Meet the Nomad

[lurker]

Name of Thread: Meet the Nomad
Characters Involved in Thread: Mirko Dragovic, Kate Cliff, Bailey Monroe, Clay Morrow, Tig Trager
IC Month Thread Occured: June 2007
Brief Description of Thread: Mirko makes it to the Charming club house and meets some of the Sons along with Kate and Bailey.

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It was later in the day when Mirko finally rolled up on Teller-Morrow and the place was quiet. The black and chrome Harleys were all lined up, shining in the light from a cloudless sky, but there were no SAMCRO cuts to be seen. A few mechanics pounded away on an old white rust-bucket in an open bay and paid the arriving Nomad little attention. Mirko killed the engine, set the kickstand and stood up. His eyes swept across the parking lot, the garage, the clubhouse. He un-clipped the chinstrap on his helmet and hung it from his handlebars.

"Hey," he called out at one of the mechanics but was drowned out by the loud whine of power tools and the clanging of metal.

He slipped off a pair of mirrored shades and hung them from the front pocket of his black leather cut and started striding towards the clubhouse. It was the last and most logical place to look.

Someone stopped the tall, burly Croatian before he got there.

[mavrick]

Kate was still sulking. Having a big, bald babysitter did not sit well with her, even if he did save her from trouble the night before. She had come to Charming to see her sister and have some fun, and now she was being guarded like a damned princess and she hated it. She’d been on the phone to her father for the last fifteen minutes, trying to explain that she wasn’t a baby, and didn’t need someone watching out for her.

Jury did not seem to agree.

To make things worse she had launched her phone and it had actually managed to land in her half full glass of beer. She was now outside, pulling her phone apart and setting it in the sun in an attempt to get it to work again. When Mirko arrived, he went unnoticed, this was because the Sons were currently in church, probably discussing his arrival. Kate had heard that a Nomad was transferring to Charming and was due any day, so when the large, unfamiliar hulk of a man wearing a cut walked towards the club house, she figured that this had to be him.

She stood up, having been on her hands and knees next to the door to the clubhouse pulling her phone apart. She was still pissy, but she did her very best to bite down hard on her sarcastic tendencies. “They’re in church,” she announced to him with a small smile, still trying to pull the front off her phone so she could air out the key pad.
“You’re the Nomad right?”

[lurker]

Mirko came upon a woman fiddling with a cell phone by the clubhouse. He made no assumptions about who she was or why she was there. He just gave her a once-over with his hard, dark eyes. The look on his face, a kind of cool neutral expression, never changed.

He nodded when she informed him they were in church. That explained it. Then she asked if he was the Nomad. The corner of his mouth twitched in what might pass for his version of a smirk.

"Yes," he answered. "But not for much longer."

His accent was noticeable but not too heavy and the way he talked was just slightly too formal for him to be a native speaker. His voice was deep with a bit of an edge to it; mostly, he sounded exactly like you would expect him to sound. He took a step or two closer to Kate and stood at a more conversational distance. He began to wonder. She knew too much about what was going on to just be somebody's piece of ass, unless the Charming charter was far less disciplined than Mirko was led to believe.

"Mirko. And you are...?"

[mavrick]

Kate seemed to have a thing about her, that if you could forgo noticing the tits, she’d be wearing a cut. As it was, it seemed no one could get past her anatomy, and her father refused to patch her despite her spending about three years asking him. That being said, she was no sweet butt, and was treated more like an old lady. She was the sympathetic ear when shit was rough, the one to rely on when times were tough and because of that she was privy to the workings of not just the Tribe, but the Sons, especially when she was in Charming.

Kate noticed immediately that this new arrival was the kind of guy who wouldn’t crack a smile if he heard the funniest thing in his life. She’d met a few guys like that in her life, and it never ceased to amaze her just how well they could keep that straight face. Kate couldn’t keep a straight face if someone paid her. She had a habit of cracking up at inappropriate moments.

