Needing a Drink...Or Twenty [For Any Cool Cats of His Past]

[Archer Caughey]

God damn. His sister was one royal bitch when she put her mind to it. He was allowed to think that, you know, or even say it. Because he was her brother. Plus, he had a feeling that he the only one who was lucky enough to see the side of Caddy that he'd dubbed 'the banshee' years ago. If you could call it lucky. Visits from her were enough to drive this devout Irishman to drink.

As if he needed an excuse. As the saying goes, it's always drinking time somewhere. It's all a matter of setting your watch to the right time. And if mankind wasn't meant to change what time it was, watches wouldn't come with winders and buttons that let you order up just that. If it wasn't well into the night already, you better bet your savings he'd be winding his watch as he walked down the road from his humble abode.

Little known fact: Archer's lab was about a mile away from the Tel'ranaemyn Inn. Well known fact: Archer had a habit of roaming New Haven looking for new places to wet his genius whistle. When you figured those two stats together, the probability that Archer was going to inadvertently find his way inside the Inn at some point where nearly 1:1. Or in other words, inevitable.

It happened today because he needed a serious walk before he started the serious drinking. About a mile later and approximately forty-five minutes after his sister had stormed out of his place, the thirty-three year old genius slowed as he noticed the Inn. Chances the place had a bar were nearly one hundred percent - when the first inns were established way back when, that's exactly what they had in them. Accommodations, dinner and drink. So this place was as good as any, something new. He hopped his way up the couple stairs at the front entrance and went inside.

Some things about Archer never changed. Sure he was a little older, but his prematurely salt and pepper hair [with more salt than pepper these days] was still shaggy as usual. Clean shaven, like always. Three piece suit, like always, with a vest and no tie, this one was navy blue. White dress shirt under that, as always. Simple dress shoes, like always. He almost never dressed down. Even when he was in his lab. Unless, you know, he was actually planning for an explosion. And he still had that kind of worn feeling like a man who'd been to death and back. Because he totally had.

Looked like a customer you'd want to wait on, right? And with the amount he drank, boy was this place going to make bank on him. Straight to the bar the Caughey went, and he plunked himself into a stool. "Bartender?" So who was that lucky person going to be?

[Epiphany]

If Archer had a lab somewhere in New Haven it was something that Epiphany should never ever find out. He not only was her favorite alchemist but it has always been a far off dream of hers to get together with the raven and create an explosion big enough to make people think that Armageddon had started. This wasn't something the average person who knew her would take for granted.

Bar tending was just a clever cover up when it came to making potions. When thinking about it, wasn't mixing drinks almost the same thing? A little bit of this mixed in with a handful of that, shake it to just the right consistency and viola! A new creation. Yes, bar tending was just a cover up. God help all those who had one of Epiphany's strange drinks and right now, that meant Archer.

Ar was off doing something and when he was gone Epiphany took full liberty of the kitchen - not to worry, she always cleaned up afterwards. When Archer arrived at the bar he'd be treated to a full assortment of sounds coming from behind the kitchen door: clinks and clangs as well as that little 'whoosh' sound that happens when something is consumed in flames (that, of course, was quickly followed by sprays of water). What was she making?

Flambé! She was experimenting with Flambé, lighting food on fire to produce a certain result. This time she was working on a chocolate flambé drink. "Success!" Was the triumphant shout from the kitchen which was followed by the door opening and a slightly singed Epiphany coming out of the smoke in the kitchen and holding a smoking glass high in the air. She was wearing bright clothing today - must be in a good mood. Rainbow stripped leggings, a blue dress with a pleated skirt to her knees, black belt and rainbow stripped fingerless gloves. All of it accented by her red pendant and blue headband.

The bit of smoke made her cough and she looked and saw... "Archer! Well if this isn't a bit of fortune!" Happy to see him? Yeah, you could say that. "I have someone to try this drink." She put the glass on the bar counter and slide the glass down along the table with her as she moved to a better position to talk to the Alchemist. "Ignore the smoke." A bit of a side note, but the smoke was white and was starting to thin out and trail along the floor.

"I haven't seen you in forever. Welcome to the Tel'Ranaemyn Inn!" She was really quite chipper for someone who had made a fire in the kitchen only moments ago. Of course, this shouldn't faze Archer. Right?

