The Blue Squid, Baltimore, Thursday Night

[not_every_mage]

Anders had chosen this bar carefully. He wanted one where there would be a minimal chance Kathy would feel compelled to break up a fight, which left Pogue Mahone and anything in its neighborhood off the table. (Anders was a bit sad he couldn't introduce her to the wonders of potato nachos.) The place he brought her to instead was larger and bright inside, with countless TVs showing the playoffs for something or other. But it was clean, and the waiters seemed inclined to leave them alone, and that was enough.

"So," he asked Kathy, once they'd claimed their booth, "how do you want to start this? Beer's traditional, but we could get something stronger if you just want to get drunk fast."

[OOC: For one. NFB due to distance.]

Comments

[not_every_mage]

"If you really want to," Anders said, loosening his hair from its band. He took two wobbly steps to sit next to her, smoothing his hair down to his shoulders as he did. "Maker, have you ever even seen it down before? It keeps getting longer."

Hair did that when you didn't trim it,yes.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Hair? Growing? That's so weird," Kathy agreed, happily running her hand over his hair. And cuddling up to him; she was a cuddler by nature and drinking only brought that out more.

Though she didn't cuddle so closely that she was out of reach of her drink. That would be unreasonable.

"I always wanted to be blonde when I was little," she said. "Blonde with curls. Do you think I could pull it off? Would I still be pretty? Anders, am I pretty? I think I'm pretty, but maybe I'm just being arrogant. Would I be prettier if I were blonde? You're pretty. And blonde. And your hair is very soft. You may be prettier than our waitress, even though she's a girl."

[not_every_mage]

"I'm handsome, not pretty," Anders protested drowsily. (Being cuddled and drunk brought that out in him.) "You're very pretty. But you shouldn't be blonde. It'd look weird."

He sipped his neon drink then reached to play with her hair too, if she'd let him.

"Ezra's pretty," he said. "And Dante. And Isabela. But Nathan has the prettiest magic eyes."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Dante and Ezra are prettier than me," Kathy sulked, letting her head rest on his shoulder. "And Isabela--I just look at her and think 'boobs.'" She giggled. "Boobs, boobs, boobs, no pants. Maybe I should wear no pants. Except I already wear tiny skirts. And I don't have the boobs for no pants."

That made complete sense, yes.

[not_every_mage]

"Boobs are nice," Anders informed her. "No pants is nice. If you didn't want to wear pants I would support you. Pants are stupid."

He was, of course, not offering to give up his own.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I've got good legs," Kathy said, raising hers up high enough that her knee was pressed against her shoulder and her toes her pointing up to the ceiling. "So I could not wear pants. But I already wear skirts! Would anyone notice if I just didn't wear anything?"

YES KATHY. MANY PEOPLE WOULD NOTICE. LIKE THE POLICE.

[not_every_mage]

"I think I can see your underpants," Anders said, too distracted by the pose to answer the question. (Which answered the question in its own way, one might say.) "Kathy, are you trying to show everyone in the bar your underpants? It's okay if you are. I don't mind."

The alcohol had turned Anders into a lech.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Why shouldn't I?" Kathy asked, tossing her hair. Oooh, that caused the room to spin. Weeeird. "They're really cute underwear. They have little straps and bows on the back. Wanna see?"

Apparently, alcohol just made Kathy shameless. She wasn't even trying to be coy or flirtatious--she just had really cute undies and was excited about the chance to show them off.

[not_every_mage]

"Yes," Anders said immediately, before the ramifications kicked in. He belched quietly against his hand before continuing. "I mean, I'm sure they're very nice, but no, because I'm dating somebody and that means I can never ever look at anybody else's underpants. Even if they're probably pretty. Why didn't you want to show me your underpants a thousand years ago when we were both single, Kathy?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Because I was stupid and stupidly hung up on a stupid guy who was like a decade older than me and probably just thought I was a stupid kid the whole time," Kathy said, frowning. "I mean, sure, Fandom thinks we're...gonna get married?...I think?...in like twenty years? But then, Fandom also thinks I'm gonna have a baby with you and with Ezra, so whatever, Fandom is stupid. But I totally had a mirror fantasy about you back in March if that helps any."

It didn't, Kathy. It so didn't.

"But it was okay. I checked to make sure it was okay with Nathan in the fantasy and it was. Because I am consy--conscious--conscientious."

[not_every_mage]

"You weren't stupid," Anders insisted. He'd gone back to trying (and mostly failing) to braid Kathy's hair. "You were devoted. Hopelessly devoted. It's romantic, is what it is."

He frowned. "A mirror fantasy? Like, watching a mirror while we're doing it? I'd get distracted."

[spin_kick_snap]

"It's romantic if it works," Kathy declared. "It's stupid and pathetic if it's one-sided."

Which it had been, so...

Then she was shaking her head, which likely didn't help Anders' braiding any. "No, no, an evil mirror fantasy. Did I ever tell you about that? With Skinny? No, not Skinny. What was his name? Gaunt. Yes. Him. I had an evil mirror that supposedly showed me the future. Except it wasn't the future. It was just what I wanted to see. Like me yelling at my Dad. And also pretty boys having sex with me. Which was a different fantasy."

[not_every_mage]

"I remember about the mirror," Anders sai,d trying to smooth the knot he had accidentally tied in Kathy's hair. "You forgot to mention the sexy part. I'm glad I wasn't in the same fantasy as your dad. Your dad isn't sexy."

He scrunched up his face. "But that was the time I could have killed you, wasn't it? Did I say how sorry I was? Because I was so, so sorry."

His filter wasn't working very well, no.

[spin_kick_snap]

"No, my dad is mean and petty and I don't like him very much." Ooh. It looked like veritas was found in other alcohol beyond vino.

She snuggled closer because thinking about Anders almost killing her was still better for her buzz than thinking about her parents. "You said you were sorry," she assured him. "I understand. I stole from people. We weren't us. You'd never try to hurt me if we were us. Because we're best friends forever, right?"

[not_every_mage]

"Forever and ever," Anders said, tugging lightly on her hair. "I'll be here for you for the rest of your life, whether you're dealing with your dad or villains or creepy magic mirrors. I promise."

A lot of that was the alcohol talking. But even sober, he would have believed it was true.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Pull harder," Kathy murmured. "I like it better that way."

Apparently, she had just given up on the concept of an internal monologue entirely.

"And I'll be here for you, too. You ever need help staying out of the Circle, or fighting off Cassandra, or being a mage rights activisiting--that doesn't sound right--I'mma be right there with you."