1268/A Newly Freed Man

From United Heroes MUSH
Jump to navigation Jump to search
A Newly Freed Man
Date of Scene: 03 July 2017
Location: Unknown
Synopsis: Summary needed
Cast of Characters: Ares, Black Canary




Ares has posed:
    It was a brief phone call between them. Just a small greeting given, a smile from him as he apologizes for not returning her call, but then suggesting they meet again if she would like. So when it was agreed he had suggested, "Knickerbockers?" But... the last time they had been there things had gotten a bit out of hand. So a little more brainstorming and then it was advanced, "Rudy's?"
    That one they haven't gotten kicked out of yet, so it was agreed.
    So that evening he showed up on 9th Avenue. Walking past the giant ceramic pink pig that greets you at the door, when it's opened a wave of noise will escape out onto the street. It's the happy sound of a mass of people enjoying themselves, their voices carried on the waves of some honkytonk music playing in the background.
    Inside, it doesn't seem quite as loud at all. There's just the mass of people at the bar, the crowds around the booths are watching the satellite TV, and there are a few tables around the music display that's lit and makes a show of playing various CDs when the coin is paid.
    John arrives and gives a nod to the hostess and moves towards the bar to await Dinah's arrival. He shoulders his way into a seat, though to be fair the place isn't entirely full. There are still some empty booths, some empty tables, but the bar is fairly premium real estate.
    A quick order is placed, bottle of Corona and some lime, since he'd recently gained a taste for it.

Black Canary has posed:
    There's a rumble of a motorcycle outside, the deeper bass of a Harley rather than the higher pitched sounds of a street racer, before it cuts off. A moment later Dinah comes wandering in, carrying a helmet in one hand as she looks around, then spots John and heads over to join him, setting the helmet down on the chair next to her. "Hey..." she says cheerfully, taking a set across from him. "You're a Corona man?" She waves down a waitress, putting in an order herself. "Sam Adams, please."

Ares has posed:
    "Knew you were a brave woman," John takes up his beer and looks sidelong at her, "Didn't know how brave. You drive that thing in this city?" A small shake of his head is given as if such an enterprise were entirely too rich for his blood. But he answers her simply, "Had it a week ago with some Mexican food. For some reason I enjoy it. Not entirely sure why." But as he says that he pushes off of that stool and gives a nod to the hostess to signal that his party had arrived.
    Back to her he says, "I figured I'd get us a table." He waits for her to get her beer before he'll step away from the bar fully and start to head over that way. "I thought it might be more effective in the ensuing brawl for you to flip it over and take cover behind, maybe throw it at someone."

Black Canary has posed:
    Dinah arches a brow. "Why wouldn't I drive it, it's a classic!" With a few special modifications, of course. "Mmm, should try it with a bit of lime." she offers, leaning back as the waitress returns with her beer, then knocks it back for a moment, before setting it down with a sigh. "Mmm, nice and cold. She scoops up her helmet then follows John over to the table. "Aww, you're sweet. So thoughtful." she teases a bit as she takes a seat, crossing her legs as she leans back in the chair.

Ares has posed:
    Once they reach the table he smirks sidelong at her when she busts his chops lightly and he replies, "Terribly so." He puts his drink on the tabletop, then leans to take up the menus that are being held up in the center of the table by a holder. He flips through the menu a bit, frowning to himself as nothing really jumps out at him.
    Setting it aside for now he looks across the table towards her and says, "I did want to apologize to you, before we get too drunk and I lose focus and we end up just singing the night away at some karaoke bar somewhere."
    He pushes the menu towards her, in case she might want something to snack on, but then continues. "I am not a person who... dates well. And so I, I tend to just let myself get swept away with a moment if I imagine I feel something. If I had taken a moment to reflect, I would have not allowed myself to... act that way."

Black Canary has posed:
    Ah, they're getting into that already, huh? Dinah lets out a little puff of breath as John explains, then nods a bit. "It's...fine. I'm not the greatest at relationships either, so I guess it just threw me a bit, didn't..expect it." She smiles faintly. "It's flattering though. I'm suprised you don't have plenty of girls already after you. I mean, construction worker, that's totally a calender spread fantasy if nothing else." There's a pause, then she admits. "It's not like I protested too strongly either, and I wasn't...offended."

Ares has posed:
    That causes him to reflect for a moment as he leans to the side, one hand around the base of his beer and his elbow resting upon the arm of the chair. "It is perhaps difficult to explain." The tall man pushes a calloused hand through his short stubbly hair, then draws a finger down along the curve of his jaw, scritching at the stubble of his beard as if trying to figure out the write words.
    But when she smiles a bit and he can't help but heave a small 'heh'. His eyes distance for a moment, these last few days have been... very strange and so much has passed. He takes a deep breath and then meets those blue eyes of hers. "I have friends, whom I have spent time with in the past. Often when I meet someone they seem to be moving forward with their life in some way. Sometimes there are aspects of my life they don't care for. Some do not wish the hassle of a child. Some do not wish the hassle of a person who..." He flares his hands slightly, as if brushing his words aside. "Who is different than others. Or has strange things happen in their lives fairly regularly."
    He then takes a sip of his drink and sets the bottle to the side, "Not that I thought you were seeking a relationship. I think it was more that I felt a warmth for the person that you are, the wildness, the skill, and there is something that is down to earth about you."
    He then gives a nod, "But I am not always the most perceptive of individuals."

