A Pirate's Life For Me [Victoria/Chase]

[Victoria]

“Come on, you lily livered, good for nothing sons-of…you can’t leave now!” Victoria shouted.

Her crew was abandoning her. Marooning their captain, essentially.

Darcy, one of the older sailors, turned around and gave her a sympathetic look. “Apologies, Cap’n, but this here ship and ye, yous nothin’ but bad luck. We do love ye, believe us, like our very own daughter. But we need to eat, we need to live. We be ending up in Davy Jones Locker if we stick wit ye much longer. Many of us ‘ave already been injured, almos’ killed within the past years. Ye had yer run. Yer an awful skilled lass, ye be findin’ somethin’ worth doin’ on land, ye’ll see. Just remember, lass, heed my word,” he said, approaching her, “do not go back out te the sea! Them gods are after ye, and who knows how long it’ll be ‘fore they stop sendin’ them monsters to kill ye.” His face was grave, and then he looked down, looked back up, and put his hand on her shoulder. “...Best of luck, Cap’n V. If ye ever need us…well, we be at sea somewhere, I know ye’ll find us.”

And with that, he was off. The man scuttled back to the rest of the solemn, weary crew, now several feet away.

“Fine!” Victoria yelled, her voice echoing loudly through the cave. “To bloody hell with all of you, you bilge-sucking dogs! You’re all going to want to come crawling back, and when you do, I’ll feed you to the sharks, you weevil eating, grog-snarfing wenches! The minute you get on someone else’s ship, you’ll be sorry you ever left me!” Whirling around, she turned to face her now empty ship, The Lust. Running a hand through her hair, she let out a sigh of frustration. Then, she went over to her ship, let her head rest against the metal, and with a clenched fist, hit the side lightly. “Good for nothing crew. I hope they rot at sea,” she whispered to herself after they were gone. What would she do now? …Going back out to sea was absolutely out of the question. Especially alone. She’d be dead before she left the port. …In fact, being near the shore itself was dangerous. If she stayed there, one of Phorcys’s little “children” would be after her in no time, once they figured out where she was. Or worse yet, one of Poseidon’s oh-so-faithful followers. She shuddered. Damn Greek gods. They weren’t any better than her crew, she thought bitterly. She looked up at her ship. Lusty looked so lonely, all beat up and abandoned in the empty cave. “I’m sorry, my dear, but you’ll have to stay here,” she said, rubbing the metal affectionately. “I’ll come back to check on you, I promise. And don’t worry, your safety mechanisms are all set up, and anchors are in place. No one’s gonna be taking you or setting one single dirty footstep on your bow.”

With difficulty, she walked away from her ship. Lusty was her baby, but at that moment, her life was in danger. She would have to leave her ship there for a while, at least until she figured out what was going to happen next. A half-hour or so later, Victoria found herself at a local bar in Galveston, Texas, the port where she had landed. She made sure to be well away from the ocean. Her hair was still wet, as were her jeans, boots, and white flannel shirt, which earned her stares as she walked in. Filthy land-lovers, she thought to herself as she sat on a barstool. “Give me some spiced rum, will ya’?” she barked at the bartender as she walked by. The girl stared at her for a minute, then blinked, but complied to her command anyway. Shortly after, the girl was back with a mug, which Victoria took without so much as a single thanks. She had no intent of paying for it either. The girl wouldn’t even notice. Besides, one mug of free rum was hardly enough tribute to grace the presence of Captain V—-she was being generous in not taking more.

But back to more pressing matters, she thought as she took a deep gulp of the rum, then set it down with a clank on the counter. What would she do now that she had no crew, and two angry sea gods set on killing her? It was obvious she would have to bide her time on land. But how? Doing what? Victoria took a sip of the rum, and upon placing it down, licked her lips. Dammit, I hate land! What the hell is person supposed to do if they’re not sailing a ship?!

Suddenly, the bartender girl came back. Victoria tried not to make eye contact, but the girl stood there looking stupid, until Victoria finally aised her eyes. “Yeah, what do you want?” she snapped.

“Are you Victoria?” the girl asked hesitantly.

“That depends on who’s asking.”

