Players:
Summary: Tony and Anita work out a situation that suits them.
Date: March 30, 2011
Log Title: Aint Nothing but a Good Time
Rating: PG-13
NYC- Alphabet City- Otto's Shrunken Head
Otto's Shrunken Head is a rock n' roll Tiki Bar with a variety of specialty rum drinks served in fun glasses among other liquors. There is no food served here, just liquor. Live music can be heard in back with a D.J. is constantly spinning in front. Zebra print stools sit in front of the bar and red vinyl couches surround tables off to the side. A common nightly hang out for the younger Rock and Roll scene of New York City that is fun for everyone.
Was it really only Tuesday? Already this week had seen a great many problems popping up on the news reel about various drug busts, drug related problems and a rise of missing persons. On top of all of this there were still international concerns, bad guys doing evil things all over the world, and someone forgot to stock the Red Bull at the Towers!
Needing a break Tony pondered whether he should continue his work in the lab or to venture off into the city. Scrolling through his contacts list he put in a call to Anita offering to meet her at a local rock n' roll bar if she were wanting to step out. Having received a reply that she'd like to catch up with him Tony hopped out of his tailored suit and into a Motorhead shirt, a pair of dark jeans, thick boots, and his favorite leather jacket. Knowing Anita's affinity for bikes he's opted to ride his over to the bar and has just arrived parking to the side of the building pulling off his helmet.
A call from Mr. Tony Stark to go hang out and catch up… How could Anita resist? Leaving the dogs at home to entertain themselves (and with strict orders to behave!) the dancer has dressed in a comfortable, though low cut, lightweight red sweater and black skinny jeans. With traditional biker-style boots and her leather jacket, she takes to her bike and weaves through traffic to the bar. She pulls into the parking lot a moment after Tony does, sitting back comfortably on her Indian even as she kills the bike. Her own helmet is removed and rested on the tank in front of her as she offers a small smile to the billionaire, "Nice to see you again, Tony." She drops the kickstand and lets the bike settle, ticking softly as it cools. One leg is swung over so that she's just leaning against the bike, her jacket sipped up against the chill in the air.
"It would appear that we both made excellent timing through the traffic," Tony offers as the helmet clears his head to be held in one hand. The bike itself is turned off allowing him to simply sit there peering over at Anita. "You certainly have good taste," pointing at the bike with a gloved finger. Dismounting his ride he comes over to inspect the Indian. "Do you work on it yourself?" There's a bit of a laugh as he comes to stand in front of her. "Forgive me. It's nice to see you as well. I was not certain if you would be able to come with such short notice, and brought a sweet piece of machinery as well."
"Indeed." Anita's expression is vaguely amused at that as she pockets her key, giving her bike a little affectionate pat. Almost as though it's another member of her little family like her dogs are. The compliment gets a pleased little smile, "Thanks. She gets me where I need to go." She steps away from the machine to let him get a good look at 'her' and gives his bike an appreciative look, "You've got a pretty nice looking bike, yourself." When he questions whether or not she works on her own bike she shakes her head, "Not usually, no. I don't really have time, for one thing, and I only really know enough to change the oil. Anything else, I have to take her to this mechanic that Liam knows."
"Decent?" Meaning the mechanic that works on the bike. Squatting down to look at the bike with the helmet resting between feet Tony sees that /she/ is in good condition. With a pivot of a foot he turns to cast a glance towards Anita as she stands near his bike. "Thank you. I've worked on it a bit." Which is an understatement considering the only thing that remains of the original bike is the visible red pieces the rest was all redone to be able to support the engine. Rising up to his full height his leather gloves are pulled off then stuffed into the helmet for safe keeping. "Shall we go inside? I'd hate to invite you out then end up spending hours talking shop in a parking lot."
