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nothing i can't handle
[ she's bruised and the wound on her arm will turn into a new scar, but hey. ]
did you have fun? [ he better be okay, too, or she'll burn this whole place to the ground ]
[ she's bruised and the wound on her arm will turn into a new scar, but hey. ]
did you have fun? [ he better be okay, too, or she'll burn this whole place to the ground ]
what is it with you and ribs, johnny?
[ how often is this now? hells. ]
heading there now
which safehouse?
[ she might make a detour ]
[ how often is this now? hells. ]
heading there now
which safehouse?
[ she might make a detour ]
and make fun of you for finding your way home? nah
[ he left himself wide open for that one, and the "i'm fine" helps, too
she'll still make the detour, but now she won't hurry ]
[ he left himself wide open for that one, and the "i'm fine" helps, too
she'll still make the detour, but now she won't hurry ]
which it is
[ and she's not calling lucy a dumpster even if that'd make for the better insult ]
[ and she's not calling lucy a dumpster even if that'd make for the better insult ]
Not ones I'd bet on.
[ Which is saying something, because he takes a lot of shitty odds. ]
How close are you to the safehouse?
[ Because she conspicuously ignored his 'I'm fine'. But also, he's wondering if they can't reroute to the comfort of their own tiny apartment, which has significantly more beer than a safehouse. ]
[ Which is saying something, because he takes a lot of shitty odds. ]
How close are you to the safehouse?
[ Because she conspicuously ignored his 'I'm fine'. But also, he's wondering if they can't reroute to the comfort of their own tiny apartment, which has significantly more beer than a safehouse. ]
[ "conspicuously ignored" is one way to look at it. ]
5-10 minutes
5-10 minutes
[ getting out of that godforsaken safehouse had been the highlight of his time here in this weird fucking city so far. he didn't need to be coddled or babied or given a cot to sleep on or tucked in at night by all those that had come before.
no, he wanted his fucking freedom and as soon as the shackles had been metaphorically kicked off, he was delighting in doing his own thing. his own thing being finding new places to drink every night while he tries to figure out what the hell else he's supposed to do here.
tonight, when he pushes his way inside, he spots someone vaguely familiar at the bar. as he gets closer, he realizes he'd met her earlier, when he'd been but a boy in that stupid safehouse. now, the training wheels were off and he was just going to invite himself to sit beside her. ]
I know you.
[ hello and all that. ]
Glad to see someone in this city knows how the fuck to pass the time.
no, he wanted his fucking freedom and as soon as the shackles had been metaphorically kicked off, he was delighting in doing his own thing. his own thing being finding new places to drink every night while he tries to figure out what the hell else he's supposed to do here.
tonight, when he pushes his way inside, he spots someone vaguely familiar at the bar. as he gets closer, he realizes he'd met her earlier, when he'd been but a boy in that stupid safehouse. now, the training wheels were off and he was just going to invite himself to sit beside her. ]
I know you.
[ hello and all that. ]
Glad to see someone in this city knows how the fuck to pass the time.
[ he knows her. she knows him, too. for a given value of knowing, anyway —there's familiarity because dutch is damn good at memorising faces, at assessing people, at figuring out whether she could beat them in a fight or not. (whether she could kill them, but she doesn't do that anymore. not the way khlyen trained her.)
she's not sure whether she could beat kovacs. it's not about how tall he is, the muscles his frame carries, but there's something about the way he carries himself, the assessing intelligence in his eyes behind the anger and the sharp words. it doesn't matter. (it always matters.)
he invites himself to sit beside her and she lets one corner of her mouth curl upward. ]
Good to know I'm not forgettable.
[ she's so flattered. not. ]
What's your poison? [ she works as security in this bar, so she gets a discount. ]
she's not sure whether she could beat kovacs. it's not about how tall he is, the muscles his frame carries, but there's something about the way he carries himself, the assessing intelligence in his eyes behind the anger and the sharp words. it doesn't matter. (it always matters.)
he invites himself to sit beside her and she lets one corner of her mouth curl upward. ]
Good to know I'm not forgettable.
[ she's so flattered. not. ]
What's your poison? [ she works as security in this bar, so she gets a discount. ]
Something strong. Don't serve me piss water.
[ anything that's going to make his lungs feel like they're on fire for a few brief moments is good. just nothing too watered down that he could go lick a puddle and get the same reaction from his body. ]
Guess I can say one positive for this place: plenty of places to drink. It's not some fucking backwoods planet with one open bar and a bartender that goes to sleep at nine at night.
[ it wasn't harlan's world, basically. he misses his home but he does like the amenities of a big city. ]
[ anything that's going to make his lungs feel like they're on fire for a few brief moments is good. just nothing too watered down that he could go lick a puddle and get the same reaction from his body. ]
Guess I can say one positive for this place: plenty of places to drink. It's not some fucking backwoods planet with one open bar and a bartender that goes to sleep at nine at night.
[ it wasn't harlan's world, basically. he misses his home but he does like the amenities of a big city. ]
What do you take me for?
