Participants:
| Scene Title | The Pass Less Traveled |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Katherine is feeling no pain after a couple of drinks and the company of a new found friend in Nadira. |
| Date | June 28, 2010 |
Early evening at Biddy's and after a days worth of training, Katherine Marks feels the need to just find someplace away from the tower to just chill, so she gets a pass to get into the city and finds herself walking into this establishment. It has been a very long time for her to come to a bar to actually drink, though she did briefly work at Old Lucy's when she wasn't quite herself. But, even so, she's still not quite herself.
She walks up to the bar and takes a seat on the stool, when the bartender walks up and asks what she wants. Well, there's the question now, right? What does she want? She sits there staring at all the bottles of alcohol lined up in front of the mirror. "Not sure yet," she finally answers as her gaze finds it's way up and onto the television as some sports something or other is on the tube. She's stressed in black jeans, white t-shirt and a hooded sweatshirt. Decisions.
Slipping into the pub, Nadira isn't quite sure what to expect. Every bar she's hit in New York has been entirely different, which of course means she has to feel each place out before she's able to settle on somewhere suitable. Biddy's, however, seems inviting enough, and the Egyptian woman slowly makes her way over to the bar.
"Jack and coke." She instructs the bartender, her own gaze shifting over the various bottles with a calculated eye before her gaze shifts, noting Katherine and her lack of beverage. She doesn't comment, at least, not at the moment, but she's carefully taken note of.
Hearing the other woman place her order, Katherine pipes in, "Jack and Coke for me too." There, decision made. She waits for her drink and she turns her attention towards Nadira. Attractive at least, she thinks to herself before she offers a smile and turns her head up towards the game thing. Guys kicking a ball or something like that.
Kat reaches up to rub at the back of her neck. She hasn't been in shape.. well, since she can remember which only goes back a few months anyway, so this training is totally kicking her ass. She's not sure that bruise on her thigh will ever heal.
There's a slight nod from Nadira as she hears Katherine's order. "Excellent choice. Always very drinkable and there's just enough edge off the bite to help you forget you're getting drunk." She murmurs, following the woman's gaze to the game. It's forgotten after a moment, in favor of staring at the bottles again.
"Though, if my intuitions are right, you'll probably want to lean a little more towards the Jack than the coke. No offense, but you look a little bit like you've come out of the wringer… long day?"
There's a soft smirk from Katherine at the woman's words and she nods. "Just started working out again after some time off. New job is far more physically demanding than I've had a while." A little bit of hand to hand combat today to bring out the best in everyone, right? At least her shoulder is starting to get used to firing a weapon. Bringing her hand back from her neck and extending it out towards the woman, "I'm Kat."
"Ah, then yes, I suppose that would explain the tired look in your eyes." Nadira takes the hand offered, grasping it firmly for a moment. "My name is Nadira. I.. take it from the way you phrased that, you do not work in an office? Lifting boxes of printer paper is not what I would consider physically demanding."
"A soldier." That's really all she says about what she does for a living. Katherine's been advised not to make it too public what she does for a living, so she finds it best to just say she's a soldier. Katherine's hand is warm in the grip, thanks to her ability. She slowly pulls back, reluctantly breaking the grip. It's not often she has human contact of the physical nature. "And yourself? What do you do?" It's then that the two drinks find their way in front of the two women.
A polite nod of respect is given to the bartender as the drinks arrive, and Nadira's hand finds her glass, picking it up and taking a taste to check on how well mixed it is before she sets the glass down. "A soldier… that's an interesting occupation." She almost seems to assess that the same way she did her drink. Her gaze flicks back to Katherine. "I'm a bartender, though I'm currently unemployed. New to the city and all."
Katherine brings her drink to her lips and gives it a taste. It's been longer than she can remember since alcohol has touched her throat and she feels it burn as it goes down. She turns her head and gives a cough. "Shit," she says to no one in particular, though the man next to her might think she's talking to him. "Sorry, it's been a while," she finally explains when she is able to turn her head back. "Bartender? Well, that explains quite a bit actually." She smiles at the woman and takes another drink, this one isn't quite as bad as the first. "Plenty of bars in town, I'd imagine it wouldn't take someone like you too long to find something."
"I'm not particularly concerned about the employment as much as finding the right establishment. I'm looking for somewhere I can stay for a good long time, so I wouldn't just tend anywhere." Nadira does note, perhaps with some slight amusement the reaction to the alcohol. "Maybe we should've put a little more coke in there if you're not used to it." Her own glass is sipped from as she regards the other woman.
Slowly, Katherine is starting to enjoy the drink. She nods to Nadira's words about finding the right place. "That's what it was for me. Finding the right job. I actually worked at a bar for a while, then became a paramedic, and now I'm a soldier. It suits me far me than anything I've done before." Unless you count her stint working for the Company. But she won't talk about that, mostly because she remembers very little. She idley toys with her mug, and if Nadira is looking carefully, she'll see it subtly shanging shapes as Katherine runs her fingers around it, making it more of an hourglass shape now. "Hopefully you'll find something. It's not easy living in the city otherwise."
