Warlock had to agree with Cesca: It’s good to unwind and have fun. He’d considered tonight might be more of a stake out for future escapades, but it was good simply to enjoy this club and the people. Really the people. Okay, primarily Cesca but Carrick was cute, and charming. As Cesca and Carrick spoke, Jonas looked back and forth between them with a grin and nod.

This was good.

He laughed at Carrick’s feigned exaltation about his wings. Jonas simply nodded reluctantly if he couldn’t fly, what a waste it would be. And Cesca clearly agreed it was grand how he used them in his performance. “Yeah I really hoped that they let ya soar,” Jonas smiled.

It was an interesting thought, how often mutants had to become their own teachers. It was rare to meet anyone even with a similar gift, let alone everyone used theirs or tapped into them differently. Ugh, imagine that unlucky mutant born in some podunk town and the only other mutant in town had your powers too? Clearly there’d be questions of if they shared a parent or if there was a spill in the water or something…

His attention focused on Cesca, and stayed with her, as she remarked about entertainment back home. His eyes softened and he was thankful Carrick took the opportunity to build on the off-hand comment but in an encouraging way. “Yeah, Chicago’s just a flight away,” Jonas said with a gentle tone and a wink.

“When was your last time back? Maybe we need to plan that trip, eh Carrick?” he asked of Cesca but glanced the musician’s way.

Her smile faded; in fact if it wasn't for the alcohol, she might have snapped. But something about it just...dulled the situation. Even if it was her fault for not knowing how to properly mutter under her breath while drunk. Inebriated as she was, however, she still wasn't going to divulge too much to quickly. Or at all, really. While she wished they could have just kept talking about wings(and some chicken wings sounded damn good right now), this was the hand she'd dealt herself.

Taking a moment of silence, she shook her head. "That won't be necessary, nor possible, sadly," she said slowly, thoughtfully. "Let's just say, some things went sour back home. Restaurant went out of business, family separated, that sort of thing. I moved here to start over. Make my own way, my own name." She sighed, drawing her legs into herself a little. She was almost...vulnerable. "It's...fairly recent. It just kinda...well, I guess you could say it just sucks. I'm here just starting over, and maybe...well, maybe I'm not as in control as I try to be," she shook the thoughts out of her head before stretching and standing to her feet. She straightened her hair, fixed her tie, and then plopped right back onto the couch.

Taking a breath, she regained her confidence. "Sorry about that. Just one of those things I guess."

The shifter chuckled at the word ‘soar’ when he started out if was far from soaring. Getting thrown off a cliff into the cold ocean waters was great motivation. At least that was when he learned how to use backdrafts and eventually flying. Nothing like proper motivation. ‘thanks Da’ he thought to himself while maintaining a smile.

The smile faltered slightly as Cesca recounted why she was here. To make her own way, which was why Carrick determined most people came to the city. It was easy to start over here. ”’suppose we can! My rates aren’t cheap though.”

A tail flicked and he took a sip of his drink trying not to let the feelings Cesca had wash over him. Despite playing aloof, Carrick at times was quite sympathetic. ”Lot easier ta start over here.” Carrick agreeing winked and smiled. ”Didn’t know that Cesca but I’m enjoying this ones company.”

”Ta new beginnings!” he raised his glass and then looked to Jonas.

”What about you? Sothern accent....” he adopted the thick accent he associated with Ranger, a supervisor in S.U.P.E.R. who enjoyed ‘training’ him mercilessly with what Carrick called affectionally ‘beatings’

”I don’t think I hear a Texas accent. At least not one I’m ‘amiliar with.” he talked slower trying to get the words out with the twang of the lone star state. At least he thought it was. Ranger often found it funny.

Yikes.

Ved could be called calculating and manipulative. He’d question you why as if you could convince him, but that too was just a play. Oh he’d known Cesca was clearly upset by something back at home and he couldn’t leave it alone. Jonas on the other hand was well-meaning, sweetly intention, and just a bit inebriated to miss the social cues of Cesca’s muttering.

Or maybe Ved was too? Or he wanted to know because it upset Cesca? No, he was getting info. Was he? Was he manipulating himself? Damn this whiskey.

Either way, Cesca stopped smiling and the night got darker. Silence opened the expanse of the void of the stars above and Ved thanked a thousand saints some Cthuluesque horror didn’t arrive to punish everyone. Or play with them. Or eat them. It was hard to tell with such alien monsters when they easily manipulated lives like nothing mattered-

Oh shit. This whiskey was hitting. Were there any pretzels? Perhaps a slider or something…

Finally Cesca spoke after what was only a few seconds but clearly too long. Jonas frowned at her first comments, nodding slowly. He grimaced, looking down embarrassed, and then sheepishly over to Carrick as Cesca went on.

