Here is chapter 15 of A Beautiful Thing. I am still striving to get these chapters out on Wednesday's. I hope that everyone has had a great week and I will see you in the next one, wish you all the best chooms!
END AUTHORS NOTE
ARIZONA, WESTFIELD, MID MORNING
The hot desert sun had clawed its way over the horizon beginning to scorch the sands and rocks of the Arizona desert. Jason whipped sweat from his brow as he looked up at the undercarriage of his truck. He was reinforcing the frame to make it more capable in the deserts and badlands that the Aldecaldos were going to be prowling for the foreseeable future. He could hear Mitch busy working on the shock's, setting them up for heavy off-road travel.
Jason inspected the work he had just finished. The new steel reinforcement of the frames were welded on giving the truck more structure. His welding work was passable but not fantastic, but like many things in Jason's life it would do for now. He whipped the sweat from his face once more before pushing himself on the mechanics dolly out from under the truck.
"All done?" Mitch asked as he cleaned his hands off on a towel that he then tossed to Jason to do the same.
"As good as it will get" Jason shrugged as he looked over the truck that Stout had given him. The two veterans had been pouring hours of work into the vehicle since the sun had started to peak over the horizon. The door had been taken off and most of the interior stripped out for the first task. The vehicle had a new roll-cage installed and extra batteries for the additional lights and weapon mount that Mitch wanted to install later. The truck was on jack stands giving Mitch the space to work on the shocks which now were more than capable of handling nomad life.
"How much ya pay for this beast?" Mitch drawled as he gave the truck an appreciative look.
"Too much" Jason replied as his mind drifted to Stout for a moment. He pulled out his holo and scrolled through the few contacts until he found Stout's name. He considered calling her, his finger hovering above the call button. The sound of her voice echoed in his memory, the last words she had said to him building an ache in his chest, stay with me, let's leave this life behind. Jason sighed, he had wished she was serious in that request. The idea of a small home somewhere peaceful where they could live a normal life, and put what they had done behind them was a deeply buried dream that had manifested many nights.
Jason leaned against the tool box as he stared at the holo screen, his finger touching the picture of the blonde woman. The image was of Meridith's public face, the stern and cold corpo woman. She had a softer side that only he knew about that had made those last words a sweet lie that he wished had been true. Meredith would never change, she had willingly joined Militech to make it in the life where Jason had to just survive. She would never walk away from Militech, not for Jason and not even for herself. He had walked away from Militech and his finger moved to the delete contact button and with a deep breath of finality he erased the last tie he had to his former life.
"Get some news?" Mitch asked as Jason pocketed his holo.
"No" Jason said as he took out a cigarette "had to cut the last piece away"
"Ah" Mitch nodded understanding as he started mounting the last shock absorber to the trucks front passenger wheel "with this improvement to your set of wheels guess that chapters truly gone and done"
Jason did not say anything as he took a drag from the cigarette letting the smoke swirl in his lungs, burning the ache of cutting Meridith away from his chest. He let the vapor drift from his lips the weight of his past life eased on his shoulders. His eyes settled on the camp, the Aldecaldo kids were busy playing a game of soccer in the center of town. The smells of the kitchen crew putting together a lunch for the clan drifted in the air. The camp's background noise of laughs and jovial conversation amongst family claimed the anxiety that had been building.
"And there it is" Mitch chuckled as he fastened the last bolt with the quick whine of an airgun. Jason inspected the work and satisfied with the job he clapped Mitch on the shoulder.
"Thanks Mitch, damn fine work" Jason praised.
"Don't mention it, veterans gotta stick together" Mitch chuckled placing the air gun back on the tool chest "quick break before we finish putting this beast back in full workin order?"
"Already started" Jason gestured to the cigarette held between his fingers. Mitch took out his pack and soon had one of his own sparked up as they looked out at the camp.
"It's not an easy life, but peace and freedom are never easy" Mitch mused leaning on the truck "a shame really"
"Quoting someone?" Jason asked, glancing at the mechanic.
