>>2165878
>You were at NAS Key West, where you had been exiled to the aggressor squadron. You were talking with your new RIO.

Need another vote...

>>2165891
Just got home from work
>You were at NAS Key West, where you had been exiled to the aggressor squadron. You were talking with your new RIO.

You were at NAS Key West, where you had been exiled to the aggressor squadron. The incident a few months ago had resulted in you being removed from your squadron. Even though you had done everything almost by the book, you had been removed from your post. Hell, you had almost lost your wings. Something about provoking violence. Thankfully, Ares helped to get you out of it. Surprisingly, the account of the guy who was actually injured was the only thing that got you to keep your wings. But your commander didn't want you around, you were too much of a pain in the ass for him. So instead, he had you reassigned. You had spent a bit longer in the fleet, but your next commanders were far less appreciative of your flamboyant attitude. So it wasn't long before you were transferred to a land based squadron, the kind of squadron that you hated the most.

An aggressor squadron, VF-126.

The base commander had at least started out as a nice guy, and to a degree you felt bad for him. But he really needed to understand that your main coping mechanism, for stress and strain and loss. Was to fly fast, to fly aggressively, and generally be a nuisance for every poor fucker on the ground. From your maintenance crew who had to deal with all of the damage that you caused to the aircraft through high-speed passes, and the guys in the tower who had to deal with you buzzing them way too much. And it didn't take long for you to spend more time in a Phantom as opposed to your baby, your Tomcat.

And hell knew that it just wasn't the same now. Ares was a great RIO, and you had both worked in lockstep. And with him gone, things were very different.

Your new RIO, a guy called Zeus, was decent enough however. And now was one of the few times you were able to actually get his nose out of one of his comics. Not that you blamed him of course, Iron Man is a good read. He was almost as good as Ares, even if you did have to remind him to do his damn job every so often. He was sort of like you in a way, in the same way that you and Ares were alike. In that you didn't care for what the mortals below thought of you. As long as you were going fast, and your blood was pumping, you hadn't a care in the world. Which was a good distraction from the threat of kidnapping and rape.

"Soooo...." Zeus began as he walked over to the couch. A small cup of water in his hand. "What are you gonna do for Christmas?"

>You were going to spend your Christmas on base. There was no way that you leave yourself open to a "visit" from the crazy blonde.
>You were going to eat off base with a bunch of other pilots, including Blondie and Kermit.
>You were going to head to Ares's hospital. You owed it to him to see him.
>Other (write in)

>>2166438
>You were going to head to Ares's hospital. You owed it to him to see him.

>>2166438
>You were going to head to Ares's hospital. You owed it to him to see him.

>>2166438
>>You were going to head to Ares's hospital. You owed it to him to see him.

"I'm going to meet my old RIO. I promised that I would visit him." You explained, your voice going a bit lower as you remembered how badly he had came off from your little encounter. Even now, he would be in hospital for a while.

"Oh, well me and some of the other guys were planning on going down to one of the restaurants in town,. Apparently they're doing free Christmas meals for active servicemen." Zeus replied with a shrug. He sort of knew what had happened to Ares, he had been informed almost as soon as he was brought into the unit. He didn't seem to care. Not that he cared for anything though, he seemed more chilled out than the snow outside.

"Oi! Zeus! You ready to go?" Blondie called out from the door into the rec room, prompting your new RIO to get up.

"Alright, hold up you flamboyant faggot!" Zeus yelled at your fellow pilot and part time wingmate as he stood up, only pausing to say goodbye. "See you tomorrow."

"See you then." You bid your RIO goodbye, before reflecting on how you were going to get to your old RIO's hospital. Thankfully, it was fairly close by. However, you still had to make some decisions, in light of who had their eyes on you...

>Take your bike. It's more noticeable, but it's faster and easier to park.
>Borrow a car. It's less noticeable than the bike, and safer. Even if you have to owe someone a favour.
>Take the bus. Nobody would think to look for you there, but you'll also have to hide from the other pilots to preserve your reputation.
>Other (write in)

>>2166881
>Take your bike. It's more noticeable, but it's faster and easier to park.

