genessia | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Who: Smoker & Gale
What: Maid Cafe
Where: Maid Cafe in Genessia
When: November 15th

Smoker chewed his cigars idly in thought. This was good for him, he thinks. Listening he likes. Letting others blow off steam he's good at... and trying to get past missing the past and moving the fuck on with his life is really important. And has been working well so far. He should keep doing it. Although it still feels weird knowing he'll probably be the tall one of the two of them, and also weird not to know that Kuzan will be there teasing Smoker and trying to get him involved instead of letting the younger marine drink his coffee in peace. Oh yeah, that was another thing. Smoker would probably be the older one now. Weird.

But he can't hide his good mood (for Smoker) either. He's gotta get out of there by 7 at the absolute latest, but that's about when the strip clubs might start opening for Gale anyway.

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This whole trip was against Gale's better judgment. Talking about himself is one thing that, deep down, he hated with a passion. Now he has this mess on his mind that is guaranteed to interfere with his life, and he's willingly bringing himself to meet with someone be barely just met?

Fuck's sake, Gale, what were you thinking?

Maybe that was the whole problem- he wasn't. But he made an arrangement and he was going to keep it, and who knows, maybe a trip to a maid cafe and seeing their smiling faces would cheer him up more than a strip club would.

His bike sped by (probably breaking numerous speed limit laws in the process) before he spun around into a nearby parking space. He got off the bike, changing out his goggles for his trademark glasses. He'd actually shown up earlier than he said he would, deciding to drop the remainder of the current work either on some unlucky interns or leave it for later since he knows he'll inevitably be back in the Skyrise office.

So there Gale is, approaching Smoker in front of the cafe. He was the only one standing out there, so it was easy to pick him out. "Sorry to keep you waitin'."

"Nah," wry grin, "No problem. Wasn't waiting that long. Seriously." Smoker gestured with his thumb to head indoors. Gale was going to wish they served alcohol, just because he was with Mr. Uptight jitte-up-his-ass-marine, but hey, look at all the cute little maids. Aw.

Don't mind Smoker already going pink and red and glancing EVERYWHERE ELSE, mumbling something barely audible.

He wasn't kidding about the shy embarrassed thing okay. "You've seriously been to these before?" Smoker tilted his head. "They were my old boss' favorite, but--" he trailed off as one of the girls curtsied and led them to a table and Smoker was mysteriously quiet the whole time.

Gale knew he said that he'd be embarrassed, but he figured that it was mostly because of the friend he mentioned. Seeing him actually going red like that at the sight of modestly dressed girls was a little surprising... if not a little endearing, too. It actually did make Gale smile a bit.

"I admit, I got a bit of a thing for girls in maid uniforms. Or uniforms in general, really." He had no shame in admitting that, "Plus these cafes are just fun to go to. Like I said, the girls are aces."

Once they were seated, Gale did reach over to give Smoker a slight nudge. "If you're uncomfortable with the place, we could've gone somewhere else. Unless the coffee is that good."

At least Gale wasn't going to point out the various 'assets' of the girls. So that was a plus?

"Yeah?" Smoker rubbed the back of his neck and stubbornly shook his head. He could always put on his sunglasses it it got too unbearable, and either Gale was a good actor or he was perking up. "It's not that."

A sigh and he pinched the bridge between his eyes geting a coffee. His ears might be smoking at the tips a little. And he wasn't wearing a shirt so. "It's the whole... concept. It's hard to explain." He really wasn't much better at strip clubs. Overthinking. That was a good word for Smoker's perpetual state of existence.

But yes, Gale not nudging him to point out cup-sizes would help considerably. "The coffee's not bad," he mumbled take a sip and trying to ignore the ears being so bright like beacons. He wanted to ask what the other man was down about, but that was not a thing you did. Or at least, not Smoker. Not beyond the offer to listen anyway.

Although with the way Smoker studiously kept his head down and eyes on the coffee, ANY CONVERSATION might be a mercy on him. TAKE PITY GALE.

If Gale was good at anything, it was wearing masks, both literally and metaphorically. Hiding things was something he had to do far too often, even if it meant that he needed to hide his own emotions. Which he, admittedly, was terrible at lately.

... wait, were his ears smoking? Well. That's new.

He had to wonder why Smoker suggested the place if it seemed to bother him that much, but Gale will at least actively choose to not draw attention to it. At least, not until he knew the guy better. Granted, he wasn't sure where to begin in this dreaded conversation.

