Paperwork Is No Fun // Nick Alvarez

Cade had been having a slow, boring day at office. Nothing seemed to catch his interest. The paperwork felt like eternity to get done.
Of course, when something like that could've seem better than cracking some safe or picking a lock, not to mention fighting alien invasion.
Yeah, office work definitely was a bummer. At least compared to what he'd done for past several years, in retrospect.

Even hospital and rehab felt like piece of cake, compared to this.
But as ex-con he couldn't, and most definitely should not, complain about such if he still wanted to stay clean and nice in the eye of British Law Enforcement representatives.
Although his record seemed okay the former alien hunter knew that if someone really bothered looking under every nook and cranny there will be enough junk to pull out in the daylight and if they still felt curious enough then under big, bright microscope they'll find some dust to shake.
And Cade felt better if the dust stayed untouched.

Although now, as he slowly made his way out of the office building, he started to regret not taking up to his sister's invitation to join her in photo hunt. The girl could lit up the whole room by smiling alone, but when she started to express some more upbeat emotion soon enough everyone else in the hypothetical room would burst into energy balls.

But it was just the sorrow talking. Autumn wasn't the best season for ex-alien-hunters, and nor it did for people who felt exhausted and mentally tired from boring paperwork.

So Cade opted for the first random bar at sight to have some drink and do people watch.

So this was London. It was a lot colder than what Nick Alvarez was used to. Truth be told: he missed Miami, no matter how interesting Great Britain was and how much he liked the countryside. He's lived in Miami all his life, so letting go of the warm and sunny city was a hard thing to do.
As of a couple of weeks ago, the Latino FBI Agent was now living in Britain. Since he's learned that he was being sent to the UK, Nick had done his research. He was now stationed at the American Embassy in London, but he actually didn't want to stay there. This wasn't the same old job he was used to, however, it was the only job he had. And he still loved it.

But Nick was opting to buy a small Toscan style house by the coast of Wales, just off the small village of Lavernock, 20 minutes from Cardiff. He didn't know why he wanted to live there, just something made him choose that part of Great Britain to settle down. But for now, he was living in a small hotel in London, close to the Embassy. Just until he found a place to live at.

Right now, however, Nick was sitting in a small bar at a small table near the only window and was watching the people around him, while a half-full glass of Ale was standing in front of him. His thoughts drifted back to his last days in Miami, how he was talking to his mother and sister about moving. He wouldn't be seeing his niece Belinda for quite a while now and that was a sad thought, especially since the little girl loved him so much.

Maybe he'd meet someone to talk to, even if it was just for tonight.

Upon entering, and you'd just have to pretend the guy didn't try to do glass/door/wall-walking because he just did and felt embarrassed, Cade suddenly hesitated. English drinks always made him struggle because for some inane or other reason he, for his life, couldn't remember what he liked to drink all those years ago.
And that "spring cleaning" of his brain-as Michelle called getting him drink a spiked-with-god-knows-or-mostly-not-what cocktail the other day which left him hugging walls, singing and talking animatedly with plushy bears- made little progress in that line.

So, shyness aside, Cade 'oh-the-man' Foster ordered a hearty dose of Jack Daniels before opting for a seat.
Scanning the room he decided to head for a company. If drunk then better with alive people beside rather than babbling session with an empty chair or glass.
With that at the back of his mind Foster went for an empty seat next to a Latino guy.

Nick watched the man who just walked in for a little moment. Of course he did that, without actually staring at him, because then he would have noticed and maybe some kind of uncomfortable argument might have started, which wasn't Nick's plan. From the first glance though, the guy seemed to be okay. And he ordered Whiskey, something that Nick would do, ocasionally.

The Latino picked up his glass of beer and took a small sip, then set it back down and looked into the glass with golden liquid. For a moment there, a hint of sadness flashed over his face, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. Maybe London wouldn't be too bad and maybe it would be a nice change of pace and scenery. A way to start over. And maybe one day his parents and his sister might be closer to him. But that was probably just wishful thinking.

Nick looked up again and saw the man with the Whiskey heading his way. He put on a casual, but friendly face and waited.

"Hey, mate, hope you won't mind my presence at this table." Cade started immediately the second he indeed approached the table where the latino was sitting.

