Entrance

[hollywdcockroch.livejournal.com]

There's a loud, bolsterous fatman in the bar, and no he's not Zim of Invader Zim doing his "Santa Claus" Act (give the mun a break-it's what she's watching.) Sporting a Fedora and a Rather oustentatious tie, he's yelling out the door at a taxicab.

"Yeah fella? SAME TO YOU YOU SONOFFA-"

The last part is obscured by the sound of a rather loud and obnoxious horn. The kind you would hear from a 1930s car.
Carl, disgusted, removes his coat and looks about flabbergasted at the idea that there isn't a coat rack by the door-but he shrugs it off.

Striding to the bar, he slams a fist on the wood, "Hey-Bartender! Jack Daniels! onna rocks!"

Someone, please, tell Carl he's not in Kansas anymore?

Comments

[jackdriscoll.livejournal.com]

"Carl."

There's quite a different Jack at the bar. Although the beer is there, too.

[hollywdcockroch.livejournal.com]

"Jack?" Carl blinked, "Hey-buddy!" he stood up, "I didn't know that you frequented Smuckies,"

He jovially pats Jack on the back, "Didn' seem like your kinda place fella."

[jackdriscoll.livejournal.com]

By the grace of God, Jack manages not to make his face completely murderous.

"We aren't at Smuckies, Carl. We're at Milliways."

[hollywdcockroch.livejournal.com]

"Milliways?" Carl studies jack with a puzzled expression, "Is it new? aww hell, I told that goddamn idiot to not get lost..."

He looks around the bar, "Seems like your joint Jack, classy. Figured you'd be able to afford a place like this."

[jackdriscoll.livejournal.com]

Jack would headdesk here if there was a desk. Or if he felt like putting a nice dent in his head.

"You aren't lost. People wind up here and they don't know how or why. See that over there? That's the universe ending."

Jack points to the lovely distruction just outside the Observation Window.

[hollywdcockroch.livejournal.com]

And Carl sees, but Carl doesn't.

"Holy..."
He rubs his eyes, "Man...man.."

He looks at Jack sheepishly, "I thought it was...you know...the booze..."

If Jack were preceptive, he might notice the vague smell of liquor hanging about Carl like perfume.

[jackdriscoll.livejournal.com]

"Have you been drinking, Carl?"

Oh, one can't miss the smell of alcohol. Especially when Carl almost always smelled like it, anyway.

[hollywdcockroch.livejournal.com]

"Quite a bit." Carl laughed, "Ya know they wanted to arrest me? Millie wants a divorced-that goddamn monkey..."

But he can't talk about Kong. Not now. Not even now.

He looks at Jack, "....Can't get him outta my head...ya know?" Carl tapped his skull, "Only the booze does that but this.."

He is, for the moment, engrossed by the end of the universe.

[jackdriscoll.livejournal.com]

"I know they wanted to arrest you. They said so on the ship."

He sighs.

"And nobody can get that damn ape out of their heads."

[hollywdcockroch.livejournal.com]

"You too huh buddy?"

Carl thinks about this.

"Here, lemme buy you a drink. We'll toast the monkey on me-" He still can't take his eyes off the end of the universe as he pounds a table again, "Barkeep! barkeep! One for my friend!"

[jackdriscoll.livejournal.com]

Jack slams his hand down on Carl's.

"Carl, Carl, be quiet. The Bar can get your orders for you, but she won't if you keep pounding on her like that."

[hollywdcockroch.livejournal.com]

"The bar? This bar?" Carl points at the wood stupidly, "What's it gonna do-materialize them outta thin air?"

And like magic, it does. Two frosty glasses of booze.

...Carl's staring at Jack and he'd very much like an explination.

[jackdriscoll.livejournal.com]

"It's sentient."

[hollywdcockroch.livejournal.com]

"He-h-how-"

Jack eyes the bar, "Waaaiiitt a minute-this is a magic trick right?" he raises an eyebrow, "Good one buddy! a sentient bar. I'm impressed, very impressed. I thought the slight of hand was my bit."

he pats Jack on the back.

