Owner	Pose
June Connor	June has a job, it's true. But that doesn't mean that she doesn't have some drinking to get in first. Her fake ID is fairly reliable, and the Wick is a place she hasn't been before. Which means she hasn't gotten kicked out yet. A black halter top and black denim cutoffs that are much too short show off her myriad of tattoos She's at the bar, with a slightly annoyed look on her face. "No, I tol youse," she insists, turned backward on the bar stool. "Imma make that shot in three." She points at a cheap suction cup hoop stuck to an old picture of Marilyn Monroe on the far wall. "Fifty bucks, you in or not?" she asks. Her fingers beckon for the little plush basketball, which someone else in the room pitches to her.
Hyperion	Whereas Mark Milton, aka Hyperion has been exploring the various haunts of New York for a while now. It is weird how similar -this- New York is to the one in the universe he is from. So he is learning the differences and similarities. There -is- no Wick in his New York, so he steps inside dressed in blue-jeans and a simple buttondown shirt with a windbreaker over it.     He steps inside and smiles as he looks about the place before approaching the bar. His voice is rich yet not modulated to carry as it is when in uniform. "Beer please." he says before glancing over towards the contest going on. He lifts a brow, "Little rich for my blood." he states.
June Connor	"You should just put in with me then," June says with a grin. "C'mon," she turns then to see who just spoke, spotting Mark. There's a green-eyed moment of pause as she stares him down. "Oh shit, you that guy. When I punched the millionaire. How are ya?" she asks. "C'mon, I'm gonna sink this." She turns back to the gangly man in front of her. "You know you can't resist," she says. She holds up a folded collection of bills teasingly.     "Fine, whatever," he declares, and pulls out his wallet. He puts the bet on the bar table, and June puts hers on top of it.     "C'mon, anyone else doubt me?" she asks, trying to drum up more excitement. "Cartoon guy, I don't remember youse name, you know you wanna get in on this."
Hyperion	"Name's Mark." offers the reporter and cartoonist. He picks up his beer and takes a gulp before turning and approaching June. "And yeah. That's me slugger." he adds.     With a shrug, he eyes the target, and then the ball in June's hand.     "I don't make enough money to wager any. As I heard a man once say, I only bet my life, not my money." But he regards June once more and adds, "Name's Mark."
June Connor	"Mark, that's right. June," she says. "Watch me ace this." She turns and pitches the ball across the room. It curls around like a curve ball, headed straight for the basket, hits the inside of the rim, and bounces wide to head off to the left. "Shit." she says. The man laughs. "Nice try."     "How about double or nothin?" she asks. "You wanna see me double or nothin, right?" she asks Mark, looking to him for support. Wait, didn't he just suggest it's a bad idea to bet?
Hyperion	"Well, didn't you say you were gonna get it in three? I think you have two more tries coming." says Mark before he takes another swig of his beer.     But his eyes traverse to the basket before coming back to June, "I think you should wait on double or nothing until you've missed all three. But I think you'll get it in."
June Connor	June stops. "Oh yeah! Thanks Mark!" she says, giving a smile back to the guy who bet against her. "Gimme that thing." She is tossed the ball by someone from the other end of the room. "See, Mark keeps ya honest," she says. She takes her time, and throws again. A hit! She grins, catching the money up into her hand.     "Hey, how about that double or nothin'?" the guys says.     "Nah," June answers. "I'm good." She hops off the bar seat, and spins over to Mark, moving to lean an elbow on his shoulder. "Thanks, your first is on me," she says, dropping a ten from her winnings. "'Sides, I think I owe you for not like callin' the cops on me last time." She glances back to the bartender. "And a bourbon," she says. The bartender is of course tending to someone else, and doesn't seem to notice her. "Hey keep," she calls out, not patient enough for him to finish working with his other customer.
Hyperion	"Let's be honest." begins Mark as he gulps at his beer, picking up the ten-spot with his free hand, "We both know that guy deserved a good right cross. I'm just happy that I got to witness you delivering it."     But he chuckles then and looks to the other guys in the bar before he hears June being pushy, "Hold up. Have a tiny bit of patience. The man has a job to do, and that job is to be of assistance to everyone in here, not just the prettiest face in here."
June Connor	"Oh the prettiest, huh?" June laughs, seeming to enjoy the attention a little. "Prolly wanna get those eyes checked," she says. The bartender finishes the order, and then finally turns to June. "So what is it?" he asks.     "Bourbon," she declares. "I gotta work, so I'm drinkin' light." She plops unceremoniously into the seat next to Mark, leaning back against the bar so that she's facing in the reverse direction. "I mean, it really wasn't his fault. He even gave me that card for a job fair or somethin'," she says. Clearly she didn't use it. "So you still doin' that cartoon thing for the Bugle?" she asks. "Makin' all the big money?"
Hyperion	"Remember the part where I said I don't get paid enough to wager on marksmanship displays?" asks Mark as he drinks from his beer bottle once more. "But if he offered to a job, why'd you slug'im then?" he asks June as he sits back down himself.     And when the bartender looks his way, he lifts his bottle and waves it a bit, "I'm fine. One beer is enough for me."
