The Gauntlet Bar is old fashioned; the walls are stone, as is the floor (though paved for health and safety reasons). The dim rooms are lit by small electric candles placed on the walls, and similar candelabras hanging from the ceiling. These reinforce its dungeonesque feel. It's open all day, all night, and try not to have any massacres in this one. They do karaoke on Tuesdays, and have a couple of pool tables, a chessboard, and one of those games machines that people play the Weakest Link, Deal or No Deal, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on that are really crap. It's a pretty big place, with about four rooms leading off from the main bar. It might be haunted. Certainly looks like it is.

::The door swings open and a fresh face arrives. Looking from side to side, Diana checks her watch but she doesn't see any sign of who she's supposed to be meeting.::

(And I'm late as well.)

::She sighs and explores the several rooms before determining that no, she really is first here.::

(Good thing I brought a book...)

::She seats herself at a table after getting herself a drink: a gin and tonic. One ice cube. Opening her bag, Diana retrieves a copy of War of the Worlds and turns to the last page she was at, slowly managing to sink in to the narrative while she waits.::

::The place doesn't seem too shabby from the looks of it, Leroy observes and walks over to the bar. He sees a dark haired girl with a book at one table, noticing that the others surrounding her are empty. A slow night, apparently.::

(Story of my life...)

::He lets out a long sigh and orders himself a club soda.::

::Birmingham shimmers in with Luke in an empty chamber of the bar. She grabs his lapels with one hand and yanks him close, connecting their lips in a deep, penetrative kiss.::

::A minute or so later, Dean blinks in with an uncertain haze following him; he's very new to this power. He suddenly bares his teeth and rolls up his sleeve. Luke and Birmingham may be watching by now: the two ridges on his wrist grow into three as he levels up in warlock prowess. He can now control his blinking better, like his other power, and evil pervades his soul even further.::

::Luke matches the passion, his lips pressing hard against Birmingham's. His fingers intertwine with her digits and squeezes her hand.::

::Dean grabs Luke's shoulder, pulls him away from B'ham, and aims a punch square at his jaw.::

::Luke's head takes the blow, though it manages to not rip from his neck. In retaliation, he swings a fist right back to Dean, aiming for the other warlock's abdomen.::

::Catching Luke's fist, Dean lurches backwards, bent double to absorb the blow. He then uses the momentum to haul Luke towards him, one foot jutting out in front of the warlock's.::

::Luke trips over Dean's foot, rolling briefly along the floor before regaining control of his body, rising into a crouching position. He sweeps his foot around at the side of Dean's ankle in an attempt to return the favor to him.::

::Birmingham steps clear, watching with a wide grin gracing her flawless face.::

::Dean takes a tumble, falling onto his side. He starts pushing himself back up to his feet, grunting.::

::Unaware of the brawl taking place in his midst but out of his sight, Leroy finishes his drink and gets up, heading for the door. He realizes that sitting around wasting his hours away won't do any good to his broken shower--which he still has yet to explain to his landlord.::

(Sometimes it just doesn't pay to be powerful)

::He rolls his eyes at himself. And then goes back to Blackpoint Apartments.::

::Luke stands up and clenches his fist to deliver a right hook to Dean's face.::

::Blocking it, Dean brings his knee into Luke's gut then swings his elbow towards the Texan's head.::

::Diana checks her watch, then sighs. She's finished her book. Actually finished the fucking thing. And he's not here. He's stood her up. Again.::

"Complete. And utter. Asshole."

::She sighs and gathers her things together, then gets up and leaves to the streets.::

::With that blow to his stomach, Luke loses his breath and collapses to the ground with the second strike. His head smarts like hell and he is having trouble getting up, but he is more than determined to finish this fight on his own terms.::

::Dean keeps his distance too, also wanting to recover.::

::Luke doesn't want to get Dean that satisfaction, despite the throbbing pain he himself is experiencing, so he lunges towards him in a tackle.::

::Birmingham claps her hands together.::

"That's enough, boys!"

::Luke doesn't stop from his attack upon hearing Birmingham's order; one of the things that haven't changed about him is his love for a good fight.::

::Birmingham looks pissed off, then!::

"HEY!"

::Dean puts his hands up, palms out to Luke. He blinks out and reappears on the other side of the room, clearly having obeyed the instruction.::

::Luke falls to the floor, skidding down it several inches. He turns around to face the other two, particularly Birmingham.::

"What?!"

"I see you're no stranger to using your fists."

"Good observation."

::Luke might be tainting his words with sarcasm.::

::Birmingham smirks.::

"That's hot."

::She nods her head summoning a minion.::

::A little dwarf minion pops in. Pop!::

::Luke gives the midget a once-over, raising his eyebrow.::

"What the hell is that thing?"

"A little expendable thing."

::Birmingham shrugs nonchalantly.::

"Okay, cowboy. Now that you're all... hot and bothered... why don't you try out your powers?"

::Luke sighs, raising his hand halfway and staring at his palm. Warlocks typically possess energy balls and blinking, which are pretty much variations of some powers he had as a full-fledged whitelighter. He wills an energy ball to ignite in his hand and the electricity seeps from his palms and condense into a sphere of power. Luke pulls back his hand and throws it forward, ejecting the energy ball at the scrawny minion.::

::The minion could've had a life. He could've had a family. A wife, children, lovers, friends. Any number of these. But speaking of numbers, his one is up. The energy balls hits him square in the face, knocking him straight to the ground like a felled tree. The room fills with an animal wail as his body burns up, blood spurting from his bleeding face like tears of war as he dies. A whole life with all of its connections. Gone. Just like that.::

"Cool!"

::Luke pulls his hand to this lips, blowing the steam from his fingers before lowering it back down.::

"Is that all?"

::Birmingham snorts with humour.::

"You really don't know how to appreciate the good stuff, do ya?"

(I thought he'd be a lot slower in changing his attitudes to our way of thinking.)

"Congratulations. You used your power. Check out your arm, Cowboy. You're a level two."

::True enough, Luke will have two ridges on his wrist now. He won't be able to blink just yet, though. That'll come with more work, when the timing is right.::

"Yippee?"

::Luke sighs, almost bored.::

"When do I get to fry someone worthy of this?"

::He raises his hand demonstratively to show another energy ball in his hand before extinguishing it. The minion was nothing in life and even more so in death.::

::Sparking a light on her finger, Birmingham suddenly blows a huge wall of fire right at Luke.::

::Luke backs away, his steps becoming quicker and quicker as he tries to evade the incoming flames. During all of this, he has tried blinking, but that ability hasn't surfaced yet so he relies solely on his physical ability.::

::Birmingham stops breathing fire and glares at Luke.::

"Stop being such a cunt!"

::Luke stops shuffling against the floor and rolls his eyes in response.::

"How about you stop being so evasive and tell me what's the purpose of all of this?"