2013.12.30 - Some Wizards Walk Into A Bar, And...

EARLIER

"Amy," the Stephen Strange quietly says as he, his student, and his student's friend from the future stand before the entrance to a chicken coop in Berkshire, "Booster, whatever else may happen tonight, I would like you to remember that our primary goal tonight is to make connections within the supernatural community--to network."

He leans towards the coop, knocks once on each high corner of the doorway, then gently touches the handle; the door swings open to reveal the main room of an old English pub. A couple feet inside, a tengu is performing a wing-assisted keg stand while a group of faeries, demons, and other assorted mystical folk eagerly cheer him on; slumbering chickens are still visible through the mesh on either side of the door.

"--of course, should that happen to coincide with relieving tensions," he murmurs as he steps aside to let Amy and Booster enter ahead of him, "then all the better for our spirits in the days ahead."

NOW

Somewhere around Stephen's third scotch, a sea nymph mentioned something about a seaside bar in Crete; several minutes(and invocations to Watoomb) later, he, she, and anyone else who wanted to come along for the ride were sipping Ouzo on the beach--until an oni brought up a nightclub in Tokyo where the regulars were more fascinated than afraid of the bizarre.

And thus, what had begun as a night of networking graduated into a fully fledged global pub crawl. Revelers gradually fell away as the evening wore on, lost to exhaustion, companionship, or simple curiosity; the Sorceror Supreme, however, remained resolute, always ready to transport the party to its next destination.

Around 11 PM New York time, one more bright, golden rip in the fabric of space peels itself open in front of a cozy-looking establishment sitting on a corner in Westchester. A sign reading 'HARRY'S HIDEAWAY' hangs from the post standing near the door, and the sight of it puts a broad, if rather uneven smile on Stephen Strange's lips as he exits the portal.

After taking a moment to smooth the rumples in his moss-coloured sweater vest, he brightly says, "Still here, thank the Vishanti; It's been years," as he weaves his way to the door. There's a definite sway to his walk and redness in his cheeks, but he doesn't appear to be in any immediate danger of, say, stumbling to the ground, or even into nearby obstacles.

Ororo Munroe is spending a Friday evening at Harry's, sitting by one of the windows with a book and a bowl of the establishment's famous chili. Why is she here and not back at the school? It might possibly have something to do with the rather noisy evening's entertainment there. SOMEone thought it would be fun to have the students build their own pizzas for dinner, and it just went downhill from there.

When a strange glow outside casts a secondary set of shadows across the book Storm is trying to read, she looks up and out the window with her eyebrows drawing together in a faint hint of a frown. Not a car's headlights, too steady and the wrong color. What IS that?

Booster is not really a drinker, but he loves socializing. He clearly has no issues with other people drinking with and around him while he sticks with soft drinks. If anything, the regulars of the Oblivion Bar cheer him up; in a way it reminds him of his native era, which was heavy with aliens and other-dimensional beings mingling in with Terrans. As the evening wears on he seems impressed with Doctor Strange's carousing, remarking, "Sorceror Supreme, more like the Ur-Partyhound." Hopefully, Strange has imbibed enough to not take offense at that kind of familiarity.

When they arrive at Harry's, Booster says, "I was here, once. I had to track someone down and ended up in here. Although I guess at the time I was kind of 'on duty." Technically, he is not 'on duty' now since he is wearing casual civilian clothing, although his super-suit is lurking beneath his shirt and trousers. Just in case.

EARLIER

Amy isn't Amy right now. She's Princess Amaya Amethyst, prophesied savior of Nilaa. She has made concessions to approachability: instead of armor, she wears a purple tunic with golden details. The jewelry stays.

"It's cool, doc," the princess says, raising her hands with empty palms. "I don't really drink. Kind of a folklore thing with amethysts. Like, the birthstone."

She looks up and over to the once and future jock beside her. "I guess the drinking age in magical English pubs is eighteen though, right?"

NOW

Amethyst is the most magical princess alive and to ever live ever.

She looks as bright and as fresh as the moment she stepped into Oblivion, or when she got into a wrestling match with a minotaur on the beach, or when she got sucked into drinking with a crowd of salarymen because they thought she was a hostess. Nothing sticks to her. She's picturesque.

She's also really drunk. Looks like cosmic bad decisions run in the Amethyst family.

The princess comes gliding ethereally out of the latest portal, having cast a levitation spell on herself two stops ago. She forgot how to dispel it. The enchantment runs out as she passes Booster and Strange, leaving her to stumble and skip a few steps until she catches her balance.

Amethyst spins around and curtseys, immensely proud of her save. She snorts at Ur-Partyhound. "Haha! Right? I can't--I'm really surprised at everything." The princess goes through a great effort to banish the emotion from her expression so she can play at utmost, stonefaced sincerity: "I am proud to call him my teacher."

She bites her lip. Don't laugh don't laugh don't laugh.

Originally, Chocolette was checking various bars, pubs, taverns, and a distillery or two because according to what she was reading and trying to decipher in the Book of the Eye, someone named Dionysus might be whom she needed to obtain a historical relic from for her next summoning catalyst, and as far as the young woman knows this dude is, like, the god of drunks or something. So what better place to look for traces of him than places both drunks and paranormals meet? She actually started this investigation three weeks ago, but her lack of ability to teleport around the globe means she winds up having to rely on one of her summons to assist her. Thus, around the time that people are approaching Harry's Hideaway, they are joined by two new people -- who appear to be arriving via gale winds thats encircle a pair of women and then deposit them on the street a short distance away.

