Friends of Friends

Participants:

isabelle_icon.gif felix_icon.gif stella_icon.gif sacha_icon.gif

teo_icon.gif cardinal_icon.gif brian_icon.gif

Also featuring:

brenda_icon.gif

Scene Title Friends of Friends
Synopsis Stella gets a job audition, Felix gets pushed out of the closet, and other folks meet other folks' friends.
Date February 16, 2009

Old Lucy's

Old Lucy's has a vibrant and lively feel to it, from the dark wooden floors to the shady crimson walls lit up by neon lights and many times, the flashing of cameras from the oft-crowded floor. The mirror behind the bar reflects prices of various drinks, bottles lined up, as well as the entire saloon as seen from the bartenders; bolted-down stools line the other side, and there are loose tables and chairs placed all around, though many times they find themselves pushed back for more space within the center of the saloon. A few speakers are placed at strategic places and around a raised stage to the far corner from the bar. Above the counter, an obviously well-used bar is hung; it is this that the girls working will use should there be dancing, which is one reason many patrons choose to come aside from the drinks. Across the bar and near the back, there is a door that leads to the owner's office and just inside a stairwell that leads a apartment on the floor above the bar.


Tonight.. is a /busy/ evening at Old Lucy's. The music is loud and people are /everywhere/. Rock and then some hip-hop is played through the bar tonight as the women of the place work the bar and the floor, serving food and the like.

Among these women is Isabelle Ashford, in all her tight clothed glory. Tonight wearing a tight red tank top showing a fair bit of midriff and a black miniskirt with knee high leather boots. Her hair is down and falls past her shoulders. "What can I get you?" she asks a customer.

A blonde is also next to Izzy flirting with one of the men who came to ask for a drink. "Brenda!" Isabelle snaps. "Get him the drink, then move on. Or get his number and then move on! Money to be made suga!" Isabelle is in her element here, socializing and serving drinks.

Felix is there, to be hopefully anonymous. He's in leather jacket, t-shirt, jeans, no glasses, at the bar nursing a Guinness with a notable lack of enthusiasm. Mostly he's involved in contemplating his reflection in the mirror behind the bottles, looking more than a little morose.

This is Stella's moment. She puts a little swing into her hips as she walks into the bar. "Attitude, Stel," she thinks to herself. "These people aren't going to hire a wet noodle." Turquoise eyes scan the crowd for the person who looks like she's in charge, and her gaze lands on Isabelle. If nothing else, the confident looking woman can tell her where to find the owner. Purpose in her stride, she weaves her way through the crowd towards Isabelle, careful not to bump anyone and spill something on her outfit: a white peasant blouse and a denim skirt, with suede ankle boots. Finally, she came upon Isabelle, and she leaned in to yell above the music, "Could you tell me where I could find the owner?"

Sacha is seated at the bar as well, though he's in slightly high spirits, for once. Moderate height, at least. Decent altitude for gliding, though maybe not space travel. He's coatless, wearing a short-sleeved, button-down shirt tucked into his jeans, and sipping on a rum and coke. Standard fare for the Frenchman; his bruise is healing decently, as well, though there's still a telltale streak of yellow-green across his nose and cheeks. Not in the mood to be social, yet, he holds the drink while facing the saloon itself, his back to the bar.

"You're looking at her!" Izzy says in return and looks Stella up and down. "What's up?" She leans against the bar and looks at Stella. She tilts her head.

Hmm what's she want?

Brenda snaps to attention and quickly leaves the guy she was flirting with after getting his number, she slides in front of Sacha and winks down at Felix. "You look like you got beat up really bad and /you/." Brenda nods at Felix, "Look like you need a shot of something." She grins widely and runs a hand through her curly blonde hair. The other bartender is wearing a dark halter top and dark jeans with boots and she puts her hands on her hips and raises an eyebrow. "What can I get you /fine/ men?" she licks and lips and twirls a strand of her hair.

