mofi | duplicity

[ Wesley's waiting at the entrance of the said watering hole in half an hour, scrolling his phone while he leans against the wall. There's some bad blood between the two of them but he's hoping to make it a little less so for Raven's sake in the future.

He'll buy Murphy that beer he's looking for. Maybe several in fact. ]

[ A half hour rolls around and Wesley can see Murphy casually sauntering down the street. It didn't take him too much time to get ready. He's wearing the same clothes he came in with, albiet they are now clean. When Murphy sees Wesley, he gives him a lazy two-fingered salute. ]

Howdy, partner, [ He drawls, a smirk unfluring across his face. ]

So. That free beer?

[ Wesley, like usual, stands out in the office in his black jeans and simple t-shirts but he fits well to the watering hole behind him. At least now his shirts usually fit him and his jeans aren't size too big. (Thanks Arthur.)

He snorts at the salute and pushes himself away from the wall. ]

Are you that cheap? [ he asks Murphy, teasingly, as he pushes the door open for him. ] After you, jackass.

Wouldn't you like to know? [ He winks, mocking and sensual all at the same time. That's all there is between these two, quips and back and forth banter.

Murphy walks around Wesely and dips inside the bar. This is probably their usual crowd, Murphy assumes. It's a little small, a little crowded, but this is the kind of place you'd see Murphy lurking around in. Sitting somewhere in the dark, drinking his free beers.

But, by some miracle, there are two spots open at the bar. Murphy makes it a point to nab both of them. ]

[ Hey, it's a form of communication, isn't it?

Wesley follows after him to the bar and whistles at the bartender. They're familiar by now. How often do you come here? Don't ask.

He lands a foot on the stretcher of the barstool but doesn't take a seat yet while he lifts two fingers at the bartender who gives him a curt nod. ]

So, how are things?

[ Unlike Wesley, Murphy takes a seat, sort of melts into it because he's tired of doing all this walking. Man, he's parched! The bartender is spared a sidelong look and waits until they get within earshot. ]

Despite everything, pretty okay. I was getting tortured when I went back. Good news, though, is I don't die when I thought I would. Plus, Raven told me I was still alive at the point she's from. [ That was a big relief. If he could he'd opt to live forever. ]

What the hell have you been up to?

[ Wesley's about to reply, his brows furrowed at the mention of torture but the bartender gets to them right then and pushes two beers in front of them. Wesley hands him his card to be charged without a word, just muttering a quick: Thanks, when he gets the card back.

He climbs onto the stool then, turning towards Murphy. ] Tortured? That's fucked up. [ Wesley's not unfamiliar to pain but that was his choice to be repeatedly beaten. It was ... training. Yeah. ] Who the fuck tortured you and for what reason?

[ He waves a hand at the question. ] The same old, Duplicity. You know, sometimes it's shock collars, sometimes ghost pirates.

That's the world I lived in. Getting tortured is the norm.

[ Before Murphy answers Wesley, he takes his beer to take a sip. It's more of a gulp, maybe a few gulps. The beer is smooth, and it leaves a satisfied smile on his face.

Oh, right. Wesley. ]

It's a long story, but - uh - people on a prison ship tortured Raven and I for information we didn't have. Turns out one of the them had fucked around with the coding, and leaving the blame on us.

Shock collars, I am very familiar with those, too.

[ Right, these two and their apocalyptic world. Wesley still thinks Duplicity is probably a pleasant vacation for them. Not that Wesley is in any hurry to get back home. There's nothing there for him. ]

Your world is something else, [ he says with a sigh and takes a long swig from his beer. ] I guess it explains why you got like that, [ he jokes with a teasing look in his eyes as he glances Murph from the corner of his eye. ]

I guess you'd be glad to be back here, then, huh?

Why I became perfectly delightful? Yes, I know. [ Murphy is sarcastic of course. Why would anyone want to be in his company? ]

You'd guess right. [ He slightly tips his glass towards Wesley. ] It's weird, though. I've been gone for like two years. And Raven. I don't know - [ He pauses to drink his beer. ] I don't know what I was trying to say but, yeah.

Yeah, exactly. A fucking delight, [ Wesley shakes his head, taking a sip of his beer. He recognises that sarcastic tone and knows exactly what Murphy means by it. Wesley's the exact same after all. It's easy to be around him for this reason. There's no reason to pretend he doesn't have a serious case of impostor syndrome. ]

Raven's been here all that time and stuff has happened? [ Wesley guesses with another gulp of his beer. ] She missed you and then she moved on. And now you wonder if it would have been better if you'd just stayed away. [ Wesley snorts and then smiles crookedly at Murphy. ] I'm probably projecting. I know it's a fucking whiplash because you have no recollection of those years that you were away.

[ Wesley guesses correctly, of course. Murphy's an open book with his emotions, especially when it came to people he most cared about. In this instance, it's Raven. Murphy lets Wesley talk and he spends this time polishing off his beer. He assumes there going to be here for a little while.

He holds up two fingers to flag the bartender back over to them. The next thing he holds out is his empty glass. ] I'll have another one of these.

So, [ he starts to say, attention drifting back to Wesley. ] We're going through the same shit. I've been dealing, for the most part.

[ Wesley shrugs, just because. He keeps an easier pace with his beer. It's not going to get him drunk just in a need to take a leak. He'll need some serious alcohol before it'll take an effect. ]

I guess you just gotta get over it. That's what I've gleamed off this experience. [ He grins, sharply. ] I left pretty much at the tail end of the Fort Harmony bullshit. Missed a whole lot of action. For some reason that's not really what bugs me even if it's hard to get a ring on that as well. But... The weirdest thing is that most people I knew back then are gone and Dominic has somehow gotten married and fallen in love with two other dudes in that time. It's taken some time to swallow that's for sure.

[ He gives Murphy a look that is both surprisingly open and curious. ] Have you worked out any of that with Raven yet?

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