Devil's Nest | Thursday

[defenderofdesmoines]

There was more than a touch of bittersweetness to Annie's set-up tonight, as she pulled out her garnish tray and prepped her blender for the last time. Granted, it was the kind of bittersweetness she'd probably mostly process after the fact, once she and Diego and the twins were squared away and she could think easily again.

But there were also benefits to trying to focus on roughly fifteen logistical things at once: the drink specials came really easy.

~*Specials*~
Strawberry Daiquiri
Classic Margarita
Mudslide

[open, OCD free because I'm a little scattered today anyway, and Annie's last post in Fandom!]

Comments

[texted3times]

Eric settled down at the bar with a smile. "I think Tiny forgot to send a card around to say that we'll miss you," he said, "but we'll miss you."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I brought him a present and he said he's gonna open it later," Annie told Eric, looking doubtful, "but like, make sure he does?"

It was a baby monitor for the keg cooler, since he always seemed to go back there to check on how they were doing so frequently on Thursdays!

"And thank you. I'll miss this place, too." More than she was really processing now, honestly.

[texted3times]

"I'll make sure he opens it," Eric promised with a little smile. "Where are you heading again?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"We're meeting up with my in-laws in their world," Annie explained, keeping things geographically vague mostly because who the hell knew where any of that took place? Honestly, it was more transparent when they were, like, between dimensions. "Oh, and speaking of, this is your heads up that if some asshole with an American flag for a cape shows up? You don't know me, and also get out of his line of sight ASAP."

Though, honestly, she would maybe pay good money to see what Homelander did with a vampire. Was Eric immune to lasers? Probably at least, like, frustratingly durable, right?

[texted3times]

Eric nodded. "Can I make fun of his outfit while I duck?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Oh, please do," Annie replied with a firm nod. "And his hairline."

She made a little face to indicate that -- well, there was ample mocking material available there.

[texted3times]

Eric looked delighted. "He's touchy about it?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"He's just the right age to realize that being super-abled doesn't actually mean we're immortal," Annie elaborated delicately.

Read: Homelander was approaching his middle-40s and -- unbeknownst to Annie -- was keeping a jar of the hair he was losing, actually.

[texted3times]

Super normal, Homelander. No notes.

Eric snickered. "So sad for him."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Couldn't happen to a nicer psychopath," Annie tutted, shaking her head and snagging a bottle of SoCo. "Drink for you?"

Oooh, you know what she'd never blended here?

[texted3times]

"Please," Eric said with a nod.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie snatched up a bottle of TruBlood, the Southern Comfort, and posed with her blender and a smile. "Can I make it a, like, a slushie?"

[texted3times]

"I don't think I can fire you for it," Eric teased. "Go ahead."

[pocketpretzels]

"Good evening, Annie," Watts said, twirling down in to a seat after making sure his hat was hung up over top of one of the axe range axes, as per usual.

[ooc: so i'm at Disney but he wouldn't not come to say goodbye, so.]

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Hey, Llewellyn," Annie returned with a tired smile. "How's it going?"

[pocketpretzels]

"Well enough, I suppose. Is everything all right?" he asked, noting the tiredness in that smile.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Um -- I guess you didn't hear?" Annie ventured, making a mental note to maybe talk to Diego about, like, giving a job notice when you were leaving it. "We're leaving for Diego's brother's house in the morning. Bad folks back in my universe finally maybe have a clue where I keep disappearing to, so we need to scoot."

[pocketpretzels]

It wouldn't be the first time someone just up and disappeared from the Trooper Station with no notice, at least?

"And you'll be safe there, then?" he asked, concerned. "With Mr. Hargreeves's brother?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Safer," Annie decided after some consideration and a nod. And, not that she felt the need to worry anyone, infinitely safer for everyone here if she and her family found somewhere else to hide out. "But I'll miss the island."

[pocketpretzels]

"I know I certainly will," Watts told her.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Portals make it easy to visit," Annie noted, tilting her head. (Granted, it also theoretically made it easier if Vought figured that out for themselves, but that was a trail of thinking she didn't really feel like pursuing!) "We'll definitely be back."

Maybe a little sporadically until the heat died down in her particular corner of the world, just to be careful, but still. Surely Homelander would get bored at some point.

[pocketpretzels]

"That's- that's good. And we can keep in touch via the telephone, so that's something as well," Watts said, trying to look for bright sides.

[sword_chocobro]

Well, Gladio really couldn't skip a bar night tonight, could he? He almost thought of wearing a shirt for the occasion, just to be a little shit, but it just didn't feel right.

"Hey, Annie."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Hi, Gladio," she replied, offering a slightly wistful smile. "Get you a drink?"

They were all blended tonight, Gladio, just for you!

[sword_chocobro]

"Wouldn't be much of a bartender if you couldn't," Gladio snorted, with a faint grin right back, and a lift of his chin toward the Specials board.

"Tough choice tonight, though," he added, because, yeah, he definitely noticed. And he definitely appreciated it, too.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"It's because I'm such a good bartender," Annie teased. "Maybe I'm trying to ensure everyone just has to order all three."

And then stumble merrily home, because dang.

[sword_chocobro]

"You know what?" Gladio decided, head tilting a little as he thought about that. "For tonight? I think maybe I will. Let's just go right down the list."

And honestly? If he managed to get just a wee bit buzzed off of it, he's actually be a little impressed, more than anything.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"You got it," Annie replied, snagging the strawberry puree and her pitcher. "It's gonna be weird, you know. Poor Diego's gonna end up drinking so many smoothies just because, you know, I gotta blend something on a vaguely weekly basis, now. It's ingrained."

What a time for the twins to be moving more onto solids, too!

[sword_chocobro]

"Oh, yeah," Gladio's namext snort came with another wry smile and a slight roll of his eyes. "Poor Diego, getting nice delicious fresh smoothies. You know, I like the guy, but if he's got a problem with that, I might have to reassess some opinions."

[mylandmyrules]

Nell wanted to at least stop in for Annie's last night. "I hope you'll keep in touch," she said. "Or stop by from time to time."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Oh, I definitely will," Annie promised, smiling softly at Nell. "Please. If nothing else, it's visit occasionally or figure out how to make my own stretch-mark lotion."

Nell, you lifesaver, you.

[mylandmyrules]

Nell laughed. "I might just have brought you some more of that and a couple of other things as a going away gift. But yes, I'm going to miss you - Gladio is going to miss you. I can't tell you how much."