(Untitled)

[first_of_steel]

Who: Roger Maxson and whoever shows up. Probably Verity Carlo, but who knows.
What: Bad, bad things happened a year ago, and right now Roger doesn't want to remember then.
Where: Some bar willing to serve human-sized patrons in zone 5.
When: Now is fine, really.
Potential Warnings: Possible spoilers for Roger's canon, possible unpleasant

Comments

would verity miss a chance to get plastered?

[wreckerverity]

Verity needed a break from mechs. She...never thought she'd say that, but, there it was. Maybe it was Beakyfais's taste in clients or something, but she wanted nothing more than to spend some time robot free. So she headed downtown, looking for a place that looked sufficiently robot free.

"Cap'n Max?" Not exactly who she was expecting to see. Especially after her last contact with him.

[first_of_steel]

It took a moment for Roger to process that the words were being directed at him. He glanced up and did his best not to wince. He hadn't really expected company.

"Verity," he said nevertheless. "Didn't expect you here."

Some people are, by nature, garrulous drunks. Roger was not one of them.

[wreckerverity]

If Cap'n Max is expecting Verity to take that as any sort of brush off, he did not know her at all. And there are no worries: She's got blab enough for the both of them.

"I know! Helluva surprise, huh?" She plopped herself down next to him, pointing at his glass. "So, what you drinking?"

[first_of_steel]

Huh boy. Well... he'll survive.

He glanced at the glass, and then a little ways down the bar. "I think," he said, "that it's beer from the bartender's native country. Can't read the label."

Small surprise. Although where this place got Thai beer from, other than TransTech runs to Thailand, would still be a mystery even if Roger could read the alphabet used.

[wreckerverity]

Well, good manners (what few Verity had) said that you didn't barge up to someone without springing for a round.

"Hey, barkeep? Two of, uhhh," she snatched the bottle from Cap's hands, holding it up. "Two of these! And some pretzels, if ya got 'em."

Beer and pretzels--the Holy Communion of Friendship.

"So, Cap." She straddled the chair, thankful that at least Miss Potts allowed pantsuits and not *shudder* skirts, "How you doin'?"

[first_of_steel]

It was quite possibly the stupidest question Roger had heard in living memory. He glanced up from his drink and just looked at Verity for a while.

Eventually it occurred to him that this was not going to work, and so he shrugged. "About as well as you'd expect," he muttered.

[wreckerverity]

So, sure, Verity didn't graduate from charm school. A for effort, dude. She waited until the bartender brought over the beer, shoving a mouthful of pretzels in her face.

"So...pretty slaggin' bad, huh?" she said around a faceful of pretzel. "Homesick or somethin'?"

[first_of_steel]

Well yes, she was trying. It wasn't her fault Roger's shoulders stiffened and hunched up around his ears at the question. She didn't know any better.

(Not that he particularly felt like enlightening her, at least not at the moment. Which was no one's fault but his own, really.)

[wreckerverity]

And Verity also didn't know when to stop. Primus bless her.

"I get homesick, too, but you know. Not for places and stuff. Places hold you back. Traps, all of them.

"I do miss people. Well, mechs."

She takes a long pull at her beer.

"Wonder if they're still alive. Wonder if they miss me."

[first_of_steel]

"Hope so," Maxson unwillingly muttered. "For your sake."

Really, it was the only reasonable response to a pondering like that. There might've been a time when he would've encouraged her to think the best, but... yeah, no. Not after everything that happened at home. It just wasn't worth it.

[wreckerverity]

Riiiiiight. Well, apparently Captain Max didn't want to talk. Fine. This is what trying to be social got ya, ya know?

No point in this anyway--get close to him and what? He'd probably die, too.

"I just want them to stay alive so I can kill them myself." Oh Prowl, just you wait.

[first_of_steel]

"... sounds like my old drill sergeant," Maxson mumbled. "Got through boot by planning to find his grave and tap-dance on it."

.... what the hell did they put in this beer? He hadn't thought of Sergeant Goyer in years.

[wreckerverity]

"Yeah, well, you gotta trust that they're doing it for the right reason, you know? That whole 'that which does not kill me makes me stronger' stuff, right?"

That's how Verity's gotten by with all the things that tormented her. She had survived. Megatron had not. Overlord had not. She was stronger.

...right?

[first_of_steel]

Maxson's mouth twitched at that. "'Makes me stronger'," he muttered, and almost smiled. "Pfff. If what doesn't kill me makes me stronger, I'd be Hercules by now."

Damn, he'd said that out loud, didn't he. Well, no help for it.

[wreckerverity]

"I think it's always like that."

Verity took another sip of her beer, squinting at the bottle. She'd drunk...how much already?

"Somehow it only makes me feel weaker sometimes. Like...a fraud or something. Like I'm not doing it right."

[first_of_steel]

"You're still alive," Maxson pointed out. "That's something. More than most."

At least back home, anyway.