Dark Reign - RF - Whiskey and Rye's

[Aidan]

Aidyn hadn’t realized it at the time, but when he and Saku trudged out of the smoke carrying Havoc and dragging Vulcan, their lives had changed completely. Where once the city regarded their antics with trepidation, fearing what they might do next, that televised act had turned them into local heroes. Their affiliation with the mavericks and streak of anti-authoritarian antics had created a counter-culture reverence that had now gone mainstream, and in the past few days, there had been countless thinkpieces about what it all meant, in the wake of Argus’ collapse.

In a way, it was the validation Aidyn had always wanted. And he had no fucking clue what to feel about it.

Tonight, during the Raiders’ victory celebration-slash-memorial, he had shaken hands and received claps on the shoulder from more people than he could count, most of whom were strangers. He had sought some comfort in Whiskey and Rye’s, the nearest thing to a dive bar on the street - ‘nearest’ meaning a well-to-do establishment with rich red wood decor trimmed in gold to appeal to local tourists - only to be met with applause by the serving staff and an evening of free drinks.

It was bewildering. It was energizing. It was… not the best liquor he had ever had, but as he set down his glass and signaled the bartender for another, he decided it would do for the evening.

[Uberwulf X]

Saku was used to getting hit on as much as she was used to people getting out of her way. She was not used to elderly people coming up to shake her hand, nervous teen girls egged on to tell her she was 'OMG so cool, totally [their] idol,' and guys shaking her hand and not trying to slip her their numbers/ some cash/ some drugs. Honestly, it was initially pretty unnerving before she settled into the idea of this being the way the rest of the night would go. Sociable person that she was, Saku was able to fake being totally cool in front of those people simply showing appreciation before walking off, but the performance was starting to fatigue her.

Clearly, she needed liquor to loosen back up, and so she was nursing some mango and ghost pepper moonshine as her brother sipped bitch drinks or whatever the hell his girlfriend would approve of.

"I wonder if Eden and Hope would be up for getting shitfaced," she mused aloud while looking at pictures of staff with celebrities on the wall.

[cautioncat]

After their victory, and able to get a break from taking care of the injured, Alice tagged along with Dyn and Saku to their victory pub outting. She was ignored for the most part, except for a few folks who nudged her for having such a catch of a boyfriend- a hero. That was... not what she was used to. At all.

Sitting next to Dyn, she sipped on a mudslide, and listened to Saku. "I don't think they're the partying type. Maybe in a private setting, they'd partake?"

[Aidan]

Dyn arched an eyebrow at Saku and lifted his Old Fashioned to her before taking a sip. "I can be classy," he huffed, setting it back down. At the mention of the twins, he rolled his eyes a little, but didn't say anything. He wasn't going to chide her for obsessing over them. Since their dad had come back, the whole idea of family had become kind of... bewildering.

There was that word again. When had it become such a normal part of his thoughts?

[Uberwulf X]

"Really? You think they would?" Saku thought over Alice's suggestion, eyes still scanning the walls. "Alright, maybe Eden, she's super quiet and all. I figured Hope might have a wild side that kept locked away. What's Eden into... maybe mimosas. I'll invite her to mimosas."

She then sat up suddenly. "I haven't forgotten about Aidan. He looks like a classy champagne guy. Maybe I can shake a guy down for some vintage wine imported from Spagonia, now that trade's going to open back up and not cost your damn firstborn to get something in or out."

When she turned fully to the other two, she was smiling and biting her bottom lip. "So, after things settle down a little bit more, I'm going to see if they want to hang out. And if they still have bad feelings it's fine, I'll just mail them a bunch of shit they can try and judge on their own time. What do you think, sound like a good idea?"

[Aidan]

Hope... She had a wild side, alright. Aidan still remembered their fight with her, back when they were screwing with them. Saku making the move on Vouse at that dance had pushed her over the edge, and she had come after them, taking them on single-handedly with all of her illusions and invisible bullshit. Like she had something to prove.

Water under the bridge. Thinking about the things they did back then gave him a queasy feeling in his stomach that he didn't want to name.

"Mm. Might work, honestly. Daddy dearest is looking to patch things up with us - might mean they're more willing to make an effort."

[cautioncat]

"It's going to be awkward for a bit, but I'm sure you all will come to terms with each other." Alice swirled her straw in her drink, staring at it for a little bit, before taking a sip.

"You really proved what side you want to be on out there, after all. Once things settle, you can sort this stuff out. I wouldn't like... go strongly into it. As much as you two want to patch things up, mortals on this side kinda need time to digest new information."

