2020-01-30 - Of All The Gin Joints (part 1)

At least he has plenty of boxes. Easton looks at the kitchen counter arrayed with no less than seven boxes of varying size all emblazoned with liquor or beer logos. With some careful stacking and only one minor use of glimmer to avoid disaster Easton manages to get the boxes out to his jeep in only three trips which he considers a victory. The real victory is that he's finally emptying out the home bar so that he doesn't have to stare at it or be alone with it. The bottles clink and shudder as the jeep bounces through the icy roads to the trailer park.

"Turner! It's a late Christmas miracle!" He calls out loudly as he starts to pull two of the boxes out of the Jeep and make his way into the trailer. He manages the door with some impressive hip action and sets down the first two boxes. "Give me a hand. I'm getting the booze out of my place and you're the lucky winner. Plus my new rule is I'm not drinking alone so, what better place to shove it than here?" The cigarette between his lips bounces with each word in seeming joy at this plan. No he didn't ask Geoff first, that's okay.

Easton had arrived in time to catch Geoff relaxing on the couch mid way through the movie "The Thing", clad in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. With a snort he rises up from his couch, and says "Hey man as long as you got a rule that works for you I'm game to help." fist bumping Easton if possible as he makes his way out to the Jeep to grab a box. Heading back in with it tucked under his arm he says to Easton "Hey at least with this rule of yours it means you can actually enjoy our bowling nights, I'd hate to have to drink a pitcher of cheap beer by myself to make up for you. They have quotas don't you know." Setting the box on the counter he leans back against it "You're looking pretty chipper man, I take it things with you and Bennie are better then good?"

The fist bump is returned even if he's carrying a box in the process. Easton is dressed in the winter uniform of jeans, boots and a hoodie over a few other layers. He grins and says, "Yea, and this way I'm not forcing myself to stare at it all night. Plus, I actually have room for dishes, which are kind of nice to have sometimes?" He doesn't really use them all that much but it does help it feel like he's not a college kid anymore. "I don't think you'd hate that at all, but I'm happy to do my part brother." Setting down the last box, he opens the freezer to put away some of the booze in there. The fact that the freezer and fridge both swing open at first only causes Easton's eyebrow to quirk, but then he looks at where the food and inside should be and only sees a gray-lit alley. He looks down at the bottle and then back to Geoff, "Turner, heads up..."

And just like that they are shifted into the fridge and find themselves in an alleyway that belongs in a city much larger and more urban than Gray Harbor. The grayish light turns out to be not the lighting at all, but instead the whole environment is devoid of color. They've literally found themselves in black and white with their apparal updates as well. Easton's hoodie and jeans became a gray suit, with pants hitched near up to his chest, suspenders and thin tie. He tries to get his bearings and clenches his teeth when he remembers that he left his gun in the Jeep because he was at Geoff's.

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Geoff is just reaching for his hoodie as he begins to get sucked into the fridge "Wouldn't hate it at aaaaaallll." and then he's through, his eyes wide as he looks around "Well fuck Lewis, I think this is way better. Just as long as we aren't getting any lions." Geoff's ended up in a pair of slacks, a crisp white shirt that's been rolled up to the elbows and a pair of suspenders. In lieu of a coat it appears he's been suited with a hat that rests at a cocky angle on his brow. Patting himself down he finds a pack of cigarettes in his breast pocket and pulls one out to rest between his lips, as if by magic the tip flares to life and lights itself. Cracking his knuckles outwards he looks to Easton and says with a grin"We should probably get moving, can't remember the last time that standing in an alley in one of these things was a good idea."

Easton tries the trick and finds that he's apparently rolled the body of a non-smoker which is lame. So one of Geoff's cigarettes just happens to float its way into Easton's mouth, having made a pit stop at Geoff's to get lit first. He surveys the alley and agrees, "Yup, I doubt dark alley is the start of anything good here.." And just as he turns to leave or find a direction to go in, an old florescent sign flickers over one of the doors. The name itself is obscured by the flickering but it's immediately recognizable as a bar sign. Easton looks at the bar sign and the fact that it's obviously indicating where they are supposed to go, like an arrow on the map in a video game or an NPC with a big ol' ! wanting to talk with them.

