OPEN - Oh, yes I can make it now the pain is gone

[bargain_batman]

Who: Diego Hargreeves & OTA
Where: Streets of Haven at night, Pour Judgment, Phoenix Rising
When: Current
What: Catch all
Warnings: Possible language. Will update.


Haven at night, in the shadows
If you see a figure in the dark, dressed all in black to include a mask over his eyes, it’s Diego silently keeping an eye out for anyone in trouble and maybe also checking that he somehow hadn’t missed a familiar face from home. He didn’t talk about the latter or really the former. It might have been mentioned to a few people that he behaved in a similar fashion before arriving in Haven. Old dog, old tricks.

He was happy the glitching had stopped but not because of the pain ending or return of his powers. The memories he'd seen of others meant they had seen some of his. Diego didn't like feeling vulnerable but there was no hiding how certain memories affected him. It was the reason why he avoided connections since arriving, they couldn't be used against him.


Pour Judgment
Security for the bar club, Diego mostly remains in the dark corners with a clear line of sight throughout the establishment. He keeps a watchful eye that anyone isn’t committing any wrongdoing. Nobody can drink who isn’t of age, take anything out of the tip jar who isn’t a bartender, harass other customers or deface the property.

Those who attempt the above find themselves suddenly nailed to the bar top (or another solid surface) with one of his many throwing knives. Or those in reach who get handsy will be on the receiving end of quick hands or feet that deter the behavior and eventually tosses the aggressor out. “Next time, it won’t be with all your fingers intact!”

His body is his temple so he won’t be found having a drink but maybe in the place when not on the clock. Far from Mr Congeniality, Diego didn’t necessarily have friends at work but he’d have conversations from time to time. Maybe even with a patron under the right circumstances.


Phoenix Rising (The Metroplex)
One of the few places that Diego wouldn’t be in long sleeves and pants but he still might be dressed all in black when training or working at Phoenix Rising. Not the most patient instructor but also not the worst? Eh, maybe the worst.

His mindset is that mixed martial arts isn’t for beginners so the students need to be pushed. He still falls in line with the rules of not advocating no mercy or striking first should he actually have any students.

However, he wouldn’t be above heckling another instructor when they aren’t with a student. “Are you at prom or trying to fight?” said by someone who never actually went to a prom. Maybe it’s a taunt from the sidelines or while sparring. Someone knock that smug look off of his face.

Comments

[bargain_batman]

He'd seen the dimpled ginger enough times to know exactly who she was. Well, maybe not her name. They hadn't conversed at all. Neither had Diego chatted with her other half. What he, and anyone in Pour Judgment knew when they were both in the club, was that she and Shadow were an item.

Whether they were married or just shacking up, Diego didn't know. Rings weren't always worn and some people had open relationships. He didn't know or care, it wasn't any of his business what people did behind closed doors with consent.

"That's me," he responded with a light sarcasm, offering a polite smile which wasn't him but she didn't deserve rudeness. There was something... entitled? Regal? Maybe just confident about her. Lydia wasn't hard on the eyes but he didn't do more than look appreciatively at her. The glance was done casually when she visited previously.

He took her hand and matched her strength in the grip. "You got a thing for the bartender," Diego said and released her hand. He uttered it like a fact, no teasing. His demeanor was casual but he wondered what was behind her introduction.

[wantadistraction]

Lydia let the light sarcasm bounce and roll right off of her when it came, especially since he followed it up with a polite smile. She was aware of the fact that he was or had checked her out at one point which was a nice stroke to the ego but she wasn't interested. Which she figured he knew and that was probably why he felt safe doing so because he knew nothing would come from it.

"I do," She confirmed, letting her hand fall back to her side after giving his a firm shake. She sounded amused by his assessment or it being that was how he identified her. Which wasn't all that surprising since she had been there in the bar before and had left with Shadow plenty of times. Plus they weren't shy with their affection though they did downplay it a bit while he was working.

