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xp_logsSam and Doug run into each other and grab drinks after work.
Sam readjusted his work bag and rolled his shoulders, trying to release the tension from the day. He liked his job, but he also liked leaving the office at the end of the day. It was always nice seeing the familiar faces in District X, catching up with old regulars from Kirby’s and seeing the people from the community center.
It was also nice to see familiar faces from the mansion. He saw a shock of blond hair and a Colorado Rockies ballcap and quickly jogged a bit to catch up with the other man. “Doug, right? Sam- I just uh… wanted to thank you for gettin’ new phones for me and my siblings last month. It’s been a big help.”
Doug had been noodling around in the District for a bit, and he recognized the other blond quickly, even without the introduction. The Guthrie accent was a constant, regardless of universe, and you didn't hear a lot of Full Kentucky in New York. "Sam! Good to actually 'meet' you and not just be passing out tech," he responded cheerfully.
"I kept meanin' to thank you in person and then.... well- the whole situation that led to the phone breakin' in the first place kinda got worse so I never had a chance to." Sam said, offering a small smile. "It's real nice to finally meet ya. Can I get you a drink? Least I can do."
"I never turn down a friendly 'thank you' drink," Doug replied easily, falling into step next to Sam. "It's the little things that make the world better, really," he observed. "Helping a friend move, getting paid in pizza, fixing phones for people..." He waved a hand at the crowd around them. "No man is an island, entire of itself," he quoted. "How're all the siblings settling in?" he asked.
“Paige’s doin’ alright, mostly focused on classes. Jay’s keepin’ busy which is good for him. And Mel……is sleepwalkin’ again but we’ll make sure she’s alright. It’s what older siblings are for.” Sam said with a shrug. This was all second nature for him at this point. “Hardest part for me’s been tryin’ to keep an eye on the ones left in Kentucky without talkin’ to Mama.”
Doug was very good at reading between the lines, and Sam had left a whole novel there. But he was also not the sort to call out uncomfortable things to people without very good reason. "Well, if you need help with any of it, I don't mind being a go-between so you can keep your rep as the Grumpy Older Brother. You're not the only one of those out of the pair of us, after all." Thankfully his distance from his family kept his sisters (and parents) more safe, but he still checked in on things every so often.
"I appreciate it but...it ain't yer load to bear." Sam said, offering a tense smile. "Anywho- where are we gettin’ drinks?”
"Sometimes burdens are best shared, that's all. Not gonna push, though." The Guthries definitely all had their own stubborn pride, after all. Maybe that was genetic. Or a secondary familial mutation. "As for where to go, I guess it depends on whether you're the kind of guy who minds drinking where he works or not." Doug grinned. "Because Kirby's is nearby. Otherwise we could head back toward the mansion and hit Harry's - you get the drinks and I'll buy the Platter."
“Well I don’t work at Kirby’s no more and ain’t no bad blood there so I don’t mind goin’- but I’m definitely down for Harry’s, closer to home is always a good idea.” He shot Doug a grin. “So…. Anything new with you? I’m afraid all my stuff is family related.”
Doug grimaced a bit. "Nothing family related..." he hedged with a wry grin. One ex gone voluntarily evil, another gone involuntarily evil-slash-crazy... "I mean, there was the weird thing with everyone having my power for a day, but other than that it's mostly just been work. I'd say things aren't that exciting, but I know better than to tempt fate like that. How about I just say I'm currently in a slow period between disasters." Dry humor as coping mechanism? Check.
"I'm right there with ya." Sam said, eyes turned heavenword as if he might be praying for a moment. "I ain't excited for the other shoe to drop. It's gonna be Elle or Jeb and I ain't lookin' forward to either option."
"I've got two younger sisters, and believe me, I'm thankful they're in Colorado instead of here." Doug chuckled. "Seeing my parents at Burning Man while I was working was bad enough."
"I ain't on speaking terms with my mother right now and I think it's slowly driving my younger siblings insane. I just know she's talkin' shit at home. New phone's been great for that by the way, new number means she can't reach me unless I want her to." Sam grinned. "I'm sure her Bible study's got themselves worked up in a tizzy over me, I ain't married, I moved away from home, and I ain't takin' my Mama's calls- heaven forbid."
