Caffeine and Liquor [Alfred]

[Deleted]

Things had been tense, well tenser than usual. Whether you supported the government’s decisions or not, having a blatant example of the polly’s income existing literally beneath your feet was bound to cause unrest between the citizens of Archadia. Being careful with your words, making sure to hide your opinions, wondering who might be listening to you was a sure fine way of creating tension in a township. Not even Kyle’s pub was exempt from that. Many of them he noticed didn’t mention mutant’s or the underground at all while they were having their drinks, knowing that if a subject was avoided nothing could be interpreted as being ‘unlawful’. The one great exception to this was the underground guards who really were a law unto themselves. But ever since that mass breakout had occurred things had escalated from the normal everyday unease to panic only slightly short off hysteria. Some feared what the mutants might do to the citizens. Others feared what the police might do to the citizens, those who for whatever reason looked just a tad suspicious to their eyes. Most were afraid of both. Kyle was also anxious, not so much for himself as he was for Westley. Although it didn’t seem as if he’d managed to escape Kyle had still spent several day wondering aimlessly around the city, hoping to find the boy before the cold (or the police) did. So far he’d found nothing, and asking would rouse suspicions so his ignorance remained. He was now resorting himself to note writing. Which was actually even more pointless than wondering the city had been because he never actually got any replies, he didn’t even know if Wes ever saw them, there was no way to know that he did. And trying to place countless adjectives and adverbs about macropods around the simple words ‘are you safe’ was harder than getting up at 5 o’clock in the winter morning, and required a lot more use of the thesaurus. There was still a little while to go before the working day was over and The Drunk Drobushki was pretty quiet. A few of the old soaks were tucked away in a corner, too old to be working and too young to be in a retirement home. They pretty much willed away their time here and staggered off to their cold homes when he closed. A sad existence, no matter which way you looked at it. Aside from that Kyle had the pub to himself. He was clearing away some used bottles and generally making things look tidy when the door to The Drunk Drobishki opened and a large figure entered. The man was lanky, blond, and was wearing one of those bomber jackets that were apparently cool several years back; which meant the man was either poor, daggy or nostalgic, or possibly all three. A walking personality. Kyle smiled a greeting and waited for the man to approach the bar before speaking. “G’day mate, what’ll it be?” he asked, letting a little of his accent slip into his words. Many people responded positively if they knew the pub contained an Australian. The old boss had told him that. “Now she could be wrong, but Matilda thinks you’re the kind of bloke who enjoys caffeine and liquor in roughly equal amounts. I’m out of espresso but I can get you a vodka red bull if you like.” Kyle’s hand was reaching for the glasses even before the man had replied.

Word count: 581 Tags: Dat Murican' Notes: Matilda is the drop bear koala, she's watching you...

[Alfred F. Jones]

it's a

revolution

Word count: 614

Tags: Kyle Cookson

Notes: I'm sooooo late. Like years.

Alfred didn't frequent bars. Granted, they were some of the best hubs of information. Alcohol meant loose lips and loose lips were exactly what Alfred needed to get the job done. Personally, Alfred would always take coffee over alcohol (less likely for himself to slip up and say something he didn't mean to). But Alfred was interested in information, and therefore to the bar he went.

He'd never stepped into the Drunk Drobushki for one reason or another. Granted, he'd only been in Archadia for...what? Two years now? A little less. Archadia was a big city and it took time to make one's way around. It was a bit of an odd name for a bar.

It was time to get back on track. He'd only been pulling small cons recently and Alfred had secluded himself a bit more. Spent more time hacking and working online. At least better than he'd been a month ago. Having a dog made things better, especially one like Maëlle. She was sweet and understanding and when he had nightmares she would lick his face until he woke up and he'd bury his face into her fur until he could fall asleep again. She was always so happy, so cheerful, just such a good dog and she made him happy too. Alfred barely remembered how he'd gotten along without her.

But Alfred needed data. Especially with the mutant breakout, especially with things the way they were...well, Alfred needed information. He needed every scrap he could get his hands on.

Alfred had picked a time when things were quieter on purpose. The Drunk Drobushki was a smaller bar, which meant that Alfred would get the most out of talking to the owner of the bar personally. Later he'd go to a bigger bar, chat with some of the actual customers there. But right now, Alfred wanted to establish connections.

Alfred pushed open the door to the Drunk Drobushki and took a look inside. Quaint. A little old fashioned perhaps. But all in all, not bad for a pub.

