Dec 27 19:38:56 107 PA - A Quick Drink at the Alibi
From Chronicles
Dec 27 19:38:56 107 PA.
THE ALIBI
Erica is sitting at the bar, dressed in her military fatigues. She has a tall mixed drink in front of her and a paperback novel in her hand. She is leaning back on her barstool while she reads. Her head bobs ever so slightly to the music while she is reading.
The man who is pretty much the oldest active field-adventurer in town, or at least high up in those ranks, comes traipsing in from the three-foot high snow. Despite Gabriel's effort to wipe his boots, after he nods at the bouncers he continues to leave wet prints on the floor. He seems to be totally unaffected by the nippy outside cold. Same clothes, just a single extra latch on the front of his jacket, and a thin pair of black leather gloves. For the time, he busies himself with simply making his way to the counter, not in a situation to notice anyone.
Erica turns a page in her book and then leans forward to pick up her drink. She takes a little sip from the straw before returning her drink to the bar. Her loose fatigues contrast to the club wear that the other people at the Alibi are wearing. Her long auburn hair is tied up in a complicated bun. Her attention seems to be mostly on her book, but she does the occasional look around.
After wading through the sea of humanity (and D-bee-manity), Gabriel makes his way to the counter. "Gimme a Race War. Make it two," he instructs the barkeep. As he rests his elbow on the horizontal surface, the man is able to relax more and take in the sights. Yeah, it's a busy night. Though 7:40 is pretty early as far as actual nightlife goes. Even considering that, his mere proximity to Erica makes it easy for him to finally notice her. Unlike the more classy Nightingale (not that the Alibi's bad place), he feels free to raise his voice, raise his hand, and call out, "Hey, Erica! End of the work day, 'eh?" Of course, it's a rather thick drawl, but not one so difficult as to not be understood. At least, no by most people.
Erica looks up at her name and spots Gabriel. The edges of her lips curl into a warm smile as she marks her place with a bookmark and sets her book on the bar. She turns in her seat to face Gabriel as she picks up her glass from the bar. "Hi Gabriel. Yep just relaxing a bit. You know how it is. How have you been Colonel?" She says before taking a sip from the straw in her drink.
"Oh, you know. Volunteering to drive, getting sucked into a mission that people refuse to tell me about, guy forcing me to carry two swords that I'm not even strong enough to swing, some kind of talking wolf, undead creatures and bastardized robot trying to kill me, plus three high explosive grenades mysteriously arming themselves in my pouch, and only catching them and hurling them away about half a second before they detonated." Gabriel shrugs with a smirk. "The usual." He peers around, then notes her book, as well. "Good crowd. Good book?"
Erica laughs softly as she listens. She shrugs her shoulders after Gabriel has finished. "Sounds interesting. Like all the other crazy things that happen. Well glad to see you are still alive." At the question she turns to look at her book before turning back to Gabriel. "Yah it is pretty good. So are you taking it easy before your next big adventure then?"
The Kentuckian chuckles softly, turns briefly to accept and pay for his small drinks, then offers, "Well, it's always hard to say. Never really know when adventure comes, do you?" Gabriel raises one of the little Race Wars in salute. "Cheers!" He pulls a bit on the pale green beverage.
Erica raises up her drink in a sort of salute before she takes a sip of her mixed drink. "I think I can drink to that." She says afterward. "Always a funny thing going off and not sure what might happen. But at least life isn't dull." She says with a little laugh and a bit of a sparkle in her green eyes.
A brief nod is offered in acceptance of the woman's words as well. "True enough. You know, something I'm more proud of than going out on random expeditions? I've been learning some new skills. Actually paid a woman to teach me how to swing a sword. Just in time, as it turned out!" Gabriel laughs, and loudly. "Fuck, swords were only around as antique collectors' items and museum novelties. Who'd have ever guessed that it would be almost an absolute necessity to know how to swing one?"
Erica shrugs her shoulders. "Swords are nice enough, but I get by well with knives. The bladed forearm guards are pretty useful as well. I try not to get too close in combat if I can help it." She pauses to sip on her drink. "Well if you ever need anything I know, I bet I could teach you a thing or two."
"Oh, oh, yeah, knifes I got," Gabriel says as he pats the unusual blade between his equally unusual weapon and thigh. Of course, it's in its scabbard. Probably not a great idea to be pulling knives in a bar. "The Raiders, Langley - have to be very good with knives. Of course, we didn't have vibrators." The man winks at the obvious joke of a misnamed weapon.
Erica rolls her eyes slightly at the joke, but she chuckles a bit. "Well I usually like to keep my range, but sometimes you have to go close." She says with a little shrug of her shoulders. "So Colonel you have some downtime coming up it sounds like. What are you going to do with it."
