milliways_bar | (no subject)

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So, he hadn't meant to come back to the bar yet. It's one thing getting your ass kicked by your enemies, quite another to let the world at large see the results. But when there's a screaming kid at home and you've got a headache, anything becomes preferable - and anyway, he doesn't care what people think, right?

And so, instead of sitting in a booth as normal, Ramon's at the bar in plain sight. If you point out that he looks like someone bashed the hell out of his face, he probably won't offer to share the tequila.

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Not much later, a lanky teenager takes a stool beside Ramon and orders a whiskey from the bar.

"You look like shit. Who'd you piss off?"

'An old friend,' he says, in a sarcastic tone of voice. Mentally, he checks where his gun is although it doesn't seem like he'll need it. If Angela had told Melou about him, he doubts there'd be an attempt at politeness from the kid.

"Yeah?" He looks Ramon over critically, sipping his drink. "Didn't do anywhere near a good enough job."

Hmmm.

'What are you talking about?'

Because playing dumb will obviously work here. But there's a chance that Melou is just talking about the job in general, in which case, fine. He throws a drink back instead, which exposes the bruising from getting choked.

Melou shrugs and turns back to the bar.

"If they'd let me in on you wouldn't be breathing."

If the situation were reversed, Ramon wouldn't have left anyone breathing either. That's the thing about messing with the family of a half-decent guy - he's more likely to take the moral high ground. Which is lucky.

He just shrugs one shoulder and pours another drink.

'So I should be glad you weren't there? If you say so, kid.'

"I'm not saying you should feel any way about it. I'm just saying."

'If you're not trying to make a point, why bother? And why do you even give a fuck?'

He means about the girl. Because he knows quite well that Melou doesn't care about her in the modern sense of the word.

He smiles slightly.

"Told you before. I don't like it when people break my things."

'Yeah? Well, I don't like it when people break mine either. And when people try, they can expect payback.'

Up to, including, and beyond kidnapping their granddaughters.

"That seems to work both ways." He notes, finishing his drink and ordering another one.

Ramon just shoots him a derisive look, pouring himself another shot.

'I got what I wanted. If I had to take a few hits to get it, it's no big deal.'

He's not scared of pain. Not the sort that Bauer had inflicted anyway.

Melou can understand that.

Still.

"It's too bad, really. I don't have that many friends here."

Ramon looks over at him, drink paused halfway to his mouth. Then he finishes it, puts the glass down and makes sure his hand rests close to where his gun is resting in the waistband of his jeans.

'Then hold on to them, if that sort of thing is important to you.'

He nods.

"Just a matter of determining if it's worth it or not."

Ramon shrugs and applies bottle to glass again.

'You have to make up your own mind on that. Can't help you there.'

"Wouldn't be too sure about that." He smiles and then finishes his second drink, before sliding off the stool.

"See you around, Ramon."

Ramon cocks an eyebrow at him, but just says,

'Yeah, see you around, kid.'

He doesn't take his hand away from his gun until the boy is out of sight.

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