Where We Met (Part 1)
If this is the thing that gets me kicked out of the House of Ashes fandom, then be that on my head.
This is an idea I have been working on for a long time, and I wanted it to be accurate to a point which involved hours of watching the first episode of GabSmoulders’ HoA play through and then a video about Merwin, and typing out everything that was said or done. There will be a Part 2, later, when I have the energy to transcribe some more of the game (life would be easier if game scripts were available online).
So, we all know Merwin wears a wedding ring, right? But what if his wife doesn’t wear a ring - What if Merwin’s wife wanted to appear single because of the environment she worked in, so she got something else? What if Merwin’s wife was...
Clarice...?
Merwin has music playing as he works out. He doesn’t know the music, it’s some of Joey’s, but it helps drown out the noise around him. He can hear footsteps approaching as Merwin finishes a rep, two weights on side of the barbell, because he couldn’t find anything else - assholes keep stealing his gear. He bars the weights before he sits up. Jason is in front of him with some visitors. He recognises the woman immediately, but she makes no move to show she knows him. They’ve done this dance before. “I see you, old man. Keep busting out those reps.” Jason jokes. Merwin remains seated, looking up at his visitors. “Come join me.” He offers. It’s directed at Jason, but the offer is open. “Maybe I’ll teach you a thing or two.” He keeps his voice flat, challenging. “Later. We have company.”
“Yeah?” Merwin finally looks at Clarice properly. She’s wearing one of her chokers, and a hat - her hair’s purple under there, he knows. Red Doc Martins, they must be new. And her tattoo is on display: two purple roses entwined with thorns. He grins, smearing a dirty leer across his features. “Maybe Missy here would like to watch me get my sweat on, huh?” He readjusts his position and moves back, turning to better face them. “Wanna spot me, little lady?” He smiles ahead of her answer. Clarice’s lips twitch up at the corners, but she catches it in time and pulls her smile into a tight line: “I can see you just fine from here, thanks.” They both know they can fit on a bench together pretty fucking comfortably, she doesn’t need to demonstrate. “Ignore Corporal Merwin, he lacks social skills.” “I guess every unit has its resident jackass” says the self-important looking asshole as they walk away, Clarice in tail, looking over her shoulder to wink teasingly. Damn, she looks good from every angle. Merwin leans back down on the bench - maybe he’ll ask her to keep the cap on when they get a little alone time.
Merwin has just enough time to hit the showers and gear up. He sidles into the briefing room and takes a casual lean on one of the card tables next to Joey. He nods slightly to Clarice and she blows a bubble with her gum, locking eyes with him. Merwin rubbed one off in the shower but she’s making him feel like he might need to again. Clarice stands off to the slide alone, Jason is about a metre away, then Joey, then Merwin. But they can still see each other. How long has it been this time? Months? He’s distracted by a projection coming up on the whiteboard being used as a screen.
“The fuck is that? Modern art or something?” Merwin starts the presentation accidentally, critiquing what he’s looking at. “This is footage from the highly classified Caelus program.” Eric is clearly very proud of what he’s done. So this is what Clarice has been helping with? Architectural plans? She’s so much fucking smarter than that. “That supposed to mean something to me?” Merwin does not look at Eric as he asks, looking at the ground, feeling like he wants to add some choice words like dickhead or piss-ant. “It’s a thermal satellite system that I personally pioneered.” Personally? As in on your own?? “Ohhh, well I’m impressed,” Merwin finally looks up, letting all the sarcasm in his voice spill over. “Please, pioneer away.” He motions to Eric to continue then crosses his arms. Joey looks like he wants to laugh. “You behave like this in all your briefings, Corporal?” Oh no, the man seems butthurt. Jason, typically, intervenes, “boys are just eager to catch a break sir. No harm meant.”
“Very well.” Eric seems happy to defuse the situation and press on so Merwin lets the presentation pass without any further snarky comments. Clarice doesn’t look at him again but that’s OK. He’s got plenty to look at to make this bullshit meeting go down easier. But a couple choice words catch his attention: underground facility and weapons. Merwin fist bumps Nick as Jason exclaims “we got you, you sonovabitch!” The atmosphere in the briefing room changes immediately. After Eric finishes his explanation, he asks if they have any questions. Merwin does, of course. “The fuck we waiting for? I’m ready!” It’s not really a question, so much as a show of bravado. Jason cuts in though, suggesting air support. Merwin’s too well versed in this shit, with a couple of solid years on the kid. He puts his foot into the conversation, saying “nah, too many birds could bring them down on us. We move fast-in, fast-out.” He’s eager to get the mission over with and celebrate. Clarice better fucking not be coming along on this rollercoaster ride.