"I assure you, I've had all my shots this year," Felix says, letting the ghost of amusement creep in to his face. "They wouldn't let me out of the pound until they were sure," He lifts his Guinness in salute. "I'll take a whiskey, neat, though, if you don't mind?" He's apparently immune to the flirting. Or oblivious.

On the other hand, Sacha looks up at Brenda with a grin, then glances over at Felix and—- oh hey, he knows that guy. He lifts his drink in brief salute to the fed, then returns his attention to Brenda, winks, and replies, "You should see the other guy." Heavy French accent, there. He takes a sip from his drink, shifts up in his chair a bit, and runs a hand over his hair. "Truly, though, it is nothing. I could use another drink, however." His is getting a bit low. "A rum and coke, if you please?"

Lucy's door bounces off the snub toe of Teo's boot and he makes his way in in a lazy, looping gait familiar to those accustomed to thugs or young men who otherwise find themselves qualified to swagger around like their legs aren't properly attached. He finds his target almost instantly, and just as quickly grates to a halt when he realizes that she's otherwise detained for the moment.

Straightening, he cants his head, angling a pallid eye across the room to catch Isabelle's eye, briefly, and gives a vague gesture that either means 'When you have a moment — it's about Abby' or 'holy shit it is raining purple styrofoam peanuts outside,' one's interpretation largely dependent on whether or not you've ever had covert exchanges about Abby before. Thus absorbed, he fails momentarily to pick out the other familiar faces at the bar. There tend to be a few.

"I want a job." Stella doesn't bother with any kind of lead-up to this statement, feeling that straitforwardness would get her farther than beating around the bush. She tipped her head back a little to look the other woman straight in the eye, trying to emit hire-me vibes. Stella straightened her spine, one hand twisting the ring around her finger, a nervous habit.

Sometimes, you just need to pull yourself out of the arse-hole of New York City and out somewhere that the beer is less likely to be flavoured by rat piss. Chosen more or less by random, Old Lucy's is Cardinal's pick of the evening, and thus a hand flattens itself against the door's frame to push it open. The collar of his jacket's flipped up a bit - against the weather, or to hide his appearance - and he walks along into the place with that arrogantly confident stance that people from the street often assume in places they think are more upscale than their lives.

As Teo stops, that means he stops right behind him. And pauses, staring at the back of his head. Naw. Couldn't be. Not this bar, of every bar in the city, he's not going to walk in on someone he knows. Not that Teo knows him, but.

"Aw poor baby." Brenda says to Felix and then she gets to work on the drinks for the two men. A sly grin is given to Sacha. "Mmm I bet he looks pretty roughed up doesn't he?" Brenda slides both men their drinks and leans across the bar to grin at Sacha.

Teo's prescene is noted by a nod from Izzy and she winks at the man.

I'll see you in a moment, hot stuff.

Izzy grins at Stella and takes a closer look at the woman. "Brenda! Come on over here, show this lady the ropes. What's your name again?" she asks and holds out her hand. "Name's Isabelle, Izzy or Iz. Got it? Things work real simple here, you audition, you do good and I'll think about hiring you, you don't.. well at least you make some money from the tip jar at the end of the night." Isabelle winks at the woman as Brenda leaves Sacha with a light wave and promise that she'll be back soon.

Izzy spots Cardinal walking in and she.. blinks and shakes her head. Damn.. what is with all the guys walking in here now? A grin and wink is thrown Cardinal's way as Isabelle comes over to where Teo is and smiles at him as well. "And what can I do for you, I was beginning to think you didn't like me because you never come around." She teases.

Teo's appearance has Felix stiffening in his seat for just an instant, before he's again lazy and relaxed. Sacha gets a curious, open glance - I've met you before. Is it just coincidence, or? "Hope whatever the fight was about was worth it," he says, slowly, to the Frenchman.

