Beast of Burden

It was a pretty simple pub/restaurant mix. Nothing too out of the ordinary, a bar with a average selection of drinks and beer, along with a decent menu of available dishes that were more catered to people who liked to drink alongside of them, but it wasn't a dingy place.

The two Quincies had entered the building after being carded, and now Jack would smoothly pivot on one heel to turn towards his erstwhile companion in relaxation, lazily placing one hand in his pockets.

"Wellllll, we can sit at the bar over there, or find a dinner table. Its up to you, you are the one who directs, Miss Selena." Jack did a little twirl of his free hand, like a conductor flourishing his stick in mid air. He would resume teasing her later, because he was such a good guy, wasn't he?

"The bar. Sitting at a table with you alone feels too much like a date." Selena rolled her eyes at Jack's theatrics, one hand coming up to shoo him on ahead with her fingers. Maybe he'd walk backwards and trip, falling on his ass. That would be amusing and a great start to the night. She smiled brightly, truly happy with such a thought.

At least he wasn't bringing up her sex life..once again. Because everyone seemed to be so utterly obsessed with it. How hard was it to NOT talk about private matters like that? She moved quickly to the bar and slid onto a stool, trying to decide what she wanted... "...I don't know much about alcohol myself. What would you suggest, Mr Jack?"

"A date? While this place is fine, a classy person like myself would take a girl someplace a little fancier." He smiled a little bit, following her to the bar area. While walking, a wayward piece of flooring caught one of his shoes and he started to trip, but he recovered just in the nick of time and casually continued his stride, like nothing had just happened. Fortune favored the slackers didn't it?

"Well, do you want a beer or something stronger? Personally I'm more of a beer guy myself. Easier to drink." He remarked as he sat down next to her, taking his other hand out of his pocket and looking through the drink section of the menu to see what the place had.

"So you do have taste. Color me surprised." A chuckled escaped her at that, though Selena had to curse her luck. He seemed to have too much luck and didn't even seem to notice he had tripped, which...ugh. Well, there was time. She could have fun with Jack drunk, it would amuse her at least and give her fuel.

"Beer for now, I suppose then. You are the master connoisseur here, what kinds do you suggest?" Jack did have some uses and skills, so it wasn't as if it was hard for her to admit this and she lifted the list to glance. "Ale sounds good, but there are a few kinds..."

She was curious why hang out now of all times, but she could save it for later. Today had been annoying... she did feel like a few drinks would help her relax.

"I do enjoy a nice Sam Adams every now and then. Nice entry to ales." Jack remarked with a genuine smile. It was nice actually not getting yelled at or being scolded for being lazy, even if it was only for the moment.

"Barkeep. A Boston Ale for the Lady, and the best milk stout you have for myself." The man told the nearby patron, who nodded and left to go fetch their drinks. While they waited for him to return, Jack rested his elbows on the counter and slouched a bit, turning towards Selena and giving a lazy smile.

"You may accuse me of being lazy, but yes, I do have some taste. For example, I am a gentleman and will refrain from smoking while we're out, because that would be distasteful as well, no?" He chuckled a bit.

"Well thank you." Jack was the expert, she would trust in his...beer taste. Not much else though. If there was one thing she was sure he was good at it, it was probably drinking. Along with most of the older workers. What the hell was with them all?

Nodding her thanks to the barkeep with a small smile, she wondered briefly what a milk stout was. Did they...put milk in beer? It sounded odd... She'd find out soon enough. Selena's face was one of disbelief for a brief moment as she turned to look at Jack, before she laughed lightly and rolled her eyes. "Hah! You want thanks for that? I suppose since its SUCH a large inconvenience to you. Thank you for not smoking around me."

"Why go to all this hassle, forgoing your own precious habit, just to spend time with someone who nags you?" She was genuinely curious at this point, though she was still a bit annoyed he had bothered her about this. "I bet Kostya would have made a better drinking partner."

Jack merely hmmed for a moment, placing a hand up to his chin in a thoughtful pose for but a second before chuckling a little bit and smiling.

