thisavrou_log | blame it on the falling skies [closed]

blame it on the falling skies [closed]

Who: Zam and Miles
When: June 19th
Where: The Moira bar
What: Miles introduces Zam to maple mead and they discuss post-Moira plans.
Warnings: Probably just drunkenness

[Last day on the Collective. The place was a good distraction while it lasted, as any resort should be. Still, as the Moira leaves the planet behind, Zam knows it was a temporary balm. More than two weeks on the Collective, a truly excessive amount of credits spent and material goods gained, and Zam’s mind still finds the same old memories and fears, amplified after the events of the previous month.

So Zam looks for a more chemical means of relief. She’s at the bar in the mess hall late in the evening, already buzzed but still nursing yet another drink. Miles is behind the counter tonight, but Zam seems strangely reluctant to make conversation, something clearly out of character for the normally sociable changeling. She doesn’t seem disagreeable -- just distracted.

Eventually, the alcohol does loosen her tongue enough to comment the next time Miles swings around.]

You know, I think I might be developing a tolerance... That’s probably not good. [More drinks for the same buzz? Yeah, she’ll pass.]

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[ zam is usually chattier than this, but after a few failed attempts at conversation miles left her to her own devices, which increasingly seemed like they were comprised entirely of alcohol. which is one's right, he supposes, except that this isn't...quite right, for zam.

he's a little surprised when she actually utters words to him besides the name of her desired drink, and his eyebrows twitch up, his hand hovering at her empty glass. buzzed, sure, but he's served drunker. ]

So should I be cutting you off or giving you something stronger?

[ her call. it's not like she's falling off her bar stool or making a mess, and as vor, miles feels that drinking is a perfectly acceptable way to deal with a day's troubles. ]

[Zam snorts.] Let’s go with stronger this time around. Bigger kick for a smaller tab, right? [The joke being that she’s not paying anyway. Free drinks are one of the few things the Moira does right, in Zam’s opinion.]

Don’t hold back. I don’t have any plans for tomorrow.

[ miles is burning to know just what's eating at zam, but she's only so forthcoming right now. well, he can kill two birds with one glass, so to speak. ]

When you wake up tomorrow and ask yourself why, I just want you to remember that you asked for this.

[ miles disappears briefly below the bar to tap a keg, and when he returns it's with a glass of amber liquid. he slides it across the table to her. ]

Bel ever mention maple mead to you?

Mm. How can I resist a warning like that? [After the rough month she’s had, Zam fears no hangover. And the few hours of oblivion that such a drink could offer would be well worth it anyway. She watches Miles pour the drink with interest.]

Can’t say they have. [Zam takes the glass, taking only a moment to give the amber liquid a curious glance before raising it to her lips and drinking deeply. Caution was never really her thing, certainly not now.]

This is supposed to be the strong stuff? [Zam says with a slight chuckle.] What’s it brewed from, candy?

Edited 2016-07-05 11:13 (UTC)

[ alright, miles has to admit, that's pretty impressive. even bel choked on the first sip. maybe shapeshifters are special when it comes to booze, but human or no, miles highly doubts zam is invulnerable to maple mead. miles grins. ]

Maple syrup, actually. It's from my home district.

[ it's got a sweet flavor, sure, but it tends to finish with a strong burn. wait for it... ]

Maple syrup. [Said in the tone of someone for whom the term is unfamiliar.] That-- [Oh, there it is. Zam grimaces for a moment, feeling the burn all the way down to her chest, then shakes her head.]

Okay, maybe I spoke too soon, [she says with a sheepish laugh. Rather than be deterred, she raises the glass again and finishes off what’s left of the amber liquid, this time being sure to brace for that burn. She tenses, but doesn’t grimace this time.]

So, let’s say I want a few hours of not remembering the last month or so. [Eyes flicker slyly from the glass to Miles.] Recommended dosage?

[ miles purses his lips in consideration. ]

Oh, you'll know when you hit it. Your face will start to go all numb, it's hard to miss.

[ it isn't till she really starts drinking that miles lets himself ask any question besides "what'll you have". his brow furrows slightly. ]

So what happened that you're trying to forget an entire month?

In that case… [Zam passes her emptied glass back to him.] I’ll take another. [Her nerve endings are still woefully responsive, thank you very much.

She chuckles ruefully at his question.] How closely do you watch the network?

[ miles blithely pours her another, curious about the effects of maple mead on shapeshifters -- but he's not into the idea of giving a friend of his alcohol poisoning, so he's keeping an eye on her regardless. his brow wrinkles slightly. ]

I try to keep my finger on the pulse of the ship, but things've been a little...insane, lately. What'd I miss?

[Zam braces again and knocks back the drink. It really does taste quite nice before that burn hits. She waits for it to pass before answering Miles’s question.]

Well, now I’m not sure I should tell you, [she says, laughing softly into her glass. Of course, now that he knows, Miles could just go picking through the network himself. Better that he learn what happened from her.]

