Tossing a bag onto her bed, the female Corporal surveyed her room curiously. Not much had changed since she'd been gone. Ruffling her short brown hair, now slightly longer than it had been the last time she'd been in the room, she crossed the room to shrug on a sweat jacket over her black tank-top before leaving the room.

It had been awhile, she reminisced as she walked down the hall nodding respectfully to those she recognized and noting those she didn't. New faces galore, and only a few old hats to clasp her on the shoulder and welcome her back.

Suddenly, wheeling around the corner, was Jelly. They had worked together before when their squads had teamed up; they weren't the closest friends, but, admittedly, Finch hadn't been terribly close to anyone in her days in the Army. It took her a moment to recognize the man as they almost walked into each other as they both rounded the corner. Looking up, the tiny woman grinned. He hadn't changed much; then again, neither had she. Her hair was a little longer and she was perhaps a bit thinner, but essentially she was the same. Pleasantries and hugs were exchanged, along with a dinner invitation, though perhaps in not so eloquent terms. Nevertheless, she accepted, deciding it would be a good way to spend her time. She /was/ hungry anyways.

A short while later, the pair found themselves seated at the restaurant, perusing the menu. "Is there anything you suggest?" The woman asked, teasing in her own, serious way. She'd never been to this place before and was slightly apprehensive to order for herself.

Finch smiled serenely as she studied the establishment, straightening her jacket and playing with her hair absentmindedly between attempts at conversations. She had never been one to chatter on about meaningless things; perhaps her distant nature was the reason she had few friends in the Army. One who goes at it alone tends to push people away.

"I missed the army," She commented lightly, "Its good to be back."

"Its good to have you back," Jelly replied earnestly, "We missed you."

Finch glanced up at the bigger man, studying him curiously. "Did you really?" She asked before looking back to the restaurant, "Thats interesting."

"What is?" Jelly inquired, appearing confused. Finch chuckled, "I wouldn't think anyone would."

The food arrived in true diner fashion, looking rather greasy and unappetizing. Finch swallowed her slight apprehension; Jelly had been nice enough to take her out for food, she might as well suck it up and eat. Normally her diet consisted of fruits and vegetables and lean meats, but she could cheat a little occasionally. "Mmm..." She said curiously, studying the burger as she picked it up. "I'm almost afraid to ask what kind of meat this is."

Studying Jelly out of the side of her eye, Finch continued to eat. God, she would have to work this off later. It was interesting, though; this guy was at least twice her size and he seemed to be intimidated by her. But wasn't that the way things worked these days?

They ate their food in relative silence, conversing only to break the discomfort in the air. Before long, the food was gone and it was time to pay up. Finch went to pull her wallet out of her pocket before realizing she'd left it back in her room. She cursed, the words flowing freely, such a thing most people wouldn't expect to hear from a petite woman like Finch. Even Jelly looked surprised.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Left everything back in my room," She replied, looking irritated, annoyed, and sheepish. "You think you could..."

"Yeah, I got it, no problem," Jelly said, looking nonplussed about the whole episode. Finch, however, was a bit stressed.

"I'll pay you back, I promise," She insisted. Perhaps her biggest pet peeve in life was relying upon others when she knew that she could stand on her own. She hated it. Mentally she kicked herself, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her sweat-jacket. She was embarrassed, and didn't want it to show.

Finch tried not to let such things bother her. One sacrifice she made to keep her safe in battle was long, pretty hair like most women had. Her femininity was the trade-off she made to increase her chances of living.

Running her fingers through her cropped locks, Finch sighed. Why was it that Jelly was so awkward around her? She must be intimidating, a thought she found amusing. Most of the time she was underestimated. The curses of being female and petite.

Silence was not a very enjoyable thing; Finch wished she could come up with a conversation, but rather opted to sink into thought. It wasn't long, though, before that did her harm.

As the pair passed an alleyway, a set of hands shot out and caught the woman. Before she could react, Finch was tugged aside and into the dark. Her right arm was wrenched up and pinned against her back by her attacker. She winced, opening her mouth to say something, but felt a blade against her throat.

/Damnit all,/ She thought, letting her eyes adjust to the light. There was one in front of her and one holding her. The man in front spoke to Jelly, who was stunned by the attack and furious at the same time. "Hands where we can see them, into the alleyway, or the lady gets it." Finch almost winced at the cliche. It was rather pathetic, really.

Jelly, for her sake, did as  the two requested. As the man holding her watched, the other strode over, patting her down cheekily to look for valuables. "That is not wise." She stated, her voice eerily calm despite the situation.

"Isn't it?" The man sneered at her in the darkness before moving on to her companion. Fury brewed in her stomach, but she didn't express it. Shifting her weight to her left foot, she lifted her right and brought down the heel of her boot right on the instep of her captor's foot. He grunted, loosening the hold on her arm slightly. Taking her chance, Finch spun around, unfurling her pinned arm as she went, and placed a hard punch straight to his nose. She could feel her neck stinging where the movement had caused the blade to cut her, but she ignored it as she danced back a few steps, trusting Jelly to take care of the other man.

As soon as she deemed it safe, Finch stormed out of the ally and down the street. Muttering curses to herself, she ran her hand over her neck and winced. It wasn't a deep cut, but it stung like hell. Ignoring Jelly when he came up, she wound back and punched the wall.

"Hey, now," Jelly said, catching her arm as she wound up again. She didn't struggle, but let him examine her knuckles. She never let people see her like this, and she was ashamed. Jelly tipped her chin back, examining the cut on her neck.

"Can we just go back?" She asked wearily, pulling away from the man's loose hold on her and stuffing her hands into her jacket pockets. She hunched her shoulders, slightly cold and a little pissed at herself. How could she let herself get caught like that? It was pathetic and she was ashamed.

Finch let the droid take care of her, acknowledging Jelly's obvious concern. It wasn't anything big, but who knows what sick bacteria that guy had on that knife. She'd had worse, but it was still better to be safe than sorry.

As they stepped out of the hospital, a yawn escaped her lips. "I'm tired," She said softly, her calm exterior returning, "Can you walk me back to my room?" She felt dirty, tired, and just wanted a hot shower and to crawl in bed with a book. She felt bad for abandoning Jelly but that was just how it would have to be.

Jelly was a perfect gentleman, not putting up much of a fuss when she declared her want to end the date early. HE walked her to her room, pausing outside. "Come on in, if you want," SHe said wearily, "Its a mess, but thats life."