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Ever since crazy weird weapons started to surface about, Lorna has been growing more and more irate, upset that once again something that has nothing to do with mutants is being blamed on mutants. So amazingly spectacular. She was sitting at the bar, her back towards the door, the pyramid studs across her the back of her biker jacket forming a very visible Omega symbol. Then there's her green hair. But seeing how this is Mutant Town, she doesn't necessarily stand out.
Halgrim is ostensibly at Club Atomic to, as Jeb and Adam keep insisting, take an evening off and not overwork himself, but in reality he's there to lend moral support for Jeb (should he be there) and keep an eye out for the infamous Doug. He has a portion of the bar to himself, since it seems not many people want to stand too close to him, though the bartender (a short, stout young woman with cephalopod eyes and an extra finger on each hand) gets along with him well enough. He's halfway through a black and tan, watching the crowd come and go. If he stands out, it's because there's nothing visibly mutant about him, but then plenty of mutants aren't noticably so.
Someone who isn't taking an evening off, is Riley. Red hair is held back from her face with a thin headband, contrasting the pale blue top tucked into her jeans, her smile flashing and dimple flickering as she goes to deliver drinks to a table. Blue-green eyes are enhanced with makeup, and her lips are a glossy dark rose, and compared to the exotic bartender, she looks like the girl next door.
Already in Club Atomic is Nate Grey! He sits at the bar next to Polaris, sipping on a glass of whiskey. He wears a leather jacket with a tattered grey shirt, leather pants, and combat boots. His eyes to shift over to people entering the bar, tilting his head at them…though his attention falls upon Lorna. "Calm down…we'll figure something out."
Julie is just dropping in for a drink, simply because it's the first time she has in a little while, sauntering up to the bar, and giving a little wave, first to the barkeep, and nods to those around that she's seen before as she settles down, not terribly-much different to her own appearance, save, for the observant, a circled 'X' logo dangling from her jacket's zipper pull. "Ah, howsabout a Manhattan for starters, thanks," she addresses the girl behind the bar, and sets down a rolled piece of poster-paper. "Hey, Doug in tonight, anyhow?" Her accent's local, Italian-tinged.
"I am calm!" Lorna hisses as Nate tells her to calm down, and she emphasizes the point with a slight slamming of her whiskey glass against the counter. Sure sign of clamness. "You gotta admit the news are unbeliveable though…what could mutants possibly have to do with those stupid weapons?"
Halgrim raises his beer to Julie in a greeting, sips from it. The bartender shakes her head as she gets Julie's Manhattan made. "Not that I've seen," she says; her accent has a faint Kentucky twang. She slides the cocktail glass to Julie and heads off down the bar to the a cluster of girls who appear to be celebrating something. Halgrim asides, "I haven't seen him," to Julie, "but I've been on the look out." He looks askance at Lorna, unable to help overhearing her concerns but also not clear on the whole weapons situation, and instead focuses on Julie's poster. "Promoting?" he asks with raised eyebrows.
Riley is clearing off a table, moving to bring the glasses behind the bar. There's a flicker of a glance towards Polaris, as if sizing up potential trouble. There's just the faintest tasting of emotions, her shielding dropped down just so she can get a better read on the emotions going around. Then she'll glance at the bartender, a smile flashing. "I need another old fashioned." There's the twang of where Tenessee meets Georgia.
Nate seems unconvinced at Lorna, instead just remaining completely calm and quiet as she slams drinks into the counter. "Sure you are." he sighs. "Does it matter to them? Long as they have someone…or a people group to blame for their woes, everyone's happy." he sighs. "The future isn't much different." His eyes then shift to Riley, sensing another telepathic presence in the room. Lorna will feel something around her mind. Almost like a shield….can never be too careful these days. Though Nate also notices Halgrim and Julie, he doesn't say anything at the moment.
Julie tilts her head a bit about mention of 'weapons' and mutants being blamed, but glances over to Halgrim. "Oh, ah, yeah, actually. JP put some artist guy he knows up to making me a few posters for, ah, some special mods I do, you know, for folks around here." She smirks, even maybe a bit embarrassed, but there in beautifully-lettered and decked out current-style band poster lettering, something to the effect of 'Dizzy's Custom Car Modifications,' listing out various services and contact points, not unlike some hand-written ones she'd been posting around. "You know, sometimes folks around here got different feet or tails or whatever, so you gotta make a ride fit em and all."
Having a sip of her drink, Lorna turns to glower her green eyes directly into Nate, "yes, I am, thank you very much for your concern." Looking back at the other people, particularly Riley, as Nate looked her way, Lorna whispers, "anything the matter? These government agents?"
"Sure thing," the bartender says, grinning at Riley and getting out the bourbon and bitters. She might be young, but she's got the chops of a veteran; she has the drink mixed up in a tumbler and on Riley's tray promptly. She swans off down the bar to pour out a few beers.
