2642/Two big boys and a cave

Two big boys and a cave
Date of Scene:	27 July 2020
Location:	Arrowcave
Synopsis:	Arthur has a late night talk with Oliver at the Arrowcave where they talk about the state of things. Arthur compensates being out of the ocean by breathing in beer.
Cast of Characters:	Arthur Curry, Oliver Queen

---

Arthur Curry has posed:
    Hours have passed in the Arrow Cave...

    The appetizers have been eaten though there are a fair amount of leftovers. Thea has wandered off to head to sleep upstairs and away. There are a handful of beer bottles all empty upon the tabletop around which the heroes had gathered. Some of the bottles are upright, but one or two are on their sides with perhaps the mildest bit of spillage. Though a fresh six-pack has been gained and it shall soon join the others as Oliver Queen and Arthur Curry remain there in their chairs, each with their drink before them. The Atlantean has his hand around the base of his bottle and for the last two minutes has been staring at it for a time...
    Then he blinks and looks up, tilting his head to the side at Oliver. "What were we talking about?" He asks with legitimate curiousity. He's a strong hero assuredly, but not quite like the others as he does get affected by beer and alcohol. So it's through that faint haze of mild inebriation that he looks over at the archer.
    Over time Arthur had let his hair down, though in this case literally. His wild mane is spread over his shoulders though his beard is still braided and his overshirt hangs off the back of his chair. He blinks those amber eyes at the emerald archer and grimaces, "Damn. Totally lost my train of thought."

Oliver Queen has posed:
Time had been spent doing what they do best apparently. Catching up, drinking beers. SOME may have even belched (hint: Not Ollie). With Thea having gone to bed they had become philosophical too as when people get prone to when they have had a few too many beers.

"You were going on a tangent on why you can't properly appreciate a good beer while underwater. And why it makes you so often be up here on the surface." he explains. Serious expression too. Most likely it was what they had been talking about as well. Ollie never lies. He is SERIOUS business. No brood.

The archer is currently leaned back on his chair, hand about an half-drank beer, watching the Atlantean.

"So, what do you think about her?" He asks.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    Arthur gets that narrow-eyed look as he sort of peers at Ollie, not sure if he is being serious or not. But after the space of a few heartbeats he grunts in answer. Then grunts again, "Well, I mean, s'truth." About the beer and being underwater. "Though they have these sponges that they..."
    The Atlantean seems about to explain a bit about those sponges when Oliver hits him with that question which draws him up short. His eyebrows lift as his gaze distances, clearly giving it some thought as he ponders. Then he looks back at him with eyes a touch wider than normal. "I mean. She's yer scrawny lil sister, I can see the family resemblance?"
    He offers that answer with a small smile, likely not entirely serious but taking the chance to poke right back at Ollie. "But she's got spirit. Which, I figure is another familial trait." He turns and lifts a finger to rub at he side of his cheek while his eyes slip back toward the door that Thea used to depart.
    "Shit, Ollie. She seems like a good sort. Willful, but that's not necessarily bad. Sure she's a great person. For doing our crazy stuff?" He looks back toward the archer. "Main thing is her spirit to do it."
    His brow knits and he tilts the bottle back, taking a swig of it and swallowing, "You serious about me training her somehow?"

Oliver Queen has posed:
"Scrawny, eh?" Says the rather broad Oliver, taking another good drink out of his beer. "Maybe we should have a go at the salmon ladder and see who's scrawny mmm?" He's joking, maybe. MAYBE! But as Arthur then continues there is a faint nod out of the old archer, a very brief nod given.

"Spirit helps in getting to the door." He states, eyes turning to look towards the set of suits lined up on the wall. "But she needs more to be ready to step in." he explains, beer put aside and his arms folding over his front.

"I fear I may not have been as strict with her as I should had been, to have her ready. She is strong, no doubt about it, but overconfidence is also a thing." a beat. "I should had showed her how unprepared she still is after our last talk." this last musing almost as if he was talking to himself.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Depends on what you want her to do." Arthur says, "Look man, you and the Bat, you both have it on the whole day to day fighting crime thing. That's not my world." He takes another pull of beer as he shifts his considerable weight to the side, causing the chair to complain with a faint creak. He rests his arm on the table and gestures with the other toward Arthur as he speaks.
    "When something goes down and I'm there I help. I get called in. I help. You. You go looking for trouble. You investigate things. You have a finesse touch. Not so much me."
    A breath is taken as he makes a face and looks to the side, then he tilts his bottle back and kills it, setting the empty down amongst all the others with a glassy clink. And as soon as that one's finished he reaches for one of the fresh ones out of the cardboard holder and twists the cap off.
    "So you'd know if she's ready for that life. Me, I could see her doing somethin' else to help all of us that isn't necessarily jumping around rooftops and kicking people."
    He settles back in the chair and grimaces, "Hell, Ollie. My idea of training her would be... fuck, I don't know. Put her on a boat and tell the sharks not to eat her too much."

