(no subject)

[scurlock]

When Doc enters the bar tonight, it's from a hotel room in Montgomery. He's carrying a bag over his shoulder, and isn't surprised to see that Milliways has decided to show up. After a quick trip to his apartment in the staff wing to change his clothes and shower, he makes a trip out to the stables to check on things.

Once he's satisfied with the state of the stock (and taken note of some new arrivals), he ends up at a table near the bar with a drink and a dinner 'menu'.

Contemplating the specials, he sips at the bourbon (straight, tonight) and looks around the bar for familiar faces while he decides what to order.


[No new threads please - busy workweek means slowtimes. He'll be back!]

Comments

[katyafeline]

Here's one! Peering at him over the dinner menu.

She refrains from smiling. His nerves are so delicate.

"Hi!"

[scurlock]

He'd sensed the presence of something large moving closer, but her appearance when she peeks up over the menu is still enough to catch him surprised.

After a rough-swallow of his mouthful of bourbon (it's too top-shelf to spit out), one corner of his mouth pulls up into a smirk.

"Howdy."

With a foot, he nudges out the chair across from him.

"Buy y'a drink?"

[katyafeline]

There's a faint giggle, and then the Siberian tiger has launched herself into the rafters without even rattling the ketchup bottle in its holder, disappearing into the shadows.

Katya darts a quick hand to ruffle his hair before sitting, the silver bangles over her wrists chiming and telegraphing her movements.

[scurlock]

"S'good to see you too," he says.

With a light shake of his head, he rights his hair (still-damp from the shower) and sets his menu aside.

"The special tonight is a half-rack'a ribs," he says. "Though if you're dinin' as a tiger, we may need t'git a couple of pigs worth."

[katyafeline]

"Awfully bony." She opines, wrinkling her nose and picking up the abandoned menu. "It is, perhaps, something Olya's doctor would order?"

[scurlock]

"Most likely. I doubt he's met a rack'a ribs he doesn't like," he admits.

He motions at the menu with his drink.

"Also a steak on there."

[katyafeline]

Is anyone surprised the girl who regularly turns into a tiger is an unabashed carnivore? Anyone?

Her grin gets just that bit brighter, because of steak and the fact it wasn't a tiny little bit of steak, it was a proper chunk of cow.

Yekaterina approves.

"Why you would want the bony bits instead of the meat..." She sighs, trying to flag down one of the waitrats.

[scurlock]

"Sometimes it's easier t'git the bony bits than it is the good stuff."

He swirls the bourbon in his glass, watching as the rats glance in their direction with wary glances.



"...if they don't git over here, I can go git the order with the Lady herself..."

[katyafeline]

She mutters something under her breath that is definitely in Russian and is probably something unkind about rats, and she stares at one in particular.





Firmly.



Eventually it finishes weighing its options, and steps forward to their table. Smart rat - she'd have found it eventually if it had scurried off.

[scurlock]

"We'll take two'a the steak specials, please," Doc orders. "I'll have mine with the mashed potatoes'n the squash casserole. And another drink," he says.

He waits for her to choose her sides, almost enjoying the way the rat is fidgeting when Katya looks at it.

[katyafeline]

"The same. And vodka." Katya adds tersely, and dismissed the rat with a flick of her fingers. "It is so difficult to get good help these days."

Whichever days these are. It's always difficult.

[scurlock]

"I can understand why they ain't too fond of you," he says. "As far as I know, I ain't done anything too untoward in their direction."

The rat doesn't hesitate to bolt for the kitchen doors when it's been dismissed.

[katyafeline]

"Animals do not like Others. We... are wrong, for lack of a better word." Cats tend to be the worst, as they exist on all levels and tend to be very wary of anything else that can do that same trick.

[almosthonorable]

While Doc's deciding, a playing card lands, face-up, on his table.

It's a seven of diamonds, and well-shuffled, judging by its edges.

[scurlock]

His eyes go from the menu to the playing card, and then to the man throwing them at the hat that sits on the far side of his table.

Watching the cards flick from Ben's fingers to their destinations brings back memories of sitting in the cell downstairs, throwing a deck of cards across the room, landing them in a neat stack with 'nudges'.



Ignoring the prickle of ice at the base of his neck, he reaches for the card and taps the edge lightly against the tabletop - hard enough that the sound carries.

[almosthonorable]

The Jack of clubs lands neatly in the hat.

Followed by an ace of hearts.

Followed by a two of spades.

When Doc taps the seven Ben sent in his direction, Ben looks over.

He half-smiles in greeting, tipping his head toward Doc.

[scurlock]

"You're good at that," Doc comments. "Had a lot of time t'practice, lately?"

[almosthonorable]

"Just particularly quiet down here, for the moment," he says, nodding toward the room at large. "Left to my own devices, turns out I'm not all that interestin'."

[scurlock]

"You, not interestin'?" He laughs under his breath. "Don't go sellin' yourself short, Wade."

Bourbon and menu in hand, he shifts to rise in his chair and move to join Ben at his table.

"Been up t'anythin' interestin' back home?"

[almosthonorable]

Ben shakes his head.

"Keepin' my head down out in El Paso," he says.

One corner of his mouth ticks upward.

"I'm a railroad man, these days, workin' for the Southern Pacific."

[scurlock]

"A railroad man?" Doc arches an eyebrow in amused surprise. "What're you gonna tell me next, that you've hung up those guns'a yours and joined the church?"

[almosthonorable]

"Oh, haven't you heard? I collect the offerin' plate every Sunday, now, too."

[scurlock]

"...now that, I can almost believe. Save for the fact that I know robbin' from the Lord ain't truly your style."

[almosthonorable]

"You know me too well," he says, with a wry chuckle. "It's the railroad I'm more interested in fleecin'."

Literally.

"Funny you should mention the Lord, though, because I'm followin' in His footsteps."

A beat.

A smirk.

"I'm a carpenter."

[scurlock]

"Will wonders never cease," he says.

Curiously:

"So what's your angle on the railroad, if you don't mind me askin'?"