solo (soloing) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2019-08-21 00:23:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | !complete, dan smith, napoleon solo |
WHO: Napoleon Solo & Dan Smith
WHERE: Double Tap
WHEN: {backdated} early July
WHAT: Napoleon talks dreams and dream sharing with Dan; there is advice.
WARNINGS: PGish.
STATUS: Complete
Had he been asked a few months ago, Napoleon likely would voice that it would’ve been fine to share dreams with people. As much as the Red Peril and Ms Teller were a bit of a sticking point dream wise, he figured it was likely a little easier to deal with these things when others were aware of things too.
Thankfully his dreams weren’t too complicated to follow, although the decade made things decided different, things seemed to follow a nice linear path.
But being aware of Illya and Gaby, knowing that at least Illya was dreaming, although he hadn’t asked Gaby, it didn’t seem the easiest thing to just bring up in conversation. So Napoleon, as he was prone to do, got very involved in work to deal with that specific complication.
Realising, when he was in possession of several stolen goods that weren’t actually going anywhere for anyone, that he might be spiralling into a very messy coping mechanism, Napoleon opted to fall into a different coping mechanism all together.
Drinking.
Not that he’d do it alone, oh no, he wasn’t just that low yet. And instead of risking going to a fancy establishment for whatever might unfold, Napoleon made his way to the Double Tap, dressing down in something more for comfort than anything else, picking up a gaudish but authentic bracelet with diamonds and sapphires for Agatha, just because he could, Napoleon deposited himself at the bar across from said woman with a smirk.
“You know, I’m starting to believe that you’re his kept woman,” Napoleon gave a slight jerk of his head towards Dan, winking at Agatha, “breaking my heart here, Agatha darling.”
At the sight of the bracelet, Agatha’s eyes widened and a smile broke across her aged face. She quickly snuffed out her cigarette so that she could look at the bracelet properly. Long bony fingers that had seen decades of hard manual labor touched the precious metal and stones admiringly. “Oh my, my!” She said in her raspy two-pack-a-day voice. “This is beautiful! It must have cost a small fortune!” She turned her watery blueish eyes upwards at Napoleon, no question of where he had gotten it or if it truly was a gift for her. “With a gift like this, I could certainly reconsider my options,” she teased, then she raised her hand to wave Dan over. “Danny! Come here and see this.”
Dan made his way from behind the bar over to the table where Agatha and Napoleon were, laying the rag he’d been using to dry glasses over his shoulder. He looked at the bracelet when Agatha raised it up for him to see. Dan was no expert when it came to jewelry, but he had been around the block a few times to be able to spot when something at least appeared authentic and expensive. The bracelet looked as if it was worth more than Agatha’s entire wardrobe, if not more than everything else she owned to boot. Agatha wore a bit of jewelry, some even as gaudy as this particular bracelet, but unlike the bracelet, it was all costume jewelry. Nothing more expensive than maybe $50. Just where had she gotten her hands on this?
“That’s a mighty fine piece, Aggie,” Dan said. “Where did you get it from?”
“Napoleon here brought it in,” Agatha said. “He’s trying to steal me away from you.” She gave Napoleon a wink and patted his arm. To Dan, she said, “you better step up your game, Danny. You never give me gifts.”
Dan rolled his eyes slightly. “I think Liv would have a few things t’ say if I started buying you expensive jewelry.”
“Oh, psh.” Agatha waved him off dismissively. She went back to admiring the bracelet, turning it this way and that in the dim light of the bar.
“That’s quite the gesture,” Dan said, turning his attention to Napoleon.
It was rare that Napoleon actually saw anything like a genuine reaction from someone for any of the pieces he moved. For the corporate world, it was all about possession, not the piece itself. He’d seen it time and time again, especially with his father and maybe it was why he got so bored so often.
