((OOC: Continued from Demolition Derby.))

Okay, imagine a football game. One side, loud. The other side, louder. Both cheering for their home team. The band is playing. The players are being rowdy. And there isn't a bit of silence in the entire world. Okay. Now, reverse it. That was the mood in the car.

He needed a drink. Ashton needed... a freaking drink. Again, no leads, save a drunk. Forensics had finished casing the scene and packed up for the night. As had the rest of those he'd called in. Now, it was just him and Archer, in a car. And Archer was mad.

The car was pointed towards the nearest tavern, rolling down a slightly bumpy street in the evening light. Sun was setting. Archer was being a pain in the ass.

"Really, nothing?" Ashton announced, to the entire car.

”Nothing. Yeah. That pretty much sums it up.” Quin said, looking out the passenger side window at the fat raindrops that were starting to hit the car . It was late. Too late to text Nate back and see if he was still available for that date he’d offered.

Too late to salvage anything of the day she’d been supposed to have off.

Man, she needed a drink, but she was not inviting her partner along this time. She didn’t want to bond. She didn’t want to bask in the glow of camaraderie. She wanted to sit. And drink. And probably bitch to someone about the fact that she’d had her first opportunity for a date in ages ruined by her partner.

”You called me in on my day off for nothing.”

Tension was an interesting thing, the figure in the back seat of the car mused as the unwitting trio made their way down the street. The two up front couldn’t see him, but he could see them, and something about the pretty redhead had piqued his interest back on the street. Maybe later they’d get a chance to know each other better.

Ashton glowered, but said nothing.

Wasn't it HER JOB to come when called? To work? And as an officer, hadn't she sworn... sworn... to protect and serve? Yeah. That was a full-time gig. 'Day off' or 'off-duty' didn't cut it, when duty called. He knew he sure as hell had done police work on his days off. If not as the guy working the lead, at least as a helpful involvement in a case.

Archer's comment just didn't sit right with him. Seemed childish. But she was his partner, so... he kept his mouth shut. Right now, if they couldn't stand each other, that was fine. The important thing was that they'd be able to look at each other the same the next morning.

He made a turn, and pulled neatly into the parking lot of the bar.

A door slammed. Ashton winced. Archer had left the building.

... Well, car. And something unseen had followed her out the door.

Maybe she was being childish, Quin thought as she walked through the thickening rain drops to the door of the bar. It was okay though. She was allowed that, once and a while. She’d devoted most of her adult life to doing what she was doing now. Weekends, weeknights, mornings, afternoons…she’d put her time in. She deserved to be where she was now, and dammit she deserved a little time to herself every once and a while.

For a moment she felt bad for taking everything out on Ashton, but dammit he’d had Cervantes at the scene and what appeared to be three quarters of the rest of the department. Why had he needed her too? She probably should have been glad that he’d wanted to involve her, or at least something other than furious, but she just didn’t have it in her. Not with a sweet, flattering, southern accent still fresh in her ears.

”Rum and coke.” she told Mike brusquely as she sat down. He grunted, started making the drink, and Quin started the story of her night…unaware as a figure still wearing a parka seated himself on the next bar stool.

His door clicked shut. Didn't slap, like with some people. The locks rolled into place at the press of a button on a key. Ashton sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

He hated it when women were mad at him. He preferred to see them smiling. Grinning. Not growling. Or whatever. Even worse, he was annoyed about it. It wasn't like it was his fault she'd had to come to work. He wasn't the one going around killing people. He thought she'd have been glad to stay in the loop on the case. That was the kind of woman he thought she was.

What did she have that was more important than her job for her day off... spa day?

Thoughts drifted. As he wandered into the bar, they stayed.

Another sigh escaped him as Ashton sank down onto a bar stool a few away from Archer. He swung his head towards her, hoping by that point she would have cooled off. No such luck.

When Mike escaped her onslaught of blathering language, he ordered a beer. Mike grunted with a gruff grimace. Nodded Archer's way. Ashton returned the sentiment.

Bah.

Yes. Ashton was allowed to sit at the bar, as long as he kept his distance and minded his own business. Mike was a man of few words, but he was an excellent listener and Quin decided that he often said more with a single word than some people said in an entire conversation.