[Archer Caughey]

Clinks and clangs, totally familiar to someone who spent the better part of his life in a lab. And that whoosh? Unmistakable. Most people couldn't even count high enough to name how many times Archer had created that sound, whether on purpose or by accident. The accidents were what he liked best. It meant what he was working on would actually be a challenge for a change. He didn't get enough of those, if you asked him.

And then the smell of smoke. Now a lot of people thought that one smoke was just like another smoke. Not true. And all a person had to do was light some wood on fire, and then light some plastic on fire. Comparing those two kinds of smoke was the only lesson the average Joe needed to learn that every kind of smoke was unique. Even one kind of wood smoke and another were different, if you wanted to be a smoke connoisseur about it. This smoke was enough to make the genius go "Hmmm" and give the air a sniff. If people liked to light things on fire here, it seemed he picked the right place to drink.

The appearance of Epiphany changed everything though. Not many people that could affect what a kind of smoke meant, but she was sure one of them. The genius flashed her one of his big fool's grins. Looking over that white smoke could wait, this was an old friend. "What're the odds. huh? I don't know about forever though, last I looked in the mirror I didn't age that much." Unlike his sister, unless Archer was angry or piss drunk his voice had no trace of Irish. He'd worked it out of his voice years ago, because he was tired of people asking him to repeat himself or not understanding him. His accent was thicker than mud.

And this drink was the color of mud, right? So it worked out. His grey gaze dropped to the drink she presented to him, "Well, Taste the Rainbow, I was hopping for a tall glass of Scotch about yea high," Archer's hand hovered over the bar counter at the height of a pint glass. Yeap. Pint of scotch. Some would call Archer an alcoholic, Archer called himself a proper Irishman. Was there a difference between the two classifications? "So, I mean...if you got a fetish for lighting shit on fire, you could have at lighting some of that? Don't blame me when you lose an eyebrow, though..."

Then, the grin. Nothing better than a genius scientist that grinned like a fool.

[Epiphany]

"I don't know, you are looking a lil more gray than the last time I saw ya." Must be all the experimenting. Good thing her hair tended to be on the lighter side of blonde. Whenever she started to go gray - if she ever did - it would be hard to tell.

Archer, he was one of the people who could take her exploding habits in stride and not get all worked up over wether or not she was okay. It was a very welcomed relief. He wanted a pint of scotch and she wanted him to try the new mystery drink - she hardly ever tasted her own drinks, so someone had to.

A gentle nudge of the still slightly smoking glass towards him with a finger as she leaned on the bar. "Well, I've lit a lot of things on fire before," accidental or otherwise, "but I don't think that's one of them." She couldn't help but laugh. A quick drum on the bar with her hands she pointed at her drink. "I guarantee you that this drink is a lot better than a bit of Scotch. Something new. Do you know that there are drinks that you have to light on fire? Why didn't someone tell me that years ago!" Maybe because they were afraid that she was going to burn down buildings? That was a good possibility.

"I found all these recipes online with something called flambé. Drinks, food, you just drench them in alcohol and toss fire on top of it. Really quite marvelous. And this. this...." Standing straight and tapping the glass. "Is Chocolate Flambé. Two splashes of Barcardi, a quarter of Amaretto, an ounce of Chocolate Liqueur and Chocolate milk. Sounds good ya?"

It did to her. "Give it a shot?"

[Archer Caughey]

"Hardy har har. You be careful, or instead of pulling a quarter from your ear I'll be pulling some grey hairs from your scalp." Could the illusionist do it? He was a sleight-of-hand artist, not a magic maker. The poor overlooked life of an illusionist. When people abracadabraed whatever their little hearts desired around these parts, the awesomely difficult art of illusions wasn't as impressive as it should be. And look what Epiphany did! His hand was now rubbing the salt and pepper hair on the back of his neck. Self conscious maybe? He didn't doubt he was greyer than he was when she saw him last. Dying and coming back to life was rough, you know?

But then, Archer stood and reached a long lanky arm across the bar to put his hand on Pip's shoulder. Super serious face. Somber serious tone. "Epiphany. Girlfriend. There is nothing, nothing short of some things that I can't stay aloud and still call myself a good Irish boy, that is better than Scotch. One about this high." His other hand reprised the pint size height. "So let's make a deal here. You serve me that, I'll drink this." His hand tapped at the glass she kept sliding over to him. At least it had alcohol in it.

Releasing her shoulder, he sat and had a gander at the drink she'd made. Her question was about to get a typical logical Archer answer. "Well sure I did. Fire's one of the best catalysts around, light something up and whatever you've got cooking is going to fuse differently than before. No different from bubbling up a hair tonic in a beaker."

