Summary:Carol finally tracks down that bounty hunter… Log Info:Storyteller: None |
Related LogsTheme SongIt's In The Way That You Use It - Eric Clapton |
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It's a Tuesday night at the Eight Ball, which means mostly the regular crowd rather than the weekend TGIF types. Being that it's one of those few places where metahumans and mutants can enjoy a nice night out without being stared at (too much). And occasionally others who can pass for one, or at least as a powered whom no one minds hanging out too. And can get by the giant bouncer outside.
A tall redheaded amazon is busily demonstrating how she can still shoot a perfectly mean game of pool….despite the pyramid of drinks bought by would be admirers or just the morbidly curious who have wanted to test just how much Valkyrie can drink without falling over.
Hint: It's a LOT.
Eddie Brock has heard of the place, even before he joined the ranks of the powered few. He was a journalist, after all, often on the superhuman beat. Well, sort of one. He didn't get paid much for it, if at all, not the last couple of years. A battered reputation and a bit of dropping out of society will do that for you.
The bouncer checks him at the door, asking for a demonstration to verify his status. Shadows crawl over Eddie's face for a moment, morphing his head into something inhuman and many-toothed, the serpentine tongue of the monster known as Venom slithering over its features before it withdraws back into its host.
Good enough, it seems. Eddie quickly finds his way to the bar, wearing a hoodie, jeans and sneakers, wrapping on the wood with his knuckles, "Guinness," he orders, glancing over at the pool table.
After encountering that bounty hunter a few nights ago, Carol has been keeping track of possible sightings through social media. Thanks to the Avengers monitor systems, she finally got a hit. But, it's not exactly a place she'd like to crash into as Captain Marvel…
So Carol Danvers walks in, wearing a T-shirt, jeans, and a brown leather pilot's jacket. She glances around a bit, then grins to herself as she spots Valkyrie shooting pool. One eyebrow does arch at the pyramid of empty glasses, then she chuckles and makes her way over towards the billiards table.
Valkyrie is fairly mellow at the moment, despite her state of mild inebriation. Not that her body isn't burning it off fast, but for now, she's in a fairly good mood. She stays looking down at the table in concentration as she lines up a corner shot.
This is why when the much more drunk man behind her decides to make poor life choices and grab her rear, she barely shifts a hand back to grab him by the back of the neck, then introduce his forehead to the pool table's edge with a sharp clunk, before releasing him like nothing happened. Save for the drunk in question reeling back, his eyes crossing a bit, before he slowly tips over and falls partway into a thankfully unoccupied seat to sleep it off.
Valkyrie snaps off her shot after that sending it bouncing off one side, then the other to neatly knock the striped ball on the edge of the hole while there's a general sound of atonishment and approval! Yes, they're kinda drunk too.
Venom lets out a whoop of appreciation as the handy gentleman finds himself forcefully introduced to the edge of the table. He carefully sips on his dark brew, wiping his mouth to clear the head where it clings to his lip.
<We like her style?> Venom says in his head
(Yes, yes we do. Be good)
<We are always excellent.>
(You know what I mean.)
<Indubitably, Eddie. Indubitably.>
He keeps his face placid through those thoughts, only finally saying out loud. "Nice move. Well for you. I doubt Gropey McGee there feels the same."
Carol stops a bit as Valkyrie takes care of the drunk guy, then grins, "Yeah, that was a pretty nice move there." She chuckles a bit, glancing curiously at Eddie, before redirecting her attention to Valkyrie, "Pretty nice moves on the pool table, too." Her head tilts a bit, though whether Valkyrie recognizes her out of costume is another question…
Valkyrie sets her cue, resting her hand on it like a shieldmaiden with her spear. Probably reflexes there. She grins at the pair, flashing very white teeth. "I am in a good mood, so I didn't lead with his nose." she says, as her opponents groan and hand over a wad of bills that she idly stuffs into her top. She looks between Eddie and Carol, her gaze linger after a moment, before her green eyes widen in recognition. "You! Princess Sparklefist!" she proclaims, pointing at Carol. "Mmmmm,…." She slits her eyes. "Did you come looking for me?" She motions to the pool table. "If you want a friendly game?"
Venom almost chokes on his Guinness at 'Princess Sparklefist' but manages to swallow cleanly, although not without effort. He sets his drink down on the bar.
"If you two are going to throw down, I'd be happy to play referee. And keep an eye on any bets you might care to place. Nothing wrong with a little friendly wagering. Well, I guess, legally there might be, but I don't think either of you is like to let that stop ya," he grins, dark eyes sparkling in their own right. They do love mischief.
Carol grins at Valkyrie, "Maaaaaaybe. You did make a bit of an impression." She hmmms and picks up a pool cue, "I, may have a passing familiarity with the game." Since it was a great way to make money off of gullible male flyboys, back in her USAF days.
Carol smiles, "You can break, and call me Carol." She winks, as she doesn't seem to mind the Princess Sparklefists, either. At least from Valkyrie it's okay.