“Well, some guy asked me to give you this,” she said, practically shoving the envelope into Victoria’s hands.

“Some ‘guy’ eh?” Victoria muttered. The girl rushed off to another customer as soon as the envelope was in Victoria’s possession. Clearly, the child did not want to talk to her. No matter, because she wasn’t in much of a talking mood anyway. She pulled out the leaflet of paper, and unfolded it.

Attention:
Dean and Sam Winchester have gone missing. A number of their allies have fallen off the map as well.
There are only two things you need to know.
1. We have no idea where they could have gone.
2. We must find them.
Signed, Casey.

Her eyes scanned the second line of the letter. Dean and Sam, Dean and Sam, Dean and Sam… Victoria racked her brain for the memory of perhaps two fellow pirate mates, but she knew none by the name. Samuel Earnest, she knew. But not Sam Winchester. And she most certainly did not know a Casey. Cassandra Williams...perhaps? She had never even met a Dean, and the last name…Winchester. That was completely new. But the envelope was addressed to her. Bloody hell, how’d someone get my name?! Better not be damn port officials.

[Chase]

A damp smell lingered in the air as Chase leaned casually against the bar, sipping a drink as he watched a pool game in amusement. Nothing in the world claimed more entertaining than a match doomed from the first moments. A young man with jet-black curly locks clearly outranked his opponent, but he presumed the elderly red-head was too green to notice. Idiots. Tapping his fingers against the side of his glass, he briefly debated joining the game and adding a thick wad of cash to his quickly depleting stash in his wallet. It might last him through the week, paying for gas, food, and providing a place to crash until the next gig.

No, not tonight. Chase swirled around on the barstool, turning back to face rows and rows of beverages lined up along the walls. He was here on a mission from Casey, and he would stick to that until the job was complete. With a grim determination he took another swig of the drink, hoping it would wash away a small portion of the frustration he felt at the moment. All of his life, Chase had approached every situation with a resolve to get straight to the heart of the matter and do his job. Anyone and anything that had the misfortune of getting in his way or slowing him down was quickly left in the dust. Outstanding liabilities he had no time for. Not when lives were on the line. Of course, his first assignment for Casey tested his patience by placing him in a scenario with a hunter named Sylus who didn’t share the same…methods…as Chase. The teen didn’t understand why anyone would try to work in a hung-over state unless they had a death wish.

To be fair, in the end Sylus went above and beyond Chase’s expectations, slaughtering four demons moments apart and walking away with barely a scratch on him. He had used a rather unique looking knife. Chase rubbed the helmet sitting next to him on the counter with his free hand. What he would give to see that knife again and study it from a closer view. How did it work? Who made it? Where did it come from? Sighing, he quelled his mind of desire for information. His previous frustration returned.

“What am I doing here, mack?” Chase asked the ceiling, wondering if it could somehow channel his thoughts to Casey. He ran his hand through his dark hair. After arriving in Austin, like the mysterious man had instructed, he had received another text with the address of this bar. Of course, the bar wasn’t actually located in Austin, but a few hours out. A frown had placed itself on his face the entire ride from point B to point C, where he had sat for the past two hours. Waiting for something. What that was, he hadn’t the faintest idea, but he did know all of the current customers and half of their life stories. Drunk-people-watching for two hours had that effect.

The door opened again, and a very wet, attractive looking woman walked in, visibly fuming. Chase’s eyes followed her as she stormed through the mass of people and took one of the open seats next to him. He raised an eyebrow as she shouted at the poor bartender, a fragile looking girl named Susie. They had had a very intriguing conversation earlier on about motorcycles after his helmet aroused her interest. Not many girls knew a thing about bikes, and certainly not about how to change the inner workings of a beauty such as his. Susie flushed and nervously poured the newcomer a drink before racing off, drops of liquor trickling behind her.

Chase rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone, checking to see if any new message had arrived from his “boss”. No sign of it, he thought with dismay. And he didn’t even have a number to call and ask for help. Or guidance. Or a decent map. If every mission from Casey was going to follow this irritating patter, Chase resolved that this ‘waiting in the dark’ detail must change before agreeing to anything. From the corner of his eye, Chase noticed Susie reluctantly trudging in their direction. In her hand, trembling white knuckles tightly gripped a small slip of paper. A brief flash of hope that maybe it was from Casey vanished as she timidly walked past his seat, instead pausing in front of the angered woman.