No, what was really interesting was the man standing behind the counter. Or, well, more specifically, the koala.

...A koala.

Alfred's eyes widened a little, his eyebrows raised. Seriously though. A koala. In Russia.

The things Alfred thought he'd never see...

To accompany the koala came a cheerful voice from the bartender as Alfred approached the bar. "G'day mate, what'll it be?" There was just the hint of an Australian accent...but of course. It made Alfred smile a little as he surveyed the bartender himself. Surprisingly tan, decently tall, and...really little clothing. A t-shirt. God, Alfred would freeze. There was a bandaid on his nose. Whether it was decorative or the man had actually hurt himself, Alfred couldn't tell.

"Now she could be wrong, but Matilda thinks you’re the kind of bloke who enjoys caffeine and liquor in roughly equal amounts. I’m out of espresso but I can get you a vodka red bull if you like." The man was already reaching for the glass as he spoke, ready to serve up whatever it was that Alfred had in mind. Whoever this man was, he must be a pretty decent bartender if he somehow managed to guess that Alfred liked coffee.

Was Matilda the name of the koala? Probably. Alfred could already tell he would like this man. He seemed like the cheery type. "Sure man, sounds good to me." He sat himself down at the bar easily before eyeing the koala again. "So...Matilda, huh? Did you bring her over? Surprised they let you keep her...bet airport security got a kick out of that."

i suppose

by Worldie for Leia

[Deleted]

The man’s eyes widened at the sight of Matilda, and why shouldn’t he? It wasn’t every day that you saw a Koala, in a bar, in Russia. Kyle prepared his drink with the confidence that comes from having done the movements thousands of times before and handed it over, along with a packet of peanuts for them to share, because why not? The blond looked like the kind of guy who enjoyed a chat and Kyle himself certainly did not mind having a good yarn. “So Matilda huh?” “The one and only, she pretty much runs this place.” Kyle agreed even as his eyes lit up with hearing the man’s accent. An American! Americans were fun. “Did you bring her over? Surprised they let you keep her...bet airport security got a kick out of that." “Too right they did” Agreed Kyle “But most of them are sensible enough not to argue with a drop bear, very dangerous beasties they are. We loose dozens of tourists to them every year, they don't like the accents you see.” He waited for his words to sink in and the right amount of shock to come across the other man’s features before he picked Matilda up. Parting some of the fur that grew on her arms a little he showed the American the burns that were still visible. “She got those when a bushfire came through, it affects her movements somewhat, can’t tear through a tourist’s gullet like she used to. So I look after her and she looks after me, right Matilda?” He gave his koala a hug and placed her back on the counter. The thing Kyle liked most about Americans was just how gullible they were. Provided you sounded genuine and made your story sound at least somewhat credible you could get them to believe in anything, including drop bears. As soon as the man got himself information from the internet he’d realise that Kyle was pulling his leg, but for now he had no reason to not believe that the cute little koala in front of him was actually a deadly human eater. The part about the bushfire had in fact been true. Kyle still remembered the fire crews and their sirens wailing past as the township was evacuated to safety. Even now he could feel the ash beneath his feet as he walked through the charred remains of what had once been thriving bushland. Matilda had only been a joey when he had found her. Dehydrated, in pain from the burns, and without her mother it had been a wonder that she survived at all. The nerve damage to her arms was not total, for she could still grip and climb, but not in high winds or storms of any kind. So she was in Kyle’s care, and she ruled his pub with an iron fist in an iron glove. Kyle gave her one last affectionate pat on the head before he turned his attention back to his customer. “Got any companion animals of your own then?” This was a nice social question that most people didn’t feel uncomfortable answering. On the contrary people loved talking about their pets! Animals were safe to talk about, uncomplicated but always interesting. People's eyes didn't immediately close over when discussing those sort of pets.

Word count: 562 Tags: Dat Murican' Notes: Kyle's playing that age old game of 'let's mess with the unsuspecting American!'

[Alfred F. Jones]

it's a

revolution

Word count: 577

Tags: Kyle

Notes:

It was clear that the bartender cared for the koala. Koalas...Alfred eyed the animal and it stared right back at him.

Alfred liked Australia. Alfred like animals. But man. Australia was weird.

Alfred popped a peanut into his mouth and chewed as the bartender grinned at something. The man seemed nice enough, Alfred thought as he took a sip of his drink.