Sacha's reply to Brenda is a rather smug, "Now, his face is one that not even his mother could love. It is tragic, truly." But the expression softens into a slightly less egotistical smile, and he returns Brenda's wave as she leaves. Well, the girl has to work, no fair monopolizing her. He finishes off his first drink before starting in on the new one, then looks over to Felix and replies, "Not particularly. I said words and to be macho he replied with anger. It is an ugly trait of people, non?" Another sip, and he points out, "We've met before." He also fails to notice Teo, for the moment, but then they are in a crowded bar full of people.

There's a clause somewhere in Teo's contract with the little girl Beauchamp, that he must necessarily do everything in his power to help her, up to and including moving Heaven and Earth should the opportunity or means so arise. Really. It's right there. He signed it. Committed his name to it, legally binding, and—

Close enough, anyway. "Sorry," he says, shifting away from the drub of footfalls behind him to let Cardinal past. There's a mild double-take when the other man's profile slides into view, his brows struck downward by recognition. Not particularly significant. Disreputable-looking Evolved hangs out between Staten Island and Old Lucy's. The correlation makes a certain amount of sense. In a moment, his attention has swivelled back to Isabelle, a half-grin splitting his cheek.

His elbows hit the top of the bar, shoulders finding a casual slouch. It's fortunate he isn't drinking anything just yet, or his glance past Felix and Sacha now would probably have sent alcohol down the wrong pipe. Instead, he's left to blink stupidly for a moment, then focus on Isabelle. "No. Just a shitty time at work. How are you doing, signora?"

Stella nods to Isabelle as she gives her the proposal, a smile on her lips. She could do this, most certainly. As Brenda beckoned, she came behind the bar, and was shown where different drinks were kept, where the cups were, which customers to avoid, and then she was given a gentle shove. "Go on and get out there, babe." The other woman told her. Stella turns her attention to the first person she spots, trying to eject some attitude into her voice. "Hey there. What can I getcha?"

"Laudani," Cardinal murmurs by way of both casual greeting and acknowledgement of Teo's current status as a rodeblock, even as he slips past— one hand raking back through his hair as he bellies himself up to the bar, settling his denim-clad ass pretty purposefully upon one of the stools and leaning forward to rest folded arms there on the bartop's surface. Just making himself at home, gaze raking over the bottles lined up in the mirror's flash of the bar itself from behind a pair of shades that he still hasn't taken off despite the fact that it's night, and they're indoors.

Some people just take the 'cool' thing to a level beyond, apparently.

His contemplation's interrupted by Stella's greeting, and he looks up to the girl, a smile crooking up at one side of his lips. "Gimme a Blue Midnight, babe."

"I am doing very well thank you, now that you're giving me some attention." So yes Izzy is a hypocrite she flirts with the customers. But she still has a eye on Cardinal. "What can I /do/ for you?"

Brenda watches Stella as she heads back to Sacha. "Newbie, I hope the girl makes the cut!" she says to Isabelle as she passes but she steals glances every now and then to check on her.

Izzy looks at Cardinal and bites her lower lip but shakes her head. Business first, pleasure later. She returns her gaze to Teo to hear what he has to say. Brenda goes back to leaning against the bar, "I'm Brenda, what's your name now?" she asks and tilts her head with a slight hm noise.

Felix finishes off his stout, sets aside the empty glass, before working on his whiskey. "That we have. You seen your friend around since then?" he wonders, tone apparently idle. "You seem to be doing a little better. No more being beaten on." He doesn't further acknowledge Teo - perhaps that one double-take can be attributed to the Sicilian's merely physical beauty. Let's hope.

Shaking his head, Sacha takes another slow sip. "I have not returned to the Island and he has not sought me out as he suggested he may, which is just as well." Quite relieving, really. "Truly I was foolish to be there in the first place, but I am quite too curious for my own good at times." For most of that statement he's looking forward, towards the crowd, still, but as he reaches the end, he simultaneously turns towards Felix and hears Italian. Almost greets Teo, but sees that he's busy speaking to someone else, so settles for a small wave if the tiny terrorist looks his way. And with Brenda back to the bar, he returns his attention to that fine lady. All French smiles, he replies, "My name is Sacha; enchantée."

