Owner Pose
Nathan Summers Cable isn't really a carnival kind of guy. But he finds it interesting nonetheless. These gatherings of people remind him of the desperate festivals he'd see among survivors in his own time. People clinging to one another for any frenetic pleasure or creature comfort, trying to block out the horror with laughter and food.

As usual, he stands apart.

Nathan wears a heavy jacket over his bulky, broad shouldered body. He's got plenty of weapons in stride, just in case. Mostly, he's looking for someone who doesn't belong - there have been rumors of someone hunting the night here and an element of that person's description - his size, his power, his ferocity - reminds Cable of someone he once knew. Someone he should have killed.

There are too many of those.

But, so far, it's a bust tonight. Deciding to give it one last shot, he heads over towards a small dive not far away from the carnival games, a dive bar that's a hangout for local mercs and shooters. Who knows what they might've seen?
Inez Temple Inez is inside the dive, enjoying the proximity to the boardwalk, the noise and games and fun of it all. Where Cable sees desperation and denial, Inez sees fun and an embrace of life, a celebration despite the heaviness of life and responsbility.

But inside the bar, it's a different atmosphere, a quieter and more somber affair with the occasional bit of rowdiness when one or more of them disagrees with another. Inez is at the bar in her usual outfit, all leather with the stetson and spurred boots, the guns in their holsters. Thankfully there's a 'secret' route into the bar that goes through an old abandoned subway line, so those toting guns aren't arrested on sight outside the door.

She has a beer in one hand, chatting lightly with one of the other mercs about recent jobs, things that might be on the horizon. Keeping up on the goings on of the down and dirty.
Nathan Summers Cable's left eye glows in the dim light of the bar. He's not exaclty and unknown entity and there's a certain ripple when he enters the room, a tension.

He makes his way up to the bar, his left hand gleaming metal as he lays it palm down, his fingers splayed. "Whiskey. Straight." he says.

He scans around and lingers fo ra moment on Inez. Both because she's attractive and because he's heard of her recently in certain circles close to his own. He likes to keep up on his allies - and the people with whom they associate. "Outlaw," he says by way of greeting.
Inez Temple Glancing up when the tension ratchets up in the room, Inez has a moment of surprise as she watches Cable's entrance. Taking a drink from her longneck, she flashes an easygoing smile and tips her hat towards him, "Well, well, well. Prodigal son returns. Hey there Cable." Tipping him a wink, she looks to the bartender, "Put it on my tab, darlin'."

Looking back to Cable, she leans an arm on the bar and shifts in her seat on the stool, "Wade's been real eager fer ya t'get back in th' city. He'll be thrilled yer back." Lifting her beer for another swallow, she points it towards him after, "How ya been? Still kickin' ass 'cross timelines?"

There's a brief kerfuffle across the room as one of the more drunk patrons tries to get up in the face of another. It draws her gaze briefly, watching the scuffle before the drunken merc is floored by a well-placed punch. She chuckles and shake sher head, "Ego ego ego..." Looking back to Cable, Inez lifts a shrug and smiles once more.
Nathan Summers Nathan Summers takes his drink and gives it a long sip. There's none of the performative wincing or wiping of the mouth that usually comes with the gesture, just the straight consumption of grain alcohol, dry aged and acrid.

"Wade is eager about many things. Most of them inane. If I thrill him, I prefer he do it far enough away that I don't have to hear him talk about it," he says. "My mission remains the same. I've been taking care of a few loose ends here and there. One I was looking for tonight, but he doesn't seem to be about. But I'll find him soon enough."

He regards her for a moment, "You're sane enough. How are you so close to that lunatic's orbit?"
Inez Temple Finishing up her beer, she sets the bottle onto the bartop and nods to the bartender to grab her another. She tsks lightly at him, "He cares about ya, y'know." Shaking her head, Inez takes the beer when it's brought around, smiling her thanks as she lifts it for a drink.

"Wade's a good man. Sure, he c'n be annoyin' an' loud.. but he's gotta good heart, he tries, an' that's a fuckload more'n I c'n say bout 99% of th' people I know." She looks at him and smiles, "Married him, didn't I? He don't always get it right away, but he always makes it right in th' end." Inez takes another drink and looks at Cable, "Why d'ya talk about 'im like he's th' worst person in th' world?"
Nathan Summers Nathan Summers regards her for a long moment, "Maybe you make him more sane. Mostly, because he annoys the living fuck out of me and because he's totally insane. And possibly because he's fond of me. I don't need his sentiment, I need his killing urge. Same as I need yours. I have trouble with him because I like a reliable tool in my hand and he's got a lot of screws loose,' he says.