Oliver Queen has posed:
"Or night to night .." Oliver comments with a brief raise of his shoulders, deep blue eyes turning to finally fix fully upon the aquatic one. "And it's fine. It's not the finesse touch that needs work." a moment of pause and he then amends. "Well, I can work on that finesse touch..."

"What do you think she could do that isn't this kind of life?" He then questions, a brow arching with some curiosity. "A spokesperson for the group or...?" he also drains the rest of his beer but unlike Arthur he does not go for a new one. At least not yet.

"Are you saying you never trained someone?"

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Mmm," Arthur says at first while pondering the depths of his beer and lightly sloshes the caramel coloured liquor back and forth. He shakes his head, "Sometimes things need a subtle touch. Infiltration, or investigation. Train her to where she can handle most things but give her us as the backup she needs in case things go South."
    Waving the bottle to the side he murmurs, "Nah, we don't need a spokesperson unless we're going to put some effort into the whole going back to the forefront of things. Besides, she's too short." Such blithe casual condemnation. The jerk.
    "But, I'm saying we don't need her to try and hit that high bar of being able to hang with us all in a fight with some alien bastards, right?"
    A pause is taken as he drinks a bit more, then slaps the bottle on the table, though it's still half-full. Sidelong to Oliver he murmurs, "And sure I've trained people. But mostly Atlanteans. I could teach her how to fight some though I figure you've got that covered. And I'm sure as shit not a Mr. Miyagi type."
    That said he straightens up, frowns as he looks around. "Now..." He points with one hand, "Which way to the john? I gotta take a piss."
    And if he's provided with that information off he'll go.

Oliver Queen has posed:
"I thought the idea was going back to the forefront of things." Oliver replies, the brow still up there. But then he shrugs. "Investigation, infiltration. That much I have trained her. It's in other areas she will need. Namely in facing death." He makes no comment on the short part. No need to in case SOMEONE gets hold of the recordings here and he says something he may regret!

"Indeed you are no Miyagi..." Karate Kid.., everyone knows that movie! "Though if you don't think you are able to train her that is fine too." he opens his hands to the side. "Not going to force you to anything."

The question about the bathroom makes him chinjerk to a side of the arrowcave where a door is. "That way."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "You want her to face death..." Arthur stands there for a moment, hand on the back of his chair, looking at Oliver rather sternly. "That. I can do." And as easy as that he nods and the matter might well be settled.
    But then Ollie makes the comment about forcing him to do something and that gets a wry grin from the tall man. But he nods, "Alright, thattaway." He points in the indicated direction and walks off.
    Leaving Oliver there to his own thoughts for a time...
    Though not too terribly long, three to four minutes perhaps before the Atlantean returns and he strolls on up and immediately reclaims his beer. "Alright, so Thea. Discussion is tabled." He drops into the chair again, thumping into it heavily and causing it to crreeeeeeak again in complaint. He crosses his boots at the ankles as he slouches in his seat and says, "Next topic!"
    The bottle is used to gesture at Oliver and he says, "How are things with you? Seeing someone? Is there a little Arrowette or whatever running around?" He takes that moment to drink, though smirking around the bottle's lip.

Oliver Queen has posed:
Great. A chance to brood. Ollie takes advantage of those few minutes of quiet to brood on his cave, eyeing the camera feeds for a few moments, the screens that tell him what is going out there in the world. He is lost there for a few moments, never a moment of rest to the man.

When the atlantean comes back he looks up, snapping out of his own thoughts. "Are you saying, then, that you will train her?" He asks for clarification.

Though those last questions make his brows furrow, eyes wandering back to the line of suits and to where a particular one is, next to Ollie's, similar but clearly made for feminine contours. "There is." he says without hesitation. "In this case she goes by the name Quiver." eyes returning to Arthur. "You will meet her sometime soon I hope." finally a faint smile coming to his features.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Sure," Arthur says, "Train her, scare her, test her mettle in a worldly way. However you want to phrase it. But hopefully afterwards everyone will have more insight on things. It's... not going to be a hugely involved process. Maybe a month or so?"
    One hand lifts as he gestures to the side, thoughts slipping away as he perhaps ponders what exactly that sort of training will involve. A fingertip lifts to scritch at his chin again thoughtfully, hand gliding down his beard as if making sure the braid is intact, then he nods. "Yeah, think I have a good idea on what to do."
    That said he looks back at Oliver and smiles a little as the man tells him of his female compatriot. "Hey, that's good man. You deserve some happiness."
    And for a time that sort of hangs there. Silence dragging on between them until...
    "Quiver."
    He says that word simply, short as if trying it on for size.
    "Quiverrr." He adds rolling the 'R' a little and then lifts a hand to rub at his nose as if trying to shield his growing smile.
    "No no, that's a good name."

