Issue 1 Downtime

Lora meandered through Mutant Town with Gideon, eventually coming to a club with a fairly nondescript exterior...except there were a couple of bouncers that were obviously mutants.

"This is the place. Trust me, it is a little more interesting on the inside." As they approached the front door, the bouncers only had to look at Gideon for a couple of seconds before they seemed to find him acceptable to enter. Lora, on the other hand, they let right on through. "They will look at you funny the first couple of times that you come here, but they do that to everyone. It is mutants-only."

Gideon was dressed fairly simply as he didn't exactly have a ton of clothes suited for going to clubs.

"Sounds like the place for us," Gideon said smiling.

"I think you will like it."

Indeed, the inside was like a totally different world. The dance floor, sitting areas and bar were all kept fairly dark except for colored spotlights and wall light illuminating old Genoshan propaganda posters and memorabilia from the mutant rights movement. Some of it is very...radical, to say the least. Quite a few of the patrons have obvious mutations, wings, horns, skin in shades of bright red and blue...

If there was any place in London with a few dozen mutant anarchists in it, this was it.

Gideon was more that a little impressed with the club's interior.

"Pretty much a perfect place away from the flat scans."

"Do we need to start calling each other by our code names, Defiler?" Gideon asked.

"Some in here might snap at you if you use your flatscan name, yes. Would you like a drink or would you rather dance first, Phamtasm?"

Gideon nodded.

"I think a couple of drinks are in order," Gideon said heading over towards the bar, "Can't have me trying to dance 100% sober, eh?"

"Wimp," she said with a smirk. "Okay then, drinks it is." As they haded over to the bar, they would see the bartender mixing someone's drink. In the air. Without a container. A small imperfect sphere of reddish liquid was sloshing around above his head. The bartender's gaze was concentrated on it, and he lowered his field of vision, so the liquid fell neatly into a martini glass. A women with feral features thanked him and headed over towards some friends of hers.

"What'll ya have?," asked the barkeep.

"I'd like to see you get hit by three spears and keep going," Gideon said smirking before turning his attention to the bartender, "Just a Killians Red for now, and I'll cover Defiler here."

"I will have a Long Island. Well-shaken, please."

The bartender looked a bit disappointed about Gideon's order, the Lora's cheered him at a bit. He poured out all of the ingredients without a glass beneath them, looking like they'd splash all over the bar, but each time, the liquid would slowly rise before impact. Several spheres of liquor, soda, juice and syrup all floated in a line in the air, before he moved all of them together and made them blend, before letting the mixture gently land into a glass.

"And there you have it."

"Thanks," Gideon said taking his drink and putting out money for the two drinks along with a tip.

"Going all out, eh?" Gideon asks after Lora takes her drink.

"What can I say? They taste good. Besides, he likes it when people order something complicated."

He barkeep finished pouring Gideon's beer and slid it over to him. "Will that be all?"

"No that'll be it for now."

Gideon took his beer, and led Lora over to a Table nearby

"I'll start thinking of one for when I head back for another drink," Gideon said, "Can't have the bartender getting bored after all."

"How did you find out about this place?"

"A discrete flier stuck on a streetlight. It sounded neat, so I decided to check it out, but I did not know that it would be like this. It pays to have a little curiosity."

Gideon smiled.

"I'd say it paid off pretty damn well this time," Gideon said before raising his glass, "To curiosity paying off."

Lora smiled and clinked her glass against his.

"Glad you like it. Maybe we can catch a hockey match the next time or something."

"Not sure where around here I could catch a game," Gideon said, "Well if the skies stay clear of people trying to end our universe I'd say we could hop to the mainland, and watch a game live."

"That might work. My parents probably would not mind me coming home to visit sometime, actually."

Lora Zalesky wrote:"That might work. My parents probably would not mind me coming home to visit sometime, actually."

"I'm pretty sure they'd appreciate it," Gideon said smiling, "We can make a trip out of it. See some hockey, Europe, and say hi to your folks."

"That sounds like a great idea! We may have to wait for this term to be over, but that is not too long in the grand scheme. Have you ever been to Europe before coming to XU?"

