15700/Steak, homebrew, and someone new

Steak, homebrew, and someone new
Date of Scene:	10 October 2023
Location:	McAnally's Pub
Synopsis:	Harry meets Painkiller Jane. After patching her leg up and eating a meal together they decided to move on somewhere to talk a little more freely.
Cast of Characters:	Harry Dresden, Painkiller Jane

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Harry Dresden has posed:
While Dresden does his best to be mostly unpredictable, there is one place for sure to find him other than his office. Mac's. He is sitting at the counter, back to the door, but eyes at the long mirror behind the bar when it opens. The place is designed to keep violence at a minimum, but some habits die hard.

It is Tuesday, not overly busy yet there are people here and there. Harry has a steak sandwich infront of him and a bottle of homebrew at his right hand.

Painkiller Jane has posed:
Red. And not just the hair, either. Leather pants, boots, long coat, midriff bustier, fingerless gloves. Even the lenses on her shades are red. The woman moves slowly to the counter, dragging her left leg just a little. Fingers tightly grip the edge of the bar next to Harry, her rapid breathing slowing with every heartbeat.

"Tequila, and make it a double." Looking up to the mirror, she flashes a small smile and peers over the glasses with bright, green eyes.

Harry Dresden has posed:
When she walks in, Harry does look up of course. He makes a decision, that of not thinking she looks like she plans to try and go against the rules of the house. He takes a bite of his sandwich and chews thoughtfully.

When she takes a seat next to him he glances towards her and then back to his food. Meeting eyes in the mirror, he offers her a polite nod in the mirror and tells her,"You're new. You should try Mac's micro brew. He keeps it warm, but otherwise it is good." Mac fixes Harry with a bit of a scowl and then goes to her her tequila,"Steak is beyond reproach."

Painkiller Jane has posed:
From the way she carries herself, the way she grips the bar, and her breathing, Harry would certainly pick up that she's been shot. Left thigh. Her hands stay on the bar, away from the pair of pistols under the long coat. Her smile returns, only this time she shifts to look at him. Wince. Yeah, she's not had a good night.

"After I administer a little anesthetic first." she replies. "Hey, Mac, stack a micro brew behind the tequila, and add a rare steak." That's when she looks Harry over more closely. "Come here often, Slim?"

Harry Dresden has posed:
He turns towards her, eyes meeting hers briefly and then moving towards the injury in her leg. He raises a brow and tells Mac softly,"Mac, get the first aid kit and bring two clean rags to don't want back."

He glancs towards her again, though his eyes don't meet hers. From behind him another regular snorts and offers,"He practically lives here." Harry looks up a moment and then turns on the barstool, looking towards the man who interjected. There are no threats, not even an aggressive stance, Harry just looks at him. The man's eyes go wide, he looks at the bar, and then scoots off to a table not close.

Harry looks back in her direction and nods,"I am a regular. It helps I live across the street and I am a lousy cook. Harry Dresden. You going to let us patch that hole her play hard to get?"

Painkiller Jane has posed:
Painkiller Jane doesn't resist, mostly because Mac brings the tequila first. Half-turning towards Harry, she tosses back the tequila like a shot and offers her left leg. Sure enough, there is blood on her left thigh... which may also explain the choice in colors.

"Hi, Harry. I'm Jane." No last name. "It was a clean shot, all the way through. No internal bleeding." So she's been shot before.

"And help yourself." Shifting her weight, she waggles that leg back and forth a bit. And perhaps it's the tequila, but she already looks like she's feeling better.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Mac and Harry make with a triage right there on the barstool. It might be a little unsanitary, but so is active bleeding on the stool at the bar. They work quick, like they may have done this a time or two.

"Nice to meet you Jane." Harry replies and Mac mutters a grunt of a greeting. Once things are under control Mac goes to clean up and then get back to cooking. Harry looks over the bandages and nods,"All right. Keep it clean, watch for infection." he finally mutters.

Sitting back up again he takes a drink from his bottle and tells her,"So you make a habit of getting shot?" he teases lightly. Well, it's about as tease as he can get really. He's not really good at it.

Painkiller Jane has posed:
Jane raises her leg and leans back on the bar to let them work. Oddly enough, the bleeding is already slowing. And even in the low light of the bar, Harry can tell the wound is closing.

"Don't worry about infection, just try to keep the mess down." Jane offers. "I heal quickly." She peers over the glasses at the last, giving him a knowing look.

