Look Who's Burnin' [Alex, Alastair]

If Alex was gonna be letting his little girls stay here in the city, he wanted to make sure they weren't going to deal with anything bad. Obviously there was big shit like Ichigo, but a threat that huge was gonna come up no matter where you lived. Couldn't really avoid it. Right now, Alex was focused on another matter entirely. Inanna had been real excited to introduce Alex to this friend of hers, something about them boy having red hair and a name that started with Al. Well, he wasn't gonna tell her no, especially since he wanted to know what sort of guy was hanging out with Inanna in the first place.

So he asked for this guy's number, gave him a call and asked if he wanted to meet up. Inanna suggested it, after all. Now Alex was just relaxing at this little seaside cabana on the beach, pina colada in his hand as he watched the waves. He could've gone for a swim or something, but he didn't want to miss the guy showing up. He'd bring the girls back here later, let them enjoy the beach.

Plus, he'd get to see Nel in that new swimsuit of hers. Hell yeah.

"Just Alex is cool. Mr. Vaugrenard's a little stiff for my tastes."

Setting down his empty glass, Alex stood to greet his guest, stretching to his full height as he sized the man up. Alastair might have certainly been confident, but Alex had dealt with Hayden and Abalia in his life. He wasn't exactly the kind of guy to back up just because someone showed up acting a little confident, not that he imagined this guy was trying to front or anything.

"Guess you're the Alastair that Nanna's been gushin' about. Good to finally meet you, thought I might have to go out and find you myself. Don't think it's too unreasonable to wanna chat with the guy who's spending time with her, eh?"

Alex's voice wasn't exactly hostile, per se, but it had the vague sort of menace that one could only ever find in a protective father, the assurance that Inanna's happiness and security were absolutely paramount in this particular situation. Lighting a cigarette for himself, he glanced back over at the waves briefly before returning his gaze to Alastair.

"Let's walk, I'm gonna get another drink. Want anything?"

"Yeah, her n' Alex really like to just toss themselves at dangerous situations, act a hero about it. They're good kids, I don't exactly wanna tell 'em not to fight for good or whatever, but sometimes I've gotta make sure they reel it back before they get hurt."

Of course, Alex generally tried not to be so obvious when he was keeping the two of them safe. Sometimes he just happened to be in the area, or sometimes he'd already handled most of whatever it was they felt like doing. Was that really the best way to go about it? Nah, probably not, but he didn't like the idea of making them quit their little adventures. As they reached the small tiki bar that sat by the sand, Alex's attention turned only briefly to the old man behind the counter.

"Good taste. 'Ey, barman, two pina coladas."

Alex's tone wasn't exactly rude, more aggressively casual. He'd spent enough time here at the beach already to be on alright terms with the proprietor of this little spot. Besides, he liked this more than most of the stuff in the city. Quiet, out of the way. You wandered around enough, you got to like tiny things like this.

"Well, lemme cut to the chase, since I'm not really the kinda guy that likes to fuck around with words or whatever. Ninsianna trusts you, so I'm inclined to too, but it's only natural that a dad would wanna know what's up when a grown man's hanging out with a teenage girl. Feel me?"

Accusatory? No, not really. Alex's cadence hadn't changed from his typical mellow way of speaking, and he'd certainly spent enough time with folks outside what would be considered a "normal" group of friends. He was just scoping things out.

"Could'a fooled me, with how much she talks about you. Seems to think you and your lady friend are the bee's knees. Not that I'm sayin' she's wrong or anything, but I think she's got a pretty high opinion of ya."

Taking a sip of his drink, Alex looked out at the ocean for a short while, then turned his attention back to Alastair proper. Most people probably would've been more polite on this matter, and Nel would probably get mad at him if she heard him talk quite so rudely to a friend of Ninsianna's, but being tactful hadn't exactly ever been his style.

"Yeah, the world is pretty dangerous. After what just went down here, I think everyone's plenty aware of that. What I wanna know is if Alex and Nanna're actually gonna be safe here, 'cause from where I'm standing, it looks like this whole city's one more tough motherfucker away from bein' on the ocean floor."

Alex took a long pull from his cigarette, though his attention didn't actually move from his companion here. Unlike before, there was actually a sharp tone to his voice, and while most might have left the implication of his statement be enough, Alex didn't really do "implications."

"You actually a tough enough guy to keep her safe? Or is she still in danger just bein' here?"

Alex actually started to laugh at the notion that Inanna was the type to "respect her elders," let alone doing it "diligently." He couldn't exactly help it, and he only narrowly avoided choking on his drink just from the thought of it. Sure, she was a good kid, and he'd kill to keep her safe, but he'd never in a million fucking years say she was respectful. That was half the reason he'd taken such a shine to her, honestly.

But, the turn in conversation did make Alex's expression return to one more serious, and there was an obvious disapproving air to his expression as his eyes met Alastair's. But as he spoke, his voice seemed to make any fleeting idea of disapproval seem frankly paltry; he was quite transparently not particularly happy.

"Listen guy, I don't need protecting. If you can't guarantee Nanna's safe here, then that ain't exactly good enough. Trying doesn't mean a fuckin' thing if it doesn't work out, feel me?"

Alex finished the whole of his drink in one go, mostly as a measure to cool down, and set it down before drumming his fingers on the bartop, a little gesture to get any irritation out.

"I respect the effort. Not like I'm trying to say you're a bitch or anything. But when other people's lives're at stake, saying you're gonna try just isn't gonna fuckin' cut it. If you're gonna protect people, you've gotta be able to do it. Otherwise...well, you're gonna end up dead, and the people who relied on you aren't gonna be in a great spot."

There was a bitter edge to Alex's voice as he said that, though it wasn't exactly directed at Alastair. But he'd known some of the world's greatest ostensible heroes far more personally than most people, and look where they were now. Being six feet under didn't do shit for anyone. Standing rather unceremoniously, already through with the bar, Alex gave a single upward nod of his head toward the beach.

"C'mon. Let's see what you've got."