Joey slides into his thoughts though, derailing them with a well timed punch line. “That’s pretty much what your momma said to me!” “Hey, careful, boy!” Merwin laughs. Joey is like the teams little brother, and if anything, Merwin has taken him under the worst wing possible. A lot of Merwin’s personality is a military-born front, some of it came from the way he was raised, and some of it was constructed from the never ending supply of military movies he has watched and continues to watch. Predator was always a favouite. It sort of formed his particular breed of humour: “If I didn’t pull out so fast, I could’ve been your ‘papi’!” This isn’t true, as it would have made Merwin a very young parent, but they high five anyway. Merwin watches Clarice rolling her eyes aggressively enough that they might roll right out of her skull. But she’s heard so many “yo momma” jokes, she’s practically immune. Jason intervenes again, always the teams steadfast father, “alright, that’s enough, Merwin. Sir, what’s your call?” It gets a bit tight in the room suddenly. Eric says no air support, Jason disagrees, and Eric overrules him. Rachel tries to push the point, on Jason’s side but Eric agrees with Merwin - no back up birds. You basically need a fishing knife to cut through the tension at this point. As Eric tries to round off the briefing, Joey nervously says “a lot of shit can go down in 24 hours” but Merwin tells him to quit being a bitch.
“Clarice, help me set up the equipment.” “I’m on it.” Merwin walks off, intent on doing a circle of the room and ending up next to Clarice, but Joey follows him, still nervous. He’s got the religious quivering of a Catholic grandmother going on. “I dunno man, this doesn’t feel right. I’m getting this tingle down the back of my neck,” Joey confesses quietly to him. “Aw, sweetie, look. A good rubdown will sort that right out, huh?” Merwin mock massages Joey’s shoulder, and then pinches his ass for good measure, but the physical banter falls short of actually helping. “I’m serious! I’ve got a real bad feeling about this.” “That’s what you get from spending too much time with Eric,” says Rachel as Merwin moves away, clearly not providing any sort of positive assistance to the situation.
Merwin starts his circuit of the room, eventually approaching Clarice. She’s downloading something. He leans against the table but they don’t look at each other.
“Doc,” he starts. “Marine,” she answers. There’s a beat of silence. “Miss me?” Merwin lets his voice drop real low, the way he knows she likes it. The corners of her mouth twitch up. “Hmm,” she contemplates, “might have done. Seem to remember you were pretty good in bed. It’s been a while though. Might need a refresher.” Merwin takes a chance and slides even closer to Clarice, “soon as we get back from the mission,” he’s almost whispering now, cautious of eavesdroppers, “I’m gunna eat you out until you’re dripping for me, and then I’mma fuck you til you can’t walk straight.” Clarice has gone red around the ears, the smile starting to spread out, “is that a promise?” Before Merwin can answer, Jason calls out from across the room, “let the good doctor work, Corporal!” Merwin pushes himself off the table, walking way too closely to Clarice as he wanders off. She presses her ass back into the wandering hand briefly, under the pretext of bending closer to the computer. Merwin smirks as he moves away.
There are some orphaned equipment cases lying off to the side. Merwin interrupts Rachel and Eric by picking one up and putting it down heavily on a table - too heavily, it seems. “Hey! Be careful with that!” Apparently whatever is in the box is more important than Rachel and Eric stalks over to him. “Aw, shit sorry. What you got in that box of tricks anyway?” Eric pulls something out of the case that looks like it should be used to direct traffic on a runway. “The fuck is that?” “Ultraviolet light. We use it to sweep for explosives.” Merwin reaches for it; he’s never held a glowing purple baton before and the D&D nerd buried deep inside of him wants to check it out - “Let me have a go.” He’s a little bit above just plain snatching. But, strangely, Eric says no! like a fucking child, and puts it delicately back in its case. He’s done with Merwin, clearly, and turns to his assistant. “How much longer for that download, Clarice, I need it ASAP” Merwin looks incredulous - how the fuck he gets away with talking to her like that is a mystery. “Is five minutes ASAP enough for you?” Clarice sounds annoyed, “downloading data now.” “Good. Let me check the satellite maps.” “Not the greatest bandwidth” “We work with what we’ve have.”
