5675/Bronze Oktoberfest

Bronze Oktoberfest
Date of Scene:	29 October 2018
Location:	The Bronze, Bludhaven
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Captain Britain, Sam Winchester, Willow Rosenberg

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Captain Britain has posed:
Bars have highs and lows, and to get bums in seats, on stools, or shoes on the floor, they periodically offer special nights, weeks, and even months. And the Bronze was no different. Tonight was the last night of Oktoberfest, as tomorrow they'd begin the Halloween promotions. For some reason, Halloween was never quite as popular in Blüdhaven as it was in other cities of comparable size.

Brian Braddock had come to the Bronze, and was currently standing at one of those high round tables, though with how much his head, shoulders, and chest rose above the crowd, most would expect him to be sat on a high chair. He was just tall, very tall.

He wore a British racing green polo shirt with an embroidered Union Jack across his left breast. His left wrist had a gold and silver watch, while he had a coiled dark green leather braclet on his right. His right wrist also had a black ring with silver on the top and bottom, and a fraternal symbol in the centre, though that was hard to see except from close up.

On the table, he had a plate of schweinshaxe, or roasted ham shank, which was crispy on the outside, and oh so tender on the inside. Next to it, there was a pint of Guinness. Oktoberfest or not, he was a Guinness man when he did drink.

The crowd was pretty usual for the Bronze, but with it being the last night of Oktoberfest, a few of the lads were trying them all out, and more than a few were drunk already, some slumped in their chairs, others slurring their speech. With this being the Sunnydale area of Blüdhaven, one would have to assume that there was something going on. In fact, over in the corner there seemed to be a guy with plantinum blonde hair going on and on about flower onions while playing snooker.

Sam Winchester has posed:
Wow. This place took Sam back to his college years, not that he was ever much of a party guy. Not that he was either, but damn it even hunters needed to blow off steam.

Fine, maybe he was getting the lay of the land as well, given Sunnydale seemed to be the centre of most of the weirdness in the Tri-State area.

Okay, so he was doing both.

Opting for a Weihenstaphaner Hefe Weissbier, Sam , wanders the room looking for a table only to be bumped by a guy in lederhosen, who in turn bumped Sam into Brian's table. "Hey, watch out," Sam groused to the guy in the German duds before turning back to Brian. "Hey, sorry buddy, I didn't spill anything did I?" he says, some of his own beer having been splashed on to his flannel by the incident.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow forgot what time of year it was, which was probably really hard to believe if you track that she's a witch, and given she lives with The Slayer and all. You'd think Halloween would be prime time activity with frequent flyer miles for them, and quite likely the only time of year she and some of her friends actually didn't stick out like sore thumbs just being themselves.

What she'd actually done is tried to come out for a bit of quiet (sorta, kinda quiet?) and revisit the old stomping grounds so to speak... not that Willow was a club kinda girl at the best of times, but she'd been a time or two. And she figured, hey, Monday night, how many people can there be? Besides, she had some research to get down with.

Of course, she's about to be vastly disappointed.

Stepping inside the Bronze, it's wall to wall activity and celebration - if still low key for this hour of the evening, but before she can turn around and back out, a wave of university students, post mid-term exams and ready to celebrate, push on in, forcing Willow deeper into the fray, where she stands looking like a lost little lamb, what with her in her tie died peasant skirt and subdued pirate blouse, satchel slung over a shoulder and hanging down at her hip.

"Well, drat."

Captain Britain has posed:
Even without his uniform, Brian's agility and reflexes were superior to that of the finest athlete, and he put them to good use, as the pint of Guinness was knocked over, but in mid air, his right hand reached out. His whole upper torso shifted, and he grabbed the handle, lifting and using it to scoop out the beer that otherwise would have splashed out of the mug, and gone towards the floor. His efforts managed to save the brew, not even spilling a single drop of that black nectar. Raising his glass to his lips so that he could take another sip, he offered in a posh, Received Pronunciation English accent, "quite all right. I managed to save it. I do hope someone managed to catch that on video. I'm rather proud of it." It was a Herculean effort. Brian did note that some of Sam's beer had splashed on the American's flannel, and with his free hand, Brian offered him some napkins, though didn't explain why, as he didn't want to call attention to Sam's mistake.