"Too right they did," the man admitted. "But most of them are sensible enough not to argue with a drop bear, very dangerous beasties they are."

A...drop bear? Was that another word for a koala? A subcategory of them? Or like...something similar to them? Were they the same thing? Alfred looked back at Matilda a little more hesitantly this time. Dangerous? Like...how? Matilda looked small...

"We lose dozens of tourists to them every year. They don't like the accents you see."

"...You don't say." Alfred swallowed. How did they...? Alfred was almost afraid to ask. Were the tourists being driven away or...well, it didn't exactly sound like tourists were turned off by whatever gigantic spiders that they had in Australia so...well... Were koalas and drop bears even the same thing? Alfred was pretty sure koalas weren't too bad...they were like, kinda cute and cuddly, right? But drop bears...was that like, the vicious brand of koalas or something? They looked awfully similar.

...He had to be joking. It wouldn't be safe if Matilda was that dangerous, right? And they seemed to get along really well, so...well...

The bartender picked the creature up and parted some fur, bringing her a little closer.

...It would be rude to move away, wouldn't it.

Alfred stayed put as the bartender explained the visible burn marks on the koala's (?) skin. "She got those when a bushfire came through. It affects her movements somewhat, can't tear through a tourist's gullet like she used to."

...Well there was an answer to one question.

The man hugged the koala without any reservations before placing her back on the counter. He seemed so easygoing with her. Surely if there was someone could take care of the koala (or drop bear or...or whatever), it would be her owner. Alfred comforted himself with this fact and took another drink.

"Got any companion animals of your own then?" the bartender asked cheerfully.

Alfred blinked a little and relaxed as his thoughts wandered away from the difference between a koala and a drop bear and whether or not the bartender knew his pet well enough to make sure she didn't maul anybody. "Oh! Yeah, I guess I do." Alfred scratched his head a little. "Didn't really intend to own a dog, to be honest...I just found her and took her in. I was going to drop her off at the pet store but um, I didn't really get around to that part."

Maëlle was the best dog that Alfred could ever have asked for, and really, he hadn't even asked for a dog. He'd considered it...but then he got on Gupta's bad side and he doubted the man would let him take care of a plant. My was such a good dog. Properly trained, cute, excitable, affectionate...everything Alfred needed right now. She was perfect in just about every way. Even...well, even when he really needed her.

"She's the sweetest dog. I love her to bits. Really well trained for a stray. I got real lucky."

i suppose

by Worldie for Leia

[Deleted]

Kyle bit back a chuckle as the blonde’s face changed from interest to borderline panic to relief as he learnt that the extremely deadly creature in front of him was harmless after all. It almost made him wish he had continued the charade for a little longer, just to see if he could get the man to eat vegemite. No wait, actually he didn’t. His vegemite was a precious commodity and not to be wasted on people who weren’t able to appreciate just how tasty it was. He had been right in his gamble to ask the guy whether he owned any pets. His grin practically glowed as he started to talk about his dog and how he found her “I was going to drop her off at the pet store but um, I didn't really get around to that part." Kyle nodded in understanding. Many of the critters he’d “found” when he was younger had simply showed up and stayed (actually, that was how he’d met Wes as well come to think of it) and there’d really never been a right time to call the vet. If the animal was seriously injured that was another matter but that did not seem to be the case with this guy’s dog. "She's the sweetest dog. I love her to bits. Really well trained for a stray. I got real lucky." Clearly he was completely smitten. “Sounds like she chose her human well. Smart dog. Any idea where she might have come from?” Although he could not prove it Kyle was pretty certain that it was animals that chose their humans and not the other way around. Why else would he be toting a koala around? And it looked like the same happy accident had happened to this guy, well good for him. Everyone needed someone to look after and be looked by after in return, even if was just a dog, or a sheep… It took Kyle a couple of moments to realise that Matilda was signalling him. “Oh yeah, I forgot. Cheers.” Putting aside his thoughts for the moment he ducked under the counter and brought out a tray stacked with glasses. “It’s nearly guard o’clock” he explained to the blond as he filled each glass with ice and a clear substance that made his eyes water “They finish their shift in the underground then come here and drink to oblivion. It’s easier if I prepare their stuff in advance.” He also got rid of them more quickly that way but that wasn’t something he liked to mention. Serving the guards from the underground was a strain. Not because they were rowdy customers, not usually, but because of the things they said. Horrid things, untrue things, and things Kyle badly wanted to ask more about but didn’t dare to because it wasn’t his business to question them. Sometimes Kyle did think about standing up, arguing against what they said, but then he remembered what happened to whistle-blowers and ducked his head back down. He was of no use to anybody if he put his head in the metaphorical lion’s jaw and it bit down.