"Well, yes, but if I were to drink with Kostya, we would probably be doing only that. You see, when men go to a bar, they don't exactly do it to have meaningful conversations." He laughed lightly. "As for you, my dear, am I not the perfect person to distract you from thinking about work?" He grinned. Before she could respond, the Bartender came back and put their two glasses down on the counter, before walking away to serve other customers. Jack's was the darker of the two, being a stout. He grabbed his and lifted it up a bit for a toast, continuing to give a little grin.

"You are implying you wish to have meaningful conversations with me?" This was even more confusing. Selena shook the rather dumbfounded expression from her face. Was he some sort of masochist? She was so utterly flummoxed by this lazy man. "I get distracted from work by my pool and pets... What is with everyone? I am not stressed other than at work itself!"

Her anger wasn't in it though as she grabbed the ale and held it up in the toast he wanted, though she did roll her eyes. Taking a small curious sip, she smiled brightly as she realized it tasted rather good, another bigger drink following the first. "Okay, yes. You are good at distracting. This is really good!"

"Woah, easy on the gas there drunk-o. Chugging is for frat boys." Jack laughed a bit as he watched Selena enjoy the drink. He took a sip of his own in the meanwhile. Mmm, smooth and refreshing.

"Well sure, if you want. I know you hate me and all, but I've always been a good talker I'd like to think. I mean, hey, who smoothed over those negotiations for us?" He grinned in a jovial manner as he raised his glass a little bit in self approval, before taking another drink.

"So you like to swim? Well, I know you do since I saw you in that suit, but how long have you been doing it?" The lazy man asked the non-lazy woman.

"I was not chugging! I took a big drink to taste better." Selena glared as she set her glass down, turning away after a few seconds because honestly he wasn't worth getting worked up over. How could this be called relaxing?

"You think you can smooth me over like a ruffled cat? Seriously Jack? What would you like to talk about? Your dark and tragic past or mine?" Her snarky tone and derisive laughter was only ended as she took another drink, shaking her head afterwards. However....swimming...maybe that was something she could talk about.

"Princess actually suits me, I mean.... I've been swimming and all sorts of sports and activities since I was a young child. I can sing, play violin and piano, swim... Tutored in such refined arts." Her laughter was once again derisive, but her eyes soft. "Swimming is nice. Do you have any hobbies other than taking young women to bars and smoking? Oh! Can't forget master level napping."

"No, you pretty much nailed it." The man chuckled as he took another sip. He was so used to Selena's snarky way of talking towards him that he didn't even register it anymore. "Well, not too young, I'm not a pedo you know." Jack laughed again. "Actually, I do enjoy a good read now and then, but I wouldn't say its a real hobby of mine..." He paused, another sip.

"Perhaps I should find one...You're smarter than me Selena, what would you suggest I take up?" He asked the younger woman in earnest as he set his drink down for the moment.

"...I was being facetious. Wow, I must be more amazing than I previously thought." Selena's patented glare was a bit softer even as she scoffed again. "Mm almost a decade of difference~ ...Its not as if I care though. I've always been told I'm way older than my physical age."

Jack seemed sincere in his wish to have help and her expression softened just a bit as she thought. "Hm, other than annoying me... And other than reading... You could start swimming as well. Maybe collecting things? Carving wood could be a nice hobby too, as it keeps your hands busy and you could make small objects with little to no fuss. As is origami too. You could make little cats or dogs. I don't see you as...the too hard type, but your hands could use something to keep them busy..."

"Hmm..." Jack hummed to himself as he listened to Selena's advice. Swimming, eh maybe...wood carving could be fun...collecting, that could wait until he was old...wait, origami? Well that could work too he supposed..."Those are some good ideas. Wait, I'm not hard enough? I am a Grandmaster you know, Princess." He teased just a little bit with a smile as he reached for his drink again and spun in the barstool, his back now against the counter as he looked around the Bar.

Taking another few sips, his drink coming closer and closer to the bottom, he just let out a soft sigh.

"Yeah you do act like a woman in her mid thirties already, but don't be in a hurry to grow up too fast that you miss out on your youth, Selena." Jack said, again speaking in earnest. "Well, at least promise you won't start freaking out about finding a man and having kids like one." He laughed.

"I meant more that there are harder hobbies, ones require more than just simple doing things here or there... Didn't think you of all people would want to find something hard, Grandmaster." Selena threw him an eyeroll filled glance as he spun around dramatically.

