It felt a little odd to be standing in the foyer of the mansion waiting on Sam so they could go out bar hopping. It was only a vague feeling and he tried to dismiss it as best he could. Normally on a night like tonight he'd be out on the town anyway so going with Sam only had the effect of changing the activity. His mother would call his new pastime a delinquent behavior and would strictly disapprove if she cared to notice it. It was very fortunate for Drew then that he hadn't had any contact with that woman in so long. After all he rather doubted she would recognize the son she thought she had raised in the scarred man standing in the entry of a posh house. This man was mostly stoic but every now and then a hint of humor could be seen in his eyes or the twitch of a lip and it was all entirely innocent humor either.

Yes he'd developed a fair streak of schadenfreude in recent days. Especially in the presence of humans. Why he even enjoyed being the one to cause the suffering he smirked about! Oh yes Drew was thoroughly enjoying being the aggressor for a change. After all, he wasn't just some schmuck that could be ordered around by just anyone anymore. (Martin didn't count and that wasn't a flush on his cheeks thank you!) Now Drew was the one that could give the orders. One slip of the tongue and anyone could find themselves sporting a very special tattoo. It made the young rather confident and perhaps understandably so.

Regardless of all that he was waiting for Sam in the foyer so they could go waste an evening getting wasted. Being as Sam was one of the few people he trusted implicitly Drew had absolutely no problem with getting drunk around the man. He knew he could trust Sam to keep him out of any less than savory situations while he was intoxicated. Come to think of it he trust Maya and Gawain to do the same but only from past experience. Neither one of Mirror's genders was going to accompany them tonight unfortunately. It was fun to flirt with them even if nothing would ever happen. That was a shame too but Drew had moved on, mostly.

The rain pattered on his skin as he closed his eyes letting the raindrops hit his face cooling his body down slightly. The sound of a rustle next to the icemancer snapped his attention back to the present. ”Take your time, not like I’m in a hurry tonight or anything.” Sam said with a hint of sarcasm that was wasted on Bruno, Sam’s large Saint Bernard. The dog turned his gaze to Sam and shook his head along with his fur forcing water that had accumulated on his coat to shoot off in different directions.

Sam smirked and wiped his face quickly and shook his head, ”Troublemaker is all you are.” Sam said as he placed his hand on the head of his dog. ”Troublemaker but still a good dog.” Sam said as Bruno trotted off to take care of the reason they were both out in the rain moments before Sam was supposed to meet up with Drew for a night of drinking.

Thinking back on the last time he actually went out for a few drinks with nothing in particular planned he met up with Juka and Saph and he met Haley… Sam’s nostrils flared slightly as he thought about her. Let’s just say it wasn’t the most constructive end to a relationship. Walking in on her with someone else. Sam looked up to the dark sky blotted with the rain clouds and the moon peaking out from a cloud only to become obstructed from view once more as another raincloud passed.

The thoughts of Haley brought back thoughts of previous flames that were best left ignored and forgotten. An image of brown hair obscuring a flawless face with dark blue eyes with a fixed gaze, Sam blinked again and shook his head, ”Double time! In need of a drink!” Sam said looking back to Bruno who was now trotting back towards him.

A short walk back to the entrance to the mansion in the rain Sam buried his thoughts and past feelings back down and was ready for the night. ”Hey!” Sam said brushing off some rain from his jacket after entering the mansion. ”Don’t know about you but I’m ready for a drink followed by a few more.”

Bruno walked in and shook forcing more water in every direction before he ran off down the hallway looking for table scraps. ”Blonde or Brunette?” Sam said as his eyes shifted from his dog to Drew. ”You look like more of a blond type of guy.”

Eventually Sam showed up a mess of rain and wet dog. A wet dog that chose a moment shortly after he'd gotten inside to shake the water off of his coat and thereby get Drew at least partly wet and smelling of dog. Instead of scowling at the watery dog though Drew turned to Sam and grinned.

"Sounds good to me."