"Carol…" Valkyrie murmurs thoughtfully. "I like Carol. I am Brunnehilde. Or Hilde, if you prefer. But not Brunn." She nods to Eddie, smiling at him faintly as she pauses to drain one of the shot glasses sitting on her table next to that stack of empty glasses. The bar's going to run out of glassware at this rate. "An honorable offer, and one I accept." she says easily, walking over to rack the balls, pushing them back, then hmms. "What shall we bet to start?" she asks, looking back to Carol.
Venom grins, "I played a bit in college, but it was kind of a bad habit for me. I got enough of those, so I tend to stick to spectating anymore," he says. "It's not good for my temper to be…competitive."
He pulls up a stool and perches himself just out of the way of the table, so as not to impede anyone's shot. "Oh, and, uh, we…I'm Eddie."
Carol twirls the pool cue, then chuckles, "Well, I don't drink, but I can pay for yours if you win. If I win… hrm. What would you be willing to give up, Hilde?" She gives Valkyrie a wry look, arching a brow towards her.
"I suppose that depends how confident I am in victory, hmm?" Hilde DOES look pretty confident, too. "But, I will also be fair and limit this to only a hand's worth of bottles…five in all." She splays out her fingers to demonstrate, her brow raising. "As for what I'd give up, I suppose you'd have to see how daring you want to be and ask." She glances over to Eddie, then grins. "The most fun habits are the bad ones, though! And well met, Eddie. I can understand temper, yes."
Eddie perches easily enough, showing a bit of physical grace that might be surprising for someone with his muscular build. Of course, everyone here has a tendency to surpass the ordinary in terms of their physical capabilities.
He raises an eyebrow at the banter, even as he hears a growling cackle in his head.
<Eddie, is this a human mating ritual?>
(Depends on the human. Although I'm not sure either of them is. And stop that. They might be able to read minds and yours is disgusting right now.)
<Ah, Eddie…don't you mean OURS?>
Aloud, he says, "Don't worry, I still have plenty of bad habits. Some much worse than that."
Carol chuckles, "Five bottles, then. As for what you'd give me…" She grins, "There's a classic movie theater not too far from here. They have Casablanca playing right now. We go, you pay for the tickets. And the popcorn." She glances over at Eddie, giving him a curious look, "Yeah, I have a few bad habits… some worse than others."
When the waitress comes by to ask what Carol's drinking, she's a bit surprised when Carol goes for a diet coke. With lime, at least. At the quizzical look, Carol just says, "I'm the driver." Or flyer, as the case may be.
To be fair, Hilde hasn't seen a build like that outside of Asgard in a looooong time. Most muscle types look like the bouncer outside, with just too many muscles, but powerfully built and muscular definitely reminds her of better days. She raises a brow at Carol's request. "…you're asking me on a movie date if I lose." she says, looking amused now. "I'm not sure that's a hardship, exactly…" She moves to bend over the table, lining up the break, then smacking the cue ball solidly into the formation, sending them rolling about. Three drop…two stripe, one solid. "…stripes." she says simply, stepping around the table as she considers her next shot. If she IS engaging in mating rituals, she apparently doesn't mind if Eddie is present as judge. "Hmm, Eddie, would you like something? She waves idly to her table of random drinks. "Pick one, if you want." She certainly does, pausing to knock back another shot.
Eddie selects on quickly, tossing it back with relative ease and shaking his head a bit as it burns the back of his throat. For a moment, a tendril of shadow may ripple along the back of his neck before receding back beneath his hoodie.
"Nothing wrong with staying sober," he says to Carol. "I mean, I don't do it, but I'm a bad role model."
Carol grins at Valkyrie, "You haven't seen the theater prices around here, have you?" She laughs a bit, arching a brow as she watches the table, studying where everything winds up, plotting her shot when she gets her chance for it. "Nice break."
She then glances over towards Eddie, "Yeah, I had some problems with it once, but I'm good right now." She sips from her soda, letting Valkyrie take the next shot.
Valkyrie psshts, in her opinion of the badness of possibly being a terrible booze hound, of which she is not just the poster child for, but the magazine centerfold for. She shrugs. "More for me…" And another gets knocked right back. , before she flips it over and sets it back on the table, licking her lips as she leans in, then snaps off another shot. The second shot sinks too in the corner…the third is just a little bit off and bounces off the edge of the whole, drawing an annoying grunt from the Asgardian woman.
Eddie nods to Carol, "Good for you," he says. He sips some more of his Guinness and walks around a bit, kind of circling the table and seeing it from a few different angles.
<When will they fight?>
(It's just a contest. A game. No fighting)
<Bah! We wanted some bloodsport.>
(So what else is new?)
Carol grins, "Well, that's a darn shame." She winks at Valkyrie, then lines up, and suddenly sets up a 5-7-bank shot, knocking the two solids into their respective corners. "Had to pay for the Air Force Academy somehow, and suckering arrogant boys out of their cash was a good way to do it." Okay, now she's having some fun, and she gives Valkyrie a sly look, "Hey, you can drink it all as far as I'm concerned, long as you can handle it."