Besides the taste maybe. Though, when it came to that... "I'll shoot, Rainbow Sprinkles, but I hope you're not looking for a taste tester. My buds have been broken ever since I've been back. Some stuff never came back to life." It wasn't until Archer'd picked up the glass and took a swig that he realized what that might've implied. A coughing swallow. "But not that stuff. You know. All major systems are a go. Go go good-time great, even." In case she was wondering.

[Epiphany]

Blink. Did Archer just get serious about a glass of scotch? Of all the things to get serious about, he picked that? Man, this guy must really like his liquor! She had thought had gotten upset about her gray hair comment and so this was considerably better and it was something she would remember. Hey, if he was that serious about his drink then this is information she defiantly had to have! Never know when it might come in handy.

And, of course, Archer would hit her back with an answer about fire. He may like his drinks and be a laid back type of guy, but he knew his stuff and the old alchemist was in there somewhere and it wouldn't be like him to completely ignore making some type of statement. It also got a smirk from her. It was a free lesson and she would remember it the next time she set something on fire - which may be before she left the bar to do something else... He was taking her drink and she was fixing a pint with scotch.

Rainbow Sprinkles. He was hitting all the jokes wasn't he? Epiphany didn't mind, it wasn't meant to be insulting or anything, all of it was in good fun. Speaking of fun, his comment about her drink had her laughing for she knew what he thought he had implied - sad - and it was funny. "If I was testing systems you might be up for an inspection, but that's not part of my job today." But she wasn't and therefore he got off the hook!

"As long as you're not keeling over," she gave him a wink and now slid the pint of scotch to him - since it was a pint, it wasn't in your average container. "Then it's drinkable. And here ya go."

[Fallon Zane]

Fallon was starting to become a bit more intimately acquainted with the bar in this joint. Sure, he had a pretty nice setup back home, with all the killer concoctions and signature drinks he had imported... viperwine for starters! But see, here was the problem with drinking at home. One, his wife didn't drink. Two there were seventy five kids running around the place. Neither example made for very good drinking buddies! Something about trying to toss back a bottle of rum or something while your tag team partner is drinking raspberry tea or apple juice... killed it, ya know?

So yeah. The bar here at the Tel'Rae (yes, Fallon's name for the joint) was his newest watering hole. Especially since a whole slew of his old crew was here! So he was wandering out of his room, which was conveniently stumbling distance from the bar, and out into the main area! And... sniff... sniff... sniff. Fallon immediately smelled two things. First, he smelled smoke. Holy hell! Was the joint on fire!? He'd be jumping the bar to save those bottles, you better believe it! And the second... that was unmistakable. That was...

"I thought I smelled virgin." ... and what did that mean? It meant that the smoke and thoughts of fire were forgotten. because icy blues had spotted life forms at the bar. One was Pip, who was kinda singed and dressed up like a cracked out Rainbow Bright doll... and the other, the source of that smell... was Archer.

[Archer Caughey]

Of COURSE he was serious about his Scotch! He'd be hard pressed to remember the last dry day he had. Even when the dragon spirit he had caged up in him was rearing its ugly head something fierce, he managed at least a few shots in the name of 'taking the edge off'. Drinking was just a part of who he was. At least death cleaned out his liver some, that was just about the only stroke of luck getting murdered gave him.

"Oh yeah? Must've marked the date wrong on my calendar. My sticker expires soon, you know, I can't be walking around the neighborhood uninspected..." One of those fool's grins was flashed at Epiphany. And did he actually waggle his eyebrows at her? Jokes and nonsense, that was him.

And how convenient that Fallon made a crack like that. Archer could use that to fuel his argument. He pointed in the direction of Big Ugly, grey gaze staying on Pip. "See that? See? That there's the reason people need their inspection stickers updated on a regular basis. People like Ugly here who can't tell a bona fide Don Juan just by looking at them." Don Juan, right. Talk about explosions, Archer's history with women was one gigantic explosion.

Now Archer turned in his seat to at least attempt to look at Fallon's ugly mug. Not an easy feat, seriously. "Don't be shy, Fallon, come closer. I'm sure Pip's got something on fire back there in the kitchen that she'd be happy to poison you with." Punctuated by one of those big fool's grins. Always great to see Fallon. When he didn't have to actually LOOK at him, that is.

