Billy Kaplan (magicwords) wrote in gangs_of_nyx, @ 2009-01-12 08:34:00 |
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Entry tags: | asgardian, hulkling |
Asgardian and Hulkling Log
Characters: Billy "Asgardian" Kaplan and Teddy "Hulkling" Altman
NPCs: barflies
Location: Rogue's bar
Time: January - evening
Description: Billy and Teddy meet!
Rating: PG to start
Billy didn't like stress, yet the past week had been somewhat
stressful for him. He should have expected that he'd be the victim of crime sooner or later living where he did, but he hadn't expected it to be sooner. In trying to form an appropriate response to this, Billy'd made a few new contacts and even found a watering hole that he hadn't known about before.
This is where he was headed to this night. He needed to relax, maybe even have some fun. It felt like ages since he'd been able to let down his guard for a while. Billy pushed open the door to the bar. He saw that one of the pool tables was open, and that was tempting. But first things first, he needed a drink. Billy found an opening at the bar that he fit into, and made haste ordering a beer off the tap. While he
waited for it, he took a casual look around the bar, taking in the local color.
Teddy was still getting to know his way around the bar, but so far it was kind of fun. Being the only one tending to the customers was a little less comforting, but the patrons were being patient enough with him in Rogue's absence while he continued to learn his way around. She needed a break anyway and after a few days of tentative training he was sure that he'd be fine on his own for at least a little while as long as no one ordered anything more complicated than run-of-the-mill shots and beers. So far so good. Most of the people who showed up were starting to become familiar to him, though he only knew two of them by name, and only because for the past three nights they'd been sitting in the same two stools for hours on end.
He had a handful of cash in his pocket that people kept telling him to keep, but he had no idea what to do with it. Did it go in the register? He'd definitely have to ask Rogue when she came back down. She'd only gone of up for a shower, hadn't she?
Everyone seemed to be content for the moment, so Teddy worked on the order from the guy who'd just walked in, someone he was fairly sure he'd never seen before. The foam from the tap spilled over the edge of the glass mug a bit and onto the blonde's hand, cold and tingly and he hurried to grab for the cloth resting on his shoulder as he walked back to his customer. "There you go." Almost the instant the mug left his fingers he drew his hand to his mouth, tasting the edge of his knuckle before grimacing a little. Beer, as it turned out, was awfully disgusting. Still, he couldn't really complain as long as people were spending money and Rogue's business was doing well. "Can I get you anything else?"
Billy relaxed onto the stool as he waited for his beer. He thought he vaguely remembered seeing the blonde barkeep there when he'd been to the bar the other day, but he hadn't been there for fun that time. Billy thought the guy looked too young for serving drinks, but Billy supposed that he was too young to be drinking them, so that made them even.
"Thanks", Billy said, giving the guy a smile as his beer was
delivered. As he raised his mug, he watched the boy put his hand to his lips and make a face. Billy chuckled into his beer, setting it down onto the bar with a clunk. To the question, Billy answered, "Just came in for a beer and some company. Suppose you can't give me that since you're working", he said. Not that the bar was super busy, but
he didn't see any other servers or workers about at the moment. "I'm Billy", he offered.
Company, huh? Teddy couldn't help but smile at that considering how much it reminded him of when he'd met Rogue. He wondered if the bar itself just had that kind of pull. "I'm Teddy," he replied with a small smile, pausing as he wiped the counter for a moment, then continued on with it again as he spoke. "the orders aren't keeping me too busy, and as long as no one starts any trouble it should be okay. I can keep you company for a little while." Glancing down the length of the bar his smile widened just a little bit, speaking a little more quietly. "I think everyone else is a little too mellowed out to start shenanigans anyway."
It probably also helped that Rogue was as serious as she was. Half the guys here were probably terrified of her. It was silly, really, considering how nice she was. He realized idly, that he'd probably said more to the new customer than he''d said to anyone consecutively all night, which made him feel a little embarrassed. "The company's good here though. Everyone's pretty friendly."
"Hi Teddy", Billy said back, returning the smile that seemed oddly genuine, something Billy didn't see much of. He breathed out a laugh at the name, reminding him of a teddy bear, though he didn't say so.