Oliver Queen has posed:
"Good then." Oliver replies in a thankful nod of reply to Arthur. He doesn't talk about payment, knowing Arthur isn't the type to want it. Instead he fully expects a favor down the line. "And time is not an issue." he adds. Finally reaching to one of the remaining beers he pops it open, taking a good swig off it in silence, letting Arthur think about how he will want to be training her for a time.

It's when Arthur starts repeating Quiver's name that Ollie appears to turn his attention back to the man. Amused perhaps? "Thank you." then a pause. A smirk? "You got a problem with the name though?" well, he won't admit that they actually chose the name under pressure while during a mission.

"What about you? Found your aquagirl by now?"

Arthur Curry has posed:
    Whatever that undersea prince might be thinking he keeps it to himself instead he lets the topic flow on as he again takes a sip from his drink. "Nothing serious." He says, looking to the side as he ponders. "Sometimes a fan gives me her number or something. Sometimes I meet people that have _no_ idea who I am and I kinda like that better."
    There's a small shrug given as he looks to the side, gesturing with his bottle. "Oh SHIELD's been sending folks to talk to me, asking about what we're up to. But you know me and authority and government spooks and all that."
    He shakes his head and grimaces, "Though... one of them wasn't entirely horrible." He takes another drink and looks distant for a time, then shrugs as he looks back.

Oliver Queen has posed:
"SHIELD..." That makes Oliver frown just so. There was no love lost between the vigilante and that org. Sure, he would work with them if needed but he also knew he was a vigilante, which went against what SHIELD is. So he had his own reservations. "You are not alone in the avoiding them as much as possible, I have always prefer to work independently." he comments. "Even if I know the good they do for the world. But so do we."

"One of them, eh?" Some amusement comes to the man's features. "Hope you did get their number for a follow up debriefing." he knew they liked those. What government org doesnt?! Debriefings...

He pauses then though, studying his old friend for a time, considering him before he finally approaches a 'hot' topic. "You don't look as if you have yet found the way you want to lead your life."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Ehn, they're assholes all of them." Arthur paints the people of SHIELD with a rather large brush and seems perfectly fine with doing so. Though one eyebrow quirks, "Though yeah, to be fair. Did get her number." For a moment he sort of half-smiles, then shakes his head as if dismissing any thoughts in that direction.
    "Anyways!"
    He lifts the bottle and gestures to the side, "I'm actually fairly clear on what I want to do, what I'm going to do for once in my life. The situation with Namor is mostly resolved. We have a detente of sorts. So long as things stay peaceful and he doesn't do any evil shit then we're okay for now."
    Touching his free hand to his broad chest he murmurs, "Figure I'll focus keeping my end of things from causing problems. Keep the ocean calm as it were, and do what we need to when the League is called for."
    His amber eyes slip to the side and away as he gives a small shrug, "Til then, dunno. Keep on keepin' on."

Oliver Queen has posed:
"That sounds like a ..., very vague plan." Oliver replies. Judgemental gaze? You betcha! But nah, more caring about his friend instead. "But fine, so it's the last I have seen of you bumming around that pier?" is he teasing the large man? Maybe. But he can do it. They are in his domain afterall!

"Or maybe not, I may be wishing for too much." Finally a smirk coming to his lips.

"I still believe we have what it takes to come back, Arthur." Yay for first names!

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Yeah, of course. But do we need to be prominent? Or should we just be the world's safety net in case the other caped chuckleheads screw up?" Arthur's smile is wry, amused, and perhaps still a little inebriated. He lifts a hand, fingers flaring as he waves it to the side slightly. "But I may be around that dock some."
    He glides a hand down the length of his beard and murmurs, "Just more to drink than to buy war supplies. Right?"
    That said he leans to the side. "Did I tell you I got to Gotham the other week?" His head tilts to the side, "Actually went to a show of all things."

Oliver Queen has posed:
"Gotham?" That makes Oliver nod just so. "Alright, I am listening. What kind of show are we talking about here?" he perhaps doubts this had anything to do with the actual show, but most likely about either chasing skirts or just being bored. But he indulges with those questions, even if the smile isn't lost in his expression.

