| abstract | - Taeren sits at the bar, drinking a soda and frowning down at a PDA. Norton strolls in wearing shorts, sandals, and a tanktop. He's smoking a cigarette and makes his way directly to the bar where he takes a seat and grins at the bartender until the man is free. Still grinning, he knocks some ash of the cancer stick into the tray before him, "How's it going, buddy? Can I get a root beer. And, uh, something to eat. Meat with bread wrapped around it. And the potatoes." Taeren tucks away the PDA as Norton approaches the bar. "Meat with bread around it," the Timonae muses, one eyebrow rising above the other. "You've got a way with words, Sergeant." Shrugging, Norton just grins. "I guess that's why they pay you the big money." "I always figured it was my good looks," the Timonae replies, taking a sip of soda. Norton grins and sticks the cigarette back in the corner his mouth. "Six of one, half a dozen of the other." "Unless its' a baker's dozen," Taeren retorts, reaching forward towards a saucer on the bar for a handful of shelled peanuts. "What's new, Sergeant?" "Best I can tell, life still sucks," says Norton as his order arrives. He nods pleasantly to the bartender and grins some more. "But it's always getting better," The Timonae counters, lifting his glass. Norton's root beer and hamburger shows up with the pototoes on the side. He grins. "The news has a funny way of showing that. That kapitan has been looking for you. The Ungstiri with the shades." "Good," Taeren replies. "One person I don't mind having after me. At least so far." Norton sticks a fork in his potatoes and grins. "Yeah, her and her associate were in here the other day. Last I saw her was dirtside, though. Haven't been in the bay lately. They might still be docked. It's like we're running a summer camp." Dirionis enters the bar 'n' grill, stopping and glancing around at the entrance. "She's a trusted friend," Taeren replies. "Both mine and Ryan's." The Timonae takes another pull from his soda and is otherwise silent. "Oh, I know. We're a friendly place where we set personal issues above the needs of the military," says Norton as he continues to grin. "General Ryan and me had a talk already." He's got a cigarette in his mouth, hamburger, potatoes, and a root beer in front of him. Dirionis makes his way over to Taeren and Norton, eyeing Norton's root beer before waiting to speak in the conversation. Taeren sits at the bar a couple of seats down from Norton, drinking a soda. "I hope you had a great discussion," Taeren deadpans to Norton, nodding to Dirionis as he approaches. "Private." Ace sweeps into the tavern, longcoat billowing around her knees as she strides straight over towards the bar. She pays no attention to anyone else at the moment, speaking quietly to the barkeep who produces a glass and a bottle of vodka and sets it in front of her. "Always thrilling and titillating to speak with a genuine hero," agrees Norton with a grin. Dirionis nods to Taeren, and Norton. " Captain. Do you know this Lebeau from the outcast...Whom we searched?" Taeren nods, reaching for the shelled peanuts in a saucer on the bartop and popping one in his mouth. Around it, he says, "Yeah. He does some gray stuff on the side from time to time, but he wouldn't be running guns for PANL." His eyes shift to Norton and back. "Personal matters." The Timonae smirks. "He's technically General Ryan's stepfather." Norton just grins. "Station is chock full of love and good feeling for our fellow man and non-man. Too bad it doesn't get us any where." Despite the amount of alcohol in front of her, Ace pours a small shot and sips at it, clearly not in any hurry to finish it off. Dirionis gives up on standing, sitting in a stool next to them, as he waits for the bartender. "Sergeant," Taeren says, rising to his feet, "You have absolutely zero fucking idea what you're talking about." Taking his drink, the Timonae moves down the bar towards Ace. "Excuse me, gentlemen." Norton grins as he stabs his potatoes with his fork. "I was feeling lonely being the only one who knew what was going on, so I thought I'd join the club." Ruin steps into the grill, somewhat meekly but pleased to be there, with Leodhais close behind him. "It's not gourmet," he says to Leodhais with soft amusement, "But I never had a problem with it. Go on." Ace looks over, nodding as Tay approaches, "Can get a second glass if you wish to join me," she says quietly. Leodhais nods, walking into the grill, looking around curiously. "...garlic," he notes, almost imperceptibly sniffing the air. Dirionis chuckles, ordering some potatoes and a soda as he says, " sarge, how