soldier_blade | world hopping: locked to [personal profile] athelstanthescribe

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world hopping: locked to [personal profile] athelstanthescribe

Outside Sonya's door, the Georgian summer heat would've struck them both in the face, as she said. The summer heat would've gone on until late October, and certainly would've been different than either Denmark, England or even millliways. A look up showed that the humidity was close to bringing in rain: sonya didn't think it would make the heat any better.

"This way." The buildings around them were basic, three-story and red brick. The barracks were nothing if not utilitarian, but they were nothing to look at unless they were home. Everywhere one looked, there were people in various army dress and the occasional civilian. Sonya deliberately put him as military though because only family of personnel or civilian occupations were allowed on base outside of Sunday, and blending in was easier than asking questions.

Every so often an enlisted would salute them. Sonya returned the gesture as they headed to her jeep. The bar itself was just some blocks away from the area, but she didn't want to put him through the strain.

"Inside,' She opened the door for him. "Normally it's within walking distances, better safe than sorry." Also, air-conditioning.

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"On it.." She smiles at hearing his accent. "Going to assume you want the usual to eat?"

Sonya watches as she pours them each a drink. "Yeah, two cheese burgers and fries, medium well."

The woman nodded, punching in the order on the POV system before serving them their drinks. Athelstan's is something called 'motorboat ale', extra bitter with citrus notes.

As they wait for their food. "This is actually a good place for breakfast too, mostly because few off base are aware breakfast is served here, so it's not so crowded."

"What's served for breakfast in this part of the world?" he asks, glancing around at what the other patrons have got.

Most of the other patrons had one drink or another, a few had burgers, fried fish and chicken wings.

"You mean here, or in general. Generally speaking, could be anything from toast, cereal, small pastries, eggs.." Really loaded question, and given her schedule and health, she'd had any number of them. "Here, Charlie's known for whipping up some awesome omelets with a side of homefries."

She made a mental note to deliver an order to him through Bar.

"But now is the time of day for burgers." He nods.

"Some would argue you could eat it whenever you want." There was really no rule set, just habits. "Charlie will make it at other times of the day, but with the assumption that you're nursing a hangover."

Which, neither of them were. "Also I've been promising you a burger for awhile."

"You have", he agrees. "And now I have the appetite for it again."

"Always a good thing to have.."

Sonya turned to see not their server, but a heavyset man with shorn brown/grey hair. Dressed in workpants and white shirt, his expression in an easy one and carrying their plates, there's still evidence he could punch a man out if need be. "Lieutenant, heard you were bringing a fellow from overseas and had to see for myself."

He set the trayjack by their table and set the plates infront of them.

"Charlie, this Athelstan, he's in recovery before going back to the UK." There was an unspoken rule that you didn't discuss the 'how and why' unless prompted. "Athelstan..this is the guy you have to thank for my start in the army."

He held out his hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

Athelstan has learned about handshakes, but gives a subtle glance at his own bandaged hand before taking Charlie's and hoping he won't squeeze too hard.

"Likewise, sir. I've heard a lot about you."

Charlie gives the hand a look for only a minute before shaking it, his grip not as firm as it may've originally been.

"The time I spent kicking her skinny ass into shape-I would certainly hope so." Whatever strength he held back from Athelstan, he compensated by giving Sonya an especially hard slap on the back.

The slap was enough to nearly knock her over.

"Shouldn't you be taking orders in the office or kitchen?" Sonya didn't think he'd take this time to actually chat when he's working.

The man shrugged. "This time of the day, I put Enrique in charge of the kitchen. I just want to make sure you actually eat what you have infront of you."

Sonya hoped the lightening would cover the fact that she was blushing. Even after some time back home, she was still bearing signs of emaciation.

"Will you join us, then?" Athelstan asks - not quite an invitation because this is, after all, the man's own cafe, but a welcome.

"Why'd you think I'm here and not one of the servers." He pulled up a chair instead from an unused table. "I just want to see for myself the sort of fella Sonya would bring for a visit. Usually it's one of the officers on her squad."

