I'm good at shooting people, cracking wise, and pretending to know how to fight.

( Sometimes mornings were nice. )

He grabbed a thermos of coffee on his way out, shoving half a sandwich in his mouth. Lana was probably not going to be outside at 10 AM on the dot, right? He would be that lucky?

[[ for her ]]

Last week, Lana had insisted on going to one of the 'good restaurants' in Chinatown, and Atton had said no, because it was boiling hot outside and they were in Chelsea and he just needed an AC. This week, Lana had chosen to spend her break crashing at Atton's place and experiencing New York City right.

So it was time for a do-over.

Though not until about three bars into a pub crawl, and these past few weeks really was the most and the most frequent Atton had been drinking in a very long time. There were probably psychological reasons behind that, but Atton's therapist was in another galaxy. He was trying not to analyze that until he was in a better place to decompress.

Anyway, they were three bars in, he'd made Lana a promise, and so they found themselves pushing their way into Famous Sichuan at a stupid late hour for a Tuesday night.

"This place," he announced, "Is good, and it's open until 2 AM, which makes it extra good on a night like this."

Did he mention he hadn't drank this much and this often in a long time?

[[ for lana ]]

Apparently, Atton now liked hiking enough that he was willing to go do it without his weird, nature-obsessed roommate. He didn't know what to do with that information. He was pretty sure Summer would agree it was a sign he had lost his karking mind.

On the other hand, it had taught him a few things about relaxing and letting go.

Which would be why he was here, and why he'd asked Lana to join him here today instead of at the practice space. He found himself hovering not far from the upcoming portal location, on a parking lot, a vast field of asphalt sitting there looking weird in front of the natural splendor behind him.

Ugh.

[[ open for phone calls/messages, and for she who is visiting ]]

The walk to the venue felt unnaturally long. Maybe it was that everyone had fallen silent somewhere halfway there, caught up in their own thoughts. It was a big one, after all. The biggest thing they’d ever done. Hundreds of people.

A favor to a friend of a friend, sure. And pro-bono, because Dane had insisted they play some of their original stuff, and there’d been– well, a bartering process. But– but Dane had insisted they play some of their original stuff. For hundreds of people.

Space. It was one thing, getting all of his shit out on paper for the first time in his life. But to a crowd?

To a crowd with Lana in it.

And yet, despite how slow the walk there had been, suddenly they were– well, there. Staring up at this old building, lights on, the sun sinking behind the horizon. Atton swallowed. “You guys go on ahead,” he said, slowing to a stop. “I’ve got a friend from the island coming in, I’ll wait for her.”

( Is she hot? Trent asked. )

[[ expecting one, with some ocd. nfb due to distance. ]]