And she just stood there.

“Yeah, what do you want?” The girl sent the bartender a death glare. Chase looked down at his cup and winced. Not that it was his business to eavesdrop but…well, it was his business to know his surroundings. With a start, he realized his cup was empty. That wouldn’t do.

“Are you Victoria?”

“Depends on who’s asking.”

“Well, some guy asked me to give you this,” Susie stuttered, trying to look at anything but the storm in front of her. Chase raised his glass, signaling a much needed relief for the poor girl. She all but flew toward him, grabbing the cup without even asking what drink he wanted a refill for and dove straight to work mixing some concoction for him.

“Thanks Susie,” he nodded to the girl. Out of his peripheral vision, he watched Victoria open the note. If it was even possible, Chase swore he saw her express turn even more sour than before. Feeling a wave of pity, and a tad bit out of lack of having anything else to do while he waited, Chase reached back for his wallet and pulled out his last bill. “Here Susie, her second one’s on me.” To Victoria next to him, he shrugged. “You look like you’ve had on helluva day.”

[adrian]

((Entering with permission))

Adrian lined up his latest shot. He'd been in the bar for a couple of hours and it was just about time that he and Sim should switch roles. He'd started off losing a couple of games to her just to draw in the suckers but after winning so much money from the last few games people weren't taking him so lightly anymore. But the crowd had shifted a bit and those that had seen Sim play earlier were mostly gone or too drunk to remember so she would have to play the bait now.

He looked up at Simplicity, sharing a a small, conspiratorial smile as he set up his last shot and when it went in and the red headed man had to give up his money Adrian's smile grew. "Thanks man. Next time you'll get it. Hey, drinks on me," he said before handing a few bills back. The man just took the bill, crumpling it in one hand, a sour expression on his face. Adrian, his mood too light to be ruined by the man's grumpiness, just shrugged and plopped down on the stool next to Sim.

"I think it's your turn," Adrian said, before turning towards the bar and catching the waitress' attention. "They're scared of me now, no one's gonna bet big." The timid but cute waitress walked over with a menu and Adrian studied it carefully, trying to decide which beer he wanted. When he'd first gotten to America their beer had sucked and he could hardly stand to choke the stuff down. But there had been a beer revolution in the past couple of years and American brewers were really putting out some interesting and new brews and this particular bar had a pretty nice selection. He'd taken their long, unexplained wait here to sample as many as possible and now he was carefully choosing another.

"I'll take the Louden Swain," he said after a moment. The waitress nodded and got a mug out from beneath the bar. She walked a distance away to where the Louden Swain tap was located and came back with a full glass of light beer. He held the glass up to the light to check out the color before taking a sip. Smiling again at the light and crisp taste he turned back towards Sim. "You know, if we had to be sent to wait in a place for an unknown reason by an unknown boss this isn't that bad. Want to try this?" he asked, holding the beer out.

[Victoria]

Drink in hand, Victoria eyed the kid that sat down next her. Quite the looker, but he was a little too young for her taste. She rasied her eyebrows as he ordered her a drink. "And how do you know it's my second one? You been watching me there, mate?" she asked him accusingly, gulping down the last of her rum. She decided she'd ignore the 'helluva day' comment. That was something she did not want to go into with a complete stranger. Of course, she could always invent a random story... "How old are you anyway, kid? Doesn't look like you're old enough to be allowed to drink." Not that age mattered much anyway. She hoped that that comment would make him go away. She wasn't really in the mood to talk, not after everything that had happened. Or rather, was happening. She paused for a second, and then the girl--"Susie"--came back with the rum. The girl slid the glass her way, then went over to stand more towards the kid's side. It hadn't even been twenty minutes, and the girl was already petrified of her. Victoria chuckled to herself. Nice to know that she had that same 'get the hell away from me' vibe on land.

