You got a new horizon, it's ephemeral style.

[sixsciencecredits]

The sharp edge of shock and white static thrum of continuous fear upon arriving at the Nexus hotel had begun to fade, mostly because Darcy was five shots of Patrón into her demise and moving fast. It had been a conscious choice when she realized that she was a long, long way from home with no way back to just get so drunk she didn't give a shit, and it was an official success. Darcy had long moved past complacency and, thanks to the Patrón, was now inching towards the level of boisterous that would have her table dancing, if she thought this place was of the sort of calibre that could handle a bitchin', interpretive rendition of "Disco Stick." Since it probably wasn't that sort of place and Darcy didn't care to be escorted out of the hotel and onto some planet she had no working concept of, she was keeping her ass still and settling for occasionally humming.

She'd tried a door for the first time ever that day in search retail therapy and had actually found some boots to pair with her jeans that looked like they could fend off an alien invasion or whatever the fuck had been the catalyst behind landing her in the Nexus, though she assumed, as always, it was on either Jane or her boyfriend. Since she'd mustered the nerve to go shopping mostly because it was too abysmally pleasantly warm on the Nexus grounds for the clothes she'd been wearing in Norway, she'd felt she'd done enough for her day and could reward herself by basting in checked worry and booze. The hotel had given her a phone that worked as long as she wasn't trying to call anyone she needed to call, and the sheer level of frustration involved in being defeated by technology had been enough motivation to skip dinner and head straight for the drinking. She felt a little light-headed, but the blissful fog of approaching ignorance was definitely worth it.

She waved one of the waitresses over to order a sixth shot, and upon recognizing she had yet to truly speak to anyone she hadn't stopped to ask for help, Darcy turned sideways in her chair, fluffed her hair, and gave the room in general a slow look. She thought about smiling to make herself look welcoming, but since she'd be smiling at no one in particular and was no doubt drunk enough that all the muscles in her face wouldn't cooperate at the same time, she held off.

Comments

[bonetown]

Alex had huge appreciation for someone with good taste in shots, so when she plunked herself down at the bar after her shift at the shop, she grins approvingly at the woman beside her, giving her a confident nod for the shot she just took. "Shots!" she says excitedly. "I love it," she says. "Is there a special on tonight? Ooh, Blowjobs? Dirty Rim Salters? Ice Road Truckers?" Wait. That last one is a reality show. Right?

She seriously needs to get caught up with all the changes in the shot-name world. It's a sham and a disaster that she doesn't know what grenadine and vodka is called, mixed together. She's a disappointment to her college self.

[sixsciencecredits]

There was suddenly movement and sound beside her and Darcy spun in her seat to see who was there to talk with her, over estimating the velocity required to go from pointing one direction to the other and halfway spinning around again before she righted herself. The person beside her was a blonde, pretty lady, apparently talking about blow jobs and truckers, and while Darcy got the distinct impression she might've missed the first part of the conversation, she could not argue that it already seemed to be going in a direction with which she could keep up.

"Are you talking to me about blow jobs right out the gate?" Darcy asked, smiling in obvious delight. "Or was that truckers on ice? Either way, best conversation starter ever." She lifted a hand to catch the attention of the bartender and said, "Shots for my new friend!"

[bonetown]

"The shots, not the sexual act," Alex protests innocently, as innocent as you can get when you're discussing blow jobs. "Are those not a shot either? I seriously didn't pick up anything in my Learn To Drink class," she says forlornly, even though Jane keeps insisting that hadn't been a class so much as Rosalita's over spring break.

Whatever, Jane.

"I love new friends who order shots," Alex says seriously, extending her hand. "I'm Alex."

[sixsciencecredits]

"Theres a Learn to Drink class?" Darcy said, focusing immediately on what had to be the best bit of news in that statement. "Holy shit, dude. Where do you go to school? I read about a masturbation college class once online. And a Harry Potter class, though both of those are probably offered in places way more cool than I go. Sad to think I've spent my whole life being an amateur at all three."

She took Alex's hand and gave it a shake. "Hey Alex," she said. "I'm Darcy. I like spending company money on buying shots, so you're in luck."

