(no subject)

[k_in_black]

The Door opens and through it a sharp-eyed patron of Milliways can see the Main Hall of MiB Headquarters. In fact, there's a Man in Black standing in the doorway right now, his back to the bar as he calls out:

"Chief! Zed!" He's yelling.

And somewhere in the distance, Agent J: "Hey, OLD GUY, you can't use the laser platform! It's tech--!"

And now there's a tremendous ROAR of rage, followed by a worlds-shattering CRASH.

Yup, looks like Zed is still having that little problem with technology. K quietly shuts the Door behind him and goes for a drink at the bar. He'll leave J to cover that one.

Learning experience, after all.

Comments

[gorgonfondness]

"I chose a good night to come here; his stomach has decided to cooperate tonight," says one of the resident humanoid aliens, currently holding her half-alien son on her hip.

The baby babbles at K.

"The only thing worse than a colicky baby is a colicky baby that's fussing about noise as well."

[k_in_black]

K smiles. "If he's not spewing slime in all directions, he's all right in my book."

[gorgonfondness]

"You hear that, honey? That means you can't do to K what you did to Howl when he introduced himself to you."

Cepheus moves his little hands to grab Mia's robes.

"In all honesty, he spits up on Draco and me more than anyone. Which, I suppose, is how it should be."

[k_in_black]

"It does seem to go that way a lot," K agrees.

"But I usually get my slime from house-sized Bugs and Balgrazian Razorworms, and this little guy doesn't seem to fit either of those."

[gorgonfondness]

"With any luck he'll stay that way. The most he gets like a bug is his crawling around. Isn't it, Cepheus?"

"Dadada," he says.

"He's getting pretty good at those syllables, too."

The baby laughs and blows a raspberry.

[k_in_black]

K nods approvingly at the raspberry. "On Centris III, that would've just gotten him declared Court Poet."

"'Course on Xertus IX, he'd have had his face slapped, but nobody's perfect."

[gorgonfondness]

Cepheus takes one hand off of his mother and wiggles his fingers towards K.

"I guess Lunar's closer to Centris III, then. That or we're just very indulgent with our children's antics."

Mia could always have Cepheus declared Court Poet. She does rule Vane and she enjoys his performances.

"How have you been?"

[k_in_black]

"*I* have been fine, Miss Mia, thanks for asking."

"But our chief's been having a little trouble with technology. As in, it's suddenly stopped working around him. Which can make things a little tricky for an galactic diplomatic and law-enforcement bureau."

[gorgonfondness]

"I can imagine how that would be a problem. I've heard of wizards having trouble around technology though it's something I've never experience myself. Know any reason why this might be happening?"

[k_in_black]

"Oh, I have my suspicions."

"There are these two planets, a few light years away from Earth. For centuries the two races on them have hated each other like nobody's business, but their way of warfare is in the form of pranks. Practical jokes. Funny stuff. Except the kind that can get you seriously dead."

"The MiB have brokered peace deals for the last few wars, but the latest one, well, it got a bit tangled. I have a feeling the two sides have finally agreed on something, and that's that Zed is to blame for not getting them to a deal they could both live with."

The real story is probably a lot messier than that, but K isn't ready to go there.

[gorgonfondness]

"Ah, I see. Somewhat like my husband and my ex agreeing to take out Hot Girl News together if they continued to stalk me."

[wonthewindfall]

There's one such sharp-eyed patron lurking near the door.

Okay, not so much lurking as upending her backpack on a table and digging through it to find what's really important (the Wall Street Journal, her lunch) amidst what's not (schoolbooks, homework, gym clothes).

Leaving the rest behind, she takes her newspaper and lunchbox (she likes the way Baba cuts the crusts off her sandwiches) to the bar and scrambles up on a stool to order a disgustingly large milkshake. And chocolate chip pancakes.

None of this means she missed the view through this particular old guy's door.

"Who died?" she asks K around her straw.

[k_in_black]

"My boss."

"He didn't die. But right now he's probably making everybody wish he did."

*smirk*

[wonthewindfall]

Turtle sucks milkshake through her straw until her cheeks look in danger of exploding outward with all the force of a dropped water balloon.



One large swallow averts disaster.

"I meant the suit," she says with an expressive roll of her eyes. "You look like an undertaker."

D'uh.

Still, she likes the smirk and grins back. "Made good your escape, huh? I know all about that."

[k_in_black]

"Oh, the Suit." K gestures at himself. "Man in Black."

"Part of a bureau that monitors, licenses, and polices alien activity on Earth, and a whole lot of other places."

"Your dog get kidnapped by aliens? We're the ones who'll get him back."


Not that Turtle would remember if that happened....

[doesntsaymuch]

Teller watches this whole thing from nearby, not really sure what to make of it. He knows how the door works (at least, as much as any patron can), but that...

That was new.

Which is why K may find that he's being watched very curiously.

[k_in_black]

That doesn't go on very long before K turns on his heel and gives the man a long look.

Then--when Teller fails to come after him with an axe or turn into a seven-foot-high alien with raking claws--the Man in Black gives him a genial nod, and an, "Evening," before turning back to the bourbon that's already waiting for him on the bar.

[doesntsaymuch]

Teller takes that as an invitation to join K at the Bar. It should also be said that he has personal space issues, and tends to sit as close as possible.

Like K, he usually wears a suit as well, but right now, he's dressed rather more casually.

This is secretly a good thing.

[k_in_black]

K eyes the shirt, then nods at it. "Good bunch of guys."

"And smart. Not easy to get a career going on Earth when you're from a suburb right outside the capital city of Regius III."

[doesntsaymuch]

Teller nods in a way that suggests he'd know. From experience.

Then he tilts his head in a questioning sort of way, wondering how this guy is affiliated with the Cryptics.

[k_in_black]

"Man in Black," K replies, gesturing this time at himself. "I'm with a bureau that licenses, polices, and monitors alien activity on the planet Earth."

"These days we spend even more time on diplomatic missions elsewhere in the galaxy."

[doesntsaymuch]

Teller rolls his eyes at K.

Not because he doesn't believe him. No, the last time he dealt with Men in Black, the whole thing had just become a complete clusterfuck, and the world almost got vaporised.

'These days' does seem to raise a few questions, so Teller grabs a napkin and a pen from across the bar. He writes on it '1987' and then points at himself.

[k_in_black]

"2010," K writes back.

[doesntsaymuch]

Well, Teller's able to at least be open-minded. Maybe the Men in Black aren't jerkasses in the future.

Because they're simply unbearable in his time.

He reaches for his hidden business card almost automatically, forgetting momentarily that he's not actually 'working' right now.

So he writes 'Teller' on the napkin, and then points at himself.

[k_in_black]

"I'm K," replies the Man in Black, offering his hand.