View source for 2022-01-25: The Crop Top Cowboy

*'''Log: 1-25-22 The Crop Top Cowboy'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Character :: Soji Murakumo]], [[Character :: Romilly Draid]]
*'''Where:''' John Johnson's Veterans Bar, OCU Korea 
*'''OOC - IC Date:''' January 25, 0096
*'''Summary''': ''Two veterans meet in a bar, and talk briefly about the state of the job.''

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 <Pose Tracker> Soji Murakumo has posed.
The Korean skylight is one of glitz and glamour, beautiful cities of artificial gold. Penthouse bars and glitzy spots to drink are a dime a dozen.

But who needs those? Certainly not Soji Murakumo. Twenty-three years old, on surface leave for a few days, and needing a stiff drink after all the weird stuff happening in his life, he is currently at John Johnson's, an expat's bar that centers around veterans. It's a little dark, a little dirty, and there's no food, but the drinks are strong and the people either keep to themselves or are the life of the party.

Soji is the latter, sitting right at the center of the bar. He's playing with a Dozoo Degwa Portable, a classic puzzle game, but it's clear he's not engrossed, and is probably actually bored. The bar is a little empty on a weekday, and the few people there are keeping to themselves. He's on his first drink, a whiskey and coke.

His bomber jacket reads '25th Division'. Sunglasses are folded into his pocket, as he beats another level and gets a victory screen (with muted music, he's not a dick).

 <Pose Tracker> Romilly Draid has posed.
You'd think, based on his dress, that the man who's just come in has the wrong bar, if not for the ease with which he'd entered.

A crop top and cowboy hat ensemble will stand out no matter where you're at--but every eye in this place which turns to look at him seems to glean that he 'has it.' That fatigue, or heaviness, so common to veteran pilots.

Well-worn square toed boots carry him across the establishment. Removing his hat and setting it in the chair beside him, Romilly runs a hand through his short blond hair. "Tequila, coffee liqeur, on the rocks." The bartender blances.

"Don't knock it 'till you try it." An earring, simple, circular, black, catches the light as he turns his head. "Are ya winnin', partner?"

 <Pose Tracker> Soji Murakumo has posed.
The crop top cowboy enters. Everyone glances at him, as does Soji. And as do they realize he belongs, so does Soji. Soji takes a drink of his whiskey as Romilly orders, before smiling at the engagement, a cheeky grin.

"Too easily. I play this during maintenance checks, but don't let the chief know that." He clicks a button, turning it off.

"Nice fashion sense." He means it good naturedly. "I was hoping for more of a party around here, but it's a quiet night. I was the most handsome mug here, and that's sad." A guy in the back coughs, and Soji gives a wave.

"What about you? Here to get plastered, drink away your sorrows? Or you looking for a party in a vets bar?"

 <Pose Tracker> Romilly Draid has posed.
'Nice fashion sense' draws a smile. "Plastered," says Romilly, after having looked Soji up and down with those green eyes of his. He's handed his drink. He starts off with more than a sip--really, enough to clear a substantial portion of the glass.

"Problem with drinking away your sorrows is having sorrows and a hangover the next morning," he says. "Party night's the weekend, most times," he says, twirling a finger around.

"Most of these types gotta stay busy during the week even if they don't got a job. Guess it's supposed to help."

 <Pose Tracker> Soji Murakumo has posed.
Soji instinctively matches drinking pace with Romilly. He laughs at the sorrows comment, nodding.

"Sure, but you don't always have shore leave on the weekends. Sometimes you gotta party on a Tuesday."

As Soji talks, there's a few vibes to Romilly. He's a genuine dude - but he totally fits in here as much as Romilly does. Deep weariness and a soldier's trauma behind that grin. Despite his relatively young age, he's probably been serving since enlistment age.

"So, what brings a cowboy to Korea? You don't have the accent for it. Gotta love the OCU, though. Real beautiful places around here. Real lively."

 <Pose Tracker> Romilly Draid has posed.
"Work," answers Romilly mildly. "Or at least, that's what I hope. Don't gotta look too hard for it, these days," he adds hopefully. "Well," he then retracts, taking a more measured sip, "You don't, long as you don't got too much of a conscience." He twirls the ice in his glass around with the stirring straw.

"They say stayin' busy's s'posed to help," he again states. "How 'bout you? Long way from home, 25."

 <Pose Tracker> Soji Murakumo has posed.
"You've got one?" Soji asks, playfully, before adding. "Because mine's a heavy burden. But, well, you live with it."

A pause as he's asked about him. The 25 gets a brief feeling of dark nostalgia, but otherwise, he's vibing. "My home's actually docked right now. I'm on the Dreisstrager, that massive flying city of a ship you might have heard of. Pilot for Nergal - contract bought from Feddies." Another pause to finish off his drink, and then ask for a second.

"Lemme guess, from the way you talked, freelancer?" He picks up his little video game, shifting it into a pocket. "Must be nice, getting to pick your work. But probably hard without structure."

 <Pose Tracker> Romilly Draid has posed.
"These days," says Romilly with a nod. He's a freelancer. "Dreisstrager," says Romilly nearly in unison with Soji. "Used to work for Nergal, actually," he adds with an upwards inflection and a smirk, tapping his hand on the counter.

"Could I get another?" he politely asides to the bartender, smiling warmly. "Thanks."

"Work to own," he says with pride in his voice, before a sigh. Idly drumming his fingers against the table, he continues. "Structure... You gotta be able to hold yourself -to- one, but that ain't the hard part. Least, it wasn't for me."

"Nah..." Romilly shakes his head softly. "What's tough is looking back and realizing you shoulda been a lot pickier." He frowns around the glass as another portion of drink disappears. "Mmh. Damn."

"I dunno. Had some luck in Japan. Might poke 'round there if nothin' turns up here."
[Entertainment] Sayla Mass&gt; God I see why Shou appeals to me, because it's the same reason Yoko and Sayla appeal to me

 <Pose Tracker> Soji Murakumo has posed.
"Did you? I haven't been there long. Mostly just trying to make the world a better place. Idealistic for someone like us, huh?" A laugh from Soji.

"Yeah. Luckily, Feddies never gave me a job too hard. Just some that left scars." He doesn't go into details. Instead, when Romilly mentions Japan...

"You could head to Nouvelle Tokyo. Between kaiju attacks and the black Mazinger that appeared and tried to destroy the city, there's always work. The mechanized police might not like you, but the city pays well, I hear." He's not speaking from experience - Soji's clearly not a merc.


 <Pose Tracker> Romilly Draid has posed.
"That place gives me the creeps," admits Romilly. He opens his mouth, gesturing with the glass, unable at first to find a way to describe it.

"When I was a kid there was this big chain store, closed down, not far from my house," he eventually begins, finishing the drink. "The days leadin' up to it, place was stone-ass dead."

"This big, huge store, one person behind the counter, nobody but me and my buddy in it. Couldn't hear the cars outside. Wasn't no music playing. Just... quiet. Empty."

He rolls his shoulders gently. "But I guess that ain't their fault. Maybe I'll stop by, see what I can do."

Romilly reaches for his hat. "Plastered's a job I can finish at home for cheaper," he decides, flushed cheeks showing when he stands up. Placing it back on his head, he pays for his drinks. "See ya 'round, partner."

 <Pose Tracker> Soji Murakumo has posed.
Soji listens to Romilly's story. He doesn't understand it, but he assumes there's something there - you don't share a story like that without am eaning.

Instead, he gives the man a wave, and goes back to his drink.

"See you around. May we never meet as enemies - I'm afraid a crop-top cowboy would kick my ass."