The Barcade
Posted on Sat Jan 13th, 2024 @ 11:40pm by Lieutenant JG Ryland Dedeker & Commander Arianna Frost & Lieutenant Commander Leonora Wolf MD & Lieutenant Teejay & Siany ZyMach
Mission:
S1E6: Where Skies End
Location: Siany's bar
Timeline: MD 1
Sebastian was reeling from the last two days, but he was finally getting somewhere, or so he hoped. He knew Night was suspicious of him. A man with the Admiral's access would have done his homework and the connection to Castermer would have been made obvious.
It had taken all of Sebastian's acting chops to get himself assigned to monitor incoming intel and to fish for bits that Taskmaster would find interesting. The man had not been right since that blasted operation. Angry, erratic, twitchy. Then he benched Frost at Memory Theta for no good reason. Why bench a good, loyal agent? What had she done to earn his annoyance? People who annoyed him ended up dead. So why?
Herrera managed to find his way to the bar the Captain had mentioned. It...was not what he expected.
Following her meeting with Meyhew, Siany had added several arcade consoles- each containing about a hundred games- along one wall, as well as three pool tables, an air hockey table, and a foosball table. It had cost her most of her credits, but she knew she would earn them all back quickly. Add to that the fact that she was capable of repairing most hardware and software issues she might have with them and she was sitting pretty.
She already had several patrons enjoying her new facilities when the doors opened again, admitting someone new. “Hi!” she said with a bright smile. “Welcome to my bar- which still doesn’t have a proper name, but I’m leaning towards just simply calling it ‘My Bar.’ What do you think?”
Sebastian looked around again for a moment, but he couldn't help but be drawn to the sheer beauty in front of him. His green eyes fired up, and a charming smile threatened to split his facce. "Que hermosa, pero todo palidece a tu lado." He drawled at her. "I forget myself, I am Sebastian Herrera." He did a theatric bow for her. "And what is your name, carita?"
"Who the fuck is this?" Ryland called out from his corner where he'd been nursing his fourth drink of the morning. Charming stranger, dashing rogue, flair for the dramatic. It all threatened Ryland enough to make him hate Sebastian immediately. "Never mind, doesn't what what your name is. Her name is ma'am. Don't you worry no different."
Ah, a perfect distraction.
Sebastian turned his charming smile down the drunkard's way. "Ah, Senor, de alco'ol 'as add-led your brain. Sebastian has already introduced himself. Yet now, Sebastian is at a disadvantage." He did a small bow for Ryland. He could recognize territorialism a mile a way.
This was going to be fun.
"Can I buy you another?" Sebastian offered briefly flashing Siany a bright smile and a cheeky wink.
There was no single thing about the smile Sebastian shot toward Siany that Ryland liked. "Think it's time you go back the way came, friend, before you found out how disadvantaged you really are around here."
It only served to make Sebastian grin wider, showing a full array of pearly white teeth. "Carita Ma'am, anoder for me amigo dere. Una cerveza for Sebastian, por favor." He cooed to Siany.
"She won't serve you anything if you're already drunk," Ryland said. "Trust me."
Herrera chuckled, "den more for me! I am not yet drunk." He did a little giddy heel jump.
"Yeah, you ain't foolin' anyone," Ryland said. "You're drunk off your ass, talkin' to yourself and skippin' around like a Tau Ceti faggot!"
Sebastian did a little twirl and did a flashy pose. "You mean like dis? Ah senor, is all too easy. But Sebastian does really talk like dis." He nodded confidently, "you'd be amazed how much it works for 'de game'." He flashed that same confident, charming smile Ryland's way and stepped over, plopping himself in the seat next to the drunk pilot.
"Yeah, I'm sure your tiny dick is real spicy and all but I don't play that game," Ryland grumped. "Fuck off."
Sebastian winked at Ryland, "ah Senor, tiny knows tiny. Senor is 'ot, but Sebastian only 'as eyes for de ladies."
