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The Perk, Friday Morning

If Misha thought the previous day had been cold, nothing could have prepared him for today. Clear and sunny, he immediately regretted not bringing a heavier coat as soon as he stepped outside. With a sigh, he flipped up the collar of his jacket and stuffed his hands deep into the pockets. He could see his breath the whole way through town.

The coffeeshop was a welcome retreat against the cold. Warm air mingled with the scent of coffee, drawing him further in. He took a chance on the "cafe Americano" and settled in to a nearby chair with table. The notebook came out and he began to formulate his ideas, sketch out rough paragraphs and sentences. Not that he had that much to go on yet, but just the fact that Harrington was practically hiding out was interesting enough.

In addition to not having dug up much information, he also had yet to find his prey. Was Harrington actually here? Or did he miss her entirely, between here, Manticore, or Grayson? If she were gone, it might actually be easier for him to gather information...and be gone before she found out.

He snorted. If the detour was any example,, he thought, I'm going to run smack into her right when I get the scoop.

Twirling his stylus around his fingers, Misha paused. There was a place he could buy weapons around here, right?

[Misha is available for interaction if needed. And The Perk is open for your caffeinated needs.]

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By the time Isabel got to the Perk, she was starting to wonder if going for a mocha before the assembly was such a good idea. She ordered the largest one they had then took a seat near the window to work up the enthusiasm to walk back.

Noticing the stranger, Isabel nodded politely.

Misha glanced up from his writing as Isabel took her seat. He returned the nod with a smile. "A little cold out there," he said by way of breaking the ice. *badum-cha* Thank you... I'm here till tomorrow...

"A bit," Isabel agreed. "It makes me wish it was summer again. We had fun on the beach last year."

"There's a beach?" He raised his brows. "Sounds like a pretty good place to go to school."

"There's a beach and yes it is," she smiled happily. "I've been here over a year now. I love it. Great classes, great teachers. Lots of fun people and new experiences."

"I'm actually new here -- first time, and looks like only for another day. It sounds like I'm going to miss quite a summer." The reporter extended his hand. "Misha Brown, freelance reporter."

"That's a shame. If it's anything like the last one, it should be fun." Isabel kept a smile on her face but inwardly she remembered the reporters that would occasionally wander through Roswell. "So what brings you here?"

"Doing a profile, actually," he replied. "I'm from Manticore, and I thought a 'where are they now' on a war hero like Admiral Harrington might sell pretty easily. She's, ah, very popular with the public back home."

"Oh really," she said, her suspicions not appeased one bit. "I had her class last semester. I enjoyed it."

"I hear from her former students on Saganami Island that she's an excellent teacher," he said. "I'm assuming you took one of her tactics classes?"

"War Theory," Isabel corrected. "I'd never had a class like that before. I learned a lot."

Misha arched his brows. "War theory," he repeated. "As in, why wars start and all that? That seems a little different than her lectures at Saganami."

Isabel shrugged. "I wouldn't know. But she certainly knew what she was talking about in our class."

Parker came in on her way over to see Xander, and grinned. Ah, the Thwarted Press-Guy. "Hi, Misha. How's the story going?"

Misha lowered his pen, recognizing the girl approaching him. "Ah, Miss Parker," he said. "Slowly, I'm afraid. Not only is Admiral Harrington elusive, but trying to get into contact with the right people isn't easy."

And would be easier if I had a network supporting me like back home, he thought, but didn't add.

"The right people?" Parker asked, ordering her mocha and turning around. "Like your publisher back on Manticore, or people here?"

"People here. Then again, I've given myself something of a hard task, getting this done in only a few days. I suppose I didn't expect this much of a..learning curve."

"You're lucky we're not being invaded, or no weirdness is happening in town." Parker took a sip of her mocha, studying him. "Why don't you just call Admiral Harrington? Or is she press-shy?"

"Press-shy? Ah, yes, I think that's an appropriate description," he replied cautiously. More like press-hating, but who's quibbling?

"Mmmmmm." Parker cocked her head. "So what kind of 'connections' are you looking for here? Her co-workers? Or something else?"

"Co-workers, students... whoever can provide me with information -- what she's like as a professor, what she does in her freetime while she's here. She's famous on Saganami for her class dinners, for example. Has she done the same here?"

"She had a few for Tactics when I took it, yes. And I think she did the same for her other classes," Parker said, trying to be careful. "I'm not sure where she lives, actually. Although she still has Nimitz with her, if that helps. There's a few residences that are full of teachers-- but I don't think she lives with anyone else." She frowned, trying to think of what else to get him onto. "She taught a wilderness survival course last summer as well."

Misha was almost surprised at this...until he remembered her upbringing on Sphinx, and the fact she was a heavy worlder. The very same place where she'd been adopted by Nimitz. He fought a grimace. He remembered all too well the footage of those claws as they defended Protector Benjamin. Misha didn't want to find out what they'd do to him.

"That's not surprising," he said. "She grew up, spending most of her time outdoors, being a yeoman's daughter and all."

He paused before venturing ahead. "I imagine it's a little different for the earl when he's here. Never been much into anything but soccer and, I think, cricket years ago."

