Devil's Nest, Monday, June 18, Daytime

[bitten_notshy]

Jack had spent his weekend peacefully, with no particular emotions around Father's Day -- given as he was to thinking of himself as having had no father at all. Oh, he was aware the man had existed, and Rivka had reminded him of a few ancient stories. But those memories were so shadowy they might as well belong to an entirely different person.

Besides, he had too much work to do to waste time wallowing. Instead of genuine TruBlood, the bar had gotten an enormous shipment of some blood-orange-flavored soda substitute. Rather pleasant, to Jack's taste, but he couldn't imagine it sufficing for anyone who needed the real thing.

He sipped from a glass of it anyhow as he tried to sort out where the proper shipment had gone.

[OOC: Open for your bar business of Jack-bothering needs!]

Comments

[all-the-news.livejournal.com]

It was a fairly ragged Carl who finally dragged himself into and up to the bar. Still in his seersucker suit and clutching his hat and camera to his chest. "Scotch," he managed, taking a seat.

[bitten_notshy]

Tiny wasn't in yet, which Jack supposed made him the bartender for the time being. He loped over to the bar obediently.

"Any particular brand?" he asked, as he raised his eyebrows at the raggedness.

[OOC: I am so sorry, you caught me on my way offline, SP?]

[all-the-news.livejournal.com]

"The cheapest. Please." Carl replied, setting his camera and hat on the counter. "I have just seen... Is it a local custom to dye the deer green?" Carl caught the look and straightened, brushing lightly at his jacket. "A festival or something?"

He'd get to the other stuff he saw out there in a moment.



[Of course! Always! :)]

[bitten_notshy]

"Ah. The teal deer," Jack said, neatly selecting the second-cheapest Scotch -- the upgrade would be on the house, he just hated to see anyone drinking something he knew was bad -- and pouring it into the glass to slide across the counter to Carl. "As far as I know, they're native to the island and the color is natural. They give you a start, don't they?"

[all-the-news.livejournal.com]

"Natural?" Carl raised an eyebrow at that. He was fairly sure green was not a deer colour. "They're born like that? And the place isn't swarming with scientists?"

[bitten_notshy]

"It's swarming with everything," Jack shrugged. "Scientists, aliens, the superhuman. Time travelers. No one has too much time to bother about the poor deer."

He inclined his head sympathetically. "How new are you?"

[all-the-news.livejournal.com]

"Not as new as that." He smiled, tone completely dry as he put it down to a joke at the city guy's expense. He finished his scotch then lifted it towards the other man, prompting for a refill. "This isn't cheap enough to make me believe any of that after only one glass. Name's Kolchak. Carl Kolchak. Came across the causeway a few days ago."

Maybe if he implied he was from Alexandria, it would give him a little standing with the locals?

[bitten_notshy]

Jack snorted. "Give it a few more days, and you'll realize no one here bothers to lie when the truth is so much more entertaining," he advised. "I'm Jack Priest. I've been on and off the island, mostly on, for three years now. What brought you to the island, Mr. Kolchak?"

[all-the-news.livejournal.com]

The truth, huh? "A lost chance at a story, the fine officers of the Virginia police and a dead engine in my car," he replied, snorting as well.

"I've come back East from Vegas looking for a job. Not having much luck."

[bitten_notshy]

"Well, I hope you don't find it too unpleasant, even if you ended here by accident," Jack told him sympathetically. "It has its charms."

He had his own mixed feelings about being in Fandom long-term, but that was his problem, not Carl's.

"Most new people seem to wind up working at the school," he added. "That or the bars. Our owner's around in the evenings, if you want to try him. I'm not sure who handles hiring at Caritas these days."

[all-the-news.livejournal.com]

"Aside from the deer and the mutated bear things and the lack of a newspaper? It seems very... nice." He frowned a moment. "I'll keep it in mind about the work. If I don't find a post soon, but I may have to take your advice. I really don't think I could stomach writing any more puffery."

[bitten_notshy]

"Mutated bear things?" Jack looked distinctly dubious; he wasn't sure what Carl was referring to. "But you're right, the place has never had a paper that I've seen. The radio seems to cover about everything."

[all-the-news.livejournal.com]

"Bears, you know... BEARS! Weird shaped giant bears! There's a lot of them and they all looked different, but alike at the same time. Here," Carl grabbed a bar napkin and did a VERY poor sketch of what could possibly have been an Alot of hair.

Or maybe an Alot of sticks? Lightening bolts? Bees?

It was a good thing he was a reporter and not an artist. "See? And they were HUGE! Didn't seem to scare the deer." But Carl had run like a rabbit.

[bitten_notshy]

"Oh, those," Jack said, casual as if Carl had sketched a rabbit. "I don't see them often. I assumed they were some cousin to bison. No?"

Jack was perhaps not an expert on North American wildlife.

[all-the-news.livejournal.com]

"Bison?" Carl pulled the napkin back, stared a moment, turned the drawing upside down, then right side up again and blinked. "Huh. Maybe. I should check it out again. I've heard of people raising them out west, but never anything wild. Could be an interesting story."

[bitten_notshy]

"I suppose," Jack said. "Would you send it to a magazine? I've never seen anything about the island in one. Almost figured there was some sort of code of silence."