[bonetown]

"It might have been Spring Break at a bar," Alex confesses because now that she thinks about it, she really doesn't think Scotty is the kind of guy who's allowed to teach or generally be around teenagers. "I kind of went to school for like, a year? I left after I got enough Ds and Fs to spell a lot of 'Deafs'," she says knowingly. "My parents helped me get my store off the ground and I've pretty much been doing that."

"Ooh, company money," Alex says, wiggling her hips in anticipation. "My favorite kind of money. Especially since I don't have much."

[sixsciencecredits]

At the mention that Alex's "class" might've taken place at a Spring Break bar, Darcy chortled in delight. "Spring Break is a good place to learn a lot of shit," she agreed. As, if there were ever going to be a class on drinking in abundance and shots and drinks with sexually oriented names, that would surely be the place to learn.

"School sucks sometimes," Darcy said with a shrug as it was definitely something that wasn't for everyone, but she found the fact that Alec had a store of some kind endlessly interesting, especially since she didn't look any older than herself. "What kind of store do you have?"

[bonetown]

"Clothes," Alex relays excitedly. "It's called Xela and it does all these really nice high fashion clothes." And maybe only occasionally does she sell child-made bracelets or baby tops that get adopted to be for teens instead. "I mean, sure, it's kind of quiet sometimes and I have to find alternate sources of income like working in this place, but it's still better than working for anyone else. The boss is super awesome at my place," she boasts happily.

[sixsciencecredits]

"Xela," Darcy repeated, then slow dawning pushed its way through the tequila in her brain and she smiled wider. "Oh, I get it! That's cute, and a clothing store has to be fun, I would think. Where is it located? I don't think I've ever heard of a store called Xela, but since the boss is so bitchin' I'll have to go check it out."

[bonetown]

"It's downtown Chicago," she says. "I mean, not downtown. You go downtown, then you take a left. Then a left. Then a few miles, then a lot of miles, then one more left. And then you can't park between twelve and two," she explains, "and then you'll find me, right across from the Chinese restaurant," she says excitedly. "You should totally come by! I mean, I need money to live and eat." Eating is way more important. "But maybe I can hook you up with a bracelet or something!"

[almightythor]

Thor often had a pint or three at the bar when returning from a jaunt through one of the doors and today was no exception. He had spent time in Asgard training recruits and wanted to drink ale and enjoy this strange little crossroads he considered his home before heading back through to Midgard or realms beyond.

He did not, of course, expect to see Darcy well into her cups and he settled across from her, waving the barmaid over for a pint of beer while he gave the new arrival a broad, unfettered grin. "Well met, old friend! Should I buy you a round?"

[sixsciencecredits]

"Oh heeeeeeey," Darcy said as she turned and looked at the blonde slab of muscle that settled across from her, her eyebrows lifting in appreciation as she smiled in welcome. The full ramifications of what it meant to be talking to Thor had yet to settle over her, and she was just then only happy to have something handsome and familiar to look at.

"I see you've kept up with the fitness regimen, big thumbs up on that." She gave him a double thumbs up, still grinning. "And of course you should buy me a round. Though," a frown appeared and she furrowed her brow a bit as she thought, and then realization slowly dawned. "Hey! Is all this on you?" She said with a gesture to the bar they inhabited, though she meant the hotel in general. "Pretty messed up, dude."

[almightythor]

"It's a realm between realms," Thor explained, though he was not sure if it would do any good with Darcy as drunk as she seemed to be. He laughed, heart lightened by her company. Jane's friend was nothing if not good natured and full of mirth.

"A place to rest and celebrate. When did you arrive?"

[sixsciencecredits]

"Oh," Darcy said, then blinked a few times. "Well, right, okay." She picked up her shot and tossed it back, pleased that the tequila no longer even burned, then turned to look at Thor. "But did you bring me here? Did myuh-myuh uh, do something to gravity? I'm supposed to be in Norway right now with Jane!" She tapped her hand on the table top in thought. "I'm supposed to be mad at you, too."

Darcy was currently drunk enough to be forgiving, and she also found it far more difficult to be angry with Thor while looking at Thor because... Well. Because.

[almightythor]

"No, Mjolnir did not bring you here," Thor said mildly. "And Jane is here as well, we have both been here for several months. We can travel back and forth with ease. She will be happy to see you."

