Roy Harper/Red Arrow (i_can_hit_that) wrote in dc_heroes,
@ 2010-11-11 14:03:00

Entry tags:

Wild Night
Lian was so happy to go spend the night with Dinah for 'Girls-Only' night that she almost forgot to hug and kiss Roy goodbye. He couldn't help but feel a little miffed at that, but it was good to see his daughter happy all the same. They'd spent a couple of months together, just the two of them; having his little girl feel smothered wasn't what he was shooting for.

He thought about hitting the streets tonight, but it was early yet and he was hungry. Lian had also refused his offer of dinner, since Dinah was making chili. So Roy drove home, changed into a black button-down shirt, some slacks and black dress shoes, and headed out to Top Gun Bar & Grill in Coast City. He loved the place and hadn't been there since he returned to the States. Hal used to hang out there a lot as well, so Roy thought he might catch up with him there if he waited long enough.

Hal rarely left the bar without company and Roy had to admit that he wanted to watch the master at work again.

He parked his Ford Explorer and killed the engine, then got out and walked into the bar. Seeing a pool table open, he decides it wouldn't hurt to get his game back in gear, and starts racking the table. He orders a Coke and some chicken wings to start, then gets to work on perfecting his shot.

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i_can_hit_that
2010-11-11 11:30 pm UTC (link)

"Well, I can't speak for every other guy here, Miss, but I'll happily lose these two jokers to keep you around." Roy smiles.

"I'm Roy." he says, offering a hand. "I've got a game of pool going and I think I'm gettin' my touch back, but I could use a test match to make sure.

You game?" he asks.

Pilot Guy and his buddy slink off and head out the door, glaring at the pair as they go.

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	ace_in_a_skirt 2010-11-11 11:46 pm UTC (link)
	"I'm Zinda." She took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "I saw you playing. You learned a few tricks from a pool shark, didn't ya?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	i_can_hit_that 2010-11-12 12:27 am UTC (link)
	"You could say that." Roy says, remembering the first game of pool he'd played with Nightwing, back when he was still Robin. "I promise, this is the first night I've been back at it. I don't play for cash, but I'd be glad to play for some information about you, like what kind of beer you drink." he grins. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	ace_in_a_skirt 2010-11-12 12:44 am UTC (link)
	Zinda signaled the bartender for two more beers. "Not picky about the beer as long as it's cold. C'mon, Roy, let's rack 'em up and maybe you can tell me why you look familiar." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

i_can_hit_that
2010-11-12 12:48 am UTC (link)

"As much as I'd like to go with 'You've seen me in your dreams', I can't, Zinda. I guess I just have one of those faces." Roy chuckles, leading her to the table and taking up one of his chicken wings.

"You look familiar to me, too, if it makes any difference." he says.

"I'm not from around here. I live in Star City, but I've got friends in Coast City. You ever been up that way?" he asks her.

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	ace_in_a_skirt 2010-11-12 12:54 am UTC (link)
	"Been everywhere at least once," she said cheerfully. She handed Roy one of the beers she carried and hunted around for the triangle. "I'm a pilot, so I where the work is. I know people up there. It's a nice place. What do you do there?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

i_can_hit_that
2010-11-12 01:15 am UTC (link)

"Actually, I just got back to the States from vacation with my daughter and I'm starting up my own P.I. firm." Roy says, watching as she racks.

He chalks up his cue and nods at the mention that she's a pilot. That certainly up her attractiveness a few bars.

"I've been around the world myself a bit, working with the government and elsewhere. What's your favorite country?" he asks.

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	ace_in_a_skirt 2010-11-12 01:24 am UTC (link)
	'This one," she said promptly. "But I could be had by Tahiti for the right price in beach boys. HQ is here, so here I am most of the time." She took a healthy drink of her beer. "A PI like Sam Spade? He always looked good in the movies." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

i_can_hit_that
2010-11-12 01:29 am UTC (link)

"Sam Spade, Bogart, Shaft, take your pick." Roy says, listening as Zinda speaks. She's mentioned that she's a pilot and goes where the work is, so it sounds like she's freelance.

She hasn't given the name of her company, though, so Roy wonders just what kind of woman he's sharing drinks with. It wouldn't surprise him if she was with UPS or FedLex. He takes a sip of his beer and thinks over his next question.

"Tahiti is where I just came from, actually. It's a good place and a lot of fun. What kind of cargo do you carry on your runs?" he asks.

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	ace_in_a_skirt 2010-11-12 01:37 am UTC (link)
	"I work mostly for a private client who likes to keep a pilot on the payroll." It was practically the truth, if cleaned up just a little. "The cargo is whatever the client wants. Guess it's like being a PI and taking whatever case comes through the door." She watched him chalk up and get ready to break. "Who's Shaft?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

i_can_hit_that
2010-11-12 01:59 am UTC (link)

"Hey, that's nice work if you can get it." Roy grins, taking another sip of beer. Zinda seemed like a nice girl, if a little rough around the edges, like Helena.

Helena used her particular roughness as a barrier, whereas Zinda seemed to make it work.

He just looks at her when she asks who Shaft is.

"John Shaft? Played by Richard Roundtree in the 70's, followed by Samuel L. Jackson a few years ago? Come on, you've had to have seen Shaft!" he says, unable to believe this.

