Summary:Thea comes by Luke's for a drink or two Log Info:Storyteller: None |
Related LogsTheme SongNone |
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When the door opens from the street, the first impression might be that this woman entered the wrong place. Vibrant red hair is down in loose waves over a sleek hip-length black leather jacket. The blouse is rich purple, tucked into pristine black jeans. The high heeled black booties are designer, the accessories are understated in a way that some people may realize means money. The makeup was done with a light hand - natural and neutral, the eyes are a vibrant green and perfectly lined.
She will cross the bar, with discreet motions to check the walls, noting doors, exit possibilities, places to duck and cover. She'll ease up onto an end stool, hand pulling money out of her jacket pocket.
It's been a slow at at Luke's. The regular crowd is busy with the upcoming holidays, so the normal hustle and bustle of the bar has dwindled down to a slow trickle. At the moment there seems to be only one other person in the establishment, and he is behind the bar.
Luke stands a good six and a half feet with a body type that looks to be pure muscle, and quite a lot of it. The bald black man is dressed in a non-descript t-shirt with a small embroidered 'Luke's' logo on the breast, and a pair of well worn blue jeans that are almost thread bare in a few places.
He glances up from his cleaning as the new arrival sits down, a smile forming over his face as he makes his way towards her end of the bar. "Afternoon. What can I get ya?"
Thes will offer a slow spreading smile, as she places money on the bar. "Bourbon, neat. Please. It's been that kind of day already." He's a bartender, he's probably heard it all before. She will watch him without staring - her powers are nagging at the back of her mind.
"This is a great spot. I can't believe I've never noticed it, all this time."
Luke nods once and turns, reaching to get a bottle from the back shelf. "It's my own little slice of heaven in the heart of Harlem. I can't complain to much."
He procures a small glass and places it in front of Thea before he fills the glass with the amber liquid. "One of those days, huh? I've had a few of those in my time. Hope it gets better."
"Everyone has their own heaven, I hope." Thea says with another smile, this one brighter and more relaxed. "My family owns the greek place not far from here. Symposium?" It's a long standing greek eatery, surviving in Harlem. "Mother's side."
There's a quiet sigh as her hand wraps around the glass, the rigid line of her shoulders lessening. "Yeah. It's one of those days when every time you turn around, there's something else awkward you have to find a way out of." There's a chuckle, before she will lift the glass for a long swallow.
Luke Cage glances around the bar and shrugs, grabbing a second glass and pouring his own portion of the bourbon.
Lifting the glass he nods in solidarity, "To no more awkward situations."
He tosses back the little shot of bourbon he poured and sets the glass down, "Symposium? Can't say I have every been there. Do they have that flaming cheese shit? I've heard that stuff is tasty."
She laughs, toasting Luke back before it's tossed back. "They've been there since my Grandparents came over, so.. long time. Saganaki?" The dish is pronounced properly, as her head tilts. "Yeah, they do the cheese." There's a hint of a grin. "I have to say everything in the place is pretty tasty. I grew up on the stuff. I've been to Greece, and even that didn't rate higher."
Her head turns, taking in everything. "See this? This place has been around, too. I love places that hold history."
"Saganaki…" repeats Luke, trying to get the pronunciation down. "Maybe I will head over there and give it a try. Closest I have come to Greek food is a Gyro from the guy on the corner. I doubt that quality if all that authentic."
He refills both glasses, and lifts his again to take a sip. "Yeah, it's been here a long time. I took over the place…year or so ago? I kept as much of the original wood and d%<233>cor as I could and matched what I couldn't. I think I did a pretty good job."
"Well, gyros are Greek, but I don't know how true the corner guy stays to the real deal." She'll smirk at the idea, lifting her glass to him. " Nothing lke broiled cheese to start a meal."
She looks around again, her hand sliding fingertips along the bar. "Looks pretty authentic to me. The old style lamps with the Edison bulbs is brilliant. This just has so much more character than ninety percent of places you go for a drink in this city."
"This is Harlem. It's all about character here." says Luke with a grin as he takes another sip of the bourbon. "I doubt the corner guy is authentic. I'm pretty sure he isn't even Greek and buys his meat on a spit wholesale. But it is tasty enough. At least to us non-Greek types who don't know any better."
Luke sets down his glass and offers his hand. "Luke Cage. This is my place."
"Oh, I know it. My grandfather drilled that into his kids and grandkids. He was gruff - wanted us all to be stand up, but he's a marshmallow under it all." There's a laugh. "Well, I'll have to bring you some of the real stuff, so you can know better."
