Scene #4594: Jazz/Booze for the Fallen and Lost

Owner	Pose
Samira Amirmuaz	Aboard the Avenger, the last three days since Operation Dawn Song had actually been blessedly quiet. XCOM's work never stopped, of course; Shen was busy building out the new Guerilla Tactics School in one of the compartments that Maaka had so kindly helped clear out, and Tygan is continuing his research off in the labs. The rest of the crew was working, the soldiers training or making the most of their downtime in the barracks. That left the bar blessedly empty, with the exception of one person. If there is one thing that Samira was grateful for, it was that someone still had an MP3 player that could be plugged in to give the room some ambiance. Jazz was the only sound to be heard here, besides the ship's engines; gentle drum beats backing up a softly-played piano and the mournful resonance of a cello... It felt fitting, while she stared at the pictures of the three soldiers of XCOM that had already been lost, so quickly in a fight that promised to last for much longer. The commander sighs and takes a sip of some kind of ADVENT-made alcohol that tasted fine, but was far too weak for her taste. Her radio alerts her to the fact that Durandal would be coming soon with her own stock; Samira takes a deep gulp of what was left in her glass, and sets it on the bar. But she can't look away from those pictures on the Wall... nor ignore the occasional flashes of men dying in her dreams, or when she closed her eyes. Maybe some company would be nice, after all...
Courier Six	The first of that company... is Johnny and his Robot. Well, it's a floating... Sputnik. The robot wheedlebeeps a bit at the sight of the bar and the soldiers milling about, and Johnny grumps in return. "Well, they're makin' do as best they can, ED-E. Don't put 'em down to hard." Wheedlebeep, and the basketball floats up to prod at an overhead conduit for a bit. The cowpoke sighs, and looks around... and spots the person who might be the Commander. He still hadn't met her 'in person' just quite yet, of course, but now was as any. Mr. Tallbranch puts on his winning-est Courier roguish grin and saunters over. "This seat taken, young lady?"
Alexis Maaka	Just suddenly as she had left, Maaka returns to the Avenger. She had been busy with the Guerrilla Tactics School since Operation Dawn Song, helping with training recruits in close-quarters combat, urban warfare, and so forth. Commando shit, basically, the kind of stuff Maaka's a master at. Of course, she's come back looking pretty haunted, an armor lined coat over an XCOM uniform that clings flatteringly to her figure while looking official. "Ma'am." She greets, trying to keep cool as she snaps off a salute and approaches the bar, a bottle of bourbon in hand as she recess a glass. "Should have my stock coming soon, I got contacts in Hong Kong that make some pretty strong stuff." She says, pouring a glass before she slides over the bottle to Samira. With him is a rather weedy looking fellow in a technician's jumpsuit; His name is Kazuya Harada. He's a rather short, scrawny thing, with dark bags under his eyes that indicate he's used to working for long hours without rest and pale skin from an indoors focused lifestyle. His every steps are punctuated with a clank from his prosthetic leg, that gives him a lopsided gait as he sits besides Maaka. He grabs a glass that Maaka pours him, and he looks over at Samira curiously, but his obviously artificial eyes perk and glance over to Johnny and the floating robo as they walk in too. "H-...hey." is all he can manage, the poor thing's so shy he can barely say anything to his boss's business associates.
Samira Amirmuaz	Hearing approaching footsteps, Samira does a quick appearance check for herself, adjusting her XCOM beret and making sure that her old US Army fatigues weren't too wrinkled. She finishes just as Johnny comes into the bar with his robot buddy. No idea what the floating mini-Sputnik is saying, so she just sort of... raises a brow as the gambler sidles up to her with that smile of his and asks to take the seat next to her. The Commander allows for a quick flash of a cat-like smile in his direction, before resetting back to her neutral expression. "Young lady, hm? After Kelly and Martinez, I'm surprised you keep fishing, Mr. Tallbranch. You know..." There's a momentary flicker of sorrow in her eyes. "I am probably old enough to be your mother." She looks only a few years younger, but twenty years in stasis will do that to a person. Regardless, she lets him take the seat while she starts going 'round the bar to get her a replacement for her drink. That stops when Maaka comes in with her own bottle and a salute, which Samira curtly returns. "At ease, Durandal. It sounds as if you've had a rough day." When the bottle gets slid over, Samira takes a quick, appreciative sniff before she refills her glass and takes a sip. "Mn... Good. Central should be pleased to get better alcohol that's not ADVENT-made." The weedy little tech gets his own nod and a slightly raised glass; he doesn't seem particularly comfortable in their presence - but then, he was hardly the first nervous engineer she'd met. "Welcome aboard the Avenger," she tells him simply.
