Empty Glasses

[Dante Sotari]

"We went to two bars and split a bottle of scotch. That ain't clean livin' Vance."

She paused, watching him for a moment, frown and scowl out of sight behind him. This was a mistake. Had been a mistake. Gods a fun mistake, but yeah, she shouldn't be here. He'd folded her damned pants? Man was crazy.

But.

"Um. Thanks," she muttered after a moment, turning around quickly and heading back into the bedroom.

As promised, they were right where he'd said- she'd missed them from a combination of hangover and not looking for them there (since it wasn't anywhere near where she'd left them). Finishing the process of preparing for the walk of shame (which should never be witnessed at the beginning, damn it) she finger combed her hair out quick, took another sip of water from the faucet and headed out to brave the living room.

She hadn't even noticed that pull up bar there last night.

"I'm out," she said, a little gruffer than she'd intended. But she didn't move right away, instead watching him.

[member="Morgan Vance"]

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Dante Sotari"]

"No worries."

By the time she was back in the living room again his hands had already curled around the pull up bar.

Breathing in and out in a steady rhythm as muscles worked to pull him up and down. Morgan didn't stop once she was back - didn't see a reason to. After all, he had his routine here and he was comfortable with it. In fact, it probably would help to make it a more automatic process. More difficult and that would be good for some of his main muscle groups.

Maybe.

He'd have to read a book about it, or maybe Dwayne would know.

"You sure?" He said in between breaths, then pulled up tight for the good stretch and looked down. "Got some coffee, could have some?" Didn't offer breakfast though, because who knew how Dante would react to that.

For some reason she always seemed... off during these moments. Couldn't just be the alcohol- the first time there had only been alcohol once the course was already set. Someone else might have tried to dig into it. Try to figure out what made Dante truly tick. Morgan? Morgan recognized that it wasn't any of his dang business.

If she wanted to tell him, she would.

If not?

Another pull-up and then he dropped down, stretching just a bit more again. That was her choice and right.

 

[Dante Sotari]

Oh, now he was just showing off. Doing the cool guy routine. She'd have rolled her eyes but with the level of headache that had settled squarely between her temples, she didn't think she could do it without one of them falling straight out of her head.

Why was he so annoying?

Somewhere, deep down, she knew he wasn't. That everything he did that annoyed her had only one thing in common, and it wasn't him. But distance was the only course of action she knew how to take, and she certainly wasn't going to poke at all of the reasons and whys beneath it. Doing that would require actually looking at all of the hurts and the fears. All of the anxieties, small and large, that made up so much of the surface crust that was the sarcasm, pushing away.

She was tempted. She almost said yah, to that cup of caf. Could grab breakfast. Maybe enjoy each other's company a bit (sometimes they did that and it wasn't that hard, it really wasn't). But something, a deeper guilt that she didn't put a name to because that meant *looking at it*, brought a shake to her head.

"Nah, I'm good."

Pulling her coat down from the hook (must have hung it up when he was straightening up) she didn't look at him again.

"Catch you around, Vance."

[member="Morgan Vance"]

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Dante Sotari"]

Sweat trickled down.

Felt good.

The pain of Mirial was ever present, but the ache of the training helped with it. Might have seemed weird. Add pain on pain and it should mean double pain, but there was something about the catharsis of a good, clean work-out that made things more bearable. Another reason why he had kept it up during their short short conversation, stopping meant no catharsis.

Meant not jumping over the edge where the burn settled in and kept him going for the next few hours, until it was time to take the meds and chill down on the bunk for a little while.

"Alright." Hint of disappointment? Maybe, but Morgan didn't look too far into it. There wasn't anything to look at. Just partners, sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less depending on the situation. "Want to go for a few beers tomorrow night?" That wasn't close to the Cya he had been planning to say. But why not? It wasn't as if Morgan could be doing anything else while he recovered.

Sitting all alone at home wasn't to his pleasure.

Could call up Dwayne, but the endless questions about that new app he had convinced him to install was a bit grating.

No, beers were better.

 

[Dante Sotari]

Why did his casual 'alright' bug her? Well, maybe just because it was him and he bugged her. After all, if he'd been weird or clingy that would have actively pissed her off. It's what she'd been gearing up for. He'd almost died, she'd saved his life, they'd slept together despite her saying initially that she wouldn't again.... it would have been almost expected if he had. So why was it that him *not* being that way felt a little... hollow?

