WELCOME TO S&S

Shiloh, for the lack of better judgement, decided to join her workmates for a night of fun and drinks at the local bar. This seemed rather new to her cause she never usually gets invited for these kind of events, it just wasn’t her things along with so many things, including her tight black dress and the golden bangles that were in the way of everything or the leather jacket that just wasn’t warm enough or the high heels that made her trip every time.
When she finally got through the doors she felt all eyes were on her until Marge, the overly friendly and overly loud receptionist at the company she currently had a short contract with. The woman grabbed Shiloh’s hand and took her to the large group of not so classy people that were making the most noise in the posh bar.
Cheering and greeting ensued by the various co-workers Shiloh knew… Nothing special then she retired to the quietest corner of the comfy seats and observe, the fun, the games. This was often met with scorn by the other patrons.

“I don’t belong here…” Shiloh thought. She felt that not just in that bar, but in general, like this was not her world. She was just an outsider, like she was watching a TV show. She tried, many times, but even when her parents were alive, she didn’t feel connected to them. They were like close friends. Not parents.

She shook her head. “No, Shiloh… It’s not time to be so depressive! Try to enjoy it at least a little bit! You have just been away too long, you’ll get back into this whole socialite thing!” She drowned her drink, hoping it will give her the necessary confidence boost and made her way to the bar to get another –maybe even a heavier one, then say an appletini – drink.

TIME: January, 14th 21:00

Leon may be a writer, and may enjoy time alone with his TV or his comic books, but like any man there were times when he valued company; and then there are times he values a good romp. The time senshi dressed to impress tonight – tight dark jeans, a black t-shirt, just as tight. He had a jacket too – it was winter, and cold! – but that covered up his chest assets. His phone and wallet were in his jean pockets, easily visible with their tightness, and his henshin ring was on his left hand, where it always is.

Last time he had went out to a club or bad he had met Ezekiel, who had been a nice enough guy, maybe tonight he would meet someone else that he could bring home…he may be a bit of a recluse, and a writer for a living, but he was still a man! And with all the senshi stuff happening lately with Koni and Will he could do with a night of normal, mortal fun and indulgence.

He easily got past the bouncer guy, hating how cold he was from the stand in line – bastards – a stiff drink was in order to warm him up. Pity the line from outside was a mirror of the one waiting at the fucking bar! Being the time senshi Leon did have patience, but when he was cold from the wait in one line he didn’t want to have to wait in another one right after. But ala, unless he wanted to cheat and bunk the queue, he would have to wait, like everyone else. He gave his jacket to that coat both woman, paying the money for his ticket, then went to wait in the line for the bar.

“One bottle of bud and a bbi, please…” Shiloh asked the barman politely when she felt a cold chill at her back. She shoot a quick glance to the table where her mates were sitting when she spotted Marge furiously pointing to the door and mouthing “Go, get him tiger!”

Shiloh shrugged and mouthed back. “Who…?” She quickly looked around and spotted who exactly did Marge meant. The man looked like a Calvin Klein model and she wasn’t the only one realising it as she spotted a couple of patrons (both gender) checking him out. The weirdest thing was tough is that she felt like she knew him, from somewhere… Maybe he was a model or someone famous.
She quickly turned back to the bar, devising a plan. Should she or shouldn’t she. A relationship would be nice again, but then again so would a friend that understood what she was going through… “Come on Shi! Courage!” Shi quickly paid the man and grabbed her drinks and made her towards the new arrival.

“Is he a bud man or a bbi man?” Shiloh was debating herself while walking, she landed on the bud, beer is a manly drink isn’t it?
“H….H…Hey, Handsome, do I know you f-from somewhere?” Shi evaded eye contact and handed the man the bottle of bud. “The worst pick up line of the year goes to…Shiloh Saunders!!!” she thought.

Eventually the line dwindled until it would be his turn soon enough – after the half a dozen people and the red headed girl who looked about sixteen; she would have had to have a really good fake ID…or just be young for her age to get in here. But hey, that wasn’t his problem; jailbait didn’t do it for him. The time senshi leaned sideways on the bar counter, balancing on his elbow and tapping his fingers against the varnished wood; this was one reason why he didn’t do bars often – the waiting game.

H….H…Hey, Handsome, do I know you f-from somewhere?

Leon swivelled his head sideways to see Ms. Jailbait beside him, talking to him and offering him a beer. She wasn’t making eye contact with him; so either she wasn’t the confident type or she was the nervous type. From her stutter he guessed with nervous. He cleared his throat and stood up straight, nudging himself off the bar and taking the offered bottle with a “Thank you”

Now how to answer her question? He could start with the simple answer, “Do you read books? You might have seen me on the back of some of them.” If she was the type to go for his works; his main series about what turned out to be his past, or his more random side stories.