Doug made a sympathetic noise and nodded. "Family expectations can be a whole-ass entire thing, that's for sure. With mine it's more...protecting them by keeping things on a casual basis. I chat with them every now and again, I stop by to see them if I'm in the area, but that's about it. It can be...lonely sometimes, but I don't envy what you're going through, that's for sure."
"Yer welcome to borrow a sibling anytime you feel the need." Sam teased. "Lord knows I got plenty to go around."
He stretched, releasing the tension in his shoulders that had started to get uncomfortable right around the time he'd mentioned Lucinda. "Anywho- got anythin' less vaugely depressin' goin' on?"
"To be honest, when I'm not doing something for work, downtime can be pretty boring. About the most interesting thing lately was that bit with my powers a few weeks back." Doug had been trying to figure out how to potentially recreate the effect, given how potentially useful it could be.
"Arthur and I went on an impulsive trip into the city a while ago. Thinkin' 'bout askin' him to go for another. It was good to get outta my head for a bit." Sam said, lips twitching into an awkward smile for just a second as he realized how much he'd revealed there. "Sparrin' with Shatterstar though- that was prolly the most fun I've had in a while."
Doug grinned widely. "Sparring is a good way to get outside your head," he agreed. His eyes twinkled. "I may have happened upon your sister hitting the bag and given her some pointers."
"I hope she actually listened to you." Sam was fairly sure Doug was talking about Paige. But it didn't really matter which sister he was talking about, neither of them listened to him worth a damn.
"Maybe that's the solution," Doug offered with a grin and a twinkle to his eye. "I'll handle being the authority with your siblings if they listen to me, and if I ever need help with mine, I'll pawn them off on you."
Sam laughed. "If you wanna handle Mel and Paige be my guest. I'll keep the younger ones, you just need to manage the oldest three."
Doug shrugged. "At worst I'm happy to be the backup parent-sibling," he replied.
Sam readjusted his work bag and rolled his shoulders, trying to release the tension from the day. He liked his job, but he also liked leaving the office at the end of the day. It was always nice seeing the familiar faces in District X, catching up with old regulars from Kirby’s and seeing the people from the community center.
It was also nice to see familiar faces from the mansion. He saw a shock of blond hair and a Colorado Rockies ballcap and quickly jogged a bit to catch up with the other man. “Doug, right? Sam- I just uh… wanted to thank you for gettin’ new phones for me and my siblings last month. It’s been a big help.”
Doug had been noodling around in the District for a bit, and he recognized the other blond quickly, even without the introduction. The Guthrie accent was a constant, regardless of universe, and you didn't hear a lot of Full Kentucky in New York. "Sam! Good to actually 'meet' you and not just be passing out tech," he responded cheerfully.
"I kept meanin' to thank you in person and then.... well- the whole situation that led to the phone breakin' in the first place kinda got worse so I never had a chance to." Sam said, offering a small smile. "It's real nice to finally meet ya. Can I get you a drink? Least I can do."
"I never turn down a friendly 'thank you' drink," Doug replied easily, falling into step next to Sam. "It's the little things that make the world better, really," he observed. "Helping a friend move, getting paid in pizza, fixing phones for people..." He waved a hand at the crowd around them. "No man is an island, entire of itself," he quoted. "How're all the siblings settling in?" he asked.
“Paige’s doin’ alright, mostly focused on classes. Jay’s keepin’ busy which is good for him. And Mel……is sleepwalkin’ again but we’ll make sure she’s alright. It’s what older siblings are for.” Sam said with a shrug. This was all second nature for him at this point. “Hardest part for me’s been tryin’ to keep an eye on the ones left in Kentucky without talkin’ to Mama.”
Doug was very good at reading between the lines, and Sam had left a whole novel there. But he was also not the sort to call out uncomfortable things to people without very good reason. "Well, if you need help with any of it, I don't mind being a go-between so you can keep your rep as the Grumpy Older Brother. You're not the only one of those out of the pair of us, after all." Thankfully his distance from his family kept his sisters (and parents) more safe, but he still checked in on things every so often.