>>2166881
>>Borrow a car. It's less noticeable than the bike, and safer. Even if you have to owe someone a favour.

>>2166881
>Borrow a car. It's less noticeable than the bike, and safer. Even if you have to owe someone a favour.

File: pinto in the snow.jpg (510 KB, 1024x768)

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You needed a car. You could use your bike to make the trip out to Ares's hospital. But there was a few issues with that. Firstly, it was freezing fucking cold. And if you were zipping around at speed then windchill would freeze you pretty damn quickly unless you went out there in full fucking ski equipment. Secondly, it was much safer, considering that if the roads weren't covered in salt, then they would be icy as shit. And the last thing you want is to fall off your break and break something. And finally, it was much harder for someone to ghost you if you were in someone else's car. While you knew that Lauren was currently sat in a jail cell awaiting trial for attempted murder, you knew that if she wanted to know where you were, then she had more than a couple of ways of finding out. Hiring private investigators or having her friends fill in the role of stalker in her stead was just a couple.

As such, you decided to get some more appropriate wheels. You loved your bike like no other, and if you were more technically minded you could probably break it down and stick it in a few baggage pods to move it from base to base. Your 'cat could certainly handle it with enough hard points for 4 baggage pods. However, you knew that even if you did, you would get in shit for it. Not to mention you had no idea where you would store it on a carrier. You remember seeing an old British Welbike from the Second World War at a car boot sale back home. Maybe your folks could track it down?

"Hey, Mac!" You called out to your fixer as you entered the room where he resided. The base's fixer was a disgruntled supply clerk, a man you could bribe or get things from if you were willing to either pay the right price or help out.

"Aye, what do you need?" The disgruntled man from Massachusetts asked as he put his newspaper down. An illegal cigar hanging from his lips. His accent was around as heavy as the smoke that filled the room.

"I need some wheels, I'll owe you for it." You asked. Specifically asking, you knew better than to demand things of the plucky little enlisted man. A rank and some status were good and all, but it meant nothing when everybody was bribed to make your life hell.

"Aye, just keep good care of her and top her up once you're done. I don-aye want to fix a busted door." Mac agreed as he stood up from his desk, tossing his newspaper down onto the desk, and revealing a playboy magazine concealed inside.

"Cheers, I'll get you some beer in return." You thanked your fixer as he lead you out of the room. You weren't the only person who was thankful of his services, some new trainee had his birthday recently and Mac managed to sneak a hooker onto base for him. Though if the stories were true, he bribed the guards by letting them have a smash after the trainee was finished.

>CONT

>>2167107

"Whisky. Beer is for pussies. You'll still owe me though." Mac clarified simply as he lead you out of the building and into the sparse car park. sat in the snow was probably the most unsubtle car in the history of cars. A bright orange Ford Pinto. Some snow on top of it's hood and roof proving that it had been out for a while. Mac simply headed you the keys and walked back towards the barracks.

It took you around 15 minutes to find a shovel to get the snow off the car, and then to run the engine for a bit to heat hit up. But finally after 20 minutes, you arrived at the gate and were waiting for the guard to approve your day card. The guards here also hated their jobs, and were also in Mac's pockets. Your day pass was not the best of forgeries, but they had been bribed a bit extra to let it through. And after only a minute of waiting with your window rolled down, the guard returned your pass and let you through. Your borrowed wheels making a slightly strangled noise as you rolled out of the gate and onto the road.

>Head right to the hospital. You don't want to keep him waiting.
>You completely forgot to get him something. You should fix that...

>>2167110
>You completely forgot to get him something. You should fix that...

While we wait for more votes, I'm gonna call tonight's run here, we'll restart the thread tomorrow at around the same time. If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to ask them and I'll answer them as soon as I am able.

>>2167110
>You completely forgot to get him something. You should fix that...

>>2167110
>You completely forgot to get him something. You should fix that...

As you pulled onto the road, a cold dread filled your stomach as you realised that you had made a major mistake. You had forgotten to get Ares a present. You knew that he didn't like the idea of being given presents, but you would feel like a dick if you showed up with nothing for him.

