It's Five O'Clock Somewhere [Varde]

[Lucca]

Felix had several fairly regular haunts around Capital City, places he would go to whenever he just wanted a good time. The majority of them, however, were only open at night, or at least the atmosphere was such that night was the only time worth going. Furgus's had the advantage of still having an amiable enough atmosphere even in during the day, and today the porcupine was taking full advantage of that fact.

He had decided, after waking up to the smell of paint and seeing that the rest of his family (and whatever friends they could coerce into helping) were finally getting around to repainting the house, that it was a good time to not be home. After all, who knew when they might suddenly expect him to actually do some work as well?

Besides, he'd been hankering for a strong drink for a few days now. And who says noon is too early for such an indulgence? With a cheerful grin, Felix slapped some coin on the table and ordered one of his favorite mixed drinks, then sat back to wait, cricking his neck to ease it of the tension his heavy horns caused and casually glancing around to see if any of the other patrons would make good drinking partners.

[Varde]

Fenzik's eyes darted around eagerly as he entered the pub, taking in as much as possible. He had visited a number of pubs within the Capital before -- they were, after all, typically fantastic places to observe the various subtle nuances of other Cards' behavior -- but never before had he set foot within this particular establishment. Which made it all the more appealing.

He had spent the past few days in the Capital, performing a little research, doing a little business, and of course scouring local shops for potion materials either rare or unobtainable in Corvistowne. He had originally planned to head back home today, but he had talked with a shop owner yesterday who was expecting an especially exotic shipment within the next couple of days, which the rat had deemed worth sticking around for. As such, he had some spare time on his hands.

He initially headed toward the bar proper, but after a quick analysis of the room's layout he concluded that for observational purposes a table along the wall might be more suitable. Most of these, he noticed (with some surprise given the time of day), were already taken, but there was one empty chair at a table across from a friendly-enough-looking porcupine. He decided to chance it.

Fenzik strolled over to the table in question, his right tail carrying a cloth sack that clinked with sounds of glass as he walked. He cleared his throat as he approached the porcupine and cracked a toothy smile. "Pardon me," he said politely. "Is this seat taken?"

[Lucca]

Felix had actually ceased looking around and was sort of tuning out the world for the moment, his claws tapping out some sort of rhythm on the table, when he heard a voice. Blinking and shaking his head slightly in the look of someone who had just come out of a trance, he smiled upon seeing a Corvie Rat in front of him.

"Not at all, dude, I'd be happy for the company," he said easily, eying the Rat's tail curiously. "Your tail is like...two tails." He was always so insightful. One might think that he was already a little buzzed, except that there were no empty glasses yet and his eyes were too alert to be anything but sober. "How'd that happen? Were ya born with it? I was born with these." He placed a hand on one of his heavy horns, beaming in obvious pride.

It was at this point that he abruptly realized he did not yet know the name of this fellow. "Oh, my name's Felix, by the way." He leaned back, quills sticking out through the back of his chair, but that didn't bother him. He sent an idle glance toward the bar, wondering when his drink would get here. He was more than ready to sample it, especially now that he had some company.

[Varde]

Fenzik beamed appreciatively when the porcupine responded so agreeably to his request. "Very much obliged," the rat said gratefully, setting the sack down noisily beside the table and taking a seat. The observation regarding his tail gave him a chuckle. "You're correct! Very observant," he complimented his tablemate, taking note of the latter's remarkably easygoing attitude. "Ah, I see. They are very nice," he remarked, admiring the porcupine's unique horns. "As for my tails... I actually did this to myself," he explained, unable as usual to contain his pride for his successful experiment. "I was only born with one, but I'm a scientist, y'see, and hopelessly interested in good and evil -- as well as the chemicals that cause them -- so! One day, I performed a particularly risky experiment, and voila!" he exclaimed, both his voice and his gesticulations a bit more enthusiastic than he had intended. However, he hardly seemed to notice as he continued his story. "Two tails! And not merely two tails. Nay: one that behaves helpfully and politely," he said, motioning in the direction of the bag on the floor that Zik had carried, "and another that desires only to cause mischief," he concluded, oblivious to the fact that Fen had somehow procured a dull knife and was proceeding to carve random unsightly notches in the rat's wooden chair.

It wasn't until Felix introduced himself properly that Fenzik realized that his inadequate social skills had failed him yet again. "Ah, yes, yes. A great pleasure to meet you, Felix," he said apologetically. "Mine's Fenzik." He smiled, then followed the porcupine's gaze toward the bar. Had his new acquaintance already been helped? Had their presence even been noticed? Well, he supposed he would find out soon enough. "Anyway, enough about me!" he added dismissively. "What do you do?"

