Summary:A gang of people come together at Lukes for great talks and better drinks. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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The night is pretty chill, as most Monday nights go; even for Luke's, it's been a quiet night ever since the happy hour crowd bailed. It's left one bartender alone to run things, a particular bartender who hasn't been seen around these parts for a few weeks.
Anya Corazon is busy quick-washing glassware as some groovy music plays over the bar's speakers. She's taken down the TouchTunes jukebox and is rolling on her own Spotify account; currently the song 'Aquamaria' by Colour Haze is crooning over the PA with its groovy guitar licks and boomy bass guitar fatness.
Once the vocals kick in, Anya is humming along; her lower half isn't visible thanks to the bar, but she's wearing a ripped up black t-shirt with a NIN insignia, a black studded choker around her neck, and her hair is done up in a harsh mohawk spray painted an agonizingly bright pink color.
Five broken pencils from irritation at the Law firm later and Matt Murdock has decided that he needs to go and get a drink to unwind from the day. He walks in wearing the three-piece suit his job requires with his walking stick in front of him. His red shades are adjusted over his eyes as he makes his way to the bar.
"Some bourbon please, and make sure its strong. Its been a long day." He tells Anya with a sigh as he sits himself on a chair.
Frank Castle has spent some rooftop time today, keeping his eye on a particularly ratty infestation of scumbags not too far away. They're up to something and he's not sure what yet. Not that he really cares, except that it might give him an opportunity to catch them all out in the open and purge them properly all in one go. The other options is a building invasion, burst and clear, room by room through the tenement they've taken as their own. Ugly stuff. Doable, but ugly. He hadn't decided yet.
The bar's close enough and he likes a local place. Frank's wearing a heavy jacket, buttoned over a black t-shirt, helping to disguise the bulletproofing he wears beneath. He's thickset and muscled, his neck broad. He has a Mets cap pulled down enough to shadow his face as he makes his way up to the bar, "Gimme a beer and something hot. Burger, dog, I don't care much."
Anya isn't the only one who has been scarce as of late, Thea has been missing from her favorite bar many blocks from home. Coppery toned hair is pulled back from her face, falling down her back over black leather left open over sea blue silk and jeans.
Even as she lets herself into the place, she can't quite stop herself from smiling as her shoulders relax a bit. "Anya, baby!" She's raising her voice and making it sound like a cat-call. "Tell me you missed me!" She'll laugh as she moves on over to the bar to hop up on a stool. "And once you lie to me, tell me someone's in the kitchen that can make me a pile of wings? I'm starving and thirsty for bourbon."
It's about then that a pretty young blonde comes out from the back room, while in the middle of tying a black cloth waitress apron in place. She's wearing cutoff jean shorts with tights under them, the broad red and black stripes banding around her legs and showing off their sculpted shapeliness, from the frayed cuffs of the shorts down to the pair of red Converse retro high-tops on her feet. On top, she's wearing a sky-blue tank under an unbuttoned white camp shirt, its sleeves rolled up to her elbows.
"Hey, girl, welcome back," Becca says to Anya with a smile as she joins her behind the bar.
A weary-looking Hisako makes her way into Luke's not long behind Thea, a tote bag hanging from the Japanese girl's shoulder and full enough of books to keep her arm on that side from hanging straight down. She moves to the side from the door, taking a look around and giving things a moment to settle before she tries staking out a seat anywhere.
Not much in the way of familiar faces, she realizes. That's not particularly a make-or-break point tonight, though - the food at Luke's is almost always good enough to be worth it, and if she winds up with the wrong kind of attention to deal with, Hisako is pretty sure she can take care of herself. For the most part.
Once Anya's had a chance to catch up a little with the crowd, Hisako settles in at one of the tables, carefully lowering her tote bag until it thumps on the floor, angling it to lean against a leg of the table in front of her. And while she awaits attention - not in any real hurry - Hisako just takes in the surroundings, both the decor and the people.
"Hola, welcome to Luke's!" Her time away from New York City hasn't managed to break Anya of the knee jerk, verbal response to the door opening. The words are out of her mouth before she's even looked up to take a look at the new arrivals. Both Matt and Frank are give a once over; one seems harmless, the other not so much, but looks can be deceiving. It's all part of the job; both her real job and the secret one that doesn't pay much.
