The morning wasn't the best morning to remember. Allison woke up with a message saying that she had to work at night and then her friends had to cancel plans for work. Maybe something positive could happen. Allison grabbed her phone and messaged Phoenix, Someone that could probably understand bad days.
Alice made her way down the streets of Regium quietly, her eyes scanning the streets as she made her way toward the hospital to meet up with Pheonix. It had only been a few days since the man had come into the organization, and although she didn't trust him fully --as she never seemed to be able to with anyone except for the special few, her plans had already hurt someone who was close to the organization through family ties. Although she didn't regret what she'd done, she'd wanted to send them a message, that their own reign would be challenged as the Merveilles was rebuilt from the ground up, she had not meant to hurt one of her own --even though she might never admit to such emotions.
She entered through the hospital's front doors, her eyes scanning the lobby for Pheonix as she made her way further into the building. The stench of death came up to her nose as rubbing alcohol and disinfectant, which had her nose scrunch up and then back down again after a few seconds, having to get used to the awful smell she'd detested even as a child --a smell she'd try to avoid by making sure she never needed to go to a hospital or medical facility.
Alice did so hate to be late, whether it was at a business meeting, or a social one. She could still remember how much she protested when her parents took too much time walking out the door to go to social gatherings --her favorite sort of gatherings. She would be jumping up and down, her pretty dress bouncing around her as she did --which was probably one of the reasons why she did the jumping in the first place, she thoroughly enjoyed it, all the while she chastised her parents for being so slow.
She smiled at the waitress as she stopped by the table she'd chosen for the meeting, not too far off site, nor too close to everyone. She liked crowds, more so since they kept her meetings quiet and calm for the most part, but would rather not have every single word of a conversation repeated across town.
She ordered a cup of coffee from the woman, and kept her eyes to the door before she saw the man she'd been intending to meet. She smiled as he approached the booth and got up to greet him, "it's nice to see you again, Pheonix. Thank you for coming."
Notes: Xavier and Phoenix decide to grab a few drinks at a bar not too far away from where they had met up. As always their comments fall towards the teasing flirtatious end and it seems some of the patrons aren't too fond of it. One thing leads to another, and a fight breaks out.
Phee
Phee hadn't frequented the bars in Regium. When he had first arrived, he went to one with Elena but that had been it for him. With the small amount of money he had, he hadn't been able to afford to be out and about. Unless it involved walking and looking, a simple pleasure which he learned to enjoy. It was much different from the life he used to lead. As they walked in, he clapped hand on Xavier's back and then gestured towards the bathroom so he'd have his attention before he left his side. Though it was only for a few minutes, he found him at the bar already seated. "So how are things?" He inquired after he had ordered his beer from the bartender. Perhaps Phoenix had him pinned incorrectly, but he was somewhat worried that his friend wasn't doing particularly well as of late.
Xavier
Xavier didn't spend too much time in bars unless with a friend to bring along - there was just something so depressing about going to a bar alone. He had hardly any place that he could call his favorite, but there were ones where he had been treated right during his time there. Another fact he could pin on his father's reputation rather than his own. He steered his blonde friend towards one of the nicer bars, merely nodding as he walked off to the bathroom. Knowing he had mere minutes before the other man returned, he called the bartender over urgently. They spoke quickly, and Xavier handed him a credit card - one with a limit on it that he doubted the two of them could drink themselves into on just one night. He took a seat at the bar, unbuttoning his blazer and removing it. There were two people behind the bar and while the man charged his card with an open tab for himself and Phoenix, the woman came over to hang his jacket up for him. He wondered how his friend would find the place. It wasn't often that he got to treat him to the something, and the very thought that he could offer him some solace made him smile to himself.
Once he had taken a seat and ordered himself a beer, Xavier ordered one himself - one of the imported kinds. The Rhiding son gave a long sigh at his question, his shoulders dropping and his back slouching a bit. He ran a hand through his hair and shrugged, practically laughing at the gesture as he did it. "As fine as things go, nothing I don't normally handle. Though to be sure my problems are much more minor ones," he gestured with his hand in a rolling motion as if to brush them off. His lips parted to speak once more, but he closed them promptly. It was difficult for him to ask Phoenix about his life, and how things were doing - like he had no right to be prying when his life was much more difficult than his own. Though his broad shouldered friend always just seem to blink and continue as the uncomfortable feeling rose up in him. One of the things he couldn't figure out was his ability to keep such a stone-y expression; he, on there hand, had to remind himself more than once a conversation to not laugh to hard or to not shrug.