A woman with wild red hair whipping about in the magical winds, a blue and black cape flying out behind her, and armor of unfamiliar design, has a dark-skinned young woman in her arms. The latter is wearing fairly normal clothes and clutching a great honking book with the symbol of an eye on the cover to her chest. "Well, this one looks promising!" Chocolette chirps cheerfully.

"With all due respect," the taller and stronger of the two says as her winds die down and she deposits the summoner on the ground. "You have said that for the last thirteen establishments." Chocolette waves this off. "Oh, Ariata." Then she practically falls on her face. "Hm," she muses from where she dangles from Ariata's hand by the back of her shirt. "I am beginnin to think that the goat in that place was not being entirely honest when he claimed alcohol improved coordination." She still seems to be aware enough, at least.

Chocolette raises and arm and waves it enthusiastically at those a short distance away. "Hello! Greetings! Yes, over here! Is this the establishment reffered to as Harry's Hideaway?" Ariata sems to be focusing more on the people themselves, whether they ignore Chocolette or not, rather than their location. There's a lot of magic around here, and just like at the other places they visited, she analyses the magical energy (since Chocolette can't even feel it), and determines if there is danger to her master.

And along came a Wisdom, doing a sort of mashup of his normal attire and dear god don't go into Harry's looking like a square. /He/ got to Westchester by cab, more or less-- and hours earlier. Just. Not at Harry's, really. No: he was getting some stuff done, before an appointment (also more or less) with Ororo Munroe.

So it's an oxford button-down tucked into black jeans, combat boots, leather jacket, and-- black tie. Apparently it's 'confuse the mundanes' day or whatever. He's just going in to the bar, actually, when everything lights up all to hell behind him, and, hand still on the doorknob, he ducks beyond the threshold and indoors, shutting the door most of the way so he can squint out the crack.

Then his shoulders sag in annoyed relief. "Oh." He sticks his head out. "Are you gits coming in or taking tourist photos?"

Then Pete's shut the door again and almost has a /spring/ in his step as he comes over to Storm's table. "Hi. I think it's just Hogwarts invading. Don't tell them I said."

Stephen pushes the door to Harry's open, then pauses with a foot inside it so that he can study Amy's affected sobriety through narrowed, seemingly thoughtful eyes--for all of, like, a second before chuckling loudly. It's basically the same response 'Ur-Partyhound' got, minus a firm clap on the back.

"Of course you are," he boldly says as he pushes the door open, "I'm clearly an excellent field-trip planner." He turns to face Booster - and put his back to the bar - and begins to ask, "Did you have a chance to try the--" before the summoner and her summoned call for attention. Leaning outside, he looks around the street until he spots Chocolette and Ariata, then with a brisk wave of a black-gloved hand, he calls back, "Just so--come in! You are just in time."

With that, he turns on his heel and sways into Harry's, fishing a coin from his pocket and flicking it towards the dining area as he heads for the bar. "Drinks all around!" he exclaims along the way, his voice somehow managing to carry outside to Chocolette and her companion without rising much past comfortable indoor levels.

The coin - silvery, from a city that doesn't exist on any known map - lands on an empty table near near Ororo and Pete's; as soon as it settles, a thin beam of silver light shoots up from it, and soft, bell-like sounds begin swirling around the table.

"I've found a table already," he calls to the group - and Chocolette, and Ariata - as he fetches a gold coin from his pocket so that he can cover the incoming tab, "feel free to use it; you'll know it when you see it."

Ororo Munroe sits up straighter when the front door opens and an oddly-attired Wisdom enters hastily, peeks back outside, then beckons the others in more loudly. If she were any more cautious than she already is, she might take exception to this rather noisy entrance of a group of unusual people. As it is, her eyes go white briefly when the silver coin 'claims' a table for the group arriving. She blinks to steady herself, then stands and holds up a hand to Harry reassuringly before stepping toward Pete first. "Mr. Wisdom," she says quietly. "May I ask?" Her eyes flick toward Strange then back to Wisdom, as if she thinks they awere all ariving together.

"Try the what?" Booster has to wonder; due to where they have been and the beings they have met, he is not going to assume -anything-. As the token currently-sober person of the group, he waves to Chocolette and her pal Ariata, a subdued but polite counterpoint to Doctor Strange's more gregarious greeting. Very quietly, he tells Amethyst, "You should probably eat something." He judges her condition. "Something soft that won't hurt if it comes back up," he adds.

Once inside, Booster points Pete's way with dual finger-guns and a wink. His bright grin falters only slightly when he sees Ororo, if only because pointing finger guns at this regal looking woman seems inappropriate. Booster clears his throat a little and parks his hands in his pockets.

Amethyst follows Strange and Booster inside, heedless of all other patrons. She is busy telling a story. "No, no, it's cool--" she replies, deciding to orbit around Booster since Strange is busy hurling coins. Strange probably knows the story already, anyway. He's the wizard boss. He should. "See, I'm perfectly fine. Amethysts prevent drunkenness! They used to make wine goblets out of them!"

The princess watches Booster's finger-guns with interest but does not follow them to their target. "Dionysus got super pissed one day because that is what gods do for fun and said he was going to kill the next person he saw--so, so he makes some tigers to do it because he was probably dual wielding goblets or something, and then he comes across this beautiful woman named Amethyst! Or--um. Amesomething. I think there was an -us on it."

She puts her hands on her cheeks. It's warm in here. Or maybe she's just warm. Hmm. "Dionysus was like no this is a terrible thing why did I make tigers! but it was too late! Artemis, who was creeping on Dionysus because that's also what gods do, turned Amethyst into a crystal statue so she wouldn't die! Dinonysus--" she chokes on a giggle, "--I mean Dionysus started crying and since he was so drunk he tears turned the crystal purple!"