"And last I checked he had a thing for me too." She continued, still smirking as she glanced briefly at her boyfriend while he worked. "But I'm trying not to distract him right now since it seems like he's kind of busy at the moment. Which seems to be more and more lately."

It seemed the bar was busier since the glitching had happened.

[bargain_batman]

"Are you sure about that? I catch him looking my way a lot," Diego continued to joke since she didn't seem annoyed or offended by his sarcasm so far.

He looked over to find Shadow busy serving drinks, Zoey moving easily around the tree of a man to tend the patrons. Both seemed to garner a good bit of attention from customers. But then so did Diego, in a much less appealing way. He caught the gaze of one looking around more suspiciously than the bar's security liked. Diego glared and the guy quickly snapped his eyes forward.

The man had been sitting for close to an hour with the same drink that he'd yet to pay for. Looking around didn't bode well with Diego, certain the guy was checking to see when he could dip into the tip jar in front of him. Diego had enough and threw a knife that pushed the tip jar out of reach for the nervous man then returned his attention back to Lydia.

"Where were we?" he asked at meeting her eyes.

[wantadistraction]

"Really?" Lydia arched a perfectly shaped brow at him and his comment that was most definitely a joke. Pursing her lips a bit, she looked towards Shadow again while tilting her head like she was considering it. Then she shrugged a little, focusing on Diego again. "I'm still prettier than you."

She said it so easily and paired it with a mischievous smile gracing her berry-colored lips before chuckling huskily at his reaction. At least by saying she was prettier, she was admitting he was 'pretty' on some level. Just not hers.

But then she was sobering as his gaze turned towards a man that had been sitting at the bar for a little while and she turned slightly to study the man as well, wondering what it was about him that bothered Diego. It didn't take long for her to figure it out though when he threw a blade, pushing the tip jar out of reach and catching Shadow's attention. She couldn't imagine that Shadow enjoyed knives flying anywhere near his personal space but she didn't look worried.

If anything, she looked curious as she focused on Diego again. "How did you do that?"

[bargain_batman]

She answered his question with a question which reminded him of what they were talking about. Diego smirked, returning to snarky disposition. "Don't get defensive, Sweetheart. He might check me out but not the way he looks at you."

He motioned with one finger for her to wait as he darted to the bar and retrieved his blade, earning yet another look of disapproval from Shadow when he approached. Diego made a sarcastic face back then turned his attention to the cowering man he had thwarted. "I'm always watching," he whispered before quickly getting back to Lydia.

"Throwing things is just something I'm good at. Been practicing it since before I took my first step." His answer came with a shrug as if what he'd told her was the most natural thing in the world. The scar on the right side of his head told a story of not always having the best proficiency.

[wantadistraction]

"I wasn't being defensive. I was merely stating a fact," Lydia replied smoothly, enjoying the little banter they had back and forth. But he was right about that, Shadow may check someone else out but it would never be how he looked at her and she was good with that.

But she remained quiet as he hurried away to get his blade while she made quiet calculations in her head. She met Shadow's gaze briefly and offered a wink before turning her attention back to Diego.

"While I don't disagree that you seem to be good at throwing things, that shouldn't have worked how it did. The angle and the speed? It should have hit the bar about two feet below where the blade actually landed," She told him, tilting her head to the side while noting the scar and dismissing it for a moment. "So try again?"

[bargain_batman]

"Just keep telling yourself that," Diego quipped before stepping away.

He returned as the two lovebirds were making eyes at each other, Diego catching a wink that wasn't directed at him as he made his way back to Lydia.

She didn't seem to buy his answer about being able to throw a knife the way he could. He wondered how she'd take the truth. She didn't seem like someone with abilities other than maybe a siren. ...Not that he was noticing. He had.

"So forty-three of us were born at noon on October first in nineteen eighty-nine. I grew up with six of those people. All of us have a special skill. Always hitting my target is mine."