[Lucca]

Felix grinned happily at the compliments, spikes bristling slightly. He already liked this guy. Of course, he liked most people, unless they were jerks. "Oooh. Good and evil, huh? That's pretty deep," he said, nodding seriously. "I didn't even know they were based on chemicals...I thought it was more like, karma and stuff." He tapped a claw on the table, looking to the two tails, and his eyes lit up.

"Oh oh! I see! Like your tail has an evil twin!" He laughed delightedly at the thought. "One carries bags while the other plays with knives." He gave a bemused look at the 'evil twin' tail. "Maybe you should call it off, there, before the barkeep gets upset about the chair."

"It is a great pleasure to meet you as well, Fenny. Uh, y'don't mind if a I call you 'Fenny', do you?" Felix perked up as the barmaid, a Kahmden ermine, came back to the table, bearing a glass which the porcupine eagerly accepted.

Having delivered this, she turned to Fenzik, smiling at him. "And what would you like, Sir?" she asked politely.

After Fenzik ordered and the waitress left, Felix turned back to his new friend, looking a bit confused at first. "What do I do?" he asked, blinking a bit, before he realized what the question meant and laughed heartily. "Do you mean like, an actual job? Nah, man, I don't have one of those. Too much work, you know?" He elbowed the rat and then took a large gulp of his drink, leaning back further in the chair and looking peaceful.

[Harpsdesire]

Dania entered the bar with a faint frown on her sharp-nosed face. The Capital City, with it's bustling crowds and bright sunlight, was more than a little overwhelming for the rat. Her home region of Torquehelm was never so filled with activity and noise. Even the smells here seemed stronger, somehow.

She had started off the trip with a sense of exhilaration, like a fresh breeze of freedom in her stifling life. Of course, this trip was really not much more than a glorified errand, a shopping run to gather a few supplies and luxuries that were hard to find at home. Still, it was an adventure of sorts, and away from her parents' lovingly intrusive scrutiny. One of her first forays into independence, in fact, despite the fact that she was nearing the age to start a career and family of her own.

Now she was sorely tempted to run right back home, where it was quiet and safe and dim. The city was altogether too much, as far as Dania was concerned. It was enough to drive her to distraction.

The afternoon atmosphere of the pub was strangely soothing to the rat's frayed nerves. It was hushed and softly lit, full enough to seem friendly without being crowded. She flopped down (awkwardly because of her bound leg) on a bench just behind a rat like herself, although more brightly colored.

She blinked in surprise as she noticed that his tail-- or half of it anyway-- seemed to be trying to saw his chair into bits with a table knife. The young rat hardly noticed that she was staring. City people were so strange! And they always seemed to be hurrying, moving, doing something, even it was as inexplicable as cutting up a chair with their tail.

[Varde]

Fenzik chuckled good-naturedly at Felix's comment, which he supposed was born merely out of an all-too-common but forgivable ignorance for the sciences. He had begun to suspect that the porcupine was not precisely the academic type. "It is a deep subject," the rat agreed. "There's a lot to it. Morality isn't entirely based on chemicals, certainly, but it can be affected by them. There are a countless assortment of factors that go into each and every decision one makes," he continued, unconsciously allowing his voice to slip into the tone of a teacher instructing his eager pupils, "many of which are yet shrouded in mystery. And their complex interactions even moreso!" he cried excitedly, snapping back abruptly to reality at the sound of a sweeping, overly enthusiastic hand gesture sending the salt and pepper shakers clattering to the floor. His face became red and very sheepish as Zik proceeded to retrieve them and place them back on the table.

"That's a remarkably accurate description, yes," he said, nodding and succumbing to a grin once more. But at Felix's following statement, he cocked his head quizzically. "Knives? What do you --?" Turning, the rat groaned as he noticed what Fen had been up to this whole time. "No!" he scolded the tail, quickly snatching the utensil away and placing it upon the table, out of Fen's reach. The tail appeared almost to sulk for a moment, before coiling around one of the chair's legs like a snake. Fenzik sighed, rolling his eyes as his gaze returned to the porcupine. "He's always like that. Completely uncivilized. Can't take him anywhere."

