Downtime

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

It was unseasonably warm for being just after Thanksgiving, but not THAT warm that the trenchcoat couldn't be worn.

For either of them.

Sand was trying to get one on one time with the entire team, so he agreed to meet folks wherever they were to kind of get a feel for them.

The bar wasn't quite his first choice - but he knew that this particular member had his own quirks.

Comments

[onthecase.livejournal.com]

"Technically, it's not my last name. I guess you could call me Bobo T. Chimpanzee, if you want... but that's not my real name either."

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

Sand nods. "There a particular reason you don't want your real name out there?" He says it deliberately in a non-accusatory way - the tone is more curious than adversarial.

[onthecase.livejournal.com]

"Well, first of all, true names can lead to trouble in the mystic realm. Plus, there's the fact that it wouldn't do you too much good, as it's not really pronouncable. But we'll just say it involves my skills at locating grubs." He shrugs.

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

Sand takes another sip, then looks around. "They have food here?"

[onthecase.livejournal.com]

"You bet. Whatcha want?" He slides his glass forward. "Hit me again."

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

"Medium done steak would be groovy." Sand says. "Of all the names you could have chosen for your 'street name' - why Bobo?"

[onthecase.livejournal.com]

"Hell, I didn't choose that one. That's what they chose for me when I was taken. Back before I gained the ability to speak to dumb animals like humans." He winks.

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

"You've been talking to Power Girl's cat, haven't you?"

[onthecase.livejournal.com]

He smiles. "Oh, the dirt that kitty knows..." He grins and knocks back the shot before sliding it forward for another replacement. "So how about you... this sort of thing doesn't look like your usual scene. What do you do for fun when you're not strapping on a gas mask and beating on the bad guys?"

A demonic-looking creature looks over at that and hisses, but then turns back to its drink.

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

"I watch movies. Hang out with Corrine and our mutual friends a lot." A pause. "Getting pretty good at sudoku, too."

"You're right - this isn't my usual scene. But it's yours, and your comfortable here, and what better place to get a sense of who you are?"

[onthecase.livejournal.com]

He shrugs. "Well, you could always look at my apartment and talk to my 722 roommates. But none of them pay rent, and I'd have to translate for ya." He nods at the barkeep as another shot is filled.

"Movies, huh? I like checking out the mysteries, myself."

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

"Don't make too many good mysteries in the movies nowadays, but British TV has a couple good ones...check out "Cracker" sometime, I think you'd be impressed."

"Once the base is up, there's going to be living quarters for each of the teammates, FYI. Gotta be better than where you're at currently, by the sounds of it."

[onthecase.livejournal.com]

"I tend to go with the older movies anyway," he shrugs. "Though even there, mysteries don't always keep me guessing. I figured Rosebud was a childhood toy of some sort." He takes another shot and automatically slids the shotglass forward again.

"The roommates will be happy to see me go, actually. Until they get a new guy who tries to exterminate the place. I can't bring myself to bug-bomb a place."

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

"I can imagine to someone with Dr. Dolittle syndrome that'd be akin to Jonestown." Sand finishes his drink,then waves to the barkeep. "Another one, please."

"You'll like the place, I think. Only thing I'm going to ask of you is if you absolutely have to have alcohol nearby, please keep it in your private quarters. As I'm sure you're aware, we have a recovering alcoholic on the team, and as said person's significant other, I'd like to keep the term 'recovering' as current as possible."

[onthecase.livejournal.com]

He shrugs. "I'll try not to drink around her. She already let me know about her sitch over Thanksgiving."

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

"Good enough." For now at least. "So how did you become a detective?"

[onthecase.livejournal.com]

The chimp shrugs. "It's an oft-told tale. Chimp is taken by a circus; chimp is trained to do tricks; chimp drinks from fountain of youth. Dunno how many times I've heard that tale told." He knocks the drink back, a little harder than before, and slides the glass back.

He's a little surprised that Sand changed the subject again... after all, he was expecting the team leader to bug him a little more about it, like Corrine had done.

"So how about you? Why'd you choose to lead a team of misfits instead of the JSA?"

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

"You're not misfits - you just puzzle pieces that got scattered a bit too far from the table." Sand counters, very quicly. "For one thing, I don't lead the JSA, although I did for a time. Mr. Terrific, however, was born to that role."

"As to the why...well, when I was a teenager, Wesley Dodds decided to bring me into the life rather than telling me that it was 'too dangerous for a kid'. That's a mixture of trust and optimism that I like to think can translate into the Outsiders. Granted, it's EASIER to be a team when you like and trust one another - but there's no instant fix for that. It takes time, both in battle together and off duty together, to build that level of trust."

"Besides - I don't like people feeling as if no one gives a damn about them. Even if no one else does - that's when I tend to."

[onthecase.livejournal.com]

The chimp chuckles as he takes a few more peanuts. "Sucker for the hard-luck cases, huh?"

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

"I think of it more as having a desire to see everyone reach the potential they were born with." Sand sips his Coke. "Why do you think you're where you are now...I mean in a grander sense, I know why you're here at the Floating Vagabond or whatever they call this place."

[onthecase.livejournal.com]

He laughs. "Because whatever big guy is upstairs has a messed up sense of humor. That's about it." He motions for another shot.

Yeah, best not to dwell on that one too much.

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

"Doubt that." Sand said. He then pauses for a second, and his eyes kinda gloss over for a second, then stop. "What are you currently drinking, Bobo?"

[onthecase.livejournal.com]

"Whiskey doubleshots," he answers. He rolls his eyes. Here it comes.

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

Sand puts his hand over the shotglass as the barkeep sets it down. "That didn't come from the same bottle the whiskey has been." He looks over at the barkeep. "Sir, double check this?"

"What the frak do you mean it'...oh geez." He looks a bit embarassed, then looks at the chimp. "Man, I'm so sorry. This was supposed to go over to the far corner. Geez, I coulda lost one of my best customers."
He looks at Sand. "This stuff's one of the best selling whiskeys we have for some of the more demonic clientele, but it's deadly to most known Terran species."

[onthecase.livejournal.com]

"Good catch, Sand." He looks at the shot. Huh. Would've been one hell of a way to go...