Thor lived to make Jane happy and he didn't think anything could make her happier than seeing a close friend like Darcy.

[sixsciencecredits]

Darcy gave Thor a look, mostly because he was talking like a crazy person again as Darcy well knew that Jane hadn't been anywhere but Norway for months, mopey and sad and depressed because he hadn't come back for her as he promised. Still, Darcy was drunk but not so drunk she couldn't notice the irony of things, and she would've sworn this place couldn't have existed either, if she hadn't wound up here. There was also the matter of the last time Thor had spoken of things that sounded impossible, everyone including both she and Jane had initially thought him batshit crazy, and every single thing he'd said had been proven true.

"Ah shit," Darcy said with a sigh. "I was hoping this was one of your crazy Viking spaceships or something. I would've been forced to compliment you on your taste, as this place is top notch." She pointed to her shotglass. "Good tequila, too."

She was happy to see Thor, and would be happy to see Jane again as well after a few days of thinking she was never going to see her friend again. Lifting her foot, she gently nudged at Thor's chair with a grin. "It's good to see you, Odinson. Still all muscley" Had she already commented on that? Ah well. It was definitely worth mentioning again.

[almightythor]

"I still train for battle," Thor said, somewhat dubious. Darcy had her own way of interacting with others and it was something he did not think he would ever fully understand. "Even though there is peace for the moment, it is but a fragile peace. But no, this is no ship. It is an inn, a crossroads between the realms. I daresay even Heimdall knows not how to get here."

It was something he needed to ask Sif about, when it occurred to him to do so, but for now he was more concerned with ensuring Darcy's well-being. "What were you doing in Norway?"

[sixsciencecredits]

"Well if Heimdall can't find us, we're all screwed," Darcy said, though she hadn't the slightest of ideas who Heimdall was. It sounded vaguely familiar, like perhaps something Jane might've mentioned when recounting some of the tidbits Thor had told her in New Mexico, but Darcy was too drunk just then to sort through the details. "But I'm glad everything is at peace. I heard your stuff was all messed up back in New York, though we've only seen a little bit of it."

She lifted her hand to signal the bartender for another drink, then turned back to Thor. "We were working in Norway, if you'd like to call it that. They name kids after you there, did you know that?"

[65th_victor]

The times he came down here without Johanna were few and far in between. They drank together because that was what they knew how to do and how to deal, but Finnick had never been big on drinking on his own. Of course, while he was in the Capitol, he was never alone, and he had tried to restrict imbibing drugs or alcohol to only while he was there.

Which was why there was something almost comforting about having a single beer now, just because he wanted to and not because he needed to.

Besides, this was a good place to see who was in the hotel and to get a good read on people. He still spent most of his time with Annie and Johanna, but that didn't mean he didn't continue to be curious about who was here -- and with the ever-present threat of more people from the Capitol arriving, it was a good idea of keeping tabs.

Tonight, he couldn't help but notice the girl who was drinking by herself. And he knew it wasn't his problem, but again, who liked drinking by themselves? And he hadn't met anyone who was truly dangerous here yet, but he figured it was always nice to have someone making sure you got home safe. He'd certainly always appreciated it. So, when she started to look around the room, Finnick cast her an easy smile.

[sixsciencecredits]

It was perhaps a testament to the state of her inebriation that the fellow currently grinning at her had gone unnoticed by her up until then. Darcy would've liked to have thought that he'd just arrived, though he already had a beer in front of him and had therefore at least had enough time to order, which was really unacceptable. She hadn't spent her entire life honing her spidey sense to detect pretty only to have a gollywhopper sneak in under the line while she'd been drinking.

Deciding to make up for lost time, she shifted in her seat to face him and grinned widely, moving to rest one elbow on the bar top in front of her and her chin in the cup of one hand. "Hey there," she drawled, her other hand lifting to lightly follow the outline of his head and shoulders in the air in front of her face, since that was the whole of what she could see of him just then. "Wow, look at you. You're all..." Darcy dropped her hand to the bar top and sucked her lips in in concentration, then gave a little wiggle and another, wider grin. "Perfect. Shit. Congratulations on that face, bee tee dubs. It's a masterwork, it really is."