There's a smile that lingers, as she slides her hand into his for a firm shake. "Thea. Pleasure to meet you."
Luke retakes his glass after the handshake and takes a sip, finishing off the rest of the liquid in the glass. "Pleasure's mine." he says as he tosses the glass into the wash bin.
"I'll make a trip down to your families place sometime, no need to make a delivery up here." Luke says with a chuckle. He list the bourbon bottle and waggles it slightly, "Are you going to want another, or should I put the bottle away?"
"Oh no, you'll want to leave it out." Thea will add money to the bar. "And I like sharing their food. Greek food is so overshadowed these days, let along good authentic stuff. I don't eat as much of it as I should."
She will toss back the rest of her glass, so he can refill the empty vessel. "I got the whole - when are you going to get a boyfriend speech - By which they mean they have a couple of Greek guys in mind." There's a laugh. "I have to remind myself it's that they love me."
Luke Cage chuckles and uncaps the bourbon bottle again, refilling the glass and making it a double this time. "Not the boyfriend type? Are you more the girlfriend type and they don't know, or just not interested in romantic interludes at this stage in your life? Or just not interested in their picks?"
He leaves the bottle uncapped and sets it next to the glass, picking up the bar towel and starting to polish the bar as he continues the conversation. "Feel free to tell me to mind my own business as well. I'm just making conversation so no skin of my back if you don't feel like answering."
There's a laugh, as the glass is lifted for a sip. "It's more that I've been too busy to even attempt to have any sort of relationship, boyfriend or girlfriend. In my line of work, it can be hard to schedule things. Never know when I might have to run off for a while." She shrugs. "As for their picks.. I'd prefer to make my own."
She watches him polishing the bar, slowly swirling the booze in her glass. "You're a bartender, isn't making conversation part of the trade?" She'll tease.
"It can be, but sometimes people just want to be left well enough alone and not answer small talk questions." Luke says with a shrug. "I'll talk as long as someone wants to talk."
He glances over, "So what do you do that keeps you so busy? Travel a lot? International business woman? Super model?"
"True, true. Sometimes being left alone to turn something over and over on your own is the best way to take care of things." She sips at the bourbon, eyes on Luke. "You're cute. I'm too short for a supermodel. I think you have to be five ten, or something." There's a lopsided grin at that. "And I like to eat too much for that."
She'll take another sip to give her a minute. "I'm a consultant of sorts, for a government agency. When there's break in something, I fix it." Break in a bone, maybe.
Luke roles one large shoulder in a shrug, "Hey, I don't know any super models, and everyone is too short to me. How am I to know." He winks as he goes back to polishing the bar
"You're a Fed huh?" says Luke with the barest hint of suspicion in his voice. "And you didn't name the agency…so that makes me think one that starts with an F, or a C, or maybe even an S. And a fixer no less."
There's a laugh, eying the length of him. "True enough. Even supermodels would need heels to look you right in the eye." She will have another sip, before she sets the glass down to the bar.
"I'm not really a Fed. Independent contractor, who happens to have a lot of work through a government service. I'm not swimming in the alphabet soup, just adjacent."
Luke makes a little bit of an 'ahh' sound as she explains, "Well, I suppose the work must be good than. At least it sounds like your frequent flyer miles are something to be reckoned with at the very least. So, is New York your typical base of operations, or are you just here visiting your family? Sounds more like you would be a Washington type."
"I don't often go terribly far beyond the city. This is definitely my base, so alas, no racking up miles on the government." There's a little grin at that. "Washington? Politics? I've had too much experience to ever try to be around that environment." Dad's campaigns had been more than enough to make her avoid politics like the plague.
Luke Cage stops polishing the bar and tosses the towel over his shoulder. He turns to look at Thea, folding his arms over his chest and giving her a quizzical look. "Government contractor that doesn't work in Washington…and doesn't travel outside of New York often? I wonder how you managed to land that gig."
He walks over to refill the glass with the bottle of bourbon before he replaces the top and puts the bottle back on its spot on the shelf, "Well, good for you, I suppose."
She will grin up at him, a faint head toss to move her hair back. "By being an independent contractor who has a skillset that makes me unique in many ways. I've lived overseas in the Middle East, and speak a handful of languages like a native, and can get by with others. I've been trained to be situation ready. So it's a matter of skill set, hobbies, and being noticed at the right time."
She will toss back the bourbon in her glass, before she will set more money on the bar, leaving a very generous tip. "It was probably just luck." She will slide from the stool to stand on her heels. "I should get some other things done. Thanks for the conversation, Luke Cage. I'll be by again."