milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Bored Bill is bored.

Against better judgment he asks Bar for something to do and she gives him a box and a root beer float.

Lifting the box he arches a brow.

"Really? C'mon."

The float disappears and his eyes widen.

"Hey, okay. I asked, I'll give it a try."

The float reappears along with a bowl of M&Ms.

Smiling Bill opens the box and sets up the game, his first attempt careening off at an odd angle into someones drink.

"Oh damn, sorry."

Anyone up for Tiddledy Winks?

[tiny tag of law enforcement: Kate Beckett]

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"What line of work are you in?" Charlie ignores that technically, being a hero is not a line of work for himself.

Bill takes a drink before replying, doing his best to keep it nice and casual given what they've been talking about this whole time.

"I'm sherrif back home."

It does feel good to be able to say it and know that he is again, or soon will be.

"Ah. So you know about crimefighting from the other point of view." That explains Bill's tone in his questions.

He nods.

"Yeah. Wheelsy is a small town, though. Don't get the same kinda trouble that the cities see."

Most of the time. That's not to say there's never been any, it's just usually a special brand.

"No drugs, no mob bosses, no overarching corruption, and so on...that might have made a nice change." And would have been close to mind-numbingly dull.

"Yeah, we got a pretty quiet town. Rowdy folks an' animals are usually the biggest problems. Sometimes a bit of crazy finds us but that's pretty rare."

Bill doesn't mind the small town life at all. Some people can't wait to get out; Bill's always been comfortable and mostly happy with where he's at.

"I lived in a place like that for a year." Pause. "No, I lived in a place that makes your town sound like Metropolis. An old farm 20 miles from anything. Where my sensei lives.

"Have to say, I learned to live without McDonalds and TV, but I was glad I could get out of there eventually."

"It ain't for everyone," Bill admits. "Growin' up, there was plenty of people I knew who were dyin' to leave, wanted to head for big cities an' such."

He pauses, surprised to find his thoughts suddenly turning to Starla, the girl he had carried feelings for, for a long time. They had grown up together and he had always hoped, but she left before he ever got a chance.

"I knew this one girl, she wanted to run off to Hollywood," He shakes his head, voice wistful a moment before he brings himself back out of memory.

"People move on but, I dunno, I couldn't really imagine myself livin' anywhere else. It's just always been home to me."

"I think every place has people like that. People like you, who can't leave, and people like your friend, looking for the next big thing or something new.

"I admit that as much as I like the big city, I rarely actually stayed in any given place for that long." It's one thing to leave a hellhole like Hub City, and another to come back because you aren't happy in Chicago or St. Louis.

Bill thinks about that and it's a minute before he asks, "How come?"

A beat, and he tries to clarify what he's asking.

"I mean... you said you tried the small town life an' didn't like it. Was it really that bad for you?"

"Not so much bad as just not what worked best. I was a mask. And a TV reporter for a long while. I needed to be where things happen."

He does his best not to react when he hears Charlie was a reporter, but he does have some issues with the media.

Trying to ignore those thoughts surrounding the reporters and interviews he's had to deal with in the past he keeps on with the topic they've been discussing.

"That makes sense. Gotta be where your work is."

He's thinking about Kate, and how much time she's spent in Wheelsy, away from her job and life.

"I reckon if you travel a lot, do a lot of movin' around, you get used to that kind of livin'." He looks to Charlie for confirmation on the thought.

"After a while. I learned how to live on very little, and from the back of a van. I wouldn't recommend it, though."

"Sounds rough."

He smooths his thumb over one of the pieces in his hand, mulling things over.

"So, all that movin' around an' travellin', was it more because you had to, or was it a choice on your part?"

"Totally my choice." Pause. "The traveling, that is. I did need to leave Hub City. If I'd stayed there, it would have probably killed me. But I was welcome there." More or less.

"Well least it's somethin' you like. I'll bet you've seen a lot, too. My girlfriend, she travels a lot for work. She's been all over the place."

"I've seen...things." Men who were practically gods. Fiends and criminals. And Batman. "What does she do?"

He tilts his head questioningly at the slight pause but doesn't push.

"She works as kind of an accountant for her dad's company. It's an international business an' she lives in L.A. but flies all over the world."

"Nice to have someone pay for your airfare now and then. Round trip to Kandhaq cost me a fortune." And it was nonrefundable, so when he left with a flying hero, he was out a lot of cash.

"I'll bet. I've never been out of the country myself," Or very far from Wheelsy. "Except here. I went to London once with a friend so airfare wasn't a problem."

[ooc: thinking that we could fade.]

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