Time in the Trenches

"T'ain't good mate. Though I do knows 'ow 'ard i' can be ta tear away from work." Zen scoffed, smiling, interlocking his hands, and looking up to the sky. The cigarette hung in his mouth, bent, limp, and almost crumpled and broken entirely from all the manhandling - Zen wasn't the most graceful of smokers.

He exhaled a particularly deep drag, the heated smoke tickling his throat as it went down; a veteran of tobacco as he was, it no longer stung or hurt. He simply enjoyed the soft, burning, dulled pain, soothing his headache and all his qualms with that little tar-laden stick of nicotine. "Heh. Ya' tellin' me..." A quiet mumble, and he moved on, blinking as she continued.

"Dun' worry 'bout i'. I know wot you mean. As for moi li'l friend here..." She dove back into her purse, determinedly drawing it out and brandishing it before continuing her speech. "I's unfortunately the only one in existence a' the momen'. Foinal prototype ya could say." Tch. Just his luck. Zen sighed, and smiled contentedly up towards the sky, shaking his head ever-so-slightly. That was a good one, though he hadn't come to expect anything less than real disappointment from the strands of fate and all the hype and bullshit surrounding them.

"Dun' worry 'bout it," Zen sighed, taking another drag back; however, Rebecca continued, and the Brooklyn man's pale pallor lit up as if someone had shone a warm orange candle beneath it. Awash with light similar to that of an intense, wooded flame, Zen's ears pricked as she spoke. " 'ere. Take i'. I can always make more. I 'ardly go ou' as i' is now anyways. Caugh' me on a rare occasion."

He looked from her face, light, Xingese-Aerugese complexion and all, and then to the gadget in her outstretched hand. Was she... really? A prototype, she wanted him to take it? Zen swung his legs around, and stood up, a show of courtesy, cracking his neck from side to side, before looking up to the overcast, black-grey night sky, starlight visible in between gaps of dull, bland, cloud. He released the last drag of his cigarette in, and flicked the butt off into the distance, sizzling in the nearby road before an SUV slammed into it, head-on, disintegrating it instantly, nothing but minuscule fragments of smouldering tobacco embers and singed paper.

He realised that he must've seemed an ass, now, to this apparently rather warm and pleasant - more so than he'd initially thought - woman, a colleague of his. He felt embarrassed, first, taking the comb gingerly into his hands, handling it as softly and as gently as possible. Zen looked up to Rebecca intermittently, like a confused dog, or a young toddler, waiting for prompting or scolding dependent upon his use of the devise. The look upon his face was one that was so primal, so simple, so... speechless... that it was almost... admirable. A man who was determined to ignore all of life's complexities and just trailblaze ignorantly straight past them. Hell of a way to live.

"Ya' serious?" Zen grinned up at her, finally having mustered up the courage to get a word or two out. "Like I said, I scuff up a helluva' lot, so, this'd be useful s'all hell for me," He mused, holding it up in the starlight, letting the rays of pale, faint white luminescent glimmer, hover, and dance upon the edge. It was... beautiful, almost entrancing in its sleek, modernistic design. "Thank ya', really," He blurted out, realising his apparent impoliteness; Zen Howler was a damn wreck today, all over the place. Back and forth, manners had gone out of the window; he must've seemed like the most unusual, disgruntled, chaotic and untidy individual at the party, and yet Rebecca STILL graced him with her good will and charm... and that cute accent.

Zen smirked, tucking it into his pocket and nodding. "I'll make good use a' it, ya' can be sure a' that," He smiled pleasantly up at her, an expression of true, pure, and definitely NOT mislead happiness. One that was rare to see grace Zenith Howler's face, what with all the work he did wrong, and the accomplishments and achievements, even those renowned as being astoundingly simple, he botched up. A cheeky grin, and suddenly, Zen felt himself awash with energy, again; the irritated lethargy had long since faded. "When ya' get it on tha' market, I'll repay tha' fava', and buy ya' one, a'right?" He smirked once more, sticking his tongue out playfully for a split-second. He liked her.