While Clarice keeps working on the data, Merwin moves behind her to look at the climbing gear spread out on another table. Eric appears out of no where. “What the hell do we need this crap for? We need to be mobile!” “We need to be prepared.” Now Eric sounds like a fucking teacher. “The facility is underground, possibly under construction. It’s safer this way.” Merwin looks back at Clarice, at her combat vest, and it hits him. He gets in uncomfortably close to Eric, and says real low “you want me to feel safe, you get me some more shooters.” He cannot specify that he does not want Clarice in danger - they have an agreement to keep their relationship secret and he respects her too much to re-neg on that agreement. And every second spent in Eric’s company just enforces why the secret is so important for them to keep. Eric just glosses over this threat though, moving through the conversation. He’s a weird person to talk to, almost like he isn’t really socially aware. “So you’re my technician? I’ve heard about you.” “I should fucking hope so. I’m here to keep our gear in check. And if any Iraqi’s pop their heads up, I’ll take ‘em clean fucking off.” Merwin still sounds threatening, but Eric doesn’t rise to it. “You seem pretty confident Corporal. If you need any assistance with the climbing gear, I’m here to help.” Eric offers his hand and, slightly confused, Merwin takes it. They shake. “I’m sure I’ll mange, Colonel.” After Eric walks off, Merwin mutters under his breath “climbing gear! Fucking pencil pusher!”
Behind him the computer beeps, and Clarice closes it with a snap, “download’s complete.” “Let’s get to the helos,” Eric commands, leading the way out.
*
Joey and Merwin gear up together, but Joey is the first to climb into the bird. He sits next to Clarice, who sits across from Jason. Merwin takes a seat at the door, next to Eric, where he can see Clarice’s face. Joey crosses himself after Jason signs off with base, before turning to his comrade. “Hey Merwin. What’s your momma and the Bermuda Triangle have in common?” “Why don’t you fucking enlighten me?” Joey grins cheekily, "they both swallow Marines.” God, this kid’s a fucking riot, he’s been taught well. They both laugh. “That’s pretty good, boy. Hey look, your momma’s so nasty, I called her for phone sex and now I have a fucking ear infection.” “Well damn, how long you been sitting on that one.” “Oh yeah, you like that? I got a shit ton more of those bad boys lined up.” “Yeah, that’s what your momma said.” Kid’s getting good. Rachel cuts into the banter with a commandingly sharp tongue, “you two wanna cut the bullshit and focus on the mission?” “Hey! Only one place I let a woman boss me around like that, alright? And that’s between the sheets.” The comment is intended entirely for Clarice - he’d do fucking anything she wanted, but Rachel hits a home run unexpectedly. “I’m surprised your mom lets women into your bedroom. Don’t want her getting jealous now.” Joey says “damn Rachel” and Merwin shoots daggers at him. “Hey! The fuck y’all laughing at?” His eyes snap forward to Clarice. She isn’t laughing, but she looks like she wants to. That eases his temper a little. If Clarice doesn’t have a problem, then neither does he.
When Nick and Jason say Semper Fi, Clarice interjects, confused: “Semper Fi?? What’s that, some kinda boys’ scout thing?” Ouch - that’s going to hurt the lads. Joey answers diplomatically that “it’s a marine thing. It means always loyal.” “So what, it’s supposed to be lucky?” Clarice looks disbelieving. Merwin hasn’t explained the weird Latin shit they say to her before. “Marines have a boat load of superstitions.” Joey confesses. “Hit me with one,” Clarice says, and Merwin knows she’s heard them before. He listed most of them off when they were wine drunk in a hotel once, naked except for cream-coloured sheets and Clarice’s signature emo jewellery. “They say to never look back when you’re disembarking the helo. Otherwise you curse the whole team.” “That’s gotta be about the stupidest thing I have ever heard.” Merwin is pretty sure they covered that one, so it’s the stupidest thing she’s heard again. “Yeah well, maybe, but as I see it, why take the chance?” “Eyes forward at all times,” interjects Merwin, “you look backwards in a war zone, it’s no wonder you get your ass shot off!” The red light goes off on the ceiling of the helo as they approach the LZ and Jason pep talks them. “Amen to that, brother,” agrees Merwin, then he yells, “OORAH!” The Marines repeat this sentiment with gusto.
When they land, masks on, Merwin waves to get Joey’s attention. He points to his eyes, and then backwards. Joey instinctively follows his hand, looking back at the helo. “Why the fuck did you have to go and do that?” Merwin laughs as Joey kisses his cross through the mask, but now they have both looked back. Superstition be dammed - if this mission goes south, well, that just means they get back for a little R&R that much earlier. It also means Clarice doesn’t have to spend too much time in a fucking warzone.
