<div class="floatright">(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y156/jillvader/mw-nmfkmpkarimonero_zps55a1bf27.jpg)</div>When Kari had first messaged Desmond, she’d been unsure of what she was going to say or how to say it. The best she’d managed was a clumsy “Can we meet?” and hoped for the best. He’d come back in the positive, and that had done her a world of good right there and then. It was with that in mind that she’d set out, trying her best to look her usual confident, almost cocky self, and not like she was coming apart at the seams.<br/><br/>She arrived at the dive bar that the pair of them preferred; a nice neutral ground that was outside where either of their units had normally hung out to drink and, as such, a place where they could get a touch of privacy. In past, Kari had been worried about how it would look to members of her unit that the boss’ daughter was clearly involved with a member of another command, and the gossip that would result.<br/><br/>Now she was worried as to how it would look in a different way; the commander of a shattered, struggling unit speaking with a member of another, far more intact and viable command made it look like a merger, something that even rumoured at could shatter what passed for their fragile morale.<br/><br/>And yet, when she saw him, she couldn’t help but smile, even if weakly. Right now, she wasn’t Kari Monero, daughter of Carlos Monero and last in a long line of mercs stretching back god alone knew how many generations. Now she was Kari, a young woman who wanted to enjoy herself and take a little bit of time away from the pressured bearing down on her.<br/><br/>“Hi,” she managed, a lot more awkwardly then she normally was and definitely a lot more then she was used to. Her hand went out, quietly holding his under the bar, and away from view. “Thanks so much for coming. I know you’ve been insanely busy and…” she paused a moment, an awkward smile that was definitely an effort to put on a brave face. “I just needed to see you so much, especially with all that’s happened. It’s been a bad couple of weeks, to say the least.”<br/>