Amethyst straightens her posture and nods thoughtfully. "But getting turned into a statue kills you. Artemis was terrible."

"Oh! Oh, good! Very fortunate!" Chocolette starts trying to walk forward, but as she remains suspended from the taller woman's fingertips by the back of her sweater-shirt, with feet touching the ground only in a technical sense, this winds up not working out so well. She takes a couple steps forward then finds her movement halted. "Gack!" she gacks as her shirt collar hits her in the throat when it refuses to proceed the way she expected it to. She turns to face Ariata -- okay, no, she TRIES, but that is about as effective as the walking forward while held back by one's clothing maneuver, so she eventually just settles for turning her head. Then she looks up at the Legendary Hero in confusion. Ariata looks back down at Chocolette and asks, "Are you sure it's safe?"

Chocolette smiles. "Thank you for your concern, but safe or not, I must pursue this research. This place has a number of magical beings and magic-wielding entities within it of considerable power and they may have information we can use." The dark-skinned girl notices the surprised expression on Ariata's face, and surmises what it is in response to. She giggles a bit, "No, I can't suddenly sense magic the way you can, but you tense up when you encounter really powerful magic users, I've noticed." Ariata sighs a bit. Chocolette faces forward again when she hears Doctor Strange announce drinks all around, and says excitedly, "And look! Drinks for everyone!" Ariata, frequently stoic and serious, allows a smile to grace her lips briefly as she remarks in gently jest, "Oh, well in that case I suppose going inside is unavoidable." She lets go of Chocolette's shirt and accompanies her master inside.

They step in just as Doctor Strange is explaining that there is a table and they can use it. Chocolette eagerly moves forward to find a seat, her usual caution about all the strangers and strange people in general here on Earth somewhat diminished via intoxication. "Ooo! A table for us to use! Is this, perhaps, one of those devices that are employed to contact the spirits? Is this the type with the medium under the table, or the one with the letters that we move a magnifying glass over without meaning to?" Ariata shakes her head and sighs, already regretting this, and just goes to grab a couple drinks and bring them over.

Chocolette looks up after seeming oblivious to the story being told and very tipsy as she runs her hand over the table and checks for runes, inquires with relative clarity, "You seem to know a lot about Dionysus. I knew this was the right place! I just had a feeling!" She turns to find Ariata and asks, "Did you hear that, Ariata? I told you I had a good fee--Oh, she's not here. Well!" She turns her focus back on Amaya and the people around her, and says, "Well!" again. Then she takes a moment to consider what she was going to say.

Tapping a finger on her chin and looking thoughtful, she suddenly just sits down at the table. Then she stands up almost immediately, knocking the chair to the floor, and announces, "You know Dionysus!" She lifts a finger into the air and explains, "My name is Chocolette, but my alias I am going by is Cocoa. I am very interested in meeting anyone with a connection to Dionysus, and by your words I gather you are at least familiar with him. I would like to discuss this matter with you, hopefully with more drinks involved, and perhaps purchase any goblets of his that may have come into your possession by luck, inheritance, or theft." Then she sits down and falls on the floor because she knocked her chair over when she got up.

Ariata is returning right then, and just sighs.

"Uh, well--" Pete says to Ororo, hesitating by her table for a second, glancing at the one Strange claimed. He snorts a laugh out. "Looks like a bunch of drunken magicians. That's Doctor Strange, that there's Princess Amethyst, um-- Booster Gold, who's been absolutely vital the past few times I've done stuff with the lot--" That last's only loud enough for Ororo to hear, NOT Booster, VERY CAREFULLY-- though Pete gives the blond jock a crooked grin and a wave. After all: normal clothes on the outsidego a /long way/ with Wisdom.

Then he's only sort of vaguely aware of Chocolette and Ariata, because he's staring at Drunk!Amy. "And I dunno who those two are. But this'll probably be epic. Come on, let's sit with them." He gives Storm a crooked grin of her very own, then moves to actually physically steer Amy if necessary. "Don't drink and cast," he tells her, but it's more amused than anything else. "Siddown, Ames. You been drinking enough water with that?"

After doing a little haggling(and producing another coin), Stephen manages to work out an arrangement with the bartender to keep the rest of the patrons in drinks for the next hour or two--plus a scotch on the spot for the Doctor himself. While he's waiting for it to be poured, he offers, "Stephen Strange," to Ariata, along with a sidelong glance and a boozy, self-satisfied grin. "I'm a doctor; it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Once he's served, he heads for the table just ahead of the heroine, and thus winds up having to dance(almost literally - there's a twirl involved) out of Cocoa's way when she stumbles; he drops straight into the nearest chair afterwards, then takes a second to lean on the table and regain his bearings. At no point does any of his scotch spill; being the Sorceror Supreme and/or a life long drinker has its perks.

Once he's stable, he glances around for Booster, then succinctly states, "Chili," upon spotting the future-man. "You should try the chili." With that life-or-death question answered, he holds a hand up to greet Pete and says, "Thank you--it's been a long night of networking," with a tip of his head towards Amethyst.

And speaking of networking: unless Storm sticks to her table, he'll give her a quick wave and a friendly, "Good evening," before taking a sip from his scotch.

It's possible that Harry the bartender agrees to the arrangement with the strange Doctor as much because of the coins as because Ororo offered Harry a second reassuring nod. She'll monitor this rowdy lot, the silent communication promised, as part of the long-standing prior agreement she has with the man.