[wantadistraction]

Lydia glanced at the wall behind her for a moment, almost like she was checking to make sure that it was clean before she leaned back against it and crossed her arms casually. She could see that he was thinking about what to say to her but what he finally came up with sounded a bit far-fetched.

Or would to most people.

She took it in while tilting her head to the side, humming a bit as his explanation for what his power was made sense considering what she had just seen. So she accepted it rather easily while glancing at the bar. "Must be nice."

"I'm part of a werewolf pack," She looked back at him with a faint smirk. "Even though I, myself, am not actually a werewolf."

[bargain_batman]

She seemed to take in stride his explanation. Given nearly everyone he'd seen in Haven had some kind of power, it wasn't far fetched that Lydia didn't question him past what she already had.

However, his life wasn't anything Diego would ever label as 'nice'. "If you called getting bought from your parent as nice, sure. It was."

And then she talked about a werewolf pack. "Let me guess, the tree over there who serves drinks and looks at you as if the sun and moon only rises in your direction is one." The thought made him shudder internally. Shadow would really be a lot like Luther if he was a wolf.

[wantadistraction]

"I was actually talking about your ability being nice. To have that kind of control over it," Lydia replied smoothly, having given him a quietly quizzical look when he took her comment that way. "Because I most definitely wouldn't think that was nice."

Then she glanced towards Shadow, her features relaxing as she moved past that little bit of strangeness with a chuckle. "No, he most definitely is not a werewolf. Not that there would be anything wrong with that but he's not."

She wondered briefly what he would think if he knew what Shadow was but she didn't say it.

[bargain_batman]

"Yeah. I won't nick your boyfriend so he can stop mean mugging me." Diego returned casually without touching what she'd said about his confusion. Rather, her take on him being bought by his adoptive father. They were onto talk about werewolves which was a better topic as far as he was concerned.

Shadow wasn't a werewolf. Huh. A part of Diego wondered if Lydia would actually tell him but then why even mention a werewolf pack if she wasn't going to tell him about it. "So what are you two, familiars? Regular people who hang out with werewolves?" he asked with his limited knowledge of classic monsters.

Nothing surprised him in Haven anymore. She seemed comfortable holding a conversation with him and Diego appreciated it.

[wantadistraction]

"I can't promise he'll do that," Lydia replied with a little shrug, still holding a hint of amusement on her features as she turned her focus from Shadow even though she found her gaze constantly drifting towards him. Almost like she couldn't help herself.

She could have clarified things more for Diego then, she knew that, but she merely chuckled when Diego asked if they were familiars. Which would have been preferable to what she was in some ways. "Shadow had only met the pack a little while ago. So he's still getting used to them."

"I'm a Banshee," Which still felt odd to say out loud to someone who didn't know her and she watched him closely to see what his reaction to that would be.

[bargain_batman]

The two had it bad. Worse than some of the teens who frequented the club. At least Shadow and Lydia weren't gross about it, and it seemed they handled well anyone who flirted with the other half. Diego had to chuckle at catching how her gaze had drifted.

He made her laugh as well, attempting to understand what non-werewolves did in a werewolf pack. There was a little surprise on his face when Lydia told him that Shadow was new to her pack. More surprise when she confessed being a banshee. Diego didn't hide his confusion.

"You can scream like one or you're the actual fairy?" he immediately asked with no question that she was being honest.

[wantadistraction]

Lydia figured that she and Shadow had it bad because they had been kept apart for so long but they also had an intense kind of chemistry she had never experienced with anyone else before. Either way, she was enjoying it though they did behave while they were at work.

"I'm not a fairy," She replied though she didn't sound so sure about that. "But the other thing I have been called is the Wailing Woman. And yes, I do scream."

There was more to it than that but she didn't feel like giving him a complete rundown of her powers or explaining that she was a harbinger of Death. People tended to get a little uncomfortable about things like that, and she didn't want him to feel that way. Especially if he freaked out and Shadow noticed which would make her boyfriend irritated since he didn't like anyone upsetting her.