A Bar, Boston, Tuesday

[smilestopscars]

In the end, Ezra had decided to drag Dante out to a bar. Not one of the Coterie ones, but still one that he'd frequented sometimes, looking to have a good time. It wasn't as high-end as, say, something within the Purgatory complex, but it was still several steps up from something like that dive he'd found Dante performing at earlier this year.

Funnily enough, this one seemed to have an open mic night going on. Or, would have - there was a flier advertising it at the door, but they were a little early. Those proceedings had not started yet as they walked in.

"It's not a bunny party," Ezra noted, glancing back at Dante with a little smirk, "but I think it works."

[ooc: NFB, for the guy.]

Comments

[smilestopscars]

"Oh! Then, I guess I must be going," Ezra said, and even made to push away from the bar. "I have no interest in staying in establishments that want to limit my free speech."

It was one of his most important freedoms!

[rebelseekspizza]

"I mean, that's most," Dante said, amused. "Can't shout 'fire' in a crowded theater either."

[smilestopscars]

"Yes, I can see disparaging a business's main wares as being entirely equal to causing a potentially life-threatening incident."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Hey, we were just talking about free speech," Dante said, grinning. "Just sayin', you accept plenty of limits."

[smilestopscars]

"The ones that make sense," Ezra retorted without missing a beat. "Which yours really doesn't."

[rebelseekspizza]

"It totally does," Dante retorted. "You don't go to a theme park and bitch that you think rides are stupid, either. Basic rule of fun."

[smilestopscars]

"I think you'll find that's a rule that parents of small children break all the time," Ezra replied merrily. "I also think it's time you accept that we have a difference of opinion which no amount of placing arbitrary rules on me is going to change."

Weren't the limited options of shutting Ezra up about the first thing most people learned about him, anyway?

[rebelseekspizza]

See, but here Ezra was making the assumption that Dante's actual goal here was to shut him up, instead of having an entertaining argument.

This was Dante. The entertaining argument was the point at least sixty percent of the time.

"So you're saying you're talking shit on par with a six-year-old."

...Maybe 70 percent.

[smilestopscars]

"No, you're the six-year-old," Ezra replied matter-of-factly, "and I'm the parent who brought you here, thinking you'd like it. Keep up, darling."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue.

Maturely.

He looked towards the stage, where someone was setting up. A girl, tall and blonde, wearing overalls.

[smilestopscars]

"My point exactly," said Ezra, because he couldn't help himself.

He finally knocked back his drink, while his gaze followed Dante's towards the stage.

[rebelseekspizza]

The girl cleared her throat, jittering nervously on stage.

For a few seconds.

Then her spine went ramrod straight and she launched straight into a stand-up routine.

"Huh," Dante said. "That's one way to deal with stage fright."

[smilestopscars]

"Hmm," Ezra... agreed, probably? "Seemed very effective."

[rebelseekspizza]

Her set wasn't great, though, so Dante zoned out quickly, looking towards Ez again.

"Thanks, by the way," he said. "For having Kathy's back, back when."

[smilestopscars]

Ezra glanced back at him, too.

"Is this about the cult thing?" he asked, after a very brief silence. Lightly.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Yeah," Dante said. And added, after a moment, "Kathy told me what happened."

[smilestopscars]

Ezra wasn't surprised. Wasn't as if it had been a secret.

He shrugged a shoulder, casual or at least halfway there, and motioned to the bartender for another drink. "Anders did more than me," he said, then reconsidered. "For her directly, anyway."

Healing had never been in his skill set.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Not what I heard," Dante said quietly. He waved at the bartender to get him one, too.

[smilestopscars]

"He healed her."

Ezra thought that said enough.

[rebelseekspizza]

"And you killed Christian."

Might as well be clear.

[smilestopscars]

"Yeah, I did," Ezra replied, and his voice was hushed only because, well. They were talking about killing people. "And the ex that bit Kathy," he added. "But neither action on their own wouldn't have really helped."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Ezra, just let me fucking thank you," Dante said, still hushed. "And fuss for like, five seconds."

[smilestopscars]

Ezra shrugged again. "You thanked me already," he pointed out. "And I'd like to keep the pointless fussing to a minimum, darling. There's not really a reason to."

[rebelseekspizza]

"So you're totally okay after all of that shit?"

Dante shot him a sideways look.

[smilestopscars]

"Getting there," he offered.

The occasional nightmares seemed to have stopped by now.