Garrison and Adrienne - ALWC Game

[x-adrienne.livejournal.com]

Adrienne meets Garrison at Harry's to watch the first ever American League Wild Card game the day he's released from the medlab and the two discuss hockey, with Adrienne inviting him on a NotDate.



Entering Harry's in her usual whirlwind of activity, calling out greetings and adjusting bags, hair, clothes, and sunglasses, Adrienne sank gratefully into a booth where Garrison was sitting alone, beer in front of him and an empty glass on the edge of the table, waiting to be picked up by Briar. The ball game they were supposed to be watching together was already well underway. After dumping her assorted detritus into the booth, she stood again to deposit the empty glass on the bar and ask for a drink of her own. "Okay," she muttered as she sat back down, sounding like she was gearing up for a rant, "I know you don't want to talk about it, but can I just say the FBI really sucks without you? Duncan wanted me in to consult on something the other day as per the terms of my deal, and so I read the damn thing and then he calls me in this afternoon to 'question' me because what I told him didn't end up panning out and he thinks I'm trying to fuck with him! What the hell?! How is it my fault your stupid department is stupid when you're not there and obviously screwed up the details I gave them? And how fucking stupid would I have to be to fuck with Duncan now, when there's only a damn year left on my term?!" She made air-strangling motions to get the desire to strangle Duncan out of her system and then huffed out a long, annoyed breath. "Okay. I'm good now. Sorry. Wanna play chess?" She pulled a magnetic travel set out of her handbag.

Kane gave her a long look and then took a drink from his pint. It was the first time he'd been out since being released from the med lab, and it felt good. "So, I got, like, maybe twenty percent of that. What did Duncan - nice curve ball - what did Duncan do?"
 
"What are you talking about? That was totally off the plate," Adrienne countered, snorting. She started setting up the little magnetic chess pieces on the board. He would play with her, she would make sure of that. "Duncan? Oh, nothing." She didn't want to make him uncomfortable so she waved a hand dismissively. "Never mind. He tried to chew me out for bad info because he won't accept his department is shit without you and they got the damn info wrong when I relayed it to them. I sorted it out with him by reading the damn thing again with him there. Just fucking annoying in the end, that's all. So how was your first day of medlab freedom? What did you get up to?"
 
"You're looking at it. Had a shower, got something to eat, wondered around Salem Centre for a bit. I'm not used to time off like this." Kane admitted with a shrug. "I'm taking on a larger share of the DR work for now, to give the others a little more time, but it doesn't fill up all that many hours." 

"And you don't even have professional hockey to occupy your time; I feel bad for you," Adrienne murmured, sipping at her beer. "You should use this time to start working on your novel. Isn't that what people do when they have time off?"

"I doubt I'm going to add author to my resume anytime soon. I'm partial to mason block sized thrillers that have words like Operation or Conspiracy and a greek letter in the title. You know, the type you get on to a flight to Australia reading and are only halfway through by the time you land." His eyes tracked the action on the television screen. "And there's no way the lockout is going to go into November. They'll be back on the ice by the Winter Classic." 

Adrienne raised an eyebrow as he talked about the books he liked. "No, I don't know that type," she smirked, never having been much of a reader. Other than magazines. "When I'm on a flight to Australia I'm not gonna have a huge-ass book with me unless I've lost a bet or am trying to do ghetto weightlifting." She cursed at a ball that made it up the middle and a misplay by the outfielder. "What's the Winter Classic?"
 
"Annual event. Two teams play on an outdoor rink in the winter. It's designed to remind American players who aren't from Minnesota or Alaska why they are inferior. This year, it's the Leafs and the Red Wings in Detroit. It will be epic." Kane relished the thought. Despite being athletically gifted before his powers manifested, hockey was one sport he hadn't played in youth leagues. With a younger sister and a single mother, the 5am drives to suburban rinks was too much to ask. But he still loved to skate, and the sheer speed of the game was exhilarating. It lacked the introspection and history of baseball, but it more than made up for it with excitement. "Assuming it happens. Fucking Bettman."  