"That's cool", Billy said about having someone to share time with, even though Teddy wasn't drinking with him. Though from his reaction to tasting the foam, Billy guessed that the guy probably wouldn't even if he had the chance. It seemed strange for someone working in a bar to dislike beer. But it probably kept him honest, kept him from sneaking drinks on the clock.
"Mellow's good, man, that's how I like it", Billy replied, leaning forward on his stool a little. This guy, though a little innocent seeming, seemed to be on the same wavelength as Billy, and he liked that. He even liked the perceived innocence too. It wasn't something he ever saw much of, especially here in Mutant Town. Had he ever been innocent? Billy thought that he must have been, though it was hard to know as his parents had been trying to run his life for as long as he could remember. There had always been the stress over doing the right things and trying to please them. He was past that stage of life now, but innocent was about the last thing he'd describe himself as.
"So how'd you end up working here?", he asked, deciding to try and reconcile the dissonance of the guy working in the bar.
"Definitely makes things easier, that's for sure. I haven't seen a real bar brawl since I started working. It'd probably be interesting to watch but I don't really want anyone to get hurt. Especially customers." That and stepping in to break things up would probably do more harm than good. He was good with his abilities, but maybe not quite THAT good yet. Rogue probably preferred her place intact, and who knew what she'd do if he slipped up that badly. It was probably better not to think about it.
"It's...involved." Teddy replied with a sheepish laugh, turning to fix himself a glass of water while it was slow. "The owner's letting me work here for a bit until I can get situated with everything. Turns out I'm not completely terrible at it either." Taking a sip from the glass he'd just prepared, the ice clinking lightly against the rim, he licked his lips a little to get the access water from them before speaking again. "Just for that I'm probably going to jinx myself though."
"They're fun to watch in the movies, but not so much in real life",
Billy concluded before another brief sip of his beer. "Beer gets
spilled, things get broke, too much of a hassle." He shrugged. "Guess
I'm a lover, not a fighter", he mused, channeling the Kinks. It took a
lot to incite Billy's anger, such as having his apartment robbed, but
he was trying not to think about that.
Billy understood the idea of a temp job, it was more or less what he
was doing at the moment, except Teddy's job seemed a lot more stable
and consistent than his own. "You seem to be doing fine", Billy
observed. He couldn't see how he could do badly. The kid seemed
competent at pouring drinks. And looking like he did, especially when
he smiled, Billy was sure the kid was getting tons of tips. He took
another long drink from his glass.
Teddy had only seen a handful of movies as far as he could remember, and most of them were fairly old. None of of them involved a bar fight but he could only imagine what the combination of alcohol and aggravation did to people. Who knew what the bar would look like after a fight if everyone had powers. "I'm sure if something happened down here Rogue would know what to do." At least he could hope.
Taking another sip of his water, he watched Billy for a moment before speaking again. "Do you live around here? I mean, I don't know if people come from other parts of the city just to drink here...I'm just nosy." He'd meant to say 'curious', but 'nosy' had just seemingly popped out of nowhere. If Billy was from the area that meant he was a mutant too, right?
"Rogue?" Billy'd heard that name here and there last time he was in
the bar. It seemed an odd name for a person, but he'd heard stranger,
especially here in Mutant Town. In the context that Teddy'd said the
name, it gave Billy an idea of who he was. "That the owner?"
Billy smiled at the question, amused and kinda liking that the cute
young bar guy seemed interested in him. Or maybe he was being polite.
"I'm not real close, I live a little ways off, not far from the art
museum, but still in Mutant Town, if that was what you were
wondering." Billy had gotten the idea that that was what the kid was
probably asking. Billy couldn't imagine that many humans came to this
side of town. First of all, not many humans actually seemed to like
mutants. Secondly, the feeling was mutual, for the most part.
"Yeah, she's usually the one serving everyone but she had to go upstairs and take care of something." He wasn't really sure if it was proper for him to tell someone who didn't know Rogue, and that he didn't really know himself, that they both lived upstairs. It wasn't that Billy didn't seem nice, he just wasn't sure if Rogue wanted things like that advertised.
When Billy smiled, Teddy couldn't help but smile in return, relaxing against the counter a little as he listened. His head tilted a bit, his interest piqued. "We have an art museum here?" He'd never been to one, but that didn't mean he didn't know what one was. He'd seen books with art in them, even if they were fairly old and worn. People with talent and creativity like that were pretty amazing. "Have you ever been there?"
