With his smirk soon fading, Rolando nodded once in understanding before saying.
"I won't lie, I've considered it. But, what of Spain?..." Looking into the distance as if pondering it in the moment he turns back to the Colonel and continues.
"I always end up asking myself that haha. While my home may be in ruins it still remains in enemy hands. I know, I could not sit idly by with a family knowing that." he said shaking his head.
"All the while people such as yourself or the young ones in our unit would be out here fighting and dying. If anyone should shed blood for my country it should be her countrymen." Looking to the pinball machine
"My turn is it?" he said before stepping in front of it. Filled with a sense of familiarity he puts in a coin and pulls back the coiled hammer letting a ball fly.
"The way I see it." he continued.
"Spain is my one and true home. If I have a family. I would rather them to live and experience Spain's rich culture and history." Bouncing the ball effortlessly off the blockers it flies back up to the top before ricocheting and lighting up the machine with clinking and clattering.
"The countryside is lush with rolling hills and plains. Only matched by the old architecture. You'd be surprised how many 15th and 16th century stone walls and churches still remain there." returning the chrome ball to the top for a third time a broad smile crosses Rolando's face as his eyes remained focused on the center.
"The trick is to not follow the ball." he said as he bounced the ball back again.
"We had a few of these back home when I was a child. I would always try to outmatch the latest highscore of the other children. It wouldn't be a week until someone had beaten mine." Continuing to play for a minute or so he eventually turns back to the Colonel saying
"I think it's my win Colonel." before allowing the ball to pass by the blockers and end the game.
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Astros & Akashi Col-lab
~Being blatantly ignored by the lone cashier as they read a magazine. Sam stood with a stoic face as she faced their back. Beneath the expression she was beginning to lose her patience before hearing her name. Tension easing, she turned her head left to see Lieutenant Erika. Tempted to ask the woman if she was here for another lecture, the thought left Sam's mind at the mention of her books. Turning back to look at
Isabel and the Sea, she hadn't read it herself, but it was about the Sea which was enough. As Erika continued, the sides of Sam's face soon curved into a faint smile, before disappearing.
"You can thank my brother for that." she said before looking back to Erika and placing a fist to the left side of her head.
"Ground the habit into me." she added, making a grinding motion with her fist before lowering it.
"Literally. If I didn't read he'd noogie till I started. Though.." Picking up
Gulliver's Travels, she turned the cover to face Erika, saying
"He'd read to me once in awhile. Like Gulliver's." before returning it to the counter.
~It was nice to hear that someone else had some interest in books other than herself. Once she made her presence known, the lieutenant before her may have been wondering why she approached the American. Hearing upon the reasons for why she was there in the first place was enough to warrant a smile on Erika's own face. The East German was also slightly curious when she mentioned how persuasive her brother was.
It was a good reason, nonetheless, or that's what she believed.
"Well, that's nice isn't it?" She rhetorically asked, because it must've been right? For herself, she took it upon herself to read books that piqued her interest. A reason reading was almost like a hobby to her, but also something she'd use to pass the time when there was something on her mind or if she was bored.
~With shrugged shoulders Sam replied
"I guess." before looking to Erika's empty hands.
"You window shopping?"
~"Hmm.." Erika almost hummed, glancing slightly around in the area before moving her attention back at the American.
"For now I am, I guess. I just got here so there hasn't been anything for me to pick up yet."
~"What are you looking for?
~If anything, for Erika, the genre mystery was quite interesting. Finding out something new, truth or fantasy. Anything that would actually add suspense and excitement when reading. Those were mostly mystery added with fantasy or well, realistic. It did not matter, but then again, she was also ready to try anything new. At least Sam had some of the same interest as her.
"Well, there's Gulliver's Travels, but I've already read that, so I guess what I would like to read would be anything that's heavily involved with mystery."
As she mentioned what she may be looking for, she again glanced around in the store. At first she believed it to be a library, but it was more than that, however one could easily mistake it as a library, or maybe not. Perhaps it was just her own mind playing tricks on her. There was an abundant and clear reason behind that.
~"Mystery huh." "You'll have a hard time finding those." Sam said as she looked to the shelves.
"The books are a mess, It's A Real Fucking Dump In Here." raising her voice at the last statement she looked over at the cashier who showed now response. Turning away and back toward the books she offered to help.
"I'll save you some time."
~"Hmm." She started, gazing about the store. It was indeed a big mess. Perhaps having her knowledge with books in her pocket would be nice for the future. If either of them would live to talk more about it. With the state the world was in, one could never say if you'd see the next day or not.