Word count: 524 Tags: Dat Murican' Notes: Okay, getting a bit more serious now

[Alfred F. Jones]

it's a

revolution

Word count: 423

Tags: Kyle

Notes:

This bartender, like almost all bartenders, was an exceptional conversationalist. Which was good, because really, as much as Alfred insisted that this was a business venture, he did crave conversation. Someone to talk to, really. A friend. Though...living the life he did, he could never really have a friend who he could tell everything to...

It was a depressing thought, now that Alfred thought of it. Really, that was kind of all he wanted. Someone to talk to, to be able to say everything to, to... Just...someone.

Well, Maëlle filled that position for him right now. And Alfred had really, truly been so much happier ever since she came around.

He'd be fine. Dogs were better than people most of the time anyways.

"Sounds like she chose her human well. Smart dog. Any idea where she might have come from?"

Alfred shrugged as he took a drink. "No clue. She had a collar with a name on it, but no address. Sounds French, so maybe some French family brought her here and left her when they moved away. Don't understand why anyone would ever, ever abandon their dog, but..." Alfred's brow furrowed a little at that. Maëlle was the sweetest dog. He really couldn't. "But yeah. No idea. Archadia's a pretty international city."

Alfred raised an eyebrow when the bartender brought out a large tray of glasses. "It's nearly guard o'clock," the man explained. "They finish their shift in the underground then come here and drink to oblivion. It’s easier if I prepare their stuff in advance."

"Huh." Alfred tilted his head in casual curiosity. This was what he had come for anyways. "Guessing they're regulars then?" He eyed the glasses, mentally adding up how many there were. "Christ, that's a lot. Do all of them come down this way?"

Fingers crossed that none of them knew him. His visits to the Underground had always been fairly brief and he tried to avoid interacting with the guards too much (mostly the midlevel officials, and Alfred doubted they came to the same bar as the ordinary guards). But assuming that no one recognized him...he could get a lot from this little trip. Listen in a little, talk to the bartender about anything he might have overheard. Should've started coming here earlier.

"Hey, I never seemed to catch your name. If you're a good enough bartender to figure out what I like, then I'd like to be able to call you by name." Alfred gave the man a lopsided grin. "I'm Alfred, by the way."

i suppose

by Worldie for Leia

[Deleted]

People abandon their pets for lots of different reason. Kyle knew that. Sometimes life dealt you an unlucky hand which made it impossible to look after a pet properly. Moving house, a new baby, divorce, allergies or illness. They were all common enough events that could cause radical change. Still just because you could no longer look after the pet it didn’t meant that you should just abandon it like it was a piece of second hand clothing. They should have at least taken her to the vet or an animal shelter where a new home could be arranged for her. Simply abandoning her like that was… cruel. “I can’t think why either. Maybe she ran away?” he said in a half-hearted attempt to explain the dog’s appearance without implicating the previous owners. By now he was laying slices of lemon on each of the glasses. The man’s eyes widened at the sheer number of drinks he was preparing "Christ, that's a lot. Do all of them come down this way?" This was a good question and it made Kyle think for a few moments. “I don’t really know. There is a core group of about fifteen and a dozen more that seem to come and go. I think they’re mostly singletons, ones without families to go home to, so there could be loads more that I haven’t seen. And the higher ups of course don’t come here, too scruffy.” Kyle knew from countless hours of experience that singletons complained about being single whilst the married ones complained about marriage. This group was very solidly complained about the former, when they weren’t complaining about their hours, they pay or their bosses. There was a female boss they particularly liked kvetch about, to the point where Kyle was forming a sincere admiration for the woman. She must’ve had an iron will to get this group of guards to actually do their jobs. "Hey, I never seemed to catch your name.” The man grinned at him. "I'm Alfred, by the way." “Alfred!” Kyle reached over the countertop to shake his hand. “I’m Kyle, after Kylie Minogue. Mum was a fan unfortunately.” It was nice to be on first name terms with someone, maybe they could be friends, or at least be friendly to one another. To distract Alfred from asking who this Kylie Minogue might be he asked him a question in turn “You’re right about Archadia being international. What’s a star spangled bloke like yourself doing here?”

