lovemykilt | Beach City Grill, Santa Cruz, Sunday evening

The roar of Dinah's motorcycle was audible a good ten seconds before she was; when she finally pulled it to a stop outside, she took a second to fuss over the bike, then ripped off her helmet and barreled into the shop.

"Priestly! People! Priestly! And oh my god you look like Karla."

Edited 2012-03-05 05:59 (UTC)

"Dinah!" Priestly crowed. Next to him, Piper's brows shot up as she waved.

"I'm so going to need to see a picture of this Karla person," she said.

"Later," Priestly told her. "Dinah!" he said again, practically vaulting over the counter to give her her hug.

"Eeee!" Dinah squished him, waving over his shoulder to everyone. "Trucker! Jen! Hi guys! Oh, hey, it's Tish."

Except wait, only preschool her had met Tish. Whoops. "...I'm guessing?"

And more Priestly hugs. Jeez, it had been too long.

"Let me guess," Tish said. "It's the lack of blond hair, right?"

"Or green," Priestly said, grinning at her.

"And I'm Piper," Piper offered. "Which I'm guessing you might already know."

"Dinah," Trucker said. "Good to have you back in town."

Jen smiled. "We've got the couch all set up for you."

"And the coolness factor," Dinah teased, letting go of Priestly just enough to sling an arm around his shoulders, smirking. She gave Priestly another squeeze and bounced forward to hug Jen. "Hey, you. Thanks again, I promise-- well, I'd like to promise nothing crazy will happen this time." But you never knew!

Then Dinah was shaking her head in amazement at Piper. "I thought Priestly was exaggerating, even with hearing her over the phone, but you so weren't kidding..." She grinned at Priestly. "But I still want you to make me dinner, and not Piper."

"Well, I'm the one who knows how to make your sandwich," Priestly said.

"It's okay," Piper said. "I've heard of the horrors of this Karla's cooking." She raised her right hand, putting the other on her chest. "I promise not to try to make you eat anything I had a hand in making."

"Aren't my friends the best?" Priestly asked.

"As always." Dinah grinned, looking around hopefully. "It isn't too late for a Lancer is it? Are you guys closed? I didn't actually get enough lunch and all." She grinned at Kar-Piper. "So, are Mr. Julius and Camille having a thing? Priestly's caught me up on most of the rest of the gossip."

"You gossip about us?" Tish asked, mouth quirking up.

"Well, yeah. It's not like I have a life outside of this place."

"We don't have anything official," Piper said, shooting Priestly and Tish an unobserved knowing look. "But I say if they aren't? They really should be."

"Seconded," Jen said. "Someone has to be in a happy relationship."

Priestly practically bit his tongue to keep from mentioning that Jen could be in one, right now, if she hadn't run out on Fuzzy. He just had to wait a little bit longer on that front.

No one said a word about Tish and Tad.

Which Dinah noted, but didn't ask about. Wuh-oh. She stepped over to Priestly to give him another hug for not mentioning Jen's thing, though. "He doesn't talk about me?" She sighed. "Well, my life is boring compared to you guys lately."

Priestly barely managed not to visibly choke at that.

Boring. Yes, that was totally why.

"He does!" Jen said. "He told us about your tattoo parlor job. Very cool."

"And that you're the one who got him on the graffiti kick," Piper noted. "The art world of Santa Cruz owes you a debt."

"Or possibly a cease and desist notice," Tish said. Priestly rolled his eyes with a grin, opening his mouth to respond, when the door swung open, and Tad came in, and all eyes went right to him.

Tad didn't bother looking at any of them, just went straight for Tish by the register. "Hey babe," he said. "You ready to go?"

Tish's hand clenched on the counter, but she remained otherwise outwardly cool -- icy, even. She didn't meet anyone's eye as she looked over to where Trucker sat at the far booth. "Hey Trucker, mind if I clock out a little early?"

"Sure, Angel," Trucker said, and Priestly could practically hear the we're not here to judge, just to support line running through his head. "Just be careful if you decide to do any rollerblading."

Tish was out the door in a moment, and Tad shot the group a quick dark look before following.

Priestly's arm around Dinah had probably gone a little too tight. "So," he said. "That was Tad."

"Charming." Dinah bit her lip. "Um. I mean. I'm sure he's ... got some good points. Or was in a hurry. Yeah."

Okay, that was trying way too hard. She grimaced at Priestly. Then shrugged helplessly at Trucker. "So yes! Tattoos. Although they won't let me have a tattoo gun yet and by the way, they hate it when you call it that."