She paused in the doorway, shoulders slightly hunched. Dante spoke without thinking, reacting instinctively with the first words that came to her lips.

"Can't. Busy tomorrow."

But then, she paused. Immediately regretting. It had come out hard, a touch annoyed (more than a touch). Defensive. And even with all of the irritation she was feeling right now, the core part of her that wasn't a scratchy ball of sticks and anger knew that wasn't fair. Of her, to him, some muddled up combination.

"But Zhelday is good," she added, voice a little softer, but not by much. Only noticeable if someone had something to compare it to. An agreement from him was all she needed to finally get out of that blasted apartment.

Stepping out, she closed the door behind her without giving him a chance to say anything else. Leaning against it for a moment, she closed her eyes, annoyed. At him. At herself.

Sticking her hands deep into her pockets, she trudged down the hallway.

[member="Morgan Vance"]

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Dante Sotari"]

You have a match.

That wasn't a surprise, but the match itself *had* been. He had swiped right on Dante as somewhat of a joke, doubting they would ever come across each other and even if they had that Dante would go as far as swiping right on him too. The fact that the moment the finger moved it matched? A surprise. The fact that they never actually talked about it?

Less so.

His "Hey Dan, didn't figure you for this stuff." had been ignored. Which was probably fair. They already had a drinking night planned though. Dwayne was with him. "Look, bro, all I am saying is that there are more fish in the galactic pond, okay?" He wasn't going to stick around. Just walk with him til the bar and then immediately move down to the club a few streets further. "You have had how many matches at this point already?"

"Didn't count them, Dee."

His... friend chortled and shook his head. "You are only making my point for me, bub. Ask me how many matches I have had." Morgan was distracted as he pushed open the door of the bar and noticed Dan almost immediately.

Surrounded by a swathe of people. Some of them he knew, others he didn't.

Odd.

This was supposed to be just the two of them. Dwayne didn't notice. "Oh hey, isn't that Benno? Gonna go say hey, he still owes me from last night's card game." Away he went and that left Morgan alone at the door, until Dan and him made eye contact.

What was that in her eye? Felt like guilt or maybe anger... probably anger with her.

A sigh and his hands deepened the pockets. Was going to be that kind of night then. A few steps and he joined the revelry of the group.

"Hey,"

 

[Dante Sotari]

She'd been mortified. She'd just gotten to the point where it was kind of an automovement if someone wasn't *drastically* not her type and by the time she'd realized she'd done it, boom. Rishi had laughed so hard he'd choked, and she'd thrown the pad at him. That's what she got asking him for help.

Once he'd gotten it under control and she'd buried her face in the pillow, he'd sat down and managed to not make fun of her for two minutes. Explaining had been painful, and she hadn't done a good job of it. Mostly, she complained about him. How annoying he was.

Rishi didn't buy it, but didn't say so.

He was a pretty good friend after all. But they weren't close enough yet for him to call her on her bullchit.

He'd offered to join her at the bar. If she was feeling it, he'd head off and leave them. If not? He'd stick around and flirt shamelessly with Morgan himself. That got a laugh from her. Over the course of the rest of the week, somehow work got around that there was going to be a gathering, a half dozen other people latching on. It had been hard, after Mirial, and a night of beers and darts sounded just about perfect to most of them.

And that was where things were when he and Dwayne walked in. Dante was at the bar, laughing so hard she couldn't stand up straight- but when she caught sight of Morgan, she had a moment of self consciousness and turned back toward the bar. Not to *avoid* looking at him, or him seeing it. Of course not. She was ordering him a beer, the glass ready and waiting by the time he reached her.

"Hey," she said easily. She was already a couple of beers in and relaxed, but not really tipsy yet. "Have you met Rishi? Rishi, Vance. Vance, planet boy."

[member="Morgan Vance"]

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Dante Sotari"]

Soft hand curled around his and the shake was light, but there was a firmness there.

"Nice to meet ya, Rishi." Head tilted slightly as he accepted the glass from Dan. "Mind if I short it to Rish, otherwise I am gonna keep thinking of my... vacation there this one time." Vacation usually meant mission when it was spoken in that tone. But when you were in public it was better not to bring up too many things like that.

Especially not when alcohol was involved.