"Excellent work," Halgrim says, nodding his approval at the poster. "More than a few people could use that service, mmm? And it's not the sort of thing they can easily request," he nods his head, as if to indicate 'outside of Mutant Town'. He has a drink of his beer.
Riley isn't trying to be intrusive, so she won't notice anything slippping in to protect the mind of the green-haired woman. She's just trying to feel what emotions are being put out, because it's easier to diffuse a situation before it boils over. She's all but humming to herself, a blink a moment at nothing in particular, a hint of a frown until that drink is set up on her tray. There's another smile for the bartender before the redhead looks around, and heads to deliver the drink.
Nate still doesn't seem to intimidated. "Always a pleasure." Perhaps Nate was sometimes eitehr the water or the fuel to Lorna's ire at any given moment. BUT! he seems to still be a good person to lend advice and aid. When asked if they were government agents, he shakes his head. "I don't know. Taking precautions justi n case." he whispers back to her before his eyes glance to Julie. "Hey Diz." then those eyes shift to Halgrim, as if wondering who he was.
Since Riley is senseing, assuming that wouldn't be warded by Nate's shielding, the emotions that could be read from Lorna are tremendous anger. All bottled up. It doesn't necessarily has to do with the specific surrounding, or anything happening at the moment, but she's carrying quite the number of emotional scars. Looking at Julie and back at Nate, she motions at the woman, "who is Diz?"
Julie nods to Halgrim, "Yeah, used to do that sorta thing by word of mouth, pretty much, or you get talking with someone sometimes, but this way, well, could help some of the people get around better." She gives a wave over to Nate, there. "Hey, how ya been?" She smirks to Lorna and waves a hand, "I'm Diz, howyadoin?"
Halgrim comes across to Riley as calm and relaxed, or as much as he can be given the week he's had, but beneath it is something else. It's less like he's using any sort of abilities and more like there's another, separate layer. He nods his head in a greeting to Nate and Lorna, saying, "Halgrim," as both greeting and introduction. His accent is softly Scandinavian in the style of someone who's been speaking English with native speakers for some time.
Riley drops off the drink, and clears off some more tables, wiping each one down quick. She'll slide back behind the bar to put glasses in the sink, a bright smile for the bartender. "Merry Christmas!" She'll tease, but she's not that big a jerk. She'll start washing glasses, which will give her time to look over the assortment of the bar, curious now.
"Halgrim…? You're not from around here," Lorna states the obvious, and yet looks quite fascinated by this unusual man. Before her green eyes shift to Julie, "why Diz? Any specific meaning?" She immediately assumes this is no given name. +po
"An old friend." Nate tells Lorna with a bit of a smile before he looks to Julie, giving her a two-finger wave. Either way, he also glances to Riley once again. Locking eyes with her. HE KNOWS!…that she's a telepath. Cough. But he glances to Halgrim. "Nate." he introduces himself, nodding to Halgrim.
Julie smirks a bit. "Eh, short for Dizzy. I'm pretty big on spinning stuff," she says, by way of hinting at an explanation. She takes up her drink, and gives it a bit of a raise in salute. Mentally, she seems much more straightforward, probably about as gregarious as she acts. Does puzzle a bit about Nate's 'old friend' reference.
"No," Halgrim admits to Lorna. "Sweden, originally. I've only been in the States a few months now." The bartender brings him his beer, which he thanks her for, and raises to Lorna and Nate both. "Good to meet you both," he says, and takes a drink. He takes in Julie's explanation of her name with a thoughtful expression, like he's trying to picture how that might work.
Riley will pause in her glass washing, eyes gone wide as she stares at Nate a moment. It's almost like someone's gotten a surprise, or something. Then there is the lightest, gentlest 'knocking' she can manage. She's never met another one before! It's almost like she's forgotten she was working.
"Dizzy, huh?" Lorna doesn't seem like she's satisfied yet, until she explains a talent of sorts, "I see, what do you spin? Dreidels?" The question of course is faceticious. "Never been outside of the United States, but sounds interesting, good to meet you as well, Halgrim. I take it your name is more common where you come from?" But even as she asks the question, she arches a brow, looking over Julie again.
Nate simply chuckles a bit to Lorna as she seems dissatisfied with…well, everything. It's a good color on her. Either way, he happens to have a small smile on his face as he looks to Halgrim. "Sweden huh? Well, hope you're enjoying it here." then he looks to Riley…receiving her 'knock'. Though…admittedly, Nate sends a message back in the form of an actual message.
« So, you're a telepath too?»
Julie nods, sipping her drink. "Just about anything, really," she says with a bit of a smile. "I suppose I know a few guys for dreidels in particular, though." She takes out a pack of smokes and offers one around, before taking one of her own, and lighting one up without touching the sparkwheel on the Zippo. Subtlety, maybe.
