The Perk, Wednesday Afternoon

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

It was almost... easy, to fall back into old, nearly human habits. Once upon a time she would have sat in right this spot with this cup of coffee, affably pondering something about her students.

Now, Kerrigan had greater - universal - concerns, but she had to admit that ordering coffee at the Perk would be a good way to keep up her ruse of good behaviour. She hadn't yet progressed to giving the Trooper Station a visit - if simply to determine what level of fool had taken Roy's position - but that would come with time.

And, she reflected as she sat down at the table, it seemed the Perk staff hadn't forgotten her usual order, either.

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Comments

[stayingfrosty.livejournal.com]

The funny thing was, some people made an effort to have normal human habits even when they were by all accounts a normal human being. One of those people was John Price, who walked into The Perk that day with his uniform on. It was his own brand of normalcy, really. You wore the uniform to remind yourself you were a soldier, not a criminal.

He ordered a cup of black tea, no sugar, no lemon, no milk. No sense in frivolities, he thought.

Price gave the unfamiliar woman at the table a nod, and approached slowly after getting his drink. "I apologize if this sounds like a chat-up line, but I don't think you come here often."

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Kerrigan sat up behind her coffee. It was a deliberate motion on her part - it wasn't like she was actually worried about slouching. "I used to," she said, simply, "Then I took a hike for a while."

After a beat, she added, "And it does sound like a very bad chat-up line."

[stayingfrosty.livejournal.com]

"Good thing it wasn't one, then," Price said, a little hint of a smile on his face. "So it's a case of a homecoming, is it?" He extended a hand, friendly enough. "Captain Price. John, if you prefer to be less formal. Pleasure to meet you."

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Her eyes flicked from his hand to his face and back again, considering whether saying Hi to him was worthwhile. "Lieutenant Sarah Kerrigan," she said, finally, and took his hand to shake. She didn't go as far as to offer him first-name terms; she never did.

[stayingfrosty.livejournal.com]

"Guess I outrank you," Price joked lightly. "Always good to meet another in the military career, Lieutenant. Although I have to ask what service you report to, just out of curiosity's sake." Because even in his time, there wasn't that many female officers.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"Formerly, the Confederate Ghost Program," Kerrigan said, dryly. She didn't make much of an effort to cover up the bitterness in her voice. "Then a militia group called the Sons of Korhal. They're... going through some reorganisation."

Because Kerrigan had killed most of their generals and left their Emperor stranded on the wreckage of his home planet, but details, details.

[stayingfrosty.livejournal.com]

"Formerly of the British SAS, myself," Price said. "Well, possibly. Depends on a few political matters, really." He shook his head. "Sounds like we might be two birds of a feather.

In the most generous sense of the term, really. He took a sip of his tea, mulling over that thought. "Militia groups always tend to get a bit messy, don't they?"

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"They're dedicated," she said; again, the disdain and bitterness weren't hard to spot, really, but there was some irony in it too. "The problems happen when what they're dedicated to... turns out to be dirtier than anticipated."

[stayingfrosty.livejournal.com]

"Exactly," Price said. "Militia men and fanaticism go hand in hand. I think those concepts are pan-universal, really. Never been on their side, really. Half the time I used to make sure they wouldn't get their hands on anything too dangerous."

He gestured at the table. "Mind if I join you?"

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"Is anything I say going to stop you?" Kerrigan asked, idly. It wouldn't hurt to get a bead on exactly what kind of military Fandom had running around right now. "Drop your ass down."

[stayingfrosty.livejournal.com]

"A simple no would have me dead in my tracks," Price said. "I'm just a rapidly aging dog trying to make friends."

He sat down, tugging idly at the sleeve of his uniform. "Nothing more, nothing less, really."

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"A rapidly aging dog of what Fandom year?" she asked, lightly. "I haven't been here for two."

[stayingfrosty.livejournal.com]

"I only arrived a mere six months ago," Price said. "I'd say I'm not used to staying in one location this much, but that would be a lie."

"What I'm not used to, though, is a fully civilian life, that's certain."

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"I could never get used to it," Kerrigan said, slipping him a wry look from underneath her eyelids. "That's why I went back home."

[stayingfrosty.livejournal.com]

"Lucky you, having that option," Price said. "Though that does beg the question as to what brings you back here. Unless it's the coffee."

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"Like I said," she said, dryly, "I wound up in a militia. It wasn't a kind place to be, and things got worse. You could say I'm... recovering."

[stayingfrosty.livejournal.com]

"I know that feeling, as well," Price said. "The same sort of thing led me here."

There was a pause, as Price really didn't know what else to say, really.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

That was enough, though, wasn't it?

"Militia groups?" she guessed, "Or an operation gone awry...?"

[stayingfrosty.livejournal.com]

"I'd joined up with a multi-national task force, black ops," Price said. "Now there's really only two of us left. And we're not exactly being welcomed as heroes."

What with the being labeled war criminals and all.

Though in Price's case, it was actually somewhat understandable.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"Screwed up on the job, news smearing you, or otherwise?" she asked, with just enough sympathy to make it seem, in her estimation, earnest.

[stayingfrosty.livejournal.com]

"Depends on if you consider helping execute a general who orchestrated the start of World War Three a war crime," Price said, not mentioning the part about him launching a nuclear missile to help stop said WWIII. "Right now there's only two people alive who know what he did. And both of us are the ones who killed him."