She noticed secondly that he had an accent, and she wondered where he was originally from. He seemed pleased enough to be coming to Charming. He introduced himself and Kate noted the foreign name to go with the accent. “I’m Kate,” she announced when he asked, unable to keep her bubbly personality down even if he was a stone faced guy. If he didn’t like it, he could just steer clear of her… well not yet, since she was the only one there, but she wasn’t about to move into the clubhouse.

“Come on in, I’ll get you a beer. I don’t know how long they’ll be so you may as well make yourself at home.”
She grabbed the door behind her and pulled it open, stepping inside and holding it for Mirko to follow.

[lurker]

"Kate," Mirko repeated with a stiff nod. If he was pleased or displeased to make her acquaintance he didn't have anything to say or show for it. He followed her into the clubhouse and pulled the door shut behind him. Everything she said and did made him wonder more what her place in the club was. Nobody he talked to said anything about a Kate. He knew about Gemma, but certainly not Kate.

He stopped thee or four steps in and took a good, long look over the place like he was counting the molecules after memorizing the layout. Finally, he stepped up to the bar and leaned on it and waited for his beer. He took up enough space for two people and made the bar seem small. He watched Kate. Whatever was happening in his mind was a mystery to the outside world.

"So. Kate," he began, "Where do you... fit in with the club?"

There was something else in his voice when he spoke that time. Curiosity; the first hint that Mirko might be a man and not a robot.

[impala]

She woke but wished to God she hadn't. Letting out a silent foul word she eased out of her sagging, queen sized bed, which had suspicious stains that she didn't even want to think about and gingerly hobbled towards the bathroom mirror. "Stupid F-ing motel rooms!"

"Son of a freaking nut cracker!" She roared, looking at the colourful bruise stretching out across the slash of her chin and once again thanking God for the invention of makeup. Having a quick shower to wash off the previous night and dried flakes of blood, she changed into a pair of jeans, a Stones t-shirt and applied a generous coat of foundation, standing back in order to make sure she still looked natural but insuring that the bruise was sufficiently hidden.

She then grabbed the motel key and her car key's and headed out the door, she needed to talk to her Uncle, she needed to start being proactive about finding her stupid ass brother.

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Bailey pulled into Teller-Morrow finding it rather dead. Parking, she stepped out and headed toward the club house, if no one was here she was going to make the most of her trip and have a beer. Stepping inside she was taken aback by two people already occupying the space, one was Kate and the other was a hard, frosty looking man who she had not met yet.

[mavrick]

Kate raised an eyebrow as Mirko asked her where she ‘fit’ in with the club. She wanted to be a smart ass about it, but she decided against it. “My dad is the president of the Devil’s Tribe, when I drop into Charming to see my sister, I spend most of my time here.” She smiled, and cast her eyes to the door as someone came in. She recognised the tall woman immediately as Bailey, the woman she’d gotten into a bar fight the night before. Well technically Cyrus had started the fight, she had Bailey had just been victims of it.

Well Bailey had been more of a victim than she had.

“You look like shit,” she announced to the new arrival, smirking in jest as she did. She grabbed three glasses and filled them with beer as Bailey made her way over.
“Bailey this is Mirko, the newest member of the Charming charter. Bailey is Chibs’ niece.” She set one glass in front of Mirko, one next to him for Bailey and took a long sip from her own.

[lurker]

Mirko crossed his arms over his chest, stretching his plain black t-shirt at the shoulders. He watched Kate with the same unreadable look and listened and seemed to consider every word. She explained the connection, it made sense to Mirko and he nodded, once, like that was that.

"I see," was all he had to say about it.

The club door opened and light spilled in to the dim room and Mirko slowly swiveled his head to take a look at the new arrival. He gave her a once-over the same way he did with Kate; no leering, no smirks, just a quick assessment and a mental snapshot.

Evidently they knew each other. Kate made introductions. Mirko looked from one to the other, stopping when he had his eyes back on Bailey. He nodded and repeated her name in a low flat voice the same way he did with Kate, like it helped him remember. He nodded a quick thank-you to Kate for the beer and took a long swig of it.