"Thanks again for that help in Nova recently. That night was a clusterfuck and a half and you were the only non-law official that was actually useful."

That's a good start, right...?

Smoker blinked in surprise, glancing up. "I'm surprised it stood out." Quietly thinking over his next words.

"Fires aren't a problem for me. Like I said." A slight frown. "Actually, just before I came to Genessia... must be--" He closed his eyes trying to count. Baseball seasons, Christmases, time since Adela, Ace, Kuzan, and Tashigi were here and gone. "Close to four years now. I was on an island that's supposed to be deserted. My boss and my former boss, best friend, the one who likes this place, fought for who would become the next fleet admiral. It had been two years since their fight, but the fires were still raging. They both have power like mine, but stronger. My boss, the winner, is made of magma, and Kuzan is made of ice." He tilted his head in thought. "When I first got here, there wasn't even any policing done by us off-worlders. I figured it'd just give me a couple months to clear my head from it all."

A gesture to the numerous scars he was covered in. "Kuzan had just saved my life from a pirate ripping me to shreds, and given that Kuzan is now defected from the marines, it was a bit of a headtrip. Especially when he showed up here from before that fight." He sipped his coffee in thought. "Last year there was that fears thing in Attleton. One look at Akainu, my boss, burning everything down in magma and I just backed right back out the gate." A quiet snort.

Joker, Doflamingo. Law, Straw-Hat, Portgas. It was all quite a trip really.

"I suppose if things keep heating up I can't ignore it any longer telling myself pirates have it under control." An eyeroll. "At least you have trustworthy deputies at your side. How are you finding the mantle of responsibility otherwise?"

Gale wasn't entirely sure how to respond to all of that. That all sounded like a clusterfuck too. "Shit. Sounds rough." He paused, "You say marines, and yet there was a fight to become admiral? I thought that shit had a chain of command."

Not that he was one knowledgeable in that field. He spent most of his life ignoring command and most laws.

Any other time, gesturing to scars like that would just be an invitation for Gale to eye him up, but he was surprisingly restrained this time. He did look him over with at least some interest, "You've been here longer than me? How's it that we're only just now meeting?"

His brow furrowed, looking away and staring at his own drink, "You stood out back in Nova 'cause you were the one that was actually doing something important rather than rushing to play with the rubble with heroics on the mind. Even when I already had confirmation that no one was in there and there weren't any heroics to be found."

There was a lace of bitterness in those words. He knew people in this world were idiots, but he didn't realize they could get that bad. He sighed, leaning back in his seat and looking at the ceiling.

"I'll be honest, I'm not sure the job's for me. I can't ask for better deputies, but a leadership position like this is foreign for a guy like me. My life before comin' here had started out as a mercenary, then I became a living weapon. This has been my only chance to be 'normal', I guess." His eyes narrowed, "I dunno what went through my head when I thought 'Hey, I could run for Guardian too.'"

Sure, his first run was for laughs, but then he ran in earnest that second time. Even he doesn't know what goes through his own mind.

"Fleet admiral," Smoker absent-mindedly corrected. "They were both admirals already, but the previous fleet admiral set a trap for a pirate emperor. Marco the Phoenix, Namur his brother, and the rest of their crew went to war against the entirety of the marines to get back one of their own." Ace. But that was just a can of worms Smoker would leave locked for another day. "At the end, the fighting was beyond out of control. The marines didn't even manage to kill the pirate emperor, their adopted father, another pirate did. It was sheer chaos and madness. Both sides were just fighting for revenge at that point, and there was nothing else that could really be gained. When a second pirate emperor joined the fight, Akainu was about to kill another marine, Coby, he was here for a bit, but I don't know how many met him or remember him, and the pirate, of all people, saved him. The former fleet admiral Sengoku called a cease-fire, to let the pirates take the bodies of the fallen. The politics that be, didn't like that, they wanted trophies to prove to the world the might of the marines, but keep in mind, we weren't even the ones to kill the pirate emperor, another pirate who used to be one of their family, did instead."

A quiet snort. "Sengoku chose Kuzan as his successor, but again, politics. Akainu, in the war, killed Portgas, who died protecting his brother. The politicians and elites liked that, and said it proved he had the ruthlessness necessary. Kuzan's more even-tempered and his sense of justice is better described as lackadaisical. He'll even call it lazy justice. Or laissez faire would be more apt. Akainu calls his justice absolute. He has no problem killing anyone: civilians and marines included, if they get in the way of his goal. The reasoning is that a free pirate will kill more civilians than he will with casualties." Smoker closed his eyes with a sigh and took a sip of his coffee. "Obviously, I don't agree."