Strong means straight up. "Lo tienes, senor," she tells Matt, and moves to pour him a Bulleit, straight up. A good, inexpensive bourbon with just enough bite and some real flavor to boot. "Cash or tab?" she asks, and waits for Matt's answer before diverting over to Frank.
"You want that burnt to a crisp or bloody as hell?" she asks of the burger, while prepping a pint glass. Modelo is on tap and it's marked down due to an overstock, so that's what the potentially dangerous looking fellow is gonna get.
She's about to text Frank's order to the next door joint that provides some of the food Luke's isn't prepped to make, when Thea and Becca make their appearances. The former earns a rueful smirk, "I certainly missed dat ass," she tells Thea, which is likely not a lie. "Usual poison, huh?" A broad grin replaces the smirk, and she's prepping to fix Thea's bourbon when Becca emerges. "Jesus, girl," she tells Becca. "They told me you were back there, but I figured the oven ate you. Guess Hod left the place a filthy mess, huh? Or was it Luke? If it was Luke, he's getting an ass kicking later."
Hisako is given a brief look. "Hey, we'll get your order in a sec, amiga!" she calls out, just as the song changes to a reggae influenced track by Black Uhuru, titled 'Big Spliff'.
"Bloody, always," Frank says in response.
He'll take his beer in the mug, giving a long pull of it and closing his eyes. Getting a little crowded for his usual tastes, he's not exactly a people person, but he doesn't feel like getting back on his feet. He's getting older, he knows it. Probably should be having a salad instead of a burger, but fuck that.
The saucy repartee from the barkeep gets a raise eyebrow from the man, Frank's eyes glancing over to take in the newcomers. He doesn't try to draw attention to himself, just sips quietly.
Matt straightens out his tie as he leans his walking stick against the bar. He replies to Anya without looking at her, not to be rude, but because…well, blind. "Tab, please. I have a feeling I might be here awhile tonight." Matt chuckles a little bit. "How's Luke Doing?" He asks Anya. He may have wanted to see Luke to chat with him about something, but its always nice to make conversation so as to not sit down in silence.
Of course, thats until he starts seeing all these familiar faces come out of the woodwork. He looks over at Frank for a moment, his eyes locking onto him for a long time, but he doesn't greet the man. Only he knows that if Frank Castle is somewhere…something bad is about to go down. Sometimes. Okay, not ALL the time, but its a safe bet, right?
Matt turns his head to Rebecca as she makes her way behind the bar. If she looks his way, he'll give a little nod in greeting. Otherwise, he waits for his drink. To Thea, Matt nods to her. "Good drink choice."
Thea barely shows her surprise at the comment about her ass, blue eyes faintly widening before she's grinning. She manages to not try and look at her own back end to see if the jeans looks good. She will lean arms on the bar, blowing a kiss Anya's way. "You always know how to make a girl blush, Anya." Not that Thea is.
"Becca, beautiful. How are you?" There's a shrug of her shoulders as the biokinetic shrugs out of her jacket. Her gaze will slide over the guy in the low riding ball cap, a faint lift of one eyebrow as she takes some mental notes.
There is a widening of her grin, turning possible mischief into full on opportunity for it. "Well, that's me. Waste my best decisions on booze. You'd think I'd save some for the babes, or something. It's nice to see you again." She will say to Matt.
Becca laughs, shaking her head as she replies to Anya, "Just the usual mess after the happy hour and dinnertime rushes. Good to have you back, sister." Seeing as Anya seems to have the patrons at the bar well in hand for the moment, the blonde heads back around and out from behind it and walks over to Hisako's table. Her voice is friendly and upbeat and clearly Texas-accented as she says, "Hi, there. What can I getcha, sugar?"
"Take your time," Hisako replies to Anya, smiling. "I'm not in that big a hurry."
And she really isn't. The chance to just sit and decompress is welcome after the day she's had: classes, coming into the city for research, and she still has studying to do when she gets back to the Institute. Or possibly while she's on the train to Westchester. Besides, she doesn't want to pressure an already-harried waitress - Anya's busy enough as it is.
Fortunately for Hisako's stomach, Anya's not the only waitress working, either - Becca's approach draws Hisako's attention. "Think I'll have a burger. Lettuce, tomato, mustard …" She hesitates briefly, thinking. "Make it a cheeseburger, no bacon. And fries, of course. Iced tea to drink - *actual* iced tea, not that Long Island cocktail or whatever."
