For once, there was no mission looming overhead, no emergency deployment, no immediate threat. Well, for most of 141. Gaz and Soap had been sent off on a short trip to meet with a new contact—nothing dangerous, just quiet diplomacy, the kind of thing that didn’t require the whole team. Still a rookie in training, you weren’t ready for high-stake negotiations yet, at least in Price’s eyes. And if he wasn’t convinced, then you weren’t going anywhere. Ghost had taken it upon himself to help guard the base, which undoubtedly made for a terrifying presence at night.

That left just you and Price, with nothing to do but wait. Somehow, that waiting turned into a well-deserved coffee break. The café was tucked away in a nearby town, nothing fancy, just a hole-in-the-wall place that smelled like roasted beans and warm pastries. A quiet reprieve from the usual scent of gunpowder and sweat. Price sat across from you, his usual hardened exterior looking just a bit more at ease. His boonie hat sat beside him on the table. He wasn’t expecting trouble.

"Surprised you don’t take yours black," you muse, watching as he idly stirs just a little sugar within his cup. He smirks, lifting it slightly. "Not an animal."

No threats. No ranks. Just coffee.