cuddletalk | video 001 (open)

( the bar itself looks different — it's bigger, for one thing, and lacks the hastily scrawled crest of the house of el poorly hidden behind a pin-up poster — but the general atmosphere is the same. it feels homey, in a strange way.

with a murmur of gratitude, kara is more than glad to take a sip of her offered drink, the ice clinking against her teeth and then the glass as she settles it back down against the countertop. on a coaster, of course; reaching across the bar was the only way to grab one, but there's no hesitation in that movement. she knows he doesn't mind, after all. )

You too. ( which is true, really. it is good to see him. mick's a familiar face with shared history. ) What did you want to talk about?

[no, he doesn't mind. kara reaching across the bar is one thing that's never bothered him. patrons? yes. kara's a friend though. one of the few he has, if mick wants to be honest. a swill of his drink, and he's shrugging his shoulders.]

Missed your face. [and then his face grows a little more serious, because he does know why he asked her to swing by. it's just not exactly easy asking for help.] So... back in Eudio, I had Len to help run the bar. And I could ask him if he wants to here, but I don't want to assume that it's even something he wants. He's not the same... doesn't remember or maybe he's not the same Len.

[mick looks vaguely like he's gonna puke, given how much he's talking.] If you're up to it, I could use someone I trust to keep this place from crashing and burning.

( she's experienced the strangeness of a similar but different leonard snart, too. it's a bit bizarre to consider the man she'd met and become friends with not knowing her at all, let alone any of the shared experiences they and their circle of acquaintances had gone through in the last city they'd called home. people like mick, who had run a business with him, or barry, who'd... well, kara can only imagine how hard this is on any of them. she's never been quite so grateful that the people she cares about the most remember her, remember eudio and all that happened within its limits. )

You really need another bartender? ( she's good at it, if she's honest, now that she knows what to do a little better. though the question really is... does she want to be a bartender again, in this new place? maybe not permanently, but helping out a friend isn't the worst thing she could do. ) I hadn't really thought about it, but I could fill in for a little while, if that would help. Until you found enough staff, anyway.

No. I don't need a bartender. [mick stares into his bottle to find it empty, sighs frustratedly at the amber colored glass before tossing it into the bin below. briefly, he considers opening another bottle, but this is probably a conversation best had sober.]

I need help with the books — payroll, expenses, and the business side of things. I need someone I trust. I wouldn't be paying you bartender wages and you wouldn't have to serve a drink unless you wanted to.

You want me to... manage your bar. ( well, of all the things kara had thought he might want to discuss with her, this doesn't even rank into the top hundred possibilities. maybe not even the top five hundred. granted, kara's never really thought about the process of bar management — she vaguely knows that leonard had mostly handled the numbers side of things in eudio, the ordering of supplies and the hiring process (or lack thereof, given her own indentured servitude at the beginning).

there's clearly a need for someone to step in and tackle the personnel side of things, considering mick's particularly gruff nature isn't exactly the face of human resources, so she isn't entirely surprised that he wants her help there. the payroll part she's less experienced with, but she has to imagine it's relatively straightforward, mostly detail-oriented... and kara's always been a person good with details. her years as cat grant's personal assistant had taught her that, at least.

and she does need a job, after all. if she wants to leave the double beds and stale decor of the starter apartments and find something a little more like home, she'll need the money to do it. so... ) Why not.

I'll do it. If you really want me to, I'll do it. ( a beat, and then, ) But if I'm not serving drinks, you can't criticize my clothes anymore.

I'm asking you, aren't I?

[he shoots her a look that makes it pretty clear that if he didn't want her help he wouldn't have even bothered to ask. he knows he's not great with planning things out to a t. recon for heists was always leonard's thing. mick was always happy to be along for the ride, enjoying the thrill. and really, opening the bar was mostly about honoring the past, of his time in the last city, of the connections he'd made there. he hadn't thought about the realities of actually making it a successful, well-functioning part of cadelle.

she may not have experience running a bar, but she understands enough by now, having worked in one. and though he might not say it to her face, kara's one of the smartest people he knows.]

I won't give you shit as long as you don't look like a kindergarten teacher. [but there's mick toying with a smile. a beat passes and then... more seriously] Kara, we run a bar. Pretty sure you want to avoid upskirts as much as I want to avoid having to throw people out before they pay their tab. Just... think about it.

I said I'd do it, you don't have to twist my arm.

( now she's smiling, no toying with the expression necessary on her part, evidence that she's gotten his message loud and clear. she'll help because he asked, and because she's admittedly a little flattered that he'd think of her as someone capable of doing so. she might not have a clue what she's doing, but she'll do her best at whatever it is she does.

as far as her clothes go... well, that's another argument altogether. ) I do not look like a kindergarten teacher! ( librarian chic and grandma sweaters were entirely different things, okay? ) And if someone's going to be gross, I'll throw them out myself. You know I can.