Maybe Fallon, like homely women, would look better after Archer chugged down a whole lotta strong liquor. A good excuse he didn't need to take a long pull from his Scotch.

[Epiphany]

The sexual undertones in the room, good thing she wasn't drunk or things could get out of hand. Though, if things stayed on this path . . . "Sticker?" Epiphany pressed her hands down on the bar and pushed herself forward on the bar. Her new position caused her pendant to sway and there was even a small view due to the scoop neck of the dress. But Archer wasn't the type to look. Now that she was positioned properly she gave him a good look over from his face, to his shoulders, chest, and all the way down to his lap, though not much can be seen with that three piece suit he wore.

She pursed her lips together before she shot him a sly smile. "You know, I don't see any stickers anywhere, so you might just have to whip it out and let me see." She was talking about the sticker. Really? Sure.

While she was giving Archer that smile she saw, and heard, Fallon and it made her laugh and ease back down behind the bar. Don Juan? Archer? Well, it was a good possibility and she could see it. The guy didn't have that bad of a track record if she remembered correctly, because he had to be talking about himself.

"Yes Fallon, come closer please." Said the 'cracked out Rainbow Bright' as she took out the Scotch and refilled Archer's glass. He didn't ask for it, but she had a feeling he might have wanted another glass. For someone who didn't drink, she knew how to keep a full cup. "Let me get get a fire started for you. I seem to be good at that." Note the smoke on the floor and the still lingering smell of fire and Armento in the air.

Good mood for Pip to be in. Easy going, could take a joke, might even toss a few words here and there.

[Archer Caughey]

What a big ole grin Epiphany got then, as big and bright as a son who'd just done this momma proud. Not that Epiphany was his mother. Or that he thought of her like that. Just metaphorically speaking, that was the kind of smile. Ahem. "Sticker, sure." If someone wanted to stretch their brain some, the large dragon totem on his back ((Yeap, the very one in his post signature)) could be considered a sticker. A magical mystical spirit binding sticker that had hurt like a sonofabitch when Caddy did it, but the pain was worth it in the end. Most of the time.

"But..." He trailed off in the name of dramatic suspence, before leaning forward a bit to say nice and low. "I don't know if I should just whip it out right here though. It bites." A boyish little smirk, before Archer sat back in his stool and picked up her chocolate concoction. He'd promised he'd drink it, so he was going to trade off between that and the scotch. Double fisting drinks was no problem for this good Irish son.

Did the tattoo really bite? Sometimes. It was binding a 'living' spirit and keeping it caged up, but since Archer was about the most magically defunct man that ever was, plus human, even with the binding sometimes the dragon was able to rattle its cage. On those instances sometimes the mark which covered nearly his whole back just moved. Other times it scratched. When things were real bad and off balance, that's when the mark did some real serious damage. His back still had some scars to prove it.

And look at that! While he was drinking her chocolate experiment she was topping off his scotch. What a little angel. Archer was a big fan of any woman who encouraged his drinking, instead of telling him to quit it. The only thing that topped encouragement was a woman who could keep up with him when he was at the bottle. Rare to find, rare to find.

As for Fallon, he'd let him put the nails in his own coffin. You know, if big ugly was actually brave enough to come closer.

[AngelRayne]

Speaking of people that could match him drink for drink ... Angel was heading down stairs to grab a quick 'snack' from the bar before heading out for a walk with Silver. Since she's been awake Angel was rarely in her room or in the inn. Sleeping for a few months will do that to ya. Anyway,downstairs she went dark purple and blond hair left to hang over her shoulders today and she wore her typical Angel outfit, baggy jeans, black boots and a dark purple shirt with the sleeves cut to her elbows.

Angel laughed lightly at something Silver had said in her mind, she gave a shake of her head and laughed again. "No Silver that will never ever happen. End of story."

~" Whatever. Don't lie to yourself, you know you'd want it." ~ Silver stopped in his spot on the stairs and peeked wolfish eyes over towards the bar. He did a wolfish huff twice and if a wolf could roll their eyes then he did that too. ~" Angel ... never mind this should be interesting ... ~"

When Silver sat down on the stairs Angel had kept walking, she reached the bottom stair and spun on her heels to look up at Silver. Head tilting to the right a bit, hand on the railing, one slender brow rose up in question. "What the bloody hell are you talking about Silver?" She followed his gaze towards the bar, light blues seeing Pip and Fally. Nothing wrong there ... but who was Pip standing by (in front of?)? That wasn't ... was it? Fally would explain the wolfs reaction ... but no way that was Archer. "Oh bloody 'ell are you bloody serious?!"

