- Just look at her over there. So smug and proud.
= What's wrong with that?
- Nothing in your simplistic world view, but there's something about her. I've had my eye on her all evening long and she's got this perma-smile as if she's having the time of her life.
= Maybe she is. Why don't you talk to her?
- And ruin her evening? I don't plan on it.
= Go on! You never know how a night will go.
- Sage ... there's something sage about that. Apart from the odd rhyming.
= Are you going to approach her?
- I guess, I might as well.

...

- Hi there.
: Hi, Do I know you?
- Not yet. Can I get you a drink?
: Sure, I'll have a Manhattan.
- A Manhattan for the lady. And a double Southern Comfort on the rocks for me.
: You trying to prove something?
- No. I just like a good drink.
: As do I. I should warn you though that I don't really plan on sticking around for conversation past the drink.
- You shouldn't feel obligated to. I'm hoping I'll be able to change your mind and get you to stay for a bit.
: It's going to be tough. I've got work early in the morning.
- What do you do, if you don't mind me asking?
: You know ... I do mind. I'd rather not talk about my job to a stranger in a nightclub, no offense intended.
- None taken. Would you at least do this stranger the honor of a toast?
: To what?
- To chance encounters.
: Why do I get the feeling that you're the persistent type?
- Because I don't give up easily like any other stranger you might find at a night club. In a nice way.
: So was that a friend of yours over there?
- Huh? Who?
: You were speaking to someone before you came over here.
- Oh, you were watching then? Not so much a friend as a business acquaintance. In a tenuous partnership.
: What do you do, if you don't mind me asking?
- Mergers and acquisitions.
: Wow. What ... aspect of the acquisitions do you deal in?
- I'm there on the front lines, not so much negotiating as making my demands heard and felt.
: It sounds exciting.
- Oh yeah, it's ... what keeps me sane, to be honest. Though there isn't much money in it, so it ends up as more of a hobby of mine, something I do on the side, as odd as that may sound.
: No, I guess not ... see, I really do need to go now, but if you want, here's my card - give me a call and we can chat a bit longer.
- Most definitely, mon cher. I'll get in touch real soon.
: Alright, bye.


...

- What you got?
= Hers is the Beemer SUV outside.
- Right. You did the deed?
= It's not going anywhere.
- I guess I'll go and give the lady a hand then, eh?
= Don't be too rough with this one, you hear?
- I hear you just fine. This is gonna be a great night.

Scheduled Outage

- This is about time.
= Yeah, you've certainly taken your sweet time getting here.
: I'm sorry guys. I got caught up in traffic. It's pretty crazy out there.
- You could have left earlier
= Yeah, earlier.
: Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. At least I'm here now - better late than never, eh?
- Yeah, yeah - well, have you got the package?
: It's right here. I had a tough time with it, you know. Cops all over the place.
- Now don't get your knickers in a shit-stained twist. Not like they'd know what to look for. Certainly not a fag on a bike.
: Please don't call me a fag.
- I didn't call you a fag - just said they're not looking for a fag on a bike.
= HA! Is there something you're not telling us ... FAG?
: Whatever. When are you guys doing this?
- I don't know. Gotta check the quality of the merchandise first. When did you get this?
: Last night. Found it on my doorstep.
- Did you check it?
: For what?
- For anything. Bugs, trackers ... you know, high-tech shit?
: Like anyone cares that much about small time shits like us.
= We're not small time man. We have big plans. You're on the road to greatness here.
- Enough! Sometimes you really piss me off - you sound like a little bitch on coke.
= Oi fuck off!
- No, you fuck off!
= I'm warning you, mate.
- Oh fuckin' heck! Just ... shut the fuck up for a minute.
: Well, I'm going to be heading out now. If you need me, ...
- Shut up and sit tight. I'm going to check this first. If I need you, you're going to be right here.
= I don't trust him ... this package. Left on a doorstep.
: I'm right here, how about you talk to me
= Well, fine! I don't trust you. There's something ... the way you walk, talk, ... smell, I don't know. You're not one of us. And you know it. That makes you a fucking liability.
: You're a fucking liability - I've seen dogs' drool with more IQ than you.
= What the fuck is that supposed to mean?
: It means you're too stupid to even understand when someone's calling you a total idiot!
- Will the both of you just SHUT UP?
= He's messing us around, man. Give him back his package and get rid of him.
: This is stupid. I'm leaving. You know where to find me.
- Stay there man or I cannot assure that you won't get hurt.
: Fuck you too.