"It happens more than you'd think, actually. Getting shot, I mean. I need to work on my people skills sometimes." Between the bright outfit, the guns, and the wound, it's pretty apparent that Jane has a dysfunctional night life.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Once everything seems to be in order, Harry walks around to wash up as well. Blood doesn't bother him, but there is food to eat and there are lines. He does notice the wound settling and the guns, but he doesn't ask a lot of questions.

Once he is back to his seat he takes another bite of his sandwich and then chases it with the home brew,"I haven't been shot at for a bit, but I understand things getting out of control and people skills being part of the problem." There is a soft almost chuckle from Mac as he brings her a drink and the steak she asked for, cooked to perfection and nestled on the buttled and seared bun.

Painkiller Jane has posed:
Painkiller Jane flexes her leg a few times experimentally, wincing a lot less now. Settling onto a bar stool now, she lets out a soft sigh as the weight leaves the leg. "In my defense, he shot first." she replies, giving Mac a nod when the beer and steak are set in front of her. "But we had a nice chat afterward. At least it was nice for one of us."

Jane smiles, then, leaning back a bit. "I'm sort of a freelance investigator." Best not to say ex-cop, because that will lead to questions. "So what do you do, Harry?"

Harry Dresden has posed:
A smirk touches his features and he says,"There is always a catch. If he shot first, you're golden." He draws from his brew again and adds,"Chat is always good. Particularly if it is nice for you."

He reaches into his duster pocket, coat resting on the stool next to him. He pushes it over to her and tells her,"I am an investigator myself." On the card she sees his name, the address across the street, the title Wizard immediately above Private Investigator. There is a message service number, but not a cell phone number.

Painkiller Jane has posed:
Jane picks up the card and holds it between two fingers, turning it over to check the back as well. "That's just my story for the cops, in case they find him and he fingers me." she offers casually. "I'm not exactly discreet, but the red hides the blood. And it reminds the bad guys who I am."

She looks up from the card, then, slipping it inside the coat before starting in on her steak. "More than just a PI, I see." she replies knowingly. "I thought I was the old-fashioned one, here. I keep a few tools on me for the old school question-and-answer sessions with perps."

Harry Dresden has posed:
"Get the liscensing. It takes time, but then you don't have to use the cover so much." he suggests,"It sounds like maybe he might be less than willing to finger you since you have that hole in your leg. Sometimes discretion is over rated."

He chuckles softly to the other and nods,"Yes. More than. It would be a rare person more old fashioned than me." he adds. His right wrist shakes and a bracelet with various charms and symbols shakes down. The pentacle around his neck indicates a few tools of his own,"Always good to keep the tools of the trade close at hand."

Painkiller Jane has posed:
Jane shrugs a little, between bites. "Appreciate the advice, but my situation's a bit more complicated than that." Peering over the glasses, she checks the mirror and then to either side along the bar as well. "And this isn't exactly the best place for such a talk. No offense to Mac."

The jingling at his wrist catches her attention, then. "Interesting jewelry you have. Also probably not the sort of conversation to have in a bar. You wanna take a walk after dinner? My leg should be ready to stretch out a bit."

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry motions around the room. The couple in the far corner, the guy looks like a predator and the woman looks like a willing prety. The lone man across the the other direction is bigger than anything normal could be,"This isn't exactly a room full of the unknown, but we could walk after sure. If nothing else, my office is across the the street."

He gets the last of his sandwich and Mac brings three more over, boxed up. He also puts a six pack of the home brew next to it.

Harry looks at the necklace,"Family heirloom." he replies. He slides the bracelet back up his arm out of sight,"One of my own creations that one. If you think you are up for the walk we can though."

Painkiller Jane has posed:
Jane eats fast, and she's already well into her steak. It doesn't take her long to finish, then she reaches into her pocket to drop some bills onto the bar. "Good steak, Mac." she replies. Slugging down the beer, she offers in a lower voice to Harry. "And he does serve it on the warm side."

The redhead eases off of the bar stool, and she's no longer favoring her left leg. "Let's start by crossing the street, then, and see where things go from there." she replies. "You've got a unique skill-set. I'm curious to see how it's working out for you."

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry pays for his food, bagging up the to go boxes. Someone from across the room says,"Tell Mouse we said hello." Harry waves to her and turns to go out to the waiting streets with Jane.

The mention of his unique skill-set gets a laugh,"Unique. That's a word for it." he agrees and pulls the door open, motioning her to step through and the follows her out.