"Ah, bloody hell, you can't be that bad if you're getting me a drink," she said, wrapping her arm around his neck, in that overly-friendly way that people tended to do when they had been drinking. Victoria was no where near drunk, but seeing as she was drunk half the time she was awake, the habit was just second nature. As she did, she quickly analyzed him for any belongings. Decent clothing. Decent look. Maintained, but not overly flaunted. Possibly rich. Pockets didn't seem too full, however. Unless there was something in his jacket pockets. Definitely worth investigating. The jacket itself was pretty nice, too.

And she knew just the way to get it.

All she needed was to warm the kid up a bit. Couldn't have him getting mad and running off if she did it too early. Then, she'd get the hell out of that town. If it really was port officials that got her name, then they'd be onto her trail in no time. Of all the places she wanted to go, prison didn't make the list. The quicker she did this, the better. And if the kid had car keys somewhere on his person, that would make her escape all the more easier.

"Forget about me. True I've had a 'helluva' day, but what's a kid like you doing at a bar like this?"

[Chase]

"Ah, that's flattering," Chase laughed to himself, waving his cup in the air to play down her accusation. In truth, the chick was spot on: at 18, he had absolutely no reason to be hanging around in a bar. Especially not with an adult beverage dripping across his knuckles. Smart one; he appreciated that. Not to many girls in a bar had an IQ over a brick anymore. "But, as you can clearly see," he pulled his wallet back out and handed her a very fake ID, declaring his age at 22, "I am of legal age and therefore perfectly qualified to be here."

He slipped the ID back into his wallet after giving her enough time to verify his claim. His curiosity rose as he felt her arm wrap around his neck. Who got drunk that fast? Something was wrong with Victoria if she went from seething and hating Hell to flirtatious and naughty in the span of a drink offer. Chase's eyes curiously met the girl's, wondering what her game was. Searching them found no evidence of anything but a wary eye. That was nothing special.

"We're still on that 'kid' tangent, are we?" Chase smirked, politely removing Victoria's arm from his person. He chuckled for a moment, "I'm here on business, as strange as it sounds." Yeah, because what teenager on the planet would go into a bar, drink and ignore the hot girl giving him way too much attention for his own good and back off due to business? Either an insane one, or one who hunted for a living. "And my client might walk in at any moment, so you'll understand if we could keep our conversation brief."

Really, Chase had no desire to cut the conversation short for anything other than her sour mood from moment earlier. He hadn't had a decent vacation -even if one night was all he could manage- in the longest time. But the mission always came first, climbing above friends, drinks and...

Chase noticed the way her wet clothes clung way too close to her body.

...and distractions. "Enjoy the drink, alright dolls?"

[Victoria]

Looking over at the ID the boy showed her, she licked the rum off her lips slowly. Fake ID. She could spot one a mile away, considering forgery sort of went hand in hand with piracy.. Props to the kid, though--it was a decently authentic card. Could definitely fool any law official. Really, it was a shame he wasn't older. Or that he couldn't join her crew, since she she didn't have one. At that thought, she bit her lip bitterly. If she wasn't being hunted at sea by rampaging sea gods, she would've offered the kid a position on her ship. Of course, he would've started off swabbing the decks, but he could've worked up the ladder of pirate heirarchy.. Too bad she wouldn't be going back out to the ocean any time soon. Pushing the wishful thinking aside, Victoria focused on his wallet, and watched carefully as he put it back in his pocket. She could tell he didn't have a lot of cash on hand, but hey--a little cash was better than none, and she needed some. True, other indivicuals looked more vulnerable than the kid. There were a couple old folks, some drunk girls, distracted men--but they probably had less money. And this kid looked like he could have a loaded credit card on hand. Beggars couldn't be choosers, but pirates could.

