Burger joint

Pual walked into the crowded resturaunt, looking for a table. A seat near a window caught his eye, and he made his way towards it. He sat down, eyeing up the crowd. Most of them were just people haveing a nice meal. This seems fine, he thought. A waitress came up to him, and took down his order on a little notebook. He ordered a burger, onion rings, and a shake, then resumed people-watching. Finally, a chance to relax.

Steve raced down the strip, not planning to stop. However, a black Humvee caught his eye. He knew that car, and the thought of the last time he had seen it made him grin. Pual was in town. He pulled over reluctantly, checked the Humvee's license plate (USMC101, definitly Pual's plate), and walked into the resturaunt. Scanning the resturaunt, he quickly found the Marine, sitting at a table near a window. He walked over to the table, and grinned at his old friend, his hand loosely on his Desert Eagle, which was strapped to his leg as usual. He sat down, straddleing the back of a chair.

"Hey, Jarhead. Long time, no see!"

Pual looked liked he seen a ghost ," Damn dude how have you been?" All Pual could do is smile,then it became to a light laugh.








(OOC-Permission to shake Steve's hand?)

Steve shook his old friend's hand, smiling at his suprise. "Oh, not too bad, thanks. How about yourself?" Steve remebered the last time he had seen Pual. The memory of carrying the wounded Marine to the hilocopter was burned into his mind. "Nikki asks about you often," he said. His voice lowered. "How have you been holding up?"

Pual raised an eye brow noticing the lowered voice. "I've been better." Remembering the last time he saw Steven which has been years since Iraq."The war is still continuing sadly,more of our boy's been killed".

Steve shook his head. "Man, you really need to loosen up. It'll do you good. Think of something else. I know how you feel, but you'll need to keep your head on straight here." The thought of vampires made Steve wince. Well, that and the bullet hole in his shoulder. He looked at his friend. Something made him think of Trin, and he grinned at the thought of what she'd say about Pual. He popped his neck, then spoke again. "You ever get yourself a girl?" Steve grinned wickedly. "Unless you've come out of the closet. If that's the case, Nikki's gonna kick my ass for letting down a fellow soldier!"

All Pual could do is laugh at the remark about Nikki. "How's Nikki doing?" trying to eviode the fact about lady's he had one to many heart brakes to even think about getting a girl.

He seemed to be trying to avoid thinking of women, so Steve let the subject drop. "She's fine. I've been trying to get her to move here so I can keep an eye on her. You heard what happened, right?" The thought of what his sister had done, and what the doctors had said, felt like somone had driven a spike through his heart.

"I thought they where rumors are they true?"Pual really didn't know what happened to Nikki .

Steve shook his head. "Well, she definitely vandalized those stores. But I don't care what those god-damned doctors say, my sister is not insane." He glared at Pual, as if he had said that Nikki was crazy. Just the thought almost killed Steve. Why the fuck did they think his sister was nuts?!?!

Pual glared back like they were having a showdown "Im so sorry for what happned i would have helped you but i wasn't here"Pual felt like he was about to cry. After all Nikki was like a sister to him.

Steve's face softened. Pual had been quite close to Nikki for years. Steve felt a stab of remorse at the sight of his friends face. "Tell you what, let's talk of something else." His mind raced, searching for a new subject. "What do you do for a living now? Killing Chinese Barking Spiders for little old ladies?"

Renee was wearing a black t-shirt and black jeans. She was out and about shopping for furniture. Which lead her to thinking about Steve. She should have called him, but she'd been so busy she hadn't had time to do much else but supervise the movers. She had three trucks full of stuff and they all seem to arrive at the same freakin' time. Today was her first chance to get out and get her office stuff that she was wanting.

She was walking down the strip to see if she could find any other stores that might sell office supplies. All she was lacking of getting was a chair. She strolled pass the burger place and smelt food drifting around her. She put her hand on her stomach as it made a sound.

"Oh, I hear ya."

She turned around and balancing the bags that she was carrying, opened the door carefully to the burger joint. Before she was all the way in she surveyed the crowd and spotted Steve. At the same time she time she spotted him she bumped the door jam and bags made a crashing sound as they hit the floor.

"AH!" , she said and added a little squeal behind it.

Looking down at the floor she didn't look back up she just knew her face was getting a red tint to it. So, she squatted down to pick up the bags that she lost.

Kyle ran his hand down his black tie, smoothing it as he walked towards the young lady. 'Allow me!' Picking up the bags, he combined the bags in a more efficient manner and held them out at arms length. 'Shopping is always fun - till you gotta make it to the car, am I right? I'm Kyle. Kyle Evans.'

He flashed her a grin and wondered to himself if he would have helped her if he was still sauced up. Probably not - being sober seemed to have that 'nice' effect on him. 'Where ya want them?'

Renee smiled up at him and stood up. She nodded, but then what ever else he was saying went in one ear and out the other.

"Evans?"