"Sure, that's why you came and got real comfy with me," Ryland shot back. "Sorry. Not buyin' what you're dealin'. I eat at the Y."
“That’s enough out of you,” Siany told Dedeker as she delivered a bottle to Sebastian. “Everyone is welcome here unless I say otherwise. And I,” she added, turning to Sevastian, “am Siany ZyMach. Owner of this… bar slash arcade. Barcade! I can call it the Barcade!”
"Ah carita Siany, is a pleasure." Sebastian flashed her with a charming smile, his green eyes burning with intent. "La Barcada, Barcade. Is a good name!" He raised the bottle towards Ryland, "an' dis one. What is Senor's name? We need to properly salud de Barcade!"
"Salute!" Ryland said sarcastically, misinterpreting Seb's words.
“Sláinte,” agreed Siany with an amused grin. “Are you new here, Sebastian?” she asked.
Sebastian took a sip of his beer and then shook his head. "No, carita Siany. Well, si, but also no. Sebastian is 'ere to meet a former colleague, while 'is boss talks with de Capitan, and den we go back."
“Ah, that’s a shame,” replied Siany, looking truly regretful. “I could use some good looking guys around here for a change.”
"Hey!" Ryland protested. "Yours truly has been right here the whole time!"
"De carita said 'andsome." Sebastian glanced over at Ryland before flashing another grin Siany's way.
Siany giggled. “Relax, Dedeker,” she said. “I’m just messing with you.”
"Yeah, yeah," Ryland grumbled. "Why don't you 'mess' me another pour." He slid his mug over to her.
“You’ve had enough already,” she replied. “Why are you so out of sorts, anyway?”
That was private and Ryland didn't want to talk about it. Instead he wanted to bury it beneath a metric shit-ton of alcohol. "'Cause new guy here wants my nuts and I haven't had near enough to drink to let him go there."
“You were acting like this before he even came in,” she pointed out. “Don’t blame it on someone else.” She turned back to Sebastian. “Don’t mind him; he’s usually like this,” she told him.
"If I'm always like this then how am I out of sorts?" Ryland gave her a smarmy grin. "I'm not drunk. You are."
"Is all good, Senor Grunon. Sebastian won't be 'ere long..." Herrera glanced over at the entrance to the establishment, catching sight of Arianna Frost approaching them. He gave her a smile and a nod.
Ari, for her part had been trying to gather the emotional bandwith and her little grey cells to start working in order for another influx of information.
"Ryland, Ms ZyMach." Ari greeted the two with a polite smile, "Seb, it's good to see you again."
"Ah Carita Escarcha, always a pleasure." Sebastian reached out and took Ari's hand, giving the back of it a kiss.
Were it any other person, Ari would question their motives, but this was a reminder, she knew, that they needed to talk. Alone.
"Fuckin' A, he's with you?" Ryland started cackling. "That makes sense. So much sense."
Ari rolled her eyes. "I have a whole cadre, didn't I tell you?" She added with a chuckle at Ryland. "You should sober up, it's not a good look, mate."
Part of her felt a tad of a hypocrite, considering what she and Akiva had done the night before, but at least neither of them were nasty drunks. Ryland seemed like he would be.
"Ms ZyMach, could I please grab your strongest coffee? Thanks. We'll be over that table. Thanks!" She pointed over at the farthest table.
Sebastian gave Ryland a shit-eating grin as he and Ari excused themselves.
At the other end of the bar, Leah and Teejay made their appearance.
"When they said this place was different, they weren't kidding!" Leah said, with an amused shake of the head, her hand unashamedly in Teejay's.
Gifting Leah's hand a warm squeeze, Teejay beamed a smile as his gaze swept the space around them. Gaming arcades! Now that had been a little while, and it was about time he re-upped his skillset on the old-fashioned slot machines. His visual attention leaned heavily in that direction for a moment, then switched back to the inbound barkeep as she approached them and his mood dipped internally just a little as he caught glimpse of Dedeker's drunken arse.