Bella Donna	"Not'ing involving cartoons evair leads to big money, n'est-ce pas?" Belle says even as she walks into the place, like she was already attentive to conversation within before she set foot inside. She's dressed far too smart for the place, and casts a critical gaze on one and all, before approaching June and Mark of all people. "What is it you do, girl? I trust it better than cartoons, non? You 'ave a look about you."
June Connor	June laughs mirthfully, "I thought he was gonna try to kill me," she says. "I kinda make bad choices," Like ones that make people want to kill her.     She shifts to Bella as she interrupts. "And I guess that's me." She gives Bella a once over, and then looks back at Hyperion with an uncertainty of some sort, then back to Bella with a hesitation. One that says, wait, are we doing this right here? "Uh...stuff," she answers in typical teenage vagueness. Suddenly, she looks a little uncomfortable.
Hyperion	"Technically.." says Hyperion, aka Mark... "I'm the cartoonist." And he finishes his beer off, setting down the bottle on the bar.     "Looks like your appointment is here." he adds before leaning back a bit to symbolically remove himself from the conversation.
Bella Donna	"Was he though...?" Belle asks curiously, turning to look about, wondering who might have been the guy who would have attempt to kill June. She tsks as Hyperion mentions an appointment, "a case of loose lips?" She asks with a raise of a brow, eye staring at June rather unpleasantly.
June Connor	"No," June frowns, and shakes her head. "I didn't mean I'm a cartoonist-No, I didn't say anything about. Anything." She pinches her nose. "Fuck. Let me start over," she says in frustration. She turns to Bella. "No, he wasn't there to kill me, long story, way over. June turns to Mark. "Yeah, I do gotta meet with her." Back to Bella. "No, I didn't talk about anything." Which...probably makes the meeting sound a little more suspicious. Her bourbon is put on the counter. She puts a $20 from her winnings down, and then downs it all and once, and slaps it on the counter, and lets out a guttural sigh.
Hyperion	"Don't let me get in your way. I'm just some artist you bumped into twice now. Nobody important." Which is totally what people who don't want to be thought of as important but who actually -are- important.. at least in some degree. Mark Milton says this and offers a wan smile that doesn't reach his eyes.     "Do your thing. Not like you need -my- permission for it." he adds.
Bella Donna	"Are you one of those people not easily effected by alcohol...?" Belle asks June casually, paying attention to just how she downed her glass. Shifting her gaze towards Mark, she asks him out of the blue, "it's usually important people who dare say they are not important. What do you make of June? Reliable? Wild card?" He's only being asked for having been in her company when Belle arrived.
June Connor	June opens her mouth to answer the alcohol question, but then closes it again as Belle asks Mark for his input. OK, this is not the kind of assessment she thought she'd be having. She can be heard chewing on her tongue ring, the metal clacking between her teeth. Oh great, ask the guy that she just flirted with for 25 seconds. This ought to be good. So she just doesn't say anything.
Hyperion	Lifting both auburn brows, Mark tilts his head before turning his eyes to glance at June once more, "I think she's got a hell of a right cross... and a bit of a complex of needing to punch people who offer her jobs." he admits.     Then he snaps his fingers and points to the tiny basketball makeshift target thingee, "Oh, and she has a knack for thrown accuracy, if that helps."
Bella Donna	"Interesting," is all Belle says to that as she turns to look June over again, "so you've got a temper...people like to take advantage of hot heads, so what will it take...?" She muses, looking June up and down, before offering in a whisper, "would calling you a little incompetent girl do the trick?" She name calls without name calling, staring at June throughout, "or perhaps stupid and inexperienced be more fitting? Perhaps just a tool. Used by this or that...you're not a tool, are you?"
June Connor	June seems to be amused by Mark's answer. "I like you," she says with a finger point, appreciating the humor he employs. But then Bella has to go and ruin it.     "I don't put up with shit," she admits, standing back to her feet. "What is this, an interview or you pickin' a fight?" she asks, setting her jaw forward a little, and standing inside the natural three foot bubble on Bella, a challenging stare up at her. June is humorously almost a full foot shorter than the other woman, and given her rather light and mostly wiry frame, one would be hard pressed to expect her to win a fight.
Hyperion	"Well, let it be known that I would prefer not to learn about that right cross the hard way... So I count myself fortunate that you like me." Mark says with utter seriousness in his tone. The fact that he doesn't want to get punched is true. It's just not for the reasons that one might expect. He doesn't want June hurting herself.     But his eyes traverse towards Bella and he narrows his eyes, "I do have to wonder why it is you are trying to push her buttons so hard." he states. "I mean, let's not trash the bar. If you two are gonna do something rash, please do it outside?"