Anita shrugs, "He's kept her running." Not that the Indian is an old bike, by any stretch of the imagination, "I only really use him because he's a friend of a friend." So not someone she really knows that well, then. She nods at his having worked on his bike, a crooked little smile tugging at one corner of her mouth, "I can tell." There's even a little bit of a chuckle in her voice. At the suggestion that they go inside, she nods and tucks her helmet under one arm, her own gloves left on until they get inside. She gives a husky little chuckle, "Not that I'd mind talking about my baby here for hours, but that makes thirsty work and there's sure nothing to drink out here in the parking lot."
Tony smiles as they make their way into the bar which is already seeing some business this evening. Fortunately for them they can acquire one of the booths that is just close enough to enjoy the rock music playing but not near enough to where the speakers make it impossible to hear conversation. Waiting for Anita to slip into the booth first Tony slides his helmet across the opposite bench seat then peels off his leather jacket to drape over it. "It was a shame you had to leave the park so quickly the other day but it was becoming something of a circus." Taking his seat the man leans back against the back of the booth leaving an arm draped on the table. A server would of course be stopping by soon enough.
The dancer slips into one of the benches, setting her helmet on the bench beside her and unfastening her jacket. For now, she'll leave it on, though it'll probably come off once she starts getting too warm, "Yeah, but work waits for no one." Especially when it's the entertainment business. She rolls her eyes a little at the mention of how crazy it was getting in the park the other day and nods, "I could see that. Was there really a human sized rat there? I saw her, but…" She was kind of focused on a certain billionaire and a raccoon that seemed to have it in for dogs. She leans back in her own bench, crossing her legs under the table and resting an elbow on the back.
All too familiar and in agreement with Anita's comment about work he can merely gaze upon her sympatheticly. At times Tony is juggling not only four actual jobs but whatever may get dropped in his lap at random as well. As for the park he can but nod as she reacts to his comment. "The human sized rat in question is actually a very troubled young lady who I am attempting to help though there are numerous challenges with that. The Raccoon however is not a mutant and is actually from space. Terrible issue with dogs but hopefully he won't be attempting to stun blast either of ours." A server finally appears to check on them to see what they'd like. "I'll have a glass of water for now, and a menu if that's possible." The young woman dressed up in apron, and uniform t-shirt turns to Anita, "And for you?"
There's a look of sympathy from Anita when she hears what— or rather, who —the rat is, and she nods, "Well, I wish her well. I know how hard it can be in this city for those that are… different." She blinks a couple of times at the news about what the raccoon is and finally just shakes her head, "Dodger and Anna won't mess with him, so if he tries to stun blast them, then I'm going to have a problem with him." Why won't they mess with him? Because she told them not to. Then the waitress arrives and, with a totally bland expression, the woman places her drink order, "I'll have a horny goat. Extra cranberry, if you please."
The server scrawls down the drink order as she's used to the strange names of various drinks whereas Tony is laughing while rubbing a few fingers across an edge of his go-t. The server reaches over to a nearby table to snag a menu that she sets down between Anita and Tony then heads off to the bar to fill the drink orders. "I doubt your dogs are in any danger. Mine on the other hand…" there's a bit of a sigh for that. "Fortunately I don't expect Rocket to pay a visit to my apartment any time soon. How are your babies by the way? They looked excellent the other day." The menu gets spun around for Tony to make a cursory glance of then he turns it about in case you would like to take a gander at it.
Anita can't help but smile a little at Tony's reaction to her drink order and shrugs one shoulder, moving around a little so that she can slip out of her jacket and toss it (and her gloves) on top of her helmet next to her. She chuckles softly at the comment about her dogs and nods, "Yeah, they do listen fairly well. Only because I've had them since they were fifteen pound babies, though." She pauses for a moment at the comment about his dog, "I could come talk to her, if you like?" It's an offer hesitantly made, seeing as she doesn't really spread it around that she's not exactly normal. Even for a stripper. When he asks about her babies, she's once more relaxed and smiling affectionately, "They're doing good. I could wish that Dodger weren't so standoffish, but they're good. "How are you and Athena getting along? She looked good the other day."
