text: un: burninate

[kelvins]

[those in cadelle who've stopped by criminales earlier in the month may have noticed the lights off and the interior darker than usual. which is saying a lot since most of the light can't really even be seen through the grimy windows. there's been no sign of the cheerful manager in the librarian chic glasses or the grumpy owner who is as likely to be holding a lighter as he is to be holding a beer.

early on the 17th, mick goes downstairs, flipping the switch on the neon 'open' sign and begins to sweep up around the bar. he hums quietly to himself as he wipes off glasses and the bar tops. good morning, cadelle. it's good to be back. but where are his customers? he fumbles for his device and types a hurried post to the network.]

i'm running a little low on slush funds, people.
did someone else open a bar while i was gone?

Comments

[gardenofthegalaxy]

True, that was often a problem we faced trying to get work.
Not everyone wants to pay the price you ask.
Can you have some kind of sale?

[ Gamora wouldn't even recognise the emoji so it's just as well. Though she had a feeling should Peter ever discover such things she would be bombarded. Lucky for her he isn't here. ]

Are you not allowed to take the initiative when it is good for business?
You are familiar with Kevin Bacon?

[kelvins]

yeah i guess i could do a sale.
did it when i first opened, actually.

[ mick is conveniently leaving out that he jacked up the prices right before the sale so he'd still make the same amount in the end. it's still a point of pride for him. probably not a good thing to be proud of. ]

more like i'm not great at it.
uh yeah. is that not normal?

[gardenofthegalaxy]

If it worked then, I'm sure it would generate interest now.
Do you have food?

[ Because that would bring Gamora to the bar more than the alcohol. Her gastronomic exploration of Cadelle is ongoing. ]

There seems to be no better time to learn.
A friend of mine told me of Kevin Bacon and the town in Footloose.
Though he seemed to think I was one of the ones with sticks up their butt.

[kelvins]

we've got bar mix?
there' these little crackers and nuts and these really spicy bits.

[all highly salted for maximum encouragement as far as drinking goes.]

oh. and a kebab guy sets up shop outside at night.
i think i'll let myself be the judge of that.
unless you're the kind of person who'll judge a bar by its windows.

[gardenofthegalaxy]

A kebab guy is something.
I get the impression that most people want to eat and drink.
Not just drink.
Unless they are in that loud club.
Do you have music?

I tend not to judge a bar.
I will reserve judgement on the people within.

[kelvins]

got a jukebox
plays hits from the 60s 70s and blegh 80s.
stuff like 'hooked on a feeling' and 'ebony and ivory'
danceable but none of that laser light show thump thump shit that passes for music today

can't promise that the people in the bar are all that great
it's not called a dive bar for nothing
but the drinks are pretty cheap
and we've got darts.

[gardenofthegalaxy]

Oh! I know that one.
I like 'Hooked on a Feeling'. It was part of Quill's collection.
I do not care for the thump thump shit.
I much prefer what you have on this jukebox.

Darts? When you throw things at the target?
Cheap drinks are always a draw card.
Nothing sounds wrong with your bar other than a lack of people.

[kelvins]

glad you've got good taste
just make sure you've got quarters when you come
music's not free

yep. that's darts. and pool.
if you feel like gettin' the word out
i'd be willin' to save you a quarter.

[gardenofthegalaxy]

I don't know how anyone would prefer the thump thump.
I will make sure I remember.

I'm not sure I know pool.
A song in exchange for word of mouth advertising?
I will do my best.
I hope your jukebox has David Bowie.

[kelvins]

guess i'll be showing you how to play pool now.
won't i?
difficult to master, but easy to learn.

a song and a few drinks.
i think there might be a few of his.
i'll see what i can do about it if there's not.

mick you sweetheart

[gardenofthegalaxy]

You day that like I asked.
But if you’re offering I won’t say no.

I would appreciate the music more than the drinks.
But I won’t turn down either.
I will bring you customers.

[kelvins]

i've just gotten used to people needing my help
comes with the territory of being a time traveling hooligan/bar owner

i'm counting on it
otherwise, you're paying for your own tunes.

[gardenofthegalaxy]

You're not the only one.
You are a time traveler?
Now coming from another planet does not seem so strange.

I assume I will visit the bar more than once.
So I would of course pay for tunes in the future.
You're not about to lose business.

[kelvins]

yeah.
been to the future.
seen the past.
seen a few aliens too. so no, not so weird.
unless you're gonna try to take over the world... then we're gonna have a problem.

the other one i know here needs drinks that are a little stronger.
you get drunk on regular booze?

[gardenofthegalaxy]

Wouldn't seeing the future make it impossible to do anything in the present, or past?
Doesn't it have ramifications?
Glad I'm not your first.
It's really not on my to-do list.

I don't usually drink with the intention of getting drunk.
So no, not really.
From what I can tell you might need some more of the stronger stuff.
There seems to be a couple more aliens.

[kelvins]

it does have ramif... [he's trying to speech to text here, gamora. good luck with him trying to pronounce ramifications. he's giving up.]

yeah it causes problems.
but that's the whole point.
i travel time, fixing history.
sometimes i fuck up along the way.

lather. rinse. repeat.

alright.
i'll keep a little bit of both around.
maybe get a bit more of the hard stuff.