~"Told ya this would be interesting."~

[Epiphany]

Archer had a sticker that bites, how awesome was that? He should know that his words only served to perk her curiosity even more. She simply had to see this sticker and ask where she could get one of her own - as long as it wasn't 'guy only' thing currently she couldn't see why she couldn't get one too. Perhaps it would be best to ask.

Holding the pitcher of Scotch in her hand she tapped her fingers against it, all the while watching him. She liked to do that when she could. Watch people. Didn't hurt that he was pleasant to look at. "You know, Archer," Epiphany said with a smile, leaning to her left and tipping her head to the side all while retaining eye contact. "I think you should show me here. " She tapped her finger against. "You pull it out for me, right here, right now, and I'll make sure you're glass is never empty." That was a good deal wasn't it? She thought so and she thought that it might make him more willing to show her this sticker of his. Was she supporting his drinking habit? Maybe. But he was egging on her curiosity.

While she was watching him, she saw someone coming down the steps and her eyes shifted past Archer for a moment. Angel. How long had it been since she had seen her. Now she knew some of the story of Archer and Angel - not everything, but some - and so she wondered if she should say anything or not.

She compromised. "I see Fallon's not the only one who recognizes you...."

[Archer Caughey]

And she'd make sure his glass was never empty. How could he ever turn that down? So even though he didn't deserve it, Fallon was about to have his deepest darkest wish come true - Archer was going to do some stripping. Big Ugly could consider it his award for being quiet like a good little boy?

The first thing Archer had to do to grant Epiphany's wish was take a good long drink of his scotch, leaving it a couple inches on the empty side. The second thing he did was stand up. "Well hell, Epiphany, I thought you'd never ask. All these years...." Cue the faked the sad sniffle, and the wiping away of the imaginary tear. Yeap. He actually did those.

Then he shrugged off his jacket, putting it on the back of his chair. Even though he was about to strip, still no reason to get the clothes wrinkled. He dressed well. Neat. And was a generally neat guy. It was all in the strict upbringing. "But if it bites," he grinned as he flipped the buttons open on his vest before shrugging that off too, "remember, I warned you." He winked as he dropped the vest on top of his jacket.

While he was flicking open buttons on his shirt he followed Pip's gaze, and saw who she meant. Angel, huh. What timing. But Archer didn't hesitate - he untucked his shirt, and flipped open the last two buttons. Angel and him had a conversation about the dragon the night he came to her tower to level with her back at the Alliance. So when she saw what was on his back, he figured she'd put two and two together. In this case 2 + 2 = Archer Not Stripping to Get Epiphany In Bed. Well....you know guys.

Off came the shirt. Ladies and Fallon, the moment you were waiting for. No pictures, please. Since he was doing this so Epiphany could see his 'biting sticker' he turned back to the bar for her. And there it was. A black tattoo-like marking of the dragon which covered almost his whole back. Right now it looked like one of the clawed hands was trying to sink into his right shoulder. And the mouth was open, looking like it had something nasty to say. But all the scratches on his back were scars. None were fresh. Last fall was the last time the dragon had done him dirty.

For once, he was serious for a change. "It's not a normal tattoo, it's a totem mark. It might move as you're looking at it. Or if you touch it. That's nothing to worry about."

His back to the ladies he added after a minute, "Hi there Angel. How the hell are you?"

[Epiphany]

This was great! Though, at first she was a bit confused as to why he was taking off his shirt as she had only asked him to whip out his sticker so she could see the expiration date. Maybe the sticker was on his chest. Again, she wasn't going to complain and he appeared to have no shame in taking off his shirt, the only thing missing now was music . . .

Epiphany gave Angel a waggle of her fingers to express a wave of 'hello' as Archer turned around to show his back. Whatever she was expecting, it certainly wasn't this. A sticker was suppose to be small, or at least the size of a hand, but it wasn't suppose to encompass the entire back. The smile she had wavered and eventually drew itself out to a slightly gaped mouth to accompany the shocked expression on her face. "Wow." Forget that she was looking at his bare back, that was the last thing on her mind, what she was focusing on was the dragon. And the scratches.

Were the scratches the result of the 'bitting' that he had mentioned? She thought that it was only playful banter though now, she wasn't so sure. Pitcher still in hand, she tightened her grip around the handle to keep her itching fingers from reaching out to touch it. Listen Epiphany, listen to what he is saying. It's not a normal tattoo. It might move.

