milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Mike isn't so much seated at Bar as he is slumped over her. He hates days like today. You know the kind, where what you've been putting off all week just has to be done.

The concern du jour is the lack of writing on this week's Happy Hour schedule. There's just no amount of squinting that's going to make writing magically appear on the calendar before him, and he knows it.

It's just unfair the way the universe works, you know? That procrastination can't continue indefinitly.

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Mike's nod reverberates on Bar's top.

"uh huh. neck deep. what was rough about your week?"

Because hearing about someone else's problems means not having to deal with his own.

Guppy sips his coffee again, holding it in his hands for the warmth.

"Our kid's been trying to come early." he says. "'s got us a bit nervewracked to say the least."

Mike turns his head to look up at Guppy.

"How early is early? Like early early?"

Guppy nods.

"If he can stay in until Wednesday, he'll be twenty four weeks, which is pretty much the absolute minimum he needs for a decent chance of survival."

Looking back at Mike. "It's about 50% at that stage, improving the longer labour can be delayed."

Mike cringes.

"Dang, I'm so sorry to hear about that. You know, he probably just couldn't wait to come out and meet what awesome parents he has."

Guppy smiles weakly.

"Thanks. We're hoping, and the doctors are doing all they can."

He fidgets slightly.

"I... I was wondering if I could at some point take you up on your offer of learning how to meditate? I can see now isn't a good time but... I'm struggling a bit."

A bit of blinking commences.

"Now'd be a fine time, unless you're not feeling it's a fine time. In which case then anytime is a fine time. I'm just..."

He sits up.

"...being moody about unimportant things."

"No, now is a fine time." Guppy says. "Thank you."

He rubs his forehead. "You'd be more than welcome at Life Support tomorrow if you need to share those. Everyone's burden is just as valid. I'll try and get it set up, though no guarentees at the moment. Should be able to get some cover if I can't."

Mike waves away the concern.

"No worries, honestly. Nothing I can't handle."

He smiles.

"Want we should go to somewhere just a bit more quiet?"

"Yeah, please." Small grateful smile.

"First a question. Which of these following locations would you prefer? A) Tranquil lake scene? B) Calming living room. C) Slightly tangy-smelled gym slash garage."

Guppy considers.

"Living room please, since it's like Scotland in November out back."

"Living room it is."

Says Mike who is only too happy to put his scheduling woes behind him. He hand-plants on Bar's top, flipping himself over her and landing just to the side of Guppy.

"I'm going to apologize like, right off the bat for the fact that my place is kind of trashed at the moment. We're getting ready to move."

And with that said Mike ushers Guppy towards the stairs.

"That's okay, I'm not currently in any position to criticise." Guppy says, reflecting on the fact that he came home one day this week from the hospital to find that the cat had pulled down all the curtains he'd literally just put up.

Said cat had tried to pin the blame on the dog by covering the dog's basket with half destroyed curtain, but there was no way she was tall enough to have inflicted the damage.

It's not a long jaunt to the door of Suite 134, but it is an interesting one. Walking with Mike is like walking with a 7 year old tour guide; he makes sure to point out any and everything they happen to come across.

Wood panel in which the pattern of the grain looks like Elvis?
Check.
Dings in the walls from various games of Ninja Tag?
Check.
Places where Loompa Doors are reported to be?
Check, check, check, and check.

"And here we are!"

Mike turns the door knob to reveal the very comfortably lived in expanse that is 134.

Working clockwise from the doorframe we have the kitchen, with its breakfast bar. On the other side of the bar is a hallway, followed by the living room and entertainment center. There are two doors as one sweeps their way right.

The mess Mike was referring to must be the various and sundry moving boxes that are pushed into various and sundry corners. Or...maybe it's the fact that most horizontal surfaces in the suite are now covered with decorative rocks of various sorts.

"Come on in and make yourself comfortable. The bathroom is this first door over here on the right, should you need it. Can I get you a drink?"

Guppy likes the little tour; it illustrates just how interested Mike is in the bar.

"Thanks, nice place." Guppy looks suitably impressed, not least because despite having lived in his place for more than a year, most of his furniture is actually just wooden crates with bits of material over the top, a consequence of both entering the housing market at a bad time and generally not having time to shop.

"I'm fine for drink thanks." He says, looking with interest at the rocks.

Mike begins to futz around in the living room, attempting to clear some space on the floor.

"Oh don't mind those, they belong to Dr. Jones. I swear there are more and more of them every day, and they've been appearing one by one since I told him me and Mel are moving into Bernard's old place."

Mike finds an ashtray laden with the twisted ends of old joints, cringes, and attempts to find a place to stash the offending...er....stash.

"He's moving in?" Guppy suddenly becomes very interested in one of the rocks and tries not to notice the paraphenalia. Mike's doing him a favour, after all. He waits until Mike is ready before looking around.

"Sort of? I mean, he's lived here as long as I have, but we had an accord concerning just how much of his collection could be on display at any one time. He's unloading at the speed of my packing up.

Do you drink tea?

Wait...no no. That's a stupid question. Do you drink green tea?"

"Not habitually, but it's all right."

"I'm not a huge fan of it myself, but it might help set, you know the mood. Er...not that kind of mood."

Mike reaches behind the couch and retrieves a couple of square cushions, which he then tosses onto the middle of the floor.

"Lemme just move the coffee table here. Good. And I'll go put some water on."

Then he scurries over to the kitchen.

"Okay, thanks."

Guppy sits on the couch and waits, glancing around at the other rocks.

"So like, have you never done this before at all?

...

I swear I'm not trying to sex you up."

Calls Mike from the kitchen.

Guppy goes very red and clears his throat.

"Not properly, I never managed to clear my mind."

"Okay good to know. Then the tea will totally help. It's all like...calming and stuff. OH! And speaking of calming: Steamed sweet bean paste dumplings or rice balls? You know...while I'm in here."