Participants:
| Scene Title | After Hours Company |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Diego sniffs around after hours for something to eat and drink. He lucks out in that Abigail has seen him before. Hospitality and like minds make for a nice evening. |
| Date | August 6, 2009 |
Freshly returned from Louisiana from time spent with family, and in New Orleans and run in's with certain people, Abigail's home finally. Never one to rest, and the close proximity of the Village Renaissance in relation to her inherited bar, the blonde woman is parked in the corner with some paperwork, calculator, pencils and a catalog of.. religious jewelry. She's not working behind the bar, no drinking. Just a cup of tea and a plate of fresh hot nacho's and cheese.
Any time of the night is no deterrent to Diego, the ghost who seemingly comes and goes from peoples- and groups -lives willy nilly. As a matter of fact, no one from one particular group has seen scent or tail of him in months. Well, that is until now, when the entrepreneur-turned-drifter slides through the door. The door is only open a moment, but somehow another figure seems to have snuck in along with Diego. Capone walks with his head down, seeming almost nervous, as if he knows this is somewhere he isn't supposed to be. As for Diego he moves cautiously, eyes drifting around the bar looking for signs of life, green army pack thrown over one shoulder.
"We're closed" Comes from the pony tailed blonde, looking up from her perusal of various kinds of crosses on chains. "Bar closed half hour ago si… Oh" She's seen him before. Mostly in and around Phoenix related business though. "Ignore that. Looking for a place to crash for the night or just hot food?" The kitchen closed, hell, workers have taken off and the blonde was planning on occupying a room above the bar - the one not occupied by Flint - and spend the night. "Abigail. I never really got your name though"
"Diego." Not really as friendly as one might expect from somebody who didn't just summarily eject him from their place of business, but there it is. "Sorry to barge in on you; happened by, seemed like somebody was around. Was hoping for a drink, maybe a bite, but I don't wanna be a burden." Capone slinks around behind Diego until he gets comfortable, and then he just sits down, peeking out from behind his legs. "I can pay for anything… I don't know. Shit. Maybe have somebody to shoot the shit with for a minute." He's thoughts are slightly disconnected, obviously, but he doesn't smell of alcohol, slur his speech, or stumble…
Which means that he's five times an improvement over Flint Deckard's general state. "Pull up a seat. I'd offer to let you bring the dog in the back, but, this is as far as he can go, or upstairs. Uhh, Should be something in the walk-in that we can heat for you" her drawl is not normally so thick, but being back home and down south, it's gonna be a few days till she's talking proper. "What do you want to drink, mi casa su casa" Abigail pauses. "that is how it's said right?"
Diego offers a grin, a rare enough sight but somehow fitting. "Anything strong. Cheap is fine. You know you're drinking the cheap shit." He makes his way towards a bar stool or chair, anything resembling a place to sit that seems out of the woman's way. "And I've got no idea, but it sounds good to me."
The place is empty save for her spot at the bar, with it's account books and the like. "Bowl of water for your friend, I won't forget him. Take a seat" Let it never be said that a Phoenix members was treated ill here. Around the bar the blonde goes, grabbing a glass from the restocked piles and pouring something from on Tap. "Heading up to see Helena?"
Diego grins at the mention of a water bowl for the dog. "Capone appreciates your hospitality. Some people, they see 'em… well, some people assume the worst." After dragging a hand along his jawline, feeling the stubble scratch his fingertips, he laughs. "Guess they might say the same of me. Anyway… no. Helena's a busy woman these days. She tends to find a way to get word to me when she needs something. No calls from the boss lately."
"no calls?" That, in and of itself was strange. What with the thing that went down with Pinehearst. "You should check in" Spoken like someone who knows something. "As for looks" Abigail shakes her head. "I don't judge. A plain and simple book on the outside is a very simple thing, but inside, there might be an abundance of literary riches waiting. Besides, Capone looks like a pushover" Well, no, not really, but hey, it's not the pet of some evolved underground fight club owner! Score one for Diego. "What does Capone like to eat? I don't have any dog food, is he allowed people food?"
"If I can eat it, he can eat it. Well, except for the shit that kills him, I'd be really bummed if he died." Diego reaches down to scratch the dogs neck between the ears, letting his hand linger even after he stops. Capone sits up a bit straighter, less concerned about being kicked out, and sets his head on D's lap. Every once in a while he'll nudge Diego's arm unless the man continues petting him. "I'll see about dropping in to say hi. I don't think she's all that pleased with me, what with the selling off and dismantling of my high profile company with government secrets constantly coming in with lucrative contracts that they enlisted me for." After that is all out he pointedly inhales. "But the upside is I can say shit like that now whenever I want."
"What, no longer bound by non-disclosure agreements? Back in two shakes of a lambs woolly tail" and with that - and one pint of something slid across the bar on a napkin to him - through one door she disappears to what seems like a kitchen, humming something softly. Diego left to his devices for five or so minutes. Capone left to said devices as well.
When Abby disappears, Capone wanders away from the bar in curiosity, wondering where she went. Then he begins to roam about the room, sniffing and examining. Diego is simpler; he just leans into the bar and takes a long drag off of his drink. After a few moments he pulls out a cell phone, flipping it open and clicking a few buttons before slapping it shut and setting it down on the bar to the side of his beverage.
