Interceptors: Liquid Therapy IC

[Heritage]

Morley's Pub

The flight over to the pub had been largely uneventful; Grim doubted the pidgeons of Freedom would ever get used to her, not that she helped by gleefully chasing them on wing from time to time. She'd found a nice table, strategically located near the 'golden triangle' formed by the jukebox, bowling arcade game and one of the pool tables. It was still fairly early, but she'd already started a tab with Summer, their waitress, and let her know two cute guys were on the way over, even though one was sadly already taken.

"Just keep your hands off the cowboy, and we'll be fine."

Looking to match the tone of the evening, she was keeping it casual, nothing too fancy. The petite brunette ordered a rum and Coke and fed a few bills in the jukebox, carefully mulling over her options before punching in the next ten songs.

[quotemyname]

Colt could only laugh and shake his head at Jack's comment about the board game. Colt went on to explain about everything he actually knew about the world. "Ain't all that different from my world after all." He concluded, "We got most'a the stuff y'all do. Just both a lil' backwards, an' a lil' more advanced all't the same time."

---

The door to Morley's creaked open. The pair of heroes strode through the door. The bar wasn't the biggest establishment in town, so Colt spotted Grim right away. With a wave, he strode over to the table. "Howdy, Grim!" He sat next to the shape shifter. "Good ta see'ya, girl. C'n ya believe Jack thought'a never heard'a Monopoly?"

[Gizmo]

Jack gave the cowboy a flat look as they took their seats. "Right, silly me. 'Cause my first assumption about the land of flying motorcycles should have been 'boardgame rich environment'." Noting the lack of live music with moderate disappointment, the swashbuckler did his best to suppress his need to move. Sitting down always felt so awkward; he preferred to have his feet under him and ready to reflexively spring into acrobatics. He covered his growing disquiet with a drawl. "So, step two of the intervention is binge drinking, huh? Unorthodox, but I like the creativity."

[Heritage]

"Howdy, Grim!""Good ta see'ya, girl. C'n ya believe Jack thought'a never heard'a Monopoly?"

Lynn beamed and gave Colt a welcoming peck. "Hey, you! And it's 'Lynn' out on the street, doofus! Good to see you, Ja- uh, what am I calling you now?"

Her drink arrived and she thanked Summer with a smile. "I went ahead and started a tab for us. And as I recall, Mr. Colt, I wasn't sure if you knew what a toilet was at first."

"So, step two of the intervention is binge drinking, huh? Unorthodox, but I like the creativity."

Lynn laughed and shrugged. "It's simple; we replace one annoying and destructive form of behavior with another. Works every time!"

Once the guys had ordered drinks, her face took on a more serious expression. "Actually, I do think we have something to celebrate, guys. When this team started, it was because a crazy German scientist thought we'd make a good team, and he offered us a cool house and lots of money. We chose to join the team, but we didn't choose each other."

She wiggled her hand from side to side.

"Well, you could say me and Colt did, but that's another story. My point is, someone else decided we would work well together. But today, the three of us, by actually talking about a problem, and working at a solution? I feel like today is the first time we're really a team because we want to be a team."

And here she held up her glass in salute.

"And that, my friends, is why I plan to get s***-faced tonight" :twisted:

[quotemyname]

Lynn beamed and gave Colt a welcoming peck. "Hey, you! And it's 'Lynn' out on the street, doofus! Good to see you, Ja- uh, what am I calling you now?"

"Sorry, Lynn." Colt smacked his head with the palm of his hand. "I Reckon he's goin' wit' Eric. An' I suppose that makes me Billy."

Colt waved away the comment about the toilet with his hand. "Hey, I reckon that bit wasn't ma fault. Dang thing just looked a whole lot dif'rent that's all."

"It's simple; we replace one annoying and destructive form of behavior with another. Works every time!"

"Ain't that basic psychology're somethin'. Substitution, I reckon. Ain't called that, I'm sure, but y'all understand."

When Grim held her glass in the air, Colt did the same. "That there sounds like a toast if'n I ever heard one." Shot glass in hand, he looked at his two closest companions. They'd sort out whatever Jack's problems were. That much was certain. But Grim had been right when she said they had something to celebrate, and Colt planned to do just that. "Ta' us!" he called out, Interceptors, go!, the battle cry rang through his head. He lifted his shot glass and drained it of whiskey.

[Gizmo]

Clinking his glass with the others, Erik covered a twitch at the corner of his mouth with a light snort. "Tch. You're gonna feel totally awkward about this conversation later when I go through my 'Demon in a Bottle' phase." The swashbuckler shrugged as he leaned back in his chair. "Still, anything to further my image as a rakish rogue, amirite?" While the unlikely couple across the table from him were comfortable expressing their genuine emotions directly, the remaining Interceptor had long ago fallen into the habit of operating beneath layers of humour and innuendo. Even so, as he sipped through a wry smirk, some of the weariness that had graced his visage over the past weeks seemed to ebb away as his movements became a little less guarded.