Bella Donna	"Oh...so she did not disclose the nature of this meeting after all?" Belle asks Mark, turning his way for but a moment, before looking back at June, "well, I'll let my disappointment at the sharing of this meeting mellow out for the fact nothing of its nature was disclosed." She laughs, with genuine amusement when Mark asks to not trash the bar. "I'm sure she will not make the mistake of striking me..." she says to Mark while keeping her eyes on June, smiling as she can spot the anger rising, in so much that an actual challenge is being physically pointed her way. "I'll say this much...to belong, is to know. To know, is to win. In this circumstance, I know," she pauses to let it sink in a moment, "I know who you are, June Connor, but do you know who am I? Are you throwing a punch at a dainty lady who would fall apart? A brittle young woman given to fashion who might cry...? Or perhaps the real test is if you survive such an ill advised decision?" Bella Donna lets it linger a moment, her hand brushing along her orante golden necklace, "than again, perhaps not cleverly surviving a trap intellect wouldn't trigger in the first place is the real way to ace the test." Just like that her eyes go off June entirely, leaving herself open to be struck, as she orders a mint julep.
June Connor	June looks like she really wants to punch Bella. She doesn't, though. "You don't know me," June says, eyes glancing down and up again. "I never even met you."     She glances back at Hyperion. "See, this guy here, he's gots manners," she says with that hint of a Brooklyn accent. "Took me to dinner a while back when he din't got a reason to. Decent guy. "Nice guy, clean cut. Good...attributes." Somehow that might seem like she meant something else. "I dun think he's the type that'd let you come hassle some girl like me just for your shits and giggles," she says. Yep, she's dragging Mark right into this without even an apology. She gives an arch of an eyebrow and tilt of her head, one of those looks that says 'how ya like me now?'
Bella Donna	To avoid making mention of a place by name, Belle reaches into her purse and takes out a card featuring the emblem of the Hellfire Club featuring the H and the trident. Best to show than name names, those who know, know, those who don't, may well assume it's a tarot card. "You've been here, have you not? If you have, then you are known, otherwise you went way past your depth setting foot over there and imagining you are not known." The card goes back into her purse, and she speaks no more of what is known and how. "So he is, a lovely guy, but also remarkable and smart." Belle blows Mark a kiss with her white gloved hand, before turning to look at June brightly, "it's clever, for one thing, but for another...disappointing, I didn't peg you as one to lean on others, I certainly never were..." and being that way from a young age lead to the happiest and most heart breaking moments of her life, so maybe it doesn't pay being that way. Still, a tiger can't change its stripes. "That said, you did withdraw from throwing that punch yourself, I'll award you points for that, dear." She reaches for her drink when its serves and sip from it slowly.
June Connor	June looks at the card, she gets the message, but doesn't seem to agree. "Like I said, you don't know me." She looks tense still, and it isn't only because of anger. The young punker certainly knows when she in the wrong weight class, both literally and figuratively. "But I think I get why you don't, it's hard making friends when you're an asshole." Yeah, she can't resist the quip.
Hyperion	Cue the blushing coming from Mark. His mouth works a bit like a fish drowning in the air. He can't seem to come up with any words to say. His eyes flicker from June to Bella and back. Then up come his hands...     They are open and palm forward as if to surrender to the police. He's about to say something when Bella speaks once more, and he clamps his jaw shut. With a sigh, he shakes his head.     His hyper-sensitive eyes focus on that card for a split second, studying it in detail. The journalist in him being curious. But then he tries a new tactic. "Ladies. Can we please just -talk- about whatever it is you have going on? I'll buy a round even." he adds, "Maybe you two -need- to get to know one another a bit more."
Bella Donna	"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words shall never hurt me," Belle notes to June, "a lesson you would do well to learn, it will make you better, more dangerous, and less oblivious to what you ought to know by now." She winks, and goes back to nursing her drink, not really expecting Hyperion to strike her. She leaves payment for the barkeep, and gets on her feet, "that will not be necessary, Mark, she's already revealed all that I wanted to know. But you two make a lovely couple, why not go out on a night on the town, the benefit of making friends," she gives a very old fashioned curtsy, before turning to leave, apparently having no real desire to escalate anything with June.
June Connor	June doesn't chase after Bella, but she watches with the evil eye til she's all the way out. "What. A bitch," she says with a huff. "Now I really DO need to get drunk," she murmurs. "Sorry to bring you in the middle of that."
Hyperion	"A wise comedian once said.. sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can break hearts." intones Hyperion blandly, as if half-hearted. But then he offers an unsure smile. "Have a lovely day ma'am!" he calls out to Bella as she leaves. "Barkeep, her next drink is my treat." he says, setting the ten dollar bill on the bar.
Bella Donna	Bella Donna has taken a few paces towards the door when Hyperion choose to offer his two bits, and apparently it reached her ear, because she does turn, and she absolutely glowers at him. Weird after having professed to June that word have no affect on her. "Non...absolument pas!" Yes, that tone sounds quite angry, "words sway hearts, it iz de action dat do de breakin'..." seems the angrier she got the more stressed her accent became, likely a result of losing focus on masking it. "Hope you never find how wrong you are about zat one, Monsieur." Now she turns in anger, and practically stomps away, her heels thundering with each step. Should June took more than a cursory look, and have learned anything in her time with the Hand, that was most certainly a killing intent in Belle's blue eyes.