#went up as a guest (surprisingly) and was trying to explain how ridiculous that statement was and one of the people literally said

[rosicheeks]

I hope your days aren't as heavy and dark, I am sending all the positive thoughts your way. You deserve the best, fairy princess. <3

😭

[iristweed]

yes nut november → fliris

Who: Flynn Frederickson (@flynnfrederickson) & Iris Tweed (@iristweed)

When: Thursday, November 22 (Thanksgiving 2018)

Where: Tweed Home

What: Iris brings Flynn home with her for Thanksgiving and he ends up breaking his No Nut November pledge.

Flynn had to admit that his family had been a little weird since his grandfather's death. His dad, grieving in his own way, dove headfirst into his work, so Thanksgiving plans were nonexistent. Flynn didn't want to go back to San Fransokyo for the holiday because, while that was home, it wouldn't feel like a holiday without his grandfather. So when Iris extended the offer to come home with her for the holiday, he figured that was so much better than spending it in Walt. After a delicious home-cooked Southern meal, Flynn meandered down the hall toward the guest room, rubbing his stomach Joey Tribbiani-style, and seriously considering unbuttoning the top button of the dark jeans he'd decided to wear to dinner. He started to step into what he thought was the guest room, but quickly realized it was Iris's. "Oh! Sorry, thought this was the guest room," he chuckled, running a hand along the back of his neck. "Dinner was great!" he offered. It was so strange being so close in proximity to Iris when he was used to being close to her...emotionally.

Iris had invited Flynn to spend the holiday with her family, never actually dreaming that he'd say yes to the offer. How would he explain to his friends where he'd been? She was almost certain none of them knew that the two of them even talked - albeit only when no one was looking. Still, the surprise answer had been a pleasant one, and she had to admit that actually being around him made her even happier than just writing notes and texting in secret did. For her, it all felt so easy and natural, and she only hoped it was the same for him. She wanted to make him feel better, after all; if he was feeling awkward in her home, then that just wouldn't do. Iris reminded herself not to hover, going back to her room after they'd finished their Thanksgiving meal instead of clinging to Flynn, and now she found herself in her stretchiest pants and a sports bra, trying to do some pre-bed yoga to help herself feel less full from her meal. She was so focused on her tree pose that she nearly didn't realize that Flynn had walked into her room, all pink walls and fluffy white pillows and horseback riding ribbons hung all around the room. She toppled out of her pose and back onto two feet, waving for him to come further into the room. "Isn't granny's macaroni and cheese just the best? I've never been able to make anything like it when we're in Walt," she confessed, flouncing to a seat on the end of the bed and patting the spot next to her before hugging her arms shyly around her exposed stomach. "Maybe you'd have better luck convincing her to give you the recipe; she keeps telling me how glad she is that I brought 'such a charming young man home' this year," Iris informed him with a giggle. 

Flynn 's brows quirked up when Iris invited him to come further into her room. He didn't hesitate, though, as his feet propelled him forward to the spot that she patted on her bed. "Way better than boxed mac and cheese that I'm used to," Flynn chuckled. His family was certainly rich enough to afford cooks and such, but that didn't stop them from preferring the less classy version of pretty much everything. His cheeks warmed, then, when she mentioned what her grandmother thought of him. Flynn gave a nervous chuckle. "Oh, yeah? I'm charming?" He scrunched up his nose, finding that kind of hilarious. In Walt, he was the hype man -- always looking for a reaction or a laugh, since he didn't have the looks that the rest of his friends did. At least, in his opinion. "That's kind of funny, but I'm so flattered. If only she knew what life was like in Walt," he smirked. It was weird to think that Walt was so easily-accessible to them -- just a train ride away -- and yet, it was an entirely different universe. Because at times like these, where he could so easily spend time with Walt's 'horse girl', it certainly felt like a different universe.

Iris nodded her head instinctually. She'd always thought he was charming, in his own way; she'd never been the type of person to be drawn to what was considered traditionally cool, though. "Yep! She decided it all on her own, too, I didn't even have to tell her how great you are," Iris said brightly, swinging her legs back and forth. It was true, too; she'd mentioned a boy in Walt that she was friends with, one who wrote her letters and always made her smile when she talked to him, but she'd never mentioned a name. A name meant questions, and she didn't want to talk to her grandmother about how Flynn was so much cooler than she was and she was just grateful that he talked to her at all. She liked to keep that their little secret; no one could try to ruin it for her if no one knew. "She'd like you in Walt, too, though. She always said you should stick with the people that make you laugh," she told him, bumping her shoulder lightly against his. "Well - that and the ones that the animals like. But you'd know if they didn't, they'd have peed on all the guest room pillows by now," she said, wrinkling her nose. Iris spent all day mucking stalls, she sometimes forgot that that was less than savory conversation with other people. She brushed past it, though, pointing to a picture on her wall instead, of her in the middle with her arms around two girls on either side of her, all of them with ribbons from a competition. "See the girl on the right? She slept over once and the dogs ripped up all her underwear; they really weren't fans." Iris let her hands drop back to her sides; she'd been nervous at first, letting Flynn see her room full of all her memories, but she should have known it was okay. Somehow, things always were when it came to him, and sitting here like this felt more natural to her by the second.

Flynn chuckled at the thought of being grandma-Tweed approved because he was funny. Fart jokes may not have been the pinnacle of mature comedy, but he was glad to be vindicated in the idea that they still counted for something. "Well, I haven't seen the guest room in a few hours, you never know what they may be up to!" he joked, faking a move to get up and go check, but ultimately stayed at Iris's side. "I guess I should just be grateful that I'll be leaving with all my underwear in tact, but I do kind of like being Tweed-approved," he nodded with a smile, before glancing around at the girl's room, fully taking in everything that made her her. It was so homey and a great reflection of the things Iris was most passionate about. It was nice and refreshing. "Isn't it weird that we all had lives before Walt? Like, you're part of my pre-Walt life, and the memories feel kind of split between BW and AW, you know?" he chuckled, before realizing that he could've accidentally put his foot in his mouth. "I mean, you're obviously still in my AW life...you know what I mean."

Iris giggled at the way that Flynn stumbled over his own words. It was nice of him, to make sure to amend his statement so that she felt like she was included. And the truth was, some people might have minded not getting to see him more often, but Iris was surprisingly okay with it. "It's okay! You kind of fit anywhere you want, and I just... fit where I fit. Which wouldn't b e with your friends," Iris said with a shrug. She didn't mean it unkindly, and she hoped that the warm smile she offered him showed him as much. "They just like their things and I like mine, and they don't really overlap. Which is too bad. This is kind of fun, right? Actually getting to hang out for real?" She leaned her head on his shoulder for a second without thinking of it, savoring the memory of it for later when she went back to just having letters and texts and the occasional smile across a hallway or a corridor. She didn't try to ask if things could change, though; she didn't need them to to be happy. "Although you're totally welcome back here anytime. If you thought Thanksgiving was delicious, you should see the kind of stuff they make for the Kentucky Derby weekend."

Flynn cringed a little that Iris thought -- well, more than thought. She knew -- she wouldn't fit in with his friends. He knew she probably didn't mind, but that didn't mean he still didn't feel guilty over essentially ditching her for the popular crowd and keeping her some kind of secret. "Yeah, they like things like getting hammered at school dances and virginity-loss pacts," Flynn laughed, rolling his eyes. In the moment, he always got caught up in the fun of Team Ten, but in hindsight it was always really ridiculously stupid. He had no regrets ever, but still...pretty stupid. "But you're right. This is fun," he nodded, feeling his throat go a little dry at the sensation of being so honest with her, and especially once she rested her head on his shoulder. He inhaled, breathing in the scent of Iris's hair and placed an arm around her waist. "Oh, count me in. Otherwise, I think major holidays will have been spoiled for me now. Screw the Fredericksons' frozen turkey, I won't want anything but you from now on." he teased with a sigh. Then, a pause. "You know, not want you want you. Your family's food...you know what I mean." Pause. "...Would that be weird, though? If I did?" The question felt innocent enough -- he'd opened up this can of worms by letting Iris in on his and Bobbie's secret, after all. Now he just felt like he could be more open with her about things like that.