I shot someone. Almost blew up half the flight deck. All because I thought Jango followed me out of that karking Ingress. [She frowns at her now empty glass, contemplating whether a third dose might be needed.] Doc Yewll said there might’ve been something going around causing hallucinations. And… attacking people... [She shrugs, mostly because that second part is more difficult to explain, in more ways than one.] So yes, you’re right: things have been a little insane lately.

Oh. Shit.

[ miles is just gonna top her glass off there. ]

Don't suppose you had a bad drug reaction, did you? That's what always causes hallucinations for me. [ he gives her a lopsided attempt at a grin, self-deprecating as it is. ] So why would your old partner coming through the Ingress spark such a, er, colorful reunion? [ a pause. ] Who did you shoot, by the way?

Edited 2016-07-27 01:07 (UTC)

[Gesture appreciated. Zam smirks as she starts in on her third glass.]

Not unless someone slipped me something. For an entire week. I didn’t snap right away, but I’d been seeing things for a while. [Things that had looked absolutely real. They would’ve had to have to been some drugs to cause such vivid hallucinations for such a long period of time.

She shrugs at the question.] I saw him again, when I went through the Ingress on Amissis-Re. He tried to kill me there, so I figure he’d do the same if he made it back to the Moira. [She doesn’t mention Tex getting caught in the crossfire. There’s already enough bad in this story without mentioning that Zam had gotten one of their crewmates killed.]

Hart. The tailor. He survived, don’t worry. [She rests her head against her hand, already feeling a pleasant fog start to settle over the memories, along with a faint buzz against her skin. A buzz that's quickly moving towards numbness.] Mm. I think this stuff is starting to work.

You didn't tell me about that. I guess none of your trips home were especially pleasant. [ miles offers her a placating half-smile. ] And here I thought you might have a better time without me.

[ his drums his fingers on the bartop, raising an eyebrow. he politely suppresses a smirk. ]

Oh, Harry? He's a tough old sonofabitch. Very stiff upper lip kind of guy. How's your face feeling?

I’m glad you weren’t there. If he’d killed you, I might’ve actually done something stupid about it. Stupider. [Zam may have a tendency to prioritize her own well-being above others, but she also has a habit of acting before she thinks and she likes Miles. That’s enough that she might’ve reacted rather more explosively to his death than she had to Tex’s. And without the delay either.]

Mm. Like you put something in my drink. [She gives him a teasing smile.] If you have any more questions about anything that happened more than-- [She furrows her brow in thought.] a week ago? You should ask now. It’s already getting a liiitle bit fuzzy. [She seems pleased by the fact too.]

Well, some people might consider maple mead a form of poisoning, but I can promise you that's all I put in your glass.

[ he grins wryly, but there's a shadow of concern in his eyes. oh, zam, you look like a hot mess today. she clearly needs the drink, and...something else, probably. miles leans forward, tilting his head. ]

I'm not really concerned with your past, to be honest. It's your future I'm more interested in.

My future? [Zam leans forward, resting her chin heavily atop her hands.] That’s a good question. [She seems to think about it too. For a moment. Then, she wrinkles her nose in seeming distaste.] Probably wake up with one hell of a hangover tomorrow if what you say about this stuff is true.

[Thinking about waking up tomorrow counts as contemplating the future, right? It’s about as far as Zam wants to think about, anyway.]

[ bel would probably call him cruel for needing to suppress a grin at how vigorously worked over zam is getting by the maple mead, but then again, bel's got a wicked sense of humor themself. still, a wry little quirk of his lips escapes him. ]

I was thinking a few steps further ahead than that. Like what you plan to do once we finally get to a working Ingress. [ he drums his fingers on the bartop for a second, deciding that at this point, subtlety is probably just going to be lost on zam. maple mead does that to a person. ] Aren't you dead back home?

[Zam snorts at that.] Very, verrry dead. [Zam’s had some time to get over that fact several times over. It doesn’t bother them nearly as much as it used to… so long as they don’t think too hard about the consequences. Her brow furrows as she considers Miles’s question about finding a working Ingress.]

I… don’t know, [she admits after a few moments. She gives a small shake of her head.] But… it’s gonna be a while before that ever happens. I’ll have figured out something by then… [Better to leave questions about the future to future-Zam.]

[ well, "very dead" does seem to about cover it. ]

I don't know, a few months isn't a whole lot of time to plan a new life, if you ask me. Have you considered that? A new life, I mean. Somewhere besides your home world. Say...somewhere with more opportunity for your particular skill set? I can offer you some advice on planning your career path. After all, I'm only twenty-six and I've started two already. I'm practically an expert. [ he gives her the most obnoxious grin. ] And it's never too early to start job hunting. How do you do in interviews?

[ it's probably cruel to babble at her this fast when she's hammered on maple mead, but. miles vorkosigan. ]

[The more Miles talks, the more confused Zam looks. By the time he’s asking about interviews, her gaze is moving from side to side as if she’s looking for a way out of this conversation. Unfortunately, it sounds like he’s expecting an answer. Zam reluctantly looks back at him.]

