Darts. He was offering to teach her how to play darts…if she taught him pool. Quin thought the offer over. It was a decent one. She’d learned to play pool in college when the dorm she’d lived in freshman year had gotten a pool table. It had been something to do when there was nothing else going on and she’d gotten good at it. Admittedly, the pool balls had been good practice for powers when nobody was playing too.

“Sounds like a plan.” she said, working to empty the beer that the barman had put in front of her. She didn’t want to be rude, after all. She had to slow down after this one though…she really did. He didn’t bring up the dancing again, and Quin decided to tuck that information away in case the opportunity ever arose to find out If Ashton had any dance floor prowess. It would be interesting, at any rate.

The shooting, however, was not a difficult subject to broach at all.

“So far…what? Quin said, daring a comment about her shooting ability. Sure, it hadn’t been a real issue yet, but the fact remained that she was a good shot and she knew it. Eventually. The redhead snorted at the implication. She shot better than a fair chunk of private citizens with a CHL . That was saying something.

"So far," Ashton repeated, smoothly. He turned his head to look her in the face. "You've been doing alright, keeping up. That doesn't instantly mean some day you'll be my boss."

He hadn't been talking about shooting. He'd been talking about the 'apprentice surpassing the master' comment.

"But that topic," Ashton continued in a chipper tone. "Is for another day. Once we finish these drinks, what do you want to do? Darts, pool, chicken wings, or dancing?" Or more drinks, he recalled with a smile. "I seem to remember you owing me a drink."

”Oh. Okay...thanks.” Quin said with a slightly sheepish smile and a faint blush at the praise from her superior. For some reason she’d been ready to fight there…and there had been no reason. She felt like things were going well too. This was what she’d wanted ever since she’d heard that New York had a police division specifically geared towards mutants. Somehow Quin had known that’s where she wanted to be…needed to be. Now she was getting her chance, and things were starting out well. Almost too well. Slyly, the redhead knocked on the wooden bar…just to be safe.

Apparently there was going to be an after party for the alcohol…and Ashton wanted her input on the activities. Darts, pool, wings, or dancing. Quin looked at herself…this was definitely not the kind of clothing one wore to a club in New York. Darts and pool had potential…though this bar lacked pool tables.

”Pizza.” she said, taking the non-verbal ‘none of the above’ option. ”And darts if it's an option. I want to learn.”

As to the beer she supposedly owed him. "And I only owed you the beer if you guessed right."

>>”Oh. Okay...thanks.”

They had a moment, and then. It ended. He changed the topic~ Using a chipper tone.

What would they do? Pizza. She suggested an option he had not given out. No go on the free beer, though. Well, that was fair enough.

"Pizza," He noted. "Good idea. Your treat?" If he was going to be teaching her darts and all that, it was only fair.

Ashton liked the idea of going out for pizza, and Quin grinned. She was great at ideas for things like this, especially if they included carb-loaded crusts and lots of cheese. She was health conscious…but this was New York! A person couldn’t go too over the top or they were simply missing out on living.

But…her treat?

Quin chuckled, ”Fair enough.” she said. Besides…hardly anyone could eat more than a single New York slice.

Fair enough. She'd actually agreed. Ashton grinned. He hadn't thought she'd go for it. "Great." They could go now. "Let me just finish this."

Finish his beer, Ashton did.

He turned back to Archer. "Ready?" He asked.

If any of the guys had merely been late to show up to the party, when they got there, him and Archer would be long-gone. He was sure they'd understand. Pizza was pizza. Archer was paying. And...

Ashton was not on-duty.

Ah. They were apparently ready to go. Quin drained the rest of her beer, paid her tab and rose to follow her partner out of the bar. Nobody else had shown up because she was a girl, but Ashton had, and he was going to teach her how to play darts.

Oh yeah. They were going to eat pizza too. This had turned out to be a pretty good idea, plus there had been beer.

There was just one small detail left. ”Where are we going?” she asked.

”And how are we getting there?” she added with a small laugh that could have been misdiagnosed as a giggle.

Tabs paid, they left the bar.

Archer stopped them, a good two feet out the door. Stopped them dead with a question. Turning slowly, Ashton looked her way. A wry laugh escaped him. "I thought you were gonna suggest a place. Since you suggested 'pizza'." Heh heh. But, if she didn't have anywhere in mind... "I think I know a place." Ashton noted, glancing down the street.