With another look at Pete and a faint sigh lamenting the loss of her much-wanted peace and quiet (again), she nods and collects her belongings to carry them to the other table -- her handbag, paperback book, a partly-eaten bowl of Harry's famous chili, and a glass of icewater.

"Good evening, everyone," the weather witch says as she nods to Booster, looks at Ariata with an evaluating glance, then studies both Chocolette and Amaya to try and determine exactly how many sheets they are to the wind. Verdict: closer to Piotr on a good day than to Remy on a bad day.

"Uhhh, okay," says Booster, gamely trying to follow Amethyst's story. Geological processes are not his forte', so he is not going to argue about the genesis of amethyst crystals. He also moves in to help Chocolette off of the floor, his manner indicating that this is not the first time he has had to do this for someone this evening. He does answer Doctor Strange's question, saying, "Oh... no, sir. I'm always hesitant about food, it's a lot to get used to."

The response Booster gets from Pete earns the man a curious look. When Pete moves towards Strange's table, Booster politely says to him, "Hi, Pete. Have you already started drinking?" Because that can be the only explanation for Pete's friendliness. He offers a hand to Ororo, saying, "Good evening, ma'am."

Amethyst very suddenly and acutely becomes aware of Chocolette. She freezes, staring. "I actually just know the one story. Because of the amethyst thing. Because I'm Amethyst."

Now Pete is by her side with his hands on her shoulders. She smiles dazzlingly. "Pete!" Her attention goes elsewhere. She stares off into space, and then her eyes home in on the ribbon around his waist.

"Ohmygod you're wearing my favor." The princess looks honestly touched, cupping Wisdom's cheek with her palm. It's the part where the princess tells the smart village boy that the courage was within him all along. "That is the dorkiest thing."

Ariata had nodded in the sorcerer's direction while she was getting a pint of vodka and a shirley temple for her master (because she doesn't think Chocolette needs any more alcohol). She is respectful but also cautious. As a being basically comprised of pure magic wrapped around a spiritual core, both amplified in strength by the depth and pervasiveness of the mythology associated with the individual in question, she is not exactly some piddling ghost herself. But she still feels that even with the seeming drunkenness of this... 'Doctor', she should mind herself. Power isn't all strength or combat ability or epic-level spells. The ones who are adept at seeming inept without actually being so, or who retain an awareness of their circumstances even when under the influence, are the ones who can be some of the most dangerous.

The summoned hero thus carefully words her question as she heads towards the same table as Strange. "I intend no offense, but it would not work out between us, doctor or no." Then she finds Chocolette on the floor and sighs. Holding both the huge mug and the smaller glass in one hand readily, she leans down and helps Chocolette to her feet with her other hand. Though she is polite enough not to say so, Ororo is -- though not apparently magical -- someone who catches Ariata's eye. Well, nose. The weather witch smells like the wind, much like Ariata herself. She actually has to take a moment to look appraisingly back, just to be sure this isn't another Wind Element Summon, but then she just shifts her pale-green eyes back to her master and finds she has already snatched the pint of vodka from the summon's grasp and downed it while she wasn't paying attention. "That was--" The wrong drink, yes. Kind of a moot point now, as the entire thing is gone. She would go get another, but she doesn't trust Chocolette to remain unattended at this point, so she picks up Chocolette's chair, plants it on the floor, and gently pushes the summoner down into it. Then she seats herself with a hastily grabbed-up chair and settles for the shirley temple. She doesn't need food or drink anyway. Chocolette has a delayed reaction. After having been seated following her massive consumption of alcohol, she attempts to stand up dramatically again while announcing, "Oh! Oh!" But she is held firm by an extended hand from Ariata upon the top of her head, and eventually just stays where she is. "You are Amethyst? Well, it seems being a statue was not entirely lethal after all! I am sorry for your loss. Do you know how I might contacts those tigers at least? You see," she waves the empty pint-glass towards Pete's face. "It is very important, crucial even, that I speak to a tiger." Then she holds the glass in her lap with both hands and says, "No, wait. I must obtain one. Not a tiger, but a goblet. Though I suppose the tiger might count as well." She turns to Doctor Strange suddenly and asks, "Do you think a tiger would count? Perhaps if it were stuffed or something?" Without waiting for a reply, she turns back to Amethyst, and then wags the glass in Pete's face again while looking somewhere to Amaya's right, "The point remains, however, that Dionysus is very important for me to obtain a personal belonging from, such as a goblet. Or a tiger."

"Not a bit of it, Doc," Wisdom says cheerfully. And then, giving Amethyst a lopsided smile at the pat on his cheek, he does his best to steamroll her into sitting down. "If dork's the worst thing I'm called today, it'll be the best day of my life. I just don't want to accidentally fall there somehow and not have my passport, you know?" That's totally the only reason he's wearing her favor. Yes. "This," he says, then, looking up to the rest of the group and gesturing toward Storm with a grin as she joins the table, "is Ororo Munroe. We've worked together; some of you might have friends in common."

He's just not actually in remotely a bad enough mood to do anything more than /try/ to glare at Booster, and start laughing instead. "No, I'm dead sober, mate. I'm just glad I don't need my shades to look at you.

Then Cocoa's waving an empty pint glass in his face, and Pete blinks at her, kind of baffled. "I'm... sure. You could probably just... get some grapes," he tells the suddenly very alcohol-inclusive summoner slowly. "They're all his. Sweetheart-- I think you probably need to either drink a lot of water /very quickly/ or go hurl in the ladies', unless you've got thoroughly inhuman tolerance for blood alcohol content."

