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[ladyfirestarter]

Charlie's at the bar, with coffee. Sweet, sweet life-giving coffee.

"Still no?" she's saying, wearily, apparently to the bar itself.

Comments

[2020sight]

"I'll do what I can."

His smile fades a little, considering her.

"Look, Charlie -- he does this. We both do -- this wandering-off thing." A shrug. "He does it less than I do, maybe, but . . . it's not like it's gonna go away." He holds up his hands. "I don't want you getting in a panic or anything. He's always fine. It's not like he's -- I mean, he's always fine. But you ought to know what to expect. Y'know?"

[ladyfirestarter]

Charlie sobers in turn, listening.

"Yeah," she says finally. "Okay. So long as ... okay. You're saying I don't necessarily have to assume anything's wrong."

[2020sight]

"Yeah."

He shrugs again, apologetic.

"He's still an ass for pulling this on you. You're not family. He oughtta treat you better."

[ladyfirestarter]

"...well."

She's not sure whether to be amused or unnerved or hurt by that, and her tone comes out a little flat.

"If you do manage to get hold of him? You don't need to tell him that on my account."

[2020sight]

". . . The bit about him being an ass? 'Cause I'll tell him that on my account, anyway, so I may as well add it's a shitty way to treat someone you're, like, intimate with."

[ladyfirestarter]

"Yeah," she says reluctantly. "Can I ask you to let me handle that part?"

[2020sight]

Shrug. "Sure, yeah, if you'd like."

Epimetheus is just trying to help, Charlie!

[ladyfirestarter]

"Thanks." It's entirely sincere. "I appreciate it."

[2020sight]

"Yeah." He tilts his head. "You doing okay otherwise?"

[ladyfirestarter]

"Yeah," she says without pausing to consider, "I'm doing okay."

[2020sight]

He considers her. "Yeah? Good."

[ladyfirestarter]

The fatigue she can't get rid of ... on the one hand, it's not something she wants to bother him with. On the other, it's not really his business.

And most importantly, it's not something she wants him to know before she's gotten to talk to Prometheus about it.

"So," deliberately wry, "now that I've wallowed all over you ... how've you been?"

[2020sight]

"Flaky as pie crust, apparently." He shrugs, and taps Bar; she provides him with a whiskey, and he gives her a pat in thanks. "Nah, I've been okay. Nothing much of excitement. Some riots in Chicago about the Olympics or something -- I stayed out of 'em."

[ladyfirestarter]

Charlie takes a sip of her coffee. "Riots?"

[2020sight]

Shrug. "It's Chicago. I think they're a traditional response." He looks thoughtful. "Though I gotta say, election night was a hell of a lot less violent than I'd've expected. Noisy, but not violent."

[ladyfirestarter]

A small, speculative smile. "Who won in your world? I don't even know if it was the same candidates as in mine."

[2020sight]

"One Barack Obama. Ring a bell?"

[ladyfirestarter]

The smile spreads to a grin. "It does that. He won in mine, too."

[2020sight]

"No shit!" He grins back. "The multiverse must like him."

[ladyfirestarter]

"He didn't make it in my boss's universe, though. Hillary Clinton got the nomination instead." She shrugs.

[2020sight]

"Did she win?"

[ladyfirestarter]

Charlie sighs. "No, and I'm not going to tell you who did, it'll just depress you."

[2020sight]

He tsks. "Aw, c'mon, don't leave me hangin'."

[ladyfirestarter]

"Mitt Romney."

Enough said, really.

[2020sight]

"Okay, see, my problem with that," he says, holding up a declamatory finger, "is that that is a name that just lacks dignity. I mean, even -- ah, the one who set everything up for that war, lemme think, I was in Mexico at the time . . ."