While Rome Burns {open}

[Anastasia]

Anya giggled when the girl joked that it would be ‘sticky’, probably not the reaction she should be having, but the guy who had been complimenting her was laughing so it probably wasn’t true…probably. The idea that guys were putting her picture up in their lockers, ok one guy but who cares, made her feel great, made her feel that maybe she was actually getting somewhere with this whole ‘sexy’ thing. Maybe.

“I am normal,” said Anya defensively, “and so are most of the people in that bar. It’s just when they go out for an evening they dress up a little…differently. And why shouldn’t they? It’s something they love, something they’re interested in, why shouldn’t there be a place for them to go, to express that love of all things comics, sci-fi and…other stuff that I don’t quite no much about yet and sort of don’t want too.”

She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “Anime and manga are weird.”

Sitting back up straight again she continued, “But they are the nicest people you’ll ever meet. All of them, like one time these idiots came in when I was performing, made a ruckus and tried to grab me off the stage, three klingons, a storm trooper and a very manly princess leia fought them off and kicked them out. And the guy in charge, it was good of him to give me the job, he didn’t need too, plenty of other girls auditioned and could have done it, but he gave it to me. He’s a good guy, they all are.”

Lifting her drink she grumbled, “except the bartender. He’s a baby, a stupid, stupid face with a stupid face. Stupid.”

[Deleted]

Chel cocked a brow at the protest of normality. In her experience, the more you protested how very normal you were, the less true that actually was, and that went double for anyone who lived anywhere near Tintagel. Plus, Red got quite defensive, in a way that nearly had Chel raising up her hands in surrender. She ended up giggling at the end, especially as Red confessed that anime and manga, whatever those were, were odd.

"I'm sure they're real nice," said Chel. "Probably never even seen boobs before, so anyone with them gets the special treatment," she took a sip of her drink, considering. Maybe she should consider cruising through there. Might be more interesting than continually going places like this. She'd have to ask someone how you dressed or use the internet or something.

Chel might have kept thinking about herself, which really wasn't much of a stretch, except Anya went off on a tangent that was very familiar to Chel. The Latina turned to look at the Russian, again raising an eyebrow, though now for a very different reason.

"What, does the bartender also have a sticky picture?" she asked. She grinned. "Or maybe it's that you wish he did..."