danny pauses mid-swing.

"is that what it is?"

he looks over at the mandibuzz, half-concerned, half-curious.

"she's been staring at me for a while now. like she's waiting for me to drop dead."

chuckling, he returns to mining.

"might do soon, for all we know."

virgil roach
mission!

☉

might be soon? like betty could sense it?

”ah,” he started, swinging his axe into rock. ”she just ’s got a good judge o’ character, s’all. ‘n either she likes ye,” he looked over. ”or she thinks yer trouble.”

a smirk pinched high in his worn face, teeth glinting as he turned back to the work with a gravely chuckle. rock crumbled under sharp impact. it echoed.

”you ain’t trouble, now, are ya danny?”

DANNY HALL

☉

HADUNK!

"trouble?"

the pickaxe falls to his side for a moment, metal brushing against the fabric of his pants. his grip slackens as he pauses to think.

is he trouble?

in the span of a few months he's lost his best friend, his girlfriend, and essentially threw his life away all for what he thought to be love.

still, he shakes his head.

"nah, i think i'm pretty good."

HADUNK!

"do you think i'm trouble?"

virgil roach
mission!

☉

”m.”

he regarded the younger man for a moment with a stare that looked far more intuitive than it was. a show. sometimes, he could scare them straight.

”well, i don’ know ye like that. i’d say you know better than i do.” his teeth flashed again, and he came back around. ”you, and that ole bird over there.”

he spit onto the dusty ground, swung his axe again, and fell into silence.

DANNY HALL

☉

sometimes, but not this time. perhaps rocket has toughened him up more than he realizes.

"then i'm not trouble, no."

just to himself at times.

after a chuckle and a smile, he looks back over at roach.

"we should actually hang out sometime, you know? grab or a drink or something."

virgil roach
mission!

☉

his chin gave a quick little nod to the right, and that was the end of that. nothing to it, roach just liked to fuck with people sometimes.

another strike with the pick-axe, and he saw the glimmer of something in crater. he brushed at it with his hand.

”well, sure. i own a bar in slateport. ye ever heard o’ ritual?”

in the light, under his hand shined yellow-green and he noted aloud, ”thunder stone, i think.”

DANNY HALL

☉

"nope. but i'll be sure to check it out."

drinks are free because of the invite, surely. or at least that's what danny assumes. reality may be bitter or it may be sweet; only time will tell.

"that's nice. i think buggy found something, too."

the heracross lifts up a bright stone, dusting dirt off it.

"dawn stone?"

virgil roach
mission!

☉

he nodded. ”yeah, come on by some time. i’m usually there. best whiskey and cigar selection in slateport, guaranteed.” 

then, he figured he should give him directions. the right place wasn't the obvious one.

”there’s a downstairs, ain’t easy t’ find at a glance. go ‘round back and down the alleyway, into the unlabeled door on the left. ‘hind that, there’s a flight o’ stairs that goes to a concrete hallway—it’ll be a walk, but you’ll find it eventually. ask the doorman if he’s got a smoke.” he looked over at him for emphasis, then. ”walk in like you belong there.”

when buggy lifted up the stone, roach squinted at it. the light glared off its facets from a distance.

”could be.”

DANNY HALL

☉

"a downstairs..."

what a cool concept to have two different bars under the same roof. so exclusive. so lovely. danny's beaming at the thought of walking in like he belongs there when he clearly doesn't.

at least not yet.

"i'll try my best to get in. if i do, drinks are on you, i'm guessing?"

the smile he gives is mostly innocent with a bit of teasing in there.

virgil roach
mission!

☉

”well o’course. you’d be my guest. be rude as hell otherwise, would it not?”

his crooked smile flashed again. he tucked away his find into a deep pocket on his leg and picked back up the axe. swing—HADUNK!

”you worth a shit at billiards?”

DANNY HALL

☉

"uh..."

is he any good at billiards? he played it quite often when he was in galar. nights out with friends shooting shit and playing billiards. often, stupid bets would come into play as punishments.

is he good at it, though?

"yeah! definitely."

guess they'll find out.

virgil roach
mission!

☉