Uh… I… [She shakes her head in a rather helpless gesture.] Are you… offering me a job again? [Zam’s pretty sure at least a few of those words that just came flying out of Miles’s mouth were job-related.]

Just so. [ miles grins cheerfully. ] Don't worry, I won't count this as your formal interview.

[ even though zam had flat-out turned him down a few months ago, miles hasn't let go of the idea of bringing zam back with bel and recruiting them into the fleet. it's at least part ego, miles playing the hero in whatever capacity he can squeeze in, and how many other mercenary commanders could claim they had a shapeshifter among their ranks? but he also likes zam and would like to see her find somewhere to go. whether she liked it or not, she'd been given a second chance at life on the moira, and miles doesn't want to see it go to waste. ]

Besides, it's not like you can go back to your old job. I know you said you don't do long-term contracts, but you ought to give mercenary work a try. You're better suited to it than you think. [ and then he adds helpfully: ] And you'd be working with Bel. I'd assign you to the Ariel.

[ miles has gone so far as to mentally assign zam a bunk on bel's ship, he's thought about it this much, because miles can never let anything go. he momentary shifts into admiral naismith's betan accent with a sharp grin. ]

And we've got great benefits.

...Thanks? [She sounds more confused than properly grateful. Sure, she should probably be relieved that this isn’t a formal anything when she can’t feel her face and it’s becoming increasingly unintuitive to stay upright in her chair, but hasn’t she turned this offer down before?

Mile’s reasoning at least gets an incredulous snort out of her.] Me? Come on, Miles. I’m probably the poorest excuse for a bounty hunter you’ve ever seen. [She says it with a smile, but if Miles is paying attention, he might notice something very strange about her appearance: her color is changing, subtly but unmistakably growing duller, as if he’s viewing her through a faded lense.]

I’m dead and… You remember Cadacus-Primary and-- [She laughs, but the sound is harsh, derisive.] --that karking saberdart? And now this business with Jango… [She trails off, eyes lingering on her empty glass.]

You’ve got no reason to want me on your fleet.

[ miles reaches over the bar and prods her arm with a raised eyebrow. ]

Look, Caducus Primary was a shithsow -- and of the two of us, you're the one who made it out alive, eh? [ he smiles grimly. ] And the saberdart...I'd be a hypocritical liar if I said I've never had any terrifically stupid fumbles, and on rather bigger scales than that.

[ because some of his fumbles had gotten people killed. ]

And if there was some virus going around making people crazy -- look, Zam, you couldn't have made a career out of bounty hunting if you weren't any good at it, but the thing is, you'd make a much better mercenary than bounty hunter any day. All you need is the right context. A team you can trust not to stab you in the back wouldn't hurt. And -- yeah, I'd be lying if I said I didn't think having a shapeshifter in my ranks would be a good asset.

[ and then he gives her an obnoxious grin, his voice slipping purposefully into his betan accent, going full admiral naismith. ]

Besides, Captain Thorne'll whip you into shape. Make no mistake, they're one hell of a commander on their own ship. Did I mention you'd be assigned to their ship?

[ he lets the grin subside a little, shrugging away the accent, and picks at a scratch in the bartop. ]

Look, it's your life, your choice. You've got a chance to make something else of it. And if you can't go home, well...the Dendarii's home enough for Bel. You never know, maybe it could be home enough for you too.

[Zam makes a valiant effort to fully process everything Miles is saying, hampered as she is by the alcohol flowing through her system. Even if some of the subtleties of his reasoning escape her, one thing is clear. They want her there. Not hypothetically and not as a favor. It’s clear Miles has put a lot of thought into making a place for her -- and into her value as an ally.

It’s enough that Zam momentarily has to put her face in her hands. It’s too much to think about at once, certainly too much in her current state. They want her there. She wants to be there, and that should be enough to decide it, shouldn’t it? But it’s not -- because one day she’ll kark it all up and then it won’t just be Jango she’ll have to worry about disposing of her.

Bel wouldn’t. Bel would, because anyone would. Zam included. Her fingers part and eyes with just slightly over-dilated pupils look back at Miles. Zam wonders if he’d even want her for the Dendarii if he knew the reason why Jango had killed her. The man never did anything without a reason, and Zam had given him a good one, even if she’s never been inclined to share. Is it really so hard to believe that it could happen again?]

I’ll think about it. [It’s mumbled into her hands, but it does sound genuinely pensive, if a little muddled.] Just -- no hard feelings if it doesn’t work out. [It might, if only for a while. Maybe the trick isn’t to stay away entirely; maybe it’s just knowing when to cut and run.]

[ oh, but he got her to consider it, yes. miles can read it on her face -- maple mead tends to open the book a little, as it were -- and that look, that's the look of someone considering. considering is good. considering means she's already there. miles beams at her. ]

None whatsoever.

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blame it on the falling skies [closed]

AUGH IM SORRY THIS IS SO LATE

no worries, it happens!

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