A purple cat walks into a bar. But once he starts paying attention, he eventually finds the door and goes through it, initial damage to his forehead notwithstanding. Vorpal usually doesn't frequent the Hideaway, mostly because of the fact that he wasn't twenty-one. Fortunately, birthdays have a way of fixing that.

Unfortunately, his birthday isn't until next week. But that's what powers of illusion are for. Just a little glamour over the date and voila!

Curiosity killed the cat, and Keith had heard from some of the Oblivion regulars that something was going down over here. How could he resist? He didn't have time to change out of his hero suit, but he didn't really mind. He was a walking, talking purple Cheshire cat. Civvies or not, he was going to get noticed.

Vorpal looks around, hands on his belt as he takes in the atmosphere, and his nose twitches for a second. "...I smell... chili..."

"Of course," was Stephen's non-chalant response to the heroine's rejection, "It's for the best; my practice can be dan--" Having to twirl out of Chocolette's way cut him off, and not long after he ends up seated, his attention ends up wandering to the other patrons.

After drinking about half of his scotch, he offers his other hand out to the weather witch and offers, "Stephen Strange; My apologies for intruding upon your quiet evening." He glances to the book out of idle curiosity, but the odds of him recognizing it are rather slim; he is generally more of a scrolls and tomes guy than a paperback reader. Chocolette's talk of tiger gets a confused, but good-natured look from Strange, but before he can even begin to try and offer a theory, she seems to have moved on from him. Still, once she makes it clearer what she's after, he'll offhandedly suggest, "Or a laurel, perhaps?"

Ororo Munroe has set her copy of the first Game of Thrones book on the table with her handbag and edibles, and she takes Doctor Strange's hand to shake lightly. "It is quite all right. I am ... accustomed to noise and chaos." She kind of has to be, considering the school she calls home. Amaya and Chocolette's ramblings are noted but left unremarked, and Ariata and Booster seem to have passed some sort of muster within her own mind as she settles into her chair at the table.

Of course, that's when a new voice joins in the increasingly lively Hideaway and she turns to look at Vorpal, then back at her bowl of quickly-cooling chili when the feline mentions what he smells. The kitchen has plenty more. You can't have hers.

"Well, I have the suit on under this," Booster explains to Pete, gesturing at the low key civilian clothing he is wearing. "If I -really needed- to light up the room, I could do it." He is still standing up by Doctor Strange's table, staying out of the way of the drunker people so they can get settled in comfortably. When Vorpal walks in, he waves at the purple guy, because that is frankly impossible to miss. "Hey, Vorp," he calls out, in greeting. Falling quiet, because he is unable to really follow the other conversations going on, his only contribution is his comment of, "I have no idea what a tiger is."

Pete successfully maneuvers the princess into a chair. She is amused by this effort and does not resist. Doesn't mean she helps, either. He is, after all, her liegeman.

Amethyst does not follow Chocolette's words too well, but she makes an effort. "Nononono, I'm not that Amethyst. I'm... um, this Amethyst." She wrinkles her nose. "I wonder if I was related to her though, gosh."

Tigers, she knows. "Wait, wait--I'll conjure a tiger so you can see what one looks like." Amethyst raises her hands. Through spread fingers, she sees a familiar walking cat. Her breath catches and she glances around to her tablemates, eyes wide. "We were talking about tigers and Vorpal walked in. Isn't that so weird?"

"Oh, well, I suppose. What are grapes? What I am after," she explains to Pete while looking at Ariata instead of Pete. "Needs to generally be something personally significant to and formerly in the possession of the subject in question, or VERY strongly associated with that person mythologically or historically -- particularly from actual physical association in life or shortly after their unfortunate demise." Ariata responds in mild consternation, "I am aware how it works." Chocolette waves her empty glass around enthusiastically, "Well of course you are!" Then she giggles. "Could you be a dear, or perhaps a buffalo, and obtain me some water such as this young lady has just suggested? You see," she indicates Pete with the glass again and her eyes track with much difficulty towards the 'young lady', before repeating, "You see, I am twenty-one years of age, and I most certainly do NOT have an intolerance for human blood alcohol content. I mean a tolerance for... Inhuman... Blood content? Either way, I am most likely in dire need of water, but as much of a need, as, say, something belonging to Dionysus."

As Ariata channels some wind magic to draw water out of the air by bringing together the air moisture inside of Chocolette's formerly empty -- but now rapidly-filling -- glass, because she does not want to leave Chocolette to her own devices (she might gulp down someone else's drink or something), Chocolette focuses on Doctor Strange and says, "No, sir, I do not believe that I should rest on my laurels. Having two like her does not in any way means I should be satisfied with that. I need to prioritize." She is busy retrieving a bottle of tequila from a book bag at her side as she speaks, with Ariata distracted making water. She puts the bottle down on the table, and somehow between 'extracted from her bag' and 'finds its way onto the table', it also becomes open and takes a detour to 'Cocoa's' mouth three or five times, resulting in it being about half empty by the time it is finally set down.

Then she turns unsteadily to look where Amethyst is looking and says, "Oh-hoh. A tiger! I thought they were a bit larger and of a slightly different coloration, but given that Mister Jose Cuervo," she points at the bottle of tequila, "Has snuck behind my blood-brain barrier and is sabotaging my nerve impulses, I may, infact, be misremembering." Then she just sliiiides half-out of her chair so that she's slouched with her feet under the table somewhere and says, "Perhaps I should switch to Jose Cuervo for my summon for the element of Deceit. He seems to be stealthy enoughIneedtofindmywaytotheladiesroomoutofthewayplease." Chocolette is suddenly vaulting over the table and heading for the rest room. Ariata takes the bottle of tequila and downs what's left while lamenting her inability to get drunk.

