Nikita Mears (neverhadahome) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2020-01-30 18:44:00 |
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Entry tags: | !completed gdoc, !log, !match-up, nikita mears (neverhadahome), ~2020 january, ~50 points, ~~shawn hunter (mistercory) |
Who: Nikita Mears and Shawn Hunter.
What: Chatting at the bar.
Where: Lou's
When: Backdated to before the loss of so many people.
Warnings: None
Status: Closed/Complete/Matchup
As part of Shawn’s effort to be more social in 2020, he was sitting at the bar at Lou’s, nursing a beer and half-heartedly watching a hockey game on TV. “Oh, come on, that was a terrible shot,” he grumbled, not speaking to anyone in particular. The Flyers were playing, and losing, and though he hadn’t actually lived in Philadelphia for a long time, they were still his hometown team.
He signaled for the bartender to bring him a fresh beer and debated if he wanted to order some food.
***
With the holidays gone, Nikita found herself lacking ways to avoid dealing with the loss of her best friend from this place. Alex was still here, but the lack of Birkhoff was rough considering she had no idea what was going to happen in their world. Nikita knew her leaving again was the best move, which also meant once again walking out on her family. Her release was normally the gym only tonight she felt like a drink, knowing she couldn’t keep taking her frustration out on various equipment.
Taking a seat near some guy watching a hockey game, she ordered herself a drink as she crossed one leg over the other. Her knowledge on hockey was very limited, knowing enough from missions to sucker people in, but she wasn’t here on some mission. “From your look I’ll take a guess your team isn’t doing so well?” She asked with a smirk, glancing over at the man.
***
Shawn glanced over and smiled at the woman next to him. “Eh, I’m not really that into it,” he admitted. “But I gotta root for the hometown team.” And there was nothing better to do than sit at a bar watching a game that he wasn’t really interested in. Maybe he wasn’t doing so well with that whole being social thing.
“How’s your evening going?” he asked. He could make casual conversation.
***
She didn’t quite understand the need to root for a hometown team, but then again part of that could be never really having a hometown. Maybe the whole thing was different when you grew up in one place? “Sounds like I don’t need to be all preparing for the smashing of things if your team loses,” Nikita almost said when, but hey, maybe they could pull it around. Her tone was joking about the smashing cause he didn’t seem the type even more so when he wasn’t all that into it.
“Not bad. Figured the gym could use a break from working off some frustration and I could use a drink so here I am. What about yourself? Came to kick back or for a specific reason?” Which once it left Nikita’s mouth, she made a face for only a brief moment, knowing how that could be taken. She didn’t mean for it to come out that way, but if he took it that way, she’d correct it.
***
“Nah, I left my fighting and smashing days in the past,” Shawn said. And if he was going to do anything violent, it certainly wouldn’t be over sports. Now, if someone hurt Maya or Riley, that would be different. A lot of people would find that kind of thing justifiable though, he figured.
He was pretty sure that she didn’t mean her question the way it sounded given the face she made after asking it. Even if she had meant it that way, he would have feigned ignorance because he wasn’t looking for anything like that. “Making an effort to get out more,” he said. “I got married here and my wife was sent home in the spring. I’ve been kind of a hermit since then.”
***
Nikita laughed softly at his comment, taking a sip of her drink that had been sitting in front of her. Most of the time it was easy enough to pick out the ones who were the type to get all bent out of shape over sports, which he didn’t seem the type. Then again she had her rare moments of being wrong; however, she doubted that was the case this time. “Good because I think the gym equipment needs a break from any fighting,” she teased with a small smirk. Though it was slightly true considering Nikita had been spending more time working out than anything. If she hadn’t kept herself in shape while here, then she’d be feeling it right now, but that wasn’t the case.
Listening to his reason for being here, Nikita felt for the guy. She couldn’t even imagine losing your partner to this place. It was one thing to walk away of your own choice like she had done with Michael, but it was another thing when it wasn’t the person’s choice. “How’s it going on being less hermit like? Though I’m sorry about your wife. That can’t be easy at all. How long were you two married before this place sent her home?” She asked, turning slightly in her seat to focus more on him than on what was going on in front of her.
