Flanaghan's
It takes more than an Irish name and a shamrock in the window to be regarded as a true Irish pub. Flanaghan's has that real Irish, purchased from a third generation Irishman by an Irishman. The head manager is Irish born and bred, and the pub touts imperial pint glasses, Guinness and Harp, live Irish music, a fireplace, and authentic Irish food, including fish and chips, Shepard's pie and Guinness Pasty.
Flanaghan's has a warm and relaxing atmosphere. The music, when it's not a live band, is just loud enough to fill the space, but not so loud that it impedes conversation. Styled in the Victorian style which harkens back to Dublin, it's filled with beveled mirrors, elaborate tiling and decorative brass.
The counter is carved from highly-polished hardwood and the walls paneled with rich, dark timbers. The dark wood is off-set with dark greens and deep, rich golds for seating and trim. There is stained glass in the windows and stained glass decor throughout.
Characters
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| Chance Harper | Quintin Bruning |
Getting out of the apartment is a nice. It's a warm night, and though Chance knows his roommate is much for the bar scene, Flanaghan's isn't your typical bar. It's truly a traditional Irish pub, with more a 'homey' feel and welcoming, warm ambiance. You can drink if you want, don't if you'd rather not, and there's a menu with good food so that neither of them had to cook tonight. There's no band tonight, but the large screen televisions in the corners are tuned to BBC News and ESPN, and there's low murmur of conversation from the various tables.
"I promised you no drunk college students," Chance says as they take seats. "And I'm as good as my word."
:::
This is far from the 'bar' crowd so far as he's concerned. This is a pub. This is a place for a good cold beer without worry of some random, barely clothed female trying to grind on you. It's also not as headache inducing tub thumping as some other bars.
"Not that I'm one to doubt you." This is said as the werewolf checks the area out. "It's kind of nice not to have to worry about anyone for a while." His job is a bouncer after all, and dance clubs are filled with indecent activities.
"And they say good things about the food here."
:::
"I've heard that too," Chance laughs. He picks up a menu, they're left in small holders on the table, and looks at it. He has yet to cease being amazed by how much food his roommate can put away. He knows the reason for it, but still it's an amazing thing. Chance can eat a good deal, and triple that after doing heavy spell casting, but it still doesn't quite match Quintin.
"I kinda owe you after dragging you along to Purgatory with us that night."
Beat.
Chance gives the werewolf a wry grin, "Though I wouldn't say /that/ night was a complete bust, was it?"
:::
It isn't as if he wants to eat so much. The moment he realizes that he's eating too much he'll slow way down. He has the discipline to do so, but if he doesn't have to be strict, why bother? A menu is grabbed but he doesn't spend long looking at it. Seems he found something good already. "That's good. I think the worse thing in the world is horrible food."
He's given a look. It isn't as if Chance caused him to meet Jenna, but he caused him to actually speak with her more. If it weren't for that night he wouldn't have met Shiv, either. For someone who doesn't open up all that easily, he seems to be doing quite well with speaking with Siobhan lately.
"Oh, no. It just sealed our fate in going to the roller disco." Quin smiles. He had a good time and no issues with their day out. "I do find it funny that you ended up meeting them completely separately. If I didn't know better I'd say that they planned it."
:::
Chance shakes his head and snorts. "Trust me, where I met them, it wasn't planned. I don't think that they planned anything about that day." Because otherwise they wouldn't have been the blind leading the blind to the Undercity to possibly sell their souls without knowing it. All right, that might be an exaggeration, but the pretty witch and her pretty non-magical friend were asking for trouble.
"And they want to know why we thought it was a bad idea for them to go to Las Vegas alone," Chance sighs. He puts his menu aside, having made up his mind as well. "What's up with the trip to Vegas anyway? Conference or something?"
"The roller disco wasn't bad." Beat. "But if you tell them that I said that, I'll deny it."
:::
It isn't long before a pretty young server is taking their order. The wolf gives his food order as well as the tall glass of beer. It isn't that he never drinks; he just knows that there is a time and a place. "Do I even want to know?" For the most part he stays out of all things magic, aside from the nice addition to his wardrobe. Every now and then he learns something and genuinely doesn't mind it. Something tells him that this could be different.
