flipping her the bird. I've been... I have been a guy in need of face punching."

[quotemyname]

Eric contemplated the cowboy's words. "So, then ends justify the means and the motivation, huh?" Without warning the fencer broke out into raucous laughter, open and genuine. As it died down, he sighed through a chuckle. "We are some messed up S.O.B.s, huh? But alright, sure, point taken. I guess it wouldn't do anybody any more good if we were miserable about it, huh?"

Billy shrugged, "Take Dark Star fer instance." Billy sipped, "Reckon that man's life's gotta be hell. But he gets the job done, same's you'n me."

"Now I reckon I don't know Mona," Billy sipped again, now nearly finished his second beer. "But if'n she's anythin' like that sister'a yers, she'll fergive ya." Billy smiled encouragingly. "They always tell ya that the first step ta gettin' better's admittin' ya got'a problem." He shrugged off the saying, "Now I dunno bout all that gettin' better business, cuz I fer one sure ain't gonna stop face-punchin', but it definitely is'a start." With that he drained the last of his mug and called for another.

Jack took one look at Billy's contented expression and instantly realized something. Here was a man that knew exactly what he wanted out of life. What's more, he seemed to have found it. It was no wonder he had attracted the waitress earlier, southern accent or not. Billy's air of assurance, confidence, and sense of inner peace seemed to pour off of him in waves.

[Heritage]

After her visit to meet with the detective, Grim placed a call to Colt while perched on top of the 13th precinct, watching the comings and goings of the patrol cars.

"Hi honey, whatcha guys up to?"

[quotemyname]

"Grim!" Colt exclaimed as he answered the phone. "I reckon we were just talkin' bout'cha!" He covered the phone quickly and made an aside towards Jack, "It's Grim." He whispered. Returning to the call, he answered her question. "We were just out gettin' a drink an' startin' some good ol' fashioned trouble. How 'bout you? How'd yer meetin' go?"

[Gizmo]

Jack gave the cowboy a flat look, softened by a wry smirk. Gee, really? Taking a sip of his beer, he waited in silence as his teammates conversed over the phone, cautiously hopeful to hear what the shapeshifter had turned up.

[Heritage]

"We were just out gettin' a drink an' startin' some good ol' fashioned trouble. How 'bout you? How'd yer meetin' go?"

The changeling tucked her phone into the crook of her shoulder and made a paddleball for her own amusement, its steady 'whap whap whap' audible in the background.

"I think it went good; she almost shot me, which kinda broke the ice, y'know, had a few laughs. I told her about Jack, and she said she'd like to meet him, run a few magical tests and whatnot, but she said it would take a day of prep. She seemed pretty flexible on place and time."

She untucked her phone and worked her neck a bit before continuing. "So you guys want any company, or are you all boys' nighting it?"

[quotemyname]

"It's good ta hear the meetin' went well." Colt responded, only giving a shake of his head a the repeated whapping noise. With Grim, that could be anything.

"So you guys want any company, or are you all boys' nighting it?"

"Tell ya the truth, we were all ready ta head out an' meet'cha. Didn't think we'd have ta wait a day ta meet this detective'a yers. So hold on a spell, I'll ask'em."

"What'a'ya say, Eric? Feel like meetin' up with grim, or would'ya rather hang out here?" Colt added the last part with a sideways glance at their waitress.

[Gizmo]

Jack hesitated for a moment. After weeks of cutting himself off from everyone, he wasn't sure how much socialization he was prepared to handle all at once. Screw it, he decided, might as well quit this emo bull cold turkey. He finished the last of his drink and began to dig out his wallet. "Yeah, sure, let's head out. Getting antsy sitting around, anyway," he smirked.

[quotemyname]

Colt nodded the affirmative and went back to the phone. "Just's I thought, we're ready ta go, Grim. Ya got'a place ta meet in mind? 'Er anythin' on the agenda fer that matter?" Colt dug a few bills out of his own pocket and set them down under his own empty glass.

[Heritage]

"Just's I thought, we're ready ta go, Grim. Ya got'a place ta meet in mind? 'Er anythin' on the agenda fer that matter?"

The tiny vigilante shrugged high up on her perch. "I dunno, maybe we could do a West End pub crawl, get to know the neighborhood a bit more. We could start at Morley's, that place Moira owns."

She rose to her feet, dusting off her butt.

"But maybe we should set a curfew or a spending limit, so Jack doesn't get end up with a hangover that reads as demonic possession tomorrow."

[quotemyname]

"Haha!" Colt laughed heartily, "Reckon, should we stay away from poppy seeds as well?" Colt asked?

"What'cha say?" He asked Jack, placing his hand over the phone once more. "Start over't Morley's an' make out way 'round town?"

[Gizmo]

Following the cowboy's example, Jack left the appropriate bills next to his empty glass over Trisha's protests, adding a suitably large tip and a napkin with a hastily scrawled phone number to the pile. Retrieving his coat from the rack by the door, he turned to Colt. "Morley's?" Though a low key and intimate establishment by the standards of Freedom at large, the long established bar was popular enough to attract patrons from throughout the city, and was thus generally avoided by West End natives on general principle. Still, the fencer had to admit that the pub had an excellent reputation for music, and if the goal was to overcome his recent standoffish inclinations, the social drinkery was a sound choice. "Yeah, sure. Let's make like Monopoly."

[quotemyname]

"Well, alright. I reckon that settles that." Colt stood from the table, still with his phone at his ear. While he strode to the coat rack, he finished his conversation with Grim. "We're on our way. Reckon I'll see ya over there. Love ya." The phone clicked off, and he slipped it into his pocket. Throwing his coat over his shoulders, he addressed Jack. "Lucky thing heroes get Free Parkin', eh?"

[Gizmo]

Jack rolled his eyes as the pair stepped out into the street and began walking. "Ugh, don't get me started. Everybody plays with the 'land on Free Parking, get the money' rule, amirite? But my sister was always, 'that's not in the real rules, you can't just make stuff up!'" The swordsman snorted. "Didn't say anything when she landed there, of course." A thought occurred to him and he regarded Colt with a raised eyebrow. "Wait, how do you even know what Monopoly is?"

[quotemyname]

"Hey now, partner," Colt began wagging a finger at his friend. "Contrary ta popular belief, Grim an' I do git outta bed... sometimes." He smiled a joking smile. "She's been real helpful at teachin' me about evrathin'. Naw c'mon. Let's git over ta Morley's."

[Gizmo]

Jack gave Colt an amused glance as he stuck his hands in the pockets of his heavy denim jacket and continued walking. "You got out of bed to play boardgames?" His expression became exaggeratedly frank. "Was is strip Monopoly? Did you use the Parker Brothers' beloved family activity for impure purposes?" The fencer raised his hands placatingly. "Hey, I'm not judging. I get it: once you get started, that game can keep on going for hours."