When she stood, Jonas looked up to her and gave an apologetic half-frown, half-smile. He nodded a bit, and added atop Carrick’s comments with a, “Ya got nuthin to be sorry for.” Emotions tended to get accents heavier, as did liquor, so now was the right time. “I should be though if nothing else, glad whatever brought you to this bar tonight.”

Jonas - and Ved - agreed there, raising a drink as Carrick called for it. He waited for Cesca before taking a sip.

“Oh, nope, not Texan. South Carolina. We said y’all first,” Jonas gave a proud nod and a silly grin that said he didn’t take it too seriously. “I came up to the city years ago ‘cause I decided folks were a bit too narrow down around me. Some people took wrongly to my cousin ‘cause she could see through things and got translucent herself. I didn’t care for that,” he shook his head and took a sip of his whiskey. That was a true southern sign of emotions after all.

“I needed outta there and to broaden my horizons and well, the big city is the dream right? My cousin said she loved it here saved for all the frequent happenings, which got her traveling Europe. But here I am. Thankfully no shortage of work ‘round here either.”

Cesca smiled genuinely, much softer than usual. Inside, however, her heart was aching and fluttering and there was an overwhelming torrent of feelings that she had been trying to avoid rushing at her all at once. Maybe it was the whiskey, maybe it was the fact that she needed to talk to someone, or maybe she was just stupid and emotional and unable to fully be the sturdy unphasable rock that she needed to be.

"Basically, I'm from a crime family in Chicago; the Galloways aren't quite as well known as some of the others, but they've been in the news more here lately. I learned everything I know about life and the business from my father, even using my mutation to aid when need be. Well, I'd had a girlfriend that I brought around, but come to find out she was just using me to get to my family. Everyone except me was arrested, as far as I know. I ended up getting away but...I blamed myself, and I haven't seen or heard from anyone since. So I guess I'm just trying to strike out on my own."

She paused, wiping her eye before raising her glass. "To new beginnings." Then, she downed the rest of it.

The Irishman was about to comment on narrow minded people and how he felt about them but stopped when Cesca hit them with more information on to why she needed to start over. ”Yeeesh...” he said slowly. His feathers slumped a little, not sure what else to say. His tail flicked behind him and he followed suit with another sip from his drink. As was custom when someone was being real with him.

”Wait.... yer a mutant?” Carrick asked feigning a disgusted look. ”I can’t believe I’m drinking with a mutant. Grosss!!!” he said as his wings moved around behind him more than usual to show he was joking. If they didn’t know he was one as well at this point then there was no helping them.

”Well, glad ta meet a fellow heir ta the family business.” he said finally perking up a bit. ”Bastard prince of the Emerald Isles.” thumbing his chest knowing that it wasn’t a real position. Ireland didn’t have kings. His father was just a terrorist and a piece of ****. Carrick wanted nothing to do with him or whatever he had planned. The shifter was even willing to turn him over to SUPER, if they asked nicely.

”What do ya do fer work Jonas?” Carrick asked trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Cesca laid it all out, real honest-like, which honestly made Ved wonder how bad she was actually feeling, how fed up she was with it, or what she was probably hiding beyond these facts. Part of it he figured was she was just baller tough and she was done with dealing with shitty worries. He could respect that; that was a damn good place to be in. But clearly she was upset about it too. Ruinous love’ll do that to ya. Lost family too. Yikes.

Jonas frowned slightly as Vesca finished, raising his own glass and taking a sip. He wasn’t about to throw it all back like Cesca wise. Okay maybe upset than Ved thought.

Carrick seemed to feel similarly; Jonas threw a glance his way at the quiet yeeesh. He half-grinned though at the playful mutant talk. A small chuckle followed at the fluttering wings. The bard wasn’t giving up what was the family business, but Ved drew some conclusions based on the typical foreign Irish affairs: drugs, mob, guns. It wasn’t usually fine sweaters or singing. Winged Irish Army? Maybe.

Jonas was leaning back in the sofa, nodding along with Carrick, when the question of work came to him. His eyebrows rose up and he took the bait to change the subject. “Oh uhm, well,” the southern-accented guy started, “I came up for anything honestly. Wanted to get away form that family bigotry like I said… Mostly found myself taking cash jobs like construction. I’m good with my hands.” He chuckled a bit.

“I’ve taken a few runner jobs, worked on a fishing boat, but always seems to come back to construction and I’m hoping it’ll keep me here awhile. Thankfully ‘round here there’s always something. Meet a lot different people that way at least,” he nodded. “Though I’m thinking going out to the bar is proving far better now,” he gestured with his drink to Cesca and then Carrick.

“New York’s a city for new fortune, new friends, and maybe even found family?” he smiled. “Seems we all came to the right place. Granted it’d help if I stuck around long enough to be more than some rando from a bar so don’t ya let me go off on no boat again.”

I mean, it was true... At least for Jonas.