CH5: Two Shots Of Vodka (Gabe + Lana)
Dec 22, 2018 21:07:24 GMT -6
Post by Charredgp on Dec 22, 2018 21:07:24 GMT -6
It was difficult at times to keep occupied during extended leave like this. The new crewmates and welcoming party had been a somewhat welcome shakeup, but weren’t quite the distraction Gabe needed to stay sane. He’d opted to spend some time at the gym, something mindless and useful, if only to stay in shape. Better than the alternative of being stuck with his thoughts, and the inevitable direction they wandered in…
But thankfully, today’s workout had gotten the worst of that out of his system for now. As he was heading out from the gym, he was surprised to see someone it felt like forever since he’d seen her out and about. It seemed Lana was finally leaving the medbay.
Indeed, Lana stood center of the doorway of the infirmary. She faced the main walkways of the floor head-on, even as the nurses behind her chattered about. “You’re so funny today, Ms. Zaephord. For once, you’re not wiggling about. Doesn’t it look nicer on you now that you’re staying still?” The nurse pointed, and in turn, Lana’s right arm shifted about in it’s sling.
She turned, giving a faint chuckle. “It’s fine, I was waiting for it to look cooler on me. A plain black bandaging and all of that isn’t cool enough!”
The nurse smirked. “Of course it isn’t. Have fun back out there, Ms. Zaephord.” She left, turning back to her duties. While Lana broke contact with her temporary caretaker, her gaze met with the man down the hall. “Oh, Gabe!” She announced brightly.
“How’s it goin’, shorty? Been keepin’ healthy in there, I hope?” He flashed a small smile at the runner, glad to see her up and about. All things considered, it was encouraging to see her in high spirits after the state she’d been in.
A toothy grin quickly painted upon her face as Lana recounted her time spent in the infirmary. “I hate being in hospitals, it feels like you can’t go anywhere. But I’m not doing too bad! Very healthy.” Her legs rocked in rhythm of her words, eager to be free from the clinical confinement. “I heard the news from here, we struck gold, yes? Machine gold.”
“Somethin’ like that. Heard they’re gonna be makin’ all kinds of crazy stuff for the battlefield soon. Who knows? We might get to try some out.” It was definitely hard to be mad after a workout and getting to see Lana; He would motion for her to follow him as he continued walking down the hall. “Healthy enough for a drink? Little somethin’ to celebrate bein’ alive and on our feet respectively.”
For a moment, her mind went elsewhere. Her legs were moving by themselves while Gabe leaded her along. The question brought her attention back, beginning to shake her head. “I never like to drink.” Her tongue reversed, balling up by her cheek while the thought simmered.
“But, maybe just this once?”
“Really? Guess it never came up. I’m sure they got somethin’ that’ll fit your taste, but I’m still gonna have one. Kind of a nice post-workout bit of trash so my body don’t think I’m goin’ soft on it.”
Lana snickered as the two entered the bar, giving Gabe the raise of her brow. “I am sure with all the vodka you have together with Sean I don’t think your body could ever think that.”
“Eh, he’s got the stronger liver, for sure. I can take a shot, but that ginger bastard could take a bottle if he put his mind to it.” Gabe would keep the lead on their way to their seats, letting Lana take her time deciding while he went for his usual drink of choice for something light, a screwdriver.
The very thought of downing a whole bottle of vodka weighed upon Lana’s visage, pulling all the muscles in her face down into a grimace. It didn’t help that as they took their seats at the bar, being faced with the shelf of bottles made her feel like she was a deer in headlights. Labeled bottles were easy enough to understand. But her years-long regimen melted the logic of each label into nothing more than alien script soaked in shame. What could she possibly know what to ask for? Before she gained the courage to ask her drinking partner, it came to her. She looked over to the barkeep.
“One shot of vodka, please.”