[ it's a rhetorical question more than anything else; he doesn't really know her despite his proclamation. so she doesn't take offence, just lets her lips quirk into a wry smile and gestures for the bartender to bring two more of what she's already got in front of her, mostly empty. (it's whiskey.) ]
Those are the worst.
[ all things considered, dutch honestly doesn't think this place is bad. the living standard's better than in the quad. no black rain, no executions she's seen so far. if she didn't have a war to get back to, if she didn't hate the fact that she didn't get a choice about being here, she wouldn't mind it. ]
[ it's a rhetorical question more than anything else; he doesn't really know her despite his proclamation. so she doesn't take offence, just lets her lips quirk into a wry smile and gestures for the bartender to bring two more of what she's already got in front of her, mostly empty. (it's whiskey.) ]
Those are the worst.
[ all things considered, dutch honestly doesn't think this place is bad. the living standard's better than in the quad. no black rain, no executions she's seen so far. if she didn't have a war to get back to, if she didn't hate the fact that she didn't get a choice about being here, she wouldn't mind it. ]
So, is that you agreeing with me just to agree with me or are you not from Earth?
[ either, he almost adds. he doesn't take her as the type to just say something to placate another person or to join in with a crowd so he's guessing she knows a thing or two about planetary travel.
at least someone else fucking does. ]
I was beginning to think no one else had gone to fucking space. Feeling pretty lonely.
[ either, he almost adds. he doesn't take her as the type to just say something to placate another person or to join in with a crowd so he's guessing she knows a thing or two about planetary travel.
at least someone else fucking does. ]
I was beginning to think no one else had gone to fucking space. Feeling pretty lonely.
It's my first time visiting.
[ dutch's only concession to the fact that they're both displaced is lowering her voice a little over the words. she knows this bar, there's often people interested in what others have to say, but it's also the kind of place where there's always noise, enough to drown out words spoken between two people sitting close to one another. ]
Ever heard of the Quad? J star cluster.
[ dutch's only concession to the fact that they're both displaced is lowering her voice a little over the words. she knows this bar, there's often people interested in what others have to say, but it's also the kind of place where there's always noise, enough to drown out words spoken between two people sitting close to one another. ]
Ever heard of the Quad? J star cluster.
[ he's quiet for a moment, going through several hundred years worth of memories before he eventually shakes his head. ]
Can't say I have. Sounds nice though. Like a great place to visit. What about Harlan's World? You ever heard that name?
[ he's aware that the name makes it sounds like some backwoods farm planet and maybe it is that but it's still his favorite place even if he will never be able to go back. ]
Can't say I have. Sounds nice though. Like a great place to visit. What about Harlan's World? You ever heard that name?
[ he's aware that the name makes it sounds like some backwoods farm planet and maybe it is that but it's still his favorite place even if he will never be able to go back. ]
Sure, yeah. It's charming.
[ if you like exploitation, war, parasitic aliens keen on replacing all of humanity and other fun things like that. but dutch's grin doesn't waver, letting her sarcastic tone speak for itself.
then she shrugs. ] Never heard of it. Who's Harlan?
[ if you like exploitation, war, parasitic aliens keen on replacing all of humanity and other fun things like that. but dutch's grin doesn't waver, letting her sarcastic tone speak for itself.
then she shrugs. ] Never heard of it. Who's Harlan?
Don't know him personally but he founded the world and his family still runs it. Rich bastards. Some people strive for a building, some people go for an island, the Harlan family had their own fucking planet.
[ he shrugs. ]
It's where I was born but there's not much left anymore. War kind of fucked it up. Used to be beautiful though. A place where I would have settled down and had a lot of fat children.
[ uh huh. ]
[ he shrugs. ]
It's where I was born but there's not much left anymore. War kind of fucked it up. Used to be beautiful though. A place where I would have settled down and had a lot of fat children.
[ uh huh. ]
Rich people.
[ dutch rolls her eyes. ] Guess they're weird everywhere.
[ but kovacs keeps talking and her eyebrows slowly climb higher on her forehead. kovacs with a lot of fat children? ] You don't seem the type.
[ dutch rolls her eyes. ] Guess they're weird everywhere.
[ but kovacs keeps talking and her eyebrows slowly climb higher on her forehead. kovacs with a lot of fat children? ] You don't seem the type.
That's because I'm not. But, I've known a few people who are.
[ and maybe, if things had been different, he'd been one of them. but there's a cancer in his family, one that bloomed in his father and took root in both himself and his sister. he doesn't want to pass that along to anyone else. ]
If that's their thing, what the fuck ever. But, I don't see the point. Nothing good like that stays.
[ he's a great motivational speaker. ] Plus, seems boring. Families. Fuckin' messy.
[ and maybe, if things had been different, he'd been one of them. but there's a cancer in his family, one that bloomed in his father and took root in both himself and his sister. he doesn't want to pass that along to anyone else. ]
If that's their thing, what the fuck ever. But, I don't see the point. Nothing good like that stays.
[ he's a great motivational speaker. ] Plus, seems boring. Families. Fuckin' messy.
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