The Raving Baby was pretty much exactly what you would expect a dive bar to be. Low light, smoky air, pool table, old worn chairs and tables. It looked like someone had written up a 'seedy dive bar' checklist and gone down the list one item a time just to make sure it was as authentic as possible. Abel was scanning the room, but rather than serious worry or any sort of scan for danger his eyes were wide and excited. "It hasn't changed a bit! And that smell! I missed that smell so bad."

Mel sighed dramatically. "Oh gods, I forgot about the enchiladas." At our confused looks she rolled her eyes and pointed across the room. On the opposite wall from the entrance was a huge wall of hanging pictures, above which was written 'Enchilada Avalanche Challenge' each picture had a paper star with a number on it hanging from the bottom, and all the way at the top was a photo of a clearly recognizable Abel, in the same silver mask he wore now, with the number eighty seven pinned to it.

I froze, blinking in shock at the number. "Ok, we can come back to everything else in a minute, but I have to ask, is that label implying that Abel ate EIGHTY SEVEN enchiladas in one sitting? How is that even possible? Like, I know Ascendants tend to eat heavy, but stomachs still have limited space in them, that's what higher ranking food is for. How do you physically FIT eighty seven enchiladas in a human body?"

Ignoring me completely, Abel bolted for the bar. "Rudy!" He crowed happily. "You're still here! I figured Taggert would be gone, but I'm glad at least you're still around. How's my favorite bartender?" Abel managed to cross the crowded bar without actually bumping into anyone, the space around him warping to allow him to slip between other people and around tables so quickly and seamlessly it was almost hard to see it happening.

He appeared in front of a seven foot tall man with maroon hair and a goatee who was cleaning a glass, but when his eyes, which had jerked up at the sound of his name, found Abel, they widened. For a second I thought it was surprise, but it only took me a second to register the expression existential DREAD on the face of the huge bartender as he looked down at my teacher. "Sweet Revenant NO! You can't be here! You're dead! Everyone said so!"

Abel frowned sulkily. "Hey now, that's not nice. I was one of your best customers. I spent tons of money here when I used to visit, if you'll remember. Did anyone else ever buy as many enchiladas as I did?" He sounded genuinely offended by the clear distress the other man was showing, but the big bartender was too busy having a small panic attack at the sight of him to acknowledge it.

"Yes, but we SPENT about twice that much on repairs whenever you showed up." Rudy almost wailed. "Taggert only let you come back because he was too scared to ban you. We threw a party the day we heard you weren't coming back. The stone here is so expensive, do you know how much effort it is to repair buildings in Doomtown? And you literally never failed to break SOMETHING."

A new voice cut in. "Enough, Rudy." The bartender turned to see another man, much shorter and with seaweed green hair. He shot the man a wry smile. "Go work on inventory in the back for a while and collect yourself. I'll handle the bar." Watching the massive form of the red haired man blur out from behind the bar and into a door in the back, the man shook his head with a chuckle before turning to Abel. "Must you make a ruckus every time you go anywhere Pol?"

Despite his words, he held out a hand with a grin and he and Abel clasped wrists, pulling each other into a quick one armed hug as they smacked each other on the back. My mentor looked thrilled once again as he pulled back. "Owen, good to see you. I figured Taggert would leave the place to you. He was already early F-rank when I stopped coming. How long since you took over?"

The green haired man gestured us to take a seat at the bar as he slipped behind it, filling up glasses for each of us with some local beer. "Oh it's been a few years now. For the record, I never thought you were dead, and neither did my Uncle. It's why he insisted on keeping the insurance policy he took out on the bar for you active. Still can't believe they made him pay for you as a separate policy. To be fair though, the premiums have gone WAY down since you vanished."

Mel clicked her tongue as she took the offered beer, along with the rest of us. I was NOT a beer guy, but it seemed rude to refuse so I decided to just nurse it (which, spoiler alert, makes beer SO much worse). She raised an eyebrow at the green haired man. "I'm surprised he got you to retire and take over. Taurus was almost as famous as the two of us back in the day. You were responsible for half the trouble my idiot got into when we were younger, though granted, he probably got you into just as much."

Owen just shrugged. "I kind of retired when you two left the scene. It just wasn't fun anymore. I considered ranking up and leaving, but it had just lost the appeal." His eyes flicked to us. "Who are the new kids? You two finally pick up some apprentices? I heard there's a big tourney coming up, and introducing a couple of newbies would be a great way to make a splash. If so let me know, I'll make sure to get my bets in on them early while the odds are still good."