Billy was a little surprised to hear Teddy mention that the owner was a
she, but didn't let it show. It didn't matter to Billy either way, and
he figured she must be good at what she does to own her own bar.
"Yeah", Billy answered quickly about the art museum. "The Metro Museum
of Experimental Art. It's not a big one, but I think it's solid." When
asked about having gone there, he answered casually, "Practically live
there. Love the place. And it's given me a few ideas here and there
for my own stuff I do."
You do art?" Teddy sounded impressed, and as far as he was considered it was with good reason. There had been a few morlocks in the underground that had various kinds of artistic talent, while he himself could barely manage a decently proportioned stick figure. Art just seemed to be so HARD. "What kind?"
"Hey, barkeep, can I get another round?" The voice came from the other end of the bar, and Teddy's head perked up in that direction, straightening to stand again. "Be right over!" He turned back to Billy and offered a smile. "I'll be right back." Of course, by the time he got down there and filled up two fresh mugs of beer, there were always those few customers who saw one guy getting more and decided they wanted some as well. It took him a few minutes but he came back with a fresh glass of water for himself. "Did you want another drink too?"
It was nice to hear that question with the tone of voice that Teddy
had given it. Too many times had Billy heard the same words said in a
way that was clearly disparaging.
He was about to answer when he saw Teddy turn to respond to the call
for more beer. Billy waited, lifting his own mug and finishing it off
in those minutes while Teddy worked. When the blonde did return,
Billy's glass was sitting empty in front of him. At the question,
Billy felt bad at troubling the guy for another, but a second one did
sound good to him.
"Yeah, I'll take another. Thanks", he said, giving Teddy a meaningful
look. At least the tap was nearby and Teddy didn't have to stray too
far to get a refill for him. "So right now I'm doing a lot of artwork
for businesses, like signs, logos, some other art too. I like doing
pencil drawings best, people, do that just for fun."
"No problem, it's what I'm here for." Teddy smiled brightly and took the mug, setting it aside to get a fresh one. When it was full he slid it across the bar to Billy and went for his water again.
"Wow that sounds like a lot of fun. I mean, if you actually have the abilities to do it. I sure as heck couldn't." He laughed a little to himself, or at himself, either way he couldn't tell. He wanted to ask if Billy had any of his work posted around the area, possibly something he himself might have already seen, but it was the second part of the other man's answer that drew his attention more. "People? Like, regular people? Do you have to get models or do you just sort of sit down in a place and start....going at it." He didn't know what the correct terminology was but he at least figured Billy would get the idea.
"It's fun", Billy agreed, his lips pouting out just a little. "It's
more fun when it's not work-related." Though he did consider himself
very lucky that he had a job where he could do something he loved to
do and get paid for it. He knew not many people at all could boast of
that.
The way Teddy asked his question made Billy grin and laugh for a
moment. It was innocent, but unintentionally suggestive the way the
kid had said it. "It'd be easier to have someone be still for me like
a model, but I haven't really ever had that before. I've just sketched
people from afar. The closest I've had to a model was drawing from
looking off a photograph."
I'm sure if you asked people a lot of them would be okay with it." Teddy shrugged a bit. Well, he didn't really have enough experience with various types of people to give a good educated response, but he couldn't imagine others not being at least curious about what they'd look like drawn. Or maybe there was just the issue of sitting still for that long. Teddy himself wasn't exactly sure if he could do it, but he'd be more than willing to try.
"People here drink so much they barely move anyway. This could be your base of operations." He laughed a bit at that, the smile staying through as he pulled a bowl of pretzels closer to munch on one. "Hey, next time you come in will you bring some of your stuff so I can see?"
"I dunno...", Billy answered him, face wrinkling up from uncertainty.
"Saying to someone, 'hey, you wanna model for me'? Sounds like some
kinda bad pick-up line." He laughed into his beer, taking another
drink of it. "I mean, I have sketched people who knew I was doing it
before, but they weren't sitting still or anything like that for me."
He smiled at the suggestion of drawing people at the bar. Turning his
head for a moment and looking down the bar, he said, "They do sit
pretty still, don't they?" He was grinning as he observed the patrons.