is it you can piss someone off so much while keeping a constant grin?" "I can't drink booze," Taeren replies, meekly hefting his soda. "Not tonight. Not for a while." Allowing Norton the last word, the Timonae eases into his new seat. "Heard tell you were looking for me." "Well, hero," says Norton while he grins and takes a bite of his potatoes. "Keeping your head while people are losing theirs around you is a big part of both living to see morning and being the guy who keeps other people breathing. Tempermental types just don't have much success." Ruin finds his way with old familiarity to a booth, where he settles back to keep an eye on things and possibly grab some onion rings. Leodhais walks over towards the bar, scrabbling up onto a barstool, somehow gracefully, and asks for a menu, looking about carefully. The bartender raises an eyebrow, but finds a raggedy laminated menu and hands it to him. "Don't use those much around here," he says before leaving Leodhais alone to study it. "Is what I have been telling myself for awhile now," Ace nods in agreement, "But...need some sleep, so this is my best shot and da, have been looking for you." She takes a sip from her glass, "Was wondering if you turned up anything on the island, the yacht or the gun emplacement." "Keeping your head while people are losing theirs around you is a big part of both living to see morning and being the guy who keeps other people breathing. Tempermental types just don't have much success." "Is what I have been telling myself for awhile now," Ace nods in agreement, "But...need some sleep, so this is my best shot and da, have been looking for you." She takes a sip from her glass, "Was wondering if you turned up anything on the island, the yacht or the gun emplacement."'. Dirionis smirks at Norton. " Gotta show some emotion every once in awhile...Though I see where your comin' from." Taeren frowns. "Nothing I can talk about yet. We'll talk about those things later. Soon." He lifts his glass to his lips, and with the rim and the dark liquid inside obscuring his mouth, he adds, quietly, "tomorrow." "See, killer, you're wrong," says Norton with a grin. "Big part of being in charge is putting on a front. If that front holds up when push comes to shove, you're golden. If you're ducking behind some hapless private when the shooting starts, it's over even if no one in charge ends it. Because you've lost the respect of your men. If you've got anything outside the front that you need to let out, you need to say your good byes and go somewhere nice and private. Nobody really acts like anybody in private. Everybody's got a front." Ruin - having obtained his onion rings - cheerfully eats his way through them with the relish of a man for whom deep-fried foods hold no terror. Ace nods, just once and only the slightest bit, "Da," she replies, just as softly, "What is another day, hm?" "It's a lot," Taeren replies, giving Ace a hard look, a hurt look. "It's too much. But it's necessary." The corners of his eyes tighten, brows knit -- an expression of pain. Ace nods, just once and only the slightest bit, "Da," she replies, just as softly, "What is another day, hm?" "It's a lot," Taeren replies, giving Ace a hard look, a hurt look. "It's too much. But it's necessary." The corners of his eyes tighten, brows knit -- an expression of pain.'. Leodhais looks rather horrified at the menu and tentatively orders a plate of mashed potatoes - "light on the garlic." This gets him a hearty chortle from the bartender, and he's given a glass of what's presumably tea, though it's in an unusual form - iced and pre-sweetened. He glances around again and notes the few people he does recognize, taking a sip of his tea and making an audible 'ugh' noise. Dirionis taps his fingers on the bar as his potatoes come. " Respect...That is a factor." He says, emphasizing 'is'. He takes his newly arrived fork, stabbing at his meal and taking a bite. Norton picks up his burger in one hand and uses the other to hold his thumb and index finger a fraction of an inch apart as he grins. "Just a smidge." Ruin has evidently noted Leodhais' distress, for he scoops up his onion rings and goes to the bar. "...For a culturally superior, genetically enhanced sort of person," he says mildly, "You sure do seem to have a delicate stomach. It's not that bad, you know." He grins, pure machiavellian evil. "A little too blue-collar for you?" "Is already too long," Ace says bitterly, "Has been too long since the day they were taken. Am about to head there myself if I need to." "Ace, this isn't the place to talk about it," Taeren replies quietly, only more wrinkles