And back. There's a sandwich piled high with meat and some lettuce, spear of a pickle, and a bowl of soup that got microwaves. "In luck, the Cooks made something for Pastor Sumter tonight, you are in for minestrone and a club sandwich" Both are slid to him and balanced on her forearm, there's a bowl of shredded beef, made for a sandwich, but a nice heaping for Capone. "So. What big big business did you liquidate?"
Diego takes the sandwich gratefully, relieving it of a large bite. Capone is less polite about eating his own portions. "Stillwater Security. Technically speaking I'm not released from any legal liability, but, hell.. in the business a few months is long enough to be out dated. I'm not worth the hell they'd go through trying to find me. Of course, other than cash and materiel, I'm not really valuable but… I don't wanna put my gun in my mouth when I go to sleep. Acceptable trade off."
"Oh" There's surprise. "I've never heard of you, so either, you're lying, or you're so good that you don't need to advertise. I'm banking on the latter since your known to the burning birds" A glance down at the dog satisfies her that he's happy with his own meal. "I can see why they consort with you though. But, if Helena doesn't like it, well, it's your life and your company and you should with it what you will yes?"
"Why they did." Diego shrugs, taking another bite out of his sandwhich. "They've got their own gameplan, though. I was never really part of it. They'd ask my opinion on shit and then just ignore me anyway. Way I see it, life is simpler this way. Go where I feel like it, visit a few friends here and there, do what I can when I can. Like a Black Jesus, without all the preaching and some beer instead a wine, you feel me?" At some point he apparently started venting; the realization that he started using her as a therapist is entirely visible and his mouth almost audibly locks itself. Around the sandwhich.
Abigail smiles and produces another beer, pushing it over towards him. "Pretty much. If you aren't with em the full way, that's pretty much, yes, how it goes. My Dah warned me about folks. It's just a matter of letting yourself be used or not really. I didn't mind being used, it was god's reason for being gifted, but now that I don't really have anything for them to use" It goes without saying, they do not call on her. "You sticking around the city for a spell or are you and Capone here going to go on the road again?"
Diego swallows that oversized bite of sammy and grins at the fresh beer. He uses it to wash down the grub. "You're good people, I think. Anyway, yeah I think I'm gonna hang around for a bit. Damn city… once you're plugged in, you can't really get out. Get far enough away and you start getting curious. I probly shoulda stayed gone when I was out in the desert, but…" He shrugs. "What about you? How you manage to stay busy now that you're out?"
"I was never really in. I just sorta, stood in the center of all the groups and just healed anyone who came through my sunny patch As Helena calls it" How'd she get out though? "There's an evolved who goes around, and his gift is to switch abilities. He took mine, gave it to someone else. I can't heal anymore. I'm not even technically evolved cause I don't show up as having the Gene." Abigail shrugs gently. "If I can't heal, then they don't need me. So Catherine Chesterfield pays for my schooling and I live in the building as a thank you for all that I did, when I could"
Diego blinks a few times before he takes another drink of that beer. "I was not aware that was even possible." His dialects shift around so often its hard to keep up- sometimes its the sophisticated New Yorker; other times its the California street kid. "But then again, a decade or two ago I wouldn't have thought a lot of things were possible. Where you going to school? I always wondered what a real college woulda been like."
"Columbia. Getting through my pre-requisites and then i'll go to EMT school and get my level 1. If I can't faith heal anymore, then i'll try to do it the way everyone else does. Her own Dialect stays just what it is. Deep south. Maybe you should go if you're sticking around. New semester starts soon" She waggles that in front of him. "You seem like you can afford it, that's for sure"
"Yeah, maybe. I suppose I could ask our 'friends' for a favor to come up with a new name for me. Think I earned that, at least." Diego looks down to the bar for a few moments after that, and you might as well stamp a huge 'LOADING' screen over his face until he looks back up. "Funny how little a name means in the grand scheme of things."
"You change it, you get new papers and ID's and… you can disappear and be someone else" Abigail nods. "And with money and there's a face changer that Phoenix has access to, you can disappear and no one will know you"
"Yeah, I understand the process… just feels weird I guess. Wireless still around? I'm thinking it'd take somebody with some talent to erase my military record. Bastards have my fingerprint." There, there, wait… wait for it… and the beer is finished. "Anyway, that's cool that you're going to school to be an EMT. Saving lives the old fashioned way. I think a lot of us forget that most people still have to work their asses off to try and do some good."
"We're not all handed it on a silver spoon from our parents. There are people who live paycheck to paycheck" She's been doing that a lot less lately. Thank the lord above. "Yup, you just gotta turn on your phone and say her name, or just send a text and you'll find her. She's always there"
Diego purses his lips and taps the bar for several seconds before he shifts on his stool. "I earned everything I have. I meant the Gene. Having to work to be better than everyone else." He stands up and throws a twenty on the bar. He reaches inside his jacket and out comes a red and white box of cigarettes. "Gotta smoke. Thanks for the grub. Me and Capone'll get out of your hair."
"Oh. Sorry. I do that all the time. Mis-understand what it is that people say" Abigail apologizes. The twenty dollar bill is pushed back. "Money's not good here after hours. But I appreciate the intention behind it. You have a good rest of the evening Diego. Hope the next day finds you well and god blesses it" She's moving to pluck up dishes and clean up after the black man and his dog.