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

[onceaviking]

"Of course I am," he says, giving her a wink.

"I was a Viking before I became a vampire. That took a certain - assertiveness."

As she might imagine.

"These days I own a nightclub. You don't get ahead by being nice."

He tips his bottle at her.

"Though it seems to work for you. I'm Eric by the way."

[zerocharliexray]

"I can see how it might help," she says, and grins at him, hugely entertained by his wink.

"Zinda Blake. Though I ain't always so nice. Tell you what: you don't be a bastard to me and I'll keep bein' nice to you. Deal?"

[onceaviking]

"I shall certainly try," Eric answers with a small grin.

"And if I misbehave, you can go right ahead and be mean. Unless of course, you find yourself enjoy the misbehaving."

You never know.

[zerocharliexray]

Zinda laughs at that, shaking her head.

"When pigs fly," she tells him, cheerily. "What I wanna know is how a vampire who used to be a viking wound up with a nightclub. Seems like a real change in direction."

[onceaviking]

"The opportunities to go raiding dwindled?" he says with a small grin.

"With the citizenship we can own property, run a business."
Another sip.

"And my establishment cater to vampires and humans who are - fascinated by them."

[zerocharliexray]

"That'd do it," she grins back. "I guess there just ain't much call for raidin' these days, is there?"

The look she gives him is curious. "There a lot of those? Humans who're interested in vampires?"

[onceaviking]

"Not as such, no. I got to admit, sometimes I miss it," he says.

"Sailing out, headed for glory. Driving into work to meet with the accountant doesn't really scratch that itch."

As for her other question -

"Oh yes. We're ancient and dangerous. Loads of people find that irrisistable."

His lips quirk.

"It's good for business."

[zerocharliexray]

Zinda laughs. "I guess it wouldn't. Not unless your accountants are a lot more fun than mine."

Ancient and dangerous; she can see how that would be a draw. Humans always have had a fascination for the things that can kill them. "Well, glad to hear you found your niche," she says, supportive.

Vampire or no, the fella deserves to have a solid business. "You like it?"

[onceaviking]

"I like not having to hide anymore," he says.

"I could do without most of the fangbangers, but I suppose there's are downsides to all jobs."

[zerocharliexray]

"Fangbangers," Zinda repeats, incredulous.

She doesn't ask for an explanation. The meaning seems... obvious. "I guess that's so."

She's speaking academically, of course. There aren't any downsides to her job that she can see.

[onceaviking]

"I barely prefer when people have some sense of their own worth," Eric says, which isn't strictly untrue.

He does.

He doesn't agree with their own evaluation of course, but most fangbangers are pathetic and that is a definite turnoff.

[zerocharliexray]

"Everybody's tryin' to find their own way, I suppose," she says, a little dubious, then shakes it off.

"Still, seems you've done pretty well for yourself."

[onceaviking]

"I can't complain," he says, not quite modestly.

"And what do you do? When you aren't getting people drinks here?"

And just how friendly are you?

Leaning in a little.
Smiling.

[zerocharliexray]

"I'm a pilot," she answers, readily. "Fighter pilot, back in the day... but there's not too much call for that anymore."

Bless Todd. He'd tried.

[onceaviking]

"Yeah?"

He sounds approving, not disbelieving.

"That must have been confusing for some of the traditionalists."

[zerocharliexray]

"Brother, you don't know the half of it."

She's not in uniform right now, but the yellow and black Blackhawk logo is printed onto the back of her slim-fitting t-shirt. "Bart – Blackhawk, that is, the leader of my squadron – just about had kittens when I showed up and told him I wanted to fly with him and the boys."

Her smile's fond, though; it all worked out in the end. "I guess you were probably around during the war, too, huh? Seeing as you're..."

Zinda pauses and attempts some quick mental calculation, then shakes her head. "How old are you? If it ain't rude to ask."

[onceaviking]

"I've been a vampire for a thousand years," he tells her.

"And I was turned when I was around thirty."

[zerocharliexray]

"No kiddin,'" she says, interested.

"You must've seen quite a lot in your time, huh?"

[onceaviking]

"Definitely," he agrees.

"You have to be able to keep up. To learn how to use new technology to your advantage. Like cars. And computers."

He grins.

"Indoor plumbing was a pretty good development as well. I've got the largest barn and shower setup money can buy at home."

[zerocharliexray]

"Gotta adapt if you wanna survive," she agrees, then grins at him.

"Sounds like you've got it all figured out. For me, there's plenty in this modern world that's confusin', but there's a lot to like, too. The internet? It's great. And I can walk into a store and just buy hose, if I want; no need to ration."

She shrugs. "Sure, it's odd hearin' Beyonce on the radio instead of the Andrews Sisters, but it's not bad. Just different."

[onceaviking]

"So what made you skip a couple of decades?"

She doesn't strike him as a Captain America type.
And good thing too.

Even if their last brief talk had been borderline cordial.

[zerocharliexray]

"Time war," she says, easily. "Rifts in reality 'n all the rest. One second I was flyin' in my own place and time, next I was in the middle of a battle with just about every time period crammed into the same bubble."

It was a little chaotic. "Then I spent some time in a place a whole lot like this, only on the other side of the galaxy, before comin' back to where'n when I am now."

[onceaviking]

He shakes his head.

"That sounds - annoying," he says. "And inconvenient. Was it just you that got trapped?"

[zerocharliexray]

For just a second, something sad flits across her face. "Yeah," she says.

She smiles again, but this time it's rueful. "That's me. Zinda Blake, last of the Blackhawks."

[onceaviking]

He nods.

"We can't go back," he tells her. "Once you're turned, you have to leave. Before people start asking questions. And sometimes, young vampires go infant. Not everyone is cut out to leave the world they knew behind."

He had been.
It do it seems, in a different way, had she.