The Boys Are Back in Town (PM For Invite)

[Nym Magenta]

Would anyone inside even remember the pair? That was the thought that danced through Nym's head as she looked at the bricks of her and Ax's favorite bar to waste their time at when they really need to get out of Beacon and go do something easy. Spades had been a haunt of Ax's for some time now, but Nym only tended to go with her friend. She'd never so much as thought about stepping up on stage while Ax had at one point been well known. After months of being out and away on a mission, would she still have that fame she'd earned? An amused expression crossed her face as she looked at her companion. Her...girlfriend? Certainly, she was sure the title was still there, but even after spending so many months alone together it felt strange to even think it. Their little practicum had taken them across the realm on journeys both harrowing and exciting. With flying colors they'd passed, and now they'd earned at least a brief respite before Beacon once again consumed them.

She took a step closer to Ax as they stood at the entryway, pressing her shoulder to the taller girl. "Think ev'ryone's still gonna be off'rin' t' buy ya drinks once we step on in?" Her tail brushed playfully against Ax's. Nym's hopes were equally torn between wanting people to leave the pair alone for her sake, and Ax still retaining her status for the bird's sake. Surely she'd be elated to find that her name still had some measure of weight in the establishment? That's what Nym would hope for. If she truly had wanted Ax all to herself she would have insisted they spend their time at the hideout.

[Ax L Rose]

Aah... good ol' Spades. This was like a homecoming. The scene of this particular dive was notorious among aspiring musicians in Vale. The place was allegedly a rite-of-passage venue where many a beloved performer made their start. Ax happened to know that most of the owner's usual monologues were full of half-truths, but the hyperbole had really only inflated the legend of the place. It wasn't like Ax loved it because of all the musicians that'd come before anyway though - she was a part of the subculture. And she wasn't just *any* scene queen here...

Ax's hands rested in her pockets, her shoulder bumped up a bit against Nym's as they treaded the sidewalk toward the softly-glowing sign above the entryway that faced the street. It was a busy night judging from the line outside and all the cars cluttering the parallel parking lanes outside. She turned her head to flash her partner a warm grin at her words, but she'd barely finished taking a breath to speak before someone interrupted.

"It's Ax!" an excitable, feminine voice piped up from the crowd. A nondescript woman with purple hair stood on her tiptoes, pointing a finger.

"Who?"

"She's not dead?"

"Isn't that the Queen of Hearts?"

Ah, yes. Who could forget the poetic nickname Ace had given her? She hadn't been sure it'd ever catch on when it started... but after a few shout-outs on stage, sure enough it did. She wore the title of a whimsical faerie tale monarch with pride.

A few other voices joined the chorus from the line. Sure, most of the people out front weren't really paying that much attention, but the rocker-bird's presence had clearly drawn some attention from the regulars! Even some unfamiliar people paused their conversations to peer over at Ax and Nym. Ax rose a hand to greet the people who noticed with a grin, shouting out a few greetings to a few friendly faces. The bouncer at the doorway gave her and Nym each a firm nod, clearly intending to let them through without making them wait.

"...it's nice to be missed. Guess we'll see if anyone gets gutsy tonight," Ax mused over to Nym, a luminous smile on her lips thanks to all the cheerful vibes from the crowd. She reached over to take the fox's hand as she felt a fluffy tail brush against hers, happy to lead the way.

Ax paused to say hello to a few people along the way, but she was otherwise apparently eager to get inside. As they reached the bouncer she made a little quick conversation.

"Shit, busy night tonight," Ax noted.

"It's been like this every weekend lately. Ace's King of Clubs moved up in the world, got signed and shouted the place out. It'll mellow out later. Either way, he'll be glad to see his Queen of Hearts back. Go on in," the bouncer gestured them to proceed.

"Ah... the perks of being royalty. He here tonight?"

"Think he's at the office tonight, but who knows, he could stop by later. Now you goin' in, or you gonna buy me a drink?" The bouncer smirked.