“Ha! Bold choice for someone who don’t drink, Shorty.” Just from the look she had given, Gabe doubted she’d be able to handle even the shot, but he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. If he had to hazard a guess, she’d probably gone for it since that was the only thing she knew off the top of their head from their conversation. He took a sip of his drink once it was handed to him, pointing it vaguely in her direction.
“If it’s too much, we can share mine.”
Lana’s lips pouted in response to Gabe sizing her up as a lightweight - and it was an assessment well-deserved. Nonetheless, her eyes fell upon Gabe’s cock( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)tail. Her head kept turning back in comparison between that drink and hers. Her shotglass just got slid down, filled with a liquid that, if she didn’t know any better, would be perfect for hydration. Gabe’s drink looked more appealing however, with the tall slim glass, filled to the brim with a vibrant orange mixture. It must be sweet, she wondered.
She shrugged, giving off a sheepish smile while she held out her free hand. “You can’t run if you don’t walk first.”
“Smart move. Points for ballsiness, but smart.” With a slight smirk he handed his glass over, leaning forward onto the bar now that his hands were free.
“What do ya think ‘bout the Nias crew? Heard anythin’ ‘bout ‘em stuck in the medbay?” He asked, trying to keep up the smalltalk.
Hesitation struck as Lana’s lips failed to meet its target. “...yeah!” The target wasn’t met, but only briefly. She allowed the sip to come slowly, letting just a small amount of the alcohol mix upon her tongue. The initial burn down her throat made her head quiver a bit, but other than that, she seemed to be alright. “I know about them, I think.” She asserted, placing Gabe’s glass back where it belonged. “Why, do you?”
Well that was a stronger reaction than he’d expected. Internally, Gabe shrugged it off as nerves, either from the drink or maybe the crew itself. “Not really. Got a big welcome for them, plus Evangeline for officially movin’ in with us, but all I really know is they’re all pretty damn good. Got to see two of ‘em in action durin’ the mission.”
Truth be told, the drink was only bringing Lana relaxation. She briskly reached for her shotglass. It was so easy, so so easy, to swallow it all down in one go. But for now, she allowed the rim of the glass to circle about between her fingers. “Mm. Mmhm, mmhm.” She murmured. “I’m sure they all are really good.” The more time passed, the further down Lana’s gaze was reaching, the tighter her lips shut, and the more the scent of the vodka called to her.
Yeah, he’d definitely said the wrong thing. He watched as Lana’s gaze sunk further down, not sure what to do beyond give an awkward cough to try and break the silence. Unfortunately he had no idea what he could say to make things less terrible. “So uh. Guessin’ there’s some history there. Er...Sorry.”
Gabe’s apology was held up by nothing but air for a while. In that time, Lana quietly gestured to the barkeep once more - until a screwdriver was poured up for her. With little hesitation, she took a sip from it as she shook her head. “No no, it’s alright! You couldn’t have known.” She assured, oddly bright, and with another sip. “If anything it’s really interesting timing, right?”
“I guess, yeah. Kinda funny how stuff like that turns out.” Gabe wasn’t sure what else he could even add without hitting another metaphorical brick wall. He doubted this was a minefield he could walk easily, and it might just be better to steer clear of if he could. If it wasn’t for the bar he’d say he needed a drink.
“Guess I ain’t surprised they’re havin’ us work with another group, though. Shit’s pickin’ up, now that we’ve got a foothold back. Dunno what the next plan is once we’re off our break.”
The quickly imbibed alcohol was beginning to bring Lana’s head to a swirl with a faint chuckle’s air fogging up the glass so close to her. The whirlpool in her head was whisking out words from the back of her throat with only a slight struggle “It is so difficult, isn’t it?” She quietly wondered. “I don’t know what any of us could do about that. It must be hard to manage, it must be.”
“That’s war. Lotta struggle. Lotta shit goin’ on with us regular people trapped in the middle of it, stuck goin’ wherever it forces us to. Military life in general even if the MR and ESU weren’t at each other’s throats, I’d reckon.” Gabe punctuated his bitter remark by downing the rest of his drink, sliding the glass slightly away on the counter.
