The Devil's Nest, Tuesday Night

[my_own_advocate]

Everyone had gone and run off to go on some sort of cruise, which left Lucifer with what he suspected would be a quiet evening. He'd have to go to the mainland to his own club to get his fill of people later.

For now, though, he was taking the opportunity to spend some time behind the piano.

Play a few modern classics.

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Comments

[alwaysonguard]

Quiet island had some life still here and there. And look! One was walking in now.

"Hey, you stuck around this week!" Dwight said as he gave a nod toward Lucifer and lifted his gently modded drink in a small toast from his spot at the bar.

[my_own_advocate]

"The urge to skip out to the Bahamas hasn't quite reached its fever pitch yet," Lucifer said, holding up his own glass of whiskey to Dwight in turn.

[alwaysonguard]

"Figured you would have been all over a free trip to France," Dwight admitted as he wandered over, drink in hand. "But glad those of us who stuck around here don't have to be totally deprived of a few comforts."

[my_own_advocate]

"I'm not a teacher, nor are either of my partners," Lucifer pointed out. "Besides, why would I go along on a trip to France full of children when I can just pay money not to have to deal with any?"

[alwaysonguard]

"Point taken," Dwight said with a nod. "At least we get some nice peace and quiet here for the week."

[my_own_advocate]

"It is definitely nicer without all the children running amock," Lucifer agreed.

[sword_chocobro]

Well, one actually nice thing about being stuck here was the familiar faces he hadn't thought he'd be seeing ever again, and, seeing one of those faces in the bar tonight, Gladio lifted his drink (he'd thankfully moved on to beer) in greeting.

"Dwight," he said. "Long time, no see."

[alwaysonguard]

"Gladio, yeah it's been a little bit." (No where as long as it had actually been for Gladio though). "How you been?" Dwight asked as he lifted his own beer in a return toast.

[sword_chocobro]

"Eh." Gladio gave a shrug of his shoulders, which was always a promising answer. "Been better," he continued. "Been a lot worse, too, though. Seems I'm stuck here for a bit."

But since he couldn't really do much about it, despite his efforts, it didn't exactly seem helpful to just dwell on that.

"How 'bout you?"

[alwaysonguard]

Yeah... things that could not be changed or fixed or helped, really best not to dwell on those too much.

"Same... been a bit rough but looking ahead best that I can." Dwight raised the beer and gave a small smile. "To better times ahead?"

[sword_chocobro]

The look on Gladio's face suggested that even that felt like kind of a loaded toast from where he was sitting, but, with a reluctant sort of accepting grin, he nodded, lifted his drink, and joined in. "To better times ahead."

He was, however, going to include his own addendum before he drank.

"And maybe even in the right places."

[two_idiots_one_body]

Since being released, Arthur hadn't done much, but he had managed to get a haircut and proper shave and buy a suit, both of which John assured him had him back looking like his own self. He was still a bit thin, but no longer looked actively starved, and except for the full cast still on his leg, could probably pass without comment. At least in Arkham; Arthur still had very little idea what was normal in this place.

But if he were to figure out what was going on, he supposed a bar was the place to be. So he came in, took off his hat, and followed John's instructions to a stool.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer tossed the newcomer an idle look from his piano. Well. At least this one didn't look quite as woke-up-in-the-Walmart-dumpster as the average local clientele?

[two_idiots_one_body]

Arthur would very much hope not, if he had any idea what a Walmart was.

He ordered a whisky from the bartender and listened to the piano. He didn't recognize the song, but he supposed that wasn't surprising. There must be a lot of music that had come out in ninety years.

"There is another man sitting at the bar," John informed him. "He is large, but his expression is friendly enough, and he is dressed like most of the others we've seen, in denim and a t-shirt, with an open flannel shirt over it. The man at the piano is well-dressed and plays confidently, as if he may be a professional."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer finished the song with a flourish, a grin to whatever audience was nearby. With the same fluid motion in which he removed his hand from the keys, he swept up his drink and took a sip.

Cast another look towards, well, whatever audience was nearby.

[two_idiots_one_body]

The flourish and grin were lost on Arthur, but he applauded politely as the music ended. The man was good, and deserved acknowledgement.

[alwaysonguard]

New faces were a thing now and then but in a small place like this? Especially right now with most of the island away? A new face stood out pretty easily at the bar.

"Hey," Dwight said as he gave a small nod. "New to town?" he asked, it sounding a bit more like a statement than a question. "Passing through or something else bring you here?"

[two_idiots_one_body]

"It's the man I told you about, Arthur," John said. "The large, casually dressed one."

"Hello," Arthur said, nodding in his direction. "Yes. And I've no idea what brought me here."

[alwaysonguard]

"Yeah..." Dwight gave a sympathetic wince. "That seems to happen a bit around here."I'm Dwight by the way. Dwight Hendrickson. I run the handyman repair shop in town."

[two_idiots_one_body]

"Arthur Lester." He stuck out his hand in Dwight's direction. "I'm afraid I'm not doing much of anything here yet." He nodded toward his leg.

[sword_chocobro]

Gladio couldn't remember if Annie had said last week was her last day behind the bar for a while due to the wedding or not, but he figured he might as well swing it tonight anyway.

Not like he had anywhere else to be.

It was the first time he'd been in here where there was someone actually behind the piano, though, so that got a quirk of his brow as he settled his shirtless self at the bar with a quirk of his chin to Tiny, who was pretty much already going for the Cup Noodle^TM soda cocktail.

[my_own_advocate]

"Oh, you're the one he keeps making that nonsense for," Lucifer called from the piano. "Good to know."

[sword_chocobro]

"I'm told it's an acquired task," Gladio called back, conveniently as Tiny set down the drink, so he now had it to lift a toast toward Lucifer after nodding his appreciation to Tiny. "I'm sure it'll start catching on."

[my_own_advocate]

"That seems extremely doubtful," Lucifer offered, taking a sip of his whiskey. "And by 'extremely doubtful' I mean it's never going to happen."

[sword_chocobro]

"More for me, then," said Gladio, sounding far too pleased by that prospect as he went to enjoy that first gulp. "Cheers."

Hey, maybe Annie's wedding wasn't the reason he was stuck here. Maybe he'd been brought back solely to drink through what remained so they could finally be done with those things for good.