Siany was already returning to the bar from delivering a coffee to Ari when two more people entered her bar. “Yes,” she agreed with a grin, having overheard the comment. “I didn’t have much choice. There’s absolutely nothing to do here.”
"I offered to let you bob on my knob when you first opened and you said no," Ryland cut in, "so don't act like you had no options."
"Well, how could anyone pass up that fine offer?" Teejay returned cheerfully. "Sophie kick you out again?" He asked, tone light as he easily caught the stench of copious alcohol consumption on the other man's breath and skin.
"Why the sourpuss, Ryland? Who was the fool that said no?" Leah asked with a chuckle as she and Teejay walked over.
“Me,” answered Siany, half amused and half annoyed. “I’m Telino, Dedeker. You’d be stuck with me. Anyway, I thought you had a girlfriend. Or… something.”
Ryland tried to suck the last droplets of alcohol from his long empty cup. "Or something." He slammed it down angrily. "At least give me some synthehol and tell me it's the real stuff. I'm thirsty."
Siany frowned, but obliged, pouring a double whiskey synthehol and sliding it across the bar to Dedeker. “Maybe you should talk to her,” she suggested.
"Less talk, more drink." Ryland pounded the bar top.
"So this one won't let you drink yourself into oblivion?" Teejay asked Ryland casually. "Or you just get off on women telling you 'no'?" It was as fair a kink as any, considering this wasn't the only means of Dedeker getting far too drunk.
Leah chuckled, looking over past Teejay's shoulder as Ari gave her a quick hand signal from where she was sat in the back with Sebastian. Her friend was asking for a distraction. Leah gave Ari a quick nod and then realized she had very little to play with.
Play with! Hmmm, that may just be the solution.
"Or how about we make this more interesting - we play on those machines of yours and do a challenge - drinking game, or whatever you used to call it?" Wolf offered.
"Whatever gets the head foaming," Ryland said. "Bring it on."
"Helheim, yes! Siany, whatever herby type of alcohol you've got for me. What will you take boys?" Leah looked over at Ryland and Teejay.
“He’s already had too much,” replied Siany, nodding towards Ryland. “I should be forcing water on him, but I get the feeling he’s just throw it at me.”
"I could give you something to reset you," Teejay offered calmly to the helmsman. "Y'know if you need to start over. But maybe getting drunk isn't the best solution to your problem..." He grinned. "Maybe gaming will distract you from you-know-who? How 'bout we make this interesting?" Teejay took an infuser from his jacket pocket. "Sober you up, start over on a clean alcohol slate and we play for drink and credit?" He let go of Leah's hand for a moment and gestured openly to the many options for competitive gaming. "Hell, Ryland, you can even choose the first game. What's it to be?" His smile was broad now, eyes gleaming, as Teejay grabbed Leah's hand again and planted an enthusiastic kiss on her cheek before eyeing up the details on the arcade machines. "C'mon, bud. I used to play some of these when I was a kid..." Until the power drain got too much. Confidence shone from every fibre of his being. "I don't reckon any of you stand a chance in hell of beating me..."
Ryland's sour expression turned amused. "You're on, leprechaun!" he belted out with a chuckle.
The hyprospray barely made a sound as Teejay hit Ryland up with a (literally) sobering mix, and then regarded his 'patient's' face for increasingly overt signs of drunkeness fading. The big childlike grin persisted as he noted the mood shift in the pilot and Teejay's eyes were brightly dark as he shifted his happy attention from Ryland to Leah and back again. "I love this shit," he said, slowly and effusively, clearly relishing every moment of this unexpected levity. "C'mon, buddy," he told Ryland, as if they were two kids on a playground facing a bunch of fun ways to kill an afternoon. "You choose the first game, and from there winner - which will be me, obviously - picks the next, and the next..."