Phee
Phoenix wasn't exact uncomfortable. He hadn't realized how fancy the place was until he came back, looked around, and saw that people looked more like Xavier and the people he was probably always around. Phoenix on the other hand looked a little…well, the word that came to mind for him was trashier. Never one to care about how he looked or how people perceived him, he wasn't entirely certain why he would begin now. It took another few seconds for him to decide he definitely didn't care. As Xavier began to speak, he nodded curtly to indicate he was listening. When he finished, Phee spoke. "You wanna talk about it?" Not that Phoenix wanted to talk about his own issues. He always had issues with discussing his emotions, but he was a good listener.
Xavier
Another question, and another shrug fell from him, an act that was kept away from the public eye. Xavier paused, struggling with deciding on whether or not to answer. Most times previous to now there had been a mutual silence between them. Drink. Enjoy those drinks and keep in contact for when another chance rolled around. Yet in light of it all, the man sitting next to him was one of the few people who could care less about who he was or what the meaning behind his name meant. To Phoenix, he was his drinking buddy, not a walking bank with a city-known reputation. This realization was the one that caused Xavier to give him a real answer rather than just shrugging off the question as he usually did. It was just a shame it took him this long to even notice it. "Long story short. Few people actually realize that my name is Xavier and not 'the Rhiding son', my parents nag me like the wife I don't have, and I've taken somewhat of personal interest in the wrong woman."
Phee
Phoenix wasn't entirely too certain that Xavier would answer him. He knew that he wouldn't have. Once the beer was brought out to him, he found it odd that he wasn't informed how much he owed but instead, the bartender walked away quickly soon after. He was distracted by Xavier's answer moments later. He didn't really have an answer for him. While he could listen, advice was never his strong point. Most of his advice, actually, consisted of 'That sucks', which was never actually helpful. He realized that months ago before he left his town and the people he loved in it. "I guess parents can be known to nag," He offered with a shrug. He wouldn't have known, he was rather out of practice with those. "Wrong woman, though. What does that mean?"
Xavier
As the bartender made his way over with their drinks, Xavier locked eyes with him - giving him a subtle nod before listening to his friend. "Yes, but after about the age of twenty-five you'd think they would have laid off about it. It's... uh, complicated. I guess." He fiddled with his drink, before taking a sip of it, enjoying it for moment. He thought about his own words, really how complicated could it have been? "She is literally the last kind of girl I should be interested. I honestly have no idea how to explain this without sounding like a total idiot. Trust me, every way I try to consider it sounds just utterly and unabashedly moronic." The feeling that welled up as he tried to explain what he meant or what it meant that he shouldn't be interested in a dancer of all people, just made him feel even worse for trying to explain it. Finding himself repeating the same thought process more than once, he gave up with a sigh. He glanced to his blonde friend, an odd smile on his lips. it almost seemed that he was the more fortunate one.
Phee
Phoenix shrugged unhelpfully once more. "I guess they might just care. Or, they're bored. I don't know. Never met 'em, can't say people are easy to understand." He told them and then thanked the bartender once the drinks were supplied. He took a long gulp as he waited for Xavier to continue on. Phoenix didn't think the subject was too peculiar, so he couldn't imagine why he seemed so unwilling to simply tell him what was going on. "If it sounds that way, it probably is. What exactly is the last sort of woman you should be interested in? I'm curious now. I wonder what woman I shouldn't be interested in." Amused, he took another gulp before he turned to face his friend as he awaited an answer.
Xavier
Xavier gave a small chuckle, "You should do that, by the way. Meet them. Mom would probably really like you. They've confused me most of my life, I gave up trying to get it." The brunette gave his mug a small nervous swirl of his liquor - he had never said what was on his mind to anyone. People usually were interested in him as person so much as the legacy his name rode in on. "I ... it sounds awful when you say it outloud like that," he chuckled, a short noise in comparison to how it usually sounded. "I'm expected to have a standard of some sort because I've grow up with more money than most people. There's a certain type of woman that I should be interested it. She's got to be prim, proper, polite, drop dead gorgeous and be the perfect trophy wife." Xavier sipped at his drink once he stopped speaking, glancing to the tall man beside him out of the corner of his eye as he brought drink back to the top of the table.
Phee
Phoenix laughed. "You want me to meet your parents? I didn't realize we were at that level, Xav." He joked. A mocking placement on his chest, he had decided to finally get Xavier back for the ass comments. "I can't believe we're finally at this level in our relationship." If he could ever actually love someone platonically, though, he knew it would probably be Xavier. Something about the other man made him want to act as a brother to him. He dropped the act soon after and then remained somewhat serious in their conversation. "Unless she's an absolute terror or she's hardcore into drugs, I don't see what the problem would be." Phoenix attempted to help uplift his spirits somewhat. "Do you really want a trophy wife?" He asked his friend. "You could have someone better than that. You know, someone who isn't an object."