Gideon grinned and drew close to Lora.

"No," Gideon said, "Other than a few trips to Canada I never really left the US."

"Mmm. In that case, there will be a lot for you to see...Phantasm." Lora didn't seem to have any problem with him getting closer, drawing closer herself and grinning.

"Taking a train might be best if you want to sightsee a bit. There are a lot of interesting places between here and Moscow if we went that route. Brussels, Cologne, Warsaw...maybe even Berlin, depending on the schedules."

"I'd like to do some sightseeing," Gideon said smiling, "Plus I'll have some good company."

"So will I. I am looking forward to it already. Though I may have to go ahead and ask my parents for a little help with the tickets."

"I should have enough saved up for tickets, but I think I'll be heading to the XUB for drinks less," Gideon said, "Without that stipend though the spandex would probably start looking a bit worn out."

She smirks. "And still you insist on calling it spandex. Tsk, tsk. But if we are going to do this, at least let me and my parents pitch in."

"Obviously you'll just have to teach me better," Gideon said smirking, "I won't turn down some help with the trip."

"How would you learn? You still do not know what to call it even though I have told you. Perhaps you are just a little stubborn, no?," she asked, still smirking.

Lora Zalesky wrote:"How would you learn? You still do not know what to call it even though I have told you. Perhaps you are just a little stubborn, no?," she asked, still smirking.

"Just need some convincing," Gideon said, "Maybe I just miss the days of yellow and blue spandex."

"Miss them?" She laughed. "Because spandex does such a great job protecting you, right? I guess the plus side is that it's cheap," she noted, still working on her drink.

"Just attached to the classics," Gideon said, "It's not like our suits protect us any better when we're fighting things that shoot lasers from their eyes, and can throw us through walls."

"And what can I say form fittings suits are pleasing to the eye," Gideon added with a smirk.

"You have a point there," she finally conceded. "Maybe we will be on the same team sometime and I can see you in uniform outside of a briefing room. I like uniforms."

A few moments later, a new DJ seemed to be taking over for the night. "Ooh, I like this one. Not as much as the audiokinetic guy, but this guy is probably my second favorite."

"Nothing stopping us from wearing our uniforms outside of missions and briefings," Gideon said looking at his nearly empty beer, "Would you like to dance?"

"I never thought that you would ask," Lora laughed. As they over down to the floor, the DJ addressed the crowd over the beginning of the song. He had four arms, all is which were expertly handling the equipment in his booth, seemingly at once. He was apparently fairly popular.

As the song kicked in, it was far from standard "Euro-dance" club fare, and had a definite rock edge to it, even though everyone was already dancing to it.

Gideon danced to the rhythm with Lora, and was doing a bit better than when they were at the XUB after the mission.

"Obviously I just can't say no to you," Gideon said smiling

She smiled back, turn around and leaning her back into him a bit as they danced, able to see only brief flashes of one another in the bright colored lights that seemed to pulsate with the beat. As soon as the first song ended, another synced right into it, something with a similar style. With this, and the next, Lora seemed even more natural there, at ease with Gideon on the floor.

Gideon kept in close with Lora throughout the first, and second song. He was getting more relaxed with dancing, and it showed. It helped that he was relaxed around Lora, and it showed by him holding her closely when he got the opportunity.

He was of course nowhere near the perfect dancer, and it showed. He didn't stop dancing though, and ignored those around him focusing on Lora.

Lora gave him a little nod, her expression saying 'you're doing well'. If Lora used contractions, of course. This went on for the next for songs before Lora jutted a thumb back in the direction of the bar.

Gideon headed over towards the bar a bit relieved at getting off the dance floor. He gave Lora a quick kiss as they approached the bar.

"Tall kamikaze if you don't mind," Gideon said to the bartender before looking at Lora.

"Next time I think I'll be able to keep up with you," Gideon said smirking.

She kissed him back as they headed to the bar and ordered a White Russian. Happily, the barkeep started mixing their drinks in an aerial display over their heads.

"Oh? Is it the practice, or just the alcohol, hm?"

"A little bit of both," Gideon said, "Though truth is I've got a good partner who's giving me a hand, eh."