Not even when it was a soldier's bar. Never could too careful or force, could be internal affairs scoping out the joint. "Oh, you can call me anything, love." Morgan was sipping from his glass when Rishi said... that, but all it did was raise his brow a fraction.

Glass put down and a hum of appreciation came next, he nodded to Dan. Velusian obviously, she remembered

"Don't say that too quickly, Rish. I might engage my fantasy just a touch more."

Smirk at the edge. Was... he flirting? Probably not. Right?

 

[Dante Sotari]

Dante started to choke on her drink and Rishi immediately responded by slapping her on the back. She shook her head, waving him off.

"Went down the wrong pipe," she wheezed, shaking her head and turning toward the bar, red faced.

Why on Kaine's grey earth had it *stung* to hear Morgan flirt with Rish? She'd expected her friend to hit on him, she'd even promised to buy him a drink if he did. It'd be worth it to unbalance him just a little bit. What she hadn't expected in a million years was for Morgan to flirt back. It wasn't a problem if he swung that way, just.... surprised.

Yeah, surprised was all.

That was it.

She recovered, turning back to the two. Rish tried to catch her eye, but she focused on the beer in her hand, downing the second half in one go and raising her finger for another. Appropriately fortified, she shrugged, the prearranged signal for 'come or go, either is good'. Honestly, she wasn't sure which she'd rather, but for the moment at least, he stayed.

"Should I leave you two alone?" She teased, regaining equilibrium.

"Darlin'," Rishi drawled, "Wouldn't have to be alone."

Godsdamn it she regretted telling him anything.

[member="Morgan Vance"]

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Dante Sotari"]

Morgan was as straight as an arrow.

But he had read somewhere - or maybe it had been that romcom holoflick - that the girl's best friend was important and specifically in the first meeting. Their judgement mattered and from the miniscule gestures and expressions Rish seemed to fit the bill as much as anyone could with Dante. "You are making her blush, Rish," Morgan chuckled softly before finishing his glass and brushing past Dan to order himself another one as well.

It was going well, he thought. Ice broken, Rish seemed to like him and the beer was quite good too. No, it seemed everything was okay after all.

Another glass in hand he joined the pair.

Back against the counter, in between them, he sipped from his glass again. Big one, because he really did enjoy the Velusian black. "So, what unit are you with anyway, and how did you manage to convince her to be friendly with you?"

Morgan briefly eyed Dante.

"As friendly as she gets anyway." Yet with the smile there was something else. His eye glancing down to her lips, briefly, before brushing further to the line of her jaw. Wondering. Before his attention went back to Rish again.

 

[Dante Sotari]

"Not blushing, it's hot in here," she muttered, only realizing how defensive she sounded when Rishi hip checked her.

"Sorry about that, I can step away if it helps?"

Alright, that was enough. While she'd hoped to see Morgan teased a little tonight, she was increasingly displeased about the turning of the tables. She'd already been feeling weird over the whole accidental swipe right and this wasn't helping. At all.

Either Rish noticed it first, or else he was just the first to say something. Either way he put a hand on her elbow but she shrugged it off, stepping away from the bar.

"You two get to know each other, I need some air," she smiled but it didn't reach her eyes.

She didn't look back as she threaded through the crowd and shouldered her way out the door.

Part of it was the teasing when she was already feeling kind of weird. Part of it was the sting- not even of the flirting, though maybe that a little- but the realization that Morgan thought....

As friendly as she gets anyway.

She'd missed the way he'd looked at her in the surprising hurt of that. What was the matter with her? Who cared what he thought? She just needed a minute to ground. Take a breath and shake it off. She wasn't about to pick it apart. No. Kark it.

She didn't care what he thought.

Leaning against the wall outside, she pulled out a pack of tabacc. Tapping one into her hand, she went fumbling for a light.

[member="Morgan Vance"]

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Dante Sotari"]

It didn't take long before the door opened and allowed music, hot air and the scent of stale beer entry to the great outside.

Rishi had understood.

Didn't even need to explain. Just a nod and a pat on the shoulder, before Morgan left him at the bar and braved the cold wind outside. He wandered up to Dan, leaning against the wall and taking a cigarette out a moment later.

This was difficult.

And Morgan didn't really understand why. It seemed that no matter what, they were destined to piss each other off and make a mess out of things. "...need a light?" Vance asked softly as he stepped out and leaned against the wall as well.

