#You know I guess there is a treshold of annoyance

[thunderboltfire]

Do I think Nela has the capacity to kill Mizora?

Unfortunately, no.

Does she have the capacity to annoy Mizora so badly that she'd wish she'd never have met her?

That's an entirely different matter.

[gamergirlbonestaskforce141riot]

Paulatim sed Firmiter (Slowly but surely) - Saturday early morning

This chapter is an agony, God... I'll divide it in scenes because I just can't with my life right now

Tags for the people that asked: @glitterypirateduck @jamesrifftapes @letsreadallday

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Saturday

Early morning

The air was chilly in the early hours of that day of late May, with its timid sunrays appearing over the horizon. Captain Price was standing on the tarmac by one of the hangars, observing while the small plane that carried one of his kids home slowly halted to a stop after landing.

Rain or snow, early or late, he was always there to welcome them back unless they were deployed to separate places.

It still took a while for the stairs to be attached to the plane and for the door to open, but when Ghost’s massive frame appear on the treshold, Price smiled and raised his hand, holding a cup of coffee. He wasn’t quite sure, but he could swear he saw Ghost’s free hand lift slightly.

Price stayed put while his Lieutenant walked to him, duffle bag over his massive shoulder. Ghost walked with the same purposeful stride as always, but for someone who had known him for so long as Price had, he knew he was tired. Or fed up. Or both.

‘‘Welcome back’’ He waited until the younger man left the bag on the ground and then offered him the cup. Ghost grabbed it, thankful, pulling his balaclava up until it hooked over his nose.

‘‘Thanks’’ His lips pursed after downing the content. ‘‘For fuck’s sake, Price, it’s ice cold’’

‘‘I’ve been waiting here for an hour, what did you expect?’’

‘‘You know you don’t have to do this’’

‘‘Don’t be stupid, Simon’’ Price clasped a hand over Ghost’s shoulder and pulled him down for a quick hug, patting his back a couple of times. He smiled fondly when he felt Ghost returning the gesture, even tightening the embrace for a second before they both stepped back. ‘‘How was everything?’’

‘‘Dirty and boring. As always’’ Ghost accepted the cigarette that Price just lit for him and took a long drag of it, exhaling the smoke afterwards through his nose. ‘‘And here?’’

‘‘Helluva week’’ Price snorted, observing while Ghost grabbed the duffel bag to sling it over his shoulder again, and both started walking towards the barracks. ‘‘On Monday, Robinson leered at the recruits and Vega told him to fuck off, quite loudly, in public. Don’t fucking smile, I can see you’’

‘‘Sorry’’ Ghost tried to hide his chuckle by taking another drag of the cigarette. That’s my girl.

‘‘We’ve also had a private in the infirmary the whole week because they were beaten by some idiots from the AAC…’’

‘‘Why?’’ Ghost frowned under his mask.

‘‘For what I understand, they disagreed with their identity choices’’

‘‘I’ll handle it’’

‘‘Oh, no, please no’’ Price rolled his eyes, to Ghost’s surprise. ‘‘Let me continue. On Tuesday, a group of privates, all girls, ambushed me in my office to petition for a self defence group… Yeah, exactly, don’t give me that look’’

‘‘The same ones again?’’

‘‘They didn’t tell me then, but I guess so. And they asked for Vega to teach them’’ The Captain looked up at Ghost, suspicious. ‘‘And for some reason you’re not surprised’’

‘‘She beat another officer in Gibraltar’’ Ghost shrugged, exhaling smoke slowly as they walked. ‘‘Makes sense they would trust another woman’’

‘‘Why do you know that when I didn’t?’’

‘‘She told me’’ Was his simple answer, shrugging again. Price rolled his eyes. Oblivious fools.

‘‘She told you… Ok, so, on Wednesday, during the first class, she along with Soap and Gaz used three Sergeants from the AAC as practice dummies… Simon’’ For fuck’s sake, he was snorting. Snorting. For the love of…

‘‘Sorry. Go on’’ He tried to hide his chuckle by pulling down his balaclava, seeing Price huff in annoyance, but he knew him well enough to know he was trying not to laugh himself.

‘‘On Thursday, Robinson’s car caught fire in the parking lot. Nobody knows why or how.’’ Price opened the door of the main building to allow Ghost to enter and then followed him inside to the stairs. ‘‘He’s also been finding the lock of his office’s door full of glue every single day, so the locksmith is fed up with him, and the cleaners have refused to enter his office because there’s a foul smell… You’re doing it again’’

Ghost’s enormous shoulders were shaking lightly. Price rolled his eyes and continued.

‘‘And yesterday they had the absolutely marvelous idea of going to the village pub, those three… disasters, with the privates. Bonding experience, they said’’ The Captain’s hard blue eyes glared at Ghost when a pfft sound came from beneath the balaclava. ‘‘What could have gone wrong, right?’’

‘‘What, indeed’’ Ghost opened the door to Price’s office and left the duffel bag on the floor before taking a seat, with the Captain moving around the desk to do the same. ‘‘Let me guess, the idiots from the Army Air Corps were there and there was a disagreement’’

‘‘You could say that’’ Price leaned back in his chair and put two glasses on the table, then opened the bottle of whiskey he kept in one of his drawers to serve Ghost a drink, and another for himself. It was early, but to hell with it. ‘‘Were you able to sleep in the plane?’’

