(no subject)

[schrodingerskatz]

When Beverly went back to work, Price commended her for "getting back on the horse" and every time she thinks about that now she kind of wants to laugh hysterically. It's been -- it's been a weird, weird week.

When the door opens into the bar, she stops short in the doorway, staring. Then, cautiously, she closes and opens it from her side. That works; she steps through and tests it from the Milliways side. Still works, and still opens onto the break room at Quantico. Satisfied that she's not going to be stuck here again, she heads to the counter. As she sits down, Bar delivers a note. And . . . a balloon. The balloon is pretty cute. The note -- not so much.

Beverly reads it twice, then sets it down with a sigh and pinches the bridge of her nose with her good hand. (Her right is still bandaged, though the doctor assures her that her fingers are healing well.)

"Bar, can I have a double Bushmills?"

There are things she can deal with sober, but the combination of dealing with Hannibal Lecter at work, dealing with the situation here, and finding a live bird in a dead woman's chest just. Is not one of those things.

[ooc: Usual warnings about the gruesomeness of Beverly's canon apply, turned up a little because "Su-Zakana" is a hell of an episode. Let me know if you'd rather her work not come up.]

Comments

[hadyougoing]

When Ava spots Beverly, she looks left, right, rafters. Suspicious dark corners. Not-so-suspicious dark corners that tend to get overlooked. She even ducks into the kitchen and takes a peek around.

No Hannibal Lecter.



"Hey," she says, coming up to the counter.

[schrodingerskatz]

Beverly brigthens a little, if briefly.

"Hey, Ava." She nods athe balloon. "I got your note."

[hadyougoing]

Ava's gaze flickers to the balloon's cheerful lettering, something faint and secretive lighting her expression.

It fades into business pretty quickly.

"Yeah?" she says. "I think I have, um ... more to report, since then."

[schrodingerskatz]

"Oh, god," she mutters, and takes a sip of her whiskey. Liquid courage never sounded so good.

She waves to the stool next to her. "Are you okay? How long have I been gone?"

[hadyougoing]

Though Ava doesn't like the idea of putting her back to the room right now, she sits.

"I'm fine," she sighs. "By my count, it's been a couple weeks?"

[schrodingerskatz]

"Okay." She nods. "Not as long as I was afraid. So fill me in. You met Lecter here?"

[hadyougoing]

Ava nods, and sighs again.

"Bar, could I have some cocoa? Like, lightly spiked?"

A peppermint-striped mug appears. Ava picks it up and puffs to cool it.

"Okay," she says, glancing Beverly's way. "I forget exactly what I told you in my note, but he came into the laundry room while I was trying to get the blood off my jeans and called me Margot, again. I thought he was the same guy."

[electro_kinetic]

"Sounds like you've had a hell of a day," Noriko says, sitting at the bar with a cell phone in front of her and a pair of, of all things, opera gloves. (They're electric yellow, before anyone thinks she's getting too conservative.)

Considering she's in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, this is unusual.

[schrodingerskatz]

"Hell of a month," Beverly agrees, glancing over at her.

"Hey. We've met -- the girl with the electricity, right?"

She remembers the hair, if not the girl's name.

[electro_kinetic]

"Yeah, that's me," she says. "Noriko.. And you're... Beverly?" she guesses--though it's correct she really doesn't keep names straight all that much.

"You want another, it's on me." Yeah, she noticed the balloon.

[schrodingerskatz]

"Right. Nice to see you again. Sorry, it's been a while, and I'm--" She gestures vaguely at her head, with a faint, wry smile. "Scatterbrained sometimes."

She raises her eyebrows, and salutes Noriko with her glass. "Thanks."

Is Noriko even old enough to buy alcohol? That's probably not her problem.

[electro_kinetic]

"No problem," she says. "Everyone gets that way sometimes. I'm gonna assume you've been better," Nori says, eyes rising to the balloon and back to her face.

"What happened?"

[schrodingerskatz]

Beverly raises her right hand. The gesture is stubbornly casual, cavalier. Even with the bandage, it's clear that she's down three fingers.

[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan doesn't know what Bushmills is, but he sure does know the smell when it pops up.

"Bad day?" he asks with quiet sympathy.

[schrodingerskatz]

"Weird day," she says, giving him a sidelong look and a polite smile. "Long day. Arguably all of the above."

[athelstanthescribe]

He returns the smile, but visibly shrinking into himself just a little when hers is polite more than warm. "You must have been glad to find the bar, then."

[schrodingerskatz]

Aw, damn, she didn't mean to scare him. God knows she's not at her best, but she shouldn't take it out on a random . . . guy in robes.

"Well, the drinks can't be beat. How's your day going?"

[athelstanthescribe]

It's not fear so much as having an apprehensive moment. He gets that way sometimes at first meetings.

"Well enough, thank you. Fairly ordinary, as things go."

[schrodingerskatz]

"What counts as ordinary around here?"

[a1enzo]

Enzo approaches as soon as he spots her.

"Hey, Beverly. How you doing?"

[schrodingerskatz]

"--Hey." She brightens a little when she sees him, smiling. "Enzo. How long has it been?"

[a1enzo]

"For me?" He considers. "About a month?"

[schrodingerskatz]

"A month? Geez, for me it's only been--" She thinks. "A week? Ish."

[a1enzo]

"Yeah, it's like that here. How's your hand?"

[schrodingerskatz]

"Healing nicely, according to the doctors. Not ready to get fitted for a prosthetic yet."

She nods to the empty stool next to her, an invitation if he cares to take it.

"I owe you. I guess it could have been a lot worse."