There a little shrug. "Time and place for everything. Sometimes you need to hit something from a mile away - got a rifle back home for that - sometimes you need to be up close, and sometimes you need to never have been there at all." Gabriel winks and sips at his drink again. "Downtime? Nah. Idle hands are the Devil's playground. Keep myself busy, y'know, grunt jobs around town, reading for people who're trying to get contracts done. You know, just good honest work." He just his chin slightly toward Erica. "How about you? You look pretty relaxed."
"Yah I like to make the most of my downtime and relax." Erica says with a sly little grin. "Got to get in what time you can before the next operation." She takes another little sip from her mixed drink. "I like to listen to music and read. It is very soothing."
Gabriel peers rather obviously around the Alibi. "This place is nice, but I wouldn't exactly call it soothing." His voice ends on a slight rise, one that's both statement and question. "But, I guess you must like it, and who am I to argue? So whatcha reading?"
Erica looks around the club for a moment before turning back to Gabriel and shrugging. "I like company. Lots of times I am out there all alone scouting. It is nice to be surrounded by people not out to kill you..." She taps her lips with a finger before picking up her drink and finishing it off. "Well not without robbing you first at least."
An eyebrow is arched at the final comment that emerges from the woman's lips. Gabriel's eyes narrow as if getting ready to speak, but.. no, nothing is said on the matter. "I like family. People, well, I can enjoy company, but quiet is nice. I've already had a pretty busy life." He offers Erica a wink of his own, then sips at his pale green drink. "Plus, my social circle back then was basically either crazy-dedicated military, or wealthy, self-important snobs. Not really the kind of people you really care to spend a lot of time around anyway." The short man offers a short shrug.
"Well I like people. I wouldn't do what I do if I didn't like people I think." Erica says with a little grin. "You have to take people as you find them a lot of times. Even if they look like monsters. Still end up being people a lot of times." She says before turning to the bar and gesturing to the bartender for a refill of her drink.
"And I wouldn't do what I do if I didn't believe in Right and Wrong. Of course, setting things right for people who can't do it for themselves can get rather taxing on the finances. I don't know if you do pro bono work in your line." Gabriel shrugs, neither inviting nor declining an answer. In a somewhat philosophic tone, "You really have to wonder sometimes though, when you - or at least, when I - get dragged along on these jobs, not the monster-type jobs, but the people-type jobs, if you're really doing God's work, or if you're misinterpreting what He's telling you."
"Well I don't know about any god, but sometimes you make a difference in a person's life." Erica says before she takes her refilled drink from the bartender and sips on it. "I do pro bono work a lot of times. Trust me I know very well the difference between right and wrong." She shrugs her shoulders as she stirs her drink with the straw.
After another short pull on his glass, Gabriel states, "Well, that's good. I've met a lot of people around here who either don't know the difference between right and wrong, or just don't fucking care. Do anything for money - and on the other hand, won't do something if there isn't money. Even if it's a good thing to be done." He shakes his head. “I really don't care for those people. Particularly one woman, who in the interest of good faith, I will go without naming."
Erica laughs as she touches the side of her nose and gives Gabriel a little wink. "Say no more." She says before giggling softly. "Yah money isn't really my prime motivation if you know what I mean. I mean it is nice to have a warm apartment, but that ain't worth selling your sense of right and wrong. Luckily I seem to be doing alright with my soul intact. Or at least I would say it is intact."
"Way I figure it, if you're doing your best to do what's right, and you're not demanding anything from people, then you're probably doing good for the soul." Gabriel smiles warmly, sips at his drink, and sets it down on the counter next to the other one, that has yet to even be touched. "So what have you been up to recently, anyway? Watching merchants going to and from Laramy? Everyone needs air support, right?" The older man ends with a smile.
Erica nods her head slightly in agreement. "Oh you know mostly some security work here and there. I can do my share of patrolling for caravans and what not." She shrugs before continuing. "It pays the bills until something better comes along."
The Kentuckian's left wrist starts to vibrate gently. Barely visibly, but not audibly. Sneaky little military wristwatch for sneaky little missions where you can't be seen. Gabriel sighs a little then looks up at the woman. "Sorry, Erica, I have to run. Looks like one of my clients needs to have their yard shoveled of snow." He rolls his eyes theatrically. "You wouldn't believe what you can get rich people to pay you to do." After hopping down from the stool, he says, "Hey, two drinks there, well, one-and-a-half, if you're interested. Go for it. Catch you later, Miss Erica. Be safe!" With that, he's quickly, if not somewhat rudely, at the door.