"I say fuck 'em. They want us to head inside? Maybe we should see what's out in the wide world?"

"I'm all for that, when was the last time that ever turned out well." And with that he begins to stride forward and towards the end of the alleyway, almost exiting when he bumps into a woman in a lounge singer's dress. What's even more odd is the disembodied voice that seems to float through the air, sounding distinctly like Geoff's only with a 1940's chicago accent ((I'd been expecting trouble, in the city it's always trouble. It was just my luck to run into the type I'm weak against, legs that ran halfway to heaven and a pair of baby blues to make a man wonder if there was a God up there somewhere. She'd been crying, that much was obvious and somehow had managed to make even that seem pretty. Like I said, the city is always full of trouble)) This causes Geoff to look around as if trying to locate the source of the voice, blatant confusion on his features as he looks back to Easton to see if he heard the voice before offering his hand down to the woman to help her up "You okay there doll?" if she'd heard the voice she certainly doesn't show it.

"Word." Easton agrees and is starting to walk after him but stops when he hears the disembodied voice, he looks at Geoff trying to figure out if he's talking. He tries to detect if this is some telepathy thing going on but is surprised to see it's not. He looks around weirded out wondering if he's about to start narrating things, but no.. not such luck just yet. "Her eyes did what?!" Easton asks outloud in confusion and can only laugh when Geoff seems just as confused as he is.

The woman doesn't have a chance to answer Geoff's question before a car comes speeding around the corner, it's windows unrolling gives Easton just enough time to see where this is headed. He yells "Get down!" to both Geoff and the lounge singer and he lunges for the nearest door to open it and try and herd them through just as the gunfire comes spraying out across the brick walls. He ducks low and heads in after them.

And yes, of course they managed to enter into the one door that was lit up for them. Good job avoiding it boys.

Geoff seems slightly confused when he's told to get down, but he doesn't question it for even a second and dives onto the ground to cover the woman, before pulling him along after him and Easton when that door opens up. Only once they are through it does he stand and straighten his tie, "Well I guess there goes our bid to get off the rails. Guess all we can do now is get a drink and then get jumped by thug who works for a guy named Marcone." With a frown he notices his cigarette is out and has to relight it before he gestures past the entrance way and into the bar proper "Ladies first."

The bar like the rest of this world is illuminated only in black and white. Of course it's hard to tell that there isn't any color in the room through all the smoke. The club is quite packed with all tables filled and a band playing away on stage. The atmosphere is hushed but jovial and there's no record scratch or anything when the three of them all tumble in down the stairs. Easton manages to get the door shut and looks at it questioningly as there's no further noise of gunshots outside.

((Of all the gin joints in the worl-...)) Easton exclaims, "Oh hell no!" as his own voice starts to reverberate through the air with that distinctive Chicago slant to it. ((It had been ages since I'd found myself insi-)) "Mother-fucker I am not joking. You knock that shit off or I'm going to just tearing this place apart." Easton doesn't seem bothered that now people are looking at him as he swears at the ceiling and the very air around him. With a triumphant exhale of smoke Easton seems pleased with himself that the voiceover has at least stopped.

He's less pleased when he sees the bartender's face flash in recognition at someone in their party. He can't tell if it's him, Geoff or their new lady companion but it doesn't exactly feel comforting.

The dame steps up when she catches that look from the bartender "Look Mac I can explain-" the bartender holds his hand up "I told you Betty, one more time late no matter what and you're through. Doesn't matter how good your voice is if ya don't use it." As the bartender and singer go back and forth over this Geoff just casually strolls up to the bar and takes a seat, offering a shrug to Easton as apparently the drama this time doesn't directly relate to them...Or not. As only a few moments after Geoff takes his seat, Mac turns his attention on him "I hope you came to pay your tab, or you're gonna stay dry tonight."