"Yeah, me" Mitch chuckled as he shrugged "you know what it's like, war is easy. Kill or be killed, do or die"
"I feel like I traded one fight for another" Jason replied tapping some of the ash from his cigarette away "Only comfort is I picked this one"
"That is important, when we did that raid to save V" Mitch began with a sigh "we lost some good folk, V was distraught about it. Said she did not want people dying for her, thing is that's not her choice to make. Teddy, Bobby, Saul, they knew what the cost could be for helping her, for helping family"
"They got to die for something real" Jason sighed "of the ways to meet your end, only a few are better"
The two watched the camp in silence as they finished their cigarettes. Jason's eyes settled on Panam as she went around the camp checking on the various work being done by the adults. The scout vehicles were being prepped and the teams were getting ready to leave in a few hours. Mitch noticed Jason's gaze and chuckled to himself as he tossed his cigarette butt away.
"Come on, let's get the lights and weapon mount finished before lunch" Mitch drawled, drawing Jason's gaze away from Panam. Jason smiled as he got to work helping Mitch.
It wasn't too much longer before they had the lights fixed to the bar over the truck's windshield. The batteries for the new lights and the weapon mount were being set in their mountings in the back of the truck. Jason grunted as he picked up the weapon mount. The device was heavy and the strain on the join between his cybernetic arm and torso ached from the strain.
"Looking mighty fine" Panam said as she gestured to the truck. Jason glanced at her, he could feel her gaze on him and he smiled inwardly to himself as he passed the mount to Mitch.
"Been putting in some good work, had to make it a fit ride for a nomad" Jason groaned as he heaved the mount overhead where Mitch took it from him.
"It certainly is well on the way" Panam winked as she admired the truck. Jason rolled his left shoulder and massaged it with his right hand dulling the ache from hosting the weapon mount.
"Still a bit fresh" Panam said as she looked over to Jason who was nursing his shoulder "why did you get a fresh chrome arm before going to the desert?"
"Wasn't my plan, old one became useless" Jason grunted as he felt a clicking from the melded joint.
"Sit" Panam ordered gesturing to a chair. Jason raised an eyebrow before glancing at Mitch who gave him a nod and a smile telling him to go with it. Jason sat down in the chair looking up at Panam who clapped her hands together and began to rub them as she crouched down next to him.
"Shirt" She clipped.
"Excuse me?" Jason asked, confused making Panam roll her eyes.
"Your shirt, take it off" She sighed "just trust me, okay?"
Jason watched her for a second, her eyes commanding him to do as she said. He didn't see the harsh authority that he had expected from his experiences with Stout but a caring look. Jason grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it off. Panam rubbed her hands together faster before she clasped them around Jason's shoulder. The heat soothed ache as he relaxed in chair as he felt Panam's hands massage the aching joint before she clapped them back together to warm them back up.
"See?" she laughed as she placed her hands back around Jason's shoulder.
"Nomad medicine woman trick?" Jason smiled as her hands worked the ache away.
"Something like that" Panam shrugged as she stood back up and looked down at him. Her eyes moved between the many scars that dotted his torso. Rough ridges of fresh pink scar tissue stood out from his tanned skin, while older crater-like scars mixed in with the new wounds. Bullet wounds and lacerations, Panam had seen them before and had one or two herself. Jason had enough scars to rival Cameron, Saul or even V.
"Should I put my shirt back on?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow as he noticed Panam's lingering gaze.
"If you like" Panam flirted with a shrug. Jason noticed a faint blush form on her cheeks that she played off with ease as he pulled his shirt back on.
"Thank you, the shoulder feels much better" Jason smiled gratefully as he stood up.
"No problem, got to take care of my people" Panam smiled back before her regular demeanor returned "get the truck fixed up, I want you to be ready to move if the scouts find something"
"Yes ma'am" Jason gave a mock salute which made Panam roll her eyes before she walked away to go check on another part of the camp. Jason let his eyes linger for a moment before he felt a bolt hit his head. He turned and looked at Mitch rubbing his head.
"Gawk later, she will be royally pissed if we don't have these wheels ready to go in time" Mitch scolded with a small smile.
ARIZONA, WESTFIELD, AFTERNOON
Judy looked over the Thornton that V and her had been working on, though truthfully it was mostly V. Judy knew robots, computers and tech so the automotive work was new to her. V was elbow deep in the engine compartment while Judy handed her the tools she asked for. V explained what it was she was doing as she worked. The passion and happiness that permeated V's voice as she taught Judy fed a warm feeling in Judy's chest. The simple domestic parts of life with V were the rare sweet morsels of normalcy that Judy savored. She craved for them to become commonplace in their lives. V's lessons were passing through Judy's ears with little sticking, she was just happy to indulge V in something she loved that did not involve punches, heavy weights or exhausting workouts.