***
That was a great question and Shawn actually had to think about it. They’d been together for so long that it felt like they were married longer than they actually had been. “Oh, uh… about a year,” he said. “But we were living together for a couple years before that.” He remembered how resistant he’d been to getting serious with Liz at first, worried that her husband would show up, and sometimes he regretted that hesitation since it would have given them more time together.
“It’s the way things go around here,” he said with a shrug. Mostly he was over it now. It still sucked waking up alone and he knew he’d always miss Liz, but he knew that she wouldn’t want him to sit around and mope. Losing Maya was more difficult, though at least he had the benefit of knowing he’d see her again when it was his turn to go home. “My daughter got sent back too, but we’re from the same world. I still have my niece though.”
He took a drink and shook his head. “Sorry, not trying to drag things down. How long have you been in our lovely town?”
***
Nikita figured the topic of his wife or ex-wife considering she was gone probably wasn’t the best topic. “Still it sucks even if it’s the way things go around here,” and it did. While this place had a lot of perks, it also had some shitty downsides to the whole thing. “How old is your daughter? Yeah, I recently had my best friend from home sent back. I still have one of my best friends here, but it sucks.” Which it also didn’t help when Nikita had no idea what their future held for them to know if everything was going to be okay on their end.
Considering Nikita had been on the run for something she hadn’t even done, leaving the love of her life behind along with her friends to protect them. Only to come crashing back in without meaning to, then right before showing up here she was hurt. Yeah, she really had no idea what their future held and before it didn’t matter only now with one friend gone it did slightly. What if she left again to protect them? Nikita knew how much it’d hurt her; however, she also knew her friends would be angry at her even if she knew what she was doing was the right thing. Shrugging it off, she moved to focus on anything that wasn’t about all those thoughts.
“At least you still got your niece. Oh please, you’re not dragging things down. It takes a lot to kill the mood on dragging anything down,” she teased with a smile before shaking her head. “I’ve been here for over a year now, which is still weird to say. While it does have some dull days something I was never used to before, it also has some real crazy times.”
***
“Maya was seventeen when she got sent back,” Shawn said. “I adopted her here, but she’s Riley’s best friend so I knew her at home too.”
He wasn’t surprised to hear that she’d lost someone. Most people did if they’d been around long enough. It was one of the things that people had to deal with in Madison Valley whether they liked it or not. “I think the most important thing to know is that anything can and usually will happen,” he said. “At least that’s how it seems to me. Of course, my life back home was downright normal by comparison.”
***
“Always a fun age to deal with on girls,” she chuckles, hating those years even if hers were slightly different than most. “I’m sure she was happy with you adopting her here and probably both of them were happy to have you around here.” Nikita doubt that helped anything; however, maybe it could make things just a tiny bit better.
He wasn’t wrong about his statement on how anything can and usually will happen. Seemed probably the best way to describe this place in one sentence. “Not kidding there. Was it? I couldn’t say for mine. To me, my life is on the normal side of things, especially when compared to this place. Others might disagree on the whole normal thing.” Though that could probably be said for anyone with their world cause normal was different for everyone. Knowing she slightly opened the door to a possible personal question, she shifted it slightly to try to change the topic. “So in your honest opinion, how would you say it’s going on the whole getting out more thing? Considering you said you were trying to do that.” Raising an eyebrow slightly before taking a sip from her drink.
***
Shawn smiled at the question. “I’d say tonight has been a success,” he said. She seemed like an interesting person and maybe they’d have an opportunity to talk again in the future. “Next round’s on me.”
***
Nikita was glad to hear how tonight was a success, smiling at hearing that. “Well, that’s good to hear. And anytime you’re in the mood to do the social thing and want to try something new, you should hit me up.” Nikita was great at being social, making new friends, and all that. So she was happy to hang out with him again, maybe get the guy to expand his social interests to be more social like he wanted. “Won’t say no to that,” she said with a nod as she finished up her drink so they could order another round.