[65th_victor]

Finnick couldn't help but smile when she began to talk so emphatically about how good looking he was. It was almost a joke at this point -- a parody of who he was. He wished that Johanna was here, so that she could make some derisive comment about it.

Still, there was something that was pleasantly friendly and genuine about the way she spoke. Sure, there had been plenty of comments about his looks in the Capitol, but they they'd spoke to him had always been different than they she spoke now. Condescending and possessive. He was inclined to like her.

"Finnick," he settled for, offering up his name and holding out one of his hands toward her.

[sixsciencecredits]

Darcy was ever unsure as to what to expect from the Nexus, though she had to figure that having this guy wind up in her company for the evening was surely a nod toward things going her way. She cared little as to whether or not it actually went anywhere, as she was just then more than happy enough to continue making the acquaintance of handsome strangers. Honestly, did that sort of thing ever get old?

"Darcy," she said as she put her hand in his, noticing, of course, how much longer and broader his fingers were than her own. She gave those fingers a gentle, undemanding tug, and smiled. "You should come here and sit." She patted the seat next to her own. "If you would like to, of course. Tell me all about Finnick."

[65th_victor]

"Darcy," Finnick repeated if only because the name was unfamiliar to him. Of course, he'd heard often enough that his name was the strange one. He liked it though. There was something appealing about the fact that worlds evolved so differently that the sound of the names varied.

He slid across the bar to sit beside her.

The request made him a smile a bit though, if only because he knew his backstory was strange (well there were plenty of people here with strange backstories). But all about Finnick? Twenty-four, enjoys long walks on the beaches, somewhat married with a very pregnant wife, and killed six other kids when he was fourteen. What was to know?

"Are you new to the hotel?" he asked instead.

[sixsciencecredits]

Darcy looked at his face because it was a habit and quite frankly faces like his made looking at them hardly a chore. His smile was faint, just a curl about the edges, but she could see the potential in his lips that said when Finnick smiled, really smiled, it would stretch from ear to ear and be as pretty as the rest of him. She noticed that he wasn't leaping to talk about himself, and that was okay. Darcy was one for needling, but only when it was important. If he wasn't chomping at the bit to tell her about himself, she'd leave it alone out of respect of newfound friendship.

"I am new to the hotel," she said, looking at his teeth as he spoke, his eyes, the sun-bleached highlights in his hair. "I have such a crush on you right now," she blurted. "That's weird, right? I'm drunk, and you're pretty, and yeah." She smiled, then picked up the shot she'd recently ordered and tossed it back, allowing the burn of tequila to recenter her thoughts and allow her to continue to converse without looking or acting like a creeper. "Anyway. Have you been at the hotel long? You seem pretty calm. You must've had plenty of time to adjust."

[65th_victor]

"It's not weird," Finnick said with a laugh. Her bluntness was refreshing and amusing -- which of course, was what he enjoyed about Katniss and Johanna, although their delivery was far more flat and less flattering.

"I get that quite a bit," Finnick said, dropping his voice a little and leaning in closer, as if he was sharing a secret with her. "And my wife certainly thinks I'm very pretty." Admittedly, it was a delightful change of pace to be able to draw a line because he was in a relationship. It was something that had never mattered before.

"I've been here for a few months now," Finnick continued conversationally. It was weird to think that it had been that long now. "Definitely has its perks compared to home."

[sixsciencecredits]

"As she should," Darcy said, laughing with Finnick because he just had that sort of laugh. She was mildly disappointed to discover so early on that she and Finnick wouldn't be ending the evening in her room, but that was alright. Darcy liked handsome, interesting and pleasant friends as much as she enjoyed the same attributes as other, and had to admit that her approach to acquiring either usually started in the same way. "How long have you been married?"

Darcy picked up her recently refilled shot glass to drain it of its contents as Finnick spoke of the Nexus being beneficial in comparison to his home. Darcy hadn't really weighed the pros and cons against each other yet, but she had to admit that the environment in the Nexus was more agreeable to her nature than that of Norway. Thus far, anyway. "Where is your home, anyway? Someplace beachy, right? You've got the tan." Darcy had been freezing her ass off for months, and had the pasty white tail to show for it.