Reading (Open, Multiple Threads Welcome)

[loveisenough]

Alice felt like shit for what she'd said to Wilson. Breaking the heart of someone you knew was one thing, but doing it to someone she barely knew made her feel like shit. She was drinking a weak screwdriver at the bar, a book of Tolstoy's short stories open in front of her. Guilt ruined her willpower, and she had a half-full pack of cigarettes

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[rubicks_complex]

If House had his hands on his Vicodin instead of being rationed out pills, then there was a chance he wouldn't feel the need to rely on the bar when things got a little too much for him to deal with. Not because he had a drug problem, but because he had a pain problem and what was he supposed to do when he had pain and no access to any painkillers, not even Snape's potions? Alcohol was the next best option

[loveisenough]

Alice turned as she recognized the voice, and couldn't help smirking. "Hello, House." She didn't hate the man, despite his many failings. If anything, she could thank him for helping give her the guts to tell John how she felt. And if Wilson was so visibly hung up on the man, there had to be something to like. Even during their brief aquaintance, she'd seen something gentle in him.

"How have you been?" She turned to face him, angling her cigarette smoke at the ceiling.

[rubicks_complex]

He looked down at his glass as it was placed in front of him, glanced at the bartender in acknowledgment and then looked across at Alice.

House wasn't really sure what to make of Alice anymore. He wasn't sure what he felt. Angry that she'd told Cuddy about them, certainly. Hostile because he didn't like the idea of her being Cuddy's friend when he and Alice were meant to be nothing but a random fuck, and now she was someone he wasn't going to be able to shake away as long as Cuddy remained friends with her. Cynical because she was involved with a Winchester, and House decided he hated all Winchesters by default. Resentful because had it not been for Alice, the whole thing with Cuddy wouldn't have come about. Yet... strangely grateful at the same time, because of what had resulted between Cuddy and himself as an indirect result of Alice.

He realised he'd got lost in his thoughts. "And you care about how I've been because...?" He took a quick sip of his drink and fought back a grimace the first mouthful of the stuff always made him

[loveisenough]

"Because I'm worried about your friend James." She took another drag of her cigarette, looking down at her book. She pretended to read while she spoke, more interested in House's response.

Alice could easily hate him. House hadn't treated her well to begin with, and mentioning her to Dean had just been low. But she couldn't bring herself to hate him, only pity. She did have to admit that she sort of enjoyed the rush that pitying him gave her - he probably hated it more than if she'd just slapped him.

"You know he's in love with you, right?" She was just guessing, but part of her wanted him to feel bad about whatever he'd done.

[thors_fav]

Jack ambled into the bar for no better reason than that it was there. Which seemed like a perfectly good reason, especially since the hotel didn't provide the kinds of entertainment he enjoyed. Although he'd heard there was a bowling alley and he was going to have to check out that out.

"Whiskey, neat," he told the bartender. He turned slightly, leaning one elbow on the bar as he studied the young woman next to him. "It's not often one finds a beautiful woman sitting alone in a bar. Even more rare to find a beautiful woman sitting alone in a bar and reading a book."

[loveisenough]

Alice turned her head to smile at the stranger. "My boyfriend's still asleep." She laughed and marked her page in her book. "Thank you for the compliment, though." She patted the seat next to her, ordering another orange juice.

"That's... a great opener. Really." She smiled genuinely, as the compliment hadn't seem faked. "Thank you."

[thors_fav]

"His loss then," Jack said easily. He didn't do much of what he'd call flirting, and when he did there was no real intent to it. Sometimes he simply wanted to be sociable...just so he wouldn't forget how.

"Colonel Jack O'Neill," he added, extending his hand as he took the offered seat.

[loveisenough]

She took the hand and couldn't help giving him a cheeky grin. "Alice Ayres. Nice to meet you, Colonel." She wasn't sure what she should call him, but figured he'd tell her.

"Have you been here long? I haven't seen you around." She stirred her drink with a straw, even though it didn't need to be. "I'd say welcome, but nobody wants to be here."

[semper_fi_house]

After several days of searching the building for working exits and angry phone calls to the front desk, John had finally resigned himself to life at the hotel. For the time being anyway. You might say he was wavering between the "bargaining," "depression" stages of grief. A part of him felt that if he went along with things here, perhaps it would all go along faster -- whatever "it" was, and they'd all be allowed out of here.

In the meantime, what was there to do but visit the gym and drink? And so he entered the bar, which was beginning to feel quite familiar, which was vaguely disturbing in itself.

The bar was nearly empty today, except for a pretty young woman. He sat down near her, leaving a couple stools between them. "Hey," he said gruffly to the barman. "A rum and coke over here." (There was no reason to be polite to such a person -- the man never said a word to anyone, that John could tell. That kind of rude behavior warranted only rudeness in kind.)

[loveisenough]

Alice looked up from her book and smiled at the newcomer. "Oh, that sounds really good. I'll take one too, please. With Malibu rum, if you have it." She was always extraordinarily polite, even before she'd lived in England.

[semper_fi_house]

John returned her smile. "I'd say it's on me, except that nothing costs anything here anyways," he said dryly, casting a suspicious glance toward the bartender as he accepted his drink from him. "Can't seem to wrap my mind around this place..." He shrugged with his face and took a sip from his glass. "Haven't seen too many people around here yet," he said, nodding toward the girl. "How long you been here?"

[loveisenough]

"Hell, even if they send me a bill after we get out, I'm not paying." Alice laughed and took her drink from the bartender, shutting her book and turning toward the older man.

"Hmm. I think a couple of months. Might be closer to three now. I should have been keeping track, but I got here the same day as someone who is, so there's not much of a point in me doing it too." She stuck out her hand, smiling. "Alice Ayres. Nice to meet you."