Jesse Tuck was heartbroken. Melissa was gone. She broke up with him, informing him that she had absolutely no desire to see him again for the rest of her life. And considering that they were both immortal, that was quite some time. She'd left. Left the military, left her life. Staged her own death and just, disappeared. She wanted to memories of Columbine, Iraq, or Jesse Tuck. So here he was, back in the States again. He couldn't find Nyx anywhere, and the Mansion just seemed too painful, so he headed to the Slayer school.
"Hey," he said, parking his motorcycle.
"Jesse?" John Connor asked.
"Yep."
"You okay?"
"Nope."
"Want to talk about it?"
"Not really."
"Want to go get drunk?"
"Absolutely."
"Sounds good. I'll let Kate know, and we'll go have a boys night out." John let his wife know he was going out, and then decided to invite Ryder to go along.
"Hey Ryder, want to go out and get pissed? An old friend's come by and he needs a boys night out. THought we could do some 'male bonding,' over beer."
Ryder
"Uhh..." Ryder paused.
He had finished all his work, and Valiant didn't need another ride today.
"Yeah, okay," he agreed.
Jesse and John Connor
"Great," John said. "Let's walk into town. We can take a cab back if we need to, and avoid getting arrested."
"I know the best little pub around here," Jesse said. "Good food, and great beer."
"Sounds good."
Ryder
"Okay," Ryder said.
He started walking with them to the pub. This was a little... weird for Ryder. He just wasn't in the habit out 'going out with the boys'.
Jesse and John
Jesse waved hello to the bartender, Mya, as he knew a lot of bartenders in a lot of cities all over the world. He ordered a pitcher of beer and some buffalo wings and french fries, and sat down in a corner booth.
"So, Ryder, it's nice to meet you, I'm Jesse. How'd you meet this vcrazy sonuvabitch?" he asked, guesturing to John.
"Hey!" John objected.
"Hey, I knew your mom, you know it's true. She was a great lady, but she definitely fell into the 'bitch' category."
"True," John acquiesced.
Ryder
"I'm a stablehand at the school," Ryder said.
He took a french fry and started to eat.
Jesse and John
Jesse took the pitcher and poured himself a glass of beer. "That's cool. I love horses. Had mine forever," He drank half of his beer.
"So Johnny-boy, whatcha been up to since the world didn't end?"
"Not much. Teaching the girls, you know, hey, want a job?"
"Can you hire me? Who's in charge?"
"Willow and Giles, you know they'll hire you." Jesse nodded.
"Where's Nyx, have you heard anything about her?"
"Not a clue," John said, opouring himself some beer as well.
"So Ryder, tell us about yourself."
Ryder
Ryder shrugged.
"Not much to say," he said. "I grew up on a ranch. I have a black gelding named Valiant. I love horses. I think horses are the most beautiful creatures int he world."
Jesse
"How old are you?" Jesse asked as he polished off his beer and poured himself another.
Ryder
"Eighteen," Ryder replied. "You?"
Jesse and John
"How old do I look?" Jesse asked with a wry grin, dipping his french fries in his beer.
"You'll never guess his age," John said, "but I dare you to try."
Ryder
"Well," Ryder drawled, "You look about my age, but guessing from John's comment, you're anything but. Are you like that guys from that movie who aged 4 times faster than normal?"
Jesse and John
"Not exactly, kind of the opposite. Well, John is the age he looks, but we've had a different upbringing than most. And I'm just much older than I look. You haven't figured the school out yet, then, hey?" Jesse asked, drinking his beer.
"I'd have expected you to have it all figuredo ut by now, too," John admitted. "But I guess the horses take up a lot of your time."
Ryder
Ryder completely dismissed all his confusion brought on by their comments of 'figuring out the school' at the mention of horses.
"Oh yes," Ryder agreed. "There are so many of them, and not just the ones that the school owns. A number of the students have brought their own. Well, those students of course take care of their own horses, but we still need to keep the stables clean and -"
Jesse and John
"That's what I thought," Jesse said, grinning. He knew people like that, completely focused on only one aspect of life. "What we were actually referring to is the fact that we live on the mouth of Hell."
"Yeah," John confirmed. "There used to be one in California, but it was closed up, so now all the evil, and a lot of the good has moved here."
Ryder
Ryder stared, a slightly confused look on his face.
"Uhh..."
He wondered if it was possible to get drunk on less than a glass of beer. He knew that his Dad once told him that his head was so full of horses, he tended to be naive about other things, but still...
Jesse and John Connor
"Anyways. So, Ryder, Any plans for college? ANy girls in your life?" John asked, changing the subject. Ryder would figure everything out in his own time. It was obvious that he didn;t give much thought to anything other than horses, and John wanted to get Ryder out of the stables more. He needed friends that actually talked back, instead of just neighing.
"Eh, women. They suck. But the y're so wonder," Jesse said with a sigh. "They can tear your heart to pieces without doing anything, or they can give your entire life meaning with just a smile. Meh." Jesse down his beer and started sketching on a napkin, drawing a picture of the Eiffel Tower.
Ryder
"No," Ryder replied. "No girl. No college plans either. I'm happy being a stablehand. I hope I'll get to own my own stables one day."
And so the three continued chatting, a tentative friendship beginning between them.