An unsuccessful pub crawl

[Nathan Spriggs] The weather was fine, a bit cold maybe, a creeping darkness overtaking the city as night rolled on. Across the street from a small club, near a park and under a dimly lit streetlight, sat a blond man in a business suit, reading a book. People accustomed to dealing with him would notice it wasn't his usual attire, but then again today had not been his usual day.

His full attention on making out the pages of the book in the shoddy lighting that the streetlight provided, thumb keeping the page in place as the wind swept through the area and sent empty cans rolling. Here and there, people walking through the streets and cars passing by, most of the crowd in the area congregating in front of the club.

[Emily] It was a brisk evening, and Emily pulled her lightweight coat around her shoulders that much more. After the string of pleasant weather they'd been having, she hadn't expected the chilly night air. Her message bag's strap crossed her narrow torso, a dark stripe slung from shoulder to hip. The wind played with the broad curls, teased them out into windswept waves. Tangled. Tormented.

The girl is headed toward a pub a little down the way. She is headed there with the intention of slipping into a shadowy booth, wrapping long fingers around a pint, and washing away a handful of memories for the space of an hour. Maybe two.

She passes Nathan, head down and eyes trained to the pavement a little ahead of her. It takes about fifty feet for her to slow, stop, and turn around to make sure it was, indeed, her fellow Awakened sitting in the lowlight, reading.

[Eustace Hoogaboom] Meandering through the streets, already a tinge bit buzzed, Eustace couldn't help himself. He was wearing a broad and dippy grin on his face, mildly humming "Poker Face" to himself and practically strutting about, he was just too happy to finally be done with his finals for this semester. He didn't even seem to notice the cold, though that may just be the alcohol talking.

He turned to Anna, still grinning, "So... Where were we doing again?" He giggled and his eyes flashed in amusement before his vision meandered past the man under the streetlight. He blinked a few times, and giggled again.

[Marianna Engmani] Anna danced about haphazardly to Eustace's hum, strutting a bit herself as she pulled up her collar against the cold in a rather interesting flourish as they skipped by for a moment, only stopping and pausing when she noticed that she knew the guy weird enough to read right in the middle of a pub crawl...Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate. In her head it almost sounded like Cobra Commander yelling JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOESSSSSSSSSS...but less graceful.

"Jus a sec..." she walked up and leaned over a look on her face somewhere between drunk bliss and cautious scrutiny, since well, Nathan was renown for getting in trouble, and worse, dragging her into it. "What are you doing Nate..." it wasn't a question, she eyed him up and down, he was wearing a new five dollar suit, and was reading a book...normally harmless, but that was dubious given who it was. Then it took a while longer before she noticed another familiar face and things got uncanny, the girl from the coffee shop...Emma? No...it was Emily. "Hi."

[Nathan Spriggs] Tuning out the sounds of the crowd over across the street, Nathan calmly passed the pages, reading at a leisurely rate. If Emily was notice as she passed by, no indication of the fact was given. His only movement was to shift position slightly for a better angle on the light, then back to reading.

Meanwhile, several feet away an inebriated duo of Awakened out on a binge made their way, one of them noticing him and heading in his direction, a Dreamspeaker he knew, as she spoke her words also seemed to go unnoticed. The Cultist's concentration was on the book and nothing else, almost like a stone, though he did notice the woman's presence this time.

A few seconds later, the book was shut, thumb caught in between the covers as a makeshift marker. It would be obvious from the cover that the book was about ancient Latin, a look into it and it's history. Snapping out of his own trance meanwhile, Nathan looked up to the Dreamspeaker, eyes narrowing as he looked to his surroundings for a second, having realized how off-guard he'd been.

"I'm reading, obviously. Was gonna go clubbing but I figured I'd spend my time on something useful instead."

[Emily] Two of them are pleasantly tipsy, and Emily raised her hand to wave out a small (shy) greeting to the woman who she remembered mostly for a warning about shite coffee and an off comment about bejeweled madonna figures.

Which wasn't all that absurd, now, given Emily's recent nights. The little wave turned into a smile, which warmed enough to encompass all three of them. She is, by far, the quietest of the four magi assembled on the Mile. Her hands fold around the strap of her messenger bag as she retraces several steps to approach the impromptu gathering.