"And that should do it" V sang as she stepped back from the engine of the vehicle with a satisfied look on her face as she toweled the sweat from her face.
"How fast are we talking this girl can go?" Judy chuckled as she sat down on a nearby box that was full of parts.
"Fast enough to hear you call me a gonk" V teased as she leaned appreciatively on the front of the car.
"Nova, always fast with you" Judy shook her head looking at their new ride. The simple Colby CX410 looked more like the other nomad wheels that populated the camp. Display panels had replaced the windows, the tires beefed up and ready for off road driving. Naturally V had insisted she "improve" the engine's performance.
"I know how to take things nice and slow" V replied with a wink. Judy scoffed in response as her mind drifted to the lazy morning they had indulged in recently.
"Speaking of slow, Sarah's BD's are taking their damn time to transfer to shards" Judy grumbled as she gestured to the net building where the hardware she had set up was busy writing the BD's to shards so they could be viewed independently of the hardware which would make digging through them easier.
"Were you expecting preem, fresh tech out here?" V asked as she picked up a socket wrench and got started removing the hood from its hinges.
"Naw, got spoiled by the set up at Lizzies and my old place" Judy sighed as she checked the progress on her holo, there was still a lot of work the soft needed to finish before the BD's would be ready.
"Guess we will need to make sure our boats tech suite is preem-teir" V grunted as she caught the hood of their car and carried it over to some hooks affixed to a frame.
"Hmm, I can think of a few ideas for it" Judy smiled as V mentioned their dream of escaping out onto the water "have to perfect the linked stream, and make a real diver out of you yet"
"You just like how I look in a wetsuit" V jested as she started cleaning the sand and grim from the hanging metal "if we go far enough south, won't need a wetsuit"
"There's an idea" Judy winked as she watched V curious as to what it was she was doing "that deck chair and mimosa's sound nice now, mind won't run to shoulda, woulda, couldas. Pretty happy with the did that chased them away"
V turned to her with a smile as she tossed the rag over her shoulder. Judy smiled as V titled her chin up and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Judy shut her eyes and leaned into it with a soft moan as V grabbed on the back of her head. The desert heat was eclipsed for a moment as the kiss deepened for a second. Judy licked her lips as V pulled back from the kiss, her eyes twinkling as she rubbed a hand on her lovers cheek.
"Shame you took the hood off" Judy flirted as she kissed V's palm giving her a wink
"I can always put it back on" V cooed as she looked over to the vehicle "later though, I got a surprise for you first"
Judy raised an eyebrow as V went to some boxes in the back of the garage. She sorted through them before finding whatever it is she was looking for. The mercenary came back over with a large box that rattled with whatever was inside. She sat it down in front of Judy whose questioning glance made V rub the back of her neck a bit nervously. Judy opened the box to find it full of spray paint cans of various colors. She looked up to V more confused than before.
"I know the recent BD's haven't been exactly your uh, preferred genre of work" V said as she took out some of the cans, all of which were full "and you need to flex your artistic side like I need to with my muscles"
"So you got me spray paint?" Judy laughed, giving her a small nudge with her fist "what am I supposed to paint? We aren't staying here long enough for me to add any personality to this pad"
"Yeah but for the time being, the road is our home" V smiled as nodded to the hood of their car that was hanging up "Those paintings you had on your walls, loved them every time I was over. Since this car may as well be our home for a while I thought you would like to give it your touch"
Judy stood up and walked over to the hanging sheet of metal as ideas floated to the top of her mind. Some of them popped like bubbles while others settled on the surface. She traced her fingers over the metal, images mixing and shifting together until she had something that made her smile grow.
"I know it's not much but..." V started to say as she walked over next to Judy.
"It's perfect" Judy's ecstatic tone cut her off. Judy grinned as she took V's hand in her own "can I paint the boat to?"
"Obviously" V laughed hugging the techie to her side with a sigh of relief "I was worried it would be a bad surprise"
"You knew it would mean a lot to me" Judy spoke softly kissing V's cheek " no peeking until I am done working on it. Got to make sure I capture the spirit"
"Where am I supposed to workout then since the garage is off limits till you are done?" V asked as she gestured to the equipment she had pushed to the side so they could work on the car.
"Go workout with Jason, he's just as gonk as you when it comes to sweating one's ass off" Judy laughed as she stepped away from V and started sorting through all the colors she had at her disposal.