Xavier
At his friend's laugh, one of his own escaped him, "But of course. I mean, it was only a matter of time, it's the next step. It has to be. I mean, there's only so many ways that our relationship can go at this point. Meet the parents and everything is downhill from here." Xavier threw him a wink before another sip from his drink. His eyes flickered towards the other patrons curiously before returning back to his friend. His ears caught hushed whispers, ones he had a suspicious feeling were about his friend. He ignored them, squaring his shoulders some - preparing for whatever choice words some fool would have with Phoenix and by association, him, Xavier Rhiding. "I don't know. That's another issue. I know nothing about her - which means she could easily be a terror and on drugs, or both. Therefore it makes it even worse. Phoenix, mate, in all honesty? No. I don't need a trophy wife and I surely don't want one. They're as shallow as a puddle and about as real as the plastic a water bottle is made from. There is also a high chance that they have the cognitive ability of a small child." Xavier chuckled a bit at his friend's words. That was true for anyone, but there seemed to be this weight of expectations on his shoulders that he didn't even realize was there until his parents had started to push the subject. "Anyone could, but it seems to be the expectation for me. Trophy wife I mean."
Phee
Phoenix never seemed to notice how far he had gone with jokes when he was in good company. Especially when provoked. Most of the time he held a respectful air about him. "Must be the staring at my ass. It just really got me interested in the next level." Phoenix informed him. That joke, he was certain, would probably never be lived down. He always took things like that with ease, never one to take such things too seriously. He shifted in his seat, took a drink, and then listened to his friend. "Get to know her." He suggested. That was all he could think of. He had never been too adequate when it came to relationships, himself. "Anyone can be a shitty person but you don't want to make someone into a trophy, you know? That isn't how love and all that shit's supposed to work. I never understood that stuff."
Xavier
The businessman could feel it, the waves of whatever was bothering him peeling as they made jokes and he spoke truthfully with someone he considered to be a friend. A title not many people had - sure, he knew plenty of people and spoke with plenty more, but true friend? He had few of those. "I can't help that it's so round and supple, it is truly tantalizing. We'll be sure to wear the right pants when you meet mother, so she can see the brilliant shapely ass you've got on you. If anyone will appreciate it as much as I do, you can be sure it will be her." It was difficult for Xavier to read the tall blonde at his side, he had a naturally serious disposition that he was not entirely aware of where it came from. On the other hand, he was quite light hearted about many things - a fact that made him quite amicable. He turned to his drink, his ears catching something or other not too far away from them. He ignored them for now, figured whoever was in charge of the person would handle him. His eyes glanced towards the section, a few men sat together and one of them seemed to be exceptionally drunk. Yet, the words of suggestion fell on his ears that made his attention snap back. "Yeah - about that. Can't seem to find conversation or common ground. Bit difficult considering I met her in a club that she apparently works at." Xavier's eyebrows popped sarcastically at his own words. "Never understood love? Does anyone really understand it? The selflessness? The adoration that nears obsession? A bit confusing to us all I believe."
Phee
Phoenix was glad for the normalcy that Xavier was able to give him in the form of a friendship. While he admired and cared for his other friends -- Elena, Elsa, Isabelle, they often looked at him as someone to be cared for. Someone to worry over. Xavier, on the other hand, hadn't spoken to him about money in quite some time. It was pleasant. "I'm honestly surprised you don't grope me when I'm walking." Phoenix informed him with a laugh. "I told you, if I need to practice I'm stripping skills, I'll save you a dance." It was then that he heard the mumbles of a man that had been next to them grow into anger. He glanced over at him then attempted to ignore the words he spoke. There was no reason for such close-mindedness, he had thought. When it seemed to worsen, he finally turned around. It didn't quite offend him, but he didn't know of anyone else's orientation in the bar. Which in turn, offended him that someone would act so disrespectfully. "You wanna give it a rest, bud?" Unafraid of the man, he spoke sternly before he turned his attention back to Xavier. "You probably have something in common with her. Ask her the basic stuff, I guess. Yeah. Love's weird."
Xavier
Finished with his first drink, much quicker than he was anticipating, Xavier locked eye with the bartender, who glanced to his drink and gave a nod. He gazed to his friend's drink, only to smile when another round was served for him too. The rounds would be on him - the least he could do for what his friend gave him in return. It was priceless in Xavier's opinion. Feeling everything almost literally shed away, he smiled at his words, "Oh, don't tempt me. I'll start greeting you with little pinches." He wiped at a grin, moving to fold back his sleeves as he chuckled deeply. "Sounds perfect, and at the end slather oil on or dump water on yourself. Give those muscles a nice shine to them." Xavier's eyebrow rose as his friend finally spoke up. He turned as well raising an eyebrow at the drunk man who couldn't seem to keep his lips shut. Of his other friends, only one seemed sober enough to bother trying to quiet him down, while the others seemed to roll their eyes and ignore the man. Xavier wondered how they could just stand by as the man continued ranting aimlessly; Phoenix seemed bothered with it enough to speak up and the man seemed to relish in the opposition. Once his friend turned back, he held back the urge to mutter something about the man being a peasant. "I doubt it. Small talk you mean? That thing I'm truly awful with? Sounds peachy. Like better than peach tea with some alcohol in it. That's one way to sum it up."