Archer was only telling the truth about his mark, but it was something that only picked at her curiosity and pulled at her right hand to uncurl the fingers from the handle and reach out to his back. Of all the places of the dragon she could have touched Epiphany choose to touch the Dragons mouth, the top part of the maw near the teeth. Just a bit of pressure from her fingers, not a lot, but he'd be able to feel her fingers tracing along the dragons mouth. Though her hand had come off of the pitcher her fingers were warm.

"Amazing. It moves you say?" It was a living thing wasn't it? When it chose to be? This scientist was full of surprises.

[Guest]

Kyra had been back for a little while now and had even done some meditating and trying her best to deal with things that needed to be dealt with but had no luck in any of it as of yet. She needed some nourishment and decided the best place to get what she now needed was to head to the bar. A 3 foot tall child like person with wings walked in wearing a blue sweater and black pants with a type of black hiking boots. Around her neck she wore a diamond pendant necklace with a matching anklet, bracelet and earrings. Her hair was flowing down her back as her blue orbs looked ahead at her destination with a rather determined look on her face. Kyra did her best to hide what was really going on as she entered the bar seeing people in there she went to find a spot she would not be in the way of their fun.

[Archer Caughey]

If Epiphany'd put some music on, would Archer have gone the way of the goof and done a strip tease to get all that off? Well she'd never know now, would she? It was probably for the best. Archer was pretty fly for a white guy, but...he was no Chip. Or Dale.

But then the touched the totem. As soon as he felt warm fingers on his back Archer's shoulders seized with a lurch like someone getting electrocuted and he cried, "It BURNS!" After selling that writhing and those ugly sounds of pain long enough that he hoped Epiphany bought it and he freaked her out, he straightened up and chuckled. "Sorry. Can never help myself when it comes to that." What an ass. What had poor Kyra walked into. At least he pretty much stayed still after that and let Epiphany touch the mark at will?

Then he cleared his throat. Serious Archer time. He turned his head to sort of look at Epiphany there behind him, best as he could anyway. "It does, yeah. The spirit-thing, it's not exactly happy about being caged up. And with me about as magical as a milk carton, it's learned to wait when I'm not at my best to try to make a jail break."

When he turned just enough to pick up his scotch, that's when he saw the newcomer. Half naked him was drawing a crowd! Eat that, Fallon. But seriously, he flashed Kyra a grin that was kind of apologetic as he took up his glass. And said to her, "So hi there. First thing you should know about me is that I'm not always bearing bony bod in public. It's just Epiphany's birthday here and she said that it was the only special wish in her life that hadn't yet come true..." His grin widened. He couldn't wait to hear Epiphany's reply to that. Until then, a nice long drink of Scotch.

[Guest]

Kyra's eyes were a little wide and her wings were fluttering a bit for seeing a half naked man and hearing him scream it all made her a bit nervous. And then she heard someone speaking and she looked around not sure if he was speaking to her or someone behind her...it has been known to happen. When she realized he was speaking to her she stopped and smiled and looked at Epiphany understanding a little more of what was going on here. And just what was going through Kyra's mind about this....they were dating and the happy couple were trying to get some action in public. She spoke in a bit of a nervous tone.

"Hello to you both....I can ummm leave you to some privacy if you would like?"

[Epiphany]

Archer yelling that he was burning certainly did get a reaction from Pip! It put her under the impression that her fingers against his tattoo actually had done something! She wouldn't be too surprised. There was some type of aura around that mark of his and something could have happened. Epiphany yanked her hand back rather quickly, the Scotch sloshed in the pitcher and a very wide-eyed expression was on her face.

Then he was chuckling and she pursed her lips together. He had tricked her! He'd be lucky if she didn't dump the pitcher of Scotch over his head! But she wouldn't do that. No. Instead she put it down and gave him a playful shove using both hands against his back. "You Punk." She was laughing too so he should know that she didn't mean her words in a bad way. "I wouldn't like being caged on your back all the time either." Since her hands were free she climbed on the bar and was kneeling on it. Might have looked a bit odd to anyone who saw them.

That's when she saw Kyra. With what Archer had said and Pip's position it was no wonder that she thought they needed privacy. Having a bit of fun with it all she placed her hands on Archer's shoulders and gave a small squeeze before leaning forward, very nearly putting her chin on his shoulder. But she wasn't that friendly to the guy.