"Two Truths and a Lie!" Ryland suggested.
“Ooo! I’m really good at this one,” replied Siany. “Who goes first?”
Leah chuckled, "I'll bow out, professional spinner, remember? But I'm happy to guess!"
As they walked away from the group, Ari did a quick hand signal to Leah as she and Sebastian stepped away to the farthest corner of the Barcade that they could find. Ari had turned on the scrambling device as they walked and the noise of the environment would help mask their conversation further.
"I know why I was kicked out, Seb." Ari began as they sat down and she took a sip of her coffee. "But why are you here, following the Head of IA around rather than being on the Project?" She asked outright.
Sebastian's demeanor changed from cheerful and boisterous to calm and concerned in an instant. "Senora, somet'ing is going on. Ever since you left, the Old Man 'as been off. I'm not sure if dis is because of de events on DS9, or if somet'ing else 'as 'appened."
Inside Ari there were two forms of thought rising to the surface. Was there really something off and other people have started to notice? Or did Taskmaster send Sebastian to check in on her, and entrap her to force her to show her hand? If it was the former, then Sebastian could be a potential ally, someone to help them in their upcoming battle against Taskmaster and his Master. If it was the latter, they needed to be extremely careful.
By the sounds of it, Night didn't have much of a clue either.
A desperate plea perhaps? Or a well camouflaged tree-shake? They needed to know and fast.
Play dumb, but get intel. That would be her play until she could suss out his true intent.
So, casually, she frowned a little, and put on the confusion mixed with curiosity. "What do you mean, Seb? We both know he was never the run-of-the-mill Taskmaster, or person for that matter. For him to be 'off' is very vague." She said, taking another sip.
"'E 'asn't called me, or S'Tan for the latest Ops, despite us being wit' de team since One." Sebastian said leaning on the tall table with his elbows.
One was in reference to Castermer One, the first operation undertaken by the Project, in 2385.
Now this was interesting.
"This sometimes happens, Seb. Has he recruited more to fill in for Donnager losses and me?" Ari prodded carefully.
Sebastian gave half a shrug, "dat's just it. 'E 'as been vague about that too. I assume 'e 'as, otherwise 'e would be running de new Ops' alone. But 'e is not keeping either one of us in de loop. I was assigned t' sit wit IA and monitor for potential recruits."
"And S'Tan?"
Sebastian shook his head. "After I left, I 'aven't 'eard from hhim."
"That's only a few days ago, he not enough time to worry either way." Ari considered as she watched the spaniard. "So, what exactly do you need from me Seb? I'm persona non grata at the moment. I'm to sit here and report any Nagus activity to him." She decided to ask.
It was a fairly innocuous question given that it was a) true and b) pointed enough to maybe given some answers. But would those answers be real or tailored to extract unwitting information from her?
"I don't 'onestly know, Senora. I am worried. Wit' de old team dead and/or separated, is 'ard to tell whether 'e just doesn't need us anymore or whether we are being picked off. What wit' Zora dead an' all." Sebastian gave her a helpless half-shrug. "You and I both know 'e won't 'esitate to do it if we cross de line."
Ari sat across him, cup in mid air, returning from a sip. "What?"
Leah couldn't help but grin at how easily this distraction came about. Teejay really was a natural, especially when he relaxed. It was damn hot.
She pulled up a chair to the side, "you two go first, me and Siany will go next, deal?" Leah said and waved over to Siany, "bring the drinks, Siany. Come on! This will be fun!"
"See me backin' down?" Ryland gave the table a playful pound of his fist. "Bring it on!"
"Deal," Teejay confirmed with a broad smile. "Can I get a drink with way too much fruit in it and like layers of bright colours?" He asked Siany. "I don't mind what you put in it booze-wise, just make me feel like I'm on a tropical vacation and you're really spoiling me." He'd wanted that back on Risa and it hadn't panned out that way at all, quite the opposite in fact. He may never eat another mushroom ever again....