Sam Winchester has posed:
Sam turns in time to see the catch, "Damn," he says. "What are you part cat?" he says good naturedly while thinking, ~god, I hope he's not~, showing on his face as just a little dip in his smile.

The napkins though are welcomed and he takes them with a quick, "Thanks," as he dabs at his shirt. "Pretty wild tonight, didn't expect this for a mostly teen bar," he says "I'm Sam by the way," he says stuffing the napkins in his shirt pocket then offering a hand. Or well he starts to, before he spots a familiar face, "Willow?" he calls to the witch.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow still has that deer in the headlights look going on, because this was not on her agenda for the evening.

"Why are there so many people?" she asks of the air in a rhetorical fashion, only to be answered by a tall brunette who is most definitely checking her out, "Dude.. It's October? 'fest? You dig? Halloween coming up hump day? Woah, you know, for a cute girl, you're kinda ditzy. You got a number?"

Willow blinks in disbelief at the brunette, but is saved, totally, from having to reply by Sam's voice drifting over to her. It's a thing that lights up her face.

"Sam! You made it here before me! I thought our date wasn't till.." She feigns looking at her phone as she extricates from brunette and his friends (they're laughing at him) and makes her way over to what she's now regarding as her momentary saviour, "Oh gosh, I guess I am late. Hee. You know how it is. I couldn't decide what to wear."

And when she gets to him, to seal the 'back off' vibe, she kisses his cheek, whispering, "Save me."

Captain Britain has posed:
"Lion actually," Brian jokingly corrects Sam with a smile, as three lions are on the royal arms of England. "My name is Brian Braddock, a pleasure to meet you Sam," and he offered a hand to the man. "It's my first time. I didn't know it was a teen bar, but yes, some do seem to be on the younger side of things..." he says just before the teenage girl comes up to Sam and plants a kiss on his cheek. "Willow I presume?" He said after their kiss had ended, and he rose to his feet, as was customary in the presence of a lady, "my name is Brian Braddock," and he offered his hand to her.

Sam Winchester has posed:
"Lion?" Sam asks at first before it clicks. "Right, England, got it," he smiles and shakes Brian's hand. "Glad your beer's okay..."

Then it's time to play pretend.

"Hey babe, got off work early," Sam greets hugging her and kissing her cheek in turn. He lets, go then stands to his full six feet five inches, and looks over at the brunette and his friends, "Those guys bothering you?" hoping the look would be enough to send the guys packing.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
The brunette and his friends are already off looking for easier pickings, the brunette seemingly filled with a vast capacity to take being rejected (and laughed at by his friends) and is making the move on not one, but two busty blonde cheer-leaders on the other side of the bar.

Willow shudders. "He was rude. Who says... that.. anyway?" she asks of Sam, whispering under her breath, "Hump Day. Ew."

It wasn't so much she was a prude (she wasn't), but she had standards and some things you just didn't have to say, right? Then again, her life was peppered with demons, undead, and monsters. You really had to forgive her for choosing the sunshiney, all things good from the girl. It was that or turn jaded. There really wasn't a middle ground.

"Thanks," she tells Sam, for going along with the gig and saving her. Then she notices Brian, and the offered hand. "Oh, hey. Yeah. I'm Willow. Willow Rosenburg." She grins as she says it. "Not that you'd care or know. I mean, I'm not anyone important. And Brian?" She shakes his hand, and if he's one to notice such things, it's not the world's most firm handshake. Probably about what you'd expect of someone who looks like her. The callouses in unexpected places that suggest weapons? Not so much. "I like your accent. Are you visiting? Wait, are you friends with Sam? Did I interupt things?" Eyes widening as she asks that. "Oh, gosh, I'm sorry."

Sam gets another look.

"Ohhhh, so that's why," she says knowingly. "Oh wow. You must have thought me so silly when I tried to set you up with Buffy." Then reassures Brian. "It's okay, Sam and I aren't dating. I just needed to escape that tall guy."

Captain Britain has posed:
If Sam didn't look like enough of a problem for the guys who had been pestering Willow, Brian more than doubled the trouble, as he stood an extra inch taller, and close to 80 lb heavier, all of it muscle. They could be nicknamed the twin towers. "Need a hand?" He offered, as he eyed the men who had been bothering Willow. He may not know either of them, but they seemed decent, and the guys were obviously drunk. For added emphasis, Brian cracked his knuckles in his best efforts at appearing menacing. It was so out of character for him.