BAM!

: FUCK! JESUS FUCKING CHRIST! Right in the fucking knee! GODDAMNIT!
- I'll turn your balls into a fucking vagina if you don't shut up and stay still. I'll drop you off at A&E when we're done here. ... dickweed.

Missing Out

- There! It's nearly complete.
= What is?
- This thing that I've been working on all afternoon.
= Oh. What is it?
- It's a ... how much do you know about the theory of relativity?
= That's the Einstein one, right?
- Yeah.
{and he hoofs it upfield...}
= Isn't that the one where when you place your hand on a hot stove, a second feels like an hour, and when you place your hand on a hot woman, an hour feels like a second?
- ... Yes. Well, I don't suppose you know the actual theory and ... such.
= I can wiki it, if it helps. Do you mind if I turn the volume up on this?
- Uh, yeah, go ahead. [...looks like he's going to get a yellow card for that...]
- Basically, it says that space and time are relative rather than absolute concepts.
[He Takes The Kick! A Header! It's a Goal!]
- And this is ... well, I had a theory of my own. I suppose it gets complicated at this point. But ... it's exciting.
[A Minute Left In The Game. Can They Come Back Or Is This It?]
- How much do you know of Quantum physics? Well, never mind. Don't answer that. Sheesh ... how do I do this?
[... THROUGH-PASS INTO THE BOX. FIRST TIME TOUCH AND IT'S GOOD!!! IT'S ALL LEVEL AGAIN!]
- Can you turn that down? I'm trying to explain something. Unless you're not interested.
= Sorry, I'd much rather watch this game - it just kicked into overdrive.
- Oh, but ... this is cool. You'd like it. It's to do with time travel and the other dimensions.
= Yeah, I really couldn't give a shit about that, but I'll listen to you after the game if you want.
- Uhh, it's my TV.
= What?
- It's my TV.
= What has that got to do with anything?
- It's my TV. If you want to watch the game, watch it somewhere else. I'd like it turned off so I can work in peace.
= Or you'd rather tell me about your stupid invention. Look, I don't care. I'm here now - if I leave, I'll miss the end of the game.
- I don't think it's really very ... nice. I mean, it's my TV.
= YES! I got it! Fine, I'll watch the game somewhere else!
*SLAM*
= Good riddance.
[AND ANOTHER GOAL! WHAT A MARVELLOUS COMEBACK! That Has Got To Be The Most Glorious Work Of Football Art Ever! a goal that will forever ... }

In the slipstream of questionable Gods

- I want to be more than a full stop on the course of human history.
= To be fair, I think that's hoping for too much. You have to be famous ... or at least have contributed something to humanity to be a punctuation mark.
- What about being a word?
= Nobel prize-material.
- And a name?
= How's a name different from a word?
- Well, I guess - never mind. I just want to matter.
= Then do something with yourself.
- Yes, I should. I will. I - what do I do?
= I don't know. Use what you know to accomplish something. Cure cancer. Invent free cell phone technology. Abolish slavery.
- Isn't slavery abolished?
= Perhaps it is, but at least it's something to aim for in terms of scale.
- I think that's a little too high. I can't accomplish anything like that.
= Why not?
- Because I'm no Einstein, Poirot or Washington. I'm just me. I'm normal, average.
= Poirot?
- I was bored at the library last week.
= Well how about that? Why not write? You read quite a bit when you're not hooked onto one console or the other. NOT that there's anything wrong with that.
- I suppose I could. But what would I write about?
= Whatever you write. Start off with some people talking about something - something inane. Who knows where you go from there?
- I don't know. I don't know if I can just write something. What if it sucks?
= Then it'll suck. If you keep writing, it's got to get better, right?
- I guess. So you think I should start with something simple?
= Best way to go about anything, I should say.
- Like a conversation?
= Exactly.
- About what?
= About anything you want. Heck, write about this conversation if that helps!
- That's a good idea. Can't hurt, I suppose.
= Not like a kick in the balls!