Most of them looked very world-worn, their faces lined with character
brought on by hard lives. Billy couldn't help being a little
superficial, but he did prefer drawing pretty people. He could imagine
drawing the server in front of him, he had an appealing aura of youth
an innocence to him. He was still smiling as he looked at Teddy, his
eyes tracing over the lines of his form for a moment.
"Yeah, I could bring in some stuff", Billy said. "You wanna see it?"
That made him feel good. And the assumption that Billy would be back
was a good one. He definitely would be back now that he had a reason
to. Several reasons to. To share his artwork, to have some good
company, good beer, maybe even do some drawing right there.
"Well, as long as you're careful how you say it. Though, I suppose adding 'you don't have to be naked' would kinda be weird too..." he looked thoughtful, his cheeks tinting a little at the idea of it before he shook his head. That really wasn't the kind of mental image he needed.
Teddy followed Billy's gaze down the bar and laughed, nodding a bit. "Yeah, half the time I think they're asleep, but they're just...slothy." He paused, turning back. "I don't even know if that's a real word." Sloths were cute though, he'd seen pictures. At the question, he smiled again and nodded. "Yeah that would be awesome. I'm usually here every night, or I have been so far at least. I'm sure Rogue wouldn't mind me wandering off for a little while if it's slow."
The darker-haired guy nearly did a spittake at the joking comment
about not having to be naked. His mind hadn't even gone there, which
was surprising for how depraved a mind he had at times. "Who said they
don't have to be naked?", he joked back, eyes shining. In spite of
himself, or maybe he would blame it on the beer, his cheeks darkened
just a shade as well.
After another long drink of his beer, Billy agreed, "Yeah, I'll have
to stop back out here with some of my stuff. Maybe I could even catch
you on a night you don't have to work." His mind was caught on a hook
of dissonance for a moment as he wondered if the guy was meaning he
worked every night. And if not, did he really hang out in the bar
during his free time, even if he didn't drink beer?
But Billy pushed those thoughts away, catching the suggestion that
maybe Teddy would want to hang out outside the bar. "Maybe we could
even go check out the museum if you'd want", he suggested before he
could censor himself. It wasn't a bad idea, really. Though he'd gone a
lot, it would be more fun to visit with someone else.
The statement only made Teddy blush more, and he averted his gaze, using his glass as best as he could to hide his face as he drank. He knew Billy was only teasing, but still, did he really want to draw people naked?
"Oh," the blond chirped, thinking on it for a second. Would Rogue really mind if he took a night off to hang out with Billy? She'd run the bar on her own for a while before they'd met, but with everything she'd been doing for him, was it really right? Though, she probably wanted some time alone sometimes anyway, didn't she? And it wasn't as if he'd be gone all that long... "Sure, that could be fun."
At the mention of the museum, he notably brightened, nodding eagerly. "That would be great! I've never been to one before.
Billy's beer helped him cool off some and by the time he set it back
down, the color had faded from his cheeks. He did notice the redness
of Teddy's cheeks as the blonde drank. Had Billy embarrassed him by
his joking? Teddy'd been the one to start it, Billy honestly hadn't
thought of drawing someone in the buff. Sure, he'd tried before, just
for his own amusement, but nothing beyond that. Teddy's reaction just
reinforced Billy's impression of him as an innocent. Though when it
came to the subject they'd just breached, Billy was still something of
an innocent himself.
He smiled again to see Teddy's enthusiasm at the idea of the museum.
"Then we definitely have to go. Like I said, it's far from the best
museum ever, but they do have some pretty neat stuff there. What
nights do you have off?"
Relaxing a bit again, Teddy leaned forward, his elbows on the counter, taking a load off for a couple of seconds. He almost wanted to sit down but at least wanted to wait for Rogue to get back.
"I'm sure if I asked Rogue she wouldn't have a problem with me taking any night off, so whatever's good for you would work for me." Even if it was only for a few hours, he could at least offer to work before or after, right? Besides, museums weren't open all night, were they? He couldn't really imagine anyone really wanting to go look at art at three in the morning.
Again, there seemed to be the implication that the kid never stopped
working, or was always here, or something... odd. But Billy figured
that Mutant Town was the place for odd, so he wasn't going to ask.