“Regular people,” Lana repeated, lowering her sights while Gabe sent his glass away, stage right. Now, all there was to look at was her own emptied screwdriver, and the lone shotglass to her side. “How often,” she started, letting the sight of the glass keep her head fixed. “How often...do you get warned about this kind of thing?”
“What kind of thing?”
“This...all…” Words were beginning to fail her, so her hands went free as they could, gesturing to all of the space around her in general. “This kind of thing, war, struggling, and regular people having to deal with how…” Lana’s lip rolled in as it was caught by her teeth. “How much...it hurts you?”
“Maybe it’s different over on Earth, but the writin’ was on the wall over on Mars. Ya read in the history books ‘bout all the shit goin’ on before and after all them big wars...Ya kinda get how the people must have felt. The people just livin’ their lives can’t really do much, and all the big players...The ESU, the MR, all the fuckin’ companies that run them...They want ‘em angry. So they get some support, and shit comes to a head like it does.”
Gabe let out a weary sigh, taking a swig of another drink as it was handed over.
“I think it’s easy to not care too much when ya get stuck between paychecks dealin’ with all the regular shit. The war ain’t happenin’ on Mars, it ain’t tearin’ up major cities...Well, not ‘till China, anyway.”
Lana’s lids fell that much harder while recounting the previous mission - and damage, and conspiracy - that took place on her own turf. “It is different. Or at least I think it is.” Her fingertips began to trace intricate patterns of lines upon the bar surface, keeping her focus there while she replied. “Dad kept saying no, but the recruiters from home kept encouraging me. ‘You’re already a hero, you’re going to be even a bigger hero for China,’, they told me.”
A pause. Her eyes wandering to the ceiling.
“I couldn’t give up and say no, even though Dad really didn’t want me to do it.”
Gabe had to bite back a comment about how running made one a hero. He understood well enough the idea behind symbols. “What about what ya wanted? Was this where ya wanted to be, or did ya wanna stay back home?”
“But this is what I wanted.” Lana’s voice hitched, her fist clenching against the bar as her posture curled. “I already made my dream happen, and I wanted to make a new one! I wanted to make everyone at home proud, to give them another reason to hope and hold on. To make them happy, to make them smile even more…” A brief smile, a distraction into elation as the fantasy of it caught her thoughts. “It is amazing…”
Once more, her jaw loosened, visage sinking. Lana’s hand slid its way towards Gabe, resting itself onto his back while she managed to leave her seat and stand next to him.
Gabe stared at Lana as she talked about her dreams, a look of admiration on his face. It was a beautiful thing to want, to be sure. He watched as she suddenly got up, resting a hand on his back in a surprising gesture.
“I feel like there’s a “but” comin’...”
The seconds that passed felt stretched beyond comprehension. Each moment was relished by Lana’s fingertips, burying themselves into each crevice and fold that composed Gabe’s shirt. Then, as if pained, her hand decisively left his side. She reached for her shot of vodka and emptied it immediately. The pain was real here as the burn activated in her throat rapidly, pushing a few regretful tears out the corners of her eyes. Glazed over from the power of the shot, they met with Gabe’s while she wore a faint smile.
“Dad was right.”
There was another sigh as Gabe watched Lana take that shot without flinching. He stared back at her, hearing that sad confession with a frown. He didn’t blame her for coming to that conclusion. He’d occasionally wondered if this was the kind of thing that suited her.
“So what are ya gonna do? Ask for some strings to be pulled?”
“They had already been,” Lana gestured with her fingers. “...Dad got to see me when he came down here, and it’s like he knew right away.” She paused, lightly tilting her head. “...does doing this seem childish? To give up like this?”
“...I dunno.” It was the best he could give, really. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with knowin’ your limits and what’s not for ya. And some people are gonna talk shit no matter what. But as a big celebrity I’m sure ya already know that much.”
