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open. » awesome song lyrics go here. yeah!

Who: Kalinda Sharma and various. Could be you!
What: A week in the life of an investigator doing surveillance.
Where: All over the city.
When: Any time!
Notes: I've got thread starters for Arthur and Steph, but all are welcome! The settings are flexible, so feel free to come up with whatever. I will roll with it!
Warnings: None as of yet.

Kalinda hasn't been getting near as much extra work as she would like. Rather, she isn't making as much money from her extra work as she would like. Money isn't tight, exactly, but it isn't as abundant as she's used to it being. So much of what she does is built on her image, and that image requires maintenance, that maintenance requires cash. She has a feeling her current assignment, which has had her running from one end of the city to the other, isn't going to result in her being paid the previously agreed upon amount, being as how it's not producing the result her client hoped for.

Fortunately, she took half up front.

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"Is it a compulsion of yours to always one up a worst case scenario?" Not that Kalinda wasn't impressed before, but what Steph just described is incredibly impressive. And was also, Kalinda wagers, and only to herself, a life or death situation.

"I'm not going to question your dedication, but that isn't worth a few marks. You don't have anything to prove to me, you know." She isn't sure she needs to make that assurance, but it might be nice to give all the same.

"I didn't even mention the part where I got shot," And there's - something like amusement now, directed at herself in response to Kalinda's statement. Yes, she will come up with a worst case scenario.

She gives a shrug that's more like a roll of her shoulders (like a fighter loosening up and sometimes she feels like no matter what she does that violence will never leave her), "I know. I'm just--"

What? She finishes her drink in one swallow, rather than finishing that sentence.

"Wound up. Used to it. Without another outlet." All supplied helpfully before Kalinda tips back and finishes the contents of her bottle. She orders another shot, because she needs it. ("Needs.") She nods a little solemnly. "I get it. Just..."

Her lips press together and Kalinda folds her hands together on the bar. "Never mind." She's not good at saying things like people would miss you if you got killed. It's too obvious for note anyway, really.

"Be careful?" Now it's Steph's turn to supply what Kalinda hasn't said. They're words that she hears a lot, and usually it can get annoying, but well, she understands why it might need to be said now.

She gestures to the bartender for another drink and smiles at Kalinda, "We should stop finishing each others sentences before someone thinks we're married."

It's not actually that funny, but it's better than continuing on with the previous line of thought.

"People can think whatever they want," Kalinda murmurs disdainfully. "They usually do." The next shot is set in front of her and she brings it to her lips with her right hand while ordering another with her left. She's a multitasker. "Joke's on them.

"I'm already married."

Okay, not the reaction Steph was hoping for. Her eyebrows go up, watching Kalinda over the edge of her own glass.

"I've never seen you wearing a wedding ring," Her tone is very mild, unsure whether it's actually true, or if there's an amendment to that statement, like to my work.

Kalinda's never been good about giving people what they want when it's not what she wants. She chuckles quietly, amusement at her own expense as she agrees with Steph's observation. "Yeah... I guess I'm not a very good wife."

Go on. Ask her if she gives a fuck.

"It's just a tax complication." And a life complication, honestly. But Kalinda hadn't actually meant to go into this aspect of her life with Steph. Or anybody, for that matter. There's nothing special about the younger woman that excludes her in this case. Perhaps it's that she's special that she was included at all. That and this not-quite-tequila stuff packs a punch.

Steph's entire demeanour stays as mild as the tone of her voice, watching Kalinda carefully while she explains. This is not something she expected to hear, because she doesn't think Kalinda's ever told her anything really about herself before. What Kalinda tells her is even more surprising, but she keeps her expression neutral.

"It sounds very complicated," It feels like the safest thing to say in reply. And then because she's feeling a little bold, "You didn't want a divorce?"

The thought is waved off irritably. It isn't Steph she's annoyed with, but herself. ...Which maybe isn't as clear as it could be, can at least still be inferred. "It's been a long week already," Kalinda tells her friend. "Let's give our past lives a rest for the remainder of the night."

That latest shot sits in front of Kalinda, and she stares at it for the time being; gauging whether or not to make the move to drink it down like the others, or give it a rest for the night.

She starts laughing suddenly, leaning forward slightly as if she might like to rest her forehead against the bar. "I was just thinking," she explains after she takes a quick breath, "about whether or not someone I know is doing this very same thing at this very same moment." Sometimes Kalinda has to wonder if she's really as different from some people as she tries to be.

Steph doesn't take that irritation to heart - she knows it's not directed at her, and she gives a consenting nod at the suggestion they leave this subject alone. Steph has some experience with people who don't like to talk about themselves and she knows that letting them open up at their own pace is the best bet.

And then Kalinda starts laughing and while Steph rarely startles noticably, her eyes do widen slightly in surprise. Not to mention concern, until Kalinda explains the random laughter and then Steph just looks wryly amused.

"You never know. But I'd bet their company isn't as good," The smugness in her voice is faked.

There's no play at considering whether or not that assertion is true or not, Kalinda just shrugs. "Doesn't hold a candle," she promises, finally reaching for the last shot, then she takes out her wallet and starts counting bills. "I should probably think about heading home soon. I said I'd put in some hours at the office." She leaves her money on the bar and turns in her seat. "You planning to hang around a while? Or should we see if we can share a cab?"

"That's going to be fun," Steph has an afternoon shift, so she's got time to recover before she has to be a functioning human being but --

"Let's share a cab. I shouldn't drink alone," Addiction runs in the family, and she feels better when she's drinking with company (someone can keep an eye on her and stop her if she starts going too far).

So her drink gets finished quickly and she takes enough cash out of her pocket to pay for her drinks and adds that to Kalinda's pile of money.

When they've both stood up from their seats, Kalinda loops an arm around Steph's shoulders. It isn't really out of affection, or even a need for stability (emotional or physical), but it just feels like what she needs right now. Maybe what both of them need.

"Sometimes," Kalinda admits in a quiet voice that still lacks in any real emotion that might be expected with such words, "I think this place isn't so bad after all."

Well. Steph wasn't expecting that - Kalinda doesn't seem like the touchy-feely type - but she's nothing if not adaptable and so she moves her hand to the small of Kalinda's back in response. (It'd feel weird not to do anything.)

And it takes her a moment to respond, unsure how Kalinda meant that statement to be taken, "I've found some upsides." Seems like a safe enough response.

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