Agatha, bless her, was far more receptive to the item itself than just the act of owning it. Possibly why Napoleon opted to bring it along -he didn’t think he was to the stage of giving Gaby gifts yet, “Well, I couldn’t think of someone else to give it to,” he wasn’t going to bother telling Agatha that she was likely the last place someone would look, or that he didn’t know anyone else who wore the amount of sparkle she sometimes decked out in -likely when she was trying to attract a magpie.
“Company auction.” He offered it purely as an explanation to smooth things in, if Dan even wanted to dig deeper, it certainly didn’t seem like Agatha minded where it came from. And technically it did come from a company auction, it just wasn’t up for auction and it wasn’t Napoleon’s employers, just something pretty he’d seen on a wrist and decided to abscond with. “Besides, work has been terribly distracting and I wouldn’t like dear Agatha to think I’d forgotten her.”
“Aggie’s pretty unforgettable,” Dan said. It wasn’t that he was suspicious of where Napoleon had gotten the bracelet. So far the other man hadn’t yet given him a reason to suspect him of any sort of nefarious activity. Therefore, if Napoleon said he had gotten it at auction, then as far as Dan was concerned, that was where it came from.
What had Dan a little cautious was the act of giving Agatha the bracelet. Dan had been raised by a cop and he’d been a cop for a number of years. Add to that his work in the underworld as someone who “fixed” problems and he couldn’t help but be suspicious. He’d heard so many stories (as well as seen for himself) the countless number of times the elderly had been taken advantage of; lured into a false sense of security to be robbed blind, or worse.
Dan didn’t want to think that Napoleon was trying to groom Agatha, but he was a bit protective of the old broad. She was like the Double Tap’s den-grandmother – her chain smoking, (mostly) harmless flirting and foul mouth all notwithstanding.
Though, she’d probably give Dan an earful if she heard him refer to her as “elderly.”
“A beautiful bracelet for an unforgettable lady, ain’t that right, boys,” Agatha said happily. She was holding the bracelet as though it was a treasure, grinning brightly from ear to ear.
“That’s right,” Dan smiled as Agatha held her wrist out and handed the bracelet to Napoleon for him to put it on for her. Ah, she looked happy. Maybe Dan was letting his work get to him. Sometimes a nice gesture was just that. Besides, Dan had gotten to know Napoleon a little bit when the two had been tethered together. Lavish, beauty and comfort seemed to be his thing. He certainly knew how to live in the lap of luxury.
Dan turned a teasing sort of look on Napoleon. “You realize now that you’ll never be rid of her.”
Napoleon wasn’t about to disagree that Agatha wasn’t memorable, his nimble fingers fastening the bracelet around Agatha’s wrist, letting her further examine the bracelet. “Now why would I want rid of her?” Napoleon just smirked, perfectly pleased with Agatha’s reaction to the bracelet.
It wasn’t like Agatha would slot into surrogate mother figure, oh no, she was just a little too hardened for Napoleon to associate this woman with his mother. But he had no trouble considering her worthy of doting on with gifts and attention any way. Everyone deserved a little spoiling.
“Besides, I don’t think I need to worry about that while I’m coming around for drinks.” Especially since Napoleon rather liked the laid back setting in the Double Tap. “And I feel I’ve probably been gone a while, can’t have Aggie here forgetting me.” Although he was sure work was all just the excuses everywhere.
“How’ve things been?”
One thing Dan prided on was the atmosphere the Double Tap provided. No need to get all dressed up here! Come just as you are. The only person who had a dress code was Dan himself, and that was self imposed. A button down dress shirt and a tie with a pair of dark slacks. The look made him feel like the establishment’s rather than just some dude pouring drinks.
“Oh, I can’t complain,” Dan said with a shrug. “Business is good. Things have been relatively calm…” He spared a glance around the main room, a concerned sort of frown pulling slightly at the corners of his mouth. “I have been missing one of my regulars though. Older man named Jim. He used to come in here two to three times a week, but I haven’t seen him in a while.”