Phee
Phoenix thanked the bartender and hadn't thought too far into not being charged. Their conversation held his attention far too much for him to take notice. He laughed at what his friend said, amused by his candid humor. He knew too many people -- men mostly, who wouldn't joke about such a thing. "I think you're supposed to lather me in oil, I think that's part of the thing. I don't think I'm supposed to do it myself. I'm not a certified stripper yet, though, so I could be wrong." He offered a smile in-between his laughter and speaking. He should have known that his quip towards the older, drunker man wouldn't be received well. He heard him stand and his friends either seemed to be attempting to talk him down or cheer him on, which caused Phoenix to glance over at him. Before he was able to continue his conversation with Xavier, he felt the man's first punch. It was sloppily thrown but enough to nearly take him off of the seat he was positioned on. A few homophobic words had been slurred together, but he couldn't quite understand what he had said. Instinctively, he stood, threw a few punches back before most of the bar side seemed ready to join in.
Xavier
His chuckling continued into a low laughter, "Oh, beg my pardon! I will do that. I don't think the stripper experience includes licking does it?" He snapped his fingers in fake disappointment. He turned to his drink once more, taking a long gulp as a commotion began. The drunk didn't seem to be calming down any and Phoenix having said something just provoked him more. Xavier eyed his clothing, the fabric even in the dim setting was nothing special. The joke from before came to mind, but he turned away wanting one last sip from his beer before having to deal with someone so rude. Yet it was in that moment the man had manage to make it over to him and his friend and the distinct sound of a fist colliding with a face hit his ear. Xavier snapped his eyes to Phoenix - who was already throwing a punch back. For a moment he was stunned, but as Phoenix stood away from his seat and suddenly half the bar wanted in on the action - he too sprung to his feet. Either they were too drunk, or didn't much care, but no one seemed to recognize him or pause at the sight of him and there were a few who had seemingly the same idea as the man who had hit Phoenix. Xavier rolled his shoulders, nearly smirking at the odds - oh how he did love a good challenge. The idea that he could easily diplomat the situation was all but tossed as the drinks and excitement at a chance to fight rolled into his blood stream. "We could make this a fair fight if we each take half." Something was flung towards him, and he looked down to find food sticking to his shirt. He took a soothing breath as one tried to used the distraction to throw a fist at him. Old habits came to the forefront of his mind - all those years getting into bar fights with some other the frat boys had really paid off in one way. The punch was sloppy, but Xavier's was not and he could hear the crunch as a the man's nose collided with his fist. They had ruined his shirt and he'd either have his blood or have him unconscious when he found out who had done it.
Phee
Phoenix hadn't realized how hard he hit the man until he went flying backwards. Twisted were his legs between chairs as he nearly stumbled to the ground. Normally, this wasn't something he would partake in. In fact, bars were hardly even his scene. If it wasn't for Xavier or pure boredom that led to new friends, he would have never came out to such a place. However, he had only assumed that a place such as the one that Xavier had picked -- somewhat expensive, it had an upperclass vibe to it, would have been much safer than the usual place he would attend. The 'biker bar' that was a street away from his apartment might've been a better bet if he were being honest. He ducked when someone else threw a punch, shoving another drunk man away from him as he heard Xavier. "Hilarious, but I'm not Captain America," The man came back towards him and the conversation was cut short, suddenly. Slammed against the bar, he went into a position where he was able to pushed against his shoulders until the man was unable to move, then found himself able to get free. When the man attempted to hit him, he blocked it and found himself hit by someone else. For fuck's sake, he thought.
Xavier
The urge to laugh was promptly shoved down as the number of them piled on. The color of his frien'd hair was there then missing and as he moved to follow his path a kick hit him, pushing him into another man, who punched him quite roughly. He stumbled - a very ungraceful act - before turning to kick the man moving towards him. The man stumbled back only for another to move towards him and grab him. Xavier realized then that it was much easier for him to be tossed around and grabbed onto in comparison to his friend who had a much wider set of shoulders. The newly stained shirt was pulled from it's tucked in position at the tug, a few buttons either popping off or being undone. Xavier pulled at the arms before deciding to uppercut the man. He was released only to turn and receive another punch. This was getting entirely out of hand. As he fell away from the man and towards the bar, he searched for his friend, trying to count the number of guys they were up against. It looked like seven or so, but it was getting hard to tell with the throbbing his face was starting to have.