Somewhere in the back of Teo's mind, calculations are wheeling and clicking to a series of alarming final results. Where he had come to accomplish one objective, and precisely one, three events are becoming relevant and there's only one of him to try and see to them all. Fuck. He squeezes away the twinge of a headache with the heel of his hand off the side of his skull, a brief squeeze of his eyes closed, reopen. Cardinal's use of his name warrants a glance, a rueful downward quirk of his mouth. No. No playing stupid here. Sacha's wave warrants the acknowledgment of a hapless nod. When he does finally open his mouth, however, he's speaking to Isabelle, his eyes gone crescent-shaped with appreciative humor; he cants his weight forward over the bar and drops his voice, affording them some semblence of privacy.

'You mentioned you worked with Peter and still keep in touch with Claire. If that means what I think it does, I could owe you a favor.'

"Coming right up." Stella located the bottle with the appropriate label and filled the cup with ice, then poured the drink in. She slid the drink towards the man with a warm smile, seeing herself reflected back in his shades. "There you go. Blue Midnight for the handsome stranger."

A bottle of Smirnoff, a bit of coconut rum, a dash of Blue Curacao—and there it is, Cardinal's hand lifting to capture the glass as it slides down the bar to him, fingers smearing through the condensation in long lines as he brings it up to his lips, a tilt of the rim taking a slow sip to test it.

"Not bad," he murmurs, sinking into a more relaxed posture there, head canting to look down the bar—expression freezing at one point, perhaps due to someone he sees. Of course, with those shades, hard to pick out who, exactly.

Izzy dips her head to speak to Teo as well, her lips moving but it would be very hard to hear what she is saying.

"Mm I always wanted to go to France." Brenda says coyly and smiles at the man. Brenda looks at Stella and gives her a quick thumbs up!

You can do it girl! And I'll do him! The dirty mind of the blonde bartender.

Isabelle puts her hands on her hips as she speaks to Teo.

Yes.. I did. What's up? Favor huh? I like the sound of favors you could do for me.

"I know that feeling," Felix says, drily. "All too well. Yeah, Staten isn't somewhere you want to be if you can at all help it," he says, before knocking back his whiskey.

Sacha leans forward on the bar, a bit more towards Brenda. He nods to Felix's sentiments, but the majority of his attention is on the barmaid now. "France is beautiful this time of year," he replies, voice a bit low, though not so low as to be unhearable. "When the snow is falling in Paris," Pa-ree, "it sparkles with the city lights. C'est tres beautiful, non?" Okay, so he's exaggerating, but you have to draw the ladies in somehow.

Hands on hips, Isabelle offers Teo a rather optimistic vantage point to go with the words she just murmured at him. He grins, broad, boyish, unequivocal, all picket-perfect teeth and an unwonted loss of the weight that normally bends his features around a scowl. "Not even I'm that fun to play with, signorina," he offers, regretfully, failing entirely to look less than flattered. The look doesn't last to look, unfortunately. He drops his voice back to the register lost to the clink of drinks and scraping chair legs.

'Take a deep breath and don't light shit on fire just yet, please. Abigail's missing. Never made her flight home. Somebody got her into a — periwinkle blue van more than a week ago, took her to Staten Island I think. If your people can find her — and don't tell anyone //I'm looking, I'll owe you one.'//

Stella twiddles her fingers in a wave and then moves on, filling orders and drinks in a blur of requests and bottles and flowing liquid. She noticed Felix's drink growing low, and walked over to him. "Can I get you a refill, sir?" That 100-watt smile was on her face as she leaned close to be heard over the music.

The pause is only momentary, before Cardinal gives his head a slight shake—shifting a bit to turn a little on the stool, one arm upon the bar's polished surface and the other hand bringing the drink up to his lips. As he sips from it, he observes Isabelle and Teo—not entirely subtly, but with those shades, it's hard to tell. Then again, with those shades, it'd be a miracle if he could see five feet in front of him.

