Seattle, the invitation for Dinah

[basic_powers]

He is a man of his word, and one more than capable of figuring out how to get people in and out of his world with little issue. That's why he and Dinah emerge from the third stall of the Unisex bathroom of the Seattle Public Library. It's clean, quiet, and most importantly of all, devoid of security cameras.

"Be this portal ever so humble."

Comments

[basic_powers]

With Beauford, you can be assured he'll find the best place to sit and take it all in.

And there is plenty to take in, it looks like there's a couple of very bendy cage dancers up tonight in their best Vegas Showgirl outfits. And on the floor itself are many other couples, singles or packs of people moving about to the music.

It's skirting around the edge that has Beauford asking Dinah what kind of drink she wants, before handing her a slim appetizer menu.

[raptorcanaria]

For this place? "Something with an olive," she says, squinting at the menu. "And a ridiculous name. And a lot of alcohol."

But the appetizer menu is her main source of focus. It has to be hours since she last ate.

[basic_powers]

Menu

Sweet Potato Fries With Lime Juice and Mint yogurt dipping sauce - $4

Sweet Shrimp Tempura with Dark Fish dipping sauce - $6

Vegetable dip: Roasted Eggplant, Butternut Squash and Spinach spiced with curry and coconut milk, served with pita chips -$6

Mojito Yakitori: Chicken Thighs marinated in lime juice, rum, sugar, mint and mild scallions, grilled on a skewer, 2 skewers a plate - $7

By Special Request: Scotch Egg - $7

Felafel: A warm pita stuffed with chickpea patties, tahini sauce, cucumbers lettuce and tomato

Vegan finger sandwiches: Avocado, tomato, and cucumber on toasted slices of sourdough - $7

Dessert menu on the back

"Alright... Melita! A Dirty Stranger Days Martini with those blue-cheese stuffed olives if you've got any left, and my usual for me!" Beauford calls to the pink and green haired girl with the tattoos tending bar.

[raptorcanaria]

(Pink and Green haired girl with the tattoos is kind of hot, for the record. Also Dinah? Totally straight, no really.)

(Really.)

"I just want all of this," she complains. "But I'm going to have to start with the shrimp, or my mouth will never forgive me."

[basic_powers]

"Alright, we'll wait until Melita gets back with our drinks." It doesn't take too long, Melita (pink, green, hot with tattoos) hands Dinah a very large martini glass with two of those blue-cheese stuffed olives with a wink. Beauford however gets something that looks rather like a rootbeer float without the ice cream. "We're going to order some shrimp tempura, 2 orders of sweet potato fries, a mojito yakitori and a scotch egg."

...what? He's hungry too!

"And could I get an icepack? Had a little incident walking here..."

"...doesn't look like she punched you." Melita comments as Beauford blushes.

[raptorcanaria]

Oh, to be able to brag about how, if she punched him, he wouldn't be be here sitting and ordering food. Stupid secret identity. Stupid anti-violent ethics.

Dinah just gives Melta a smile over her drink.

"Wow, you really weren't kidding about the drinks being great here."

[basic_powers]

"Well not to say 'I told you so'... oh wait, I just did." Beauford chuckles, nodding up to a higher area to sit, out of the dancing zone, as Melita hands him a ziplock baggie of ice for his side.

"Food'll be out in a few, I'll send Jasil up with your order when it's done."

"Thanks Mel."

[raptorcanaria]

Dinah raises her glass in an echo of those thanks and follows Beauford up to the seats. "How is it, by the way?"

[basic_powers]

"Asprin's kicked in, the ice is just to make sure it doesn't make for a nasty bruise later on..." Beauford sighes, taking a long sip from his drink before sitting down, his back to the balcony edge. "He just picked exactly the worst spot to hit."

[raptorcanaria]

"Old wound?"

Dinah's frowning a little bit, because she's used to old wounds playing up, but to incapacitate someone that badly sounds like it hasn't healed right at all.
...not that she has any medical knowledge at all.

[basic_powers]

"...yeah."

With that Beauford rolls up the bottom of his shirt, even in the flickering lights, Dinah can probably see the three big circular scars and the lines connecting between them, one just under the ribcage, the other two further down along his side.

[raptorcanaria]

Her frown deepens. That's definitely no ordinary scarring.

"...Ow."

[basic_powers]

Yeeeeeah no.

"Yeah. You, ah...can kind of see why I didn't make it into the Olympics."

[raptorcanaria]

"Too much of a wimp to get the other two rings?"

What? He said he'd use bad humour as a defense mechanism.

[basic_powers]

for a moment, he just stares not sure what she's talking about before laughing whole and deeply.

"Ah-hahahaaaaa..."

[raptorcanaria]

Dinah grins at him, laughing a little in relief that it wasn't a complete disaster. She grew up surrounded by men who kept gaining scars and covering them over with machismo.

"Better finish that drink. I hear mixing painkillers with alcohol is awesome."

[basic_powers]

"I will, I will." Beauford grins, looking up as a lovely latino comes up to them bearing a tray of food, who is dressed entirely in varying shades of purple in velvet and satin. "Jasil! Dinah, this is the wonderful wonderfully strange peh who has the most awesome pimp mobile in Seattle, possible the US."

[raptorcanaria]

"Hi!" Dinah says brightly. "I hope you remembered to keep a good engine in it."

Talking of engines, she's already refueling hers by taking a piece of tempure right off the plate before it's fully set down.

"Nice to meet you."

[basic_powers]

"And it's a pleasure to meet you honey," Jasil purrs out, laughing lightly as peh sets down the tray full of food. "How do you know our little puppy?"

[raptorcanaria]

"My Mom's friends with his uncle," Dinah answers, as soon as the first bite of tempura is down, and taking the lead from earlier. "I don't know anyone in town so Beauford was lumbered with entertaining me."

[basic_powers]

"Ah, that would be his esteemed Uncle Ray wouldn't it, from New York?"

"Yep, the one and the same." Beauford supplies, rolling with it as easily as anything. "She wanted to visit Seattle."

"Well such a gentleman for a cousin. You know if she's half as much a tinkerer and engine freak as your uncle is, I might let her peek under Lilac's hood."

[raptorcanaria]

"Cars aren't my forte," Dinah admits. "If she were a bike I'd jump at it, but more than two wheels is kind of a turn off."

[basic_powers]

"Ahh...well, we all have our own peculiar loves for rides," Jasil smiles before looking Beauford over again. "Puppy, why are you holding that ice pack there, hrrm?"

"Errr...we ran into some trouble getting here."

"Don't tell this peh you walked all the way here from your apartment. Puppy...it is a dangerous neighborhood you live in."

"Jasil..."

[raptorcanaria]

"We didn't walk," Dinah says helpfully. "We just ran into trouble before we hit the bus stop."

She's pretty calm about it; it wasn't exactly a big deal.

[basic_powers]

"It was a pair of idiots from the MML, Jasil." Beauford sighes, leaning back into what little there is to support him in the chair. "Really, they tried to stage a mugging, and one of them got lucky when he hit me."

"Hrmmf." That is not a believing look from the peh.

"...and on a happier note, tell me there's some of Garrison's jalapeno and cheese cornbread left." Beauford, notably making a u-turn in his facial expression, from embarassed to mildly flirty begging.

Complete with what can only be described as a hungry puppy look.

"....you are a shameless beggar, Puppy." Jasil smiles. "I'll see if there's any left."