He did look a bit sad when she said he shouldn't care and that she was of no importance. "Willow Rosenberg," he said her full name for effect and so that he would better remember, "each and every one of us impacts those around us. Everyone is important. "No, I'm matriculating at Empire State University, but live here in Blüdhaven. We just met, actually. Why, should I be worried? Is he a troublemaker?" And then at the mention of Buffy, Brian says, "blonde girl, about yay high," and he puts his hand to where she comes up to, "um, perky, and very American. I believe I met her a few days ago." Then a look to Sam, "so, you aren't dating Willow, and aren't dating Buffy?"

Sam Winchester has posed:
For the split second before the guys turn and leave, Sam says to Brian. "Yeah, if they all jump in."

Turns out there's no need as they wander off. "Guess the threat level is back down to Douche-con Five, thanks for the offer," he says.

To Willow, he rolls his eyes, "Hump day?" he shakes his head.

"And no you're good, I literally just bumped into him, but given the shortage of empty tables, Brian, mind if we join you?" he asks.

Willow's assumption, gets a long look from Sam. "Seriously?" he says before laughing. "Nah I'm straight." He turns to Brian then, "And not dating Buffy, or Willow," he says before it clicks. "Wait, you know Buffy?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Sam gets a furrow of brow, as if to say if you're straight, why was it so hard to get the two of you to hang out? As though she and Sam had some great long history for her to play upon and set them up with. She'd only met Sam when she'd decided he'd be perfect for her beste.

"Huh?" Brian's description of Buffy gets a giggle. "I don't know I'd says she's perky. She must have liked you. But yeah, she's my best friend and room mate." And fighting partner of a sort. Not that Willow necessarily *fought* per se, but she was there when they dealt with messes, and handled them in her own fashion. Usually from the sidelines. Even if everyone insisted she know which end of a knife to hold.

"Wow. Small world. So you know Buffy, huh? She didn't mention you. And We're studying too. Not Empire State though. We're breaking out into the real world." Well, bigger world. Girls have to spread their wings and fly.

Captain Britain has posed:
"Not at all, please, join me." He pulled out a chair for Willow, and once she's sat down, will push it in. Lifting her and the chair is easy work for him. "I ran into her the other night, ended up walking her to the nearest bus stop, since she refused my offer of a lift. It was quite late, so I wanted to make sure she got home all right." Yeah, Brian thought he was being the protecting gentleman. Little did he know just how tough she is.

"She didn't mention me? Always the way, I guess I blend," yeah, because 6'6", 260 lb Englishman are a dime a dozen in Sunnydale.

"I'm working on my Masters of Engineering. What are you two studying," he assumes they're both of college age, though Sam's probably closer to Brian's age, so might be out of college if he didn't decide to go further than a bachelors.

Sam Winchester has posed:
Willow's look gets a shrug and a mouthed, "What?" out of Sam before he drops into a seat.

He takes a sip of his beer. "Heh, I'm sure she noticed you, I mean you're what? A bit taller than me and she called me Chewbacca when we first met." He nods about her taking her own way home. "Yeah, she can handle herself alright."

He sips his beer, "Not bad."

"Me? I was at pre-law in Stanford before a family thing came up. Never graduated. Heard good things about Empire State though."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow giggles at Sam. "To be fair, you insulted her when you first met her. That's kind of Buffy's way of dealing with such things. You should be glad she didn't punch you." Actually, Willow wasn't sure Buffy would have punched Sam over that, but it was exactly the sort of light conversation one makes at times.

Brian's offer of a seat is taken with a smile, a smile that turns wide-eyed as her chair is easily hefted up and moved closer to the table, not merely pushed in. "Oh, wow. You're strong. I mean, I guess I'm not surprised. You're tall too. And I wouldn't worry about her not mentioning you. She might not have wanted to play twenty questions." That, and Willow had been pretty busy trying to hunt up more information on the missing items they were looking for, and had been distracted. It was entirely possible that Buffy had tried to tell her beste and found the other absorbed in other things, and thought it better to wait for another time. That all supposed that her friend had actually liked the man. Of course now Willow had fuel for the asking!

"Me? What am I taking?" She worries around her answer. "Just general studies for now. I couldn't decide on a major. I mean, a triple major was easy to pin down, but they frowned at that. And I can't decide what to pair with pure maths. Well, if I stick with that."