Facing her.

The lighter already burned and lit the tip up without waiting.

Then it came to his cigarette. Calm movements, steady hand, slow breath as the tip of the cigarette started to burn as well.

Sweet smoke.

Blew away and Morgan studied her, wondering what was going on in that mind of hers. Didn't say anything though, seemed that any time he opened his mouth everything was liable to turn a few more inches down south.

Didn't want that now.

 

[Dante Sotari]

She didn't answer, just let him light it, sliding her own that she'd just found back into a pocket. She didn't turn to look at him, keeping her back against the wall. Taking a long, slow drag of tabac, she closed her eyes, head tilted up. Opening them again on the exhale, she looked up at the clouded night sky and frowned.

"Haven't seen stars since coming back," she said suddenly, flicking a bit of ash from the stick.

What that had to do with anything was anyone's guess. She still wasn't looking at him, gaze fixated on the overcast sky. The wind, cold and sharp, cut through her and she tucked her free hand under her arm, clamping teeth down to keep from shivering or chattering in front of him.

"Uh, sorry about in there," she said. "Got too crowded, a little claustrophobic, ya know?" It was not an uncommon problem for soldiers, ones that had seen active duty and especially had experienced something like they had on Mirial. Of course, that wasn't a problem she actually had, but it was easier than trying to actually explain it.

"Had ta clear my head."

That much, at least, was true.

[member="Morgan Vance"]

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Dante Sotari"]

Morgan nodded quietly.

"Same." He pulled at his cigarette a bit, let the smoke fill him, before blowing it out again. It wasn't one of the herbs they smoked on Tatooine, but it had a way to quiet down the nerves and stop your hands from shaking. Not as good as the Tatooine hookah, but it did the job right. How Vance knew that... was anyone's question. After all, he hadn't ever been on Tatooine before.

Had he?

Why did he remember the stars then, picture-perfect, just how they were supposed to sit in the sky.

"Dan?"

"Hmm?" Didn't look at him, still somewhere searching for something in the stars. It was okay. Better this than a plethora of other options slowly racing through Morgan's head and making him wonder. "Thanks." He had never thanked her for Mirial. She wouldn't know that he remembered everything. The oppressive explosions, the feeling of agonizing pain, her weight against his as she protected him. The angry tears. The fire. The rescue. She had wanted to stay at his side even then, but the doctors... they hadn't let her.

Why not?

Not family.

But Morgan didn't have any family anymore. All alone.

Dan didn't need to know that- any of it though. That one had enough of her own weight pulling at her shoulders and adding his own to the pile wasn't going to be helpful for any one of them. "Could go for another bar, if you want? Have a few beers away from the crowd and pressure."

 

[Dante Sotari]

She inhaled on the tabac, deep and long, still looking up. There wasn't anything to see there. Just the light of the city reflected on the underside of the clouds. Slowly, carefully, she exhaled, adding the smoke to the air- it dissipated long before it reached the overcast sky. The clouds hung low, but not that low, but she imagined, for a moment, that she could. Blow it all out as smoke and add it to the slow moving stratus that covered the sky.

"No problem," she finally said, shrugging.

Dante knew exactly what he was talking about. The weight, the inflection, the timing. Mirial. She knew he didn't remember most of it. And it was better that way. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about that. She'd gone overboard there, over the top and down into the darkness that yawned beneath. She'd stepped over the line of whatever it was they were into something way more personal than she had any interest in it being. It had been stress, the situation, not knowing if they were going to live or die- just that. It meant nothing. People did and said stupid things when death loomed and grasped.

Yeah.

Taking the final drag, she flicked the stub of tabac to the concrete and ground it out with her heel.

"Can't. You know. Rishi. He..... doesn't have a lot of friends. Would be chitty of me to leave him there alone."

There was a beat and then Morgan nodded. Dante wasn't sure if he believed the lie or was just polite enough to accept it.

Even she couldn't pretend that she was doing anything other than pretending her own situations was Rish's.

"Bet I can destroy you at darts. Rish won't play me anymore."

A casual invitation. To stay. That despite the weirdness, she still wanted him there.

[member="Morgan Vance"]

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Dante Sotari"]

The nod had been both acceptance of her word, but also acceptance that she didn't really want to be-

Then she invited him to stay.