Iris could have easily wrinkled her nose up in disgust at the thought of frozen turkey, but she didn't. Her family's food was amazing, of course, but that wasn't what mattered about Thanksgiving to her anyway, it was being surrounded by the people she loved. And she imagined that Flynn's family was full of love, too, even if things were a bit strange right now for the family. After all, how could a family that made him be anything but wonderful? "Wait until tomorrow when they refry it and make it into turkey cranberry sliders," she added, trying not to flush at his next words. It was a question she hadn't expected, but a candid one, and it seemed only fair to be candid in response. "No, it wouldn't be weird at all," she told him simply, staying frozen in place, the only movement the soft rise and fall of her chest as she continued to take even-keeled breaths. "With you, everything feels as natural as breathing. You're just different than other people."

Flynn laughed, giving Iris's knee a pat at the idea of cranberry sliders. Things felt so quaint and comfortable here, compared to his big mansion or even the more socially-motivated world of Walt. He felt like he could sit here and really think. And right now, all he could think of was Iris and her breathing next to him. She said he was different...Which was funny, considering he spent so much time trying to fit in. Coming from Iris, though, he knew it was a compliment. "Yeah? You're different too," he nodded, daring to move his face closer to hers. Flynn finally let his body take the leap that his mind had wanted to do for what felt like all night, and used the hand that wasn't resting on her knee to tip her chin toward him, moving his lips in to kiss her, fingers soon sliding down to her neck. The kiss was as chaste as he could manage in that moment, so he stayed close when he pulled away. "Sorry, was that okay?"

Iris felt oddly serene as Flynn leaned in to kiss her. There was no fluttering of nerves, no gasp of surprise, just a wash of calm, as if this was something that she'd always known was going to happen. She hadn't, not really, but in the moment nothing possibly could have felt more right, and it wasn't until his lips had already left hers that her body finally started to catch up with him. Slightly breathless, Iris nodded her head yes. Yes, definitely okay, she wanted to tell him, more than okay, but the words didn't come out. Instead, Iris tilted her forehead so that it was resting against his, raking her bottom lip through her teeth for a second before deciding definitively what she wanted to do as she pressed her lips against his again. She was less hesitant than he had been, less nervous - Iris wasn't the type to overthink and worry, she just followed her heart, and right now her heart told her that she wanted to make the very most of this moment, no matter what happened next.

Flynn closed his eyes, her forehead pressing against his simultaneously making him calm down, yet he felt his heart beating faster against his chest. He had no idea what he was doing -- but whatever it was felt so nice, he didn't want it to end. And he got his wish when she caught his lips once more, with purpose. Flynn inhaled deeply, cupping the back of her neck with his palm, matching her intensity. He wanted so badly to assess what was going on -- but why ask questions when he could be kissing her even more? It just seemed like a waste of time, at that point, so he just let this moment take them wherever they were going to go. Forgetting about doubts and Walt and his stupid declaration that November would be a month of "celibacy". Of course the second he declared that, the world would find a way to trick him. He should have known. But he didn't care. The only thing that mattered was this moment right now, and Iris's lips on his. Definitely two things he was thankful for. (And he was about to have plenty more.)

[chat-noir-imagines]

Metanoia | Adrien Agreste x Reader

Alternate Title; "Krayr."

...

"So, are you excited or are you excited?"

The addressed male lifts his head from the shade of his folded arms, turning to look at his pestering friend. With a desperate sigh, he spoke. "Try anxious."

Nino pursed his lips, raising an eyebrow at the boy before him. "Don't tell me you're chickening out now. You've been talking about this all week--"

"I know!" Adrien waved his arms around in exaggeration, soon bringing them back down to cover his face. "But now I'm actually thinking about it. Staying with my crush under one roof for a three day weekend?" He let out a low hum of disapproval - finally removing his hands from his burning face.

"Well, you better suck it up lover boy, no one can save you now." Adrien narrowed his eyes at Nino's taunting expression.

"Thanks, that makes me feel so much better."

"Oh, speak of the devil." At this, Adrien immediately perked up and looked at the door, nearly shrieking when he noticed a familiar face talking to someone outside the room.

"(Y/N)?"

You blinked and turned towards the two, a big grin spreading across your face. With a nod, you wished your farewells and started towards Adrien.

"Hey, ready to go?" You began rummaging through your bag to find your phone. "We still need to decorate and buy the last of the gifts."

He nodded in response, standing and throwing his bag over his shoulder. "Y-Yeah, let's go." After clearing his throat, he started towards the door, doing his best to ignore Nino's smug expressions. Your smile widened as you continued about the things you would do, it was two days to Christmas after all.

"But first!" You interrupted your own, chipper statement, "we need to return home and put on warmer wear. The forecast says it'll drop twenty more degrees."

"Home?" The blonde stammered, staring at you with widened eyes.

"Oh yeah," You giggled and tapped his arm. "I meant your home."

"It's not a big deal, you just made it sound like we're living together." He shrugged.

"Well, we kinda are aren't we?" You questioned, somewhat rhetorically. "With your dad being away and my parents also, we have nothing but each other to look out for one another!"

"And Natalie."

You slightly gasped, having forgotten all about said woman. "I totally forgot about her! We need to hurry and get everyone's gifts A-S-A-P!"

And with that, you took a hold of his arm and dragged him along.

Watching as his warm breath visualized in front of him, the young teen blew out another breath of air onto his cold, bare hands. He stood outside of a store, one he hadn't really noticed before. This was most likely due to the fact that it showcased a lot of feminine products and clothes; things he didn't need. The weather forecast had surprisingly been correct - and Adrien wishes he would've thought twice about wearing his gloves.

Instead, he stuffed his hands into his pockets in hopes of conducting some sort of heat. It was so cold that his fingers and toes were beginning to numb, and yet, he didn't want to go home just yet. He was having a great time out on the town with you, talking about whatever came to mind or whatever caught your eye. Suppressing a shiver, Adrien released another heavy sigh. His earlier conversation was nothing but his pure thoughts, there was simply no way he could survive being this close to his crush for three days. Or, for better or worse, more--if his or your parents don't return soon.

On the bright side, there was Nathalie, so adult supervision wasn't completely out of the question.

Still, this kind of pressure was making him overthink everything. Did you like him back? Even a little? Or had it always been platonic? He quickly shook his head--he shouldn't be thinking these things.

Out of the corner of his eye, he took notice of you approaching the exit door, and he jumped to open it for you.

"Why are you so sweet to me..?" You pretended to roll your eyes, attempting to hide the smile on your face.

Though, his reaction to your statement was completely different than his usual, quirky remarks. His face erupted in red, and he tried to avoid your gaze as he offered to hold your bag. However, just as his fingers met yours, you realized something.

Taking his hand in your gloved one, you demanded. "Where are your gloves?"

"Oh..uh.." He paused, realizing a lie wouldn't get him anywhere. "I left them behind..I didn't think I'd need them.."

You gave him a skeptical look before your gaze softened. "It's like twenty degrees you know." You muttered, setting the extra bag onto the cold pavement, doing the same with the bags in Adrien's grasp. Before he could question your actions, you took both of his hands into your own and squeezed them tightly. "We only have one more place to go," You looked him in the eye, "so we'll have to share."

Unable to form a proper reply, Adrien only nodded, hands intertwined with yours as you started walking again.

A few moments into walking, the blond couldn't help but notice the red tint on your nose and cheeks. What he was about to do was bold, to say in the least. He stopped in his tracks, and you in response, stopped as well. You raised an eyebrow at him, but he only squeezed your hands tightly and stepped closer to you.

"Are you cold?"

Slightly thrown off by his question, you stumble over your words. "Actually, I--"

Adrien pressed further, until his forehead and nose touched yours. He was much, much warmer than you were, and you failed to hold back a shiver. As he closed his eyes and released a small hum, you could feel your face begin to heat as his eyelashes ghosted over your cheeks. "I told you to put on a heavier coat."

