[ closed ]

[realimperfect]

Characters: Re-l Mayer & Roy Mustang

Location: Watch office and moving to the nearest bar

Rating: PG-13 at worst? I DUNNO

Time: Late night 12th February to early morning 13th February

Description: Re-l drags Roy out of the office for a few drinks and a deep conversation may follow.




She didn't know what time it was, but, really, some part of her internal clock said it was far too late to keep working at this computer with sent relentless tapping of fingers on keys. Even her eyes, after a while, couldn't stand to sit in front of the screen anymore. But she was keenly aware that Roy was still in the office - or at least, that he hadn't said goodnight if he had left, and typically that was what told her it was time to turn in as well. When Mustang called it quits she'd been working a little too long as well.

Or at least, that was the scale she'd come to measure it all by at this point.

Shutting down the computer she rolls her chair back, resisting the urge to rub at her eyes as she stands and stretches, gingerly rolling her still injured shoulder before exiting her little corner of the office.

No surprises here - Roy was still at his desk.

"Mustang - " She pauses long enough to ensure she has his attention, brows raised a little. "I was thinking of getting a drink before I went home, would you like to join me?" Hey, can't blame a girl for having a drink to a relax a little before bed, can you?

Comments

[thewarisover]

"Mm?"

Roy, in turn, barely glanced up from the paperwork he had been doing, in between smoking a whole lot of cigarettes. The man had returned to the office a little after dinner, having just reunited with Hawkeye.

Yep. Today sure had been interesting. Now excuse him: he needed to return to the land of intelligent and living.

"Oh, you're still around?" He blinked and smiled a bit, then turned back to the report. "It's late."

[realimperfect]

"You know I have my days and nights turned around." True enough, considering Re-l's sleep practices. Right now it was still relatively early for her, sort of like lunch time, and therefore too early to go to bed without some sort of coercion to put herself in that kind of position.

Leaning in the doorway she crosses her arms over her chest, brows raised in question.

"So? Drinks?"

[thewarisover]

"Might pass. I want to finish this."

Just like how he had finished that stack sitting on one corner of his desk. And that other one yesterday. And the day before that.

[realimperfect]

She gives a rather audible, almost disappointed sounding sigh at that. Really - Roy - the two of you are too alike in this way, and she can almost tell why he's intent on working so hard. She gathers up the rest of her things, jacket over her arm.

"Working yourself in to the ground here isn't going to change anything about what happened while you were gone, you know." Of course, she doesn't quite know the extent of things, but, she could make a pretty educated guess if they were at all alike in that way as well. "So put down your papers and come along, mm?"

Ah, the classic order without really ordering him around.

[thewarisover]

Re-L's statement made him pause - it was minute, just a brief second of hesitation, where the tip of the pen in his hand hovered uncertainly over the paper, between writing one letter and the next.

It sure was a good thing that he had not been facing her back there.

"...I suppose it couldn't hurt."

His words were a bit too quiet, but at least he was giving in, right?

[realimperfect]

"It can't, really." She knew she'd struck a chord, really, but it was a calculated risk. She's content to wait until he's ready to get up and face the world, so to speak, just kind of lingering in the dark doorway. It'd probably be a little odd if this wasn't Re-l's constant state.

"Well, unless you get a little too lush with it. Hangovers are a bitch and I'm a terrible nurse." Does liquor humor heal that at all, Roy?

[thewarisover]

There's a soft laugh from his end, an attempt at a smile. He'll be better in a moment.

"Good thing I don't get drunk very easily."

[realimperfect]

"Good thing for us both, considering the state of my shoulder." A little smile, and she makes a motion for him to come along or follow, heading for the door.

"So let's lock up and go, mm?"

[thewarisover]

"Yeah."

Roy paused just long enough to finish writing the sentence he had started, and then stood up, pushing the clipboard aside.

"Can you check if all the windows and other areas of the office are closed before going out? I can take care of the rest, and meet you outside."

[realimperfect]

She gives a sharp nod instead of any sort of verbal confirmation that he spoke, moving away and in to the dark without any further adieu. All but one window was shut and locked, and the one that wasn't was quickly rectified, practiced hands closing the locks and making sure their perimeter, so to speak, was as secure as they could be.

That done she heads for the door, making sure to give him an affirmative nod. "Everything should be locked down."

[thewarisover]

"Thanks."

By then, Roy had finished up on his end, and was putting his coat on. He followed sometime later, and lit up again once they were outside.

"Were you thinking of any place in particular?"