Sam's question after the dog was gone brought Drew up short. Blonde or Brunette? After a half a minute's pause Drew chuckled as Sam tried to pegged him as a guy that liked blondes. If he were a little more bold he'd say something but that wasn't who he was, new found confidence or not. No, Drew just smirked at Sam.

"Does it matter?"

It was part legitimate question and part tease. He honestly didn't give a care at all about hair color. There were other things he liked more.

"So where did you want to go?"

Drew briefly thought about his last drinking excursion with Mirror. It could get awkward if they ended up at that same bar. Those were slim odds though. Tonight he figured that the most he'd be worried about was the next round.

The cab was already on its way and soon they would be off to experience the joys that New York city’s nightlife has to offer. Sam looked to the mansion gates to see as the cab pulled up into the grounds and he looked to Drew, ”Used to think it didn’t matter but I’m starting to think with my current track record I have more luck with one than the other.” Sam said giving a vague answer to Drew who seemed pretty curious as to where and what they would be doing.

”Bar hopping.” Sam said as he walked forward towards the drive where the cab coming closer. ”Got a cab, didn’t feel like being a driver tonight.” Sam said with a mischievous smile looking back to Andrew.

”I don’t plan on calling it an early night either.” Sam said the cab door swinging open under his hand. Once Sam got he nodded his head to the cabby and slid across the seat so Drew could get in. the car grew cold for a minute and ice started to form where the water droplets accumulated on his face.

They fell off onto the seat once the droplets solidified and Sam released his control over them. ”Crazy weather tonight? Just take us to Alley on Main.” Sam asked the cabby who nodded his head slightly and waited for Drew before taking off. Looking over to Drew a statement was placed from Sam, ”Oh, taking a break from the heroics tonight. Just so you know. I need a break.” Sam said trying to convince himself as well as Drew.

They were apparently cabbing it to what ever bar or club they were going to. That was plenty fine by Drew. They could both get as drunk as they liked that way. One of his eyebrows climbed upward for a matter of moments at Sam's vague answer. Well whatever else it made clear about him it pointed out that he'd had some serious trouble with a woman at some point. But that was hardly a unique condition so Drew just let it slide. Sam obviously didn't want to talk about it and Drew didn't care enough to pry. Or maybe he cared just enough not to. Bah, it didn't matter. They were off bar hopping and cab was was because Sam didn't want to drive. Drew returned the mischievous smile with a matching smirk. That was exactly what Drew had thought was the reasoning behind it.

Out they went to meet the vehicle and as they did so Sam pointed out that he wasn't calling things early tonight. Drew's smirk stayed firmly in place.

"No objections from me Sam."

Sam's overt display of his powers as he got into the taxi drew a laugh out of Drew as he slide into the back of the car beside him. That was one way to dry off. The car was moving moments after Sam gave their destination and Drew settled in for the ride. The next comment from Sam made Drew grin at him.

"Gotcha, no heroics tonight if at all possible."

Drew's face was the picture of innocence, as though he'd never gotten into a lick of trouble for the sake of others. Only the grin told a different story.

Sam sang along quietly under his breath during most of the cab ride until a conversation between himself and Drew started up or the cabbie asked them a question or two but for the most part it was a quiet ride. The raindrops bulleted the windows and fell off harmlessly to the side as the cab continued on the streets now looking like a black river. Passing a nearby pot hole on their drive Sam noticed that it was filled for the most part with water then he turned to Drew and started singing the song that was currently on the radio loud enough to break the silence, ”Just a small town girl! Living in a lonely world!” Rocking along to the song Sam continued to sing until the cab reached their destination.

”Thanks!” Sam said to the cabby as he pulled a twenty from his wallet and handed it forward, ”Keep the change!” opening the door and hopping out of the cab Sam took a deep breath inhaling the smell of rain and walked forward up the curb to the entrance of the club which despite the rain still accumulated quite a line. ”Hmmm… not how I’m spending my evening…” Sam looked down the line and then back to Drew nodding him to the front of the line.