"Oh.." You laughed awkwardly. "Well, it's just a bit chilly, plus, I liked this one better so.."

"It's like twenty degrees you know." He repeated back to you, causing your cheeks to flare excessively.

"W-Well yeah! But I can barely even feel it!"

Then, Adrien pulled away and started to undo his coat. You tried numerous times to stop him, but he wouldn't listen, not unless you had a good enough reason to refute with.

"How about this," You held onto his arm, keeping him from taking his arm out. "we share the jacket too?"

Adrien blinked, "And how are we gonna do that?"

"Easy." You puffed out your chest. "Your coat is big enough for the two of us. I face forwards and slip my arms into your sleeves, then we zip up the front! Genius!"

"That sounds ridiculous.."

"You never know until you try!"

Surprisingly enough, it was actually quite warm; and just the right amount of uncomfortable. Even though confused, astonished, and lovey-dovey stares were thrown your way, it was uncomfortably perfect.

"Then it went downhill from there." You laughed, trying not to drop the mug of eggnog in your hand. "Our decorations were forever demolished and so were most of my Christmas presents. But hey! They tried right? So that makes me happy."

Adrien watched you take another sip with a conflicted expression, your last Christmas was horrible--and he only now realized after listening to your story. Glancing over to his left - opposite of the Christmas tree - he checked to see if Nathalie was listening. She typed away at her laptop, and her mug sat on the end table next to her, untouched.

"So.." Adrien started, hoping to change the subject. "Do you think this year will be better..?" He slighty whispered, watching as you started to nod off.

"W-What?" You blinked, "Oh yeah! This year is gonna be so awesome." You whisper-yelled back to him, drinking the last of your eggnog. Pursing your lips, you set the empty mug on the floor and stretched out next to the large, decorative tree. "Nathalie's Christmas present is gonna be just like this tree.."

"Awesome?"

"Yes." You carried the 's', waving your hand lazily.

Nathalie, as if she just realized where she was, stopped typing, surveyed the room and took a sip from her mug. She then paused. With widened eyes she glanced back and forth between her own mug and yours and Adrien's. A moment of silence passed before she finally stated, "I think my eggnog may have gotten mixed with one of yours."

Holding back a laugh, Adrien pointed to your sleeping form on the rug. "That explains all the giggling."

"Please don't be awake..please don't be awake..." Adrien, as Chat Noir, whispered to himself as he walked the halls. It was the night of Christmas eve, yet crime still happened on the streets of Paris, and the superhero didn't have a chance to retire early tonight. If you happened to find him sneaking around the house as he was now, you'd probably disregard the whole persona thing and argue about how he should be sleeping.  

Coming to a sudden halt, he picked up on the sounds of footsteps coming from the direction he was heading in. "Oh no." He mumbled under his breath.

He could transform back into his normal self, but that wouldn't be fast enough - and he'd be seen. He put his back to the wall, hiding in the shadow cast by the door frame. He counted the steps, three slow sluggish steps, before finally; he heard a loud thump through the wall.

"Ow.."

"(Y/N)?" Crap, he spoke without thinking.

"...Adrien?" You started to walk again, "Is that you?"

He didn't from his hiding spot, giving only a quiet 'yes' in response. You stopped in the doorway and rubbed at your eyes, muttering a cluster of words under a sigh. "I don't feel like playing hide and seek right now, it's too dark." You yawned, "Make sure to get some sleep or Santa won't come tonight."

It was safe now; you turned around and started for the guest room. But, not yet. There was still one thing he needed to do. How to go about it, however, he had no idea.

You didn't get too far from the archway when your vision was taken - not at all helping your headache. Just as you opened your mouth to say something, Adrien spoke again.

"Turn around, but don't open your eyes."

Though skeptical, you did as told, pivoting on your heel with pursed lips. "What is it?"

You weren't able to see anything, but you could envision Adrien's conflicted expression due to his hesitation. You took notice of his uneven breathing and wondered what the issue could be. Cold fingers cupped your face, causing you to shiver and lean into his touch. You waited eagerly in the silence. Then, you parted your lips, just about to say something when you felt his lips press against yours.

Your eyes shot open in surprise, but rolled to a close immediately after. Your tense muscles relaxed and you returned the kiss just as tenderly. Pulling away for just a picosecond, you tilted your head and reconnected your lips with just as much passion.

You let the kiss continue for a few more minutes before you pulled away, reclaiming your breath. "I've been waiting for you to do that for so long.."

"A-Ah..yeah..there was a mistletoe.." He stammered, pulling you in for a quick hug. "You should get back to bed now."

You nod, a soft smile decorating your features. "Goodnight Adrien."

You were incredibly happy when returning to bed, but your fuzzy vision led you into yet another wall. Muttering a soft condolence, you continued back to the guest room, unaware of the extremely flustered superhero you left behind.

"Do you seriously not remember anything from last night?"

You shook your head - careful not to let the cooling pad fall from your forehead. "No," You passed Adrien another neatly wrapped gift. "I can't remember anything after telling you that story. I really should've checked my eggnog before drinking it; everything is just blurry and blank."

Adrien made a small noise, a noise sounding almost dejected to you.

"Why?" You smiled wistfully, "Is there something I'm supposed to remember?"

"No," You didn't miss the red on his cheeks, "it's nothing." or the shy smile on his face.

Well, he found out one thing; now all that was left was to confess.

But that was for another day.

I never have anytime to edit TT-TT

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! I hope you guys had as great a Christmas as I did! I ate too much and saw wayy too many people for my anxiety to handle, but looking back at it now, it was fun :) And I got Persona 5 yisssss

I wanted to post this when I first woke, about six-ish, but I had to rewrite a scene over the course of today so..yeah ;u; sorry for the ever-so-changing writing style.

Unfortunately, I don’t have enough time to upload an imagine atm, but I will do it first thing tomorrow!

Happy holidays!

[burndownthehousetonight]

((I just finished up an RP with @tinyredartist! It finished a lot quicker than I expected, but we were both updating fairly rapidly, so I guess I shouldn’t be TOO surprised. Anyways, just a mostly serious little story about Manic and Aria being turds :D Hope you enjoy!))

It wasn’t a long drive away from his house, that ‘felecidades’ place, or whatever it was called. It was maybe an hour from where he lived, nothing he couldn’t manage. And his concern wasn’t regarding the bar itself not usually hosting musical acts. He didn’t need good acoustics to play well, his music was good enough on it’s own, and from what he’d seen, all of the other musicians they called in to play back-up for him were very talented.

No, his concern came from the streets he drove down. He was certain he’d been here before, many moons before with Scourge. It was strange, returning to a place he didn’t even know he remembered, even if it was only in vague splashes.

He parked his van in front of the bar, stepping out with his guitar. There were a couple scarce buildings he could almost swear he would remember, but there was one he was certain he hadn’t seen before. Thankfully, it was the bar he was entering, “Dasvidania.” In spite of the comfortable location, the vague familiarity filled him with a dread he couldn’t shake.

Inside the bar, a stage was set upon against a back wall, providing all seated patrons with a view. A crocodile, a bat and a cheetah looked to be setting up and a tiger was messing around with wires that connected to a speaker. Behind the bar, a red panda took inventory with a clipboard, reorganizing bottles and such.

Oddly enough, Aria seemed to be the only one who noticed the musician enter, perking up from where she had ducked behind a table to clean a spill. She tossed the wet rag away and with surprising force, pounded on the counter of the bar. The sound itself shook the bottles on the wall a bit. It was almost as if she was knocking… Maybe someone was upstairs? There was a second floor to the place after all, but no visible staircase.

