Bad Guys Only

[pugsmuggler]

Vercelli sat in the east wing's reception room. He had half of a burrito in his hand that he holding in a fold of tin foil. It looked hard as a rock, and he'd probably plucked it straight from the fridge before heading out of his bunk room. He idly tinkered with his watch, occasionally taking a bit out of the brick-like wrap. Once a good few minutes had passed, he glanced up at the seat across from him where Quelorie occupied a spot.

"The hell is keeping Joel? He called us in here a good thirty minutes ago," he said.

Comments

[aphelionix]

A glare was directed at Vercelli before Joel's attention was pulled elsewhere. The 'Fisherman's Joy' was a tropical cocktail, with alcohol-soaked fruit at the bottom. It sounded more like a dessert, and his interest was immediately piqued by all the sweet flavors in it.

"All right," Joel said with a shrug, and finished the last of his beer. He ordered the cocktail, the bartender nodding and pulling out the needed ingredients. He expertly layered the alcohols, the colors teal, blue, and purple. The bottom layer was clear, showing off the orange fruit at the bottom. Joel looked between Quelorie and the drink.

"Huh. It looks like you."

[kobacake]

The fins on the side of Quelorie's face ruffled as she looked at the drink. He was right. The colors matched that of an Aquilos very well. "It does... Maybe the inventor visited Asteron."

[pugsmuggler]

"Or y'know, things in the ocean are blue," Vercelli mumbled to himself, ordering another beer.

[aphelionix]

Joel rolled his eyes at Vercelli's comment.

"Have you been to an ocean that wasn't on Asteron, Quelorie?"

[kobacake]

Quelorie turned to Vercelli and in the most monotone voice imaginable said, "You're so boring, Tootsie."

She then looked back to Joel with the slight shake of her head. "No. Coming to Gladsheim was my first time off Asteron..."

[pugsmuggler]

"I'm boring?" Tootsie sneered. "At least I'm not a fish."

[aphelionix]

"Wonderful comeback as always, Tootsie," Joel said, disrupting the layers with a swirl of his straw before trying it.

[kobacake]

"Fish aren't boring." Quelorie traced a finger around the mouth of her glass. "But I'm not a fish either."

[pugsmuggler]

"Close enough," Vercelli said.

[aphelionix]

"You should visit a beach," Joel said, ignoring their banter. "It's a lot different than Asteron."

[kobacake]

"Do we have a mission at a beach?" Quelorie asked. It wasn't like she'd have time or a reason unless they had a mission, but now that Joel was talking about it she couldn't help me a bit curious. She'd never thought the ocean could be different than it was on Asteron.

[aphelionix]

"Not right now," he answered with a shrug, sipping more of his drink. Vercelli had taken to his own. "When you have free time, I mean. Or perhaps even when you're relieved of your duties here on Gladsheim."

[kobacake]

"We have free time?" Quelorie had about as much off time as Vercelli, despite the fact that she was always under Joel's orders and had less actual duties. Or at least that's what she'd thought. She didn't even know if there were beaches on Gladsheim.

[aphelionix]

With a wry smirk, Joel shook his head. If Vercelli and Quelorie thought their work schedule was bad, they should spend a day in their commander's shoes, he thought. His last true vacation was years ago.

"No," he answered.

[kobacake]

"I thought so." Quelorie wasn't complaining, however. Vacation wasn't really a thing that soldiers on Asteron got anyways, so she was used to it. Although if she did have spare time, there were probably a lot of things she would want to see... (especially now that Joel piqued her curiosity about beaches.)

[aphelionix]

Joel was halfway through his drink by now. It was deceptively strong for all its sweetness, but he had been enjoying it and the warmth creeping into his veins.

"Any thoughts on beaches, Vercelli?" the commander asked, without glancing over, almost bored in tone.

[pugsmuggler]

"I think we should pack our bags and get going," Vercelli responded dully, swallowing a big gulp of beer before putting his empty cup down.

[kobacake]

"Do you like beaches, Tootsie?" Somehow that seemed a little surprising, but there were a lot of things Quelorie didn't understand about Vercelli. He kept his interests pretty well guarded.

[pugsmuggler]

"Well, not especially. But I like time off," Vercelli smirked. "Doesn't come easy around here."

[aphelionix]

Joel was fishing out the fruit from the bottom of his cocktail with his straw, stabbing through it and popping it into his mouth. It was juicy and definitely tropical - he supposed it resembled a fish in the bottom of the ocean that you've caught. The Fisherman's Joy, indeed.

"May take a few months to be approved, but you can apply for some days off. They can always change their mind, though."

[pugsmuggler]

"Ha! Are you kidding? They'd shoot it down by the time it reached the top, and you know it," Vercelli said. "But it doesn't matter. I'm only here for as long as it takes to take down the circle."