((What Mac didn't know is that I had come to pay him back tonight. That bit of business at the docs and the previous case had paid big, real big and I was ready to watch him eat his words when he saw that I'd come to pay up.)) Geoff seems morbidly amused by this narration and just waits there for a moment as if to prompt more, and when no more is forthcoming he pats himself down till he finds and envelope in his back pocket, pregnant with cash and tosses it down on the counter "Well Mac this should catch us up, shouldn't it?" ((Hot damn, nothing better then being right and seeing a son of a bitch like Mac have to admit he is wrong)) Looking back to Easton Geoff says with a grin "Not sure about you man, but this narration is kind of growing on me."

Though Betty was just apparently sacked, it doesn't stop her from slinking through the crowd, letting her fingers drag across the shoulders and backs of various patrons who she greets quietly on her way to the stage. She takes her place in front of the microphone and joins seamlessly into the song with a low, throaty thrumming voice that seems to blend with the smoke of the atmosphere into a tangible presence in the room.

((Sure the dame had legs to here but Mac was taking more than a friendly interest in checking me out and it was clear what he had in mind.)) Easton listens with curiousity as his own voice over apparently outs Mac's interests and he turns from the stage and Bette's singing to look at Mac who waits for his order with what looks like nothing more than a friendly nod. Easton side eyes Geoff and says, "I think mine's broken." in a loud stage whisper. "Double whiskey. Neat." Easton orders and then pats himself down for cash to pay that before shrugging and saying, "On his tab Mac." He throws in a wink there just in case his voice over wasn't wrong, because what could it hurt.

"Same." Geoff gruffly speaks up to to put in his order alongside Easton's, leaning against the bar he says "I'm curious as to if the whiskey is gonna be any good." and then the glass is set before him with a clink of glass against wood. Scooping up the glass he offers a dip of his head towards Mac and tilts it back to take a sip from it, "Not bad, not bad at all." ((Not bad, but not good enough to keep me distracted from the way Betty's hips swayed side to side as she made her way up to the mic)) This prompts a wrinkle of Geoff's nose as he tells Easton "Except for that, that's just uh..." he shakes his head

At Geoff's voiceover he turns to watch Betty and gives Geoff a shrug of 'understandable' . Still watching her he takes a sip from the glass, closing his eyes as he savors it.

((There have been lovers a plenty but the silky warm burn of this whiskey is the only love I've ever known. My sole companion and confidant on long lonely nights.))

"What?!" Easton is sure to swallow that sip but nearly loses some in his angry exclamation. He takes another sip, faster this time not wanting to give his voice over voice any time to start divulging further information. He looks at Geoff and says, "Blatantly untrue." but he's not giving up the drink for anything at this point. Even if he can't enjoy it quite as much as he would like for fear that his personal narrator is going to start getting weird about it again.

Geoff shakes his head slowly at the narration from Easton "Man, and I thought what we'd shared was special. Wait till I tell Bennie." This coming from the man whose narration was just checking out the singer's ass. "So what do you think the trigger is here? What are we supposed to do?" Taking the glass he takes another sip and that's when the narration comes ((It was going to be rough, but I knew what I had to do. With the liquid courage in my gut, and my debts paid up the only thing left to do was head to the back office and screw over that potato eating Irish bastard O'Malley back for screwing me on the last job, and for that I had a whole magazine of lead with his name on it.))

Geoff spits out his drink at that then feigns a cough and before doing his best, he tries to pretend desperately that he did not just hear that.

"I told you, mine is broken!" Easton protests and then raises his eyebrows as Geoff's voice over decides to be very helpful. He looks disgusted, but not for reasons you might assume. "What?! You get a gun and I don't?" He at least has the good sense to try and whisper that, but talking quietly is not his strong suit.

((I could tell that the talk of guns had spooked Mac)) Easton whips his head around and sees that Mac is in fact spooked and trying to beeline for the back door. Easton's up on his feet and just as Mac opens the back door he pulls it forward hard with his abilities and smashes the bartenders nose in. A few people look up from their tables, but most dont' seem to think there's anything odd about Easton 'helping' the man to the back. Granted they don't have a good enough view of his arm choking Mac out .

He glances back to Geoff and motions him to follow. Apparently Easton has no qualms about the fact that they are here to murder O'Malley.