[Rosalind and Februari]

The Social slowly filled up, everyone lived for this day. They all called it the third Friday, but there was no time or days anymore, not like there used to be. Day would rise and night would quickly fall, they never could really tell when or where they were. But it just seemed to sound good to those who remembered the old world, some sense of normality in this wretched world. Mina drank from the bottle, it was an odd taste. She could not see a date on it and tried not to think of how old it was. She placed the bottle down and Cristi walked past. Their eyes locked, but only for the briefest of moments. She looked back down, since their parting last time he had avoided her completely. After what he had done to the Enforcer, things had soured somewhat. It wasn’t that she had stopped caring for him, but his insistence for defying rules was a heavy strain. As she had tended to his hands he swore revenge, to the point Mina snapped and threatened him in return. His hands would need constant work, but if anything was to happen to Cristi, she would not only withhold treatment but also have him trialled at HQ for his sexual harassment of the ladies, which would end in exile. This was of course kept quiet, he wouldn’t have it known that a woman was calling the shots! 

Cristi considered Daniel's suggestion for a moment, hoping that by chance the drink was stronger than he estimated that it might shore up his resolve. It wasn't. "I appreciate the effort, but nobody else needs to get dragged down on this." He glanced over his shoulder at Mina, meeting her eyes briefly before turning away. "And definitely not her. It'll be fine. Jørgen probably won't kill me." He wasn't sure if he was saying that more for Daniel's benefit or his own. "Besides, that's not really what I'm here for ..." Flipping down another token, so his free hand wouldn't get jealous of the drink in the other one, he gave Daniel a wink and backed away from the bar. He hadn't noticed a couple of the other arrivals - Mike, Sean, Eve, and others looked like they were still making their way through the rain. It wasn't until he stood beside an empty chair across from Mina that he finally looked at her, knowing her effect on him would take hold as soon as he did. But this wasn't about that. Not tonight. Setting the drinks down, he fell into the seat and kicked it back on its hind legs. "Awesome free time. I feel so free right now I could ... yeah."

A voice broke Mina's thoughts and she looked up and saw Cristi plonk himself into the seat across from her. It was hard to ignore the old emotions and affections that rose inside of her. “So free you could continue to piss off HQ?” Mina asked raising an eyebrow, before she smiled at him to show she was only being playful. “I take it you spoke with my dad?” She asked. Knowing her Father would want her looked after, he no doubt sought out Cristi personally.

Polishing off the last of the mediocre lager, he slapped the empty bottle down on the table and returned her smile, his familiar spark returning. "Exactly! A still! This place needs a little high-octane hooch!" It wasn't the first time he'd mentioned the idea, as he'd done a small batch some months earlier and had been encouraged to attempt it on a larger scale. There were few things, however, that would thoroughly piss off the powers that be like such an endeavour. But aside from the risks of explosion, producing a toxic batch, or just plain giving the huddled masses enough liquid courage to whip themselves into a revolt, what was the harm? "Anyway, I did. He mentioned something about keeping you out of trouble." Cristi tapped a finger against his temple, "He might be a little ... y'know ... [i]me[/i] keep [i]you[/i] out of trouble?"

Her finger traced the neck of the bottle as he spoke, running over a rough emblem of some sort. She shook her head as he spoke of the alcohol, knowing Cristi was always full of mad ideas. Mina took another swallow of the beer and placed the bottle back down and she chuckled quietly, the corners of her mouth slipping into a smirk as he spoke of her father. Maybe the old boy had been watching from afar or maybe he just knew. But he knew there was something there, something Mina was too stubborn to just admit too. He had said before "He'll take care of you... I know he will" without elaborating, now she knew who he was talking about. "Maybe you're right" She said to him, leaning forwards a little bit. "I doubt you'd be able to look after a paper bag!" Mina teased, placing her hands on the table and her fingers playing with a ring on her right hand. "You'd start a fight in a shower cubicle" She concluded, looking up at him through her lashes.

"Nah, I'm harmless." Cristi tipped the chair back down and leaned forward across the table, "But meet me in the showers later and we can test that theory." If only. If his suspicions about how things would soon unfold were anywhere close to the mark, there wouldn't be much time for showering. He'd already started making a mental list of what needed to go and what could reasonably fit in a single pack. How to cram it all in and somehow make it lighter by a few pounds would take significantly greater spatial voodoo than he was likely to see in his lifetime. "Anyway, you've got a point about the paper bag ... but I'd never leave it." Things were about to get awkward and that was something he promised himself he'd avoid at all costs, at least until he had his own shit straightened out. Glancing around, others had made their way to The Social, and their curiosity had to be at least as great as his own. So, instead, he changed the subject. "Shall we?"

As he mentioned meeting in the showers, she was flooded with memories of that night and she couldn't supress the smirk, and no doubt he would know exactly what she was smiling at. But as the Social filled up, she remembered why she was here and it wasn't for a waltz down memory lane. As she looked back up at him, he mentioned about never leaving. An uncomfortable knot formed in her stomach and the smile left her face and she looked away from him. A mixture of emotions filled her but she pushed them aside, and remembered why she was here. "Well, we'll see who joins us" She spoke before picking up her drink and taking a large mouthful.