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"Long hours reflect long faces and long feelings. Still. Our lives are short; dwelling in foul moods and vanity served no man well."

"Friends are the family we choose." She leaned forward, since he'd obligingly turned his straw towards her and she took a small sip without asking. She did push her froofy vodka drink over to his side with a finger, "Chocolate, liqueurs, chocolate liqueurs...fine indulgences and unwinding together or apart."

"Its usually too sweet for my taste, but I don't like to rule anything out. Time and a place."

"So whom is Zed?"

Stroud rolled her eyes, "Yes, I know. Is the answer 'he or him' informs who or whom. Regardless."

"Don't you mean 'a' GK and not 'the'? Howlite's title alernates between, so it isn't as though either of them are the singularly, solitary holder of the title."

Live together was an interesting statement. It was so flatly offered, either intimating an awful lot that was positive or the exact opposite. She didn't envy the position either way. At that level of involvement, there might be no avoiding taking work home, so to speak. Was there even a home outside of the organization once at the top tier? Maybe that was hopeful way of looking at it. "So you're either close for comfort or close for an eye on. Or maybe a little bit of both. These things need not always be so cut and dry."

So 'Zed' was in fact Zinkenite, the illustrious head of the Information Branch. "So you're out helping with the Database? Does that thing cover just the fainting princesses or their shining knights as well? "

"You could say I am, " Stroud chuckled, nursing her drink. He seemed to have sharpened from the earlier almost disinterest. The neutrality towards the world around him was most likely deliberate. "But not in the SpecOps fashion, if that's what draws that long face. I've been trying to keep an eye out for people I can work with. "

"Efficiency. I like to work quick and fluid, and sometimes it pans out that no matter how you like someone or not you just don't....mesh. Just a conflict of styles, personality or methods."

"You do your job and you do it well. I'm just interested in finding out if I work with you so that we can both do amazing things, or if we're better served me keeping out of your way. The impression so far, Howlite or any other upper echelon, is that a lieutenant always just gets in the way."

"Duct tape? K-i-n-k-y."

"If all's said candid then I'll have to see about chatting up Zinkenite sometime. I imagine he's busy." The words 'Blood Moon' were meaningless, sounded like battle scars recalled by an old soldier. Something she would be decidedly excluded from. One of those you-had-to-be-there clique things. The choice, as he'd mentioned it so plainly, was to humor and ask about it or not. See if he would withhold it as a status privilege, as too painful, or some rot...or open up about it. She chose not to pry, since he seemed alternatively and currently unpredictably prickly. The past informed the choices of the future, but she could wait on it and not have her teeth knocked in.

"Everyone is busy." The words were mostly flat. They were all being good little cogs, but mostly just spinning wheels at the level she was currently privy to. "I don't suppose you know much about cnihts?"

"The basic covering their heraldic tags was a little vague. A quick run of 'these are these people, they protect senshi and planets. It would be nice to be able to recognize the little sigils they put all over their clothes. "

Gang sign- eastside, westside.

"Astrological and astronomical symbols, yes, I am familiar with. Do enough restoration work for freemasons or new agers and one gets acquainted. What I am not familiar with is a spikey circle, which doesn't match up to any asteroid, planet, dwarf or star, Greek letter, Latin, or Norse rune that I've come across. " Stroud traced her own finger on the table, marking out the symbol that pinky-vest (Pharos of Chronos) had sported on her so called uniform.

" I admit, I may have missed something, I'm not an astrologer, astronomer or astrophysicist. "

"The girl wearing it was a knight, she felt like a page, though it was months ago now. Funny thing didn't seem to know much about what war means, " Stroud shrugged. Pity the little thing had gotten away- it was better to capture or kill. Catch and release just gave them a chance to breed. Or however it was they were multiplying so quickly.

How unhelpful. Though business rarely mixed well with pleasure, the ostensible reason for having a drink. "It's on my tab, yes. So you're scot free, General. "

"As well, I should not take up your time." She stood languidly, finishing her drink and setting the glass aside. "If you do have some free time, stop by my place for some real cigarettes. I have a smoking lounge. "

"Bring some friends. We could make it a party."