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Fine Zinc Teeth
There was a time Jedao would have said that half a century was barely any time; less than a mortal life, not more than two generations. But the world has changed so much since he first put the Americans' uniform on. Even the uniform has changed - they don't call dance halls dance halls any more, for another thing. But the smell of the place - sweat, desire, alcohol - that much is the same.
He slinks in under a stranger's face, although he doesn't disguise his own scent when he smiles, glittering, at the bouncer: a flashed lure that Fives might not even notice or recognize, let alone pursue. It took a few months to get someone to handle all the things which apparently needed handling for his "retirement", and a few more to track down one particular squad of decommissioned weretroops, out of thousands, mostly paperless, in the busiest city this side of the Pacific. But Jedao did find them.
He dances without keeping track of the time, lets his face slowly slide back to its default arrangement, lets his spine relearn how to hold him up without being army rigid. He has several drinks - people buy them for him, which is nice; one or two of them he even dances with until they can't keep up with him any more. Fives rotates from the receiving line onto the floor as the night wears on and patrons get drunker, and he maneuvers himself into Fives' line of view, always moving, twisting, flashing glances that catch on Fives' eyes as the beat hits. Slowly, as if by the whim of the music, he draws closer.
He slinks in under a stranger's face, although he doesn't disguise his own scent when he smiles, glittering, at the bouncer: a flashed lure that Fives might not even notice or recognize, let alone pursue. It took a few months to get someone to handle all the things which apparently needed handling for his "retirement", and a few more to track down one particular squad of decommissioned weretroops, out of thousands, mostly paperless, in the busiest city this side of the Pacific. But Jedao did find them.
He dances without keeping track of the time, lets his face slowly slide back to its default arrangement, lets his spine relearn how to hold him up without being army rigid. He has several drinks - people buy them for him, which is nice; one or two of them he even dances with until they can't keep up with him any more. Fives rotates from the receiving line onto the floor as the night wears on and patrons get drunker, and he maneuvers himself into Fives' line of view, always moving, twisting, flashing glances that catch on Fives' eyes as the beat hits. Slowly, as if by the whim of the music, he draws closer.
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As though this is an ordinary reaction to the existence of subways. He'll have to stalk out their line, make sure the rat mobs know their place and the deeper things are sleeping well.
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"Our sleeping arrangements are a little... non-traditional, sir," Cody supplies blandly. "But it'll only take a few minutes for the boys to set you up a bed of your own in one of the rooms."
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"Of course he's sure!" Fives chimes in cheerfully, and grins at Cody and then at the General. "Have you ever known the General to say anything he wasn't sure of?
Besides, who'd want to sleep alone on a cheap mattress in a cold apartment when they could pile up with all the mattresses and pillows and body heat?"
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The conversation from there is casual and easy, accounts of their days, their plans, a brief argument over whose turn it was to clean up after the meal--Fives and Echo's, with Fives less than pleased about the timing of his turn at KP coming up. At least everyone helps clear the table, though, and then Hardcase and Hevy have to run off to work and Kix drags in from a twelve hour paramedic shift followed by one of his nursing classes, and heads straight for the kitchen and the smell of leftovers with such single-minded focus the doesn't even notice that the General's there.
"Tup, why don't you get one of your sketchbooks to show the General," Rex suggests as the rest of them adjourn to the less than spacious living room, almost completely filled by a massive sectional that's clearly seen better days, but at least smells sanitary.
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"Would you?"Jedao asks, not a command or even please, I'd like that, but still a clearly hopeful expression that he would like that, that he doesn't think it's unimportant or silly.