"Brenda! Work!" Izzy yells at the barmaid and watches as the blonde looks at Sacha with regret. "I will see you soon!" she says and off she goes to help other customers!

When Teo speaks again, Isabelle visibly stiffens up. "Consider it done." She says with a stiff nod and tone. Her face soon relaxes and she nods. "I'll speak to you more about that later." Isabelle says and her facial expression is one of concern.

Fel is trying not to watch Teo. Avidity suits no one, least of all that already lean and rather famished-looking face. He swings his gaze back to Stella with obvious effort. "Oh, uh. Yeah. Actually, I'll have a gimlet this time. Heavy on the lime, if you don't mind," he says, mildly, turning back as if he intended to meditate on the stock behind the bar again.

Sacha grins as Brenda rushes off again, giving her another small wave as she goes. Cute. He sips more from his drink, small, slow ones, then looks back over to Felix. "Having a bad night, monsieur?" he remarks, with a small amount of concern in his tone. "You seem to be a bit overly interested in drinking yourself under the table, as they say."

"Hang on, bella." Teo doesn't like being stared at as a general rule. It's bad terrorist etiquette. As such, Felix Ivanov is subject to a brief glance. "Just one more thing, if you don't mind." There's something faintly wolfish about the flash of a grin he shows her. He jerks his head sideways, inviting Isabelle back long enough to offer a mutter of lighter spirits in her ear, even as he drags himself off the edge of the counter. It's quick, genuinely casual, and seemingly inspired by nothing more edifying than mischief whatever he has to say.

The next moment, he's dropped himself into the stool at Cardinal's right elbow. Sitting his chin on his fist, he regards his own reflection in the man's shades. "And you are?"

Stella nods to Felix, and returns with the requested gimlet, as well as a bowl of peanuts. "You look like you need something to fiddle with," is her explanation for the latter. On her way back to the bar, she notices Sacha, and grins, speaking in fluid French. "It looks like Brenda has abandoned you. Shall I get you some balm for your broken heart in the form of a drink?"

A chuckle stirs beneath Cardinal's breath at the arrival of the other man, and he doesn't reply at first—bringing the glass up, lips closing to the brim as a swallow of vodka and liqueurs is taken. The glass is swirled about a bit, then set off to one side. "A friend've a friend, I suppose," he offers, chin raising in a slight nod up to Teo, "I go by Cardinal. Obviously, I know who -you- are, Laudani."

A chuckle reaches Isabelle. "Well then, everyone listen up!" Isabelle hops on the bar, /while/ wearing a miniskirt. "I /know/ you people have seen who is in the bar with us.. why it's our very own Agent Ivanov! Felix himself! Can I get a toast to this fine fine gentleman?" When she is done, Isabelle winks at Teo and comes to stand in front of him and Cardinal. "And who.. is this handsome man?" she asks Teo with a raised eyebrow.

"I need more than peanuts," Felix comments, wryly, but he does nod his thanks. A critical sip of the gimlet gets an approving nod. Lime, indeed. To Sacha, he notes, a little sheepishly, "Nah, I'm about done. Not up for drinking myself unconscious tonight."

And then Isabelle's calling attention to him, and Felix resembles nothing so much as a rat caught in the beam of a flashlight. He must have contacts in, because he doesn't squint at Isabelle - but his face freezes in shock, before he can muster a decidedly sickly smile. So much for anonymity.

Sacha blinks at Stella, but ultimately shakes his head with a smile. "For now I have enough, I think." Turning back to Felix, he lifts his drink again… and then just kind of blinks again when Isabelle jumps up on the bar. "…" Le uhhhhh. "Ah. … I believe you had introduced yourself differently, before?" He asks, with somewhat of a wry smirk.

