After Ten Rounds of Jose Cuervo [Active/VERY OPEN]

[eba02]

Characters: Anybody who wants to show up
Content: Remember the citywide party idea everybody's been bandying around? Yeah. This is it.
Location: Pete's Tavern and the street in front of it
Time: A few days after Iris' party (trying not to step on your toes, hon), evening well into night
Warnings: How many characters are going to get drunk in this

Comments

[eba02]

Being one of the people to set up the party had its advantages, namely in seating choice. J had already lined up a bottle of Cuervo and a trio of shot glasses, as well as lime and salt, at one end of the bar. He'd taken a seat on one of the stools and thrown his jacket (good old windbreaker - wearing his suit to a bar party wasn't the best of ideas, so he was going casual tonight, at least so far as clothing went) over two others in the classic "This Seat Saved" gesture. He was definitely expecting Rookie to show up - the lone bottle of O'Doul's on the bar next to the Cuervo testified to that - and hopefully Chief would come too, despite not having been there for the rescue mission. If Missy showed too...well, he'd find another stool or he'd stand.

In the meantime, he'd swung around in his stool, back against the bar. The tequila would keep - no sense in drinking alone, after all.

[squishyarms]

Picture, if you will, a red-haired chick in a black leather jacket strutting into the bar like she owned the place. Thumbs hooked in the pockets of her jeans, she's checking out the situation, giving the tequila an appreciative look, and all of a sudden leaning against the bar with a cocky little smirk. Yeah, Riza was feeling pretty badass.

"Nice choice," she said to the back of J's head. "Nothing says party like Jose."

[eba02]

J spun in his stool and flashed a grin at the new girl - he'd seen her around on the network, hadn't he? "Somethin' like that," he replied lightly. "Though Jose's nothin' if you don't have someone to share him with."

Was that an invitation? Why yes it was.

[eba05]

Admittedly, this party was a little less Spin's preference for a celebration. He didn't have a problem with others drinking, but he had always been happy playing the role of the driver.

But J had made it pretty clear he expected the younger Agent to show up, and even with Iris' party a few days past, Spin was willing to let himself go out again. He gave J a wry smile as he entered and sat down beside him.

"Really took charge of it, didn't you?" He smiled. "Not to say it wasn't called for."

[eba02]

Well there Rookie was. Took him long enough - but then again, J hadn't exactly given him a specific time to show up. He grinned and nabbed his jacket off the stools he'd been saving.

"Yeah, and you know what?" He laughed. "It was the last thing I ever thought I'd do here. Who'd'a thunk. Here," He slid the bottle of O'Doul's over to stand in front of the other barstool. "Got ya something."

[eba05]

Spin gave the bottle a frown before glancing back to J. He should have expected as much, given the nature of the party and even moreso considering who he was here with. The younger Agent sighed and took it, not drinking any yet. "Non-alcoholic. Good to know you're thinking of me, at least." By certain definitions.

[eba02]

"Somethin' like that." Of course, J wasn't done. "Figured while the rest of us were takin' a walk on the wild side you'd want somethin'...safe." The emphasis made it very clear that "safe" did not necessarily equal "fun" or even "worthwhile." J was doing his best to get himself a drinking partner.

[eba05]

Spin rolled his eyes. He would have made a comment about playing it safe as the driver, but unfortunately it would have fallen rather flat given the disturbing lack of transport around the city. They really needed to get a hold on changing that.

But that point was neither here nor there. Instead he settled for leaning against the counter, fixing J with a dry smile. "Someone's gotta make sure you don't end up too deep, don't you think?"

[eba02]

That lack of transportation, much as J disliked it, was definitely a fallback point in his strategy, mostly because it left Rookie no excuse.

"Yep," J replied nonchalantly. "That person'd be me. I know just where I stand with Jose here." He nodded to the bottle on the bar. "You, on the other hand..." He paused, letting that hang in the air for a bit. "Well, there's a reason you're hangin' with O'Doul's."

[eba05]

Another eye roll. "Well that's fine. You and Jose can rock out with the frat boys. I know how to jam on my own." It was only his attempt to one-up J that made him sound so disdainful.

He swirled the bottle but still didn't take a sip. The stuff didn't even taste that great, and if he wasn't in it for the buzz, then really it was a waste (So why was he even pretending? Because J would make a mockery of him either way...)

[eba02]

J knew he was getting to Rookie when the outdated comebacks came out, but still. The frat boys?

He snorted, tried really hard (okay, not so much really hard as visibly) to not laugh, epically failed (on purpose), and leaned back, one elbow on the bar and hand supporting his head as he guffawed for all he was worth.

For about ten seconds, but hey, it was funny and that was long enough.

Finally, he glanced over at his fellow Agent, still grinning with amusement. "Oh, Rookie, that's cute."

[eba05]

The laughing was bad enough, and he just couldn't hold back the angry flush. But then J just had to go and say that, and Spin gritted his teeth and looked away. Of course. All the effort he put into trying to come off as a legitimate Agent, but he was still just cute to the others. J really knew how to hit it where it hurts.

"You're a real son of a Spears, you know," was all he could manage.

[eba02]

"Frat boys, really," he muttered, still grinning. It wasn't Rookie's attempts not to drink that were making him laugh, but rather the excuses he was coming up with.

"Yep," he replied to the insult lightly, waving it off - he'd had much worse. "When you're ready to quit bein' such a Backstreet Boy about it, let me know." With that, he spun in his stool to face the bar again and levelly filled one of the shot glasses with tequila.

C'mon, Rookie, take the bait.

[eba05]

Spin huffed. J was doing this to piss him off, he knew it, and that was the problem. Anyone else could have said it, he wouldn't have minded, but it was that he was still the new recruit to the guys. You'd think his ability to handle things on his own for so long would cut the rookie some leeway. Nope.

The bottle nearly came up to his mouth, and Spin paused. He didn't even want it. Why was he getting peer pressured into something that was still getting him mocked, anyway?

With a resigned grunt, he dropped the bottle back onto the counter and snatched the shotglass away. "You happy, y'big Streisand?" he snapped, before knocking it back. Oof.

[eba02]

J had to admit, he was taken completely by surprise when Rookie nabbed the shot glass and downed the tequila. He'd known he was getting to Rookie, but man, not like that.

"Whoa, Rookie." He held both his hand up in a take it easy gesture. "Slow down before you hurt yourself. Here." He patted the barstool next to him. "There's a trick to this. Lemme show you."

[eba05]

Spin had to take a few seconds to blink back that burning. In the end, though, it gave him a wry satisfaction to see the look on J's face. That's right, Rookie can break routine once in a while, how do you like that?

Spin grunted at J's offer. "Oh, now you're upping the game to trying to get me all-out?" He had half a mind to stalk off. He wasn't going to, but he had half a mind to.