"Huh." Adrienne's eyebrow piqued again as he explained it. "I thought you just said it would happen. Don't be all pessimistic on me now. You can be wrong, like you obviously are about Americans who aren't from Minnesota or Alaska being inferior, since us New Englanders are just as hearty as Minnesotans and Alaskans are just freaks, but don't be pessimistic. Hey, speaking of hockey, do you know this player called Orr? Bobby Orr? I think he used to play for Boston or something?" She kept her expression innocent, knowing how much he enjoyed it when she pretended to be ignorant about things and then sprang it on him that it was all a ruse.
 
"Bobby Orr? As in one of the greatest hockeyplayers of all time Bobby Orr? As in the man that revolutionized offense from the defensive line, set pretty much every record until Gretzky came along, and almost singlehandedly won two Stanley Cups and a Canada Cup Bobby Orr? That Bobby Orr?" 

"Umm... yeah, I think so. I think the blurb on the invitation said something like that." It was hard to keep a straight face so she tried to hide behind a swig of beer. 
"Blurb on the- how can you not know who Bobby Orr is? That's like not knowing Babe Ruth or Joe Nameth!"

"Who's Joe Nameth?" Adrienne asked innocently, still sipping at her beer.

"OK, now you're just fucking with me. I remember the 'fucking with Garrison' face very clearly, and that is the 'fucking with me' face."

"You're so damn easy," Adrienne snorted, grinning from ear to ear. "Yeah, I know who Bobby Orr is. I'm from Boston, pal. And I know Joe Nameth played football."

"That is not funny. I'm recuperating, you know. It's unfair to go after a recuperating man with jokes." Kane took a sip from his pint. "When are you going to see Bobby Orr?"

"Couple weeks," the woman shrugged, still grinning. "Some sort of benefit thing in Boston. I'm pretty sure i got the invitation by mistake, because the invitations in high society haven't exactly been flowing freely in the past year, but I got it. So I'm going. Because the invitations in high society haven't exactly, et cetera," she smirked. "So I feel like I should make an appearance. Except... would you come with me? Not as, y'know, a date or anything like that," she added quickly, hands going up defensively. "I could call you my bodyguard if you want. I just thought... y'know. You might have fun. And I certainly have more fun when you're around."
 
"Tempting me with Bobby Orr. Well played." Kane smiled. "I'd love to. Getting out of the mansion for the night might be a good thing. Getting a chance to meet one of the greatest hockey players ever, hard to say no to. Free bar?" 

"You know it." She held up her glass in a salute. "These things are always open bar." She dug around in her handbag for the invitation and handed it to him as the crack of a bat drew her attention to the tv. "Damn hanging breaking ball," she muttered, finishing with the chess pieces and nudging the board towards him. "You can see it says there's an auction, too. Maybe you'll win a stick or a jock strap or something?"
 
"I don't think I'm in their financial league for an auction. I'll just busy myself with stealing food from the buffet like any other unemployed people. I don't need a tuxedo or anything, do I?" 

"Nope, suit and tie will do. And hey, just because you're unemployed doesn't mean you've joined some super secret society of food stealers," Adrienne snorted, sounding offended, "I have like four jobs and I'm gonna be stealing as much as I can from the buffet. You don't get to have all the fun. Why do you think I carry such a big ass bag around with me?"

"I figured you had some kind of survival gear hidden away in there. Or some kind of sinister world destroying gadget." He finished off his pint and waved for another. "I try not to judge, you know."

Adrienne snorted again. "Survival gear, no. Unless you count makeup as survival gear. Which I do. Sinister world destroying gadget? Also no. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get the microwaves to do what I want. I am working on designing rocket boots, though."

"I've seen you drive. Maybe not the direction you want to put your efforts in."