Phee
On most normal occasions that didn't offer over seven men that wanted to beat him to a pulp, Phoenix could hold his own. Usually, he did well in fights. Not that he was in that many, but he knew that he would do well enough. He trained, both when he was bored and when he was in the military. He had taken boxing, for a very short time, as a hobby when he was honorably discharged. While he could have easily decked the man in front of him in the throat, he was afraid he might actually harm him bad enough that he could be arrested. That would be a nightmare, especially after he had learned that one of the officers in the area knew him. Another was looking for him. Instead, he kept trying to duck from punches and deflected as many as he could. As soon as he could, he landed a hit against the man's jaw. He heard it crack which alerted him that he had gone a little far with his own strength. Nervous, he was able to move and then found Xavier. Once spotted, he rushed towards him. His own nose gushed blood, some of which had stained his shirt and had run down his face. "We gotta get out of here," He said, as he wondered whether or not the man he had hit was still on the ground. Before he could turn around completely, a man shoved him against the bar and attempted to hit him. He was able to block it with his arm and then his fist collided with the drunken man's torso. The man had almost gone down but he came back too quickly, directly at Phoenix.
Xavier
Before receiving a fist to his abdomen, Xavier snapped his own out, doing it repeatedly before shoving him away. He caught sight of another man moving to punch him and he somehow managed to duck out of it letting the man collapse into the bar stool beside him. The bartender had enough time to lock eyes with Xavier before another one came rolling by. The man seemed shocked, but Xavier noted the phone to his ear. In his younger years paying in cash would have meant that there was no way to track him. Having paid with a card, not only could they track it back to him, but he would have to pay for anything that was broken. It didn't help that he was so well known. He'd be making a phone call to his father in the near future it seemed. A voice pulled him from the thought, Phoenix was beside him, blood of his own rushing down his face. Xavier had a feeling that something similar was happening to him, but he just couldn't feel it yet. A man came tumbling towards them once more, shoving his friend against the bar as another man came towards him. He moved away, separated momentarily as the businessman shoved a fist into his nose, another crunch hitting his ears as the man fell down. Finding that Phoenix was still being bothered by the other man, he wiped at his nose with the back of his hand just as he moved to tackle him. The two collapsed atop a table and Xavier noted unmistakable food stains on the other man's shirt. This washim, the man who had really ruined his shirt. The dark haired drunk gritted his teeth in anger as Xavier leaned back to start wailing away on his face until blood started to make his fist slippery.
Phee
Phoenix felt the man's fist collide with his nose, unable to stop him. Definitely dislocated at the least, he thought, as his own fist slammed against the man's jaw. He couldn't tell if the man was about to go down because seconds later, Xavier took him down. A few others remained fighting, one came close to Phoenix who tried to breathe through his mouth as he ducked away from him. He found his way back to Xavier and caught only half of his onslaught. "Shit," He muttered as he reached down and pulled the man up. His own vision had begun to blur, he felt a little dizzy as blood continued to leave both of his nostrils. "Xavier, we gotta go." He hadn't actually seen the bartender call the police but after someone broke a window, he realized that they had picked the wrong place to go. Apparently nowhere in Regium was safe. Everyone was always on edge. When he saw a man come towards them wielding a blade, he grabbed the man that Xavier had attacked and hoped that his friend was about to help him escape.
Xavier
In between pounded away at the man's face something pulled at Xavier and his blue eyes wandered up to his friend's face who was bleeding quite profusely. The adrenaline in his system drained as the blonde spoke to him, a hand grabbing at him. The businessman stumbled away from the man he had tackled, nodding to his friend as he stood. Not only had he gotten his shirt profusely ruined, but now he had also lost his blazer. A scoff of annoyance left him as he brought a hand to his face touching at the open wounds along his eyebrow and lip. He brought a hand to his nose, but fortunately not more than a dribble of blood. The drunks had seemingly poor aim. Xavier cleared his throat a bit as he lead the way away from the bar, "You alright? I didn't... I didn't think that... they..." In truth, he had never had a problem there before, but he supposed it had nothing to do with who Phee was that made them start the fight. A guilt rose up in him before he continued to speak, "C'mon mate, let's get you looked at or something." The man dug around for his phone, breathing a sigh of relief to find that he still had it by some stroke of luck.
Phee
Phoenix followed him, hands in his pockets. The chill of the night air brought him back slightly, though he could feel the throbbing of his nose and was sure he'd have black eyes in the morning. He nodded. "I'm cool. Think I need my nose located, relocated? I don't know. It's dislocated, I think. You know how to set that shit?" He wiped his nose and could only imagine how that looked. Blood stained his arm but at least it didn't seem to be gushing as much as it had before. Christ, he thought, before he looked back at Xavier. "I didn't know you had any of that in you. You're vicious." The last line was a teasing remark, he even smiled through the pain and could taste the blood when he did so. "Maybe we shouldn't." Phoenix muttered as he heard sirens in the distance. "I would rather not spend a night in a jail cell, if you don't mind. I just need a shower and a new shirt." As he caught up with Xavier, he laughed. "Looks like you do, too."