Alexis Maaka	"Uh, thanks. Don't think we've met in person. I don't usually get out much." Kaz manages a shy grin at the commander, before he clears his throat. "I'm Kaz, Maaka's tech specialist. You guys got a pretty nice setup considering the circumstances, think Lily could use some help around the base?" He asks, before Maaka's grunt signals that she's in little mood for smalltalk. "You could say that." Maaka says tersely, before knocking back another gulp of bourbon. It's there for Johnny and Samira to have as well, hence its presence here. It's hard to really put into words that happened on such short notice, but Maaka's nowhere near drunk enough to try yet.
Courier Six	A sniff from Mr. Tallbranch, and he chuckles. "If I ain't fishin' I'm dead." He leans over, and holds out a hand to the Commander. "Johnathan Tallbranch, nice to meetcha. And if you're that old, well. That's just well aged." He chuckles... but the flirting falls by the wayside as he sees Maaka tipping them back... and then the Wall. A heavy sigh, and he takes the cowboy hat off his noggin and plants it on the bar. "Wish I coulda done more for those kids, sorry, ma'am."
Samira Amirmuaz	'Doesn't get out much'... That much is clear. Samira covers an amused smirk by taking another drink from her glass. "XCOM is always looking for people who wish to see Earth freed from the aliens... though I suspect you've got other priorities before you as well." Maaka's grunt stops the conversation from there... it was pretty easy to tell that she was bothered before, but she doesn't seem to be willing to elaborate for now. Easy enough - let her take a moment to relax and drink. Seemingly irrepressible as always, Samira takes Tallbranch's hand and gives it a shake while giving him a raised brow. "From young lady to well aged. At least you're trying, I suppose." Johnny looking over to the Wall draws her eyes towards it as well, and she gives a small sigh and a shake of her head. "Peter Ossei, Ana Ramirez, and Herman Bachmann... there is little that anyone can do to protect anyone in a warzone. It is an unfortunate fact of this life, as you know. I fear we will lose more. Perhaps many more. But the cost will be worth it if we can free this planet."
Courier Six	Johnny kicks his feet up on the base of another stool, and pulls a flask from his duster. The proper duster this time, and not the heavy riot gear. "Soldier's life it to go where yer told and kill and die for a reason. And hopefully it's a good one." He grumps and sighs. "Plenty of that shit everywhere, but it doesn't change the hurt." He peers at the borboun, and considers adding it to whatever's in his flask.. but decides against it.
Alexis Maaka	Maaka takes a shot for each of the names Samira gives, before she slams her glass onto the bar. "They'll be missed. Nothing that can be done about that." she comments tersely, sounding distracted mentally to a degree. Kaz meanwhile just fidgets, awkwardly swishing his bourbon quietly. "I dunno, I'm mostly going where Maaka does. Willing to bet XCOM will be a priority for her, which means it is for me too." He shrugs a shoulder, before trying to count the names on the wall. ED-E's whirring does buzz in his ear, and Kaz can't help but watch the little drone float about. "That's...that's a pretty cool drone you got there, Johnny right?" He says to the Courier, trying to not bother the heavily armed wastelander too much.
Samira Amirmuaz	"No, it does not," Samira says softly, mostly to herself. She's staring at them again, until another flash of the warfare she'd been forced to witness passes before her eyes. She recoils as if struck, then turns away and takes a heavy seat on the barstool next to Johnny's feet. FOr a moment, she considers telling them about her visions and what Tygan had recently told her... but she instead decides to take a gulp of her alcohol. She's not drunk enough for it, either. Kaz affirming his intention to make XCOM a priority is nice... especially since they're in desperate need of specialized staff like engineers and scientists. "Then you should introduce yourself to Shen as soon as possible. She would undoubtedly put you to good use." It seems like everyone has their own issues that brought them to the bar today... so eventually she takes another deep drink and looks around at those who had joined her here. "Perhaps you should explain what brought you both to the Avenger bar, hm? Otherwise we may well end up sitting silently and drinking ourselves into a stupor." Or rather, they might. There's no way that Samira could allow herself to get sloshed when there might be a mission at any time.
