King of the Diamond Dogs.

It was early enough in the evening that the pole in the back was currently unoccupied. Or perhaps the entertainer of choice was simply on break for a while. But as fun as sitting and having a drink with friends can be (and Minoru will definitely get a beer and do that later), there’s literally an unoccupied obstacle in the middle of the dance floor fit for climbing.

So, Minoru did what any traceur would do. He politely asked if he could give it a try.

He wasn’t dressed like a stripper - obviously. He was sporting his workout clothes - compression pants under some black shorts and a top to match - having planned on going freerunning after he hit up the opening. So naturally...

With a bit of a running start, he hopped up onto the platform and onto the pole, clasping it with one hand as he spun around it. No stranger to light posts, flagpoles and the like, Minoru half-climbed, half-scampered on up, doing a few basic tricks as he went. He wasn’t as flexible as a dancer, but he had the strength and body control to hold himself up in some impressive positions before sliding/tumbling back down.

Only to do it again!

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Balthazar was busy making sure that his new night club was presentable, placing bowls of snacks in the back room also. As he walked into the back room where the dance floor and pole area were, his sight was immediately drawn to the sight of Minoru. The angel raised a brow and smirked, sipping his scotch and just admiring the young man's moves before breaking the silence.

"Nice moves. I suppose I should ask where you learned to move like that."

No doubt that he was very agile since the last time the angel had spoken with Minoru was at the Halloween party. That had been a laugh and a half too. Balthazar was glad that someone was already enjoying his new premises. Although, noticing the lack of glass or bottle meant that his patron was lacking a drink.

"Can I get you anything? Another potion, perhaps? No, really. We have light ales and spirits too. Whatever takes your fancy. Or a fine wine?"

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Minoru paused where he was - which was currently upside down with his legs tightly clenching the pole for support.

“Thanks, but no thanks...” he laughed. The last thing he remembered about that halloween party was accepting a ‘potion’ from him, and everything before it didn’t make any lick of sense either! “Maybe later. I’m good right now.”

As to where he learned the moves, Minoru smiled. He’d been climbing on things since before he could even remember. This kind of stuff just came naturally to him. “Trial and error, mostly. Figuring stuff out is half the fun of it.”

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Balthazar couldn't help but internally flinch slightly at Minuro's slightly dangerous move on the pole. He might be skilled but the angel didn't want to be picking him up off the floor after a few drinks. That, or he slipped off and fell. Tonight was meant to be a relaxing evening for everyone, including the owner.

"Are we talking climbing up skyscrapers here or jumping off high walls? You're a bit of a daredevil aren't you, Minoru? Do you crave the adrenaline rush? I like to do a bit of rock-climbing myself."

He sipped his drink as he watched his patron. Of course he would not want potion tonight. Who could blame him after last time?

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A good reason for getting some of this out of his system before having said drinks.

“Could be both.” He smiled. “Depends how high the walls are and what the path to the ground is. ”

He’d been around the block a few times - on ledges, walls, light posts, fire escapes, awnings, rooftops, fences... While the stunts looked dangerous, his movement was fluid, his body was relaxed, and he was definitely in control of what he was doing.

“Nothing like it.” He laughed. “I’d say try the cliffs Lucifer likes to watch the sunrise from, but the rocks are really unstable. Nearly made an awful drop.”

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"A high flyer then? Be careful not to fly too close to the sun, Minoru. You may get your wings burnt."

Balthazar wondered if Minoru would get the reference. Either way, he was up for people having fun in his club but not at the expense of their safety and the other patrons. It was lucky not many were around as of yet. So, he could climb, jump and pirouette to his heart's content.

"Lucifer? You've met him? He's an angel like me and we've met before. A kind and wise man but be wary of his fire. I've felt it in his soul when being close to him."

Was it a warning for the mortal to heed? Perhaps. Yet, perhaps Balthazar was being overprotecting of Minoru. He was his own man so to speak and if he had already met Lucifer then he really shouldn't have worried.

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He shrugged slightly, which probably looked quite strange when you're upside down. "You won't ever get any higher unless you're willing to fall down a few times."

But even Minoru had to readily admit that his attempt to climb those cliffs was more than a little foolhardy. (And they weren't even the cliffs his coworkers had been talking about! He got that wrong too!)

"Met him? Yeah... Knocked some rocks down on him while trying not to fall to my doom. Not the best way to make new friends." he admitted. "But he picked me up, set me down on stable ground to watch the rest of the sunrise, took me flying - oh man, THAT was something else!!"

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"Well spoken. I've met Lucifer myself and have even cooked with him. I suppose I'm in his good graces and looking like his fiancé does help."

That was always a bonus when meeting the devil for the first time and asking to acquire special booze which only he makes. The angel scotch? It was perfect since Balthazar was currently sipping it out of a glass whilst watching Minoru perform.

"Also, you knocking rocks on Lucifer? That takes some balls, love. I'm pleased he didn't get angry and set you on fire."

Never mess with the devil. That was the sensible choice for mortal and immortal alike. Even if this version of Lucifer differed from Balthazar's own back home. Just please be careful with the pole and fittings? He doesn't want to have to fork a bill because one or two hooligans trashed his bar on opening night.

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It could have been far worse than rocks that got dropped. Had he lost his grip, he might have been crashing Lucifer’s perch personally.

“It was obviously an accident, and he knew that. I don’t know why he’d want to light someone on fire for that.”

