"Yeah...I'm not sure I could handle a rematch or a round two at this point. Especially considering the odds,"

Yeah Cafas didn't fancy the risk of a round two. He had buckets of experience and training on the thugs, but they were unlikely to be so unprepared a second time. He didn't fancy the chances of them coming back with more friends. He might not be able to avoid getting hit if all of them went at him as one. "Plus, by the sounds of it if we got in any more trouble you wouldn't survive your missus."

A common situation. Maybe I should stop drinking tonight? I suppose it's not like I live with Maya.

"So...any ideas? I'm not exactly familiar with this part of town anymore."

Cafas thought for a moment, looking around to get a clearer picture of where they were. He had a few places he knew. It came down to a question of bar or club. They'd both been in a bar, so that seemed obvious, but he'd offer a club anyway. Which club was an interesting question. Most bars were much of a muchness. Clubs were a different kettle of fish. What had been the one he'd been to the other night?

"Depends. You feel like a jazz club or another bar?"

"Yeah, we haven't been together long, so I don't know the full extent of her rage yet. And between you and me, that's not exactly something I'm itchin' to find out," he replied with a slight chuckle. But not too much because he was still sore, and his body reminded him with every above-average breath.

"Hell....at this rate, I think I'd be lucky to survive any more trouble," he added as an afterthought, complete with groan.

Hmm....interesting options. Bars were usually not his usual style anymore, as bars usually spelled trouble; a fact that was very quickly brought back to his memory not long ago. Clubs however, were different; they were usually more upbeat and had more people just looking for fun and less people just wanting to get drunk and start fights.

"Jazz club sounds like a decent idea. And safe," he answered.

Cafas could relate. He really didn't want to find out just how mad Maya could get. She did seem a lot more the disappointed in you type than the mad at you. Then again, Jiri might disagree. His opinion could hardly be trusted though, he'd taken a laptop to the head. Who knows what sort of damage that did?

"Jazz club sounds like a decent idea. And safe,"

Well that settled it. Looking Glass it was. "Aight, it's not too far. Not the biggest place, but pretty friendly." Cafas set off at a fair pace, weaving between people. A few minutes of travel later he swung down an Alley, past the usual chalk board sign, advertising the night's band. Down a flight of stairs, a brief nod to the bouncer and a flash of his ID to the dude at the host stand.

"Welcome to Looking Glass. Don't bother with the Mad Hatter, unless you particularly like aniseed."

It wasn't a particularly crowded night. The band was respectable, had most people dancing. Everyone was smiling, so he very much doubted there'd be any fights. Not to mention that security at Looking Glass didn't mess around. "First round's on me."

Now that he thought about it, he really didn't want to know what Mag was like when she was legitimately angry. Tses was scary with the explosions and all, but...well he had seen a taste of Mag's power. She could end up striking him down with lightning from heaven or something else in that quite literal ballpark.

"Sounds good. I don't care too much for the huge joints; things tend to get out of hand easily. Smaller usually means more friendly and more close-knit." Ty already knew to have his ID ready, seeing as how he didn't look like he belonged on any scene with alcohol, especially since he shaved and cleaned himself up. But hey, two years ago his ID lost the need to be faked, so to speak.

It was a pretty nice, cozy place; a far cry from his usual club of choice and its green lights and metal music. But the jazz was very relaxing, and if things kept at this pace, he may have found a decent backup joint that would negate the need to hop bars ever again.

"Thanks," he replied with a nod. "Think I'll go for a rum and cola." His eyes scanned the place, mostly out of paranoia. Considering Ty's walk of life, lumped with what he'd been through tonight alone, much less the past year....well, let's just say for guys like Ty, it helped to be at least a little paranoid.

"Thanks, think I'll go for a rum and cola."

Cafas nodded and headed over to the bar. He felt maybe he should put a stopper in the alcohol consumption for the night. Maybe he'd just get a coke? Yeah, he decided just a coke by the time the bartender was speaking to him.

Okay, one rum and coke, one coke, you got this.

"Two rum and cokes."