It was tough being Willow. And that didn't even touch her magic studies.

Captain Britain has posed:
"She couldn't decide if I was Adonis or Narcissus," Brian admitted in a sheepish, somewhat embarrassed tone. "It would seem she's been brushing up on her Greek mythology." He took a sip of his beer, "family thing. I can relate. It can be trying."

While Brian was the least famous Braddock, the family name likely resonated. His elder brother Jamie was a multiple time Formula 1 champion, his sister Betsy was a model, with something of a Michael Jackson thing going on, except she seemed to go from being a Caucasian to Asian, though no one understood how or why. And of course, there was Braddock Industries, and even here in Blüdhaven, there was Braddock Castle, one of the few actual castles in New Jersey.

"I know the feeling," Brian said when triple major is brought up. While he had only one official major, he had four minors, two of which were within one credit of being classified as a major, and another that was two credits. But Brian had always been the studious Braddock, with his head buried in a book while the others went out and enjoyed the summer. He did appreciate the maths rather than math. She must have been hanging out with Giles, or Constantine, or... a lot of people were English in this town. "Well, I'm sure it will go well." He didn't see the most outgoing of people though.

Sam Winchester has posed:
"Wait when did I insult her?" You know besides calling her a myth. "I mean, if anything I insulted you." Because of the whole witches consort with demons thing,neither topic being safe for mixed company.

Though he does allow, "Glad she didn't punch me though."

He has another swallow of beer.

"Wait, she compared you to Adonis or Narcissus? And all I got was Chewbacca?" Sam blurts out looking to Willow for support on this one. "Totally unfair right?"

Regardless,, he shakes his head.

"Wow, that's a hell of a course load, Willow, you sure you want to jump in with both feet like that? I mean, good on you, but freshman year's supposed to be fun, and getting a feel for the whole college experience."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow just giggles at Sam. "You said she wasn't real." Then she remembers. "And you insulted me, too! You know, for someone in your profession you are not all that with it."

The giggles have her shaking her head at him. "And what do you mean jump in with both feet like that?" She's not sure of the question. Willow wasn't, Sam might figure out, your average everyday freshman.

Brian would be right about Giles and Constantine, if only he knew. Of course, the proper term was 'maths', especially in pure and finite studies. But she's not privy to his appreciation beyond the fact that he seems to understand her dilemma. "I hope so? I'm enjoying general studies okay, I guess, but the lack of focus is really kind of odd. I'm not sure how to judge my performance." Which has been no small source of trouble to the girl who pinned her self-worth on her standings.

Captain Britain has posed:
"In my experience, most women don't appreciate being described as a myth, or as not being real." Brian offers Sam in a sympathetic tone, "maybe that's why she described you as Chewbacca, or she had just seen another Star Wars prequel. What are they on now? I can never keep up. Besides, I was always more of a fan of Star Trek, more aspirational, less violent."

And hearing a vague reference to profession, Brian decides to ask, "so, what do you do, Sam?" He still hadn't heard a surname, so didn't have a whole lot to go on here. And to Willow, he said, "just remember, no matter what you're studying, you can always learn about other subjects. Every day, every interaction, every bit of stimuli, you have the chance to learn something new. It's all around us."

Sam Winchester has posed:
Sam facepalms. "No, the myth stuff was after that," he says, "So yeah, that's me, Wookie-boy." He takes a drink of his beer.

"And you," he says to Willow good naturedly. "Where's the support?"

"Just saying, three majors, that might be a bit crazy first year," he says. Especially with her learning magic and fighting monsters. "But hey, your call."

Brian gets a look, "What do I do?" he says running through the supply of pat answers in his head. "Exterminator. I know a waste of a Stanford education, but had to take over the family business."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow scrunches her nose at Sam. "You said I was a demon." Which really wasn't what he said, but he implied heavily that that was where she got her powers from. It had been a tense few minutes. "And you didn't believe she was real from the time I met you in the book store."

She turns to Brian. "He dropped a shelf of books on himself. Which was okay, it turns out we were looking for the same thing." And as she thinks on that, it occurs to her that may not have been co-incidence.

She nearly chokes when Sam describes his 'profession', but she doesn't contradict him.

