Mother Knows Best [Ana]

He still didn't know how he'd managed to end up in this situation, but he couldn't help but feel better, or at the very least less muddled up and confused. He still didn't know what he planned to do with himself, but she seemed to think he had a chance, "Ana, well s'a pleasure t'meet ye then!" He chuckled, it was a bit off hearing someone else say his name, "No one's called me that in a long time, kinda nice, nicknames are good but it kinda' makes me feel more like a person." This whole day had gone from bad to weird, but this was preferable to once again running from the police. He was tired of running.

He listened as she spoke, his back turned as he disarmed the explosives he'd fixed to the wall, "I 'kin tell yer a good mother. No matter what may of 'appened." He stuffed the bombs back into the backpack, looking a little sad, "I don't remembah a thin' about me mum...I hope she was like yew though." He thought he could remember her being good, but every memory from before the meltdown was utterly shattered. He grinned after a moment, shouldering the pack, "listen I ain't gonna use these but if I leave 'em 'ere some other bloke might get some nasty ideas." He'd carry them with him, no one would think to dig through his backpack anyway. Tourists and hikers carried them around all the time, "Good. Yew 'elped me I'd like t'be able to return th' favor." Blowing up the right sort of things would be more fun anyway.

He stretched when he was done stuffing things back into the pack, shouldering it, "I'm gonna need one hell of a disguise...I ain't the most inconspicuous bloke." It was hard to hide a 6'6 Aussie, much less one that looked like he was set on fire a few times over. He laughed and patted the wall of the place she suggested, "Well! Good thin' I didn't blow this place sky high. Might not'a been keen t'feed us, eh?" He giggled childishly at his own joke, giving her a genuine smile after a moment, "Thank you by the way, Miss Ana...I dunno where m'life is going to go. But it feels a hell of a lot less hopeless." He gestured for them to move out, grinning.

She nodded as she watched him dismantle the work he'd started on the wall. She hoped and would have to trust that he meant he wasn't going to go using them randomly again. She hoped she would not turn on the news in the next couple of days to see him on it again. But he seemed to mean it that he wanted to do something different now.

Stepping back she looked him up and down. "It would depend on how elaborate you feel like getting..." And it felt a bit like he'd enjoy coming up with something more complex. "But you'd be surprised the difference starting with things like a new hair color and such can make."

She smiled and rested a hand against the wall of the building. "We would have had to have found a different restaurant. And I'm actually rather fond of this one." She joined in with the joke.

Her smile softened at his last words. "Most of us don't know where we're going. But I believe you have good things ahead of you...I'm happy for the chance to have met you." She answered. He was not the only one who could use friends right about now.

She walked with him, stepping out of the alley back into the bright mid-day sun.

He couldn't help but laugh when she mentioned a different hair color, running his fingers through his mess of hair, "different hair color eh? Wonder what'd work best...Maybe I kin shave half'a it off, rock a bonza side cut!" He snickered at this thought, then grinned, "Ha! I could rock a grungy biker getup!" Spikes and leather jackest and chains, not that was a disguise he could get behind. He'd still look like an absolute delinquent, but at least he'd be disguised. Changing up his appearance wouldn't change who he was, and really he didn't want to, but it' be nice not to have to move through a crowd looking every which way all the time.

He grinned when she went along with his joke, laughing, "yeh! Well no worries, mate, this one'll be jus' fine!" He couldn't promise that he wouldn't go blow something else up, but it would at least be something far away from people, and cops, the desert had plenty of abandoned places after all. He looked down at her as they walked into the sun, chuckling softly, "Thas'a first, most blokes ain't glad t'meet me. Kinda nice though." Very nice actually, he was more alone than he realized, his face was thoughtful as he pondered over his bodyguard, should he talk to him? Would the man think he was an idiot for thinking they might be able to be friends and not just business, probably, but he needed to make it clear where they stood.

He grinned when they got to the doors of the place, pulling one open to hold it for her, "after you, Ana." He couldn't remember the last time he'd ever been in a restaurant, sitting down and eating was a foreign concept to him, but he had to admit it sounded nice, "Ye know, it's sad, but this is one hell of a new experience for this bloke, never really sat down to eat at a nice joint before." He did feel a little bit out of place, a tall shirtless bloke who looked more than a little singed, felt like everyone was staring and he ducked into a more hunched posture in response to that. If there was one thing he wasn't used to, it was being around a lot of people at once.