You soon broke off your track out to the interstate, and instead made your way into Key West itself. You had a few hours, so you could spare a little time if you made up for it by going just a bit faster on the highway. As such, you began to go through your list of things that you could get him...

You could go for the super safe option of flowers and maybe some chocolates. It was pretty much a hybrid of the kind of shit that you would get someone who had been injured, and what you would get someone on Christmas. Though the biggest issue was that it was also the same shit you would get a girl on a date. Buying that stuff for a guy just screamed homo. Maybe a book or a film could work on the fly. But that was if you could think of some series that he liked. He was always a nature buff, so maybe a book on animals or some shit could work. Or you could just go for the old standby of booze. Not something too hard, but also not shitty. You would also need something to hide it in so that you could get it past the doctors on your way up. Or you could just get him something small.

>Get Ares some flowers and some chocolates. No homo. Punch anyone who says otherwise.
>Get him a book on nature and shit. Maybe the new star wars film if it's on VHS.
>Booze. You know your friend well, and he will be dying for some good booze right now.

>>2168545
>>Booze. You know your friend well, and he will be dying for some good booze right now.

>>2168545
>Booze. You know your friend well, and he will be dying for some good booze right now.

>>2168545
>>Booze. You know your friend well, and he will be dying for some good booze right now.

You didn't take long to find where to look for your gift. A small corner shop at the end of one of the streets with barred windows advertised that it was selling alcohol with glowing red neon lights. A green open sign told you that you could enter before you had even pulled up out side, and a few seconds later you opened the door and quickly shut it. You swiftly entered the shop to spend as little time as possible in the cold and the snow. Inside, a man behind the counter looked up at you from a 2 day old newspaper. The counter itself being adorned with various wares.

"Yo 'aint from around here white boy... you've actually done something with your life." The old black man behind the counter greeted you, he regarded you with a curious but distrustful gaze.

"Just stopping off to pick up some alcohol for a firend. What's the best stuff you've got in a flat bottle around yay-big by yay-big?" You explained quickly, before gesturing out the rough dimensions for the bottle. Just behind you, you heard the sound of the doorbell chiming as someone else entered.

"Wass'up grandpa." A younger voice spoke up from behind you, a quick glance in one of the advertised mirrors showed a young black and enter behind you, his undisciplined slouch and baggy clothes practically screaming that he was one of the rowdy teenagers that you had been forced to sit through a 3 hour safety briefing on after one of the pilots on base got drunk and started a fight.

That guy left the fight with a fucking machete sticking out of his gut.

"Le' Royce." The shopkeeper greeted his grandson before then returning his attention to you. "I've got something like that, it'll cost you sixty bucks though."

"I'll take it." You decided as you reached into your trouser pocket and pulled out your walled, thumbing through for a couple of 20 dollar notes.

"Aye, AYE!" Another teenager yelled as he barged in, slamming the door against it's stop as he entered. "The fuck you doing with Jeneice?"

"Get your ass out of here Troy, run home to your dad." Le'Royce instantly rounded on the newcomer, his voice switching from calm and respectful to angry and disrespectful in a second flat. "Oh wait, he ain't there."

"That's ironic coming from 'chew Roy-tard. Where's you mama at Roy-tard?" Troy, a short and stocky white guy continued on with his insults.

"At least my mama 'aint sucking dick behind cracker barrel for coke!" Le'Royce fired back as the both of them squared up to each other. You were watching through the advertised mirrors, and spared a glance back at the old man.

Yeah, if a fight broke out then he wouldn't be able to stop it.

>Break the argument up, the shopkeeper won't be able to do it on his own.
>Hang around, you may need to get involved.
>Get the hell out of dodge, you have what you need.
>Other (write in)

>>2168953
>>Get the hell out of dodge, you have what you need.

>>2168953
>>Get the hell out of dodge, you have what you need.

>>2168953
>>Get the hell out of dodge, you have what you need.

