TEXT; UN: J.SHEPPARD

[impavid]

Alright, new pop quiz. When you think of home, what do you think of?

[ Open question, which he's not going to expand on unless prompted -- though really he's curious about something specific. Do people consider Olympia or Wyver their home now? Maybe the Natha station? Or do they think of home worlds they've been told no longer exist? ]

Comments

[impavid]

I guess a bit of both. I moved around a lot while I served, but I just got used to a place and now I need to remember how not to miss it.

[smithsonian]

You'll probably always miss it. There's nothing wrong with that. I miss a lot of places I've been and lived and people I've known.

It's meeting new people and making them the home you want and need that helps with that feeling.

[impavid]

You ever considered a career at Hallmark? You could put that in a card.

[smithsonian]

[He can't hear it, but Annie laughs.]

Nowhere close to my actual career, but I'll keep it in mind since I'm apparently in the market for something new.

[impavid]

What was your actual career, then? There might be something loosely similar here if you are creative enough with your interpretations.

[smithsonian]

I was an Operations Officer for the CIA.

Not a lot of room for creative interpretation.

[impavid]

Sure, but then you just gotta re-define that. You have skills that you used as an operations officer, those skills might be useful in a different job.

[smithsonian]

And what did you do where this level of optimism came in handy?

[impavid]

Air Force. Kinda a blended role of reconnaissance security and taxi service.

[smithsonian]

I didn't know the Air Force was in the habit of playing taxi.

[impavid]

It's what happens when you're on the naughty list.

[smithsonian]

Why were you on the naughty list?

[impavid]

You haven't bought me enough drinks for that answer.

[smithsonian]

If you were looking for a date, all you had to do was ask.

[impavid]

Do you only buy drinks for people you go on dates with?

[smithsonian]

If it's not a date, I generally start with lunch or coffee before I'm buying drinks.

Otherwise, it's someone I met randomly that I'm meeting in a bar and THAT sounds kinda like a date.

[impavid]

I didn't specify what the drink was. How do you know I didn't mean tea or coffee!

[smithsonian]

Right.

So, I'll buy the coffee and you can tell me all about the naughty list.

[impavid]

Takes more than one to get insider info like that.

[smithsonian]

On second thought, my guesses about the naughty air taxi pilot can keep my mind occupied for a long time.

[impavid]

Hope you enjoy imagining it.

[smithsonian]

Yeah, I'll be thinking of nothing else.