"That may be why I did not find what I was looking for, but then again, I did not look around much before I noticed you. And thanks, that'll help."
~"If you're a Drew fan. There's The Secret of The Old Clock, third row from the top, second shelf, wedged between some old Playboy and dictionary. If you're into Christie they got one, Ten Little Niggers, British edition of And Then There Were None. First shelf, middle row, seven books from the right. If you like spies there's The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, second shelf, three from the bottom row on the left. They also have Atomsk, but that's more suspenseful spy than mystery."Oh! and they got noir." stressing the last word she made a mock of the accents typical to the genre.
"The Big Sleep, by Chandler. First shelf, middle row, between Harry Potter and The Thief Lord.
~The titles she mentioned were all unknown and new to her. The American before her may just have a bigger interest in the books than Erika herself. '
The Secret of the Old Clock.' She pondered at the title. The name itself added enough mystery to it. Enough to pique her interest than the others Sam mentioned. Some of them had utter but shitty names, at least some of them.
"The Secret of the Old Clock sounds like a horror and a mystery. I'll at least give that a try."
Erika was surprised how the woman could suggest and point in one or many directions, mentioned where what book was and what its title was.
"That's surprising." She began, before curiously continuing.
"How do you know where's what? Or even where what I'm looking for is?" Yes, the woman before the East German had some excellent memory. Something that could also easily come in handy during missions out there against the BETA or otherwise.
~"It's decent. Has a female lead." adding that bit of info, Sam finished her magic act before turning to see she'd grabbed the cashiers attention with her ramblings.
"Oh! Now I have your attention?" Seemingly withdrawing them from the interest of their magazine, the cashier realizes their unknown fault at the words.
"Gonna sell me these books or am I gonna just walk out with em?" Sam stated before answering Erika.
"Well, when you have to write a book from memory in order to eat you get good at it."
~One surprise after another, or well, not entirely. Erika's was wondering why that was the case, and asked a question, hoping she wasn't prying. She did not know the woman well, but now that they were conversing with one another, this may as well be the best chance. Because one never knows what the next hour would bring.
"Really? Why did you have to write an entire book from your memory alone just to get something to eat?"
~"Punishment. I was a rowdy kid." Giving the cashier their payment with a slight glare, Sam began to take up her books in one hand.
~"Well, at least you had parents.." There was a reason for why she mentioned that. Erika herself never knew her own biological family, nor did she have one. She was an orphan, who was later in the years picked up by a certain someone, and one of the many reasons why she is where she's now.
~"They were not, my parents." Sam answered sternly. Directing a glowering stare into Erika eyes before returning it to the counter.
~It seemed like Erika and Sam had more in common than what she first assumed. If they werent her parents, who where they? Adoptive parents? The East German clearly noted the expression on her face, and decided to share a little bit from her own past.
"I'm sorry, I thought they were.."
"But since they are not, I guess you and I were both raised by someone who wasn't related to us by blood. I guess that's something else we have in common, besides our interest in that." She nodded towards the books in her hands.
~Looking down briefly to her books. Sam could only guess as to what Erika meant by her words. Upon facing her again she nodded her head up saying
"You too, huh. Well. I hear the orphanages in Britain are better than in the US.". Looking to the bookshelves at this, Sam leaves Erika's side and walks to the second one, reaching up to the third row. Pulling out
The Secret of The Old Clock she hands it to Erika on her way to the door.
~"Yep, though no matter where an orphanage is, it still gives off the same feeling, I'd assume." Erika tried making a simple smile.
Noting how bad the service was there, the cashier did not look like someone who actually wanted to be there. Well, no one did. She followed Sam and noticed her reaching for something. A book, and a book the East German was interested in.
The Secret of the Old Clock. Grabbing it, she thanked the American pilot.
"I appreciate this. It'll at least get my mind off of things." With that, the company she had for a moment parted ways.
She'd do the same eventually, but now, Erika had to go and face the same cashier.
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Pushing his concern aside at the words of the Major, Drago refocused his attention to his food. Having gotten enough for two people it was taking him fairly longer to finish than the others had. As the new addition to their table arrived he raised his hand to welcome the rookie as his mouth was too full to speak. Once cleared he turned to the American asking
"How was first day?". Listening to young man tell of his experience, Drago's attention was soon taken by Marvus's proposal. Slapping his hand down firmly in the middle of the table, he uttered.
"Two week alcohol ration." to suggest they bet two weeks worth instead. At Marvus asking the rookie to join, Drago joined in.
"Dah, join." he said, cheerfully pulling the man closer to him and those seated.