"Dunno," Anya tells Matt, truthfully. "Been out of state for a minute, but, considering the place hasn't been burnt down or wrecked by skip-skaps, scallywags or ne'erdowells, my guess is he's doing pretty good." Matt's first bourbon is jotted down on a notepad. Tab, started.
"My dude." The words are spoken with a certain sort of adoration; Anya will never understand why some people order their red meat well done, unless it's in a taco. She produces a fist and hangs it in the air for Frank to bump, even though she's quite certain that he isn't about to take her up on the offer.
Thea's bourbon is poured and offered, and she gives the bombshell a big grin. "Uh huh. I don't think I've ever seen you blush. I could, you know, but I'm already neck deep in what I owe to the damn swear jar." A big smile is offered to Becca, but she's truthfully eyeing her co-workers legs. "Holy shit," she utters to Thea, eyes still locked on Becca's choice of leg wear. "I've got to ask her where she got those!" It sure beats the roughed up combat boots and ripped up black tights she's got on this evening. Jealous, much? Maybe, just maybe. At least Becca's got Hisako taken care of, the sudden rush wasn't expected!
Frank Castle can feel Matt's attention on him, but doesn't respond to it. He's not exactly a guy with a secret identity. Nobody seems to be scrambling, nobody's calling the cops or looking for the door, far as he can see. He's not prone to panic and he wants his damn burger. So he lets it pass. Somebody wants to call him out, wouldn't be the first time.
He watches the bump proferred with a steady eye and just nods in acknowledgement. Not rude, but not exactly friendly either. Keeping the world at arm's length. Or the length of a barrel, in his case.
If he looks at a pair of legs or a booty here and there, he does it discreetly and without calling attention to it.
Sorry ladies, Matt cannot look at the legs or the booty. Because blind. Oh well. Matt doesn't focus on Frank's presence for too long, instead just deciding to have a nice night relatively to himself. To Thea, Matt nods. "Likewise, Thea. Though try not to get too wild, alright?" He teases her.
His attention quickly shifts over to Anya as she informs him about Luke's whereabouts. "Out of state? Very curious. I didn't know Luke had business abroad. Maybe he's expanding his operations or seeing family." Matt tries to deduce, but oh well. Bourbon given, Bourbon sipped, sigh exclaimed.
There's a laugh from Thea, as she snags that drink from Anya's offering. "Well, I mean, I wouldn't tell Luke if you got linguistically creative to try. He might even appreciate the endeavor." She takes a good sized swallow of bourbon with an exhale of someone who needed a drink. "Though I am pretty sure you have seen me blush. Pretty sure Cool Hand Luke has, too. At least a little." It's possible, at least.
She will turn her head to look at Becca's legs. "I'm assuming you mean the neat stockings and not the legs themselves." Thea will be pleasantly sarcastic to her bartending friend. A hand pushes hair back behind her shoulder, a glance at Matt. "Wild? Me?" She gives wide eyed innocence off in /waves/ as she looks at Anya. "Anya, have you ever seen me get too wild? I mean.. I'm all repressed and stuff, aren't I?" The joke being, of course, that Anya probably hasn't seen the biokinetic out of control. "And can I get wings, or do I have to settle for something else?"
"Sure thing," Becca replies to Hisako, scribbling the Japanese girl's order on her pad in that somehow-meaningful shorthand. "I'll put your order in and be right back with your drink." And with that, the blonde turns gracefully and hustles off back toward the bar. "Hey," she says to Thea in passing, with a grin. "We should catch up."
Hisako nods as Becca heads off to relay her order to the kitchen - well, the part that needs cooking, at least. The Japanese girl's attention returns briefly to Anya, then settles on Thea. Both of them seem a bit familiar, but … the connection isn't quite falling into place, at least not right away. Hisako shrugs mentally and reaches into her book bag, pulling one volume out at random to leaf through while she waits … or at least that's her initial plan. The book is put away again, and Hisako starts taking a more focused, deliberate look around at the different people who are here. The contrast at the bar between Matt and Frank is a little hard to dismiss, and while she waits for her iced tea, Hisako tries to sift through what those two men might happen to have in common.
Besides the most glaringly obvious, at least.
