"Needed a break from the madness. I'm sure you know how people get sometimes."
"So, I'm guessing your not from around these parts, well, Barrier anyway."
Her smile made Bryan smile in return, his eyes drifting down to her lips as she spoke. He then retreated to the comfort of the amber ale in his left hand, taking a gulp that emptied the glass. "How very observant of you," Bryan continued, looking back into her eyes, "Yeah, you got me, I'm not from around here. I'm actually from planet Manhattan. But I get the feeling your not from around here either."
Bryan placed the empty glass in front of himself and eased back in his chair, a stupid grin on his face the entire time.
She watched him finish the drink and would offer to go and get another once she finished hers. The longer she could keep the fact she wasn't drinking a secret, the better. She took another sip of hers. Hannah nodded when he mentioned Manhattan. Hmm. maybe I was right. "But I get the feeling your not from around here either. She smiled, more relaxed this time, and told another lie.
"Me? I'm a Pittsburgh girl, born and raised there."
She started playing with her necklace and looked up at him flirtatiously, deciding to push for some information. Anything was better then nothing, and this man mildly interested her. More then she could say about most of the previous ones.
"So, no rules huh? You like to live the exciting life?"
"Me? I'm a Pittsburgh girl, born and raised there."
"Ouch, poor girl" Bryan had visited planet Pittsburgh a number of times. Mining colony after mining colony after refinery after refinery. Not the sort of place he could imagine living perminently. Still, even in the prosperity of the Manhattan middle class, Bryan's upbringing was as devoid of love and attention as Pitts was of trees. His eyes were drawn now to her hands. Her fingers danced across the necklace she was wearing, drawing his eyes further down to her... "Focus Bryan Goddamnit!" Bryan's eyes swiftly retreated from his compromising stare and returned to her face.
" So, no rules huh? You like to live the exciting life?"
"A Pittsburgh woman hey?" Bryan replied, with a smile that would look more in place at a customer service desk,"Well it's nice to meet you, Stephany from Pittsburgh"Talking cheezy did have its purpose, it gave the impression that Bryan was well on his way to getting three-sheeted. "And I woulddn't call my line of work exciting, believe me. This place offers a freedom like no other. No rules, no cops, no customs"
Hannah giggled when she notice his gaze wander. Moving her hand away from her necklace she ran her fingers over the rim of her glass, not dropping her gaze. "A Pittsburgh woman hey?", she nodded and picked up her glass, finishing the juice inside it and placing it toward the centre of the table. She frowned slightly, and tipped her head to one side looking confused.
"Cops and customs? I'd say your line of work must be somewhat exciting if there are people to avoid? What is it you do exactly?"
She smiled innocently, and looked away for a moment glancing around the bar. Come on... Give me something... She turned slightly sideways in her chair, moving her legs out from under the table, rearranging her dress and crossing one over the other, bare skin and black heals showing. She looked back across at him, making eye contact once again.
"Cops and customs? I'd say your line of work must be somewhat exciting if there are people to avoid? What is it you do exactly?"
Bryan coulddn't help but smile. It was hard to tell whether this woman was interested in him, or his job. Or perhapse she was fishing for something else entirely. He notices Stephany finnish her drink, then once again his eyes following the movements of her hands. She was entirely beautiful to Bryan, a thought that squirmed inside his stomach. Beautiful meant dangerous. Finally he returned his eyes to hers.
"I'm in the business of getting people what they want..." Bryan pauses momentarily, letting out a sort of half-smile before continuing, "Sometimes them needs are less then legal in certain systems, that's all. A courier is all I am really."
Bryan stared down at the two empty glasses at the centre of the table. "Would you like me to get you another drink? I promise I'll be back,"
Hannah watched him follow her hands, and grinned when he told her what he did.
"See, I told you it would be interesting! Wouldn't pick you as a... courier... you don't seem the one to take orders from anyone."
She gave him a cheeky smile. Hannah didnt have enough information on anything to have made the trip worthwhile. But, she was almost enjoying herself, the thought concerned her. He was someone she normally wouldn't have anything to do with - a courier normally meant a smuggler, and they bought in the drugs. People like him are almost as bad as the dealers themselves. But, something was off, she couldn't pick what was different about him. He mentioned getting another drink, and she glanced down at the empty glasses, contemplating it for a moment.
"Another drink? Yeah, why not. Im flying, so just I'll just grab an orange and soda. Already had too many vodka's..."
She laughed and looked across at the bar with a grin. She pulled out her wallet and held out some credits for Bryan to take. She hated men who bought drinks, they always expected something at the end of it. They were always the same.
"See, I told you it would be interesting! Wouldn't pick you as a... courier... you don't seem the one to take orders from anyone."