"It's a game, a vacation and just a time to team bond, or something like that. It was only going to be a couple of days but we're making it a few days longer. I'll go for the game, I'll go to do what I have to, but I don't see myself out having too much fun." It'll be weird being away from people that he actually speaks with. "I really don't want to think of them out there. They'll put on some of those skimpy outfits and next thing you know they'll be drugged and waking up in a hotel room." Or worse.
Quin laughs. "Well, we both got away without any sequins. That made it better at the very least."
:::
Does Quintin want to know? Not really the question or the issue. The question is whether or not Chance wants to reveal his more kindly side. Though it's not like he's a complete asshole or Quintin even thinks that of him.
After orders are taken, Chance shifts his position at the table and sighs. He's mentioned the Undercity once or twice, but hasn't really gone into super detail. It's not a place he ventures often, himself, unless he has a certain destination or errand in mind. He taps his nails and lowers his voice, not bothering with the privacy spell … yet.
"I was picking something up in the Undercity, and Piper was shopping there. She brought Jenna along. She'd never been shopping there alone before, so I thought it would be better to help out than leave her to the sharks." He says it casually, like it was no big deal, because Chance isn't like Quintin. He hides his protective streak whenever possible.
"Yes, we did get lucky. Poor Harper. I'm not sure I would have weathered it as well as he did." Then again, it did appear that he and Piper cozied up, so maybe the male Donovan shouldn't be pitied.
:::
The Undercity is something that he fully will admit that he doesn't understand. It's a place, it can be dangerous, but that doesn't mean that it is. He stays away from it so that's all he knows. Still, judging by the way that Chance speaks, it isn't a place for those particular two ladies to venture into.
"Why do I get the feeling that they would try to pet a rabid tiger because it looks pretty?" He may not be too far off, no matter how overboard he is with the description. Although with his status as a wolf he isn't going too overboard.
He pauses long enough to accept his beer. "Yeah. I know that they needed to talk, but I think she did something." Quin twirls a finger. He doesn't know a lot about magic but he's seen casters use gestures. "I couldn't hear them, couldn't smell them. They wanted to be alone."
:::
Chance frowns. "Probably because they would? Jenna is sweet and trusting and Siobhan thinks she can take care of both them." He takes a drink from his own beer, savoring it. It's a dark European one, full of body, and very flavorful. "Siobhan probably can take care of them both if she doesn't wait too long to do it." Which he suspects she would.
"Privacy - " Chance stops, blinks at the werewolf. He gives a soft whistle of appreciation. "You couldn't smell them?" He's heard of privacy and concealment spells that are that good, but never from someone as young as Siobhan. "That girl is … " Dangerously powerful, and probably doesn't even realize it. "She packs a punch."
:::
It's all he can do to keep from laughing as he drinks his own stout. "If she doesn't short out everything within a mile of her in the process." Yes, the werewolf actually caught on to that little fact. That was due more to the general direction and reaction of Jenna, but he isn't slow.
"I don't get it still." This isn't a surprise. "I didn't think that is what they do." By 'they' he means witches. "I mean, I bet you could do things like that." Quin is very careful of when he speaks, keeping an ear out the entire time. "It doesn't surprise me about her, if she's that good. She made me this."
Quin tugs up on the cord around his neck, displaying his gift. "To help with my anger issues. I think it's working." That's not the only thing. "But I don't know how I feel about that."
:::
Chance nearly snorts his own drink at his friend's words. "You picked up on that, huh?" He takes a long swallow, assures the pretty server that he doesn't need another beer yet, and after she's gone, he continues. "It's like learning a new skill. Tends to come out at odd times. I used to send objects flying but that was when I first gaining my abilities." When he was twelve, and Siobhan is beyond that, at least so far as her witch magic goes.
"She's … a special case." Chance trances the condensation on his glass with his thumb. Quintin might know that Siobhan's a witch, but Chance isn't going to spill that she's a witch with sorcerer magic. That's up to the witch in question to reveal if she wants to do so.
