Issue 1 Downtime

It had been a slow Sunday, after the club the night before. That had been a good thing, really... Ryan had had things to do, some training related, some personal, so a slow day had been a good thing.

He headed into the bar, looking a little tired, and like he definitely could use a drink as he sat down.

"What can I get for you?" Rachel said, walking up to Ryan's table.

"One of those beer bottles that never gets empty," he said with a sigh, giving her a little smile when he saw her at his table.

"I'll keep them coming." Rachel said, heading to the bar and bringing him a bottle.

Ryan smiled as he took it, raising it in a little mock toast. "Thanks," he said, before taking a drink. "The natives treating you all right today?"

"Tipping pretty well, anyway." Rachel replied "I get off in fifteen."

Ryan nodded, taking another drink. "Not closing today?"

"Not on Sunday." Rachel said "I'll catch you in a few." she added, heading off to another table.

True to her word, she headed over to his table fifteen minutes later, having changed her shirt and shoes, carrying two bottles of beer.

"Thanks," Ryan said, smiling as he took the beer. "You know, if you keep getting off your shift before you come make me pay, I'm going to start looking like a lousy tipper."

"The horror." Rachel said, smirking a little "So, why the glum face?"

"Eh... just a lot of crap to take care of," he said evasively. "Not a fun day."

"Sorry to hear that." Rachel replied, taking a drink "Drama sucks."

"Amen to that. Give me a brawl with Doombots any day, just keep away downtime drama."

"Trouble with your cowgirl?" Rachel asked, as it seemed like a reasonable guess.

Ryan looked confused for a moment. "What? Oh, Anita? No. Just problems from home."

"Ah" Rachel said, nodding "Family drama is the worst."

Ryan just nodded. "You're never going to get any arguements from me on that."

"Your day going all right, at least?"

"Yeah, pretty well. Work is ok, gym and Danger Room are going well, and I'm meeting cool people." Rachel answered "Mom was happy when I told her about what we did in Mutant Town, so go me."

Ryan grinned at that one. "Yep, go you. Kicking ass and taking names."

"It was kind of anticlimactic calling home about that one," he said, rolling his eyes. "Can't even count on calling before the news hits to catch them before they already know and the novelty's worn off."

"Why is that?" Rachel asked curiously, and then answering her own question "Your parents are in the Avengers, right? Lumis or Morrigan must call them out of professional courtesy."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Nah, nothing so reasonable. Precognition. They knew what happend about four days before it happened, so by the time I called, they were all ready with 'advice,'" he said, doing finger quotes around "advice."

Rachel chuckled "I can see where that would get annoying. Still, at least you and your parents have a common frame of reference."

"Yeah, that's nice in its way," he conceded. "Still gets a little aggravating when you're all happy with yourself to have to remember 'oh yes, they would have done it, too, and they would have done it better. And they know that.'"

"But at least they don't worry about you." Rachel replied "When I went away to college, my mother bought me mace. Mace."

Ryan couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, they worry. They've just learned by now that trying to do aything is an exercise in futility. When I went to Xavier's, I'd get calls every few days telling me not to go here on this day, or there on that day, and oh, by the way, if you happen to see a guy wearing this or that who looks at you wrong, just keep walking..." He smirked, shaking his head. "After my second week stuck in the infirmary, they just figured that leaving it to chance was better than warning me and making me end up running right where there was going to be bad trouble just to spite them."

"Of course, they probably knew that you were going to do that too." Rachel said, musingly

Ryan smirked. "Which, of course, led me to start wondering if they secretly enjoyed watching me be hospitalized. That was a rather... tense week."

"Or they decided that you needed to make your own mistakes."

Ryan noddedd in agreement. This was, after all, something he'd had to sort out long ago. "And to my credit, I've managed to keep myself alive so far."

"Which is saying something, the way you fly. And drive."

Ryan smirked. "It's not recklessness if you know that you can pull it off."

"Good point." Rachel said, smirking.

"I also don't seem to remember any complaints," he added, smirking a bit wider.

"We've never gone flying. Or driving." Rachel said, her expression one of wide-eyed innocence.

"Ah. Right, sorry. That must have been the other sexy redhead that I hang out with. So easy to get the two of you confused, you know?"

"We've only gone flying once." Rachel pointed out "And you didn't do any tricks."

"Well, the next time there's the opportunity, I'll have to correct that oversight," Ryan smirked. "I wouldn't want you thinking that I get skittish just because I have company."

"I'll hold you to that." Rachel replied smirking at him.

"Aaaaany time you want me to prove it, just let me know," he joked, finishing his beer. "You want another?" he asked, figuring she couldn't be far behind.

"Nah, one is my limit tonight."