"As for being prominent.." His shoulders rise up in a shrug. "Even if we try not to be the world itself will. We are talking about big names. Superman, Batman.. They are known globally." he states.

"There is no escaping it I feel." But then he clicks his tongue. "I still got to meet Diana to talk."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Still," Is Arthur's one-word answer to the whole thing about being prominent, as if he names given might not matter in the greater scheme of things. He instead lifts his eyebrows at the mention of Diana, however. "See, Diana though. She could still do her whole thing with or without us."
    But hen he shifts gears again and murmurs, "Anyways, yeah. Went to this sort of Cirque Du Soleil thing with a friend, was interesting. Not like, my cup of tea, but I can see how some people would find it entertaining."
    He takes another drink of his beer and then sets it down with a glassy clink. "They did this whole undersea motif thing and I thought it was interesting. Mermaids and elaborate fish and monstrosities. Much more... flattering depiction of our people than when Atlanteans depict surfacers in artwork."

Oliver Queen has posed:
"We all could do our own thing. And that's the point of contention." Oliver points out, even going as far as jabbing a finger on the table. "Bats has Gotham, I got Starling, Diana has her Amazons...." he could go on... But he doesn't. It's just making a point really. "The problem is getting past 'our' thin and working well together again. Egos." because truly, all of them have a big enough ego to fill the planet.

But then he hears on about that meeting. Cirque du Soleil? "Should I ask how Atlanteans depict surfacers in artwork?" his expression twisting a touch as he imagines it. "For all we know of the world there's still a lot we don't know about the Atlanteans."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "No offense buddy, but amongst all of our people my ego is the one that's relatively decently in check." Of course he'd say that, "Egotism is a flaw and I have none." His lip twists a little but he holds up his hands as if to stave off protests. "But I mean... I think for a lot of our people being..."
    Arthur turns his head, letting his eyes drift as he perhaps searches for the right word amongst all of the equipment and computers and weapons in the Arrow Cave, "Grounded is very important. And when we isolate ourselves..." He looks back, "It's when we lose perspective. It's not just a... powers thing. I think one of our worst is Bats."
    But then he pushes a hand through his hair and rubs at the back of his neck thoughtfully. "Mmm, I'm not exactly an expert, I'm still learning things about Atlantis now and again. But what I've been exposed to?" He crosses a boot over his knee, shifting his slouch to the other arm of the chair with a shuffle of fabric. "They depict them as sort of the oblivious antagonist. Usually there's a representation of them that's..." He looks to the side, then back. "You've ever seen a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream? Sort of how they depict the faeries in that. Thoughtlessly malicious or abusive. Otherworldly. Just plain... Other. I suppose."

Oliver Queen has posed:
"Sure." Oliver says in that tone that he ain't buying it at all. But it's not as if even had to do the tone. They have known each other long enough to know of each other's limitations and virtues.

He waits patiently while Arthur swims around for that word, one arm folding over his waist while the other props up, hand held under his chin, thoughtful. "Grounded." he echoes the word. But then he eventually speaks up. "You mean having others anchor you back in to reality, not being afraid of telling you how things are." a nod. "My last talk with Bats wasn't the best." he admits. "Though we each said things to one another that I suppose we needed to hear. Yes, maybe it's what all this Justice League can help us with."

The archer continues on listening, a brow quirking. "It could change, if both people were willing to become more open to one another. But I do not expect Namor to be willing to do so. He has never been one to care too much about the surface."

"In a way, I can very well understand it. We have hurt the oceans for ages now." Even if he is no faerie!

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Anchors, or changes in routine, differences to shock you out of what you're used to." Arthur's smile is wry as he adds, "Like going to Cirque Du Soleil." He nods though, at the revelation that the talk with Batman didn't go well, that's pretty much par for the course for any interaction with tall, dark, and gloomy.
    Then he takes a deep breath and ponders the idea of how Atlantis perceives the surface. "It could change, you're right. And to be fair, it sorta has to a degree. My being down there, our efforts to save the world, they haven't gone unnoticed. So sometimes surfacers aren't entirely depicted as assholes. Just most of the time."
    "So alright, enough about me and my stuff. You and this Quiver. Tell me all about it." He reclaims his beer and tilts it back to take a swig. "How'd you meet, how'd you decide to bring her into our crazy world, why she's able to steal your eye away from all those cover models or whatever."

Oliver Queen has posed:
"Most of the time. So that means a statue to Green Arrow is still out of the question." A smirk out of Oliver, "Sure, I can live with that. For now." but no, in their years together Ollie had never seen the type to like that notoriety for his vigilante persona. Does that mean he is jesting? *gasp*

"What about me and Quiver." Again that brow quirks up. So curious this Aquaman!