Bridge that Awkward like a Marine!

Edited 2012-03-05 06:48 (UTC)

"Pro gun control," Piper guessed. "I can dig it."

"Or, just really into not having tattoos forever associated with shooting people," Jen proposed.

Priestly gave Dinah another quick squeeze as thanks for running with the "we're not talking about it, just letting Tish make her choices" thing. Even as he had his eye on where Tish and Tad had gone by the last window before dropping out of sight.

"Any time you can get away from an association with guns," Trucker said, "it's probably for the best."

"Unless you're trying to get a reputation as a psycho, and outside of New Gotham, that does not go as far as you'd think," Dinah observed. She grinned over at Trucker. "So, did you ever invite Zo for the sleepover?"

Jen and Piper started giggling as Trucker went briefly non-verbal.

"Oh, well, I -- I couldn't possibly -- Priestly, help me out here!"

Priestly nodded vaguely, not actually looking at any of them. Tad's little douche mobile hadn't driven past the window. He and Tish were still outside.

He was all for not judging, but sometimes supporting meant getting in the middle of things, too.

"Yeah," he said, not actually really listening to what Trucker had said. "I'm gonna go grab some stuff for Dinah's sandwich. Be right back." And he headed for the door into the back room, pausing long enough to flash a reassuringly Priestly-esque cheery smile back at the group before the door swung closed behind him.

Dinah frowned as he left, then turned back to everyone else, voice still light. "Trucker, have you actually held a conversation with Zo?"

Meanwhile, she was trying to gauge Jen's mood (mostly good?) and still off and on looking at Piper from the corner of her eye. So weird.

Trucker sighed. "Does saying 'hi' count?"

"No," Jen and Piper both answered at the same time.

Meanwhile, Priestly had slipped out the back door, and was standing in the shadows across from where Tad had Tish pressed up against the wall.

"You listen to me," he was saying. "I'm no fag. I was captain of the football team in high school."

Priestly would have rolled his eyes if he weren't kinda worried about taking his eyes off Tish. He held still, body taught, waiting to see if she had a handle on things.

"Let me guess," she said, voice dripping in derision in a way Priestly hadn't heard before. "You were a tight end, always too afraid of becoming a wide receiver. Why don't you just be a man and admit what you are? No one cares that you're gay."

Then Tad slapped her across the face, and Priestly saw red.

The next thing he knew, he was barreling Tad to the ground in a flying tackle. They tussled on the ground for a few moments before Priestly shoved himself back to his feet.

"You do not hit her! You piece of shit!"

Tad laughed, throwing his hands in the air. "What is it with you guys? Fine, she's a waste of time, anyway."

Priestly glanced back at Tish, who was leaning against the wall. "You okay?"

Tish rubbed her jaw, swallowing. Tad took the opportunity of Priestly's distraction to haul off and punch him in the gut, then slam his fist across Priestly's jaw. Priestly didn't have a chance to block or fight back as his head snapped around, and he slammed down into the asphalt, his arm twisting beneath him as he tried unsuccessfully to keep his head from bouncing off the ground.

Edited 2012-03-05 07:31 (UTC)

What Jen was saying got completely lost to history as everyone heard the sounds of crashing, grunting and yelling from outside.

Trucker was up first and stalking for the door, Dinah right behind him in a rush that almost had her, Piper and Jen smushing together into the doorframe. The second she could see what was happening, Dinah sucked in a breath in shock, and yelled. "Priestly! Get off of my friend, you loser!"

Then things got interesting.

Edited 2012-03-05 07:39 (UTC)

Priestly wasn't currently super great at following what was happening -- it was possible part of him thought Tad was a zombie -- but he did catch Dinah yelling, and Tish punching Tad.

She was so awesome.

Unfortunately, all the punch did was piss Tad off further, and he smacked her again.

Dinah was striding forward, then abruptly running into Trucker's outstretched arm, vision going red. "Hey, asshole. I am going to professionally kick your ass! Priestly--!" He was down and looking very very pained and Tish was looking half-concussed and damnit--

Hunh, Trucker was stronger than he looked. Which kept her from getting any further, but not from spontaneously aiming a vicious TK jab at Tad's knees. Bastard!

To everyone else, it probably looked like Tad just randomly lost his balance and flailed his arms as he dropped to his knees. He wobbled his way back up and glared and kicked at Priestly, as though he was the one who'd just kicked him. Priestly got an arm up in time to block the kick and just blinked back.