“Hi Manic! The boss will be down in just a second. Here, lemme show you where you can store your guitar case.” The short female motioned for the other to follow her towards the stage. Manic's initial shock at a stranger knowing his name quickly melted as soon as he realized who she was. "Alright, sweet, uh... Aria," he said, reading her name tag. The walk to where the rest of the instrument cases had been left wasn't long, and in a fluid motion, he slipped the guitar strap around his neck. The tiger instinctively searched around for the right wire as he saw Manic pull out one more instrument that needed to be set up. Manic walked on stage, giving a greeting and some kind of hand motion to greet each of his temporary backup. The tiger plugged him in, and spoke about if they practiced certain songs and technical details, nothing that sounded too interesting. He turned around on the stage... and looked around. There was no sign of a boss anywhere. The next time Aria walked by, he motioned her over. "Uh... lemme guess, he's the same guy I talked to on the phone?" He joked, careful to make sure he wasn't nearby. "His voice really gritty and kind of muppet-y?" “You’re good to go.” The tiger patted Manic on the shoulder.

“Kyle! Keyboard is acting up! ” The cheetah called and the male started cursing under his breath as he walked off.

Arias ears perked as Manic waved her down, bouncing up onstage to provide assistance. She seemed confused for a few seconds at his statement until something clicked and she giggled. “Our boss is a lady. And she was losing her voice when she called you which is why she sounded masculine. She should be coming right about now.”

Suddenly the wall that the red panda was doing inventory on swung open to reveal a hidden staircase and a bat. She made her way over to the stage and looked up at the two of them.

“You must be Manic I assume? ” The bat had a thick Russian accent, and her demeanor was cold. What a stark contrast to the bubbly girl who stood beside him. Manic silently decided to keep the muppet voice comment to himself. "Yeah, in the flesh." He said, holding his arm out for a handshake. "I just got here, like, a few minutes ago, nice to meet you." She hadn't said anything else to him, but just from the way she stood, it felt like he had already done several things wrong and disgraced her bloodline for generations to come. But she wasn't berating him, and she accepted the greeting. He had a tendency to come across people who gave off those vibes. "Alright, so this band says they've got all of the sheet music I sent down," he explained. "Uh, I know we already went over the set list, but do you want us to make any more changes? You said there are gonna be a lot of people tonight, I just wanna be sure." She looked at the hand, clearly thinking a handshake was below her. Regardless she briefly shook his hand.

“I have no specific criteria at this time. You’d be best to run through your act before the people arrive. Aria, call me when the guests show up.” Without a goodbye to Manic she returned to the upstairs.

“Don’t be too offended if she’s rather cold. She’s not a people person. The first guests will be arriving at 8, so you have time to run though your songs. Need anything else? ” The red head asked, eager to help out where she could.

She had another lightbulb moment. “Oh! Do you have business cards or CDs? We could always sell those at the bar. Boss would take a bit of the money but it would be some extra cash and exposure for you! ” Manic laughed. "You read my mind. Yeah, just lemme hop outta here real quick, I have a whole stack of them in my van. Just a sec." Without specifying what 'them' referred to, Manic hurried out the door, returning after maybe a minute with a stack of CDs, even in custom printed jewel cases. He put them down on the bar. "Yeah, don't worry about any fee or whatever, that's just normal. Hey, thanks, mate." He gave her a nod and a smirk before heading back to the stage. Manic jumped back on stage, speaking with some of the people he was going to be playing with as he tuned his guitar. "Alright, you guys think we should try 'Here's Your Card' to start sound test? I think... ..." With a few nods, the four got into their positions, the tiger at the soundboard as they got ready for their practice number. What started as a mostly imbalanced set of volumes soon balanced out into a mid tempo rock song with a large amount of emphasis on the rhythm guitar. It had a surprisingly smooth groove to it. Manic had turned around to face the other band members, the four exchanging glances and nods to indicate small changes of some kind or another. Aria took the CDs when he handed them over and put them behind the counter, safe from drink spillage. She inspected the case, reading any song titles and looking for a price to put on them. She made note to ask Manic what he was asking for them. She sat next to the tiger as he worked, foot tapping to the beat.

People on the street stopped to listen to the tune, several really enjoying them.

Aria got up and put a sign on the door, a generic poster that one would usually fill out with the name of the bad and the details of times and such. Below the text, she added that CDs were available for purchase inside.

The set eventually finished and the small audience clapped, clearly having enjoyed the music.

“Hey Manic, before we open I wanted to ask, how much do I charge for one of those CDs? ” Manic was surprised by the clapping. He gave a grin and a wave to the small audience passing by, before Aria came up and asked her question. "Oh, shoot, I, uh..." He scratched the back of his head. "Usually, it just depends on how fancy a place I'm playing at. How about, like... fifteen bucks? That sounds good." There was a beat, before he interrupted himself. "Oh, right! You know these guys are their own band, right?" He pointed his thumb at the other people he was practicing with. "I think they've got some CDs of their own. That right?" He called back. "Yep, one sec." The crocodile responded, walking towards where the instrument cases were kept. As they waited, Manic leaned towards Aria with a mischievous smile. "Okay, so I'm not drinking now, but I gotta ask for after the show. What's the girliest, frilliest drink y'all've got? I live for those messes." “Yeah. They play for us all the time.” She answered his question and took an arm full of CDs from the crocodile. They charged more for their CDs, probably because they had to pay vocalists, so Aria put up a sign that CDs were $20. The custom cases - labeled as “deluxe custom artwork"- would go for more.

Aria seemed giddy at his question. "Oh, I love making those drinks! They’re so much fun! And don’t worry, I’ll whip up something special for ya. Any flavor requests? ”

For how talented Manic was as a musician, Aria was just as good with her alcohol. After all, it had been 13 years of seeing drinks mixed daily, she just came up with them on the fly. And for this particular consumer, she was thinking of tinting the drink green and selling it as a one night special. "Honestly, as long as I can't taste the alcohol, I'm gonna love it," Manic confessed. "It just- The more ridiculous it looks and tastes, the better, you get me?" He stood up, saying one more thing before turning back to the band. "And don't lemme get drunk before the show," he joked. Sound check wasn't just another soundcheck for them, it was making sure they had certain harmonies and more difficult sections down pat. It seemed like Manic was humming along instead of actually singing - 'gotta leave the big reveal for the show', he'd tell the other members. It was easy to tell from the keyboard setting and the basslines that Manic's music was very 80s inspired, a strange contrast to the more traditional garage rock songs his accompanying band typically played. There was an odd harmony between the two styles played, that shouldn't have worked as it did. The sign on the door was flipped over to 'open.' Manic looked at his phone. Sure enough, an hour had already passed, and they're more than gone overboard with their soundcheck. Of course, they still had an hour left before their set, but it was still a shock. "Alright, I'mma just grab a water," Manic said to his other band members before hopping off the stage, over towards Aria. As she reached to grab him a water, he spoke quietly. "You sure these are the right people?" Manic asked. The bar crowd looked rough, to say the least. Aria mock saluted the green hedgehog, starting to mix up a cocktail or two. She tested out her own drinks and made notes until she perfected the specialty. Now if only she could think of a name for it on the specials board. She settled for the title of one of Manics albums and wrote it on the board. She mixed her boss a drink, shaking the components to the beat before serving it.

When asked, Aria set the glass on the counter and nodded. "Yup. This is the usual crowd.” Someone ordered the new special and she mixed it for them quickly, doing a few party tricks like flipping bottles and balancing some on her nose. Manic stood where he was for a moment, sipping his water as he watched Aria pull off her multitude of impressive tricks. She eventually ended the display with a bright green drink. According to the sign behind her, it was named... "Over◆Drive?" Manic asked, clearly a little flattered. "Ah, man, you didn't have to name it that." He was actually blushing a little. "Man, I'm gonna look like such a diva, ain't I?" He asked, certainly not broken up about the idea. He kept watching the crowds. Maybe he was spoiled on playing bars in his home city, because he wasn't expecting this crowd. He wasn't going to complain, but the last times he'd ever been to really sleazy bars were years ago. It was oddly comfortable. In a filthy, unsafe kind of way, but still comfortable. He'd been to many bars like this before, although he'd never played one like this. He turned back towards the stage, and all of the band members had walked off, clearly waiting until it was closer to their set time to worry about final details. So he sat down where he was. "Hey, you mind if I ask you something kind of stupid?" He couldn't help but ask. "So like, why's there a secret superhero staircase behind the bar? Why not, like, a normal staircase? Is she secretly a superhero or summat?" "We have a motto here. Divas sell drinks. Trust me this one has been going faster than I can make them, which is fast.”