Of course, the real contentious issue is Brian's words of wisdom about learning, all of which have her blinking owlishly at him, "How will I know how well I'm doing without test scores, though?" Yeah, Willow is still carrying some childhood issues there. Go figure. Not that she isn't all over the learning at any chance she can get regardless, but schooling? That's important! Think of the grades! Oh the humanity.

Captain Britain has posed:
"Extermination you say. How do you find cyrfuthrin compares to hydramethylnon. If I had need of it, I would try pyrethrum first, but you're the expert. What would you recommend and why? I'm curious about the reasons." He genuinely did seem curious about the chemistry. And with Willow not having given him much support, will he be able to maintain the story of being an exterminator, a pre-law one at that, under Brian's chemical interest.

Saved to a certain extent, Brian raises a curious brow at Willow, "why would he call you a demon?" And Brian's still not sure he believed that profession after the way Willow seemed to choke on it.

But moving along, he slowed his speech, allowing it to take on a sympathetic tone, "everything in nature can be quantified, but there are so many variables that makes testing extremely difficult. Take your SAT system. I understand it has come a long way, but even today, there is an incredible gap by ethnicity. African Americans, aboriginals, I believe you call them American Indians," he thought that was so strange, as an Indian was someone from India to him.

"And latinos routinely score lower than Europeans, Pacific Islanders, and Asians. It's like how colour photographs were originally created with a European audience in mind, and as a result, colours were off considerably for people with different skin tone. Knowledge has very little to do with tests. I've known imbeciles who test well, and incredibly bright individuals who couldn't pass a test if their life depended on it. It took me some time to realise this, but you must not focus on scores. In the end, all a test does is measure your ability to properly meet the criteria of that test.

Sam Winchester has posed:
Okay so they were dropping the D word infront of Brian. Good to know. "Not actually what I said," Sam protests.

The rest has him rolling his eyes. "Okay...sure, /I/ knocked a bunch of books on me. The way I remember it you were the one covered in books." Actually they were both wrong, Sam had fell, and the books around Willow were ones she'd opened herself doing research in the aisle, he'd only thought he might have knocked them on her.

"That is sort of weird though, right? That we were looking for the same thing?"

That near choke is noticed, and Sam shoots her a look as if to ask, 'are we telling people what we really do?', after all what cover they had at this point was paper thin.

Still, Sam's not one to pass up a challege, he doesn't bat an eye. "I'm sort of the office guy, my brother and Dad are the hands on types, they could probably speak to the whys of what we use, but based on our purchase orders, we mostly use cyrfuthrin, my brother says it gets good results."

"And you're right, tests aren't the be all end all, and are horribly skewed, my friend Deshawn back at Stanford can tell you all about that, smart guy, smarter than me but I still pulled a better SAT score than him, so, all test scores really tell you is how well you did on that particular test."

"That said, still proud I got 174 out of 180 on my LSATs."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow shrugs. "Fine. It wasn't what you said." She looks pleased though. As much as if she's won by twitting him over the matter. "And that is weird about the books, right? I've been finding a bunch of other anomalies too. We'll have to talk."

Because, of course, she's not really sure any of this is up Brian's alley and it's kind of rude to talk shop in front of strangers otherwise. Sam's look gets an innocent *what?* sort of look from the girl, still looking that very pleased.

When the topic turns to testing and biases, she nods emphatically. "Oh, I know. I'ts fascinating. And you know what's really interesting about it? The original IQ tests were meant to be a baseline to study how intervention programs like Says Me Street would have an affect on disenfranchized populations. Only their very biases meant that they were an improper and fallible tool. They not only didn't represent the cultures they were meant to study, but they were entirely populated by male subjects. The bias skews are incredible." She shakes her head. And yet, the tests remained the hallmark ranking of a person's intelligence. She understood the biases, and the ridiculousness of it all, but she still needed those A's on her report cards.

Like a person with anxiety, logical and rational brain, and insecure brain rarely co-operated.

"Really all they tell us is a specific measure of any individual against a particular point in time against specific cultural referents."

And without missing a beat, she tells Sam, "1480 on my combined score. My verbals pulled me down." (by a whole 60 marks! out of a perfect 1600). " I don't know. Do you think it was a mistake to go to Bludhaven U? I had other offers."

