10041/Happy Hour Special

Happy Hour Special
Date of Scene:	08 February 2022
Location:	Luke's Bar
Synopsis:	Drinks and a Fistfight? Must be Harlem.
Cast of Characters:	Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Shredder
Cast of NPCs:	Hun, Carl Jute

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Luke Cage has posed:
Luke's Bar is dealing with that midday not-quite-rush at the moment. Luke's here, as he tends to be when he's not dealing with other matters. Behind the bar, as usual, with the tv sporting some sports game or another. Probably a Knicks or a Nets replay of some sort. Regardless, he's wiping down the bar and cleaning a few glasses while keeping an eye on the regulars already in the bar in case they need another drink or something.

Everything seems to be pretty chill at the moment so that's a plus.

Jessica Jones has posed:
One of the best tools bars have for dead hours like midday is the Happy Hour, and Jessica Jones is just the woman to try and work out her schedule to ENSURE she will be free at just those lovely times to make a trek to the nearest bar. Just so happens Luke's Bar, being in Harlem, is the cloest to the case she was just working. So no surprise, at least to Luke, when the door open and his fellow Defender P.I. walks in the door. "Luke, you're a Saint for providing this service to the community...can I get a flight of whatever whiskey you got, just make it in real glasses and not the toy one used for flights?"

Shredder has posed:
    Arnold "Arnie" Jones has to duck when he walks into most doors. The blond man is middle-aged, and his presence is at least known to most bars in town. Even if he doesn't frequent them. When you are 6'10" of solid muscle with a penchant for drunken rages, word gets around. Though it's been a little while since anyone actually saw him in a bar. He doesn't look at the bar immediately, his steely blue eyes surfing the seats. He walks with steady feet in a blue jeans and a brown leather jacket up to the bar, sitting down next to Jessica, waiting patiently for Luke to finish serving her before making his own order.

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke smirks a bit at the arrival of Jess, "Girl, you know I got a set of glasses just for you." He's probably joking but still, he tosses his bar towel on his shoulder and gets to pouring up the requested flight. It doesn't take him long because this is exactly what he does midday and drops off the whiskey in front of Jessica.

On his way to the other patron who he may recognize from a time or two but nothing he can put his finger exactly on. He takes a stance up right in front of Arnie and lets a helpful tone come from his stoic features, "What you drinkin'?" Luke gotta' be himself. Can't be asking 'can I help you' or nothing crazy like that. This ain't that kind of bar.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica turns to look up at that hulk of a man who just choose to sit right next to her when most of the bar is empty, considering the size difference, it might be understandable if she'd be a bit intimidated. Still, she looks rather calm, as she points out, "almost the entire place to choose from and this looked like the perfect seat?" She asks, perhaps a rather blunt suggestion he perhaps scoots over a seat or two.

Good thing Luke serves her the flight she orders, because it takes away from potential tension as she shifts to survey the choices at hand. "A glen to start it off..." she reaches for the right most glass.

Shredder has posed:
    Jones arches one eyebrow, and offers a bit of a half smile. An amused smile. "It did," he says, offering no further explanation. There's a grin that suggests that because it was her that made it the best seat, but he doesn't offer any lewd ogling or rude comments, just the air of a man who has confidence in his position of power.

    As Luke gets to him for an order, he eyes the line of alcohol. After a moment, he glances back to the tender. Clearly someone not afraid of eye contact, he didn't hesitate looking either one of them in the eye. "A coke. Cherry coke if you got it." His voice is deep, matching his frame. One of the regulars glances up at hearing that, and then back down to his own drink. It isn't like him to order something non-alcoholic. Particularly not at a bar.

Luke Cage has posed:
"... Right."

Luke has already started getting a vibe or two off this man. Maybe it has something to do with one of the regulars. Maybe the way he's crowding Jessica's space. Or maybe it's the fact that he just ordered a cherry coke. Either way, Luke's keeping an eye out when he moves down the bar to fill a glass with the soda.

Setting it down upon his return, Luke's gaze moves over to Jess and the first selection of her flight. "That's a new one. Just got it in last week. Let me know what you think." Luke trying to change up the brands he orders a bit. Interesting.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica eyes the guy for a moment, grumbling to herself as he puts that amused smile, but it is her break right now, and she has better than to do then fight. So she reaches for her glass and just starts drinking it like it was water. But once he orders a Cherry Coke, Jessica turns to look at him again, "did someone send you after me...?" She gets straight to the point, "is this about Vinny winding up in jail?" She fishes for connection, "because Cherry Coke is way cheaper at seven eleven."

She easily lets Luke defuse or attempt to by paying attention to him, and putting down her glass to reach to the new he recommended, "is that a Japanese brand?"

Shredder has posed:
    Arnold smirks. "Relax sweetheart. I ain't exactly subtle. If I was comin' after you, you'd already know it," he says. The door opens, and the turns to see...the guy he is here for. A regular of Luke's named Carl Jute.

