Trooper Station, Friday

[pocketpretzels]

There was not a whole lot going on at the station today. No crabs with knives. Not even a call from the infamous 'Bee Lady' the Troopers kept telling him stories about. Which perhaps explained why Watts had pulled his desk chair around to the front of it, and was sitting on said desk, feet resting on the chair, and repeatedly throwing his hat up into the air and attempting to land it properly back on his head. Or maybe it didn't.

Comments

[hasaknightjob]

There were two things that either were or weren't in Watts's favor, depending on his point of view.

The first was that Steven was desperately in need of a distraction from the events of the previous day.

The second was that Watts had accidentally convinced a nice Jewish boy that he didn't have enough money to eat as well as he should.

As such it was close to lunch time when Steven showed up at the Trooper station, take away bag in hand, looking to see if Watts was about.

[pocketpretzels]

Watts was definitely about! As Steven might be able to hear from the grunt of victory coming from the sheriff's office as he managed to land his hat on his head for the third time in a row.

[hasaknightjob]

Steven poked his head into the sheriff's office. "Watts. Hello. Not busy, are you?"

[pocketpretzels]

"Ah," Watts kicked the rolling chair away and sat up straight. Ish. It... did not do much to make him look all that professional-seeming given that he was still sitting on the desk. "Nothing that can't wait."

[hasaknightjob]

That was all right, Steven wasn't there for professional reasons. "Do you have time to take lunch? It's only that I accidentally ordered extra. Was trying to figure out who might want be interested and thought of you. Maybe something not common for you back home you'd like to try?"

Steven had carefully crafted this story to save Watts from potential embarrassment over someone buying lunch for him. It was, perhaps, not only Marc who wasn't the greatest at coming up with plausible lies.

[pocketpretzels]

Watts tilted his head as he took in that story. Something about it didn't quite ring true, but at the same time he wasn't particularly bothered to find out what. The important part was the food.

... And the company. Okay, the important part was the company and the food was secondary.

"I think it's about time I took a break, yes," from all the hard work he'd clearly been doing.

[hasaknightjob]

"Cheers," Steven said, as though Watts was doing him a favor. He came into the office, holding up the bag for Watts to see. "Erm, Italian. I remembered you saying that you hadn't had the chance to try it back home."

Of course Steven had remembered that prior to ordering but clearly that would not be obvious from his well crafted cover story.

[pocketpretzels]

“Indeed I have not,” Watts said, sliding down from his perch super gracefully. “Consider me properly intrigued.”

[hasaknightjob]

"Intrigued, eh?" Steven didn't know why the word choice appealed to him but for some reason it did.

He unpacked the two meals he'd ordered. Roasted vegetable pasta salad for himself, and a meat and cheese lasagna for Watts. Watts had said he didn't have any dietary restrictions so Steven assumed that included not keeping Kosher as well. Steven figured a hearty meal with good odds of having leftovers would be the perfect choice for someone on a food budget.

"There we are then," Steven said. "I hope it's all right?"

[pocketpretzels]

“Certainly smells all right,” Watts said, giving it an experimental sniff.

Yes, he was just a little bit suspicious of how Steven had managed to ‘accidentally’ order a meat product.

“Here, here, take a seat,” he added, pulling one of the extra chairs in the office up to the desk.

[hasaknightjob]

"Oh cheers," Steven said, not realizing he'd once again invited himself into Watt's day without thinking about it. He took the offered seat. "It's nice to have some company."

If Steven's words there sounded as though they had a hint of melancholy in them... well yeah.

[pocketpretzels]

Another suspicious squint. “Did… something happen?” he asked, as he collapsed into his own chair.

[hasaknightjob]

"A friend of mine's moving out of town today," Steven said. He focused rather intently on unwrapping his plastic fork from his napkin. "It's a good step for her, it is. But - you know. Selfishly wouldn't mind if she stayed."

[grenadesandohana]

McGarrett watched for a moment, clearly amused, before asking, "So...lots of crime today, huh."

[pocketpretzels]

“I simply cannot keep up,” Watts informed him solemnly.

[grenadesandohana]

"It is a burden," Steve agreed, lips quirking up. "I can show you wear the raccoons live. They're normally up to something sketchy."

[pocketpretzels]

An excuse to get out of the office and out into the streets?

Count him in.

“Let’s go,” he said, hopping down off the desk and plopping his hat on his head.

[grenadesandohana]

Steve tried to hide his amusement at the hat, but didn't really succeed. "You've been briefed about their brewpub already?" he checked, leading the way.

[pocketpretzels]

Yeah, well, Watts thought modern hat-less fashion was a little weird, so.

“I… cannot say that I have, no,” Watts shook his head.

[grenadesandohana]

"Well, they have a brewpub," Steve said a little dryly. "Surprisingly decent IPA, terrible sour, only okay lager."

Yes, that was the important part, Steven.

"All of their paperwork is in order, which leads to follow-up questions like how raccoons do paperwork and who is doing health inspections around here anyway."

[pocketpretzels]

You were talking to someone from the turn of the century here, Steve. Watts' standards when it came to what to expect out of a drinking establishment were... decidedly lower than yours probably were.

"They do have very tiny hands," Watts said. Squirrels had even tinier paws, and still somehow managed to hold pencils. Don't think about it too much.

[grenadesandohana]

"And are really into cleaning them," said the guy who watched too many Youtube videos when he was bored. "Right, so here's the pub," he said, opening the door. "They say they had nothing to do with Stark's kidnapping a few months back but I'm not sure."

[pocketpretzels]

“You can… speak raccoon?”

[grenadesandohana]

"I interrogated a bunch of them last summer," Steve said. "I've picked up the basics."

Very normal thing to say.

[pocketpretzels]

"I see." You were lucky that the straightest of straight men (in multiple senses of the word) had somewhat prepared him for this place, otherwise he might be wondering if you'd be better off in an asylum, McGarrett.

"Have you tried any of their offerings?" he asked, looking at the menu. Which, for the record, was quite extensive, and currently included things like Q Lager, Pride IPA, and Gender Neutral.

They were really getting in to the whole Pride thing this year, okay?