As she mixed another signature drink, she scanned the bar. The crowd was a mix of couples, alcoholics, college kids from frats and sororities, and several people who seemed just as nervous as him. Aria tucked the tip from a patron away as she listened to Manics question. It made her laugh, and several patrons smiled and laughed too. Drunk off their asses.

“No silly. She lives upstairs. It’s dangerous to have an open stairway so only the tenders and the boss have keys. You couldn’t pay me to go up there, but I could if I had to, which I do.” "Okay, if you say so," he teased. "You stick with your answer, I'll stick with mine." Manic just sat back as he watched around the bar, spotting the other band members in their little clique at a table near the stage. As more and more people arrived for the night, Manic began growing more at ease. Maybe those rougher faces simply came in early? Yeah, this was more the kind of crowd he was used to. He carried on at the bar for a bit, cracking a few dumb jokes and having one drink - very light, just so it wouldn't mess with his playing, of course. He would head to the stage or talk with the band members here and there to pass the time, but there was something off. Nothing he could place, but something very slightly off. Not as a bad premonition, but more a vague discomfort he couldn't quite place. Maybe- No, it wasn't his nerves. He was used to this, he could do this. So then, what was he getting nervous about? Aria and the other staff seemed to feel that nervousness too. Everything was on edge and the girl’s eyes darted around the crowd. No one unusual, just far more packed than she’d ever seen it.

"Word spreads fast. This is a huge crowd for this place. The boss even had to call in bouncers.” She motioned to two rhinos at the door, guarding it. When Manic left to go chat with his temporary band mates, Aria snuck a shot of vodka for herself.

Soon it was time for the band to start playing. Aria pulled out a little stool and sat down to watch the opening song. Giving the musicians a thumbs up for encouragement. Manic gave her a nod as he saw the thumbs up. He tapped the mic three times, before speaking. "What's up, everybody? I'm Manic Automatic, this is my first time playing here, and these dudes behind me are The Fourth Degree." One of them made a 'whoo!' in response to hearing their band's name called. "Alright, let's skip all this talking nonsense!" He started with a simple riff from the rhythm guitar, minimal instrumentation as he put focus on his vocals. "Go get our epitaths engraved And we'll explore this whole new age Brick and mortar turned to gold Under butchered steel and atomic roads" It was no wonder Manic didn't sing while practicing earlier. It was clear that, while his guitar playing was fairly good, his vocal skills were where most of his training went. It was penetrating and distinct, not to mention powerful. He sang through strange descriptions of a decrepit, yet oddly romanticized time as he seemed to give his body entirely to the rhythm. The bar was pumping with the music and the crowd responded well to it. A few less than sober people dancing around. For Aria it was lovely to listen to as she mixed drinks to the beat. His voice was wonderful. The CDs sold out like hot cakes and several people were put on a waiting list. It was a lot of money being thrown at her. Quite frankly, she felt like a stripper.

A friend of hers came in, taking a seat behind her, invisible to Manic. His green quills long and pulled back in a ponytail. He ordered a signature drink and gulped it down fast. The music was good and he tapped his foot to the beat. It was an interesting show for Manic to perform. It was clear that the band who was playing wasn't just another set of musician. There was a kind of unspoken bond between the three, and Manic was having fun trying to find a fay to fit into that rhythm the three held together. The night and show drew on, cycling through various songs from the two bands. Loving lyrics and angsty chords, from pop to rock and anywhere between... ...Explosive sounds and subtle vocals, whole swathes of emotions and subjects... It was easy to watch the energy flow through Manic more and more as they played. Performances always ended too soon for him, but they could never be long enough for his tastes. He couldn't help it. He was a born performer. But as with all shows, he found himself belting out his final number, letting out every syllable with all of his newfound excitement. The end of the number brought the crowd, Aria included, to a standing ovation for the group. Several people hooted and hollered. Aria clapped, happy that her new friend had been so well received. As Manic and the band started to go offstage, Aria started mixing drinks for the four, on the house of course.

“That was awesome Manic! You have such a great voice! And boys you were excellent! Now you all need to go get more CDs if you have them, cause I’ve got a back order list longer than I am tall!” A bit of a joke, seeing as she was barely up to the green hedgehogs chin, and the shortest person in the room. Manic was about to thank her when she brought up the CDs. "Wha-Back order, seriously?" Manic said, surprised by how good the reception was. He shared a surprised glance with the crocodile, and the two immediately darted out to grab more CDs. Manic wasn't prepared for much of a backorder, but he did have some CDs on hand, just in case the merch table were to run out. He huddled them in his arms and walked back in to a few more cheers and excited shouts. He plopped them down on the bar again, not really sure what else to do with them. And by the time he'd come back, his drink was finished. "Aw, man, dude, you're amazing." He said, picking up the drink happily and slurping down something that was surprisingly well crafted for something Manic drank. He was used to just burst of strong flavor, not subtlety or any assemblence of competence. The pleasant surprise was plainly visible on his face. Aria had more money thrown at her in the exchange for a CD and looked over at Manic and Scourge, laughing. The money jar had filled and the bar had emptied a fair amount, more like a normal night now. Aria was still cracking out drinks, lining up rainbow shots for a few guests.

“She is very talented. She’s been doing this since before we met. Very few people can create something this good on the spot. ” Scourge turned to look at Manic as he spoke and tapped the bar. Aria slid him another drink. The drink slid down the bar, but Manic didn't react as it passed his hands. He hadn't noticed the green hedgehog before. It was another Scourge, no doubt. All he could do was stare. He remembered... he remembered ANOTHER night at this bar. It wasn't a special night, it wasn't even that good of a night. Him and his old boyfriend went out for some drinks, chatted a bit, there was nothing of note that happened, but he remembered it in a disturbing amount of detail. The texture of the bartop, the flavor, the way he spoke. For some bizarre reason, seeing a Scourge triggered a perfectly bland memory that carried years of damage simply by existing. His glare was far too long and horrified. He stared at Scourge, before his glare drifted further, as though he was staring straight through Scourge and towards infinity. Scourges ears twitched, at first confused and then dismissive. Making an assumption about the horrified look. “Yeah yeah, evil bad guy, my alternate wronged you in some way, you hate my guts etc etc etc. Save it kiddo. I’ve heard all that jazz before.” Another swing of the drink.

Aria noticed Manic next, walking over and waving her hand in front of his eyes. “Manic? Maaaaanic? Anyone in there? ” The concern in her voice was evident. The strange voices swirled through his mind, until he finally pulled away from petrification, yet never leaving terror. "S-Sorry, dude," Manic said, fumbling his way out of his seat. He was nowhere near as collected as he'd acted on stage. Hell, nowhere near as collected as he acted moments before. "I just... I just remembered something I've gotta do." Neither of them bought this for a moment, but Manic was gone. Straight out the bar entrance, towards his van, but not inside. He leaned against the door opposite the bar entrance, both hands cupped over his mouth as he breathed heavily. He'd met Scourges before. And this one was right, he usually hated their guts. Seeing one in a specific location like this was different. Seeing one in such a place to make him remember his old boyfriend was completely different. He was still reeling, and wasn't sure when it was going to stop. He stood for much longer than he thought he did, still wondering what to do... and then he heard footsteps. There were plenty of footsteps he heard that evening, but these ones were definitely coming right towards him. Funny, they didn't sound like men's boots... In his daze, he didn’t hear Aria call after him, or call for the other bartender to take over as she ducked out of the bar. No one else saw them, but Scourge was filled with guilt. He ordered a bottle of the strong stuff and chugged it. If he didn’t hate himself before he sure did now.

