[indent][b][u]February 24th, 9:24 P.M.
Red Clover Pub, Gotham Harbor, Gotham City, NJ[/u][/b][/indent]

[color=#208B81]”Feckin’ eejit,”[/color] swore Siobhan, glaring down at the cracked plate in her hand. [color=#208B81]”I’m goin’ to run out of plates if these arseholes keep at it.”[/color]

Turning towards the short, dark skinned girl beside her, Siobhan shoved the cracked plate towards her mouth with a heavy sigh. [color=#208B81]”Go on then, eat up.”[/color]

At least she wouldn’t have to sweep everything up with Kailani here.

As if to accentuate this fact there was another [i]crack[/i] as the plate snapped, Kailani having not even hesitated before biting down at the plate thrust towards her. She tilted her head back to catch the extra shard in her mouth rather than the floor, and only after swallowing the first bite turned to her companion with a grin.

[color=yellow]”I could eat one of his arms to teach him a lesson if you want. I’m pretty sure his species regrows limbs!”[/color] Kailani laughed, tilting her head back to take another crunching bite, and then another - and seemingly within seconds the plate was completely gone with the petite girl left licking her lips. Her dark eyes darted around as though looking for seconds, but soon she settled back to what she was doing originally - reading a large book open at the end of the bar. At least, pretending to read since she seemed more interested in fiddling with a lava lamp she found.

Honestly, that girl found the weirdest things seemingly from nowhere.

[color=#208B81]”Blokes come here to eat, not be eaten, Kailani,”[/color] Siobhan reminded her, glancing through the window in the back at the crowd of mythological monsters and walking nightmares that made up the vast majority of her patrons. [color=#208B81]”Even if they’ve all likely eaten someone in the past.”[/color]

[color=yellow]”Yeah, which makes it unfair that I can’t eat them even a [i]little[/i]!”[/color]

Honestly, she hadn’t been [i]intending[/i] to open a pub that was frequented primarily by freaks. She had simply thought that choosing Gotham Harbor would let her pull in the sailor crowd. Instead she had minotaurs, mages, harpies, and things she didn’t have a clue about.

At least Kailani wouldn’t feel all alone.

Stepping around the kitchen with a hot plate of fish and chips in hand, she set it in front of the burly minotaur in the red checkered shirt and blue jeans. He apparently worked as a lumberjack outside the city. [color=#208B81]”There ya go, Rex.”[/color]

[color=yellow]”Hi Rex!”[/color] Was the chipper addon from the kitchen, shouted as loud as possible from the small girl to be heard over the general hubbub of so many creatures in one room.

Rex raised a furry hand to wave at Kailani, nodding to the small and ever-cheerful girl before shoving the fish filet into his mouth whole as the stool beneath him groaned in protest at his every movement.

This was perfectly normal for them.

As David pulled up to Siobhan's pub, he looked over the building. There was a neon sign on it, a red clover leaf next to the name of the pub: Red Clover. [color=red][b][i]'Hey Dave, she's got a thing for red! Maybe you'll get somewhere this time.'[/i][/b][/color] He heard Hood say as he got off his bike. Dave pulled off his helmet, setting it down on the motorcycle and heading into the bar.

The first thing that hit him was the smell, something musty, something he hadn't smelled in a good long while, not since the One Week War: monsters. The place was packed full of them, only a handful of fellow humans around. Fair enough, ever since then the less bloodthirsty monsters did their best to assimilate into society, but he hadn't seen one since that night in Gotham five years back, and it was bringing back memories he really didn't need right now. 

Shaking his head, he took a look around, spotting Siobhan walking back to the bar after handing a minotaur a plate of fish and chips. His mouth watered as he looked at the meal. It'd been so long since he had fish and chips... Hell, since he got back to Gotham, it had been a while since he had anything other than ramen cups. He wasn't sure how much it would cost, but he hoped that he'd be able to cover the cost and have a drink as well.

Done putting it off, David approached the bar and Siobhan. [color=black][b]"Well well well, we meet again. Hopefully you won't throw me through a wall this time,"[/b][/color] he said with a shit eating grin as he took an empty seat.

