Exchanging Information

Who: Bailey and Mathias
Where: Babylon
When: Late Afternoon

It was a slow day, but days were always slow. Things tended to pick up in the evenings, considering Babylon's line of business, but they always had customers start to trickle in in the late afternoon, right before the after work crowd. Bailey was always silently amused to find there was an after work crowd at Babylon. He supposed everyone had to do something, no matter what they were. But it wasn't quite there yet and things were quiet, which left him at the bar. He'd prefer something more than water, but he was technically on the job and he'd do nothing to impair his work. Anything could stumble in that door and he didn't need to be stumbling around after them.

Mathis had been driving past the place when he noticed it - on another one of his 'let's get to know the layout of where I'm living and where everything is' drives - boring as hell, but at least he got himself properly oriented. He'd checked out of the Venture and was considering where to go next. He wasn't particularly worried about it - he'd find somewhere later. He'd gone and checked out the rubble of the Happy Medium, kicking over a few of the bricks - convinced it had to have been arson. Places like that didn't just randomly burn down, after all. And then he'd passed Babylon. It looked interesting and so he figured he'd check it out.

Pulling over to the curb, he locked his car and shouldered his bag as he walked in, slowing s he entered, checking out the layout, the patrons, his gaze taking in the whole place as he walked streadily to the bar. His gaze lingered for a moment longer than anywhere else on the dark haired man who was looking as watchful as he was before he looked away, ordering a beer from the bar tender and taking out a cigarette casually.

Bailey noticed everyone who entered, but he paid close attention to those he'd never seen before. A new customer, especially one who seemed to have just walked in off the street, alone, was always a curiosity. It was something he couldn't have done himself without Eris' direction. For as much as he knew about the supernatural, he wasn't actually a part of it. Anyone who found Babylon on their own most certainly was. Most of the time Bailey would leave alone, but then again, he was bored. "First time here?" he asked, knowing very well it was. Still, most people would find it a little disconcerting to know that he knew everyone who set foot in Babylon, so it was important to make it not seem too obvious.

Mathias lit up his cigarette casually, before looking over at the guy who had spoken to him. He was stunningly unsurprised to find out it was the same guy he'd given a longer look to on his way in - the one who was watching everything that went on. He works here. Security. He surmised. And also surmised that he was probably being assessed at the moment. That didn't bother him. "Yeah - saw the place on my way past and figured I'd drop in. Mathias," he added, holding out his hand.

"Bailey," he said, taking Mathias' hand with a firm shake and an amused turn of his lips. Mathias had to have figured out he worked there. Just something about the way he met his eyes and shook his hand. Course, anyone with a brain would have surmised that, but they had a fair number of those come in as well. From the looks of things, Mathias seemed completely human, but looks were deceiving. "Welcome, then. It's kinda slow at the moment, but things pick up later in the evening."

"That's why I thought I'd stop in now," Mathis said, smiling pleasantly and with the barest hint of flirtatiousness at the girl behind the bar as she set his drink down. He picked it up, leaving his cigarette resting in the ash tray, and took a drink from the bottle. He looked back at Bailey. "I prefer to get a feel for a place without having to fight three deep or more just to get served. You can never really tell when a place is crowded." He paused. "Unless what you're wanting to find out is whether there's trouble or not," he added, watching Bailey's face.

"There's never trouble here, but word travels," Bailey said slyly. "It depends on which you're looking for." Bailey was always interested in a bit of trouble, something to occupy him on his nights off, rare as they were. Ridiculous as it might sound, he was having trouble leaving Eris to go out and do something on his own. He knew it wasn't healthy, but he generally found her more interesting than whatever he might stumble across.

Mathias picked his cigarette up and took a long drag, thinking as he did so. "I'm not looking for trouble," he said as he exhaled a long stream of smoke. "But I do like to know where it is, what it is, and where it's going. Always good to be in the know, right?" he asked.

Well, the first was good, seeing as how it would have put him on the other side of the earth or something. Bailey wondered how Mathias felt about China. "Definitely," he agreed. "You're in the right place then. Or, you would be, if there were more patrons around to listen in on," he said, smirking a little. "So, what do you do?"