Deciding that today wasn't the day to get involved in hood fuckery, you kept your mouth shut as the hooligans behind you continued their yelling match. The shopkeeper simply shook his head and continued back to getting you your bottle of booze. As soon as the dark green bottle entered your view, you passed over your cash. The money and alcohol trading hands at almost the exact same time.

"Aye, you gonna share that?" Troy asked you as he noticed the alcohol enter your hand. Your grip on the bottle tightened slightly just in case he tried to snatch it off you.

"Get the fuck outta here with that shit ya rat!" Le' Royce yelled before you could answer, fanning the flames of the heated argument long enough for you to slip out of the door. The sounds of yelled insults neatly masking the sound of the door bell.

Quickly heading to your borrowed car, you unlocked the door and climbed in. You locked the door as soon as the door met the frame, before then putting on your seat belt and getting out of the hood. Thankfully there was practically no traffic as you made your way out, allowing you to make a swift escape. You quickly met the highway around the outskirts of the city and began your journey to the hospital that Ares had been sent to. You could probably have gone through the middle of the city, and maybe even have arrived sooner if the traffic was sparse. But you knew how city traffic worked, and moving slow through the hood was just something that you didn't want to do. As such, you took the long route.

You arrived at the hospital an hour after leaving the corner shop, you waited in your car for a few seconds as a familiar looking Lincoln town car passed you. The sole driver not even sparing you a glance as she passed. You waited for a few seconds for the car to reach the end of the street and turn left, headed away from the hospital. You sighed to yourself and shook your head, before getting out of the car and heading into the hospital. Your loose jacket covering your hidden prize very nicely. The nurse at the front desk didn't seem to notice as she gave you directions to Ares's room, the little bell attached to the fake antlers that she wore making a slight jingle every time she move her head. You thanked her with a nod and made your way to the elevator, the doors closing just a few seconds before a junior doctor could get inside.

After only a few minutes of entering the building, you arrived at Ares's room. Your ginger haired RIO looking up from his boom as you entered.

"Razor! Where the fuck have you been by brother?" Ares greeted you as you entered his room. The small and spartan room lacking a television or any form of entertainment other than a few books on the bedside table. Books that you assumed belonged to Ares himself.

"I've been great Ares. Merry Christmas my man." You greeted your comrade as you closed the door behind you, before pulling out your alcohol out of your jacket.

>What do you talk to Ares about? (write in)

While we wait for more votes, I'm gonna call tonight's run here, we'll restart the thread tomorrow at around the same time. If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to ask them and I'll answer them as soon as I am able.

>>2169340
>"What've you been reading?"

"What've you been reading?" You asked your squadamte, gesturing to the books on the side table of his bed as you made your way towards him.

"Oh, nothing much. Some Tolkien books including the Lord of the Rings and his unfinished works, and a translated version of The Balkan Wars by Trotsky to name a few." Ares listed as you handed him the bottle of alcohol, all of his attention on the bottle in your hand.

"I didn't take you for a fan of high fantasy." You stated as you sat down on an empty chair next to the bed, the faint beeping of the EKG machine permeating the background.

"Well, there isn't much nature to see from a hospital bed. And it's better read than the newspapers." Ares casually remarked as he twisted the cap off the bottle and took a deep swig of alcohol. You winced slightly at his point, that he still couldn't walk.

"How about you? What have you been doing?" Ares asked after taking his swig, a slight smile on his face after the alcohol touched his tongue for the first time in months.

>"Well enough I suppose, though I'm no longer with the fleet."
>"I'm going pretty well for myself, though I still feel like I'm being watched sometimes."
>"It's not the same anymore. It's less fun to fly now."
>Other (write in)

>>2172130
>"Things are a mess, but I'll pull through."

"Things are a mess, but I'll pull through."

"It's going to be fine." Ares put his free hand on your shoulder, giving you a comforting pat on the shoulder. "At least you still fly."

"And it sucks that you can't." You grimaced, your voice low.

"Not right now, but noting is gonna keep me from flying again. Trust me, you'll pull through this." Ares smiled warmly at you from the bed, the soft beeping of the EKG machine was the only sound to be heard for a few seconds before you changed the subject.

