^Mina couldn't help but smile just a little as she slipped inside her old regular haunt. Some things in life never change... and this was one of them. The smell of stale beer thick in the air. The obligitory drunk-passed-out-on-a-table. Perhaps most familiar of all to her was Mike, the bartender. He'd never known when to cut her off, and she loved him for it. She slipped into her old seat at the bar, her initials still carved into the countertop there.^
"Vodka, Mikey. Straight-up, 'ay?"
^The bartender looked her over a moment... she had guessed right. No one had recognized her since she'd come back. She could feel the eyes on her back now, as well. She looked out of place now... and she was beginning to feel just the same.^

This, El thought, this was not a place she should be. This was not, in all probability, a place that anyone should be, let alone girls without so much as bronze knuckles. Or a bronze chastity belt. Or maybe something nice in Kevlar, with stainless steel undertones and a fine gauze of electrified chicken wire.

She feels very out of place, and young. Underage, in fact, which she isn't thinking about because that only makes her more nervous. Every breath coats her lungs and skin and brain with this hazardous pollution and if she knew where she was, she'd get out right away. El's smart like that.

Into the pub (no guard? none needed, she supposed), towards a table or a bar or maybe the wall. Hesitant half-steps that show her placelessness, or out-of-placeness, or simple lessness that only serves to make her paler. Thick brown boots tap at each other as if, if she only wishes hard enough, she'll be teleported home because she had the magic within her all along.

^Mina glanced back... in a place like this, you had to know who exactly it was walking up behind you. She raised an eyebrow. The young girl wasnt skanky enough to be a hooker, and she was too scared to be a cop. Mina couldn't help but smirk, and turned a little ways around in her seat.^
"Heh... y'lost, girl? This ain't Kansas."
^Mina wondered if she'd looked as out of place when she used to come here. The poor thing looked as if she was waiting to be picked up and carried off into the night at any moment.^

Jaw snaps tight shut, teeth clicking like dropped ceramic. Her eyes are shallow and matte in this light, opaque children's paint trying to focus on some means of reality. The world, she decides, is an awful and terrible place and Perry lied when he gave her that address and really, she'd like to go home now. A fast appraisal of Mina and El knows she isn't harmless but calms enough, feeling approximately twelve and probably looking younger.

"Couldn't find any buses back to Kansas."

Dancing sway on her feet, trying to keep her unprotected back away from open areas. In the middle of a room, all directions are open.

Her mouth opens to form the word 'Toto', maybe a whole sentence, but it slides back closed and the molars clink tight against each other. Her arms wrap tight around themselves and she tries very, very hard not to feel like that five year old kid that only survives the horror movie because the Parent's Association would protest if he didn't.

"Christ."
^Mina snickered a little to herself. Suburban kids...
She slipped down off the high barstool, her Prada heels clacking loudly against the dirty floor. She brushed a wrinkle from the black trenchcoat that concealed most of her form, and looked again to the girl. She'd help the poor thing, of course, but in due time. 'It wouldn't hurt to have a little fun, would it?', she thought, 'For old times sake, of course.' With a bit of a grin Mina steped slowly towards the girl, and winked.^
"Yeh lookin' fer a date, love?"

Eyes widen, quick flash of wariness/curiosity. El doesn't step back but she may as well have, rib cage tilted in and shoulders hunching. There's a spark of her that tries to remain defiant (show no fear, they can smell fear) but in succeeds only in making her look a little manic.

"You're not quite my type."

Her face relaxes into a hesitant smile at her own clean display of truth, weight still shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other. Eyes on Mina, of course, half-searching and her stomach chooses this time to offer a long growl. A fast blush from the neck and rising, head tilted to offer some blinder of hair. Home home home. Wants to go home. Wants to find a bus or steal a car and home home home. Stupid two-hour drive. Stupid car in a shop. Stupid public transportation.

Growl.

Stupid stomach. Not hungry, home home home..

"Heh. Didn't figure so. Yeh look like yer in bad shape, kid... wanna drink?"