As he removed her arm, she gave him a frown. Gonna play hard to get, eh? As he moved, she heard the jingle of keys coming from his jacket pocket. Her eyes widened for a split second, but she composed herself quickly. Jackpot. victoria half-paid attention as the kid began explaining himself, saying that he was on"business" and that he was expecting some client. So basically, he wanted to maintin a strictly platonic relationship here, and wasn't going to give her a chance to get his guard down. What kind of kid came to bar and turned down a gir? What could be more important than that to a teenage guy? Maybe he was a drug dealer? Part of a gang? Who could really say? In all honestly, Victoria didn't actually care all that much. What she did care about was the fact that she wanted his jacket, his wallet, and keys. And Captain V always got what she wanted. Noting the rising uneasiness in the kid, Victoria decided to take advantage of her stunningly good looks to get the kid to ease up a bit. The fact that her clothes were wet would contribute to that effort immensely. Of that, she was positive.

"Enjoy the drink, alright dolls?"

"Oh, I will," she replied, crossing her legs promiscuously and rolling up her wet sleeves. As she turned to face him, she unbuttoned one button from the top of her flannel shrit, and then grabbed the rum from the counter, making sure to reveal whatever skin she could. "Cheers, mate," she said, lifting the mug in the kid's direction.

"I never did get to properly thank you for this drink, by the way." She paused before lifting the rum to her lips. Then, Victoria took a sip, and lowered the mug slowly. "I'm afraid I can't do so without knowing your name," she said suggestively, giving him a wink.

This should be good, Victoria thought deviously.. I wonder what kind of car he drives?

[Chase]

To list list of 'insane' and 'in need of anger management', Chase mentally added 'deaf'. Had Victoria not heard what he said? Or was she deliberately ignoring him? He tried to stop his eyes from following each and everyone of the girl's movements, clenching his mug tightly as he failed to do so. Yeah, no doubt about it; she was doing this intentionally. Only a complete moron acted this way by accident. He nodded at her toast, not quite amused. The chick received major points for her looks, but ignoring his request to keep things platonic put one strike against her.

His own drink remained clenched in his hand, the only physical sign that Chase didn't appreciate the situation he had landed in. He sat casually on the stool, looking like he didn't have a care in the world with a pretty girl by his side. He had to keep that image; play it safe until whatever thing Casey had sent him here for arrived. The door opened behind them and Chase turned nonchalantly, only to be disappointed at only seeing two bartenders walk in to relieve the current staff of their shifts. At least Susie could escape freely now. Chase returned his gaze to Victoria and was met with a rather enticing wink. Any other place, any other night, he thought wistfully.

"Chase. Chase Brink," he offered his hand for a shake. "And you're Victoria, a woman who I'd love to talk to at another time. But," he squeezed her hand once before dropping it. "I was serious when I asked to keep it short. My employer will be very disappointed if this night doesn't go right. Raincheck?"

[Victoria]

"Oh, alright, now don't get yourself all worked up," she said teasingly. She took another sip from her rum, keeping the mug in her hand. "You really should lighten up a bit, mate. Life's too short to live it so seriously." She glanced down quickly at the liquid in her mug. She had just enough now. All she had to do was get a little closer to him, and then that jacket, his money, and his keys would be hers.

She conspicuously leaned her arm across the counter, and then slowly inched towards him, still holding the rum in her right hand. Closing her eyes, she pretended to take a sip from her drink. "Chase, eh? And a last name too. How gentlemen-like of you. Clearly, you're from the good side of town," she said nonchalantly, removing the glass from her lips. "Oh, and just call me V. I'm not too big on formalities."

As she finished her statement, she made a carelessly "reckless" movement of her hand that caused her drink to spill all over the kid's--Chase's--clothes. Such a shame.

"Oh my, I am terribly sorry about that! Goodness, not even my third drink, and already the rum is making me tipsy." Victoria stepped down from the barstool, ignoring the stares of both the employees and customers, and stood right in front of Chase. "Here, let me help you with that." Delicately placing her hand on his chest, she began to remove his jacket, intentionally nearing her lips by his ears as she did. "Now, you just go get yourself cleaned up, and I'll be waiting right here until you finish. Got that, mate?"

[Simplicity]

Simplicity gave the red head a smile as he stalked off. He gave her a glare as if it was somehow her fault he lost, not his lack of talent. She winked at Adrian after he smirked, his company was defiantly better than the sore loser that had stepped up. Some wanted a quick win, and if it wasn’t to bold of her, she thought some wanted to win her attention. Well, they got the attention, just not the good kind.