"Dude," the half-human nudged Ryland. "You picked the game, you've not started it yet. C'mon!" Teejay drummed a crescendo with his fingers on the table before them. "Time's wasting!"
"I'll go first," Ryland said. "I got kidnapped by Orions. I fucked Orion triplets. I got an honorary membership in the Orion Syndicate. Two truths and a lie."
Leah chuckled as she watched the display, as she waited for Siany to bring the drinks.
But Siany was distracted. “You weren’t kidnapped by Orions,” she guessed. “I can believe you have an honorary membership because I feel like Orions would like your sort of… smarminess. As for the triplets, well, Orions aren’t picky. So.” She shrugged, finally remembered she was supposed to be getting drinks, and turned to do so.
Teejay did a overly exaggerated comedic eye roll at Siany as she leapt in to respond in his place. The frown and headshake followed swiftly after the bar owner proceeded to give Ryland a full response, and then, with a smirk on his face, he put a hand on her shoulder. "Y'know," Teejay said, "You've had plenty of time for entertainment with our mutual friend and now you're taking my turn." The flash of white teeth in a childlike smile said he wasn't unkindly serious, but maybe a little frustrated.
"Your girlfriend was kidnapped by Orions," Teejay told Ryland. "You wish you fucked triplets, though you could have paid for it... And honourary membership, sure, I can also buy that. Kinda anti-climatic now I'm running second fiddle though," he added, that grin back in full force. "So, I'm going with the triplets being the lie."
"Gotcha!" Ryland boasted. "I paid my way into the Syndicate to keep from gettin' killed on a patrol that went south. The triplets were just a happy bonus."
"My turn then," continued Teejay, cheerfully and he launched straight into his statements. "I once wore a Lethean to a party as meat-puppet. I've had dinner with Andorians at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. I've been on a romantic weekend with a 350 year old Denobulan and her great-grandaughter." He sat back in his chair, comfortably amused and locked eyes with Ryland.
"You're a goddamn sicko!" Ryland said far too loudly as he quickly sled back toward inebriation. "You didn't fuckin' eat at no Restaurant at the End of the Universe cuz everybody knows that's the oldest tall tale from the Dark Ages, you nasty fuckin' granny fucker!"
“Gee, tell us how you really feel, Dedeker,” quipped Siany as she set out the drinks in front of them. “Under normal circumstances, I’d agree with you, but in this game, the more outrageous ones are usually true. So I’m going with the Denobulans.”
Teejay's laughter was genuine and warm as Ryland's accusation was yelled across the near empty bar. He didn't feel any need to clarify out loud that 'romantic' didn't necessarily need to involve body fluids being exchanged, being more than content to own any implied reputation here and now. "It says something that you find horror and outrage in taking time out to make elderly folks warm and welcome, but that literally wearing a dead Lethean as clothing is fine..." He said, humour wrapped about his words. "Romantic weekend happened. Restaurant happened - it was just a name though, rather than centrally placed astronomically - I have a few images and a t-shirt if you need proof. The lie was the meat puppet." He sat back and grinned, arms crossed. "So, we calling it a draw?"
"Fuck no!" Ryland slammed back his drink. "New round!"
“Okay, okay,” said Siany. “My turn. My sister is the queen. I own a tiara. My first job was cleaning the bathrooms at a retirement home.”
"What do you mean Zora is dead? How? When? Why don't I know about this?" Questions spilled out of Ari's mouth.
Sebastian stared at her, "you don't know."
"No! Seb, get to it. How'd she die? When? And why don't I know?" Frost fought rising concern in her heart.
"She was killed, Senora. By Joriel, onboard de USS Odyssey." Sebastian sipped his drink slowly, his expression sombre.
Joriel, Kazyah Linn, a fellow "Castermer" member who had gone out to the cold quite a while ago, before Ari first set foot on this station. She'd been sent to vet him in absentia. Him and Karna Zsan, another one who went back to the cold...or rather, who got cold. Got cold, died in spy slang.