Courier Six	"Mhhh." Johnny looks to the Commander and to Maaka and the young fellow with the twitch. Right. "Well, I wasn't really here with any sort of reason but to meet the Commander and get a sense of her in person. Miss Maaka appears to be tryin' to slosh herself stupid." He grumps quietly, and then looks to the others. "So I guess I'm not really aimin' fer much. Drink'in with a business partner is always a bonus of this job." ED-E tweedlebeeps at the group. "Oh right, ED-E is here to suck down all the data in yer ship and sell it to the h-" A cough and a choke and a chuckle. "Nah nah, don't worry, he's just lookin' fer stuff to fix and bad mouthin' people."
Alexis Maaka	Maaka grunts again. "I ran over someone who looked exactly like my best friend." She says bluntly, and clearly at that, without stutter or slur despite the strength of her bourbon. "She looked exactly like Kotone, and had her dead to rights. So I ran her over and she scurried off. Something about a virus being spread to Kotone's world, but...fuck it." Kaz just kind of fidgets more. "Yeah...uh. That basically is what happened. ROry's taking care of that, no need to worry about us cyborgs not realizing everyone's invisible to use or whatever." He chuckles sheepishly, before he goes back to his own drink. "...damn, this stuff is strong." Blinkblink. "Getting woozy already.'
Samira Amirmuaz	Well, there you go. Samira tilts her head very slightly in Johnny's direction while she finishes her glass and sets it down on the bar. Personality measurements while she was drinking and sad were a little strange, but she takes it in stride anyway. "So then. What have you sensed about me, Mr. Tallbranch? Surely you have come to some sort of decision by now, considering how much time you have devoted to XCOM." It doesn't really seem like Samira takes the joke about ED-E very well; before Johnny reveals that he's kidding, Samira's eyes turn up to the floating robot and narrow dangerously while she reaches for where she might have normally held a thigh holster for a pistol... which she doesn't have, thankfully. She does relax, but the look she flashes Johnny shows she's not very amused. Remember, XCOM lost to traitors. Maaka's reasoning for her binging makes sense... Samira nods slowly, a frown on her face. "Do you know what could have caused this? I suspect not, given that you have such little information. Is Samsara safe, at least?" THe fact that Rory is currently looking into the issue gives Samira some reason to relax... Slowly, an amused smile comes to her face as Kaz starts getting lost in the haze of drink already. "We do hard work here at XCOM. Naturally, our methods of R&R should be the same. I suspect that you will get little time for relaxation while you're working with Shen, so take this time while it lasts."
Alexis Maaka	"Yeah. She's...she's just shook up." Maaka says. She flinches at the -scorching glare- Samira dishes out to Johnny, even tipsy she's smart enough not to play games with the boss lady. Kaz meanwhile seems to be in utter flight mode, as he's hiding behind Maaka before he pokes his head out, as if wondering if it's safe yet. "Uhhh...yeah. I think once I clear up I'll just take my leave, go see if Shen needs anything done for her. WOn't be long, me and Maaka got augs for that." He says with a shy smile, already feeling his implants do the work as they process the alcohol in his system at an accelerated rate. "How often does she usually get new staff? She's not one of those long wolf types who hates other people touching her stuff, is she?"
Courier Six	Well. That tells him more than enough, really. Johnny sniffs a bit, and takes another swig of his flask. "Yer a lady who knows her task and what the road is and was. You lost... time, and that's hard to give up, especially when you don't know what you lost to begin with." Though he'll reserve judgements on that one, stasis is funny. He points with the flask... and the cowboy accent is fading slowly as he goes into the analysis. No nonsense Californian Latino is sneaking in. "You command respect, from people who don't know you from Eve, because of who you once were. A 'hero' but you're still figuring out why. But you're strong, and know that your path is righteous." ...Cough, and the accent comes back. "But that's just an old fellow talkin', and what do I know?" He closes his eyes and siiiiiiips.
