social link GO?!!!

[aphelionix]

Wallabin's frankly boring visits were starting to become commonplace at the Gladsheim base; to the point where even Locke was getting dirty looks from the fellow soldiers. When he slanted his glance their way, they usually shut up their gossiping and returned to what they were doing, though. One would think they'd be used to it by now, but they didn't cease to find amusement in Locke running the duo around. (They always silenced themselves when Gearhorn turned up, though.)

Luckily for Weiler and Locke, they were allowed a break from Wallabin while he met with Gearhorn and several other officers. (More demands to be met, more money to be donated and the like, Locke was sure.) There weren't many safe places to talk on base, unfortunately. He didn't even trust his own quarters.

There was only one place that he knew would be safe, due to the sheer loud volume of it; the cantina. It was less than glamorous, and the drinks they had to offer were definitely not as exquisite as the bar they had gone to. The company even less so. It was with a little reluctance that Locke suggested it.

"We could kill some time at the cantina," he had said, "but I don't think you'll like it."

Comments

[aphelionix]

"Sheesh. At this rate I won't remember all the things I need to remind you I asked nicely for."

Just when things were getting rather comfortable - so Locke thought anyway - a beep came from his pocket. He pulled out the communicator, turning it front-side up. A message from Gearhorn popped up: Meeting room. Five minutes.

"Ah, it seems they're about done with their meeting. Shall we?"

[tactician]

Weiler pushed himself up with a nod.

"Can't keep a lady waiting," he agreed, standing and putting the crook of his arm out for Locke, the way a gentleman might for a lady to take.

[aphelionix]

Locke raised an eyebrow at the arm extended to him. He ignored it and put his arm around Weiler's shoulders instead.

"You're rather strange, Milo," he said, but not without a note of amusement.

[tactician]

"You're wrinkling my suit," Weiler complained with a sigh, though he didn't exactly step out of Locke's embrace, doing nothing more to fix his situation than to tighten his tie and pull it back to the center. "And not even in the fun way."

The pair attracted much less attention exiting the canteen than they did entering it - perhaps because a good majority of its patrons knew better, this time around. They made it to the door and then the hallway with no hitch whatsoever, and the quietness of the hall that greeted them once the entrance slid air-tight was almost jarring compared to the loud hum of yelling and laughing they had just left.

Weiler stepped out of the circle of Locke's arm. "But you know," he said suddenly but easily, as if continuing off a conversation they had never left, "I'm a big kid and all. You should protect your reputation before you try to protect me."

Locke could continue the mission without one, but not without the other.

[aphelionix]

"I'll be fine," he assured, brushing out a wrinkle he left on Weiler's shoulder before continuing on. Locke smirked down at him. "You've built yours up, though. Now when they see you walking around, they'll think twice before badmouthing the guy who almost fired someone's bits off."

He almost gave Weiler a proud ruffle of the hair, but thought back to the time he barely smacked the guy's head and got an earful of complaints for an hour, thinking better of it. Instead, Locke patted just below the back of his neck, where the collar was pressed so straight and firm that there was no way a little pat would wrinkle it.

[tactician]

"You treat all your pretend lovers like dogs?" Weiler asked lightly, throwing a glance over his shoulder.

[aphelionix]

"Like princesses," he corrected. "Wouldn't know, though. I've never had the situation shoved on me like this."

[tactician]

"You're the go-getter usually, then." Weiler paused, thoughtful. "I could imagine that. Haven't seen it first-hand, though."

[aphelionix]

"I mean you're the first pretend lover I've ever had, actually."

[tactician]

Weiler made an uninformative noise of acknowledgement, hands slipping into his trouser pockets again, but his smirk was sly. Locke might not have had much opportunity for this type of play in his particular line of spy work, but Weiler was well-accustomed to acting out affections and pulling certain strings behind closed doors. It wasn't exactly something to be proud of, despite the results it netted, but it did come in handy once in a while - like now, for example, when meeting up with Gearhorn's second-in-command would have been otherwise suspicious except in this context.