"Speaking of, how did your late night talk with him go?" V asked sitting down on the weight bench she had pushes to the side to accommodate the Throton. Judy stopped rummaging for a moment before she sighed and set some colors out.
"Good" Judy clipped as she sat down on the floor her eyes deep in thought "Not sure what we have in common, yet, other than neither one of us had the greatest time growing up" she scowled "NC fucked him over just like it does everyone"
"Are you still mad at him for showing up?" V asked softly.
"No, be a gonk thing to be angry over" Judy sighed as she looked at the hood of the car "I was more angry with the world, another thing turning my life upside down. Just want things to even out, no more crazy ride" she blew some off her lengthening rainbow hair from her face "I'm glad he found me, give us a chance to be siblings"
"That is a good thing, family is important" V smiled gesturing to the camp out the door of their garage "even when we go the Aldecaldo's will still be our family, it's not us against the world like it was in NC"
"You grew up with the family thing. I had my grandparents and that was it, he had no one" Judy growled as she clenched her fists "he wanted to make sure I was okay, that I had a good life" she smiled "took a lot of effort but I have one now, thanks to you"
"We built it Judy, together" V cooed softly as she reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. Judy put her own on top of V's hand, rubbing it with her thumb as she gave V a smile.
"I know" Judy beamed for a moment as she looked out the garage to where Jason was busy at the armory where the clan kept most of their weapons that people weren't carrying around. She sighed, a pain in her chest as she remembered what she had seen in his eyes when they spoke.
"He has been through a lot, there is this loneliness to him. Whatever he has been through broke him" Judy lamented softly as she watched her brother go through each rifle with the expert hands of a soldier. "I think he is picking up the pieces, trying to put something back together from what remains"
"We can relate" V comforted as she sat down next to Judy "been through a lot ourselves"
"Yeah, and just like you the gonk throws himself into the fire to help someone" Judy smiled "I think that's why I didn't tell him to fuck off"
"Like you don't?" V laughed "I still remember the fights you would get into with Susie about helping joytoys, or what we did at Clouds" V sighed as she hugged Judy tight as she felt her stiffen at the mention of clouds "point is, we are all just people trying to do good despite the world or maybe in spite of it, doesn't really matter at the end of the day"
"That may be one of the smartest things you have said" Judy teased lightly as they watched the camp. V chuckled as she pointed to Panam who kept glancing Jasons way. Judy smiled at the idea, the nomads had been where she and V had found healing, a future and good life. She hoped it would be the same for Jason, and that idea made her smile.
Jason set down the DC-5 rifle on the table satisfied it was in working order. He picked up the next one and began to disassemble the weapon with an absent minded ease. His mind on other things as he looked around the camp. Sarah was busy working on making a new net van with some of the other Aldecaldos, the netrunner had leapt at the chance to work on something she knew. Mitch was doing maintenance on the basilisk while the remaining nomads were going about the other tasks of the camp.
The camp was emptier now that the scouts had headed out leaving the remainder to prepare for whatever may come next. The teams of Aldecaldos goal was to find the Bakkers new camp, call it in so Panam and whatever team she picked could go giver it a more thorough reconnaissance. Jason slid the bolt of the rifle back into place before closing the receiver and giving the weapon a few functions checks. He felt someone else near him and he looked up as he set the rifle down.
"You looking through our guns now?" Carol asked watching him from behind her glasses with a slight scowl on her face.
"Panam asked me to look them over, sort them out" Jason replied as he picked up another DC-5 rifle before starting the same process over again.
"She has a strange habit, asking outsiders to help us all the time" Carol grunted as she looked at the weapons "Mitch could have handled this, no need to involve you"
"Mitch was a panzer boy" Jason shrugged as he took the firing pin out of the DC-5's bolt looking it over.
"So?" Carol asked annoyed before Jason handed her the firing pin and bolt.
"What's wrong with them?" He asked flatly. Carol looked them over, rolling them in her hands and inspecting the parts before handing them back.
"Looked fine to me" She said with a shrug.
"Faint discoloration near the base of the firing pin means that pin has been superheated from repeated automatic fire, may give out on the next one" Jason said as he set the rifle down near a few others that were on a separate table "Wear patterns on the inside of the bolt, speak of someone letting this rifle get to rusty"
"I get your point" Carol grumbled "still, you are an outsider. She should have asked someone else to do this"
"But she didn't" Jason replied cooly "so whatever it is you have to say, say it"
"Fine, you should leave. You got what you came for, there is not a place for you here" Carol stated "we already lost enough people in this mess, and you are a corpo, we can not trust you"
"Was a corpo" Jason corrected with a sigh as he grabbed the next rifle.