^Mina turned a little to the side, allowing the girl a path past her to the bar. She was wondering more if the girl would accept her offer then if the bartender would serve the obvious minor. She smiled a little, perhaps to seem more inviting.^

"Name's Mina, love. Go, sit, and I'll take care of yeh."

^She half expected the girl to bolt for the door. Who could blame her? Mina laughed a little in her mind. She wondered if she looked less threatning now, in her skirt and jacket. She'd soon find out.^

Well. Maybe a little her type.

"How lame would it be to ask for juice?"

Hesitant smile and, really, she should have listened to that whole 'Don't talk to strangers' seminar. But she has good instincts. Knows that, and knows that with the woman on a stool she'll have the advantage for now if she tries to run. Is she wearing high heels? That'd help too. El's boots aren't exactly sneakers, but the tread is good.

Hm. Paranoid girl. Really, she should be more frightened by the guy behind the counter. Guys in the corner. Guys in general, all hard edges and genetic strength. Eases herself, slowly, onto a stool next to the woman. Watching the bar tender hesitantly, expecting to be thrown at any moment, angling the stool so she had at least a semblance of personal space.

"Heh. Yer in the wrong place for that, love."

^Mina eased back into her spot, her hand slipping unconsciously around the glass of clear liquid the bartender had deposited a few moments earlier. She dipped her pinky finger into it, just to stir it up a little. Mina kept her gaze level with the girl's. She was above picking up teenagers at pubs. At least she hoped she was.^

"Got a name, or am I getting to personal?"

^She lifted her finger from the glass and lifted it to her lips, allowing just a drop or two of the potent alcohol to drop there. It had been a while since she'd had such a nice stiff drink. Maybe tonight would be more fun then a stroll down memory lane after all.^

She wouldn't stare. Or gawk. Really, she wouldn't. So the girl had hit on her and was now doing lascivious things with her drink. That's no reason to stare. Much. Or flush. Eyes a little dilated behind her contacts, but that could be explained by.. the.. dim light.

"El."

A pause, uncomfortable.

"Eleanor, really."

A hand up to shove through her own hair, pushing it out of her face and in some semblance of order down her back. Her back, which was unprotected, and the stool was entirely uncomfortable. She shifted into an odd turtle-y position and pretended to be comfortable.

"Do they have.. food-type things here?"

Cautious look back at the bar. She was slowly building a fear of Mike, without quite knowing why.

"El. Cute."

^Mina echoed, just for effect of it. It wasn't really a great feat to make a schoolgirl blush, but in this setting, it seemed like something of a victory. It felt kind of good to know that she could still stir a little blood. After a second quick inspection, she decided the girl was just on the right side of cute. Just a little more fun, she promised herself.^

"Not really, love. People come 'ere t'get plastered, and little much else. If yer hungry, I got a car watin' not to far from 'ere. It's on me."

^Mina said with another quick wink. It was pretty obvious the girl was quite itching to be gone from the Empty Glass. Mina thought the least she could do was offer the opportunity.^

Amusement fades and El becomes the sum of her third-hand survival knowledge, MacGuyver and Mulder warring for space and the knowledge of her own strength little more than a disappointment. Another look around, entire room, scanning for exits and maybe a guardian angel or two, no real focus but the tensing of her own body.

Back to Mina, and her eyes are cautious and attracted and disappointed.

"So I get the choice of staying here, which has the relative safety of a Cold War hostel, or going with you."

A pause, and she fidgets herself into a better position, quilted skirt anything but warm against her ankles and jacket wrapped tight around herself. She really does feel like an ass, now, knows she should have left or should never have come and rabidly mad at herself for even stepping inside.

She knows her choices. A woman in a business suit is not the worst of them. Tries her best to crack a good smile, feeling younger by the second and fearing the possibility of devolving back to infancy.

"How about a bus?"

Pause. Smile falters.

"There are buses at this time of night, right?"

"Heh heh. Geez, kid, I was jokin'. Calm down a bit."

^Playing was only fun so long as the other party involved wasn't petrified, Mina decided. She set her drink back down to the bartop, pulling back her sleeve a moment to check her watch. 12:45. No busses would be anywhere near this neighbourhood this late. Ah, no other options, she guessed. Too bad, really. She was enjoying the company.^

"Neh. Y'ain't gonna get a bus this time'a night."

