Good clean fun

Holding the door open, Alec steps in just in time to see Nova light up.

Ooooh, skeeball!

Alec starts chuckling...the most physically assertive of the trio, seemingly the most edgy...and she can still get excited over skeeball. Good sign.

Chuckling a bit more solidly when she forgets the shoes that she is weaing, Alec puts on his best serious mask.

Yes, but that doesn't count, since it was on purpose to make me feel better.

Glancing around his surroundings, Alec consciously dulls down his senses...there is just too much light and noise flickering from the electronic games. Seating himself to face away from the bright and flashing lights, he sees the Devil in the corner. Off to one side, clearly infrequently used...the greatest pinball table ever created. Bally's Twilight Zone table. Halfway seated, he freezes completely. He looks briefly at everyone, then looks back to the table. "It isn't going anywhere...relax. You can visit it every day if you like." Sighing contentedly, Alec slides into a seat.

Jan looked amused at Nova's exclamation and then raised both eyebrows at her display of grace. Moving to stand next to her, he leaned over and said quietly.

"As far as entrances go, I'd say that should have some merit for being memorable but I'm wondering if the hit to the pride was worth it. " His smirk became a sympathetic smile and he added. " Would you like me to go to one of the nearby stores and get you a pair of tennis shoes? or at least some flats?"

He looked around the place and wondered where they'd all end up congregating. Jan personally enjoyed skeeball and air hockey. Obviously he could interest at least Nova in the former.

"Just do me a favor and grab me a coke, will you."

Nova chuckled at Alec's comment. The guy seemed to be getting a little more comfortable if the exchange of banter was any indication. She was pretty sure he was on the level; at least he had managed to progress from 'potential car thief' to 'potential cool guy' in her mind, and he and Amberelle seemed to be getting along.

"Yeah, that's it...did it work?"Â?

She shook her head and grinned at her brother. Living...well, okay, undead...proof that there were good guys in the world, and good Tacharan in particular. The teasing was only to be expected and she would probably think something was wrong otherwise, but the follow up offer was awful cool of him.

"You're a prince."Â? She looked to Amberelle and Alec. "You see this? A prince, I tell you!"Â? She waved her hand. "Yeah, the coke is yours and I'll still owe you one."Â?

Not something she would say to just anyone, but this was Jan and she figured she owed him whether he did her the favor or not; he'd kept her from enough newbie mistakes in her short time as a vampire, after all.

Thanking Alec as he held the door for her, Amby stepped in and glanced around the arcade. The noise, crowd and sheer variety of activities was a little suprising. There was a ton of things to be done, in a remarkably large space. Deciding that her shoes were definately coming off soon, she grinned at the redhead's exuberant exclamation. She was a skeeball fan herself and the Tacharan moved up another notch in her opinion.

Biting the inside of her lip, Amby managed to keep from busting out laughing at Nova's less than graceful passage. It wasn't easy, the blonde felt radiantly happy at the moment and could start giggling at any moment it seemed. Time out on the town with anyone she would consider a friend had been almost non-existant since she had become a child of the night. Yet here she was with two other kindred, albiet of a different clan, and a fellow Southerner who obviously had at least some clue about her other night time habits.

Grabbing the back of a chair across from Nova, Amby reached down and removed her shoes as well, emitting a soft sigh as she wiggled her toes on the carpet. Not wanting to let the rather expensive sandals out of her sight, she kept hold and let them dangle from her fingertips.

Oh.. who's fetching drinks? I want a chery Coke.. lots of cherries..! And Nova cher, we should have a skeeball match. But I warn you.. I'm good, I used to spend all day at the arcades winning tickets when I was a kid.

Jan smiled and nodded.

"Oh yes, I'm a prince. I'll remind you of that later."

He looked down at Nova's feet and then back up at her.

"Shoe size? Or should I just guess?"

Jan expected Nova and Amberelle to be involved in a serious competition here soon so it was probably a good idea to get the useful information out of her now.

"Do you have a preference? Tennis shoes or flats? Remember this is a male buying shoes so don't make the instructions too complicated."

Jan winked at Nova, knowing his own fashion habits were more complicated and involved than her own. He still wasn't knowledgeable about women's footwear, strange he was, but that wasn't one of his quirks.

((OOC: out pending the info ))

Nova nodded at Amberelle, shrugging up one shoulder. Ah, skee ball, now that was some good old fashioned fun. She had spent a fair share of her time in arcades growing up, though most of her games as a teenager involved waiting for the arcade employees to turn their backs so she could climb up the ramp and drop all the balls in the 100 hole. It had taken a little more maturity and education to appreciate the fine art and physics of the game.