He raised an arm and whistled. As if on cue, the cab pulled up to the curb in front of them. They'd both been drinking. Driving right now would be the stupidest thing in the world. He could afford to pay for a cab. And what luck. Here one was.

Ashton opened the door to let Archer into the side first. Then, he got in after her. He told the cab driver where to go and they were on their way.

Ah. Ashton had thought she was going to pick the pizza place. That was funny. Just because Quin had picked out what they were doing didn’t mean she’d had any idea where they should go.

Ashton did though, thank goodness, and he was getting them a cab…and he was good at getting them a cab. They’d been drinking, and they were police officers. Getting a cab was the responsible thing to do. They had an example to set.

So, into the cab Quin got. Ashton followed, and Quin smiled across the cab at him. “Where did you learn to get a cab like that?” he asked. ”I still have to wave my arms around and shout like a lunatic to make them notice me.”

The cab was off and rolling, and they were on their way to pizza.

Ashton smirked at her. "I grew up in Rhode Island." He said. As if that made any sense, whatsoever.

She flailed her arms, though? "Next time, you wanna try getting the cab driver's attention? Might be fun. Or maybe. I could teach you some tricks." Did he have any tricks? Wasn't it more luck and timing? And a good whistle? Whatever.

The pizza joint was good about helping people out when they needed a cab. They served beer. They had to be. Good beer. Good pizza, too.

He had tricks? “I wouldn’t mind a few pointers. It would make situations like these a lot easier.” Quin explained. ”I always find it impressive when someone can make a cab appear as if it were at their beck and call.”

Also. ”Rhode Island huh?” she asked, “That’s way more interesting than where I grew up.”

Small talk was small talk. It kept the conversation going while the cab drove the short distance to the pizza place. It had a red roof made it look like one of the chain places, but its name was different and something about the neon sign made Quin smile as they approached.

”You know Ashton…the best thing about pizza…is that even bad pizza is pretty awesome.”

"It's a good thing," Ashton noted, as he passed cash to the cabbie and went for his door. "That this pizza is great." He opened the door, stepped out, and held it for Archer.

Once they were safely on the curb, the cab left. Ashton turned to watch it go. Once it was but a speck on the horizon (or turned the corner and went out of sight, whichever came first), he returned his focus to Archer and the pizza joint.

Ashton offered Archer his arm with a smile. "Escort ya to the front door, if you'll have me." His voice dropped a bit on the last part of the statement. Confidently, he awaited her decision.

Out of the cab they went, and onto the curb in front of the pizza place. Quin was only mildly surprised by the fact that her stomach was grumbling in anticipation of a slice. They’d definitely need to order first, eat the pizza, then play darts later. She’d vehemently protest any other schedule of events.

Ashton spoke and offered his arm and Quin took it with dramatic flourish, “I’d be a fool not to.” she added, fully in the spirit of the evening as they approached the pizza shop.

“So, anything special and awesome here I should know about before we get inside and I mess up my order?”

She took his arm. He quite agreed. She would have been a fool not to. Ashton led on.

Ashton glanced at the dame on his arm as she quested. Was there anything she ought know before they entered the shop? He shook his head. "They're good people. They won't steer ya wrong. And neither will I." It must have been the alcohol that did it. His accent came out a bit thicker than usual.

Without another word, he led her through the doors.

Well, now that she knew the logistics of the place, Quin felt a little better about entering. What she still didn’t know, though, was what she was supposed to order. That had been the real intent of her question, but somewhere between her second and third beers back at the other bar, verbal clarity had probably been lost. Was she wasted? Hell no. Was she tipsy? Mayyyybe a little. It was a good tipsy though.

In they went.

It was your average, run of the mill pizza place. Not one of the pizza bar style places where you walked up, got a slice, and were on your merry way. This was a real restaurant with tables and a separate bar section. Quin approved, in a big way.

The bar area was small, but well put together with a few tables, a huge old bar, and the dart boards that Ashton had mentioned. There were TV’s and they were all turned to a different sports channel.

“This place is awesome.” Quin admitted with a smile, “Do you come here often?”