"Evening, Nathan," she says, her voice tinged with a mostly-British accent. There's something off to its lilt or cadence, though, making it harder to place. "Hello, Anna." The Orphan's dark eyes shift to the unfamiliar face, offer a greeting but have no name to attach to it. "Hey there."

[Eustace Hoogaboom] Eustace looked around and over Anna's shoulder at the shabby man, before glancing down at the book curiously. "Good book, then? Must be..." He nodded sagely before cheesing out again.

Doing a full about face, Eustace turned to look at Emily, cracking a broad and silly grin, waving emphatically at the young woman. "Hiya! How're you, pretty lady?" He tried to bow gracefully, but stumbled slightly, ending with a fake flourish (clearly trying to hide his clumsiness. "Whoopsie..." He giggled again at himself.

[Marianna Engmani] "Oooo doesn't that make you highbrow human of the year," she reached into her pocket, digging around. "Lemme give you your award." However when Anna pulled her hand out, only to flash Nathan the bird with a laugh. Honestly, where did he get off about 'doing something useful', she had yet to see something useful come from Nate. Not that she could think of...not off the top of her head. It was sort of like...an old washed up Eustace, only less flamboyant.

No wonder she found him so funny.

"Hi Emily," she pointed to the girl for Eustace. "That's Emily, the coffee girl from the other day." The Dreamspeaker laughed, as her roommate stumbled around haphazardly, chuckling a bit as he tried to cover. "Smooooooooooooth."

[Nathan Spriggs] Nathan watched Anna as she gave him the finger and seemed to enjoy her little joke. "Yes, I'm sure it does." After that, his attention went to Emily, he hadn't noticed her presence up until now, with Anna the annoying Dreamspeaker making comments that would probably only amuse a very low amount of the population of Earth, most of which deserved to get shot anyway.

"How's it going, Emily?" He gave her a small, friendly smile and pushed forward off the bench and to his feet, eyes falling on Eustace as he considered the kid. Waiting to see what he did next, though not passing judgment just yet. "I don't think we've met? Name's Nathan."

[Emily] The stumbling flourish and unabashed coverup brings a brighter smile to the girl's face. For a moment, the laughter touches her eyes and lifts away the webbings of sleeplessness, seriousness, and sobriety. She even chuckles, just a little. It's a low and resonant sound.

"Nathan, I think I quite like your friends," she says, lilting the wry note playfully into the evening air. She is less flamboyant than any of them, but quite capable of a playful smirk and a twinkle to her eyes.

Even now, even exhausted.

"Oh, you know, just the usual mayhem," she replies to the Cultist, in a tone that is everything (but) evasive and just coy enough to hold an edge of truth. Emily rocks back on her heels a bit, ducks her gaze away from him before he could look into the statement too carefully. "You? I trust everything's well."

No Zombies? No? Good. Possessions? No. Good.

These weren't questions she could ask on street corners, so it's kept to more mundane comments. Politenesses. Riley's influence is clear on the Orphan now; she's almost friendly.

[Eustace Hoogaboom] "Oh shut up!" Eustace glared daggers at Anna, before playfully sticking out his tongue at her. "No you!" He dusted himself off, and straightened his thrift store sports jacket. He blinked and giggled again, before turning back to the others.

He grinned to Emily and waved nonchalantly to Nathan. "Hello. I'm Eustace, and I know we haven't met, before, but I've heard Anna mention you a few times, I think..." He ponders and shrugs. "Then again, she mentions a lot..."

[Marianna Engmani] Anna shook her head and gave Eustace a bit of a push. "No...YOU." she made a sneer at him and then shrugged it off with a boisterous laugh as she respected Nathan with the same silence that he gave her, or rather he said something, but she didn't bother to pay it much mind. He was probably back to being all Fox Mulder talking about unmarked helicoptors and robot cats...or whatever the flavor of the week was. "Oh comeon...I mentioned her -once- I only met her -once-" she pointed a finger at the pale kid and grumbled.

"Oh I don't think we're friends...business associates at best..." Quick to correct, after all, she didn't want to garner any bad reputation that she didn't get all by herself. She was a 'do it yourself' sorta gal. "Dude, Eustace...you...are like a Playstation 3." His banter with Emily quickly caught her attention.

[Nathan Spriggs] Nathan sidelined the conversation for now, watching the exchanges, the back-and-forth. Any other day and he'd probably be heading off right about now just because he didn't want to associate with them. Today, however, was a very boring day, which meant it'd been a good day. So he'd at least try to behave.

