home sweet home? (closed)

[bloodbathing]

Who: Leonard Church and Agents Washington, Texas, and Maine
What: Meetings, reunions, and definitely no awkwardness.
When: shortly after the April intro log
Where: Islet #4, Cottage #3
Warnings: canon typical language


[ What's better than a group of space marines with lots of interpersonal baggage? Plucking them all from different points in time, then shoving them in the same house and seeing what happens.

MINGLE POST. Make your own top-levels, tag around, go nuts. ]

Comments

Tex - morning after arriving

[a_shadow]

[ Tex is barely coherent by the time they get back to the hut from the Denny. She's so damn tired. She pushed herself way too hard that day. Church leads her to a bed and gives her something to wear. She slowly, slowly removes her armor, exhausted, and slips into the stuff he'd brought her.

Before she knows it, she's awakening again. She doesn't even remember falling asleep. She must have slept long and hard because she's starving again. And she really has to go to the bathroom.

She exits her room and, realizing there's no bathroom, goes out into the woods to piss. Then she's back, poking around in the cottage's built-in shelving looking for something to eat.

Ugh. This is why she hates being in the human body. Couldn't she have arrived in the robot, like Church did?

And did she just make that noise out loud? ]

[bloodbathing]

[ Drawn by noises in the common area, Maine pauses his workout and opens the door to his room. He's hoping that it's Wash — he has a few questions for his friend — but wouldn't be surprised to see another man. Instead, he sees a blond woman that he doesn't know.

Maine pauses just outside the doorway, frowning. Is this a friend of Wash's? Maybe a friend of Church's? She's making enough noise that he doubts it's an attempt at a burglary. She's also going through stuff like she owns the place. Maybe she's a really close friend?

Unable to puzzle it out, Maine speaks up: ]

Need something?

[ If Tex looks his way, she'll find Maine looking perfectly fit and healthy. Most notably, he lacks any of the throat or facial scars he gained after the Sarcophagus mission. ]

[a_shadow]

[ She turns. She's heard a low voice like that before before, but she has no way of knowing otherwise who this person is. She has her suspicions—that it's Maine—but she doesn't consider treating him harshly. He had been the one to throw the grenade during her match with him and Wyoming and York, but the Director had been the one who had provided the ammunition. He had been the one to turn into the Meta and start hunting her and the other AIs, but if this is him, he's obviously not the Meta now. She turns back to what she'd been doing. ]

I need breakfast. Don't you?

[ Tex herself is in a T-shirt and shorts that Church had obtained for her somewhere. She feels sort of under-dressed now. Funny how that can be when someone is just in the armor's undersuit, but that has come to feel like a uniform for her. ]

[bloodbathing]

[ Even without the distortion caused by a helmet, it's easy for Maine to place that voice. It's the same one he heard during that training match. The same one that shouldn't have been able to overhear York if the match had really been intended to mimic combat against an enemy — but Maine knows damn well it was no ordinary training exercise.

The big Freelancer stiffens. Unconsciously draws himself up straighter, his expression shifting from puzzled to guarded before slipping into a practiced neutral. This is Agent Texas. This is the new recruit that thoroughly kicked the collective asses of himself, Wyoming, and York.

When the fuck did she get here? ]

Ate.

[ Said with a pointed look outside the nearest window, indicating the time of day. Maine ate his breakfast well before sunup. ]

[a_shadow]

[ She sees his affect change and it immediately changes hers—she becomes more guarded and therefore more sarcastic. She knows it's Maine now. Who else is that big? ]

Oh, good for you then. I haven't.

[ She frowns a bit as she finds some fruit and she sits down with it to munch. ]

I suppose you got here yesterday, too.

[motherfucking_ghost]

[Okay! Okay. Tex is here. Tex is here, and she was in a different place after the EMP, annnnd she's got a squishy human body now he really wishes he could kiss (but hey, no reason they can't experiment with things later, just, maybe don't think about that right now, let's put that aside for the moment, thanks!), and things are more awkward than they should be but hey. That's pretty normal. Especially with Wash around being all...guilty and apologetic and...not a fucking prick except when he's terrible at explanations.

It's fine! This is all fine. He doesn't need to eat, doesn't really technically need to sleep but rests out of habit and help cut down on energy consumption, and even if he was out in the woods, sure, it'd be uncomfortable, but he's probably not gonna rot or anything. So he doesn't always stay at the cottage. Doesn't always feel like he's got much use here. Maybe he could learn to make some furniture? Thatch the roof? There's always letting out Ami to play and get sunshine.

But when he's not off exploring, meandering, he always ends up back here. It's slightly less lonely now. Makes him feel better. Especially with Tex. Who he's trying not to follow around like a creep. Give her some space. But god, it's hard.]

