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[ annoyance wouldn't exactly be the accurate term for what marta's feeling right now, kovacs' tactics (as creative as they are sincere) effectively drawing her away from any semblance of ill feeling with the all-too-casual way he leans back on his arms, the slowly building simmer in his eyes. ]
You think I got a job somewhere else?
[ there is a lilt to her brow and her tone that seems to dare him to finish that thought, see where the implication lands him. but there's really only mirth dancing around in her brown eyes, punctuated by the way she makes her hips sway very obviously when she finally comes closer.
her knees bump against the mattress, but she doesn't stop there. the skirt flares out naturally so there's no need to lift it like she does when she begins to climb onto the bed, a knee coming to settle on either side of his hips. she stays up on those knees, enjoying the rare view of being up higher than him. ]
Go ahead. Tell me what I really look like.
You think I got a job somewhere else?
[ there is a lilt to her brow and her tone that seems to dare him to finish that thought, see where the implication lands him. but there's really only mirth dancing around in her brown eyes, punctuated by the way she makes her hips sway very obviously when she finally comes closer.
her knees bump against the mattress, but she doesn't stop there. the skirt flares out naturally so there's no need to lift it like she does when she begins to climb onto the bed, a knee coming to settle on either side of his hips. she stays up on those knees, enjoying the rare view of being up higher than him. ]
Go ahead. Tell me what I really look like.
[ he recognizes that tone, one that's been used on him again and again, for all the ways that marta knows how to talk to him better than anyone. she can tell when he's being snide, when there's a deadpan remark of humor ready down the line in conversation, the kind that often gets him on anyone's nerves, and he'd lie if he ever said he didn't enjoy the way she knows how to dodge and play around it, like she knows how to tug the leash.
and he loves it when she does.
her hips are a distraction from her question, the flare of the skirt punctuating the sway of those movements even further, letting him watch carefully at every step that brings her closer to the bed, silent as she climbs up to hover over him.
he meets her eyes like a quiet challenge, lips bearing their usual mischief as he brings up a hand to carefully slide over the front of her thigh beneath a skirt that does little to cover her, feeling out the material of the stocking, thumb stroking slow as if to test how thin it is for her to feel that direct touch. ]
Still not close enough for me to tell. Crawl up a little more and I can give you the full inspection.
and he loves it when she does.
her hips are a distraction from her question, the flare of the skirt punctuating the sway of those movements even further, letting him watch carefully at every step that brings her closer to the bed, silent as she climbs up to hover over him.
he meets her eyes like a quiet challenge, lips bearing their usual mischief as he brings up a hand to carefully slide over the front of her thigh beneath a skirt that does little to cover her, feeling out the material of the stocking, thumb stroking slow as if to test how thin it is for her to feel that direct touch. ]
Still not close enough for me to tell. Crawl up a little more and I can give you the full inspection.
[ she remembers how, in the beginning, when they first decided to give this thing between them a chance, she would wake up to the feel of his body pressed up against hers, holding her breath for a few seconds as if that might somehow ensure he doesn't disappear. it's a foolish thing, to build dreams off of dreams themselves, where nothing is tangible and can get torn away at any second—
but marta hasn't been this happy in a long time, either. far from the practical, rational decisions she's always tried to make in her past, if temporary is all she's given here, she'll take it.
anything for another few seconds longer to see this man smile at her. ]
A full inspection? That sounds ambitious on an empty stomach.
[ doesn't stop her from moving though. even with his hand on her thigh she shifts several inches more until his hand has nowhere else to go by be up against swell of her hip, until the hem of that skirt is left tickling his neck and chin. one hand still rests on her other hip, but the other drifts down to trace the sharp angles of his jaw. her fingers are soft in their touch until they're not, grabbing the bottom of his chin to tilt his head further back so he can look right up at her.
for the record? the stockings are ridiculously thin. she feels every inch of his touch. ]
but marta hasn't been this happy in a long time, either. far from the practical, rational decisions she's always tried to make in her past, if temporary is all she's given here, she'll take it.
anything for another few seconds longer to see this man smile at her. ]
A full inspection? That sounds ambitious on an empty stomach.
