xp_logs | Trinity: Layover

While waiting for the connecting flight in Frankfurt, Nathan and Haroun kill a little time. No, not literally.

Haroun had never really spent any serious time in Germany. He'd heard about it, of course - Baader-Meinhof, The Socialist Patients Collective, the Red Army Faction, the Herbstgeists, and others. They had a few hours to kill before their connection to Central Asia, and since Haroun spoke not a word of German and wasn't much interested in beer he had quite a bit of time on his hands.

Nathan found him in the airport bookstore/newstand, where he was leafing through paperbacks without much apparent interest. "You look bored," he said, folding his arms across his chest and peering down at the books. "I left Angelo with the luggage," he explained. "Wanda's... well, I'm not sure where Wanda is. I'm assuming she'll reappear in time for our connecting flight."

"Knowing Wanda, she's tanking up on German beer." he said with a snort of amusement. "Or else her hair is on a rampage. Could go either way."

"Angelo's practicing with a Kazakh phrasebook," Nathan said, amused. "I think it was good strategy to give him his New Year's raise before we headed out on this trip. It's made him determined to prove that he deserves it."

Haroun nodded as he put down the paperback - something in German, but it had a busty blonde on the cover and although he tried to keep it hidden he missed Alison terribly already. "At least the Germans know how to keep an airport heated. It's got to be, what, four degrees outside? Five?"

"Colder where we're going," Nathan said. "You did pack cold-weather gear, right? Alison would throw a tantrum if I brought you back frost-bitten." He gave Haroun an innocent look.

Haroun rolled his eyes at Nathan. "Brought a heavy jacket, gloves, chem-packs to emit heat, scarf, the whole works." he said. "Had to steal two of my sweaters back from Alison. You should count yourself lucky that Moira can't use any of your kit for anything but a nightgown."

"I count myself very lucky she uses my shirts as nightgowns, actually," Nathan said with a perfectly straight face as he moved over to the newspaper racks, his eyes moving over the various papers available.

Haroun rolled his eyes. "Walked right into that one." he said with a mutter. "Damn, I knew I should have brought something to read." he muttered as he looked at all the German-language books and periodicals. But Nate's words had brought to mind one time Alison had greeted him at the door to the suite in one of his shirts and a blinding smile and that was about it...

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "We've been gone for ten hours," he pointed out. "I'm going to hate to see you in another three days, aren't I?"

"Once we land where we're going I imagine I'll be a little bit too busy for much pleasure-reading. But I don't speak German so my opportunities to keep myself amused here are somewhere between slim and none."

"Well, it was either Frankfurt or Seoul, and I wasn't crazy about the idea of doubling back," Nathan said with a snort.

Haroun grinned, then moved out to look out the gigantic windows onto the tarmac. "I'm in Aero and I can't even get excited about this airport. Commercial airliners are boring. I've been spoiled by the pretty lady." he said with a grin. "Besides, the Airbus birds are just ugly."

"If it wouldn't have been ridiculously obvious, I'd have batted my eyes at Moira to get her to charter us a plane again," Nathan said. "But regretfully... obvious, plus this isn't the sort of emergency we were looking at in Namibia."

"I don't suppose we can sneak onto Ramstein AFB to get a look at the really pretty birds?" he asked with a grin and a wink. "And hey, I'm kinda hungry. Think you can fake enough German to help me find something halal?"

"~I speak perfect German, thank you very much,~" Nathan retorted in that language, then inclined his head in the direction of the food vendors.

Haroun grinned and then walked over to the food vendors with Nathan. "Suppose it'd be horribly culturally insensitive of me to wonder if anyone in Germany still serves kosher food? Kosher is my backup choice when I can't get halal."

"How are you going to handle the steppes?" Nathan asked, shaking his head. "When dinner involves horsemeat and the like..."

"MREs." he said with a satisfied look, then glanced at the disturbingly Gothic-looking menuboard.