He snorts a bit and shakes his head, "You married him, huh? Good luck to you, lady. You're gonna need it," he says. "But maybe at least then I can rely on you to keep him in line."
Inez Temple Clucking her tongue, Inez smiles at him, "In other words.. ya get mad cause ya like 'im an' ya jes' want 'im t'be better an' he ain't ever gonna be 'better'. He's jes'.. Humpty Dumpty got a better chance at bein' put t'gether again." She lifts a shrug and smiles again, "I think he jes' needs t'be accepted fer who he is. Find ways t'work with 'im or around 'im."

She sets her bottle on the bartop and grins, "T'be fair? he fergot we were married, only recently stuff's been comin' back t' 'im. It's been a journey. But we're gettin' there. He's gotta girlfriend that helps center 'im, too." Inez smiles towards him, "In th' field? Sure, I c'n help pull 'im back if'n he gets too... zealous."
Nathan Summers Nathan Summers cocks his head, "Deadpool has a wife -and- a girlfriend? I think I'm going to have another whiskey." And he does, getting his glass refilled and then swallowing it down.

"I don't get the luxury of liking people. You're all dead to me. Long, long dead," he says softly. "Sometimes it makes me sad. But mostly it reminds me that the only way any of you get to survive is if we get the mission accomplished. So yeah - when he fucks around, it pisses me off."

"I appreciate your helping."
Inez Temple Laughing at his response, Inez gives a small nod and lifts her beer for a swallow in sympathy. She grins towards him and lifts a shrug, "He's got a way 'bout 'im. But, it took us years t'get t'marriage. Hell, took us years t' even get into bed t'gether."

SLifting a brow at him, she shakes her head, "No, yer -choosin'- t'not like anyone cause yer afraid we're gonna die b'fore yer ready fer us t'die. But yer a man that c'n choose t'live in any time ya want." Lifting a shrug, she shakes her head as she murmurs, "Whatever's gonna happen? Is gonna happen. Yeah, mebbe we'll all die. Mebbe not. If yer so busy tryin' t' save th' world, yer gonna die b'fore ya get t' enjoy any o' it."

Lifting her bottle, she takes a drink, giving a nod and smiling, "Hey, happy to help out. But jes' keep in mind.. gotta take th' time t' enjoy what yer tryin' t' save, or it ain't gonna matter if ya win or lose..."
Nathan Summers Cable regards her carefully, "Sounds like an easy way to justify doing whatever you want. And I get it. Had times like that. Raised my share of hell and sowed my share of wild oats. Might even have a wife or two on my record, if you look at it real careful," he says.

"But chasing happiness is a waste of time. When it comes, it's good, but it's never gonna last. It all dies. Everything does. Don't get me wrong, I ain't no monk, no ascetic. I'm not sittin' in the back whipping myself and wallowing in misery. I just don't get attached anymore."

That isn't entirely true either. But he's working on it.
Inez Temple Inez watches him for a long moment, leaning back on the stool, crossing her legs even as she lifts a shrug towards him, "Then yer no better'n a robot an' I don't work fer robots. I work fer people. Robots got nothin' t' live fer, except th' job. That's a piss poor way t'live." Lifting her beer for a swallow, she holds up a finger, "Scratch that. That's not even livin', that's jes'... not dyin'. Fuck's th' point o' that? Why live if yer never gonna -enjoy- anythin'?"

She motions towards the city and smiles, "Wade's gonna outlive damn near ev'ryone. He's gonna be alive long after I'm gone fer damn sure. Don't keep him from livin'. From formin' connections t'people." Inez's smile widens, "If'n I know m'death is inevitable... then why not enjoy th' time I got left? Don't mean I won't work t'make th' world better while I'm here... but it also means I'm damn sure gonna take th' time t'get what I c'n from it while I'm at it."
Nathan Summers Cable's eye flares for a moment when she calls him a robot and, as she does, there's a tremble in the glassware of the place, like a seismic ripple that runs through it. He grits his teeth and swallows it, though.

He looks away, "I've just seen too much, that's all," he says, more quietly. "I don't begrudge anyone their joy. Even if I seem like I do sometimes. But I don't get to live like other people, even when I want to. I've done my share of loving and living and seen it all killed off more than once,' he says with a hint of bitterness. "How many scars am I suposed to get before I say enough?"
Inez Temple To her credit, Inez doesn't flinch when the glassware starts trembling and rattling around. She holds his gaze, level and calm, sipping from the bottle before setting it on the bartop. "Really? What makes ya any diff'rent from any o' th' other time jumpers, alt reality folk, Godlings, or any of th' ones like Wade that got a literal eternity stretchin' b'fore 'em filled wit' loss an' death?"