“He’s probably off on that fishing trip he’s always talked about wanting to take,” Agatha said.
“Aye...maybe…” Dan turned his eyes back to Napoleon. “How ‘bout yourself, lad? Things going well for you, I hope?”
Things had been calm, it was like Orange County was taking a small break for the summer, maybe it would last, maybe it wouldn’t, but there was no reason not to enjoy it while it lasted at least. Business was likely a little better when no one was worrying about a dragon burning down their house.
And while Aggie didn’t seem too fussed that Jim hadn’t been in for a while, Dan clearly thought it was a little off. Too bad that Napoleon’s speciality wasn’t finding people. “Give it a couple days?” Fishing trips likely couldn’t last that long. Honestly the notion of boats for an extended period of time baffled Napoleon, but that might just be his land loving ways. “How long can a fishing trip really take?”
Although people were creatures of habit, so it was hard to say.
“Uneventful, a few jobs that took up some time, met some… new friends I suppose.” It was hard to label Gaby and Illya, considering they would, in time, share a dream world. Which technically, Napoleon could prepare them for, but couldn’t really work out how to tell them without sounding like a loon. Not to mention the fact that he’d known since meeting them and kept it to himself.
“I don’t know,” Dan admitted with a slight shrug. “I’ve never been on a fishin’ trip. Suppose it could be a few days. Jim’s an out-doorsey type, so…”
It was then that Agatha spotted one of the other female regulars as the woman came through the door. She waved as she got to her feet. “Janice!” She exclaimed as she hurried over to the woman. “Look at this!”
Dan chuckled and shook his head as the two woman started chatting away a mile a minute about the bracelet. It would be the talk of the whole bar by the time the evening was over.
“A couple o’ new friends, eh?” Dan said. He raised a brow since it didn’t seem as though Napoleon himself seemed sure of the label. “That’s good, right? Didja meet them through work or…?”
Dan’s consideration for his customers was commendable; Napoleon rarely gave too much thought to his clients, regular or otherwise. Hopefully, whatever was going on with Jim was just a trip somewhere out of town to fish, rather than anything serious. He’d need to remember to check in at a later date.
Agatha’s excitement to show off her new sparkle was amusing, but Napoleon would expect nothing less. “Sort of, good I mean. I guess.” It was probably one of the few things he’d been a little unsure about really. “More like I met them in a dream once.” Which thankfully would make sense with Dan, some people would just be confused and weirded out.
A good thing about the shared insanity of Orange County.
“Not that I think they’ve caught up to things yet. Dream wise I mean.” And that was the awkward part.
It was just the nature of Dan’s job that required him to get chummy with his regular customers. It was good for business, after all, to come off as being personable and approachable. People came into bars to drink, relax and socialize. Despite the Double Tap being a dive, Dan tried to offer the best environment he could for those ends. It was only natural that he’d get attached to a few of his regulars just through regular interaction.
Like Napoleon. The other man wasn’t quite a regular, but he had come into the bar more often as of late. Besides, being a dreamer (not to mention being literally tied to the man) made Dan feel a rare kind of kinship with him. Hearing that he’d met a few people who shared his dream world made Dan cock a brow.
“That so?” He said. “That’s interesting.” Since being in Orange County, Dan had only met one other person who shared his dreams. Garcian was gone now, which was probably for the better considering how the dreams had ended for both of them.
He slid into the seat across the table from Napoleon. “Can be a bit of a trick meeting people we dream with or about,” he said. “Are they on the network? Do you know if they be dreaming at all yet?”
It’d taken a while, some time where Napoleon was wondering if there would be someone sharing dreams; given the involvement that Gaby and Illya had in his dreams it would likely have felt just as odd dealing with them without either’s presence.