Tony pulls over the bowl of pretzels sitting off to the side on the table so that it's between himself and Anita. With a pretzel in hand he waves it as he speaks, "I rather like Dodger. He's the protective type and always keeping a look out. Can't fault that at all in this city." That pretzel gets tossed into his mouth and crunched down while looking thoughtful. "Athena and I are doing well. She tends to get on my roommates nerves from time to time but overall she's not gotten into a whole lot of trouble. If you'd like to stop by and visit with her, or myself as a pale second option to an adorable puppy, you're more than welcome to."
There's a fond smile at his assessment of Dodger and Anita nods, "Yeah, he watches out for me. Gets a little hard, sometimes, when I want to bring someone home with me, but he looks out for me and Anna." She reaches for the pretzels and plucks one out to brush most of the salt off of, "That's good to hear." She smiles a little slyly at the invitation to stop by for a visit, "I might just take you up on that offer. If you'd like, I could bring Anna over for a play date. Let her keep your little girl out of our hair for a little while so we can… talk." It's only once most of the salt is gone from her pretzel that she bites it in half and chews slowly, glancing over the menu for a moment.
The pretzel is de-salted which is an amusing thing to do. The server happens back with the drinks and offers to hang around for a moment if they'd like to snag something from the kitchen. Tony just orders a basket of steak fries with an assortment of dipping sauces and Anita can add to that if she'd like. Once the ordering is done the server continues making her rounds. Little bit of a smirk is wiped off Tony's face by the sweep of the tip of his tongue parting his lips a moment before he sips at his glass of water. "It's an excellent idea. I would rather like to have a conversation with you without interruptions." Furthering the point by resting a booted foot alongside her foot. "Given time I may even win over Dodger. I can be quite persuasive." Which means he'll find some ungodly expensive steak or something equally as interesting and keep spoiling the Dane.
When her drink is delivered, Anita reaches for it with a little smile and takes a small sip, rolling the liquid around in her mouth for a moment before swallowing and looking satisfied, "They mix a good one here. Some places don't…" It's a sad, but unfortunate truth that some bartenders just aren't as good at certain drinks as others are. She doesn't add anything else to the order, though she will probably steal a couple of his fries if he doesn't object. The other half of her pretzel is eaten and she settles back in the booth again, tucking her hair behind one ear and smiling a little slyly when he puts his foot against hers. The thought of him being able to win Dodger over gets a little chuckle of amusement, "You're welcome to try." Beat, "Just don't spoil him too much, honey. I'd really rather not have him put on too much more weight. He already weighs almost as much as I do…"
"I've not been to a bar in awhile. The last time I attempted to take a few friends out for drinks a brawl broke out and that ended that. I did have a rather decent drink at a club however. Amazed me." Tony flags over the server to bring him an El Chupacabra. With that taken care of, "I'll alternate the bribery a bit. I've not ran into anyone that could resist me yet." The music playing in the bar is fairly decent as it is a mix of older hits as well as newer songs that get quite a bit of air play. There's good conversation, drinks that are not watered down, and sharing of a basket of fries. On his second drink Tony slides across his bench seat draping an arm across the top of the seat offering up the available space with a glance and reaching across the table to scoot her drink to his side of the table.