[Heritage]

After their toast, Lynn wiped her mouth on the back of her hand before taking the conversation in a new direction.

"So, this detective lady says she can help us out tomorrow; I'm thinking maybe we should go by her place, to maintain our whole 'aura of mystery' thing. She thinks a day or prep is all she'll need to be able to read you or whatever."

Then the changeling leaned a little closer to Erik. "And by the way, she's a real looker, buddy ol' pal. Just keep that in mind, for later. Nudge nudge, wink wink." She gave him a broad wink, then returned to her rum and Coke.

[Gizmo]

Finishing his shot, Erik set the empty glass aside with a grimace. "Dios. Is this going to be, like, a thing now?" he asked the diminutive New Jerseyan. "'Cause I'm thinking I should maybe wait for her to figure out why my mojo's got that brimstoney-fresh scent before telling her that her badge really flatters her, ah, case files." What the fencer didn't mention was that, having been raised to respect police officers his entire life, this was one situation in which he was inclined toward professional courtesy. Regardless, he turned to his beer with a serious look. "You really don't need to be trying to set me up."

[quotemyname]

"A course!" Colt snapped his fingers as he set down his glass. "Why didn't I think'a that earlier." Colt whacked his forehead with his hand, then waved his hand to order another round of drinks. "I reckon Erick here doesn't need therapy. All's he needs is'a new girl!"

Colt had a smug smile on his face. He looked glumly at the swordsman, fully expecting a snappy retort.

[Heritage]

"You really don't need to be trying to set me up."

Lynn chuckled at that. "To be honest, this actually has very little to do with you, and a lot more to do with one of the most powerful forces in the universe: good old-fashioned Jewish guilt." She sighed and put down her drink. "It really bugs me that the three of us live in a house together, and while me and the cowboy are raisin' the roof and making whoopie all night long, our good friend is left polishing his poignard."

She held up her hands and shook her head.

"I know, that's not a very fair or accurate portrayal of events, but that's how it feels in my gut; remember, Jewish guilt knows no logic but itself. In time, I'll get over it and start worrying about something else, but for right now, it's my thing."

She raised her glass to her lips, but right before she took a sip, she said, "Of course, it would be even better if you really did find a girl..." ;)

[Gizmo]

Erik pulled a face that went far beyond a mere grimace, entering into the realm of abject horror. "I'll tell you what," he replied, composing himself quickly. "Leave the sword puns to me and we'll call it even. Tch, 'polishing my...' Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, y'know?" Taking a deep pull of his beverage, the fencer muttered to himself. "Nobody gives Mr. Two Barrels of Overcompensation a hard time..." His apparent agitation evaporated as one side of his frown turned upward in a toothy smirk. "Besides, who said anything about just one girl?"

[quotemyname]

"Oh ho!" Colt jeered, setting his glass down. "I reckon we're talkin' now. But if'n y'ask me, ya got yer work cut out fer ya. Ya gotta get one girl before ya c'n get'em all."

Colt sat back in his chair, and surveyed the room. He nodded his head towards one of the girls across the room. She stood about 5'4''. Her black hair hung down to her shoulders, and she had a reasonably athletic build. The dress she had on was green, and sported a mostly open back down to about the waist or so. "What 'bout that'n?" He asked with a smirk and took a pull from his drink.

[Heritage]

"What 'bout that'n?"

Lynn grabbed her crotch and mimed hawking and spitting. "Oh hell yeah, I'd do 'er!" Then she looked all innocent and pointed first at herself, then the swordsman. "Oh, you meant Jack? I'm sorry, please continue." :P

[Gizmo]

Rolling his eyes, Erik made gun from the fingers of one hand, miming shooting himself through the side of his head, while he used the other to pick up his drink. "Fantastic, I've got Abbot and Costello for wingmen. Talk about who's on first base." Taking a long sip, he regarded his companions coolly with lidded eyes. "You guys really don't get how I operate, do you?" The swordsman waved the question away before they could respond. "Regardless, I'm just getting off of a month during which I slept about four hours out of every forty-eight, the rest of which I alternated between pushing myself to my physical breaking point and solitary brooding whist crouching dramatically on rooftops and ornate gargoyles. Not exactly bringing my 'A game' tonight."

[quotemyname]

Colt chuckled at Jack's question about his methods. When he posed the more serious statement, Colt's face straightened up as well. "Well, A game're not. We gotta get ya back in'a swing'a things." Colt leaned into the table now, speaking more confidentially. "'Sides, women don't always need ta be impressed. Some might jus' be wantin' a nice guy." Colt shrugged, "Sure, it's rare enough," He glanced sideways at Grim, "But I c'n vouch. Reckon it does happen."