In what seemed like an exchange of places between himself and the Orphan, Nathan seemed more than fine today, he was well. Rested for the first time in a while, none of the usual tension. "Better than well, so far." Even his tone contained a certain carefree quality, it was reserved for days when he wasn't seeing monsters at every corner or behaving paranoid. In short, it was probably the first time he'd ever sounded like this since he came to the city.

"Anna's right though, I wouldn't call us friends. Business associates sounds fine to me though, yeah."

[Emily] Keen, sharp, dark little eyes took in the interplay between Anna and Eustace. Here, in the lowlight of a nighttime street scene, her eyes are only dark. In better light they are deeply blue. (The secrets the night keeps.) In better light, it would be easier to tell that there is something hidden behind the curl of her smile or the tiny lines at the corner of her eyes. Not tonight, though. Not here.

"At least I got a mention," she quips, puffing up a little in mock pride over this. It's bravado, and easy-going mirth that the Orphan wears easily tonight. It's a front, but so many of her faces are, and it's no harder to maintain than any others.

"So Nathan here was reading, I'm avoiding my grading... and what mischief are you two up tonight?" There's a hint to it, that she may be intrigued enough to ask if they had room for one more. (Definitely not her usual m.o.).

[Eustace Hoogaboom] "I'd say I'm more of a Gamecube, my worth is hard to see until after the fact..." He grinned mischeviously to Anna, before turning to Emily. "Personally, I wish she'd have said more. I haven't met many folks since coming to Chicago, what with classes keeping me busy, so I kinda rely on her bringing home interesting stories of people she meets. You seem interesting, but so little made it into her description." He smiled warmly to her.

He glanced back to Nathan with a raised eyebrow at his echoing of Anna's statement and the man's general demeanor, before shrugging and glancing around and pulling out his iPhone and playing around with it.

[Marianna Engmani] "Everyone gets a mention." She winked at Emily and then rolled her eyes at Eustace's idea of 'game' which of course, he had none, but it seemed that the girl bought into it more than Anna ever could. Wow, she didn't know what to think about that, which made her face scrunch up in a 'not sure if want' face, but she smiled just the same. "We're out drinking tonight, either of you want to come?" Even Nate got an invite, which meant that she was friendlier than usual, or just buzzed enough to not care.

[Nathan Spriggs] Anna invited them drinking, and being a recovering alcoholic, Nathan would have turned her down instantly any other moment, instead... A shrug, "Sure, I'm in." It had been a few days since he stumbled into Chinatown, found Tortura's face, voice and a proper feel on his resonance. Everything was going well, going good. He was in control, no slipping back into old habits, right? ...Right?

Well, he'd find out. A quick look to his watch to make sure of the hour. "So where we headed?"

[Emily] "At least you're not a Dreamcast, doomed to a life of relative anonymity save for a small but rabid following..."

The cheeky tone continues, following up on the console chatter with a knowing nod. He smiled warmly at her, so Emily let her wry smirk relax into something more openly friendly. She mirrored; it's what she does best in social situations.

"What are you studying?"

It's an aside, a conversation kept up easily in parallel to the other chatter amongst them. Eustace commands a section of Emily's attention with banter. (Give and take. [Call and response.]) It's a change from the last several days, a welcome one. Innocent.

Anna rolled her eyes and winked. Emily's smile broadened just so, as if she'd been told some unspoken secret. That's lost in Nathan ante-ing up for a night of drinking with the pair.

"Why not, indeed," the Orphan said, echoing the sentiment. She had plenty to forget, to ablate. At least this way she'd been in the company of near-strangers, and not subject to a higher level of scrutiny. "I was headed down the way to The Field -- I usually watch the Manchester United football games there, when they're playing. But I'm game for whatever..."

[Eustace Hoogaboom] "Heh... I like you..." Eustace grinned at Emily. "I study Sociology and Fashion. I know, I know, trust me, I've heard them all." He waved his hands in playful dismissal and a slight chuckle.

"Sweet, the more the merrier. Hell, I'm in such a good mood tonight, first round's on me." He grins broadly, from ear to ear, and laughed. He poked at his iPhone a few times, "The Field, eh? I'll have to add that to my PubCrawlApp, seems it isn't in here, yet." he nodded, his tongue sticking out of his mouth in concentration as he looked up the pub on GoogleMaps and added programming to the phone application. "There we go... That place seems as good as any, unless someone has other ideas...?" He looks at the others with a curious eyebrow.

