Lil and Jean-Paul (Backdated to last night)

[x-diamondlil.livejournal.com]

Backdated to last night, January 16.

Jean-Paul heads to Harry's and strike up a convo with Lil, the new bartender.


Jean-Paul arrived at Harry's before Scott. It had been difficult for Jean-Paul to leave the school the night; there were people he was worried about and there was a part of him insisting that he should be waiting in case they needed him. Probably all the more reason to head down to Harry's for his weekly thrashing, and he didn't doubt that that Scott would be able to use the distraction as well when he arrived. In the meantime, no harm in getting the first round out of the way.

Jean-Paul took a seat at the bar and found that, unless he felt like giving his order to a pair of breasts covered by an Xavier's School t-shirt, he was going to have to crane his neck a bit to speak to the bartender.

"Ca va, Lilian?" He offered a slight smile. "Congratulations on the job."

"Bien. Merci, monsieur Beaubier," she replied with a warm grin. Lil was much more at home behind a bar than a desk and it showed; she seemed quite settled, having already memorized most of Harry's stock and its location despite the few shifts she'd worked. "What can I get you?" the blonde asked, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder and gestured vaguely in the direction of the beers on tap.

"Cranberry juice. Oh, and Summers is going to be drinking on my tab when he arrives, so don't let him pay for his beer." It had been years since he'd seen the woman. He remembered her being more surly, somehow, but then he wasn't exactly unbiased when it came to his memories of Alpha Flight.

Choosing not to quote The Departed only because she didn't fancy getting fired just yet, the Amazon nodded as she served up his drink. "Will do. All his drinks go on your tab. Anything else I can get you?" Since the crowd was still fairly light, Lil picked up a rag and wiped down the counter while flashing him another smile.

"That depends. Will asking questions about why you are here get me punched once you are off-shift?"

"Depends," she replied with a shrug, her smile going more impish. "You mean 'here' as in Harry's or Xavier's?"

"Which one leaves a Beaubier-shaped hole in the wall?" he quipped back.

Lil laughed and shook her head. "Neither if you keep it civil and are outta here before closing. Tossing people through walls doesn't make for good returning business. Well, most times; there's probably a guy or two in here who wouldn't mind a good thrashing from a Warrior Princess wannabe." She tossed a playful wink at a drunk down the other end of the bar then gave Jean-Paul another nod. "Shoot."

"I'm wondering why you are down here, at the school, I mean." He sipped at his drink. "You wouldn't be the first person to leave Alpha Flight, but this seems an odd place to migrate if so."

"Forced migration," the tall woman said with a shrug then smiled and waved at a departing couple as she tucked the tip away. "I left Beta when I got married but recently had a falling out with Maddy - Madison Jeffries, my husband," Lil clarified, unsure if he'd remember the slightly geeky man she'd lost her heart to. "So I went to Heather and Mac looking to make Alpha. They figured I'd get better training at Xavier's 'cause Alpha's still restructuring and all that bullshit. I really think it's 'cause if I'm down here, they don't have to deal with me trying to rip Maddy's balls off." The last statement carried a bit of dark humor in it, causing Lil to smirk again. "Stuff like that doesn't give you the best marks in teamwork."

"And here I thought that was simply the traditional team morale." Jean-Paul shook his head. "I'm sorry to hear that you got shipped off, but if it makes the interim any easier to bear, it is not so bad at Xavier's." A smirk. "For example, I have not once heard how my behavior reflects poorly on the whole Department since I arrived. That is nice."

Lil gave an amused snort before one shoulder rose and fell. "I don't mind being enrolled in the exchange program just so long as I have a place to go back to when it's all done." Her time at the mansion, while brief, had been enjoyable so far. "Having a few of my uh more memorable official warnings magically erased from my file for my troubles isn't bad, either. Just gotta keep my nose clean here and play nice with the other kiddies and all should be good. I'm even being made official," she added with a genuine and almost dazzling smile. "Start my training any day now."

"I'd buy you a drink, but I think that would be frowned on while on the job." But Jean-Paul did look genuinely pleased for her. His behavior was a far cry from the prig he'd been when last they'd met. "It is a very different atmosphere, but you will make it work if you want into Alpha Flight so badly."

"I'm gonna hold you to that offer on my next day off," the blonde promised before holding a finger up, ordering him to wait as she moved off to set up a round of shots a little further off. The little cocky smirk she'd worn for the group of boys gathered there remained on her lips when Lil wandered back to Jean-Paul. "Duty calls, sorry. Anyway, I've liked it so far - 'cept temping at Elpis," she amended quickly. "That nearly bored me to death but other than that, can't complain. Seems like Mac and Heather knew what they were doing and I'm looking forward to getting to do some field work finally."

Jean-Paul offered her a little toast with his glass, keeping his opinion of the Hudsons to himself. "Here's hoping for a smooth transition." The door opened, admitting Scott. Jean-Paul sighed quietly, though he was grinning. "Time for my weekly dose of humility."

Lil nodded, sending her ponytail bouncing slightly. "Just your luck: we're serving that on tap tonight. I'll keep you tab running."