The bouncer looked at Sam for a moment then nodded his head to the line, ”Back of the line.” the guy said with a deep Boston accent. ”Nah.” Sam said pulling a few bills and passing it off to the guy who could be a linebacker for a pro football team, ”Me, him and those three girls.” Sam said pointing to a few girls in the line a few people back. All three of them were in heels, tight dresses and had makeup on their face despite the rain pouring down on them.

”Drew this is the fast track for success tonight…” Sam said as he eyed the three girls and waved them over who were all more than happy to get out of the line and head to the front. ”Drew introduce yourself.” Sam said as he looked to the door and walked in once the linebacker stepped out of the way with a satisfied look on his face.

Rain, the radio, and Sam singing with the radio were the only major sounds for most of the cab ride. Drew sat quiet for most of it, joining in on only a couple of the tunes. The silence apparently didn't suit Sam since he picked up the Journey song on the radio. The lyric he joined in at though made Drew smirk.

"No offense Sam but if you were a girl I think you'd have better boobs." he paused just long enough for the song to move on to the next lyric before joining in, "Just a city boy! Born and raised in South Detroit!"

After that Drew let the radio recording take over in favor of sitting back and waiting for the cab ride to end. The cab ride was on Sam apparently and they headed up to the club that Sam had picked out. Standing in the rain in a line wasn't Drew's idea of a good time and Sam seemed to think the same as he bribed the door man to let the two of them in plus a trio of ladies in the line. Well that was one way to get the girls' attention. Sam seemed to mean this as Drew's night as he was told to introduce himself. Deciding to humor Sam, and because he wasn't really in a relationship with anyone at the moment, Drew held the door for the women and addressed them with just a hint of his southern drawl.

"Hello ladies. I'm Drew and that there is Sam. Pleased to meet such lovely ladies as yourselves."

He and Sam were out for a good time and the drinks that generally went with it. Drew figured he could humor his boss in regards to the trio of women for that. They were all three good looking ladies so it wouldn't be difficult. But they were just company for the evening in Drew's mind. He highly doubted he'd see them again and suspected that Sam thought the same.

Before he even entered the bars second set of doors he could smell the stale smoke that had been left after years of wear and tare from previous nights of smokers. His nostrils flared as he breathed in slightly only to exhale as he opened the second set of doors allowing the music to escape from the inside of the club. It was loud enough to echo out in the streets until he closed it again. The stereo boomed as voices traveled from the bar nearest the entrance where Sam now stood waiting for the trio of ladies to pass him.

After Drew had introduced them both Sam held the door open for them all, ”Hope you ladies enjoy the evening and if you happen to get bored feel free to find us for some entertainment and possibly a round of drinks.” Sam smile was genuine and he paid no mind when one of the three smiled back at him after her eyes locked onto his eye patch. If nothing else he could see it as a conversation starter later.

Once the girls gave there names Sam waited for Drew to enter before entering the club and turning to the coat check booth to drop off his jacket. Paying the woman Sam turned to Drew and noticed the girls were already trailing off to try and find some fun but he had a feeling they’d manage to steal away his attention at some point in the night. ”Blondes gotta love’em…” Sam said to Drew loud enough so only he could hear after they were out of ear shot. Watching the trio walk away he smirked and patted Drew on the back. ”Time for booze.”

Walking over to the bar ignoring the few people who brushed his shoulders Sam looked back to Drew only after they arrived, ”What’ll have?” he asked his assistant briefly before pulling some money out and setting it on the bar leaning over a woman who gave him a look saying she wasn’t pleased to have someone so close in her bubble, ”Sorry about that, Bar crowded and all. Have you met Drew?” Sam asked gesturing for Drew to come say hello as they waited for their drinks.

It only took a moment to take in the place and then dismiss most of it. It was a club, a bar, whatever you wanted to call it and Drew saw little to distinguish it from others of it's kind. His attention slid back to Sam who was laying on the charm for the three ladies he'd bribed in along with them. Had he not been trying to project the image of a nice guy for the three women he would have been rolling his eyes and smirking. A pleasant smile and cheerful wave were substituted for the desired expressions instead. Sam's comment the moment the trio were out of hearing range brought the smirk to Drew's lips and it stayed firmly in place as they made their way to the bar for drinks.

