milliways_bar | (no subject)

Barry sees Sara enters. It's a sign of how smitten he is that watching her stamp snow off boots strikes him as very cute.

"Good afternoon, my dear," he says as he approaches, tea in hand.

"Hello," she says with a smile, getting a mug of cocoa from the Bar.

"It's rather brisk outside."

"So I gathered. And yet you braved the cold. Is it possible that you are beginning to like the cold and snow?" He gives a smirk. A warm smirk, but a smirk all the same, and then leans in to kiss her.

[ooc: will need to log off at 3:25 EST so I can talk to my boss about transit strike contingencies. yay.]

[ooc: Fun, fun. No problem.]

"Hardly," she says with an answering smirk, returning his kiss. "I just went outside for a change of scenery--it's not likely to snow in Vegas."

"Too bad. It would be nice to build a snowman. But if you prefer to sit in front of the fireplace, that's nice too." Any chance he can cajole her by playing the "too bad" card? He doubts it, but he can be shameless on occasion.

"We can go play in the snow later," she says in an overly-sympathetic voice. "It'll still be there this afternoon."

Meanwhile she scoots over to one of the couches, out of swatting range.

Barry makes a face at her, and then gives her a huge smile. And of course doesn't cheat by scooting after her at Mach speed.

"I could probably use a bit of silliness playing in the snow. Got some very bad news about Guppy's father." He sits next to Sara, his body language showing some concern about his friend.

"Oh no. What did you hear?"

"His father has a brain tumor. He's dying." Barry goes silent for a moment.

[ooc: Milliways = catharsis]

She closes her eyes, lowering her head and shaking it.

"That's a damned shame," she says quietly.

"Guppy is trying to hold himself together, but he's going to need his friends to be with him. If there's one thing I can say for this place, it's that no one in need is ever alone.

"And while Amanda and I are not likely to see eye to eye on much, we can put them aside for his sake." There is sometihng in Barry's tone that indicates he's worked hard to reconcile his sixth sense about Amanda's past ith her steadfast loyalty and honesty.

She nods. "Agreed. If there is anything I can do for him, even just lending a shoulder to cry on, I'll gladly do that."

It hurts to lose a parent, regardless of the relationship one might have had with that parent.

"I think he'd appreciate that."

Barry is thoughtful for a moment. "My parents were still alive when I passed on, but I still recall the way my friends reched out to me when Iris died. At the time, I was not very gracious to many of them - might be the only time I ever gave Superman the cold shoulder. But in retrospect, I benefitted from their presence. And their patience."

"It does help," she says quietly, reflective. "Catherine was a great comfort when my mother passed on, several years ago. Penitentiary didn't contact me until well after the fact--I was furious."

Barry is not all that surprised to hear that the prison would do something like that - his feelings about penal institutions have been negative ever since the first Rogue made his escape. But it still stings.

"I hope you had Grissom fire off a letter of complaint. Even if it was in a different state, I would imagine he might make them see the error of their ways." Or at least make them cringe as only he can.

She chuckles, lower than normal. "Doubt they'll be forgetting the Las Vegas night shift anytime soon."

Barry tries to envision Grissom meeting the wardens of Central City's prisons and gets a small chuckle of his own. "Indeed.

"Anyway, I think I could use a shift away from talk of prisons and death. How goes the gift-getting?"

"I think I've gotten something for everyone on my list, without resorting to gift cards. A first."

"Impressive," he says even though he came to think that the then-new idea of the gift card (and its cousin the gift certificate) were good to receive as well.

"Anything I need to know about so that when peole thank us I'm not surprised?"

"Baby equipment for Jack and Grissom, as well as a couple's portrait. And man was Jack a difficult person to sketch--he never stays still. Seeds and gardening tools for Asar-Suti and desert cookbooks for Gil Whimple. Ace is getting a journal, Catherine some glassware, and Lindsey a toy pony. I know Grissom is planning on giving her a princess castle. Hank-oh yeah, a portrait of Catherine. I need to pick that up."

She digs in her pocket, pulling out a crumbled list. "I'm giving the twins and Elrond a family sketch, Tony will be getting forensics journals and a new Cubs mug...when he returns." A brief hard swallow. "As for everyone else--knick knacks mostly."

Barry catches the pause in regard to Tony, and gives Sara's hand a squeeze.

"I think I will stick with books for most of the people I know. I'm still not any better as getting gifts now than when I was 21." And he still hasn't figured out what to get sara, but that's his secret.

"Good idea. No one would turn down a book." A brief, appreciative smile.

Oh, he knows he'll get Sara a book - a mystery, perhaps - but he wants to get something more. Not fancy this time, but something a tad personal. He might have to ask the Bar for some jewlery catalogues.

"I think we should leave most of the gifts under the tree - though lord knows how anyone will find what's theirs if everyone does that - but give our Christmas Eve guests their presents at the get-together."

"That's what I was thinking. I'll probably send out invitations later this afternoon or tomorrow, giving place and time." She grins. "I'll make the bread--you can handle the meat. Or we can just order from Bar beforehand."

"Maybe this time I'll try my hand at some cooking. How hard can a ham be?" Famous last words? Perhaps, but when the holiday spirit takes hold, it's hard to resist. "And either eay, I think homebaked bread counds wonderful." Visions of a fine meal (though probably not sugarplums) dance in Barry's head.

[ooc: and here we must wrap. Have a good one!]