"What do you mean? What youth?" Confused, she took another drink from the glass that was quickly emptying. Apparently Jack knew all about such things... It would be easier to ask him than someone else. He was annoying but truthful and didn't hold back. "Is there a handbook I'm missing?"

"The youth you still have. You're only..." Jack paused a second to look around. Alright, it was safe. "...19, did you forget? Its too late for a geezer like me but you can still choose what you want to do with your life. I'm sure Adam would understand." He replied in a sincere manner. It seemed like she was honestly curious as to what he had meant. All of the Quincy pomp and circumstance was lost on Jack. Sure, he identified as a Quincy and all that, but he didn't let it get in the way of living life. He had a feeling Selena was so devoted to her job out of a sense of familial connection or something along those lines. He understood, of course.

"Your job is one of the toughest ones in our company. You can do it, you have the ability, but is this where you truly see yourself in the future?" Nah, that wasn't going to work, now he was sounding too much like a parent trying to scold a kid, and Selena was too smart for that to work anyways. He gave another small sigh.

"Well...look. All I'm trying to say is that don't think things are set in stone and you can't change them, that's all." He said, taking a big gulp and finishing his stout. He figured she would probably just ignore most of what he had just said or write it off as rambling, but he hoped some of it would get through.

"But I really like this work, even if it does make me frustrated and annoyed a lot of the time. I don't...enjoy drinking a lot, partying... People my age either get upset when I try to socialize with them or are so vapid I can't stand it." Really? Was she actually having a heart to heart with Jack? It must be the alcohol, though she hadn't had much. He seemed to sincere in his interest, as wrong as it was. "If you know of other things, I'm listening to your sage advice."

A small smirk, though accompanied by a movement as she drank more from her glass. Soon she'd need more, but she wasn't as quick to finish hers as Jack. Turning sideways in her seat, she leaned an elbow on the bar and looked at Jack fully. She was interested and the tilt of her head was sincere. "What did you do? Isn't this what you want Jack?"

"I was barely a teenager when the war started. I didn't get the choice of what I wanted to do. Both of my parents were involved..." Jack trailed off, a rare hint of sadness on his words. He wasn't going to tell her his entire life story in a bar of all places, it could be done someplace more appropriate. "I won't bore you with the details, but lets just say a moment of peace was hard to come by." He remarked, instinctively reaching inside of his jacket for a smoke, then realizing what he was doing and stopped.

"This life I have now is not bad at all, but if I had the same level of choice you have right now, I don't think I would have been a part of all this." He turned his head towards Selena. "Not to say Adam is a bad guy or anything, or that our organization is evil blah blah blah, but I don't know...cozy house out in the country, living quietly, it sure does have its appeal some days." He laughed with a bit of a smile.

"Huh." Selena had no idea, she had been way too young to really remember much of it and... Well she wasn't one to socialize much with the others beyond work. They all probably had stories like this, stories of families torn apart or killed. At least the quincies who hadn't been born to those who had hidden.

"Well, I'm sorry you had that, for what little my words are worth." For once she felt a bit bad, but drained her glass and waved for refill as she set it back on the bar. "Its boring out there, but for someone like you... I can see it. Sitting on a rocker, smoking on a porch, a maid or something to bring you food and drinks?"

"Sounds like your life now that I imagine it. If you want, my cousins back home would welcome a retired Grandmaster to their home. They have a daughter a few years my senior, you could settle down, start a family and take care of vineyards." Selena smirked and leaned forward a bit, honestly hoping to switch topics and get his mind off of the sad things he had brought up. "Just give me a few years to settle into things, and I'll take care of everything eh? You'll have a guilt free life style change."

Jack flagged the Bartender as well, letting him know he also wanted a drink. He then turned his head back towards Selena and chuckled a bit.

"Yeah, that does sound nice, but I'll pass on the cousin thing. Arranged marriages are for people like our King, who's blood is important. I'm just your average plebian Quincy." He smiled. "You're already run ragged as it is. Running the Jagdarmee on top of everything else you do? You'd stress yourself into a heart attack, princess." He grinned, joking around as he let out a relaxed sigh.

"Besides, no offense, but I don't think you could ever smooth talk somebody. You would give off that 'angry female CEO' vibe." He laughed again, back to teasing her while he waited for his new drink. No sense in talking about the past any longer.