"A beer's fine."

Drew let Sam handle the bartender since he had the task of introducing himself to yet another woman. Recognizing the beginnings of a trend Drew smiled to the woman.

"Pleased to meet ya. Name's Drew, as my buddy here was nice enough to point out. He's Sam, in case you wanted a name to put to the guy in your personal space."

While he paused for a moment Drew thought something over. Namely whether or not he was grateful that Sam was trying to play wingman tonight. Oh it was nice enough of the man to try but Drew wasn't actively looking at the moment. Not even for another hook up like Tasean had turned out to be. So he was grateful but determined to give his boss just as much of a chance.

"Could I have the honor of knowing your name?"

Yes he was laying the politeness on thick but Drew had learned that that coupled with the southern drawl he usually kept hidden away got him plenty of attention here in the northern parts. If nothing else it served as a conversation piece.

Ignoring the girl for the most part Sam gave the occasional nod to the girl next to him as Drew talked to the girl that Sam suddenly introduced him to. Once his name was given however Sam started paying less attention as Drew was asking for her name, which she replied with her name. “Mel” she didn’t sound to happy but then again she did have a one eye man pass money in front of her rather rudely as the bartender snatched it out of his hand.

Once the money was gone Sam looked back to the woman and gave a small smirk before retreating from her personal space and back into his own where he waited for the beer while Drew was adding a southern accent as he asked her for her name? Sam smirked and turned back to the bar and pointed to the bartender and motioned for two shots as well.

Turning around to look at Drew and the woman Sam smiled, ”Trying to get this guy out for a change.” he leaned over and gave Drew a slap on the back, ”Spends all his time at the school, works for the kids nonstop.” Sam said avoiding the fact that Drew was his assistant at the school and made it seem he was a teacher.

It took Sam another moment to receive the drinks before he handed the shot to Drew along with the beer. Drew didn’t have a say in the matter of what he would drink and wouldn’t drink tonight, after all it was all on Sam’s tab for the night.

Sam seemed content to let Drew be the important one for the evening. Drew gave the why a little thought but didn't come up with anything and gave. Sam and he were friends of a sort but hardly best buds. He turned a rueful smile on Sam as the other man slapped him on the back and tried to talk him up.

"Yeah well, what can I say? They have it tough enough just bein' kids. Might as well do what I can for 'em."

If Sam was going to make him seem like a teacher then Drew wasn't going to waste the man's chatter. Even if he never really wanted to be that responsible for kids. Sure he'd protect them from danger but teaching them? Guiding them in such a way that they can grow up and have their own lives? Frankly Drew figured his own life was enough of a mess, he didn't need to mess up some poor kid's. Nah, leave that to people much more qualified. His attention, aside from being on Mel, was turned instead to the two drinks in front of him instead of one. He raised an eyebrow at Sam but didn't complain. The guy was his boss after all and seemed to be paying for the evening.

He still took a drink of his beer first though. Boss or not Drew wanted that beer more than whatever that shot was.

After receiving his change and the drinks Sam smiled to the woman and then to Drew, ”Well Cheers! Sorry about invading your space.” with that Sam walked away from the bar looked to Drew and raised the shot glass before downing it. He looked over to a table that was vacant for the most part; empty bottles littered the top of the table a perfect place for Sam to place his empty shot glass while they looked for somewhere to sit.

It was one of the many problems coming to a club, or a bar for that matter any place where the promise of drinks and women was abundant seemed to be that way in the city. Fortunately for Sam he was a patient man and while he and Drew were walking towards the back of the club he spotted an empty and clean table before said patience ran thin. Looking back to Drew, Sam waved his hand over and headed towards the table before anyone else spotted it.