[ doesn't stop her from moving though. even with his hand on her thigh she shifts several inches more until his hand has nowhere else to go by be up against swell of her hip, until the hem of that skirt is left tickling his neck and chin. one hand still rests on her other hip, but the other drifts down to trace the sharp angles of his jaw. her fingers are soft in their touch until they're not, grabbing the bottom of his chin to tilt his head further back so he can look right up at her.
for the record? the stockings are ridiculously thin. she feels every inch of his touch. ]
Edited 2023-07-11 20:12 (UTC)
[ all of this has been threatened to be taken away plenty of times now — accidents on missions, lost memories, return trips back home, kovacs' own cursed fate to lose everything he's ever loved. sometimes, it's easy to forget about how much they've given to get here, if only because the very idea of wanting to be with her is easy.
his fingers touching her now be daring and playful in the moment, but he'd do the torment and torture of the past year and some all over again just to make sure he ends up right back here, resting on this bed with the salvation of her touch right against his chin.
with the demanding tilt she gives him to face her, he follows that silent instruction to meet her eyes, the stare focused and attentive, lustful and longing all at once. the kind that says i'd fight my way through hell to meet your eyes like this. ]
Won't be empty for long. Not with the meal I'll be having.
[ his fingers maintain their slow pace, not with hesitation but with intent, as he curves his palm inward along her thigh, gradually slipping higher and higher until his thumb can be brush right against the apex, nudging a firm but slow dragging stroke where he can feel her panties beneath the stocking. ]
his fingers touching her now be daring and playful in the moment, but he'd do the torment and torture of the past year and some all over again just to make sure he ends up right back here, resting on this bed with the salvation of her touch right against his chin.
with the demanding tilt she gives him to face her, he follows that silent instruction to meet her eyes, the stare focused and attentive, lustful and longing all at once. the kind that says i'd fight my way through hell to meet your eyes like this. ]
Won't be empty for long. Not with the meal I'll be having.
[ his fingers maintain their slow pace, not with hesitation but with intent, as he curves his palm inward along her thigh, gradually slipping higher and higher until his thumb can be brush right against the apex, nudging a firm but slow dragging stroke where he can feel her panties beneath the stocking. ]
[ yeah, he's studied more than enough spanish now to know what that means, though it's never worked at pulling out much annoyance from him, since most of the time, marta's swearing only tends to make him more attracted to her. when she steps back out of the kitchen with her tongs, an angry fire in her eyes, it's just a recipe for her looking just as good as ever.
but it's probably not what he should be putting too much focus on while he's ...not so much bleeding out, as he is dealing with a slight inconvenience.
he eyes the all too familiar first aid kit before he starts heading in that direction, sinking himself into the couch before peeling back the fabric from his collar to peek at the bleeding injury though his cut shirt. ]
Just an idiot that put up a bit more of a fight. Took him down ten seconds later. He got lucky.
but it's probably not what he should be putting too much focus on while he's ...not so much bleeding out, as he is dealing with a slight inconvenience.
he eyes the all too familiar first aid kit before he starts heading in that direction, sinking himself into the couch before peeling back the fabric from his collar to peek at the bleeding injury though his cut shirt. ]
Just an idiot that put up a bit more of a fight. Took him down ten seconds later. He got lucky.
Kovacs! Hello!
Did you miss me? Didn't expect to be back so soon — [ ... or you know, ever. But! But. ] — and I'm rather glad to see that some familiar faces are still here!
[ Truly, he's missed several crewmembers here, especially Kovacs. And being gone for however long he has (time is still too wibbly-wobbly for him to make much sense of its normal passing, okay), he hadn't been sure what it'd be like. New vibe and all that. ]
Cause any trouble then, eh? On my behalf? Are you busy? Care to join me for a cup of tea?
Did you miss me? Didn't expect to be back so soon — [ ... or you know, ever. But! But. ] — and I'm rather glad to see that some familiar faces are still here!