[jackdriscoll.livejournal.com]

Jack grits his teeth and yet again avoids headbaring.

"It's the truth, Carl. Ask it for something else."

[hollywdcockroch.livejournal.com]

"...glass of water?"

Carl's voice sounds weak.

The water materializes, "Holy...Holy hell Jack-Jack-do you realize what we have here?"

Carl's eyes have that gleam, "No, but...well..."
He's deep in thought though, soberized.

[jackdriscoll.livejournal.com]

And Jack has that gleam. No, not the, "ooh, shiny," gleam. The "ooh, stabby" gleam.

"Carl, if you're thinking what I think you're thinking about...don't."

[hollywdcockroch.livejournal.com]

"Doin?" Carl grinned at his friend, "Doin' what? I'm on my best behavior. Part of the conditions of parole." He pats Jack, "Don't worry pal."

He's grinning.

[jackdriscoll.livejournal.com]

After what happened on Skull Island, Jack had every reason to worry. He's not smiling.

"You bring a camera in here, or a crew, I'll call security."

[hollywdcockroch.livejournal.com]

At that, Carl looks pained, "They won't let me near a camera or a crew." Carl says saidly, " I mean...my life's work you know?"

His eyes are suddenly moist, "They won't let me near a goddamn Camera!."

He'd pound a fist on the bar but he's been told not to, so instead he hits his leg, "Jack...why the hell didn't you call?"

[jackdriscoll.livejournal.com]

Jack takes a moment to pause and stare into space.

Then he does something rather unexpected.

He grabs Carl by the sleeve of his blazer and gives him a nice hardy smack across the face.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Carl?"

Oh yes. He said "fuck."

[hollywdcockroch.livejournal.com]

See Carl. See Carl be reasonably stunned.

"Jack, hey-take it easy..."

He's more shocked by the use of such common venacular like...fuck

[jackdriscoll.livejournal.com]

"No, I won't take it easy, Carl. Not after you kidnapped me and lied to an entire crew. Not when you led fourteen men to their deaths just so you could make a goddamned movie. If you hadn't have gone out of your way to provoke dinosaurs and a giant ape, more men would've made it out alive, but it was your greed and your arrogance that caused more deaths than were neccessary."

Jack's face is red. Quite red.

[hollywdcockroch.livejournal.com]

"...Feel better?"

Carl's face has a darkness to it.

"You know me Jack, buddy. How long have you known me now?" he twiddles his fingers, "...Movies are the meal-ticket of the future. People deserved. to know."

[jackdriscoll.livejournal.com]

"And that's all that matters to you, Carl. The money. You should give humanity a try. There's not money in it but it'll earn you some respect."

[hollywdcockroch.livejournal.com]

Carl eyed him, "...I ain't gonna fight you Jack." He looked disgusted with himself, "Why are ya still talking to me if you think I'm reprensible?"

[jackdriscoll.livejournal.com]

He looks away and lowers his hand.

"Because you're my friend and I care about you."

[hollywdcockroch.livejournal.com]

"Friend."

Carl shakes his head, "Man...Carl-Ann..."

Carl, when he's getting drunk, goes through three stages. excited, crazy, then weepy.

This is stage three.
But Carl's not gonna get upset for fear of getting slapped.

"I'm...I'm so sorry..."

[jackdriscoll.livejournal.com]

"Ann's not here," he staps, picking up one of the matchboxes and twirling it furiously.

[hollywdcockroch.livejournal.com]

Carl eyes the matchbox, "You start smoking?"

He's confused, and looking tired. He's eyeing jack's drink, "And are you gonna finish that?"

[jackdriscoll.livejournal.com]

"No, I haven't started smoking and no you cannot have my drink."

[hollywdcockroch.livejournal.com]

"Jack, Jack-"

Carl's eyes go shifty, "Listen-buddy, I've got this plan, if you write out a decent script then I know a guy-no island, no any of that-"

A grin, "If I show um gold they'll let me back in the studio! Not this place-" Carl's grinning now, "Just get me a script and I'll get a camera and..."

[jackdriscoll.livejournal.com]

"No."

Perhaps Carl should've called Capital One.