sliceitwithwind

Well, there went her standard birthday ideas. Damn. Well, if it came to that, she'd figure something out. "I don't envy you." she teased gently.

"Guess I stick to thermoses of cider and coffee if we do get you to a snowball fight."

"Strawberries are like pixie sticks to my metabolism, Aya." Dilan says with amusement, "Go for coffee, unsweetened."

"...given my last experience with pixie sticks, I'm really, really tempted to see your strawberry high." the mental image if Dilan bouncing was amusing as hell.

"Lots of coffee, but cider for the kid. Ben's going and coffee isn't good at his age." Ben didn't do cocoa due to a mild milk intolerance...and decent cocoa was made with milk, so...

"Any time I don't need steady hands." Dilan says cheerfully, "And if I'm really, really cutting loose I have half a strawberry margarita and I'm both bouncing off the walls and completely trashed."

"That's wrong" she laughed. "So very wrong...sorry, but even I manage one drink. You poor guy!" she reached out to pat his arm consolingly.

"Hilarious mental image though."

"I don't mind." Dilan says with a laugh, "I am what I am, and at least I'm a cheap drunk!"

"God, the boys would never let you live it down." if he were a cop at any rate. Civvies were granted semi-amnesty.

"But they're heavy drinkers...and not much fun when they do." she admitted. She'd take a fun drunk over most the precinct at any time? Now, the detectives on the other hand...

"I'll grant you guts though. I've been afraid to try margaritas in public." beer tended to hit her hard enough as it was.

"I don't drink in public." Dilan corrects, "At parties, yes, but not in public. In public I designated walk, call cabs, and generally don't drink."

"Ahhh..." she noted "We don't so much do 'parties'. Sometimes a barbecue, but that's about it." she admitted.

"A nurse a beer when I need to be out with the guys before going home...and otherwise I'm home." she shrugged.

"I've settled down a lot since I was in grad school." Dilan says with a laugh, "I don't do a lot of parties anymore, and distressingly many of them are less drinking and more politics, but there you have it."

"You'll have to tell me about it sometime. I was too damn young to drink in college." she admitted. Didn't stop her sometimes, but she'd never gone to parties where they could be busted for underage drinkers present!

"'Wheel and deal' parties or the 'mingle and show-off' type of political stuff?" each were bad enough on their own, but different types of bad?

"So was I." Dilan says with a small smile, "Didn't stop me.

"Only the mingle-and-show-off type. I don't wheel and deal, and people who try to get me to tend to find their pictures on full-page ads in the newspaper, paid for out of my very own pockets. I'm not a politician, I don't care about politics, and if people are going to try to get me to compromise my integrity - "

He trails off and smiles.

It's not a very nice smile.

"Yes, but you weren't fast tracking for the police force." she pointed out with a laugh. "Besides, from the sounds of it, you're a hell of a lot more social than I ever was."

She listened to his summations of the parties, and winced "You didn't want to be stuck in this particular position with Ansem did you?" she asked. "I'm sure the perks are good, but..."

"My best friend is a social butterfly." Dilan agrees, "And we've been friends my whole life."

Then he sobers, "I'm a scientist, Aya. I got a job as a scientist, and found myself a politician. I hate it. All I wanted was to be a scientist."

"Yep, utterly and completely more social." she sighed.

"Hey, we don't have a president for life, and Ansem's been in two years now? If you're not going to leave it'll be over eventually..." she tried to offer that fact as comfort. Though...Ansem's polls were really good. And they'd almost abolished the two-term limit a few years back...

"I'm sorry."

"Me too. That's life, though, and I'll survive." He's good at survival. "The times when I get to do my job, it's great. It's just dealing with all the bullshit. Which is why I tend to wear enough facial jewellery to set off a metal detector at thirty paces when forced into political events."

This is why there are never pictures of him in the paper.

"I rather approve of surviving." she knew a lot of survivors. Of many types of situations.

"That's one way to handle it." she chuckled softly. "Passive protest through being socially unacceptable. At least 'high society' social." she hadn't seen him in full out pierced gear. She'd probably blink and poke when she did...because, well, metal detector at thirty paces?! "How often are you taken from your work?"

"Less now than I used to be. About once a month, although when he was campaigning it was all the damn time."

And, yes, Dilan does hate that. A lot.

"Hmm..." she noted helpfully as she mulled things over. "Next time? Let me know if you want an easy out. I can call, or Pierce can...and ditching a party to consult on police work is hardly rude. In fact, it's civic minded." she offered.

"If we get your name in among the med staff or on the consult list of doom, they can even check up on your excuse and have it validated."

"I'll think about it." Dilan says, "I hate it but - well, it is part of the job. So."

Sometimes you just do the crap things.

"Just letting you know it's an option." she shrugged. She did press releases for much the same reason but...

...she hated to see people trapped.

And the restaurant was obviously hiding from them. Or seemed to be. She couldn't see any street signs. "So...where are we?"

"Thanks, Aya." Dilan says, brushing his hand against her shoulder in gratitude, "I appreciate it."

She leaned into the touch slightly. Off duty? Well, she was an incredibly tactile person. "Hey, Protect and Serve." she quipped wryly. "From anything we can manage. As long as you let us anyway."

Dilan is happy to leave his hand there, then. He's always an incredibly tactile person, "Man, the sheer number of tasteless innuendos you are leaving yourself open for there, Aya."

"Yes, but I'm in good company and need not fear my meaning will be mistaken." she pointed out simply.

"If it's easier on your mind though, I'll rephrase it to 'I like to help, especially with things people hate.'. Better?" she teased.

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