"Hey, I'm game. Drinks first though."Â?

She craned her neck to look for the waiter in hopes of avoiding actually getting up but realized Jan needed to know her shoe size before he could help out.

"Seven and a half. Tennis shoes would be better...oooh, if you can find some Chucks that would be perfect! Whatever is fine though, you're helping me out here."Â?

Wondering to himself, "So...this is what social interaction is like when things go well...the tension dissipates, people are helpful without the veneer of formality, humor and sarcasm are welcome because compassion is taken for granted...maybe I've been going at this from the wrong angle all this time, and trying too hard has sabotaged my own efforts.

I've been so focused on making sure people didn't know who I was or what I did that I've forgotten that doing so also hampers my understanding of them. Less psychology and more real world application."


Yes, it worked, but I'll fetch to make up for laughing. Coke, Cherry Coke, whatever the surly teenager will deign to give me despite interrupting his humiliation...what're you drinking, Nova? I think we'll be here 'til sunup if we wait for loverboy over there to pull himself away from his mooning over the dark poetess. Actually, he'd probably kick us out at the posted closing time, come to think of it, since he'll be wanting those brownie points.

Looking over at the "waiter", he seems to be trying his best conversational skills with the green haired girl behind the prize counter, who keeps rolling her eyes and shaking her head. Sigh. Maybe he was lucky not to be able to remember those years.

Nova smirked and looked in the direction of the indicated waiter. He did indeed seem rather occupied with the girl in front of him, though she wasn't having any of it, and it didn't seem likely they would get drinks without a bit of initiative on their part. After wondering vaguely if she could pull off the green hair look and deciding that was something best left alone, she turned back to Alec, considering her options. She wouldn't mind another -real- drink, but figured it might be a little tacky when the rest of her company was going a little more tame.

Then she remembered that she had gladly worn brightly colored parrot earrings in public.

"I'll have a coke. Wouldn't say no to some jack in with it. And I think this place is open 24 hours, shouldn't have to worry about getting booted out."Â?

Alec moves to the "snack bar" area, and sees that they have the fare he is after. Since no one seems interested in helping him, he moves around the counter and pours the beverages. He loots the ice cream condiments for cherries for the cherry coke. Looking around, he sees what he is looking for at the green haired girl's counter. Leaving the money for the drinks, he heads over to the scene. The boy looks up, noticing Alec for the first time.


"Hey mister, you gotta pay for those."

I did. The money is on the counter. Exact change. You looked indisposed and it was unnecessary to trouble you at the time.

"Ah, sorry. Why are you looking at me like that?"

Like what? And shouldn't you be putting that money in the register before some kid puts it into a machine?

Grumbling, the boy skulks away to do his job, muttering under his breath about customers who know so much.

I was wondering...do you have the power to negotiate?

"Excuse me?"

I have no tickets, but would like to purchase some of your fine wares. The jacks, in particular.

"Um...I don't see why not. Couple'a bucks sound fair?"

Not especially, but I am a captive audience and time is of the essence. Can I also get $40 in coinage?

"Er...whatever, man."

Taking a pair of the large, neon, rubberized jacks, he drops two into one of the Coke glasses and heads back to the table. As he places the drinks before the settings, he drops a roll of quarters by each glass.

Cherry Coke, Vanilla Coke, Coke, and Jacks and Coke. Ah, and here's the ball for those.

He tosses the bag with the remaining jacks and the ball onto the table in front of Nova, curious as to what the response will be. The whole "being himself" thing has paid off so far, hopefully it will continue to do so. He plops down in his seat, wondering where the evening will lead.

Nova watched Alec wander away from the table in search of drinks before turning to Amberelle with a smile.

"This worked out well; out on the town, all dressed up, and two handsome fellows hooking us up while we get to relax."Â?

She suspected the very pretty Anantya was probably a little more used to this sort of thing than she was, though she could sort of see why 'getting all girled up' had its good points. Except for the damn shoes, that is.

She grinned when Alec at last returned with the drinks, practically tasting the alcohol already, but her expression changed to one of befuddlement when she was presented with something quite different than expected.

"The hell?"Â?

She looked between the drink, the bag of jacks, and Alec...then made the whole rotation again before cracking up completely.

"Aw...man, that's terrible! Terrible! Stop the punishment!"Â?

