Chapter 6 (Post 'Zero to Hero')
Delsin hopped down into Eugene's dingy lair. There were anti-Conduit vests strewn about, sometimes blocking the occasional 'Heaven's Hellfire' poster. "Eugene, grab your coat, we're going to a bar."
Eugene got up, shrugging into his coat.
"You know what, on second thought, ungrab it, that thing's awful." He shook his head. "And man, you're a Conduit, all right? You can do this." Patting Eugene on the shoulder, he kicked away one of the vests and grabbed the ladder out. "No angels."
"I got it." Following him up, Eugene blinked in the light of the plaza. "Where is the place?"
"Just a few blocks down man. C'mon, we're hoofing it like normals." He gestured down a small side street. About halfway down it, he saw a group of ten men milling about a cooler labeled with a dolphin.
"I know what you're thinking. It's a porpoise." Eugene said, chuckling.
"Not the important part. Remember, no angels." Delsin leapt up onto a third story balcony, sighted down his arm, and fired three neon shots in succession, subduing their targets, before landing a stasis bubble between others. Eugene took advantage by appearing to take four of them down, including the two frozen, with the angel sword. The final one dropped to his knees.
"You want to subdue him, or should I?" Delsin leaned against the brick wall and looked up at the darkening sky.
Eugene clenched his hands. "I'll do it."
Waving his hand at the pleading dealer, Delsin nodded. "Don't worry man, this won't hurt a bit. Actually, don't listen to me. I have no idea." The dealer's eyes went wide, but Eugene's swords came down, trapping the man under them. He pulled out his phone.
"What're you doing?" Eugene asked, as he pumped the drug container full of hard light.
"Texting Fetch. She'll be glad to know we got rid of some of this city's drugs." Finished typing, he slid his phone back into his pocket.
"Do you think you could give me her number?"
"Trust me, that's not the way you want to get a girl's number." He shook his head and kept walking.
"Oh… okay." Eugene ran to catch up.
"And let that one go, man, you can't start at the top. Which is why we're here." He stopped at the door of the Ale House. "I had wanted to go to a show, but the damned DUPs closed all the theaters!"
"That sucks man." Eugene scratched his arm.
"It does. Shows are better for this sort of thing, but we'll make it work." Delsin opened the door and walked in, his friend in tow.
Fairly little light permeated the inside, the windows were dark and the lamps were few. A few older men sat at the bar, deep in their cups. "Either we're a little early or this is the only occupation in history not encouraging people to drink." Delsin shook his head.
"Maybe this place just isn't popular." Eugene said as they slid into a booth with beers grabbed from the bar.
"Maybe. Might've been better off with a Katie's." He frowned. "Still, we can use this to our advantage. All right, remember when I said I'd teach you how to get girls?"
"Yeah. I remember."
"Well, now's the time. So listen. I know people say that girls like assholes, but that's bullshit, if anyone tells you that than they're just bitter. Just be confident, man. And maybe save Heaven's Hellfire for later. In general, probably not a universal thing. Honestly, that's basically it. Be confident, and be personable. Like a person." Sipping his beer, Delsin looked up to see a girl roughly their age entering the bar. Long hair, bright clothing. 'That could work.' He thought.
"That's like the least helpful advice I've ever gotten." He chugged half of his beer.
"Just try it man, be sure of yourself for once. Think 'this girl will like me,' ya know?" He sat back. "Like, go talk to that girl over there man. But give it a minute, she just got here."
"And if I don't like her?" He asked, looking over.
"Man, you haven't even met her yet." Delsin nodded his head towards her.
"Yeah, but, I mean, Fetch, ya know?" Shaking his head, Eugene drained the rest of his beer.
"Really gotta let that one go, man. Starting to sound like a broken record." He nodded as he spoke. Eugene got up to get more beer.
"I'm good, finding a girl can wait." He said, sitting back down. "Why don't you go talk to her?"
Delsin started coughing up the beer he was drinking.
"Are you all right, Delsin?" He put his beer down.
"Yeah. Fine." He croaked, hitting his chest. He had to think quickly, not wanting Eugene to know about him and Fetch yet, having no idea how he'd react.
"So yeah, why don't you go talk to her?" Eugene asked again.
"I'm into, more like, indie girls, man, you know?" Delsin decided that would work, Fetch did sort of fit the profile. Kind of. A bit.
"Oh. Okay man. Still, I'm not feeling it tonight. Some other time." Eugene finished his second beer.
"If that's the case than we could be out taking DUPs down or something. You wanna go?" Delsin looked to the door.
"Yeah, let's do that." They got up and left, Delsin shaking his head.