appearing on his face. "Very soon. I promise." Leodh's eyes go wide as the plate of potatoes is set down in front of him. Light on the garlic apparently equals overflowing with before mentioned. He pokes experimentally at them with his /spork/, peering at the odd utencil, and then takes a tiny bite. He blinks several times, dabs his mouth with his napkin, takes a deep sip of his tea, shivers and then digs some cash out of his pocket, and gets up. "Excuse me," he says quietly, and makes a beeline for the door. Ace mutely nods as she takes a longer swallow from the glass, "So...anything we can talk about?" Norton nods to Ruin when the guy comes to the bar. Swallowing the bite of hamburger, he asks, "How're things, Peanut?" Ace simply flags down the barkeep who adds another glass which Ace smoothly fills, topping off her own after. "So why the dry spell?" she asks, indicating the bottle. Dirionis looks towards where Norton acknowleges, offering a nod to Ruin, as he eats his potatoes, before taking a long, few chugs of his soda. "So it's back to Peanut again," Ruin replies, rolling his eyes and ducking as Leodhais beelines exitward. "Well, as you can see, I have a Sivadian who can only stomach the freshest raw fish about. But other than that..." His glance strays to Tay and Ace, and the smile fades. "No...really, I think that's a question better left unanswered." He gives Tay and Ace a wave, and scoops up his onion rings - and Leodhais' abandoned potato for good measure. "I'd better go make sure he doesn't throw up in the lift or something, but I did want to say hi. Later, everybody." And, loot in hands, he strides back out. "It's a tough time," the Timonae says, pulling the shotglass to him with two four-knuckled fingers. "And I'm good even when I have a drink in me. But I'm better when I don't." Taeren exhales. "Figure we need every edge we can get, seeing as the people out to kill us aren't going to stop so we can get drinks." Norton sets down his hamburger to look back at Dirionis. "So, you want to play stump the chump?" "Da, is much the same," Ace says quietly, "But is only thing I can think of now to help me get some sleep, so...will pace myself and hope it works." Dirionis looks over from his gorging of pop and potatoes, eyebrow quirking. " Come again?" "Stump the chump. Kind of like the screw your buddy game we played the other day," says Norton as he grins. "Only now you ask me questions instead of me asking you." "I should probably get some shut eye too," the Timonae replies, hefting his glass. "So: Lady smile." Ace raises her glass in turn, "To sleep," she offers as a toast, following in Ungstiri tradition and tossing this one back. Taeren tosses back his shot and sets the glass on the counter with a solid *thunk*, exhaling a little noisily. Dirionis shakes his head, replying, " I couldn't come up with any good questions, anyway...Too tired." He takes another drink of his pop. "All right," says Norton before he focuses on eating his hamburger and mashed potatoes. Ace pushes herself up from the bar, reaching to take the bottle with her, "Will see you tomorrow then," she says. "Have business on La Terre on Friday night, but will be around before that." Taeren nods. "Much before," he agrees. "I'm going to get some sleep, and prepare." Dirionis finishes his potatoes and continues on his soda. Norton mumbles, "We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much for so long with so little; we are now qualified to do anything with nothing." Ace nods, "Da svidaniya, Tay," she says, "Get some sleep." "I will." The Captain turns, nodding to Diri and Norton, for the exit. Norton eats his meal without responding to the nod. Dirionis gives a quick wave, finishing his soda with a content grin. Norton shakes his head. "So, what'cha think of that, killer?" Dirionis tilts his head over to Norton. " Thinka' what?" He asks. Norton grins. "That, hero, that What'cha think I mean? Take a guess." Dirionis points at his empty plate and cup. " The food? Its pretty good." Norton shakes his head. "No, man, the talk that was going on down the bar." Dirionis shrugs and replies, " I wasn't really listening intently...What happened?" Norton just grins. "Don't worry about it. I was just smelling the reek of stupid and wanted to know if you had caught a whiff." Dirionis laughs softly. " Guess I lost my sense of smell temporarily." Norton continues the grin. "I'm thinking about having my nose cut off." Dirionis chuckles then taps his fingers idly on the bar, yawning. Norton finishes his meal and stands. "See you at morning formation, hero."
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