Happy Hour

[student_of_impossibility]

It's apparently that time of year all over the multiverse, as evidenced by the Special's board.

Specials:.
Finals Night
Maestro
Nutty Professor

If you catch the bartender while he's stealing a minute or two to himself, you may notice the boy has several books piled up behind the Bar, one of them open. He also has some papers he's writing on. He also has a couple fading bruises and scratches and a split lip.

[ooc: sorry about running late; mun got a headache and may be slightly slow, but happy hour's open now, so.]

Comments

[headed4hell]

The scrape of a stool signals Grace's return. Never one to sit still for long, she'd people watched for a while and gone off to shoot pool. Now she's back with an empty beer bottle and a frown, the latter of which is aimed at Tavi's head.

"Kinda looks like how I used to study," she snorts.

The bruises, scratches and split lip are all noticed and inventoried.

[student_of_impossibility]

Tavi glances up from where he's working on an essay for his tactics class.

"How so?" he asks, with his head tilted.

And then, after a moment, he adds, "Can I get you anything?" He is, after all, a conscientious worker.

[headed4hell]

Using the beer bottle, she gestures first to the specials on the board and then to Tavi.

"Bar."

A nod.

"I'll take another." She stares at him and adds, "Didn't start tending 'til college, though. You got one on me there."

[student_of_impossibility]

Tavi nods, an "ah, I see" expression on his face, though he doesn't voice it.

Actually, he doesn't have to study. He's already studied lots. But this is Tavi, and thus he's putting extra effort in.

He slips off the stool to get her another beer. "What is college in your world, exactly? At the Academy, it defines an area of study, and I think there may be a college or two for some of the crafts in the Realm. Does it mean the same elsewhere?"

Yes, he just implied that he's sort of at the closest his world has to university. When he looks all of thirteen or fourteen.

[headed4hell]

Hey, it happens. Just look at Doogie Howser.

"Higher learning," Grace grins. "Yeah. It's where you're supposed to specialize. Pick what you want to do with your life."

She watches him with the kind of intensity that comes from being trained to notice things.

"That's the party line. Want the truth?"

[student_of_impossibility]

Tavi tilts his head again, blinking ingenuously up at her.

He notes the intensity, recognizes that look. It's interesting, to say the least. He's better at concealing that expression.

It helps to be underestimated.

"Does the party not want people to think about the truth?" is his response.

[headed4hell]

She can hide it when she wants. As liars go, Grace is one of the best; or the worst, depending on your point of view.

His response results in a sharp bark of laughter.

"The truth usually scares the crap out of people." Grace tilts her head. "This case, I'm talkin' about society as a whole. Sure, school's about learnin'. But it's also about a bunch of horny teenagers staying out all night and sleepin' through class. And football." She affords the word as much reverence as most people give the higher being of their choice. "Your Academy got football?"

[student_of_impossibility]

Tavi thinks about Max and his various Female Associates and smiles almost ruefully. "I guess so," he admits, shaking his head.

Somehow his tone makes it clear it really is about the learning for him. He doesn't realize entirely how incredibly asexual he's gotten since Second Calderon.

The medieval-dressed boy looks at her blankly about the football question. No, his academy doesn't have football.

[headed4hell]

Since the baseball game, her whole approach to Milliways has been Weirder Shit Has Happened.

Besides, she's seen people dressed in more elaborate crap down at the convention center.

"Damn. Alright, I'll bite. Where're you from?"

[student_of_impossibility]

Tavi regards her for a moment, expression oddly inscrutable for a boy his age.

And then, succinctly, "Alera. You?"

[headed4hell]

"Oklahoma City," is her rapid fire answer. "Earth."

Big brown eyes crinkle at the corners and look him up and down again.

"You know Max?"

The expression is interesting, but it doesn't change anything about how she interacts with him. He looks young, yes, but Grace has never seen any sense in talking down to kids.

If anything, it makes her wonder more at the bruises and split lip.

[student_of_impossibility]

Mentions of Earth always make him curious. He mentally sounds out Oklahoma--it's a bizarre combination of sounds, as far as he's concerned.

And then he blinks once or twice.

"I know a Max, although it's not exactly an uncommon name," he says almost cautiously. He doesn't know what she knows.

Besides, this is starting to hit dangerous ground. Max knows his future, to a point.

[headed4hell]

"Big guy," she clarifies, helpfully. "Real big."

Grace smirks.

"Said he was from Alera."

Luckily for Tavi, Grace and Max didn't do a lot of talking.

"What happened to your lip?"

Straightforward. Not at all condescending.

[mandercommander.livejournal.com]

Bonzo waves to the familiar-looking Milliways resident tending Bar. Walking up to the Bar itself, he smiles...only to notice the bruises and whatnot on somebody's face.

"You look like hell there, Tavi." Pause. "Just gimme a soda...and tell me what happened?"

[student_of_impossibility]

"Soda it is," Tavi confirms. "Hello, Bonzo."

As he slips off the stool to get it, he shrugs a little. "Nothing much, really. Just another student."

'Just another student' who will nearly kill Tavi in another year and a half.

[mandercommander.livejournal.com]

Bonzo has a look that's either a bit incredulous or a bit amused at the 'just another student' explanation. "Oh? Giving you trouble?" Yeah, Bonzo remembers 'other students' like that from Battle School...after all, once upon a time, he was one of them.

[student_of_impossibility]

Tavi shrugs again, fluidly.

"Nothing life-threatening." He smiles a little, wryly, and his tone is almost light.

And he means it--for now, at least.

[mandercommander.livejournal.com]

Bonzo laughs at that answer. It's not a derisive laugh; he just finds the comment amusing. "Let me know if it gets any worse? Or if I can help?" Not that Bonzo has any idea of how he could do so, mind you...but the offer is always there.

[student_of_impossibility]

Tavi's smile turns a little more genuine.

"I'll let you know," he promises.

Not that he can think of anything, really. Anything about fighting Bonzo knows he can learn from others, and Max is probably a stronger fighter--but that the offer was made does him more good than any amount of beating up Brencis could have.

[mandercommander.livejournal.com]

"No problem." If there's one lesson Bonzo learned the hard way (even if it was via a video course rather than first-hand), it's how important backup can be.

As he starts sipping on his soda, various thoughts cross Bonzo's mind. "So, how's the Academy going?" Other than the obvious issue, that is.

[student_of_impossibility]

Tavi settles back onto his stool. "Fine, really," he says cheerfully. "Classes are going well," except for crafting, but never mind that, "and I have really good friends."

His smile is fond and almost fierce. Those three stick together through anything--which will pay off a lot, later in their lives.

[mandercommander.livejournal.com]

"Good friends are definitely...good to have. Back you up in a crunch." Bonzo looks around the Bar. "That's what I learned here. What good friends are."

[student_of_impossibility]

Tavi thinks of Ehren and Max--especially Max, with what he knows from being in Milliways.

"Yes," he agrees quietly. "They do. They are."

[mandercommander.livejournal.com]

"So...can I get you a drink?" Never mind the size of his tab...he's still offering.

[student_of_impossibility]

Tavi waves dismissively. "I'm good for now, thanks." After a moment, he adds, "How've things been for you?"