Word count: 415 Tags:Alfred F. Jones Notes:

[Alfred F. Jones]

it's a

revolution

Word count: 566

Tags: Kylie Minogue

Notes:

"Maybe she ran away?" the bartender suggested halfheartedly.

Alfred thought of Maëlle and her bright eyes and wet nose, her eagerness to please and her love of belly rubs. He thought of the way she woke him up from his nightmares and ran alongside him when he needed a distraction. Such a sweet, loving, perfect dog. He couldn't imagine her running away at all. At the same time, well...what kind of owners would willingly leave such a perfect dog? They had to have been kind to raise her like this. How could they just abandon her?

Alfred shrugged and took another sip of his drink. "Maybe," he replied without conviction.

They shifted onto talking about the guards. Alfred couldn't afford to seem too interested in them. That would seem odd and suspicious. He'd just have to cross his fingers and hope that he'd never bumped into any of them on his few excursions down to the Underground. Not that they'd notice him or go out of the way to talk to him either; he'd kept his visits brief and they'd probably forgotten about him already.

The bartender gave him a decent amount of information. Nothing super in depth, but certainly interesting information. Fifteen men, with maybe a dozen more. Alfred imagined that the majority of guards in the Underground were single, though asking the bartender would seem out of place. This likely wasn't the only bar they would go to, so Alfred could consider checking out a few other places and seeing if they had a similar turnout. These guards were probably friends, and there were certain to be at least a few other groups of friends that were like them in other places.

He let the topic drop for the moment to avoid seeming too interested. Alfred could gather his information slowly—it wasn't like there was any rush at the moment since he wasn't preparing for a con.

Alfred shook Kyle's hand heartily as he introduced himself, admiring the fact that the man had a firm handshake. Wimpy handshakes really were some of the worst. Confident handshakes (though not for too long; those could get annoying too) were certainly the way to go. It was also interesting how much you could tell about a person just from shaking his or her hand. Kyle was a bartender, which made it unsurprising that his handshake was assertive.

Now back to what Kyle had said...Kylie Minogue? Was that some famous actress in Australia? Alfred was very much uneducated on popular Australian figures. He was about to ask when Kyle spoke first. "You’re right about Archadia being international. What’s a star spangled bloke like yourself doing here?"

Ah, one of his least favorite questions. At least Alfred had been asked this enough that he had a fairly standard answer. "I work freelance," he said cheerfully. "Coding and the like. I came overseas to help out a family member that relocated here and since business is booming in Archadia, I kinda just ended up staying. 'Course it's nothing like the U.S." Alfred sounded a little wistful. "But a little change now and then is good. Probably end up going back at some point." Hopefully. Though then again he could easily be arrested upon arrival. "How 'bout you? Why'd you open a business here? I can't imagine moving from Australia to Russia—winters get so cold here and I hate the cold."

i suppose

by Worldie for Leia

[Deleted]