"Another drink? Yeah, why not. Im flying, so just I'll just grab an orange and soda. Already had too many vodka's..."
"If only" was all that Bryan was thinking. If only he diddn't have the man upstairs calling the shots on what his next assignment was, which identity to assume. But such was his role, to decieve and do the dirty work, and have higher-ups take the credit for his success. Still, Stephany's warm friendly disposition disarmed Bryan slightly, allowing him to smile and chuckle more then he had done in quite some time.
"We all have to answer to somebody in the long run, even if that somebody is ourselves" Holding Stephany's credits in his right hand, Bryan pinched both glasses together with the thumb and index finger of his left hand, suspending them away from the table. "I'll be back soon"
"Just one more of what the lady is having, and another Beer for me, thanks,"said Bryan, handing the credits that Stephany gave him over the counter. As the Bartender poured the drinks, Bryan stared back at the table where Stephany was sitting. At this point Bryan no longer considered Stephany just as a potential asset, he was now sinscerely interested in her. "Careful Bryan" a sort of shallow reminder to himself. The mission had to come first. Bryan returned with a drink in each hand, and promptly sat back down in his chair.
"There you go,"he said, handing over her drink, yet again with a stupid grin that was becoming more and more a perminent fixture on his face. Bryan took a sip from his own drink, his eyes returning to hers as he continued."So tell me, Stephany, how does a Pittsburgh girl end up out here on the barrier?"
Hannah nodded, knowing exactly what he meant by answering to yourself. Once Bryan left to get drinks, she glanced up to check the time behind the bar. It was starting to get late. 'May as well enjoy myself now, he seriously is no help at all....' She noticed Bryan looking at her, she smiled at him. She watched him walk back over, shaking her head at the grin that had hardly left his face. It looked so out of place in the bar, but he didn't seem to care. She took the drink and thanked him, taking a small sip - just to make sure it was what she wanted, it was."So tell me, Stephany, how does a Pittsburgh girl end up out here on the barrier?" She shrugged, and looked down at the table for a moment before back up at him.
"Well, you see, Pittsburgh really isn't that exciting. I passed high school, went to uni and got a degree and decided I needed to explore Sirius before settling down and getting a job.... The problem is, the more time I spend out here, the less I want to go home to a boring office job."
It wasn't entirely a lie, after leaving Manhattan she didn't want to go back there. Hannah ran her fingers through her hair, twisting it as she reached the ends, contemplating whether she would go back home again. Even though she was more relaxed now she still felt like she didn't belong out here, but there were so many more opportunities, and so many more things to see in space then there was planetside.
"Well, you see, Pittsburgh really isn't that exciting. I passed high school, went to uni and got a degree and decided I needed to explore Sirius before settling down and getting a job.... The problem is, the more time I spend out here, the less I want to go home to a boring office job."
Bryan watched as Stephany ran her fingers through her hair, his face softened, and his tone changed. At some point during that brief, beautiful moment, the care free smuggler that was Bryan West had retreated. And in that brief moment, the man underneath the illusion came to the surface.
"I know what you mean. I wasn't cut out for life in a cubicle. I need space to breath. Still..."Bryan looked down at his hands, gathering his thoughts,"Can get awfully lonely out here in the emptiness."He started to play with his left ring finger."You give up a few things amongst the excitement of chasing a dream."
Bryan looked back up from his hands, now staring sinscerely into Stephany's eyes, "Boring is safe, but excitement has its risks. Just have to make sure its all worth it in the end."
Hannah watched him, this was something she hadn't expected. 'Hes new at this...' Was the only thing she thought, although, she was unsure what exactly that meant. she watched him play with his ring finger, "You give up a few things amongst the excitement of chasing a dream." She sighed, and thought about what to say for a moment, before choosing the only words of comfort she could without giving away too much of her cover.
"It gets easier. Leaving home I had to leave behind friends and family, I mean, that was a few years ago now... Before Uni... Leaving the people you care about never really goes away, but it gets easier..... You were married?"
She smiled a half smile, but this time her eyes remained emotionless. 'Damnit Hannah... what are you thinking?!. She knew exactly what he meant, and that she had overstepped one of her rules. No matter how close to home it hits, maintain your cover, don't get personal. She had maintained the lie, but not the character she had created around it.
"Anything is worth it in the end if you make it, but, I guess that's up to each individual. It wont happen because they think it should... I mean, if you're being a courier for meeting people, your going to have to make that happen, or you will be a lonely old fool one day."
She grinned a cheeky grin, and took a sip of her drink. Knowing she messed up, but hoping she didn't give too much away in the moments she had.