The footsteps belonged to Aria, her heels clicking as they met concrete. She called out again, having switched from her bubbly personality to a more maternal mode. She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder gently. “Manic? Manic Honey are you okay? ” Manic was shocked when he saw Aria, but quickly calmed down. He did his best to put on a nervous smile and gave a few nervous laughs, failing to convince either of them.  "Yeah, I'll be fine," he said, turning down his energy for once. "I just... I wasn't expecting to see a Scourge here." He put his hand on his forehead and laughed. "I just don't- we never get along that well, trust me." He sighed and relaxed his shoulders. "Hey, I get this is gonna be- this is gonna be a really dumb question." She looked way too young to have worked at this bar that far back, and she wouldn't remember one of countless guests having one of countless private conversations. "Do you remember... like, have you met any other Scourges at this place before?" "I understand, but you’re not fine Manic. You should sit down. I can ask him to leave if you’d like.” Ahe kept close in case he dropped like a stone, and sat him down next to her on the curb.

Aria shook her head. “It’s not a dumb question. We get very few here, not including that guy. Most get kicked out for being too grabby or rough… If you’re looking for a specific one I can probably remember them if you tell me something about who they were with or what unique features they have.” He was relieved to hear her mention the other Scourges. "Nah, this is his bar, isn't it?" He looked down at the pavement. "I ain't gonna ask someone to leave for just.. existing!" He said, letting out a more genuine laugh this time. "He just reminded me of someone else I know." He rested his chin on the back of his hand. "But this one I mean wasn't really grabby or anything, he would have been calmer. I would've been with him, and I kind of stopped him from beating up most people. He had this bit of wire wrapped around like a ring, and he was actually pretty good at singing?" He looked back at the curb, and started messing around with his hands. "This is a really long shot, but... If you saw him recently... like, this last year recently, he would have been-" He twirled his hands around, thinking of the right words. "His hands were kind of- He wouldn't have had two of his fingers." "If you’re sure. ” The laugh made her feel better. Manic seemed to be returning to somewhat normalcy. As he explained she scrunched her nose up in thought. “Hmm… I think I remember you two… You were sitting at that table at the front right? I’m sorry Manic. He doesn’t sound like any of the ones walking through here. Was he your boyfriend?” All the clues and subtle hints he was dropping lead to that logical conclusion. She gently pasted him on the shoulder to comfort him. Manic didn't say anything, he simply smiled. "Yeah," he said nostalgically. "I know there are tons of Scourge's, but most of em are just asses. But he was different. Very, very different..." He tilted his head to look at Aria. She seemed surprisingly calm in spite of everything he just did. "Who are you?" It was asked as though they'd never met before. "I mean, you're fun, you're kind, you're good at your job... That's rare to find," he said. He still didn't know what to think of that other Scourge, but he knew that he was fine with this young woman. "Or is that just a bartender's job?" She smiled as he recounted his memories of his lover. Quite frankly she could listen to people talk about their loved ones all day. That sparkle in their eyes gave her a glimpse into their thoughts. The question was met with confusion until he elaborated.

"Well… I don’t… I don’t know for sure. But for a brief synopsis I’m just a deeply traumatized overachiever who cares and drinks far too much.” Manic grinned and slapped her on the back. "Ain't we all," Manic said, genuinely enjoying himself once more. "Trust me, if anyone's gonna get what that's like, it's Manic the hergherg." He didn't get up from his spot, comfortable sitting on some filthy curb. "I didn't even remember this place, it was so long ago. I guess seeing a Scourge just..." He looked down. "I wasn't expecting anything like that. Tonight's been a great night, I didn't think a Scourge would show up out of nowhere like that." He faced Aria. "So, is he one of the terrible Scourges?" He asked, half joking. When Manic said hergherg it got her laughing, covering her mouth. The laugh dozes down as he resumed talking and she propped her arm up on her leg to hold her head up.

"Life does surprise us sometimes… And the only terrible thing he’s really done is making shitty puns. A crime in and of itself.” "If that's a crime, I'm like public enemy numbers one through ten over here." He smarmed out of his mouth. "Ah, well, at least you don't have to-" He laughed to himself. "Y'all already know what Scourges do, I don't need to explain it. You've already dealt with all that!" Manic looked behind him, back towards the bar. Then he started to stand up. "I think I've gotta head back, I haven't really- I still need to thank those guys for playing with me. Besides, I've got a technicolor drink to drown in." The implication of why he actually wanted to head back were obvious, even if he didn't want to say it out loud. "Sure we can go in. Feeling better?” Aria got up herself and offered Manic a hand to get up.

Aria and Manic made their way through the small crowd of people and Aria returned to back of the counter. Scourge was red faced from the alcohol, but seemed to be more put together than some of the other patrons. “Hey man… I’m sorry. What I said was rude.” Manic still wasn't sure what to make of Scourge. He drank from his glass while looking at him, then away, then back at him. Yeah, he was certainly gruff, but not quite AS gruff. He didn't have acres of scars and damaged skin like some of the truly awful ones. He'd met enough Scourges to know he should have kept his distance. But instead, he approached the situation by faking some kind of casual behavior and using his old fallback - stupid, out of place humor. "You sure you're a Scourge?" He joked, putting his glass down on the counter and smiling nervously. "Shouldn't you be cussing me out for that or punching me in the face? Probably both?" Through his nerves, his tone made it clear not a single word he was saying was serious. Scourge chuckled and smirked at the other. "Nah. Unlike those other guys I don’t usually punch people for no reason.”

He motioned that the seat next to him was open for Manic to sit down and Aria kept an eye on them both, for Manics sake.

“You’re a good musician, by the way.” Manic trepedatiously sat next to Scourge, but feeling a little more comfortable as they went. "Thanks, mate," he said, pointing his thumb behind his back as the side of the stage. "But I can't take all the credit, those guys are some awesome musicians." Aria was darting her eyes over from time to time, and Manic had just started to notice. Was this simple curiosity, or was it for his protection? He took another gulp of his drink, which he was beginning to really enjoy. "Sorry about freaking out like that." He laughed a bit. He'd gotten to the point where he was barely calm enough to act convincingly calm. "Don't exactly have a great record with Scourges, you kind of got that exactly right." He breathed deep. Aria was more than nice, and clearly level headed. If she could trust this Scourge... "Don’t worry about freaking out. At least you didn’t hit me. I had a dude shank me once because he thought I was someone else. Not pleasant.” He caught Arias glances over at them and chuckled. “You’ve awoken Mama Bear. She’s gonna be checking up on you to make sure you’re okay all night.”

From across the bar there were the sound of tables and chairs being moved. And some yelling. Arias attention was drawn away from the two. Manic turned towards the back of the bar. It seemed like the bat who was playing with him earlier was getting into a pretty heated argument with some guy who'd had far too many. "I'll just deal with that as it comes," Manic said as he turned back towards the bar. He had to be extra cautious here that this wasn't some kind of ruse, but he was at least... enjoying himself. It was only a little, though still genuine enjoyment. "You think I don't know about getting messed up for doing nothing?" He gave a smile, a badly chipped tooth clearly visible. "But I don't really hang out around people with too many shivs." He quickly held his chin between two fingers, like he was thinking. "I guess that would be any number of shivs." He was as comfortable as he was going to get. He felt like he could relax around him, but there was still a thin film of dread suffocating their encounter. Why was he enjoying this at all? "Ouch. That looks like it hurt. And you’re right, any positive number of shivs on a person is bad. ” he winced a bit as he imagined the pain the poor kid must have felt. Having finished his drink he turned to see Aria's attention drawn by the fight. She had to stand on a box to see over the crowd, straining.

“Ten bucks says Aria jumps the bar to get those two separated,” he wagered to no one in particular and one of the other patrons slapped down a ten. Manic turned back to look at the large crowd of people standing around the quickly escalating fight. He couldn't hear much of what was being said, but they were definitely passionate enough about whatever it was to get to screaming. "I think they said something about him," Manic joked. "Some kind of hothead, or summat? Guess I ain't too surprised." He immediately was surprised as the sound of a bottle shattering, followed by a chorus of 'ooohs' in all exclamations, ranging from deeply concerned to excited. He couldn't hear exactly what either of them were saying, but he heard someone yell, 'bring it!' Judging by the chanting of the crowd, it was unfortunately too late to stop any kind of a fight. Manic clutched at his drink in grim interest. And over the bar counter Aria went, jumping into the crowd and squeezing her way to the fight itself, security not too far behind. The boys lost sight of her. Scourge collected his money and smirked.

