Bartending with a Blackhawk!

[zerocharliexray]

Things are a little... strange on the Aerie One.

Maybe strange isn't the right word. Maybe it's more like strained. Helena's taken her belongings and run off God only knows where, and Dinah's on her way to Asia, traveling with Zinda's old bar buddy, Wildcat, and the Skipper...

Well, suffice it to say even Zinda's ever-present cheer has gotten a little dinged, so once she's bedded the Aerie One down for the night and brought the Skipper a sandwich – more out of optimism than realistic expectation – she pats the door to the cockpit and murmurs a few soft and encouraging words.

The door rewards her with the bustle and warmth of Milliways, and Zinda pushes her hand back through her hair and grins and grins and grins.

"Sis," she tells the bar once she makes her way there, "you sure have swell timing."

A napkin appears along with Zinda's cold bottle of beer, and she reads the note on it before laughing. "Whatever you say," she says, and parks her pert bottom on the bartop so she can swing her legs up and over, landing on the other side. She grabs a marker and writes:

Specials

Champers
Diablo
Gin Fizz
Betsy Ross
American Beauty
Ice-cold beer + shot of whiskey

She can be found behind the bar for the rest of the night, cleaning glasses and whistling Andrews Sisters' classics to herself. 

C'mon, Milliways. Tell Zinda your troubles. What the heck else is a bartender for?

Comments

[heatherandsteel]

Quentin's yawning and running his hand through his wet hair as he enters in jeans and a t-shirt with his pointed ears showing. When he sees Zinda behind the counter, he asks, "What's in a Betsy Ross?"

[zerocharliexray]

"Stars 'n stripes," Zinda says, straight-faced, then laughs.

"Just kiddin', sugar. Brandy, port, triple sec. Wanna give it a shot? See what you think?"

[heatherandsteel]

"Yeah, I'll give it a try and do you have anything to eat back there?"

Since he's hungry and a new drink will be a good distraction from his thoughts.

[zerocharliexray]

"I'm sure I could scare up somethin'," Zinda says, doubtful, as she starts stirring up his drink, "but you might be better off orderin' from Bar. My specialties are booze and brotherhood."

She digs out a chilled cocktail glass and strains the liquid into it, then passes it over with a sympathetic smile. "'Sides, looks to me like somethin's already eatin' at you. Somethin' on your mind?"

[itwasjustified]

Raylan doesn't have troubles, per se. More of a fugitive-shaped headache that surely won't be made any worse by a small detour to a multiversal watering hole.

He takes the stool that affords him the best view of the room, and tips his head toward the blonde who's whistling behind the bar.

Thoughtful: "Would you believe me if I said I could swear I know that tune?"

[zerocharliexray]

"No kiddin'?" Zinda turns in a flick of golden curls and tosses him a wink.

"Name that tune," she says, a laugh in her voice, "and your first round's on the house, sugar."


[ooc: yaaaaaaas I've been wanting these two to meet!]

[itwasjustified]

The half-smile tugging at one corner of his mouth rucks up another notch.

"Challenge accepted."

A beat.

"Well, I can tell you what it's not. That ain't 'Rum and Coca-Cola.' But I'd bet a considerable sum of your currency of choice that it is the Andrews Sisters."


[ooc: muahaha, you and me both!]

[zerocharliexray]

"Seems you just bought yourself a drink, brother," she says, her grin flashing wide and white and delighted.

"Or at least half of one."

Those cornflower-blue eyes of hers track up to the hat he's wearing and back down to the pleasant tick of a crooked smile, and she grins again. No smiles by parts from Zinda – she's whole-hearted in everything she does.

Including bartending. "What can I getcha?"

[from_the_outside]

Bucky's gone, off to Jabari lands, and Sharon's not ready to go back to her own room in the Citadel instead of down to the hut by the lake.

But she's had a couple of beers and maybe a few more are on her mind, because this time when the door opens to Milliways, she only hesitates a moment before heading through. And –

Oh, good. She watches Zinda at work for a moment, then steels herself – Sharon Carter never backs down – and goes to take a seat at the bar.

"Do you have anything that might help with 'last time I was here, I was rude to Bucky's friend and I want to apologize'?" she asks.

[zerocharliexray]

Zinda had watched, curious, as the other woman came in and made her way to the bar. She looks tense – but then, maybe she always looks that way.

She takes a seat and is silent for a moment, and Zinda waits, standing near enough to hear if she calls out an order but far enough away to ignore her if that's what the gal wants... except then comes that half-reluctant apology.

Not reluctant because she doesn't mean it, Zinda knows. She's heard more than enough of that tone not to recognize a stubborn push past self-consciousness when she hears it. "Hmm," she says, pretending to think it over. "Think I've got just the thing."

Sharon Carter's eyes go wide and she glances up to look at the friendly hand Zinda's sticking over the bar top. "Let's call it water under the bridge," Zinda tells her, infusing her warm cheer with all the kindness she can.

This gal seems to need it. "Don't you give it another thought, sis."

[alongfallfromgrace]

Wei Wuxian was just looking for some wine. Shock and surprise, he hasn't yet learned a good way to silence the spiraling thoughts in his head, but it's nothing a little wine and a little company can't fix.

For a while.

