[ happy hour ]

[almosthonorable]

Not one to pass up a good business opportunity, Ben’s behind the counter, aiming to earn some credit toward what’s left of his tab.

Specials
† bourbon
† milkshakes
† bourbon milkshakes


The bar is fairly quiet at the moment, so Ben’s leaning on one elbow, doodling on a napkin.


[ tiny tags: gene hunt, mark hoffman, moist von lipwig ]


[ ooc: have at, guys — open till 8:30 p.m. est; tag away, and feel free to threadhop all over the place!

eta, 8:33 p.m.: AHAHA, you people. THANK YOU ALL. closed to new threads, but i'll be hitting these as i can before bed tonight, and tagging back all slows tomorrow for those who want 'em! ♥! (threadhopping, o' course, is still encouraged.) ]

Comments

[almosthonorable]

Glancing up from his scarily accurate rendering of a three-legged wait-rat, Ben gives the man a nod in greeting.

He looks at the board, then back to his customer.

"And here I was hopin' it'd be self-evident."

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

"Ice cream, milk, ice and bourbon? I'm more a rye man, but that sounds like a waste of bourbon. And maybe good ice cream." Though the cheap vanilla kind might benefit.

[almosthonorable]

Ben chortles.

"It's better than you might think. I make sure the bourbon counts."

In the way that he's, uh, liberal with it as it goes into the blender.

(Proportions are for people who aren't Ben.)

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

"Heh. Sounds...tempting. But it's too damn cold in Gotham today for ice cream, even here. I would rather see some Irish coffee." It must be cold for him pass up a beer for once.

[almosthonorable]

"I think I can handle that."

Ben reaches for a ceramic mug and a bottle of Jameson.

As he pours, "Winter out there for you, then, I'm guessin'?"

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

"Fall. Been raining since September and gonna keep raining for another six weeks. Then it's winter. Which is just as bad." Worse, but he's not ready to think about slush.

He sips the coffee unaltered first. "Seems like a shame to ruin the only good cup of coffee I can find." He adds a shot.

[almosthonorable]

"Out in the desert, sometimes there's no rain for a month of Sundays," Ben says. "Don't know what's worse, sometimes — the droughts or the floodin'."

He pours out another shot of Jameson and slides it over; Knox has been caught out the rain, see.

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

"Thanks." The sign of a good bartender is that he knows when the customer could use a second shot.

"Alex Knox, Gotham City, USA, 1993."

[almosthonorable]

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Knox," Ben says, offering the man another nod. "Ben Wade, 1866. I'm out in Arizona Territory at present."

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

He thinks for a moment. "That would be right after the Civil War, right?"

[almosthonorable]

"That's exactly right. Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox last April."

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

"You serve?" The Civil War is a thing of another world to Knox. Too many wars since.

[almosthonorable]

"I didn't; I'm no soldier."

Ben's lips twitch.

"More of an enterprisin' sort."

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

"Ah." He has no idea what that means. "My ancestors didn't either, I think. My mother's family was still in Europe back then. My dad...I never heard any stories. I think the draft missed Gotham."

[almosthonorable]

A thoughtful look crosses Ben's features.

"Where exactly is Gotham?"

Knox sounds American, but this is the end of the universe.

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

"East coast, about sixty miles southwest of Metropolis, in Jersey." Pause. "And if you never heard of it, you aren't alone. Most worlds don't have either Gotham or Metro."

[almosthonorable]

"Well, to be fair, half my country's still wild — the East Coast is more civilized, less rough and tumble. New York City, Boston and Philadelphia are the places to be for the majority of the refined folks."

He waves a dismissive hand.

"Still, who's to say a Gotham or a Metropolis won't get settled sometime soon?"

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

"It would be really late. And we don't have a New York. Ray Stantz once showed me a map. I think it's something of an either/or." Though not always, as he already knows.

"Not sure that Gotham is all that refined, anyway. Eastern, yes, and not the Old West...what we call the Old West. But it's a little rough there on the best day."

[almosthonorable]

Ben's eyebrows rise.

"Are we talkin' rough like Dodge City?"

Dodge City is the meanest, most beautiful dirty city in existence.

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

"Not quite that bad. But lots of crime, for years. It's only become better in the past four years. Before that, the mob - organized crime - more or less owned the city, despite the best efforts of the honest cops and the federal government." It made for great copy. And he doesn't miss it.

[almosthonorable]

"Does that make you one of those honest lawmen?"

This place seems to attract white hats and badges like honey draws flies.

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

"Honest newspaperman, actually. I think we outnumber the honest cops, though, even with Commissioner Gordon's best efforts."

[almosthonorable]

"A reporter."

Knox gets second and third appraisals.

"Cover the criminal element?"

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

"Sometimes. I tend to cover the whole city these days.

"You? I bet you're not a full time bartender."

[almosthonorable]

"Nah — hell, this is just my third time back here."

He pours a short glass of ice water for himself.

"On my side of the door," he says, glancing up with a placid smile, "I am the criminal element."