Minoru found it hard to believe that such a nice angel would be that quick-tempered. But it seemed pretty much everyone believed that bad reputation to some extent, even another angel, just as he said they would.

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"I've just heard that when angered he can get a little...toasty to say the least."

A playful glint appeared in the angel's eye regarding Lucifer and his famed temper. It was lucky Minoru had been pardoned for his accident and this put Balthazar at peace. As for the parkouring around his bar? He is keeping an eye out on you since the place is brand new.

"Are you any good on skates? Jack loves to wheel around causing trouble like the adorable hooligan he is."

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Minoru simply shrugged. If there was truth to that, he’d see it soon enough. (Memories of being chased by a furious sphinx didn’t count. Especially after drinking some of that ‘potion,’ Minoru couldn’t tell what was real that night!)

“Never tried them.” He laughed and shook his head. “But I promised Jack I’d buy a pair and show him what I learned by the next time he comes to visit. Hopefully Harley can show me a thing or two. She’s great on them!”

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The whole potion thing was a laugh and Balthazar had ended up getting completely smashed and ending up with Jack and Ziggy. That, in itself, had been a total trash fire. The fact that Minoru hadn't tried skates caused the angel to raise a curious eyebrow.

"You've never tried them? I thought a guy like you would love tearing up the asphalt on your new speedster skates."

A smirk and the image of Minoru skating all over the place like a hooligan came into his mind. Him and Jack in the Nexus skating all over the place? Goodness.

"Harley? If I got on skates I'd more than likely end up face down in a ditch somewhere. That or end up on my arse looking like an idiot."

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“Just because I haven’t tried them doesn’t mean I’m not going to!” He grinned. Jack and Harley both made freeskating look incredibly fun.

One could imagine that the Uchiwa parents purposefully didn’t introduce their boys to many toys with wheels. After all, they’d been plucking Minoru off of walls, out of trees and down from the roof since he was old enough to walk. And Isamu - well, if it wasn’t a book, he wasn’t all that interested in it.

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Jack had a drink and was looking for trouble, sort of, the fun kind anyway. Drink in hand, he is gliding around on his light up skates and maybe he is dressed for the pole. The person on the pole seems a perfect target.

He gets going as fast as he can, jumps the ledge, grabs the pole and slides to a stop a hair before colliding but not spilling the drink. Despite looks right now, he is not Ziggy in an eye patch, despite what Halloween did.

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It was a good thing Minoru was closer to the ceiling, or there could have been a collision. (Or even worse, a party foul and a spilled drink.)

Granted, he nearly lost his balance when he saw what looked like Ziggy on roller skates heading right for him. No... that was the other Ziggy... Right?

He recovered his footing, wrapped a leg around the pole for better balance, and leaned down so he could wave. “Hey! I never did get your name at the costume party. I’m Minoru, nice to meet you!”

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Jack slides around the pole a bit and then, one arm and in skates, starts climbing it while holding the drink.

"Halloween Jack." He smiles and there is that devilishness and charm there that Ziggy has. "Jack is fine."

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Before Minoru can even politely make his acquaintance, or ask whether he was related to Ziggy, as they could so easily have passed for twins, Jack was already off the ground.

"Oh, awesome!"

Color Minoru impressed! That's no easy feat.

He got his hands back on the pole, unwrapping his leg and pumping around for another spin before perching in a more comfortable position a little farther down.

"Are you a freerunner?"

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Jack hangs on and locks his skate wheels around the pole so he can concentrate on the very girly drink in a multicolored, glowing martini glass.

"I run to be free." He comments and then wonders what exactly a freerunner is but imagines it is something to do with his climbing. "I live at the top of a skyscraper."

Edited Date: 2020-11-08 08:35 pm (UTC)

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"Sounds about right." Minoru smiled as he walked himself closer to where Jack had perched. Unfortunately, he had no insight yet into the harsh reality of such a play on words.

"Let me guess, you're not exactly a fan of taking the elevator?"

Climbing smaller buildings was illegal in most places, but oh, how incredible it would be to scale something that high!

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Jack looks down at the drink and sighs. "I don't but we don't have enough electricity to run it anyway."

He shrugs it off though easily enough. "We've got to be good at climbing. You don't survive if you can't."

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"Don't have enough..." Minoru muttered to himself. He looked down at Jack quizzically. Clearly, he didn't come from whatever space colony Ziggy was from. What sort of place has skyscrapers, but not enough energy to actually power them?

"What do you mean... survive?"

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Jack looks up with his one blue eye and the patch over the other. "We're not reputable citizens. They'll vaporize us or shoot us... or when the plague fog comes in you've got to climb or die."

How often had he picked up his one girl and climbed with her because she couldn't? He'd lost count.

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Minoru slid down the pole until he was almost eye to eye with Jack.

"Not here, though... Nobody can do that here." Minoru offered reassurance where he could. Wherever that awful place was, Jack wasn't currently in it. "Not sure about plague fog, but nobody at the hospital has ever talked about it. So I'm guessing it can't happen here."

Surely, if that was a common weather pattern, someone would have warned him by now.

"Here, we can climb things just because it's fun." he offered, motioning for Jack to do the same and holding out his hand. "Finish your drink. Show me what you've got!"

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"I can't live here." Jack's voice is a little sharp and it isn't Minoru's fault exactly. Balthazar asked him to stay here sometimes and he just couldn't.

Jack didn't bounce back from worry so quickly. However he looks up at the other man. "You should try it with wheels on."

He's still work on his drink and not about to chug it.

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