Barmaid on Duty!

[maid_of_astolat]

Elaine is waitressing tonight, staring at all the animals in the bar. It's a bit of a zoo in more ways than one.

But it's not the animals she's watching for; she's looking for Spike. She'd not gone to visit because she wanted them to rest and recuperate, and now she just hoped they were still around.

So she's keeping an eagle-eye on everything

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[not_that_spike]

Now here's someone he hasn't seen in a long damn time. There was a time he trained her real well to never let anyone sneak up on her, so he won't try it now. Instead he just kind of leans back against the wall near the portrait and watches for a minute.

There's not a chance in hell the six months they've been gone hasn't changed him and, knowing that, there's also not a chance in hell Elaine's just like she was the last time he saw her.

Time to find out what's new.

His eyes are soft and there's a little grin on his face. Not a big one -- hell yeah, he's glad to be back here, but that's not why he's smiling -- but it's there. With a nod that's barely a nod, he makes his way over to Elaine's side.

"Yo. Sorry I didn't bring any souvenirs."

[maid_of_astolat]

Elaine beams and hugs him hard. "Spike. I'm so very, very glad to see you," she says with fondness in her voice.

She sometimes feels as if she's always waiting for people to come back, and she's so glad he did. And she wants to hear about him, about what's happened to him and how Beth is, and how Beth Junior is.

"I hope you stay for a little while," she says, stepping away from him to look at him. "You look well."

[not_that_spike]

Hey, she remembers him: how 'bout that. Elaine's one of the few people around this place who's allowed to hug him. When she finally lets go, his grin widens and he reaches forward, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Like I was going to leave without saying hi this time. Last time I... didn't know I wasn't coming back for so long. Sorry 'bout that."

She looks good, though. She looks just like she's supposed to. "We won't be here long. We're... kind of in the middle of something we need to get back to out there. But guess where we were just before this? Paris."

That, he thinks, is a place she probably knows. "Beth and Junior are good. I stopped over here to bring in some food. Junior likes her crib. She hasn't napped this long in a long time."

It isn't like she's really had the opportunity. It's been six months of get-up-and-keep-moving. In some ways, he's surprised any of them have made it this far.

[maid_of_astolat]

"It is all right. I know of the whims of this place and of the door by now." She shakes her head at him, grinning. "I'm sorry you won't be staying long, but perhaps I can see Beth and the little one before you all leave again."

She knows they'll leave, as she will someday. Everyone leaves. It's taken Elaine a long time to accept that, but she's finally started to.

"Paris? Was it much different than the United States? Or about the same? I'm so glad you are all safe, I was worried--though perhaps I shouldn't have been, since you were with them."

[action_antihero]

There's a rather pouty-looking lion lying by the fireplace with its head on its paws and conveniently close enough to someone that Elaine has to serve that she might have to go near it.

There's also a plastic dish next to its head that says "KITTY" on the side and probably still smells like vodka.

[maid_of_astolat]

Elaine frowns. "Oh, dear," she mutters. Really, Elaine has no concept of lions save from Biblical stories, but she approaches cautiously, bending down to check to see if the lion is still breathing.

Has that lion been...drinking?

[action_antihero]

Oh yes he has. The night before, that is. "That lion" now has one hell of a hangover.

The lion looks up at her dolefully, debating whether he should say hello. Last night he'd wanted to speak so badly; now that he's figured it out he's not sure he wants to.

[maid_of_astolat]

Elaine has only been hung over a couple of times, but she has felt in the past precisely the same way the lion looks now. "I wonder if I should get you Spike's hangover remedy," she muses, crouching down a short distance away. "It does tend to work wonders, though it tastes rather horrible."