Anita nods, "I was at a bar just earlier this week, actually." She shrugs one shoulder and sips her drink, "And Sapphire's has decent drinks. I usually get something to wind down at the end of the night before going home…" She looks a little smug about that fact. She chuckles softly at the promise to alternate the bribes, "He's getting to be an old man, so just be careful with him is all I ask." She enjoys the music, ordering another drink when her first runs low. Fries are nibbled from time to time until he moves her drink and makes the oh so subtle invitation for her to join him on his side of the table and she gives a little smile. She slips around the table and settles in at his side, "I'm just glad you called on a night that I'm off. Otherwise, I'd have had to bail on you about now…"
"I understand," about the Dane. Anita comes about to join him on his side of the table so he settles the arm along the top of the booth to rest around her shoulders. "Hmm, would put a whole damper on the evening if you had to dash off to the club. I took a chance that you might have the night off. I tend to keep odd hours so we may play hit and miss for awhile." As Tony is drinking his particular martini while rubbing fingertips against Anita's arm the server drops off her drink. "Though I've got to ask," shifting his arm he lifts strands of her hair up over her ear then settles his arms back where it was resting before. "If you're comfortable with how hard it will be to pin me down? If so, I think that we could be good friends as I'm done with relationships."
With the pleasant warmth of alcohol settling over her, Anita nods, "I'm a dancer, Tony. Sometimes I think we invented odd hours." The words are said with a small smile, "I can usually find something," Or someone? "to keep me occupied when I have a little free time." She doesn't quite presume to lean against him, having heard in the gossip magazines about how he doesn't care for being touched, but she does snug her hip up against his, "Hmm… I think I can handle being good friends." She looks at him out of the corner of her eyes for a moment, "Long as you aren't possessive about your friends?" She doesn't like to stay tied to just one person, after all… "I've never been good with relationships…"
Tony snickers about dancers keeping odd hours. The question had to be put out there as not only does he zip around the world for business but at the drop of a hat he's off saving the world as Iron Man so that can put a crimp on the party time. Seeing as Anita is close and yet not as close as she could be he gently nudges so that she knows she's more than welcome to lean up against him. Tony doesn't mind allowing people into his personal space if it's on his terms. Can you imagine having to deal with people constantly wanting to touch you all the time? Eugh. There's a soft smile as his eyes alight with a tinge of mischief. "I'm protective of my friends but not possessive of them." Well, other than Pepper. He's fired people for looking chummy with his PA. The mention of her luck with relationships has him reaching up to run fingers through her hair. "I've had one too many seek fame, money, or have tried to kill me. I've lost a few as well so my track record is abysmal. I'd rather keep good company, and enjoy the time I have than deal with drama. You?"
The little nudge earns a small smile, which is hidden behind her glass as she takes a drink, and Anita settles comfortably in against his side. She totally understands about the personal space thing… There've been a few guys at the club that have gotten a little grabby with her. None of them lasted more than a couple of minutes after that, since the bouncers tossed them out, but still… She nods in agreement with him, "Good. I don't like to be tied down." And she'd hate to have to turn down the chance to put a Stark feather in her cap. She winces in sympathy for the hard time he's had with relationships and shrugs one shoulder, "I've never had anyone try to kill me, though I've had to file a couple of TRO's for guys and one girl that thought they had more of a claim on me than I was comfortable with, but… Well, let's just say that my 'high school sweetheart' left me high and dry and I've been kind of gun shy ever since." She obviously doesn't think very much of said high school sweetheart anymore, "Good company is all I really look for anymore." She doesn't seem to feel like there's anything wrong with that, either.
With Anita comfortably tucked up against him Tony pokes a bit of fun about her dislike for being tied down, "Unless it's for a good cause." Anita can have her feather as she won't be like a few whove run off waving said feather about to attract attention upon themselves. She knows him and his reputation so there will be no misunderstandings between them. "Clearly we've had the misfortune of being involved with the wrong people." Slipping fingers from her hair to return to her shoulder again he offers a one armed hug. "Well, here's to amazing pets, fast rides, and good company." Lifting up his half empty glass towards hers.
Anita gives a husky little chuckle at his joke and nods, winking, "Oh, of course!" Being tied down in a good cause is never a bad thing… She might get the feather, but she's very discrete. She nods, wrinkling her nose a little, "Apparently so." She leans a little more firmly against him in responce to the hug, slipping one hand under the table to give his knee a light squeeze. The toast gets a crooked little smile and she lifts her glass to touch it lightly to his, "Hear, hear!"