Nobody knew her here, except for Steve but he didn't know her last name yet. So it couldn't be a trick, or could it?

'...Yes?'

Had he said something wrong? Kyle's smile froze in place as he held her bags. Usually most people said hello but this was different and welcomed - it was most certainly better than wrangling with Nova or running from gunfire - if he was lucky. He would have straightened his tie again, had his hands been free but instead he looked down at his clothes - crisp baby blue button up, black slacks and black shoes and then back at the woman.

'Evans. With...an E?'

Renee started grinning as she followed his eyes. Well, at least he had taste. By the time he met her eyes again they had mischief written all over them. She knew that Evans was common but she never really met any one with the same last name.

She giggled as he said, 'Evans with an E'.

"I know how it is spelt, I spell it everyday", she said and started walking to a table near Steve and the other guy was. She stopped at the table right before theirs, "here would be fine Kyle, Kyle Evans that starts with an E." She sit down the pink bag on the table that she was holding and waited for him to sit her bags down before she introduce herself.

Ahh, Kyle nodded and followed her to the table near the two men. Another Evans, he wagered. He set her bags down and cast a backward glance at his meal, which had been unfortunately taken away already.

'Cripes the service here is like my mother's house - can't leave a glass sitting by itself for more than five minutes.' He mourned the loss of his hamburger and turned back to the woman. 'So you're an Evans, too? I'm gonna guess we're probably not related.' He gave her a mocking suspicious look and a grin.

She smiled and gave a slight nod of her head, "Yes, Renee Evans. I don't recall you at any of our family reunions, do you have family in Georgia?"

She gave him a grin, "unless you're my long lost brother?"

She sat down and gesture for him to sit down as well. "Well, since you lost your first meal. Would you like to join me?"

'Nope, west coast here. Vegas actually. Nice to meet you, Renee and don't mind if I do.' Kyle slid into the seat and gestured for a waitress. 'You stole my hamburger, could I get another one? Medium rare, no pickles?' Again he smoothed his tie and looked over at Renee.

'Been in Nachton long?'

Renee smiled up at the waitress and ordered a cheese hamburger plate with everything.

She shook her head, "No, not even a week yet. You wouldn't know where I could get a desk chair at would you?"

Kyle thought a moment and then suggested, 'WalMart? I don't know - how fancy are you wanting? Captain Kirk desk chair or late night poker game folding chair...chair?'

He had no idea where to buy a desk chair, he had his desk chair in his office at the Nachton Times. Nothing he had he actually paid for - apparently the people around him didn't think he was responsible enough to purchase furniture. Granted at the time it was purchased, he was knee deep in Scotch with no real recollection of what day it was, much less what type of chair he had. Being sober had these really depressing realizations, Kyle decided.

'Actually I couldn't tell you,' he said with a snort.

"I already checked at Wal-mart. A poker chair? Nah, would kill my back sitting up straight not to mention my bottom side hurting."

Renee watched his face change and wondered where he had gone too.

She raised one elegant dark brow at him, "it's quite alright, no big deal." She shrugged her shoulders as if to say forget about it. "Did I say thank you? I believe I didn't, thank you. I have a million things running in my head at once."

She shook her head slightly but it was enough for her bangs and the sides of her hair to frame her face. She rubbed her face with her hands and brushed the hair out of her face. She leaned forward with her attention only on him. "Have you been here long?"

Ever so glad he could barely help, he nodded again with a grin. Kyle watched as the woman used her womanly wiles - handy, those wiles. He always found women interesting as well as perplexing. Why the constant need to flirt? It must be a defense mechanism, a calming feature that maybe cavemen used millions of years ago. The toss of a hairy butt could get any caveman's attention.

Scratching his chin he counted his years in Nachton. 'Coming close to fifteen years now. I work as a reporter at the Nachton Times, before that....Vegas and parts in between.' He neglected to mention he was a conspiracy theorist (and right in all his calculations) and that he was a recovering Eternity and alcohol addict. Kyle figured he should save something for after their burgers came.

She propped her elbow on top of the table and laid her chin in her hand. Her wheels started turning when he mentioned he was a reporter. He could be the link that she needed to do her book. She was was sure that he would know the "unknown" or at least a little that no one could explain.

She gave him a smile that reached her eyes, "Well, this is my first time living outside of Georgia. So, everything is quite exciting and scary at the same time."

The waitress was coming with their food and she sit back in her chair. Grabbing the ketchup she poured some on her plate. After the waitress left she said, "do you stay busy at work?" Then she took the top of her bun off her hamburger and started adding everything to it.

Still hungry, Kyle happily welcomed the waitress with their dishes. He waited for Renee to finish with the ketchup and then he went to town with it, smothering his hamburger and fries. He took three bites out of his hamburger before he answered her with a full mouth. Such manners, his mother was proud.