To put it extraordinarily mildly.

Smoker gave a wry grin at the question of time. "I don't get out much," he admitted easily. And it was true, Smoker laid low and only got involved... rarely. To say the least. The last two years alone he'd been extra quiet. And before that, had been a flurry of friends and allies and enemies... and before that... he'd been bored out of his skull and just trying to figure shit out.

He rubbed his chin in thought about heroics. "I don't think most of them cared about looking good," he said slowly. "A lot of the people who've come through here tend to be distrustful of authority, and used to having to do everything themselves. There wasn't any outlet for that when I first got here. Even the bounties were not really a thing, much less licensing or regulating it." A small barking laugh, and he shrugged. "Grain of salt though, I just said I come from a world that prized ruthlessness over protecting civilians." A sigh and an eyeroll. "But I think most of them just saw someone they liked being hurt, and reacted to that on instinct. They wouldn't have cared about putting themselves in danger... hell, I doubt most of them even thought to see it like that. And if you did a general poll of them, a lot of them probably thought they were preserving information, or rescuing people, and--" a shrug. "I know Aizawa, so I know that it was playing right into Shigaraki's trap. Causing a lot of damage and then poking a hornet's nest so the hornets swarming the area just makes it easier for him to get away." Smoker tapped a temple with a pair of fingers. "Like I said, couple decades hunting pirates. I know their tricks." Another shrug, and he sipped his coffee again. "But most people don't. It's kind of surprising how many of them mean well, just don't know how to channel it effectively here. A shame too."

He's quiet for a bit about the rest. Smoker still hasn't really made up his mind to run for Genessia or not. Least among the reasons not to, politics made him break out in hives. So itchy. Oh sure, he could navigate it just fine. Interpret it, no problem. But that was all the more reason he didn't want to be in the thick of it.

"You're doing a better job than you think. But yeah," a small grin, "It's not good at personal enrichment." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Hell of a headache, right? Loguetown is my home. It was a criminal port before Roger was born, and when the pirate King: Gol D. Roger was executed there, it became a hotspot for wannabes and touristing pirates. When I worked my way up through the ranks, I wanted to be on the Grand Line where all the real action is, but they stationed me as Captain of Loguetown. To try to keep me out of trouble." A small smirk. "It gave me a lot of time to work on my motorcycle," a dry joke. "It went from one of the most well-known criminal cities in the world, to no pirates ever escaping me. And the people hated it." Smoker really smirked at that, finally laughing softly. "All their money was tied up in catering to pirates. Sure it was safer, but it was also boring!" A headshake, he shared their misery in all honesty. "I kind of think being Guardian has to be like that. No matter what you do, even if you do everything right, they're still gonna hate you for it. People are a pain."

Edited 2018-11-20 01:20 (UTC)

"That whole thing just further proves to me why I purposely chose to ignore politics."

Gale really had no idea what to respond to that with. It all boiled down in his head as 'these are all the headaches you got to miss because being a mercenary was way better'. He glanced to the side briefly. "You mention the name Marco. You don't mean the same bird brain that used to work for me, do you? The one with Grell?"

He's heard the name 'Namur' once or twice around the place too, but he didn't care to ask anything further. He sipped his coffee slowly and sighed, propping his chin in his hand.

"I guess I can understand distrusting authority. But I also come from a world that you never know which authority figure is actually an agent for the organization out to commit genocide." He rolled his eyes, "And I knew from the get go we weren't gonna get that Shiga-what's-it guy. No one makes a big spectacle on the network without a plan to get out. I've been on that side of the law before, so I'm also well aware of how those tactics are."

Gale stayed quiet for a few moments, letting himself watch the maids go around and do their jobs with other customers before slowly turning his head to look at Smoker again. Gale would certainly like to think he was doing a decent job at this whole 'Guardian' thing- at least he's made more appearances than the other current elected ones, far as he knows- but hearing it was just as foreign as the job itself.

