Nix Gordon, OC, Barways

[facetsofbethan]

A tall young woman walks into the bar. She's wearing pyjama bottoms and a spaghetti strap top, but her hands are filthy and her bare feet and the ends of her trousers are caked in blood which may or may not be her own and which clashes badly with the pale pink cotton. There are dark circles under her blue eyes, and right now her cobweb of scars

Comments

[americas_son]

From behind her at one of the tables, Nix is being eyed.

"You missed a spot," Cal tells her helpfully.

He doesn't move to sit near her, at least not yet. Even with someone less volatile, the whole blood-and-gun thing would function as a pretty good indication that tolerance for social interaction might not be at its highest right now. With Nix, leaving the first physical move up to her is probably the smartest thing to do.

[brokensteeldoll]

Nix pokes her tongue out at him.

"Shurrup, you."

(She's actually almost too tired to be volatile. 4am battles in filthy underground tunnels will do that for you.)

[americas_son]

"Just saying," Cal - uh, says. "The waitrats are gonna start giving you dirty looks in a minute."

Rats are really good at that, too. Something about the eyes.

Cal himself is still eying Nix, but his entire posture is casual - he's slumped in his chair in a studied sort of way that tends not to come as naturally as it used to. He's used to the chaos of Nix's world by now, and has learned to keep his responses low key. Mostly. Usually.

[brokensteeldoll]

She shrugs. "I'll live."

Breakfast first. Manners later.

"Y'alright?"

[americas_son]

"Yeah, I'm good," Cal says. "I went to Spain with a friend a couple days ago, that was pretty cool."

[brokensteeldoll]

Nix grins suddenly, almost startlingly brightly. "Wicked. I've never been."

[americas_son]

Cal answers with an easy grin of his own.

"It was pretty cool," he says. "I've never even been out of the country back home. Not yet anyway."

That's something he plans to fix one of of these days.

[brokensteeldoll]

"I've done a couple'a little hops across the Channel to pick stuff up," Nix says, after shovelling in a forkful of bacon. "That's about it, though."

[americas_son]

"I want to study abroad sometime," Cal says. "I'll come get you and take you sightseeing."

He pauses, then asks,

"Have I ever brought you back to my world? . . . there is nothing about that question that isn't weird."

[brokensteeldoll]

She smiles. "That'd be cool. And nah, never."

Nix doesn't sound too bothered about this. From what little she knows of Cal's time, she's pretty sure she wouldn't exactly fit in.

[americas_son]

She wouldn't. If they went out in public, the scars alone would draw stares, probably even more than Uncle Grahame gets - he's a public figure, people expect to see the crutches. Scars like Nix's on an anonymous girl - an anonymous girl with Cal Chandler, no less - would get a lot more attention.

Factor in the top hat, and people would hardly be able to look away.

That would be the same anywhere, but somewhere other than America, where Cal is less likely to be recognized, would at least cut down on it some.

"Then I'll let you know when I work something out," he says. "It won't be till at least next year, I need to wait until Mother cools down a little after - everything." He still hasn't told Nix about Dad. It wouldn't be fair, to make her carry that secret when Milliways loops back around to bringing his younger self in.

[brokensteeldoll]

Nix can in fact be parted from the top hat, if she really has to be. She's even worn wigs on occasion, even though they're itchy as hell.

(The scars, granted, are somewhat trickier.)

She nods, grinning: she hadn't really expected Cal to offer, given how much she stands out, but it's sweet that he thought of it. "Cool."

[americas_son]

Cal grins back. He and Nix have been friends for two years on his end, too long for him not to want to bring her back to visit. They'll figure something out.

"Good breakfast?"

[brokensteeldoll]

"Good enough." Nix grins again, setting down knife and fork. Bar produces a napkin which she uses to wipe her mouth and hands, although given her general state of cleanliness this is something of a drop in the ocean.

"Might want second helpings later, though."

[americas_son]

With the ice broken now (And Nix's attention on him, so she won't be taken by surprise), Cal decides to get up and go to the Bar after all.

"You know," he says, "usually I don't get the using a fork for bacon thing, but I see why you are today."

[brokensteeldoll]

She looks down at herself properly for the first time.

"...Yeeeeeeah." Oops. "I should ... probably get cleaned up."