( she'd done it exactly once before, back in eudio, when a drunken patron had snuck behind the bar to ask her if she offered more personal services. she'd also had to pay for his clinic services when it was determined that she'd dislocated his shoulder... but literally tossing him out through the double doors had been well worth it. )

You look a little bit like a kindergarten teacher. Or a librarian.

[the tone is teasing even as he gives her grief over her tragic clothing choices. ]

I know you can take care of yourself, Kara. Do me a favor? At least make 'em pay before you toss them out. [he might be joking about that one. or maybe he's not.]

First order of business now that you're working for me again, we're gonna need some more bartenders and security.

Okay, okay. If I have to cover — ( more like when, if the bartenders here have the same tendencies to call out hungover and disgruntled ) — I'll consider wearing pants instead.

( her drink is, sadly, a little empty now that she's sipped at it; reaching across the bar earns her access to the tap, where she can fill her glass with clear bubbles, and an extra stretch provides another twist of lime. hey, she's management now, right? she can nick a lime or two. )

What, do you want to host a job fair? Isn't half priced drinks advertisement enough?

[mick has no doubt in his mind that his staff is going to call in at least once or twice. he's glad that kara seems to recognize this enough to mention pants.] Glad you're seeing it my way, Skirt.

[he watches the familiar way that she's reaching around the bar to refill her own drink and laughs, confident that he's made the right choice in hiring her.]

Half priced drinks is for paying customers. Staff don't get to partake in drink specials. [a wink and then he's going on...] That'll be two fifty, by the way.

Take it out of my paycheck, ( comes kara's easy retort, settling back onto the barstool with an expression that almost looks like it might be a smirk. banter with mick is easy, that light-hearted back-and-forth with someone she respects, someone who she doesn't have to worry about whether there's meaning in the teasing. )

I can't believe you're going to charge me for club soda. Isn't there some rule against that? Designated drivers drink free or something, right?

[the bark of laughter that greets kara is just mick's way of showing that he appreciates this kara. the one who isn't afraid to go toe to toe with people, who has teeth. if they weren't such good friends he might consider hitting on her, but friendship, true friendship, is such a rare thing and he doesn't want to squander it.

not with kara at any rate.]

I'm not running a charity here. You drink, you pay. Only thing that's free is water.

And I'm not paying for club soda the same day you begged me to come save your butt, Mick Rory.

( a defiant sip, brows arching in unspoken challenges, but she's laughing into the bubbles of her drink all the same. )

You wanna fight about it?

I did not beg. Get your facts straight.

[there's something that swells inside him, warm, possibly fond. it's probably just heartburn he muses. mick rounds the bar in just a few strides, grabbing his heat gun from beneath the counter as he moves.]

You want to take this outside, Supergirl?

You know I'm fireproof, right? But if you really want to do community service, though...

( she'll follow him outside, though, face lit with the brightest of grins, looking more like an excited schoolgirl than someone about to throw down; kara bounces on her heels as they square off in the alleyway, all giddy energy and loosely swinging fists. )

Hit me with your best shot, come on, come on!

Doesn't mean your clothes are!

[he hadn't actually considered that he would need to do community service, but eh. fuck it. he adjusts his grip on the heat gun, adopts a wide stance, unflicks the safety.]

Last chance to back out, Skirt.

So, what, you're going to burn my clothes off? If you ruin my dress, I'm really going to have to beat you up.

( as if there was ever a chance that kara danvers would back out of a friendly skirmish. no way, jose. she's going to enjoy watching him bow out... or have to volunteer at the soup kitchen again. )

Gotta get you out of the grandma attire somehow. If I burn the dress, can we go on another shopping trip?

[he knows damn well that he's outmatched. he's seen kara in action more than once. and yet it's sheer force of will that has him going toe to toe with a super strong alien. mick squeezes the trigger and aims the wide flame at kara.]

If you ruin my —

( dress, she's about to repeat, but the heat gun propels a wide stream of red hot flame directly at her middle. if she'd been expecting it, kara may have paid enough attention to dodge, but distracted, she only manages to avoid the center of the blast at the last possible second, flames licking at her side as she jumps over.

hands stamping out the fire coursing along her ribs and leg, kara can't help but let out a few choice exclamations of frustration as she discovers the patchy, sprawling holes in the fabric, burned through from the heat gun's attack. it's not quite enough to fall off, thanks to the neckline remaining intact, but she's certainly exposed from the side, singed practical underthings peeking through the holes.

well, there goes that dress. )

Mick!