Siobhan raised her head in acknowledgement as he sat down, appraising him. [color=#208B81]”You’ll be wanting to be more specific; I throw a lot of fellas through walls in this pub. It’s part of the Clover’s charm.”[/color]

[color=black][b]”Wait, I’m not the only guy you’ve thrown through a wall? I’m hurt, I thought what we had was special.”[/b][/color]

Sizing him up for a moment longer, observed his rather unique-looking aura. That was when the memory of their encounter clicked in her head—faces were easily forgettable, but auras were unmistakably unique...and this man had a very special glow about him indeed.

Also, the weird flirting.

[color=#208B81]”Right, you’ll be that Red Helmet fella! I remember now. Glad ya decided to give us a visit here,”[/color] she said, offering him a smile at last. [color=#208B81]”What can I get for ya?”[/color]

He was really wondering if she'd recognize him; after all, he had worn his helmet the whole time and the bruise he said she'd recognize him by during their last meeting had since healed... And been replaced by a few more, but that was beside the point. Still, she did, so that was a win. He was rather memorable, after all.

[color=black][b]"It's uh... It's Red [i]Hood[/i] but... Oh, whatever."[/b][/color] He didn't feel like continuing to correct her, instead pulling out his wallet and saying, [color=black][b]"I'll have a beer, and a plate of fish and chips. I really need to eat something other than cheap ramen."[/b][/color]

[color=yellow]”Ramen?”[/color] A pair of dark fingers appeared in the window usually used for kitchen orders to be pushed out, Kailani hoisting herself up to half hang out of it towards the bar. [color=yellow]”What’s that? Also, hi Red Helmet! I’ve heard about you! You’re not actually wearing a Red Helmet!”[/color]

Dave looked up in surprise at the cheerful face poking out of the window, laughing at what she said. [color=black][b]"Uh, no, I'm not. Left it at home. Next time I come around I can bring it if you want to see."[/b][/color]

[color=yellow]”Well, yeah! You’re the Red Helmet!”[/color]

Siobhan smiled at Kailani over her shoulder, scribbling Red Hood’s order down onto a small note before vanishing back into the kitchen. She already had several orders on the cooker, and a batch of chips had just been taken from the frier. He wouldn’t have to wait long for his food.

It was fortunate that she knew how to cook fairly quickly, as he patrons were truly a rowdy bunch who hated to be kept waiting.

Minutes passed before Siobhan emerged from behind the kitchen with several plates on a single tray. Distributing them to her customers—of which Red Hood was the only human—she saved the gun toting vigilante for last.

[color=#208B81]”There we are—now try not to make a mess of me pub like ya did that poor restaurant back there.[/color] 

David took the plate with a smile, beginning to dig in. [color=black][b]"Holy [i]shit[/i], this is the best food I've ever tasted."[/b][/color] Well, that was an exaggeration, but it was definitely the best food he had tasted in the past four years. [color=black][b]"Seriously, compliments to the chef."[/b][/color]

As ate his food, he looked Siobhan up and down. The woman was definitely interesting, to say the least. Ran a pub, affiliated herself with gangsters, strong enough to break through metal and agile enough to run along objects flying through the air. Certainly a renaissance woman.

[color=black][b]"So... What's the deal with you? You a meta, or something?"[/b][/color] he asked. [color=black][b]"You definitely kicked my ass to kingdom come last time we met, and I haven't met anyone who's been able to do that in a while."[/b][/color]

Siobhan shook her head, pulling up a stool on her side of the bar so that she could sit down in front of him. She’d taken care of everyone that was currently in the pub, so it would feel good to get off her feet for a few minutes. [color=#208B81]”I’m not, nor am I a mage.”[/color]

Taking a glass from beneath the bar, she set it in between them. [color=#208B81]”Want to see a trick?”[/color]

Without waiting for his answer, Siobhan lowered her finger to her side of the glass. Placing the tip of her index finger against its surface, it offered no resistance—nor movement—as her digit slid clean through one end and out the other. When she withdrew, there was a round hole straight through the glass.

