Some Things Never Change {Open}

[Nature]

{{Can we pretend that airplanes In the night sky Are like shooting stars?}}

Saturday nights were always busy, no matter where you went. Lacey was just now finding this out. She remembered that back in Jump City the bar was extremely busy on Saturdays. A bar in Rovetown was no different.

Nick wasn't too pleased by the fact that she had decided to resume a job as a bartender, but she had wanted to make her own money. She wasn't the type of girl to live off of her boyfriends rather large paycheck. Plus, being a bartender seemed to be one of the only jobs she was good at. Despite the fact that she herself was underage and couldn't drink legally. But if anyone started to question her age, she could just seduce them into letting it go. How do you think she got the job? She was trying not to use her powers that much, though. There was always the possibility that they could overwhelm her again, and it terrified her. Not to mention that the voice had been silent lately. Nick believed it was a good sign, but Lacey wasn't so sure. She could still feel it hiding away in the back of her mind, just waiting for the right time to come out.

[damien]

Damien quietly slipped into the bar. He loved earth bars. They were so tame in comparison to an asgardian feast, yet felt so much more familiar than the cafe's and restaurants that people seemed to spend so much time in. He wasn't technically old enough to drink, despite the fact his metabolism was far stronger than the average human, but so few bartenders nowadays checked ID's. Especially when the customer in question tipped well, and was decked out nicely in sleek designer clothes.

"Excuse me," he said approaching the bar, talking slightly louder to be heard over the din of the crowd. "2 shots of backdraft, and 1 pint stella artois please."

He slapped a fifty dollar bill on the counter for added effect. With a little bit of luck the bartender would just pour the drinks, probably wouldn't even look at his face, then he could slink away into the corner and spend another night starting a barfight before going home. After all, it was a busy night.

[Nature]

A few small beads of sweat clung to her forehead. She was running all over the place, like a chicken with its head cut off. Everywhere she looked there was someone wanting a drink. Luckily, the other bartender had decided to come back from his five-hour lunch break. It gave Lacey enough time to actually take a moment and put her wavy hair into a loose pony tail. She then turned her attention to the man who had just walked up. She smiled friendly as she walked up to him. She nodded as he ordered. She raised an eyebrow when he slapped a fifty down onto the counter.

"Uh, it's only about fifteen dollars, dude" she said in true Lacey fashion. If this guy really had nothing else than a fifty dollar bill, she would let it go. She just wanted to make sure this guy wasn't trying to bribe her, since he appeared to be around Lacey's age, eighteen or so. She had no problem with serving people if they were seventeen or over, since it would be incredibly hypocritical if she didn't. But when they tried to bribe her and act as if she could be bought was when she got pissed. She wasn't a low-life, money-hungry fool and did not wish to be treated as such.

[damien]

"Sorry," said Damien unapologetically. "I haven't got anything smaller, I just hit the ATM."

He flashed her a toothy smile. This night wasn't starting well. He peered at the bartender. She looked quite young. Having grown up in bars most his life he wasn't especially surprised, although it was odd to see young bartenders on earth. Then again he didn't have much experience with earth.

"You seem overtly swamped with work," he commented. "But I do expect the correct amount of change."

In actuality he thought 15 dollars was quite cheap. What sort of drinks was he getting exactly? He hoped it wasn't the cheap watered down stuff, he'd need to drink a lot to get properly hammered as it was. He despised bars which did that, almost as much as he did drinking alone.

He scanned the bar looking for any interesting people he might join. Perhaps the night wouldn't be as fun as he originally thought.

[Nature]

"Oh, well in that case, it's fine" she said when he said the fifty was all he had. She turned around and quickly started to assemble his drinks. Making sure to pour the exact amount, it took her probably less than a minute. She came back and set his drinks down on the counter. She then took his fifty and put it into the little knapsack she was wearing on her waist. It was similar to the type of things you often see people at flea markets wearing. It allowed for them to get the person their change more efficiently. It also helped ensure thet the person didn't run off with their drinks before paying.