Obviously. Teo's eyes blink bright as a baby robin's bassinet. Obviously not. Not the details that matter, it seems, though given his druthers, Teo would rather his name would've been one of those details that slipped through the cracks. "Friend of a friend," he volunteers for the pyrokinetic, tipping his head back to smile at Izzy upside down. Around him, laughter and cheers ring out; dozens of beers raised in salute. Out of the peripheral of his eye, he watches for Sacha's acknowledgment of this salient detail of Felix's identity. Good.

Mostly because it's bad manners to let your erstwhile lay hang himself on the FBI's rope. Caution dispensed — one way, at least, he squares his head back onto his shoulders, pointing between bartender and gentleman. "Isabelle, Cardinal. Cardinal, Isabelle."

Coming in from the backroom, a certain replicator seems to have just waken up. His eyes go wide at the flurry of activity. Brian's mouth forms the shape of an 'o' as he stays relatively close to the door, looking like he might just back on up and decide coming out into the bar was a bad decision.

Stella's eyes go wide as Isabelle gets up on the bar and makes her little announcement. Then she blinks, shrugs, and moves on. If she's going to work here, she's going to need to learn to take things like this in stride. So she fills a few more drink orders, then walks over to Cardinal and Teo, refilling Cardinal's drink and smiling at Teo. "Can I get you something to drink?" She leans in to be heard over the pumping bass of the music, just then noticing Brian out of the corner of her eye.

Oh, Cardinal was about to say something else both casual and vaguely ominous to Teo, but then Isabelle's leapt herself up onto the bar not too far from the pair, and his trail of thought slams into a barricade and tumbles off the tracks, while on fire. Instead, he lifts one hand to tug the shades a bit down on the bridge of his nose to look over them in an attempt to answer the age-old question of just what bartenders wear under their skirts in this part of town.

At the announcement, he chokes down a chuckleslanting a look down, and over, to Felix to watch his reactionbefore looking back up to Isabelle with an easy smile, "Isabelle. Good t'meet you. Nice legs." Shame? What is shame? Cardinal knows not this shame that you speak of. His drink's refilled, but he doesn't notice just yet.

"Mmm nice to meet you as well." Cardinal would have gotten a surprise, she wears underwear! Izzy slides off the bar and leans on it as she speaks to the man. "Hmm like my legs huh?" she hasn't noticed Brian in the room yet.

This is now somewhere Felix no longer needs to be. Far from it. Faced with that gauntlet of gazes of varying degrees of hostility, he comes to a quick decision, and rises. As soon as he can, grace or no, he hastily riffles through his wallet and t akes care of both tab and tip, laying them on the scarred wood with exaggerated care. Time to make one's self scarce. It's as if Isabelle had announced that Felix was a card carrying National Socialist, as well as in the tertiary phase of syphilis. He shrugs his leather jacket more comfortably into place, and heads out.

Sacha watches Felix leave, an eyebrow raised, but ultimately shrugs and finishes off the remainder of his drink. Standing, he stretches his arms, then meanders down to where Teo's seated himself, plopping into the seat next to the Italian. He doesn't actually say anything to him yet, but instead turns to look to Isabelle, a bit of a smirk playing across his features. "A friend of yours?" Vague gesture to Felix's departing self.

Teo is Italian. He probably shouldn't have dome vague, casual, or ominous very well in that specific configuration, so it's probably better this way. Miniskirts overhead, all Federal threats clearly marked, Brian at the do— what? Teo blinks and glances back over his shoulder, a grin and the beginning of a salutation forming, before the other bartender's up and talking to him from around Isabelle. "Whatever's on tap, grazie." The Fed's fleet-footed departure gets a glance.

A lot of glances. Doubtless, Teo's pallid-eyed regard doesn't stand out from the crowd, though he's one of the first to glance away, assuaging a pang of guilt with… well, displacing the pain to physicality, dragging blunt fingernails hard down the line of his jaw. "Careful, Izzy," he says, angling a glance up at her. There's a little extra meaning in his gaze, but only a little; his grin is harmless, good-natured. "I found this one on Staten Island. Don't know where else it's been."