"Oof." Anya pulls her fist bump back, mock wincing. "Dee-nied." She grins at Frank, seemingly not at all off-put by his demeanor. "It's all good, big guy. Burger'll be up in a minute. Comes from a place down the street, but trust me; it'll be hot, and worth the wait." She smiles at Frank, truly wanting him to feel at home here.
Looking back to Matt, she blinks in surprise. "What? Oh, no no. Not Luke, me." Body language, blind guy, you should know better, Anya! "Just visiting some family out west. Luke doesn't leave Harlem, like, ever." She looks between the two men, eyeing their drinks. Refills will be offered as needed.
Wings, right! She truly hasn't forgotten. In fact, she's even on her way to the kitchen, but stops near Thea's spot. A wicked look of mischief dances through the Latina's eyes. "Not yet," she quips, as if promising that one day, she will be responsible for Thea being in a position where she does get too wild. "We got wings. They aren't great, but they're a lot better than the Shitty Nachos."
"Tag out," she tells Becca, swapping places with her at the bar so that she can go get Thea's wings started, and collect the burgers for Frank and Hisako in turn. "!Debo saber de donde sacaste esas medias!" she mock whispers, before disappearing into the kitchen for a few moments.
Frank Castle seems comfortable keeping to himself, even as the chatter goes on around him. Self-contained but not unaware. He thinks about the skells not that far away, ten blocks, holed up in that crumbling building and just waiting to be exterminated. He's good at waiting for the right time. Doesn't mean he likes it.
"Take your time," he says to Anya. He slowly turns towards Matt, just a swivel of his head. "You doin' okay there, hombre? Somethin' on your mind?"
Matt looks at Anya for a minute before he sighs. "Sorry. Its been a long day. I feel like everything is 'off'. I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe its from lack of sleep…" Matt ponders to himself before he looks to Anya. "Oh. Sorry. That makes significantly more sense, I think." He rubs the back of his neck and just goes into silence, downing his bourbon and tapping the bar. "One more, please."
To Frank, he tilts his head. "Yeah, I'm doing fine. Just a lot that've stacked up after awhile. You? You doin' alright?" He says to Frank before he looks in Hisako's direction for a moment, though not directly -at- her of course. Though he does seem to be in thought.
"Guess just lost in my own thoughts."
Thea will oblige Anya will waggling eyebrows. "Promises, Promises. We both know I'm too cold blooded to get all girls gone wild. But you're always welcome to try, chica." She will do a little fist pump at mention of wings. A girl needs to eat!
But then big blues are on Becca. "Well, I'm here, and have no other plans than to overindulge this evening. I'm sure we can manage." She will sip bourbon with a wink for the blonde, before she stills at hearing Ball Cap's question to the nice, supposedly blind lawyer. She'll be on alert for that tension for a moment.
Having swapped places with Anya, Becca, now behind the bar, sees to the patrons seated or standing at it. "Can I get anyone anything? Anyone need a refill? Food orders should be out soon." She does give Thea a grin in there, amidst looking to the others and if they need service.
"Keep it up and you'll get sleep tonight," Anya tells Matt, after refilling his bourbon. "Promise."
A few moments later, and Anya is coming out of the kitchen with two burgers. One is brought over to Hisako; the other is taken behind the bar. "Wings'll be a few," she tells Thea, before setting Frank's burger before him. "Get ready for a mouthgasm," she tells him; those burgers are damn good, after all, and if there's one way to potentially shake a steel building, it's with foul language. Thankful for Becca having swapped out, she steps aside to pour herself a full shot of tequila; Espolon silver. With her other hand she's on the smart phone behind the bar, texting. A snort comes from her nose at something on her phone, and then she downs the shot with ease.
"BDSM night at Covet," she tells Thea, offhand. "You come with me? I will make you blush."
Frank Castle regards Matt steady on for a long moment, "Happens to everybody. Gotta learn to guard your thoughts. Sometimes they take a body places they don't belong. Least, that's what I've found."
He twists his mouth wryly at the description of his burger, "I'll settle for good," he says, taking a bite and chewing slowly. "Not bad," he admits at last, wiping his mouth with a napkin. His Italian mother at least taught him that much in manners.
"Seems like kind of a wilder crowd than I expected around this place."
