Who: Hannah and Jake What: Drinks and chatting When: Evening, June 6, 2019 Where: Josie's Bar Rating: Low Status: Complete
It was the weekend, which meant that Jake didn’t have to check into the facility, it was his day. So, he spent it doing laundry and working out. He’d messaged Hannah earlier that day and set up to meet for drinks. That evening, he showed up. It was getting warm out at night so he just put in a t-shirt and jeans for the night. His ink clearly visible. Of course his badge was on his hip that identified him as any other resident.
He ordered two drinks and found a booth to relax in as he sipped at his beer. When he saw Hannah come in he gave a wave and pushed the second bottle her way. “Hey. Glad you made it. Keeping busy?”
—
Hannah was a little surprised by the message from Jake, but she showed up at the bar at the agreed upon time. Thankfully she wasn’t pulling an all-nighter, so she had the rare chance to socialize a little.
Stepping in, she spotted him easily. Sliding into the booth across from him, she received the bottle eagerly. “Hey. Yeah, as usual. How’re things?” Hannah liked Jake, she couldn’t really pinpoint why. Maybe because he put up with her awkwardness. It didn’t take much.
--
Jake shrugged slightly. “Boss has had me busy, but what else is new?” His ‘job’ at the facility was classified as ‘janitor’ even though no one ever saw him cleaning stuff. Then again, he’d argue that was good. That janitors shouldn’t be noticed- only their work. In reality he was either put through trainings or sent on missions for the government when they needed a quick drop of or ExFil. Basically used for his abilities. “Looking forward to a relaxing weekend. A bit excited about the barbecue.” He took a sip of his beer and leaned against the table slightly. “They giving you the day off to go?”
—
She took a slow sip from the bottle, watching him curiously as he spoke. Hannah shrugged in response to the question and smirked. “I didn’t even realize there was something going on, but I don’t always pay attention to that stuff. It’s usually just for the residents. I’ll probably have to work for it, but if not… maybe I’ll make an appearance.” Like stand off awkwardly to the side like she did in most social situations these days. She missed the days when she felt more relaxed and comfortable around people.
--
“Hey, I’d argue that if the guards get to attend and partake while they work, why couldn’t you? Especially when it’s on a weekend.” He smirked. Oh, he knew the government didn’t work that way. If they said work, you worked. But it’s something the old Jake would say, that persona he wore undercover. “And if you do, who knows… maybe we might actually see you smile.” Jakob teased. “I honestly can’t wait to do a little swimming, enjoy a good grilled burger.” He honestly could think of better things to do with his time, but in a way it was his job, so he wouldn’t argue. Maybe he would have a little actual fun while working.
--
Hannah just shrugged. She wasn’t really sure why he cared if she was in attendance, or if she smiled. Taking another pull from her bottle, she eyed him curiously. “Do you think anyone would really notice if I did? Show up, or smile, or anything?” Looking around the bar idly, she sat back in the booth with a sigh. “I hope you get to have a good time.”
--
“Any random person, probably not. But would I care about the person who makes for a good occasional drinking companion has a good time? Yea. Why not?” Jake said with a playful smile.
He nodded slightly. “I’m bringing Kyrie. She’s been having some issues with one of the guards lately. Real jackass. So, I offered to accompany her so she could go without having to go it alone.” He took a sip from his drink. “Also, how often do we get like fresh barbecue without having to pay extra here? I’m a crap cook so this is awesome to me.”
--
Hannah glanced back to him, but her expression turned from curious to a shade of disappointment when he mentioned taking a girl to the barbecue. Taking another long drink from the bottle, she just nodded. It was like she didn’t constantly worry about guards coming into her room when she slept, or getting locked in a ‘box’ for making one wrong step.
Shaking it off, she stared at the table top, tracing random designs in the puckered wood. “That’s really nice of you. And yeah, good food is hard to come by.”
—-
“You should meet her. She’s sweet, works at the diner. She tends to keep to herself.” Which sort of reminded him of Hannah. “But she’s nice. I think you guys would get along.” Of course, Jake was taking Kyrie to help cultivate another source on the island. But he couldn’t tell Hannah that. Hannah worked for his bosses so he hung out with her because he wanted to, but he couldn’t tell her that exactly either. He hadn’t had a ‘real’ friend in… before his service began. But, that was the job. He was used to lying to everyone he knew.
--
Hannah just nodded a little, glancing around the bar as she idly peeled the label off her bottle. “Most people around here don’t really want to associate with me. The residents don’t trust me because I ‘work for The Man,’ and the guards don’t trust me because I’m one of the freaks.” Looking back to him, she shrugged. “If I see her around, I’ll say ‘hey.’”
--
“Hey, I’m one of the residents, and I don’t mind associating with you.” Jake reminded her. “But I can understand where you’re coming from. But if others knew you weren’t working ‘for the man’ by choice, they might get past that. I know I have.” Then again, they were actually in the same boat, his was just hidden. At least he felt like, even though he was hiding things from her, Hannah was his most honest relationship. Because he didn’t have to try to manipulate her to use later or anything. He could just hang out and be ‘off the clock’ so to speak. “So, any news from the mainland about new movies or TV we should be asking for?” He asked with a smirk. They were so closed off on the island, they had no idea what to even ask for unless someone with clearance gave them the scoop.
--
Hannah finally looked back to Jake, staring at him for a minute. “Yeah, but you’re different.” She wasn’t sure how or why, it just felt different being around him and talking to him. It was almost comfortable. Maybe too comfortable. After everything that had happened in the last few years, Hannah struggled to trust people. But if she had to say she trusted someone, it would be Jake. The problem was, she couldn’t think of a specific reason why.
Going along with the change of topic, she shrugged. “I’ve been too busy on other projects to know. But once I hear something, I’ll let you know.’
--
Jake smiled. “Thanks. Hard to know what’s out there and what we’re missing.” Granted he had been out of the loop long before being brought to the island. But he had found he enjoyed some of the media they let onto the island. Not quite the action adventure he’d watched when he was a kid, but that made sense. You wouldn’t want the residents to get ideas from some ‘hero’ fighting against governments. “So, I heard they might start doing Karaoke again… what do you say, when they do you wanna do a duet with me?” He asked with a smile. “It could be a lot of fun.”
--
Hannah paid little attention to the entertainment allowed or banned from the island. Her access to things might have not been as limited, but the punishment for slipping up was far more severe. So she just avoided it all together.
Arching a brow, she finished off the last of her beer. Fun was a foreign concept these days, and someone wanting to include her in that was even more rare. “Uh… sure. Yeah.”