Why would Joriel kill Zora though? Zora was trained by Ari and sent aboard the USS Odyssey, under cover in order to provide assistance and a means of communication with Castermer. She was meant to assist him.
For him to kill her...one of them had to have been turned. But which one? She needed to see the report. Speaking of which, why wasn't she told?
"Do we know why?" Ari took another sip as she managed to get herself under control.
"Is unclear from the report we received from de Odyssey. At least to our eyes." Sebastian offered.
"Why not let me know though?" Ari wondered, staring at an invisible spot in front of her.
Sebastian shrugged as he finished his drink, "I don't know Senora. It was odd, because we got it while you were still with us, just before Donnager. "'E told us during de morning brief an' blacklisted Joriel. I thought you'd gotten the brief before, that's why you weren't with us."
What the everloving fuck is that psycho up to? Ari wondered as she shook her head from side to side slightly. "No, Seb. I was in 'Plans' finishing off the final details for Donnager with Aeneas."
A brief flash of blood and the scene of falling to the ground, watching heavy boots run away through the crowd before eyes closed forever. Aeneas suffered while he died at the hands of a team-member, a traitor.
She shook the image out of her mind. "This is the first I've heard of it."
"Night to Herrera." The inevitable call came.
Sebastian sighed, "'Errera."
"I'm finished, meet me in the shuttle bay. Our return flight is in fifteen. Night out." Said the Admiral and cut communications.
Sebastian sighed and got up. "Good luck, senora."
Ari stood up too, cup of coffee in hand, "you too, Seb."
"I'll try to keep you in de loop as much as I can risk without trippin' de wire," he said as he leaned in and pressed his cheek against hers, "careful whom you trust."
"You too, Seb," Ari echoed his motion, before she pulled away with a heavy, heavy heart. Things never rained for them; apparently, they poured.
The man that pulled back was the man of charm and carefree zeal for life. Green eyes were bright and burning with passion, a smile graced his face. He gave her a flamboyant bow and headed off to meet with Admiral Alexander Night. Ari looked after him for a moment before she headed over to the lively group of players.
Ari chuckled as she circled around Ryland and Teejay who were both engrossed in their competition and walked over to Leah.
Leah caught the fake smile on her friend's face. "You look like you need dinner and drinks later."
"Food definitely, but later. I've got to go back to Doctor T'Bela, my eye surgery is due. But yeah, I've got a doozy for you." Ari said to Leah as she kept up the cheerful pretense. "Six-ish?"
Leah nodded, "sure. Mine or yours?"
"Mine. It's my turn, remember?"
Leah grinned and gently nudged Ari with her elbow. "Yep."
"Now, what the hell are those two doing?" She pointed over to Ryland and Teejay, even though she knew the answer.
They were doing exactly what she'd asked for.
"BOOM!" Ryland pounded the tabletop with both fists before raising them over his head in victory. "MOTHERFUCKING BOOM!"
Leah laughed, "if he wasn't disgusting, he may actually be kind of adorable."
Ari was in the middle of a sip and the laugh came out a mix of a snort, spurt and a cough. "Fuck, mate. I don't even want to hear your reasoning," the Australian said with a grin. "Not when you're bunking with that one. No contest." Frost nodded over at Teejay.
Leah grinned and nodded enthusiastically.
For his part, the human-vulcan hybrid quirked his head to the side and gave first Leah then Ari a studious eye roll of a loaded glare. That shifted into 'mock wounded face' as their words continued. Finally, all this happening in the space of a few seconds, Teejay raised a comical eyebrow matched with an indignant, pensive expression and pointed an 'accusatory' finger to Leah. "He is disgustingly adorable," Teejay said, soberly ruffling Ryland's hair with his free hand. The pointing digit transferred to Ari as he continued. "I will be needing to hear your reasoning though," he said. "About this apparent lack of contest."