'Wormfk is gud,' Kyle held a finger up and then finished chewing his burger. After taking a drink of water, he continued. 'It affords me ridiculous luxuries, considering how busy this city is - I appreciate all the kookiness it offers. What about you, what do you do?'

Renee just smiled and she actually understood his first sentence. She glanced around the room and everyone seemed to be in their own little world. She wanted to ask him a thousand questions about his work but she didn't want to scare him off before she had the chance. So, she would do the small talk.

Boy had she hated this part, "I sell plants," she said as she laid a napkin in her lap. Then she dug into her own burger. He could make-up his own assumptions to that. Whether he thought she was just one of the girls in a nursery or the business owner. Of course, the way she was dressed today he might think she was just the first one and not the latter.

After her first bite of her hamburger, it needed more ketchup on there and she grabbed it again. "Why do they always but tons of mustard and not enough ketchup?" She put the top bun back on her burger and took another bite.

"Tahts bttr," she said around a mouthful. She could also forget her manners and she wanted to see how he reacted if any.

Kyle inhaled his hamburger as he half listened to Renee and half listened to the bits of conversation floating around them. It would appear that the two men closest to them were military or ex-military. The east coast being the birth place of the US military and Nachton being so close to Naval Bases and the like, it didn't surprise him. He had grown up with some military in Vegas and being in the navy himself for a short while, he had respect for those who did a stint themselves - or went career. His own father was career, but that was a million years ago.

Renee began to talk with her mouth full which immediately reminded him of a Rene he once knew. Well, at least she was relaxed and he smiled when she talked her muffled burger-speak.

'Sell plants? Like as in a nursery?'

She finished chewing and wiped her mouth with her napkin. Placing it on the table next to her plate. "Yeah, well, kinda. I grow my own plants in greenhouses and then sell them on-line. And twice a year I hire help to help me ship the plants off." She finished up her fries and took a few sips of her drink. Of course she left her book and her other so called hobby out.

Kyle covered his mouth with a fist and tried to belch as quietly as possible - which was quite a feat for him. He cleaned his hands with his napkin and put it on the plate to signal he was done. His tummy felt pleasantly huge which used to mean he needed to back it up with a fifth of scotch but those days were long gone.

'Well, Renee, it was a pleasure picking up your bags and sharing lunch with you. If you need any help with anything, you can find me at the Nachton Times.' Kyle reached into his wallet and pulled out one of the business cards his work had printed for him.

"Pleasure was all mine."

She picked up the card and glanced at it before putting it in her back pocket. "Actually I could use a hand to carry some of this stuff to my car. It's parked down the street, maybe a two minute walk from here. If you have a few more minutes."

She smiled and standing up started grabbing bags to carry.

'Happy to.'

Pulling out his wallet, he covered both their tabs and then picked up her bags. He'd go home and confess to Nova about being helpful to another woman and then brace himself for aggressive sex - he hoped at least.

Pushing the entrance door open with his back, he waited for Renee with a smile.

(OOC - Kyle out, pending response))

Renee was right behind him she said, "Thank you", with a smile upon her lips as she went by him. She turned left going down the strip. "It's this way...."

((OOC: Renee out))

There was activity nearby, and Steve held up his fist in the "Hold it!" signal, looking around. A familiar woman was standing nearby, and, as Steve looked closer, he noticed that she was carrying a ton of bags. Steve's mind tagged the woman with a name: Renee. The gal who just moved in. Steve was about to go and help her, when another young man got there first. Steve settled back into the chair, looking back at Pual. Before anything could be said, Renee and her new friend, whom Steve thought might be looking to get some, settled nearby. Great. He turned to Pual, and was about to warn the Marine to change the subject, when his cell rang. He pulled the device from his pocket, and opened it.

"Hello?"

A horribly familiar woman's voice answered. "Rowland. Good to hear from you. It's Jess. You're needed. I'm at site 26. Be here by 6." Jessica Wilson hung up, leaving Steve with a very foul look on his face. About a decade ago, Steve had joined the Special Forces, doing that at the same time as the Air Force. Steve had served proudly, doing things most soldiers wouldn't belive. Unfortunatly, his mind had been clouded by the propaganda the SF shoved down his throat, and when he realized what was wrong, he tried to back out, only to be caught by his own contract. Now he was on call, going when they needed him. Mostly he was doing Black Ops, testing weapons and ordinace before they got into the hands of regular soldiers. He had, however been called to combat many times, and had gotten into more trouble with lawmen overseas than any of thier own people. Now Jess, his CO, was calling for him, and the old team likely, to go do some hellbent task. Pual snapped Steve back to the real world by talking to him.

"Who was that? Ex-wife?" Obviously Pual didn't know that Steve had never been married.

"Worse," Steve replied. "Ex-boss."

And with that lovely comment, Steve ran out to his car, and left rubber on the pavement.

(OUT)

Pual decided to follow Steve just as a back up because he looked like he was in some serious trouble.


(OOC-Pual out)