A more reserved smile returned to his face when Felix brought up the topic of nicknames. "No, no, not at all," he replied. "You're actually not the first to call me that. I suppose my name lends itself to --" He was at this point interrupted by the arrival of the barmaid. "Erm," he answered her unhelpfully. Despite being in a bar, he hadn't actually given any thought to food or drink since entering. "I'll just have... an ale, thanks," he said at last. He didn't generally tend toward alcoholic beverages, but Felix was already drinking, and he didn't think the porcupine needed yet another excuse to think him weird.

"I suppose that's true," Fenzik said bemusedly. "Although, the solution to that is simply to find a job you enjoy doing," he pointed out. "Then it doesn't feel like work at all! For instance, take my chemistry. Strictly speaking, you could say that's my job, but to me it feels more like a hobby," he explained, hardly aware of a new Card approaching and taking a seat directly behind him.

[Lucca]

"Right, right," Felix said, nodding, but the blank look in his eyes clearly said he hadn't understood a single word that Fenzik had just uttered. Not that it bothered him, since he liked talking to people who were smart, even if he couldn't make heads or tails (haha, tails) of their words most of the time. He couldn't help but laugh, then, as the Rat not only sent the salt and pepper shakers off the table, but told his tail off. "I can see that. Rough luck, man," the porcupine said with another laugh. He was having good day already!

Felix shrugged. "I enjoy dancing, but that's hardly a job," he said with a laugh. "I suppose that's true, a good point, but no one would ever pay me for the stuff I like to do." He got an odd expression on his face, tilted his head, and then looked back at the Rat, a slight flush on his face for some reason. "Ah, well, I suppose that's not entirely true, but then I'm not -that- desperate." He sort of hoped the Rat wouldn't realize what he was talking about, and took another gulp of alcohol while looking around for a distraction. He needed to be more drunk for this and...ah!

He grinned at the new Card that had come to sit behind Fenzik, she was also a Rat, but a very pretty one...lots of purple and one of those depressed Torquey types. "Hey! There's room for you to sit with us, you know," he called to her with a cheery wave. "I like your fur. All that purple." Secretly, purple was his favorite color. Or maybe it wasn't quite a secret if you'd ever seen his room.

[Harpsdesire]

Without being particularly conscious of the fact, Dania had zoned out, listening to the conversations around her blend and become a sort of hazy buzz. She accepted a glass of the house wine from the barmaid, but let it sit untouched on the table before her after an initial sip had confirmed what she already knew-- alcohol just didn't really taste all that good. She returned to staring into space, exhausted by the bustle of the city and the long walk from Torquehelm. In fact, she was so deeply engrossed in her own thoughts that it took her a moment to register that Felix was speaking to her.

"Huh? Um, me?" She smiled nervously. "I ah-- Thanks." An awkward first impression would be bad enough without also refusing his friendly offer, she decided, and moved to take a seat at the same table as the cheerful porcupine and his two-tailed companion. Hopefully the Corvistowne rat wouldn't take offense at her sudden, somewhat clumsy arrival in the chair across from him (and intentionally well out of tail-range).

"Nice to meet you." The young rat made a valiant effort to seem friendly and outgoing, although she feared the effect was a little strained. "I'm Dania. Kind of you to share your table." Was she supposed to shake paws now, or something? She felt hopelessly awkward and settled for waiting to see how the others reacted.

[Varde]

"Bah, nonsense! There are all kinds of different jobs out there, no matter what you like to do," said Fenzik, who was (probably fortunately) under the impression that they were still talking about dancing. "There's always someone who's willing to pay for anything. Once you realize that, it's all just a matter of knowing where to find him," he stated, nodding sagely. "Thank you," he added as the barmaid returned and placed his drink upon the table with a cheery smile. The rat pulled the beverage closer to himself, but didn't partake of it just yet.

"Hm?" He looked up inquisitively as Felix said something, but realized the porcupine had been talking not to him but rather to... who? Someone behind him? "...Purple?" Fenzik echoed, puzzled, turning around. At once, his new friend's seemingly random statements made sense, as there was a Torquehelm sitting there, whom Felix was presently inviting to sit with them. He didn't mind in the slightest; the prospect of having more subjects to observe was thrilling to him, that being primarily why he had come here in the first place.

"Many greetings, Dania," the Corvie said after the other rat had switched tables and introduced herself. Meanwhile, Fen's first reaction to the newcomer was to attempt to lash out at Dania's own tail; fortunately for her, she had managed (whether consciously or otherwise) to position herself out of its reach. Thusly thwarted once again, the tail settled for whipping itself against a table leg a few times, causing the table to shake slightly. "My name's Fenzik. A pleasure to meet you as well!" At a loss for where to take the conversation next, he quickly decided some small talk was in order. "Have you been here before?"