Black Canary has posed:
    Now, that pulls a sigh from her. "Mmm, well...I know that feeling. And believe me, even when you try it with someone who is part of a life like that it....doesn't always work out." she says solemnly, then takes a long drink from her beer. She smiles faintly after a moment, peering up through her lashes at him. "...I'm not saying I wasn't flirting a bit too." she admits, a little sheepishly. "But I do kinda like to know a bit more about a guy before I move things that far along. I'm not really a one night stand kinda girl." she says simply, tapping her boot absently.

Ares has posed:
    A nod is given, but then he smirks at her as she smiles. He looks to the side and shakes his head, but then he looks back towards her. "Well I can be terribly dense at times, so if in the future you would like to go out sometime and share a drink, then let me know." He gestures towards the bar and says levelly, "Tonight is... just as friends." A look back to her, "Yes?"
    There's a pause as he settles deep into the chair, crossing a foot over his leg and he murmurs, "Also I should confide in you, as it seems your co-workers already know aspects about me that I had been keeping to myself to a degree."

Black Canary has posed:
    Dinah smiles. "Friends is good for a start." she agrees, nodding. She quirks a brow again at the addition. "Well...I'm working for Zinda now, so...they know a bit more about me too. Are you going to take her up on the job? They don't seem like the type to blurt out secrets, if you're worried about that. I'm sure if they know you want to keep it private, they'll respect your wishes."

Ares has posed:
    A small grunt is given as he rubs the back of his neck thoughtfully. "You're right, it is just there might be a newspaper article and I wouldn't want you to be reflecting over your morning cereal and say to yourself, 'Well, I'll be. That jerk didn't even tell me.' and then you'd show up at work and run around trying to flying kick me in the face, and I'll have to apologize profusely while trying to cover my head and running away at the same time."
    But then at the end of that he smirks a little and takes another drink of beer before he glances towards the bar and the server there. He holds up his empty bottle and signals for their attention. A nod is given and he looks back at Dinah, "So, if you don't mind, I'll get on with it." He smiles a bit, guardedly, but still a smile.

Black Canary has posed:
    When Dinah frowns, it does create a cute little wrinkle on her forehead, which Ares is able to observe right now. She says slowly. "Okay..." A bit wary, but curious now. What paper? She really needs to keep up with the news more, apparently, but she seems willing to listen without judgement for the moment.

Ares has posed:
    "Well, you are aware that I am not entirely a normal individual," He rubs at the line of his jaw and grimaces a little, eyes slipping back to her as he smiles faintly, "Not just from my choice in company. But recently my past came back to..." His brow furrows as he recalls the last three days, and the effort it took to recover from allowing himself to take on the mantle of the role that was once his. "To haunt me, and I was forced to defend myself."
    It's that moment that the waitress comes by and he murmurs to her, "Bottle of Hudson, please. Two glasses?" He quirks an eyebrow at her and should she agree he'll place the order.
    Once that's done he turns back towards her, "You see, my family is... vindictive. And old. Very old. I turned my back on them some time ago. But the one who took my place after I left wished to take my life and the life of my son."
    He sits up slightly more in his chair as he looks past her slightly, eyes distanced. Then he looks back, "We battled for a long time, and it ended poorly. There was some damage. And I was taken into custody."

Black Canary has posed:
    It's here that Dinah proves she's a pretty good listener, in that she doesn't immediately interrupt to ask questions like "How old?" or "Took your place?" or even. "You have a son??"

    Instead, she stays quiet, though she has a slightly suprised look at the last about battling. "...I'm guessing this was not just brawling in an alley or house somewhere..." she murmurs softly, her eyes on John.

Ares has posed:
    The tall man nods in answer to her question and gestures to the side, "You see..." He squints a bit as if this was really not the way he'd like to have told her, or really anyone. Perhaps it'll avoid difficulty down the line, or perhaps it's just a huge heaping of strange and new crap to know about a person that it'll drive her off thinking he's a crazy person. "When I say old, my family is very old. I have lived over... four thousand years. That I know of." He eyes her sidelong as if ready for the protestations. "And my father was known here as Zeus. My mother, Hera."
    That is usually enough to cause the wild flight. Sometimes it's Alexander. Sometimes it's the weirdness. Sometimes it's just that he works construction.

Black Canary has posed:
    She can't really help it, her jaw drops slightly at that. There's a click as her mouth closes a moment later as she catches her self doing it as she fold sher arms across her chest, watching John now. There's definitely a hint of disbelief in her eyes warring with 'but then, think of the people you hang out with at the Watchtower' in the back of her mind.

    She holds up a finger after a moment, then takes her bottle and this time chugs it down, emptying it, then waving down the passing waitress. "Three more of these, please." After the woman has nabbed the empty and headed off, she returns her attention to John. "...Zeus and Hera." she repeats. "...which makes you...?"

