EP: Kate Barlow | Main Bar

[ikissdhimbck]

Kate comes inside trailing clouds of dust behind her. She's been working the stables, as usual. Today was a hot one, and it didn't seem fit working the stock so long as the sun was high, so she set about cleaning and organizing instead. She takes off her hat and sets it on the Bar, wincing apologetically as dirt puffs up and settles on the lacquered surface.

"Beggin' your pardon, Miss. I'll clean it up. Meantime, could I get somethin' cold?"

A pint of peach cobbler ice cream pops up as she settles herself on a stool. She eyeballs it dubiously. How can you put a respectable cobbler in a bucket of cold ice cream? She don't believe it can be done. Naturally, she won't dismiss it out of hand without giving it a fair shake. For science, and all.

She opens a ledger and starts going over notes, scooting the pint closer. Every now and again, her hand strays to her chest, absently playing with the necklace she's wearing. It's strangely soothing.


[ooc: Open indefinitely, inside the bar or outside.]

Comments

[thefirststark]

"Good afternoon, Kate." Howard has looked up from his newspapers and seen his friend looking about as grungy as he does after he's been under the hood for an hour or two.

[ikissdhimbck]

She might look as happy, too. She smiles at him, tired around the edges but altogether satisfied.

"Howdy, Mr. Stark. You're lookin' well."

[thefirststark]

"Please, by now I think you can call me Howard. You look chipper." Some women can look great even in a sea of muck. Amazing.

[ikissdhimbck]

She chuckles softly.

"If you insist. Ah, I've jus' been up to a bit of sprucin' 'round the stables. Good clean work, if you'll pardon the pun. How 'bout you?"

She sets her ledger aside and lets the little silver pendant fall against her blouse, reaching for the ice cream while they chat.

[thefirststark]

"Just catching up on the business pages. Seeing if any of my competitors did anything interesting today." They didn't. "And also reading the obituaries for H. G. Wells. Or the man who called himself that, assuming Helena exists in my timeline."

He's noticed the ice cream. And the pendant.

[ellectrical]

At some point, a second spoon scoots itself across the bar, closer and closer to Kate's point of ice cream.

A few feet away, Elle's not exactly hiding the fact that she's clearly concentrating on the spoon, even if it appears to be moving entirely on its own.

[ikissdhimbck]

She hears it before she sees it. Glancing away from the ledger, it takes a moment for her to process what she's seeing.

She starts slightly.

"Jumpin' Jehoshaphat, sentient cutlery is takin' it jus' a li'l too far, Miss Bar."

What's worse is it could be another patron, for all she knows. What to do?

[ellectrical]

"Sorry."

It's just the one word, but she sounds uncharacteristically sincere.

"I didn't mean to..."

Well, Elle's not quite sure what the right word is.

[ikissdhimbck]

Kate tears her eyes off the spoon.

A nearly comical show then takes place, as she glances from Elle, to the spoon, to Elle, to the spoon ...

"Oh! No, no, I didn't realize y'could do that. How were you—?"

She leans closer to the spoon, as if she's going to find tiny strings pulling it along. With a quick smile, she returns her attention to Elle.

"Would y'like some ice cream?"

[ellectrical]

"It's new," she admits.

And though she doesn't answer Kate's question, she does rise from her seat to move closer. The spoon slips away from Kate, and then flops off the bar entirely, into Elle's open hand.

"I - couldn't do it before."

[hey35andholding]

"The ice cream here's great."

This is Clementine, observing from a short distance, with her own bowl of ice cream, which looks good but is chocolate coated and filled with chips. Sam is somewhere upstairs fast asleep, and she has no one to indulge her sweet tooth with.

[ikissdhimbck]

Kate looks up, ice cream sweet lips pulling into a friendly smile.

"S'all right."

The admission is reluctant, followed up with a nonchalant little shrug. It's certainly not as good as her peach cobbler, but — oh, who is she kidding? It's delicious.

"Yours looks rather excitin'. How y'been, Miss Clementine?"

[hey35andholding]

"The chocolate's to murder for." And then, at Kate's question: "Good." Her smile is feline, which can probably be translated to 'better than average.' "My boyfriend's upstairs but he's in a sex coma, so I came down for a snack." *SHRUG*

[ikissdhimbck]

"Oh. Oh my."

How — very open of her. Kate flushes a little, hand closing around her pendant.

"I hope y'haven't roughed him up too awful bad. Might be embarrassin' t'explain, should he need t'see Guppy."

[hey35andholding]

"Pft, there's nothing rough about Sam." Except his stubble. "Honey, he's just sleeping." Then she notice's Kate's grip and raises an eyebrow, then shrugs and reaches for her spoon. She can't see anything yet. "Trade you a bite for yours?"

[numbered_doctor]

There's a light touch to Kate's shoulder as Remy sidles up to her.

"Hey there, Blue Eyes."

[ikissdhimbck]

Kate's head snaps up, expression instantly warming.

"Howdy, Remy."

She really needs to find a suitable nickname for her.

[numbered_doctor]

Hopefully they'll be better than the ones House tried to saddle her with.

"How've you been? Haven't seen you around in a while."

[ikissdhimbck]

Kate's much nicer than Dr. House is. Much.

(Hopefully.)

"I've been all right. Sorry 'bout that; I tend t'hide out when July comes 'round."

She smiles apologetically. Motioning to the seat beside her, she offers to get Remy some ice cream as well, if she'd like.

"How 'bout you? How've you been farin'?"

[numbered_doctor]

Much nicer, yes.

"I've been alright. Patched a few people up after they'd hurt themselves outside."

Remy accepts the offer of ice cream, another spoon appearing for her to take a spoonful from the carton.

[lifethatisscratched]

Ratonhnhaké:ton is short.

Very short.

(He is, after all, four.)

So Kate will likely hear him before she sees him.

First, she will hear him growl in frustration, then she will hear the soft sounds of moccasins on wood as he jumps up, grabbing the top of the stool as he hauls himself up.

He looks around, basking in his accomplishment for a while before turning to Kate and smiling.

"Hi, Miss Kate."

[ikissdhimbck]

She does hear him, and she's tempted to reach out and help once she realizes what's going on. However, he has it well in hand, and soon he's sitting pretty with a smile that could cut glass. Kate laughs.

"Howdy, Ratonhnhaké:ton."

Lord, she hopes she said that right.

"Welcome back."

[lifethatisscratched]

"Thank you."

He cocks his head upon seeing the pint of Ben & Jerry's, and he points to it.

"What is that?"

[ikissdhimbck]

"They say it's s'posed t'be peach cobbler."

Kate's face gives away all of her opinions on that. It's tasty, but it's no cobbler.

"It's ice cream. Churned milk done very cold, with different kinds of flavorin'. Would y'like a taste?"

[lifethatisscratched]

Ratonhnhaké:ton ponders this for a while. On the one hand, most of the sweet stuff here is way too sweet for him - chocolate and marshmallows are right out, so to speak.

But if it's good enough for Kate...

"Yes please," he says, shifting in his seat so he sits up a little straighter.