Not the most smoothest entering speech in his life but not entirely the worst. Cade almost forgave himself some bit of British-ness added to the tone of his voice since most likely the 'all-american' leather jacket, hunting boots and casually worn jeans sang all the same song.
Besides, his accent has marginally slipped from 'mild-canadian-husk' to 'sorta-aussie-growl'. And he only blamed a guy next-bed at the hospital ward he spend enough time to count all the cracks and bumps on every single wall.
So, in general, Foster tried to appear more 'normal' human instead of his old times regular alien inspector and just tried to be 'all-in-all american-turned-brit' and smiled slightly at the latino guy who also looked kinda bored of his work but less so than himself.

Nick looked up at the man standing in front of him now. He put on a small smirk right a second later. "Not at all." he replied in a warm, yet casual tone.

Nope, tonight he could really use some company. After all, he was in a city he barely knew and yet, he didn't know a soul around here. Nick didn't know just how long he would have to stay in London, but with the job he had, he was probably going to be here for quite a while. Not that he minded much, he just minded leaving his family behind, especially his niece Belinda. But oh well... what could he do?

Looking at the man who just approached, he pushed those thoughts aside again and tried not to let them cloud his mood too much. "Actually... I could use some company."

Cade smiled as if he had no care in the world and slumped in the opposite seat. Somewhat less graceful he was these days. But drowning in the sea probably did that to a person.
"I'm glad. Drinking alone is something my sister tries to keep me away from." Foster said with a chuckle and felt no stab of protective instinct of an alien hunter (ex-hunter, Foster, remember that!).

And sure, drinking his way usually ended less appreciated by local LEOs or ordinary passer-bys.
But he'd had to put all that aside and strike up a nice chat if the other man agreed.

"Your boss an asshole too?" Foster asked casually and took a swig from his glass. Common situation, if he was anyone amongst hard working folks. And bosses seemed to share that particular trait.

Nick smirked a little, watching Cade sit down across from him at the table. Although it seemed like he was actually looking at the glass on the table in front of him. It was just one of the things that he learned during his many years as an FBI Agent: watching people without them noticing. It was hard work at the beginning, but now it almost came naturally to him, after doing it so many times.

"So he has a sister... just like me. Nice." Nick thought to himself, as he then lifted his head and looked directly at the man sitting across from him. Just by looking at him, Nick had the feeling that he was a man who was trying hard to leave his past behind. Although Nick wouldn't ask about it, he wasn't actually that curious and it wasn't his business anyway.
"Well... that depends on why you're drinking. Trying to drown problems doesn't really want company." he replied honestly, his tone indicating that he had some kind of experience with that.

"I'm not sure my boss is that bad... although considering that he sent me off to London, maybe I should ask myself if he doesn't like me anymore." Nick then answered his question, but his voice wasn't that serious. "I'm just not used to London, yet."


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Note: decided to use my template again... missed it
Credit: Words belong to Jimmy Ruffin's song "What becomes of the brokenhearted"

Although it was really a subtle thing Cade felt being observed. Of course, that was a thing from past-feeling eyes on him, trying to blend in the crowds, keeping all exits in sight, hiding in shadows while watching the crowd.... Foster, get a grip!

He almost shook his head, past was was past, but why he could not keep it there was beyond him.

The alien hunter (ex one at that, he kept it at the back of his subconscious) chuckled at the man's words. "Yeah, I've been warned against drowning in any way again. But I'm not sure to call it drowning, this one, more like washing away some day's stress." he reasoned, but he knew, drinking was a thing for his 'new life'. And even before he hadn't been so much as a 'weekend drinker' meaning he rarely got even drunk.