"Heh. Ya' tellin' me..." It was rather hilarious how similar he and Meno were in some ways, but at the same time it made her miss the man all the more. Maybe..... Hehehe, but now she was getting ahead of herself. One thing at a time hm? A voice soon crackled in her ear, "Rebecca, I'm detecting an increase in heart rate. I trust everything is well?" Dammit Edi. Not helping as always. The little beeps that followed only proved how much her computer entertained itself with tormenting her in these little ways, turning away from Zen for a moment so she could glare frustratedly at one of the camera's that had to be nearby. Fucking AI. Oooo when she got back to her apartment back in South City she would give her a piece of her mind..... Anyways.

He did not seem to initially expect her intentions as she drew her little device back out, her red eyes following his movements as he turned his own gaze up towards the sky. "Dun' worry 'bout it." Oh she was about to make his bloody night wasn't she? She had to hide her smirk of satisfaction at how his entire being lit up like the flippin fourth of July, holding out the gadget with complete and utter certainty. There was hardly any reason she would regret this decision, not when he was so clearly overjoyed by this extension of kindness and friendship. Well, certainly more the former, they had only just met after all haha. He had straightened up and tossed the finished cigarette away, utterly focusing upon her now as he took the thin device from her outstretched hand. He almost seemed like a child to her as he took it so gingerly and marveled at it, but she could see the excitement that glowed beneath the tired flesh before her. Her smile only grew and she soon found herself chuckling at his confusion, her arms folding over her chest. Aye, she had certainly made his night. "Ya' serious?"

"Completely." She responded without missing a beat, for the moment enjoying the warmth that had blossomed in her chest. She had done her good deed of the day, and she always loved that feeling so. "Like I said, I scuff up a helluva' lot, so, this'd be useful s'all hell for me," Laughing softly, she gave him a once over with her crimson gaze, taking a couple of steps to the railing and leaning her lower back against it. "I be' you do." He really was fascinated with it, wasn't he? She almost made another offer, but he was speaking again. "Thank ya', really," "Dun worry bou' i'. If you loike wot you see there, you should see my workshop. I be' you'd be loike a kid in a candy store eh?" Another chuckle escaped her as her hands braced against the cool stone to ensure she remained upright, the moonlight casting its pale glow over her creamy skin and purple hair.

Her gadget vanished into a pocket, officially his now. "I'll make good use a' it, ya' can be sure a' that," Ohhh that look of joy. It made the whole party worth it, even having to meet that tentacled man inside and rescue Zen's coworker from his clutches. "Oh I 'ave no doubts bou' tha'." She had seen how Meno worked, and how easily coffee could spill among other stains... COUGH, anywho. "When ya' get it on tha' market, I'll repay tha' fava', and buy ya' one, a'right?" She waved a hand with a light laugh at that little flicker of his tongue, grinning as her crimson eyes glittered in the moonlight. "I could tell ya no, bu' I ge' the feelin tha you won't listen te me now will ya?" Her shoulders raised a bit as she leaned more on both hands once more, tilting her head so her ear was close to one of her shoulders as she considered him a moment. "You dun 'ave to buy one on my account, 'owever if ya insist... Then I won't stop ya." She pushed herself back onto her feet, placing a hand on her hip as all her weight shifted onto one leg. "You wanna blow this shindig? I be' we could 'ave some more fun elsewhere." She asked him, knowing that Dietrich wouldn't be too terribly offended if they left early.

"I could tell ya no, bu' I ge' the feelin tha you won't listen te me now will ya?" Zen grinned that trademark, moron grin of his, and ran another hand through his off-green hair, smirking up at Rebecca as he did so, stretching his arms to either side and releasing a subtle yawn. God, the night was boring him.

"A' course not," The grin remained constant, unfazed by whatever idiocies ran through the man's head moment after moment. "Ya' know, all that code of honour for men, and shit," Zen... wasn't entirely sure of what he was talking about, but was trying to seem bold, or chivalrous, or at least convince Rebecca that he wasn't entirely a bad choice, when it came to men. She probably wasn't interested, anyway.