They keep low and tight, walking towards the buildings - but its just huts and Shepards. Jason barks out orders. Above their heads Rachel is speaking in Arabic and its amplified over the helos loudspeaker as they fan out around the area. The Shepards come out, unarmed with their hands raised. Hand signals order them onto the ground as the Marines make their final approach. Some of the soldiers stay outside with the hostages, while the rest of them enter the first hut. Merwin looks around, then enters last. They sweep the huts room by room but they’re all clear - Nick approaches Merwin with the order to pop yellow smoke so Eric and Rachel can land. Land for what, he has no idea. Sheep?
They stride over like city folk, and Clarice approaches behind them, Jason next to Eric. “That went smoothly,” Merwin observes sarcastically, exiting the first building which was, amazingly, still empty. “You think?” Bites back Rachel, clearly pissed. Merwin’s never been one to back down from confrontation though. “Got this place locked down tighter than a virgins-” “Do not finish that sentence, Corporal.” Merwin puts his hands up in mock surrender, but a quick glance at Clarice says he’s gone too far. He drops his hands, wrapping his fingers around his rifle. “Are they ready for questioning?” “Yeah, just don’t ask them any tough physics questions.” Jason orders Merwin and Nick to keep watch, and then the three superiors enter the hut. “I dunno about you guys but something doesn’t feel right about this place.” Clarice admits, rolling her shoulders nervously. “Oh yeah?” Merwin attempts a cheeky grin, “is that this, uh, women’s intuition I keep hearing about?” They’d had a whole-ass conversation about intuition once. He was well versed in it, even believed women were a little fucking physic. “Yeah, you wanna find out what happens when you piss it off?” So, still mad. Merwin mimes cowering and Clarice shoves his shoulder before turning on her heel. Merwin waits all of five minutes, then leaves Nick on his own.
After a casual stroll around the ‘compound’, still finding nothing, Merwin makes his way back to Clarice. “Not the time, Nate,” she chastises him, but she doesn’t sound angry - just tired. “Not the place either,” he says, standing next to her and staring off at the middle distance. “You still going to keep your promise?” “I ever let you down before?” Clarice leans into his shoulder, briefly, then “when’s your next lot of leave?” “Not for another few months - why - you only here for a sleepover?” “Something like that.” They stay silent for a while - it’s pretty fucking obvious this mission was a waste of time. The failure is bothering Clarice, but in full view of everyone there’s not much he can do to comfort her. “I’m gunna go talk to the boss, see if we can cut the crap. There’s nothing here.” Clarice hums, “this was a lot of work, Nate, a fucking lot of work. And it got us dick.” “I know babe. I’m sorry. Live and learn.” He brushes her shoulder and walks off.
Suddenly, out of goddamn fucking nowhere, an RPG takes out one of the helos - it crashes to the ground, spraying metal and flame in all directions. Merwin crosses the ground quickly, aiming for cover, shouting “motherfuckers!” How the fuck did the Iraqi’s know they were here? Once he’s behind something he turns back to check on Clarice - she was smart enough to duck behind something that might have been a wall once and is covering her head screaming “Fuck! Shit! Fucking fuck!” But the spray of bullets is thankfully going right over her. Merwin circles the area and jumps back behind cover, power sliding in next to Jason. He laughs, ridiculously - “that was fucking close! Wooh! What a fucking rush, huh?” Over the wall he can see their ex-CO and Merwin jumps up to wave to Rachel “back, stay back!” She skips out of sight as he takes up an offensive positioning, shouting FUCK YOU as he shoots. “Motherfuckers are dug in like ticks,” Merwin observes, but Jason skips over this and says to both Nick and Merwin “they’re closing in, we gotta get to Joey.” Merwin didn’t see Joey get hit, but he can see the kid now, bleeding on the ground. Fucking hell, it had to be him, didn’t it? He considers bringing up the W.P. but there isn’t time, Jason is barking out orders and he’s shooting suppressive fire into the Iraqi ranks. Assholes are everywhere, popping up and down like jack-in-the-boxes. Another helo goes down in flames, crashing into the earth with a boom and a rumble.
And then the ground begins to shake.
