Caritas- Tuesday

[throughaphase]

Kitty has had an interesting day so far, and then she got in to work and found that there was apparently a suggestion box set up on the wall next to the bar, which was already starting to overflow with paper.

"Those are all yours, aren't they?" Kitty asked Tino, who just shrugged.

She took her spot behind the bar and started setting up, noticing the gremlin with a notebook sitting on a stool where it could watch her. At least the squirrels were inconspicuous.

It was going to be a long night.


[Open!]

Comments

[died8yearsago]

Rosa wasn't going to complain about this whole 'normal' thing being 'weird,' but it definitely still felt a little weird. A few more week, though, and she was sure something else would happen, so she was keeping her mouth firmly shut.

But there were some normal things that would never get weird...(well, probably, never say never, especially around here), and that was Tuesday nights at the bar, and so there was Rosa, as usual, leaning into her usual spot, nodding a greeting. "Kitty."

Sure, she usually said normal greetings were for chumps, but let's all just take a moment to appreciate the fact that things were so normal around here right now that Rosa didn't even have anything that she actually wanted to complain about, except, maybe, that she didn't really have anything to complain about.

Which was still a pretty solid complaint, but...

[throughaphase]

"Rosa," Kitty returned. "What's it gonna be tonight?"

[died8yearsago]

"Beer's good," Rosa decided, after a moment to think about it, and, after moment more, she added, "Beer's great, actually. Let's do beer. How'd your day been?"

A greeting. Actually asking how someone doing.

This new normal thing really was kind of weird, you had to admit.

[throughaphase]

"Gremlins wrote my radio, I got pelted with nuts for crossing a picket line, Toni's got suggestions, and I think I need to write an ethics lesson into my class for one person," Kitty said, getting that beer. "How about you?"

[died8yearsago]

"I finished a book and put shaving cream in Ralph's locker because he looked at me funny," said Rosa. "I think I won today."

Because it was apparently a competition, sure.

"I'm curious about the potential ethics lesson, but does that, like, break some sort of teacher-student confidentiality clause?"

[throughaphase]

"No, but for everyone's sake I probably should t get too into it." At least with a cop. "I just might see some Challenges this semester."

GOOD.

[died8yearsago]

"I look forward to hearing about these Challenges," said Rosa, "however vague they might be. What are you teaching this semester, anyway?"

[throughaphase]

"Computer Science and Repair. "It's... varied."

One kid already had a Danger Shop program and another didn't know a TV wasn't a computer.

"What are you teaching this time?"

[died8yearsago]

Computer science and repair in a dimensional garbage heap of timelines.

Congratulations, Kitty. You were even getting look of mild sympathy from Rosa today.

"Back to my Bad Ass Bitches," she said, "and profiling students based on how nervous they seem about learning lock-picking and stealth from a cop."

[betterthanaplan]

"Emily," Duke greeted, raising his drink at her with a tired smirk. "Nice to see you again."

Fandom had definitely managed to take a large amount of wind from his sails over the last couple days.

[died8yearsago]

Now that was the face of a man who'd been put through a Fandom wringer or two. It was amazing, the difference a couple of days could make, and, to think, this had been a normal weekend. Rosa might actually feel a little bad for the guy, if she was anyone other than Rosa.

Her day just kept getting better.

"Duke."

And her mood was good enough today that she thought about just leaving it there, but...nah. Where was the fun in that?

"Wish I could say the same."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke's smile actually brightened a little at that. This? This he knew.

"You're a charmer, Em. Really. It's remarkable."

[died8yearsago]

"What can I say? You're catching me on a good day."

And she really hoped that brightening smile wasn't the first step in her good day turning the other way.

[betterthanaplan]

"Glad to hear this place is at least nice to someone," Duke said, sipping his drink. "But I'm betting time travel and giant shark princes are old hat for you, huh?"

[died8yearsago]

"Unfortunately," murmured Rosa, who had any possible snarky response strong-armed out by grim reality, and she took a sip from her beer. "You met Fish Boy, though, huh? That kid's a Fandom Experience all on his own. Just wait until you get to the superheroes, space aliens, alternate-dimension children, and getting to relive your awkward teenage moments all over again."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke took all that in and nodded slowly. "Okay. Important question here: why does anyone actually live here? Because being a teenager was bad enough once."

Said the man who would one day be turned into a teenager by his own damn canon, and yet still keep coming back for more.

[died8yearsago]

Rosa, who actually thought she was still pretty badass as a teen and pretty much ruled this town on top of getting to drink all of Tony's expensive Japanese whiskey, shrugged.

"Stockholm Syndrome?"

She was honestly still trying to figure that one out herself.

She also considered, for a brief second, giving a more honest and genuine answer, one that pointed out that some people didn't have a choice, and some people were better off here than they were where they came from, but...nah. Where was the fun in that?

[betterthanaplan]

Duke was not at all worried about his plans to skip teaching a class tomorrow. Not in the least. No matter what Jack had said about the moose. He was definitely just heading to a bar to be social, not to drink away the weird feeling of impending doom.

Which was good, because the inside of Caritas? Not at all relaxing.

"So the bar options around here are 'axe throwing' or 'zombies', huh?"

He wasn't even bothering not to believe those were actual zombies. His incredulity gland was exhausted by this point.

[throughaphase]

"The other bar has axe throwing and a vampire," Kitty corrected. "Kind of all depends what you're in the mood for."

[betterthanaplan]

"Right," Duke said, sounding very, very tired. "Because why wouldn't there be a vampire?"

[throughaphase]

"Welcome to town," Kitty said, "what alcohol will make your brain hurt less?"

[betterthanaplan]

". . . Is 'all of them' an inappropriate answer?" Duke was not that particular about his booze, so long as it was top-shelf. "Actually, now that I think about it, this is probably a rum sort of headache." It was a pirate class he'd be skipping teaching, after all.

[throughaphase]

"Got it. Want it mixed with anything, or do you want to be fully aware of the rum headache?" she checked.

[betterthanaplan]

"Got any ginger beer?" Duke asked. Hey, maybe he could check her stock while ordering his drink. Jack had said Kitty might be more interested in a freelance supplier than the folks at the Devil's Nest would be.

He offered his hand. "Duke Crocker, by the way. Supposedly a teacher. Definitely not nobility."

Just to clear up a few of the questions that seemed to be first up whenever he met someone new around here.

[throughaphase]

"Kitty Pryde. Actual teacher, bartender, wouldn't look down on you if you werenobility," she said, shaking his hand and then going for the ginger beer. "What are you supposedly teaching?"