His gaze touches on the pouch and then he nods. He lifts his hand then and does cast the privacy spell. "Privacy spell." Beat. "I can sense it. I knew you had something on you and it's witch magic. Strong, but not something I'm familiar with. I'll assuming calming though."
:::
The grin says it all. "You know I don't get involved. You're you, you're cool, that's all I care about. You know?" Quin certainly isn't going to be one to judge over anything, not unless either of them are evil. "But it was kind of obvious to me. I mean, I knew about her. I don't get it, but I can tell when something is off." He cares little for magic but can play nice If need be.
Nothing is said immediately about Shiv being special. The wolf isn't going to argue with the assessment. He looks around him as the spell is cast and sniffs the air. It's almost a primal reaction to things. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to this." He likely will, in time.
"Well, I'm not as explosive angry, not unless I really want to be." That is something. Despite the spell still looks around before speaking. Not for fear of others, just for fear of actually speaking how he feels. "I've been talking a lot, too. To her. About how I feel."
:::
"I share with you because you don't get involved," Chance points out with a grin of his own. "Also, because it's nice to be able to talk to someone who doesn't mind the weirdness." Mainly because they have their own. Chance shrugs, "She's a pretty powerful witch to be so young. Maybe you sensed it or something." It's not impossible, and his father has told him that there are some supes who have a heightened sensitivity and can sense differences if not what it is.
"That's good right, that you're not explosive angry?" Chance can't see a downside to that. Blue eyes go wide at the rest of the revelation. "You've been talking about your feelings to Siobhan?" Then again, there's no reason why he shouldn't be. The witch is fairly friendly, just not to Chance, though their social media conversations the past few days have been pleasant. He shrugs again. "They say that some people are easy to talk to, especially if there's some common ground." No, the witch isn't a werewolf or anything, but the whole growing up feeling different thing would be common ground. It's the reason that he and Quintin get along.
:::
Just as he stays out of the sorcerer business, Chance stays out of Pack stuff. It all is a checks and balances system, almost. With being his roommate Quin hasn't had the burning desire to announce to the Pack that he has a good friend who isn't a werewolf. He can explain away spending time with Chance. It'll be Jenna that will be a problem, if it ever gets to that. "You know, I think it's written somewhere that weirdos should stick together." Being around other people that are different is new to Quin. He has no idea what he can or cannot sense, other than when it's another werewolf. He knows full well what that feels like.
"She's good, but is she really that good? I mean, of a listener." Chance will know full well that he doesn't speak about his feelings. He's never opened up about his family or the incident, not how he feels about that or even how he feels about being what he is. He's still selective on what he says about the girls, other than being protective of them. "I don't know. There are times when the anger suits me." Those times he'll make sure his gift is somewhere plenty safe. "Though she obviously knows what I am and doesn't seem to mind. That's not so bad."
:::
Chance lifts the spell as he sees the server approaching with their food. He waits until she's placed both plates and has batted her eyes at Quin a few moments and wandered away before he digs in with a chuckle. "I think she'd be happy if you left her your number as a tip." He knows that Quintin won't, but Chance isn't going to pass up the opportunity to point out that his roommate received some female attention. "You seem to be attracting them everywhere lately."
He takes a deep breath, savoring the smell of the Irish stew. "Does she know? Did she tell you that?" Chance is just curious really, on that fact.
:::
He's pleasant enough to the server whenever their drinks are delivered. It isn't as if he's a rude person, but he's also not overly invested in every last detail of her. He's trying his best not to pay attention to the smells and sounds he picks up so he honestly doesn't register what is going on. It isn't until she's walked away that he appears caught off by Chance. "What? Huh? What are you talking about?" This cause Quin to look around as if some female would be standing there that he's not seen before. "That's why I don't live on campus," he explains once it all catches up with him. "I honestly don't tend to notice. Well, until they're sitting on my lap in short skirts and no underwear."
But oh, there is food, and it does smell great. The werewolf dives into his sandwich without even caring to see if Chance is eating. He's through half of it before he knows it. He pauses then to sip at his beer. "Well, she's pretty much confirmed it. The words haven't exactly been exchanged but we're on the same page, I think."