An earthquake? “No fucking way!” Merwin jumps up and starts running to Clarice, but the ground disappears beneath their feet and they fall, a barbed-wire fence ripping itself free from the foundations and joining them. The next time Merwin opens his eyes, he’s in agony. While it seems Clarice has had a clean fall, Merwin is hanging a few feet above her, and he can feel the fucking wire wrapping around him, digging in, cutting everywhere; blood cascading from him, and it takes him long moments to realise the person screaming is him. His body feels like its on fucking fire as he begs to be let free. “Jesus, I’m trying. Will you stop squirming around!” Clarice sounds desperate as she tries to pull Merwin down, but it just digs the wire in deeper, and Merwin screams louder. He can see the tears at the corners of her eyes and wishes he could kiss them away.
Nick and Jason approach them from the darkness but Merwin can barely see or hear them, agony ringing in his ears. “It’s bad! He’s bleeding out, we have to cut him down right now!” “Hold tight buddy, we got you.” Says Jason, but it’s so far away. “Nick I need you here.” Suddenly they all swim into vision below his head. “Cut the wires,” Nick says as he and Clarice support Merwin as best they can. Jason has his combat knife in hand, hacking and slicing, but the pain only increases. It seems to be getting worse by the second. Merwin keeps screaming as they pull him loose and he hits the floor, hard. All three of them kneel around him but the fall has at least shocked a bit of sense back into him. “Oh, he’s fucked, he’s so fucked” says Jason desperately. “You don’t think I can hear you?” Merwin manages as they inspect him. “You’re gunna pull through, brother, suck it up.” Very believable. Nick yells out “there’s morphine in my pack, grab it !” Before leaning into Merwin. “We’re gunna pump you up, OK?” “Fuck,” is all he can manage. Clarice is borderline hysterical now, she yells at them to “hurry the hell up” but Nick just says “we got this, you keep lookout.” He sounds deadly serious and Clarice folds in on herself. “Lookout?” Merwin can hear the sudden fear in her voice, “lookout for what?” But after glancing around and seeing nothing, Clarice ignores the order and takes a determined step towards Merwin. The darkness snatches her, and she’s gone.
Merwin screams, but agony has fled his voice. Nick holds him as he struggles, trying to get away, to follow. “CLARICE!” He screams again and again, but the darkness doesn’t answer. “What the fuck just happened” Jason approaches the spot where Clarice stood only a moment ago while Nick struggles to control Merwin. “The fuck was that… THE FUCK WAS THAT? WHERE IS SHE?!” But there is no time, the caves are echoing with unearthly screeches. Nick and Jason grab Merwin under the arms and drag him behind them as they run. He screams at them - half in pain, and half in heartbreak. He leaves behind a dangerous trail of blood.
They don’t get far before Nick stops them - “fuck, fuck! He’s bleeding out, we gotta take care of this!” They pull Merwin against a wall and he doesn’t fight; he’s weak and crying. Nick holds a hand against the wound and Merwin says through gritted teeth “how bad is it?” If he can walk away from this shit, he can go after Clarice. “You want the good version or the bad version?” Nick responds, but it’s pretty damn clear there is only a bad version. “Just give it to me straight.” “Not gunna lie man, it’s pretty fucking bad.” So he’s going to die. He’s going to die, and no one is going to go after Clarice. Clarice will die - maybe she is already dead. Merwin starts thrashing again, ignoring the men trying their best to help him - the men he’s grown to call his brothers. Nick covers Merwin’s mouth to silence him while Jason injects the morphine. Jason warns that Nick is killing Merwin just in time for the Sergeant to let up before Merwin suffocates. “I need you with me Nick,” is the last thing Merwin hears before he temporarily blacks out.
When he comes to, they are dragging him, and something is on their tail. “I’ll kill ‘em all”, Merwin mumbles as Nick yells “the hell is going on?” Barely conscious, Merwin cannot hear Jason and Nick properly, but he takes out his pistol anyway. Not much left to live for now. “Let me go, listen, you leave me here.” “Shut up Merwin,” is Nicks clipped response. He doesn’t understand. “I said leave me! Go! I’ll hold them off!” Anger rises in Merwin but he doesn’t have the strength to back it up. “Fuck Merwin. Those are not Iraqi’s!” Jason this time. “Whatever the fuck they are, they’re mine! Go!” But they refuse. “I’m not leaving a man behind, no fucking way!” Jason yells back at him, rage residing in his voice too. “Then you die with me” Merwin threatens, but it’s empty. They drag him on, as he mumbles, losing strength, “should’ve left me, I’d have killed them all.” “I don’t doubt it, Corporal, but right now we stay tight.” That’s Jason, always defusing the situation.
