Team Fortress: Soaked Through

Chapter Five: Going In Deep

   There is a fact of life that when one is desperate, they tend to go where other miserable souls are. And at the end of a long day, that's where the team had found themselves.

   It was called Jolly Jack's Coffee. Or at least, the neon lights said as much. Many of the letters were out, so the speeding passerby on their way home from work might have read it as "Oll ck's ffe." The outside of the building was covered in cracks, moss, and even pieces of broken brick. The ashtray by a dilapidated bench was full to overflowing with cigarette butts, pieces of gum, and more than a few phone numbers; they were probably tossed there by disgruntled and disgusted waitresses.

   The inside wasn't much better. Many of the tables had marks of crayons and bits of the wood sticking out, tried by both time and people. Cobwebs that had housed many generations of spiders hung from every corner. Most patrons were there for a cup of coffee after a long day, or, if the day was especially bad, more than a few glasses of scotch.

   "I would have rather stayed in the alleyway," Spy mumbled, lifting his glass sleepily to his lips.

   Engineer sighed. "It isn't the Ritz, but it was the only place that was open. Every other place was either closed or a front for somethin'."

   Scout had his head on the table, either sleeping or very close. His pancakes were being eaten by Pyro, who lifted the pieces quickly under his mask. Miss Pauling had her head in her hands.

   "At least Soldier is checking the perimeter. I don't think he ever sleeps."

   "As long as there is job to do," Heavy said, absentmindedly rubbing his forehead, "he stays up. Remember went we left him to hold down fort when we went on vacation?"

   Spy snorted. "Indeed. He cleaned everything, the fridge was full, there were vases of flowers everywhere..."

   Miss Pauling lifted her head, smiling for the first time in many minutes.

   "And as soon as we said, 'at ease,' he flopped over like a flour sack. He slept for three days, poor guy. Medic thought he was in a coma."

   At the mention of Medic, the conversation fell. After a while, Scout lifted his head. His eyes were red.

   "We looked everywhere," he croaked.

   Heavy put an arm around Scout, pulling him close.

   "We will look other places. But now we are tired, and we need sleep."

   Engineer lifted his cup of coffee in agreement.

   "Hear hear. If things look awful bad during the night, just wait 'til morning."

   Just then, the waitress came by, who looked none to thrilled about their presence.

   "Will there be anything else for you?"

   "No, m'am," Engineer replied, tipping his hat. "We just need to rest here for a spell. Had a heck of a day."

   "Last time I checked," the waitress snapped, "this is not a hotel or a doctor's office. Y'all can't live here! I've got a life too, y'know, and I can't be here all night with bums like you."

   Whether it was from the shock of her answer, the possibility of going back to the van, or even his sheer fatigue, Scout buried his face inside of Heavy's chest and began to cry, his shoulders shaking. It was so unlike him that everyone at the table seemed to freeze for a moment. Before anyone could even react, Engineer stood up and took off his construction hat.

   "M'am, I'm gonna tell ya a few things. I grew up in Texas, where hospitality was extremely important. But you know what else is important?"

   Engineer cracked his knuckles and started to walk towards the waitress. She promptly backed into a wall, her face white.