"We met a few months ago, in New York of all places." What? For him it's all about Starling. "I suppose it was fate that made us collide." a roll of his eyes, Ollie never having been the kind of man that believes in fate. But hey, here he is now.

"As for the rest.., I will let you figure that out when you meet her. Don't think my words would do it justice."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    Arthur isn't accepting that, he can tell by the way he /rolls/ his eyes to the side and takes another drink as if exasperated. He even makes a sound that's something akin to a cat having something stuck in its throat, "Hhhhkg."
    Shaking his head he looks back, "You're not gettin' off that easy." He points with the bottle and meets Ollie's gaze across that table. "You said a lot and told me little. Orr..."
    There's a pause as he gives Oliver the side-eye, "Are you not entirely sure you want her in this whole craziness?" That he could understand and would make sense to him.
    Then he takes a breath and makes a face. "Look, you know if I started bein' all serious about someone the amount of shit you'd give me. Right? Well imagine that and save me the time and just tell me."

Oliver Queen has posed:
"I could probably get off easily enough, considering how drunk you are." Oliver states as if it was a FACT, because it totally is in his view, while he has been taking it easy, just sipping his beers. (Fine, in his state he'd probably miss a bullseye or two).

The question about being sure on whether he wants her in all this does make him pause though, frowning even. "I don't know." he replies honestly. "I can't help but feel protective about the people I care for. It's the same with Thea, and so it goes with Quiver." his arms then open to the side. "I don't have that romantic hero view of superheroes that many do. I blame Kal sometimes, being such a damn beacon for people to feel hope. There's quite a few that try it and die out in the gutter somewhere, I wouldn't want that to happen."

A shrug. "She is as good an archer as I am though." Literally!

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Well that's saying something." Arthur says if it's true, he knows how good Oliver is and if this gal can shoot half as good, let alone good enough to get that almost casual praise... she has to have some chops. "Why the hell do we need you on the team then?"
    As he says that last he tries it deadpan, just giving Oliver a /glower/ that most people when they see it tend to wail a little bit on the inside and shrink under that glare. But then his face breaks into a grin as he looks away and takes another drink of his beer.
    "Oh wait, so we have someone green on the roster to complete our whole light spectrum rainbow thing." Then he tilts his head the other way, "Oh no, we've got Hal... Hmmm." He says that last sound as if /truly/ thinking about kicking Oliver off the team.
    That big aquatic jerk.

Oliver Queen has posed:
A staredown contest? Oliver has his set of superpowers. Staredowns is one of them. Specially with those that FAIL his city. In this case there's been no failing yet, besides the fishing for a reaction from Ollie. Taunting him even? But he's not the easiest to land a bait hook on...

"I have Namor on speeddial, just so you know." He says, "... I hear he can even fly.." ouch.

But then he breaks into a grin, shaking his head. "You jerk." he says what everyone in the room is thinking. "When are *you* settling down though?" he finally asks. "You are not getting any younger..."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    Barking a laugh at the Namor crack, the Atlantean shakes his head and casually throws one of the bottlecaps across the way straight at the man.
    "Shit, Oliver." Arthur leans back to the side, supporting his arm on the table and just looking entirely too human. "Who the hell do you know would have me?" His lip twists crookedly. "I mean, sure I go out, meet people. Whatever." He lifts a hand to wave that off. "But I'm not exactly relationship material, right?"
    He reaches over with the toe of his boot and yanks over another chair and uses it for his footstool, stomping one work boot on it and then slouching as if he owned the damn place. "And besides, Atlanteans live a good while. Not Asgardian long or whatever, but a good long time. I'm in no rush."

Oliver Queen has posed:
An understanding look comes upon Oliver's expression. Yes, the eternal struggle of living longer than a partner could .., put a damper on things. He looks even sympathetic about it, lips pressed to a line but then he shrugs. "Nor am I." relationship material that is. "But I figure there's always someone out there waiting for us."

"You should come back another day to meet her." Oliver says, "So you can see what I mean."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    Nodding slowly, Arthur gives a grunt. "Alright man, or hell. I could have you out somewhere we could get some seafood." That said he grins and puuushes himself to his feet, hands flat on the table. He leans over the side of it and grabs another bottle and stuffs it in a pocket, then takes up a second to take with him.
    "Alright, man." He closes back toward Oliver and holds a hand out to the side as if about to give him a high five, but instead goes for another bro-handshake that he uses to pull the other man to him for a double thump hug and then holds him out at arm's length.
    "This was good, man. Good to see you. Should do this again." Another thump-thump.
    And then he's turning away and starting to walk towards the way he came in from. "Adios!"