"You dun 'ave to buy one on my account, 'owever if ya insist... Then I won't stop ya." Zen smiled, shaking his head and calming that grin, for once, actually giving himself an appearance as if he had a modicum of civility, or was anywhere close to a regular, socially-acceptable human being. He was still a buttmonkey of the first degree, of course, but appearances were everything, especially in Creta.

"'Course I will," The smile stretched back into a grin. "Favour owed should be a favour paid. Old family motto," Well, it wasn't entirely. His family motto had been est non aliquid malum collyridam, or there is no such thing as bad cake. But, his mother had been a touch on the porky side, and as a child, Zen had been packing a few extra six-packs (of bread rolls), so he was a little sensitive to the cake jokes. "And I'd love ta' see ya' workshop, if ya' got more goodies like this in there," Zen grinned, holding up the comb, oblivious of what other 'goodies' he'd probably just been offered.

"You wanna blow this shindig? I be' we could 'ave some more fun elsewhere." Zen's eyes lit up like wildfire. That wouldn't pass by even King Oblivious, Zenith Howler, self-proclaimed 'investigator-extraordinaire'. The realisation had finally struck, in the gut, like a hammer: if he played his cards right, there was a chance he could end up not going to bed alone, tonight. That, alone was appealing enough to Zen, and reinvigorated him entirely, causing the man to shoot up and shrug back on his jacket, still damp but relieved of all stains.

PLAY IT COOL, ZEN. "I'd love ta'," He smiled at Rebecca, finally getting the message, trying to put that little extra 'Zen surprise' into every wink and grin. "Anywhere specifically in mind?" He looked off into the network of roads which sprung forth from the exit of the White House. "Y'know, my place isn't... too far from here," Well, what was twenty minutes from home, when Zen had a hot, purple-haired tech-whiz girl by his side, and a rodney?

"A' course not," Why was she not surprised hrm? He did have a cute grin, he was a bit of a goof wasn't he? "Ya' know, all that code of honour for men, and shit." Ah yes, the immortal code of honor.... But why did it have to be specifically for men hm? Why not for women too? She knew it was just a figure of speech, but her mind was just getting nit-picky for no real reason at all. In all honesty it was good to hear someone had some kind of sense of honor at all after this particular night. Though.... he had left his associate in the clutches of that asshole..... oh whatever. People had their highs and lows, she certainly knew that better than most. And it wasn't because of what she saw from her... "real" work. Life had so many roads after all. ANYWAYS!

Rebecca could not help but raise an eyebrow as he shook his head at her words, wondering if it was just vibrato or if he would actually keep his word. Either way, she had followed guidelines she set for herself. Refuse once, if they insist then take it. "'Course I will. Favour owed should be a favour paid. Old family motto." He really did have a handsome face when he grinned like that, it just brightened up everything and washed away all the exhaustion that he had been showing earlier. Heh... guess her presence was always good for something hm? Info gathering, spontaneous case work that leads to.... yea anyways, brightening the days of probably one of the few other people with green hair in the world. "Very well, I won' stop ya then." She chuckled softly to herself, her expression quickly turning to amusement and intrigue at his next response. "And I'd love ta' see ya' workshop, if ya' got more goodies like this in there."

Oh. He had NO idea.

He did seem to latch on with full gusto to her suggestion, smoothing out the skirt of her asiatic dress while his eyes brightened enough to match the stars. He was a bit slow, wasn't he? No matter, it was rather endearing really since it gave him the harmless/innocent idiot card. Oh, and one cannot forget well-meaning. Although.... She took another look at him from checking her purse and its contents one last time, a mischievous glint flickering in the depths of her crimson gaze as she turned her attention back down for the second it took to pull out her phone. "I'd love ta'," Good answer man. Truth be told.... Rebecca wasn't sure what she wanted from this evening of madness, broken bottles, jerkwads, and damsels in distress with a speciality for sharp comments. Did she just want a simple drink and some company? Did she want to take him home and fuck? What.... did she want right now? "Anywhere specifically in mind?" Her expression softened as the arm with her purse lowered, her fingers tapping a couple of times against the surface of the touch screen before her phone was also lowered to her side. "Y'know, my place isn't... too far from here."