Of course Shiloh read books… That was partially her favourite past time after hiking. However she either read the classics or the occasional Mills & Bloom novel . “Oh you’re a writer then?” That would make sense. What was she thinking? The guy was way out of her league. “What genre your writing in?” she twirled her hair, hoping it has a cute effect. She quickly stopped and sipped her drink, which turned out to be a bit too strong for her. She withheld a couple of coughs and gulped.

She looked him over and spotted a weird ring on the guy’s finger. The ring was exquisite in design and didn’t seem to be a conventional ring design, maybe a foreign designer made it, possibly polish? Shiloh decided to distance herself. “Oh are you married? It’s a very pretty ring!” she smiled and extended her hand “Shiloh Saunders” A friend it is then.

Leon nodded when asked if he was a writer, though he had made that obvious but responding nonetheless to the presumably rhetorical question. “My main series is a sort of …romance action drama…love, loss, war, death, galactic battles…” He answered, or tried to anyway. It was hard to summarise his past into a few descriptors. “It’s hard to explain in a few words” He shrugged. He wetted his whistle with the drink he had been given and then looked towards his ring when Shiloh pointed it out.

“Leon Mason” He said, taking and shaking her hand before explaining the ring…a little. “And no, not married” He held up his hand, showing that the ring was on his middle finger and not his ring finger. “I feel like I’ve had this ring forever…got it one day and haven’t taken it off since.” Considering it was his henshin item he would never be taking it off.

Shiloh seeing the ring, blushed and looked away in embarrassment. “Oh sorry, I must not be seeing straight!” The drink was stronger than Shiloh thought and not just its taste.

“Romance, drama and sci-fi?” Shiloh was trying to recover. “You make it sound like one of those cartoons, my little sister and brother watch” She was laughing nervously. She thought that she must be dismissing his work… “Sorry, I didn’t mean… It’s not a bad thing…. It’s really entertaining sometimes.” She turned to the barman and asked for another round… Shiloh then put the strand from her face behind her ear. “I’m really sorry. I’m not usually like this, it’s just… I don’t do this much… It feels like I’m tripping up on every word I’m saying.” She turned looked up at Leon and smiled. “It must be easy for you, being a writer and all to strike up a conversation from scratch…” Shiloh quickly attached. “I would also like to read your book sometime...”

"How come you never took it off? The ring that is... The person you got it from must be pretty important..."

Leon smiled at the cartoon reference, not taking offense. “Actually my books could be more equated to some manga’s out there…it’s unintentional but there is a manga feel about them sometimes. To me anyway.” He shrugged, taking another swig of the free beer he had. The red head turned away, back to the bar, and Leon allowed himself to glance around the place at this point; he didn’t see anyone he knew which was both a good thing and a bad thing – no one to say hello or hang out with if necessary, but no one to be around to hinder him if he does find someone to spend the night with. Then on a second glance about he noticed a few people he would consider speaking to later…

Shiloh turned back to him and he paid attention to her now. He gave her a smile and a head shake, “Don’t worry about it; it takes time to get used to…this kind of place. And it’s not always as easy as you would think; I have the words most of the time but it’s whether or not they come can be the problem.”

He looked down at his ring again when Shiloh brought it up again. “I didn’t get it from a person, I got it myself…and I just never take it off because…I guess it holds sentimental value to me or something.” He answered, shrugging to try and pass it off as slightly confused neutrality.

“Manga?” Shiloh questioned, comic books were her little brother’s thing. “Is it those little Japanese back to front comic books? I could never get my head around how to read them. ” Shiloh laughed. “Now Japanese movies, I can get. Samurai Geisha is one of my favourite…” Shiloh loved movies about warriors with a lot of discipline.

Shiloh laughed again at the concept of Leon being embarrassed or the words just not coming to him in public. “Oh really?” she challenged. “Do tell… Somehow I can’t imagine you being anything less than confident, so this should be entertaining.” Shiloh drank a bottle of beer that she ordered this time. It was much softer both on her stomach as well as on the lips.

The ring gave some mystery to the man beside her. [B]“Also a man doesn’t usually get himself a ring without meaning.” [/B]Shi concluded and took another sip. “Was the place important? Maybe the person you got it with… Maybe you’re a spy or an undercover agent and that’s where you have been bugged, like the gem is the camera and if there is a hole in it, that’s where the microphone lies…” She was clearly messing about with Leon now.

“What brings you to Philadelphia in the first place?” she asked. “It’s not as exciting as new York or Chicago, not as political as Washington….” Shiloh looked at her beer. “Pretty sights tough I suppose…”