A bottle was smashed and someone got hit with a chair. The band member, nursing a bloody nose, got to the bar and received an iced tag to help clean the blood. The grunts from a struggle could still be heard. As well as a scream.

Scourge was up in a second, moving towards and into the crowd. Leaving Manic behind to follow if he pleased. Manic looked over at the bat nursing his wounds, and then at Scourge making his way through the crowd towards the fight. He hesitated for a moment, before jumping out of his chair. "Wait, Scourge!" He couldn't hear him yell that over the noise of the bar, so Manic would have to keep him out of the danger zone by force. He rushed towards Scourge, which wasn't an easy feat. He had to keep track of him specifically through the crowds of people, and somehow ignore the sounds of bodies being thrown around and the sound of wood smacking against flesh. But he found his way towards Scourge, who was watching on at one particular struggle. It appears that the drunken man who was yelling at the bat had not only punched his adversary, but was now being waylaid on by the crocodile. Scourge seemed to be enjoying the show for the few moments he'd seen it before Manic rushed up to try and stop him from getting beaten up, and before the cheetah and aria simultaneously pulled him away from the struggle. "Holy-!" It was all Manic could say, both in shock to what was happening, and in shock of the fact he was trying to stop a Scourge from being hurt. Aria dragged Manic's ass back to a chair and left the cheetah to keep him out of danger. Looking for a quick solution, she grabbed a the chalkboard menu and motioned for Manic to cover his ears.

She extended her claws, three identical steal blades extending from the space between her knuckles. Bracing herself, she scraped them along the chalkboard in an ear splitting screech. Most of the fighters stopped to cover their ears. The bats in the room wincing in pain. Even the brute and crocodile were holding their heads.

Scourge took the opportunity to knock the drunk man out and once it was safe, Aria stopped. People shot a lot of death glares at air and their former opponents. Many just flipped their chairs right way round and went back to drinking.

Aria was quick to put the chalkboard down and put her hands and claws under hot water, extremely uncomfortable. Scourge walked up to Manic. “You okay?” Manic simply stared at Scourge, but this time, it wasn't a terrified glare. It was entirely, completely confused. Emotions melded with inebriation in perfect time to keep Manic baffled for a strangely long time. "Y-yeah, dude," he finally uttered. He watched Scourge as he sat down, still trying to think clearly. For once, after the fighting had ceased, Manic was the one who wasn't dealing with some kind of an injury. Aria was nursing her hands under the tap, Scourge wiping a bit of blood off of his jacket.Manic just took another long sip from his drink, nearing the bottom of the glass as he watched Scourge. "Dude, you barely know me. Why are you asking if I'm fine?" Scourge sipped at his drink, ears twitching slightly as he listened to the others question. He answered with a shrug.

“I thought you got hit cause there’s a little blood on your cheek. Besides it’s common decency.” He tapped the side of his face to indicate where some blood had hit Manic and gave him a paper towel.

Aria finished hurting her wounds and went over to the boys, claws still out and skin rubbed red. “You two okay?” "Yeah, I think we're good," Manic said, trying to shake off the last shreds of confusion. "What were they even fighting about, anyways?" The band had warned him many times that their bassist tended to get all political, but Manic didn't listen. And now here he was, still holding his large ears from the sound of the chalkboard and nursing a bloody, hopefully not broken nose. "That blade thing was sweet, though. I-" This was the first time he looked at her hands, noticing her red skin. "Dude, are you sure YOU'RE alright!? Look at your hands, they look like they got burnt!" The crocodile was checking his band mates nose, scolding him quietly. All the bat could do was whimper as the croc poked and prodded at his nose.

Aria glanced over there, upset with herself. “I feel bad for putting that guy in pain…. And let’s just say some slurs were thrown.” she glanced down at her hands and giggled. “I’m fine. Hot water plus scrubbing makes the area red and the skin is tender so I can’t put these back in for a bit. And I’m glad you think this is cool.” Aria beamed at him, seemingly prideful

Of course she briefly left to go give the bat a shot of the hard alcohol so he wouldn’t feel pain as the crocodile set his nose. "If you say so," Manic said still a little skeptical as Aria walked back to help the bat stop squirming in pain. When she was out of earshot, Manic faced Scourge again. "S-She's got wolverine claws?" He said, in disbelief. "I thought she was just a nice chick. Hm." He took the last swig of his drink, letting the news sink in. "You think you'd be used to people having special powers the billionth time you see some special power, and then someone comes in who can summon lasers and keytar solos from nowhere. It's all kind of weird." He kept a close eye on the bat getting his nose tended to. By the looks of it, his nose was barely broken, maybe just fractured. Still, it wasn't anything he'd want to deal with himself. Finally thinking he had a moment where no one was listening, he turned towards Scourge again, putting on a nervous grin. "Hey, if I ever say anything really stupid or prejudiced about you being a Scourge or anything, don't be afraid to break my own nose," he said, half joking. "Trust me, it's gonna happen at some point." He stuck out his tongue in a joking grin, trying to lighten the mood a bit in the tense post-brawl atmosphere. Scourge raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know about lasers but Aria isn’t just claws. She’s got all sorts of tricks. Her brother too, except he’s an asshole. But you didn’t here that from me,” he whispered.

Aria meanwhile was cleaning the claws off with a rag, like one would polish a metal surface. She also mixed herself another signature drink.

Scourge shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Most of the time they’re true and I’m just an exception. Doesn’t bug me… Not to be up in your business and all, but I’m sorry if my alternate hurt you.” Manic laughed lightly. "What're you apologizing for? It ain't like Scourge's are a hive mind, you didn't do anything." He gave Scourge a firm slap on the back. "You're fine, dude." The moment was just a bit too chummy for him to be completely comfortable. But for a few moments, he stopped thinking about the fact he was talking to a Scourge. No, he wasn't another Scourge, just Scourge. They weren't a hive mind, and he knew that. He had to try and change the way he thought about them. "Besides, the ones who've 'hurt' me have more just been vaguely dickish." He grinned. "Now, you wanna find a hivemind of assholes, look for a Finitevus. If you can find the ones that don't, like, eat babies or anything, and you screw with them? Their reactions are priceless." “Yeah well I feel guilty- ” The slap cut of his sentence with a quiet yelp of pain. Not like the slap was hard, but like the area was sensitive.

“Yeah uh… Could you not do that maybe?” He sounded out of breath. From the little bit of his jacket that was undone, Manic thought he saw a white shirt. Upon closer inspection they were white bandages, wrapping around the others torso. Looks like manic had hit an injury.

Oops. "Holy- Oh my gosh, dude, I'm so sorry!" He said, leaning away from Scourge a bit. "I didn't mean to! You alright?" He clearly wasn't too concerned about it. Maybe it had been there for a while, and wasn't sensitive enough to be too worrying. Maybe he'd had so much to drink that he couldn't feel too much pain. "Aagh, god!" The same clearly couldn't be said for the bassist, who seemed to just finish having his nose set in place and bandaged. "Hold on a moment, I'mma make sure he isn't too messed up," He said, standing up. He couldn't help but ask a slightly awkward question. "Uh, you think you'll need anything for your back?" “Yeah yeah, I’m fine. It’s an old wound with a bad infection, that’s all. I’ll be fine.” Scourge motioned for Manic to go check on the bassist. Aria gave him a shot of the hard stuff as well.

The bat whimpered, evidently in a lot of pain. The crocodile seemed angry but concerned. The cheetah had been busy making sure the drunk guy stayed down, but walked over at about the same time as Manic.

“Dante. What the hell happened? ” The cheetah asked, leaning on the bar. The bat looked away. Ashamed of himself.

“He called me the f word. I’m sorry guys, I know I shouldn’t have gotten angry…” His ears flicked down and the crocodile patted his shoulder.

