Aleifr Becomes A Bouncer

[aleifr]

WHO: Aleifr and YOU
WHAT: His first night working as a bouncer
WHERE: Scintillation!
WHEN: Middle of July
WARNINGS: Well, this takes place in a strip club, so ... y'know. Nudity and drinking.

Aleifr’s first trip to Scintillation had been an accident. He’d been looking for a bar, and the neon-lit ‘strip club’ sign proclaiming that there were ‘Live Nude Girls’ inside had drawn his attention -- partially because of the nudity, but more out of curiosity as to what the hell the place was, and concern as to why they needed to specify that the girls were alive.

Turns out, exactly what it said on the tin.

It was a bit strange to him, conceptually. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy seeing beautiful women without their clothes - he enjoyed that sight as much as anyone else who was attracted to women did - it’s just that what followed a woman getting naked in front of him was usually the more enjoyable part. The crowd inside the bar seemed to be having a grand time of it, but Aleifr didn't really get the appeal. The drinks were cheap, though, so he decided to stay and drink his fill -- carefully, considering how quickly the whiskey had crept up on him when he and Mira had wandered into that hole-in-the-wall pub.

He was there for a little while before one of the girls, Crystal, offered him a private dance, which he’d declined. She stuck around, though, and they wound up talking for a while. He told her about himself, she told him about herself. She was studying to become a neurologist. He didn’t know what that was, but it sounded clever. He hoped she did well at it.

He wound up coming back the next night, hoping to talk to her again, but this time the owner of the place came to speak with him. He had a job for Aleifr, he’d said. He told Aleifr that most of the crowd here were decent enough folk, but sometimes, when someone was far enough in their cups, they’d cause trouble. It didn’t happen often, but occasionally someone would start a fight or hassle one of the girls and he needed someone to deal with it when those situations did arise -- a bouncer, he’d called it. He was hoping Aleifr would do it, and was delighted when Aleifr accepted.

Why not, after all? All the normal things he did in the course of his day back on Fenris weren’t necessary in this place, and he didn’t know enough about Dualis to find alternatives to fill his time. The few things he had found cost money, and this seemed like a decent enough way to find some.

So he came back again the next night and the owner showed him the spot by the door where he was to sit. It was his job to check the little identification cards of everyone who wanted to come in, and to keep out anyone younger than eighteen -- something that confused Aleifr a good bit since nobody in the club aside from the owner looked like they could be anywhere close to eighteen great years old, but he very quickly decided that they dated things differently here.

The night was easy at first. People began to trickle in as the sun went down, with the groups becoming larger and more frequent the later it got. People sidled up to the bar for drinks, then crowded around the stage whenever the owner announced that one of the girls was about to come out and dance. They whooped for Misty, they cheered for Charlotte, and the atmosphere slowly but steadily grew more raucous as the night went on.

Eventually, though, one of the patrons went too far. With all the sense in his head drowned by liquor, when Crystal’s dance brings her near him, he reaches out and gives her ass a firm slap. She plays it off well enough, quickly spinning out of reach and back to the center of the stage, but the startled jump at the unexpected contact and the abruptness of the turn makes it clear it wasn’t appreciated or welcome.

The patron laughs and opens his mouth to spit out some jeer, but he’s interrupted when a hand clamps down on his shoulder and a deep, growling voice snarls from behind him. “You need to leave.”

“Get your fucking hands off me, asshole.” The patron snaps, continuing his pattern of very poor choices. He tries to shake the hand off his shoulder, but it’s gripped onto him like a vice. He rises to his feet, spins around … and finally realizes the trouble he’s in when he’s suddenly face-to-chest with Aleifr. Whatever insults he’d intended to hurl, whatever punches he might have intended to throw, all of it rushes out of his mind. All he does is stand there, staring dumbly at the scowling, heavily-tattooed giant in front of him until Aleifr grabs him by the collar and yanks him forward.

Aleifr leans down until they’re nearly nose-to-nose. “Fuck. Off.”

Aleifr drags the man away from the stage and sends him tumbling to the ground with a hard shove. Patrons yelp and dive out of the way, and suddenly every eye in the room is locked on him. He takes a step forward, toward the downed drunkard who can’t quite get his legs under him, and briefly looks back towards the stage. Crystal’s standing there, watching the new bouncer with wide eyes, but she picks up the unspoken question he’s asking: Are you alright?.

She responds with a small smile and a nod, and Aleifr’s attention returns to the drunk fool fumbling around on the floor. He grabs the man by the shirt and hauls him to the door, sending him out onto the street with throw that looked almost distressingly effortless considering the recipient was a full-grown man. Then, he returns to his spot by the door without another word. What else does he need to say, really?

Eventually, the usual business of the club resumes. Crystal gets the crowd’s attention again, the drinks start flowing … but nobody’s causing any more trouble that night.

Comments

[skyward_eyes]

Listen, Nida was just walking along, minding his own business. There was a serious need for him to get out and about and this was his night where he wasn't due with either Seifer or Billy, so he really needed to be out doing something to clear his mind. And maybe he was looking for something else to do with his nights.

