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Nuk had just started to relax when Rep returned, looking for the world far too smug for his liking. He didn't even glance at the towel which was offered, far too preoccupied with giving the redhead his deepest, most disapproving scowl, doing his best not to seem the least bit interested in him. There was such thing as being attracted to the dangerous type, but this was way past ridiculous. Besides, he was NOT attracted to men. This strange, hot sensation in his veins was clearly rage, or anxiety. Baring his teeth at Rep, he reached out to snatch the towel out of his hands, rounding on him to face the large man head-on, standing up straight and making a point to get into his personal space.

"You need to stay the ******** away from me, or your sugar daddy's going to give you a nasty spanking and me a bullet to the brain," he growled, pressing his index finger hard against the man's chest, gravelly tone rumbling deep in the back of his throat.

"Such a shame," Malodore said with a sigh, giving Melvin a sad smile before swishing its own glass of sparkling water, as if it were wine and it were savoring the bouquet.

The discourse offered by the man on its other side, though... it turned that way, raising one eyebrow. "'Sir', is it? Hm." It sounded amused. "I make waves every day, but they are subtle, and their effects subtler still - yet, taken in total, they create a tide." It seemed pleased with that metaphor, and nodded to itself. "And you... sir?"

Evidently signore was only for certain people.

Rep let the towel go without so much as a backlash, strangely distant and aloof as he watched Nuk's outburst with sharp interest. It was familiar. Normally he would have summoned his claws for such callous disregard for his generosity, or at least beneficence, but his interests were elsewhere. He didn't so much as lean back as Nuk got up into his personal space, simply tensed subtly, a coiled potential energy.

He didn't even lash out at the finger jab, simply eyed his finger pointedly before dragging his gaze back up again to stare at the other man with a distant curiosity, for a moment seeming to look through him.

In an instant it was as if something gave way in his thoughts and without warning he leaned in himself, countering the disregard for personal space with some boundary invasion of his own, close enough he could smirk and speak, his voice lowered to a husky purr. "If he knew maybe. He's busy."

"Afrrraid?" he taunted.

The notion was savored, the metaphor was a pleasure to his ears. it was a relief to Jing to see that the watch wasn't exactly filled with buffoons. "The tide is still very subtle, it creeps up and down the shore like clockwork. It is steady but indeed, routine, everlasting." he continued, giving a solemn nod at the fact. Whomever the patron was, it indeed piqued his own interest.

If only to figure it out. "I prefer to move with the waves, and feel its flow before making the motions to adjust it, direct it and let it flow into a different direction." he paused in quiet reflection. "The idea of going against the current always did fill me with such a thrill. But I am sorry, I did not mean to interrupt you and your drink."

The show however was at least trying to move into act two.

"Livings means there is a lot you don't get to be proud of. It's why it's living." She took another shot of vodka. "We all aren't ...uh...what's the word....angels here." She said before taking another puff. "Big man there don't have good things either to have us. I'm sure your grandmother wasn't perfect either. So what you do?"

Melvin was listening to water talk and wondered, considering the rule about no drugging only applied to animals, if he could slip in some Royal Blue with the men beside him.

He eyed their drinks.

The bartender, saint that he was, had brought Jerry a glass of water and an ash tray.

"I... make accidents happen." He managed, clumsily setting his lighter down to clean his glasses on his shirt.

It was indeed, getting to the heart of the matter. The words that the being spoke was careful and probing, enough to keep the warning of danger ringing in his mind. The grasp on the highball glass tightened slightly and the contents shifted in the container, the ice cubes began to float toward one side. "Is anyone ever truly prepared for war?" he asked in return with a chuckle.

"Most men go off to battle for a few reasons." he continued as he began to list them on his fingers. "For power, for glory, for their sworn duty and honor, and some... some just have someone they just want to protect."

The mere notion of laying all his cards out on the table for someone terrified him to no ends, it was his heart on the line. how it even happened Jing wasn't even sure, but the fellow patron managed to wrangle all the info out with ease.

It was dangerous, and yet the battle of wits was so compelling. "Now the question of will there be battle on the seas, or will it happen on our own shores, begs to be answered."

At this point, he was almost hoping Rep would be pissed. From what he'd gathered during their brief introduction at the bar, by all logical reasoning the redhead should have been furious, ready to deck him, and that would be that, situation defused. Hell, he hadn't even touched the tiger, and Rep had been all but ready to rip his throat out. This time, not only was the shapeshifter clearly baiting him, but he'd gotten into his personal space, and practically assaulted him. The redhead should have been snarling, eager to tear him limb from limb, or at least give him some nasty scarring from those shadow claws. Instead, he seemed to be considering something, which was doing a fantastic job of making Nuk more and more uneasy by the second. At least when he tensed, the shapeshifter felt a little more at ease, his own muscles coiling as he readied himself for the brawl which was sure to occur.

Only, it didn't.

For a second, his scowl wavered, slipping into a bewildered stare as he too flicked his eyes down to his finger, still pressed firmly against Rep's chest. When he looked up, he almost mirrored the redhead's curiosity as well. His macho attitude won out, in the end, setting his eyebrows and twisting his lips over his teeth in an agitated scowl again, but it was too late, the damage had been done. Whether or not Rep took this as an invitation, he'd never know, but a moment later the man was leaning forward himself, placing their bodies dangerously close... so close, that he could feel the other man's breath fanning against his skin, his firm, full lips...

... WAY TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT.

Except Nuk's brain was short-circuiting, and that heat-which-was-clearly-rage was practically radiating off his skin, and every instinct screaming to get the ******** out of there was being completely ignored.

"He's not busy enough to overlook your absence, precious," Nuk returned in a low murmur, hostility laced with something else now, something he couldn't quite place. Or rather, was pretending he couldn't quite place. The taunt, however, had exactly the desired effect on him, the scowl taking on a new, different purpose. Fisting the front of Rep's shirt, he puffed out his chest, taking every inch of self control not to swing the man around and shove him against a wall.

... in a... totally non-sexual way.

"Big talk for a guy who hides behind a tiger."