[ Truly, he's missed several crewmembers here, especially Kovacs. And being gone for however long he has (time is still too wibbly-wobbly for him to make much sense of its normal passing, okay), he hadn't been sure what it'd be like. New vibe and all that. ]
Cause any trouble then, eh? On my behalf? Are you busy? Care to join me for a cup of tea?
[ kovacs doesn't forget voices or faces. even when someone like him lives as he does, with bodies ever changing. often, he still dreams of those he's met, typically in all their forms if he's met them under different guises. he never forgets the doctor, all of the doctor, in the different ways that he's known him, either gray-haired or extra chinny, along with all his tales he's either witnessed or been told.
so when he sees him now, he thinks he's fallen asleep again, sometimes finding him in dreams. but it's not, realizing the message that comes through comes in real time. ]
... Doc? [ he squints, letting it all process. definitely the doctor. and definitely him in that body, with the way he embodies that energy the same as he's always had. ] The hell you doing here? [ endearingly asked. ]
so when he sees him now, he thinks he's fallen asleep again, sometimes finding him in dreams. but it's not, realizing the message that comes through comes in real time. ]
... Doc? [ he squints, letting it all process. definitely the doctor. and definitely him in that body, with the way he embodies that energy the same as he's always had. ] The hell you doing here? [ endearingly asked. ]
Oh, you know — I thought I'd just pop on back. Was a bit bored out on my own and all that.
[ Then, of course, there's the whole 'a breath away from regenerating' bit that turned out not to be an entirely desirable outcome, despite the knowledge that he would become ol' Owl Eyes in a jiff.
And that's fine. Really.
But there's all of this. Here. And it feels important enough to see it through to the end. ]
Now, you didn't answer my question.
[ Then, of course, there's the whole 'a breath away from regenerating' bit that turned out not to be an entirely desirable outcome, despite the knowledge that he would become ol' Owl Eyes in a jiff.
And that's fine. Really.
But there's all of this. Here. And it feels important enough to see it through to the end. ]
Now, you didn't answer my question.
[ immediately, there's something a little peculiar about what he says. on my own. which is discomforting to think about, considering that when he left here, he hadn't been on his own at all. but one thing at a time.
he sighs, as the doctor refers back to the question, something he'd think would be completely ridiculous coming out of anyone else's mouth. but then, the doctor was never just anyone. ]
Yeah, I could do tea.
he sighs, as the doctor refers back to the question, something he'd think would be completely ridiculous coming out of anyone else's mouth. but then, the doctor was never just anyone. ]
Yeah, I could do tea.
Wonderful! I'll be in the kitchen putting the kettle on, then.
[ Geronimo. ]
Rather funny how things seem to have come full circle, eh?
[ Their first interaction upon meeting had involved sharing a cup of tea too. Of course they hadn't known each other then, and Kovacs very likely found the Doctor something of a handful (derogatory) whereas he might now be something ... of a handful (affectionate).
And yes. There is a difference. ]
[ Geronimo. ]
Rather funny how things seem to have come full circle, eh?
[ Their first interaction upon meeting had involved sharing a cup of tea too. Of course they hadn't known each other then, and Kovacs very likely found the Doctor something of a handful (derogatory) whereas he might now be something ... of a handful (affectionate).
And yes. There is a difference. ]
Always the case with most things, I think.
[ after all, the one part of this body that is his own is the ouroboros tattoo inked on his arm, something that had once connected him with his mother and sister, representing a lot more now in terms of the cycles he often finds himself in.
at least this one in particular seems to be a good one.
some things have changed from that first meeting. the room he walks out of isn't the one he was first boarded in, seemingly cozier because of the way that marta's made it into a home for them both. the kovacs of now isn't as lonely as he'd been two years earlier, even if he's lost some friends along the way. what does remain the same is the habit of planting a cigarette between his lips, already lit by the time he makes it to the kitchen, stepping in and feeling the quirk in his lips as he fights a smile in seeing the old face. ]
Still as chipper as ever, huh?