There's not of reacting to supersuits that happens in Harry's, generally speaking. Or, apparently, princesses of Gemworld. Vorpal's at least lucky in that respect! Pete just sort of eyes the cat-man for a second, then shrugs: he still isn't wearing purple. He /does/ ask Strange, "What is she even talking about?"

Why he's asking a drunk sorcerer supreme is anybody's guess: maybe it's because he usually seems to know everything. Pete /does/ give Storm an apologetic look, and asides to her, leaning over a little, "Scarf it. I won't tell, and they're practically palatic." This is also the point at which Pete loosens his tie and unbuttons the top button of his shirt; he pulls his collar down just enough to show Booster that he's rocking SHIELD body armor underneath his real-people clothes. And then he tells him, quite solemnly, "Ssshh--"

Well. /Starts/. Because suddenly he looks remarkably alarmed at Amethyst. "Don't drink and cast, I am so serious. Harry's does *not* need a live tiger. At all."

All of a sudden, he's looking-- remarkably harried. Probably also a new one on Booster. "Fuck /me/," he says in Cocoa's general direction, irritated; he swipes her empty pint glass and sets it down on the table, then harrumphs off to the bar to get a couple of glasses and a pitcher. As he goes, he calls over his shoulder, "Wine. Dionysus is the fuckin' /god/ of /wine/. I think wine will do the job--" Pause. Smirk. That's an impressive beeline toward the ladies', after all.

Vorpal 's ears twitch when Booster calls his name, and he beelines for his friend, noticing a familiar face here and there, and others he does not know. "Michael! Fancy meeting you here--" it is because of his rather acute sense of hearing that he does catch a trail of the conversation before someone excuses herself to go to the ladies'. The cat looks a little amused, especially at the 'drink and cast' quip. "You don't know what tigers are? here..." Vorpal holds out his hand, and a little tiger appears on his palm. An illusion, of course... "now, imagine it a little bigger. An average adult male tiger weighs about 420 pounds and is 9 feet long, including its tail. This information has been brought to you by the letter 'V' for Vorpal..." he looks at the other people Booster seems to be with, giving a wink at Amethyst- she, at least, he knows. "I think introductions are in order. I'm Vorpal. Or Keith."

"Ah--a fellow city dweller?" Stephen wonders as he withdraws his hand. "This really is a lovely area this time of year; unfortunately, I can hardly find the time to get away from my practice and enjoy it." His hand ends up on his scotch glass, which he takes a moment to empty with one long, smooth sip; his brow wrinkles in momentary confusion mid-drink thanks to Chocolette's refusal to relax, and after setting his glass down, he gently corrects, "No, no--a laurel'. One; he was quite fon--"

Somewhere around the lightweight summoner's second or third straight pull from the tequila bottle, it occurs to Stephen that any explanations he might have to offer might not of much use to her right now; thus, he turns in his seat to face Pete, and with a shrugged shoulder he feebly suggests, "Tigers; Dionysus; the value of hard work. All very important virtues." Beat. "And deities." Beat. "And--animals." His voice is a little quieter on that one, and he spends a few moments in quiet contemplation before suddenly perking up, looking Amethyst-wards, and declaring, "I am going to need a research paper on the power of divine symbology and animal companionship in two Earth weeks. In Eno--"

Chocolette's flight to the bathroom stops him from finishing the assignment, and Keith,s greeting ensures that it remains forgotten--for now. Once he's straightened up from having to dodge the fleeing summoner, he looks to Keith with an ear to ear grin and holds a hand up to greet him. "Stephen Strange; it's a pleasure."

Ororo Munroe looks from person to person as they speak up, introduce themselves, ramble on incomprehensibly, scramble for the ladies'... At that last, she stands quickly and follows after Chocolette, ready to help the young lady locate the restrooms and not fall into the toilet. It's almost like she's used to taking care of others. That does, though, leave her bowl of chili sitting on the table completely unprotected...

Booster has been mentally adding up a few things, and as Pete turns to go to the bar he calls after him, "Dude, are you Amethyst's sidekick?" This is not said in a teasing or mocking manner, he seems to be sincerely curious. Then, Vorpal demonstrates tigers, and Booster looks from the little illusion to Vorpal, back and forth, clearly comparing them. Vorpal is probably a tiger, and Booster's ignorance may have been offensive, or racist. "Oh, I see, I'm sorry." Well, moving on, he tries to help Vorpal with introductions. "The dude who just went to the bar is Pete Wisdom. You seem to know Princess Amethyst. This is Doctor Strange, of course. Uh, I just met the ladies who walked off," he gestures towards where Chocolette fled, and where Ororo followed. "And I don't know you, I'm sorry," he says, of Ariata. Then, gesturing to the purple cat, or possibly tiger, he says, "This is Vorpal."

Vorpal's appearance slowed Amethyst's mystical finger waggling, but Pete's admonishment stops it entirely. Amethyst appears stricken, shoving her hands underneath the table. "I, um, I was going to--I wasn't going to do an actual tiger." A shiver finds her spine. Why did Dionysus make tigers? It is a terrible thing.

"I'm being really stupid," she says. She is using a polite voice. Among impolite company, it's quiet. "I shouldn't have done this. I'm going to, um, relax."