Captain Britain has posed:
Brian listened to Sam, nodding along, and showing somewhat lack of social graces, he asked in perhaps the most English way imaginable, "pardon me, but there's something that has vexed me for some time, and I was hoping that the two of you might shed some light on the subject, but can you explain to me the American custom of adding French terms to proper names?" He of course meant things like Deshawn or LaKeisha.

"It's curious you should mention the cultural referents. It would seem that they are still geared somewhat towards England. I took the SATs myself, back when I considered starting my education in America." Instead, he came for his Masters. He decides not to mention how well he did, as he would prefer not to brag.

Sam Winchester has posed:
"Right?" Sam says about the books. "And sure, I can give you a lift back to Gotham we can talk then."

Brain's question, gets a nod. "From something I saw online, it has to do with the French influences on black culture that came out of Lousiana," he remarks. "And wanting the names to stand out and be different from traditional," he air quotes, "White, ones. Not really a scholar on it though."

"Huh, didn't know that," Sam says to Willow about IQ tests. "But yeah, that was what I was getting at tests only really measuring you against time specific cultural referents."

"That said, that was my LSATs to get into law school. My actual SATs score was 1402, so, totally kicked my ass there," he says grinning, and fully aware of the ironies at play.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"It was disappointing," Willow murmurs, because while it's not really an indicator of her intelligence, it was an indicator of her performance, and performance was really the best and only way she had to place herself on a scale of self-worth. It was complicated, and she was working on it. Magic was helping, giving her a forum where she was not only her own person, but in an area where she was literally the only person in her particular field of expertise.

"You were going to be a lawyer?" she asks of Sam. But she hasn't much more to add to his knowledge of the French influence of names upon Afro-American children.

"I think it might also be a little bit of standing out and, you know, creating an importance in a culture where they exist as a subsiduary note." Not that Willow believed they were subsiduary, or should be treated as such, but there were real reasons why things like committees to address intersectional matters existed. It might be 2026, but there were still scores of scholarships that were specifically tagged for minority groups, and minority groups alone, still trying to offset the cultural imbalances created by all the other acceptance protocols.

Captain Britain has posed:
"He still could be." Brian added to the fact Sam wanted to become a lawyer. "Your commitments to family might be pressing now, but they won't be forever. Things change. You'll get your opportunity. You could even continue with night school, or correspondence. The important thing is that you do not give up on your dreams."

Brian had been lucky. When he became Captain Britain, he had to give up his dreams for a time, but with others coming to Britain's defence, and Merlin directing him to the Hellmouth, well, it was a perfect storm. He could continue to do his thing, while continuing to uphold his duties.

"Now, if you two will momentarily excuse me, I must make use of the facilities." And he got up, heading towards the gents. Though he would be back.

Sam Winchester has posed:
Sam catches that murmur and chuckles softly. "I get it."

Though he came to his own perfectionism by other means, a way to prove he wasn't like his family. It didn't really work out that way in the end but he understoods how grades and marks can mean something personally.

"I don't know, I think that ship has sailed," he says of being a lawyer. "The whole family thing, it's complicated," perhaps in ways Brian would understand if all their cards were on the table, "But thanks for saying it."

As to Willow, "And yeah, a Tax Lawyer, just I don't know, seemed normal."

When Brian excuses himself, Sam looks to Willow. "I know he's not your thing, but, really an Adonis," he blows out a breath. "Totally don't see it."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow politely waits until Brian has excused himself to crinkle her nose at Sam. "A tax lawyer? Wow, you really were trying to leave the family business, weren't you?" She says it like he's grown a third or a fourth head. And she's the one who thinks math is cool! fun! exciting! (It's also very controllable, which is a whole other matter, even as it's chaotic as heck).

"Not my thing?" She blinks at Sam. "Oh, you mean because he's a boy. I've dated boys." It's just dropped out there like he totally should have seen that coming. "And you have to understand Buffy. She'd totally use words like that to describe him. She's all epic and over the top sometimes. I think it's because everything is like that in her world." And by proxy, Willow's too, at times. "I wouldn't say Adonis. Adonis is traditionally much more feminine in his aspects. Beautiful, but the lines are different. Which isn't to say Adonis was feminine, just the depictions. But the Greeks were all about representation rather than factual. So their sculpture was all about ideals. It's really interesting if you look at the cultural changes in what is considered to be attractive."