"You got that right. That girl that got roped into that Shiga-bullshit recently? She was callin' someone out on the network before for causin' a mess at a Genessia arcade, so I made a point to contact her about it, and some jackass chimed into our conversation telling me to do my job when that's exactly what I was doing in that moment." He snorted. Needless to say, his opinion of Aizawa (if he bothered to take that name in the first place) wasn't very high. "Like, sure, whatever, jackass. I don't see any of them getting off their asses to report this shit to us so we're actually made aware of it. This job wouldn't be nearly as irritating if people made an effort to work with us instead of not doin' shit and expecting us to clean everything up while criticizing us in the same breath. We're trapped in this shithole just as much as they are. A little cooperation goes a long way, and it shouldn't take a ex-lone warrior to say that shit."

Gale sunk into his seat and ran a hand through his hair. "Bein' bitched at doesn't bother me though. I'm used to that. Right now I just kinda wish shit would chill out before the next big thing happens. I've got enough of my plate without the rest of the city tryin' to implode itself. Sure makes me hesitate on whether I should bother running again."

"Can't say I blame you," Smoker answered easily.

And sighed about Marco. Figures. "Did he?" an annoyed frown. "He's usually careful to keep me from every knowing what he got up to." Including sending Ace, Namur, and Thatch as buffers between them. And Grell. Though maybe she did that on her own. "I still don't know how he and Ms. Sutcliffe met." A shrug. "Yeah. That's the one. If Akainu came here for real, I'd probably just point him out to the phoenix and evacuate the city. He and his brothers do a good job of pretending to be idiots, but they outsmarted some of the strongest tacticians of my world, men who do nothing but eat, sleep, and breathe, how to deal with pirates."

Smoker overthinks pirates and attributes cleverness to sheer dumb luck a lot.

Smoker just nodded, listening to Gale's complaints. Sounded familiar. "Why not?" Smoker snorted quietly. "Is anyone else going to actually do it better?" A sigh as Smoker lit up a fresh pair of cigars and added, "I'd run in Genessia, but Nova's robo-rights and all that is out of my league. It's another set of moral quandries recently rocking my compass in my own world, I couldn't begin to tackle it here. But if I were you, I'd see who wants to run opposition to you. If you think their ideas are better, then just throw in your support. Then if they fuck up, you can still say you did it better and save the day after them. And if their ideas suck, don't let them fuck up what you already worked so hard on." He shrugged. "But then I actually voted for Sutcliffe at one point. Pretty sure the Pheonix used the whole thing for money laundering or whatever, but there's been a lot worse legal rulers in my world." Although if Gale did cede his position... then Smoker would definitely ask Faye to be a deputy with him. But Smoker wasn't nearly amoral enough to let that sway his advice.

"Huh. I certainly don't think he's dumb, but I kinda got a hard time believing someone like Marco could outsmart actual tacticians." Gale shrugged. He has no reason to keep secrets for Marco, so he's under no obligation to keep his former employees a secret. "He worked for me at After Life for a while. Grell sweet-talked me into givin' him a spot. Then she went and ran for Guardian and I've been out of contact with both of 'em since."

He certainly fell out of contact with people a lot. At this stage, it was just another part of his reality that he's grown accustomed to. He reached into the pocket of his coat, pulling out his own cigarette and accompanying butterfly-bearing holder. He flicked his hand to create a small blue flame to light it and waved it away just as quickly. He would make sure the girls here got a bigger time for putting up with their smoking, even if they were probably used to it.

Gale frowned. "I guess you have a point. Probably wouldn't hurt to take a look at potential competition first. Or hell, maybe shit will improve between now and then and I'll go right for it."

He could barely get through that last sentence without a dry laugh. His life? Improve? Yeah. Right.

"Nova's rights thing can be a right mess. Especially when two people at the last debate were all gung-ho about 'Oooo! We can make a test for sentient robots that can't talk for you!!' and then they never fuckin' approached me to talked about it again. Not that it's needed. People shouldn't need to have 'tests' to show they can think for themselves."

He rolled his eyes. The debates were the worst part of running. He hated talking politics, but he was great at punching bad guys in the face. "Maybe you oughta go for Genessia. I don't understand how the current guy has held his position for so long without ever appearing to people. Dante and Mavis were the only ones I've seen around since the debates. And Genessia could certainly benefit from a new face."

His gaze softened, staring at the cigarette holder in his hand.

"One problem I'll have if I decide to step down after this term is whether I'd be willin' to help the office fund an extra deputy. If they kept her on, then I would, but I'm fully expectin' a full shift in the chain of command at some point."

Another dry laugh as he lifted his gaze towards the ceiling.

