[ 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

[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.

[realimperfect]

"He was a subject of the Witch's mind experiments. I won't share his details since that isn't really my place, but let's just make it simple and say that braking my shoulder again was not a singular endeavor. And, well. He might have expressed things to me that he might not normally." Read in to that and say that you might as well call it sexual harassment, Roy. Or well, re-l might have if 004 had been in his right mind. But since he wasn't, she couldn't find reason to put all the blame on him that he seemed to be putting on himself.

"I don't blame him, it wasn't him within his right mind, but he refuses to speak to me even to resolve it, accept my forgiveness, or... anything.. really."

[thewarisover]

Roy didn't say anything until Re-L was finished. He listened intently, though, his expression growing a little darker with each new detail.

"I see."

It was strange how he could relate to that a bit. Not being able to accept another's forgiveness, that was, for things that one had done.

"In my experience, you're just going to have to be patient and hope that he pulls himself out of it. If not... well, a good smacking always works."

He was actually serious about that.

[realimperfect]

"My patience isn't my most developed skill.." She can't help the little almost laugh at even the thought of 'patience' being something she describes herself with. But, with her little moment of amusement over with, she nods, face falling back into its typical neutrality as she thinks things over.

"But I am good at smacking some sense in to people, so I suppose if that's my only other option I'm well prepared."

[thewarisover]

"Let me know how it goes, and if you need backup."

He was only half-joking. He and Re-L got along pretty well, and Roy was honestly concerned. He wanted to make sure that all of his soldiers were healthy and whole in as much as he could.

[realimperfect]

"Oh believe me when I say I will if needed. Might take two people to get it through a skull that thick." Though, considering this was Re-l, probably not. She had a way with making sure things went the way she wanted them to, even if it was against the other person's will.

"It's strange dealing with it, though. People were never this emotionally effected by anything where I'm from." ... And she wondered if it was strange she found this more interesting from the scientific stand point than out of concern for people's well being, at times.

[thewarisover]

"Is that so? Any particular reason why?"

Was it some sort of condition? Roy distantly recalled the talks that he and Re-L had had about her world, and was now rather curious.

[realimperfect]

"That's how we are trained to be from childhood. Emotions aren't necessary or encouraged in a place where your purpose is placed in front of you from beginning to end." It was a simple enough reality, though living here she was becoming more and more aware of how ... not normal her life had been, even if she had considered it such while she was living it.

"I was actually a bit of a... social pariah, for following Vincent and doing things as I wanted to instead of how I was told to.."

[thewarisover]

"And that got you into a lot of trouble, huh? But it also changed things, didn't it?"

Possibly for the better. That was how it usually went, in Roy's experience.

[realimperfect]

"You could say that." If by a lot of trouble you mean near assassinated, than sure, Roy. She takes a long drink of wine and leans back some, as if she needs to think about if it changed things in her life or not. You could say it completely change it - though whether it was for the better or the worse was sort of up in the air, depending on her out look of the day.

There were times where she almost wanted to go back to a regulated life - at least then she knew what to expect in boring paradise.

"It depends on the day as to whether I think it's a good change, or not."

[thewarisover]

"That does tend to be the nature of change, in my experience. I'm one to believe that ultimately, what is, is best, though."

Even if it meant losing someone you cared about. Call it whatever one wanted - a defense mechanism, denial, what have you. Roy was a soldier. Loss was part of the job.

[realimperfect]

"The situation is a catch twenty-two, really. There are down falls to every plus I can find." Which, of course, is the way of the world, but, at the end of things - she supposes she selfishly misses what she knows best. Though she found Romdeau terribly boring - it was still the place she'd grown used to and called home.

The cramped rabbit, and living in her new conditions simply couldn't compare to her old status, in the round-about.