"So... do you have any plans for Christmas?" You asked, trying to shift over to a different topic.

"Aside from staying here? No. Parents were meant to come down, but there's a storm over them so they won't be down for at least a few days. My sister is out in Afghanistan doing some work with Médecins Sans Frontières, Doctors Without Boarders, a humanitarian NGO. She won't be back until the summer." Ares shrugged, trying to put on a brave face, though you could tell from his voice that he wasn't too pleased about it.

"You want to hit the bar? Maybe head out and try to get some actual food?" You suggested, changing the subject before Ares could ask what you were doing. You guessed that being stuck on a naval base wouldn't go down well.

"As much as I'd love to, I can't. The doctors want to keep me in for obsivation." Ares shrugged, before looking at you with a devious smile. "That said, I really want some fucking turkey."

>"Fuck that noise, let's get some damn food."
>"I can go out and grab something if you like?"
>"Yeah, we ought to listen to them on this."
>Other (write in)

>>2172620
>"I can go out and grab something if you like?"

>Doctors Without Boarders
I imagined Doctors With Boarders as pirates with white coats.

>>2172633
>I imagined Doctors With Boarders as pirates with white coats.
Ya'rrrr matey, ye be havin a bad case of Scurvy there. We be providin ya with some Ascorbic Acid pills. If yarr rash don't clear up within a few days then ye come and see us again!

File: Rustic-Bar.jpg (102 KB, 720x480)

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"I can go out and grab something if you like?" You suggested, earning you a nod from Ares.

"Yeah, there's a nice little shop on the other side of the road, just three buildings away from the T-junction. They do these nice little things which are essentially the best parts of a roast dinner all wrapped up like a burrito. They're probably doing a Christmas version, so get me one of those if you can. If they're not doing a Christmas one then just get me a chicken one." Ares explained to you as he put the cap back on the bottle, and put it into the draw of the bedside table.

"What do they wrap it up in? I honestly don't think that they would wrap it up in a tortilla like an actual burrito." You asked, a bit confused at the concept.

"Thankfully they don't. They use a large one of those... English things. I forget what they're called, those batter things with high walls like an edible cup."Ares tried to explain, but failed.

"A Yorkshire pudding?" You suggested, you had them a couple of times with your parents when you were younger. But you never really liked them as they were a bit too bland.

"Yeah, one of those. Except it's large and they roll it flat so that it can fill in for a tortilla wrap." Ares nodded as he finished his explanation, before pointing at you. "I can see that look of yours. Don't knock it until you try it!"

Shaking your head, you turned and made your way out of the room. You stopped only for a second to hit on a blonde nurse, before making your way out. Following Ares's instructions, you crossed the road and made your way down the street. You frowned when you noticed the Lincoln town car from before parked up on the opposite side of the road to your car. You ignored it for now, deciding that it was probably nothing.

The restaurant itself was a fairly well done place, with a rustic interior that would seem better suited to a cabin in the woods of bum-fuck-nowhere. The walls were lines with logs, and adorned with bear and deer heads. Each head wearing a novelty Christmas hat. The counter and bar was combined into one section which took up the entire right wall, with a hole inn the wall behind it so that people could look through into the kitchen behind it. A Christmas tree took up the space between the counter and the door, a few people waited their for their food to go. In spite of the day and the hour, the place was also surprisingly full. The woman behind the counter quickly took your order so that she could take the orders of the people behind you, however you didn't have to wait too long. You imagined that it was due in part to almost everybody ordering the turkey wraps. And within 5 minutes of entering, you left with a pair of turkey wraps and a pair of Pepsis.

As you exited the restaurant and made your way back to the hospital, you noticed that the Lincoln was still parked up nearby.

>Ignore it and head back to the hospital. You're just being paranoid.
>Investigate the car. You can't be too sure.
>Other (write in)

>>2172841
>Ignore it and head back to the hospital. You know exactly where this is going and there ain't no time to let the turkey get cold.

>>2172841
>>Ignore it and head back to the hospital. You're just being paranoid.