"You were fucking SA, lying, manipulating" Carol crossed her arms angrily "and killing. That was what your job was, every naive gonk thinks you are on our team just because you rescued Panam. We both know you knew that would get in" she snapped her fingers "just like that, exploiting our family nature to infiltrate us"
Jason listened to her as he inspected the weapon in his hands. He didn't let his emotions show but he knew she had a point. Doing what he had done in SA had entailed exactly what she was talking about, hell she had a good point. What easier way to gain the clans' trust then by rescuing their leader?
"You have a point" Jason conceded as he set the latest rifle down amongst the weapons that had passed his scrutiny "except I came here to keep my sister safe, I intend to do just that"
"And I intend to keep my family safe no matter the cost, so just know I am watching you like a hawk" Carol growled "buried to many friends thanks to Panam's risky choices, I don't want it to happen again"
"Should I get a ruler?" Jason asked, throwing Carol off.
"A ruler?" she asked now confused.
"So we can make this dick measuring competition official" Jason asked with a shrug "or do you have something else to do?"
Carol scowled before brushing him off and walked away. Jason didn't let his annoyance show as he ran the conversation over in his mind. Carol most likely was not the only one in the clan that thought like she did, but she was the only one brash enough to voice it. Jason picked up the next weapon as he thought about it. She was not dumb, her talents as a techie and runner spoke for that so why tell him her suspicions? Attempt to get him to leave? Provoke him into doing something that would force Panam to kick him out? There were better ways to do that, more rational ways. He frowned as he realized, she wasn't being rational and that meant something had her edge. That something wasn't him, from what he had gathered she had been tense before he had arrived. He filed it away knowing if need be, he would end whatever threat she poised with ease.
ARIZONA, WESTFIELD, EVENING
The fire crackled pleasantly in the center of the Aldecaldo's camp, the sweet smell of roasting marshmallows mixing with the aroma of wood smoke that tickled Sarah's nose. V and Cassidy had guitars they strummed a soft melody on as the fire crackled. The music was comforting as the nomads sat around the fire sipping beer, making s'mores and swapping jokes, stories and friendly jabs at one another. Sarah hummed happily at the crunching of the graham crackers as she took a ravenous bite from her third s'more of the evening.
"See, worth the wait for that perfect golden brown" Jason chuckled as Sarah savored the bite. Sarah gave a big thumbs up as she devoured the treat with another large crunch.
"Naw, flame the fucker" Panam chuckled as she shoved her marshmallow into the fire until it burned like a torch.
"If you like ash, sure" Judy shrugged as she patiently roasted the marshmallow on the end of her stick.
"Doesn't matter" Sarah said grabbing another stick to start another marshmallow "fucking preem eats either way"
"Except you eat anything" Judy teased as she inspected her perfect marshmallow. Satisfied it was the right golden brown she squished it between the synthetic chocolate and crackers. V bent down in the middle of her playing to take a large bite from Judy's treat. Judy pulled the s'more away blocking V with a quick kiss that made V blush as she went back to strumming.
"I don't know what was sweeter, the s'more or you to" Panam teased as she took a bite out of her burned abomination.
"The s'more, Judy is spicy" V chortled as she started strumming the chords for Loops. Judy rolled her eyes as the nomads laughed softly at V's good natured prodding of her girlfriend.
"You get Kerry's new album?" Sarah asked gleefully as she recognized the tune that V was playing, although on an acoustic guitar.
"Naw, he sent me the chords when I told him I had started playing" V shrugged nonchalantly as she played.
"Wait, wait, wait, he sent you them?" Sarah asked now enourmed "you know Kerry Eurodyne?"
"He's a good choom" V smiled "haven't talked to him in awhile"
"Holy shit" Sarah whistled "how the hell did you get to meet Kerry?"
"She knows the whole band basically, Nancy, Denny, had Johnny stuck in her head for weeks" Panam laughed as she rested back on the couch that she, Jason and Sarah were sitting on.
"Can we not talk about Johnny, rather enjoying this night" V grumbled as she went back to strumming the guitar. Sarah's excitement dwindled as she saw the subject struck a nerve with everyone.
