The Devil's Nest, Friday Evening

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

After missing a week because she was fluttering the island as a bat, and then missing another week because she'd been kidnapped to some bizarre dungeon, Allie was grateful that things were back to normal.

Or at least as normal as things could be when the DJ was blaring New Kids on the Block.

It was almost enough to make Allie reconsider her stance on not eating him for dinner.

[OCD free today!]

Comments

[not_a_whiner]

"Allie," Kaidan called as he came on in. "Beer me?"

It was going to be required if Shepard stories were on the menu.

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

Allie had already prepped Tiny to start pouring - something Canadian of course - as soon he saw Kaidan enter the bar. Once it was poured and placed on the bar he wandered off grumbling at his phone about level 65.

"So it's Friday. I'm wondering if we should hide for the weekend."

[not_a_whiner]

"I could take you back home with me," Kaidan said, sitting down in front of his drink. "But we know how that went last time."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"Looking back that was actually a lot of fun," Allie admitted. "Who knew a casino brawl could be so entertaining?"

She settled into the seat next to him, a bottle of True Blood in her hand.

[not_a_whiner]

Kaidan took his bottle and took a long swig. "Low stakes, a good work-out," he mused. "Okay, you have a point."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"I do manage that occasionally," she said dryly. "But I do think we have weird ideas of fun. Not that there's anything wrong with that."

[not_a_whiner]

"Hey, I don't go out and get into brawls just because," Kaidan said, feeling like he needed to defend his virtue here. "But... yeah, it was fun. Let's just not go looking for it."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

He was talking to the wrong person. Allie occasionally went zombie hunting for fun. "I suppose. Especially since it finds us easily enough."

[not_a_whiner]

"Can't disagree with that."

Kaidan paused. Took another swig of his drink. Then set it back down on the bar.

"But you wanted to hear about Shepard."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"If you want to talk about him," she said, offering an out if Kaidan really wanted it.

[not_a_whiner]

"No, I should probably... start talking about it," Kaidan said, nudging at his bottle. "It's been close to a year. I need to let this go."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"So talk," Allie prompted. "What's your favorite story?"

[not_a_whiner]

"You want one from before we met, or the whole mess that happened afterwards?"

Maybe he was stalling. He wasn't sure.

[filleauloup]

It had been a while since Éponine had talked to Allie, so tonight seemed like the sort of night when she might as well drop in.

"What's all this?" she asked, casting a dubious look in the DJ's direction.

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"It's a DJ with a deathwish," Allie replied. "Because someone is going to kill him soon if this noise keeps up."

[filleauloup]

"Oh, well, if you think that's necessary," Éponine said distractedly. "It's rather silly, if you ask me, but I don't know that it needs to go that far."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"I try and stick to maiming. Eric on the other hand..." She was mostly kidding. At least about herself.

"So how are you doing? Did you get caught up in that mess last week?"

[filleauloup]

"What mess . . . oh, yes, that." Éponine settled herself on a stool and propped her chin up on one hand, idly swinging her foot back and forth. A haunted expression crossed her face briefly before she burst out in an exaggeratedly breezy voice, "Yes, I didn't care for that very much, did you?

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"Parts of it weren't too bad, at least for me." She was a vampire, she couldn't help but enjoy the carnage of killing zombies with Kennedy. "But other parts...not so much fun for me, or my friends."

[filleauloup]

"Hardly, no." Éponine stared down at the countertop, apparently fascinated by whatever she could see reflected in its surface. She kept going, with an almost desperate forced cheer. "I really don't see what the point of all of it was. And right on the heels of the children, good God. Did that particular bit of ridiculousness get you, too?"

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I'm not sure what the point was. I'm just glad it's over and everyone made it out okay." Even Derek.

Allie shook her head. "No, I missed that fortunately. I was a bat for a few days instead."

[filleauloup]

"A bat," Éponine echoed, then repeated, "A bat."

She burst out laughing, albeit briefly.

"God, didn't you just have a stroke of luck then."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"That was about my reaction the first time it happened," Allie said dryly. "The hell? This time, I was grateful. It was the middle of the week when everyone was on edge. It got me out of some really uncomfortable thoughts about people I don't normally have uncomfortable thoughts about."

She took a sip from the bottle of True Blood she'd been nursing all night. "The fact that it got me out of dealing with any impossible children was just an extra bit of luck."

[filleauloup]

"Oh, so it's happened before." Éponine looked like she couldn't decide whether to be mildly envious or not. "I've always wondered what it would be like to fly."

So apparently she was mildly envious, then.

"That week wasn't so bad," she admitted. Well. She'd had fun. "Until the kids showed up, that is."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"I don't remember much. Impressions mostly. It seems free though. No worries." It was a much simpler life.

"One showed up for you?"