Lana nodded in resignation. Perhaps that’s all Gabe was going to give, and all she was ever going to get. But the decision was made, and that’s that. It would only be past the threshold when she would understand whether it was right decision. In this very moment however, she knew one thing to be true.
She slid her empty shotglass down, to clink with Gabe’s.
“Vodka tastes terrible.”
But thankfully, today’s workout had gotten the worst of that out of his system for now. As he was heading out from the gym, he was surprised to see someone it felt like forever since he’d seen her out and about. It seemed Lana was finally leaving the medbay.
Indeed, Lana stood center of the doorway of the infirmary. She faced the main walkways of the floor head-on, even as the nurses behind her chattered about. “You’re so funny today, Ms. Zaephord. For once, you’re not wiggling about. Doesn’t it look nicer on you now that you’re staying still?” The nurse pointed, and in turn, Lana’s right arm shifted about in it’s sling.
She turned, giving a faint chuckle. “It’s fine, I was waiting for it to look cooler on me. A plain black bandaging and all of that isn’t cool enough!”
The nurse smirked. “Of course it isn’t. Have fun back out there, Ms. Zaephord.” She left, turning back to her duties. While Lana broke contact with her temporary caretaker, her gaze met with the man down the hall. “Oh, Gabe!” She announced brightly.
“How’s it goin’, shorty? Been keepin’ healthy in there, I hope?” He flashed a small smile at the runner, glad to see her up and about. All things considered, it was encouraging to see her in high spirits after the state she’d been in.
A toothy grin quickly painted upon her face as Lana recounted her time spent in the infirmary. “I hate being in hospitals, it feels like you can’t go anywhere. But I’m not doing too bad! Very healthy.” Her legs rocked in rhythm of her words, eager to be free from the clinical confinement. “I heard the news from here, we struck gold, yes? Machine gold.”
“Somethin’ like that. Heard they’re gonna be makin’ all kinds of crazy stuff for the battlefield soon. Who knows? We might get to try some out.” It was definitely hard to be mad after a workout and getting to see Lana; He would motion for her to follow him as he continued walking down the hall. “Healthy enough for a drink? Little somethin’ to celebrate bein’ alive and on our feet respectively.”
For a moment, her mind went elsewhere. Her legs were moving by themselves while Gabe leaded her along. The question brought her attention back, beginning to shake her head. “I never like to drink.” Her tongue reversed, balling up by her cheek while the thought simmered.
“But, maybe just this once?”
“Really? Guess it never came up. I’m sure they got somethin’ that’ll fit your taste, but I’m still gonna have one. Kind of a nice post-workout bit of trash so my body don’t think I’m goin’ soft on it.”
Lana snickered as the two entered the bar, giving Gabe the raise of her brow. “I am sure with all the vodka you have together with Sean I don’t think your body could ever think that.”
“Eh, he’s got the stronger liver, for sure. I can take a shot, but that ginger bastard could take a bottle if he put his mind to it.” Gabe would keep the lead on their way to their seats, letting Lana take her time deciding while he went for his usual drink of choice for something light, a screwdriver.
The very thought of downing a whole bottle of vodka weighed upon Lana’s visage, pulling all the muscles in her face down into a grimace. It didn’t help that as they took their seats at the bar, being faced with the shelf of bottles made her feel like she was a deer in headlights. Labeled bottles were easy enough to understand. But her years-long regimen melted the logic of each label into nothing more than alien script soaked in shame. What could she possibly know what to ask for? Before she gained the courage to ask her drinking partner, it came to her. She looked over to the barkeep.
“One shot of vodka, please.”
“Ha! Bold choice for someone who don’t drink, Shorty.” Just from the look she had given, Gabe doubted she’d be able to handle even the shot, but he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. If he had to hazard a guess, she’d probably gone for it since that was the only thing she knew off the top of their head from their conversation. He took a sip of his drink once it was handed to him, pointing it vaguely in her direction.
“If it’s too much, we can share mine.”