"Better luck next time," Ax replied with a wink, giving Nym's hand a little squeeze. The pair stepped on through the entryway into the lively bar. Looked like whatever band was playing tonight hadn't hit the stage yet, but the dive was packed full of alternative hipsters, punks and common rabble mingling with all sorts of fresh faces. Maybe that was for the best... Ax could catch up with all the regulars later. She'd mostly just wanted to hang out, have a few drinks with Nym, and bask in normalcy again for a bit.

"Glad it's packed, actually. We'll blend right in," Ax grinned over at Nym.

[Nym Magenta]

Nym felt her heart skip a beat when Ax took her hand and started leading her into the bar. She bit her lip, marveling at how elated she felt from such a simple thing. Ax did it all the time! Almost any time they were going anywhere she was quick to take Nym's hand, even when it was someplace that they both knew. Did the bird faunus even notice she was doing it? Maybe she did it on purpose, just so she could feel that little jolt of excitement that Nym felt. Her mind wandered while Ax made small talk with the bouncer. Ax was royalty, but Nym was a nobody here. She wasn't about to be recognized or praised or fawned over. That was fine. There was only one person she cared about here anyways.

The squeeze of the hand as Ax pulled her through the crowd did little to stop her internal musings. It was a metaphor for their whole relationship, Ax dragging Nym headlong into places familiar and unfamiliar. Nym's heart following after her without a second thought. "Sounds good t'me..." Nym trailed off for a thoughtful second as she spied a place to sit. She could just barely make out a couple of stools at the far end of the bar that hadn't been taken. "Ax, ova' there?" She nodded at the first spot she could see. Finding a seat faster seemed better than looking for the perfect one when the place was so packed.

[Ax L Rose]

Ax's eyes were alight, a hint of warm amber from the prominent stage lights of the venue melting the icy cold of the bird's eyes. Her attentions were wandering about freely but her hand on Nym's held steady. The fox might've thought of herself as a nobody here, but she very clearly wasn't. Among the faces that quickly noticed Ax there were also plenty that noticed Nym, too.

Nym had never been on stage to perform, and while Ace had been pleasant and fun with Nym as he certainly would any guest of Spades' very own Queen of Hearts, he didn't draw attention to the fox constantly the way he did with Ax and other aspiring musicians. Still, there were plenty who knew Nym as the pretty fox that tended to accompany Ax - more bitter and envious souls occasionally referred to the fox as the Queen's Consort, though most that did knew better than to say as much in either Nym or Ax's presence. The last time Ax had been here, she'd brought a different dark-haired faunus girl with her for a change and it'd actually nearly been a dramatic, difficult situation. That had been months ago now though...

There was no shortage of men and women alike that even seemed to take a keener interest in Nym than they did in Ax - as pretty as the confident, talented woman was, Nym was unambiguously the less daunting and intimidating to approach of the pair. But Nym definitely wasn't approachable the same way whenever Ax held her hand like that. Maybe that was part of why she did it... Ax had always been protective of Nym. Even downright possessive. The latter was even more true in the time they'd been away on assignment.

Ax's gaze shifted to Nym as the fox drew her eye to a nice spot by the bar. It was a miracle there were free stools at all, and she required no further encouragement to beeline for the place Nym picked out.

"Good eye, babe," Ax nodded. The crowd parted for the pair, subconsciously influenced by the urgency of Ax's movement and her passively-projected star power alike. She knew how to navigate a thick crowd. She finally let go of Nym's hand so she could shrug off her guitar case and prop it up by the bar, apparently confident that no one would dare touch it.

"Home sweet home!" Ax beamed. There had been a few times while they were away where Ax wondered if she would indeed ever get to see this place again. Now that she was here, she felt whole and complete... gratitude that her missions had gone well filled her soul. Despite some of the close calls along the way, they'd made it back where they belonged.

Sadly, the place being so packed meant that even a VIP would have to wait for the busy bartenders to get around to serving them. Ax reached for her pocket to pull out a few slips of lien - nothing got a bartender's attention like the promise of a fat tip.