"Well, that's a pretty cool boss", Billy said. At least she sounded
flexible, even if she did have him working there a lot. He lifted his
mug again and drank the remainder of his beer down. He was thinking on
what night would be best and it didn't much matter to him. He tried to
keep his evenings open. He did remember that the museum was open later
mid-week. "Maybe Wednesday? I think the museum's open a little later
on Wednesdays."
Wednesday. Well, it wasn't a weekend so it wasn't bound to be terribly busy. He was pretty sure Rogue would be cool with that.
"Alright, yeah." Teddy nodded again and smiled, picking another pretzel from the bowl and popping it into his mouth, chewing a little as he spoke again. "Want to meet up here? Or is there somewhere better?" There was a pause before he spoke again. "The only other place I really know how to find on my own is the subway station, but I'm pretty good with directions." All those years living underground, mostly in near-dark where almost all of the tunnels looked pretty much the same, you needed to be.
The comment about the subway station threw Billy off some. How was it
that Teddy was only familiar with the bar and the subway and nothing
else? Did he commute in for work? Is that why he was wondering where
Billy lived, because he didn't live in Mutant Town? Did that mean he
wasn't a mutant? That was a strange thought. Billy wasn't sure why a
human would be working in a mutant bar in a not great part of town.
But he supposed it didn't matter. Teddy obviously didn't have anything
against mutants, considering where he was working.
"We could meet up here, that's fine", Billy said. He pushed his empty
glass forward a little and reached for his wallet. "Should probably
pay up and get out so you can keep working", he told the blonde. He
opened his wallet, looking inside. He pulled out enough dollar bills
for the two beers and a generous tip that was about half his total
bill. Billy dropped it onto the counter, saying with a smile, "Keep
the change."
Is that what the money was? Just something people gave for the heck of it? He'd still definitely ask Rogue, but having a job and getting extra money for just being helpful? That was pretty darned cool! Heck, if he got enough he'd be able to help around the apartment more. Didn't Rogue say something about wanting to get a teevee? He knew he probably didn't have enough for something like that, but at least now he had a goal!
"Alright, cool." Teddy was smiling again, and while this wasn't terribly unusual, it might have been just a little bit brighter. It was a bit sad that his company was leaving, especially before meeting Rogue, but there was time for that on Wednesday, he supposed. The smile stayed for a second or two longer before his face snapped back into a more conversing visage. "Oh wait, what time?"
Billy chuckled softly at the slightly widened smile. He well
understood, money had that effect on people. Not that he was trying to
bribe the blonde or anything, Billy figured the money was well-earned.
He slid off his stool, still leaning against the bar. "Is six okay?",
Billy asked. He figured that'd give him enough time to be done with
whatever work he'd have for the day and would give them enough time in
the museum before it closed.
"Yeah, that should be great." The blonde nodded in return, moving to take the empty beer glasses from the spot Billy was currently vacating. The museum was sounding even more fun the more he thought about it. "I'll see you then okay? And don't forget, I want to see some of your stuff too."
He peered over at the door, and at the snow coming down then looked back to Billy. "Do you want me to call you a cab?" That was a number he was learning fairly quickly with all the drunks piling out every night. He hated to think of his new friend walking home in the cold, though it didn't occur to him that he possibly had a car of his own.
"Good, yeah, see you then", Billy said. He smiled at mention of his
artwork. "Yeah, I'll bring some along. Good to meetcha, Teddy." He
turned from the bar, to walk toward the door. The first thing he
noticed was the large flecks of white flying past the window in the
door. Snow. Snow and wind. Billy frowned and started to zip up his
jacket.
Billy turned when he heard Teddy's question. "No", he answered, a
resigned sigh in his voice. "It's not that long a walk", he lied.
Truth was, he was too tight to pay for a cab, he'd rather walk. "'ll
be fine. See you Wednesday." That thought was one that made him feel a
little more upbeat as he started off toward the door.
"You too, see ya Wednesday. And stay warm!" Teddy called back pleasantly, thought just those two words seemed to bring the other bar-goers to attention. Drink orders started filling the room and the blonde sighed a bit to himself, the smile staying, before turning to tend to them.