The man moved away to get her partner a drink, and Quin finished her first. Yeah. It was going to be that kind of night.

Mike came back, another drink already in hand, and Quin glared in Ashton’s general direction. She should have been cooling off by now, but for some reason her indignation just seemed to be simmering.

”I could be on a date right now.” she said, downing half the next drink and not minding at all that she was basically talking to nobody.

>>”I could be on a date right now.”

He'd heard that...

Why was he suddenly jealous?

Hey, he could have been on a date right now, too, come to think of it.

And that’s how it went for the next two drinks. Quin drank them, quickly and muttered things that weren’t quite under her breath. Truth be told, she was starting to feel better, but that might have been the alcohol. She turned to her left, away from Ashton and spotted a pink elephant, turned back to her front to take another drink, then turned back to the elephant.

When had he gotten there? And why was he wearing a parka?

”This is all your fault.” she said, struggling to avoid pointing an admonishing finger and settling for a glare.

The little elephant man grinned. It looked like he was about to make a new friend.

Ashton sighed.

The pink elephant man grinned. "Hello. My name is Maurice. It's nice to meet you, finally." He said, offering a hand like a tree trunk.

It was such a shame he didn't get to drink more. Ashton could have used a few right now. Archer was ragging on him, and drunk.

Quin took the hand she was offered a bit awkwardly and nearly over-balanced herself on her bar stool. Apparently she’d had a little too much to drink. Oh well. It was her day off.

Maurice. That was a cute name, and Quin managed a small smile despite her dark mood.

”Finally?” she asked, as Mike sat another drink down in front of her and knowing that she should be more socially adept to this new friend. It had to be the alcohol. This would be her last one.

Ashton blinked... and tried to ignore it.

Really drunk. She was really drunk. He'd have to take her back to her place soon. Or else she'd wind up drunk, and in public.

Which made him realize... he did not know where she lived.

Oh. Maybe he should have gotten that tidbit of information before she'd gotten drunk.

He supposed he could take her back to his place.

... Not like THAT.

"I've seen you around, dear. But you haven't seen me. For you see. It's the funniest thing!" Maurice laughed. "People just can't seem to see me... unless we're visiting at bars." Or drunk, at home. Or on the street. "It's so hard to find good friends, you know~" His eyes glistened.

Her last one. But she wasn’t done yet. Quin wasn’t that drunk. She’d been that drunk before, and it hadn’t been fun, or pretty. It had been college. And a life lesson.

The pink elephant man was still talking to her, and Quin paid attention so that he wouldn’t think she was rude.

Quin nodded to the elephant man. ”Dates are hard to find too. They can’t see me when I’m in uniform.”

Was the elephant man really there? Quin didn’t know, but she needed someone to talk to, and Ashton was anything but a likely candidate sitting down the bar and pouting.

>>”Dates are hard to find too. They can’t see me when I’m in uniform.”

."Ohoho, you are right~" Maurice belly laughed.

Ashton arched an eyebrow. "You hintin' at somethin', Archer?"

"Are you feelin' alright?"

Maurice glanced at the pesky interruption and gave him the dirtiest look he'd never seen.

Was she hinting at something?

Wait. Had Ashton said that? Quin swung her head around and gave her partner a look that echoed the one that had settled on Maurice’s face.

”I was not talking to you.” she said primly, trying to figure out an answer to Ashton’s second question.

What had Ashton’s second question been?

Oh. Right.

”I feel great.” she said, finishing her drink.

”But that was my last one.” she said.

”Tomorrow is not a day off. Like today was supposed to be.”

Ashton arched an eyebrow. A DeNiro line rolled across his forehead.

You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me?

He didn't see anyone else here. Who the hell did she think she was talking to?

Weird.

Drunk. Definitely.

Ignoring him. Annoying.

She had him worried. She certainly didn't look great. He could practically hear the drunk word-slurring getting ready to start in the back of her throat.

"Maybe I should take you home," Ashton said cautiously. "I think you've had enough..."

"Hey, friend. The lady will say when she's had enough." Maurice narrowed his eyes at Ashton. As he rose from his stool, the seat turned with the tiniest of rusty squeaks. Fists clenched, and went largely unnoticed.