A bar on the mainland, Wednesday night

[2_old_for_this]

Apparently it was a crime that Peter had never had cake vodka, so he and Kaidan had grabbed a cab at the causeway and taken it to a bar in Baltimore that was likely to have it.

Peter thanked and tipped the cabbie, then waved at the door. "Looks okay to me. You?"


[OOC: For the bar-hopping one mentioned!]

Comments

[spectre_alenko]

Kaidan chased an amused glance from Peter to the door of the rather nice row house-turned-bar. "Well, they may not have the brand I'm thinking of, but I bet they could mix you up something. Shall we?"

And it was a crime that Peter hadn't had cake vodka. If he had to deal with a liquid diet, but still had tastebuds and could handle non-hemoglobin-based fluids, it was pure meanness that his friends hadn't introduced him to all of the new and strange liquors and liqueurs on the market.

There was even a hamburger flavored gin.

Peter would thank him later, he was sure of it.

[2_old_for_this]

If Peter had anything to compare them to, he might not. But meanwhile, it might be nice to know what other people were talking about when they tasted things.

"Why not?" He led the way in and found them seats by the bar, then looked around some more. "This reminds me a little of a place in Boston I used to go sometimes."

[spectre_alenko]

Kaidan grabbed a seat, and tried to explain to the bartender. "My friend's on a carb-free diet, and it was his birthday yesterday. Do you have cake vodka?" The bartender gave him a look. Kaidan gave him a bland look right back. "I'll see what we can do," the bartender said with a sniff.

"Oh?" Kaidan asked Peter, "Boston? Heard it's nice. Never been. Dare I ask how long ago you were there?"

He was curious whether people wore red coats at the time.

[2_old_for_this]

"Is cake vodka not a high-class thing, then?" Peter asked. He knew that sniff.

"Boston...it depends how you count. Time runs differently in different dimensions. I was last there over a thousand years ago for me, but that'd be about...1995."

[spectre_alenko]

"High class? Not so much," Kaidan grinned, "But it is good, and it is a common mixer for other higher-class beverages. Hell, depending which bar your in, vodka itself might not be high-class enough."

The waiter returned with something in a chablis glass. Half of it was some sort of foam. There were tiny dark sprinkles across the top that looked suspiciously like Oreo crumbs. Kaidan arched an eyebrow as the glass was handed over to Peter.

"1995 is almost 200 years in my past," he noted, "How was the bar?"

[2_old_for_this]

"A good neighborhood place, quiet enough to talk, cozy. The beer was decent. I mostly met people there," he explained. "I was a private investigator, and it was a friendly place to meet."

He eyed the glass and tried to drink around the crumbs without getting foam up his nose.

[spectre_alenko]

"Sounds nice," Kaidan agreed. The bartender asked rather icily, "What will you have, sir?" "Hm? Oh. Beer. Anything imported is fine," Kaidan answered. "We don't serve beer," he was informed. Kaidan's eyes narrowed, "Fine. Bring me an old fashioned, neat."

He shook his head as the bartender went off with another sniff. "Private dick, huh? Interesting. Lot of swordwork involved?"

Kaidan eyed the drink, trying not to grin at Peter's fastidiousness, "Have you gotten to the liquid yet? Does it taste of cake?"

[2_old_for_this]

"No swordwork," Peter said. "I had a gun if I needed it. The sword is just...old habits dying hard, I guess. Nostalgia."

He tried again and actually got some liquid.

"That tastes...very sugary. Very sweet. A little...I'm not sure. Nutty, maybe?"

[spectre_alenko]

"Apparently practical nostalgia on the island, or so Kanan says. I might have to show up one of these weeks and see what it's all about."

The bartender returned with an old fashioned for Kaidan. It was a hard drink to mess up, at least, and this one was within normal variance.

"Nutty?" he asked, "I mean, the rest sounds right, but I'd have expected a heavy vanilla base, not 'nutty'." He eyed the drink suspiciously.

[2_old_for_this]

"What does vanilla taste like?" Peter asked. "Not nutty?"

Sorry, he predated that stuff in Europe.

[spectre_alenko]

Kaidan eyed him, "Ok, what year did you last eat solid food?" He waved a drink at the hand, an inquiry, "Do you want me to taste it and tell you? Vanilla is definitely not nutty."

He thought about it for a minute, and then asked, "How's your sense of smell?"

[2_old_for_this]

"1453?" Peter answered. "My smell is great, but when I don't have much to compare it to..." He shrugged and nudged his drink toward Kaidan.

[spectre_alenko]

1453. Let's see, Columbus the Colonizer swam the seas in 1492.. so Peter predated the first documented European invasion of the North American continent.

Kaidan frowned in thought, "Vanilla tastes pretty much exactly like it smells. As long as it's real vanilla and not the beaver-ass-gland 'vanillin'. Heh, though come to think of it, cake tastes pretty much like it smells, too."

Reaching for the glass, he took a sip and considered. Eventually, he made a face, "This tastes more like some sort of cookie."

[2_old_for_this]

Peter shrugged. "Tasting it's still different, though. And I don't mind a cookie." He sipped it again. "Are birthday cookies a thing?"

[spectre_alenko]

"Yeah, but it'd give you a better idea what it should taste of," Kaidan noted. He grinned a little as Peter took a second sip - so at least the drink wasn't awful. "Birthday cookies can be a thing," he assured him, "They even have big cookies that can be decorated like birthday cakes. Only, still a cookie."

He had seen those at the mall. He would not admit to buying one for himself just because he wanted a cookie the size of a tire.

[2_old_for_this]

"That sounds...very silly," Peter said, grinning. He kind of wanted to see that.

[spectre_alenko]

"They are very silly, but also they're pretty good cookies," Kaidan admitted, "We'll have to find someone else with a birthday soon and send them one." Since Peter couldn't actually, y'know, eat one.

[2_old_for_this]

"I'm not sure when anyone else's birthday is," Peter confessed. "Sparkle's was a little while ago, Kanan's not sure about his in our calendar..." and that was about it. Peter didn't get out much. "When's yours?"

[spectre_alenko]

"Not for another 150 years or so," Kaidan teased, then capitulated, "September 27. I'm a Libra. Whatever that means. Again, something I learned at the mall. Someone wanted to tell my my horrorscope. I wasn't interested."

He really should have been. He'd have found out he's the most Libra Libra to ever Libra. Even if canon only gives him a year.

[2_old_for_this]

As a Libra I resemble that remark.

"So that gives us plenty of time to get a cookie made up for you, right?" Peter asked, grinning.

[spectre_alenko]

Kaidan shot him an amused look, "I'm sure there's someone who has a birthday sooner. What about your roommate? I'd hate for you to have to wait three whole months for your sugary amusement."

The bartender walked by and gave Kaidan's completely untouched drink a chary look. Kaidan failed to notice. On purpose.

[2_old_for_this]

"I have no idea when her birthday is," Peter said. "She probably has the same problem of a different calendar." And she hadn't really made enough friends to warrant much of a celebration, but that seemed mean to point out. "Maybe I'll get one for the last session of my 'class'."

[spectre_alenko]

"Might be worth asking her?" Kaidan offered, then grinned, "I mean, if you're desperate for an excuse to buy a cookie, I will fall on that birthday grenade. I bet your class would appreciate it, too."

[2_old_for_this]

Peter laughed. "We'll see. First I'll have to find one. Where do they sell them?"

[spectre_alenko]

"I've seen them at the mall, but if there's a bakery on the island, I bet they'd know how to make one," Kaidan grinned, "Or, if you're feeling very adventurous, you could probably look up online how to bake your very own."