"That's a look I could see working for you." She agreed, he already did look a bit like the angry biker sort. "Although it depends on if you feel like being subtle, or just different from how you do now." Unlike her who could without much effort blend away into a crowd though, it would take a bit of effort to do the same with him. He was a pretty distinct looking young man after all.

With a smile and a thank you she stepped inside and pushed down the hood of her cloak. It was cooler inside, and not as bright as the sun outside. It was nice. She looked up at him, and again felt a bit sad for him. But instead she leaned towards him and lowered her voice. "Between you and me, it's been some time for me too. However, if we just play it cool, maybe they won't catch on." She smiled to show she was teasing, and to hopefully put him a bit more at ease. She'd noticed his suddenly hunched posture and the way he glanced around.

A few people looked up as they entered, a couple stared at the newcomers. She smiled at any who looked her way before leading the way to a table to the side, not directly in everyone's line of sight. "How about here?"

He nodded his agreement, snickering, "Nah mate, I don't think I could ever pull off subtle, I mean...I could!" He grinned and looked thoughtful as he rubbed a hand over his chin, "but that'd be no fun, I'd like to stand out jus' not for the reasons I do now!" He was a bombastic person, no matter how straight he went that wouldn't change, might as well look the part, "I think the only dead giveaway is me leg, but that ain't goin' nowhere." You didn't see many blokes limping around on peg legs after all, plenty of people had prosthetics, but most of them were fairly normal.

He let out a soft breath and looked a tad relieved at her words, nodding and relaxing a bit, "yeh, better be on our best behavior, hehe." His laugh was nervous, but he did feel much more at ease at her gentle teasing, he knew he'd have to get used to this, being around people and interacting with them, it was something he had no experience in, but something he figured he could learn, "between yew an' me, I 'ave the social skills of moldy bread, but I s'pose I'll 'ave to learn that, eh?"

Relief crossed his face when they sat at the table she'd picked, his ease showing in his eyes, "perfect, what kinda food does this place serve?" He was eager to actually get a decent meal for a change, it had been way too long, he would just have to try and remember what table manners were.

She pulled out her chair and sat down with a gesture across the table that invited him to do the same. "You'll pick it up quickly enough." She smiled, she thought for a moment what would make good points to mention on that front, in thinking about it a great deal of social interactions came down to some pretty basic things. "A good place to start, consider...what I can do in this situation that is least likely to make everyone stare at me in horror, or make someone want to punch me. The rest can come from there." She continued to look amused.

"It's mostly traditional Egyptian food." She replied. It wasn't the sort of place the required six wine glasses and five forks and took several hours for all the pomp and circumstance and manners...she remembered going to a few dinners like that in the past. Always a little too overblown for her tastes, honestly.

He couldn't help but snicker at that as he pulled his chair out and sat down, "Hope so, at least dirty bikers ain't expected to be perfect." There was a playful wink at that, and he chuckled as he leaved against the table, "Ah the amount'a blokes who 'ave wanted t'punch me lights out, hell, the amount of people who 'ave punched me lights out! Good advice though, I jus' gotta watch what comes outta' my trap, eh?" Sure he'd never been entirely good at watching his mouth, that's what Roadhog was for, keeping him from facing the consequences that his constantly running mouth got him, he'd have to fight his own battles if Hog didn't like the idea of laying low and going straight. They still had a deal but would it be worth it to the man? Did he care enough about him to stick this out? He shook those thoughts away when she spoke next.