"Kyra, this is Archer. He and I like to set off sparks." It was true, just not in the way that Kyra might be thinking. "As part of my wish, he's going to start a few fires with me." Back at him. So maybe she couldn't play his same game, but she could play a game.

[Archer Caughey]

When he saw Epiphany startle behind him, Archer started to LAUGH. And when she shoved him, Archer took the pushed step forward in stride as he laughed even harder. Man, did he need a laugh or a hundred. Caddy could do that to him, when they got into one of their matches - tense him up to the point where he felt like he was going to explode. So trying here to wet his whistle, well he sure picked a winner because he was feeling better already!

And thank god he'd drank his glass halfway down so none of his Scotch spilled when she pushed him, right? Seriously important fact. So serious that just in case there was danger of her pushing him again, well he should just drink it up entirely. And that's what he did. Down the hatch and the empty glass hit the bar counter with a plunk. Two pint glasses of Scotch, now Archer was feeling something. The buzz of a Grand Ole Day.

No caging for her? Really? "Sure you would, Epiphany, just look at that muscle." He did a quick flex-unflex-flex-unflex in a way that it was like his muscles were winking at her. Goof. And he was just going to reach for his shirt, too, when he felt her nice warm hands on his shoulders. Well hold up that giddy-up and shirt be damned, maybe she was going to take pity on him and give him a back massage?

So instead of getting himself dressed, Epiphany would feel Archer leaning back towards her. Not too much. Just enough that his back kissed the counter and he could recline some while he was standing. Still facing Kyra, he grinned when Epiphany said what she did, and he'd add on his two cents. "And Kyra, this is Epiphany. She's hoping to toy with my beakers. But I've told her time and again that my beakers are for experts only." He winked at poor Kyra and then added, "But I do give lessons to beginners, if you're ever interested."

And he was actually serious. In fact, he reached behind him and ruffled his fingers in Epiphany's hair like he was a dog trying to dig something up. Sure enough, from her mop he pulled a small card with the finesse of a magician pulling the ole rabbit from a hat. Archer and his illusions. He extended the card out to Kyra so she could take it. "My calling card. I live just about a mile from here, actually."

Archer's Card was one of the few bits of hocus pocus he could execute, and it had instructions on how a person could find or summon him:

[Guest]

Had he really just propositioned in front of others. Her eyes went wide and her wings fluttered in her usual nervous way as her cheeks went red as could be. She had no clue how to handle this but she politely spoke as she started to back away doubting she really wanted to get tangled up in anything with someone that was so blunt to have a calling card for his services.

"Thank you but I don't think I will take you up on your lessons as I'm quite sure I am not ready for them."

[Epiphany]

Archer was funny and Epiphany liked to laugh. Clearly he was a guy who could roll with the punches and take a bit of playful banter without either of them thinking it was anything more than that. Although, sorry Archer, no massage today. Maybe if he caught her on another occasion and they were working on releasing other types of tension, then maybe he would have gotten his wish. And maybe she would finally get a chance to play with his beakers. He leaned back against her and it made Epiphany relax more to practically lay against him.

"It's always been a 'look don't touch' situation, with his beakers but..." She let that drag out for a moment as she saw his empty glass on the bar. Having told him that he'd never have an empty glass, Epiphany reached for the pitcher, keeping one arm still against his back. The girl had good balance. "Things have a way of changing." And she refilled his glass.

She had just finished refilling his glass when he preformed that magic trick. The pitcher was down and she gave a tug to his ear,head tipped to the side as she looked at him, and her hand returned back to his shoulder with a light chuckle. "I thought you stopped hiding things behind my ears."

Kyra, she must have made that comment about the lessons because she was scared. New experiences scared many people wary at first. "Oh don't worry Kyra, Archer here is very skilled, he'll have you doing and saying things you never dreamed possible." Oh look at that, made it was a force of habit, or a natural thing, but her hands had begun to apply pressure to his shoulders and squeeze those muscles he had been so avid about flexing moments before.

"He can take us both at the same time. He'll go easy since it will be your first time."

[AngelRayne]

Angel needed a Twix moment ... or something. Anything was better then just kinda standing there in shock of the events unfolding in front of her and being thankful her son was with Ravyne and Kyle.

~" You better say something ... you've been just standing here stareing for ten mins. And the thoughts in your head AREN'T helping you any. "~ Silver had a hint of a smile on that wolf face of his, it wasn't as good as he was expecting but Angel's reaction was priceless .. to him at least. All her talk, he knew her better then that.