[realimperfect]

She really tries not to turn her nose up at the smoking but, well. It sort of happens anyway. Yet another reminder that she wasn't in Romdeau anymore - plentiful alcohol and cigarettes available and not just for the lower class, either.

"No, not really. Lead away, if you have one."

[thewarisover]

"The Brew should work."

If Roy noticed, he did not seem to care. He turned away, heading down the street. He was normally a lot more talkative, but well. It had been a long day, and an even longer week for him.

[realimperfect]

"Fine with me, then." She gives an efficient little nod before following right after him, hands tucked in to her pockets as they walk. She wasn't typically one to force little outings like this - or really, the type to notice when someone might be feeling a little off - but with Roy it was a little too obvious to ignore. They were, after all, a little too alike in the ways of attempted stoicism and workaholic attitudes, so it wasn't hard to tell that he was feeling a little off these past few days.

Not that it wasn't understandable, with everything that had happened. Still, maybe a few drinks could help him to loosen up a little.

Which would be at least a minor improvement.

[thewarisover]

After all of the greetings and well-wishes and knowing looks, Re-L's simple acceptance and silence were welcome. Keeping up appearances was exhausting, and properly dealing with the sympathy of others had never been one of Roy's stronger suits.

The walk cleared his head well enough, though, and by the time they were stepping into the Bitch's Brew, Roy was nodding and smiling at the round of greetings he received from the other regulars. He glanced over at Re-L at that point.

"Should we go for the bar, or a booth?"

[realimperfect]

Re-l had a habit of not dealing with death well, either, or destruction - to maybe it was understanding, or at least a partial kind, that kept her so quiet instead of typically sardonic and probing. However a little bit of liquid courage may change that, but she isn't particularly thinking of the ramifications at the moment.

"I'd prefer a booth." The bar had too much foot traffic, and considering that Re-l was not one to appreciate large volumes of people in the first place - well, that was the obvious choice for her, to say the least.

[thewarisover]

"All right."

Roy smiled a little at his companion of the moment, and led them both towards a booth at the far corner. Once they had ordered their drinks, he settled back on his side, reaching up to loosen the collar of his shirt. He was starting to relax, at least.

"It's been a while since I've done something like this."

[realimperfect]

She didn't know if he just knew her well, or whether they had the same habits, but the booth in the far corner was the one she'd been inwardly hoping he'd choose. The one the most out of the way meant little interruption and little foot traffic that would venture quite so far in that direction, and with the late hour the place wasn't exactly at its fullest, either. She takes off her jacket before settling in, different from her usual so that the fabric would irritate the (well concealed with cosmetics) bruising still along her shoulders.

Re-l orders a glass of red wine, leaning back against the cushioned back rest.

"Me too. Of course, that isn't saying much for before I was here, but - " She gives a one shouldered shrug - a more tell-tale sign she's still not feeling healed.

"I thought we could both do with some unwinding."

[thewarisover]

"After everything that's happened in the city? I can believe that."

Of course he'd say 'the city', right? As if it was just a matter of his job being a little harder to do, and that Roy himself was fine.

[realimperfect]

"Hn. I wouldn't be as concerned with the City so much as the people." Death City, after all, could be more readily rebuilt than a place like where she was from - the second Romdeau crashed in to the ocean it was gone forever. Death City could be rebuilt from the ground up, that much she was sure of.

[thewarisover]

"It's the people that I was really referring to."

Roy paused there once their drinks had arrived. He was in a whiskey mood that night, it seemed.

"I think we're finished counting our losses, and we've rested up. Hopefully we'll be ready for another incident."

[realimperfect]

"I'm hoping that we have a nice long break before the next incident, thank you." It wouldn't be realistic to say that it couldn't happen for a long time, or wouldn't happen again, but a girl could be hopeful for some peace and quiet around the city.

"Some people haven't even stopped lingering in what's happened to them, we can't place many eggs in the basket of readiness."

[thewarisover]

"Yeah. Those ones will be a little hard to get through to, though... some of them aren't even aware that they're doing it. Lingering, I mean."

It wasn't like he was speaking from experience, really. He was just observant. Good with people.

[realimperfect]

"Sounds like 004." Another deep drink of her glass of wine and already she's ordering another. It's a strong red wine, but at the moment she doesn't mind at all. After all, Death City wasn't really a place where perfect decorum was expected of her at every turn.

"I'm... minutely concerned that he may need more help than people here can offer."

[thewarisover]

"Mind telling me what happened exactly?"

Roy's tone made it clear, however, that he would not have minded if she refused, and would not pursue the topic further.