"I did not know Chibs had a niece," he stated and shrugged lightly. "If you are looking for him, Kate said they are in church right now."

[impala]

"Thank you cpatain obvious," she saluted in jest, "I feel like shit." Cracking a grin, a gesture that felt over exaggerated in the presence of the new member - an extremely stoic and forboding looking creature. He said her name, it sounded weird coming from his lips, somehow not right, maybe it was the hint of an accent or maybe she just didn't get what this guy was about.
"Hey there," she said, moving towards them and taking the drink from Kate, she hadn't realised how much she'd needed one until her stupid jaw started throbbing again. 'Mental note, quit smiling dumbass it only makes it hurt worse' she scolded herself and took a quick, tentative swig.

"Yes Sirree, I'm afraid I do come from the same DNA as one Filip Telford," she leaned in slightly "but don't hold that against me."

She had a feeling that this guy wasn't going to understand her humour, but it wasn't like she could just turn that part of her personality off so she wasn't even about to try. "Yeh I am, but it can wait, I am the world's best procrastinator, especially when there's a drink in my hand." Bailey turned to Kate and gave a quick cackle before taking another, this time more generous, swig. "But thanks for letting me know Mirko, I'll have to get my ass into gear sometime I 'spose."
She smiled again, giving up trying not to and settled into a chair, feeling quite content.

[mavrick]

Kate smiled as Bailey made jokes, and glanced to Mirko, wondering if he was capable of cracking a smile at all. Guys who acted like he did usually had some bad shit in their past, she wondered what his was. As Bailey sat down, Kate took another drink from her beer and figured she’d pose a question to Mirko since she was curious, and she knew he wasn’t going to sit there and spill his history on his own.

“So how long were you nomad for?” she asked him, leaning forward and resting her forearms on the bar. Standing opposite them, and somewhere in the middle, Kate got easy view of both of them. She wrapped her hands around her beer glass, feeling the cold seep into them. Damned beer had killed her phone today, but at least it did good things for her.

[lurker]

Mirko seemed to stop and process Kate's question. There was a beat of silence and he downed another mouthful of beer. They always begin like this, he thought. Simple question. Then another. Then another. He lowered the half-empty glass and tilted his head up a couple degrees and wrinkled his forehead in thought.

"Seven..." he drew out the word slowly and a bit tentatively, then nodded. He continued with confidence, "I think it is seven years now. Give or take some months."

He shrugged his broad, bulky shoulders like he had no opinion on the matter and took another drink. Mirko looked like the sort of big guy who could drink an entire liquor store and not feel it.

[claymorrow]

His head was throbbing, his wrist hurt, and Clay was in a foul mood, then again was there really any other that one could be in at that moment and time. Maybe he ahd simply woken up on the wrong side of the bed or maybe it was the fact that he had woken up at all that was grating on his nerves, then again it might have just been the fact his bike needed work. No wait the bike needing work didn't bother him all that much he actually enjoyed doing that, yeah no something had just rubbed him the wrong way that day and he was willing to take it out on anyone that pissed him off enough.

The discussion at church had been about the newest arrival and what was going on with that, Clay was skeptical but he was of anyone that can to Charming no matter who they were. Men, women, though in his opinions pretty faces were worse than the rest because you were more inclined to trust them and let those little things that might have other wise bothered you settle into the back of your mind and he had a damn business to run. It was what he planned to leave to Jax someday, once he was sure that the kid was ready and Clay himself wasn't kicking anymore.

Looking around he eyed those that were already inside and for a moment he paused, he could still remember when he had opened this place up with John. He's been a hell of a lot younger than and not as wise to the ways of the world or how things worked, it had also been right aftert his stint in the army and maybe that had fried his brain a bit. He noticed Kate first though it was hard to miss the blonde who when she was in town seemed to be a rather permenant fixture, and he didn't get why Jury just didn't give in to what she wanted. Hell the way Clay saw it she did more work than a lot of guys and deserved to be more than just some sort of Den Mother.