"Go check on Priestly and Tish," Trucker said softly, turning his head back towards Dinah, Jen, and Piper, but not taking his eyes off of Tad. "I've got this one." He strode forward, his arms held out. "Hey shit head. Why don't you try the old hippie?"

"Trucker," Tish called. "Don't."

"What is it with you people?" Tad stared at all of them. "She's a cheap piece of ass, who cares about her?"

"That's it, pretty boy." Trucker flexed his arms and settled into a martial arts stance. "Keep talking."

Dinah would have completely objected to this, except she recognized that stance. That was not an amateur, Drunken Karate, goofy Chuck Norris-imitation stance. Plus she was mentally still muttering "shit shit shit" under her breath at Tad's reaction to her telekinesis. Not the desired outcome!

She skidded forward to her knees next to Priestly. "Are you okay? Are your ribs broken?" She looked up to see Jen already with an arm around Tish. "Are you okay? Nice punch."

Tish looked down, nodding, then staring wide eyed back at Trucker -- who was seriously kicking Tad's ass, not a wasted movement in his punches, blocks, and throws. "Yeah, yeah, I -- yeah."

That about summed it up. Priestly would be nodding, too, except ow, his head.

"He kicked my arm," he said instead. "Asshole."

Piper knelt down across from Dinah, carefully taking Priestly's arm and helping him start to sit up. "You were really brave," she reassured him.

Trucker slammed Tad face-first into the dumpster, then when Tad was on the ground, pressed his shoe into his neck. "Listen to me, you dickless yuppie. Tish is a lady, and she's my friend. And if I ever see you near her again, they're going to be running your picture on Unsolved Mysteries!"

Edited 2012-03-05 08:17 (UTC)

Dinah was coaching under her breath, "Left, low, ohhh, nice one, Trucker," as the fight progressed, incredibly relieved he really knew what he was doing.

She put an arm around Priestly and muttered, "What Piper said. 'Cause I know how much you don't know about fighting." And through her fingers on his forehead, Don't move too much, though. We'll get you some ice.

Then Trucker finished with Tad.

"Whoa." She restrained the urge to applaud. Then thought, what the heck. Dinah stomped her feet and whistled. "And we'll give him the alibi!"

Trucker gave his foot on Tad's throat a final shove, then turned, shaking his arms out and breathing a little hard. He flashed Dinah a tight smile, then looked to Jen and Tish, who were still against the wall, and Piper and Priestly who were mostly just staring.

"Uh, wow," said Priestly, because while he didn't know fighting too well, he knew enough to recognize that Trucker clearly really really did. "Anyone else think Trucker has some 'splaining to do?"

Trucker rubbed his forehead. "Let's go to my pad. I've got a first aid kit."

And explanations, yes.

"I don't believe it," Priestly said. He was flopped out on one of Trucker's many beanbags, a bag of frozen peas draped over his twisted-and-kicked wrist, holding one of brussel sprouts to the back of his head with his good hand. He leaned a little more into Jen, who sat next to him, holding Trucker's old yearbook. "Gordon Hancock: senior class prez, captain of the football team. . . . No Woodstock? No free love? No peace rallies?"

"I took the free love when I could get it," Trucker said, clearly deeply embarrassed.

"No bongs?" Priestly asked.

"Well. . . ."

"No Grateful Dead concerts?"

"That came later."

Dinah finished putting a butterfly bandage on Tish's forehead, where the last hit into the wall had caught the side of her face. She gave the ibuprofen to Tish as Piper handed over a glass of water. "That work?... It's like you're a superhero. And we never even guessed, jeeez."

Priestly snorted softly. His world had superheroes!

"It's really not," Trucker protested, sounding tired. "I got drafted. Found out I was a sneaky son of a bitch, good at killing people before they even knew I was there. Did three tours, lost count of the bodies." He sighed. "If anything, I was the supervillain."

"Supervillains don't regret anything," Dinah told him, getting up to sit by Priestly, and re-adjust the veggie ice-bag on his wrist. Look, she was allowed to fuss. "And... that sounds rough." Yeah. That's all she had for that, really.

Priestly leaned in against her, admittedly partly because then he could prop his arm on her shoulder to hold the brussel sprouts to his head. But mostly because she was awesome and called Trucker on the supervillain crap and was here.

He was feeling very possessive of his girls right now. All of them. Tish came to sit on the other side of Jen, between her and Piper, and Priestly wished his arm was long enough to hold on to all three of them.

Trucker nodded slightly at Dinah. "Either way, God knows how many souls I've got to face, some day."

"So when was Trucker born?" Piper asked.