"s'that so? Well, good to try new thing, innit?" In fact, just about everything was new to him, he was used to eating whatever they could catch to eat, it wasn't like they could ever waltz into a grocery store and buy food, it wasn't glamorous, but it kept them going, "I rememba' 'avin to go to some stuffy suit an' tie affair for some business deal...That lasted alla' five minutes." He'd been driven mad forcing a pleasant smile and small talk, "Roadie had ta' drag my ass outta' there 'cus I drank more fancy wine than I should 'ave." He was destructive sober, but a nightmare when shit faced, and he was more of a lightweight than he'd ever dare to admit, "Ha...I should be muzzled, talkin' yer ear off..." He looked thoughtful and smiled, "yew seem pretty at 'ome here, you native to these parts?" He winked and giggled, "yew oughta' show me yer favorite thing t'eat here, I ain't picky, I'll 'ave wot yew 'ave!" He was admittedly eager to eat something that wasn't more or less roadkill, especially if he could share the experience with his new friend.

"Mm. You should have seen some of the dinners I've been to. Place settings this wide." She gestured widely on either side of her. "Courses of food, you have to use the right fork or they look at you like a savage, and the small talk lasts for *hours*. It could start to feel a little ridiculous, I couldn't say I blame you for wanting to leave." She imagined him very much a bull in a China shop in such a setting. The thought of the looks on the faces of the shocked, stuffy sorts at such a thing amused her quite a bit however.

"I don't mind if you want to talk." She didn't have many to talk to anymore, honestly she was enjoying it. "I was born here." She answered his next question. "I have traveled away quite a bit, yet I always seem to return."

"If you've never had any of this, we can try a few things." She offered. He looked like he could use a solid meal or three anyway. A server came over, giving him a long look before looking to Ana, seeming a little more at ease talking to her. She ordered some meat and bread, and one of the spicier dishes with rice and lentils and tea, enough for the both of them.

He was all smiles, to say the least, as she told her story, snickering and feigning a groan at the idea, "Oi that'd drive me 'round the bend fer sure. How'd yew manage to survive that kinda nightmare?" He would have to of been heavily sedated to resist the urge to plant firecrackers in the fancy table decorations, "Got more self control'n me mate!" He could just picture this woman sitting there trying her best not to show how utterly miserable she was, the thought caused a snicker, "Glad we ain't that diff'rent in that respect!" Nice to have that much common ground, it made him feel more at ease knowing she wouldn't expect him to be a perfect gentleman,

"Watch sayin' that, I 'kin talk for hours...Roadie usually hates listenin' to me talk." Said he had a voice something akin to nails on a chalkboard amplified by ten, "yeh? I 'kin understand that! Sometimes I feel a pull t'go back to th' Outback but..." His face fell a little bit and he leaned on his hand, "There ain't much left there t'go back to." Not to mention the bounty hunters still looking for him there made it unsafe, even for him, "sometimes I wish I 'ad an 'ome t'miss." He shook his head to clear that away, looking up when the server approached, swallowing when he noticed that long look, which caused him to visibly shrink down in his seat with discomfort, he hated the way he was looked at.

He did perk up however when Ana ordered for them, grinning and relaxing a little when the server finally left, "Oi, how'd yew know I was a tea man!" He joked, giving her a playful grin, "ever 'ad boba tea? S'like milk tea with liddle tapioka balls innit, 'lotta places have like...tons'a flavors!" He let out a soft breath and looked in the direction that the server had gone, "Yew see th'way that bloke looked at me, I mean...Can't blame 'em...I ain't the prettiest face." He'd have to get used to people giving him a stink eye if he was going to become more social, didn't stop it from hurting his feelings a bit.

"Boring as it could be, it seemed important at the time." And it had, the parties and dinners and Hero Recognition this and Heads of State that and Photo Op something else, mingling with the most powerful and famous people in the world had seemed important, never her favorite thing compared to other things she could have been doing, but being second in command of Overwatch came with certain responsibilities.

"You might still find someplace you think of as home. It doesn't have to be where you started out."

She laughed a little at the tea comment. "I didn't. I ordered it because I like it." She admitted. "I'm not sure how I feel about tea with... little balls in it, but I would be willing to try it."

Her gaze followed after the server for a moment and she made a bit of a disapproving sound in her throat. "People stare at things that are different or that they don't understand." She frowned. She still from time to time caught people staring at her eye, most times it was just mildly irking, sometimes even now it still made her feel uncomfortable and self conscious, like they could look straight through and see the mess underneath.

"You're not doing anything ridiculous, it's them being rude. Not you."