Lacey took out three tens and a five. She gave him a look at his comment about getting the correct amount of change. Of course she would give him the correct amount of change. She may have been unable to go to school since she was thirteen years old, but she knew simple math. She had also been taking some online courses.

"Yeah, we're always busy on Saturdays. Especially since we started giving discounts on Saturdays" she explained. The young leader looked around slightly at her surroundings. She had realized long ago that it was odd for the leader of a superhero team to have a job as a bartender, but Lacey never was one for stereotypes.

[damien]

Damien pocketed the change, counting it as he did so. The bartender was obviously skilled at what she did. When the drinks came Damien grabbed the shot with a smile. winking at her he downed it in one.

"Not bad," he said, actually feeling a slight buzz for once, which was unusual. They must use good stuff. "If the drinks here are so good I must come by more often. How are the people around here though?"

He reached for the second shot and hit it back. Now he was starting to feel a little better. He had yet to find a beer on earth that would give him a buzz, but they always tasted fantastic. To make up for that, he'd been abusing shots. Perhaps overtly so. Given that he was from Asgard, and was supposedly in possession of an invincible liver he felt it was his duty to take advantage of that fact, perhaps he did so with a little too much gusto.

He was about to take a sip of his beer when his ears pricked and he suddenly became alert. His senses were telling him something. He'd grown up in one of the harshest environments in the universe, his body had learnt from birth to tell when something was wrong, even if his mind didn't know it. He glanced at the bartender. There was something off about her. She didn't seem like everyone else in the room.

"So," he began casually. "Are you from around here?"

[A.J]

The young woman slipped easily into the bar, she was just looking for a way to relax, so far their was nothing to do. She her bow and arrow stuffed in the backpack that was hidden on top of the fire escape on the side of the building and her outfit was easy to change into, she slip her hair up, slip into her boots and then pop on her mask that held the contacts in place for her so she never really had to worry about anything like that.

Elizabeth was never one to worry about such trivial things as age, and she found as long as she dressed the way she normally did she could pass for about twenty-three. A little cleavage and easy smile went a long way with some of the men here. She was dressed in a black half sleeved jacket, a pair kill me four inch heeled sandals, a black skirt that wasn't too short, but short enough it gave her the attention she needed if she ever needed an alibi for anything. People remembered her and that was what she needed and a white v-neck t-shirt nothing overly fancy; but the dangling earrings and the two diamond studs in each spoke volumes. Her necklace helped too. Her black hair was done up in easy curls, in the low light it helped somewhat with the purple highlights. She brushed back a strand as she slid through the crowded room, heading up toward the bar. She swatted away the hand of the poor drunk sap who'd thought she was someone else. She always felt a warming sensation that traveled up her back whenever something was coming her way from behind.

Koda reached the bar and offered an easy grin to the bartender. She didn't bat an eye to the fact it was Lacey working. She knew all about her team mates, but the same couldn't be said about her. She kept herself, she was still friendly, dependable but she was never one to talk about herself. Her past was no one's business, it was probably the attitude like that, that kept her single for so long. She shrugged not too worried about it. Really that hadn't been anyone she'd really been interesting in anyway. Most of the people she was around were other 'Superheros' who were just barely out of puberty and they wanted to fight crime. Did some of them truly think it was a game? Sometimes that was the case, and she had no qualms with laughing and telling them to think real hard on another career choice. She was here on business. She lived in Gotham City usually, but things change and for now she was with the young justice team.

As her gaze traveled to Lacey she caught sight of the man she was talking too or perhaps it was the other way around. Her baby blue eyes took him in and she felt the hair on the back of her neck rise, she drew in an easy breath through her nose and slowly let it out. She didn't drink often in fact the only reason she was here because well she was tailing the man who'd walked in three minutes before her and currently sitting at the far end of the bar, his arm draped around a pretty blond who had more then just talk on her mind. The knife she housed against her thigh in it's sheath covered by her skirt but oh just barely.

