A night out with friends
They let the night breeze chase them through the door of the pub, all of them hooded and cloaked like figures out of the fantasy novels Anna had read in her youth. Spilling in from the darkness, talking and laughing amongst themselves, the technomages came back to Regula IV.
Alwyn, of course, was in the lead, and made a beeline for the bar.
"Typical," said Federico.
"Oh, quite," said Galen. "Shall we?"
Anna shrugged, "Why not?" And so they followed their friend to the bar. Drinks were acquired, and then a table before the fire, where they settled comfortably. The table was small and there were rather a lot of them, but they were all old and good friends, and so it didn't much bother them. They were also growing increasingly inebriated, which didn't hurt matters either.
"I hate to bring this up now, since it's a bit too late and all, but-" Athena extracted Alwyn's arm from beneath her cloak without pausing, or so much as batting an eyelash. "-it seems to me that you may be recognized here, Alwyn. Don't these people think you're dead?"
"D'ya think he's really sober enough to care, Athena?" Kane asked.
"Still," Anna mused, "it's a fair question, isn't it?"
"Bah," said Alwyn. "'M not a technomage for nothing, am I?"
"One wonders," Galen said quietly.
"I heard that."
"Did you. How interesting," Galen replied.
Anna laughed. "You guys..." She shook her head. "I still can't believe the Circle agreed to our taking this little jaunt."
"Um." Federico began to study the wooden tabletop in great detail. "Yeah..."
"Oh, that's right. They didn't, did they? Oh, we're going to be in so much trouble..."
"First time for everything," Athena said dryly.
Anna grinned and raised her mug. "Cheers, old friend."
"Cheers, Anna."
Anna turned to Fed. "I suppose this is one of those split personality things, then?"
Fed squinted at her as if he couldn't quite see her clearly. "Come again?"
"You're keeping secrets from the half of you that sits in Circle, yes?"
"Oh." Fed nodded. "That. Yeah, absolutely. Didn't have much choice, did I? I'd never have let myself get away with it."
"It's true," said Optima. "He's really a stickler for the rules, our Fed."
This amused all of them greatly, but none more so than the very drunk Alwyn, who began to laugh hysterically and was unable to stop until Athena slapped him, hard, across the face.
"Bloody hell, woman! What d'ya think you're doing?"
"Shutting you up, obviously," Athena said.
Alwyn sighed, and looked over at Galen. "Women," he said.
"Yes, I'd noticed that they were," Galen replied.
"He thinks he's funny, doesn't he?" Alwyn asked of no one in particular.
Anna shrugged. "And you think you're sober."
"Well." Alwyn laughed. "We've all got our little delusions, don't we?"
"Some not so little," Kane said.
Anna laughed. "I love you guys. Have I ever mentioned that?"
"To some of us rather than others, I'd think," Alwyn said, and then ducked very quickly, as Anna swung her mug at him.
"Alwyn, I swear, one of these days you're going to go too far," Athena said.
"Am I, now?"
"Yes, you-"
The argument continued, but Anna shook her head and tuned it out. They weren't truly angry with each other, and she knew it. She'd grown used to the mages' bantering, and it would have seemed too quiet, even wrong, without them.
"Lovely night, isn't it?" Fed asked.
Anna laughed. "The best."
Muse: Anna Sheridan
Fandom: Babylon 5
Word count: 582