Storms End

Chapter 1: Mike

Michael stood, leaning against the bar's tabletop, it wasn't a proper bar, no, it was a college bar, he didn't consider any place that didn't serve scotch a bar and it was filled with kids.

He was a kid too, the thought raced through his head faster than light, he had it forcefully evacuate because it ticked him off.

He didn't think he was a kid, he was smarter than most kids but then again he never did outgrow a few things. He scouted the crowd for prey, he waited for his 'wingman' William Corrigan.

Mikey wasn't exactly a kid, late twenties but he had a little edge over the rest of the twenty something kids who never outgrew the tween phase. He thought he looked like some sort of Mike Ross-esque Twenty-Something prodigy lawyer in an expensive suit and he probably could've made that look work, alas he was too much of a kid to manage something like that.

He surveyed the crowd while he waited for his partner in crime who was late, always late.

Something they'd picked up from each other he supposed. The stories they could tell about time. Time was never a good friend of these boys.

Mikey looked around and felt a little bored, he thought he was beyond his years but then again everyone thought they were some divined sage at some point.

Mike was considering leaving the bar when he saw a glass of scotch hit his elbow and a small smile grew on his face, things were getting interesting.

He'd managed to, shall we say 'persuade', the barkeep to make a run for a cheap bottle of scotch from the corner store nearby and now it would be time for things to get a little faster.

The bar was so slow to him but once he got that first drink down his throat the world seemed to speed up a little, in actuality he'd probably slowed down a little but with Mikey, slow was still faster than youd think.

He instantly saw a girl who looked easy enough to take advantage of, but our boy here wasn't in the business of taking advantage of people in weaker positions like hers so he decided he'd just have a little bit of fun.

He went over to her and started up his conversation.

He began with the usual greetings, 'Hey there' 'I'm Mike' 'You are?'

He rolled out the usual charms, he might be able to get a drink or two out of it, that wouldn't be a bad take for the night so he went ahead.

She seemed fascinated by him, he definitely wasn't from around there and he definitely didn't go to any of the colleges the people who frequented this tavern did and he seemed like some sort of magical unicorn, atleast that's what he predicted was going through her head.

Mikey never really had a hard time guessing what might be going through people's heads, how often he was right was not something he wouldnt tell you. You couldn't tell why though, he might've tried to ease your time around him or to save himself embarrassment, youd probably never find out.

Mike docked that train of thought, to resume at a later point, as necessary of course and resumed his evening with the fine specimen of a human being his slightly blurred mind and his charms were more intoxicating at times than anything you could pour in a glass and the girl was already hooked.

She bought a whole bottle of Scotch! And as Mike raised his bottle triumphantly popping the cork as the crowd cheered holding out glasses like street urchins for a twopence entered the prodigal son, Billy Corrigan.

Billy entered suave and cool, more sophisticated than Mike but not much so, you probably wouldn't be able to tell them apart after a night on the town, he looked upon the sight of Mike raised upon the shoulders on men drinking his drink and the entire scene played through his head. He knew his friend.