Oh, yes, it's Ladies' Night. And the feeling's right...

[bossyboiler]

Who: The Ladies (featuring Winter)
When: Tuesday Night
Where: Starting out a bar named TWenty-One and Cup and from there, who knows!?!
Summary: All of the girls have been invited. Now it's time for the Ladies enjoy a much needed night on the town. DRINKING GAME ALERT! Spot Winter, take a shot.
Notes: This is a mix and mingle style log. Post your own top-level, respond to others.
Warnings: N/A at the moment, will update if needed.


There's a new bar in Gloucester and the imported ladies mean to make the most of its first Ladies Night. Twenty-One and Cup promises half-off all pun-inspired drinks and shots are buy two, get one free. There are plenty of pun-inspired drinks such as Cinnamon Toast Punch, Tequila Mockingbird and Sauvignon Private Ryan. The puns don't stop there. Puns adore the various artwork surrounding the bar.

The rest of the bar's décor is casual. There are fairy lights that decorate the ceiling with a large disco ball in the center of the room that's meant to serve as the dance floor. Seating comes mostly in the form of tables but in the various corners there are booths to sit in. There are a smattering of couches here and there.

There's no need to worry about a designated driver. They all had to take the bus.

All signs point towards that it should be a fun evening for all though some may hate themselves in the morning.

Comments

[worthallthis]

Winter squints at her over his cocoa cup rim. "You won't try to shoot anyone in there," he says, half a question. "Why would you be a threat."

He does not quite put together that "threat" in this case does not mean to one's life. She might need to explain, which may or may not ruin the joke.

[musicdied]

"I will not try to shoot anyone tonight," Yelena confirms. "Unless they're worshipping some sort of fire demon and try to kill us all. Then I will definitely shoot them."

Good behaviour, apparently, ends where human sacrifice begins.

"But I didn't mean that kind of threat. More...a bad influence."

[worthallthis]

"Well, yes, that's different." That is a valid exception to any rules of good behavior. "I would think you would be a good. Influence. Against fire demons and hurting people needlessly. Helping me with Stranger shit."

This is before Yelena and Meredith had their kiss, obviously, or he would more clearly understand this mindset.

Also, yes, he's pretty sure his Entity is the Stranger by now, and has certainly told her, unless she told him first.

[musicdied]

A shadow crosses Yelena's face, and she shakes her head slightly.

"I'm not a good person to follow. But I'm not trying to influence anyone tonight to do anything other than have a little fun."

Which they all badly need, after the last several months.

[worthallthis]

He frowns down at her, not liking the shadow. Not liking how she talks about herself, sometimes. "Yelena. You are not a bad person to follow, either."

[musicdied]

"I think maybe you're a little biased," she says, with a faint huff of laughter.

It's fine. She knows what she is.

[worthallthis]

"I know many, many worse people than you, Yelena," he says, earnest and honest. It's not even just HYDRA; he's met worse people here. Maybe he is biased, but also: "You care about people. Even if you are sometimes practical about them. You protect them. That's what matters."

[musicdied]

She blinks at him in puzzlement for a moment, head canting slightly.

"I'm not saying I am a terrible person," she says.

(She's fairly certain she is a terrible person, but that's beside the point.)

"Just that I'm a bad example to follow. No one should look at me and think 'that is what I want to do with my life'." She pauses, then grins. "Fortunately, the people there are grown women who are not completely insane, so that probably isn't a problem we're going to actually have."

[worthallthis]

Winter gives her a 'you're being very dense right now' kind of look. "Yelena. You were forced into your life. So it is not an example to follow because no one else is going to be forced into that life, if we have anything to say about it."

He pauses, narrows his eyes, and asks, "Is someone giving you trouble over your life, Yelena?" Because he will punch them if so.

[musicdied]

"Yeeeeeeeeeeees." She draws the word out slowly, then sighs. "That is my point, Winter. I'm a product of..."

She cuts off, and shakes her head again. "Never mind. It is...an old sore spot, from a long time before we came here. And no, no one is giving me trouble about my life. I haven't told anyone much about my life, just little things, and the parts anyone could infer from the things I can do."

A brief pause.

"Anyone still here. Wanda knew some things, but she never judged."

[worthallthis]

"Good. I think you are a perfectly fine person," Winter says firmly. "And anyone who says otherwise. Is wrong." Including you, Yelena, so stop putting yourself down, dammit. He may indeed be biased, and have a slightly twisted version of what counts as a perfectly fine person, but he's still firm in having this particular opinion.

[musicdied]

"I know when I'm beaten," she says, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Sure, it's more like 'I know when someone's stubborn enough to argue until we both pass out from exhaustion', but that's close enough to the same thing to count.

"I should probably get back inside before anyone notices I'm missing and tries to send a search party."

[worthallthis]

It is indeed close enough, and Winter will take it as a win. He nods. "All right. I'll be out here."

He leans down, holding out the flesh hand for her. He's trying this touching thing again now and then with her, and a hand around a wrist, or maybe clasping a hand back, is safe enough when it's Yelena.

[musicdied]

Her smile blooms into something brighter, and she rises up on the balls of her feet again to reach up and clasp his hand, squeezing gently.

It's such a small thing.

It means so very much.