Alexander wandered into the unusally quiet pub, a small place, well removed from the general hustle and bustle of the Manhattan streets. He chose the place for that exact reason, quite, out of the way, a good place to get to know someone. He sat in one of the corner booths, more interested in observing the rest of the seemingly uninteresting pub. A bottle of water was already on the table and he poured himself a glass before looking around. It was pretty basic, traditional wooden walls and floors, a solid oak bench for the bar, classic taps and the like, it was all there. He fixed his gaze on the door and waited for Leftenant Prower to arrive, quite interested in who she might be.
An unusual sight for an off the beaten path bar, the Navy Lieutenant walked in, a modest girl, blonde hair tied into a pony tail, as per regulation for duty, clad in the standard Navy uniform, eyed up the bar, looking for the Agent she was to meet with. From the Agents view, she could look no older than 20, despite being 24 years of age. Making her way to the booth, she sat across from the operative. "I see you found a nice quiet spot for us, Agent. I suppose finding things like this is your specialty." She poured a glass of water for herself, keeping a keen eye on her surroundings. "A cozy little place, isn't it?"
He smiled as she walked in, as if he were greeting an old friend, although inside he was quite surprised at her youthful appearance. Reason told him she would be older, she had to be older, Leftenants weren't children after all.
''Alexander, please'' he said on hearing the word 'agent'. While it wasn't his true name, it was certainly better than the alternative. ''I wished to speak with you, quite and cozy seem to work best in such cases'' he said in answer to her question. ''I apologise, meeting secret agents isn't nearly as exciting as they make it out to be in the films'' he said in a softer voice. Most of the time, ship to ship comms distorted voices, and his in particular sounded more harsh than it really was. When talking one on one, it may have been easy to mistake him for a reverend.
''Still, I am most grateful you decided to come along miss Prower..would you like a drink?''
"Certainly, Alexander." Nicole said, letting her hair down, reaching just below her shoulders. "I'm actually suprised you asked me here, most BIS people I see get their mission done and return. They don't typically ask anyone around, especially a Navy pilot. I'm curious, how come you asked me here, getting an enjoyable drink aside?" Nicole took a drink from her glass of water.
"And yes, our service isn't quite as the films depict, though I'm glad it's that way. It'd be a headache for paperwork, and we'd never get anything done"
He gave the briefest of smiles before replying, ''Curiosity. In front of her commanding officer, a young leftenant takes charge of business that is usually reserved for other intelligence officals. Yet, she takes it in her stride, makes intelligent observations and does not give any hint of uncertainty or weakness. Yet is surprisingly open about her family. It is enough for me to invite you here to get to know you more, you interest me.'' He took a sip of water from his own glass before continuing ''I do understand that you might think I am here to steal you away from the Navy and press you into service for us, I can assure that this is not the case. You may aslo be concerned that I might have some, ulterior motive...not true, I wish to get to know you, thats all.
Nicole lightly laughed. "Ofcourse, your types are always after knowledge, of everything. Though I must admit, it was a little weird being the one talking there. But it is my duty to do as necessary for the best interest of Liberty and her allies. This isn't quite the first time I've gone outside our standard boundaries, but that's a story for another day." Nicole took another sip of her water. "Quite honestly, I figured this would be normal work for a Lieutenant, but I'm guessing that this isn't the case." Paying close attention, one could tell she was of Kusari origins, strange, for her name and accent.
Nicole waived over a waitress, ordering a glass of a mixture she calls the Cherry Bomb, a drink of 1/3 cherry vodka, 1/3 whiskey, and 1/3 gin. "Quite the mixture, for whatever reason it enhances the cherry flavor while delivering the kick you'd imagine. I have no doubt you're not here for another means but having a friendly drink. I rather appreciate that, not many people look upon the Navy with a friendly face, it's nice to have a change. So, feel free to pick my brain Alexander." Nicole gave a smile as the waitress awaited his order.
''Whiskey'' he said ''Ardmore, with ice, if you please.'' The waitress nodded and scurried off. ''Very well'' he said returning his attention to the lady in front of him. ''So, where are you from originally?'' he asked with keen interest as the waitress returned with his drink.
"I was born on Planet New Tokyo, my father Libertonian and mother Kusarin. Sometime during the nomad war, my father decided we should flee to Liberty, but I was only a toddler. He thought Liberty would be a safer place for us. After the war ended, my mother returned home, insisting she'be back." Nicole took a small drink from her water.
"We spent our lives on Manhattan, changed our names to fit in more as my brother and I grew up, but it didn't help any. Things were okay, until one day rocked my family. While my father was moving some ore to Pittsburgh, the Rogues cut off his trade lane, demanding everything, the ore and all his cash. Understand, we had little to live on, so he refused, stalling for time until the Navy arrived. As good as he was, a transport is no fighting vessel... the Rogues took him from us despite the valiant efforts of the Navy." The young girl moved her bangs aside to wipe a tear from her eye.
"Once we turned 18, my brother and I enlisted to ensure nobody had to go through what we did. As per dad's will, the life insurance money went into a Democritus to serve as our home and the last monument of his legacy. We maintain it well."
He listened with keen interest, not preparing to interupt her tale. His green eyes not giving away his thoughts. ''May I ask what happened to your mother, did she return?''
Nicole gathered herself briefly before answering. "Yes, she has, she lives on Manhattan now, in a cozy apartment. We insisted she stay with us on our yacht, but she was firm in saying she wanted to remain planetside. Now it's just.. the life of being Navy officers for my brother and I. I don't get too stressed out, so don't believe anything Miles or anyone in my chain of command says, I'm not a stressed girl." Nicole hid herself well, hiding her stress, but a trained eye can spot her deceit.
Nicole thanked the waitress for her drink. "As for now, I suppose life is well for us, aside from the obvious. I know you probably can't, but it's worth a try. The accent is Bretonian by a kilometer, but where from?"