‘‘… yes’’ Ghost pulled his balaclava up to his nose again and grabbed the glass. ‘‘Why?’’

‘‘Any new holes I should know about?’’

‘‘No’’ Ghost shook his head before drinking the whiskey.

‘‘Stab wound?’’ Price’s eyebrows were almost by his airline, doubting if he should believe him or not.

‘‘No?’’ Now Ghost was intrigued. Price’s eyes narrowed.

‘‘Scratch?... Stubbed your toe somewhere?’’

‘‘What the fuck, Price?’’ Ghost huffed, glaring at him, with the empty glass in his enormous gloved hand.

‘‘Are you telling me that you’ve taken care of yourself for once?’’ Price served more whiskey in their glasses, smirking. ‘‘I might mark this day on my calendar’’

Ghost just glowered, waiting for his glass to have another couple of fingers of whiskey before bringing it up to his lips again, shaking his head.

‘‘Did you wake up this jolly by yourself or are you trying to ask me to do something?’’

‘‘In fact… yes’’ Price leaned back in his chair, glass of whiskey in hand. ‘‘I need you to go pick Sergeant MacTavish and Sergeant Vega up’’

Ghost’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he leaned forward in the chair. For some reason, Price looked like he was both enjoying and irritated by the situation, whatever it was.

‘‘Pick them up from where?’’

‘‘Jail’’

Silence

‘‘Say that again’’

‘‘I need you to go pick Sergeant MacTavish and Sergeant Vega from jail’’ Price repeated, feigning a calm that he did not feel, specially when he saw the corners of Simon’s lips start to twitch. ‘‘Both of them and two Army Air Corps Sergeants were taken to jail last night after a pub brawl’’

‘‘Jail’’ Ghost breathed out, leaving the empty glass on the desk, and crossed his arms, observing his Captain. ‘‘I’ve been absent less than a week’’

‘‘Yes’’

‘‘And in that amount of time, a vehicle caught fire, there were several beatings, a Lieutenant’s office was sabotaged in different ways…’’

‘‘Oh, right, I forgot’’ Price shook his head, arms crossed as well, trying hard to contain the corners of his lips from curving upwards. ‘‘That same Lieutenant found himself with his ass on the floor, someone had unscrewed his chair’’

‘‘… sabotaged. And to end the week in a good note, there was a pub brawl, and two of our own are in jail because of it’’

‘‘Affirmative’’

‘‘All in a weeks’ work’’

‘‘If we’re going to get technical, in five days’ work’’ Price shrugged, and then glared at Ghost. ‘‘Don’t you fucking dare’’

Simon’s shoulders shook lightly, trying hard not to chuckle louder than intended. The Captain kept glaring at him, trying not to start chuckling as well.

‘‘Simon, don’t fucking laugh, it’s not funny’’ Price almost snorted, looking fondly at the man sitting before him, who had one of his hands covering his lower face, still exposed. It had been a lot of time since he had seen Simon laugh.

‘‘Can I shower first before going to pick the inmates up?’’ Ghost couldn’t help but snort at Price’s face.

‘‘If it were me, I’d leave them there until Monday, but Heather wants all of you tomorrow for dinner at home’’ The Captain grunted, storing the bottle back in the drawer. ‘‘If she finds out I won’t hear the end of it’’

Ghost stood up slowly, grunting when his knees creaked a bit, and rolled his shoulders before grabbing his duffle bag again to sling it over his shoulder.

‘‘Is there something else I should take care of? Gaz stuck in a tree or something?’’

‘‘He was at the pub too, along with Mactavish’s girlfriend, and brought her back when the scuffle started’’ Price rolled his eyes, arms crossed. ‘‘Allegedly, he wasn’t involved and he doesn’t have a single bruise. And I don’t buy it. He looked too smug today at breakfast’’

‘‘You’re aware that he’s just as much of a shit stirrer as Soap, aren’t you?’’

‘‘At least he’s more discreet’’ Price mumbled for himself, writing down something on a post-it note and then handing it to Ghost. ‘‘The address of the police station’’

‘‘I know where it is’’

‘‘And I don’t want to know why, thank you’’ Price observed the younger man while he walked to the door, and before he opened it, called him. ‘‘Simon’’

‘‘Yeah?’’ Ghost looked back, his balaclava in place again.

‘‘Is there something I should know?’’

There were a couple of heartbeats before Ghost answered, his husky voice as deadpan as always.

‘‘About what?’’

‘‘You know what I’m talking about’’ Price shrugged slightly, crossing his arms again. ‘‘I wouldn’t object’’

Simon just stared at him, for what it seemed minutes but most likely were just another couple of heartbeats.

‘‘No’’ He answered, curtly, and then opened the door to leave, ending the conversation. Price shook his head, he should have expected that.

‘‘No, what? No, that there’s nothing I should know? No, that you don’t know what I’m talking about? Simon! For fuck’s sake…’’