"It's cute though, the way you worry 'bout that kinda thing. Usually it's me worryin' who's got their eyes on you whenever we're out and about in town," Ax noted to Nym with a smirk as she held up her cash to get the bartender's attention.

[Nym Magenta]

Nym smiled warmly at Ax as they sat down, utterly uninterested in their bartender, the daily specials, the other patrons, the only person in the bar she really had eyes for was the pink haired girl sitting right in front of her. "W-Well...I don'...there's a lotta people what know ya, 'ere, n'...it ain't like 'm jealous, more like, uh...I don' always want the extra 'ttention...on eitha' of us. S'nice t' jus'...y'know, not get interrupted." She scratched lightly behind one of her ears. "Don' gotta be all the time, though." The fact they were sitting in a bar that Ax was a celebrity in was proof of that. If Nym really, really wanted her all to herself they could have gone elsewhere. The fact of the matter was that she too felt a little at home in Spades, and no small part of that was because of the way Ax felt when they were there.

"Kinda missed this place. Goin' t' so many new towns was...eh...a mixed bag." Vale was fairly progressive, but the world was full of racists. Their welcomes in the towns they'd gone to were mostly welcome, but not every business had been as kindly as Spades was. It had stirred up some unpleasant memories of Nym's childhood. Thankfully, Ax had been there to help make sure her anxieties were short lived. It had been a wonderful reminder that she wasn't alone anymore.

[Ax L Rose]

Ax's eyes glanced over to her pretty partner and she felt a familiar little pull of affection at the soft, vaguely awestruck quality to Nym's gaze. Now that she was thinking about it... this was her first time bringing Nym around since their friendship had definitively taken a step away from platonic expression alone.

"Makes one of us," Ax admitted with a little shrug, though her smile didn't fade. "I get jealous as fuck. Any time I catch someone makin' eyes at you, I worry they're gonna make a pass at you as soon as they catch you alone."

They headed into town together often enough for people to notice, but they also flew solo often enough... and Ax knew that Nym had a reputation before. She decided not to elaborate on the other unpleasant thoughts that tended to accompany her jealousy. She hadn't known how to tackle it in the past, but she understood it better now that they'd been away from it all for a while.

"N' people 'round here know how I feel, too. It's never been a well-kept secret. Sometimes I think people wanna put the moves on you if nothing else just to flex on me, feed their egos to be honest," Ax continued, leaning in considerably so that she wouldn't need to speak loudly and risk being overheard. All sorts of shitty people, players, guys and girls... they could be obsessed with control and status. They'd jump at a chance to be alone with the Queen's Consort, if nothing else so they could gossip about it in their own little echo chambers and social bubbles and be smug about their secrets. Ax's supernatural empathy gave her all sorts of unpleasant windows into how people really felt and behaved. She knew now that it had never been fair to expect Nym to understand how it all made Ax feel.

"I missed it here too, though," Ax nodded. "If you decide all this shit's too distracting, though, we can leave whenever, go somewhere else, do somethin' else..." Spades had been her idea, but if Nym wanted to avoid interruptions, Ax was more than happy to help work that out.

"And in the meantime, if any unwelcome interruptions show up, I'm happy to scare 'em off," Ax smirked confidently.

[Nym Magenta]

Nym chortled at Ax's admission of jealousy. Oh, she knew only too well exactly how jealous Ax could be. It had taken it's toll on their friendship in the past, but it had also been a source of pride for Nym. She was someone worth getting jealous over, for Ax at least. Ax had standards, too! So that had to mean Nym was meeting some high standards! She scooted her barstool a little closer to Ax and wrapped her tail around the Bird's waist. "'M 'onestly torn, Ax," Nym said, a giggle still in her voice. "On the one 'and, I'd love t' watch ya tear inta' some bleedin' wanka' who was tryin' t' hit on yer girl right in front'a ya at yer fav'rite bar." Oh what a glorious sight that would have been. Would it have gone straight to fists? Would Ax help to elucidate their stupidity by caving their skull in? Or would she tear them to shreds with words?