"A bit of this and a bit of that - I travel a lot. Right now, I'm on what you might call an extended vacation. Figuring out what I'm gonna do next. Keeping my ear to the ground." He paused. "So, is this your place?" he asked

Well, if there was any place that would be good for listening in to what might be going down underground, it was here. Bailey wondered if Mathias knew how right he was in walking in. "Not my place," Bailey said, "I'm just security, so I like to know who comes and goes. We've got an interesting crowd."

Mathias had developed an eye over the years for hunting out the bars that were something more than just ordinary bars. He just had a knack for it. "Interesting crowd?" he asked, taking another drag on his cigarette. "Interesting, like how?"

"Interesting like... out of the ordinary," Bailey said, thinking that was how he wanted to word it. He couldn't exactly come out and say 'interesting like you', especially when he didn't know what Mathias was. Bailey was still trying to figure that out. So far it hadn't shown itself, but Mathias certainly wasn't a psychic, which was always nice. "I think you're more likely to hear bizarre stories here than anywhere else, but I could be wrong, seeing as how I don't frequent the other bars in town."

"And it doesn't worry you - or the owners - that people who aren't used to 'out of the ordinary' might overhear?" he asked, keeping his tone casual. He'd figured the Happy Medium had gotten by on that level by having a certain 'reputation' - at least considering the papers lately, people had been very quick to condemn the place, which suggested the local populace hadn't been overly keen on it in the first place. This place didn't have that air about it at all. "People get twitchy when they hear unusual-type talk. In my experience."

"Generally, those sorts of people don't show up here in the first place," Bailey said. No, it didn't worry him in the least. Mathias didn't seem the type to get twitchy over odd talk, nor did any random person who walked in the door. The only ones they had to worry about were those brought in by a friend; Bailey watched them like a hawk, never sure what they knew and what they didn't. Eris would know, but Bailey wasn't a part of the security system she had going there. He had to watch on his own. Still, trouble of any sort was usually taken care of before he could even get to it. Poof! and they were gone.

Mathias nodded. "That's good to know," he said, contemplatively. He finished his cigarette and stubbed it out. "You mind if I ask you a question? Since there's not enough people here for me to just go eavesdropping an' all..."

"Not at all," Bailey said. "Monday afternoons tend to be quiet. Those that over-did it on the weekend don't usually start showing till Wednesday." He didn't mind questions, though he didn't have all the answers. What he wanted was for Mathias to see a reason to come back, and a slow bar didn't really lend to that. The other perks of Babylon did.

Mathias chuckled. "To be honest, I prefer to ask questions that listen at doors. You don't get half tales and miscommunication that way," he pointed out. He took a drink. "A girl I know was attacked by a demon the other day. Not a sort I recognize the description of. Skeletal - reddish skin and long blonde hair. Sharp claws, probably a tail and fast. You know anything about that? What he could have been, type - or preferably a name and a location? Or know anybody i these parts that might be able to help me track him down?"

Bailey would have agreed with him on all accounts. Questions worked out better than eavesdropping, no matter what he did. Of course, he could be rather persuasive when he needed to be. "I don't recognize the description, but I'm not an expert in that field," he said, thinking. "From what I know, the physical form of some demons can vary, but the fact that it was fast might be characteristic of the type. There are some hunters in the area that come in from time to time that might be able to help, but that's a conversation you'd want to have in a back room, in a place like this. Mind me asking about the attack? What was the girl doing?"

"Any chance you'd be able to hook me up with any of them? And a back room to have that conversation in?" he asked. "If you know any - I'd be willing to pay them for the information," he added. Hell, if it came down to it, he'd hire a hunter to take the fucking thing out, if it meant that there'd be no risk that Caleb would find him first. "I don't know a whole lot about the attack. Just her injuries and a description of the demon."

