>> "The sunsets… They were beautiful. That's all there is back in Columbia for me now. I don't have any family. I don't miss it…Thankfully, these New York bartenders seem to have good taste in alcohol. Otherwise, I might get homesick for that."

Jorge chuckled at Lenna statement and raised his glass to the bartender. “Amen to that.”

The detective found it funny that he was actually enjoying himself right now. It really had been a long time since he could remember spending just a leisurely moment of conversation with another human being. One could surmise that the reason for this is because he was new to the city and really did not know of anyone to hang out with. But the problem stemmed even from his days back in Miami. Even when he would join the local police hang-out, he barely spoke to anyone. One could assume it was because he was painfully shy, but that really was not the case. In actuality, Jorge had simply lost touch with communicating with people…

…that can happen when, after years of working Vice with a partner, he ends up as a traitor and you have to shoot him dead.

So Jorge tended to keep to himself, remained skeptical of letting anyone get close, even in the name of friendship. After the experience with his mutation and the betrayal of his partner, Jorge simply found it better to close up and always imagine the worst in people. Thankfully…his time in New York was beginning to change him.

At least he thought so. After all, look at him now. Instead sitting at home with his dog, reading case reports or his dog-earred books, at least he was out attempting to be friendly. That had to count for something…right?

Jorge sighed he held up his glass in a toast to Lenna.

“Well, since we have both crossed long distances to be in New York, here’s to new beginnings.” he said in toast before he took a sip from his glass of rum.

>>“Amen to that.”

She copied his movement, saluting the bartender with her glass.

While he mulled over his thoughts, she worked on leisurely finishing that same glass's contents. Luckily, he caught her right before it was empty, raising his own for a toast.

"To new beginnings," she repeated. She drank.

Oddly enough, New York actually had been a new beginning for her...

>> "To new beginnings,"

The salute was made and Jorge nodded in thanks before he returned to his drink. Who knew that this was how his evening was going to go? A horrible movie and meeting a new drinking partner. It really was an odd world out there but he was not going to argue with it. Everybody needs someone to just sit next to have a drink or two, share a few war stories, etc. It seemed that he was finally socializing with someone who was outside of the precinct and it was a good feeling. Maybe this was how real, normally adjusted people actually socialized. It was odd to think of himself actually sitting at a bar, drinking rum next to somebody he did not work with.

Maybe New York really was the place for new beginnings…

With a small sigh, Jorge set his empty glass down and stared intently at it. It really had been awhile since he had rum, but he still had the same resilience to getting buzzed. Thankfully he felt nothing, which was good since he did have work in the morning. That last thing he needed was to walk into the precinct with a massive hangover from drinking too much the night before…though he was sure that more than one or two officers have done it in the past. Still…there was no need to set a precedent.

Reaching up, Jorge ran his fingers through his salt-and peppered hair, simply enjoying the silence of sitting with a companion and letting time slip away. It was these rare and quiet moments that the police officer learned to really appreciate, especially since he got so few of them. Already his time in New York consisted of running into a were-scorpion and a cyborg woman, so it was doubtful that he was have many quiet and calm days. But…at least he could enjoy the few that he managed to steal away…

…such as this one.