[color=#208B81]”I’m just a normal human,”[/color] she said, smirking as she settled back on the stool.

David gave an impressed whistle, looking the glass over. Well, that was... Definitely different. [color=black][b]"Normal human, eh? If you're a normal human, then I'm Lady Arcana,"[/b][/color] he joked, tossing another bit of fish and chips into his mouth. As he finished, he recalled something she had said in the teahouse, and continued to speak: [color=black][b]"So, where'd you learn a trick like that? Shambaloo, or whatever you called that place where I can learn some 'real martial arts'?"[/b][/color]

[color=#208B81]”Shambala,”[/color] she corrected him, chuckling. [color=#208B81]”And that’s right. What ya just saw was somethin’ anyone can learn to do, if they have the right mind for it.”[/color]

She looked him over one more time, her assessment not taking a great deal of time. [color=#208B81]”Sorry to say ya probably don’t quite have it, boyo. But don’t worry—ya still have yer meta-whatevers to fall back on, don’t ya?”[/color]

In truth, it was simply impossible for the man before her to learn chi in his current state, with his mind fractured as it was. Mastering the life energies of one’s body required you to possess harmony of both body [i]and[/i] mind. 

David shook his head. [color=black][b]"Nah nah, I'm not a meta. I'm a different kind of enhanced."[/b][/color] He didn't think she had heard of the League of Assassins, let alone the Lazarus Pits, so he left it at that. [color=black][b]"Besides, don't think I even need my own abilities. Crooks might be hiring more powerful folks these days, but a bullet doesn't care about any powers you might have."[/b][/color] He paused. [color=black][b]"Well, unless you can shrug off bullets. Then it cares."[/b][/color]

Kailani had disappeared from the window about half way through their conversation. Now she was peering over Siobhan’s shoulder, lava lamp abandoned beside a harpy nearby.

[color=yellow]”I can shrug off bullets!”[/color] The dark skinned girl chirped, pleased to share this information before poking Siobhan’s back. [color=yellow]”You going to eat that?”[/color]

David jumped slightly when the girl spoke up, having forgotten she was there. He quirked a brow at her comment about being able to shrug off bullets, wondering if she was some sort of kung-fu master like Siobhan or a metahuman. [color=black][b]"So, uh... Who are you?"[/b][/color] he asked her.

The girl glanced up to Dave, offering him a toothy grin that showed unnaturally white teeth. [color=yellow]”Hello! I’m Kailani, resident dish … washer?”[/color] She paused, puzzling over the word before shrugging. [color=yellow]”Close enough!”[/color] And with that she grabbed the glass, promptly biting into the ruined material and swallowing.

[color=yellow]”You should try the shot glasses, they’re the tastiest.”[/color]

David blinked in surprise, looking at the glass which had a clean bite into it, and back at the girl who just ate it like it was nothing. [color=black][b]"I... Think I'll pass on that, thanks."[/b][/color]

[color=yellow]”No one ever tries the shot glasses.”[/color]

[color=#208B81]”It’s true, Kailani’s undefeated with a record of zero and zero—nobody’ll accept her challenge,”[/color] said Siobhan having now started gathering discarded glasses and plates to be cleaned in the kitchen. [color=#208B81]”She’s not a metahuman either, by the way.”[/color]

[color=black][b]"So, what, she a kung-fu fighting martial arts master like you, or something else?"[/b][/color] he asked, before pausing. [color=black][b]"Oh, I know, she's an alien,"[/b][/color] David chuckled, shaking his head.

Siobhan looked surprised for a brief moment, before setting down her tray full of empty glasses and plates and reaching into her pocket to fish out several dollars, offering them to Kailani. [color=#208B81]”He actually guessed it! I can’t believe not one fella guessed alien this past month!”[/color]

David's grin fell, giving way to a dumb look of shock. [color=black][b]"... Wait, I was right? I was just cracking a bad joke!"[/b][/color]

[color=yellow]”Jokes count!”[/color] The small girl shot back, only to grab the money offered to her. [color=yellow]”Ye~s, that’s just enough!”[/color] Kailani crowed, happily counting out the fistful of dollars.