^Mina glanced to the bartender, who was pretending not to be listning behind the facade of checking a little inventory.^

"Ay, Mikey... call me a cab, yeh?"

Collapse of sudden relief, liquid over her body, and a quick dig through her pockets. Two 20's. Well, hell, now she's going to get mugged.

"Thank you."

True gratitude and the emotional stability of, yes, a seventeen-year-old. But now she really is happier, and calm, and still wary of the place in general but not of Mina. Mild hunger has a habit of making her flighty, along with half the other stimuli in the world.

"So. You offered me a drink?"

Wickedest smile she can manage, which isn't much of anything at all, posture up and calm and her arms rested on the bar (elbows too, and wouldn't her Aunt Mary be dissapointed?), center of gravity almost immediately shifted back to face the woman at her side.

"So I did. Heh."

^Speaking of drinks, Mina took this chance to take a healthy swig of her own. Ice tinkled in the bottom of the glass as she set it down, looking back to her younger companion. The bartender had simply grunted at Mina's request, and waited a moment or two before sauntering through the door marked 'Employees Only'.^

"Well, El, what's yer poison? Or will it jest be a coke, hm? Yeh don't look the type'a girl who'd turn down a nice stiff drink."

^She did, of course, look exactly like that type of girl. Mina figured it was worth a shot. She had a few minuites before the cab arrived. What better way to pass an evening then tempting youth with bad flirting and alcohol?^

Edgy grin, like a seven-year-old expecting to be denied of cookies but required, by cosmic obligation, to ask.

"Bailey's Irish Cream?"

Voice high with half-mischievousness and a little question.

"I've always wanted to try it.."

Eyes flare and then she's holding back laughter, small chuckling, watching the Employee's Only door with what could be regret.

"Poor guy's gonna lose his liquor license."

Happy-flirty smile at Mina, conspiratorial but still terribly young.

"Heh. If yeh see any cops in this part'a town after ten they took a wrong turn."

^Mina smirked. Ah, that innocent charm.
Mina's thought was interupted by Mike's reappearance from the backroom. She glanced lazily over to him, and he nodded curtly as he stepped back up behind the bar. What timing, she thought, but then he was never far away when someone wanted a drink.^

"A pair'a acid cookies, an' make it quick, Mikey."

"... Parish... dat you?" ^He grunted.^

"Jus' pour the drinks, Mikey."

"..."

^She looked back to El with a low-key sort of smile. It was odd, really. She'd not had this sort of company since she'd left for home four months ago, even if it was somewhat forced. Still, her smile was sincere. The kid was cute.^

"Sorry if I'm insultin' yeh, El, but yeh don't look like the kinda girl that frequents places like this. What brings yeh here?"

El isn't embarrassed but her face is, light flush along the cheeks and neck.

"I was supposed to meet some friends down here but I'm not used to the bus routes. I think I got lost."

Vague point outside.

"There was supposed to be a diner around here. Right here, actually. But, uh,"

Helpless look.

"There isn't."

Another, more conscious appraisal of the woman.

"How about you? You look like the First Lady or something."

^Mina laughed a little at that, as Mike set a pair of glasses before them on the bartop. The drinks she had ordered were thick, and smelled heavily of mint. The stuff barely moved as she took up her glass.^

"Me? Heh... I come t'hide away from m'troubles. No better place then a dark little hole like this, ay?"

^She giggled a little, before taking a sip. The stuff was thick, but ah, was it good. She smiled... she'd never have ordered a drink like this on a normal night. Drinking was always better with company.^

"Neh. I'm jus' a gal, tryin' t'make sense'a life like everyone else. Y'ever been in love, kid?"

^Mina asked, making sure she had El's eyes before posing it.^

Wary look at the drink. Wary look at Mina, who was drinking the drink. Wary look at the drink, again, and she picked it up and swished it around. In the cup. Warily.