It was a booth seat one that was big enough for a small party an while they were the only ones in the immediate party Sam had no problem adding more to the party for a bit of fun. Once he was seated Sam took a swig of the beer and turned to look to Drew, ”How have you been?” he asked as he looked from Drew back to the dance floor which sat lower down than the sitting section. ”It seems like an odd question but I haven’t talked to you much outside of work lately.” Sam said as he took another sip and spotted the three girls from earlier dancing on the floor.

All too soon they were leaving the bar and looking for a table to call their own. Drew was all too happy to let Sam lead the way. It wasn't as though Drew had done this too particularly often. Sure he'd been out a couple of times since his 21st earlier this year but after Martin he'd all but ceased drinking unless he had someone he knew and trusted with him. Those people were relatively few in number. They found a table quickly enough for how crowded the place Sam had chosen was. It was a large booth, far too large for just the two of them. Drew had no illusion that the empty spaces would stay empty for long if Sam had anything to say about it.

Sitting down after Sam, Drew drained the shot that had been ordered for him. He followed it up with a swallow of his beer. Drew let his attention wander for a minute until a question from Sam snapped it back. How was he? What was Drew supposed to say to that? There were plenty of things he should tell Sam. But should and would were, as always, two different things. Another swallow of beer put off his answer for another moment.

"Ok I suppose." Nicely vague that answer was, "We've both been busy I guess."

The answer was truthful enough but vague. Since Sam suffered the same affliction to his answers regularly Drew didn't think it would matter much. The way he saw it his boss would either know what had been going on or he wouldn't. Though which was preferable Drew couldn't say.

Nodding his head Sam smiled and took a sip of his beer, ”Been really impressed with how you have been keeping up with all the work I have been giving you lately.” another sip and Sam let the compliment settle. In reality Sam had been pushing him lately not just because Sam had a lot of work but because Sam wanted to see if he was capable for some more responsibilities, which after all the work he had him do lately seemed like it was a no brainier. ”You’ve grown a lot from that scrawny kid who could barley hold a knife.” Sam said as he held his hand out an mimicked Drew holding a knife, Sam’s hand twitching nervously.

”Sorry,” Sam said laughing, ”Just you turned into a different person for the most part.” Sam said taking another sip and waving over a waitress who gave them a look asking if they needed anything. She walked over and Sam continued on, ”By that I see someone who is far more confident.” looking from Drew to the woman Sam smiled, ”Gonna need another round of brews and a dozen shots to start. Nothing to fruity, nothing too bitter. Oh and bring a few for yourself.” Sam said with a smile to the waitress who smiled and headed back to the bar.

”Oh, by the way…” Sam said smiling in the direction of the three girls and setting his beer down with a small hand gesture waving to them. ”Why weren’t you at the last meeting for the X-Men? We had a public relations seminar with a few of the NYPD. Thought you would have been there.”

As soon as the compliment came Drew just shrugged it off. It was work. Sam paid him to do it. Of course he'd keep up with it. However the comment about where he'd been when they first met got a laugh out of him. Drew smirked and chuckled and took a drink of his beer. He brushed off Sam's apology for the jibe with a wave of his hand.

"When you're right, you're right. I was a mess back then."

Implied in the statement was that he was less so now. Drew figured it wasn't true. He was just a different sort of mess now. One that was a little less scared and a little less fragile. Sam's further comment about seeing someone more confident felt good to receive but he shrugged it off too, at least within his own mind if not outwardly. Sam's praise was something Drew appreciated and indeed even wanted but Drew still felt like he had a long way to go. He still felt too weak though that was something that he suspected might never go away.

Sitting back to let Sam order, Drew looked around and smiled whenever someone made eye contact. At least half of this evening seemed dedicated to flirting with everyone in the bar. Well all the women anyway. Flirting with guys could well wait for another night. Sam shocked him out of his quiet observation with his last casually delivered sentence. Clearing his throat, mostly to give himself time to think, Drew stammered out an answer.

"I didn't know I needed to be there..."

The implications of Sam's statement were starting to kick in and Drew focused on his beer, far too empty for this conversation, to get him through it. Surely Sam didn't think he was ready for that already?!