What he wasn't expecting was someone to be thrown out onto the sidewalk, almost on top of him.

"Fucking Hyne!" Nida just about shouts. Listen, he could easily dodge that, but some consideration is useful.

[aleifr]

"Apologies."

And for what it's worth, the tattooed giant lingering in the door the drunkard had just been ejected from did look apologetic. Somewhat, at least. He's got a scowl that looks as though it's chiseled from granite and it makes him a touch hard,to read.

[skyward_eyes]

Well, at least there's an apology. And that counts for a lot in his book. Nida looks down at the stranger in the sidewalk and steps daintily over the drunk idiot. Then his eyes cast toward the sign and there is a flash of understanding on his face.

"Get fresh with one of the girls? Honestly, throwing him on the street is sorta tame for that."

[aleifr]

"He put his hands on one of the girls, I put my hands on him." Aleifr shrugs. He walks past Nida and kneels down in front of the drunkard. His icy blue eyes bore a hole straight through the smaller man, who scrambles back a step or two.

"He comes back, I break every bone in both hands and drop him on his head to see how thick his skull actually is."

[skyward_eyes]

"I don't know, doesn't that seem sort of tame? If he can't hold himself back from beautiful women, maybe one should make sure he doesn't mess with any beautiful women again," Nida offers, an amused gleam in his eyes.

[aleifr]

Aleifr shoots Nida an annoyed glare over his shoulder. "I didn't ask for suggestions."

He does, however, see what the newcomer is playing at. He turns back to to face the drunkard and snarls, "But I'll take it into consideration if I hear one more fucking word about you. Do you understand?"

The fool on the ground's face looks utterly devoid of color, but it still finds a way to reach a new shade of white when Aleifr puts his hand on the hilt of the massive knife on his belt.

"Now. Fuck off."

His legs quite literally can't carry him away fast enough, but soon enough he's vanished down the street and Aleifr straightens up again.

[skyward_eyes]

And yet, the suggestion has to help, right? The guy is quaking so that's a plus, and Nida seems completely unbothered by the big man's glare.

Don't get Nida wrong, that was entertaining too. He can't help but chuckle at the whole mess.

"Got to admit, they've chosen a pretty great bouncer in you. I mean, I am pretty sure I saw him bounce off the ground when you threw him."

[aleifr]

"Must be why they picked me for the job." Aleifr replies flatly, in what might charitably be called a joke. He lumbers back over to his seat by the door and sits.

"You planning on going in?" He asks. "Need to see your I.D. if you are."

[skyward_eyes]

What a nice joke. Nida definitely agrees it is a joke and he chuckles. Got to appreciation it.

"Oh no. Naked women is so far from my goals. I'm sure they're all very lovely and could use the money for whatever they're doing. But I'm far too gay for that to be entertaining."

[sociallychallenged]

Hank's not really a live nude girls sort of guy. Last time he was in a strip club it was investigating a murder and then met what was essentially a sex-slave, so he has mixed feelings on the matter. But Hank's still looking for places that the bomber might have frequented, and a lot of places are worth stepping into just for an hour of talk.

He makes it just in time for a man to hit the ground in front of him. Hank looks down. Back up. And Oh! There's Aleifr. He might as well go check inside, it's as good a place as any.

Hank lumbers in, not lingering or really checking out the dancers like one would expect of a man of his appearance and constitution. Instead he turns to the big man at the door.

"Got any good drinks here you'd recommend?" Then, he thumbs over his shoulder. "What did that guy do?"

[aleifr]

"Touched one of the girls." Aleifr replies, looking past Hank momentarily as the man starts to get to his feet and put his hand on the hilt of the big knife resting on his belt. He didn't expect to use it. The drunken fool looked more likely to piss himself than pose a threat. It was a threat display, and the message was received clearly judging by the shade of white the drunken fool suddenly turns before he scrambles off down the alley.

Aleifr sighs and returns to his seat. Now he looks at Hank.

"Don't know much about the drinks. Just had the whiskey." He nods towards the mostly-full bottle he's nursing, resting on the table beside him.

"Had a Mai Tai last night, though." He nods. "Liked that one."

[sociallychallenged]

In a highly inappropriate bias, Hank figured Aleifr would like ale or something. Maybe he's the type of guy that likes anything.

"Yeah, that's a tropical themed drink where I come from. Means that it comes from big lush hot areas that are too fucking muggy and you need cold shit to keep you from melting. Might wanna try triple sec in something. That's a uh... citrus liqueur, thing."

Hank takes a seat near to where Aleifr is, about to ask how it's going, when a waitress wearing a sheer sparkling shirt over a dark bra and about the sweetest face ill-fit for a strip club one could imagine walks up to him.

"Welcome to Scintillation. What would you like?"

"Uhhhh..... whiskey. More whiskey. Like his whiskey. That whiskey's fine." Just the most awkward way to give an order, plus pointing to the guilty drink in question.

[aleifr]

Aleifr nods, grunting a slightly-less-than verbal thanks before taking a swig of his whiskey.