[ after all, the one part of this body that is his own is the ouroboros tattoo inked on his arm, something that had once connected him with his mother and sister, representing a lot more now in terms of the cycles he often finds himself in.
at least this one in particular seems to be a good one.
some things have changed from that first meeting. the room he walks out of isn't the one he was first boarded in, seemingly cozier because of the way that marta's made it into a home for them both. the kovacs of now isn't as lonely as he'd been two years earlier, even if he's lost some friends along the way. what does remain the same is the habit of planting a cigarette between his lips, already lit by the time he makes it to the kitchen, stepping in and feeling the quirk in his lips as he fights a smile in seeing the old face. ]
Still as chipper as ever, huh?
Well, why not? There's tea, there's me, there's the station still all in one piece. I don't see the waffle maker, however. Bit of a letdown, that. But no matter — I can always make a new one.
[ The Doctor turns to study Kovacs good and properly now that he's in the room and not over a screen in his vision, still a bit pixelated and just a flat image. The cigarette is, of course, a rather typical trait of his that's engrained in the Doctor's mind (as is the smell ... dreadful), and the rest of him seems ... lighter now. A little more comfortable in the skin that he's come to claim as his own, having seen what he'd looked like before the tallness and the blondeness and the frowniness.
As for the Doctor, he looks just the same — truly as though he'd never left. In his long woolen coat and vest, his shiny shoes and freshly pressed trousers, the outfit wouldn't be complete without his characteristic bowtie. It's a dark blue one this day, and he readjusts it just before he's dashing towards Kovacs to wrap him up in a hug.
Sorry, buddy. You get no say in this bit. ]
Did you get taller?
[ — is asked, in the midst of the hug. ]
[ The Doctor turns to study Kovacs good and properly now that he's in the room and not over a screen in his vision, still a bit pixelated and just a flat image. The cigarette is, of course, a rather typical trait of his that's engrained in the Doctor's mind (as is the smell ... dreadful), and the rest of him seems ... lighter now. A little more comfortable in the skin that he's come to claim as his own, having seen what he'd looked like before the tallness and the blondeness and the frowniness.
As for the Doctor, he looks just the same — truly as though he'd never left. In his long woolen coat and vest, his shiny shoes and freshly pressed trousers, the outfit wouldn't be complete without his characteristic bowtie. It's a dark blue one this day, and he readjusts it just before he's dashing towards Kovacs to wrap him up in a hug.
Sorry, buddy. You get no say in this bit. ]
Did you get taller?
[ — is asked, in the midst of the hug. ]
[ most days, he'd be quick to try to dodge a hug but despite the slight grunt he gives at the doctor's arms suddenly wrapping around him after a dash, kovacs doesn't actually do anything to fight it off, huff a breath as he even brings one arm to return it, the other slightly held out to avoid burning either one of them with the cigarette.
he'd never say it out loud, but in truth, he appreciates a good hug. especially from someone he hadn't heard from in close to a year. someone that had become a greater friend than he tends to allow himself. ]
Yeah, things got boring as hell, I stretched myself a whole extra foot just to spice things up.
[ he gives his back a pat, torn in whether to hold it in a bit longer before he finally draws back, meeting the doctor's eyes, a genuine honesty in his own. ]
It's good to see you.
he'd never say it out loud, but in truth, he appreciates a good hug. especially from someone he hadn't heard from in close to a year. someone that had become a greater friend than he tends to allow himself. ]
Yeah, things got boring as hell, I stretched myself a whole extra foot just to spice things up.
[ he gives his back a pat, torn in whether to hold it in a bit longer before he finally draws back, meeting the doctor's eyes, a genuine honesty in his own. ]
It's good to see you.
Ha-hah!
[ The Doctor waves a finger in a 'Oh, you cheeky little rascal' sort of way, and then whirls off towards the place where he'd left the hot water and the two mugs already set out with one tea bag each.
He'd also found some biscuits in one of the cupboard, likely some leftovers from a recent movie night or something. He'd be glad to know those are still happening. ]
Oh, and it is good to see you again too, old friend.
[ The Doctor's beaming smiles gets a little soft near the end, eyes bright and a little twinkly. ]
I hope you've got some good stories to tell me, eh? I want to hear everything, especially all of the exciting bits. Actually you can leave out all the boring things, save us both a bit of time.