" I'm trying..." Hissed at the wolf. "Just get your furry arse off the steps and try not to get yourself in trouble."

~" As if I would. "~ Silver huffed twice and started off the steps.

Meanwhile, Angel took a deep, quiet breath and let it out slowly. Light blues closed for a moment, before opening those light blues and planting that Angel, everything is alright with me I swear cough yeah right cough , smile on her lips. Booted feet took her to the bar and behind it to grab .. omg .. her bottle! Like she'd ever be anywhere with out that oh so wonderful mixture? It was her savior in a bottle. She waited for a break in the convo before saying anything. " Still the charmer I see hun..." That was to Archer. " Are you feeling alright Pip?" That question was asked with a brow raise and a slight tilt of her head.

Tilt didn't last long, Angel wanted her snack and felt like she had to be like twenty miles away from the Inn as soon as possible. So, cap to her bottle was removed and a long swallow of her drink was taken. That drink should hold her for at least the trip.

[Guest]

Her eyes were still wide at the what Epiphany had said to her and she really wanted to know what she walked in on. She inched backwards still trying to stay out of the way of all of the perversion that was going on in this place. For once she thought it was a good thing being too young for such things. She stood with her back against the wall not sure what to do or where to go at this point. A part of her was rather intrigued but the rest of her was scared to death. She just stood there not saying anything to anyone.

[Archer Caughey]

Archer was not shy about propositioning people in front of anyone. He was a man of science, after all! And in the end, that's really what he and Epiphany were talking about, even if Kyra didn't realize it yet. Pip and Archer shared some interests, even if the two hadn't had the time to hash those out in a lab yet. No time like the near future, right? And just in case Kyra changed her mind and she wanted to join in on that near future, Archer placed his card on the counter, using his index finger to slide it over in her direction as far as that long lanky arm of his would go.

"Easy storage," was his reply to Epiphany about hiding things in her ears. "Haven't you been getting my monthly rental payments?" He tipped his head back enough that he could see her while he gave her his usual fool's grin. And then, she squeezed him. He let out a satisfied grunt n' sigh, dipping his head in a big encouraging nod. "Yeap yeap yeap that's the spot little lady, right there, you just keep on a' squeezin until you strike gold or the dragon bites, whichever comes first." She knew she wanted to give him a massage, deep down. C'mon Epiphany. Succumb to temptation!

Then Archer winked at Kyra, and gave the spooked girl a sage nod. "She's right, y'know. Coque secundum artem! - I'll have you yelling that like an expert before the day is done." Were they ever going to put this poor girl at ease? The latin phrase meant 'boil according to art' and was a handy dandy term when you dabbled in the sciences that Archer did, but with the way he phrased it you'd think he was talking in dirty tongues.

"I'll take you all on!" he added with vigor as he picked up his refilled glass, raising it in a toast for no good reason at all. "My pad is king size. Room enough for the kit and the caboodle, and conveniently just over a mile down the street."

As he took a drink, Angel finally decided to join the party. Brow cocked at her comment to him, and he punctuated his lengthened gulp with a nice satisfied "Ah," before he set this glass down on the bar. Grey eyes meeting hers, he'd give her a shit-eating smile. "Well sure 'nough, Angel. A guy doesn't get to be a daddy-to-be by being a total lost cause, right?" Was he serious? He couldn't be serious.

...could he?

[AngelRayne]

He was so totally lucky that Angel actually swallowed that drink before his words hit her ears, for he would have been wearing her drink in stead of that shit-eating smile he had on his face. Pfft, he'd probably wear both.

Was he trying to hurt her for some reason? Well if he was he found the magic sore spot. Good game Archer. One of two things he could have said to upset her. Light blues moved from Pip to look at Archer. The smile was still on her face, the only difference was flash of pain in her light blues, the fact that her right hand was glowing just a bit and when the pain was gone from her light blues ... if looks could kill, he'd be a corpse again.

When she spoke, there was no hint of any change of emotion. "Grats to you..."

~" Angel ..... "~ Silver walked over and stood next to her, head nudging at her left hand trying to get her to pet him, or at least focus on him a moment and not Archer. ~" remember what we talked about. "~

"Stick it Silver .. I don't care want the bloody hell we talked about. " Out loud reply to the wolfs voice in her head. Glowing right hand made a little fist as low flames started to dance on her skin. " finally get that heir you care so bloody much about..."

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