>>2172661
heh

File: Roast Wrap.jpg (39 KB, 615x355)

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Looking at the parked car for a few seconds, you considered heading over and investigating. If it was one of Lauren's little helpers you could probably grill for enough evidence for an additional charge at her trial. And if it was the gang banger from before then you could probably take him in a fistfight. Then you realised that in either encounter could be so much worse. Knowing your recent luck, either Lauren would be driving the car with an aim to make you hers forever. Or the gang banger from before would have a few buddies with him. Not to mention in either case, whoever it was could have a gun. And unlike last time, you didn't have a loyal RIO backing you up.

As such, you decided that the most sensible option was to simply ignore it. Besides, you couldn't spend too long out here in the cold, lest the food go cold quicker.

As such, you instead ignored it and went inside the hospital. The nurse at the desk wasn't able to see your bag over the desk, but from her reaction she could smell your bounty. And surprisingly, she instead let you pass with a muttered warning to avoid the elevators and to take the stairs, lest the doctors on shift see you with your food. You thanked her for the tip and made your way through the door and into the shaft that contained the stairs, the cramped shaft was probably once the building's elevator shaft, until the new one was installed. You took the stairs quickly, so that you could arrive at Ares's room sooner. However, you had to stop at the door to his floor as you noticed a pair of doctors talking to each other in the hall between the stairs and Ares's room. You waited for a good 5 minutes before they finally dispersed, one headed for the elevator while another went into another room. You took this chance to quickly head into your old RIO's room.

"You took your time." Ares joked as you shut the door behind you.

"Doctors were in the way, had to wait for them to go."

"Fair enough." Ares shrugged, before gesturing to your bag of bounty. "Well, let's get this show on the road!"

And so you did.

The wraps were actually very nice, even though you would class them as a franken meal. The turkey, stuffing, vegetables and gravy were all nice, and the meal itself was rather filling. And from how Ares was eating it, you quessed that it had been a while since he had eaten nice food. Like everybody else in the hospital he had to eat hospital food, which was made to give the consumer all of the 5 a day and whatever else was needed to stay healthy.

As such, taste was a secondary concern. Possibly even tertiary if the hospital was funded as badly as it was furnished.

And so, you spent a while longer talking. It would be a few months still until he was able to start physiotherapy, and a few months after that for it to yield results. His doctor predicted that he would have issues later in life with his injury, but the better it healed now, the less of an issue it would be for the rest of his life.

>CONT

>>2173413

Eventually, after a good few hours to talking and drinking, you eventually had to leave. It was sad to leave him behind, but you had to be back before anybody noticed that you were gone. Before you left however, Ares gave you the number for the King County VA Hospital. He was going to be transferred there for the next stages of his treatment and so that he could be closer to his family. You pocketed the number and made your final goodbye for now, promising that you would write to him as regularly as possible. Soon after, you left with the evidence of your midnight munchies, the used wrappers and empty bottles ending up in a conveniently placed bin. You wished the woman at the front desk a merry Christmas, before disappearing into the night as snow began to fall. You had to stop off at a small alcohol shop on your way to pick up some whisky for Mac, and a few last minute Christmas presents to the few people you either cared about or otherwise wanted to reduce your tensions with. You had planned on stopping off at the corner shop from before, but a police cordon prevented you from even getting close. The sound of Band Aid's Christmas song from a few years ago providing some music for your lonely ride home.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm gonna call the thread here folks. Sorry being so distracted with this run, I was a bit distracted by having to get ready for Christmas. Speaking of which, have a Merry Christmas! If you celebrate it that is, if not then just have a nice time off and excuse to get drunk. We'll go back to our normal run next week, either with the continuation of the maritime patrol or a new fight altogether. If you want to throw in your choice for which right now then I'll take it into account, if not then I'll probably just do a coin flip to see if anything interesting happens.

Anyways, if you you have any questions then do feel free to ask them while the thread is still up. If I don't manage to answer you question before the thread falls off the board then I'll answer it either on my twitter account or next week.

>>2173416
Enjoy your Christmas, Thunderhead.

Had to double-check the archives to see just how familiar that Lincoln was. Wasn't disappointed.