Drinking is something Astoria Hargreeves is good at. Something she can do easily. Something she can escape into. Something that helps her ignore the shit world around her. And boy does she love those bars that are more dump than an actual bar, and the people that frequent them don't ask too many questions about things they may or may not see. It means Astoria can play around with her powers and not have to worry so much about getting caught out. Plus she's a regular. They like her. She's here every night. Usually without fail. What else is she going to do? She has no job. No life. No one depending on her. She can just....drink and sleep to her heart's content. Which is pretty much all she does nowadays, with a little 'magic' thrown in. She sits sideways on her stool at her local bar. Her eyes are a little unfocused on this guy. He's stood just at her side, behind the stool next to hers. He is a middle-aged man in a suit and he is staring at her. He's said something, but it hasn't registered in her mind over the sound of the music pumping through the bar. It's louder than possibly necessary, but the people that come in here, come in here to escape. No one wants to talk. They want to drink or dance or both. Nothing else matters in here. But he's looking at her like he's said something that she was supposed to have heard. She cocks her head.
"Can I help you?" Astoria asks, resting her elbow on the bar, pressing a finger into her head as she looks over the man in the suit that's talking to her.
"Astoria Hargeeves?" He counters, she watches him a moment, narrowing her eyes. He's way too formal for this bar, the suit, the sunglasses. She raises an eyebrow. Pretty sure she's dealing with the military or the government here. He has that feel to him.
"Depends on who's asking..." She answers.
"Agent Coulson, I'm with Shield"
"Shield...." She tests and then raises an eyebrow. "Are you the guys with the bird or the sword?"
"The bird" He answers.
"Oh, why isn't it a shield?" She asks him. He opens his mouth to answer her but then closes it, because he has no idea what the answer to that is. She nods a little and taps her nails on the side of her chair. "Whatever you're selling, I ain't affording so...." She shrugs at him and pulls a face. She doesn't do this anymore. She doesn't deal with the government. Anymore. She tried it. Didn't like it. Too many rules.
"Shield is putting together a team. Which we would like for you to be part of....."
"Why?" She asks him.
"There is a world-threatening event occurring which requires your assistance" Coulson explains.
"Oooo I actively avoid those situations...So no, thanks..." She points out and turns to flag down the bartender for another drink. "Hey, Marco! Can I get another round of shots down here!?" She shouts down at the bartender who holds up a finger for her to wait. She blows a raspberry.
"Miss Hargreeves" She turns back to Coulson.
"You're still here" She points out and cocks her head. "Interesting...usually when I tell people to go away....they do"
"I'm more afraid of my boss than I am of you" He offers, she smirks and then laughs.
"Okay," She whispers and nods. "Take a pew, G-Man, tell me about this....A-Team you are recruiting" She pats the stool next to her and he sighs.
"Perhaps it would be best to talk on the way...." He argues, she hums a little and leans on the bar.
"What if I don't like your plan though?" She asks. "I'd have to come all the way back here....it's probably a very long walk..."
"You can teleport" He reminds her. She shrugs and smirks at him.
"Why is this so important?" She inquires. "The world is threatened every day....disease, war, religion...gun nuts.....junkies....why this 'invasion'?"
"Because it is actually an invasion" He argues. "Of the alien kind"
"Oooohhh..." She teases and then laughs. "Okay, Agent K" She mocks. He gives her a look. "For real?" She asks him, he nods. "Well....shit. I suppose I can cross that off the superhero bingo card now" Marco sets four shot glasses on the bar and Astoria looks at them, she lets out a sad sigh before picking on up. Coulson clears his throat. "Yeah, yeah, aliens..." Astoria comments and then proceeds to down all four glasses of liquid. "Boo-yah!" She turns to Coulson who looks disappointed, she chuckles though. She bought them, she is damn well going to drink them. "Let's go" She hops down from her stool and takes a few unsteady steps. Coulson closes his eyes and sighs. This does not bode well at all.
YOU ARE READING
(1) Alis Propriis Volat (Loki)
Fanfiction- I am bringing this back after the replacement kind of fizzled out. (Book One - Ljubičica Čarobnica) Being a Hargreeves is difficult. All that trauma and unresolved childhood issues tear them apart from the inside. But now, Astoria has a second ch...