"Well, there's not much to it," he said with a shrug. "Be a gentleman, and then paste someone else's face onto theirs if you really have to do something you don't enjoy. It's easy - you'll get the hang of it, and you're doing fine so far."

[aphelionix]

Locke laughed heartily at the advice.

"Oh, I know that," he said. "You're only my first pretend lover, after all." In his own position, what happened behind closed doors was out of stress relief rather than sly persuasions. The men and women alike had a lot of aggression to get out.

[tactician]

"That's what I mean, Nick," Weiler responded, not quite laughing but amused just the same. "It isn't much different even if your heart isn't actually in it."

[aphelionix]

"How often is your heart in it, exactly?" he asked, stopping at the edge of the meeting room door, back in his military poise.

[tactician]

Weiler pulled out the last few kinks in his cuffs and vest until everything looked immaculate.

"You want a percentage?"

[aphelionix]

"You've worked out a percentage?" Locke raised a brow.

[tactician]

"I've worked a lot of things," Weiler said, looking prim and proper except for the waggle of his brows.

[aphelionix]

He rolled his eyes at him. "What's the percentage, then?"

[tactician]

Weiler smiled, eyes closed. "Zero percent. With a marginal error of about ten."

[aphelionix]

"I see," Locke said thoughtfully, chin tilting up as he considered. "Safer odds, surely."

[tactician]

"The only sort of odds we can afford," Weiler agreed, shrugging one shoulder. He was standing opposite Locke on the other side of the doors, already easing from his stiff-backed stand to a bit of a slouch against the wall, since Gearhorn and Wallabin seemed to be deliberating that extra fifteen minutes or so.

[aphelionix]

Probably the Senator closing up with a 'few' more demands. But just as Weiler thought it, the door slid open. Gearhorn and Wallabin stepped out with two other officials at their heels, who the General saluted to and they left without so much as a glance at Weiler or Locke. He recognized one to be Commander Foster - rather feared around the base. Locke wasn't sure of the name of the fish girl who was always following him, but people were wary of her, too.

"Avery," Gearhorn spoke up, "please show the Senator and his assistant out. Their ride has already been called."

"Yes, sir," Locke said with a bow of his head.

[tactician]

Wait.

Hadn't he...? Weiler's smile froze in place, but his attention was snagged by the two soldiers Gearhorn and Wallabin had been talking to. The agenda note on Wallabin's schedule had only said he would be meeting with Gearhorn and 'Others,' but Wallabin was prone to bouts of poor memory regarding names and Weiler hadn't thought anything odd of it back then. The appearance of said 'Others' shouldn't have been alarming, but there was something oddly familiar about those faces. Maybe there was an intel file somewhere he had glanced over in passing? Maybe they were just background faces in a photo of a more-important tail. Maybe they-

"Come on then, Milo. We haven't got any time to waste," said Wallabin, taking Weiler by the elbow and forcibly pulling him along as he turned down the hall toward the exit.

"Oh, ah, yes, Mr. Wallabin," Weiler recovered quickly, turning and catching up to the senator with a few long steps. "Of course."

[aphelionix]

Though Locke stood by the senator's side as they walked, he glanced over the man's head at Weiler. He didn't necessarily notice an off reaction, but he had been staring at the two officials. Locke knew about signs like that.

Something was odd about it, though. Commander Foster was in special ops. What would they have to do with Wallabin? Given the recent attack on the Circle by his sector, Locke felt some apprehension about the situation. They would have to be careful.

At the entrance of the base, Locke had managed to maintain his stoic military posture and expression. He did manage a polite smile, though, as he usually did with seeing off Wallabin.

"It was a pleasure to have you again, sir," Locke said politely with a slighter bow than he gave the General.

And, as usual when seeing off Weiler, he allowed for a small display of affection. A kiss on the cheek this time - that could've been seen as friendly, really - and a more serious whisper of, "Call me later."