#[cn. mfniccals-murdoc&maggie]

[c0mplex-heroes]

@mfniccals // cont.

"Alright alright." Maggie sighs rolling her eyes a little. Maybe she was being too cautious, but with the rate others were throwing back their liquor... Well she was just waiting for someone to put their foot in their mouth.

"I'm not worried. Just making point... not everyone's too kind when people are... how shall I say it? Too honest?" No not everyone liked when you held a mirror up to them so they could see all their flaws. Some would be polite about... others well... "Of course not. Just when you start throwing words like that around it tends to piss people off... especially drunk people. And they're more likely to start a fight."

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"We're acquainted." Maggie flatly replies. Something about the men gave her a bad feeling and usually she tended to trust her gut when something felt off.

The Starling watches carefully for a moment. She needed all the facts before she made a call, a stance. After all her and Murdoc had only just met, they didn't know each other that well.

The mention of murder startles her into focus, just who had she gotten mixed up with?

"Easy, there's no need for that. It's not like he's going anywhere." Maggie wasn't gonna let the manhandling slide at least.

A sigh. "Okay surely if you have this evidence you'd go through the proper channels right? Unless you have the authority and a warrant to arrest him, which so far you've presented neither. So I don't think you've got any legal ground to stand on."

This doesn't necessarily mean Maggie's on Murdoc's side, they'd just meant after all. But she's not about to let them rough him up, not when she didn't have all the facts and heard his side of things. "Look, either you let him go and we settle this through the official legal means. Or you're not gonna like what happens next."

The men glance between them. "You know him?"

"Everyone knows me," Murdoc snatches his hand away when he's grabbed. "I've got some um..." He clicks his tongue as he thinks. "Drama, between myself and an old label. And instead of sending me some fucking mail or something they send goons out here to manhandle me. They're not even cute."

That gets him yanked back.

"He's accused of killing multiple people during a pitiful attempt to get revenge on a former employee. He is dangerous."

"They don't have any evidence."

"We have mountains of evidence, all on film."

"Ahh....ohhh, I already went to prison for this," that gets him to shoot Maggie a pathetic, pleading look. They must have been waiting for him to show up somewhere without Noodle. They know better.

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"Well not bad... If a little overshot." Maggie smirks, although she wasn't exactly having much success either. This might end up being a long night.

With the approach of another, Maggie tries to stay out the way. Not wanting to intrude. After all this party wasn't really her scene and she figured Murdoc was likely to know others here - maybe have some conversation.

But as she lingers, she can't help but pick up on some tension. Something didn't feel right and well that feeling alone was enough to put her on edge. Spy's paranoia and all that.

"Everything alright here?" Maggie interrupts, stepping up to join them as she eyes the new party. Suspicion in her eye but also a hint of calm, hoping to deesculate any unpleasantries.

"Fuck," the ball rolls away from the silver sphere, nearly clacking against the wall. "Fuckin...gif maths lady over here. Shit."

His amusement ends when he feels a solid hand on his shoulder.

"Excuse me," the voice is American and fairly polite. He gestures towards the musician with his eyes hidden away behind sunglasses. "Murdoc Nickels?"

"Niccals. Gotta put that accent into it," Murdoc offers helpfully.

"Whatever. Can we talk?" He flashes something Murdoc's way, which makes his discolored eyes widen. That's not good. He sidesteps in a way that looks like he was trying to do it subtly, but he is completely obvious.

"We're in the middle of a Bocce, and I am a very old man, and it takes me some time to wind up, you know?" As if to accent his point, he groans as he bends down to pull his second ball from the rack...though he sounded more like he was moaning than anything else. "We got two rounds left. If your shitty label that doesn't exist still wants drama with me, it's gotta wait."

That doesn't seem to be a satisfactory answer.

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"Yeah?" Maggie quirked an eyebrow with a smile. Looking back at her attempt she supposed it wasn't too bad... Especially for a first roll ever. It was nice to just be herself in space that felt accommodating. Despite being out for years either some completely missed it or weren't so kind.

Watching closely Maggie's curious to see if Murdoc is gonna have better luck than she did. The game certainly provided a nice distraction. Gatherings like this weren't really Maggie's thing, at least one when she wasn't undercover working. She certainly felt out of place... Or maybe she was too married to her work.

"Regretting not asking a math wiz to play? Because unfortunately that is not I." A pause. "But still not bad." Well she thought it was. Honestly she was still a little overwhelmed that the rules had kind of only partly sunk in. Taking another ball, Maggie squints in concentration. "A good yoink? Okay got it..." Okay here goes nothing... Trying to control her strength Maggie tries once more. Unfortunately she over judges and well her ball unceremoniously rolls to slow stop clanking right in Murdoc's...

"That wasn't the yoink you were looking for was it?"

"Y'know what, good enough," good, he picked his temporary well. That's the other problem with these sort of situations, there's not enough queer people, and a majority of the queers in the spaces that reject him are very uppity about themselves. Still, Murdoc's gaze is on the silver ball, and he bends over to pick up a heavy, somewhat oversized looking pool ball. From the way it sinks his hand it's about two pounds.

