Jason and Rick walked in silence through the crowded streets of Londinium. An hour ago they had been uncertain as to their fate at the hands of a Mafia boss. Now they were free, had even been paid, and were walking back to their ship to resume their lives as if the entire fiasco had not even happened. It was funny how quickly the world could change.

It was Jason who finally broke the silence. “Don’t know if I can do this,” he said, taking his friend by surprise.

“Huh,”

“Running drugs, robbing a post office, almost getting killed, or arrested. All this, none of it I expected when I set out on this.”

Uh oh, thought Rick. He was worried this issue might arise. Fishing the bag of coin from his friend’s pocket he steered him to a nearby bar.

“Best leave that bottle," said Rick to the barkeep as the man poured them each a drink.

“Rick, you know I don’t normally,” Jason began to protest.

“Yeah, well ain’t much been normal ‘bout today. Now you mind telling me what’s goin’ through that head o’ yours cus it seems we got some air to clear here. I’ve hitched my wagon to yours in this venture, figure I’ve a right to know what the score is.”

Jason looked at his drink for a long while before he responded. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision and lifted the glass to his lips.

“Hell Rick, today’s really gotten me wondering if I did the right thing.” He smiled humorlessly before continuing. “Cus it sure seems we’re doing an awful lot ‘o wrong based on the events of the past day.”

Rick bolted back his shot before turning his attention back to his friend. “Listen Jay, I know yer a little shaky right now. N’ that’s understandable. Most normal folk would be. Now I’m a couple years older ‘n you, ‘n more ‘n that, I spent my entire life on the go-se side of the hover tracks. N’s as that’s where we are currently residing, I might have a few words of wisdom you may wish to consider.”

Jason said nothing as his friend paused; though he did take another sip of his whisky.

“This is how it is Jay. This is how most of the damn ‘Verse lives. Fist to mouth, meal by meal, ‘n they don’t ask too many fancy questions when a means to get that meal comes their way. It’s only a small few that get to live like you got a taste of when you where younger. Not just having money neither, but living where right is white and wrong is black. N’ I ain’t begrudge you that neither. Yer a good man and you deserve ta live well and honest, n’ I never thought it was right what happened to you n’ your sis. But here you are, with the cards you’ve been dealt.” Rick paused to pour both of them another shot.

“You told me earlier that you couldn’t afford another ship. That tells me you’ve put all your chips into this pot,” Rick continued the poker analogy. “Now, I can’t tell you what do, but seems to me this here’s one game you can’t afford to fold on.”

“But running drugs though?” asked Jason has he sipped his second drink.

“Rick looked at his friend for a moment. “Hell, that what’s been eatin’ ya? Look, you remember your telling me tamper’n with the mail was a crime.”

Jason nodded, not sure where his friend was going with this.

“Well, I fail to see how ol’ Anastasia package back there deserves any less respect. Don’t need to know what’s in the box Jay, don’t wanna know. That’s all her business; we’re just the mailmen. Best ta let ‘Stasia look to her own business, cus you got more’n enough already on yer own damn plate. Finding your sis being primary among them.”

Jason considered this. It still felt a bit like forcin’ a square peg into a round hole, but he guessed he could live with that. Also, nothing said he had to take another job from the woman now that he knew what it was about.

“Thanks”

“Hmm?”

“I said thank you. For helping me to see the bigger picture,” said Jason. “And for getting me to start getting my priorities sorted.”

“What are friends for,” replied Rick.

There was a long moment of silence. Finally Jason reached out and poured them each another drink, chuckling to himself as he did so.

“That somehow funny or are you going completely fong lu on me?”

“Na, just thinking on all the laws we broke today, it’s quite a list and it strikes me as a bit funny. Especially since here we are just having a quite drink like normal folk, surrounded by normal folk, not a one of ‘em knowing that a few feet away sit two big damn bad guys.”

Rick looked at his friend. It was kinda funny now that he mentioned it.

“Let’s see, in addition to the trafficking of drugs, we purchased illegal, granted useless but still illegal firearms, robbed a post office, lied to federal officers, which I believe falls under impeding an investigation, and what else…”

“Don’t forget tamper’n with mail,” added Rick with a grin.

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

On the other side of town from this conversation a young woman sat in a booth at a diner. She was not having a very good day. She had lost her job and now she had been stood up by her date. It wasn’t as if she actually expected him to show up. Especially seeing as he had been the one to get her fired and in the process had broken the law. For some reason it still smarted though. He had been so swai.

Tired of pushing the food around on her plate she put down her fork. Draining the last of her coffee she then put the little money she had down on the table. Sarah Cobb then got up and walked out into the cold, dark, and for her, lonely night.