he always means well

[meanswell]

He sits at the end of the bar, nursing a whiskey and looking like he's been here forever even though it's been, dunno, 10 years since he last wandered through, give or take. The bartender, who's always happy to talk and flirt, is giving him a wide berth, probably still remembering the time she spent as a mockingbird. It wasn't his fault that she had wanted to sing like a bird.

He sighs and stares into his glass, the loneliest sight you've ever seen. There's not much he wouldn't give for some company right now.




[ooc: Make arrangements for what the deal will be and how it will go wrong here!]

Comments

[element_wizard]

Normally, Alec would be all up for chatting with some random stranger who showed up in a bar. But he's still more than a bit spooked from the Grove. So he just gives the other man a brief look when he sits at the bar and orders his own drink.

[meanswell]

A newcomer! Coyote loves meeting new people. He grins at the man who sat next to him and raises his glass.

"Never seen you 'round these parts," he said. "You new in town?"

[element_wizard]

"Yeah, I guess so," Alec says glancing over him. He manages a bit of a smile.

[meanswell]

"Well let me be the first to welcome you." Coyote offers his hand for a shake. "Or one of the first ten, at least. Here, let me buy you a drink. Looks like you could use it."

[element_wizard]

"I could use a lot of things right now. A drink is a good start."

He takes the hand and shakes it, firm enough.

[meanswell]

The bartender comes over with two beers, and Coyote flips him a coin.

"Always glad to be of service," he tells Alec, and takes a long sip of his drink. "Care to unburden your soul? Maybe I could offer you something more useful than a beer."

[element_wizard]

"How are you at tree trimming?"

[meanswell]

Coyote arches an eyebrow. "That some kinda euphemism?"

[element_wizard]

"No. There's an evil forest outside." He drinks from the drink.

[meanswell]

"An evil forest, huh?" Coyote takes a long sip of his drink and looks the other man over. "What kinda evil we talking about?"

[element_wizard]

"Stealing your souls and having them join the other tormented ones caught with in its branches evil."

[meanswell]

"That's evil all right." The kind of evil that shouldn't be in Burby. "You really think cutting them down will do the trick?"

[element_wizard]

"Ha! Good luck getting an ax near them. Damn things will likely have your heart in their branches before you get close enough to use an ax." He takes a gulp. "It's just wistful thinking."

[meanswell]

"Wishes have their own kinda power," Coyote said. "Wish hard enough and things have a way of happening."

[onlyforever]

Bars aren't typically Jareth's thing, but he's bored and the only interesting people in the entire dimension seem to congregate where alcohol presents itself. Lowlifes, mortals... all boring, but moderately less boring than remaining alone in the little castle he had made up for himself on the outskirts of Burby.

The goblin king took an instant interest in the shaggy fellow at the end of the bar. There's something about him--something more than human.

That's worth a hello, at least.

Jareth saunters over to the stranger, sequined cape following him like a shadow. "Well. Are you a sorry sight."

[meanswell]

Coyote spins around in his stool and faces the newcomer. The man's power is as blinding as the sequins on his eyesore of a cape. One of the fae folk? It's hard to say. Magic comes in all sorts of flavors and Coyote could walk the world a thousand lifetimes and never meet them all. The one thing he knows for sure is this isn't a guy you'd want to piss off.

But Coyote's never been one to play it safe.

"Afraid not everyone can pull off the glitter," he says cheerfully, but his tone implies that Jareth isn't pulling it off too well either.

[onlyforever]

The thinly-veiled insult--and Jareth knows very well that it was meant as an insult--is met with the patronizing smile that the Goblin King generally reserves for those who are, at the moment, being particularly stupid. The gauntlet has been thrown down.

"Not everyone cares to stand out." Jareth takes a seat and immediately appropriates the neighboring barstool for his booted feet. "In fact, I've found that most are quite happy to walk about in slovenly disarray."

[meanswell]

"Also known as hobo charm." Coyote grins and take a long sip of his drink. "But you wouldn't know much about that, would you?"

[onlyforever]

"I will admit that the so-called charm of vagrants is lost on me," he replies as he idly conjures three crystals out of nowhere. Jareth doesn't drink; he needs something with which to occupy himself.

[meanswell]

"Your loss." Coyote shrugs. "So whadda they call you, Sparkles?"

[onlyforever]

Now that's irritating. The crystals turn into three yellow snakes; all three look to the stranger with red eyes. "I'd much rather hear your name. Surely you have one that goes well with your... hobo charm."

[meanswell]

"People call me all sortsa things." Coyote grins, and he starts poking his finger at the snakes. "I'll answer to just about anything."

[onlyforever]

"You won't like anything I might call you."

One of the snakes curls around Coyote's poking finger. They're not, to Jareth's eternal dismay, terribly frightening snakes. He needs a goblin to make a proper python, and his own magic, while powerful, tends to be considerably less lethal than Jareth might like.