Holding back her chuckles, she ignored the straw and took a generous sip of coke, catching one of the rubbery jacks between her teeth and placing it on the napkin in front of her. She shook her head at the sight, still grinning.

"Alright, you got me. No hard stuff tonight."Â?

In spite of the fact that her companions seemed to be doing a good job of keeping her on her best behavior, she couldn't help but think Alec's little joke was totally Tacharan. It took some balls to pull something like that on a near stranger, and his earlier frankness in speaking only sealed the deal. She wondered if there was any chance he actually was of their kind and decided to pay closer attention. Either way, the guy was hella entertaining.

Well, y'know. Wouldn't want to provide a bad example for the kiddies, now, would we?

Pleased with the reception, Alec thinks to himself, "Well, I'm glad that went over well...never know. Some people just take things better than others...glad that she's not all temper. It also means she's probably got a bit of a biting wit about her as well, so I'll have to watch out for that and not provide too many opportunities. Ah, who am I kiddng, I'll probably end up being ripe for the picking...too new at this. Well, there's always beginner's luck."

Smiling, Alec gives his Vanilla Coke the Slide - that peculiar technique lost on so many modern (or non-Southern) Americans that mixes the added syrup from the bottom of the glass to the less dense cola mixture floating on top. Most folks would get the pre-bottled stuff, but then the vanilla has time to degrade and loses much of the flavor, and the point of it being there. Sliding the straw between layers, sipping at the mixed point, Alec sighs.

Nothing quite like making it yourself, instead of the pre-bottled stuff. Let me know if I used too much cherry syrup for the next one.

Sitting back, Alec realizes that the bulk of what he could talk about has either been used (and distanced from), supernatural in origin, illegal or boring, so holds his tongue, hoping that someone else will lead the social dance that he is so new to. Since he is unsure on malt shops as a topic of conversation, he clams up a bit, waiting for a cue.

Smiling as Alec walked away, Amby began to scout out the surrounding attractions. She was having a blast and dawn was hours off, time to find a few things to keep everyone interested. A mind boggling selection of video games. The Anantya was pretty sure they'd hit a few of those but it might not be enough to keep everyone entertained long. According to the signs there was bowling and pool to be found somewhere upstairs, and around the side a sign pointed to a miniature golf course. Bowling could be hilarious fun, but she wasn't sure how much it might appeal to her new friends. And she didn;t want to put her bare feet in those shoes, the thought made her shudder. Now pool couble be fun, but well some people took that way too seriously so that was out. Her planning was interrupted by Nova when she spoke.

"This worked out well; out on the town, all dressed up, and two handsome fellows hooking us up while we get to relax."Â?

Smiling at the redhead, she nodded once firmly. But of course! That's what well bred gentlemen do, you know. The only problem is..they're almost extinct. Well.. You don't find many 'living' nowdays anyway. After a small, playfully 'sad' sigh, she grinned. I guess it's up to us kindred to keep the old ways alive and hope it rubs off, non?

Seeing Alec walking back from the novelty counter she was faintly puzzled. Her eyebrows shot up when she saw the jacks placed on the table and she had to stiffle her laughs behind a hand. But when Nova looked completely puzzled she couldn't help but bust out laughing when the Tacharan finally caught the joke.

Following Alec's example she swirls her drink a bit and takes a sip, trying to stop grinning. Wiggling a little and making a happy 'mmm' noise she shook her head when he asked if he'd used too much. There is no such thing as too much cherry in a Coke. Trust me. Taking another sip she settles back in the chair and relaxes a bit.

You know, if you guys want to do something else I have a change of clothes in the trunk. I know being in an evening gown puts a limit on options. When Jan gets back we can see. I wouldn't mind playing some pool here, but I'm open.

I think I'd rather enjoy wa...

Alec stops mid-sentence, aware that he was almost about to say something quite inappropriate for new company. Good catch. Masking his near-horrifying blunder with a slide from his glass, Alec resumes.

I think I'd rather enjoy a game of pool...though it would probably be more sporting if the rest of you played...I'm probably not up to speed. I wouldn't mind learning the tricks of the trade if there's a true shark among you.

Dissastisfied with his edit, he thinks "Ah, much better. Self-effacing and blindly praising. Man, even when you do things right you still come off bad. Besides, you're not terrible...it is just visual geometry. I bet you could pick it up quick if you don't get too distracted."

Ah, as a side...what were y'all bringing out the Sunday best for? Some party or show?