He swatted her playful before he reached around grabbing a beer of his own and narrowed his eyes. "Whose your friend?" It wasn't as if he didn't know but he wanted to see what she had already found out and what was more he wanted to know what he had told her. Silence was golden when it came to certain things and spilling your guts to the pretty blonde, well that wouldn't be good in the least bit. For a moment though his features softened as he looked down at Kate before glancing over at Bailey giving her a small nod. "I'm going to need you to help me here in a minute Kate, bike needs work." The softness was gone but if you had been paying enough attention you would have caught it there, and if you didn't that was your loss.

[mavrick]

She heard the door open, and saw Clay come out from her vantage point behind the bar. She gave him a nod and made indication to the others that someone was coming. When he arrived behind the bar and swatted her she gave his bicep a squeeze and made way for him to get his own beer. Clay was like her second father, maybe even a more accepting father. She had a feeling if she came to Clay asking to Prospect, he’d actually consider it instead of dismissing her like her father did. She’d spent years coming back and forth to Charming, always spending her days and now her nights with the Sons. They’d watched her grow up and many of them saw her like their daughter. She liked it, it was comforting, made her feel safe.

When he asked her who her ‘friend’ was, she looked to Mirko and smiled lightly at him. “This is Mirko, you’re newest member to Charming.” She grabbed her beer and took another drink, wiping away froth from her lips when Clay asked her to help him with his bike. Kate loved getting in the garage and helping with what she could. She was by no means a mechanic, but she loved getting all dirty and making something happen. She had an inkling the boys in the garage appreciated her company, and the mini shorts she tended to wear.

“Do you have a spare phone, I may or may not have accidently had mine land in my beer,” she looked up at him sheepishly, she was sure he’d heard her yelling at her father for sending Cyrus after her to babysit. She cast her eyes to Bailey, who was sure was going to find the whole thing hilarious… Mirko, well she doubted he’d do much. “It’s sunning itself outside, but I don’t think it’s going to recover.”

[lurker]

Mirko followed Kate's line of sight to the SAMCRO president. He stood upright and set his beer down on the bar in a quick, smooth motion. The liquid in the glass didn't even ripple. Mirko's stance was a little stiff and very military, but it was a reflexive reaction to the ranking officer entering the room. Despite all that, Mirko's face was still that cool, unreadable mask. He watched Clay with dark, deep-set eyes and didn't speak until the club president had spoken. Clay asked who Kate's 'friend' was and after Kate answered, Mirko nodded stiffly at Clay.

"It is good to meet you," Mirko said in a low, flat voice with an accent that brought up images of Ivan Drago. He held out one of the big paws he had masquerading as a hand and offered a shake.

After that he went quiet. Clay had words for Kate and Mirko kept his trap shut for the duration. He hadn't the slightest reaction to the story of Kate's phone troubles, almost like he hadn't heard it. His eyes drifted over the group one by one and settled back on Clay. Mirko awaited his orders, patiently, like a soldier or a loyal dog.

[tig]

Tig rubbed his eyes tiredly. He didn't care if there was some new cut joining the charter but as Sergeant-at-Arms he had to attend all the church meetings. He waited till everyone else followed out before getting up and making his way towards the bar where everyone else was headed.

"Hey what's with jolly green over here?", he looked up at the huge man sitting at the bar. He stepped around the back and grabbed his own glass of beer. He put his arm around Kate and gave her a kiss on her temple. He'd watched this girl grow up around here and couldn't imagine the place without her.

"You doing alright kid?", he pulled himself up on to the counter and sat quietly to see what Clay was thinking about the new guy. He sipped his beer quietly as he studied the man in front of them. He turned his head and caught sight of Chib's niece standing there as well.

"What happened to you? Lose a fight with a truck?", he sipped his beer again before turning back to the huge man again.

"What's your name again Sasquatch?"