Amethyst smiles at Vorpal. She tries for friendly but gets awkward. Her flailing attempt at sociability is short-lived; her teacher demands her hapless attention. "Whaaat? I hate semiotics! Do I really have to write a paper on animal sidekicks? Can I just submit my unicorn and say 'basically that'?"

Her hands remain under the table, firmly clasped together with fingers entwined.

Ariata rubs her forehead as she identifies herself as, "Ariata, former high-general of Ar-Sand Verum -- the Kingdom of Impenetrable Walls. A pleasure to meet you all." She lowers her hand and then explains to anyone who cares to listen. "While I am not at liberty to reveal all the details, I will say that my master is a woman on a mission of great urgency. To obtain certain items with a strong affinity for historical or mythological figures who are similar to Legendary Heroes or Legendary Villains that existed... Err... 'Where we come from'. I am one such Legend. A monument to a fallen hero -- or a piece of such -- would suffice for her purposes. With all due respect," she says as she casts a look towards Pete as he departs for some water. "Something symbolically associated, such as wine, is insufficient. If it were a //particular// wine that was carried or brewed or otherwise closely and PERSONALLY connected to Dionysus, of the appropriate age -- not something new and of-the-present era -- then //that// would be adequate. But to be honest, while I shall not speak ill of my master, I believe this is not the figure she should be looking for in her quest."

The red-haired warrior also adds on with a concerned look in the direction of the rest room, "...And I believe that she should stay away from alcohol henceforth." Of course, she's explaining all this to a group of people who are mostly comprised of individuals in various states of inebriation, but some among them still seem to semi-possess their mental faculties.

eanwhile, Chocolette navigates her way to the rest room through the power of luck given she has never been here before and didn't even know where she is going. Part of this luck may also be (like 70%, give or take) connected to Ororo following her and guiding her where she was actually intending to arrive instead of, say, the men's room. She takes the time to remove her eyeglasses before emptying the contents of her stomach into a toilet. She also takes the time to take care of the unpleasant details of clean-up that no one really wants to hear, and offering Ororo a bright smile and a, "Thank you very much for your help." with utter clarity before slip-sliding her way across the room on a haphazard course towards the rest room exit. It seems that, regardless of her speech not being slurred or utterly incomprehensible (mostly), her actual physical coordination is suffering greatly.

Coming back with, in fact, two carefully balanced glasses of water and a big pitcher of that same blessed substance, Pete plunks the pitcher down first, and then deposits a glass in front of Amethyst and one in front of where Cocoa was sitting.

There is a brief glare at Booster, but it's not particularly heated. "I am not," he says with dignity, "anyone's bloody sidekick. No one /insures/ sidekicks. Deciding to let sleeping dogs lie, and not attempt to troll tipsy-Strange the way he trolls Reed Richards, Pete just tosses off a cavalier approximation of a salute. "Pete Wisdom. I just try and make sure pretty girls don't cast spells when they're two sheets to the wind and counting. It's my calling in life. Doesn't pay much, though."

A beat.

"Keith. Don't touch Munroe's chili. She's been nursing it since before I got here, I think she may be about to propose." This is said with all the sternness of a skinny pale guy in a leather jacket.

Finally, he drops into the chair next to Amy and leans toward her, bumping her shoulder lightly with his. "No, you just need a spotter, 'sall. Wish I'd had one when I was figuring shit out. If you need a quick exit, let me know."

Then Pete Wisdom simply stares at Ariata. "I'm lost," he admits.

"Oh, don't sweat it, Boosty. Glad I could show you a bit more of this world," the feline says. By his build and poise he very well could be a tiger. He's got the stripes, too. But he wouldn't be able to tell you- he has no idea where precisely do Cheshire Cats fit in the feline family tree. Amaya is, of course, familiar with how Keith 'feels' to magical senses, but those who do not know him and are magically inclined will notice that the young feline is bursting to the very whiskers with Chaos magic.

He looks at Pete and smirks, "Far be it from me to try to steal it from her. She looks like a lady I wouldn't want to cross. Not that I make it my business to steal innocent cups of chili... at least, not usually. Sometimes I get hungry, what can I say..." he trails off, though, as Ariata speaks. It is clear by his expression that he echoes Pete's sentiment.

"Think of it as another opportunity to expand your horizons," Stephen exhorts as he turns towards his student with a too-wide sweep of his hand. Arcane carousing and homework: totally equitable. "To learn something new--to gain a deeper understanding of the universe and its mysteries."

Perhaps the worst thing about his rationale is that it's completely sincere, as though he'd be happy to write the paper himself, if it weren't already Amethyst's assignment.

It's no wonder, then, that when Ariata sets about explaining her mistress' task, the doctor ends up leaning a little nearer, just to make sure he doesn't miss a single detail. The concept of forming pacts with powerful beings in exchange for some measure of their power is nearly as old as the practice of magic itself, but those beings generally don't accompany their invokers on pub crawls. Or explain their reason for being; by the time Ariata's moved on to talking about alcohol, Stephen's thoughts have largely wandered into his library, where he's already working up a short-list of potential reference materials. He'll have plenty to read in the hour or so before he inevitably passes out for an alcohol-induced nap.

Ororo helps Chocolette with the keeping her glasses clean, the tidying up, all of that as much as the girl lets her, and then trails along after her back toward their table, as if expecting motor coordination to fail at any moment. "You are most welcome, Miss..." Oh. Great. The young lady's name has completely escaped her.

