fandomtownies | The Devil's Nest

Where Buffy was.

After participating in the really terrifying murder of a giant insect (and, you know, doing her job like usual), Sam needed a drink. Or five. And not even creative girly drunks like she normally liked, either.

Propping her chin on her hand the second she sat down, she requested, "Scotch on the rocks, please?"

"Evening, Specialist," Kaidan greeted, leaning back from the bar and throwing her a crooked smile.

"Evening, Commander," Sam said, removing her hand from under her chin to offer a somewhat half-hearted salute. She was tired, okay? "Interesting week we're having, isn't it?"

Kaidan took a swig of his beer, then looked back at her with confusion written across his features. "Well, I guess exams are always something else..."

"...Oh, are those this week?" Well done, Sam. "Did your class do all right?"

"They did just fine," Kaidan said. "Some of them might need new outfits, though."

"Oh, I'm sure they're used to classes that have them run through mud and be pelted with paint by now," Sam said encouragingly. "There's that one class that's often reported on on the radio -- I think it's taught by Professors Skywalker? If they've any knowledge of that course, I'm sure students are expecting to be thrown into messiness at any time."

She sipped her drink, considering, then added, "Congratulations on another completed semester, by the way."

Kaidan shrugged lightly. "I'm not sure it's something that deserves congratulations," he said. "But-- thanks. What's been going on with you? Something big happening this week?"

"Oh, well, I certainly couldn't do what you're doing," she replied. Perhaps not entirely truthfully, but she thought it was. "At any rate -- nothing major with me specifically, but I've been following the recent politics. Developments toward same-sex marriage legalization here in the States, that sort of thing." She blushed a bit, and tucked her hair behind her ear with her free hand. "It's an interesting time to be in 2013."

"Oh, damn," Kaidan said. He blinked. "Right, that was a thing back here. Totally slipped my mind."

He wasn't really a big history guy.

"It's weird to realize this was once, uh, a thing."

"Isn't it?" Sam agreed. Then she added wryly, "I suppose it's a good thing that older legislation about not talking about sexual orientation in the military isn't still active, or I wouldn't even be able to discuss this with you."

Sam knew history. Enough about it to make quips, anyway.

Kaidan's mouth quirked wryly. "If that was the case, I think we'd definitely both be in trouble. Not a bad cause to be thrown out of service for, though."

"Not at all," Sam agreed. "I'm glad it's no longer an issue, at any rate. I'd always be worried I'd say something by accident, or something."

Because let's face it, she was a babbler.

"I wouldn't, probably," Kaidan mused, taking another sip of his beer. "But, y'know-- hiding who you are? That's-- I can't even imagine how much that would suck."

"It's really an appalling lack of faith in people's ability to focus on their jobs, too," Sam added, swiveling around to face Kaidan properly. "Assuming that the intent of the legislation was to discourage spats between officers over each other's sexual orientations. I don't know anyone who would do that in our day. And I wouldn't want to serve with them, if I did."

She looked especially determined on that point.

Kaidan's mouth quirked briefly. "It's not ideal for biotics in the service right now," he said. "But... well, at the end of the day, people can usually put aside their differences. Especially when lives are on the line."

"My thoughts exactly, Commander," Sam agreed, and she looked relieved to be in agreement on this issue. Maybe it wasn't a surprise, but based on some of the articles she had read about reactions to the new legislation... it was comforting to know that she was safe from that. Lifting her scotch glass up slightly, she offered, "To equality?"

Kaidan clinked her glass with his beer. "To equality," he said. "...And keeping who we date out of our jobs."

"Quite."

Except for Kaidan, who would, you know, date his commander.

Sam took a long sip of her drink before exhaling and setting her glass back down. "So," she said. "Speaking of being grateful to be from when and where we're from. Would you mind giving me a bit of advice?"

Kaidan blinked for a moment, then recovered himself. "Sure. If it's anything I know anything about."

"It, ah. It might be?" Sam bit her lip. "It's a little awkward. Kind of a... social thing."

And Kaidan seemed social compared to her. He even sometimes went to parties. Gasp.

"You're welcome to say no," she added hastily. "It's just that I've been talking to someone lately and I think I've been confusing her, or communicating... poorly, and I thought you might have some insight."

Kaidan wasn't social in the slightest, but he was going to field this one anyway.

"Well, hit me, Specialist," he said, taking another sip of his beer. "We're all friends here."

"Thank you, Commander," Sam said, straightening her posture. "Well, there's this friend of mine, Éponine," she began. "And we met during a gremlin bite, which is awkward enough, but she's quite nice when we're... ourselves. But every time I open my mouth around her now, I seem to say something that puzzles her, as though she's expecting me to be harsh with her. And I'm not sure what sort of... friendship she's accustomed to, but I'm looking for a way to communicate to her that I'm not... interested in doing that."

She'd been fretting about this a lot.

Edited 2013-06-27 20:03 (UTC)

Kaidan tried to process that. Failed. Tried to process that again.

"Have you tried just being straight with her?" he asked eventually.

"Yes!" Sorry, Kaidan. "I mean -- yes, sir. I mean, I think I have? I think her standards of... basic compassion are a little different from, er, mine. And I don't want her worrying that I'm going to snap at her all the time! I feel awful about it."

She sipped her drink -- no, make that chugged.

Well. That was. Well.

"I don't know," Kaidan settled on, finally. "Just... be nice. I guess. Either it'll blow over or it won't."

"Right." She said it respectfully, because he had a point, even if it was a simple one, and then she pushed her glass back and signaled Tiny for a refill. "Thanks, Commander. Sorry to burden you with that."

"It's all right, Specialist," Kaidan said. He took another sip of beer and then added, ruefully, "Relationships just aren't really my area of expertise."

"No, no, we're not, that's not it," she clarified quickly. "We're just friends. Sorry, anyway."

All the flail, basically.

She took a moment to concentrate on downing her second drink, because that meant she didn't have to make eye contact with Kaidan and acknowledge how mortified she was to have even said anything, but she did glance his way again once she was done, if a little sheepishly.

"So -- shall I leave you to drink in peace?" It seemed the polite thing to do and all.

"Uh..."

And here Kaidan was, socially awkward enough himself that he wasn't sure what to do in the face of so much flail. Wondering vaguely if he'd said something wrong. "Did I say something to offend you?"

"Beer, please," Kaidan said, sinking into a seat at the bar and stretching his arms out across it almost immediately.

Where you could boogie down.

Where a vampire might be.

A vampire was indeed lurking there after the sun went down.

Freaking summer time...

Up early by request! I'll be sporadic throughout the day.

The Devil's Nest | Thursday Evening

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