"My boss is probably onto getting rid of me one of these days so I'm about to pre-celebrate it. Besides I'm not so used to here yet too." he told. And it was true, he could be fired any given day, and not feel guilty about it. Not that anyone would be any wiser about it. Government had let him go, at least for now.
Cade took a swig of his drink and tuned out his buzzing brain.

~~~~~~
[ooc: oh that's great, I wish I had template, but then I'd need a pc for that, lol]

Nick took his eyes off the man he was talking to and looked around the small crowd in the pub (as the English called it), listening to his words. He wasn't used to his surroundings, he wasn't used to the new pace of life that he had been sent into and he certainly wasn't used to feeling homesick. Even if it was just a little bit, still he never imagined that he would miss Miami this much.

"Yeah well... guess part of me is just trying to get rid of that slight feeling of sadness." Nick commented, trying not to sound too somber.
Part of him was excited about the new life in London while the other part wanted to go back into his old routines. But... he was a man, he wasn't supposed to feel homesick.
Little did Nick know now that his life would change drastically soon and the old life he used to know wouldn't be the same he was going to life then. He didn't know that he was about to change careers and lifestyle.

"Oh, you're not from around here either?" Nick then asked, looking back at the man across the table, his brow slightly raised in question. "Where are you originally from?"

He just had to ask, he was that curious and it was a way of starting a light conversation. Maybe they'd even have something in common and maybe things would turn out to be not so bad after all. Asking never hurt and it wasn't too personal.


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Note: yeah, you probably would. Or you save the code for it in your charrie's savebox in the mails (but then you'd have to PM yourself from another account), if you can copy codes on your phone you should be fine

Credit: Words belong to Jimmy Ruffin's song "What becomes of the brokenhearted"

Cade sensed it in the way the man talked and the look in his eyes that told him he missed something. Cade himself had been missing a lot. However his life here seemed to be not so bad either. He had a job, albeit only mildly stable thanks to his suspicious boss who probably was now onto whatever data base trying to find about his mysterious employee.

"I can imagine. Not a particular good feeling. At least to me. Although it probably be for anyone." Cade said. And he could understand it so well.
Luckily he had his little sunshine and two chaos-makers to come back home to.

But the life he used to have once had been put on hold. At least for now.
Not that he particularly missed the Gua part or getting himself arrested. Nevertheless the adventurous part of him longed for something to make him feel more alive.

Cade smiled at the question. "Yeah, happened so. I'm actually from all the way across the pond, as the locals call it. Right from United States of A. Chicago to be specific." he told, and couldn't deny some pang of longing to visit his former roaming fields. But he stuffed it away, that part of his life was done for good and he would never be able to return there again. Maybe not even Seattle nor LA.
"And you?" Foster returned the question, taking another long swig of his drink.


~~~~~~~
[ooc: yeah, I might try. but maybe once I get new phone. this baby is a bit poor in health ]

Nick looked up from his glass and then smiled a little at Cade. He didn't know a single soul in London when he came to the city. He had a feeling that it might change. At least for now he had someone to talk to. It was a nice start actually and for a moment there, Nick pushed his feeling of homesickness aside and got his lively side out again. He couldn't keep sulking around anyway.
"What a lovely coincidence." Nick said, the small smile now staying on his face. "I'm from the Sunshine State. Came right from Miami."

There was a hint of pride in his voice when he said it. Yes, he loved Miami and he was proud that he came from such an amazing city. It would always be his first choice of a home. Well, unless he met a woman to marry out here, of course, which so far didn't seem very likely.
"The Windy City... I've been there twice. Once on duty, once on vacation with my..." Nick stopped. Well this was certainly weird, usually he didn't share those personal details about him with someone he just met, but it just came out of his mouth, without any delay actually. It surprised Nick, but only a few moments later, he shrugged it off. "well, my ex-fiancée."


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Note: you do that :)might be getting my brother-in-law's old phone this summer :DNokia Lumina. Windows Phone... will have to deal with Win8 I think.... but oh well, I'll get used to it
Credit: Words belong to Jimmy Ruffin's song "What becomes of the brokenhearted"[/size]

Cade smiled slightly sheepishly. "Well, haven't yet been in Miami but I've heard all the best about it." he said. And then suddenly felt rather lame. After all he'd been in various cities all over the mostly northern parts and around Chicago but actually never in southern states.
And somehow, in the end, he wasn't too resentful about his hometown, even despite all the stuff that has happened and now kept him from revisiting.
But Windy City wasn't to blame for his own troubles.