"Last thing I'd want is for her to lose that job because I'm indecisive. I've already fucked up enough with her."

Smoker gave a small laugh of amusement at that. "Well..." he thought it over. And then laughed again and shook his head, "No, he's very smart." Debatably. "After the War of the Best, a lot of the marines believed he'd take out Blackbeard who... was the one who killed Whitebeard, their adopted father. He was defeated, but that he even kept any of his family alive at all was nothing short of a miracle. And a god damn blessing. Blackbeard is making tracks everywhere by murdering people for their devil fruits. He already has the power of darkness, earthquakes, too much. The last thing we need is for his crew to get diamond, extra dimensional pockets, and phoenix restoration. He pulled the wool over the marines' eyes, over Whitebeard's," another headshake.

"Don't think I'm talking Marco up, I'm not. I don't talk to the phoenix, and if I did, we'd probably want to kill each other. For all that I do like Namur and Jinbei." A sigh and a VERY reluctant admittance, "And Portgas. But I'll deny that if he comes back again. The brat ping-pongs out of here it's a headache to figure out why and why. But Marco really is one of my world's smartest. Up there with Vegapunk, Sengoku, and Nico Robin. His weaknesses are really obvious though. His emotions, especially when it pertains to his family, gets the best of him, without fail. And since Blackbeard killed his father, I don't see how that wouldn't be easy to exploit."

Smoker grinned quietly at the running for office, and nodded, "Maybe I will. If nothing else, I think giving more ideas can pull things in a better direction instead of just letting them stagnate."

His ears flicked at the deciding factor. "Yeah?" He bit the cigars hard. Smoker didn't know if he wanted it to be Faye or not. "How many deputies do you have? I only know of Faye." Unspoken: is that who you fucked up with?

Gale gave a weak smile. "Hah. I understand the feeling of being overprotective of family. Not that I have a family left anymore." In a way, he was kind of envious of those who still had that luxury. He shook his head again, "I dunno about any of those other guys you mentioned, but if the one comes back, your secret feelings towards him is safe with me.

When he heard Faye's name, Gale could feel his heart drop. He put a hand to his head, propping his elbow on the table as he hunched over. "I got Grievous, Yang, Enno, Ayame and Faye. Ayame and Enno are funded by the Schnee Company, and I'm privately funding Faye's position."

Yep, sorry Smoker. It's Faye. Gale grabbed his hair in frustration.

"If I decide this Guardian shit sucks, then her job rides on me. I can't do that to her." His voice shook briefly, "I had the chance to give her a position that would help her, and I went for it without hesitation. I-"

He stopped himself and the blue markings on his face flickered to a light grey. He sat quietly, shutting his eyes and giving a weak, pained smile.

"Ah, fuck, who am I kidding. I'm sure I'll inevitably do something to lose her anyway. It always happens. I let myself get attached to people I lose eventually."

His voice trailed off quietly while he spoke. Fuck, what was he doing? Why was he letting this guy in on this? Was he even thinking? Gale was a private man, so why was he spouting this shit?

"...sorry. You ain't here to listen to this shit. Bein' a Guardian sucks, eh?"

He laughed weakly and shook his head, trying to shrug the whole thing off. It was just the stress of being a Guardian, right? ... right?

"Well, the Whitebeards never run out of family. They're a strong believer in adopting asshole punks with no place else to go and making something worthwhile out of them. Honestly... I wondered if I carried that too far myself when I asked Kuzan to station me at G5 ,now I think it's not enough."

Now Smoker regretted not doing this at a real bar. Any bar open at this time of day.

"Right yeah, Grevious, I remember. Yang." He sort of remembered. His own heart dropped, eyes closed. "I'll ask her to be Deputy Guardian with me," he said quietly. And finally admitted with a snort, "I offered her a job at my bike shop first time her motorcycle acted up. Half just to have her around more, but she's been... happier. Being a deputy."

He practically chugged his coffee, wishing it was spiked.

"Found family, right?" Smoker was hoarse. Three times he'd stepped aside for someone else. And they didn't do it. He could step aside again, but why bother? He gave a small growl of frustration. He would swear, she had no idea how many men wanted her, because they were all so timid and gave up halfway. Good thing Smoker had just enough pirate in him to not give a shit anymore.

"So what happened?"