Nova smirked at the suggestion that it was her drinking, of all things, that would be a bad example, but let the comment go with another sip of her coke. Her two companions, she noticed, seemed to be having quite a time of playing with their straws, but the mention of shooting pool drove thoughts of their apparent oral fixations out of her mind. She blinked a little when Alec seemed to struggle for words, but as per usual plowed right on ahead.

"Sounds like fun! And naw, I don't claim any crazy pool skills, just a lot of time spent in bars. It'll be cool, and I'll bet Jan could be talked into it."Â?

She gave her glass a hard shake to settle the ice, then looked to Alec to answer his question.

"Fancy art show opening thing. Sunsets, circles...pretty cool stuff actually."Â? She took another sip of her coke. "And this is more like 'once a decade' best, don't really get spiffed up often."Â?

She considered, however, giving this dressing up business a try again. Seemed to lead to its own brand of fun.

Gesturing to Amberelle, she continued.

"Yeah, get comfortable though; I'll be alright once I get some different shoes. Although...She pulled off the black fedora and shook her now collapsing hair style loose....could probably do without this."Â?

Her own get up could be dressed down just that easily, which was one of the reasons the only evening wear that involved pants in the store had attracted her attention.


/ooc oh my stars...sorry I'm slow .

Hm...cyclical theme to the show? I don't see many sunsets these days...maybe I'll check it out, though modern art isn't really my thing. Good art is good art, though.

Alec stands up, stetching upward, and strides back to the Snack Bar area. This time he pours a proper Jack and Coke (noting the listed order), mixes another Cherry Coke, slightly heavier on the syrup and with the same number of cherries, and mixes himself a peach french soda, light on the cream. He grabs a glass of ice, as well, and tips the absent bartender. Placing the drinks on the table, he states

Little more cherry for you, and a joke only washes down well with a chaser of satisfaction, so there's yours, and some peach for me.

Folding himself back down, he sips his soda, discovering he is not out of practice with French mixes, much to his delight. More surprising is that the cream here has not gone off. Satisfied, he manages to relax into his night, attempting to alternate his stares between the two women and inanimate objects as much as possible to obfuscate his fixation on the people rather than the setting.

It's a wonderful show, some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets I've ever seen and they were captured on canvas. I even bought myself a couple of them. There's some sculpture too, all kinds of interesting things. If you have time I'd highly recommend it, Amby nodded for emphasis.

As he walked off towards the snack bar again, the blonde turned to her new Tacharan friend and grinned. He's kind of cute in a shy, blushing sort of way non? I wonder.. meh we should be good or we could give the guy a heart attack. Giggling she sipped up the last of her drink and set the glass to the side. Stretching her legs some she made a little groan and wiggled her feet once more. Ok so I think my feet have had all the torture they can stand tonight, I definately will need to get some different ones on before we hit the pool tables.

Watching Alec as he walked back, the blonde studied how he moved and began to suspect he did a little more than just help behind the counter at that old pawn shop. 'I'll get him alone sometime and we can talk shop. Maybe he's got a contact or two here in town already.. I'd love to get back into business. Drug dealers don't make good marks most of the time.'

Shooting a smile at Alec, Amberelle thanked him and happily took the new drink. Finishing about half in a couple of quick sips, she stood. Even yummier! Merci, Alec. Now, I'm going to run out to my car and change, won't take but a second. You two be good now.. Nova, don't get too 'Tachy'. She winked at the redhead and grinned at her own pun.

Grabbing her shoes and handbag she walked lightly to the door, humming and swinging her sandals from her fingers.


((OOC out to the car for a couple! ))

Nova grinned at Amberelle's evaluation of Alec, taking a sip of coke before adding her own two cents.

"Guy's got some nerve though; stuff comes out of his mouth that could get his ass kicked but somehow he makes it work."Â? She grinned, liking what she saw as an evil streak on what was clearly a pretty decent guy if manners were any indication. "I like that. And what? Think we should mess with him?"Â?

Alec returned before they could plot further, though Amberelle had mentioned something about behaving anyway.

She nodded her thanks to Alec and gratefully picked up the jack and coke, drinking deeply and relishing the flavor of sweetness and whiskey.

"Perfect, thanks man. Still, good one."Â?

She shook her head as Amberelle headed for the door, wondering if the puns would ever end. She craned her neck around and spoke loudly after her.

"I'll be good; just don't be gone a century or something."Â?

