(Untitled)

[protecthefuture]

When Sarah comes into the bar she seems a bit younger than before. She's in jeans, t-shirt and a leather jacket. There's a bit of blood on her jacket and a ton of it on her hands. She'd been aiming to get something for Charley while he worked on Derek when she ended up in this place. There's worry in her eyes. After all, she'd just told her son who

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[furiousmaximus]

"Any of that yours?" Max asks after allowing his eyes to track her across the room for a long moment. He's pretty sure the answer is 'no'. He's seen enough injuries to recognize that she's not hurt enough to have lost that much blood.

[protecthefuture]

She almost jumps out of her skin due to the unfamiliar voice. It's not one that she knows. Then again none of this seemed familiar to begin with. But to answer his question. "No."

[furiousmaximus]

Max is a big guy. A really big guy. But leaned back against the bar the way he is, he doesn't look all that threatening. But to someone who knows what they're looking at, it's obvious he's a soldier.

"Any of it belong to someone you care about?" That was the next important question, and he couldn't tell just by looking at her.

[protecthefuture]

And Sarah knows a solider when she sees one. The father of her son was a soldier. Derek was a soldier as well. And sometime in the future her son would be too.

"Yes." Was the only answer he was getting from her. Seeing as she did care about Derek Reese. After all, he was her son's uncle and her dead lover's big brother.

[furiousmaximus]

"That's a lot of blood, then," Max points out. As if it isn't obvious.

[protecthefuture]

"I know it is." How could she not? Damn machines. Damn them to hell. But what could she do? All she knew was that she had to get back. Help Charley... Help Derek. But something was keeping her from doing so. Things were catching up to her in this moment, in this strange place.

[furiousmaximus]

"You need any help getting cleaned up?" Max asks. Then he jerks his head toward the door, "Or any help out there?"

[protecthefuture]

"I probably should get cleaned up." It's just a matter of being motivated to do so. She's still worried that they'll lose Derek but Charley is one of the best that she knows. He wouldn't let that happen. "No. Charley doesn't need any help." Just answers. Ones she wouldn't give him.

[furiousmaximus]

Max turns to the bar for a moment, and when he turns back to Sarah he has a towel and a large basin of water. He jerks his head toward a nearby table in invitation.

[protecthefuture]

She's not good with things like this. People not trying to kill her. But this man doesn't seem to be doing that nor does his movements strike her as mechanical. Walking over she sits down.

[furiousmaximus]

He soaks one end of the towel in the water and reaches out to take her hand. Sadly, Max is not above using this situation to get close to an attractive woman.

[protecthefuture]

She doesn't pull her hand back, just blinks. It's obvious from the way she's watching his movements that she's not used to kindness such as his. Or any kindness for that matter. Not when she's got a war to wage and a son to keep safe.

[furiousmaximus]

He rubs the wet towel across her skin, watching it quickly turn red as it absorbs the blood. "You seem pretty calm for someone with this much blood on their hands," Max says conversationally. It's not that he's really that curious, even. He just wants something to talk about.

[protecthefuture]

"When you have a son and someone panicking... you have to be calm." When you're waging a war calm is the only thing you've got that keeps you alive.

[furiousmaximus]

"I suppose that makes sense," Max nods. "But calm like that usually comes with experience."

[protecthefuture]

"Also comes from being a military brat." Since that's what she was. Her father had been military. A war veteran and had stranded herself and her mother. So someone had to be calm in lieu of it all.