Though he could probably say the same for Sacha, a very slightly greater degree of familiarity takes the teeth out of his humor. "He's my hero." It's true. Ridiculous enough to pass for denial, too. "Izzy, Cardinal, Sacha. Vice versa. What's your name?" he asks, abruptly, realizing that the only face out of the throng he doesn't recognize is the one getting his beer.

Tilting his head, Brian watches Teo do what he does best. Say Italian shit no one understands. And Izzy, doing what she does best. Brian takes a few steps back, going to sit at a table by himself quietly. He watches the group from the table. Maybe he'll join them, but it might be better for him to watch for any developments from this situation.

Stella gets Teo's drink with an ease that's beginning to come naturally, though she's still having to pause and rummage a bit to find what drink where. When she returns to Teo's table with his drink, she replies, "Stella. Stella Hightower. And yours?" Placing the beer on the table, she smiles warmly at Teo, then relaxes her mind, absently tuning in to the thoughts of those around her.

"Well," Cardinal observes conversationally, "They -are- a very nice pair of legs." As she slides down to stand once more, his arm slides along the bar as he leans in closer to the woman, the shades once again guarding his gaze as he murmurs something in low, good-humored tones to Isabelle.

Once he's said his piece and leaned back, he lifts his chin up in a slight nod towards the new fellow introduced, "Good to meet you, man. I—" He pauses, looking around before suggesting casually, "Y'know, maybe we should grab a table for everyone? There's only so much gathering around the bar we can do, given that it's a straight line. Unless Izzy here wants to get her cute ass back up on the bar, but then we'll all get distracted."

"Why thank you." Isabelle says with a grin and she grins at what he says and she leans in to whisper something back to him. Teo is given a look, she can handle it. Sacha is given a nice grin and she winks at Cardinal, "Don't tempt me. And I can't just leave poor Stella here to audition without my watchful eye. Now can I?" she grins and tosses her hair behind her back.

Sacha looks to Isabelle and Cardinal in turn as Teo introduces them briefly, nodding and holding up a hand in a small wave. "Izzy, Cardinal; Sacha," the latter added to introduce himself in turn. So very droll. And a nod is also given to Stella, to whom he adds, "I will take that drink now, chérie, s'il vous plaît. A rum and coke." Which is all he's been drinking all night, for those keeping score; apparently not much in the mood for variety.

"Teo." Tee Oh. "Laudani," Teo adds, with a wry glance pitched briefly sidelong at Cardinal. "Pleasure meeting you."

With the FBI agent's departure, his thoughts probably would have been far less maculate or suspect if they'd just been there to filter into the young bartender's consciousness. Instead, what comes instead from the Sicilian's corner of her mind is a distinctly bizarre semblence of deafness, muted out as if by distance or muddled by static. He's thinking about what the beer's going to cost, even as he swallows it down. He's wondering what the weather's like, because he has to go.

Yet — there's a distinct impression of gaps in the text. Some sort of guard there, a layer of organization that might prompt curiosity or alarm, further investigation or no more at all, for all he appears unaware of Stella's perception for now. "He can have my stool," he decides, glancing back at Brian. The pint glass hits the table and he fishes the requisite number of bills out, plus Stella's tip. "I have to head. Bank shit. You all take care?"

Lips thinning out, the pair of gray eyes settle firmly on Cardinal and Isabelle. His lips purse for a moment as he watches, his head tilting at the latter. Biting down on his bottom lip for a moment, Brian promptly goes to stand. Tucking his hands into his pockets, he tilts his head as he watches the pair, not quite stepping forward. His eyes flick to Teo for a moment where he gives the briefest of nods before returning his attention.

Stella nods to Sacha, "Coming right up, mon ami." She prepares the drink with finesse, pouring equal parts rum and coke and then stirring it, before delivering the glass to the Frenchman with a flirtatious grin and a wink. "Enjoy." Stella then goes behind the bar, neatening the rows of bottles and wiping down the bartop.