Damn it. He hadn't meant to do that. He payed for the drinks and pushed one towards Ty. Maybe he'd just drink it slowly. Cafas raised the drink for a sip, and it was almost half gone. He was left feeling a little angry at himself, and finished the drink on the spot out of spite. "Huh, guess I needed that one. So, what do you do?" It seemed like a safe enough question for a new aquaintance

Bvvt bvvt.

Who the heck is texting me at this time?

Cafas cast a curious look down to his phone. It appeared to have survived the tussle. Good thing too, he'd just replaced the damn thing. He fished the device out of his pocket and cast a glance over the screen. A smile crossed his face as he saw who was texting him.

Hey, what are you up to?

Was she checking in to make sure he wasn't drinking? Maybe, but maybe she just wanted to talk. People did that, when they were dating. That thought made Cafas smile just that little bit more. He unlocked his phone and put together a reply. He considered lying, but ultimately if he was going to fail, he may as well admit to it.

"Sorry 'bout that, Maya's texting me."

This time, it could be noted that Ty was drinking his a little faster than he had earlier that night. Why? Well, it could be speculated that maybe he anticipated more trouble and wanted to down it promptly. Or maybe he was just past his "cautious drinking" phase for the night, and just wanted to put a few away. Or maybe, and most accurately, maybe he was just drinking his drink whichever way he damn well pleased because he was a grown ass man.

"That makes two of us." And then, the million dollar question...

"So, what do you do?"

Great. There wasn't much of a way to sugar-coat being a thief. Well, maybe there was, but it'd take some time to thi--Bvvt bvvt bvvt...

Oh thank gods. The text gave him a little time to work on his sugar coating a bit.

"Oh, it's no problem. I don't really have a job job. I just do odd jobs on the side, mostly using my mutation. Pays the bills."

He gave a shrug. Yep, that was perfect...

"Oh, it's no problem. I don't really have a job job. I just do odd jobs on the side, mostly using my mutation. Pays the bills."

An expression of slight surprise crossed Cafas' face. Ty being a mutant hadn't even crossed his mind. "Oh, you're a mutant? Yeah a lot of us end up in that odd jobs position. I got lucky and escaped." He tried to have a casual sip of his drink, but there was still none left. He put the cup down a little abashed.

It's literally been a few seconds, how'd you manage to forget that was empty?

Cafas tapped the corner of his phone against the bar absentmindedly, waiting for a response. His cup was swiftly cleared. Good, he wouldn't get a second chance to make a fool of himself. He had to keep hold of the phone if he wanted to actually notice it go off. The music may have been quieter than the average club, but that was still perfectly capable of drowning out his ringtone.

Bvvt Bvvt

If you need a pickup or back up, I got you.

Cafas held back the "D'aaaw." that tried its damnedest to escape his lips. No, he had just been in a bar fight. He was not about to let how adorably protective Maya was give Ty an excuse to make fun of him. His manliness would not be questioned.

Except for the hair.

Cafas quickly sent a reply and turned fully back to Ty. "Well, at least I now have a lift home at the end of the night. It's equal parts nice and a little condescending how much she worries."

"Hey, love is a funny language, sometimes," Ty replied with a small shrug and a slight smirk. Thankfully, Ty was able to divert the conversation away from Ty's occupation, because "odd jobs" were 99 times out of a hundred, less than legal. And that isn't something you reveal to a new drinking buddy. Let that tidbit come out later. If ever.

"Sometimes, it actually is an open I love you. Other times, it's worrying, or being aggressively protective. Or in the case of my ex, blowing **** up," he chuckled, not really minding that he was turning his personal life into a joke. Hell, a good portion of his memoirs, should he ever write them, would definitely read like a comedy, so eh. "Take it at face value; she cares, and worrying is how she shows it."

He gave an almost sage-like nod as he downed his drink and waved for another.

"Might be too soon for love, but I take your point." More drinks were waved over and Cafas gratefully accepted a new round. He'd already failed to resist drinking, so eff it, right? He slammed down the drink and slid the glass away. May as well do it right if he was gonna do it.

Probably still too soon for another.

"Your ex sounds like a hell of a story. Mine, it was a toss up whether he'd throw a tantrum and disappear for a week, or sabotage whatever it was I was doing that he didn't like." Being a cop had only made him better at both. Nothing like a half hour roadside lecture to make you late for whatever you were doing. He hadn't even been speeding that much.