Samira Amirmuaz	Samira nods in some small relief when Maaka indicates that Kotone is still well and alive. It would be a serious setback if one of XCOM's main assets ended up dying out in the field, particularly when they had only recently started the campaign to free this planet. "Should either Tygan or Shen be needed to help provide analysis, I will allow them to be requisitioned for a short period of time. Keeping our operatives safe is paramount, particularly now." Kaz's concerns are waved off; Samira goes to refill her glass before she finishes her thought. "Thus far, you are her only dedicated assistant. Shen is very team-oriented - as everyone is in XCOM. She is merely a very hard worker who does not often take breaks. She is always at work, and she will expect similar devotion from her team... If she gives you an order, you can expect that it came from me, and therefore should be completed ASAP, to the best of your ability." While Johnny gives his explaination of what he thinks, the Commander goes silent while she sips thoughtfully from her bourbon. She feels as if he's mostly right... but once he's finished, she raises a finger. "You may be correct. God willing, my path is righteous, and by this path God may bless us with freedom for this planet. That being said... I know precisely what I have lost, Mr. Tallbranch. I have read the figures, the estimates. I have lost twenty years of my life - but under my watch the planet has been lost. Over two million military personnel from various countries, the countries themselves, and seven million civilians - a number that continues to grow if we count the losses that the Resistance and refugee camps continue to take." She pauses to take a deep gulp while she turns to stare at the Wall again. "Were it in my power I would dedicate a space on this wall for every one of those losses, and pray for their forgiveness every day. Of course, I don't have that capability... So instead I must dedicate myself to making /absolutely sure/ that XCOM cannot fail again. This planet will be free... or the future of humanity will be death and dust before the wind."
Alexis Maaka	"'kay." Kaz nods. Well, that's good to know. He just sets his glass aside, before standing up from the bar. "I better uh...I better go and see Shen, then. Filters should kick in right now, I -think- I can work." He waves a hand in front of his face, his eyes trying to follow it slowly before he blinks again. "Okay, good to go...try not to get too smashed, eh boss?" He gives Maaka a sly grin, before saluting her and Samira, ambling off with that leg of his. Yeah, he has no idea what to say about pretty much everything being discussed, and he's not even gonna pretend he does. Let the soldiers do their drinking in privacy. Maaka meanwhile just rubs her eyes, grumbling to herself. "I've lost a lot over the years; My humanity, my old life and things I can't even begin to describe. I got turned into a killer by a corporation, and the hell of it is I don't even know entirely why they did it." she says, pawing at her face sadly. "...I guess point is, I got a reason to try and unfuck things for everybody else, including you."
Courier Six	"Well Ah ain't believe in God myself, but I can say that you can't put alla that on yer shoulders, Miss Amirmuaz. Ain't fair ta you and it ain't fair to the world." He grumps, and stands up, walking around behind the bar. "And before yeh start tellin' me how I'm wrong, how about s I make you a drink and pour a story in your ears."
Courier Six	He points at Maaka too. "And you, no more grumpin', Uncle Tallbranch gonna tell you both a story."
Alexis Maaka	Maaka, despite herself, grumps one last time, before she gives Johnny a gold-tinted glance. "Fffiiine."
Samira Amirmuaz	"Commander," Samira says, somewhat firmly. "My duty comes first, before everything else." Her body can feel the swaying sensation of the alcohol starting to work in her system - and she estimates that she'll soon be hitting her self-imposed limits. Regardless, she turns on the barstool and nods to accept Johnny's offer of a drink. Maaka's confession earns a altogether rare moment of visible comfort from the COmmander; she reaches out to gently touch the cyborg's shoulder, even giving a small smile of her own. The sort of smile a mother might give to a child, perhaps. "And so we will." But now was the time from stories; Samira finishes her drink before sliding the glass over so that Johnny can do his work.