Xavier
Despite the throb he felt, he chuckled at his friend's words, moving to eye his nose, "I'm going to have to agree on dislocated. I've had it done to me a few times, but never did it." On more than one occasion a frat boy had needed to fix his nose for him. People had a tendency to aim for his face - what he used to think was jealously. A lower, chuckle escaped him, cause a strangled grunt to escape him, "Yeah I didn't think I had that in me either. Usually the odds aren't so out of balance like that. He ruined my shirt mate, look at it. Covered in condiments and blood now my buttons are gone and it's stretched." Blue eyes made their way down to the now ruined shirt and he made a face as he did, disappointed by its new state. His gaze snapped up at the other man's words and he looked towards where the sound was coming from. He brought a hand up, hovering it around his friend's shoulder to get him to move along. He looked up, eyeing the apartments he called home. "No jail cells, I'll find someone in Notre to get that re-located for you. You can shower and I'll leave something that might fit for you there while I make some phone calls. If you need to you can stay. I'll be... assessing it's damage no doubt. Bastard ruined it. I'd still be pounding his face if you hadn't grabbed me."
Phee
Phoenix nodded. The hospital seemed out of the question, especially if there ended up being any sort of alert send to the hospital. With his luck, there would be. Phoenix laughed again when his friend started talking. "I'm serious. Remind me to never piss you off. Or, spill anything on you. I was going to ask to borrow a shirt but I don't think I want to. Just in case I get something on it." The last bit was, again, teasing him but it was evident by his blood-stained smile. "Regium's fucking crazy, though. I didn't realize it was this bad. I mean, that was an upscale place, huh? I can only imagine what'd go down at a dive bar." He probably would've been shot. That was something he didn't want to imagine nor did he want to think it could ever happen to him. Or, Xavier. "Yeah? Thanks man, it's appreciated. What damage are you assessing?" It was true that he'd probably end up crashing, he wasn't too sure he wanted to be walking around the area after a fight like that. At least, not at night and unarmed. "Yeah, I was pretty sure you might kill him."
Xavier
Xavier gave a shake of his head at his friend, his bleeding lip spreading into a laughter of his own. "I've got other shirts. This is just one of the shirts I wear to work. I have sweaters and normal shirts that you could wear. No harm done. If you find one you really like, feel free to keep it." He gave a little shrug, smiling despite his words. The brunette continued on, keeping an eye for them as they neared the center of the city. "It was one of the nicer bars I had ever been to. The service is pleasant and so is the atmosphere on most days, but I would say that the people ruined the experience rather than the place itself. We would have provoked a war if we had been somewhere smaller I think." He gave a playful chuckle and nodding in an agreeable fashion. "My shirt and blazer need to be replaced, no doubt the rest of my suit. The bar has my card on file. No doubt I'll be receiving a selective call within twenty four hours. Meaning I will have to be making calls of my own before then. Got to keep our noses clean before word gets back to the wrong people." Essentially massive damage control. Xavier had a feeling he'd be calling up Philip about what he knew of the news, his father on the legal liability, the card company to cancel any further charges like the bar trying to replace things with his money, as well as other things. The building was coming closer as they continued, the sidewalks and appearance of the city changing as they went. "Tempting, but I have better things to do with my time than hole myself up in prison with people I would more than likely be attacked by."
Phee
Phoenix scratched the back of his head as he listened. "Yeah, I'm just messing with you. Never seen anyone get so worked up over a shirt before. I'm just not looking to go home to Elena looking like this, if you don't mind me hanging around for the night, I might take you up on that." The last thing he needed was to explain to her what had happened. He followed alongside him, wondering how they must look to anyone who happened to peer out their window or pass near them. Probably pretty fucked up, he assumed. "Yeah. I was just wondering how violent this place is. I've got family here, it's sort of worrying." He said but then realized he didn't want to dwell on that topic. He had one person in Regium, not an entire family. He would never have one of those. "You should see that girl you were talking about, maybe she'll take care of your face." Phoenix joked with him, offering a little shove on the other man's arm as they walked. "Why did the bar have your card on file?" Phoenix asked, slightly confused. Now that he mentioned it, they hadn't paid for their drinks. As Xavier talked, he considered possibly trying to find his way through the city. Bloodied or not, he didn't particularly like the idea of being a charity case. Again. "You sound busy, man. I'll find my way back home, on second thought." He decided to lie, instead. He stopped walking. "Thanks for backing me up in there, try not to go back to any bars anytime soon."