She caught the tail end of the conversation the man, not the boy around their age was asking if Lacey was from around her. She felt her eyes flash violent, showing the real reason she wore contact was to hid the fact her latent powers were acting up, visible showing she was different from the rest of the humans that called this city home.

He could easily be an enemy fishing for information, it didn't matter if he wasn't like the other people in the room. The closer she got the more she knew without a doubt he wasn't human, he was to some extent like them. "Why don't you answer your own question, are you from around here?" she asked slipping up to the bar, her eyes never leaving the boy, she didn't trust him and she wasn't about to allow Lacey the opportunity to be in harms way.

[/color]

[Nature]

There was something off about the man, Lacey could tell that much. But what it was, she wasn't sure. She wasn't going to worry too much, however. No one outside of her team and all of her fellow superheroes knew about her double identity. How people didn't notice was beyond Lacey, it wasn't like she had that intricate of a costume.

"The people here are normally pretty decent. Not any better than normal bar-goers, but not any worse if you know what I mean" she replied, nodding to herself. To add to the effect she gave him a friendly, nonchalant smile. Lacey had become a professional at customer service over the years. Although, she still wasn't able to handle it when people acted like asses. She was afraid to tell people how it was. She had always been one to voice her opinion, not quite caring what others thought.

Lacey watched as Koda walked up to the bar. She smiled at her second-in-command, glad to see a familiar face.

"Be nice" she told the girl quietly, the smile not leaving her face, however. Lacey could handle herself, but she was not offended in the slightest. She had always been able to appreciate a little friendly help. She turned her attention back to the man.

"No" she answered simply, not giving anymore information than that. She wasn't dumb enough to say that she moved here around the same time Nightingale had started to make more frequent appearances in Rovetown.

"Now, why don't you answer Koda's question?" she phrased her sentence in a slightly joking way and smiled. This was in order to hide her true curiosity. Rovetown wasn't the biggest place in the world, so with a job like Lacey's, you typically get to at least see almost every face that lived there. It also helped that she was good with faces. So, when Lacey saw someone that she didn't recognize in the slightest, it tipped her interest scale a bit.

[damien]

Damien didn't like this at all. He felt like he was being surrounded. There was something particularly unusual about these girls. Of all the bars to walk into he had to walk into the one where he was most likely to get beaten up by chicks.

Damien gave them a diffusing grin.

"I'd be lying if I said I was," he said, just as eager not to give away anything about himself as they obviously were. "So where are you from then?" He still had to fish. If this was just a random meeting then that was fine, but if someone had set him up, then this could all have been a big trap. He kept alert, the beer clutched in his hand. He liked the taste of stella artois, he didn't like the idea that he might have to use it as a weapon. He kept an especially close eye on the girl who had just walked in. She obviously had some kind of weapon in there.

"I'm Damien Creed by the way," he said. There was no harm in giving his real name. either they were innocent, or already targeting him and knew who he was. And besides, by giving them his name it compelled them to tell him theirs, whether they told the truth was another matter, but it helped to put a name to a face.

[A.J]

Her gaze moved back to the man, her target at least for now, he was now openly making out with the blonde and she openly lifted the small camara she pulled from her black clutch purse and snapped a few shots, even some pretty wicked close up shots. She frowned rolling her eyes, not at all pleased with Nathanal Deganhard for cheating on his high school sweetheart after 22 years of marriage of three lovely children. This sort of job as well as her night time rounds with bad guys was one of the reasons she kept out of dating, why get with someone just to have them cheat on you? Or be completely jealous to the fact you could kick their ass?

Koda felt her powers flare up, the fire itching to dance from her body, she felt her fingers heat up, as she clenched the bar top leaving burn marks on the top and underside where her fingers had been. She didn't move them knowing it would be obviously from her. Her eyes flashed purple as she stared Lacey in the eyes, it was obvious the girl had just slipped. She had no intention of giving her first name to this man at all and now she could only be lucky enough he wasn't paying attention. She looked back at him, her eyes back to their steely gray color.