"So, the BD's going to be ready?" Sarah asked quickly, moving the conversation from choppy waters. Judy nodded as she finished her s'more with a small smile as V started playing again.
"Should be, got the emote track tuned down so we all aren't pissing ourselves" Judy replied as she nestled herself closer to V "going to be a long day, diving into all that crap"
"Has to be something juicy in there" Sarah said confidently as she stood up to get closer to the fire. Judy noticed Panam scoot ever slightly closer to Jason who was busy roasting another marshmallow.
"Lots of it is just reading files or watching cam footage in cyberspace" Judy shrugged "going to be boring, not the virtues I prefer tuning"
"Not explicit enough?" Sarah teased.
"Smut was a great way to make money, plus finding ways to tune it in a fresh new way was always a great challenge" Judy smiled "I prefer more personal pieces, artistic works that really make people think"
"Imagine you got a lot of work being the best BD tuner in NC" Jason praised as he inspected the marshmallow he had just finished roasting.
"My fair share, it was a living. Not much virtue tuning out here for artistic reasons" Judy sighed as V set the guitar down with a yawn.
"We will have to figure something out, nomad life BD's were a good idea before this mess fell in our laps" Panam offered as she checked the comm system for any messages from the scouts.
"I'll hold you to that" Judy smiled as she looked to V whose half shut eyes and yawn betrayed how tired she was. Judy stood up and took V's hand pulling her up, they waved good night before walking back to their home.
Sarah looked up at the moon high in the sky before grabbing a half empty bag of marshmallows and heading to the shack she and Jason shared at the edge of the camp. She glanced over her shoulder with a small smile as she saw Panam and Jason sitting alone.
Jason finished his most recent s'more as he sat back on the couch. He watched the fire, his mind unfocused as he enjoyed the peaceful night. He felt Panam shift in her seat next to him as she got more comfortable.
"Going to head to bed?" Panam asked as she checked the comms again for any news.
"Maybe later, hard to sleep most nights" Jason shrugged, his eyes still on the fire. Panam turned her gaze to the fire as she thought about the sleepless nights that plagued Mitch and the other veterans when they had returned.
"The dreams keep you up?" Panam asked softly with an understanding that was disarming to Jason.
"Yeah, it's always the same one" Jason sighed as he surprised himself, talking about the nightmare that followed him back from Managua into every sleepless night.
"Do you...want to talk about it?" Panam ventured comfortingly as she scooted closer to Jason where their shoulders bumped.
"Another night, like V said, rather enjoying this one" Jason smiled as he glanced over at her. His eyes met Panam's and they stayed like that for a moment. Jason's eyes flicked to her lips as he felt her shift closer. The warm feeling of her proximity suddenly felt hotter than the fire. Panam smiled slightly as she reached out to touch the scar on his face and pull him into the building kiss before her comms barked to life.
"Panam, we are bedding down for the night. Found a good place to camp, team one out"
The sudden interruption caused both Jason and Panam to jump as Panam scrambled to grab the communication set to respond. Jason laughed in weirdly to himself as he looked back to the fire. The illusion he had felt with Meredith was solidifying into reality in his mind. Only instead of a blonde corpo woman, it was a gorgeous queen of the highway.
"Copy team one, stay safe" Panam responded over the comms flustered before she flopped back down onto the couch with a sigh.
"Team two and three have not checked in yet?" Jason asked as he looked over at her.
"No, um, no the haven't" she mumbled a bit embarrassed "going to be a long night"
"Want company?" Jason asked with a smile. Panam grinned as she lay back on the couch and kicked her feet up placing them in Jason's lap.
"Sure" She beamed as she reached behind the couch and produced a bottle of whiskey taking a long drink before passing it to Jason who waved it away.
"You aren't on guard duty and we have no pineapple for your sunset" Panam shook the bottle urging him to take a drink. Jason gave her a mildly annoyed look before taking the bottle and a short drink. The whiskey burned his mouth but the sweeter flavours lingered as he examined the bottle. It was a honey whiskey which explained the sweet after taste it left on his lips.
"Not bad," Jason said, licking his lips as he passed the bottle back to Panam who took another drink.
"Sweet, but with a punch" Panam toasted as she set the bottle down between them.
"Wonder what else tastes like that" Jason wondered with a faint smile as his eyes rested on Panam a moment before looking back to the fire. Panam blinked as she mentally cursed team one's piss poor timing.