The waitress arrives, and Hank stiffens up. It's a curious thing to Aleifr, and if Hank's paying enough attention to him at the moment, he might pick up on the somewhat perplexed look on the larger man's face. There's no judgement there, but he wouldn't expect a man who looks to be at least fifteen great years old to be nervous around a pretty girl. The man's fathered a son, after all, stands to reason he's seen at least one woman undressed.

In any case, before she can leave, Aleifr interjects. "Just give him a glass. Got plenty here." He holds up his bottle demonstratively, sloshing it around a bit to show that it's still mostly full.

[sociallychallenged]

And yet he bumbles, as is a skill of his. Sometimes a woman is just pretty enough that, when he addresses them, he gets a little star struck. Two of the last three that did it were androids. One, a girl with a delicate hand in his in a strip club glittered from head to toe in shimmering, irredescent patterns on her skin. The other? A sweet woman greeting him at Kamski's door, well dressed and hair immaculately kept with a programmed expression that was about as hospitable as he could imagine.

(He still resents watching her be treated like expendable trash. Fucking asshole Kamski.)

"Yeah, thanks." He calls after her, trying to be polite.

"Seems like these girls got a good set up with you here." What with him being able to chuck people out the door like disobedient sock monkeys.

[aleifr]

Aleifr shrugs. It is what it is. He doesn't know enough about Dualis to know whether this is 'good' or not. They seem happy enough, though, and he'll make damn sure they're safe.

While the waitress makes her way over to the bar to grab a glass, Aleifr holds out the bottle towards Hank.

"What brings you here, Hank, son of Ander?"

Business, he assumes. Obviously, it wasn't the show.

[sociallychallenged]

"Thought I'd ask the girls about some real creeps. Not like that guy- he was a creep, but not what I'm lookin' for. The type of guy that tries to get to 'em out of work. Harrasses at them for bot responding to their advances. That kind of thing." He figures if he doesn't find the suspect, he might find a suspect in that lot.

"And I mean it, you're doing good work here. One of the last cases I worked? Some guy beat a girl he paid for to death." That's the only way he can describe the incident. Breaking an android and the legal technicalities are forever a pain in the ass.

"It's good that the guy in charge wanted someone to look out for 'em."

[aleifr]

Hank tells his little story and Aleifr's expression darkens. One of his hands flexes and curls into a fist and his lips part in a snarl of disgust.

"Suppose so." He snarls.

[ichoosefight]

Normally Steph's interest in strip-clubs ends where the bouncers' responsibility begins. This particular bouncer though, she knows, and he's worth keeping an eye on if only for the entertainment value.

This isn't Batgirl work, so naturally she leaves the Batgirl costume at home and instead wanders inside and orders a drink. This way she can laugh at people while seated comfortably with snacks!

[aleifr]

Unfortunately, not too much entertainment to be had that night -- at least in that regard. The drunken idiot putting his hands on one of the dancers is about the long and short of it, because none of the clientele seems particularly keen on being on the receiving end of a similar manhandling by the bouncer. They keep themselves to themselves, probably throw out slightly more generous than usual tips, and everyone has a grand ol' time.

Whenever Steph goes up to the bar to order her first drink, though, the bartender won't accept her credits. She still gives Steph her drink, but whenever Steph tries to pay she just holds up a hand to stop her.

"The big guy said that one's on his tab." She says, pointing over towards Aleifr, who's currently busy checking the ID's of a few newcomers.

[ichoosefight]

Steph picks up her drink to take back to the one clean-looking table in the place, but turns to raise an eyebrow at Aleifr first. She's not surprised he remembers her, but buying a girl a drink can mean a lot of different things, especially in a strip club.

She finishes off her fries before wandering over to the door. She wouldn't want them to clean her table, not when the fries are surprisingly good. Just inside the door she leans against the wall and sips cautiously at her drink.

"Somehow this isn't where I would have pictured you. You do have the perfect shape for a bouncer, though."

[aleifr]

"Big?" He asks, the beginnings of a wry smile playing about his lips as he waves the party at the door through.

His work done for the moment, he turns to face her. "You're right, though. Wasn't looking for this sort of place, just kind of stumbled across it."

[ichoosefight]

"Wall-like," she agrees with a grin. She's glad he has a sense of humor, even if he can be a bit irritable.

"You gotta be careful wandering these parts of town, you know. You're gonna get the totally wrong idea about modern society."

[aleifr]

"Not all flashing lights and pretty girls, then?"

He's only being half sarcastic. He expects that there's a good deal more to this place that he hasn't even imagined, much less seen, even though the obnoxiously bright lights seem to be a constant.

Humor aside, though ... he's curious.

[ichoosefight]

"Not by a long shot. Although bright lights have gotten pretty universal, yeah." She shrugs. Some things really are that easy to pinpoint.

"It's not all about the money, either. There's at least a small portion of world culture that isn't run entirely by money." She holds up her fingers to indicate a very small size.

"A little bit."

[aleifr]

Aleifr snorts.

"Probably like that part better." He admits with a nod. "Seems like it'd be ... simpler."