"You have an important position and are strong, I think they'd make an exception. It is your choice though, though she is really pretty if you ever wish me to ask about it." Selena accepted her new glass of beer and took a drink, she'd need something stronger to get drunk. Business men sometimes drank a ton, she'd had to learn how to up her tolerance for such things rather quickly. She was trying her hand at teasing, the alcohol loosening her rather strict personality.

However his brought a frown to her face, as brief as that was. She waved a hand in Jack's direction, scoffing. "Hey! I said a few years, I am sure I can learn tact and how to smile realistically sweetly by then. I don't want it now, souls no. Once I have everything all set, I can take your title and position so you would have to deal with for at least a few years longer. I have dreams and you are in my way."

It was half truth and her words were said playfully. So what if her dreams were merely Grandmaster position and an important role in taking care of the remaining quincies, not the Jagdarmee itself.

Really pretty huh? Hm...well, anyways, Jack grabbed his new drink as well and took a swig. It was nice getting away from the City and the whole business side of things. He turned his head towards Selena in a lazy manner and just grinned boyishly as she said her words.

"Oh, I'm in the way? Well excuuuuuuse me princess." He chuckled. "Regardless, I think I would like to stay on until Adam gives me leave to go. I would want to make sure the company wouldn't be in an uproar if I just up and left someday." He paused, another sip and a light laugh. "I may be considered lazy, but I do have my integrity you know." He turned away to cough, looking back towards the younger Quincy again afterwards

"So just cousins? No closer family? I'm an only child you see, and if I ever had cousins or aunts and uncles I never got to meet 'em."

"Well thats polite of you. I thank you from the bottom of my tiny black heart for not making a mess even while leaving, Lord Jack." Selena scoffed, if he was gonna call her Princess she might as well call him Lord or something. At his cough she rolled her eyes and crossed her legs again. "I suppose you are one of the most trustworthy of us, if that counts for much coming from me. Your laziness may make me angry, but I'm not blinded by hatred."


"My family's all dead, when I was about five or so. I was raised by my grandfather's cousin's side of the family." Now THAT deserved a large drink of the beer, it was a mouthful to name off the exact relationship and she wasn't going into it. She hated talking about it. "I had siblings, but my parents and grandparents were only children on all sides. Grandma held the family name, so... I ended up with it now. Congratulations me."

Well, this certainly was fun conversation. Both of them talking about their dead families and how everything sucked aside from being a part of the Quincies...

"Mm, sounds like a fun time growing up." Jack hummed, his tone obviously sardonic, though a crappy past would certainly explain why Selena was always so wound up when it came to work, he thought. Meh, time for a change in scenery. Bars always led to depressing stories, or drunk sex in the bathroom stalls. Usually both. Deciding that their time off should be better spent elsewhere, the Sternritter placed money on the counter to pay for both of their drinks and finished up his refilled glass with a few big gulps.

"Finish up your drink and lets get out of here." He flashed a playful sort of grin towards the younger woman. "Not in that kind of way, before you get the wrong idea." He laughed.

(REVIVING THIS TOPIC  )

"Same for you." Selena did laugh softly, they both had sucky childhoods. She may feel a bit better towards him now, but it wouldn't effect her glares or yelling at work. Still understanding was better than mindless hate... And if she admitted to herself, he just utterly frustrated her instead of it being pure hate.

Watching him put the money down, she downed her drink with a few gulps and set the empty glass on the counter. Slipping from her seat, she shot the Sternritter a smirk. "You're too lazy for me, like I said before. I'd need to be tipsy as all hell before I bedded you. Where to? Any place in mind?"

"Meh, you're too young for me anyways. I like women with more...experience." Jack quipped back with a chuckle as he got up out of his seat. "Not Lada's amount, though." He added, lazily placing his hands in his pockets as he made for the door. opening it for the younger woman to walk through. Whatever he was, he was still a gentleman.

"Hm...I'm not sure. Its hard to think of a place that wouldn't outright annoy you." He paused with a bit of a smirk. "There's a local carnival in town for a few days, we could check that out. That is, if you aren't allergic to fun, Miss Archiagott." He gave another boyish grin, continuing to tease Selena.