"I'm sure you had great time anyway. The Windy City is quite an attractive place to visit, no matter the reasons." Foster said with a smile. And, hell should freeze over if he didn't feel a slight pang of homesickness right at the moment.
And suddenly he was biting his tongue for all the stream he nearly let go. But such things weren't for anyone's ears yet, not things like that.
And suddenly Cade caught himself wondering about letting himself say more than it was safe, although his paranoid ex-alien hunter side was glaring at him like a mad thing.

~~~~~~

[ooc: Yeah, will try. Oh Lumia, nice. Which model? I had been considering one too, since some costs rather affordable. However, I'm not sure about the app market. It's reported considerably short compared to Android.
But I love the color variety of them though. ]

Nick nodded a little, listening to his newly found company. It actually did feel nice to have someone to talk to, even though he just met Cade. But it was better than to just sit around by himself, sulking, or being lost in his own little world thinking about Miami, his family and everything else that had changed for him. Much better. Maybe this way he actually might find a friend around here. Or at least someone to talk to on a more regular basis. But he would see about that with time.

“Well, it is a nice city for sure.” Nick said, his voice still casual, but a warm tone to it. “I like the sun and warmth of Miami better though. Guess it's what makes it hard to get used to London. The change of weather. And no one around, who I actually know. Folks at work mostly keep to themselves. Guess they don't like Americans very much.”

Whether that was true or not was not for Nick to decide. It was just the feeling that he got sometimes, working in the Embassy to actually represent his country. Well, not everyone likes America and its people. And he was fine with that, as long as people treated him fairly and politely, just like he treated them.



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Note: uhm... 600 or 610. I don't quite remember. But I think it was Lumia 610.
Credit: Words belong to Jimmy Ruffin's song "What becomes of the brokenhearted"[/size]

Cade smiled at that. He still had a secret plan to get back to US and visit some southern states.
"Yeah, I've heard sun is especially nice there." he said thoughtfully. "But it really is a bit too much of rain than I'd have liked. Too much water already. I've had enough of it even before I found myself here, washed up on a shore."
And it just got out of his mouth before his brain kicked in with an appropriate filter. Oh well, Foster, you are getting careless. his subconscious offered and he only inwardly shrugged at that.
"Yeah, my boss keeps stuffing me into that tiny broom closet he's destined as my personal office. And some of our customers makes jokes about americans and safety. I've been so close to throwing those safes at them." Foster told with an eyeroll. Although not all brits have such issues with americans he mostly has had business only with most sceptics. At least businessmen somehow possess a decent mind to keep it shut, not the same with private clients.

~~~~~
Notes: Oh, I know those. Not my faves. Too rounded. I prefer more corners

Nick smirked a little bit. The rain, yeah... he didn't like the rain either. Worse than rain were thunderstorms though. He remembered that he was terrified of those when he was a little boy. He used to run and hide under his bed or in his closet when he was that age. And he'd do so if he heard the slightest bit of thunder or even saw a tiny bit of lightening. He didn't know why – nobody did. And it took him a long time getting used to them. At least now he didn't hide in the closet anymore. That would have been embarrassing anyway.
"Not a huge fan of rain myself. It's a part of nature, but I'm a child of the sun one could say." he said, that slight smirk staying on his face. "Eh... guess it just takes time getting used to new surroundings. And a tiny bit more of effort, too. Can't brag with having put extremely much effort into it, yet."

Can't get anything done without some effort. And he usually put in more of that, especially with changes, but somehow he was having a hard time doing that now. Probably because it was the first time in his 10 years of service to the FBI that he actually got send away to work some place else. But still, maybe this place was worth the effort and maybe... just maybe it would do him good and he might actually move on with his life in the ways of achieving his long-term goal of having a family of his own some day.
"Ouch... that harsh. Especially if you have to stay polite then. Gotta bite my tongue if someone lumps all Americans together. Some actually do try to be different."


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Note: My brother recently got a Lumia 925 (I think). It's not as rounded, but too big for my taste. Comes close to an i-phone I think. I actually like the rounded design, Although my current phone has more corners ;)proud owner of a Nokia X6
Credit: Words belong to Jimmy Ruffin's song "What becomes of the brokenhearted"

A faint, but still friendly smile flashed over Nick's face. Well, he didn't like the rain that much himself, but he never expected to find someone who would admit it this clearly as Cade just did. Somehow this stranger seemed to be one of those people who were different. But Nick didn't mind, in fact he actually enjoyed his company. Made him feel less lonely.

"Oh, there's rain in Miami that makes you want to stay inside all day. So strong you can barely see what's 10 feet ahead of you. I guess it's because the city's by the ocean." Nick explained casually. He remembered that his second day on the job, freshly off the academy in Quantico it rained like that. Bad thing was that he was with another Agent, chasing after a suspect, but the rain was hindering his vision so the guy got away. Not forever, but for that day. "Try chasing bad guys through that kind of rain... but oh well."

Nick shrugged a little at that thought and then listened up when his company mentioned his sister. Made him think of home again, where his own sister was looking after her baby girl now all by herself. But Nick promised that he would visit as much as he could.
"So... you got sister here? That's nice." he commented in a much lighter tone. "Got a sister and niece back in Miami."

Oh, Benita was probably whining to see her uncle already. The little girl was very dear to Nick and she obviously loved him just as much. He already missed his little squirt, but he'd hopefully be able to see her soon. And he'd bring her something from London, he promised he would.
"Huh... some bosses are a real pain in the butt... But hey, least he doesn't bother you too much anymore."



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Note: oh well, the X6 was my first Smartphone. Still is my current phone. Can't afford to buy a new one and don't need to. It's still working perfectly
Credit: Words belong to Jimmy Ruffin's song "What becomes of the brokenhearted"[/size]