She gives Sam a long look. "Do you like Buffy? Because if you do, you should tell her. She's kinda prickly sometimes. But she's worth it."

Captain Britain has posed:
A few moments later, Brian returns, his hands smelling very much of whatever soap they used in the lavatory. He comes just in time to overhear the last bit of Willow's talk, hearing 'should tell her. She's kinda prickly sometimes. But she's worth it.' Taking his seat, he looks to them, listening to the continuation of the conversation, ready to jump in when pertinent. "She's right, if you like someone, you should tell them. I know, sometimes it can be scary, difficult even, but the worst thing that they can do is not share that interest, and even in that situation, at least they know you're interested. Honesty can go a long way."

Sam Winchester has posed:
"Yeah, really, really tried, was happy too, until a demon killed my girlfriend and burned down our house," Sam says with a sort of forced casualness. "Anyhow it's okay."

He doesn't even chug down his beer afterwards, even though he wants to.

"Huh," Sam says about Willow having dated boys before he settles in to listen to her spiel about Adonis and how Sam should just talk to Buffy which is when Brian arrives.

"Welcome back," he says. "Willow was just saying you looked like a girl," he says, grinning. He got what she was saying, but this summary was more fun.

"And I appreciate the relationship advice, honestly, I do, but I'm just figuring things out, it's been... complicated," he says. Honestly the demon thing was one of the least messed up ends to his relationships. "Not even sure I'm ready to date yet."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow has sympathy for Sam. It's not like she hasn't had her own share of .. dating difficulties. It sort of happened when you took up with non-humans. Not that she's telling him that.

And she's saved from having to by Brian's return from the bathroom. "That is not what I said," she laughs. "Fine. We're even, then."

She nods at Sam's summary of dating complications. "Yeah. I think about it from time to time, but I'm not sure. Maybe it's just better to focus on my studies."

Captain Britain has posed:
"Well, I do have unmanly blondeness," he said, quoting a song from the first Frozen film. "Unmanly blondness, that's always bothered me. Since when did darker pigmentation become to equate manliness? No matter. It was a good song, and a good film. And don't worry Sam. When you're ready, she will appear... or he. Up to you."

To Willow, he said, "that's one way to go. Personally, I prefer the other, but... yes, I haven't had much luck with that." He seemed like he was thinking of going into more detail, but stopped himself.

Sam Winchester has posed:
Sam gives Willow a smile, "Deal," he says of them being even, he raises his cup to her then and takes a healthy swallow of beer.

The glass is set down.

"Actually, with lions the females perfer males with a darker mane, because it indicates more testosterone," he says, "But that doesn't apply to humans, I figure the guy writing Frozen just has a thing against Blondes. Though the lion thing does make Scar the manliest man lion."

"Thanks," Sam says. "And it's definitely she."

"Up to you, Brian's advice is pretty solid, Willow. Just do you, if the right girl comes along you'll know." A beat. "And when I said do you know I meant be you right? I've been hanging out with my brother too much."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Culturally swarthy males were exotic. There have been periods of time where that's been an attraction mostly because of the exotic nature. But the Greeks were all about the blonde."

She hasn't a reference for Frozen.

The men are regarded with a very solemn Willow look. "I like boys okay. Or I did." It was complicated. Girls were less hassle? Actually, what was less hassle was not engaging into a relationship like her past - a relationship she wasn't exactly sure how 'over' she was with it. Which also played into the should she or shouldn't she, and the matter of girls were easier.

And hotl. Girls could be hot. Willow didn't have problems with that.

Captain Britain has posed:
"That's interesting about the lions. A lot of women seem to dye their hair blonde, but there aren't many men with blonde hair, outside of northern Europe, or those descended from it." Willow has gone without food and drink for long enough, so Brian decides to ask, "Willow, I understand it can be difficult to afford tuition here in America. Can I get you anything to eat or drink? It's on me." He wasn't exactly the meal plan type. He wasn't going to touch the gay, bi, straight, curious, whatever was going on with Willow.

Sam Winchester has posed:
"I can see what people in those times were talking about," Sam says, running a hand through his brown hair, okay he wasn't swarthy but he wasn't blonde either.

"And some guys dye their hair blonde, there was a guy over by the pool table when I came in with like almost white hair, so it's a style choice I think. Some can rock it, some can't. I am pretty sure I'm in the 'can't' camp."