[ The Doctor waves a finger in a 'Oh, you cheeky little rascal' sort of way, and then whirls off towards the place where he'd left the hot water and the two mugs already set out with one tea bag each.
He'd also found some biscuits in one of the cupboard, likely some leftovers from a recent movie night or something. He'd be glad to know those are still happening. ]
Oh, and it is good to see you again too, old friend.
[ The Doctor's beaming smiles gets a little soft near the end, eyes bright and a little twinkly. ]
I hope you've got some good stories to tell me, eh? I want to hear everything, especially all of the exciting bits. Actually you can leave out all the boring things, save us both a bit of time.
[ it's definitely a comfort to have, something almost reassuring with the days of uncertainty up ahead. the crew getting a little bigger than normal and recruiting a number of old faces has definitely been a bit of a red flag about whatever could be looming ahead. ]
Not much to tell. More missions, more orbs. And this station's got a bit of fucked up history, but we all kind of saw that coming. [ just don't ask him about it.
he walks further into the kitchen, sidestepping where the doctor had retreated back to the mugs to instead take a seat at the nearest table, cigarette brought back up to his lips to take a drag. ]
More curious to hear what happened to you. You went back by choice.
[ technically, he went back too, but. there hadn't been much choice to that. ]
Did you remember anything?
Not much to tell. More missions, more orbs. And this station's got a bit of fucked up history, but we all kind of saw that coming. [ just don't ask him about it.
he walks further into the kitchen, sidestepping where the doctor had retreated back to the mugs to instead take a seat at the nearest table, cigarette brought back up to his lips to take a drag. ]
More curious to hear what happened to you. You went back by choice.
[ technically, he went back too, but. there hadn't been much choice to that. ]
Did you remember anything?
I did. [ Go back by choice, he means. ] I thought I was doing the right thing, you see, going back and finishing what I started. I lived a rather good life here, did it the normal, slow way too.
[ He pauses in his preparations, mouth pressed into a thin line. He ... learned to exist in time passing as it does for every other human, learned how to be more human than he was, learned to fall in love, fell very much in love, and learned to accept that perhaps there came a time in his life to accept moving on and forward and all of that. He'd learned to make way for his next regeneration. Accepted it, even.
But he only remembers all of that now, here, because he's back. And that's the weird bit. ]
But no. The moment I went back, I forgot everything. And with one breath left ... well, I was asked to come here — again — and I thought: well, why not? Of course I only remembered everything once I woke up here again.
[ He can only attribute that to the orbs, and only now does he remember what he remembers and remembers that he'd forgotten what he should have remembered and all of that is really rather perplexing, and a little sad.
All those promises he'd made to help some of his friends here when this was all over ... he thinks of Rosinante and Law, and Newt, the former of whom he hasn't seen around yet ... ]
Don't think I'm letting you off the hook, you know. This station's been home for quite a long time, I'll want to know just how it's all gone topsy-turvy. I suppose it'll have to do with Viveca and the Commander, then?
[ He pauses in his preparations, mouth pressed into a thin line. He ... learned to exist in time passing as it does for every other human, learned how to be more human than he was, learned to fall in love, fell very much in love, and learned to accept that perhaps there came a time in his life to accept moving on and forward and all of that. He'd learned to make way for his next regeneration. Accepted it, even.
But he only remembers all of that now, here, because he's back. And that's the weird bit. ]
But no. The moment I went back, I forgot everything. And with one breath left ... well, I was asked to come here — again — and I thought: well, why not? Of course I only remembered everything once I woke up here again.
[ He can only attribute that to the orbs, and only now does he remember what he remembers and remembers that he'd forgotten what he should have remembered and all of that is really rather perplexing, and a little sad.
All those promises he'd made to help some of his friends here when this was all over ... he thinks of Rosinante and Law, and Newt, the former of whom he hasn't seen around yet ... ]
Don't think I'm letting you off the hook, you know. This station's been home for quite a long time, I'll want to know just how it's all gone topsy-turvy. I suppose it'll have to do with Viveca and the Commander, then?