Mint was good. Mint.. and.. something. Smells nice. Kind of. Swish. Swish. Taste.

"Mm," at the talk of troubles. Or maybe the taste. She was still watching Mina like a visiting dignitary offering up a meal of roast beast, following her cues and trying not to inhale the smell of the stuff too deeply. Don't gulp, then? Just sip.

Sip.

Fast, abrupt swallow.

"I.."

Love?

"I.. no. I mean, it felt like it at the time."

Eyes away. Swish. Sip.

"I don't think it was, in the long run."

Shrug, eyes back up.

"I mean, I was just a kid."

Lips break into a minty half-smile. Swish, sip.

"You?"

"Heh. Yeah. No. I dunno."

^Mina shrugged a bit, and laughed. It wasn't something she intended to have any sort of deep conversation about. She didn't really have a clear grasp of the gory details of her recent relationships herself, anyways.
Mostly for the reaction value, she thought. Yeah.
She took another sip or two. The drink left a plesent mint tingle all the way down her throat. What fun!^

"Eh. It's overrated anyways. Complicates things. Right? I say, down with love!"

^Mina offered up her glass in a toast. She wore a wide smile on her face, a flash of teeth. Ah, such fun! No thoughts of outside life floated through her head... even if just for a moment or two. She wore a smile that showed no signs of the wieght of her life.^

Clink!

"Agreed. It's.. bad. And awful."

Hesitant smile. The drink is making her stomach churn.

"How long do you think that taxi'll take?"

((Deh, crap post. Sorry.))

"Heh. Ready t'go so soon, mm?"

^Mina smirked a little to herself as she turned back towards the bar. She finished off her drink with a stiff gulp, and slid the empty glass to match with her other. Ah... she expected they'd have a good bit of company before the night was out.^

"Shouldn't be much longer."

^Mina said, apparently prophetically. The sound of a car horn was heard just a moment later from outside the front door. Quicker then she had hoped, really. Ah well. Couldn't hold the girl captive forever. Mina fished into her pocket and slipped out a fifty dollar bill, sliding it across the table to the El.^

"Go home, kid. Stay away from places like this, an' people like me."

Eyes at the door, sound level in her head. Decibels. What's a normal car honk, what's a taxi cab honk?

"People li-"

And El sees the bill, calculates in her head, doesn't offer it back but allows her own instinct to ask.

"Do you have a card? I'll pay you back."

Face gentled and flighty, glass shoved on the counter and eyes soft-responsive with the initiative to leave, then stay. Her whole body is a blunt instrument going nowhere in particular, even as she edges off the stool, weight balance awful and posture only slightly better. Can't be drunk, not yet, just unbalanced in all the literal ways and weight of focus still on Mina, because she wants a card and an answer. Maybe something else, the way her body's hesitating to wrap itself around the concept of motion, the motion of leaving which is good, and well, and all still on the woman now in front of her.

((I think I just murdered the English language in its entirety.))

"..."

^Mina glanced back to the girl that now stood beside her. She wouldn't miss the money... it wasn't even a thought. She couldn't help feel, however, that she wouldn't mind seeing El again... even if it was against her own instincts.
A hand slowly slipped from where it lay on the bartop, back into a deep pocket. A card she produced, and offered up to the girl.
"Parish Investigations", it read. "C.E.O. Mina Parish". The address, a cell number.^

"... No rush, a'right?"

^There were other things she wanted to say, but she refrained. She shouldn't have given the girl her card... why, why did she just do that? To late to snatch it back... oh, no... but... she was cute. 'It could be worse. Heh. I'm goin' to hell'. ^

"Go on, now. E' won't wait all night, and I doubt yeh'd wanna be ridin' home in the middle'a t'night with a stranger like me."

^Mina winked.^

Grateful look, truly so, and in the back of her mind is something daring that doesn't come to fruition in the few seconds between pocketing the card and flashing through the door, all grey and brown and winter shades. Folds herself into the back of the cab, freckles offering a peace agreement with the Fates of Driving, and is gone. By the time the first mile of pavement is passed, the card has already been folded, unfolded, refolded, and pocketed twelve seperate times.