Manners not entirely played out here, Sonya took a few bites from her burger, still keeping an eye on them.

"Because there's this funny thing called fraternization that the army tends to frown on," She said, once having swallowed. "The two of us met at the clinic, and it's nice to talk with someone who's proper educated.."

This was sort of the truth. Athelstan was educated and they did meet at the clinic, just not for the first time and not on a military hospital.

"I'm sure it's not that rare", Athelstan protests. "If reading everything I got my hands on counts as education, anyway."

"Considering that for most of the guys here, the only informative thing they read is army manuels." Sonya answered. Charlie only made a slight gesture.

He did motion to Athelstan's plate. "Eat before it gets cold." He cared less about education and more that soldiers (of any nationality) were being well fed.)

"I was telling him about your famous omelets ealier-" Charlie interrupted her. "Of which I'm still not telling you the recipe, I don't care how many times you ask."

Athelstan smiles at the pair of them between mouthfuls.

"You don't want to pass on your secret?"

"Hell no, family recipe." As if that was all the answer he needed to give.

Sonya knew well enough from experience that that was all he was going to get for an answer. "The man runs his kitchen like a military operation..only instead of confidential military places, it's the recipes that are deemed private."

"Quite right, then - but I hope you have family to pass it down to, so the recipes aren't lost?"

He motioned to the woman behind the bar, at the moment serving drinks to several men in medical scrubs. "My daughter, Andrea. Her real job is in the psychiatric department, but she helps out on occasion here, too-says the tips are better."

Sonya looked at Andrea with a pained expression. both she and Charlie were uncertain of her time in captivity, and even the mention of therapy gave her a knee-jerk reaction.

"I'm just hear for a burger, not a diagnosis."
"

Athelstan glances at Andrea too, with a more considering expression.

"I hope she'll find the time to keep working here, then."

He shrugged. "If she wants to. Certainly don't have any plans on retiring myself."

Sonya had to laugh at that. "Too many soldiers he wants to keep an eye on. I swear, during Bootcamp, he had some sick pleasure in pissing us off."

"Hey, got you ladies through the course, didn't it." His smirk showed no regret over the methods. "And...special forces."

He faced Athelstan and pointed to a second on the wall. Among the many photos was a picture of Sonya among a group of ten other men, all beaming and in green berets. "Picture right there is her graduation class from Specwar school, not ashamed to admit I point it out to all the former soldiers I trained."

Sonya suddenly found that her fries were extremely fascinating.

Athelstan leans closer to look at the picture.

"You must be very proud of her", he says sincerely.

He held up his hands. "Been in the army for forty years, but soon as I heard she graduated, felt like watching my daughter complete gradschool all over again."

Sonya smiled back. "This is the local hangout for more than one reason." There were a lot of memories in this place: more why Sonya brought Athelstan here than just the burgers.

"And it's a living, so it works both ways for me."

he turned when someone got his attention. "You kids enjoy the rest of your meal, I gotta get back to the to the line."

He gave Sonya a shoulder squeeze before leaving the table.

"He's a good man", Athelstan says, watching him go before he turns back to Sonya.

"He is." She started on her fries. "He saw through my devotion to the army and helped me work through my brother's death."

"This is just a good place to talk, in general."

"He's been a kind of second father to you, it seems?"

He follows her lead, finishing his burger.

Sonya thought of Cadfael and how he often felt like a sort of dad to her. "Something like that, or a sort of uncle. I know there are a number he considers his kids, especially if they keep in touch with him after completing basic."

She looked around a moment. Their booth wasn't exactly in a crowded part of the bar, but she still didn't want anyone to overhear.

"Word has it that he and his wife wanted a lot of kids, but sometime after they had Andrea, she developed cancer and the surgery left her unable to have anymore. Make matters worse, the cancer spread and treatment wasn't enough."

She left the rest unsaid, though he would've been able to get the rest. "This bar's their retirement plan, why he works so hard at it-and keeps his recipes under lock and key."

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