apocalypsehowcomm | (Open Log) You gotta know when to hold 'em

Who: George Milton, Nick Valentine, and anybody who shows up
When: April 22, starting around 6 PM until
Where: Apartment A-3
Summary: A night for playing cards, drinking beer or b.y.o.b. if harder, snacks and unwinding. Feel free to thread jack and jump all around, at least in my threads. This is just for some relaxed down time and catching up or introductions in a smaller, casual space.
Warnings: None expected. If your characters get to discussing anything triggery or get up to anything spicy, please CW in your individual threads.

Over the past week or so, hand printed signs drawn in sharpie on plain paper have shown up taped to walls around the apartment complex and on any easily accessible bulletin boards at ADI. A couple of them were also delivered to the flophouse with the request they be displayed somewhere the residents might see them.

They read:
Cards and Beer
Friday April 22 6 PM
Apartment A 3
George and Nick's place
You want more than beer
or chips and popcorn
bring your own.
Extra decks appreciated.

The night of, the door to A 3 is propped open. In addition to the dining table, a couple of card tables and cheap folding chairs are set up for games. Two bowls on the coffee table contain chips and popcorn respectively. There's a cooler on the floor in the kitchen filled with ice and cheap beer.

George or Nick will greet people as they come in and tell them to make themselves at home.

((OOC: Feel free to top level with your own character and make whatever prompts you like. George is generally easy-going, but if he catches anyone stealing, getting too hot and heavy in a bedroom, or otherwise being a general jerk about the apartment or the other guests, he will try to throw the offender out. If you want that kind of thread or want to succeed at something nefarious, let me know so we can work it out.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Jaeger understands and respects the attempt at a normal, peaceful evening. It's something they're entirely too short on, and after the disastrous Halloween party ADI hasn't been so interested in providing such things. It's up to them to do it for themselves, but it might be better that way.

"I'm willing to believe they mean well. How they accomplish it, well, we'll see." It still leaves a lot open to instinct and common sense, to go along with so much and no more. So far, they've been lucky enough...that the threats have been terrible enough to be clear and easy to judge. "A lot of the job is gathering information, making sense of it all and then making judgments based on that. I appreciate that, knowing as much as I can about what I'm dealing with."

"That's where I feel I can be useful, maybe. I'd need more...modern clothes," a fact he's slowly coming to accept. "I'm good at blending in. Hardly nobody looks at guys like me twice. Say all kinds a' things around us." Keeping his ear to the ground was the only way he ever kept Lennie alive as long as he did.

"And I can talk to the other bindle stiffs now. I know that ain't what people's calling us anymore." He'll have to listen to the lingo, drop some of his older words and pick up new. It's something he believes he can do.

Jaeger nods thoughtfully, because that's a fair and honest self-appraisal. He's not sure that he would welcome George's company in a fight, but on the other hand? He suspects he can rely on the man to know his limitations and put himself to work doing what he can help with.

Support matters, and not everything is about wading right into the battle of the day. The more competent eyes they have, the better, and Jaeger will be happy to stand by whatever role George wants to play. Especially when the man is ready, willing, and able to be as adaptable as he needs to be to survive here.

"Clothes are an easy fix, luckily. They do pay us well enough to get the essentials, and some of it should be comfortable enough to get used to quickly." Maybe not a three piece suit, but certainly some good jeans, boots, shirt. Practical, sturdy clothes should appeal quite well. "I can help you with the basics, easily enough. I spend a lot of time out in town, anyway, so stopping by the store to help you pick some things out would be no problem."

"That'd be real swell 'a you," he says. "I don't need nothin' fancy. Fact is, that'd jes' make me stick out more with the fellas I'm looking to get in with." Jeans are easy enough. They aren't different from what he wears every day beyond the cut of them. It's weird to him to see people running around with undershirts as outer wear, but he reckons he can get used to that, too.

Hardest thing to part with is going to be the hat.

"You can help me pick it out and tell me how people wear it." Tucked in, untucked, rolled cuffs or not, all of these things mean something. Send messages. His message needs to be, I'm one of you and always have been. You can tell me anything and know it won't get back to the wrong ears.

"There's a time and a place for fancy, but we don't have much need for it here, most days," Jaeger agrees amiably. He's far more concerned with day to day life, and he figures that will be much more comfortable for George anyway.

Jaeger likes to look professional, but corporate culture is practically bred into him, and he's slowly learning to let go of it in favor of just living like a normal person. Like in jeans. And he knows enough about those mythical things called Weekends to be able to provide competent assistance on the topic.

"So, yes. Simple is a good place to start. It's a lot more comfortable, too." Benefits of dressing down. "Sometime this week, then? I'll take a few hours."

"I ain't never had need of it 'cept for a few funerals a long while back." And church overall if he goes even further back than that, but that's ancient history as far as he's concerned.

"Sounds like a plan. I 'spect you're busier than me. Jes' let me know when a good time is. I can carve it out if I got something else going on." He has never particularly liked shopping. However, having the right tools for the job is an important enough reason to make the time.

"I can't say funerals aren't a possibility here, but...better to cross that road when we get there." People disappearing doesn't seem to involve any particular ceremony, though Jaeger wonders often enough what's really happened to them. Certainly, some might have been sent back to where they came from, but it seems the worst case scenario is the more likely.

He wishes there was a more concrete way to know, but there isn't, so all he can do is hope. And carry on with his life as best he can.

Which brings him neatly back to their discussion. "Aside from my work shifts, not much is set in stone so I'll get back to you quickly with a good time."

On the bright side, Jaeger isn't likely to spend more time on shopping than necessary, so they can get the task done quickly and out of the way. It really can't be any worse than trying to shop while wrangling a toddler, and he's managed that once upon a time.

"Yeah, I ain't looking to court that kinda trouble with anticipation," he says with a snort. If worse came to worst, he could show up in the best of whatever clothes he has, and he imagines whoever it was for would understand. Their friends, too.

"Sounds great. I appreciate it it a whole bunch." He feels it goes without saying that if he can ever return a favor, he will. That's just how these sorts of things go.

"Make it all wash down later with a drink afterward."

"We can only hope." Jaeger certainly does, every day. While there haven't been any fatalities yet, the potential is there and he expects that it's just a matter of time. Unfortunate, but a harsh reality of this place. Of this work. It had been the same back home, so it's not as shocking a possibility, but no more pleasant.

He'll keep hoping they manage to avoid it.

The mention of drinks gets a flash of smile, brief but sincere because Jaeger had been thinking the same thing. A chance to sit down and just absorb the atmosphere would probably do George good, and they both need to get to know the town.

"I think that would be good. A well-earned break, and a chance to see a little more of the town. Get used to being here."

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that." It's set then, and while it does feel a little strange, the idea of shopping like a lady, he realizes he can't frame it that way. This isn't for pleasure or to waste money. There's a purpose behind it, a good one.

It's strange to think of settling in. He's not sure how much of it is settling, or how much of it is continuing to barrel forward, because if he stops, if he rests, then there are things waiting to catch up to him he's not ready to sit down with.

"You got yourself a favorite place to go in town?" That's the sort of thing he's here to talk about and think about tonight. The rest can pound sand.

(Open Log) You gotta know when to hold 'em

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