Halgrim makes an 'eh' sort of face in response to Lorna's question. "Not especially—it's a more traditional name. Most of Scandinavia uses modern names, but I'm from an older city, where the newer names aren't as popular just yet." He nods a thank you to Nate, says, "It's…" He hesitates, thinking of how to answer that, settles on, "It's been good." He declines the cigarette with a shake of his head, saying, "Thank you, no." He tilts his head at Nate and Lorna. "And yourselves? Are you natives? To New York, I mean."
If Riley's eyes get any wider, they may just fall right out of her head. She looks a little pale, even as she swallows hard. She will give a tiny hint of a nod, before she catches herself. It's the faintest of blushes that brings color back into her cheeks, as she ducks her head and bites her bottom lip.
« I've never met another one. »
"I am actually," Lorna grins at Halgrim, "what gave it away? Or just a lucky guess?" They do say all manner of things about New Yorkers, she was just curious. To Julie she remarks, "so you're a tinkerer? Build and take apart stuff?"
Nate looks to Riley, still speaking with her telepathically. «Well, now you have. I suppose there's a first for everything.» He sips his whiskey very softly. Before he looks to Halgrim and Lorna. "Yep. Native as we can be." he shrugs, but simply goes silent now, enjoying his drink.
Julie nods to Polaris. "Yeah, I do that, too. Family business and all, you know, mechanic and everything. Well, you know, unofficially, some places."
With a wry smile, Halgrim says to Lorna, "Mmm, I like to think I know enough native New Yorkers now to recognize one, but, probably just lucky." He leans against the bar. "As in a family owned garage?" he asks Julie.
Riley will remember to be helpful and wash glasses, even as colors whirl around in her head. She should be careful, cautious, but.. she's as excited as a kid on their birthday, too! She will go out from behind the bar, peeking at Nate from under her lashes, as she picks up empties and orders.
« I'm Riley. »
"Groovy," Lorna remarks at Julie's sharing the tidbit about Gearhead, which also sparks interest about Dizzy, but not for the moment. She grows more and more irate, Nate might feel it, Riley might feel it. Julie might not feel that, but she could feel bits of metallic objects about her vibrating oddly out of nowhere. "Nate, can you cover my drink? I need space, I need time to myself," Lorna says hurriedly as she gets up and marches outside in a hurry.
Nate seems to look to Lorna as she starts to stand up and start running off. "Yeah, I got you." and he looks worriedly as she marches out in a hurry. A sigh touching his features before he just shakes his head. "Well then." he looks to Riley at the sound of her telepathic speak.
«I'm Nate.» and that's all he says in return, before he stands up himself, paying the money to cover the bill. "Thanks for the drinks Doug."
Julie nods to Halgrim, glancing between Nate and Riley at the seemingly sourceless expressions and pauses, and ahs, puffing on her ciggy, and ahing to herself, tapping the side of her temple in a bit of an imitation of 'the Prof.' Continues, "Yeah, we got a few places here and there, between my uncles and all." She indicates the flyer. "Been working with the guys at Gearhead's up the way, though, kinda helping them get going, and there's folks from the neighborhood, could be more comfortable there, all things considered." She nods as Lorna gets up, habitually patting pockets as she feels items… sorta vibrating around in there, which means it's her turn to be a bit perplexed, perhaps. but nods as Lorna heads out. Gives a nod to Nate. "I get it, ….she gonna be all right?"
"Ah, yes—JP and Elmo's place, I know it well," Halgrim says with a nod. And does he ever, having helped Vitale and Elmo replace literally every lightbulb and some of the fixtures just the other day. He blinks as Lorna goes, and waits to see what Nate has to say on that topic.
The redhead will watch Nate walking towards the door. « Bye? Maybe we could meet up sometime? » She can tell the guy is way more powerful than anything she's ever dreamed of being. She will keep looking down, blushing. « I hope your friend works out what's got her all worked up. »
Nate looks to Halgrim. "Heh, you know them? They're good friends of mine." He glances then to the redhead as she speaks to him with such hope in her eyes. He takes a breath, letting her feel a warmth in her mind that was almost comforting. «Sure. don't worry about Lorna…she's pretty easy to work up. Just needs her space.» he smiles to her and two different sets of numbers pop into her mind. Before he smiles to all. "See you all soon." and he makes his way out.
Julie nods, "Yeah, been trying to help em get going over there. It's something this neighborhood kinda could use. And I can't be everywhere at once," she jokes. Sometimes, perhaps, it seems like she needs to be, and glances to Riley as she watches the fellow go. "You OK over there?" She sips at her drink and glances at it. "I guess how'sabout a beer, come to think of it. She eyes the taps, and says. "SOmething I can't pronounce, I guess, let's see what the uss is."