[he's fully expecting her to dodge the flames outright. when he actually manages to hit her side, his mouth falls open, and he drops the heat gun as if it were a hot potato.

shit.

kara's dress now sports a couple of interestingly placed holes. don't mind mick if he stares for a moment. he's always wondered if librarian chic extends to her undergarment choice as well. the short answer? most definitely.

he files away that tidbit and swears he's gonna send her something better in the mail. oliver can thank him later.]

Not my fault you were too slow. You getting rusty from boredom or something?

( her reply comes from between gritted teeth as hands attempt in vain to cover the patchy holes. when that doesn't work, kara tries to pinch the fabric together, which only serves to pull up her hem beyond acceptable heights. that won't do either. without a cardigan or a sweater to cover her, she's left simply exposed, and increasingly annoyed by it. )

You weren't supposed to actually hit me. ( a huff, a hand coming up to adjust her glasses from the corners; her arms cross over her chest in a pose that almost makes her look like an angry dad getting ready to deliver a speech. ) You owe me new clothes.

And free club soda for life, or... ( or what. she can't just beat him up, as much as she'd like to, without having to do a significant amount of community service in the process. not that kara's fundamentally opposed to volunteerism, but she'd rather not have to do it just to get out of the metaphorical red. an alternative punishment comes to mind as the ash of burned cotton begins to itch at her ribcage. ) Or I'll tell Oliver you tried to get me naked for your bar buddies.

( she's not really the kind of girl to hide behind her boyfriend, and mick knows it. it's a last resort, ace-in-the-sleeve sort of threat, only employed when absolutely necessary. )

What kind of fight doesn't involve hitting? [the expression that mick adopts is somewhere between disbelief and mildly intrigued. a beat passes as he observes her fruitless efforts to cover up before she adjusts her glasses in a manner that can only be described as cute. maybe if she wasn't standing there in a half burned dress he might be mildly intimidated.]

Right. You'll tell your boyfriend and then hothead Robin Hood will come stomping down here and try to fill me with arrows. You realize that'll be a one way ticket back to Star City right? You really want to send him packing so soon?

[he doesn't believe for a second she'd have anyone else fight her battles for her. doesn't seem like her at all. she's more than capable of holding her own.] I'll get you a new outfit though. Won't be the first time we've gone shopping.

... no. ( begrudgingly admitted, though her arms don't move from their firm expression of disapproval as she does. sending oliver to play angry overprotective boyfriend on her behalf is really the last thing she wants to do, especially if it means his early departure from this place. maybe if she hid his arrows, though... but then he'd just make more. or use his fists. or a makeshift weapon.

really, it's just better not to even go there.

but her clothing is a problem, one she needs to resolve, and she has zero problem insisting that mick replace what his heat gun has destroyed. after all... ) I meant with your fists, not the heat gun! I wasn't going to laser eyes you.

( not that it wasn't tempting now. )

You're not picking out my dress, either, by the way.

[mick can see the cogs turning in her head even if she doesn't say anything more than a gruff 'no' to his question about oliver. he knows she's considering the validity of his statement, meant to caution her because he understands that lack of impulse control very well himself and because he cares about her. and kara cares about oliver. so by the transitive, mick cares about oliver even if the guy rubs him the wrong way.

he's glad that she ultimately drops the angry boyfriend route in favor of fighting her own battles. she's certainly more than capable and has proven herself of that on more than one occasion already. a shake of his head and he continues.]

You're bulletproof. Would my fist have done anything other than hurt where it hit you? It wouldn't be the first time someone's shot at me. I may be big but I'm not that slow.

[more softly though, and maybe with a hint of mischief in his voice]

Just trust me. Your boyfriend will thank me too. I swear.

Fine. Fine. ( oliver might be hotheaded robin hood, but kara's no less stubborn and bull-headed about things when she wants to be. the fact that she listens to mick, that she acknowledges his contributions enough to admit she might be changing her mind, is evidence of just how close they'd become over the last eight months. it's a testament to how important he is in her adoptive family circle.

so, while kara's not exactly thrilled by the idea of giving someone the freedom to dress her, she has to concede the point that dressing to impress someone for reasons beyond abject professionalism is a little outside her wheelhouse. and, to be fair, when they'd gone shopping for swimsuits for sara, he hadn't been entirely crass about it. he'd been respectful of kara's opinions, and they'd wound up choosing something only moderately revealing by her standards. it was practically tame in mick's eyes, but at least they'd compromised.

after all, she realizes, if she winds up completely hating it, she can always take it back. or hide it in her closet. it's not like she has to wear it home. ) I can't go anywhere in this, though, and you can't leave the bar unattended, so maybe not right now.

I'll meet you, though. Just tell me where.

(no subject)

kelvins - 2017-08-06 23:36 (UTC) - Expand