milliways_bar | (no subject)

There's off-key humming coming from one of the booths; a humming that might sound something like "Deck the Halls" in its more tuneful moments. The sound isn't coming from the seats, but from the end of the booth, as Jack's standing next to the booth's table, the table covered in Christmasy items--snarled balls of lights, molting tinsel garlands, and layers of tissue paper with ornaments laid neatly on top.

He's sorting through the Christmas things he'd got from his apartment yesterday, looking for a couple items in particular, and there wasn't any space to do so in his apartment. At least unless you count the floor or the bed, neither of which was much of an option with a rather bouncy chihuahua running around.

"A-ha!" he says, pulling out a small, lidded box, from the very bottom of the larger box. Inside are two ornaments, nestled in cotton batting. Their paint is chipped but they're stil recogniseable as a small, blonde-haired angel and a small star.

He carefully puts the lid back on the box, then pokes through the tissue paper, looking through four generations' worth of Bauer Christmas memories.

[ooc: Must flee for bed, but feel free to tag if you want to slowtime!]

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Jack looks at Ryan with exaggerated innocence. "Really, Ryan? I didn't know that."

"Really," Ryan says, with a touch of amusement in his voice. "I'm guessing you have or are getting a tree."

"Well mainly I'm just trying to sort through this stuff, but I'd like to get a tree," he says, trying to untangle another strand of lights. "We'll have to do it soon, though; I can't beleive it's only a couple days until Christmas."

"I think you might be better off asking the bar for some new lights. Designed obsolescence and all that." He takes a drag off his cigarette before adding, "I don't think I have anything left to do for Christmas."

"Yeah, maybe. Though these were top-of-the-line last Christmas." He dumps the ball of lights into the box with a bit of a huff. "I've still got presents to do, but it's not like I'll be running to the mall or anything. Christmas kinda snuck up on me this year."

"I think it did for a lot of people. Easy to lose track of time, here."

"Too easy. Would be nice to have more time to enjoy the Christmas season. But then it's not like at home either, as probably half the people here have never heard of the holiday, so it's not like we're surrounded by the usual reminders."

"Or Christmas carols blaring at us non-stop." Ryan actually misses the music this year.

"Well that's what iPods are for."

"Maybe I'll ask Santa for one."

"You know, somehow it wouldn't surprise me if Santa turned up in this bar."

"I'm surprised he hasn't. Though he still has a few more days to make his grand entrance."

"Well you know he doesn't show up when you're awake, only when you're asleep."

"I'm not sure if this place has a chimney. A fireplace, yes but he may have to come in by the door like the rest of us."

"Well maybe he'll get lucky and come in when he thinks he's heading back inside after his last trip. After delivering all those presents he could probably use a beer or two," Jack says with a wry smile.

"It would be weird to live in a world where Santa existed."

Jack gives him that innocent-puzzled look again. "You mean he doesn't? Who gave Kim all those presents, then?"

"Speaking of Christmas, did Chris mention to you if she was going to be in the bar for the next two weeks?" He knew his daughter occasionally popped back home. "I meant to ask her earlier but forgot."

Jack shakes his head. "By the sound of it she'll be around for Christmas here, of course, but she hasn't said anything about when ir if she's planning to pop in and out. Why?"

"I wanted to ask her if she could keep David company. Elaine and I might be taking a trip. Christmas present."

"A trip? Where to?" Jack asks, curious, though it sounds like it might mean he'll be sleeping alone for a while. 'Keeping David company' would probably mean her staying with him at night after all.

I'm sure Ryan's heart would just break if he knew.

"Hawaii. We'll be leaving the 26th and should, hopefully, be back by the 2nd or 3rd."

Well, maybe not his heart per se.

"Sounds nice. I'll let her know you want to talk to her when I see her next."

"Thanks." His expression turns a little more somber. "It'll be nice to get a break from this place."

Jack laughs slightly. "Yeah. Even just spending a few hours outside the bar on my birthday was nice. Felt good to see something other than my room, the bar, or the lake."