a true soldier

CLARK: that is perfect! the show starts at 9 and it takes about an hour to get there. we'll have some free time so i could buy dinner, of course.

MAX: I thought we'd covered that I'm not letting you pay for dinner, miss. We can surely go somewhere to eat before the show, and we'll slip the check like a modern couple.

MAX: As I thought – I get off work at 7pm. That's in time for the piano show, right? If not then I guess we'll have to take a rain check for something else another day?

“that is way too long,” clark agreed, chewing on the inside of her bottom lip before speaking again. “i do have you beat by about three more years. give or take.” she was way too preoccupied to come up with the exact time. “it sounds like we are both due for a show, then.” she concluded, starting to feel even more excitement sink in. it was one thing to have someone agree to come along with clark, but the fact that it was maxine and they both genuinely enjoyed the music created from a piano made the whole situation feel much better. “oh, of course i will! just give me a heads up and we’ll be good to go. i hope i won’t be stealing you away from work, though.” clark felt a bit concerned about that, the last thing she wanted was for max to get in trouble at her job but she had a feeling if that were a possibility then they could plan something else for another day. clark’s hand lowered from her mouth a bit when she watched max rub her eyes. of course the worst thoughts coming to mind like perhaps her ex had a headache from the obnoxious laughter clark had been doing the last couple minutes. just when she was about to ask if the other way okay, max responded and clark crossed her arms trying to play it off cool. “of course not, everyone knows it’s really all about the vegetable orchestra.” 

“yes, that’s absolutely true. i’m so excited about this. it has been years since i have attended a show. i’m sure it will bring back many memories.” clark sighed out, briefly reminiscing on the past–but not for too long, of course. the tone in max’s voice sounded a bit suspicious in a way clark couldn’t quite explain, so instead she rose an eyebrow and let a smallest laugh push past her lips. “it’s a bit of a drive from here, i could pick you up of course.” seeing max smile and laugh was always a relief to clark in a way, knowing she had been having a challenging time adjusting back to life here in pensacola. clark couldn’t possibly imagine everything max experienced in the service, but that would be another question for another day–only if max would be willing to share. in fact, clark would more than likely wait for max to bring it up herself. “hey, that sounds like a plan to me.” though clark secretly hoped that one day the other would give in for a meal or something in the like. max’s words made her snort, followed by her hand flying up to cover the mortified smile on her face. “oh, right! the army does specialize in pianists, after all.” she joked right back, words muffled since her hand was still hovering over her mouth.

Maxine side-eyed Flint for a second, then looked around as if she was just chocked by what she’d heard and wanted to check with someone else if that was really what Flint’d said. “So, wait. You haven’t tried to call a locksmith yet? Picking your car lock or getting punched in the face were seriously higher on your to-do list?” She chuckled at the ridiculousness of the situation, only slightly amused by it as most of her was kind of disappointed at how far humanity had gotten. “I suppose there is heat, and I guess I could house you until your… Bandit’s breakfast.” Max offered. Although she wasn’t very fond of having people over at her place, she wouldn’t be that rude woman to deny someone shelter. Especially someone who’d genuinely asked her to punch him in the face, so she’d make an exception for Flint. She was a good American after all.

Maxine wasn’t the biggest fan of having people pay for her things, and this situation was no different. In fact, this was one case where Max would really, really not accept that money. Had he asked how much was the coffee and asked to pay for it, she would’ve considered accepting the kindness for a second before probably denying it. But offering twenty - then fifty - dollars for her latte just made it seem like that man was a serious case of rich boy show-off. Maxine was familiar with those, having studied at a big shot university, and she didn’t appreciate them very much. “How this works?” She repeated after him, scoffing at the end of her words as she shook her head in disbelief. Looking down at the waving twenty dollar bill she honestly felt like taking it and ripping it in half. The man probably wouldn’t be too bothered by the action, given as twenty dollars seemed like nothing to him. “No, sir, I don’t want it. I’ll just step back in line and get myself another coffee.” She told him. “If twenty or fifty dollars aren’t that big a deal for you, then maybe you could give it to someone who won’t take it for granted.” Max gave the stranger a smile, stepping aside as she looked down to the floor and noticed the coffee that had splashed on her shoe. She sighed, reaching for a napkin on the counter and raising her leg to wipe the drink off her foot.

“if anything, they will sound better. it’s this saturday night.” noticing max’s growing smile it was hard to not look away, though she wanted to because clark knew soon enough she would have a dopey heart eyed expression. she opened her mouth to respond, but no words came to mind at first. of course clark knew that would be the case. “yes, i know.” she nodded in response, rubbing the back of her neck for several moments in an attempt to gather her thoughts. “but you realize that i’ll still offer every time, anyway.” besides, how could she not? even though things didn’t work out for them in the past, max was still very important to clark. “that’s probably for the best, i’d hate to embarrass you in front of everyone.” she teased with a wide grin.

“yes ma’am, you’ve heard it right. have you ever been to one?” back in her hometown, clark would go to many shows but unfortunately that hasn’t been the case since she moved to florida years ago. “i really wouldn’t mind, though! consider it a thank you for tagging along with me. i guess we’ll have to see when we get there.” clark chuckled, raising an eyebrow. “so, you would take on me?”

sophia: he can control water, and create hurricanes, he's a demi god.

sophia: also no i should be finishing up some final pages for something due next week but nothing is coming to me, it's like i was going full speed ahead and someone threw up a giant stop sign.

sophia: shit sorry that was a lot.