"Sure. We could work something out," Bailey said, thinking this through. He didn't have any way to contact those that came in, but he could bring it up the next time they dropped by. He knew names, but unless they were patrons with the other aspect of Babylon, he didn't have phone numbers. "If you want to leave a way I could contact you, I'd pass it along to whomever seems fit."

"You got a pen?" he asked. He didn't mind handing out his cell phone number - that was generally the reason it changed so often. Mathias left one place for another? He changed his cell phone. Those people he wanted to have his number long term? He'd simply text message with the new number. Everyone else could go jump.

"Yep," he said, leaning up on his barstool and reaching back behind the bar for a pen and a scrap of paper. It worked out well that Mathias was willing to give his number; some people were difficult about things like that. Really, it was the only way to get a hold of someone on a timely basis, unless Mathias wanted to drop back in every day. "I'll keep my ears open. Most demons aren't stupid enough to go off about what they've done, but other people might've seen something."

Mathias took the pen and paper and scrawled down his name and number before handing it back. "Thanks. I appreciate it - you'll have to let me buy you a drink some time. When you're not working," he added. Cultivating friends, even short terms friends, who could be useful was something Mathias worked at, and Bailey seemed to fall very neatly into that category.

"I could go with that," Bailey said, the corner of his lip turning up. "Not here though. If I'm off, I need to be out." His eyes turned up for a moment, as if someone might be watching them. No one was, but he certainly felt like it. Eris knew everything that happened in Babylon. She probably even knew about this conversation. He wasn't exactly sure how, or if it was true, but it always seemed that way.

"Give me a call sometime then," Mathis told him, easily. "Like I said, I ahve nothing doing at the moment, so most nights I'm at a loose end. Always enjoy some company - especially from someone I don't have to bullshit," he added, pointedly.

"Will do," Bailey chuckled. "It gets old fast, trying to tip-toe around people. I don't have the patience for it most of the time." Which resulted in him being rather quiet. Eris was the exception, where he felt like he was always trying to get things right. Lately he'd been failing more than he liked. "Mind me asking how you know about it all?" he asked. "Most people wouldn't believe it was a demon that attacked her. In fact, she wouldn't have either."

"She believed it because she's an angel," Mathias told him, taking out another cigarette. Hey, his promise to her had been in relation to his family, not to the rest of the world. "I believe it because I was raised around it - known about them all since before I could think. Demons, angels, vampires... Then I left home and continued my own education," he admitted. That he'd admit easily - but he'd never mention that the reason he knew what because of his blood. Those who knew what his mother was, Mathias could count on the fingers of one hand - and that included his father and two brothers.

"See now, that makes sense. The demon would be inclined to attack her no matter what she was doing, if he knew what she was," Bailey pointed out. It led him to wonder if she'd had her wings out or not, but if she'd seen him in his demon form, then that probably didn't matter. "Did she attack him?" he asked, raising a brow. "That's a rarity," Bailey said in response to how long Mathias knew about it. "Most parents don't randomly teach their children about things like that. Should have made growing up interesting, watching for things other people wouldn't have." At least, that was how it was for him.

"I told you - I don't really know what happened. Just what the result was," he shrugged. "And I want to find the bastard that did it. And, yeah, one thing my life has never been, is boring," he added with a smile, finishing off his beer.

Bailey nodded, not pressing for any more information. He didn't need it, but was curious just for himself. "Boring is never good," Bailey said with a little smirk. "People get into trouble when they're bored." Himself included. And, if he was guessing right, Mathias as well.

Mathias returned the smirk. "And to stop themselves becoming bored," he agreed - he knew that definitely applied to him. He considered another beer, but it was early in the day and so decided against it. "Well, Bailey - it was nice meeting you. Give me a call. Information or drink. Either, or - both," he said, taking his leave.

"Nice meeting you to," Bailey said with a nod. "I'll give you a call sometime soon either way." Hopefully for both. They had a wide variety of people come through and he knew there'd been a hunter in recently. If not that one, then another one could walk in the door any day now. He'd just keep his ears open for the right person and the right time. It was the eavesdropping that made his job interesting, after all.