“Illya has,” Napoleon wasn’t sure how far through the dreams his Russian friend was, although Illya hadn’t called him out on not saying anything so presumably Illya was still going through his shitty childhood and KGB training. “I couldn’t say about Gaby though, she hasn’t mentioned anything.” Since they were both on the network, Napoleon was assuming she would eventually dream if she hadn’t started.
“It seems I’m ahead of the curve, which of course leaves me wondering if I should tell them.” The problem was how.
Dan was thoughtful for a moment before he said, “I’m assuming if you’re not in their dreams yet, you will be. You might wanna give’em a heads up about that, at least. Otherwise you may find yerself answering some uncomfortable questions later.” Dan pulled a cigarette from a pack and lit it. He took a drag and was thoughtful for another moment, his eyes moving across the table, but not really seeing it.
“If it were me,” he said carefully. “I’d like some kind of warning of what to expect. Then again, my dreams involved monsters going around hugging people and exploding and myself being murdered and resurrected against my will so…” Dan shrugged. “It kinda depends on what you know they’ll be in store for.”
He took another drag. “Are Illya and Gaby friends of yours in the dreams?” He asked. “Allies or sommat? If so, then as a professional courtesy you may wanna give them at least a heads up. Even if they’re not, not saying anything may be more awkward than saying anything at all, you know? You don’t hafta give them all the spoilers if you ain’t comfortable with doin’ so.”
“Yes, most definitely.” Beyond helping Gaby out of Berlin, across the border, there was the whole aspect of shooting at Illya, which undoubtedly was something of a bummer of a first interaction. And he was grateful they had a semblance of friendship before Illya dreamed that.
“Well, we’re forced to be, partners in a sense.” In a way they were using Gaby, and it felt a little difficult to deal with, although she had a Russian spy to watch after her it did mean Napoleon worried less about the danger that Gaby was in just by being around them. “Illya is… less of a willing partner though, it’s on orders, and I did shoot at him. Twice.”
A heads up might be smart, just so that they knew how things might progress, like ‘hey, don’t worry when you dream of me, it doesn’t mean anything weird’. But having that conversation was what stumped him. “How do you warn someone they’re going to dream of you without sounding like a cheesy come on?”
Dan frowned slightly. “Shooting at him probably’ll put a bit of a damper on things,” he admitted. “But probably all the more reason you should mention something now before he gets to that point. The main thing t’ remember is that we aren’t the people in our dreams.” Dan flicked ash off his cigarette. “Well, we are -- they are looks at alternate versions of us from what I understand. But the things we do there aren’t necessarily the same things we’d do here. Meaning, of course, you aren’t gonna be shootin’ at Illya any time soon.” At least Dan hoped not, but so far he hadn’t heard of dream-mates going violent against each other. At least not on purpose.
He could see Dan’s point, certainly when it came to being somewhat different than their dream counterparts -different life paths in some cases, different choices here and there. “Well no, I hadn’t planned it.” But then, he hadn’t really known what he was likely to do when Illya did get to that point.
Hopefully it wouldn’t involve Illya’s attempt to throttle him in a bathroom.
“Weird how complicated things get when we’re all out of sync.” It was stranger still to think that just a few months ago he’d been wondering if the pair in his dreams were likely to show up in his life. “Although I hope you know, if I do have to shoot Illya, I’m laying low here. I think Aggie would definitely hide me in her wardrobe.”
Dan took another drag off his cigarette “Aye, she probably would.” He cast a glance in Agatha’s direction. She was seated at the bar chatting with a few of the younger patrons, being sure to show off her new piece of jewelry when he had the chance. “You’ve got’er wrapped around yer finger.” He turned his attention back to Napoleon. “Just be careful she doesn’t do the same to you.”
Napoleon just smirked, “I think we’re a bit late for that.” In a sense. But was wasn’t like it was too big a difference anyway. There were worse people to be prepared to help out with just about anything -honestly, if Aggie (or Dan) needed help hiding a body he wouldn’t think twice about getting the shovels.
Not that there was anything wrong with that.