swan (savioring) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2019-04-05 21:50:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, emma swan, peter quill (star-lord) |
WHO: Emma & Peter
WHEN: Late Feb/Early March
WHERE: Bar with Pool
WHAT: A friendly game and some beers and snacks later
RATING: PG-13 (some cussing)
STATUS: Complete
"That was a good game," Peter said, nodding with a grin. Even though he'd won (he always won, really), he'd enjoyed it. Besides, he was upfront from the beginning that he was ridiculously good, but just liked to practice. Thankfully, Emma seemed to be okay with that.
Besides, he was buying the beer, so how could she complain? Plus food. Food was good too. A platter of nachos, and couple of beers and he was set.
"Thanks for playing and for agreeing to eat. Holy shit, some days, I don't know how I ever lasted without melted cheese in my life."
Emma never really claimed to be a pool shark, and that was probably for the best, since if they were both really good and really competitive, things could've gotten ugly. As it was, Emma was just glad that she hadn't fired a ball off the table.
"Kills some time," Since Emma was looking for excuses not to go home, and she wasn't exactly wanting to spend all day drinking."And it was fun." Because winning wasn't everything, so she didn't mind playing just to play. And if she could offset her drinking bill with a drink or two from Peter, all the better.
"I feel you on that, there's nothing like greasy melting cheese." It probably helped that Emma still ate like a teenager.
"Surprised I haven't bumped into you before," Peter said, around a mouthful of food. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand (and then wiping on the napkin he'd completely missed before), he grinned. "It seems like everyone knows everyone who should ...well, know each other. It's a strange place, this ..place. Wow. I sound deep as fuck right now." He laughed and reached for his beer. "You know what I mean though. That network thing is ...a lot smaller than I thought it would be."
He took a deep drink of his beer and raised his brows. "What did you say you did again?"
Emma did know what he was talking about, because the network made all of California seem so small, even though it was probably just a handful of them who used it, a handful of them that were sucked into this crazy thing that they were all a part of. “No, I understand, I just… I guess I’m one of those less social users.” She didn’t comment a lot, she didn’t share a lot either, she was still trying to get her head around everything. “Although recently, a bar is definitely where you’re more likely to find me.”
She wasn’t yet at the ‘problem’ stage, but she knew with these dreams it would be really easy to slip into some very bad habits.
“Um, I’m an assistant at a dance studio.” Probably a nice way of calling herself a secretary. But Amelie was fairly simple to work for. “What about you, you’re a handy man, right?” She was sure she’d seen him post about repairs.
"Yeah, I'm a handy-man. Remember, if the ladies can't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy!" It was one of his favourite quotes from Red Green, a random Canadian show he'd caught on youtube by accident. "No?" He wasn't surprised she didn't catch the reference. It was vague.
"I gotta be honest though," he continued, finishing off his beer. "You don't seem like the kind of person to be an assistant. Or a dance person. Like...you seem more like an ass-kicker."
She smirked at the saying, but didn’t rightly know where it was from at all, just finding Peter charmingly amusing while she dug into the nachos. “No, sorry. But at least you’ve got some sayings to dish out. Like Mario.” But it was still cute that Peter went for those little sayings.
“Well I don’t dance, I’m just helping keep things organised and up to date, checking in students and all that.” It wasn’t the strangest job she’d ever done, but it wasn’t the most normal either. “I mean, I’m a little all over the shop, I’ve done just about everything that isn’t a trained profession.” Aside from her time as a ranch hand, she didn’t exactly have a lot of experience with things. “I like to spread myself thin."
"There's nothing wrong with that," Peter said solemnly. He was basically in the same boat. "Better to know a little about everything before getting all hooped and stuck in not knowing a damn thing." He motioned to the pool table. "Like pool. How is that going to ever help me in real life? Fuck if I know, but I've made grocery money hustling before, so hey, there you go."
Peter lifted his glass to the oncoming waitress, and smiled widely when she brought him his drink. "And plus, there's the whole freedom to choose and freedom to be what you want thing. God bless America, and all that shit."
There really was nothing wrong with having fingers in a whole lot of pots. “It’s pretty true, this way there’s a lot you find out about yourself.” Like how she hated offices with numerous people, and she’d never work for an accountant ever again, how she loved animals but couldn’t work at an animal shelter. “Hey, pool skills aren’t utterly useless. Maybe one day you’ll be in a pool competition and win a thousand bucks?” It could happen, that was the thing.
“I definitely agree there,” not the God bless America thing, but the freedom thing was true. “I love travelling and just giving it a go somewhere.” She made a point in trying something a little different. “What’s the weirdest job you’ve ever done?”
Peter gave a little laugh as he tried to think about becoming a pool champion. As if. He was good, sure, but not that good. "Weirdest job hey..." He had to think about that one. Thankfully, his new beer arrived so he slowly drank as he tried to think about it. He'd had many jobs but the one that he'd recently started admitting to came up.