Lana’s lips pouted in response to Gabe sizing her up as a lightweight - and it was an assessment well-deserved. Nonetheless, her eyes fell upon Gabe’s cock( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)tail. Her head kept turning back in comparison between that drink and hers. Her shotglass just got slid down, filled with a liquid that, if she didn’t know any better, would be perfect for hydration. Gabe’s drink looked more appealing however, with the tall slim glass, filled to the brim with a vibrant orange mixture. It must be sweet, she wondered.
She shrugged, giving off a sheepish smile while she held out her free hand. “You can’t run if you don’t walk first.”
“Smart move. Points for ballsiness, but smart.” With a slight smirk he handed his glass over, leaning forward onto the bar now that his hands were free.
“What do ya think ‘bout the Nias crew? Heard anythin’ ‘bout ‘em stuck in the medbay?” He asked, trying to keep up the smalltalk.
Hesitation struck as Lana’s lips failed to meet its target. “...yeah!” The target wasn’t met, but only briefly. She allowed the sip to come slowly, letting just a small amount of the alcohol mix upon her tongue. The initial burn down her throat made her head quiver a bit, but other than that, she seemed to be alright. “I know about them, I think.” She asserted, placing Gabe’s glass back where it belonged. “Why, do you?”
Well that was a stronger reaction than he’d expected. Internally, Gabe shrugged it off as nerves, either from the drink or maybe the crew itself. “Not really. Got a big welcome for them, plus Evangeline for officially movin’ in with us, but all I really know is they’re all pretty damn good. Got to see two of ‘em in action durin’ the mission.”
Truth be told, the drink was only bringing Lana relaxation. She briskly reached for her shotglass. It was so easy, so so easy, to swallow it all down in one go. But for now, she allowed the rim of the glass to circle about between her fingers. “Mm. Mmhm, mmhm.” She murmured. “I’m sure they all are really good.” The more time passed, the further down Lana’s gaze was reaching, the tighter her lips shut, and the more the scent of the vodka called to her.
Yeah, he’d definitely said the wrong thing. He watched as Lana’s gaze sunk further down, not sure what to do beyond give an awkward cough to try and break the silence. Unfortunately he had no idea what he could say to make things less terrible. “So uh. Guessin’ there’s some history there. Er...Sorry.”
Gabe’s apology was held up by nothing but air for a while. In that time, Lana quietly gestured to the barkeep once more - until a screwdriver was poured up for her. With little hesitation, she took a sip from it as she shook her head. “No no, it’s alright! You couldn’t have known.” She assured, oddly bright, and with another sip. “If anything it’s really interesting timing, right?”
“I guess, yeah. Kinda funny how stuff like that turns out.” Gabe wasn’t sure what else he could even add without hitting another metaphorical brick wall. He doubted this was a minefield he could walk easily, and it might just be better to steer clear of if he could. If it wasn’t for the bar he’d say he needed a drink.
“Guess I ain’t surprised they’re havin’ us work with another group, though. Shit’s pickin’ up, now that we’ve got a foothold back. Dunno what the next plan is once we’re off our break.”
The quickly imbibed alcohol was beginning to bring Lana’s head to a swirl with a faint chuckle’s air fogging up the glass so close to her. The whirlpool in her head was whisking out words from the back of her throat with only a slight struggle “It is so difficult, isn’t it?” She quietly wondered. “I don’t know what any of us could do about that. It must be hard to manage, it must be.”
“That’s war. Lotta struggle. Lotta shit goin’ on with us regular people trapped in the middle of it, stuck goin’ wherever it forces us to. Military life in general even if the MR and ESU weren’t at each other’s throats, I’d reckon.” Gabe punctuated his bitter remark by downing the rest of his drink, sliding the glass slightly away on the counter.
“Regular people,” Lana repeated, lowering her sights while Gabe sent his glass away, stage right. Now, all there was to look at was her own emptied screwdriver, and the lone shotglass to her side. “How often,” she started, letting the sight of the glass keep her head fixed. “How often...do you get warned about this kind of thing?”