“No apology needed. Frankly it’s not that idiots business who you’re with.” "Well, why's he still in here?" Manic spoke up out of nowhere, catching most of their attention. It seemed finding out what happened was finally enough to get him invested. "He punched you in the face and he's being an ass. Hell, isn't being drunk good enough normally-" He sighed. "I guess you can't really toss some unconscious dude outside. Maybe we just go all 'Weekend at Bernies,' give him some sunglasses and hope no one notices?" He joked desperately, mostly out of instinct. "Maybe roll him downhill on a gurney, bet on how far he goes?" He stopped with the references and looked up at Dante. Bat noses weren't known for being small, so the swelling was very obvious. "You want us to call a doctor, or summat?" “I for one like that plan, lets go with that,” Aria insisted and the crocodile shook his head, causing her to pout. “No, we would just get in trouble. Aria maybe you should wrap him home?”

She placed a bag of ice on Dante’s nose. “I can’t do it when he’s unconscious. He needs to be actively thinking.”

Scourge got up and winced as he walked over. “Dante can go to the hospital in an ambulance and I’ll call the cops to take this idiot out to the cells for a day or two.”

“What do you guys think? Dante? Manic?” Aria asked the other two boys. Manic shrugged. "Sounds pretty ace to me, but uh, ambulance bills are kind of huge." He turned towards the cheetah who was mostly sitting back and watching as everyone else spoke. "Could you drive him over, Detour? We can keep an eye on that drunk dude 'til the cops get here." The cheetah nodded. "Great, dude," Manic said. "Y'all just call us if something goes wrong, you have my number. You probably have most of our numbers." Manic and the crocodile turned to face the unconscious swan, drunk, slightly bruise, and propped up in a booth. "You really had a go at him, didn't you?" He turned back towards the bar, making a smug grin that slowly turned towards silly. "Well, we're sending someone down a hill on a gurney, and I'm not half drunk enough to do that yet," he joked. The bigger male laughed. “As much as I would like to I can’t afford to get sued.” From the background Aria made a small noise of disappointment. She walked over to the two.

“Can we at least draw dicks on his face? Or call an ambulance for him so he has to pay for it?” She suggested, clearly wanting to get some revenge. "We're calling the cops on him, I think we've already-" He could see the disappointment on her face. "Alright, fine. You can draw a donger or twelve." Manic, Scourge, and the guitarist faced the bar as they left Aria to her mischievous nonsense, occasionally taking peaks behind their backs. "Trust me, if I was up there, I wouldn't've stopped at just bruising him, but I guess he's a swan." He shook his head. "I mean, you guys ever piss off a wild swan? I don't wanna know what it's like fighting an anthro one." Aria, of course, used her artistic skill for evil. Drawing an almost life like dick on the swans head and face where he wouldn’t be able to see it until someone told him.

Scourge shook his head “Nah man. Canadian geese are devils. It’s like all the evil in Canadian people just drains into those hell birds.” When he turned to check on arias progress he scoffed.

“I swear… This kid’s an artist in all the wrong ways”

Aria's ears perked and she called out to Scourge. “Nothing says revenge like photorealistic dicks!” The proclamation caught the attention of a few confused bar goers with no context for what she just pronounced. Manic turned around and stared at the face, more than impressed with the level of realism achieved with permanent marker and spite. "Wh-" Manic uttered as Aria walked back. "How often do you do that to people? That is- That is not your first time drawing a pingas on someone's face." He looked back again for just a moment. "I mean, it's real impressive..." He faced Aria again. "Actually, I had this barber once who was a real good artist, and all he drew was women in real not safe for babby poses, you get me? I always wanted to sneak in and slap, like, really unflattering photos of people's heads over all of them." "Back up, you have a barber?" Manic turned to face the crocodile with a look of joking disdain. He made a mock sassy head motion just to have his ridiculous hair click together. “I’m an artist in my spare time and I see far too many dicks on a daily basis. And by far too many I mean any at all. Eventually I just started drawing them on passed out assholes. It’s a very handy skill when you get unwanted dick pics. Just a few scribbles and boom, I’ve already drawn a dick with a better future”

Scourge and Aria looked equally confused at the barber comment but shrugged it off.

“I mostly paint landscapes and still lifes though. But my sketches of people are getting better.” "No joke," Manic said with interest. He had to stop himself from jokingly asking any of the usual question that annoyed artists. "You're using your power well. Michaelangelo would be proud. He's an art boy, right?" The sirens could just barely be heard coming down the street. A few of the previous brawlers straightened their backs or brushed their hair back at the noise. Manic turned his head towards the swan one more time. "Uh, you think we should wipe that mess off before they come in to get him?" He didn't need to hear a 'no' to know the answer. Besides, he didn't really want to, either. “Yes. Michelangelo is an art boy.” Aria laughed and scourge stepped up to do the talking.

The cops came in and Scourge explained the situation, the fight and such. He left out the dick drawing details but since one of the cops called Aria by name in greeting, it was pretty obvious they knew it was her.

“Okay. We can’t charge him until he wakes up so we’ll just take him down to the station for his own safety. How's the kid who got punched looking?” The female cop asked the bartender.

“Iced his nose. A minor fracture at best but someone drove him to the hospital.” "I mean, a nose is kind of half of a bats face, so minor's all relative." The crocodile punches Manic in the arm. Manic knew it wasn't the nicest thing to say and grinning sheepishly. They watched as the two cops picked up the swan by his shoulders, and lead him out of the bar in a subconscious drunken walk cycle that more resembled a jelly-boned hobble through a pool of slime than any kind of normal leg movement. "Hm... Hey, Aria, how much alcohol's actually in that special drink, anyways?" He said, just a little bit tipsy. "You think I could handle one more and still drive home without committing ten crimes and starting two international incidents?" Aria thought about it seriously. “Not sure. I’m gonna err on the safe side and say you shouldn’t be driving at all tonight. But we can check!”

Aria pulled a breathalyzer out from a small shelf and washed the mouth piece. Offering it to manic.

Scourge paid his friend and got up. “Imma head home too. Nice meet you Manic. Bye Aria.” The Green male tossed a wrap ring and it opened in front of him. Manic seemed shocked to see him open a warp ring so casually. "Wait, I thought-! You sure, dude, zone hopping can get you in some real deep trouble." The glare told him that he already knew this. They all already knew this. "Uh... Alright, dude, see you later." Manic was still in shock for a brief moment, before pushing the breathalyzer back towards the two. "Don't worry, mate, I've- I've driven much more messed up than this." He was still a little confused, it seemed. "Hey, I'm gonna have to drive down a bunch more CDs, right? Either of you think you'd want to hang out sometime?"

“Lazy fucker. He lives like 2 minutes from here if he uses his speed. Why he warps, I’ll never know.” aria rolled her eyes and looked back concerned at Manic.

“Lemme see your eyes.” She inspected the other for signs of blatant intoxication and sighed. “Alright. You’re good to drive. But be careful… And yeah, I think hanging out would be fun! ”

The croc nodded as well. “I agree. The boys and I had more fun playing with you than with any other singer. Let us know anytime you need backup instrumentals” "Alright, sweet!" Manic said, reaching around for something to write on. He eventually decided on some napkins on the counter, pulling a marker out of his vest and scribbling down his phone number. "I'll probably drive up, like, saturday, so if you wanna do something stupid or find any hospital gurneys, y'all let me know!" He gave the rhythm guitarist a fist bump and a two-finger salute to Aria as he started the walk over to grab his guitar and case. It was kind of bittersweet that the night was ending, but it was a great night. His shows scarcely went this far above his expectations, he made some new friends, and now had a band he could call up if he ever wanted to jam with a group for once. As he drove back down the city streets, he couldn't help but keep thinking about Scourge. Not just the one he met at the bar, but his old Scourge. He didn't even remember this bar, and now he had vivid memories of two different fun nights with two completely different Scourges. He didn't have the first idea how different these Scourges actually were, but he would find out eventually. All he had to do was hope that getting chummy with Scourge wouldn't end up being a terrible mistake. He could only hope that the little scribble he put at the bottom of his note for Aria wouldn't come to bite him in the ass; "Tell Scourge the same thing I told you two."