    "Oh shit." Carl's eyes go wide, and he turns to flee, but this large monster is pretty quick, and the back of his collar is caught by the large man, who slams him against the wall to daze him. He didn't pay for his drink, but he starts escorting Carl back out, holding him by the collar of his coat.

Luke Cage has posed:
"Yeah. Figured I'd try somethin' new." is the answer to Jess's question about the whiskey.

Luke narrows his eyes at what goes down almost instantly and it takes him a moment to glance over at Jess. "Watch the register for me?" Luke's hopping over the bar and leaving the towel right there as he starts to make his way to the exit. He glances over his shoulder. "No refills!" is teased in Jessica's direction on his way out the door.

Stepping outside, Luke Cage just stands at the door to his bar. "Hey." Luke doesn't raise his voice. Most of the time he don't need to. "I'ma' need you to come back inside, man. You got a drink to pay for." Yeah, because that's the reason he's out here. Not his 'bar buddy' Carl.

Jessica Jones has posed:
"Good, because I don't know any Vinny, and I don't need any trouble. Just trying to drink..." Jessica sighs, annoyed she even said anything, but she really thought it was a hit job in progress. She tries to instead just focus on her drinks. But then the actual target comes in, and Jessica's eyes shift from Arnold, to Carl, to Luke, and a grin "I was about to say, go get'em," and keep watch she does, though she also looks over at the show about to happen.

Shredder has posed:
    The blond giant looks over his shoulder as Luke follows him out the door. His grip has adjusted to hold poor Carl by the front lapel and the back of his jacket now. "I didn't mean to! It was an accident!" Carl begs.

    "You know he don't do accidents, Carl. I told him you were safe. /I/ told him you would keep you mouth shut. /I/ TOLD HI-" he stops as he hears Luke's voice behind him, and turns there on the sidewalk, giving the bartender a quizzical look. "You serious?" he asks. "I'm busy havin' a converSATION here." He gives Carl a shake. "Just gimme. A minute." Luke is big, not quite as big as Hun, as he's known, but the closeness in size doesn't seem to give this meathead any cause for pause, and his bared teeth say that he isn't keen on being interrupted.

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke Cage doesn't hesitate in his stepping after Hun and the gripped-up Carl. He doesn't look particularly worried or even angry. Honestly, he just kind of looks annoyed. He really didn't want to have to deal with this right now.

"Listen. I don't want no trouble. Pretty sure my man Carl here, he don't want no trouble either. And it's a beautiful day out, nobody needs to throw hands right now. So let's just handle this another way, okay?"

Cage stops close enough for drama but also far enough away to not look like a threat. He's being pacifist guy right now. Hopefully, it'll work. "I don't know who sent you down here. Honestly? I don't care. But right now, whatever Carl did, whatever he owes you? That's on me now." Carl better appreciate this. "So why don't you put my man down and go back to whoever it is and you tell 'em to come see Luke Cage?"

Jessica Jones has posed:
"Yo Steve," Jess shoots at one of the regulars who wandered to the front and casually reaches for a bottle within reach, when Jess grabs his arm "Luke said no refills..." he gives an apologetic smile and wanders back to his seat.

"I think you should listen, you know Luke can box?" Jessica offers helpfully, "he once punched a hole through Captain America's shield..." true? Maybe, sometimes tall tales distract people.

Shredder has posed:
    Hun tilts his head. "I sent me," he says gruffly. "And what he owes ain't cash. It's pain. You don't want that debt," he says with a dire tone. He glances at Jessica "Box? Oh, tough guy huh?" he asks. "Fine. He throws Carl at Luke. "Let's see then, huh?" he asks, holding his hands out to invite an attack. Meanwhile, his loud display has caught the attention of a few people in the neighborhood, perhaps ones that are more aware of Luke's reputation than this man.

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke makes sure Carl doesn't hurt himself and has a little grip up of him of his own. "Go home. I'ma' be by later." Luke glares a couple of daggers at him. "Be there." That ain't a request. That's definitely a warning. And Luke sends Carl off running to where he better be when Luke gets finished up here.

Cage turns his attention back to Hun. Still, not trying to do any kind of violence right now. "Not a tough guy. Just don't like drama. And right now, there doesn't have to be any." Luke really about to try and talk this man down, huh? "I'm sure we can figure out a way to make right whatever Carl did wrong." And now it's time for Luke to offer a bit of a condition of his own. "As long as you never step foot in Harlem again." See? A deal maker. Take the deal, Hun!

Jessica Jones has posed:
"Yeah, he's pretty damn good...I mean, what do I know about it, but looks impressive to me," Jessica offers with a silly little smile at the goon, likely to down play herself as a viable threat.

Somehow Jessica managed to empty the first glass, and is already half way through her second as she chirps in, "he does look like the kinda a guy who really likes to talk and reach a compromise, Luke, good call."