[Gizmo]

Erik's expression flickered, mouth setting into a thin line as his eyes narrowed and the knuckles of his sword hand turned white around his glass. The flash of annoyance was gone almost as soon as it appeared, but when he spoke again it was with a deliberateness that suggested careful control. "Look, just... not tonight, alright?" Billy and Lynn were reminded that mere hours earlier their friend had worked himself into a cold but violent rage; as much as they might wish otherwise, all of the fencer's problems were not going to be solved with a few words and a stiff drink.

[Heritage]

"Look, just... not tonight, alright?"

"Annnnd that's our cue to shut the f*** up, so the shutting starts as of now." Lynn raised her glass in respect and took a sip, then her eyes lit up and she raised a finger to declare a point of order, as it were.

"Actually, I do have an important question for you; Detective Colby asked a bit about how your powers worked, and I was embarrased to admit I had no idea. Is it like a magic thing, 'cause that's the main concern she had."

[quotemyname]

Colt dutifully shut his mouth when prompted. He wasn't one to push the envelope too far. He did chuckle when Grim asked about Jack's powers, though. "I reckon I never even think 'bout things like that." Colt added, interested to see what the answer might be as well. "Magic? Mutations? None'a that really matters ta me." Colt smiled, "I reckon I just shoot things."

"How much does yer detective friend know 'bout all'a this magic anyways?" Colt asked.

[Gizmo]

Erik blinked at Lynn's question, starting to speak then stopping. He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably and a trace of embarrassment slipped into his expression. "I, uh, that is..." The energy manipulator coughed awkwardly. "They just... kinda... work? I don't actually know."

With a sheepish look Eric tapped the side of his head lightly. "I can't really sense my own energy the way I can with other people, y'know? Probably a good thing or there'd be, like, interference or something. I've only been able to guess, really. There was this thing with a card, but..." Erik shrugged."If I'm really connected to the other Jacks somehow, I think my abilities have to be at least partly magic. The Houses... our themes... it's all a little too cute to be coincidence. Still, the raw power, the source... that feels like it come from a deeper place, if that makes sense."

The acrobat sighed, looking upward absently. "Or maybe I'm really one of the Glowy Sword People of Centauri Six and a Half. Couldn't say for sure."

[Heritage]

Lynn laughed at Erik's own befuddlement.

"Well now I don't feel so bad about not knowing, since the dude with the powers doesn't know, either; hey, maybe Colby will be able to tell, and you'll finally know one way or another, right? Anyways, I think she was thinking about how a magical-type power might interact with demonic/interdimensional stuff, like maybe that makes you more susceptible or something? I dunno."

She finishes of the last of her drink, and sighs with satisfaction, shaking her shoulders a little bit for no particular reason. "So what else is new? What else can we talk about other than chicks for Erik and demon-tainted powers?"

[Gizmo]

Erik leaned further back in his chair, looking at the ceiling, then down into his drink. No topic of conversation immediately sprung to mind. Examining the nails of his empty hand, he let out a long breath then drummed his fingers on the table for a moment before turning to Billy. "Y'wanna start another bar fight?"

[Heritage]

"Y'wanna start another bar fight?"

Lynn looked genuinely hurt, then punched Billy fairly hard in the arm.

"Dude, you were in a bar fight and didn't tell me? Guys have all the good times!"

She crossed her arms tightly over her chest and harrumphed. "If we start one now, it'll just feel cheap and crappy." :(

[quotemyname]

"Yow!" Colt yelped when he got hit. "I reckon I did tell ya. I said we was startin' all sort'sa trouble." Colt explained. "What did'ja think that meant?"

She crossed her arms tightly over her chest and harrumphed. "If we start one now, it'll just feel cheap and crappy."

"Anyways, ain't this Divine's bar? Reckon we'd have real trouble on'er hands if'n we started a fight here."

[Gizmo]

Erik had a momentary impulse to bring up the waitress's vocal interest in Billy, if only out of a strange fascination with Lynn's tiny person rage. Her fists were small enough to use the same principle of surface area which made narrow blades so dangerous. He decided against it immediately, however, largely because he couldn't be sure he'd avoid being on the receiving end of said wrath.

The fencer sighed. "Just as well; we'd have to move up to pro teams pretty soon, and before you knew it we'd've permanently ruined Freedom's chances in the national leagues."

[Heritage]

"Anyways, ain't this Divine's bar? Reckon we'd have real trouble on'er hands if'n we started a fight here."

Lyn sighed disconsolately. "I guess; oh well, maybe we'll get lucky in the next one." Suddenly she grinned evily as a thought struck her. "I can be like your slutty girlfriend, and then you swoop in and defend my so-called 'honor'; that one always works." Cackling to herself, she completely missed Erik's sports reference.