"Well, when I got home, I started taking long walks on the beach." Trucker started to smile a bit, then. "Met some crazy ass surfers. They made me smile, you know? For the first time since I'd gotten back. So I bought a board, and I changed my name. But I swore that I would never hurt another human as long as I lived."

Tish swallowed and pushed herself to her feet, going over to sit next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I made you break your promise."

"Oh no, Angel," Trucker told her. "I said I'd never hurt another human. So we're good."

"Definitely a goblin. Possibly a troll." Dinah paused, realizing how geeky that sounded. "...anyway."

She hugged Priestly's side very carefully, thinking about that, studying Trucker with even more respect. To just walk away from the fighting, when you were really good at it... And then to still step up without a thought when Tish and Priestly needed it, well. Face it: Trucker ruled.

Priestly would point out that he already knew that. He'd picked the guy for a surrogate father before he'd ever even left for Fandom, after all, though he'd never put it into that many words to himself.

Trucker took Tish's hand. "Promise me something?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said.

"No more shitheads. Date a nice guy."

Tish looked right at Priestly at that. "Problem is, nice guys never ask me out."

Priestly's eyes went ever so slightly wide at that.

"Well," Trucker said, looking Tish in the eye. "Maybe ask the wizard for some courage."

Dinah's eyes didn't just widen, they went huge. And she sent Jen a sideways look of Zomg not just me, right? Right? Tell me there is subtext happening!

Jen grinned back, and looked over at Piper, who looked between Priestly and Tish and nodded slightly.

Priestly and Tish remained oblivious.

"I need a beer," Priestly decided. "Anyone else want a beer?"

Yes! Dinah assumed her most angelic expression. Which lasted three seconds.

"You got hurt! You do not get a beer for that!" She snorted. "Trucker gets a beer. I'll get it."

Edited 2012-03-05 09:14 (UTC)

"But -- I -- beer!" Priestly protested.

"Concussion," Jen countered, wrapping her hand in his sleeve so he wouldn't try to get up. "No beer till you're in the clear."

"That's it, isn't it," Piper said thoughtfully, looking down at the yearbook in Jen's lap and idly flipping a few pages.

"Beer?" Priestly asked.

She smacked him gently on the knee. "No, courage. That's why Trucker won't ask Zo out. You're afraid of what she'll think of your past."

Dinah came back in holding three beers, handing them out to Trucker, Piper and Jen. "But don't you think-- I mean, if she's as cool as she's always seemed, wouldn't she understand what happened? And how you changed." She sat back down next to Priestly, and handed him another frozen vegetable bag. She tilted her head onto his shoulder. "Ice cream when we're back at your place, dude."

Priestly huffed. "Fiiiine." He could settle for Dinah-cuddling instead of beer. This time.

"But she's all about the love," Trucker said. "I just don't know how I'd even be able to explain it to her."

"I'm . . . not sure you'd have to," Jen said, staring down at the page she and Piper had flipped to. "Trucker, Zo's in your yearbook."

Edited 2012-03-05 09:23 (UTC)

Dinah felt her jaw drop, and she leaned further against Priestly to see. "No way!"

"What?" Priestly tried to lean over, too, but Jen was already getting up, going over to show it to Trucker. "Hey! We wanted to look! Injured, here!"

"Hero, here," Jen countered. "Look, see? Zoharet Rosen."

"Oh my god," Trucker grinned. "It's really Zo."

Tish, still crouched next to him, pulled it closer. "She's cute!"

"Come on," Piper said, taking pity on Priestly, who was trying to make his injured hand do grabby gestures and mostly just grimacing. "Pass it back!"

Dinah had to sit on one hand to not TK the thing into hers and Priestly's laps. "Pleeeease? C'mon... wait. Waaait. So-- she's known your secret identity? All this time?" She turned to blink at Priestly, then back to Trucker. "Awwwwwww!"

"You're really into the whole superhero thing, aren't you?" Tish noted. Priestly pouted at her.

"No teasing my geeks."

Tish raised her hand. "I think it's firmly established now that I have terrible taste. So no teasing from me."

Dinah was turning pink at that, but Priestly's immediate defense and then Tish's disclaimer gave her back her equilibrium. "Tastes can change... So hey. You can date a white-hat from now on." The one she was leaning on, for instance. If she appreciated him enough and didn't leave him a wreck who'd date anyone named Selene.

She turned to look back at Trucker, eyes hopeful. "So Mr. Wizard? Are you going to ask out Glinda? Or at least offer her some coffee?"

