"You know that feeling you get when shit is about to go down? You know, that weird almost nauseous feeling in your stomach? Your hands get all clammy and suddenly there is that slight itch to the back of your throat?... Just me? I call it my 'Ryan Sense', you know, like Spider-Man only not as cool or useful. Story of my life, really."
"What? Insulted? Please, as if I were brave enough to insult you," Ryan said offering up a dopey half-smile and a non-committal shrug. It was rather true, there were four groups of people in his world: Women, to be flirted with constantly, Men, to befriend, Friends, to hangout with and Enemies, to flee in terror from. Abby was an existence that was outside of those four groups and he wasn't sure what to call her, and he never let himself really think about her or any feelings regarding her enough to try and sort it out. The status quo worked well enough for what it was and it was better to not poke the angry bear that was Abby... even if it could be fun.
"Hey, I'll have you know I just can't find a big enough stick..." Ryan said then paused as he realized that sounded like his own 'stick' was rather underwhelming, "Wait that didn't come out right," he said as his mind worked to untangle the slip on the tongue, "I mean, you know, I have a big enough stick just I can't.. you know.. something... with the.. thing," Ryan said, his hand opening and closing in front of his mouth trying to draw out the sentence that would make it all make sense... somehow, but was saved when the bottle of amber liquid was thrust at him.
Ryan stared at it for a few moments, his eyes blinked in surprise a few times before his hand instinctively wrapped around the bottle. Abby was being nice? To him? Sure she was never mean, but never nice either. Sure the remark about Blake stung but it wasn't inaccurate and compared to what her sharp tongue could have said, it was just a wrist slap. "I..." Ryan began as his shocked mind tried to catch up with his mouth, it was oddly touching and he had no idea what to do. Part of him wanted to thank her, another part wanted to ask if she was dying and trying to earn some points with the big man, or people, upstairs before she kicked the bucket.
Luckily, he was saved from himself when someone else showed up to the 'party' and Ryan perked up immediately, "Oh! Wine coolers! I like the grape ones, orange is meh, did you bring some?" Ryan paused in the middle of his ramble, "Right, insult. I'm not manly. Gotcha. Clever. You're an asshole. Up to speed. Carry on."
Calden was so quick that Ryan didn't notice his hand shoot for him until Abby slapped it down. It took his mind a few moments to process that as well and he was starting to feel rather stupid now. The look he sent Abby was damn near enough to make Ryan dive behind the counter and start crying forbatman Lux, seriously, where was the hero when the sidekick was in trouble? There was a reason sidekicks tended to not get their own comics. Oh, shit, he had better not be a Jason Todd.
He didn't mind being insulted, but a slight to Lux was another matter. Ryan lifted his finger to make a rather cutting, well he thought so, comment when Calden stepped closer, and Ryan also took a step back already prepared to preform Operation: CryLikeABitchTillLuxComes as he dived behind the bar but Abby blocked him off... again. Was... Was she really dying or something?
"Yeah! What she said!" Ryan said from over Abby's head suddenly feeling way more confident now that the murdermachine that was Abby was in front of him, beat the hell out of a bar, and seemed more then willing to throw down with the over sized roided out gorilla.
Lottie tried to do what Lottie do and calm them down, but Ryan wasn't sure that was going to work. Pride tended to make roided out gorillas dumber then usual which should be impossible but when there was a will there was a way.
"Hey, I'll have you know I just can't find a big enough stick..." Ryan said then paused as he realized that sounded like his own 'stick' was rather underwhelming, "Wait that didn't come out right," he said as his mind worked to untangle the slip on the tongue, "I mean, you know, I have a big enough stick just I can't.. you know.. something... with the.. thing," Ryan said, his hand opening and closing in front of his mouth trying to draw out the sentence that would make it all make sense... somehow, but was saved when the bottle of amber liquid was thrust at him.
Ryan stared at it for a few moments, his eyes blinked in surprise a few times before his hand instinctively wrapped around the bottle. Abby was being nice? To him? Sure she was never mean, but never nice either. Sure the remark about Blake stung but it wasn't inaccurate and compared to what her sharp tongue could have said, it was just a wrist slap. "I..." Ryan began as his shocked mind tried to catch up with his mouth, it was oddly touching and he had no idea what to do. Part of him wanted to thank her, another part wanted to ask if she was dying and trying to earn some points with the big man, or people, upstairs before she kicked the bucket.
Luckily, he was saved from himself when someone else showed up to the 'party' and Ryan perked up immediately, "Oh! Wine coolers! I like the grape ones, orange is meh, did you bring some?" Ryan paused in the middle of his ramble, "Right, insult. I'm not manly. Gotcha. Clever. You're an asshole. Up to speed. Carry on."
Calden was so quick that Ryan didn't notice his hand shoot for him until Abby slapped it down. It took his mind a few moments to process that as well and he was starting to feel rather stupid now. The look he sent Abby was damn near enough to make Ryan dive behind the counter and start crying for
He didn't mind being insulted, but a slight to Lux was another matter. Ryan lifted his finger to make a rather cutting, well he thought so, comment when Calden stepped closer, and Ryan also took a step back already prepared to preform Operation: CryLikeABitchTillLuxComes as he dived behind the bar but Abby blocked him off... again. Was... Was she really dying or something?
"Yeah! What she said!" Ryan said from over Abby's head suddenly feeling way more confident now that the murdermachine that was Abby was in front of him, beat the hell out of a bar, and seemed more then willing to throw down with the over sized roided out gorilla.
Lottie tried to do what Lottie do and calm them down, but Ryan wasn't sure that was going to work. Pride tended to make roided out gorillas dumber then usual which should be impossible but when there was a will there was a way.