Snatching up a menu, Riley looked it over for a moment while taking a first slow drink of his beer, before flagging down the bartender once more.
"Hey, again. Sorry to be a bother, but my friend and I have some catching up to do. Could we please get...a plate of nachos, a plate of boneless buffalo fingers, and some silverware in the corner booth. At your convenience, of course."
With that, he picked his beer up off the counter and, beckoning Xander to follow, took a seat in the booth. The somewhat dimmer lighting actually made him feel a bit more comfortable, given the guarded nature of what he had to say...and oh boy, how cliche spy was that? But hey, there was nothing to be shamed about for spying for your country, on your country's own soil. Even if his job required a degree of sneaking around, it was nonetheless above board, and it was with that confidence that he began to explain himself.
"Okay, first of all? I'm not asking you to set aside your loyalty to your friends. I wouldn't waste my time with that; I've been away awhile, but there are some things you don't forget. Like how you stuck by Buffy and the others all that time, even though you didn't have any destiny, or calling...or frankly, even most of the tools that most people would expect to have if they were going to tackle that sort of life night after night. Your loyalty was always above question. But you were also a good man. I'm here because I have important questions, and to answer them properly and fairly, I need both those perspectives."
He looked for all the world like he was about to elaborate, but just then, his face took on a distinctly regretful look as he took a second drink of his Sam Adams. When he put the glass down, he offered Xander an apologetic smile.
"But I'm sorry to be so all business, important as that business may be. I wasn't lying to the bartender when I said we had some catching up to do. I, uh...I heard about how you got that patch. And I heard about Anya. I'm very sorry."