Shredder has posed:
    "Don't step foot in Harlem?" It's a mean laugh that comes from Hun. "You don't got a clue, do ya? I'm Hun," he jabs a thumb at himself. "Purple Dragons?" Definitely outside of his turf, Purple Dragons may be a force to be reckoned with in Brooklyn, but they have virtually no presence in Harlem.

    "Gonna regret this," he warns. He throws a punch straight for Luke's head. For someone so large, he's fast, and he's much stronger than your average joe.

Luke Cage has posed:
Cage sighs. It's a very visible sigh as he just stands there and allows Hun to come at him. He doesn't flinch, he doesn't move, he doesn't even brace himself. He doesn't need to. Punching Luke Cage is like punching a Titanium Wall or something. Bones are definitely gonna' crack if they said puncher ain't enhanced in some kind of manner. Maybe this is why he kept trying not to fight. Thus, the sigh.

The other reason he might've been trying not to fight is the fact that Hun's got enough strength to actually turn Luke's head. It moves with the impact of Hun's punch. Enough that Cage actually actually has to turn his head back to see Hun fully. When he looks back, there's a smirk. "Aight."

There's a quick shrug of 'I tried' before Cage reaches out to try and grab Hun by the jacket, hoist him up with the one hand and attempts to just straight up throw him... down the street.

Shredder has posed:
    The punch is strong, it's solid. Why didn't Luke go to the ground? And. Ow. There is the definite sound that Hun did break his hand, but he doesn't grab his fist and yell about how much it hurts. He doesn't even unball his fist. "Oh. It's like that," he says, realizing that he's against someone with powers. Not afraid, but clearly recognizing that this fight is not going to be as easy as he expected. As Luke grabs his jacket Hun isn't about to stand still to be thrown. He slides out of the jacket, and now takes a new approach, showing that he can do more than just throw hard punches. He slides out of the jacket and forward, throwing his leg backward to try to make his leg buckle to take him to the ground.

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke Cage looks more annoyed than threatened. This is often the case when he's forced into having to actually commit acts of violence. The hero of Harlem just sighs again when Hun clears the jacket. Cage drops it but Hun's quickness is already on display because before Luke even knows it, he's on his way to the ground.

Said ground cracks under the weight and velocity of Hun's takedown on Luke Cage. Probably a combination of Hun's strength and Cage's enhanced weight. Cage would be impressed if he didn't hate everything that was happening at this exact moment.

Cage shows his own speed off, going for a quick grapple to pull Hun close enough for his inhumanly hard head to slam into Hun's. HEADBUTT!

Shredder has posed:
    Hun clenches back, and attempts to headbutt back as Luke does to keep from breaking his nose. That wasn't a good idea. He stumbles back under the impact, a large read spot that will certainly turn into a knot in the next minute or two. He's a little dazed, but it doesn't stop him as he sloppily throws a forward kick to try to knock the hero into the street. If he can't hit hard enough, maybe he can get Luke hit by a car that does. It's clear though that he doesn't have what it will take to beat the bartender.

Luke Cage has posed:
Being (as far as he knows) invulnerable, Luke Cage doesn't really ever try to dodge. In fact, things tend to work out better when he doesn't. So he just takes the kick from Hun, which again may crack some things depending on boots and how strong of a kick, but that's not really of Cage's concern. Partly because he didn't want this fight in the first place. Mostly because he's busy rolling into the street from that kick.

Cage is up on his feet faster than he should be able to move at his weight and makes sure to leap up and over the car headed in his direction. When he comes back down, he's on the other side of the street, cracking the pavement around him, the tremors sending the Harlemites nearby down to the ground.

:Hey, my bad. Y'all good?" Luke reaches out to try and help the people up while looking over his shoulder to see if he can spot Hun. He don't need no surprise attacks while he near civilians.

Shredder has posed:
    Hun went sole first in his kick, so he seems to be fine regarding his own foot. His ego isn't in such a great shape, and his head is ringing a little. He can't win this fight and he realizes it. "Nobody tells Hun what to do. I'll be back, you can take that as a promise. And when I do? You gonna need more than superpowers to keep you safe." Idle bravado or genuine threat? He points...almost at Luke as he speaks, and then turns with a little stagger as a drunk might. Never did pay for his drink. Of course, he never drank it either. He starts to walk away, and looks at his injured hand, rotating it at the wrist to examine where he just broke a few knuckles.

Luke Cage has posed:
Cage stops checking on the people around him long enough to watch Hun and listen. Cage gets so many threats that it's actually hard for him to keep up with who is being serious and who is just talking so much ish. This gets another sigh from Cage.

"Everybody good?"

Cage makes sure of such and then starts making his way back across the street towards his bar. He pulls out his phone and dials up, "Yo, Dave. I'ma' need you to come in and cover the rest fo today." Cage looks off in the direction Hun left in. "Yeah. I got some business to handle. Thanks."

Looks like Luke's gonna' go see Carl so he can get the 411 on this Hun dude.