All the same... Smoker's mouth was dry. He already suspected, maybe knew it was his own damn fault. What happened was him. He swept her off her feet literally, wanted her addicted to him, and she already was going to see him again in a few hours. Okay, so Smoker knew that, but what he didn't know was why not Gale? Why was he yet another idiot pining after the clearly gorgeous woman for months and not doing anything about it?

"Nah. No shame in being fucked up over a woman," Smoker snorted. "I was fucked up over just Portgas coming and going, and he's an enemy."

Those words stung like a dagger. If Faye was happier, then he at least did that part right. But he'll ask her to be a deputy? What, before or after Gale decides to call it quits? Gale figured it would be the former. That's just how his life is.

"There's shame when I tell myself over and over and over not to get attached to anyone."

His voice cracked. He was more the type to get angry in his grief, but he was feeling something entirely different. He lowered his gaze, his bangs hiding his eyes.

"I never had parents, my sisters think I'm dead, everyone I've ever gotten attached to here all always get sent home. Maybe being a weapon is all I'm good for after all. The Cardinals certainly thought so."

His body trembled, but he smiled again, laughing. He was an idiot. A complete and utter fool. He let himself get into this state and now he's paying for it.

"At least the deputy thing was the only fuckin' thing I did right." His voice dropped again, "It's not like I could make her happy otherwise."

He couldn't help but wonder what the spirits could take away in exchange for resurrection in this world. The idea was certainly tempting.

Smoker frowned quietly... and patted Gale's head with a gentle ungloved hand.

"Don't beat yourself up so much. How do you know you couldn't make her happy if you never tried?"

He cocked his head to the side for a moment. "I spent the last two years trying not to like anyone either. And a year and a half before that trying to keep hating pirates--" eyes closed and he cursed quietly, "3 years before that if you count my own world." A quiet snort and he looked back at Gale.

"If you want her, go after her. Don't let your fears or insecurities get in the way. She's better than that."

Another headshake and headpat for Gale. "No one's just a weapon. You've got choices here. It's topsy turvy, and fuck if I know why some people go back and others don't. That one has me completely mystified. All the more reason to take your chances. Life's too short to waste them on regrets." A sigh, "It hurts when they go, yeah. But if life is better with them around, then it's important to let them know it." A shrug. "I'm no good at that. I've never told Tashigi, my second in command, here or there, how much she means to me. I just hope she knows it. But I know Faye has had a lot of men not step up to the plate with her. I stepped aside a couple of times to let friends have a shot, and they wasted it. Don't be one of them."

Easy come, easy go. Besides, Smoker wouldn't be any worse off than a week ago.

"I just mean don't tie yourself to being miserable out of guilt. Tashigi followed me even when I broke orders, every time, in fact. But she's strong enough I can count on her to survive without my protection. If Faye means that much to you, tell her. Make sure she knows it, all right?"

He missed Tashigi. He wondered what she'd tell him now. Probably that he was being an idiot. But she'd be nicer about it than Smoker was to himself.

Gale seemed to jolt at the first pat, slowly looking at Smoker with pure confusion. The only person who had ever done that to him was his older sister, and that had been quite some time.

His expression softened. Somehow, even in his emotionally distraught state, Smoker's words seemed to be getting through to him. She was better than that... but he probably wasn't. Gale could easily sit there and just continue beating himself up for his shortcomings, but he'll spare Smoker the sob story. Otherwise they'd be there all night, and neither of them had time for that.

"No one's just a weapon..." He repeated quietly, as if hearing it a second time would help drive the point home. Another weak smile, and he scoffed. "Guess I've been more fucked up than I thought, if I forgot even that."

Even then, the uncertainty in his voice made him hesitant to accept it, despite the overwhelming evidence he's had over the years that said otherwise. "Maybe your second will show up here sometime, then you can tell her."

He had one big question on his mind, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to ask it. Smoker wasn't the one that text Faye sent was meant for, was it? ... Hell, if it was, then this was some kind of sick twist of fate.

"I... shit, I dunno. I guess I should, but at this stage I'm almost certain she's found someone. I dunno if she'd appreciate the sentiment or if she'd just shoot at me again."

He said that last part like it was a joke, but he needed to get a new pair of glasses after that incident.

Smoker gave a soft grin at the first part, hoping it would stick with Gale a little. He knew from Rip and Portgas, just how fucked up society could turn people against the best intentions.

But he snorted at the idea of telling Tashigi what she meant to him. "Even if she did, I wouldn't," he admitted. "She'd think I was possessed if I did." And how.