“Fine by me,” she said hopping off her stool, “So what am I going to pretend to be? Loopy or disgruntled girlfriend? Girl learning to play? Or just the random drunk girl? You’ll have to work them up to big bets. Guys tend to avoid making a girl bet her own money in my experience.”

She took the pool cue and walked around the table slowly. By the time she was back around Adrian had his beer. Simplicity took the glass and gave him a mock salute.

“Not bad,” she raised an eyebrow, “lighter than what I usually like but it’s got enough flavor to make up for it. May have to get some before we leave, whenever that is.”

“Definitely better than a few of my old jobs,” Simplicity stood on her tip toes and examined the table, “So what do you plan on buying with your winnings? You don’t seem like the type to have a rainy day fund.”

[Chase]

"V it is then," Chase tipped his cup in her direction. It was always a good sign to be let in on the common name. Formalities were troublesome, especially when trying to get to know someone. At least thing nickname showed promise for that raincheck. He smiled and set his cup back on the bar, trying to ignore her arm coming closer and closer to him. It was slightly uncomfortable now, but he could manage it for a minute longer. As long as things didn't get any more out of control then he'd be-

The girl's fingers slipped and a very cold, wet sensation ran along his jacket and pants. A shocked look crossed his face as he glanced down. Had Victoria seriously just spilled her entire cup all over him? Chase's eyebrows narrowed in frustration. And his good leather too! Now he'd have to clean it up, and that might cause him to miss his appoin-

A very warm hand tenderly touched his chest, tugging on his jacket in an attempt to pull it off. Sighing, he let her take it off of him, chills going up his spine as she whispered in his ear. Didn’t she realize that people were staring now? His face flushed and he quickly slid off the barstool, height barely affected by the change in stance. Surveying the mess, he realized that he would have to hit up the restroom like Victoria had suggested. The alcohol had fallen all over his shirt and pants, and Chase would bet a fortune that he’d reek of it for the rest of the night. “Just give me some space, alright?” He turned around and, shaking his head, made his way to the restroom.

It took a good five minutes of wiping the stain with a plethora of paper towels to make it start to fade away. This was strike two against the girl, he frowned, looking at his reflection in the mirror. God, what was he doing here? Chasing after some phantom mission at the borderline of the state, with no idea when Casey would actually get the guts to let him start already? That wasn’t his M.O. He should be out in the country, tracking down some baddie, saving lives. Eating apple pie with Grandma Sally Mo. Riding his baby through grassy plains, marveling at the moments where it was just him and her sailing through the wind. In fact, he could almost hear her now, the purr of her engine demanding respect from the night. Chase closed his eyes, listening to the memory.

Hold up.

His face twisted into a frown. His memory wasn’t that good, but the sound of his engine rang clearly in the distance. Almost sounded like it was choking. But…that couldn’t be possible, right? His keys were right here…Chase threw his hands into his wet pockets. Wait-he had left them in his jacket, which Victoria now had! His entire body went numb. She wouldn’t. She couldn’t. It was his love, for crying aloud! Filled with dread, he ran out of the restroom and into the bar, shoving past customers who blocked his way on the floor. His eyes locked on the empty spot at the bar where a certain pretty lady had disappeared, along with his custom-designed helmet. Out of all the filthy, scum-bags in the world…in a flash he bolted in the opposite direction, making his way to the exit.

“Where’s the fire, mate?”

“Hey, calm down!”

“Watch where you’re goin’!”

“Outta my way!” he growled, hand finally grasping the old-fashion knob. Ignoring the “drive home safe” sign posted by the door, he pushed through it, eyes frantically scanning the parking lot. He had parked right next to some pickup truck in the second row. Rocks flew into the air behind him as he darted to the place where he had left his stunning ride. The night air, which had earlier been considered rather cozy, plummeted sharply, his skin painfully tingling from the sudden change.

Strike three. She was gone.