"Oh, -pretty girls-, hey," Booster says cheerfully, when Pete brings that up. That's bad enough, but he also gets a light elbow nudge to Pete's side, then points and winks at the man when he sits by Amethyst. Fortunately, the teasing stops so he can tell Vorpal, "Sit down and hang out with us. We've been doing a bar crawl." He seems bright eyed and sober, though. He then turns to say to Ariata, "I get it. But I mean, the big difference between a thing or person that's historical and-or mythological is a matter of time. I mean, you put enough temporal distance in there and only the really strong myths survive. So yeah, I can see that being powerful. Although it's too bad you have to discount present-era stuff, because," he arches a brow, and nods very seriously, "This era is -totally- mythic in the future."

Amethyst takes the glass before her in both hands and drinks, watching Pete out of the corner of her eye. She continues drinking as Pete explains that he is willing to be her sidekick when she drinks, nodding periodically to show she understands what he is saying. The princess then lowers her glass and replies with great satisfaction: "You think I'm pretty. You have a crush."

"Chocolette," Chocolette says woozily as she is guided out and back to where everyone else is. "That is my name, but I am told it is also some form of confection here on Earth, perhaps with a slightly different spelling. Where I come from is not THAT different, even occupying the same space, but there obviously cultural and dessert-based disparities." Ramble ramble ramble. Ariata nods to what others have to say, shrugs apologetically to those who are lost, and agrees with Booster. "Exactly. Only the myths and legends that endure, that resonate through the ages, are suitable for creating summoned beings like myself. Even if we had no idea when we lived that we would be remembered as we are, the fact we can manifest as champions in each present we are called to is proof that we have not been forgotten." She looks once more anxiously to the rest room, seemingly about to get up and go find Chocolette when her master reappears. She relaxes slightly but still says, "Please excuse me, but I believe placing my master in bed is overdue. Thank you for allowing us to join you." She rises from her chair, bows regally, and says, "It was a pleasure to meet you. Perhaps we shall seek out your counsel in the future, when clarity is more prevalent."

hen the Legend strides over to retrieve her summoner from Ororo.

Ororo Munroe allows Ariata to take over Chocolette-steering duties, but does hold up one hand to ask for a moment before stepping to the bar, asking Harry for something, and accepting a brown and silver-wrapped item from the man before returning to where the Legend and her pickled companion are. "Here. When she is feeling herself again, share this with her." Hershey's.

Sidekick. Crush. Is this why Pete's pointing and laughing at Amethyst and chortling, "You've got impossible homework! And I don't!"

The Englishman keeps track of Ororo keeping track of Chocoletta; gestures at the table, for her. Chili, untouched! This business, though? This Booster giving him shit business? Pete is not having this. And AMY JOINS IN? The SHIELD agent rolls his eyes. "I give up. You're drunk, Princess." Because really? There's no safe answers to that accusation. None at all.

Then Cocoa's taking her leave, and Pete slouches in his chair with a snort. "Don't forget to drink a lot of water. Take some aspirin before you go to bed, and have some handy for when you wake up. Then eat something greasy and full of protein for breakfast. Should be fine."

Vorpal sits down when Booster offers him the seat. "Thank! Although I won't join in on the libations as..." his voice drops "... i'm not twenty-one until next week."

Once he settles down, his ears twitch as he listens to all the conversations being thrown around on the table. He has no advice to offer the intoxicated one, as he's never been drunk yet. And considering how his illusion power tends to backfire awkwardly when he's sober, he's not going to try getting drunk unless he's in private. But Ariata's words do seem to catch his attention for a little, and he becomes pensive. "You know, that's something to think about. I wonder if I'll be remembered someday." A pause. "... actually, I wonder -how- I'll be remembered, if I'm remembered at all. Now I realize there's several degrees of that. Being known as 'the hero who saved the day from Evil Villain' is great, whereas 'the hero who really effed it up and now everybody is a crabhead' isn't all that great." His nose wiggles, though, as Ororo's chili poses such a temptation that he flags someone down quickly and orders his own cup. Before he is reduced to meat larceny.

Ororo Munroe lets Chocolette and Ariata leave after giving the latter a chocolate bar to share with the former, and finally returns to her seat to smile a hello to Vorpal, as she kind of fled before getting to say a proper hello to the brightly-furred young man. She doesn't bat an eyelash, of course. She's friends with Kurt and Hank, remember? "So, what scintillating conversation have I missed?" Her normal smooth expressionless expression and calm if slightly regal mannerisms make it difficult for anyone unfamiliar with her to tell if she means her words sarcastically or not, but she's being honest. Really!

"It's cool, bro," Booster cheerfully assures Vorpal. "I don't drink either." He finally sits down as well, taking the chair that was vacated by Ariata. Folding his arms on the table, he just grins at Pete, then looks to Ororo and politely tells her, "Oh, we were just talking about Pete's whole dealio with Amethyst here. I think we've ruled on a possible crush." Then, in a more sympathetic, quiet tone, he says to Pete, "It's okay that you have feelings, dude. Tapping into those emotions is how you're able to write such peppy, up-beat music."

Amethyst grins like she's watching cat videos, even when Pete points and laughs. She pushes her half-empty glass of water aside, resting her head on the table, atop her arms. Her frankly ridiculous amount of blonde hair gets everywhere. It seems to be magically repelling water, so she is being less sloppy than appearances would suggest.

"I already confessed to that, Agent Peter Wisdom," Amethyst says, her voice dreamy in that way that means she'd rather be asleep and dreaming right this moment. She turns her head to look at Pete through blonde locks. "Lock me up. You got me. I've been Constantining."

Booster wasn't quiet enough. The princess shoots upright, grabbing Pete by the arm. "YOU WRITE FOR DAZZLER THAT IS GREAT."