Yeah, they — shit didn't go too well with the last crew.
[ and so, kovacs explains it all, how they'd returned from a mission to find themselves in the station not quite the same as it'd been when they'd left it, and the memories that some of the crew had begun to witness, the realization of all the losses with the previous crew, and degar and viveca's deal to fix it.
his cigarette is burnt out plenty by the time he's done.
but his mind keeps drifting to the doctor's words, and the loss of memory, how a choice to return ultimately doesn't feel like much of a choice at all. ]
You forgot everything. [ he repeats a bit after his own storytelling, his eyes drifting off, peering through the haze of smoke from his hand. ] Everything we do here, everything we've given up, everyone we've — [ given up. clung to. ] There's no way to keep it all. Either we go the way of the old crew or we go back and give it all up or — or, by some miracle, all this shit works by the end of all of this, and it all changes anyway. There's no route where we keep this.
[ and so, kovacs explains it all, how they'd returned from a mission to find themselves in the station not quite the same as it'd been when they'd left it, and the memories that some of the crew had begun to witness, the realization of all the losses with the previous crew, and degar and viveca's deal to fix it.
his cigarette is burnt out plenty by the time he's done.
but his mind keeps drifting to the doctor's words, and the loss of memory, how a choice to return ultimately doesn't feel like much of a choice at all. ]
You forgot everything. [ he repeats a bit after his own storytelling, his eyes drifting off, peering through the haze of smoke from his hand. ] Everything we do here, everything we've given up, everyone we've — [ given up. clung to. ] There's no way to keep it all. Either we go the way of the old crew or we go back and give it all up or — or, by some miracle, all this shit works by the end of all of this, and it all changes anyway. There's no route where we keep this.
[ Kovacs starts to speak, sparing no detail, leaving no rock unturned, and the Doctor sits still and listens. He listens and he absorbs and he doesn't shift and jitter and otherwise act like an impatient child. The tea is sipped, and biscuits are snacked on, and eventually the last of the tea grows cold with the dregs settling at the bottom of their mugs. ]
Well, I'm not so sure about that. [ No promises, of course, but things aren't always fixed to one point — and this feels different. Events can change, more outcomes can reveal themselves as they continue forward, and the very fact that he's here again is proof of some unexplainable strange force at work.
And, as they've all been told time and time again: the orbs are unpredictable. ]
You see, not all of the orbs have been collected, and perhaps what happened before might not happen this time. After all, the last time the old crew nearly gathered all of the orbs, they didn't quite complete the task before Viveca and Degar changed their regret, did they? They didn't recruit several more of us to help the last time. [ Didn't really have a chance to either, but that isn't the point. ] Already, the possibilities within this timeline are changing, which means we just don't know what might happen next.
[ He sits back, frowning in thought. ]
Besides — even if we go back to our worlds without knowledge of our memories here, that doesn't mean they didn't happen. It doesn't mean that all of this loses any of its importance, eh? We never really forget.
Well, I'm not so sure about that. [ No promises, of course, but things aren't always fixed to one point — and this feels different. Events can change, more outcomes can reveal themselves as they continue forward, and the very fact that he's here again is proof of some unexplainable strange force at work.
And, as they've all been told time and time again: the orbs are unpredictable. ]
You see, not all of the orbs have been collected, and perhaps what happened before might not happen this time. After all, the last time the old crew nearly gathered all of the orbs, they didn't quite complete the task before Viveca and Degar changed their regret, did they? They didn't recruit several more of us to help the last time. [ Didn't really have a chance to either, but that isn't the point. ] Already, the possibilities within this timeline are changing, which means we just don't know what might happen next.
[ He sits back, frowning in thought. ]
Besides — even if we go back to our worlds without knowledge of our memories here, that doesn't mean they didn't happen. It doesn't mean that all of this loses any of its importance, eh? We never really forget.