Xavier
"I know," he supplied back, turning to him with a crooked smile. "Course not, after an experience like that consider yourself welcome anytime. Not many people would stick around and save me from mortally wounding someone's face." Xavier thought about how quickly things would have turned out for him if those men had been sober enough to realize who he was. Things would take a serious turn, but if Xavier was anything - it was well connected and wealthy. "Some parts are probably worse than others I suppose," he trailed off, unsure of the new topic it had never been mentioned to him before - among other things. At his friend's words he snorted and shook his head, "Doubt it. She'd probably run the other direction faster than a car could take her." At his question, Xavier's eyebrow popped up and a sheepish feeling rose in him. He opened his mouth to respond only to quickly close it before he kept speaking. Torn between insisting he come with him and trying to be respectful of his wish, he found himself stuck as he often was with the man when it came to the underlying subject of money. Xavier figured that under normal circumstances he would have respected the request but given the ones they were in now... he was going to decline his rejection. "I opened a tab for the night. My treat. I won't be," he stated abruptly, stopping and turning to him as his friend did. "It'll take me as long as a single shower to get through my phone calls. If you walk home now, someone might recognize you. Just... come with me. Or at least... clean up and get your nose looked at. Then I'll call a cab for you if you still want to leave. I'll follow you if you don't come with me and we're right around the corner anyways." Xavier dropped his arm holding his phone, prepared to follow the other man home to ensure he got there without any problems. "I... you're welcome and not without some back up." He paused again, hoping to convince him to come with, "I'm asking you to come with me and let me do this one thing for you Phoenix. As a friend."
Phee
"Don't think you'd do well in prison, my friend. You've got that rich boy look to you, men would tear you apart as soon as you walked in." Phoenix informed him. It made him sound more like he knew what prison was like, instead of being on the other end. As an officer, he heard and saw stories. Never actually lived in one. "What are a couple of broken noses between friends, huh?" He added in. Phoenix figured if this had gone down elsewhere, it wouldn't have been as clean. He had been called to fights worse than this before, he had seen the aftermath. "You never know." He shrugged. "Maybe she's into that sort of thing." If there was ever a reason he and Xavier would get into an actual argument, it was probably over money. In fact, it was probably the only reason he would get into an argument with anyone that played a prominent role in his life. "You gotta stop doing that. I know you have more money but don't do that, alright?" Phoenix asked of him. He ran a hand through his hair and then looked around while his friend talked. He was probably right and he wasn't about to go to a hospital. "Fine." Phoenix nodded. He took a few steps until he was caught up with Xavier and then laughed when he spoke again. The copper taste seemed to stain his tongue. "Yeah? It's a good thing you clarified, I was starting to think you were starting to confess your love to me, man." With a slight eye roll, a chuckle, and a shove against Xavier's frame, he glanced towards the buildings that his friend had talked about.
Xavier
"Agreed, even garbed in orange my expression is not tough enough to last for more than mere minutes," Xavier wiped at his lip unconsciously, the bleeding pooling a little in his mouth. What little he knew - he intended to avoid, Phoenix was right, he'd get eaten alive and undoubtedly in one bite. "Only necessary to establish the conduit of powerful and everlasting friendship," as he spoke of the blonde Xavier thought of, the brunette crinkled his nose. That seemed most unlikely. She barely seemed the time to converse with him. Phoenix continued on, and a wave of guilt hit him, the need to defend himself rising as well. "I'm not doing it cause I have more money or for any other reason you might be thinking of. I did it because you've got other things to worry about. Though, if you would much prefer I not do it without at least telling you about it, then fine. That however doesn't mean I won't offer. For clarification I'd offer even if you were the mayor and had all the money Regium had to give." Xavier could not remember the last time he sounded so casual, and actually let some reins go loose for once. A triumphant smirk peeled across his lips at his acquiesce, laughing deeply at his friend's chuckle and shove. "I was actually just buttering you up for it. I wanted to wait until you were wet and naked to profess. We've still got time, don't count me out just yet." The Rhiding son winked to the blonde before leading the way towards the building, quickly being pulled through the front doors.
Overwhelmed, something that the blonde boy had been feeling lately. Not that he wasn't a bit used to it, he had felt overwhelmed his whole life. With his family, with his sister, with making friends. Everything just overwhelmed him, and that's why he talked so much. He never thought he'd see his sister again, and here she was, it was weird and it was strange. Not that Grayson wanted to push her away again, or that he wanted her to be gone. In all honestly, the fact that she was back made everything better for him, especially with the situation with Jonah. He'd never just done something like that with someone, it was just another time where his mouth had gone and he didn't think about it till it was happening.
