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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"We're to keep a stool of his on reserve, the far end one by the kitchen. Good lookout spot where he can keep an eye on things."

The thought of Charlie passing away was a bitter one, but for once..Sonya could only smile about it. There was something about having reminders..souviners..that appealed to her as a soldier. "And his ghost will cause the jukebox to just play oldies so as to get on people's nerves."

"And move glasses around if things aren't as tidy as he'd like."

"Or just wanting to let others know he's around." she laughed at the image. "Either explanation would work for him."

Charlie wasn't a violent person, but she knew from his drill sergeant days that he could get a rise out of someone if he meant to.

The server and asked if they needed anything else: Sonya asked for the check.

Athelstan nods, having eaten his fill, and thanks the server.

"So where to next?"

"How'd you feel about going on a drive?" She'd been considering since they'd first gone in the car. "The weather's not the greatest, so I can't say much on views, but it's an army base so there's plenty of open rode to drive around and not worry about traffic."

She checked the time on her watch. "We have up to an hour before I need to get on with drills."

A drive wouldn't take that long, but better to tell him now just for a sense of time.

"I'm used to overcast weather", he assures her. "And I'd like to see the country you call home."

"I can show you some of the area around the base. The rest of the country is too far and varied to travel in one day, even in these times."

When the check arrived, she set the cash on the table along with extra for the tip. "Let's go."

He reaches for his crutches and slowly gets up.

"I'm at your disposal."

She stands by incase he needs assistance walking outside. Leaving, she turns to wave bye to Andrea before heading out the door to the jeep.

Much as she knew Athelstan was capalable of opening the door for himself, she still helped him inside before going into the drivers seat herself.

He appreciates it, since his hands still aren't fully healed, and settles comfortably into the passenger seat.

Starting the ignition, Sonya rolled the jeep out of the parking lot and onto the road towards the entrance of the base. Farther onward, the signs of visible security from gates and watch towers could be seen. For all most army bases resembled small towns, they were first and foremost military in nature.

Driving by the gate, she stopped the car and waved to the guard standing by. He nodded and left their view, the gates opening a moment later.

Leaving the base, she finally turned to face him. "Feel like some music?"

Athelstan nods eagerly. "What music do you have?"

In the back of the jeep, Sonya had a collection of cassettes for the road, but habit had her trying the radio stations first. This far out it was mostly a lot of country and christian music stations, but once and awhile there was a gem.

"At the moment, depends on what's playing on the radio." Still eyeing the road, she reached for the knob to turn on the radio, frowning to herself as she turned stations. The bits of song and talk were indeed a lot of country music and gospel, and while she enjoyed country music when younger, now the rougher tunes appealed to her more.

Her hand stopped when she came to the familiar few notes of a song, smiling and instantly switching back to the right station and lowering the volume a little. At night she preferred 20s vocals and jazz, but during the day it was alternative and heavy metal.

"There we go.. 'enter sandman'. Song's a few years old, but I still like it."

"He has a pleasant voice", Athelstan decides, "even if I've never heard this style before."

"Heavy metal, modern to you, but it's been around for twenty years to me." Metal in some form or another.

Driving along, she was vaguely aware that her fingers were tapping along to the music even as she drove. Strangely enough the music seemed to fit along with the weather.

His remark made her smile. First Olivier and Ozzy Osbourne, now Athelstan and Metallica-she wasn't sure if she should feel proud or evil. "I once let Olivier listen to one of my Ozzy Osbourne albums-80s heavymetal, he liked it too."

She suddenly had the image of the two of them headbanging-he had the hair atleast.

"Does he write the songs himself?" he asks. "Or does some other person do that?"

"Pretty sure he's the one that writes them. Him or one of the other bandmembers." She hadn't read an album cover in a long time.

"Some music groups in do have others write music for them, I know that much. Hard to say which though."

She wondered how she could get some of her newer albums onto the ipod.

Athelstan nods. "Well, I think people from any time and place would have gladly listened to him sing."

She laughed. As with most times with Athelstan, she felt more relaxed and at ease. "Not entirely. A lot of the more religious and some of the older generation call it heavy metal as 'devils music' because many of the song lyrics can be disturbing."

Bullshit really. Metal of any sort could be depressing and make a person angry, but then sometimes that's what she needed. "There are a few artists who do exploit this sort of notion. The more shock value they add, the more people want to buy their albums."

"I didn't say they would have wanted to hear him sing this", he says with a quick half-smile. "But a good voice is a good voice."

Sonya didn't bother holding in a laugh. "They'd have to buy the album first, which would give the impression that they like his works in the first place."

The song faded on the radio, replaced by the voice of the dj for the timeslot. Outside the jeep, the sky was turning greyer and a few splashes of rain started splattering on the windshield. Sonya turned on the wipers before it started raining hard.

"Now this is more like home", he says dryly, looking out at the rain.

"Won't cool anything off." Not in this weather and humidity. If anything, summer rainshowers made the heat worse.

A commercial started playing on the radio when Sonya thought she saw someone in the distance with a car by the driveway. They were waving their arm and with this weather, it wasn't hard to guess why.

Sonya had a natural reserve against helping hitchhikers, but she got closer she noticed that the person wasn't just waving an arm-they only had one arm to wave.

"Okay, detour time-holy crap, think I know that woman." She slowed the car down to stop by the road. "Athelstan, see the knob on the side of the door, wind it down, will you so the window opens."

Stopping by the road, the woman by the road was indeed one-armed, but other than looking very wet she was otherwise uninjured. Her dress was civilian and casual. "Jesus...Laurie Walker..that you?"

Laurie nodded, that she recognized Sonya seemed inconsiquential to the chance to go inside. "Yeah, your car unlocked."

"Get in." The woman didn't need to be told twice and quickly got into the backseet.

"Your car is broken?" Athelstan asks, twisting to look at her.

Sonya turned on the heat: not blasting, but enough so that Laurie wouldn't chilled.

The woman in question nodded, ringing out her hair. "Battery died, and then this rain before I could actually go anywhere for help."

"Where were you going?" Sonya looked at her through the rearview mirror. "Oh, this is Athelstan..visiting medic from overseas. Athelstan, this is Laurie Walker, we were roommates at the military academy."

"Hello..I was going to the base." She held up her hand, showing a wedding ring. "Guess the military stuck longer than I figured."

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