[ ever the optimist. if that were all it is to the doctor, kovacs probably wouldn't like him. or at least, be a lot more annoyed with him. but he knows the doctor, knows that he thinks, that he observes, just as he does, and he has plenty of years behind him to stitch together the ideals he holds now. there's a long life there, one that kovacs has come to trust.
but even with the way he can come to respect his optimism, it's not always contagious. ]
Except we do forget. [ there's a bit more strain to his voice now, some of the calm losing out to a bit of tension carried in his shoulders. ] Even if we succeed and the events still count towards the timeline, even if our bodies retain the memory that our brains don't, we don't get —
[ he cuts himself off from a sharper frustration, fingers pinching a bit harder at the shortened cigarette stub he's holding. his eyes turn away, going quiet to take a moment to relax his voice again, softer when he continues. ]
I don't want to go back without her. [ he finally admits, raising his eyes to the doctor. all this time it's been on his mind, left unsaid, even to the subject in question. the doctor returns and kovacs feels that familiar itch of confessing all of his secrets to him. ] The life I've built with her here — with Marta — if we finish this, it all goes away. I can't keep it, any of it.
but even with the way he can come to respect his optimism, it's not always contagious. ]
Except we do forget. [ there's a bit more strain to his voice now, some of the calm losing out to a bit of tension carried in his shoulders. ] Even if we succeed and the events still count towards the timeline, even if our bodies retain the memory that our brains don't, we don't get —
[ he cuts himself off from a sharper frustration, fingers pinching a bit harder at the shortened cigarette stub he's holding. his eyes turn away, going quiet to take a moment to relax his voice again, softer when he continues. ]
I don't want to go back without her. [ he finally admits, raising his eyes to the doctor. all this time it's been on his mind, left unsaid, even to the subject in question. the doctor returns and kovacs feels that familiar itch of confessing all of his secrets to him. ] The life I've built with her here — with Marta — if we finish this, it all goes away. I can't keep it, any of it.
Dude, I'm bummed.
[And slightly intoxicated from a heavily stocked tiki bar.]
[And slightly intoxicated from a heavily stocked tiki bar.]
Oh please. You know the answer that one.
[Newt has a habit of getting bummed out. Especially with liquor in his system.
His is more of an up and down, though. He'll leave the eternal bumming to you, king of bums.]
It's all almost over. Over two years now, and it's almost the end, man. 30 months.
The idea of this being done just feels... I dunno.
[Newt has a habit of getting bummed out. Especially with liquor in his system.
His is more of an up and down, though. He'll leave the eternal bumming to you, king of bums.]
It's all almost over. Over two years now, and it's almost the end, man. 30 months.
The idea of this being done just feels... I dunno.
[ kovacs sighs, because ... well, he gets it. and he's never really felt himself to be a shining example for comforting someone, but this wouldn't be the first time he's been confronted by newt when he's down. and he's managed to pull it off okay in the past.
but then he hears those words he's been thinking about himself lately — the end. ]
Still gotta get the job done, right?
[ as if he's seen any of this as just as a job for the last two years and some that he's been here. ]
Won't know what's on the other side until we get there.
but then he hears those words he's been thinking about himself lately — the end. ]
Still gotta get the job done, right?
[ as if he's seen any of this as just as a job for the last two years and some that he's been here. ]
Won't know what's on the other side until we get there.
I should've expected you to make it sound like the dramatic conclusion to some big sci-fi mafia movie, or something.
[Folding his arms, he huffs and slumps back into the chair he's decided on, his tie a touch more crooked than usual.]
But you've been thinking about it, right? You've got to have been.
... If you get the choice, are you gonna go home?
[Folding his arms, he huffs and slumps back into the chair he's decided on, his tie a touch more crooked than usual.]
But you've been thinking about it, right? You've got to have been.
... If you get the choice, are you gonna go home?
That what I sound like?
[ it's not like kovacs is much of a movie person. even with all their movie nights here, it's not exactly something he's actively participated in. sorry, newt.
the question makes him quiet. of course he's thought about it. ]
I ... won't go anywhere she's not.
[ marta. ]
[ it's not like kovacs is much of a movie person. even with all their movie nights here, it's not exactly something he's actively participated in. sorry, newt.
the question makes him quiet. of course he's thought about it. ]
I ... won't go anywhere she's not.
[ marta. ]
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