Life in a pint

[arsenal_arrow]

Roy Harper spent most of his day in front of a drum set. It wasn't practice, per se, as he wasn't concerned about what came out wrong. He's gotten better over the years, far beyond the novice he started out as, but he isn't as self-conscious of the mistakes when it's just him and the drums

Comments

[caleb_z]

That elicits a chuckle from the Russian. "Bounce has always worked just fine for me," he jests weakly.

"I worry about failing the people around me. When, uh ... when Amelia pulled her Trojan horse, we rallied and counter-attacked in time. I got my hands on Corrine. I was there - physically in possession of her unconscious body - but it it wasn't enough. I didn't even have to overcome Philip ... all I had to do was not loose long enough for my team to mop up his associates, and I couldn't even accomplish that."

"Back when I was with the DEO, it all seemed so simple. I was a big shot, and I developed an ego to match. God, what a fool I was. Now, I'm absolutely terrified that my team is going to need me, and I'm going to fail them."

[arsenal_arrow]

"Welcome to being a human being, and on a superhero team," Roy says, not joking at all. "You think the rest of your team feels any different? You think they're looking at you, and not themselves? Just like you? It ain't about you."

He sets his beer down on the bar, and leans forward to look straight at the other man. "Lemme tell you a lesson I kept getting punched with the hard way, Dr. Zukov. If all you do is count your losses and failures in this business, you're going to have a lot of ghosts that follow you around. Trust me when I say that can be a worse predicament to find yourself in than facing even your greatest enemy. Everybody's worst enemy is themselves. You start thinking about all the things you didn't pull off, start breaking yourself down..." He shakes his head. "It's a bad way to go. Don't do it, man."

[caleb_z]

Caleb quietly absorbs Roy's advice. It isn't as simple as snap your fingers and you're outlook is different, but if nothing else, it's a pattern of behavior to keep an eye out for.

"Sound advice."

[redhood_robin]

"Coming from the crazy section, s'long as we're trading warm and fuzzies?" Jason said, going back to his beer. He was a mean drunk when he let himself go to far and that wasn't the goal tonight. "Count on your family. That don't mean blood. I got traded to the Joker by my blood family. Got saved by my real one."

[caleb_z]

"Oh, now there's a feeling I'm quite familiar with," he answers Jason. "My blood inflicted brain damage on me. My family fought an army of demons in their own realm to fetch what, for all they knew, was just my body." He smirks, no small amount of pride shining though in the process.

"I'd trust any one of them with a loaded gun to my head, Shield included."

[redhood_robin]

"At least your blood didn't get you a long dirt nap," Jason muttered. "Without Sand's nifty keen powers." He was with Roy. He could relax a little. Roy'd do something nasty with an arrow if he got too chatty.

[arsenal_arrow]

"Orphan. All I got is family."

Well, that sort of rings especially loud today, doesn't it?

Roy raises his mug and takes a sip. "Family. The only people you love enough to drive yourself that crazy."

[caleb_z]

It's a toast he'll enthusiastically get behind. "Family." And by this point, the burn of cheap vodka doesn't even bother him.

He slams the empty shot glass down, his eyes turning to Jason. "Well, it's like the man said: No time like the present. Tell me, you ever argued with a succubus?"

[redhood_robin]

Jason smiled wryly. "Not yet. Except for being told I was misbehaving when I was poking at her puppy. She doesn't quite seem to figure out yet that business and pleasure in this business invariably intertwine...and the more you keep them apart, the more it's gonna blow your face off."

[caleb_z]

"Birdie never was one for relationships, ever. Ray is ... an anomaly. A pleasant one, to be sure, but a conspicuous one nevertheless."

Caleb pulls a roll of bills out of his pocket, and leaves enough to cover his drinks and a healthy tip on the table. "Well, Mr. Harper, it's certainly been a pleasure meeting you. And please do relay my regrets to your lovely wife."

[arsenal_arrow]

Is he serious? Roy's pretty sure he's serious.

He just snickers and shakes his head over his beer. "You go over there before you sober up-- either of you-- might as well throw any winning argument you've got out the window. Anything's a weapon if you've got something you feel like you gotta defend."

[caleb_z]

...

...

"Right, been drinking." Duh, Caleb. With a sigh, he sits back down, taking a moment to glance at his watch. "Waiting might be ... prudent."

[redhood_robin]

"I'm with him," Jason agreed pointing at Roy. "Ain't going nowhere until I've finished my beers for the day...and I ain't arguing with Amelia unless I'm sober...so 'less you got some sort of sobering up chip in your demonic package..."

[caleb_z]

He shakes his head. "If I were sober I could help you, but the last time I tried to employ that kind of magic while inebriated, my skin turned orange for two days."

[arsenal_arrow]

Magic; never trustworthy. Roy scratches through his red hair and finishes the rest of his beer, and then orders another. He hasn't been throwing them back nearly as hard, and he doesn't have any doors to go knock on after this. Except maybe the missus,' he thinks to himself with a little smirk.

He looks to Caleb, chuckling. "Just don't 'black-cats, tails-and-rats' too close to me, okay? You mage types will try all sorts of crazy things. I'd ask what made you think that was a good idea, but then again, you were drunk. Ideas that start like that never end well."

[caleb_z]

"I'm a demon, Mr. Harper. Supernormal reality manipulation comes as naturally to me as breathing does to you. It's still something that requires precision and great care, though, and alcohol has never been known to help."