"She shot at you?!" Smoker twitched in surprise. He wasn't sure why he was surprised. He was definitely a little worried that that was somehow really a turn-on for him.

"But even if she did... man up. Give her the options. It's the same with being guardian. Don't do it thinking about yourself and whether you're the best for the job. Go in it to make sure that everyone else has to be even better. And to give options. Maybe the guy she found was only a one night stand and flaked out like all the others." Probably not, given how Smoker set up a date to see her again that night. "Like I said, don't be like those idiots. And if she shoots at you again, at least it's hot." Did he say that out loud?

Gale of all people being told to 'man up' was almost ironic, but it seemed to be getting through to him. He was almost always the sort to jump head first into situations, and here he was moping away for weeks on end.

Man, he really did let himself get fucked in the head.

Gale then gave an actual, genuine laugh. "Well, at the time it wasn't hot, but in retrospect, yeah. Kinda is. But I also love women that can kick my ass." He paused. "... granted, I am kind of a masochist."

He reached up and removed the glasses from his face, "Had to get a new pair of glasses after that. Her aim is impeccable."

He chuckled quietly as he put his glasses back on. He could laugh about his glasses, sure, but he still hasn't fully forgiven himself for what he did to make her shoot at him in the first place.

"I'll be honest. I don't know the first thing about even figurin' out the words to tell her." He frowned again, "I've never once in my life felt this way before. I'm at a loss."

He also still wonders if she'd even take him seriously, or even think he was lying. There was too much he had to figure out, and he didn't know how.

"Same," Smoker shrugged. And looked over the glasses with a small nod, and a smaller snort.

"Just tell her that, then."

A sigh. "I should probably say now, I've got something of a date with her tonight." Smoker held a hand up. "You're free to punch me. But I'm not going to step aside this time. Like I said," a headshake. "She deserves the best. Don't try to compete against every other man out there. Just try to help her be happy, right? You said you don't think you can, but when you asked her to be deputy, that wasn't what you had in mind, was it? Sometimes small things build into something a lot more significant."

Smoker waited his punch, just to see. And finally, "But I mean it. Give her your all. Let her decide what she wants, instead of making the choice for her. If I'd known the other guys were too pathetic to take their chances, I wouldn't have bothered stepping aside for them. So I'm not going to make it easy on you this time. But if you want her, go get her. Just don't it half-assed. Whatever she chooses... I care more that she's got more reasons to smile." A shrug and he sipped his coffee. "I'm an idiot like that."

Gale instantly fell silent again. Just as he was about to think his confidence was coming back to him, he gets that bombshell. So he already had no chance. Why the hell was he giving Gale this talk if they clearly had eyes on the same woman? Was this just a cruel, sick game at this point?

"If you hurt her in any way, I'll kill you."

He spoke without thinking, but it was something he fully meant. There were few people Gale would gladly say he would kill for, and Faye was on that list- if not at the top of it.

Gale simply stared away from Smoker now, barely noticing that his cigarette was reaching its end. "I don't intend on making a competition over her. She's not an object." He spoke flatly. "But I guess I know who that 'joke' text went to, then."

Let her decide? Maybe there was something to that, but at this point in the conversation, why even bother?

"Damn right."

A quiet snort. "I don't know about that. It went out to everyone so..." a shrug. But he had nearly fucked her in the gardens, and then promptly did right after, so... And she was seeing him again. Double so.

"I still mean it, Reinhardt. It just pissed me off after I stepped aside for others that she was still alone and lonely. Give her some options. At least think on it."

Smoker takes out enough red bills to cover them both, with hefty tips besides, though Gale's welcome to stay, but Smoker figures, it's probably better to let the Guardian figure things out without Smoker now. And another headpat. "You are a good Guardian. Don't be so hard on yourself. And letting people close is tough. For her too, don't forget. Most of the men in her life have fallen short in some way or another. I can't promise I won't, but I have to at least give it a shot. Maybe you should too. Think on it."

Gale was painfully aware of how she felt. She'd already made that clear, and still he could do nothing. He's convinced of her disinterest.

He winced at the head pat that time, slowly lifting his gaze again. Deep down, he wanted to believe those words, but right now... well, he had a number of other thoughts he had to battle before he could see even the faintest glimmer of hope.

"Just. Treat her well." He murmured, "...and thanks."

Now he feels like he just has a bigger reason to hole himself up in the Skyrise. Maybe that strip club visit won't be happening after all.

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