[Marianna Engmani] Oooooh, comparison's to video games, in return, "I like her too, we should keep her." Anna grinned like crazy before quipting in return. "Of course that means that he'll fade into nonexistance as everything that made him unique gets stolen by other systems? Dark. Just dark." Morbid maybe, but she liked turning around jokes on Eustace...it was for the good of the species, hipsters needed to be strong, or they would quickly fall to their own.

As for bars, the girl shrugged. "So long as they serve booze, I couldn't give a shit either direction. Really. " she gestured for the others to rush along, as her buzz was fading fast, and that...was just a damn crime.

[Nathan Spriggs] Nathan glanced between them with a raised eyebrow, taking in their comparisons but not really understanding them. After they seem to decide on a bar, he found it fit to comment once more, "Sure, sounds good. Hate Machester United personally, but works. 'If you're not a manc, you're a wank' was it?"

Even he had a habit or two that didn't involve shooting people, keeping an eye on the darkness or reading. Withdrawing his thumb from the book, he closed it. Trying to figure out where to place it for a moment, he managed with some difficulty to bend it and put in an inside pocket. Uncomfortable as it was. "Let's be off then? Emily, you lead the way?"

[Emily] Hate Manchester United, the Cultist said. The Orphan's eyebrows shot upward, one hand fluttered a little, over her heart -- as if he'd just say the most horrible thing she had ever heard.

"My God, man. What are you. A Liverpool fan?" Oh, she kept the open disdain out of her voice. It was playful. Still. For now. As if he had not besmirched the hallowed good name of her hometown's football club. As if she were not mortally offended on behalf of the best club in all of England.

"Really, though, hate is better than indifference." She shrugged, and kept talking as they headed down the street toward the pub in question. "At least you've heard of them. Football's not terribly popular with most Continentals."

He's spared. Tonight. Because they've got company (witnesses).

[Eustace Hoogaboom] Eustace just lifted an eyebrow at the exchange between Emily and Nathan, before shrugging. "Right... So, we're finally going then? I'm losing my buzz and that's not cool. It's a night of celebration, and those aren't spent sober..." He grinned. "So, what's all this about Liverpool and Manchester? Is there a feud there that I don't know about?" I might be dangerous territory, but Eustace is a little special and just wants to make conversation, preferably with Emily.

[Marianna Engmani] "I used to watch...futbol, back when I didn't live in the states as a kid, but I'll admit, I'm not really into sports." Anna shrugged, but at least she wasn't as clueless as Eustace was, but it seemed that was more a ploy to try to talk the girl into giving him more attention. She nodded in a bit of respect towards her roommate. Well played sir, well played. "THough no one watches it out here..."

[Jonathan Kincade] Jonathan had spent the majority of the day at work, dealing with stupid students that were complaining that the recent assignment he had set was too difficult. Blah blah.. they had gone on and on... what a boring day it had been compared to the events of the last night. He had spent several hours in the Chantry working on security measures as he caught up with Ashley and Atlas, stories of Zombies and underwater vessels.

It was hard to keep up with the lives of the mundane where there was just so much more going on.

So at the moment Jon can be found sitting at a bar, eyes unfocused on the TV screens above him. Mind wandering over other matters, as a hand brings a scotch and coke to his lips once more.

[Nathan Spriggs] The Cultist watched as Emily set off, a small feeling of satisfaction at the response he'd obtained. A moment of silence to defuse the tension a bit before he answered her question, "Maybe I am, yeah. But nah, I prefer the American Samoa national football team, best you'll find." A smile of amusement at the words, wondering if any of them would realize what he'd just said.

"I do enjoy football very much however, yes. Not the 'American football' garbage either." His last words as he fell silent and trailed alongside them on the path to the bar. Once they got there, he'd push open the door for them and let them in, eyes scanning the inside and probably spotting Jonathan, a moment 'what the fuck's he doing here' ensuing.

"Seems we've got even more company. Acquaintance of mine, named Jonathan? I'm pretty sure you know him, Emily? Dunno if you do, Anna? Eustace? I'll introduce you guys if you don't."