“What kind of thing?”
“This...all…” Words were beginning to fail her, so her hands went free as they could, gesturing to all of the space around her in general. “This kind of thing, war, struggling, and regular people having to deal with how…” Lana’s lip rolled in as it was caught by her teeth. “How much...it hurts you?”
“Maybe it’s different over on Earth, but the writin’ was on the wall over on Mars. Ya read in the history books ‘bout all the shit goin’ on before and after all them big wars...Ya kinda get how the people must have felt. The people just livin’ their lives can’t really do much, and all the big players...The ESU, the MR, all the fuckin’ companies that run them...They want ‘em angry. So they get some support, and shit comes to a head like it does.”
Gabe let out a weary sigh, taking a swig of another drink as it was handed over.
“I think it’s easy to not care too much when ya get stuck between paychecks dealin’ with all the regular shit. The war ain’t happenin’ on Mars, it ain’t tearin’ up major cities...Well, not ‘till China, anyway.”
Lana’s lids fell that much harder while recounting the previous mission - and damage, and conspiracy - that took place on her own turf. “It is different. Or at least I think it is.” Her fingertips began to trace intricate patterns of lines upon the bar surface, keeping her focus there while she replied. “Dad kept saying no, but the recruiters from home kept encouraging me. ‘You’re already a hero, you’re going to be even a bigger hero for China,’, they told me.”
A pause. Her eyes wandering to the ceiling.
“I couldn’t give up and say no, even though Dad really didn’t want me to do it.”
Gabe had to bite back a comment about how running made one a hero. He understood well enough the idea behind symbols. “What about what ya wanted? Was this where ya wanted to be, or did ya wanna stay back home?”
“But this is what I wanted.” Lana’s voice hitched, her fist clenching against the bar as her posture curled. “I already made my dream happen, and I wanted to make a new one! I wanted to make everyone at home proud, to give them another reason to hope and hold on. To make them happy, to make them smile even more…” A brief smile, a distraction into elation as the fantasy of it caught her thoughts. “It is amazing…”
Once more, her jaw loosened, visage sinking. Lana’s hand slid its way towards Gabe, resting itself onto his back while she managed to leave her seat and stand next to him.
Gabe stared at Lana as she talked about her dreams, a look of admiration on his face. It was a beautiful thing to want, to be sure. He watched as she suddenly got up, resting a hand on his back in a surprising gesture.
“I feel like there’s a “but” comin’...”
The seconds that passed felt stretched beyond comprehension. Each moment was relished by Lana’s fingertips, burying themselves into each crevice and fold that composed Gabe’s shirt. Then, as if pained, her hand decisively left his side. She reached for her shot of vodka and emptied it immediately. The pain was real here as the burn activated in her throat rapidly, pushing a few regretful tears out the corners of her eyes. Glazed over from the power of the shot, they met with Gabe’s while she wore a faint smile.
“Dad was right.”
There was another sigh as Gabe watched Lana take that shot without flinching. He stared back at her, hearing that sad confession with a frown. He didn’t blame her for coming to that conclusion. He’d occasionally wondered if this was the kind of thing that suited her.
“So what are ya gonna do? Ask for some strings to be pulled?”
“They had already been,” Lana gestured with her fingers. “...Dad got to see me when he came down here, and it’s like he knew right away.” She paused, lightly tilting her head. “...does doing this seem childish? To give up like this?”
“...I dunno.” It was the best he could give, really. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with knowin’ your limits and what’s not for ya. And some people are gonna talk shit no matter what. But as a big celebrity I’m sure ya already know that much.”
Lana nodded in resignation. Perhaps that’s all Gabe was going to give, and all she was ever going to get. But the decision was made, and that’s that. It would only be past the threshold when she would understand whether it was right decision. In this very moment however, she knew one thing to be true.
She slid her empty shotglass down, to clink with Gabe’s.
“Vodka tastes terrible.”