"Promise not to laugh?" I used to be the lead singer on a ska band. First and only time I've ever fronted a band, and it's so far from my music tastes, it's ridiculous. I don't even know how the fuck I did it either, I just ..accidently walked in on the audition at the bar, and tried out as a joke and bam. Suddenly I'm touring. It was fun, and I should have kept up with it because it kept me out of trouble but well, I met a girl and things went to shit pretty quickly after that." He gave a shrug. "I'm basically bad news. How about you? What's the weirdest job you've had?"
Holding her hand up, the one without her beer in it, Emma nodded, "Girl scouts honour," not that she'd been a girl scout, but still. Of course then Peter launched into ska band and Emma actually had to struggle not to laugh, mostly by keeping the beer bottle by her mouth as she kept it in.
Emma understood things going to shit when a person was involved, for a while her life with Neal went well, in the dreams. Before promptly turning to shit. "I feel you on that," although she wasn't sure she'd agree with the bad news aspect just yet, she didn't have enough of a look in to tell him he wasn't either. "Well, I've never fronted a band, but I have birthed a horse?" She wasn't sure if the ranch job was the strangest she'd done, but, "I've been a sewage worker too, that was hell, but paid pretty good." Probably to make up for the fact that they were knee deep in shit.
"You don't look like a girl who has birthed a horse...does that make you an equine midwife then?" He grinned and leaned back in his chair. "Because that would make for some fucking cool business cards." He shook his head. "Sometimes, I think I should go back to school, but then I realize I would never get these weird opportunities. I know I was kinda making fun of you earlier, but yeah -- Tony Stark offered me a job with him too. I think that will easily be the weirdest work I've ever done. Hands down. That guy is crazy!"
“Well, it makes me qualified to put my hand up a horse, so, equine midwife is likely a nicer way to phrase it.” Less graphic for one thing. “I’m not sure it’s the kind of job that requires business cards though.” The prospect of returning to school wasn’t outlandish, and Emma fully supported and agreed with carrying on anything, especially when life throws curveballs that changed things. She likely would’ve gone to college if life hadn’t gone the way it did. “Tony Stark has the bank account to be crazy, I’m sure he wouldn’t hire you for something you couldn’t do.”
Stark Industries had to be one of the best known companies in California, in all of America. And there were a good few of those companies in Orange County. “Are you going to take it?"
Peter laughed. "Lady, please -- I am poor as Fuck. No way am I turning down Tony Stark money! Plus," Peter added, snagging another nacho chip, "he seems like a cool enough dude. Definitely like talking to him, since he's so rich, who cares what he says. Did I mention the money? He's got a lot of it."
When the chips were down, money did make the world go around. She had to admit it was probably something she'd need to think about at some point too. Enjoying work was one thing, but needing to pay bills was important too.
"He definitely has a lot of it," and that would likely mean that there wasn't the case of 'can't pay you a decent wage' to deal with, "and if it's things you know and are good at, it's a great opportunity, opens more doors too." It sounded like Peter had a rough time of it, but he wasn't a terrible person, so it wasn't like Emma would say he deserved it either. "Maybe that's the point? He could hire literally anyone, and he hired you. Maybe you need to start thinking your worth the position too."
Peter gave an appreciative nod to Emma, his beer bottle dangling from his fingers. "You. I like you. That's a good way to put it, and a great way to spin positivity into it. So cheers to you, Emma." He smiled. "How about you? I feel this has been the Peter show. Come on, tell me something good and dirty that doesn't involve horse manure or something."
Emma just smiled at the affirmation, spinning positivity wasn’t always something she was too good at, but she did okay from time to time. Taking the cheers in stride, Emma had to think what she could add in there that got up there on things. Taking the time to drink from her own bottle before replying with a very little known fact.
“For about three months, in Miami,” not somewhere she’d kept up with friends from, since she’d been a mess of partying and drinking, “I worked as a Party Bus entertainer.” And that was not just as filthy as it might’ve been thought to be. “They ranged from playing dress up with kids, to crazed bachelorette parties to the occasional furries gathering.” And that one had been the weirdest, because she’d served drinks, on a bus wearing a little outfit to make her appear like a bunny. “It was… interesting."
Peter had nothing to say back to that one for once. Wait. Yes he did. "Furries? Like people who dress up as animals and get down and dirty?" He shook his head. "That's crazy. ..yeah, let's be thankful we both seem to have solid jobs now and don't have to depend on those kind of shenanigans anymore."
He lifted his beer and grinned. "Mazel tov!"
Emma just nodded with a smirk, raising her beer to meet his, “Now that I can drink to.” For sure, they were both monumentally lucky for the way things were headed. Something to be thankful for.