Pure innocence adorned his features then as Teejay picked up his drink from the table and indelicately dunked a large piece of pineapple deeper into the concoction. He then turned his full attention to Ryland.
"Not so fast, buddy," Teejay returned, his own voice calm but a couple notches of volume too loud. "That's only Round One. We gotta go through at least a few more before victory is certain." He stood up, pointed at the arcade area of the bar and thumped a confident hand on Ryland's shoulder. "Air hockey or Asteroids?"
Teejay's response left both Leah and Ari shocked.
Leah's mouth dropped open, eyebrows high up on her forehead, "babe, I was joking!" She spread her arms in mock surrender. "I'll make it up to you, I promise!" She sent him an air kiss to punctuate her half serious words as she fought a grin.
Ari ended up coughing and sputtering her drink, before she collected herself. "Sorry, I meant that Ryland is no contest to you! Not the other way around! I was giving her," she elbowed Leah in the ribs, "a hard time for saying he was almost adorable!"
Leah gasped audiably, "traitor!" She elbowed Ari back and broke into laughs. "Sorry, Tee!"
Ari chuckled, grateful for the light hearted moment before another storm. Surgery, then debrief with Leah and Akiva later.
"Puppies are adorable," Ryland said. "I am dashingly handsome. Get it fuckin' right or don't fuckin' bother."
The return air kiss aimed back at Leah was effusive and followed up by an indulgent open mouthed smile. "I'll hold you to that," Teejay said, lightly as he tried to wrap his head around Frost's response. He hadn't expected that, which was probably unfair, but still... strange times and all. He didn't want to be unkind or wary of Leah's friend, but there was ground between them that would likely never be entirely free of stones. For now, though, Teejay didn't feel like throwing any in Ari's direction, and - he told himself - right now she didn't deserve them. "Apologies accepted," he said, brightly, and then he regarded Ryland, the man sat close enough to strike out physically towards, though that would equally be unnecessary.
"Dude," Teejay said, calmly and with mock tolerance in his tone. "Ease up on the fucks and make-believe or I'll sober you up again."
"Do it and I'll just drink more," Ryland said. "It all gets pissed out anyway." He paused as a familiar sensation hit him which sent him to his feet. "Speaking of, I got to see a man about a horse."
Ari gave Teejay a smile and a nod of acknowledgement. She was happy for Leah, and she honest to goodness didn't dislike Teejay. In fact, she actually liked him, despite all that had happened between them. Frost pushed those thoughts out of her head. It was time to go do the uncomfortable stuff. So Ari finished her drink and leaned over to Leah.
"I need to get going. Thanks for the assist by the way," she said.
Leah nodded, "any time. See you around six-ish?"
"Yeah. I'll catch ya..." Ari nodded and headed over to the bar to leave her mug before departing The Barcade.
Leah watched after her for a moment before turning back to the chaos she created.
"So you two have a hot date?" Teejay asked, having stood up to join Leah as Frost exited stage left. He slipped both arms about Leah and pulled her into a warm hug, barring any protests against such. "Don't leave me with Ryland all night," he whispered, words clearly wrapped with an impish grin.
Leah chuckled as she snuggled into the hug further. "Just a bit of shop talk I can fill you in on after. Your date date is with me tonight. I shouldn't be more than an couple of hours. So let's say 8, 8:30?" She wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled in further.
An indulgent kiss preceded Teejay's verbal response, and he took his own sweet time with said answer. "I agree to your terms," he said, mischievious tone backed up with a glint in those dark eyes. "8:30. No shop talk. Definitely more than a couple hours. Deal?"
Leah smirked, "shop talk in the morning then, and deal."
"Cool," he said, holding the hug. "So, we playing games and keeping Ryland company til 6 or we stealing a little time for us?"
Leah chuckled, "nah, we can go. We did what was needed."