Whatever.

The upshot is there's now a young-ish cultivator blinking at the specials board. Those are... definitely words. He's just not entirely sure what they're supposed to be in context.

(He already knows beer is off the table, baba tried to indoctrinate him in the ways of beer but it's... still not great.)

[zerocharliexray]

"They won't come alive 'n bite you, sugar," grins the cheery blonde behind the bar. Zinda's been watching him puzzle it out; now she takes pity and comes his way once she's finished neatly putting away some glassware.

"Got a question? Or three?"

[alongfallfromgrace]

"You never know." He sighs, because you would not believe the things that have come alive over the years and tried to kill him. That stupid statue tried it twice. But none of those things are here, so he grins, leaning against the bar.

"But I'm afraid I don't recognize any of these. I don't suppose there is any Emperor's Smile back there?"

[sunbaked_baker]

At some point a semi-familiar face enters the bar room through the swinging kitchen door, a three-year old boy, fair-haired and in what can only be the multiverse's dirtiest play-clothes, over her shoulder. Rae is likewise in her gardening-appropriate clothes, ragged green jean-shorts and a faded yellow sleeveless top that have both seen many better days. The child over her shoulder is cheerfully vroooooming his toy motorcycle through the air (it can fly, of course).

"Aha! Hi there," the red-head grins, seeing Zinda behind the bar, and pats the child's back. "Is it possible there'd be some cold apple juice in one of the little fridges back there for the multiverse's best gardening assistant? I swear there's a kid under all this dirt and I'm not just hauling in a bag of compost."

This makes the kid over her shoulder erupt into giggles. "Nooo, I'm not compost! I'm Terry!"

"...a bag of compost named Terry," Sunshine grins.

[zerocharliexray]

"I think I could dig somethin' out," Zinda laughs, before she ducks her head to peer up at Terry's giggling face. "Yep," she adds, nodding. "Looks like a Terry to me."

Humming, she goes over to one of the small fridges and digs in it for a second, coming up again triumphant with a juice box that she puts on the bar top.

"Best gardenin' assistant in the whole multiverse?" She whistles, impressed, and winks at the redhead. "Sounds to me like someone who deserves some cookies. I think I saw a few back here."

[sunbaked_baker]

'Cookies' was clearly a magic word, because all wiggling ceases as the three year old peers wide-eyed down at Sunshine. Sunshine, in her turn, raises a considering eyebrow at Terry for a moment before lifting him off her shoulder and settling him on the floor near the bar stools.

"Two, kiddo," she judges, signaling the number with her fingers as well, in case the word is lost to the sudden cheering whoop from the kid. "Because you were both very brave and kind with that spider you found, and because your mother will kill me if you're hyped up on sugar instead of asleep when she gets home. But what first?"

"Gotta wash hands!" Terry pipes up, knowing the drill.

"Very good! There should be fingers under all that dirt, and they need excavating before they get cookies. Kitchen sink, and then back quick as you can."

Terry nods and takes off through the kitchen door again, familiar with the place and knowing that the sooner he gets back, the sooner there's cookies!

Too late?

[onceaviking]

Now what have we here?

A pretty blonde. A perky, pretty blonde.

Eric approves.

He makes his way to the counter and leans on it, all 6"4 of him. It accentuates his broad shoulders, as does the black tank top.

He's blond and pale and his blue eyes are slightly red-rimmed. And when he catches her eye, he smiles.

Definitely not!

[zerocharliexray]

Zinda's cheery whistle floats from back behind the bar, but when she notices her newest customer she heads straight over, smiling back like he's the best thing she's seen all day.

(Well, he sure is nice to look at.)

"Hey there, sugar," she says, bellying up to her side of the bar. "What can I get you? Lookin' for one of the specials?"

[onceaviking]

He smiles.

"Much as I'm tempted," he says, "I'll have to decline. My drinking choices are, sadly, rather limited."

[canttrickmeanymore]

Peter can't drink, but that doesn't mean he can't sit at the bar. He does it a lot - easier to see people from here.

He tips his head, reading the board (no, he's not going to order from it), then asks, "Isn't that last one essentially a boilermaker?" He's allowed to know these things.

[zerocharliexray]

Zinda glances over her shoulder at the board and laughs. "Guess it would be, if the beer were in a glass," she agrees, and smiles back at him.

"What can I get for you, sugar?"

[canttrickmeanymore]

"Right, you drop the shot into the beer." He reads a lot - things come up.

He tips his head again. "Huh, I dunno. I've been experimenting with different methods for hot chocolate, so, if you have a specific one for that, we'll go there. Otherwise, guess I'll have a Coke."

[snarky_spider]

Jess comes in wearing a motorcycle jacket that doubles as her current superhero suit and just stares at the specials with a sigh.

"Here too? Really?"

[zerocharliexray]

"Depends," says the blonde behind the bar. She gives the newcomer's jacket an appreciative glance, then smiles at the woman herself.

"What's here, too?"

[snarky_spider]

Jess offers a smile and a slight shake of her head.

"Patriotic themes. Nothing personal, just stuff back home. You know how you realize something or an idea presents itself and then you start seeing it everywhere? I've got that going on."

"How about a Betsy Ross? Since I'm floating in it anyway."