nysalogs | ( mostly closed )

[ john's put in an effort; thomas can tell. it's more difficult with him to see that he has, likely, since he's meticulous about how he dresses, about the side parting of his hair on any day - but john smiles back at him, unguarded, and thomas' own smile grows in fractions. ]

I could certainly eat.

[ that's a yes. and so he gets the door, holding it open for john. if his eyes linger as john passes him, he doesn't think it strange at all. john is a handsome man, and thomas remembers what it feels like to kiss him all too well and not well enough at all. ]

[ John passes through, casting Thomas a quick glance before his view - and the softer, uneven hitch of a pleased quirk to his smile - is obscured by the door.

being seen, properly looked at, by another man is relatively new territory for John— at least, being actively aware and inviting of it is. he finds it accompanied not just by the familiar, affirming strength of being noticed, but by a clutch in his chest: new. maybe that'll wear off over time, maybe catching the eye of a man and finding himself happy to be there won't always have this particular distinction from the way he's always felt under similar attention from a woman. maybe it won't. for now, he clocks it, and carries on.

the bar has its own separate section for sitting down for evening meals, but John's refined his taste for habit here even more than it had been at home (there habits enhanced the enjoyment of breaking them: here they function to stop the irregularity of everything else from taking too great a toll) and he makes a beeline for their previous table. it's still in the bar area but over in the corner, not too close, more than enough distance for privacy without losing any sense of the character of the place. a good spot for what is, if they're both sitting in the margins of the same page here (he thinks they might be - or will be, at least, by the time they part ways at the end of it), technically a first date. first and a half, possibly.

he stands aside as they reach the table, slipping out of his jacket and hooking it over his arm to wait and let Thomas choose where he'd rather sit. ]

Alright day?

[ it's small talk, but there's time for that now. it doesn't feel uncomfortable to pick at easy topics, a gentle companionable tapping at ice they've already broken. ]

Hm.

[ it's a brief hum, acknowledgement of the question, a little thoughtful on account of being distracted by taking off his own jacket, hanging it over the back of one chair and settling into said chair a moment later. it's only once thomas and john both are seated that thomas actually answers: ]

It was, yes. I recently started working for the Royal Guard and I'm settling into the job.

[ it doesn't feel uncomfortable to thomas, either - in fact, quite the opposite. it feels like john is interested in how his life is going and that feeling transforms the question from mere small talk into something else for him. ] And yours?

Oh yeah?

[ that's seems to get a pointed attention from John - he might've signed up to the Guard himself if he weren't a little wary about the idea of tying his sense of duty to an authority that hadn't yet proved itself to him. but Peggy's in the Guard, and it's good to know the ranks are filling out with fellow refugees. especially when those refugees are friends.

he almost asks if Thomas has bumped into her at work, Peggy, but remembers himself and catches back up with the conversation— ]

—Yeah. Yeah, fine, thanks. Spent half of it catching up on sleep, actually. It's been a busy week.

Yes.

[ thomas' sense of duty is not tied to his employment in any particular way. his sense of duty was to the folly and is to keeping the peace. not her majesty's peace, here, or at least not the same majesty - but peace nonetheless. he does not much care for the politics of it one way or another, though he knows far too well how much politics can matter in the end.

(politics can make the difference between bombing a place from altitude or sending boots on the ground - there are days when thomas has wished he was more inclined to politicking.)

but those thoughts are brushed aside when john continues. ] So busy you've not been sleeping?

[ John shakes his head, offers a little apologetic smile to go with his clarification. slight overstatement on his part. ]

I work nights. Usually try to be up in the mornings, but by the time I get to a day off I've usually got a bit of a hangover. [ sleep deficit. so he catches up on a few hours extra when he gets the chance. and, to be fair, ] It has been busier than usual this week - leftover excitement from all the festivities, I suppose.

Ah.

[ that clarifies it. thomas knows a thing or two about sleepless nights for various reasons - the dreams after the war, for one, but police work generally does not wait until 9am. when there is a murder, there is a murder, no matter what the time. these days, peter is the one to pick up the phone in the middle of the night, but thomas had been a department of one for a long time. ]

In that case, I'm glad you've had the time to catch up.

[ a hitch of his mouth is the unspoken thank you to accompany the, ] Yeah, me too.

[ if they were to know each others' minds now, they'd find certain similarities. they're very different creatures but war keeps its claws hooked in everyone it's met and consulting detection can't always have its needs met within business hours, either. (when there is a murder, there is a murder, no matter what the time.)

later though. they'll get there - maybe certain parts of there faster than the rest. for now: ]

The Guard treating you well so far? I've got a— [ a micropause here, as John realises that saying "a couple of" now might be disingenuous: people come and go so quickly ] friend in. She's been enjoying it, from what I can tell.

[ perhaps they will discover these similarities in time - how the war has sunk its claws into the both of them, how it has affected them. it has been a long time since the war for thomas, but he still feels its effects. some days more than others. ]

It's a task. Though I am not quite sure yet what to make of the district I've been assigned.

[ he says it not without humour, lips twisting a little. if there is fault to be found with the choice of assignment, surely it lies with thomas rather than the district. ]

[ well that's intriguing. John's expression curls into one of amused curiosity. you can't lead in with a sentence like that and stop, Thomas, come on now. ]

Why, where've they put you?

[ there's a moment's hesitation, not borne from embarrassment so much as considerations of propriety. of course, thomas knows better than to think propriety and especially the social norms of his youth truly matter. they don't here, and they were not norms he'd considered entirely justified at the time. ]

The red light district.

[ ah. there's a short gust of breath from John, tinged with a note of laughter - surprised. it's not all at Thomas' expense, though it would be a lie to say that imagining him staunchly patrolling the streets of the RLD isn't a slightly incongruent mental image. ]

Oh, wow. Yeah, that'll take some getting used to.

