[ 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]

Ben is intent on his latest incarnation of what might be the fourth robot horse he's drawn tonight.

At length, he slides over the napkin for Elle's inspection.

"You think I should start doin' this for a livin', or stick to robbin' trains?"

[ellectrical]

"... what's it supposed to be?"

Elle's currently seeing what she imagines is him riding a dragon. Maybe.

[almosthonorable]

"Oh, now that's just mean, Miss Elle."

[ellectrical]

Elle just makes a face.

"I'm better at shooting things, too."

[almosthonorable]

Ben pulls his own face.

"I like you, just so you know."

He taps a corner of the napkin.

"It's a mechanical horse. Robot, I heard it called."

[ellectrical]

"Oh."

Beat.

"A robot horse."

By the last word, her voice is rather sarcastic, suggesting something along the lines of, Sorry I didn't think of that.

[almosthonorable]

Ben sighs, exaggerated and put-upon.

"I guess it's back to the drawin' board, as it were."

He pulls a clean napkin close, but before he starts a fresh drawing, he remembers why he's here in the first place.

"Can I get you somethin' to drink, Goliath?"

[ellectrical]

Elle looks to the also previously-forgotten specials board.

"What kind of milkshakes?"

If there's such at thing as an atlantean milkshake, she's not having that, either.

[almosthonorable]

"Bourbon, specifically."

A beat.

"But just about any kind you want to have, in general."

He nods toward the freezer.

"There's even potato-and-leek ice cream in there, appetizin' as that sounds."

[ellectrical]

She leans her head back into her hand again.

"Do you have something like strawberry?"

[almosthonorable]

"That depends," he says. "Are you lookin' for strawberry, or somethin' like strawberry?"

[ellectrical]

Her eyebrows raise.

"Are you better at these than drawing?"

[almosthonorable]

"That remains to be seen; you'll be the one drinkin' it."

He's already reaching for a clean pitcher.

"But I do aim to please. And I've got strawberry."

A beat.

"Strawberry-strawberry," he says, to clarify.

[ellectrical]

"That's okay," she answers.

Though she doesn't look away once while he works.

[almosthonorable]

Despite his bluster behind the bar, Ben's a details man to what some might consider a fault; he prepares Elle's drink with precise, sure movements, and once the strawberry shake is poured into a glass, he offers her the silliest straw he can lay a hand on.

[ellectrical]

Elle manages to hide her delight at the straw.

Instead, she just takes a small sip (though she takes her time with this, aided in part by the straw), and then assures him, "You are better at this."

[almosthonorable]

Ben flips the just-washed pitcher upside down on a clean bar towel, then dries his hands.

"You do wonders for my self-worth."

[ellectrical]

She shrugs one shoulder.

"Bar's letting you be back there."

[almosthonorable]

He quirks an eyebrow.

"She doesn't invite you, sometimes?"

[ellectrical]

"She did once."

Beat.

"A while ago."

And somehow never since! It's a mystery.

[almosthonorable]

A second eyebrow joins the first.

"Don't tell me you upset her while you were back here."

He's mostly teasing.

[ellectrical]

"I don't think she's mad."

Elle shrugs. "But I think I'm not very good at it."

[almosthonorable]

"With the drinks, or with the people?"

With Elle, it may go either way.

Or both.

[ellectrical]

Elle only answers that with a sly smile.

(It's probably both.)

"Are you good at both?"