Love for All

- Did you hear? The priests took Jarrah this morning!
= What? They found his match? I thought he said he was safe.
- No one's safe - not even Jarrah.
= Yeah, I know that. But he had the system figured out.
- Obviously not.
= That's ... scary. Who told you this?
- No one. I saw it with my own two eyes. They dragged him away, kicking and screaming; He was shouting about denial of freedom.
= Heh. Fitting - for Jarrah, I mean. I wouldn't have imagined he'd go easily. Did they say anything about his match?
- The Priests told his mother about some farmgirl out in the country. That Jarrah would do some real work for once in his life.
= His mother must have been happy.
- Yeah, the mothers always are. They never went through it. They just wake up one morning and find their "match" on their doorstep with two Priests ready to marry them right there. It's sickening is what it is.
= Shh! You don't know who's listening.
- Yeah. I get it. I still think it's crap. I saw them take Jarrah away and, yeah, it's news and I suppose it's gossip when you think about it. but this isn't the first time I've seen the Priests take good men away. All in the name of a fascist fanatical ruling.
= I'm not too sure it's fascist.
- Well, whatever it is. It's stupid. There isn't someone out there for each and every one of us. There's no perfect woman who I'm destined to love and by loved by. There's no one for you. And there's no one for Jarrah. I mean, not in a bad way, but there's no fateful matching. How the hell do they even match these people? Sure, they never break up, but you ever wonder that maybe it's cause they're scared to? My mom and dad Hate each other, but they'll never just "split" cause of what the Priests would do if word got out that their system wasn't perfect.
= My mom and dad get along fine. They probably even love each other.
- No they don't. They're more likely faking it. Making the best of a bad situation. I mean, have you ever wondered why the Priests themselves and the Parliamentary members always seem to be matched with the youngest, freshest, most beautiful women around? Do you think they're taken away kicking and screaming? No, because they know what's awaiting them at the end of their journey. Many, many happy nights for them. Maybe those women aren't too happy. Who knows?
= It's just the way things are. You're taking this the wrong way.
- How the hell am I supposed to take it? Jarrah was a good man!
= He's not going away to die. He'll be fine.
- No he won't. None of us will. It kills you inside, till there's nothing left worth living for. Why bother staying alive another day when they rip out your heart and feed it to whoever they deem fit? It's all up to them - scumbags.
= What's that car doing down there?
- Which one?
= That black one - the one with the ... Priests.
- Coming this way. Damn! Run!

Piece of a Story-Jigsaw

- If you have something to say, say it. This silence is just time wasted.
- And what would we be doing with this time?
- I don't know - at the very least something better than the nothing we're doing now.
- No, if we were talking, this is what we'd be doing - arguing.
- We're not arguing.
- Then we're not exactly communicating smoothly, are we?
- I'm communicating fine. Most of the hostility here is at your end.
- I am NOT hostile. I've just had enough, is all.
- Had enough of what?
- Of ... trying to be something in absolute fucking vain.
- Who told you to try to be that "something"?
- No one did - don't turn this back at me. This is not about me.
- Then what is it about? You're avoiding every question with another incomplete statement. You don't need to be dramatic here. This isn't on show.
- I have to pretend to be something in order to play catch up here. I'm a speck of dirt in comparison to you. And, YES, I know - I should just do something and quit bitching, but that's not really the point. The point is that I really don't want to. I'm ... in myself, generally happy. I enjoy most of my life - yes, the general direction can be misguided at times. But these little things. My loves and obsessions - they give me great pleasure and joy. But you ... when placed up against you, they all amount for nothing. So here I am, twisting and turning to create something worthy of myself that can meet the demands in trying to get through to you and being who I "am."
- That's a lot to say.
- Yes, so feel free to judge me. Just ... don't speak your mind. Because I really don't want to hear it. I know the words that will emerge. If not the words, I know the tone and I don't want to hear that tone. Not now, not ever.
- So we should go back to saying nothing.
- That would probably be for the best. Even better if I disappeared and took this with me like a bad memory.
- There you go again, hating yourself.
- Did you not hear what I said? I don't hate myself. I just hate ... other things. I'm expelling the evil foregin bodies from an otherwise happy mind.
- You're deluded.
- Yes, I am. And I've had enough of it.