Hilde hmmmmms. "Not bad…" she admits, idly twirling her cue as she focuses on CArol's form. "And I will, thank you." she says simply. And another three shots vanish! She's…perhaps a little tipsy! Just a bit. Rather than, you know, dead from alcohol poisoning. "So, are you two regulars here? I don't think I've seen you before…but I haven't been here until recently."
Carol glances over her shoulder, aware of Valkyrie's looking, and not minding a bit from all appearances as she chuckles, "You mean around this bar, or around Earth?" She sinks another solid, going up 4-3, then she goes to line up a different shot, looking up towards Valkyrie, "Bar, no. But Earth, well, I've been offworld for about a decade or so, just got back a month ago." She lines up for another shot, narrowing her eyes as she focuses on the geometry of this, trying to make it perfect…
"A traveler between worlds? You seemed more the warrior. A soldier. That is what the Air Force turns out, yes?" The dusky ex-valkyrie saunters a bit closer, pretty unashamedly admiring, especially when CArol seems unbothered by it. "I traveled quite a bit myself, when I was younger."
Carol grins, "Yeah, soldier, spy, now a superhero, at least in the press." She might be noticing the admiration a bit too much, as her shot pings a bit off, the 3 ball bouncing in and out of the corner pocket as Carol makes a bit of face. "You're up." She stands up and finds herself face to face with Valkyrie then, and smiles right at her, eyes meeting hers.
There's perhaps a bit more sway in Hilde's step now…apparently the alcohol CAN affect her…just not nearly as quickly as most people. She hmms. "Superheros…such a word. Not just heroes, which are something special in and of themselves…" She bends over, making a bridge with one hand for the cue as she sights on a stripe, then sinks it in a side pocket, before walking around to pick her next shot. "Are you beholden to a nation, then?"
Carol shakes her head, "Not really… I mean, I was born in Boston, and I was in the Air Force here. The United States." She hasn't quite picked up that Hilde is an actual Asgardian, though she probably suspects between the name and the attitude, so figures clarifying isn't the worst idea. Then she continues, "Mostly though, I try to protect the planet Earth from dangers, foreign or domestic." She chuckles, "All part of being an Avenger, I suppose."
Those green eyes slit as VAlkyrie regards you thoughfully. "Ah…so you keep monsters away and hunt them if they venture close." She leans forward, leaning a bit more heavily against the side of the pool table this time before she fires off another shot that connects with a solid on the way over, accidentally sinking it instead of the stripe. "Hmmm…"
Carol grins, "Nice shot… for me." She moves in for the kill then, knowing Valkyrie is too good to be taken lightly at this. And besides, it's not like her winning is a completely horrible thing, at that. The remaining solids splash in pretty quick succession, and then she smiles at Val, looking at her as she points with the cue, "Corner pocket for the Eight ball." She winks, then lines up for that last shot…
VAlkyrie can't resist purring. "Doooooon't miiiiiiiiss." She grins toothily at that, watching though as she idly leans against the table. Perhaps just for a little bit of stability!
Carol smiles at that, and takes the shot. The cue ball hits the 8 ball, and it just cruises right into the corner pocket. Exactly like she planned it.
But the cue ball keeps rolling for the other corner.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer…
And stops just shy of falling in for a fatal Scratch.
With that, Carol straightens and grins at Valkyrie, "It's nice to hear you purr, Hilde." And she gets another wink at that.
Hilde shrugs, looking unbothered by her loss. "Close, it seems…" she says, setting the cue back on the nearby rack. "But I am defeated." she notes cheerfully. "And this movie is my fate, it seems."
Carol laughs, "And the popcorn, Hilde, definitely. Next showing is tomorrow night at seven, if that works for you?" She smiles and tilts her head, just… looking at Hilde for a moment. Maybe wondering what exactly has gotten into her, but also not particularly caring right now, either.
Hilde slits. "…shall I meet you there, then, Carol, the monsterslayer?" she says, a hint of amusement in her voice. "I have a mighty hunger for popcorn, I will warn you now…."
Carol grins, and reaches out to Hilde, placing her hand on her shoulder, then she looks Hilde right in the eyes as she steps close, "Brunnhilde, bounty hunter, you can count on it." She smiles warmly then, "And I'm pretty sure this is the best popcorn in New York, so we'll be able to get it fresh." She looks about to say something else, but then her wrist-communicator starts beeping.
"Damn, I have to run here… they wouldn't page me if it wasn't important." She smiles at Hilde, "But even if I have to fight a whole Kree Invasion Force, I'm still gonna be there at seven tomorrow. Casablanca is one of my favorites."
VAlkyrie raises a brow, then grins a bit at the hand on her shoulder, returning the favor…with a little squeeze this time. "Duty call…" she says, and if there's a little bit of something….sour in her voice at that, it doesn't appear to be directed at Carol herself. "Until we meet again, then.."