He chuckles. "Yeah, Willow, I'm going to need a new beer in a second, I can get you something from the bar if you want, or some food for the table."

He wasn't rolling in cash but he did have a new fake credit card for Mr. Luke Hamill in his wallet.

Hey, hunters had to feed themselves somehow.

"And cool," he says of Willow liking boys, or previously liking boys. It was no big deal.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow sits there in the awkward position of knowing how much money is in her pocket, and the fact she was going to nurse a coke and a glass of water for a couple of hours while she did some research, only to be in the face of this. It didn't seem right to rely upon the charity of others, especially as she'd come here fully intent upon enjoying herself without.

Well, given the crowd, perhaps not enjoying herself so much as experiencing the ambiance.

"Uh.. a coke?"

She looks between the two men expecting that to appease. It was, after all, what she'd come here for.

Captain Britain has posed:
"I dyed my hair once. It was for a fancy dress party, what you might call a costume party. I was thirteen. I couldn't wash it out of my hair fast enough." Yeah, Brian did not like having darker hair, but he did look cool in his costume for the few hours he had dark hair.

"All right," and with that, Brian headed away from the table, "another hefe weissbier for you Sam?" He asked, not really giving an opportunity for a no. He also correctly pronounced the name, as there was an accent involved, and he was familiar. " And with that, he headed to the bar area, ordering beers for himself and Sam, a Coca-Cola Classic for Willow, a plate of chips, or French fries as they liked to call them, sausages, pretzel rolls, and some sliders. He was a big guy, needed a lot of calories, and had two friends to share, so he made sure to order enough for everyone. He returned with the beverages, and a few minutes later, pretty quickly actually, two servers came over with the rest of the food, "as they say in America, dig in."

Sam Winchester has posed:
"Hey thanks, man," Sam says when Brian grabs their food with no time for objections.

"Nice guy," he says, to Willow when he's away.

Then when he returns with a whole feast, Sam's eyes widen. "Thanks man, but dude, all of this? C'mon you got to let me chip in," he says reaching for his wallet. He had no idea the guy was loaded.

Once the matter of paying for food is settled Sam asks, "So, what are you guys doing for Halloween?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"He seems nice," Willow had to agree. But she not only wasn't really looking for a date, if Buffy /did/ like him, she wasn't about to step on her beste's toes. As a friend, she was more than willing to get to know both men better.

However, when Brian returns, and then all the food shows up, she's a little taken aback. "Oh wow." Because it was clear he'd ordered so much that they'd all have to eat - without argument.

Captain Britain has posed:
"Don't worry about it. The pound goes a lot further than the dollar these days." Brian wasn't about to let either of them chip in. They were nice people, he wanted to help. One was what he assumed was a poor college student, and the other an exterminator, and not even an actual exterminator, but more of a receptionist or something along those lines.

"Halloween? I honestly haven't given it enough thought. I imagine I'll pay a visit to a costume shop and see what they have in my size. It's either that, or something easy, James Bond, Tuxedo Mask, things I can do from my existing wardrobe. What about you two?" And he dug in to some of the food.

Sam Winchester has posed:
"I'm not up to date on the exchange rate, but we'll be putting on some pounds when we finish all of this," Sam jokes looking at the spread. By his tone it's not a complaint and the wallet? Totally put away.

"Hmm, there's a good one in my neighbourhood, Potters, does good stuff, guy who runs it's taller than we are too, so might have something in your size. And don't have any plans myself, normally my brother and I hang out and watch Hell Hazers II for the millionth time. We um, did some extermination work on the set, so it's sort of a favourite."

"Willow, how about you?" he asks digging in as well.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"I don't do Halloween," Willow says quietly. Samhain is a whole other matter, though, and that she's got plans for. Though given the company, she's not sure if she should admit that.

Captain Britain has posed:
"No, that's unfortunate," Brian said to Willow as he enjoyed more of the food, making sure that both knew it was for everyone. He nodded his head with Sam, "I'll have to give it a try." Willow and Sam seemed like good people. He was pleased to have met them, even if he had a suspicion that they were hiding something from him. Most people were.

Sam Winchester has posed:
"Hmm, well if you guys all wanted to come to my place, we could watch movies or whatever," Sam says, "My roommate probably won't mind."

"Just something low key, big parties generally don't go well for me." Usually because of the evil.