There was only one good thing to all this happening, Phoenix had come finally. The boy didn't really ask her why it took her so long, he just counted his lucky stars that his best friend was back. He grabbed his acoustic guitar and the orange extension cable for Phoenix's piano. He considered going to help her, but it was a long band joke-- well, not a band joke anymore but, one between friends. Rain or shine, stairs or sleet, you carried your own instrument. It was always harder for her and Jensen, their instruments weren't so easy to move around.
Grayson opened up the door to the roof, taking in a deep breath of the crisp air. He smiled, he felt weightless up here, isolation was always nice to him because he didn't have to feel like he was screwing up in some way. the blonde walked over to the edge of the roof, looking out at the cotton candy sky. Focusing on the small splotches of red, that made it look like a painter had just gone out of control. With another deep breath, he kicked a few pieces of gravel off watching it fall to the ground before sitting down. Crossing his legs under him, he started strumming out the opening cords to Daydreaming, Phoenix's favourite song.
A smirk pulled across his lips, and he tilted his head when he saw her pulling up the keyboard. "You're late." He chuckled, continuing to strum the cords to the song. Not quite about to break out into full jam session until the purple haired girl was all set up. "I put the extension cord there for you." Placing the pick in his mouth and pointing over to the extension cord, "you can plug it in just inside the door. It's the only spot that has power up here." He straightened his back quickly, running his dull nails across the g-string on his guitar. Knowing that the noise annoyed Phoenix.
The Covenant were growing closer, with every shot of her gun, she blew one back. But another took its place, it's maw open in a growl, brandishing another weapon pointed directly at Olympia's heart.
She should have been afraid, but she wasn't.
She was too numb to be afraid, and without even noticing, she was laughing, each shot she fired caused another hollow laugh to rip itself out of the agent's chest, as she watched the floor splatter with the shiny innards of the things she hated the very most in that moment.
Olympia knew they couldn't be blamed for her A.I.'s death, but every time the rich fountain of blood spattered across the floor, making the floor sleek and slippery, splashing across her helmet visor, Olympia felt a little less like she was dying. If only a little.
But they were getting closer. After her radio with Providence, Olympia had considered bailing, running away, but she couldn't, the only place she could think of going back to was the engine room.
Where Gemini and Acadia were still lying on the floor.
Where Chey was.
No, facing the Covvie's guns was easier than that, even if facing them meant her death. She didn't care anymore, she didn't want to see anyone else, she didn't know if she could distinguish from friend or foe at this point. All she knew was the gun in her hand and the beings pressing around her.
This was a good end, a quick one. As the Covenant grew ever closer, she knew her stash of bullets was slowly running dry.
And they would run out, and maybe death would be easier than life.
Olympia couldn't understand what had just happened.
Her brain whirled, desperately trying to figure it out, to learn. The analytic part of her mind had kicked into high gear, spitting out ideas, shooting off like a rocket. And nothing.
There was nothing.
No explanation, only confusion.
And there was one person Olympia could think of, that may be able to explain what was going on. Sure, she could go sniff out Denver, but she didn't really like him too much, and she felt that prying into Acadia's business wouldn't get her many points with the man. And that left one person on the team who would understand more about the AIs.
Phoenix.
Olympia had been avoiding her team leader like chlamydia for the last few weeks...the last thing she had wanted was a run-in with him. He had shamed the team, killed civilians, and endangered agent's lives. Never mind she had too...he was leader. Phoenix's decisions affected the whole team. And she was angry, angry that the bad traits she saw in him, the traits she detested, she could also see in herself.
But what choice did she have?
She couldn't very well ignore it. Something had happened, something Olympia didn't understand, and the agent's burning desire to know wouldn't let her stop. And that's how she found herself on a winding path through the hallways, looking for the team leader. He had had Virgil longer than she'd had Gem, he would understand more about the AI in general. Plus, he probably didn't have as bad a reputation with them as Olympia did. So no matter how uneasy she felt about this, she had to know.
The search for the explanation would be her downfall one day, she thought to herself as she passed through the shiny silver halls, peering down dark corners, looking for a place where Phoenix might be huddled. She didn't know what Phoenix did in his spare time...or what any of the agents did in their spare time, really. All the Freelancer's time seemed to be taken up in training and eating. Everything else came second, at least in Olympia's eyes.
But that still meant she didn't know where the leader was.
Right as she was going to head back, give up, ask someone else outside her circle of familiar faces, she stopped and considered. Even though it was late at night, Phoenix could be in the gym. It wouldn't be the first time she'd found a Beta member closeted in there. They all seemed to be wanting to compensate for the horrifying last mission with more training.
Olympia swiveled around, heading for the gym. It turned into almost a jog as she ran. She needed an explanation. She needed help. And no matter how little she wanted to admit it, Phoenix was an authority figure, and he might know more than she did about the whole AI matter. The gym doors came in sight, and Olympia entered, peering around for the leader.
If he's not here, I'm not going to find his ass anywhere else.