"Elizabeth Crock" she told him using her middle name and her mother's last name. She no desire to have him know who she really was, it was none of his damn business and he was a complete stranger, he could be the enemy for all she knew. Her fingers slowly left the top as the bar, as she leaned against it her arm covering the burn marks, she leaned her back against it standing tall in her sandals as she visible gave him a once over. "So let's cut to the chase what are you and why are you here?" she said, fingers trailing over the edge of her skirt, judging her time she'd have if she had to use it and how long it would take her to get it out and defend herself. "It's obvious you aren't human, so talk Damien Creed" she told him, her eyes never leaving his. Her voice more of an order, she felt no reason to listen to Lacey she only did that when they were on missions and even then it was a 50/50 chance she'd obey without putting in her two cents, she almost always did that. It was clear that she wanted an answer that wasn't a no.

[Nature]

Lacey shrugged in reply to his question.

"I've never really stayed in one place for too long" she lied easily. She in fact did know where she was from. She had lived in Sacramento since she was thirteen. She wasn't sure whether memories of her hometwon were good ones or not. She had lived a good, peaceful life there. Until she was kidnapped at thirteen. She hasn't been back since.

"Pleasure to meet you" she said to Damien when he told them his name. Lacey stuck out her hand and offered him a friendly smile. "I'm Lacey."

Lacey turned her attention to her second-in-command. She gave the girl a look, silently telling her to take a chill pill.

"Her nickname is Koda, though. Don't ask me how that got started" she explained to Damien. Lying now came easier to Lacey than it did in the old days. She could now tell someone that she thought the sky was purple, and people would think she was serious. Lacey believed it was a good attribute for a leader of a superhero team to have.

Her eyes widened ever-so-slightly at Koda's words, but she managed to gain her composure. She suddenly realized why a lot of leaders got annoyed by stubborn second-in-commands. Maybe that was why Josh had never actually appointed Lacey to second-in-command. Lacey rubbed the bridge of her nose, the busy work day was stressing her out enough. She really didn't need this.

[damien]

Damien sipped his beer slowly, he liked the nice soothing taste of the cold liquid as it slithered down his throat. He really wanted another one, but felt that might have been pushing his luck. Imagine that, pushing your luck by asking for a drink, in a bar. This situation definitely needed to be handled delicately. He remembered a friend of his called Cade, a mercenary who had lost an eye in a bar once. He had only offered one piece of advice, punch first ask questions later. Damien realised he had that opportunity now.

But something stopped him. These two were obviously not part of the agency that seemed so intent on capturing him, they were too open for one thing. If it was the agency they were sending either assassins, or morbidly interesting agents attempting to lure them to their side. Deception, violence, these were the only tools in their arsenal. Outright confrontation, that wasn't such a big thing.

"I think I've had enough to drink now," said Damien. He'd cut his losses, he could be out of the town and headed to Jump city within an hour. That would be the safest. Although he despised running from a fight, he had to be cautious. Any more mistakes in the mortal world could mean the end of his journey, then it would be back to Asgard before he could say 'I didn't mean to hit so hard'.

As he turned to leave the bar he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. What was it? He didn't know why but he had the strangest sensation that he should duck. What followed next was an explosion that knocked him off his feet.

[A.J]

Koda felt her lips pull back in a silent sneer at her current leader. The girl had no real idea what she was doing. If she didn't push for the information when it was needed she'd never get anything. This is exactly why she shouldn't be leader. Perhaps her own ambitions ran too far but what could really be done about it? She wasn't sure what she'd be doing yet, but things wouldn't be staying as they were things would change just as soon as she had everything in order.