[Emily] It's not far. There's a heavy wood door at the entry to the field and someone checking IDs just inside the doorway. Not outside, tonight, because it's chilly. It's a neighborhood pub, tucked away into a corner of the Mile, easily overlooked by the casual passerby. Emily came her because it reminded her of something, not because it was a particuarly happening night spot. There was surprisingly good pub food (better suited to the end of a crawl than the beginning, just before Dawn slipped her rosy fingers over the horizon). The air's a mixture of smoke, darkness, sound and the bleary hazy light of a few flat panels screens above the bar.

She's explaining, to Eustace, in only slightly exaggerated terms, the epic rivalry between the two English football clubs. She doesn't call the teams. She refuses to call it "soccer." Now and again, Nathan gets a sidelong playful look, goading him to chime in again and chat up the fued further. Or to introduce more of his Worldly knowledge of the game.

This is Emily making herself at home with strangers, hiding in plain sight, giving away something she rarely told anyone she expected to see again: her hometown allegiances. Nathan has not known her this way; none of the magi in the city have. It's the face she wears when she's certain something is about to give, and that she won't be staying much longer.

It's no surprise that she orders a Newcastle, on draught. Or that she thanks the barkeep with a Cheers instead of a Thank you. That Otherness, foreignness, is innately Emily.

To Celebrating, is the toast she offers. Then Nathan is making introductions, and they're adding a fifth to the gathering.

"Evening, Jonathan," she finds herself saying, easily enough. As if they first time they'd really met had not been indelibly seared into her mind with the scent of blood and the sight of gore spread across the Chantry's then-carpetted floor.

[Marianna Engmani] Anna seemed a bit apathetic as she started to sober up, really she wasn't back to doing what she sent out to do, and it was starting to get to her, but she still had a pretty keen smile on her face as she looked over at Nathan and then scanned the bar, "Jonathan?" she looked over at the familiar face "You mean that Jonathan?" She couldn't help but look a bit confused, or maybe shocked, that was weird very very very weird that they knew the same guy, which only confirmed her suspicions that there was something deeply and personally wrong with that man.

"We've met."

[Eustace Hoogaboom] Eustace follows Emily's descriptions with decent attention. He's clearly not up with sports, of any sort, but he does his best to keep up, and he seems to be truly interested in the rivalry and conflict between the two sets of players and fans. He orders a mixed drink and sips it as he listens, slowly trying to pick up the lingo as he listens.

"Sounds like fun stuff. Any of this kind of thing going on now?" He glances up at the screens around the pub. "Or is it off-season? I've been buried in books too long, I barely know what day it is, and I know next to no one in town. Basically all I see these days are classrooms and my apartment walls. I gotta do more shit." With that he takes a big swig of his drink.

[Jonathan Kincade] He hears his name being called and his attention snaps into focus a "hmm" slips from his throat. Turning on the chair he was occupying as he looks for where the voice had come from. Eyes finding Emily , his mouth curls into a smile "Evening Emily."

And then he is looking beyond her as he makes out two more familiar faces, another of a young male unknown. "Hey Nathan... Evenin Anna, nice to see you again. Sorry I haven't gotten around to calling you. Been kinda busy with a few things."

Standing from his chair as he makes his way into the group proper . To the young teen , Jon extends his hand "Jonathan Kincade, and you are ?" Waiting a few moments to get a reply, then turning to Nathan "What brings you lot out tonight?"

[Nathan Spriggs] Nathan glanced to Anna for a moment and nodded, she knew Jonathan after all as expected.A look to Emily with a mischievous smile and gleam in his eyes that indicated their discussion on Manchester United was shelved but far from over.

The Virtual Adept moved in for introductions and greetings as he did so, Nathan observing him, scrutinizing his features for a sign. Maybe to see if something noticeably bad had happened in the Tortura case, or maybe another matter.

His original interest in swigging a few beers slowly draining out, though not replaced by worry and concern. Not yet. Simply realization at something. Friendly smile of greeting on his face, none of the thoughts he had were reflected on the outside, "We sort of met up and decided to go out drinking. Lucky coincidence, eh?"

[Emily] Eustace is not terribly up on sports, and in truth Emily is not either. The only thing she's followed is this one team, and only when she is desperately longing for some sort of anchor to her identity. Most people had hometowns, school teams, a close cabal of friends -- something that tethered them to a very human, social existence. Not this Orphan. She is a collection of almost-homes and could-have-been-friends. There's a longing to it, but it's unlikely to show just yet. Not with the banter, and the beer, and the company twisted toward a more amiable goal.