[Uberwulf X]

"That's boring and annoying," Saku groaned. "Of course I understand that's how it is, but I don't get why it has to be like that. They know we're half demons and all demons stick to the letter of their contract. You can argue lying by omission so someone gets what they want, but bold faced lying?" She grunted. "I sent Vouse the cat like I said I would. That should be proof enough that we're siblings of our word, and right now the word is that we're moving past it all."

Her drink was picked up, none splashing as she slammed back the half glass that was left. The hot liquor made Saku take a sharp inhalation that made her drop her smile.

"I want to get Vouse a drink too. Maybe just a card... something easy that won't put him on edge again. And while I'm getting one for him, I can get one for Hardrive. 'Out of all the dads, you certainly are one of them.'"

[Aidan]

Aidyn was going to say something snarky, but Saku's last joke earned a bark of laughter. "I like that one. That one's good. But Alice is right... it took a fucking war for people to see what we were capable of. Getting people to like us, that's something completely different."

He leaned over to bump one shoulder against Alice's. "You gotta tell me what I did to make you like me. Maybe we can try that."

With a glance to Saku, he added, "Sending gifts and buying drinks to your half-sister's boyfriend, though? Not sure if that's the way to go."

[cautioncat]

"I'm physically and mentally attracted to you, Dyn. I don't think it would work the same way." She chuckled, and shook her head.

"Look, you two gotta start out slow. It sucks, it's boring, you hate it, but it pays off. Hell, my uncle is still not totally on board with my choices, but he'll come around. Your dad is reaching out, so I think when you make amends with him, the others will follow."

[Uberwulf X]

Just as Saku was about to complain about how boring it was to go slow, Alice took the words right out of her mouth. Instead, she let out a loud groan that lasted no less than eight seconds, and loud enough for half the room to ear over the din of excited conversation. She put both her elbows on the table, resting her chin in her palms.

"I'm not used to waiting like this. Not like you are. Hells, not even like Aidan is," she spoke of the brother that had been doing this fully-mortal thing longer. "You'd think that as mortals, people would just let that shit go. It makes sense for the more fantastic ones like demons and angels and whatever, there are contracts and alliances and old honor. But for mortals to hold on to grudges over people who have changed..."

Saku sighed-- much softer, where only her company could hear her.

"I guess I'll just... watch TV until someone finds me. Or hey, Alice, do you have a cute cousin hanging around?"

[Aidan]

"He actually nodded at me tonight," Aidyn murmured after Alice mentioned her uncle Elyas. He lifted his glass and swirled it, listening before he took another swig.

"You're a bonified hero now, sis, and hot as hell. You could have anyone in this bar if you wanted. 'Course, most of 'em work for the Raiders, but hey, it's something." After a moment's pause, he looked at Alice. "Do you have a cute cousin...?"

[cautioncat]

"I... have cousins. But they're all married." Alice blinked a few times, and shook her head. "I'm the youngest of three others in this generation so uh, yeah. Sorry. You could always go on Thimble if you're uh... looking for someone to kinda date."

Alice made a bit of a face, and shook her head again. "Maybe not. The guys on there kinda suck."

[Uberwulf X]

"Yeah, I tried that nonsense for all of two days and decided that if I wanted a vapid lay, I could just as easily go to a college bar or find some 'actor' who 'totally has irons in the fire, babe,'" she imitated with a stereotypical surfer's accent. "I'm starting to want something more substantial nowadays, you know?"

She turned her head fully to look at the couple.

"I'm not used to feeling jealous-- at least, not with the added caveat that I need to be a decent person and not just take what I want. I... guess I could see which of the Raiders aren't lame, but I'd rather not have to think about heads butting over moral choices. Shit would get old fast."

[Aidan]

Aidyn glanced at Saku with an arched eyebrow, and for the first time in a long time, really took stock of his sister. He had been so wrapped up in his own head and his own issues, that he hadn't realized how much she had been changing over the past two years. He was used to her jokes and complaints, but... now he could see the earnestness beneath them. Not just the desire to change, or to be on better terms with people, but...

...She was lonely.

He had Alice, and he had Saku, so loneliness wasn't something he had felt in a while. But his sister was still looking for her own place in the world, her own partner to share it with. She deserved one.

Aidyn leaned back and finished his drink in a one go, the liquid burning pleasantly on its way down his throat. "Right," he said afterwards, clinking his glass back down onto the table. "I get you. Getting laid is easy, getting them to stick around is hard. We gotta find someone willing to put up with your whiny ass for the long haul.

"Hooking up with a Raider, even one of the poor schmucks running security could be a challenge. Maybe you should give college a go, I hear people are always hooking up there, and some of them stick around." He looked over at Alice for confirmation. "Know any buddies looking for a hot dom to liven things up for them?"

It often felt like Alice was the barometer for what the twins considered 'normal.' They knew crime, they even knew heroism, but it was the mundane parts of life that seemed to escape their understanding.