She didn't get a chance to respond as her attention was drawn to her target, the man who'd been sitting at the other end of the bar with his date, he was leaving heading for the front exit. She caught something in the woman's hand, something that was pulsing and emmitting a red little dot on to the top of it. "Son-of-a -" she snarled leaping up shoving her way through the crowd. She drew her arm back clocking one blond who didn't get out of her way in time. Her body moved through the crowd doing her best to get by the people. She always made it, her hand reaching forward to grab the mans arm and drag him back from the woman who held his life in her hands. "Micheal wait don't-" she words were cut off as the blond shot her one last look, a look without hope, as her finger pressed against the trigger.

In those few seconds everything slowed down, before it snapped back into way too fast. She screamed, feeling her body thrown backward, the fire engulfing the few people standing too close and the door, and then the after shock knocking those not close enough to the flames back. She sailed through the air. Her body hit something solid, and whoever she'd hit went down, as she tombled over, her arm catching an up turned chair. The chair stayed put wedged between the bar and several other chairs, as she felt her shoulder give first, her arm twisted as the metal didn't give. She smacked the counter of the bar, sliding the few inches to the ground. Her body not registering the pain.

She untangled her arm, wincing as it was dislocated. She was lucky it wasn't broken. She looked for Micheal and the blond although she knew it wasn't going to be good. They were gone, the carasin burning at such a high tempature they'd be lucky to get dental records and bones when this was over.

[/color]

[Nature]

"Oh, ok, have a nice day" she told Damien after he said that he'd had enough to drink. She didn't quite blame the dude for wanting to leave. Most people came to a bar to relax, not to get interrogated by people they've just met.

Lacey turned her attention to Koda, giving the girl a hard look. Didn't she realize that being so openly suspicious, only caused suspicion to be turned upon them? Good investigators knew how to be subtle about it. Lacey didn't know about Koda, but she had no intention of letting anyone find out about her secret identity anytime soon.

Lacey was just about to point all of this out, when Koda suddenly took off. She blinked, wondering what had just happened.She watched as Koda pushed through the crowd, even going so far as to hit someone. Lacey now understood why Josh had chosen Travis, a laid-back and level-headed person, as his second-in-command. But Lacey would just roll with it. Although she wasn't afraid to bump Koda down if she became too much of a rebel.

Lacey was abruptly pulled back from these thoughts when there was an explosion. She leaped over the bar in order to get out of the way. The next thing she knew, everything was engulfed in chaos.

"Everyone, exit through the back door!" she hollered, just loud enough to be heard above the screams of others. Those who were uninjured quickly followed the order.

"I'm calling 911" the other bartender told her in a rushed panic as he fumbled with his phone. Lacey just nodded in reply, she was already in action. She ran over to the fire extinguisher, quickly breaking the glass. She pulled it off the wall and ran over to the people who had been engulfed in the flames. She pointed it at them and then started to spray them. She grumbled slightly as some of the people ran around like chickens without heads, which didn't help her in the slightest. Lacey's eyes darted around, wondering if the culprit was even still alive. If he or she was, they would have to wait till later. Lacey's focus was on the civilians. No innocent lives would be lost here if she had anything to say about it.

[damien]

Fletcher lifted himself up carefully. He thought he had this invincibility thing down, yet his skin was burning with a nasty sensation, and his muscles felt torn. His bones seemed to be shattered. He lay there for a moment, unable to move. Healing was not one of his strongest traits, however mental endurance was. He had been trained from young to stand up after being thrown down cliffs, to beat up logs with his bare hands. Not only that he had the feeling if he didn't move he was dead. Simple as. He wasn't sure exactly who it was that was behind the explosion, he knew he had to get away before he somehow got involved, as he always did.

With a roar that was more of a moan he pushed himself up, allowing his body to adjust to the sensation of not being 100% up to scratch. His eyes darted the scene. Chaos, pure chaos. Sirens wailing in the background, people everywhere, panicking. Oddly enough the two girls he had been talking with seemed fine, he could see them ushering out the civilians. Were they behind this?

He didn't want to stick around. With tremendous effort he pulled himself to the nearest doorway and began to leave. He still had the feeling that they were all in grave danger.