Chase stared in silence at the spot, internally seething. She had stolen his bike. His bike. That whole ‘nice girl’ act was a con the whole time to steal his ride! His fists clenched tightly together and he started breathing rapidly. An abandoned beer cup lay at his feet, carelessly tossed on the ground. Needing to take out his frustration, Chase sent it flying into the air. “Damn it!” Who stole a man’s bike? He knew he should never have come on this mission, blindly following a lead from at man covered in shadows. What a fool he had made of himself. Now he was stuck in some forsaken land without a way out. He felt caged, his only method of freedom stolen from beneath his feet.

This never would have happened if he hadn’t listened to Casey. That man was going to receive an earful if he ever met him. How unfortunate that he couldn’t contact him directly, Chase glared at the phone he grabbed from his pocket. Sylus knew his number though. Without a second thought, he pulled up the man’s contact information and listened angrily as the phone dialed the number.

“Sylus, I don’t care what the hell you’re doing right now, but you can tell Casey to send someone else to clean up whatever mess he found down here. I’ve been here for hours, and the only thing that’s gone wrong is, oh, yeah, some chick just ran off with my bike.” He gritted his teeth, preventing a string of choice words from leaving his lips. “So now I’m stranded here. Ask him to send a ride as well, alright? I needed to hunt down this girl with a death wish and get my ride back. I’ll be waiting outside. And tell him not to take his sweet time. I'm not in the mood for it right now.”

[adrian]

"Mmm," Adrian hummed as he enjoyed his beer and thought about their next move. He surveyed the bar and tried to judge the crowd. On one hand he'd been doing this for years. That said, the great thing about humanity was that it always surprised you, especially when you were in a new place.

"I suppose girlfriend just learning would be best. That way, when you start winning, you can call it beginner's luck and it'll buy us more time before their mood turns sour. Hopefully we won't be here that long though," he finished as he pulled out his phone and checked to see if there were any missed calls. There weren't. He sighed and took another sip of his beer, wincing when he saw some kid get a drink spilled all over him at the other end of the bar. He hated when that happened and it normally took away any interest he had in chasing that particular target which meant he had to choose another and start all over. It set a man's night back by at least an hour.

Right now he didn't have that problem. Partially because he was here on business and partially because Simplicity was pretending to be his girlfriend anyway and no woman would look twice at him with her around. Not that he particularly minded. Sim was always fun to hang out with.

"I'm thinking ink," Adrian said after a moment. "Remember those anti-possession tattoos Jeff wanted to give us? Well even though I didn't want Jeff drawing on me with a needle, I figure it might come in handy. I think I have the design in one of those books he gave us to read in my car. Could get an artist to do it for me. What about you?" He asked but before Sim could answer the same kid from before shoved past him and caused him to spill some of his beer all over his knuckles.

"Watch where you're goin'!" He called after the kid, annoyed. He put the beer down on the bar and picked up a napkin to wipe his hand off. Putting the random boy out his mind he turned back to Simplicity. "So," he started with a smile, "want to be my girlfriend?" He asked, teasingly before nodding towards the pool table.

((Should someone call one of us to be Chase's ride?))

[Victoria]

Victoria smiled sweetly at Chase as he walked in the direction of the restrooms. She clutched his jacket close to her, and as soon as he was out of sight, she wiped the fake, gentle smile from her face and replaced it with one of arrogant delight. It's almost like Christmas all over again, she thought amusingly to herself. The leather was so nice on the jacket. She frowned in disappointment when she saw the wallet wasn't there. Must still be with the kid. But at least she had keys! she thought deviously. Victoria put on the jacket, while looking over his seat, hoping he had left something else behind. He hadn't. Too bad. She was hoping for some extra cash.

She did, however, see a helmet on the counter that the kid had been blocking before from her view. Or perhaps she was too fixated on his jacket that she had not seen it. In any case, what she saw was most definitely intriguing: a motorcycle helmet. She walked over to it, picked it up, and raised her eyebrows. Not bad, kid, not bad.

But this meant she would be riding a motorcycle. At least it would be easy to find the vehicle outside. However, she had driven a motorcycle only twice in her life, and neither was for very long. Both times had been short because she had been stealing the bikes. All she had done was ride the motorcycle from its previous location and driven it to her ship. The drives were never longer than twenty minutes. This time, she would be driving for who knew how long, and to who knew where. Oh well. At least she'd have plenty of time to learn now.