The thought of an otherwise decent family abandoning their pet was sobering to say the least. Kyle tried to imagine packing up to move away and leaving Matilda behind. The image alone was enough to make reach over and pat Matilda’s head. Just to reassure himself that she was there and happy and warm. The koala blinked at him but tolerated the petting. He’d never be able to abandon Matilda, not without someone to care for her. Simply leaving her behind, was just, unthinkable. They had been through too much together. Moving on to talking about the guards was a relief. Being loud and rowdy in a bar was a much more forgivable act, and one that he was trained to handle. The man nodded at his description of the crowd as if it made sense and happily shook his hand after Kyle had introduced himself. This man, Alfred, had a pretty decent shake. Kyle grinned knowing that this was a fellow member of the school of firm handshakes. However, he sensed that as welcoming as Alfred’s handshake was he got the feeling that the American was holding something back. Now what could it be?... Whatever it was, it was certainly not his occupation. "I work freelance," said Alfred readily "Coding and the like. I came overseas to help out a family member that relocated here and since business is booming in Archadia, I kinda just ended up staying. 'Course it's nothing like the U.S."Alfred’s eyes glazed over a little, no doubt thinking about the skyscrapers and corn fields and groundhogs that made up his country. Must be a very different place to where they were now. "But a little change now and then is good. Probably end up going back at some point." Well good for him. Here’s hoping that Archadia was as easy to leave as it was to arrive. "How 'bout you? Why'd you open a business here? I can't imagine moving from Australia to Russia—winters get so cold here and I hate the cold."What a question. Kyle wasn’t sure he could answer it for himself let alone for another person. Especially since there were details he didn’t really want to reveal. “Funny story that. I didn’t start this business, I just inherited it from the guy who did after he passed on. The old sod seemed to like me for some reason and gave me work after I wound up broke halfway through travelling.” Kyle was infinitely grateful to the old geezer for that reason and had worked hard for him. “You’re right, the place gets bloody freezing in winter. But you know, I’d never seen snow before I came here. It still amazes me that it just, falls out of the sky. It’s ace. I’ll leave when I get tired of it I suppose.” He actually didn’t know when he’d leave, maybe when he found out if Wes was alright. ‘It’s too much to hope that we’ll ever spend a day shovelling snow and pelting snowballs at each other again. Not with things being the way they are’ reflected Kyle, as he finished preparing the drinks for Wesley’s captors. Right on cue the first of the underground guards announced their arrival by slamming the door open wing a bang that made the whole pub jump. In no hurry, knowing that their drink would be ready for them, they sloped over towards the bar where Kyle and Alfred were talking. Biting back his irritation, Kyle shot a quick apology glance and Alfred and went to the new group to serve them their first round.

Word count: 601 Tags:Alfred F. Jones Notes: Here come the guards...

[Alfred F. Jones]

it's a

revolution

Word count: 578

Tags: @aussie

Notes: Back to replying for me, and back to recon for Al.

Kyle recounted the story of how he'd ended up owning the bar easily. Why he had come to Archadia in the first place was a separate matter, one that intrigued Alfred, but not one he was about to push. That could be saved for another time, and since Kyle didn't offer up the information, Alfred let it pass.

People always seemed to be coming to Archadia. That shouldn't have been that surprising—it was a new, international city after all—but still. People always seemed to end up staying, just as Alfred supposedly had. Alfred mused over this thought briefly before pushing it to the back of his mind. Just an odd phenomenon, one that probably was echoed across all new cities across the globe.

The snow, yes. Alfred smiled a little at that. God, he loved snow, even despite the cold. Always had as a child. Alfred remembered countless snowball fights, building up forts and hurling snowballs at the enemy with as much power as possible. Matthew had, annoyingly at the time, been much better than Alfred in snowball fights. His brother loved the cold and the snow. He had even played hockey and Alfred swore up and down that he was actually Canadian and somehow been switched at birth. Though Alfred could certainly throw snowballs with incredible force, Matthew was more strategic, somehow figuring out the best places to aim. He was also just better at making snowballs, packing them tightly, as opposed to Alfred, who sometimes slacked.

That had been when things were good at least. When their mother was alive, and their father was happy and didn't care about mutants. They had been such a happy family once, so at peace, so...normal. Everything had seemed normal back then. It had easily been the best part of Alfred's life, though Alfred also reminded himself that back then he had been overwhelmingly jealous of his brother.

"Yeah, I feel you," Alfred said. "I love snow too...Russia just takes it to a whole new level. I can barely make myself leave the apartment some days." Alfred loved snow, certainly. He didn't love so much the negative whatever degrees Celsius that governed Russia and the icy streets that resulted from it.

There was a loud slamming of the door and Alfred started a little, looking at the entrance as a wave of guards stormed in. He didn't let him look too long, glancing over most of them to make sure he didn't recognize anyone and that no one recognized him. If they did, none of them took any notice, too preoccupied by roaring orders at Kyle and clamoring for the drinks he was bringing.

Kyle, though from Alfred's perspective quite obviously in disdain for the guards, handled them admirably. With a smile and a laugh, he served them easily, just as a bartender should.

Alfred sipped his drink as he shifted ever so slightly to see if he could listen in to the guards. There wasn't much to gather from their conversation...just afterwork chatter and complaining. Héderváry, Héderváry, Héderváry. Alfred had never had the “honor” of meeting the Head Guard, but he'd certainly heard much about her. Apparently she drove the guards hard, and was doing her best to keep them in order. A tall task, considering this rowdy bunch.

Kyle returned after serving the first round and Alfred gave him a sympathetic smile. "Guess it's your rush hour now, huh. How long do you have to keep this up?"

i suppose

by Worldie for Leia