Abel raised an eyebrow. "See, you say that, but it kind of sounds like you're feeling out whether the kids are going to be entering the tournament. I don't suppose there's been some sort of bounty offer going around for contestant information by any chance? Because I could see some of the bigger factions putting out a standing offer for the low down on who they'll be up against."

The shameless grin Owen shot back made it clear he had indeed been fishing. "Well, maybe. Though that answer is just as good for confirmation as telling me yes would be, isn't it? Of course, I don't know their names or who they represent, but the others you came in with are Beast Lord Garden, and one of them is the Beast Queen's personal disciple. I bet if I look around for information on new Beast Lord initiates I can find SOMETHING out. The question is what it's worth to you for me to keep quiet."

I expected Abel to be upset, but he just shook his head ruefully. "That would be a mistake on your part. The kids ARE entering, but they're going to be entering with the two of us. Anyone you pass their information to is bound to just get dinged out anyway. It would be a better investment to pass us the information you have so far and then actually place those bets."

The casual way they were discussing us being sold out was...weird to me. Owen seemed like an on old friend of Abel's but he barely even flinched at the idea that our information might be for sale. Apparently down here that kind of thing was commonplace. For his part, Owen seemed shocked by the fact that Abel was going to be entering. "Wait...you're fighting? Personally? BOTH of you? That's...shit, yeah, ok, give me their names so I can put money on them before that comes out. The odds on the two of them will nosedive when it comes out you two are on their team. I'll pass you what I've learned so far on the house, as long as you promise not to spread your participation for at least two days."

Abel looked interested. "That does seem like it would be a good deal, but we could get that information somewhere else. I think we need you to sweeten the pot a bit. You're getting a chance to make a shitload of money. Granted, we can put money on the two of them too and we will, but if we're helping you I want to get something out of it." He planted both hands on the counter and gave the other man a bloodthirsty grin. "I want free enchiladas for traveling companions for a month. REGARDLESS of quantity."

I expected an eye roll or some kind of dismissal, but Owen's face paled immediately. "A-a month? Pol, that's crazy. You eat at least fifty per sitting even when you aren't trying. Sure, the meat is only H-rank, but in those quantities you'll be seriously cutting into my bottom line. I'm running a business here. I don't even know how much the others might eat, a month is way too long."

Mel reached out and smacked Abel in the back of the head. "We aren't here to feed your enchilada addiction you lunatic." She glared at Owen. "A week, because if he doesn't get SOMETHING he'll never shut up about it. Agree so we can move on to the business at hand." The last part wasn't a plea or a question, it was a command, and the glare in her orange eyes was enough to make me want to take a step back.

At least some of Owen's reticence had clearly been for show, because his already 'pale' face completely drained of blood as he cleared his throat and looked away. "Right. Yes. A week. I can do a week." He reached out and he and Abel shook to confirm the deal. "Let me get you all set up with a plate on the house to get you started and we can talk shop." He looked over his shoulder. "Rudy! Break's over I'm going to make some food and then eat with my friends. Get your ass back behind the bar."

There was a loud groan from inside the door we'd seen Rudy flee through. "Do I have to?" He called hesitantly. Owen didn't even bother to respond, glaring through the door as if Rudy could see him. A weary sigh echoed out and the big man slunk out of the back and took his place behind the bar, glaring distrustfully at all four of us from his spot in front of the bottles as Owen headed for the kitchen.

"Alright, you folks go sit down and I'll get your food." Owen called over his shoulder. "Then we can go over the details of what I know and you can let me in on the who our new wonder team is so I can get my bets in. Four plates of enchiladas coming up. No charge." Despite his supposed resistance to the idea, he seemed to be almost skipping with happiness as he headed for the kitchen, clearly feeling like he'd gotten one over on us with how little he'd been forced to concede.

Or at least, he was putting one on until Abel called him to a stop. "Hey Owen, aren't you forgetting something?" The green haired man froze, turning suspiciously as Abel raised a hand and pointed over to the table with our Beast Lord Garden allies. Owen's eyes widened with horror even before the other man spoke, but he clearly noticed the loophole in his earlier agreement at the same time I did. Abel's grin was positively vulpine as he asked. "Aren't you going to go ask if any of them are hungry?" Admittedly the evil laughter after he said it might have been a touch over the top, but I couldn't say it wasn't satisfying.