milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Grace saunters out of Captain Perry's office, already tapping a cigarette from her pack, and tries not to smile. The guys are all looking at her, thinking she's in trouble with their new boss. Quite the opposite. Perry's an old friend from Vice and if Grace loved laughter any less, she'd warn Butch about being all UT in her face, at least for awhile; but he’s been a big boy in a unit full of Sooner fans for years now. It'll be entertaining.

She shoulders open the door to Major Crimes, then the stairwell, and mutters a half-hearted curse. Milliways. A few days without Earl’s making her soft. Whatever, it’s still a bar. Better to smoke with a drink than without one.

When Bar gives her the note, Grace tosses back her head and laughs. She looks at it again; laughs again.

"Sure thing. I could use time to think."

Because pouring drinks in between drinking her own will help her figure out why the motel manager got dead in one of his guest rooms. Obviously. Pushing her hair back, she pulls some not-so-random drink ideas from the proffered book and goes to work on the specials board.

HAPPY HOUR!

Absolut Hell
Holy Water
Jack and coke
and
Shots of Yukon Jack

Dance with the bartender, get a free shot. Bartender's choice.

Smirking, Grace rummages around behind Bar until she finds the sound system remote and cranks the volume to almost too loud. The classic rock already playing suits her fine. Time to shake up this place, she thinks. Time to shake Earl loose.

"Belly up, people. What'll be?"

(tiny tags: Grace Hanadarko, Cal Chandler, Michael, the Pirate King)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Not bad," she answers as she settles herself on the nearest stool.

"Just got back from a diplomatic mission to Izo Sextus for MiB."

She mimes a yawn.

"It dragged on forever and it was boring as hell. Believe me, I'd rather have been here having you laugh at my Shang forms."

That's as much of an apology as he's going to get for her training no-shows for the last month or so.

"So there weren't no long hospital stays? Nothin' involvin' traction? No comas or demon possessions? Good to know."

He deadpans as he nurses his beer.

"Disappointing, huh?" Goldy chuckles. "Just a lot of pointless ceremony and some very dry conferences. I don't know how I got through it without slitting my throat actually."

Zed's already had an earful about it, and it's possible that he'll be made to pay in various other ways as well.

"How about you? Any more mythical beast action?"

Well at least Raph knows where he stands. Clearly not as high on her list of priorities as boring meetings. Griffin would have kicked his ass seven ways from Sunday if he'd shown even a hint of this much disrespect.

All Raph can do is sigh.

"Eh, it's been quiet. I do a few shifts here, some recon back in Olau. Got the house to myself for a while, family's at court. Can't complain."

It's not disrespect as much as Goldy making an unrealistic effort to do her job properly. It won't last long.

In her defense, there was also a time lag.

"Oh come on, Raph," she chides. "You must have something juicy for me. I need to offset the tedium in my life."

"Shit, make something up if you have to."

By way of extra incentive, she nods at his beer. "What are we drinking?"

Raph has priorities, which is why he answers the beer question first.

"This here's a Sam Adams. But I'm willing to consider something else."

Where is it written that Raph has to be sober while on duty? Where? NOWHERE that's where.

"Uh...I'm takin' my girlfriend on vacation, sorta...."

"Oooooooh."

After ordering two more Sam Adams, she leans in, her interest seemingly piqued.

"I'm sensing a Big Deal." The capitalization is very audible. "You've been seeing her for how long now? And this is the first trip you've taken?"

Shrugging he accepts the beer.

"Depends on what you mean by seein'. Started courtin' her 'bout a year or so ago, I guess? An' yeah...it's the first trip we've taken. We're just goin' to see Alanna an' the kids, but it's at this castle an' we're not nobles."

He pauses to drink. This whole Feudal System thing is really beyond his ken.

"She's all worried the stormwings're gonna come back or somethin'..."

"The harpy creatures? She told me about a sighting of them a while back and showed me a feather."

Goldy raises an eyebrow.

"To come back, that implies that they've actually attacked."

He nods, nursing his beer.

"We brought Mel in for her birthday. Thought she'd get a kick outta it."

Which she did.

"They got some nasty-ass spiders there too. Like...VW Bug big. One came after me an' the kids."

Goldy takes a first swig of her drink, and licks her lips happily.

"I remember. I was on hand when you all came barreling in."

"A chance to kick some monster ass," she continues in a wistful tone. "That's a really nice birthday present. No-one's ever been that thoughtful for mine."

His brow furrows as he thinks back, until eventually the correct memory is recovered. Oh yeah, that's right, says Raph's expression.

"To be honest, I didn't even know you had a birthday."

"November 30th," she reveals, then lets out a little laugh.

"So... what? You thought I just popped into existence at some writer's whim?"

He shrugs.

"Never really gave it much thought, you know? For me they're more habit than anythin' else. Didn't really truck with them grownin' up, you know until Mike started seein' stuff on the tv 'bout them. Next thing I know we're pickin' dates off the calendar."

"Well, as far as I know, I was actually born. I had parents."

"Mike picked two, right? Hallow'een and April Fool's." She cocks her head. "What did you pick?"

"Oh I had parents too, they just weren't much of the partyin' type."

Raph nods, and tries not to think of all the birthdays of his brother's that he missed...only to be reminded that he didn't miss them at all. Time's weird.

"December twenty-first."

"The winter solstice."

She squints at him, trying to discern the rationale.

"The shortest and possibly the most depressing day of the year. Unless... you like the night."

She grins now. "Bingo."

He raises his beer to her in a salute.

"Got it in one. As kids we weren't let out unless it was dark. Plus, it had the added bonus of bein' ass cold outside, so coverin' up wasn't a chore."

"Perfect," Goldy chuckles. "And pretty easy to remember too."

But just in case, she takes a moment to enter it into her MiBlackberry.

"Don't worry. There won't be any embarrassing gifts," she lies. "Just some happy returns and a drink."

"I think I can handle happy returns an' a drink. I gotta admit, I was crap with dates long before this place started muckin' with my time sense, what sort of things do you...I dunno...for your birthday?"

"Me? Nothing really," she admits. "I hardly remember it myself, and I don't publicize it. In fact, I think you might be first person I've ever told about it since I came to Milliways."

She shows him a lazy smirk.

"There now. Doesn't that make you feel special?"

"Actually, it kinda makes me feel paranoid. When I forget there'll be no one 'round to remind me."

He's only half kidding.

"You like pie?

"In general, or for my birthday?"

She snerks.

"Chill out. It's not like I'm going to give you shit if you do forget."

Another lie. The fact that she's ageless may make her birthday pointless, but he knows when it is now. That makes him fair game for harassment if he doesn't acknowledge the date somehow.

"For your birthday don't mean squat if you don't like it in general."

"Good point," Goldy allows.

"I prefer pudding." It tends to be more versatile. "But pie is good. My favorites are banana creme, pumpkin, chocolate silk, and apple."