"On the otha'..." Nym tilted her head. "Think it might be fun t' watch some bloke's 'spression shrivel up when I tell 'em 'zactly what I think of 'em tryin' t' 'it on me when 'm taken already." Nym didn't need to resort to violence right away, not unless someone was trying to get handsy. She'd broken her fair share of wandering fingers while taking the bus from place to place. No, it would probably be satisfying enough just to tell someone 'no' in no uncertain terms and really let them have it! "Heh, think watchin' you stand up fer me takes the cake, though. Knight in shinin' armor n' that." She'd sketched Ax wearing a classical knight's outfit before, but it wasn't her favorite. Not enough skin!

[Ax L Rose]

Oh, that proud little fox, how she smiled up at Ax and wrapped her tail 'round her lower back... it'd been something else, being by Nym's side through a really prolonged mission. It seemed to have made the pretty fox a bit bolder than usual, though she found she wasn't minding it much. She couldn't exactly deny that she'd be hard pressed not to seriously hurt someone for putting the moves on Nym at a time like this. A wry smirk came to Ax's lips.

"You're lucky you're cute," Ax said with a gentle, amused little huff. She gave Nym a lingering up-and-down look, a surge of warmth rising in her chest as Nym tilted her head like a curious puppy. The taller girl's attentions lingered in Nym's general direction as she spoke on, biting her lip a little as Nym spoke so sweetly of her.

"Honestly, sometimes I kinda worried my little white-knight habit might bug you," Ax admitted. She paused as the bartender finally reached her, holding out her money and calling out a drink order over the noise of the bar.

"Get a Cobalt Velvet for me and my partner here!"

A bubbly drink with a bit of a sweet taste... classy and cool. Like champagne served with a hint of cola. It would sure leave a sweeter taste on Nym's tongue than straight liquor would... Ax's hand settled around Nym's hip and she leaned in a little, giving the short-haired fox a playful grin.

"You're kind of a huge goddamn tease, you know that? Maybe I should find some cute slut to hit on here, see if I can get you good n' jealous... see how you like it," Ax teased. She obviously... probably wouldn't actually do it.

[Nym Magenta]

Her lips parted in a smile that showed off her larger than average canine teeth and Nym laughed again. It came so easy around Ax these days. Even in their darkest hours she still felt like she was only one or two sentences away from a burst of warmth around the pink haired wonder. The idea that Ax could possibly find someone she thought was cuter than Nym somewhere in all of Remnant was so ridiculous! Surely they both knew that that wasn't possible. Granted, Ax could probably find the cutest girl in the place besides Nym, but they'd be a far cry from first place. Nym was overwhelmed by a sudden urge to grab a fistful of Ax's jacket and pull her into a kiss. They were in public, and she knew Ax wasn't all that big on displays of affection in crowded places, but she couldn't help it. The best she could do was keep it mostly affectionate, deigning not to part her lips, keeping it relatively quick before pushing Ax an inch back with the same rough grip.

Her hand stayed where it was, her thumb starting to rub up and down against the fabric. "Like that's any kinda threat. You'd neva' settle fer second best," Nym said with what little confidence she could muster, a hint of color coming to her cheeks as she simpered at Ax. "Don' think anythin's eva' flattered me as much as you standin' up fer me. Couldn' eva' bug me doin' that." She never would have had the confidence to say what she'd just said if it wasn't for the years that her partner had spent taking other students to task for talking shit about the fox. She let go of Ax's jacket, letting her fingers trail down to the girl's thigh where they stayed.

[Ax L Rose]

Nym's lips touching hers was electric in the best of ways! Ax's heart soared, a rush of psionic delight emanating from her aura in a palpable wave. That brief blip of sweet resonance instantly did a number on Ax's train of thought. She had been going for a vaguely sly, vaguely snarky vibe whilst lampshading their situation and their history, but she couldn't remember what the hell she'd been getting at when Nym stole a kiss.