:::
"I've always found the lap dancing amusing. Overkill, but amusing." It's funny, but Chance does have standards. As much as he might be amused by that sort of behavior, those aren't the girls that catch his attention or the ones he takes home - or goes home with.
He takes another long swallow of his beer, and eats a bit of his food while Quintin digs into his own. "She strikes me as the sort who wouldn't be easily freaked out by things. I wasn't. It's an upbringing thing, I think. Maybe." Chance gives a half-grin and a shrug. "Yeah, I'm just talking now and don't know what I'm talking about."
Beat.
"What's the deal with Jenna?"
:::
His head shakes as he thinks about it. "Don't they have standards? I know I do, and if they throw themselves at me like that I don't want them." He's never been seen with a girlfriend, or picking up any girls for that matter. It's not difficult to believe his words. "I'm surprised that between the two of us they haven't followed us off campus."
Quin nods in tune with his roommate when he speaks of Shiv. "I think it also has to do with us. Neither one of us are exactly evil, so she's no reason to really freak out." He pauses just before he goes for his beer. "Right?" About her not freaking out, that is. "I think she'll be cool. Which is good since I really don't want to be outed."
The werewolf is about to take another bite of food but stops short. "Uh, what?"
:::
"Jen-na Don-o-van," Chance says slowly enuciating each syllable of her name. "You know? The pretty brunette that you sent crystal flowers to and are giving cooking lessons to?" It's true, in all the time he's known Quin, he has never seen the werewolf with a girlfriend or even a casual date. "Deny it all you want, but I'm starting to think that you might have a thing for her."
"I seriously doubt Siobhan will out you." Chance switches gears again very easily. "Like you said, we weirdos need to stick together." It's said with a good-natured grin.
:::
He's given a look that is almost difficult to read. "I have absolutely no idea what's going on." It's the truth. Quin turns to his beer for a moment, more as a delay than anything. "I don't know what I'm doing. But in the end I feel like it's pointless anyway. Now there's one I don't think will be so open to my, uh, affliction." One never knows when another is listening. "And then there's the Pack. I'd probably be better off with that naked girl I met."
Oh, has he forgotten to mention that part?
The weirdo comment does get a smile. "She's something. I need to be careful accepting outings with both of them, though. They're just too much."
:::
The werewolf might have forgotten to mention that. Whatever else Chance was intending to say is lost in the drop of his jaw and the comically wide eyes. "Naked girl?! What naked girl? When did you meet a naked girl?"
"I don't know, they are fun in as a matched set," Chance jokes. "Though they tend to sucker poor suckers like us into doing things like roller disco." Again, he will admit that he did have fun on the outing.
"I think Jenna has a huge heart," Chance says, quite honestly. He can't guarantee it means she'd date Quintin if she knew the truth, though he thinks the girl in question wouldn't shun the werewolf.
:::
He actually grins when he realizes what's going on. "Dude, you need to get out more." This is quite comical coming from him. "It was after work, on the way home. She's like me, only with fewer scars." Physical ones, anyway. "New to the city from what I can tell. She had an accent. Russian, Romanian, something like that." As he's not a linguist it's difficult to tell. "She got dressed. I just caught her at a bad time."
Quin actually laughs. "It's not even just that. It's more the fact that they're going to drive me to drink." Present beer excluded. "If they keep going out dressed like, well, you know. Something's going to happen to him." He is concerned, but he's more concerned at the moment with finishing his food. And he does just that.
"Well, if she doesn't try to put me down, I doubt she'd want to date something as messed up as this." A witch or sorcerer is far more normal in his eyes. "But I'll be okay with her as a friend, I really will. I just hesitate being /too/ open with her."
:::
"I get out plenty. I just don't happen to meet random naked girls when I'm leaving the office." Granted when the sorcerer is leaving the office, it's broad daylight and it's a law firm in the financial district, which is different from a nightclub. Meeting a naked girl outside of Chance's office would be a notable experience. "If they're naked it's because I've undressed them."