"Didn't make it to the finals," Emily tells Eustace, with a little shrug. The season was over, then. Time to move along, change the topic, and look -- Jon's a ready new thing to turn to.

The group is heavily weighted toward Awakened members, now. It is a time for delicate double-speak. Emily takes a long pull from her beer, lets the others speak. She's quiet now, again, and more watchful. If she stands closer to Anna and Eustace, well then that might be understandable.

[Jonathan Kincade] Jonathan overhears part of a conversation between Emily and Eustace. But he just shrugs and lets it go, his attention focused on Nathan, who seemed like he had something on his mind. Or was interested in what was going on in Jon's

"Yeah Lucky... seems convergence happens a lot around these parts. Want to find a table, where we all can talk. Think there is one available at the back" Jonathan indicating behind him.

"Can I get you guys anything ? My shout , of course."

[Nathan Spriggs] Nathan looked around, taking stock of the people inside the bar, paying them mind and assessing threats. A subtle change in his body language, a slight tension returned to him.

"Nothing right now, thanks. I'll probably start downing shots like there's no tomorrow in a minute." Whatever tension surrounded him subtly now, it didn't show in his voice, it was the same friendly and relaxed tone he'd had since they met him back at the street.

[Emily] Ah, yes, serious chatter time. Emily nursed her brown and let the pair of men discuss their business in relative privacy. Eustace wandered off, Anna might be soon to follow. It left Emily in a strange, off-kilter place, which was just the place she'd been hoping to avoid naming, knowing. She hoisted herself up onto a barstool nearby and half-listened to them, half-watched whatever programme was on the overhead screen.

Getting pissed was right out, now. A pleasant evening with strangers was not going to happen. All she was left with was her pint, and Nathan and Jon. Even Emily was pretty sure that was the lead in to a rather problematic retelling of something.

[Jonathan Kincade] Jonathan just nodded, he knew Nathan didn't really like to drink when there was work to do. But it was polite to offer all the same "Emily, you sure you don't want something ?" and he looks down and finds that she is already caressing a pint. He frowns as he watches her, seemed like something was on her mind. Though truthfully he didn't really know her well enough to hesitate at a guess.

Turning to Nathan "Why? What's going down in a minute?" an eyebrow raised. Finding a stole nearby Emily as she sits, gesturing for Nathan to take another.

[Emily] Jon takes up a barstool next to her and Emily sighs inwardly. Of course not. Nothing this week was going to go easily for her. Her plan, setting out, had been to grab a seat, have a couple pints, chat up something mindless and unimportant with whomever ended up sitting beside her. Tell stories of somewhere far away and fascinating -- they're strangers, the stories don't even have to be true!

It's a weightless thing. Mirror back what the Other tells you. Smile when they smile. Laugh when they laugh. Keep just enough sincerity to it to ring true; hold everything you care about back. Dabble in extroverted places to let the private, serious things settle.

Emily was practiced at this. She had perfected it. She'd played at it in more cities than she could count. Meaningless conversations, moments of shockingly candid self-disclosure, faces she'd likely never see again. And where was Eustace? He would have fit the bill. Anna might have. They could have been fun; she could have forgotten.

Nathan and Jon were not safe, like that. They showed up in meetings at the Chantry, in parks threatened by Umbral badasses. She couldn't tell them little bits of truth wrapped up in smiles and not worry that someday, somehow, those tiny things would be flung back at her like emotional shrapnel.

The glass is cool; it sweats with light condensation. The dampness chills her palm. There's familiarity in the meeting of heavy glass and a well-polished wooden bar. She turns her head to look over at Jon and Nathan, studies them with those dark and deepening eyes. She looks down at her pint.

It's a one-beer night. No, it's a half-beer night. And she's already there. With a little gesture, she flags the barkeep, asks for a glass of water, and turns her attention (regretfully) to the men who have settled in beside her.

Her raised eyebrow mirrors Jon's. Yes, indeed, what -is- up?

[Nathan Spriggs] Nathan's eyes shifted slowly to the seat, a moment of considering and he slid down on it, elbows resting on the table or bar counter. A side-way glance to Jonathan as he got serious and asked what was going down in a minute.