She smiled softly, her expression an odd mixture of things as she too stared out at the road. Sadness, longing, promise, peace.... And interest. There was no denying she was interested in this odd little man whom was reminding her of the man who was gods know where at this point. Aye, she knew what she wanted now. "Neither is mine, although.... i's a wreck." Weeeeell there were some things lying around and they'd have to deal with her security measures.... Yea fuck that. Breathing in, she turned and faced him, taking a step towards him as her phone slipped back into her little purse. "Le's go to your place. If you 'ave some wine, I would love a couple of glasses or more, talk..." Here she gained a coy smile and a single eyebrow raise, slipping her arm through his. "Maybe more. Jus' 'ave a good evening, hm?" She offered, now cocking her head to the side as if it would emphasize what she was implying. Hopefully.... he wouldn't get too distracted by the possible ending for the evening. She certainly would reserve the right to change her mind.

"Le's go to your place. If you 'ave some wine, I would love a couple of glasses or more, talk..." Yawning, he was taken entirely by surprise when Rebecca slipped her arm rather strangely into his. She was starting to get frisky, it seemed... wine? Heavy suggestive undercurrent in her speech? 'Talking', back at his place? All this was leading to one place that Detective Howler could clearly see... one place that he liked.


Wait, shit, he didn't have any wine, did he? It was glorified grape juice, and womanly stuff, but... damn, it was a major mecha- oh, no, he remembered quickly, it was fine. His parents had brought a few bottles round a couple of months ago, claiming that now he was a 'learned military detective', he needed some 'courage fluid' to help him 'find the answers in those difficult cases', whatever that meant. Oh well. It sounded like they were advocating him drinking on the job, and that was pretty awesome. He had cider, too. That was always fun.

Slapping Rebecca lightly on the arm and flashing her a cheesy grin, he put on his best, officious, upper-class Cretan accent over his long, dry, Brooklyn drawl, and grinned. "Why, my good lady, I'm absolutely positive that can be arranged!" The smile faded in intensity, and he dropped the accent, chuckling lightly to himself as Rebecca replied. "Maybe more. Jus' 'ave a good evening, hm?"

Zen tried to nod in the most mature manner he could, his head bouncing up and down vigorously and firmly as his effort was apparently squandered. Oh well... she was hot. The hedge-haired detective was lucky he wasn't getting a nosebleed on principle from that cleavage. Damn. "That much, I'll promise ya'," He said, flashing her a sly wink in kind to serve back her coy smile, showing that he'd finally grasped some fucking awareness of the situation.

"Ta' mine!" Zen shouted, pointing his finger upwards in mock representation of some knight of old, quickly descending the steps with his lady in hand, dropping the salute to the skies to fumble for the car keys in his pocket, skirting around to try and pick out the Exige from the veritable mob of high-class patrons' sports cars around the corner. "I warn ya' now," He spoke with a look of true, grit determination on his face, flipping through keys as if it were the very answer to the meaning of life itself. "My car's gonna' be a lil' cramped..."

The Exige unlocked with a hiss, and two boop sounds resounding through the night, flashing tail-lights a beacon carving through the night to point out to he and Rebecca just where he'd parked the bloody thing, orange light from one of the poles washing over the chromed bodywork and giving it an almost sinister appearance. "But the drive ain't far," It was a slender car indeed, but one that would just about fit, Zen slipping the keys further up his hand as he opened the passenger door for Rebecca first, holding it open in the manner a chauffeur would. "Your carriage, for the evening, m'lady," The accent returned for a moment, Zen trailing round to the other side after she made her entrance, and slipping into the car itself. The doors shut in synchronicity, the key slid into the ignition, and, before long, the four-wheeled silver beauty veered off into the night with the gentle, near-silent thrummings of the vibrating engine beneath their feet.

Finally... his luck was starting to come up, twenty-seven years later...