[ doesn't John know it. he's more or less immune to the various hijinks of the district now, but by God, he wouldn't mind being a fly on the wall for a few of Thomas' first encounters with some of the thing he'll bump into on patrol. ]

[ the amusement is not at thomas' expense, but thomas' expression still twists — half amused himself, a little constipated at the prospect. there are districts he thinks he'd be more suited to than this one, but the choice had not been his and he isn't so opposed that he would try to get another assignment. ]

It suppose it will be interesting.

If it ever gets too much, you can always drop in to Shades Darker. I've got an office and a free tab at the bar.

[ all of which contextually might not align quite as neatly as he'd hoped, but John doesn't seem to notice. it's a genuine offer: if Thomas needs to tap out and recoup, there's somewhere he can go without technically going off his patrol. ]

[ thomas takes the offer for what it is, genuine, but his eyebrows still rise fractionally. ]

I am not sure making use of the free tab during work hours would be the most appropriate. [ he says, after a moment. it is none of his business, is it, to inquiry why john has a free tab at a brothel. ]

[ John's brow raises, a slight playful challenge. ]

If you're going to wander into a brothel during work hours, I think you can say goodbye to propriety when you cross the threshold.

[ then the playful expression falls back into a more genuine smile. it's all fine. he's not actually of a sort to lure a police officer into poor conduct on the job. ]

Coffee. I used to drink half a gallon a night getting used to night shifts again. Helps if your doctor's awake when he's fixing up his patients so they don't charge.

Edited (formattiiiiing) 2018-01-27 11:24 (UTC)

[ for a moment, thomas does not respond to the teasing, his expression somewhere between constipated and stiffly proper — and then he grins and all tension falls away. ]

Quite right.

[ and he won't admit to it, but there is a sense of relief at having an answer to the question he hadn't asked, a reason why john is so familiar at shades darker. of course. ]

What made you choose the brothel as a base of operations?

[ Thomas' sudden grin startles a laughing breath out of him— he's very rarely seen the man so easy, and it's a nice surprise to find him like it now. so with held tension gone, John's own smile a helpless echo of Thomas', he carries on. ]

—Timing, really. The Sanctuary or the Guard were the most obvious fits. I don't agree with half the Sanctuary's methods and I'd only been here a couple of weeks, didn't want to sign up to law enforcement before I knew what it stood for. I— Well, I saw a gap in the market and I pitched myself to Koralle.

Independence, then.

[ it's something thomas can understand. he doesn't hold the same reservations regarding law enforcement that john has — ultimately, it is no better or worse than the people in it, he thinks, and he knows peggy at least is someone he trusts. if it doesn't suit him, he will leave, but for now, he thinks that it is close enough to what he used to do at home to suit him.

and to keep a roof over his head. ] And do you enjoy it?

Depends on the day.

[ sometimes, yeah. and he definitely enjoy the freedom of it: he chooses his own weekly schedule, he gets his days to himself. there's a lot of downtime even during work hours, and his own office, both of which are good when he's trying to research other things. ]

It's dull when it's quieter, and when I do have something to do it's usually minor injuries. Suits my skillset but it's not the biggest challenge. But the pay's good, the people are good and the place operates with a good deal more sincerity than most businesses I've come across. I'd say I made a good choice.

[ a little mischief falls into his expression. ] The district's an adventure, though. I hope you've braced yourself.

[ thomas' grin has faded again, back into something much closer to his usual expression, though there's still warmth in his gaze while he listens to john. ]

As much as I can, I suppose.

[ a beat. ] Any suggestions?

[ a laugh - one short burst, but it says about everything there is to say on the matter. still, he'll try to elaborate. ]

Develop 360 degree vision and don't be surprised what appears in it.

[ Unhelpful, but what can he say. John's seen most things by now and he's still occasionally caught off guard. at this point, when another of the district's delights seeks to surprise him, he tends to laugh rather than succumb to the red-faced fluster of more infrequent tourists to the area.

actually, he does have a couple of practical tips now he's at it. ]

Try not to linger too long by the vendors - they start to do demonstrations on fruit for things whose usage isn't immediately clear and getting away once they've started is near on impossible. And don't catch anyone's eye for longer than three seconds if you want to avoid an awkward conversation. Though you might be alright since you're Guard.

I see.

[ he does, in fact. the practical tips are just that: practical. he thinks he'll heed them, though developing 360 degree vision is not within the realm of the possible even for him. but the other tips, most certainly.

he hopes that the fact that he may be prim and proper but is not quickly shocked and does not put nearly as much stock into the norms of propriety than he may appear to will serve him well, but it remains to be seen. ]

I suppose at least I'll have a refuge to flee to, should it become overwhelming.

You will, yeah.

[ that much is a promise. it'll be as much of a relief to John as it might be to Thomas to host him in his office for a bit - God knows some of his shifts drag without company.

at which point a waiter arrives to tell them the evening's food options and take their drink order— John orders a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses, glances to Thomas for confirmation that he's alright with wine with their meal. ]

[ thomas inclines his head. ] Thank you.

[ for a moment, he thinks to reach across the table, to touch his hand to john's for a moment — or for longer, perhaps. but for a moment at least.

he doesn't, because the waiter arrives. thomas nods at john's glance instead, smiling slightly as john orders. it's pleasant, this. not only the conversation, but having a companion. having someone to spend the evening with, at the very least. the pleasantness neither adds to nor detracts from the anticipation and emotion that sits tangled in his chest, but it makes it easy to ignore it, to continue on. ]

What are you thinking of having? [ he asks once the waiter's left again. ]

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