milliways_bar | (no subject)

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As is usual on this particular day, Lorne is somewhat subdued when he comes into the bar in his dress blues. He takes a seat on one of the stools, and before he can even ask for anything, two glasses of whiskey appear for him, along with a napkin with a sketch of a poppy on it.

"Thanks, sweetheart."

[ooc: Slows definite, but I had to get him in for Veteran's Day. :)]

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Jack squints at the insignia on Lorne's uniform for a moment before asking, "Air Force?"

He's pretty sure from what he's seen that the guy's American and from a world reasonably like Jack's own, but then in here, you can never tell.

Lorne nods and offers his hand, smiling faintly. "Major Evan Lorne."

Jack takes it, angling his hand so the scarring on the back isn't as noticeable. "Jack Bauer. Seems like the Landlord's brought in a lot of currently serving and ex-military patrons tonight."

Lorne laughs a bit, shaking Jack's hand. "Yeah, it seems to work like that just about every year, I've noticed. I can miss just about every other holiday here, but I'll always show up for Veteran's Day."

"I was Bound this time last year, so I'm not sure if the Landlord has the same plans for me. Knowing this place, probably," Jack says with a slight smile. "How many Veterans Days has it been in here for you?"

He has to think for a moment ~~while his mun checks to be sure~~ before answering. "This one's my third. How long've you been coming here?"

"Depends what calendar you're looking at. In Milliways it's been about a year, outside it's been about nine months. I was Bound for a long time, and then spent a long time without being able to get in here, so it's kind of hard to tell."

"Yeah, I've had a bit of that. I was stuck here for about a month once."

"I was stuck here for about six months. Guess the Landlord figured I needed the vacation," Jack says with a grim smile. "How long have you been in the Air Force?"

"That seems to happen at the most inconvenient times," Lorne says, returning the smile. "Going on twenty years now.

"Safe to say you're a lifer, then," Jack says. "Still flying, or have they strapped you to a desk?"

"At this point, even if I retire tomorrow, I'm pretty much a lifer." He chuckles. "Still flying, yeah. Not sure I'd have lasted this long if I wasn't."

"You sound like most of the guys that I knew that were in it for the long haul. I don't think anyone that starts out in active duty ever wants to end up behind a desk," Jack says with a slight smile as he takes a sip of his drink.

"Nah, I think most of us are in it for the thrill," Lorne agrees, smiling. "But I could see how I might end up at a desk someday."

He knows he does. Or that he would have, in some version of his world.

"When and where are you from, by the way?" Jack asks. Lorne's uniform looks pretty modern, but that doesn't necessarily mean a hell of a lot in here. "I'm from 2013."

"2009, and I'm stationed out of Colorado Springs," Lorne says. He never likes to say where he actually is when he doesn't know for sure someone's not from his reality. Colorado Springs is where the mail goes, anyway.

"Are you with the Air Force Academy or NORAD?" Jack asks, then gives Lorne a wry smile. "Or can't you tell me for national security reasons?"

With Jack it was usually option number three.

Lorne chuckles. "NORAD."

It's...close enough to true.

"I should probably thank you--your intel's probably trickled down the chain to me at some point."

Or, y'know, they might have been tracking him that one time he hijacked a commercial jet and sent intel to the squadron tasked with shooting him out of the air, but anyway.

"But then we're probably not from the same universe. Ever had a President Palmer?"

NORAD very well may have. Lorne's a bit far out for that.

"Nope. Ever had a President Hayes?"

Yeah, Jack's thinking more of tracking missiles launched by terrorists rather than alien cultures.

"Nope. Think it's safe to say we're not from the same universe, though I didn't think so. I've yet to meet anyone here from my universe that I don't know already."

(Or so he thinks.)

"Yeah, same here. Always good to check, though." It would really suck to run into someone who worked in the NID or IOA...

"Especially considering people come in here from different times even in the same universe, so I guess it's possible we could meet someone at a different time, but before we'd met them outside."

"Yeah, or there's that fun possibility of you coming in from a different time. I did that once, apparently."

"Yeah, there was a whole other version of me that came in here for years, or so people have told me." Usually by running up to greet his as friend when he has no idea who the hell they are.

"Older version, I take it? Unless it was a younger version from another universe. Scary thing is that almost doesn't sound crazy anymore."

"Yeah, much older. Weird to get a little glimpse of how things could turn out." Even if he is pretty sure they won't turn out like that for him. If nothing else, keeping Sheppard around longer is bound to delay promotions for Lorne. Nobody wants to see Sheppard as a full bird Colonel, after all.

"Is it a way you'd want it to turn out?" Jack asks.

He's not sure he really wants to hear about any future selves that come in here.

Lorne thinks about that for a moment, then nods. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind it. I made general. That's something."

And if he had to have a desk job, he could do a lot worse than running the SGC.

"I take it he didn't give you a road map on how to get there from where you are," Jack says, his tone wry.

"I missed him completely, actually. That would've been something, huh? Meeting yourself?"

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