Nym willed forth confidence - Ax could tell because she could hear it in her words, but couldn't feel it over the roar of hearts breaking around them in real-time. There was, of course, no way for Ax to accurately gauge just how many people noticed or gave a shit that the Queen of Hearts and her best friend had finally cut through the tension enough to share a kiss. That didn't stop the shift in the atmosphere from blunting what had been a rather pleasant emotional buzz born of shared affection.

"I-" Her words broke off like her voice gave out. Ax started to smile... and then started to blush, eyes suddenly shifting elsewhere, smile shrinking. She straightened a bit where she sat, as if realizing she'd been caught on camera by paparazzi. Ax was looking deeply into Nym's eyes like she was seeking something, but the signs were there - Ax was clearly not sure what to do or say in that instant. It took her a brief moment to gather enough composure to know what to do and put her poker face on.

A part of her wanted to applaud Nym for her boldness, while another wanted to chide her for her recklessness! Both of these parts of Ax seemed to want to grab the pretty fox by her pretty face and kiss her again, this time with more feeling! This only made the strange twist of emotions from the crowd around her more confusing.

"...l-let's smoke," Ax quickly suggested in a low, secretive tone. This might as well have been code for "please accompany me while I run away from this situation" by now - Ax often struggled to truly be vulnerable in front of a crowd, which meant a tactical withdrawal was in order so she could go back to looking cool and composed for her audience and any daring friends or strangers that might've bothered to approach them. Fortunately, Ax had been in this situation enough times with her best friend where she didn't need to worry too much about making Nym panic.

Ax started to get up at a somewhat deliberately measured pace, trying not to seem too much like she was in a rush to get away from the emotional noise of the room. She also didn't want anyone thinking that Nym's kiss had somehow been unwelcome, so she had the thought to reach out and take Nym by the hand as she stood. It wasn't like a lot of people were actually staring in a way that was obvious, but this was a social circle full of types that knew sneak glances when they thought neither Ax nor Nym were looking. As a result, when Ax jerked her head to peer out at the crowd and saw at least one person sharply, quickly look away, she felt another pang of catastrophic anxiety. She wanted to handle it before it became a problem this time.

[Nym Magenta]

The feelings that sprung forth in Nym's chest as Ax's semblance poured her soul into the fox's was delightful. It was so much easier to tell whose feelings were whose now that she had been doing it for years. Knowing for certain that Ax had enjoyed that did a lot to make her confidence feel less faked. The following shadow of anxiety wasn't what she was hoping for, but she'd even thought it herself! Ax wasn't the biggest fan of PDA. Still, she'd clearly enjoyed it and wasn't throwing a drink in Nym's face. She didn't need to panic. The hand taking hers was welcome reassurance nonetheless. Nym nodded quietly as they both got up from the bar and started to cut their way through the building.

No one ever really stopped the pair of them from going where they wanted. Ax had enough star power that people got out of her way when she looked like she was going somewhere. Even the most determined fan could be stopped with a stern gaze, the boldest stranger turned away with a few harsh words. Getting out through the back halls that were usually meant for staff or performers was easy. Everyone knew both of them. Together or alone, they'd both come through here enough with the owner's permission that no one batted an eye at another trip out the back door for a cigarette.

[Ax L Rose]

Ax was very grateful for the lack of interference from the other patrons. She wasn't confident she could restrain herself from being a real bitch to anyone that got in her way at a time like this. The tension in the air, thankfully, was dying down almost as fast as Ax stepped away - the crowd could be attentive, but it was often also fickle in where their attentions lingered. This fact didn't stop her from wanting to get outside and catch a breath of fresh air sooner rather than later.

As they got out, though, Ax didn't seem to show any actual interest in smoking. Instead, Ax made sure to close the door behind them before quickly turning to Nym and pressing a firm, needy kiss to her lips that lingered quite a bit longer than the one they shared at the bar.

Nym's back pressed into the brick wall behind her with that kiss, Ax gripping a fistful of Nym's hoodie on each shoulder. As they had no audience, Ax showed no hesitation in pressing her body to Nym's. A second or so later Ax slowly drew back, though her eyes lingered on Nym's as she hovered close to the shorter girl, a hand planted just below the fox's neck.