Courier Six	There's some... odd motions inside of Johnny's duster, as his Pipboy gently beeps and bloops, data and logs passing through the little CGA monochrome screen. "Once uponna time, a bunch of old men decided that they had figgered out what made the whole world tick, and how they could use that knowledge to make everything right." He starts reaching into the duster, and pulling out bottles. Old, old dusty bottles of whiskey and gin and some oddly glowing fizzy bottles that look like someone cracked a blue snaplight and poured it into Sprite. "And then one day the good old government came a callin' and told those smart men 'we need you to make us a weapon to end all weapons'. And they hemmed and hawed and tried to figure out the best way to harness that power and it took 'em a while. And then they came back to their leaders and said, 'here, we made it, but no one should ever use it'." And those other old men hemmed and hawed and with a lot less a'for'thought, used those weapons on people who probably didn't deserve it." By now, he's mixing up something glowing and fizzing and smelling like candied heat. Three martini glasses, and he slides the drinks out in front of the girls. "'And now we are all sons of bitches', I believe the line was. But I'm sure there were other words. Not sure who made Mustard Gas or Greek Fire or the first Cannon." He looks to Samira. "War never changes. Only the way we fight wars. And you can't put a Force Of Nature on yerself."
Alexis Maaka	"Or cybernetics technology." Maaka says quietly. "War never changes, but everything else about it can make it seem utterly alien to people from one time period compared to another. Take me for example, and compare Johnny's world to mine. I imagine they barely even have EM weapons, or had as it were." She muses, before taking a martini, sipping it like she's' been in the desert for days. "Fuck, that's potent." is her response, after she takes a moment to blink and shake off the wooziness. SHe might've turned off her toxin processor, making the drink all the stronger.
Samira Amirmuaz	Samira, being old Army, knows exactly what Johnny is referring to here. Her lips press into a thin line, a mix of grim understanding and dark humor. "You're referring to the Manhattan Project, yes? Nuclear weaponry." Putting two and two together, she shakes her head sadly. "In your world, they unleashed nuclear apocalypse, didn't they? I remember the fear of Communism and mutually assured destruction, back in the eighties. I'm sorry that your leaders lacked the foresight of what those weapons could do." There's another flash of the simulated warfare in her mind, along with the signs of a brewing headache that said visions could bring. Her expression sours a bit, but she takes the drink and takes a sip regardless - and nearly sputters, only just managing to keep from coughing while she takes a swallow. This was definitely going to be her last drink. "I know warfare," she eventually says, slowly. "Dr. Tygan revealed it to me recently - need to know basis. The chip that ADVENT put into my skull was a conduit, sending tactical simulations into my brain. Supposedly, it's surprising that I survived the sheer amount of war games that I was processing. I cannot say what it was for - not yet. Yet it cannot be good."
Courier Six	"Uh, people mucking about with brains is no fun, let me tell you. I'm just happy mine was robust enough to handle... stuff." Johnny looks to Maaka choking down the drink and Samira barely managing it... "Well... I'll take you to my Mojave some time, and show you what might happen if you have to start all the way over." ...Awfully cheerful about his End of the World, isn't he? And for his part... he tips back the drink in one long, slow pull. And for no reason at all the Geiger Counter on his Pipboy clicks a few times. "Hnnnnn... boom. Atomic Cocktail~"
Alexis Maaka	"We never had a chance to go out drinking back then, honestly." Maaka says, pointing to Johnny directly. She rubs her face, trying to keep conscience as she feels rads going up in her system. "...I'm not gonna get cancer from this am I?" That's not even sarcasm, she's totally serious from the sounds of it, if sounding pretty damn smashed.
Samira Amirmuaz	Suddenly Samira is reminded that everything they'd received from Johnny's stash of alcohol was irradiated. She should've remembered it in the first place, but it's a bit too late now to make any complaints... though she secretly does hold a similar concern to what Maaka voices. Regardless, she grunts and tips back the drink, taking as much as she can before the stuff kills her throat, pausing to take a breath, then finishing the rest. The alcohol was going to hit her like a freight train soon... way past her allowed limit. But at least she might sleep well tonight... provided they didn't recieve another mission in the meantime. The Commander stands and adjusts her beret again, grunting as she feels the whirl of alcohol in her system. "Mngh... Both of you will sleep here, aboard the barracks. I won't have you crashing your space ships in a drunken haze. Commander's orders." She gives the two one last salute - and one to the Wall - before leaving the bar, snagging the MP3 player out of it's docking as she goes. She'll go up to her quarters tonight... maybe try to get some actual sleep, for once.