When they catch up with Eric, Nick canvases the area and wanders over to their superior. Jason stays and Merwin mumbles to him “they’re coming for us, they’re coming” but Jason can’t hear him any better than he can hear anyone else. They drag him to camp, and they lay him down somewhere hidden. He swims in and out of consciousness, shadows dancing in his mind. He sees Clarice die as if it were right in front of him, and dark figures loom over him, reach for him to bring him back to life. “No, I don’t wanna.” He’s too weak to push them away, tries to reach for his gun instead, “just give it to me” he begs, and then he faints.
*
Jason, Nick and Eric are standing around a radio they have found, their voices loud enough to easily follow - fucking anyone could have found them. “I don’t trust any of you pussies to do it.” Merwin starts, grinning, walking into their conversation even though he shouldn’t be standing at all. He can’t have them argue with him, he needs to appear normal. There is a cliff edge so, so close. If the blood loss doesn’t kill him, he’ll do it his damn self. “The fuck, Lazarus, sit your ass down,” says Nick, seemingly pissed at how little Merwin cares about his own health. “Back from the dead, baby, heh.” Merwin spreads his arms, welcoming himself if they won’t welcome him. “Corporal Merwin. Probably best you stay here and recover.” Even Jason isn’t buying it, and Jason’s the worst actor Merwin knows. “Aw, and let you have all the fun? Fuck that! Let me break this down for you, Barney style. I’m the only one here who’s a mechanic. Now that’s what you call a no-fucking-brainer.” He points aggressively to underline this statement. “He’s got a point” says Eric as Merwin looks at the radio, ignoring their judgement.
Everyone just sort of idles as Merwin works, unsure of what to do. Merwin feels dizzy as fuck, can barely keep himself standing, and has to lean against the table every now and then to stop himself from keeling over. At the worst possible time, the radio starts screaming and Merwin works faster instinctively. “Shut it up!” Jason orders, panicking. Merwin pulls back, arms up in surrender, looking around for the source of the beastly noises. Another out? Everyone around him goes into tactical mode and Merwin starts working again. He’s unarmed and stands no fucking chance if they are attacked, but he cares about these two idiots (Eric less, but it’s a package deal). If he can help them before he shuffles off this mortal coil, maybe they’ll let him follow Clarice into Heaven. Joey too. “You wanna hurry the fuck up? We don’t have much time!” “And there I thought I could take a Sunday morning stroll. You know, take in the view.” The heated atmosphere isn’t helping, his head is really spinning now. “Find me two minutes!” Merwin demands as his legs start to lose feeling. “Two minutes, you hoping to do it twice?” Quips Jason - and that’s a great note to go out on. “Score one for the Lieutenant.” Jason orders Eric to leave, go and do something a little more suited to him, and moments later Merwin gets the radio operational - and even he’s a little surprised. He tunes it and a signal comes through, a blessed American signal. “OORAH!” Merwin yells, proud and hurt and exhausted and empty to the core.
Then he takes a bullet through the skull, and Corporal Nathan Merwin is no more.
*
“Is this guy bothering you?”
Clarice had been ignoring the soldiers drunken attempts to hit on her, but she was forced to turn around now that there were two of them. “Now you’re both bothering me.” “Aw, come on Merwin, you’re ruining it…” “Man, you are way too drunk for this chick, fuck off.” Merwin redirected the guy, maybe a bit rougher then he needed to, but he was a pissed rookie who wouldn’t remember in the morning. He turned back to the chick, spunky looking, with short hair and a pile of plastic chokers around her neck. He wasn’t expecting her to be smirking. “Merwin? Your name is Merwin?” “Nathan Merwin, actually.” Shitty in, but at least it was an in. “That’s not better, dude.” She actually laughed, “did your mom pick it for you?” So she could joke. “Alright then, Missy, what’s your name?” A beat, and then “Clarice Stokes. Are you usually this smooth?” Her tone was sarcastic but she wasn’t asking him to fuck off. “I can be smoother, Clarice,” her face suggested she’d heard this a million times before, “but you’re missing a letter from your last name.” “I think you’re actually getting rougher. And it’s Doctor Stokes.” “Oooh,” a woman in uniform - hot - “and what are you a doctor of?” “Physics.” Her facial expression was challenging. Merwin tilted his head to study her. “You think I don’t look like a physicist.” “No, I think you look exactly like a physicist. Doc.”