"I thought Mr. Wizard was the science guy on TV," Jen said.

"That's Bill Nye," Priestly corrected.

"I think maybe I'll have to," Trucker said, grinning. "I'm all out of excuses, right?"

"Yes," Piper, Tish, Priestly, and Jen all said simultaneously.

"Alright, alright." Trucker threw his hands up. "I give up! I'll go over to her shop in the morning."

"Right on," Priestly said, glancing over just briefly at Tish.

If Trucker could ask out Zo, then he could totally try asking out Tish. Right? She was sending signals, he wasn't hallucinating those.

. . . Right?

After some discussion -- and no small amount of insistence from Trucker, considering that Priestly and Tish were both candidates for mild concussions and he, Piper, and Jen had all had at least a couple of beers -- it was determined that everyone would crash at Trucker's, for now. It wasn't large, but it had plenty of soft places to crash on, and the breeze coming in from the ocean kept it comfortable even with so many people packed in.

As the others were getting ready to turn in, Priestly found himself in the kitchen with Tish, as they looked for a good place to trash their respective cold packs. Priestly flashed her a small smile as he reached past her to drop the peas in the sink, then winced as his wrist twinged.

Tish gave him a once over. "Here, sit." She guided him to the breakfast bar and sat him down, then pulled an ace bandage out of the open first aid kit on the counter. "I dated a guy who was into extreme sports a couple years back. I know how to wrap a sprain." She gently took Priestly's hand and started wrapping the bandage around it. "You should probably get it checked out for real tomorrow, though."

Priestly watched her face while she stared down at his hand. Between the bruise on her forehead and the bandage on her cheek, there was no hiding that she'd been through a lot in the last couple of days, but here she was, making sure his arm was okay. "Thanks. You sure you're okay, too?"

She looked up and flashed him a tight smile. "Yeah. I'm an idiot, but I'm fine."

Priestly shook his head. "Don't do that. Don't put this on yourself."

Tish sighed, carefully tying off the end of the bandage. "I should have known." She looked up at him. "You never liked him, did you. How'd you know?"

"What, that he was a dick?"

"That he was that kind of dick."

It was Priestly's turn to look down, carefully turning his hand and flexing his fingers as if to test the bandage. "I dunno. We can smell our own, I guess."

"Are you kidding me?" Tish scoffed. "You and Tad are nothing alike."

"Not now," Priestly said. "But, I dunno. In another life? Pretty little rich boy, football star, absolutely soaked in privilege and assholery? Yeah, that could've been me."

"What, seriously?"

"I was not always the loveable punk you see before you." Priestly still hadn't looked up, just pushed himself to his feet, tucking his arm against his chest. "Anyway, thanks."

"No." Tish put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back down onto the stool. "You don't get to say that and then walk away. Look at me. I'll buy that you weren't always Mr. Kilt-and-Mohawk. I'll even buy that you played football. That was a nice tackle, out there. But no way were you anything but a good guy."

"You don't know that," Priestly said.

"Yeah, I kinda do. Here." She pressed some painkillers into his good hand. "Take those, and stop being an idiot. Or I'll get Dinah to kick your ass. I get the feeling she could."

Priestly had to smile at that. "Well, she'd definitely lecture me a lot."

Tish mussed his already fairly wilted mohawk with her palm. "There you go. Guys like Tad don't end up surrounded by girls like Dinah. Or Jen, or Piper, or Zo. So no more arguing."

"They like you, too, you know," Priestly said. "So I'm guessing you're doing something right, too."

"Well yeah," Tish said, smirking. "I'm amazing."

"Yeah," Priestly said, smiling back. "I know."

Beach City Grill, Santa Cruz, Sunday evening

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Trucker's pad, Sunday night

Re: Trucker's pad, Sunday night

Re: Trucker's pad, Sunday night

Re: Trucker's pad, Sunday night

Re: Trucker's pad, Sunday night

Re: Trucker's pad, Sunday night

Re: Trucker's pad, Sunday night

Re: Trucker's pad, Sunday night

Re: Trucker's pad, Sunday night

Re: Trucker's pad, Sunday night

Re: Trucker's pad, Sunday night

Re: Trucker's pad, Sunday night

Re: Trucker's pad, Sunday night

Re: Trucker's pad, Sunday night

Re: Trucker's pad, Sunday night

Re: Trucker's pad, Sunday night

Re: Trucker's pad, Sunday night

Re: Trucker's pad, Sunday night

Re: Trucker's pad, Sunday night

And later, still at Trucker's