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ace_in_a_skirt
2010-11-12 02:14 am UTC (link)

She grinned and finished her beer. A passing waitress was stopped with an order for two more.

"Guess that was after my time," she said with a good-natured shrug. "Or before my time," she amended. It was hard to keep it straight sometimes, and she did get tired of pretending in a conversation. Didn't usually go to the bar for talk, so a guy who asked questions instead of staring at her cleavage was a switch.

Maybe Mr. PI was one of those fancy boys. That would explain it.

"But nobody could beat Sam Spade."

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	i_can_hit_that 2010-11-12 02:29 am UTC (link)
	"Well, I liked Sam Spade myself. I have the whole collection of his movies at home." Roy says. He'd always been a fan of the old school detectives. "So, what else are you doin' tonight? I know a dance club that's open pretty late." he says, finishing his beer. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	ace_in_a_skirt 2010-11-12 02:56 am UTC (link)
	"I was just gonna have a few drinks, see if I can't find a nice guy who wants to kill a few hours." She paused when the waitress came back with her beer and tipped the girl. "Maybe take him home," she continued. "But sure, I like dancing." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

i_can_hit_that
2010-11-12 03:04 am UTC (link)

Roy couldn't believe his ears. He'd never heard a woman come out and be quite /that/ forward before. It was a hell of a change, to say the least.

Wait, he checked her finger. No ring. He checked her expression. She had to be joking or something.

Right?

"Well, it looks like the first contender of the night failed miserable, though...I envied his hand right before you broke it, that is." Roy smirks.

"I only suggested dancing because it sounded like fun. If you're interested in killing a few hours with Sam Spade, I can arrange that, too." Roy says.

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	ace_in_a_skirt 2010-11-12 03:34 am UTC (link)
	Zinda laughed out loud. "Naw, he didn't have a chance. I can spot a creep a mile off. It's a gift." She raised her beer. "We can dance, see how it goes. You might be too slow for me." She winked. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	i_can_hit_that 2010-11-12 03:41 am UTC (link)
	"Sounds good." he says, taking the first shot to break the rack. He sinks two solid-colored balls, then a third and a fourth. He purposely misses the fifth in order to set up his next two shots. "You're up, Ace." Roy says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

ace_in_a_skirt
2010-11-12 03:49 am UTC (link)

She put the beer down, grabbed up her cue and sauntered around the corner of the table, eying her choices with the stripes. "I'd still like to know where I've seen you before. Good thing to know before Sam Spade solves his first case."

She leaned over the side and didn't wiggle while she lined up the shot. Wigglers needed attention they couldn't ask for in words. She had no problems with that. "You're not married, are ya?"

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	i_can_hit_that 2010-11-12 04:03 am UTC (link)
	"I really can't think of where we'd know each other from. I think I'd remember meeting someone like you, Zinda." Roy says, watching her move around the table. The term 'Dangerous Curves Ahead' had been based on this woman, Roy believed. "I'm not married or divorced. As I mentioned earlier, I do have a daughter, but I raise her on my own." he says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

ace_in_a_skirt
2010-11-12 04:38 am UTC (link)

"That's nice." She took the shot in one smooth movement, sinking the stripe into the corner pocket. Raising a little girl had to be hard. She wondered where the little girl was tonight while he was here.

"If you used to come here, then maybe I saw you. Lots of pilots come in here because they like the name. I know a few of 'em." Another shot was calculated and taken.

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	i_can_hit_that 2010-11-12 04:46 am UTC (link)
	"Yeah, I know a couple of pilots myself. I've been here a few times. Maybe that's why we've seen each other." Roy agrees, watching her run the table. "What else do you like to do, Zinda?" Roy asks, deciding the Loaded Question was better than the safe one right now. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	ace_in_a_skirt 2010-11-12 04:56 am UTC (link)
	"I like to cook. Read a little. My friends need help sometimes, so I fill in wherever I can." She sank two more before missing. "I love to dance." She settle back to watch his turn. "What do you do for fun?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

i_can_hit_that
2010-11-12 05:06 am UTC (link)

Roy looks over the table, considering his next shot. All of them were tough, but not impossible.

"I like dancing, but I'm a bit more of a thrill seeker, I'd have to say. I also practice archery. I love movies and traveling and hanging out with my daughter. She's pretty funny." Roy says.

"I also like meeting beautiful women who speak their minds and can hold their own in a scuffle." Roy says.

"I might have to call you the next time I decide I want a bar fight. We can back each other up and then do something afterward." he grins.

He takes his shot, using one of her balls to sink two of his own.

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	ace_in_a_skirt 2010-11-12 05:20 am UTC (link)
	"It's nice to hear about a daddy who likes to hang out with his. Lots of dads don't." She shook her head over his shot. Pool shark. It was a good thing she hadn't bet him over it. "I guess you might. A good bar fight can spice up an evening, when you're in a mood for one. Some nights is nice to just have a couple of drinks with a friend and shoot the breeze." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	i_can_hit_that 2010-11-12 05:23 am UTC (link)
	"I lost my dad when I was a kid, so it's important for me to be there for mine." he says. "I like just hanging out as well. So much better than spending the evening punching people in the face." Roy said. "In a bar-fight, I mean." he adds. "You want to get out of here?" he asks. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)