"The Earl?" Parker paused. "Why would it be different, if some earl guy were visiting?"

Of course she remembered him. She'd had fun messing with his head at dinner last year. But somehow, the way Misha put it, it didn't sound like such a good idea to mention that.

"You haven't met him?" Misha chuckled. "They're quite the item, back home, sweeping romance -- pining away for years because they were under the same command. All very melodramatic. Now, he spends so much time at Harrington House on Grayson it's practically his second home." A shrug. "I guess I just assumed..."

He paused, grinning. "Ah, but I should never assume, should I?"

"Nope." Parker smiled at him, affectionately. She always had affection for those she misled. "It's not like the administration here would support any obvious stuff, anyway. I think the Government teacher is dating the Spying and Revolutions teacher, but considering her mom is on the island and around the school a lot, I think they're a little inhibited." She smirked a little. "I've heard rumors about Lord Vader and V, but V left last term. And I think the Principal dated our Security chief for a while, but nothing seems to have come of it." She looked sad. "Sorry I can't tell you anything about the Admiral. She deserves someone nice, doesn't she? Who's this Earl, aside from being in her command chain, or something?"

He narrowed his eyes a bit at her. He was always a bit wary of those who said they "couldn't tell him anything." Nine chances of ten, in his past experience, those were the ones who were sitting on something -- even if it wasn't exactly what he needed. A different tactic was needed, but it would take him a few minutes to figure out how to get around Parker's defenses. She was a prickly one, for a kid.

The narrowed eyes lasted but a second, until he glanced at his coffee, then looked back at Parker, smiling. "Oh, they've seen a few battles together. Did she ever tell you about the Battle of Yeltsin? The Earl -- White Haven -- Admiral Alexander -- whatever he wants to go by this week -- was there, too. Between the two of them, they melted the Masadan fleet and sent the Havenite liaisons home with their tails between their legs."

He paused, glancing down at his notes, acting as though he were avoiding Parker's eyes. His fingers picked idly at the spiral binding of his old-fashioned notebook. "They say he had a very hard time when Haven claimed they'd executed her. I mean, can you imagine? Thinking your best friend -- maybe more -- was dead, and then suddenly having her show up on her doorstep? His fleet was the first to greet her and the other POWs she'd rescued."

Misha looked back up, adopting an almost sheepish grin. "Real holo-of-the week type stuff."

Hello, angle. Misha was definitely interested in the Earl Plus the Admiral. If he didn't write for a gossip column, or Entertainment Tonight, he was probably a tabloid reporter. Or an aspiring screenwriter. "Interesting." Throw him a bone, see if he bites. "I think he likes being called Admiral Alexander. At least that's what he was going by at the one dinner he attended here." She looked thoughtful. "Cute, for an older guy. Easy to mess with."

The politico in him was ecstatic, but the reporter was hearing alarm bells. Hadn't she just told him she had no clue who "the Earl" was? "I hear from my female colleagues that he's very handsome," he replied cautiously. "Not really my type, though."

Misha tapped his pen on his notepad. "So any ideas what your Professor Harrington does on her time off?" It was probably best, he reasoned, to back off the Alexander-Harrington affair at this point. Especially as he wasn't sure just what little Miss Parker was playing at.

Damn, she'd make a good reporter, he mused silently. He could sense, somehow, that he had already lost control of this little exchange.

"Oh, very cute, if you like the uptight type." Parker gave him a feline smile. "I only find them really attractive when they unravel. No chance of that during a dinner discussion, of course. The Admiral didn't give us too many details on him beyond his name and rank, but I don't think he was any more prepared for this place than any other first-timer."

She looked thoughtful, running through the few things she did know about Admiral Harrington, and said, "I think she goes rock-climbing. There's a series of cliffs and rocks over on one side of the Island-- fairly dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. She's not here all the time, of course. She's gone back to Grayson a couple times over the last year. Came back in bad shape once." Parker toasted him with her mocha. "You'd have a better chance of knowing about that than I would."

Uptight? Misha raised his brows. Uptight wasn't a word he'd use to describe Hamish Alexander. Maybe Willie, he thought, but not White Haven himself. So what could possibly make him "uptight"?

Surely the island could...as well as any issues he and Her Grace may have been working through.

"That was probably after her latest detour into the Andermani system," he said, more to himself than anything. Of course, considering the fact that he was here, there was no guarantee the timelines were congruent. "Probably slowed down her rock climbing. And the coup de vitesse training."

Parker widened her eyes, and smiled a little. "Could be. It's not like she discusses anything top secret or military with us." She paused, getting an evil idea. "You could always ask Professor Roslin about her. They're friends." And she'll eat you for lunch. "She helped out with one of Professor Roslin's presentations on the Manticore System, for Interstellar Relations last semester."

She gave Misha a sympathetic look. "I've got to get going. Forensics class, then Hunting. I wish you luck with the rest of the article-- maybe I'll run into you again before you leave."

"Maybe you will." Misha grinned. And hopefully I'll find a better source by then. "Have a good day, Parker."

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The Perk, Friday Morning

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