He holds it up to his face like he's about to bowl it over, but instead of rolling it he gives it a neat toss, accidentally overclocking the power behind it and letting out the most horrible noise when the ball bounces once and rolls a good two feet away from the silver ball.

"Ehh, too much fuckin' math to this game," he feels like that lady from the gifs 2D sends him when he can't understand what his sext is referring to without a visual aid, standing there while formulas and made up nonsense floats above his head. Or maybe Murdoc is just that bad at flirting. Either way. "Two more chances. Just give- thanks," distracted for a moment, he takes an offered drink from someone and takes a heavy swig, "-jus' give it a uh...you know. Yoink."

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"Mhmm you don't say." Maggie quickly got that impression. But it doesn't bother her too much. As long as he did run his mouth too much to piss someone off. She didn't plan on getting mixed up in any trouble tonight if she could help it.

"Okay I think I got it." Maggie nods taking it all in. She'd never really played any sports at all growing up. Especially not outside her family home. Since her powers manifested at 4, her mother had been quick to shoot down anything too physical that could give her away. But over the years so had learned a great deal of self control... So this shouldn't be too hard.

"Hmm lucky me... Although I don't think I'm many of these guys type." Her friends always commented she dressed a little too stereotypically butch, kind of outing herself before she spoke. Still it didn't stop everyone.

"Thanks." Taking the ball, Maggie rolls it over in her hand. A thoughtful look comes over her face as she tries to calculate how gently she should toss it without.. well... As gently as she can she lets it loose. The toss failing a little short than either of them hoped. Perhaps she was a little too gentle. "Err... How's that? Not a totally disaster.. right?"

"I flap my jaws too much for my own good," he squats down with a groan and digs into the wooden container before finding a small metal ball. He seems oblivious to the crowd around him, not noticing that someone has been eyeing him for the past hour or so, though they've since changed their position.

"Aight. See this thing?" He huffs as he stands. "We toss this little fucker into the middle, or as close to the middle of the isle as we can. Goal is to get the heavier balls as close to the metal one. Usually there's teams but I'm here by myself and I don't see anyone forcing themselves on you."

Years ago that would have been him. He's not truly monogamous, but he's settled into his relationship well, preferring to keep close to his "favorite person" over sleeping with anything that moves as he ages.

"Here," he rolls the silver ball on his palm and offers it to her. "You get the honorary toss. Just like, don't chuck it like a baseball. The farther from the walls ya get it is the best position."

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"Not an awards show fan?" At least he's honest. In truth Maggie felt completely out of place. This wasn't her usual scene... But it felt rude to turn down the invite. "So you got the short end of the stick and now have to take the stage? Tough break."

Maggie smiles and shakes her head.

"Well it's a lot to tell someone you've just met but who am I to judge." A shrug.

Maggie contemplates the question and decides to throw caution to the wind. "Err sure why not."

"Ah, well. Fuck I wish that were me. This shit is boring as fuck," at least he's honest. Murdoc is already reaching for another glass at this point, clearly intent on being as shitfaced as possible. "The label says one of us has to go and give a speech. My daughter's on a date, my drummer said no, and my boyfriend ruined his suit in the wash. Why he put it in there is anyone's guess but I've learned after twenty years to just stop questioning the shit people in my life do."

He makes a painful sounding inhale after a moment.

"Am I oversharing? Who cares. You wanna play bocce?"

He's not kidding. Where a group of popstars are excitedly chatting is a slightly inclined ramp with a little basked perched in a beige colored faux grass carpet.

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Watching with a quirked eyebrow, Maggie isn't sure what to make of him. Just watching the glasses pile up one after another. Sipping at her own glass, Maggie remains unaffected. Thanks to her genetics she could never get drunk not matter how much she consumed.

"I see... not sure if that's something to brag about but knock yourself out I guess. Name's Maggie, Maggie Rogers."

Nodding her head, she's committed to this conservation now. Misogyny certainly wasn't something she was unfamiliar with. She'd dealt with her fair share in the army. It left her with a confidence to put anyone in place if they pushed her too far. Hopefully Murdoc would remain on her good side.

"Ahh no I'm not a musician." Maggie chuckles. Well not professionally. She still dabbled in playing her guitar along to her favourite tunes sometimes... But that dream wasn't there anymore. No she'd gone a different path. "The invite was more of a thank you gift from work." Well a thank you from a senator who was very grateful for her life saving intervention.

"Heh heh eh eh....rowr."

He downs his glass and reaches for another, gently grabbing the stem with a pinch of his claws. His eyes are wildly dilated, and begin the iris of one of them is a gross, infected red lining the outside. He's quiet for a moment, glancing around the crowd and frowning, almost like he's lost something.

""Heheeh...Well, I've been drunk since I woke up this morning. I already won that fight. Anyway, as I said in my speech my name is Murdoc Niccals...and It's your pleasure, I'm sure."

At least his accent makes his unintentional condescending tone sound less shitty. She's caught him at a good time in his life, years ago he would gleefully call himself a misogynist- a mistake he's tried to rectify since. The little bits still come out, and without his companions nearby to call him out he falls into old habits. Considering she's managed to do so, he's already deciding who's getting his valuable attention tonight.

"Are you from one of the nominated bands?"