A blink followed as confusion set in briefly, before it was wiped away. Morgan had been fully prepared to take off there- simply accept that whatever there was between them was too complicated for her to be comfortable with. "You've seen me shoot, Dan." Another pull from his cigarette, before letting it drop to the ground and crunched beneath his heel.

The smoke escaped his lips and made a pretty circle in the air, following the currents of wind and disappeared past them.

"Bet ya I will win the first round." Back to a more comfortable ground. Where there wasn't the tension and the emotions and whatever the feth was playing between them that he couldn't really understand.

Even if he wanted to.

Morgan's attention slipped past the stars and towards her, grinning now.

 

[Dante Sotari]

"Yeah I've seen you shot, which is why I figure I'll get any sport out of this at all," she said with a smirk and a wink.

This was better. This was fine.

If she were being honest with herself for even half a second, she'd be able to admit that she liked him. She liked his levelheadedness, his ability to keep calm in an emergency, even if she complained about it. She liked the way he smiled, the way he looked when he was looking at something thoughtfully. She liked how easy it could be to banter with him. Liked how she trusted him, when push came to shove, to have her back.

Didn't change anything.

None of that would have. She knew it, even if she wouldn't admit it, and she still felt like keeping that distance wasn't simply better, it was necessary.

Too many emotions in the room and Dante either shut down or got out. It hadn't always been like that of course....

"Loser buys drinks?"

She shouldered back into the bar, the warmth hitting her like a blanket and she sighed with relief, finally letting out a shiver as the door swung closed behind the two of them.

[member="Morgan Vance"]

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Dante Sotari"]

"Sure, sure." Morgan retorted as they entered the bar again and were hit with a wave of warmth. It even made the whiff of stale ale, sweat and pretzels acceptable after the cold of the outside. "You know how I like my beer, so that's perfect." This was easier. Her laugh, her smile, the mischief in her eye when she wasn't worried about this or that or anything else.

Just the moment.

And the music and the dancing and the playing.

They settled down at the dartboard, pushing Dwayne out of the way and back to the bar. It had never been his game anyway and with the amount of drinks he had consumed in that short amount of time? He was liable to start hitting other people anyway. Fingers flashed and two more beers were send their way, put on a tab and it would keep running through the night.

Oh, sure, the loser would buy drinks, but that didn't mean they weren't going to drink now.

"Ladies go first... after the gentlemen have been." Vance quipped, before taking the first spot and starting to aim. Tongue between his teeth, one eye closed for additional focus in the moment.

 

[Dante Sotari]

"Gentlemen? Ladies? I don't see one who could be called that here," she smirked.

There was no better punctuation to that than what came next. Just as he was about to make his throw, she rolled her eyes up, scuffed the floor with her toe and casually *turned*, catching his elbow with her shoulder and jostling him just enough to send the dart thunk into the wall beside the board.

"Hey, not fair!"

"Life's not fair," she retorted, smirking but there was a certain edge there. It wasn't new or strange, that edge was there most of the time in truth. She knew it, and she helped smooth it out with a drink or three. Speaking of....

She took a swig, hip checking him lightly out of the way. Without putting down the beer, she took aim and threw, conscious of potential retaliation.

[member="Morgan Vance"]

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Dante Sotari"]

"Ain't that the truth." Morgan mumbled jokingly in his grump tone without actually meaning it. Part of him did feel tempted to give her a taste of her own medicine, retribution for the point lost, but in the end Vance decided that there was no point to- oh, feth it. At the apex of her throw, just as she was about to hit a home in run, his hip bumped into hers by... accident.

"Oops."

Grin wide as a Cheshire cat as the dart dived down a foot before it could reach the board. "Think you should practice that arm of yours some more, Sotari." The glass of beer was finished and placed on the table, empty. Hand raised, while he looked questioningly at Dante, who nodded (surprise surprise), until two more beers came around their way.

"I will drink my first one in tribute to you, I promise."

Humming and hips swaying he eyed the board.

Critically.

His attention was split only partially and just before Dante could make her move, his hand moved lightning fast and the dart already touched the bull's eye, before the hand lowered itself. The tail-end of the dart was shaking just a little bit by the force of it all. Lips smirked a touch wider. "Your turn, Dan." Hand curled around the glass of the beer again and started sipping once more.