He can't help but chortle when Quin goes on with his story. "Bad time? That depends, was she good looking?" And a werewolf, Chance didn't miss that part. That can't be all bad.
"I think that was a special occassion. The revealing clothes." Chance pauses and shakes his head. He's recalling exactly how they looked and some of the not so innocent thoughts that he had. "When I met them, they were dressed a lot more modestly."
"You don't have to share your life story," Chance nods, which all things considered is an interesting choice of words. "It's one day a month, unless you want it otherwise, right? She doesn't have to know unless the two of you end up seriously dating or something."
Beat.
"If Siobhan has figured you out and hasn't told her, then she's not going to out you. I might not know her well, but I'm pretty sure she's protective of her friends. And I think she considers you a friend." No doubt about it, not with that charm. Siobhan might be the exception but most magic users won't go out of their way to make an item for someone else without reward or compensation, unless they care about the individual receiving the item.
:::
He can't help but shake his head yet again. "Doesn't that ever ruin things for you?" It's an honest question instead of a criticism. "I mean, I've never seen an actual girlfriend, not really. Hell, if it wasn't for what I am, I might not see or hear any of them." Yes, this is him implying that sometimes, when the music isn't loud enough in his ears, he might know what's going on. "I just feel kind of wrong thinking about certain things." Not that he thinks about them, but he feels wrong when other people talk about said thoughts.
Quin clasps the back of his neck. He's not nervous, but he is slightly uncomfortable. It isn't Chance that he's uncomfortable with; it's the memory. "Fresh from changing? That's a bad time for any of us." At least in his mind. "Honestly at first I didn't get a good look at her face, but not because of her being naked. I actually tried to cover her up." That shouldn't be a shock. "It's just that feeling that I get around my own kind, the females. It's kind of powerful." He drains his beer. "But yes, she's very good looking."
He shifts, almost more uncomfortable with the other memory. "They weren't exactly cute and cuddly looking at Purgatory when I ran into them. They weren't /that/ bad, but they like to show off." That's where the problem is. Showing off with the way they look already? Trouble.
"But if I do end up dating someone, I don't want to feel like I'm keeping something from them. It just doesn't seem right, as if I'm lying or something." He waves off a replacement beer. "I think Shiv does consider me a friend, but Jenna's her best friend. I guess all I can do is just wait to see how bad it all explodes."
:::
"Undressing them? No." Chance accepts the offer of a refill of his beer. He knows his limits and two beers is not it. Especially when he's eating to counter the alcohol going into his system. "You shouldn't. You're only … well, I was going to say human, but I'll say male. You have drives, and we all have knee jerk thoughts. It's the acting or not acting on them that's important."
Chance quietly finishes his meal, "I know. I was there that night at Purgatory." He doesn't go on to say that had the situation been different, and the pair hadn't latched onto Quin, then the whole night might have gone a bit differently.
Then again, it might not have, once he realized that Siobhan was a witch.
"They do," Chance laughs. "Like to show off." Beat. "I wonder why they're still single." Yes, the jury is out on Siobhan currently, but she was single when he met them.
"It's something we have to do." Chance shakes his head. By 'we' he means supernaturals. "Eventually, you can come out with the truth, but it's how we protect ourselves. My mother didn't know anything about this world, but my dad had to tell her and my grandparents at some point because my grandparents sure as hell know a lot now."
Chance frowns at the roommate. "Stop being a pessimist. It might not explode at all."
:::
"I don't know. I just would feel awkward." He's clearly been overly sheltered his entire life, which is odd considering things. "Honestly? I wouldn't really even get what you're saying if it weren't for others of my kind. I wish I could describe to you how odd it is to just know, and suddenly find yourself wildly attracted to someone you don't even know." He shakes his head. "I think all of us just need to steer clear of each other or learn to not be such animals."
Quin is about to act surprised but then he remembers about Chance being there. "I think I know why." He has a few working ideas, anyway. "I don't know that Jenna's really ever been up for something like that. She seems to work a lot on things. I just think she either hasn't met the right guy or she's just not been ready." Siobhan is another story. "I can almost see Shiv as a free spirit. She's very open about how she feels and very open to things. I wouldn't doubt she's been there, just not with very good results."
