A sketchy bar, Baltimore, Friday Afternoon

[soniaroadsqueen]

Dante had found them a great bar. Dingy, grimy, and cheap. In what Ringo was pretty sure was one of the worse parts of town. Despite the time of day, they weren't the only one's there. There were also the sorts of people you might expect to be in a sketchy bar on a Friday afternoon.

People who Ringo wasn't even paying attention to. "Is whiskey the best way to do this?" she asked, glancing over at Dante. "That's what you usually have, right?"

She probably shouldn't be getting drinking advice from Dante, but it wasn't like she had anyone else to get it from anymore.

[ooc: Expecting one.]

Comments

[soniaroadsqueen]

She had the sink turned on all the way, the sound of water splashing against porcelain pretty much the only one in the room. It didn't usually take five minutes to wash your face, but that's how long Ringo spent bent over the sink, scrubbing at her face.

When she came back out, her eyes were bloodshot. Which was clearly just from the water, okay?

"You can have the rest of the pizza." Like she needed to tell him that.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Thanks," Dante said. He looked up at her, and, well, her eyes said enough. "You know how to get to Portalocity from here?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Yeah." Or she could figure it out, anyway.

Ringo took a deep breath and walked over to the door. She glanced down at her ATs, then shrugged, and stuffed her bare feet into them. She had socks back home.

She bent to lace them up, studiously avoiding looking up at Dante.

Then she was done, and she did look. A long, thoughtful study of his face.

He could ask her to stay, and she would.

[rebelseekspizza]

She needed to stop looking at him. The longer she was looking at him, the more aware he suddenly was of the pressure in his head-- the pressure behind his eyes.

Dante ducked his head.

"Ringo," he muttered. To his pizza. Which he eyed, for a while, chewing on words in his head.

"Just, uh-- Be safe, all right?"

That wasn't even the second question that had come to mind.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Yeah," she said with a jerky nod.

"You, too, Dante."

She turned and reached for the door, then paused and looked back over her shoulder.

"Take care of yourself, okay?" Please?

Then she turned the knob and stepped outside before he could say anything to break the tenuous control she was managing to hold onto.

[rebelseekspizza]

There was no danger of Dante coming after her, at least. He let out a loud, wet sigh, rubbing at the corners of his eyes until they were sore again. He packed away a couple more slices of pizza - then got up.

Ringo had to be gone by now, right? He could head downstairs, find the club a few blocks down, and do something thoroughly stupid.

He hadn't been - or felt - this alone since last September. It was time to man up and deal with that.