She promptly began eating them one by one.

David blinked again. [color=black][b]"... Well... I guess an alien wouldn't know what to do with money except eat it."[/b][/color]

[b]Several hours later…[/b]

David took a hearty chug from his latest glass of beer, taking in a deep breath as he took the empty glass away from his mouth and slammed it down onto the bar. After their conversation had trailed off he had started drinking his beer, and after that he ordered another one, and another one, and another one... And now it was midnight, and David was pretty thoroughly slammed. [color=black][b]"Ey, need a-*hic*-clean up."[/b][/color]

[color=#208B81]”Ya do, that’s for sure,”[/color] said Siobhan, glancing about the pub. At this point, everyone had gone home besides [i]Dave[/i]. All that was left before she closed up for the night was cleaning up everyone’s mess. Or rather, having Kailani eat her way through the leftovers and broken dishes.

[color=#208B81]”Don’t forget to clean up the corner tables,”[/color] shouted Siobhan, watching as the small girl devoured the scraps of their patrons. Her bright, green eyes then slowly slid towards Dave. [color=#208B81]”We’ll be closin’ here soon. Might want to get yourself home.”[/color]

David hiccuped again, glancing at Siobhan with baggy eyes. [color=black][b]"Hey, home is... Home is where the heart is, man. And right now my heart is here, I fuckin' love this place!"[/b][/color] He stood up and stuck out his arms to gesture towards the entire room, only to collapse back into the seat with a groan, a hand flying up to massage his temples. [color=black][b]"... On second thought, home... Home sounds good."[/b][/color] 

He stood up again, this time making it a bit further before finally collapsing. He stuck his hand up and gripped a nearby chair, pulling himself up slightly. [color=black][b]"... On [i]second[/i] second thought, do you have like... *hic* A place where I can sleep? I'll be ou-outta your hair in the morning."[/b][/color]

Siobhan released a heavy sigh, shaking her head. Stepping out from behind the bar, she made her way across the mostly-vacant bar to a door on the far wall. When she opened it, a room filled with cleaning supplies was revealed. Turning back to Dave, she thumbed over her shoulder. [color=#208B81]”Yer sleepin’ in the janitor’s closet then. We don’t have any extra beds.”[/color]

They weren’t a motel, after all.

David managed to pull himself up off the ground, stumbling into the janitor's closet and collapsing into a bucket of cleaning supplies. [color=black][b]"Aw man... Thanks, so much..."[/b][/color] After a moment of silence, he laughed. [color=black][b]"Hey, you know what'd be, like, really cool? We could form a-*hic*-form a vigilante team! Like, fight bad dudes and stuff for money or somethin'... That'd be... That'd be cool."[/b][/color] Before he could hear whatever reply Siobhan would give, Dave passed out, and Hood was already terrified at the hangover they'd face in the morning.

Glancing to Kailani, Siobhan slowly rubbed her arms in other to stave off the ever mounting chill in the air. [color=#208B81]”Hope he doesn’t freeze to death—it’s February, after all.”[/color] 

[color=yellow]”What? Oh, right, humans like being warm. Don’t worry, I got this!”[/color] The short girl scampered off with the last of the plates, returning quickly after depositing them in the kitchen. However rather than retrieve something like a blanket, she just jogged to the janitor’s closet. By the time she reached it, a large, clawed hand reached out and grabbed Dave to drag out - and Kailani promptly curled around him, large and imposing.

[color=yellow]”Goodnight, Siobhan! Goodnight Red Helmet!”[/color] Came the happy goodbye… or at least, what it would’ve been if it didn’t come out sounding like a combination of growls and chitters.

Her lips slowly turning upwards into an affectionate smile, Siobhan waved. [color=#208B81]”G’night, Kailani.”[/color]

In the morning, David woke up to a pounding headache, but he felt... Surprisingly nice and warm aside from that. He felt something wrapped around him, and, bleary-eyed, turned to the thing he felt pressing up against his back... And came face to face with some large monster, which also seemed to be sleeping. David's eyes widened slowly, before finally, he realized what he was looking at.

[color=black][b]"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"[/b][/color]