Making her way to the exit of the bar, she paused before the door, and with one last glance in the direction of the restroom, gave a cocky smile, and put on the helmet. "Cheerio, mate," she muttered.
And with the roar of Chase's motorcycle engine, she was gone.

[Simplicity]

“Sounds like I’m going to be giggling a lot,” Sim twirled a strand of hair in between her fingers, “Gee, I didn’t know I’d be this good.”

At the mention of ink Simplicity’s ears perked up. She nodded that the anti possession tattoos were a good idea and tilted her head in thought. “You got any tattoos Addy? I’ve been needing to get a piece on my back finished for a while now but I wouldn’t trust the artists in the last town I was in. Neither of them had a clean parlor and on of them wore gloves.” She didn’t even bother to suppress the shudder at the memory.

She blinked owlishly as a kid ran by and bumped into Adrian. He looked young to be in a bar but she wasn’t going to call him out for that. If she did she’d partially be a hypocrite. Instead she gave his back the sink eye before handing Adrian another napkin.

“You ain’t gonna buy me dinner first? Well I suppose just this once,” She smiled.

Her phone began to buzz and she just rolled her eyes. Probably Jeff wondering where they were and she wasn’t in for an ear full. Which meant a text was a pleasant surprise. “Hope to stay a long time, you Murphied us Adrian,” she said before reading the text.

Brown hair, outside, needs a ride. Ask for Chase.

Simplicity raised an eyebrow and closed her phone. She picked up her purse and jacket and motioned for Adrian to follow her. Stepping outside she pulled on her jacket, pulling the collar up around her neck. She spotted the kid that had bumped into Adrian earlier and let out a sigh.

“Great,” she huffed before shouting, “Oi! You Chase?”

[Chase]

Chase held his phone tightly, mentally stopping himself from chucking it at the wall. Displacing his anger on an essential piece of technology would not be the best move in the long run, but he found it hard to convince himself of that at the moment. That chick had taken his pride and joy away. He had to get her back. Out of all the things he owned in life –of which, the list was very few- his motorcycle had been a gift from the only mock simile of parents he knew. And since he had moved out going on two years ago now, it was one of the few treasures he possessed. No way in Hell some flirty chick would easily take it out of his hands and get away with it.

Upon hearing his voice coming from an unfamiliar voice, Chase’s attention darted up and he frowned at a duo exiting the bar. Those two had hovered around the pool table all night long. “Look guys, I don’t care if you’ve wiped everyone in that room out of cash, I don’t have the time or patience to play right now.” While Chase easily could have given them a run for their money, more important matters were at hand.

"Back off."

[adrian]

"We already stayed a long time," Adrian responded before grimacing at the prospect of gulping down his beer. It really needed to be enjoyed but they did have a job to do. He put his head back and finished it off before leaving the glass and a few bills on the counter and waving the barkeep over.

He pulled his jacket off the barstool and followed Simplicity outside while he pulled it on. He hadn't seen the text she'd gotten but he'd assumed it was the one they'd been waiting for all night.

As they exited the bar Adrian was glad for his jacket. It wasn't too cold outside but they'd been in a crowded bar all night where body heat had caused the temperature of the room to be a few degrees over average. Not uncomfortably so, not to him, but his body had gotten acclimated to that atmosphere so that coming outside was a significant temperature drop. He shook his body a little as a dog might, the muscle contracting slightly in an almost shiver as he did so. It didn't warm him up a lot but it helped.

Simplicity called out to the kid who'd been barging through the bar earlier. The kid didn't look any happier now that he had achieved his supposed goal of leaving the bar. In fact, if anything, he looked more pissed off. His response to Simplicity confirmed Adrian's read as the young man quickly told them off and dismissed their presence. Adrian exchanged a, "oh great" look with Sim before taking a step towards his car.

"Yo, listen up," he called as he walked away. "I'm guessing you were sent here by some anonymous dude to wait for someone you don't know. That's what happened to us and we're those people you're waiting for. You could continue to waste all of our time or we could give you a ride? You look like you need one anyway and I'm hoping you know where we are going because we just got told to pick you up and I'm a little tired of having no game plan."