She stares at him for a long moment before letting out a breath, "Look. I gotta healin' factor like Wade an' Logan.. it ain't ever been put t' th' test fer jes' how strong it is. I'm -terrified- that I'm gonna be starin' eternity in th' eye like 'em. But it ain't gonna keep me from livin' my life, from findin' people an' friends an' lovers t' share it wit'."
Nathan Summers Nathan Summers shakes his head, "What's different about me is what I've seen. Where I've been. I've seen a thousand timelines die, and die because I failed them," he says. "I'm not asking anyone to cry for me. It's what I'm for. But it does make putting on a happy face and making dumb jokes with Wade fucking Wilson sometimes seem a little god damn pointless," he says.

"I get it. I'm the straight man. I'm the stick in the mud. I'm the old goat who spoils all the fun. I ain't askin' you to give up shit. I'm not expectin' you to live like I do. Nobody should live like I do. It ain't no kinda livin'. You said it yourself. But them's the breaks and I ain't gonna sit here and cry about it. I did that enough, a long time ago."
Inez Temple "An' that's kinda -my- point, Summers. Ya can't guarantee you'll win. An' ev'rytime ya think ya've saved th' future, ya end up right back here tellin' us what went wrong an' what we gotta fix -this- time. How many times is it gonna take b'fore ya realize that everythin' ends? Said it yerself... everythin' ends. Yer not gonna stop it no matter how many times ya try." Inez shakes her head slightly and quirks a smile. "Yer like a kid tryin' t' pry up a quarter that's been super-glued t' th' floor. All yer doin' is hurtin' yerself instead o' jes' enjoyin' what ya get until it's done."

Inez lifts her bottle for another drink and shrugs, "Look, I ain't askin' ya t'cry o'er this shit. Don't do nobody any good. I'm not even askin' ya t'stop tryin'. I'm jes' sayin'... there's a lotta timelines, a lotta universes... there's gonna be a lot that end, prob'ly horribly an' bloody. Mebbe jes' enjoy th' life yer given while yer out there. An' if th' world ends? Let it."
Nathan Summers Nathan Summers listens for a long moment. He has another whiskey, this one a bit lingering, and he sighs to himself. "Maybe,' he admits, finally. "Maybe something true in there. Don't expect me to start smackin' no pinatas around anytime, though," he says.

"I'll maybe...try to have a little fun. But I'm still gonna bust Wade's balls. Cause that is kinda fun, too."
Inez Temple Inez lifts her bottle in the air for a toast and smiles, "C'n always count on me t'cut through th' bullshit. Kinda my -real- superpower. Th' strength an' healin' an' all that's jes' genetics... gettin' at th' heart o' somethin'... that's a superpower." Taking a drink, she nearly spits it out on a laugh, managing to keep from hosing him down in Sam Adams, shaking her head, "I ain't sayin' be a clown... jes' lighten up a bit."

She snorts and shakes her head, "Darlin', he knows ya well enough that I think he'd be concerned if ya -stopped- bustin' his balls. He'd prob'ly think yer actually mad at 'im."
Nathan Summers Nathan Summers shudders slightly, "Believe me, the last thing I want is to make Deadpool concerned. I get enough of his attention as it is."

He pushes his hands into his jacket and prepares to go out into the cold, cold world and back to his hunt. "By the way, if you hear of a man who calls himself Grizzly in these parts...give me a tip. He and I need to have a meeting," he says.

"And by meeting, I mean I'm putting his psycho ass in the ground. Be seein' you, Outlaw."
Inez Temple "Good. Cause Wade's m'man, an' I don't wanna have t' kick yer ass cause yer makin' 'im worry." Inez winks and grins to show her teasing of him.

She nods sets some cash on the bar, preparing to head out herself. Pausing, she looks back to Nathan and gives a nod, "Sure. If I see 'im an' I got a clean shot, you want I should take 'im out? Ain't no skin off my nose." Inez is watching him calmly, apparently ready to kill on the say-so of the time-travelling mutant. Then again, he's never wrong about someone being a bad person, so, it's a pretty safe bet if Cable wants him dead... he should be dead.
Nathan Summers Cable responds on the way out the door, "Nah, just give me a buzz. I can handle him." He respects Outlaw's abilities, but he knows Grizzly is just ruthless and strong enough to need his kind of sanction to put an end to 'em for good.