Chuckling, she turned back to Alec with an 'I'm on my best behavior' expression. She could be good for a while...really.

"So how long you been in Nachton? Don't sound like you're from around here."Â?

Involuntarily blushing at the thanks, Alec instantly regains his composure at the drop of Tachy. Added to the banter of the sunrise and sunsets, the hints have all been passed. "Well, that certainly ups the price of chips in the game of banter...I'll have to be more careful...but if Nova's the typical Tacharan for this 'burg, I think I'll fit in fine." Trying not to watch Amberelle leave, Alec sips at his peach soda. Judging no one in hearing distance, Alec smirks and looks up at Nova...

First night in town, actually. Hadn't even checked in at the Domicile yet...cousin. And no...like Amberelle, I'm from the Big Easy. The town was a bit too small for one of my peculiarities...so I seek to start business here. Lucky me to have found others with our nocturnal tendencies on First Night, neh? So are our friends nightswimmers too, or...?

Leaving the question trailing, he waited for Nova to take lead in the next steps of the dance. This could be the tricky part...if she WASN'T a typical member for this area, he could be at risk, or played...or if she WAS, and felt that his breach in protocol was inappropriate or that he had been tailing her...well, things could get rough for him. Trusting his gut, he rolls with it, keeping his relaxed posture despite the upped stakes. He just hoped that his open question would lead the discussion and she wouldn't latch on to any of the possible implications of the statements..."I've got to remember to not give away so much information...I'm back in with the sharks, now..."

Nova chuckled low, comprehending now where that 'evil streak' must have come from. Now that he mentioned it, Alec really did seem to fit as a Tacharan.[i]

"Yeah, lucky you. Nachton's a different sort of city as far as people like us go; lot more of us here and all, but still, pretty cool coincidence."Â?

[i]She took another sip of her coke, still grinning, then continued. "And oh, you'll like the Domicile; always something interesting going on there. By interesting, she of course meant 'flippin' crazy,' but no big difference in her mind anyway.

"Jan or I can give you a lift there when we're done, though I'll tell you now that -I- have the cooler car."Â?

She rolled her eyes, realizing she was babbling a little in her cheerfulness to have found another clan mate.

"But yeah, we're all, you know..."Â? She made a somewhat goofy 'fang face,' curling her lip up a little...."Â?but Amberelle's in with the Relics."Â? She shook her head in denial of her own implications. "She's cool though. Jan's with us, he's my big brother."Â? She said this with pride, though she knew how strange it must sound. "Good ol' Pops Simon, made a lot of us actually."Â?

Resting her elbows on the table, she leaned forward and spoke in a somewhat more confidential tone. As always, she kept her ears open, but the noise in the arcade and the absence of nearby customers made it unlikely they would be overheard.

"So, uh, what sort of business you lookin' to start?"Â? She didn't think Alec looked like the merc type, though she supposed one never knew. It wasn't a question she was comfortable asking directly, though she wasn't sure if it was because the thought would make Alec uncomfortable or herself. Deciding it would only be polite to volunteer some info of her own, she continued. "I work at Duibne, research and development."Â?

Alec puts his hands up and makes the universal gesture of submission.

Duibne R&D? I'm sorry...I don't know if I'm allowed to talk to people THAT much smarter than I am...might give me ideas above my station.

Sipping at his peach, he double checks the area, making sure no one is within even supernatural hearing range...

Well, I'm honestly not sure how much of it I should talk about in public...I'm kind of the bastard stepchild of the Merc family...I am in acquisitions and gatecrashing, but don't do much in the way of "work" in the more traditional sense, but I'm more than pure support. They weren't quite sure what to do with me in the New Orleans branch, so to speak, so I'm seeking better job placement. I don't keep up with the heavy hitters...I am a bit too subtle for all of that noise and mess, so I only usually got tapped for the "accidents" and the "misplacement" aspects, or security consulting.

Taking a breath, Alec realizes that just talking about what he does really makes him more comfortable than just about everything else. Remembering to blink, he takes another sip. "Hey, I might just be able to find a group to belong to here..."

My current profile is that of an architect and restorative op, though security consulting is also on the list. I was somewhat a natural at those, and it really helps with what I am really good at...so I found my cover professions pretty easily, though it is a somewhat unusual set for our tribe. Even with the rich architectural tradition in the South, I still caught hell for it.

Ah...but I ramble. Just exciting to be able to talk about it again. I imagine you get that way about your work too. We seem to be a bit pasionate about our jobs in our family, non?