milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Lilly's been in and out of bar more often recently than she has in... well. Her personal clock is very timey-wimey these days.

Still, if she's going to be spending more time here, she needs a room again. So she's perched on a bar stool, discussing accommodations with Bar.

"Okay, what have you got in tasteful yet luxurious suites? And just so you know, the hot tub is not optional."

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"I am okay."

That is the first and most important thing.

"I have been busy. Here. And at home."

This also seems like it might be relevant, if very non-specific.

As for the third thing --

"Okay has two syllables. Busy, too."

In case Lilly was wondering.

"It's really more in the delivery than the syllable count," Lilly tells her, still grinning.

"Come, sit! I owe you a tequila shot. It's a thing I'm doing now so that people associate me with boozy good times. Have one and tell me what you've been so busy with."

"A root beer float is okay. For me."

Beat.

"Thank you."

That being said, X actually closes the space between them and sits down.

In this light, from Lilly's particular angle, it might almost look like X is smiling, too.

Just for a second.

A second is all it takes for Lilly's own smile to get even wider.

"Bar, can I get a root beer float for the lady, with a slice of lime on the side?"

Purely for decoration, but when Lilly commits to a theme, she commits.

X's return expression may be dubious, but she has to admire commitment.

Even if it is confusing commitment.

"I do not remember how long it has been. For you. Or for me."

X is terrible at keeping track of time.

"You know I have an apartment? In San Francisco."

"Me either," Lilly admits. The downside of her fabulous cosmos-politan lifestyle is a fair amount of life-lag.

"I didn't! That's awesome though, San Francisco's great. Did I miss the housewarming?"

She pauses.

"Was there a housewarming?"

Joe can't be counted on to throw a party at any excuse, after all.

X is silent for a few moments, running through her mental files.

Then --

"My teammates had one. A party. And Bela helped me buy furniture."

Beat.

"And I have fish. And a cactus. And cats."

It's kind of like housewarming?

It's close enough, especially since she mentioned teammates. And pets! Her little weapon's growing up.

"Okay, this is important. What did you name your cactus?"

Sometimes people forget to name cacti and thus miss out on a world of prick puns.

"The Cactus with No Name."

Prick puns happen to other people.

"I like Clint Eastwood."

Especially when he is being Dirty Harry, but some of his other roles are okay, too.

She takes a careful sip of her milkshake, careful not to bend the neon purple curly straw.

"The cats are Farrah and Steve McQueen. Steve likes to escape. Red named him."

"That is an excellent cactus name."

It's also an excellent looking milkshake. Lilly gets a chocolate one for herself.

"So who's Red? Teammate, or someone from bar?"

"Hellboy. From Milliways. His girlfriend is Liz. She takes pictures."

Clearly that is the most relevant information.

"And controls fire. I have not seen them. Lately."

She does not fidget.

Her milkshake turns back into a root beer float with no one in-bar being the wiser. Least of all X. Weird.

"I have a Br -- boyfriend. Too."

Right, that sounds fam-

"Wait, what? Seriously? Aw, Joe."

Lilly beams at her.

"I'm so proud! I mean, more about the independence and awesome cactus-naming, but dating is great too! I need details here. What's his name? How cute is he? I'd threaten him for you but that's way archaic and also pointless as you can julienne any guy who messes with you."

"I like being a person," X says matter-of-factly.

Talk about one leap for humankind, right?

"And I like not living at the dormitory. At Greymalkin."

Beat.

"People say he is pretty. Bruce. I do not think that is relevant."

"Totally irrelevant," Lilly says. "Physical attractiveness plays no part in human relationships."

She takes a sip of milkshake.

"Bruce, huh? Does he come here? Have I met him? What's his last name?"

X shrugs, one-shouldered and quick.

"That is not why I like him."

Beat.

"I met him. Here. It was longer ago for him than for me."

So far as she can tell, anyway. But he did mention training for seven years or so, which kind of helps.

"I do not know if you have met him."

Popular opinion (namely Parker's) suggests that Lilly would have probably remembered meeting Bruce.

"His last name is Wayne."

Popular opinion is not wrong. Lilly was never a comic book reader, but even she knows the goddamn Batman.

"Bruce Wayne?"

Holy shit, Joe went from zero to cactus-naming, apartment-having, BATMAN-DATING grownup. Lilly is impressed.

And of course, she can't say anything because what if he's not Batman yet? Oh, god, Joe has cats now. And claws. And she already likes boots and if she becomes Catwoman, Lilly is...

...going to help with her costume, let's be honest. Anyway.

"That's a nice name," Lilly manages. "Iconic-sounding, you know?"

If X had to pick a superhero name, it would probably be Shrike. Too bad it's taken by a supervillain.

Anyway.

"It is his name," X allows. "I think it is a good one."

Insofar as that matters. Right?

"Maybe you will be able to meet him. If you are coming back more often."

Considering he is not here right now, that is.

"I'm totally coming back more often."

Especially because when she leaves, her friends start dating Batman.

"We should double date sometime!"

Lilly is not currently dating anyone, but she doesn't think she'll have a problem finding someone who is a) into her and b) into double dating with Joe and Batman.

It would be nice to say that X's self-preservation instincts leap to the fore at Lilly's comment.

Alas, it is not to be.

"You are dating? Now."

Beat.

"Or you are talking about Puck?"

Okay, now X looks a little dubious.

"Ew, no! I can't date him, he's my husband."

Joe is such a weirdo sometimes.

"I just meant I'll find a date somewhere around here." She waves a hand idly at the bar crowd. "Unless you have a better suggestion?"

X thinks about it for a few moments.

Then she thinks about it some more.

Then --

"You could ask Sam. Winchester."

Beat.

"He is very tall. And many people are attracted to him."

Pheremones get old.

Lilly chokes a little on her milkshake.

So a) she has not seen Sam in forever and b) she does want to see him again but not necessarily c) him naked.

But she also does not want to discourage Joe's first stab at matchmaking!

"Uh, I like tall?" she hazards. "So that's good. But uh, I don't think Sam dates the dead."

X thinks about that for a second.

"I think it is good he does not do that. At home."

Necrophilia is wrong. And ghosts are generally not corporeal.

Anyway.

"You have met him before?"

"Oh yeah," Lilly says.

They've even discussed his love life, which is why she's reeeeally not thinking this would work.

"I know him and Dean, we used to hang out when I was here more often."

"Oh."

X absorbs that for a second.

Then --

"There are many other people. To date."

You know. In case Lilly was worrying.

Ignore the fact that X cannot think of anyone else Lilly might like. It is not a data set that she is used to accessing.

Maybe in a few months.

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