"...might as well kiss me like you mean it if you're gonna go for it," Ax murmured quietly. She breathed out a little sigh and gave Nym a slow, lazy little blink. She was clearly trying to reassure Nym with a bit of playful levity on the off chance her urgency had caused any stress.

"But I appreciate the... attempt at restraint,"

It was a little unclear if she was as cheerful as she was trying to be. Now that they didn't have a crowd and they were so close together, the clarity of Ax's aura was at least giving better signals. Unfortunately, complex blends of multifaceted emotion still didn't translate very easily, so it was hard to tell whether affection or nerves were winning out behind Ax's deep, crystal-blue eyes. Whatever Ax was feeling, it was as intense and vaguely confusing as ever.

[Nym Magenta]

Nym took a conspiratorial look both ways down the alley to check and see if they were alone out back. It wasn't all important that the pair have some privacy, but it was nice to know whether someone was listening in on what they were talking about. She turned back to Ax just in time to get roughly shoved up against the brick wall and given a kiss that made sparks fly in her head. The heat of her feathered friend's skin as she pressed in was palpable even through the clothes she wore. Maybe they should have just stayed in bed, she thought to herself as Ax hovered close by. Nym's hands rose to grip lightly at Ax's hips while she leaned against the wall, only a little dazed.

"I...jus'...felt like I 'ad t' kiss ya or I was gonna burst inta' flames, Ax," Nym explained. "I didn' really, uh...think 'bout much other'n...um, well...'ow uh...how cute you were when you were teasin' me." Nym's thumbs rubbed up and down against Ax's skin. "I c'n try t'...y'know, not do that so much anymore 'f it's gonna be a problem." Not kissing Ax in public might be a challenge, but she could hold herself back if she really needed to. Ax and Nym might both be able to do it without being embarrassed, but their emotions weren't the only ones Ax could feel. If it meant sparing Ax a considerable amount of secondhand turmoil, or firsthand turmoil as the case might be, Nym could do it. She'd just have to save her affection for later.

[Ax L Rose]

It was natural for Nym to be keeping an eye out. Ax had naturally encouraged this sort of behavior - Ax was a queen of this particular scene, and that meant there were always eyes watching and ears listening. A bit of caution went a long way, and Nym's mindfulness about the matter seemed to go some distance toward helping Ax calm down a little.

She lingered close, her forehead pressed against Nym's, her eyes gently falling shut. She let her cybernetic hand idly toy with a bit of Nym's bangs as she spoke, letting the soft sound of Nym's voice soothe the residual nerves of their environment. Maybe being away from Vale so long had caused bigger changes to her mindset than she realized. She hadn't foreseen feeling so uptight when she came back... especially about Nym.

It figured that Nym might jump to this sort of conclusion, though. Nym, after all, was completely out of her element. She'd done the casual thing before, but all indications were that Nym had no idea how to be serious with someone, even though she'd tried at least once more with someone else to Ax's knowledge. It was easy to forget these details when they spent so long with only each other for company. Back in the real world, though, Ax was realizing she clearly had a lot left to teach Nym about this sort of thing. Nym had literally not once demonstrated a true grasp of the nuances of serious relationships; she was the type to literally cry when people were only superficially nice to her, after all. If any sycophant out there with a bit of boldness could earn Nym's trust, what made Ax different? Ax still didn't know... she never really had. All along, every time she'd had any sort of serious talk with Nym, she was always grasping at straws... untangling difficult emotions as best she knew how.

"M' not sayin' I don't want you to kiss me," Ax said gently, shaking her head lightly.

"But we do need to work a lil' on that impulse control of yours, it sounds like," Ax mused with a brief little chuckle. She pulled back enough to look Nym in the eye, hands lowering back to Nym's shoulders.

"...let's talk, yeah? 'Cause as much fun as it's been, havin' things just you n' me since we took off on our mission, I'm realizing we uh, actually have been... not really doing much serious talking about us since we left, much less came back to Vale. You know me, I'm big on making sure we're on the same page n' all..."