From the backroom arrives Gwen Stacy, having just arrived ten minutes early for her shift no less! The young blond is dressed for waitressing, in a self-made cropped top (with a My Little Pony on the front), long skirt, and a stylish pair of boots. She meanders out, and rests one arm on the bar, beside where Anya is standing.
"Any trouble-makers tonight? she inquires, clearly joking. Nobody makes trouble at Luke's, afterall. Just… they just don't.
When Frank comments about his burger being not bad, she just winks, cracking a smile. "Darn right it's not bad," she points out. "This is the food at Luke's, it's the best in Harlem. Probably the best in New York."
Matt seems to listen to Anya's words and just…take a drink of his bourbon when she pours him another one. "Thanks. I'll take your word for it." He listens to Frank as he speaks, but he shrugs. "True. Oh well. Maybe its just something I'll end up getting over." Of course, this is just the stress of work getting to Matt a little bit…both day and night jobs, so to speak.
But the life of the room being present…its very hard to remain sullen when so many things that deserve laughter is expecting…like apparently blushing and the like. He shakes his head a second before he speaks again. "Just need a few drinks of bourbon."
Though he did pay attention to Frank's…specific example.
Thea glances at Frank, a chuckle before she's finishing off her bourbon and beckoning for a refill. "I don't know what you're talking about. We're all tame as pussycats." At least, no one's ever seen Thea cut loose, certainly not at Luke's.
The biokinetic will cock her head at Anya's dare/threat of BDSM night. "Darling, if I come with you there, you do know I'm not the one who will be wearing the collar, don't you?" Eyebrows lifted just a bit. So much for being a tamed kitten.
"That was a smile." Anya snaps her fingers and points at Frank, then gives a side eye to Matt. "He totally just smiled." She takes a step back and pounds a fist into her own sternum. "Qa'pla!"
Its a meaty thud; theres a strength there that is unbecoming of the short woman's size. Some people might be able to perceive that sort of thing.
Brown eyes sliiiiide over to Thea and drop in a slightly sultry way. "We'll see about that," she quips, before glancing back to Frank. "You think I can take her?"
Gwen's arrival, however, earns a near squeak from the bartender. "Gwen!" She runs over and leaps upon the blonde, hugging her. "Missed you, chica!"
Frank Castle takes a long sip of his beer and rests his weight on his arms, leaning into the bar. "I plead the fifth," he says, in regards to the she smile.
He turns his head towards Thea and seems to measure her, his head tilting to the side for a moment. "I think it'd be close,' he says. "In close fights, the one who's willing to do their worst is usually the one who wins. Who wants it most. So - between the two of you, who do you think wants it?" he says, straightforward and easygoing enough.
Thea's eyes will rest on Anya's face. "There's nothing to see. I'm not the sort to let someone else hold the whip hand, so to speak." Her words are light, but not quite teasing. "Even if you /could/ take me in a fight, that's not how you get someone to submit, not for that kind of thing."
She will sip bourbon, head turning to let blue eyes regard Frank - the look in them almost chilling. "There is no question I wouldn't hesitate to do whatever it took, when it comes down to it. I know for a fact I will fight dirtier than Anya will." She's the one who doesn't hesitate to kill, unlike the more moral members of the Spidey 'gang'. "I mean, strictly hand to hand? I'd take you on, Mets, and I know you've gone a few rounds."
"It was a smile, I'm sure of it," Gwen quips, as she's caught up in a hug with Anya. "If Anya says it was a smile, it was a smile. I don't debate these things with Anya, and… I missed you too!! You have no idea how much I was looking forward to today's shift. It's awesome to see you again!"
She finally disentangles herself, and stretches lightly, tilting her head to one side and the other.
"So, no trouble makers," she oberves, "But some talk about a BDSM club and who's wearing the collar, hunh?" She perks an eyebrow upwards. "Is this one of those places where if you're wearing the collar, that's all you get? Sounds racey." She pauses again, glancing back and forth between the various parties, before pulling out a glass and filling it with coke. (No rum, vodka, or anything else, just coke.) "And, uhm, if the pecking order is decided through ritual combat, I'm out. I'm no sort of fighter. I'd fold like a cheap miniskirt."
Becca, meanwhile, is blushing furiously at the talk of kinky clubs and who would be wearing the collar, and trying to busy herself with whatever she can lay hands on that needs doing behind the bar and doesn't involve talking, or looking anyone in the face.