"I'll get lucky eventually. I'm persistent and if I find the right place I won't take no for an answer. I'm good at what I do, so.." Nadira studies the glass, narrowing her eyes a little to make sure she wasn't seeing things. She takes a long swallow from her own, looking back to Katherine. "Well, then it's certainly good you've found where you belong, Kat."
Slowly the glass moves back into its original shape. Perhaps the alcohol is slowly getting to the Frontline soldier that she's so blatantly exposing her ability. "I think so. I'm sure you will as well. I can't imagine someone passing you up. You're good at what you do, you're nice to look at and you've got a great attitude." Katherine takes another drink and another, back to back. "What do you do when you're not looking for work as a bartender?"
Nadira chuckles a little bit. "Hanging out in bars. Touring New York and getting terribly lost. I like to see the sights. I've seen the zoo and some of Central Park.." She looks back at Katherine's glass. "Just being a bit of a tourist." Well, if that was an ability, perhaps Nadira would test the waters a bit herself. Literally. As she watches, the moisture on the outside of the glass beads a little, then proceeds to slide it's way down the glass and onto Katherine's hand. Nothing extravagant, but the glass didn't seem that wet before.
It takes a few moments before Katherine feels the water on her hand. She gives her hand a glance, like perhaps it's grown a giant wart or maybe a sixth finger, then turns her gaze to Nadira. The liquor has really taken an edge off her demeaner and she grins. "Well, if you need someone to show you the sights, I can take you anywhere that public transportation will allow." Though she could probably borrow a vehicle, it's more fun to take in the sights while walking. "Don't do much hanging out in bars, but if you find a place, let me know. I'll come by and sample some of your drinks," says Kathering, before lifting her glass and takes a drink.
The grin is happily returned by Nadira. "Well, I'd be honored to have you as my personal tour guide. And, if you do come sample my drinks, maybe you'll be my first regular customer? A bartender always needs regulars." She takes a long gulp of her drink, swirling the remaining bit around in her glass.
Katherine is already feeling tons better, and has a little buzz to boot. Not bad for a night out. She reaches for her napkin and plucks a pen from her pocket and scrawls her name and cell number on it and slides it across the bar towards her. "If I do sample your drinks, just make sure I have a safe right home, will you?" She actually ponders a second drink. Before she releases the napkin, she grins as her name and number suddenly disappear from the surface. Though the faint blue color is now seen on top and backwards, so the name and number are now on the inside of the napkin instead of on top.
Nadira puts her hand over her heart. "I'd always make sure my customers got home alright. What's a bartender without those she chats with after a long day?" She proceeds to stare at the napkin before she smirks, shaking her head a little bit. "I had a hunch, but I wasn't sure. Bit of a magician, are you?" The napkin is taken and unfolded carefully to see the name and number on the inside.
There's a playful grin that crosses the face of Katherine Marks face at that question and she shakes her head. "Something like that. No more of a magician than you are." Yes, she saw your Nadira's own little demonstration earlier. "Just a little gift I picked up somewhere down the road." She waves the bartender over and asks for two refills on their drinks. She'll catch a cab back to the tower.
Oh, so even with the alcohol she was watching? Clever girl. Nadira can't help but grin a bit more broadly at that. "I must say that's quite a trick indeed." She leans her head in on her hand, studying the other woman. "I haven't seen as many of them as I'd like, in general. I suppose I haven't met many with them."
"You'll find more than you'd think here. But be careful, not everyone is all that friendly with their talents." Katherine gives the friendly warning. As the drinks come, she slides one over towards her new found friend, and gives a playful wink as she drinks down a healthy swallow. She's already starting to pinken around the edges of her cheeks. "I like you, Nadira. You're fun." She gives a serious looking nod to mark that point with an exclamation point.
"Should've seen the kid I met in the park. Poor guy…" Nadira murmurs, taking the drink with a smile and raising it to her lips before speaking again. "Well, thank you. I like you as well, you're one of the nicer people I've met in New York. A lot of people here tend to be grumpy and walk quickly. Very difficult when you're trying to figure out transit and you're not entirely sure where you are in the first place."
Katherine gives a glowing grin as she nods to that. "I can't promise I won't get you lost, but at least if we do get lost, we'll be lost together." She finally finishes her drink and stands. She's just a little woozy, nothing too serious and typically there are cabs available. "Hey. I need to get back, but call me, okay? We'll do something." She gets in real close, places her hands on the woman's cheek and places a single kiss right on her lips. Before Nadira could even possibly register what happened, Kat is already making her way towards the door of the bar. It seems that the alcohol has dropped what little inhibitions Katherine has left.
With barely a chance to react, Nadira turns towards the door to watch Katherine head out. Her fingers reach up to touch her lips with a bit of a smile before she looks down at the napkin. She gently folds it up, and the number is safely tucked away in her pocket before Nadira herself gets up to leave.