The Perk | Friday Afternoon

[long_memory]

Silver was diving into the vast world of fancy coffee today. You couldn't drink rum all the time (sadly) and this was an excuse to get out of his apartment. He got an overly sweet mocha at the barista's insistence and sat down at a table where somebody left a copy of today's newspaper on. He didn't really understand most of what he was reading but he did come to the conclusion that the world was a mess. So, not all that different from the 18th century.

He took a sip of the mocha and made a face. It tasted like pure sugar.

[Open!]

Comments

[thatwaslucky]

Every once in a while Rey would do something crazy and splurge on something from the coffee shop, usually when she knew she'd be busy with something later. You know, like now.

"Is it that bad?" she asked.

[long_memory]

"I can't tell if it's bad or if I'm just not used to things being pure sugar." He took another sip of the drink, getting whipped cream in his mustache as he did so.

[thatwaslucky]

"Possibly both," she pointed out, gesturing under her nose. "You have a little..."

[long_memory]

"Thanks," he said, wiping at his mouth. With his arm, because manners were in short supply among pirates. "I now know not to trust this barista."

[thatwaslucky]

"What did you even get?" she wondered.

[long_memory]

"Mocha something or other." There were a lot of new words he learned today in this coffee shop and he only remembered about a quarter of them. "With extra chocolate syrup."

It was the chocolate syrup that probably tipped the drink over into sickeningly sweet territory.

[thatwaslucky]

"That'll do it," Rey nodded. "The mocha itself is fine, but the rest would make me feel like my brain is buzzing."

[long_memory]

"What do you usually get?" he asked. "Obviously I could use some guidance."

[thatwaslucky]

"Usually? Black coffee and I add my own cream," she said. "I think I'm probably boring until pumpkin spice season."

Which was Magnus' fault.

[long_memory]

"Pumpkin spice sounds...interesting." And by that he meant gross.

[thatwaslucky]

"I know," she said with a smile. "But you should give it a try when it comes back... next month."

Because fall started in mud-August.

[long_memory]

"I suppose I'll have to then," he said with a smile. "But if it's bad you are going to lose some neighbor points with me."

[thatwaslucky]

"Oh no," she grinned. "Hopefully i have enough to survive that."

She was usually very quiet!

[long_memory]

"You do," he confirmed with a nod. "Honestly, you're the best neighbor I've had in years."

Congratulations, Rey, you were better than a bunch of smelly pirates.

[thatwaslucky]

"Then I'll also say I'm potentially sorry in advance for the pumpkin," she said. "How have you been?"

[long_memory]

"I haven't lost any clothing and there's no strange animals harassing me," Silver said. "So overall nothing to complain about. How about you?"

[thatwaslucky]

"Good," Rey said, though it felt a little weird to mean it that much. "Though I didn't mind the animals at all."

Of course she wouldn't. It was adorable things that were super nice to her.

[long_memory]

"Really? I found them unsettling," he said. "One gave me an ugly shirt."

[thatwaslucky]

"They were just trying to be friends," she said. "I got so many things I don't know what to do with."

[long_memory]

"They all were giving out free stuff?" he asked. "I should have talked to more of them in that case."

His apartment was...sparse.

[thatwaslucky]

"I may have been too into it," Rey admitted. "I intended to actually have things for guests and I didn't manage to sell all of it before we moved."

[long_memory]

"So now your apartment is filled with..." He trailed off, hoping they gave off more than ugly shirts. "Well what kind of stuff did you get exactly?"

[thatwaslucky]

"A couple beds, stools, tables, whatever foosball is... If there was anything that could be used for parts I scrapped it, but I think I'll donate the rest," she said. "I don't know if they'll take all the orange cones I kept getting."

[long_memory]

"Wow, you made out well," he said, impressed. "And it's very noble of you to donate them."

[thatwaslucky]

"It doesn't make sense to me to keep what I don't need," she said with a shrug.

[long_memory]

"Most people don't think that way." Himself included. "You just happen to be a good person."

[thatwaslucky]

It was kind of her whole deal.

"I just don't need much," she explained. "And others probably need it more."

[long_memory]

"And you're humble too," he said with a smile. "Where I come from selfishness is how you survive."

[thatwaslucky]

"Sometimes it's how I did, too," Rey admitted. "What's it like where you come from?"

[long_memory]

Silver took a moment to think about that. "It's hard to describe. On a ship your crew are your brothers but you have to keep in mind that for enough money even your closest friend would sell you out. Alliances are formed and broken on a daily basis."

Basically he had slept with one eye open for the last four years.

"On the other hand, you answer to no government and you take what you want. I think that aspect entices a lot of people to a life of piracy."

[thatwaslucky]

"Do you like it?" Rey wondered.

She met a lot of people in this line of work, apparently.

[long_memory]

That made Silver laugh. "No, I hate it. I don't even like the ocean. But unfortunately where I'm from there's not many other places where a one legged thief is welcome."

[thatwaslucky]

"You don't even like the ocean?" Rey said, eyes wide. "Is it better here, then?"

[long_memory]

“In some ways. Less dangerous, I don’t have to fight for everything,” he said. “But I did have people I cared about that I don’t like being away from.”

[thatwaslucky]

"That's hard," she said, sympathetic. "Is there a way to at least contact them?"

[long_memory]

“Not that I know of. It might be for the best. I don’t really know how to explain all...” He gestured around vaguely. “This.”

[thatwaslucky]

"I don't know that you do. I think you just wait to see if anyone shows up at Parents Weekend and if they do, you hope they don't ask," she said. "That's the impression I've gotten from people, anyway."