nextgenerationmarvel | Coping Mechanism (Kassi)

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Coping Mechanism (Kassi)

Texas Marion was correct in her belief that Tommy had a way to deal with the events of the demon invasion of New York. Were he a normal man with a nine-to-five job like, say, Dawn or most of America, he might have just had a couple of beers and slept off the experiences of that day and chalked it all up to being a mass hallucination that he would never have the misfortune of participating in again. After all, the entire story was so crazy that no one would believe it that wasn't there. Even then, Tommy could have pretended it never happened and carried that belief to his grave. After the fight with the monsters, he'd thought of catching up with Joe and Roxanne and just staying in one place for a while.

Mephisto's voice in his head ruined that idea immediately.

"Excellent work, Ghost Rider. Dormammu's incursion could not have been allowed to succeed. Your...allies were of use but do not believe that they can save you from your fate. You are mine, now and forever. For now, I leave you to your own devices until such time as I have need of you again."

Tommy didn't both saying good-bye to the others and he didn't leave a forwarding number. He simply hopped on his bike and rode out of New York like a bat out of hell, not stopping until he almost laid his bike down outside of Chicago. He'd spent the last few weeks moving from town to town, taking down criminals and allowing the Rider out at night when his willpower finally failed him.

One evening he remembered to look up long enough to find himself in New Oreleans, Louisiana. He'd spent most of the evening on Bourbon Street drinking until he could barely stand and then stumbled out of the bar into the hot, humid night. He passed the crooks, thieves and other riffraff of the city, wandered beyond the canals and managed to get down to the waterfront. He stared at the water and a thought crossed his alcohol-fueled mind.

It would be so easy to just head right in and not walk out. Just a few minutes and no more Mephisto, no more sharing my body with a demon...and no more bein' afraid of going to Hell. No more putting it off.

Before he knew it, Tommy was heading down into the water.

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"I try not to think about the stuff that's fucked up more than just to acknowledge it." Kassi took another drink.

"Nope. There are advisers in the royal service who would love nothing more than to get rid of me. They tried a couple of years ago and failed miserably."

"I bet your old man wasn't happy about them tryin' to kill you. They still tryin'?" he asked her.

"Not happy is putting it mildly." Kassi shook her head.

"Yeah, they tried again last week but at least last week they did it during an authorized event so it would look at least a little less deliberate. I freaking love War Games."

"You're real calm for someone who's nearly been assassinated a few times." Tommy said, taking another drink.

Of course she would be. She's never been dead before, not even for a minute. The living were pretty glib about death until it got close enough to see. Even then, people simply forgot about it until the next time.

Not Tommy. He'd been dead for several months once. He could still see it.

Kassi looked at the bottle for a moment as something approximating a grim expression crossed her face.

"It's easy to be calm when you know assassination is how you will die. You live with the idea of death so close to your skin that you no longer fear dying, just everything after."

She shrugged. And took another drink.

"Fear will make you crazy. I choose sanity."

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"If you ain't afraid, you're insane." Tommy said.

"And everything after dyin' ain't really so bad. Dependin' on where you're goin'...it can even be peaceful." he said.

"I doubt there is any peace for half breed Atlantean with a rebellious streak."

She grinned.

"My definition of sanity may be different than yours. You really don't know much about us undersea types, huh?"

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"I'm from southern Missouri. There ain't a whole lot of water-people around there." he said.

"Oh wow. No. You don't. So how'd you end up here, trying to hit on me via deep dive?"

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"After that whole demon thing, I got a call from my boss and decided to skip town. Spent the last few weeks movin' around. Just happened to end up here." he said.

"Is your boss gonna be pissed?"

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"As long as I'm alive, no. Besides, he can pretty much get in touch with me anytime he wants." Tommy told her.

He paused to take a drink.

"I'm a bounty hunter, of sorts."

"That sounds interesting and terrible all at once. I didn't figure bounty hunters to be the type to not be able to have good work/life boundaries."

Kassi nodded for another bottle, this time of whiskey.

"I mean, I kind of get it. My 'job' doesn't have boundaries either."

"My job has a few perks. Boundaries are somethin' else. Not many of those. I just help people where I can." he said.

"Then again, I didn't think you had a job so much as a lifestyle."

"Common misperception, actually. There's a lot of lifestyle to it, but I actually do have work. Most of it meetings. Very long, boring as shit meetings. What sort of perks does your job have?"

"Meetin' beautiful women. Shootin' bad guys. Drinkin'." Tommy said in succession.

"Sometimes I even get chicken wings. And I make enough money to work on my bike."

"I think your job trumps mine. But you mention chicken wings. I could definitely go for some of those. I know a place. Want to get some?"

Tommy ignored the possible double entendre in Kassi's words and took one last drink.

"Wings sound great right now. Drinkin' works up an appetite." he said.

"Where you thinkin' of headin'?"

"There's a place a few blocks east of here. We'd have to get them and take them somewhere because they're the only place down here that seems to close at night, but I've got a hideout where we can go."

Kassi shook her head as she stood up.

"You are the soberest drunk guy I think I've ever drank with. Most surface guys are passed out long before now. I think I might have just found someone who can keep up with me."

She smiled at him and then went over to say something to the bartender before paying him not in cash or on plastic but in a few colored gemstones and some gold.

"Let's go get some wings and cause some trouble, eh?"

"I'm just full of surprises." he said in regards to his tolerance. He'd also tried to drink himself to death right after he'd come back from the other side.

Mephisto put a stop to that really fast.

Tommy nodded and watched as Kassi paid the bartender and wondered where she got gemstones and gold but then remembered all of the stories of ships that had crashed in the ocean over the years. They probably had more money than the whole U.S. combined.

"Wings it is, then. Question, though. Are there really seven seas or is that just a sayin'?" Tommy asked.

"Well, if you're Muslim geographer from the 9th century trying to get to China there are only really seven that count: Fars, Larwi, Harkand, Kalah, Salahit, Kardanj, and Sanji. In reality there are over a hundred. The ocean's a huge place. And it's amazing, but the truth be told my favorite places aren't underwater."

"I didn't know the waters had real names." Tommy said.

"What's your favorite place in the world?" he asked her.

"Every body of water has a name. The world's a big place so it's hard to pick one but one of my favorites is actually kind of near here."

"Where is it? You mind showin' me?"

"It's a little island out just past what's officially the gulf. I'd be happy to show you if you don't mind flying Kassi Airlines. And we have to get the chicken wings first."

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