poly_chromatic | ( video & action )

Entry tags:

iron man - james "rhodey" rhodes

( video & action )

[ The video zooms in to one James Rhodes, wearing his dress blues and sitting at the bar -- yes, again -- with one elbow propped up and his head in his hand, the other cradling a beer.

He doesn't look happy.

There's a voice comming from off-screen: ] This fine specimen of man is Col. James Rhodes and he has good reason to be in the bar today. Guess what? His best friend, Tony Stark, has left the City and he's drowning his sorrows in alcohol. Healthy coping mechanisms.

[ Rhodey's mouth twists, something angry and bitter in his expression, but his voice is still mostly even when he speaks. ]

I seriously don't need the running commentary, man.

[ ooc; So. Tony's gone and Rhodey is getting drunk. Italics are some NPC commentator. Come buy him a drink and cheer him up or join him in his misery. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ The guy does leave, but not without muttering a few choice words under his breath. Rhodey settles back against the bar. ]

Yeah, maybe.

[She's been called worse. They're nothing that doesn't roll off her back.]

Put his drinks on my card. [This is pointed toward the bartender as Angela slides her card across the bartop just before she hops onto a stool next to Rhodey.] No arguing.

[ He opens his mouth to do just that, then slides it closed again. ]

Thanks.

[She knew he was going to; when she lost her own best friend, she argued all night long.]

Do you want to move to someplace quieter?

Where? [ He's not in a mood to argue. She wants to buy him drinks, sure. ]

A table, a booth, the park, another bar, your place, my place, somebody else's place?

[There are a lot of options here, someplace where there'll be no nosy commentators to ignore the tone of the situation. Last thing Rhodey needs is somebody taking advantage of his emotional discord and pumping it up for imaginary ratings.]

Booth sounds all right. [ He doesn't really want to leave the bar, just wants to sit somewhere quiet and drink until he forgets that Tony's somewhere that might be dangerous and where Rhodey can't protect him.

Until he forgets that his best friend is gone. ]

[Angela nods, letting the bartender know where they're moving and to keep the beers coming in that direction along with a pitcher of water as she slides off the stool and finds a booth in a darkened corner away from crowds, the jukebox, and any other people who seem to look like they want to work for TMZ.]

Can you make it on your own?

[Forgetting is hard, damn near impossible, but alcohol helps.]

I'm not that drunk. Yet. [ He does plan on changing that, though.

So up he goes and into the booth she's found them. ]

[She's already there on one side, hands clasped and waiting for him. There's a freshly opened beer there, condensation dripping onto the table below it. It almost has his name on it.]

Do you want to talk about it or just sit here and drink?

[The choice is up to him. She's good with either one.]

Let's just—

[ Sighing. ]

Sit, all right? [ He's not really in the mood to talk. So his best friend is gone. Again. It isn't like there's anything anyone can do about that. He'll deal. Tomorrow, he'll deal. ]

[So she nods again, pouring herself a glass of water, silently thinking about her own best friend and all the other times Brennan's left this City. Far too many. There was nothing Angela could do about it then and there's nothing she could do about it now, much like Rhodey is helpless. If anybody here can commiserate with him, it's her.

They just deal the best way they can. Like right now, however they seem fit. There's no judgement from her.]

[ He doesn't say anything for the length of the first beer and then starts on the second.

Eventually, he does look at her. ] You all right?

[He gets a casual shrug in response because she should be asking him that.]

I'm okay. He wasn't my best friend.

[But she knew Tony well enough to hold a few conversations with him and enough that he gets added to the list of people that proves to Angela that the more she says more than just hello to people, the sooner they leave. Tomorrow, she wouldn't be surprised if Rhodey was gone too. But her problems aren't important right now.]

Yeah, okay.

[ Her expression wasn't too cheerful there a moment ago, but then he isn't really in a mood to deal with anyone else's problems, either, so he's not going to push it or probe any further. ]

[Her eyes darken for a moment, wanting to say something, but it's not the right moment. It could be taken wrong, turned into something argumentative, and really the last thing either one of them needs is more strife. She's trying to take Ginny's advice and not close herself off from people even though they keep dropping like flies, so Angela takes a deep breath and visibly pushes her shoulders back to find some bravery in herself, hands clasped around the glass of water she hasn't sipped from yet.]

Do you want something stronger?

[ He thinks for a moment. Maybe he shouldn't, because he is drowning his sorrow and it isn't the most healthy of coping mechanisms, but fuck it. Fuck it, his best friend is gone and he'll work through that some other time, not right now. He's allowed to wallow in self-pity, right? ]

Yeah. Yeah, I think I do.

[Drowning sorrows is how Angela deals with her problems when she can't just run away from them. Actually, she needs to be the last person in this place, offering to pay anybody's tab to deal with a loss. Hell, the only reason why she isn't drinking right now is because his appearance distracted her and now she's just holding off until later tonight when she knows she'll need the alcohol most to fall asleep.

Besides, Rhodey's been the designated driver before. Tonight, he might need one for himself.]

Just let them know what you want. They still have my card.

You don't need to do this, y'know. [ Not that he doesn't appreciate the offer. Or her presence, he does. ]

I know. But I want to.

[Because someone was there for her when her best friend left.]

All right. [ And a sip later. ] Thank you.

You're welcome. [A pause.] But you still owe me lunch and dinner. Just not the drinks.

[Maybe that was an attempt at cheering him up.]

Unless I talk to you. That was the deal, right.

[ She gets a tired smile. It's better than nothing, right? He's trying to play along. ]

Yeah, but you said you just wanted to sit here, so the deal's a little skewed now.

[He still has the choice to not talk. She's just following along wherever he leads her.]

The deal said if I saw you on the network. This doesn't count.

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