"I appreciate it but...it ain't yer load to bear." Sam said, offering a tense smile. "Anywho- where are we gettin’ drinks?”
"Sometimes burdens are best shared, that's all. Not gonna push, though." The Guthries definitely all had their own stubborn pride, after all. Maybe that was genetic. Or a secondary familial mutation. "As for where to go, I guess it depends on whether you're the kind of guy who minds drinking where he works or not." Doug grinned. "Because Kirby's is nearby. Otherwise we could head back toward the mansion and hit Harry's - you get the drinks and I'll buy the Platter."
“Well I don’t work at Kirby’s no more and ain’t no bad blood there so I don’t mind goin’- but I’m definitely down for Harry’s, closer to home is always a good idea.” He shot Doug a grin. “So…. Anything new with you? I’m afraid all my stuff is family related.”
Doug grimaced a bit. "Nothing family related..." he hedged with a wry grin. One ex gone voluntarily evil, another gone involuntarily evil-slash-crazy... "I mean, there was the weird thing with everyone having my power for a day, but other than that it's mostly just been work. I'd say things aren't that exciting, but I know better than to tempt fate like that. How about I just say I'm currently in a slow period between disasters." Dry humor as coping mechanism? Check.
"I'm right there with ya." Sam said, eyes turned heavenword as if he might be praying for a moment. "I ain't excited for the other shoe to drop. It's gonna be Elle or Jeb and I ain't lookin' forward to either option."
"I've got two younger sisters, and believe me, I'm thankful they're in Colorado instead of here." Doug chuckled. "Seeing my parents at Burning Man while I was working was bad enough."
"I ain't on speaking terms with my mother right now and I think it's slowly driving my younger siblings insane. I just know she's talkin' shit at home. New phone's been great for that by the way, new number means she can't reach me unless I want her to." Sam grinned. "I'm sure her Bible study's got themselves worked up in a tizzy over me, I ain't married, I moved away from home, and I ain't takin' my Mama's calls- heaven forbid."
Doug made a sympathetic noise and nodded. "Family expectations can be a whole-ass entire thing, that's for sure. With mine it's more...protecting them by keeping things on a casual basis. I chat with them every now and again, I stop by to see them if I'm in the area, but that's about it. It can be...lonely sometimes, but I don't envy what you're going through, that's for sure."
"Yer welcome to borrow a sibling anytime you feel the need." Sam teased. "Lord knows I got plenty to go around."
He stretched, releasing the tension in his shoulders that had started to get uncomfortable right around the time he'd mentioned Lucinda. "Anywho- got anythin' less vaugely depressin' goin' on?"
"To be honest, when I'm not doing something for work, downtime can be pretty boring. About the most interesting thing lately was that bit with my powers a few weeks back." Doug had been trying to figure out how to potentially recreate the effect, given how potentially useful it could be.
"Arthur and I went on an impulsive trip into the city a while ago. Thinkin' 'bout askin' him to go for another. It was good to get outta my head for a bit." Sam said, lips twitching into an awkward smile for just a second as he realized how much he'd revealed there. "Sparrin' with Shatterstar though- that was prolly the most fun I've had in a while."
Doug grinned widely. "Sparring is a good way to get outside your head," he agreed. His eyes twinkled. "I may have happened upon your sister hitting the bag and given her some pointers."
"I hope she actually listened to you." Sam was fairly sure Doug was talking about Paige. But it didn't really matter which sister he was talking about, neither of them listened to him worth a damn.
"Maybe that's the solution," Doug offered with a grin and a twinkle to his eye. "I'll handle being the authority with your siblings if they listen to me, and if I ever need help with mine, I'll pawn them off on you."
Sam laughed. "If you wanna handle Mel and Paige be my guest. I'll keep the younger ones, you just need to manage the oldest three."
Doug shrugged. "At worst I'm happy to be the backup parent-sibling," he replied.