Max: A demi-god? Then I think percy jackson wins, right?

Max: It's okay, you can rant to me if you want, I don't mind.

sophia: okay but who do you think would win a fight.

sophia: spider-man or percy jackson?

sophia: also, would you like to come over and hang out i think i might be losing my mind. 🙃

maxine: I don't really know what percy jackson's powers are, so I think I have to go with spider-Man?

“yes ma’am, you’ve heard it right. have you ever been to one?” back in her hometown, clark would go to many shows but unfortunately that hasn’t been the case since she moved to florida years ago. “i really wouldn’t mind, though! consider it a thank you for tagging along with me. i guess we’ll have to see when we get there.” clark chuckled, raising an eyebrow. “so, you would take on me?”

Reese couldn’t help but completely stop in her tracks only to check up on the other woman, trying to read her expression. Normally, it wouldn’t take her a long time, merely a couple of seconds, but this time around? It was hard. Not like ‘I am never going to solve this’ hard, but… it could be easily comparable to that, in a way. She cleared her throat, immediately nodding, as if she wanted to signalise that she was, in fact, still listening. “Yes, ma’am, that would be correct,” once more nodding she agreed with her words. After all, she seemed to know what she was talking about, and she was most definitely talking from the experience, so there was no way Reese could actually pick anything from her words to correct; it was like a breath of fresh air, seeing as all she was doing lately was letting people know they were in the wrong – in the most polite way it was actually possible, that is. “I don’t know much about service or support dogs, but from what I’ve read they’re able to help with things like that – with almost everything – now, that’s for sure. – It-it’s a wonderful thing, though, isn’t it? Gee, they really are a man’s best friend…” and with that, she trailed off, ducking her head down for a moment, all while she shuffled on her feet. Clearly, she was already feeling the buzz of the coffee she’s had. Good riddance, patience.

“— that would be Doctor Wolfe now, actually,” Ree knew Maxine was joking, but she couldn’t just not say that. After all, the woman was proud of her achievements, so it was understandable… kind of. “I’m-I’m a… resident, I… have interns to boss around, so it basically means I still am around two years from becoming a general surgeon – and boy, is it hard to cope without caffeine at times,” in her own attempt to joke, Reese let a genuine, wide smile stretch upon her features for a longer moment. “Although, I am certain that battling through the addiction together is a great method to get rid of it even faster, so… If we’re both still around good ol’ Pensacola, I will definitely be down for at least attempting that.”

Maxine appreciated Reese’s company. Not only her company, per say, but her attitude towards things. It was refreshing for Max to have this kind of easy moments in her life, and she’d be outrageously lying if she said this moments weren’t something she’d missed during her years of deployment. Of course she’d have nice moments here and there while on duty, but nothing quite matched being able to have coffee with a friend while walking your dog and not having to be prepared for a bomb to land right next to you. Maxine had missed the peace and quiet, and although Reese wasn’t exactly quiet, she was definite peace. “Yeah, no, they’re like, super dogs. Sansa turns the lights off for me at night, if I ask her to. She grabs my bottle of water and gives it to me before I go for a run.” She chuckled at the end, her dog’s achievements really playing out in her head. She smiled. “I guess I can certainly confirm it. Sansa’s my best friend.”

“— if I was still awake at the moment she’d arrive, I am sure she would have helped, a lot. – Other than that, I am not entirely convinced that a dog would actually have any kind of impact on my almost-lifeless body, as she would have when it comes to seizures,” she said, waving her hand a little. “After all, those two differ way too much, right? Sure, she could’ve been trained forall kinds of stuff, but I have a feeling that focusing on supporting the owner who has one thing, not the other, would’ve been much better.” It seemed as though that Reese knew what she was talking about, but at this point, with all the rambling, she might have made herself appear as if she was almost close to being clueless. But those were the perks of being quite a fast talker and a babbly mess, and she had to learn to live with it no matter what.

“Oh, come on, now… It’s not like either of us would listen to each other. It’s like… nothing has changed for all these years,” she replied jokingly, offering the woman a warm kind of smile. “For the caffeine withdrawals, I would say that, no – while it’s surely as addictive as any other substance, I can assure you that the symptoms differ, depending on the stage of said addiction.” While she realized she was turning into her ‘intern’-self, Ree quickly shook her head and rested both hands on her hips, sighing ever so wistfully. “All in all – maybe I actually should quit coffee, but would the constant headache and nausea be REALLY worth it? I might as well just get through my interning days with it and THEN see what happens.”

Maxine moved her jaw from one side to another as she nibbled on her lower lip, a habit of hers for when she listened to other people’s points. Those who don’’t know her might think of this as a sign she’s uncomfortable in the situation, but it’s actually the exact opposite. Max’s only known for doing so in situations where the topic is something of her interest or the person she’s talking to is someone she’s comfortable with. In this exact case, it was both. “Well, true, if you were already passed out when Sansa got here, all she’d do is smell you and bark at people to do something about it,” Max complied. “But if there were training for sudden coma allert - which there could be and I don’t know about it -, I’m almost positive it would work much like a seizure allert in the way that the dog can tell the seizure is coming before it actually happens, so that the owner can prepare for it.” She explained even though she was lowkey sure Reese already knew that. “Sansa was trained for seizure allert, too, even if I haven’t had any cases of seizure or anything alike. I guess it was just included in her veterans training. I believe they aim to train the dog for at least the basics in every situation possible for the owner’s case.”