Ares has posed:
    "Ares," He says simply, "Or I was. I broke my oaths to them, stepped down from my role. Phobos stepped up and took the mantle of God of War." When the waitress brings the bottles for Dinah she also brings his bourbon and the two glasses. He sets them down upon the table, then turns the bottle on its side to let the caramel liquor pour into the two glasses before him. He then sets the bottle down with a resonant clink.
    Taking up his glass he looks across it towards her, "But for the last two hundred years I have tried to... live as a mortal. As best as I can. I have a ten year old son, Alexander. I have raised him alone since his birth. They discovered him and sought his death, and so..."
    He downs the liquor and then reaches for the bottle again to refill his glass. "The battle was difficult. And there may be a newspaper article as to who I am."
    He then looks across the table towards her, "But when I met you, I could tell you were a gifted warrior. I could sense your talent and in some ways I am drawn to such things because of my..." He looks to the side and grimaces, "Because of my nature."

Black Canary has posed:
    Dinah taps her fingers absently on the table as she continues to watch, even as the waitress returns to set the three bottles back on the table. Which she ignores, instead snagging the extra glass while John refills the other, then knocks it back with a smooth motion, before letting out a little 'whuff' and setting the glass back down on the table.

    Oddly, her next question may come out of nowhere.

    "Do you know Diana, then?" she asks. Perhaps as a bit of a test.

Ares has posed:
    The tall man gives a small nod, and his eyebrows lift as he looks across the table towards her, "Yes. We do not get along. Our paths crossed some time ago and there is no love lost between us." He then downs his own drink, the glass clinking softly upon the tabletop. He leans forwards further, reaching for the bottle to refill his glass and now Dinah's.
    "She came to my home perhaps a month ago to warn me she knew where I lived. Apparently my sister told her." His eyes widen slightly as if the whole thing was just such a damn mess. Which it is.

Black Canary has posed:
    Well, of course. If he IS telling the truth, which seems to be the case, then of course he'd have a feud with one of her teammates. In addition to being a god. She doesn't even know how to begin to approach that, really.

    "Your sister, who is a goddess, presumably. You...were married to another goddess, or...someone on Earth?" she says thoughfully, eyeing the smaller glass, but going for a bottle instead for the moment.

Ares has posed:
    "Athena was the sister," He looks past her for a time, gaze distanced as he considers the memories that are brought forth, the past rearing its ugly head once again. "She came to warn me that matters were coming to a head." Then his eyes focus on her and he can already see the way it seems to affect her. The distancing, the strangeness, the utter alienness of who and what he is. He shakes his head and then says shortly, sharply, "But that is of no matter. There are many tales of my kind on Earth. Some of it is true, much of it is not."
    He drains his glass and then shakes his head, "Alexander's mother passed in child birth. She was a good woman. A police officer." He says simply, with a touch of enthusiasm, but the memory again has him frowning as he takes a deep breath. "But Phobos, my eldest son, came to me and swore he would take the life of Alexander. And so..." He shakes his head, "There was a long battle, and it went horribly wrong. And..."
    He smirks and looks across the table towards her, "And I can understand why you would not want to hear anymore. In any case, Dinah, when I tell you that you are an exceptional martial artist... trust that I mean it for true, and that such an opinion holds weight."
    He pushes his chair back and gets to his feet, "I will not trouble you further. And all will be polite as proper should our paths cross at the Blackhawk's island."

Black Canary has posed:
    Dinah stirs at that. "...oh, sit down." she says quietly. "I'm just...needed a bit to process this." She leans back, waving him back to the chair. "You're not troubling me...well, okay, you are, because that's a lot to lay on a girl, but I'm not telling you to get lost, just..." She sighs. "...I will need a little bit to get used to that idea, you know? You being...mythic."

Ares has posed:
    "No, Dinah." The tall man looks to her, "I believe this was a mistake. I am more used to..." Being in entire control of everything. He pushes a hand into the pocket of his jacket and withdraws a wallet, uncurling a few bills from it and laying them on the table. He looks off towards the door, brow furrowed in thought for moment then he looks back and tells her, "Having a better handle on things. Knowing what to expect from one moment to the next." But then again, that is a common complaint for most.
    "Another time," He gives her a nod and then turns away, starting to move across the way, his footsteps even and his advance somehow methodical.
    Only for a drunk patron to stagger away from the bar and twist to the side, "See, I told you man, Senators in the playoffs, hah!"
    He makes the mistake of staggering into John's way and suddenly he's sent roughly into a table, spilling his beer as he stumbles. "Hey man, what the fuck!"

Black Canary has posed:
    Dinah stands up. "John, wait..." But she can tell already her entreaty is about to be ignored, as she lets out a sigh. To be honest...him leaving at this point isn't a bad thing, maybe. She really does need a little time to digest this. "...don't be a stranger." she calls after him, then winces as the unfortunate man is knocked into the table. "...well, that could have gone better." she mutters to herself, rubbing her forehead as she drops down into her chair again. She glances at the table, then snags the still full shot glass, then knocks it back smoothly, before turning it over and setting it on top of the table. "Yup. I'll just....have a good long drink." she murmurs to herself.