"Yeh? Thas' understandable!" He grinned at her with a playful look in his eyes, "yew got me a little curious though, musta' been important t'be invited to a shindig like that!" He was wildly curious who this woman was, but asking about that seemed like territory he shouldn't touch upon, and it wasn't really his business in the first place. If she wanted to tell him more he'd gladly listen, "but I ain't gonna pry in on yer business, no worries there, mate!" Curiosity was no reason to be impolite to someone who was doing so much for him.

He glanced down at that statement and chuckled, clearing his throat and looking a little sad, "that'd be nice, home, thas'a word I ain't used before." But where could someone like him even call home, he chuckled and brightened a bit, "Well there's somethin' we got in common, eh? Maybe I kin show yew one of my favorite little stops if we ever go around Hanamura!" He didn't even know if they would part way forever or stick together for a bit, part of him hoped she wouldn't leave, she was definitely the most positive thing that had happened in a while.

He smiled at her and leaned back in his seat, "yeh, people kin be awful. Not alla'em though, startin' t'see that." He knew all too well what it felt like to have people take one look at you and see nothing but your flaws, even if he wasn't a criminal wanted in just about every place, he still stood out, people stared at his prosthetics because they weren't sleek or perfected, he huffed a little, "if there's one thin' I've learned, It's that yew can't lettem' know they get to yeh." He sniffed a little and tried to grin, "it's hard, but eventually yew get good at hidin' when it hurts." It was a sad thing to admit, but something he'd gotten really good at doing in world where no one gave a shit about him.

"Maybe we'll get to talking about that later." She replied in answer to who she was before. Even now there were still a great many people who viewed Overwatch with suspicion and hostility. Not saying it now might backfire on her later should he be one of those people, but it was not a discussion she felt like having right here or now.

"Hanamura? That would be a bit of a trip." Just the way he so causally mentioned going around to other places just like that, she wondered if this was the start of some kind of odd partnership of sorts. She normally traveled alone because she had few she could trust, and she didn't want to tangle others up in her problems. But maybe, just for a little while. "That could be interesting though."

"Some people are terrible. But there are a lot of good ones too, you just have to find them." She smiled, then it faded a bit. "I'm sorry." She said softly. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, that you felt that's how you had to be." She tended not to be an overtly deeply emotional person herself, but not because she didn't feel like she had anyone she could share what she felt with who would listen to her. That would be a terrible way to live, she could see how it would make someone hardened and guarded.

It was a little warming to hear her say that, it almost felt like she trusted him, even a little, "yew listen to me, I'll listen t'yew, when yer ready for it." He nodded, making a promise to himself as much as he was to her, he wasn't a young man to trust easy, and even now there was still hardly anyone he actually trusted, but he did her, and he hoped to be able to learn more about her if she would allow it. He wouldn't press it though, he knew better than that.

He laughed softly and nodded, "Yeh? It is a bit of a hop skip an' a jump from 'ere." He coughed after a moment and looked a little embarrassed, "Sorry...I realize I'm ova' here makin' plans and I dunno if you even want me along." He wouldn't blame her for cutting and leaving after this, she seemed to be a woman on the move and travelling companions could slow progress down, "S'alright if ye didn't...I kin be a uh...Bit of a handful I'm told." He gave a grin at that, clearly making light of it, there was no way he'd kick up a fuss at this kind woman, if they split they split, he would just have to see what happened.

He gave a humorless laugh and nodded, looking thoughtful, "Growin' up out there, ye had t'be emotionless, an' now I guess I dunno how t'feel...anythin' properly." He was rash and incredibly explosive with his temper and his excitement, he didn't control his emotions the way most people did, going through extremes instead, "feels like the whole world fergot about us, an' what 'appened...As a lad I always held out hope that those heroes would come an' make things okay." He laughed and looked embarrassed as he scratched at his cheek, "Kinda' wanted to join 'em at one point...Had this crazy dream that they'd come in and turn things 'round...But they didn't. No one did." He cleared his throat and ran a hand over his eyes, swallowing, "part of me wanted t'say I gave up on 'em...But I never 'ave. Not really." It was stupid and foolish to rely on non-existent heroes, but he supposed it was the child in him who still wanted to hope.