35 in a 25...

"Maya doesn't have to do that stuff. She just makes me want to be a better man with her presence in my life." How had they gotten from bar-fight to discussing girlfriends? Whatever, it wasn't so bad really. Beat drinking in surly silence, he'd had some bar mates like that.

Ty nodded as he listened. "Yeah, she was pretty wild, man. Don't know which was more explosive, her ability to throw energy bombs or her personality. Eh, maybe I'm just a sucker for punishment. " He chuckled as he took a sip of his new drink. “Mag’s different though. More laid back, but still as protective as hell. Seems like she might be the jealous type, but…I don’t plan on trying to test that anytime soon.”

He paused, thinking. "Yeah, Mag seems to think I get myself in too much trouble. I've already showed up at her place, bruised and looking like hell once. And tonight, may end up being twice, heh."

Bloop! The sound stirred Ty from the conversation; he hadn't put his phone on vibrate, so the sound akin to a water droplet was a bit disorienting when not expecting it.

"Heh, speak of the devil. Gimme a sec." He pulled out his phone, checking his text. Mag.

Are we still on for drinks at my place tonight, or am I going to have to deal with you bleeding on my carpet again?

Oh right...he was supposed to meet her later. Well, he'd gotten a head start, at least. Checking his time, he realized he still had plenty of time, so no rush.

Yeah. I'll be over later, as planned. And no, I'm not bleeding.

"Apparently I'm meeting her for drinks in a couple hours. Here's to a head start?" He raised his glass, taking another swallow.

More drinks! Cafas needed more drinks. He motioned the bartender, who gave him a look of slight concern. Cafas was fairly certain the concern was for the rest of the patrons more than it was for Cafas. Drunks had a way of ruining things. The drinks were provided anyway. "Energy bombs, damn dude. Mine could turn into a tiger, but I'll take that ov'r energy bombs. Given the shtate of my chest, I suppose I must'ave been a glutton fer punishment too." So many tiger scratches.

Cafas was starting to feel the drinks more seriously. Good, that was the point, after all. "Protect've's okay though. It'sh jealous you gotta watch ou'e for. Y'dont always get th' chance to avoid it." He nodded more at his new drink than at Ty. That whole deal with Allison had been bad, but... What had his name been? Whatever, it was Malibu Ken now. That had been an ordeal.

"Anyway, th' way I hear it, you're bashed up from tha' fall off yer shtool earlier." He didn't look bad enough for that to be an unlikely scenario. A swollen shut eye might have been a different matter, but so long as Mag wasn't too familiar with the bruise pattern a baseball bat left, he should be fine.

Ty's phone gave Cafas a chance to start on his new drink. He'd lost count of how many he was up to. It had to be a few. The barkeep hadn't been skimping on the grog either.

"Apparently I'm meeting her for drinks in a couple hours. Here's to a head start?"

Cafas raised his own glass with a companionable smirk. "To a head start." Cafas drained his glass again. His stomach was starting to complain about the amount of cola he was putting in it. He let out a subtle (ish) burp, turning away from Ty. It freed up space for more drink, if he wanted some.

"'m not meant t' be drinkin' honeshtly. Reckon I got a problem. The problem seems to be tha' my glash is empty." Cafas laughed, while inside he rolled his eye at the way he was managing to deny his problem to himself.

Bloop!

You've still got a few hours, and given your track record... He chuckled at the text, but noticed that his friend was getting...well Cafas hadn't been taking it easy like Ty had, after all.

I'll be careful, I promise. No fighting, no climbing trees, I won't even jaywalk. See you soon <3

"Heh...yeah. These days, it seems the hot ones tend to be the most dangerous, eh? Protective I can handle, that's nice. Jealousy is another beast entirely."

Raising his glass, he finished the rest of his drink. "I think I'm done for now. I've gotta do more drinking later, and I'd like to at least remember ya in the morning," he joked lightly.

Yep, from what Ty could tell, Caf may have had a problem. But sadly it was one Ty himself didn't know how to address. After all, he had his alcoholism under control, he thought.