"I'm a recovering alcoholic. In a bar. That's what." A smile, filled with amusement at the prospect and slight apprehension. "'Course, I own one, my willpower should be stronger for it..." He sighed and shook his head for a moment, "But that's not it. I've been meaning to call you, we have some things to discuss. The more serious parts can wait another day, I think. No rush and I'm on vacation today. I did however want to discuss something I've been considering a while with you."

A pause there, as he thought how to phrase this and went with straight out laying it out, "Up for forming a cabal?" Eyes on Jonathan now, studying him, his reaction to the words. Sudden? Yes, but he had to admit they did work well together. Didn't even have to be for real, he thought it would work for show. Emily's presence didn't seem to hinder him either, though it was a private affair.

It was pure strategy and logic, if he put it on the table and Jonathan either agreed or said he'd consider it, then that saved him time potentially spreading the word if she told someone else. A witness to prove the truth of the declaration.

[Jonathan Kincade] Jon simply nods, it was the kind of comment he should have seen coming for awhile "Yeah sorry about that" a look of apology as Jonathan turns slightly on his bar stole.

"Vacation?... can't say I blame you with everything going on. But really those topics really aren't the best to be held while drinking. So we'll try and steer away from those if we can. Oh?" he says , something in Nathan's voice had him worried.

"Hmm a Cabal ?" and Jonathan looks a little taken shocked "Can't say that I haven't been having similar thoughts. Just wasn't sure whether you'd be keen on the idea, plus we haven't really been working together that long. THough it does seem like we are effective when we do." a small smile at that.

Jonathan just last night whad been shown just how much of the Chantry he didn't have access too. There were secrets to be discovered and a Cabal was a tool to get him access too them. "Sounds like a feasible plan, got your eye on anyone else?". A game seemed to be afoot. "But I think you can count me in."

[Emily] I'm a recovering alcoholic.

Emily's expression pinches in something akin to sympathy. It is not for Nathan (okay, maybe some of it is for Nathan). It calls back to an earlier conversation, whittles something in her mind to a sharp point. It is a ragged, threadbare voice saying: I want a drink. Bloodshot blue eyes. Arms that comfort, arms that hold tight to.

It is too much, and it is enough. The Orphan's expression sombers further. Her teeth pull her lower lip into her mouth, pensively, for a moment. Eyes close. (Remembrance.)

Maybe it's Nathan's chance comment that pulls her back from some edge tonight, a salvation he will remain unknowing of. Emily rifles around in her messenger bag (still slung across her body, even as she's perched on the barstool). She comes up with enough small bills to cover her pint and a generous tip. Drinks heavily from her water.

"Cabal, eh?" she asks, all careful smiles (nondisclosure) and polite distances all of a sudden. "That's private business. I'll just shove off then." She pushes off the barstool, stands beside them for a moment. Long enough to make her (excuses) goodbyes.

"I've papers to grade anyway." There's a look of shared academic misery for Jon, and a nod for Nathan. "Good luck with the grouping up, then."

She's not hurrying off too quickly for goodbyes, but the Apprentice is definitely leaving. Perhaps it's for the best. What isn't overheard can't be a liability later.

[Nathan Spriggs] Nathan's response to Jonathan's follow up was a grin, eyes wandering from him to Emily, who was on Jonathan's other side, as she seemed to withdraw at the conversation. Something had gotten a response out of her, though what he didn't know. A moment passes, then he looks back to Jonathan and speaks, "No recruitment plans yet. I think the two of us would suffice for now. Shouldn't get ahead of ourselves."

A look in his eyes as he met Jonathan's gaze, something that wasn't conveyed with words, there was another reason behind the suggestion. "For now, we should see about making it official and talking to Wharil. We discussed it a while ago and he thought it might be a good idea to ask you anyhow, so he might be expecting it." His tone was casual yet a hidden meaning existed there, hidden deep down, maybe Jonathan with his experience around Nathan might see it, but it was too hard to grasp otherwise. Another purpose behind the suggestion, ulterior motives.

Then they were interrupted just as he was about to speak again, Emily seemed to be paying her tab and deciding it was better to head off. To leave the two to their privacy, and plotting. Nathan gave her a nod and a small apologetic smile. "I'm sorry we drove you off when you'd been looking forward to going out for drinks. I'll make it up to you another day?" It was all he gave her, though it was an honest apology, even he'd been looking forward to drinks in peace.