Now Chance gets a look. "I consider myself more of a realist. It's just not exactly something one could call an ideal situation."
He doesn't seem outwardly upset about it. "But I'm not going to worry about it. It's not something /to/ worry about. I'm not dating anyone."
:::
Slowly sipping at his beer, Chance studies the werewolf for a long moment. There's a set to his jaw that speaks of a change in his demeanor and he finally puts the mug down and rests his arms on the table with a faint frown. "I never really thought about it quite like that. I mean, that what I feel when I meet a witch is a type of instant attraction. It's compelling, yeah. Strong and sort of pulling in two directions at once." A type of attraction, though? That's not how he's been taught to think of it. He's been taught to face it, to deal with it, to remember that one isn't better than the other and that the magic is probably more complementary than oppositional.
Is that what he feels toward Siobhan? Chance knows that her magic, and the feeling he gets from her is just slightly off and different and it intrigues him. He won't deny that she's a beautiful young woman, but … it's a theory that he hasn't heard before. Maybe it's one he'll have to take up with his father.
"You're … very insightful, you know that?" Chance notes as Quin gives his thoughts on the girls and their relationship statuses. Once it's laid out like that, Chance thinks that his roommate probably isn't so far off base. Jenna is sweet and bubbly, but there is this air of innocence about her. Siobhan, on the other hand is quite bold and … well, sexy, but definitely with bite. A lot of bite. The sort that comes when one has been bitten.
Chance lifts his beer in a half salute, "Neither one of us is dating anyone, so neither of us has to worry about it." For different reasons, but at the end of the night, it's comes out the same.
Beat.
"I was thinking. July 4th. Just like last year, out on the boat, dinner at the yacht club and watch the fireworks from the Hudson. Maybe invite the trio along?"
:::
That's not quite the reaction he's going for, but he can understand it. "Well, I don't know. Not being able to tell, you know." Quin debates a new beer but decides against it. He's not afraid of anything, just doesn't have the taste for it. "I can tell you that with this? You know what it is. It's like a burning desire for the other. I mean, I've never acted on it. We never have to act on it. Sometimes it's hard not to, though." Which is why dating anyone is rather difficult, or one of the many reasons.
The werewolf actually shrugs. "It's a side effect of being antisocial. You learn to just sit back and watch people. Hell, other than you, these are the first two to not let me just sit back. They're actually making me maintain a friendship. So now I watch and feel overly protective at the same time." Somehow Quin knows that this will be put to the test a few times with them. He's willing to step up to help them whenever needed.
His empty glass is raised in salute. "To freedom, so long as it may last." His smile slightly fades at the mention of the holiday, but he does nod. "I'll be there." He looks about before growing serious. "That's the day after the full moon. Just to let you know." It isn't as if his roommate is new to the 'day after'.
:::
Chance has the day marked on his calendar every month. The full moon might not affect him, but he knows that it's an important part of Quintin's life. An integral part of his friend's life. The wolf tends to be a little restless and edgier the early days before and even the day after, but he's hoping that the lull of the water might be a bit soothing, or maybe the company. Though that can go both ways with the girls they've just been talking about.
Making a mental note to himself about the situation and enlisting a bit of 'assistance', Chance nods. "It'll just be a small group, relaxing on the river. You know how it goes." Inclining his head toward Quin, he waves a hand. "You have your witch charm too, so that should help, too?"
The sorcerer laughs and lifts his beer, "To freedom, while we have it, bro."
:::
A hand moves to rest on the charm that Shiv made him. If there's any time to put it to the test, it's going to be on the holiday. She doesn't know it yet but she could be making a huge impact on his life, and the lives of those that have to deal with him from month to month. "I don't know much about it. Hopefully it does something." Perhaps he'll look for his ointment after the holiday, just in case.
Quin grins and then puts down his empty glass. "I'll drink to that." He then laughs. "Well, I'll drink to that at home." Before Jenna destroys their kitchen. "And the occasional pint even when we lose it."