As the one man rises to leave, Cardinal brings a hand up in a casual salute—two fingers to the edge of his brow and then away, "I'll see you around, Laudani. Watch yourself out there," he offers casually, before turning his head just a bit to flash a roguish grin to Isabelle, "Far be it for me to tempt you to abandon your duty, Legs. I'll just bide my time, I suppose." …and I'd love to find out just what you can han—hm, isn't that the guy from the park? The man's thoughts are lazily relaxed (and rather shamelessly lewd right now as regards a certain bar owner), though there's a trembling sliver of paranoia guarding just beyond that—a part of him that's never quite at rest.

The hand not holding his drink lifts, pushing the shades back up fully to shield his eyes from the bar's neon to regard the man that Teo just invited over—and he lifts his chin in a nod up and over, calling, "Brian, isn't it? Kameron's friend?"

"Legs?" Isabelle chuckles, first Chesty.. now this. "Bye Teo. I'll keep in contact!" Then she finally spots Brian. "Hey you." She grins and wink at the blonde man, who she is semi living with but not really. "How are ya?" Cardinal is given a look, "If you're patient you'll get a reward." She assures Cardinal with a grin.

As Teo stands, Sacha lifts one hand to grab the other man's forearm - gently, barely even much of a grip there. A friendly gesture. "Good to see you, Teo," he says, with a small smile. Tay Oh. "«I'll call you sometime when I'm less of a mess; g'night.»" In French, of course. And with his drink delivered, Frenchie gives Stella a smile and lifts the glass to her. "Thank you," he replies simply, with a sip. Thoughts are French but there is a general feeling of mild uncomfortable irritation there; Cardinal isn't impressing him very much, but he isn't showing it. He turns to look at the apparently approaching Brian, though, but only gives the man a quick glance over before looking back to the ladies across the bar.

"«Stay safe,»" Teo replies to the Frenchman in kind, completing the half-grin he'd been wearing. Easing out of Sacha's grasp, he finds his feet, offers Isabelle a nod of salutation. Later, then. If later is necessary. Cardinal's cautioning warrants a nod, obedient as a schoolboy despite that they appear to be the same age for all intents and purposes. "Stuff on tap isn't bad," he tells Brian in passing, offering a clap on the shoulder on his way out.

"Yeah." Brian says in response to Teo in a gruff tone. A little stiff nod is given to Cardinal, and a flat look delivered to Isabelle. Who he's not really living with at all, anymore. The young man makes his way back towards the door to the back room. This time to get what little stuff he has left in this place.

A single brow crooks itself up over the edge of Cardinal's shades… and then he cants his head just enough to follow the visual arrow that slices 'cross the room to Isabelle. Ah-ha. A soft chuckle whispers itself against the surface of his drink as he slams it back—and then down to the bar's countertop. "I think my patience'll have to last until my next visit," he admits in wry, though easy tones, pushing himself up to his feet and reaching into his jacket to fork over his payment to Stella for the drinks, "Looks like you've got someone t'talk to, Legs."

Watching this moody Brian. Isabelle sighs and looks to Cardinal, "It was nice meeting you, I'll talk to you soon?" she offers and goes to follow Brian to the backroom. Oh boy.

Sacha, on the other hand, is quite content to stay at the bar for a bit longer and finish his drink. He does watch the departures a bit curiously, but shrugs and proceeds to continue nursing his drink. He can sit here and chat with Stella for a while until it's time for frère Jacques to be in bed.

Brian doesn't seem to notice all the eyes falling on him. He shoulders the door to the back room opens and exits the bar.

"I'll be 'round. Good luck…" It may seem odd, given the earlier flirtation, but Cardinal's latter offering seems genuineeven a bit ruefulas Isabelle slips away. To the frenchman, he offers a nod over, "Good meeting you, Sacha. Take care." And to the door he heads, weaving through tables and chairs.

Fini.


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February 16th: Unhappy Homecoming
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February 16th: Pre-Payment
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