[a_shadow]

[ Tex notices. Doesn't say anything right away, but she notices. Church is always there. Well, not always. But he's watching and waiting often enough over the first little while she's on the island that she eventually starts casting looks at him when he's staring, thinking maybe he'll start to notice he's doing that. And when it happens often enough even then, she addresses it. ]

You can take pictures, you know.

[motherfucking_ghost]

I can't, actually.

...Sorry, was I--I was staring, wasn't I? Sorry. Are you okay?

[a_shadow]

I'm okay, geez.

[ She frowns at him briefly before making her expression more neutral, looking away and speaking more quietly. ]

I know you missed me. And Church, I missed you, too. Just don't... Just...

[ She doesn't know how to say what she means gently. She was holding a T-shirt; she puts it down and approaches him. But she doesn't look him in the face—in the visor. She keeps her gaze slightly off-center. ]

You can just be really intense, you know? And you're doing it a little bit and I don't want it to snowball. Because I'll get sick of it. And then...

[ She shrugs, still not looking at him. ]

I mean, you know. It's not pretty.

[motherfucking_ghost]

...Oh. And here I thought chicks dig intense guys.

Um, I can...I can back off. Just--I, I lost you, a couple times, and the last time was pretty...final.

[counterblows]

[Thank god it didn't take a dedicated search to hunt Church down, because Wash is already jittery enough without adding "robot retrieval" to his to-do list. His helmet is off, which lends a perfect insight into the state of his frayed nerves. He looks like he's just seen a ghost.]

[This isn't entirely off the mark.]

Church? [God, this is gonna suck.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

[...This is bad. This is bad. Whatever it is, it's bad, and he's not sure he wants any part of it.]

What happened?

[counterblows]

Nothing happened. [Oh my god Wash you liar.] Well. People have started showing up. I wasn't sure who you've seen...yet.

[IT'S NOT BAD. NOT YET.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

Oh, yeah, no I'm pretty well aware of Tex, dude.

agent washington + bonus amitusha

[counterblows]

[The resident tigerlily is having a ball with all these NEW PEOPLE that she's never met. C.T. had some time to train her as something of a therapy animal before she left, which means that the more distressed someone's going to get, the more Ami is going to plaintively nudge and cajole for you to give her some attention and lower your blood pressure.]

[Wash, for his part, spends most of his time doing just that, periodically stroking her back with a compulsive murmur of "shh, shh, it's all right, girl" to indicate that he's got nerves like no one else. His helmet is off but the rest of his armor is yet to be dismantled in full; as if by keeping part of that shell in place, it might shield him for whatever comes next.]

[It's doubtful it will.]

[bloodbathing]

[ Like Wash, Maine has decided to keep his armor on. Not an unusual thing for him, especially in an unknown environment. But he's chosen to follow Wash's lead in removing his helmet. Figures that the sooner they get used to each other's changed faces, the better.

When it comes to Ami, however, they're on opposite ends of the spectrum. Ami doesn't appear to be asking for Maine's attention at all. Certainly not in the way she keeps demanding it of Wash. After the initial shock of his arrival, the big Freelancer settled right back into his usual untroubled demeanor. He seems willing to roll with whatever comes next — provided nothing pisses him off, of course.

Maine still isn't sure what to make of the tigerlily, but it's plain to see that Wash cares for her. So Maine watches as his friend appears to try and soothe the creature. Wonders what it is that's bothering her so much. ]

She okay?

[counterblows]

[Ami is an affectionate creature, if nothing else - routinely butting her head up against people's hands and legs. Wash's anxiety is a beacon, radiating all matter of stress and uncertainty that poor Ami can't seem to smooth away. That doesn't mean she's not about to try.]

[There's an automatic tensing when he looks up, even when he immediately forces his shoulders to relax down again. It's easily excused as residual tension, isn't it - and not the remnants of a survival instinct that turned his best friend into a genuine threat.]

She's...she was C.T.'s. She was sort of training her to be a therapy animal. When people are upset, she can tell.

[bloodbathing]

[ Easily excused as tension, and not something at which Maine intends to pry. It's a change, sure. More like the way that strangers respond to Maine if they don't outright gape at him in awe or fear. But lots of things have changed — what's one more?

Adaptability is an admirable trait. Maine intends to adapt.

Maine hums at that explanation. Understands that Wash is upset, but isn't quite sure how to address it. Emotional conversations aren't Maine's forte; he'd much rather take action and eliminate the problem.

After a moment spent clearly considering, Maine comes to a decision: ]

Workout routine?

[ Exercise solves everything, Wash. ]

[a_shadow]

[ Tex has already gotten used to having the animal around. She always felt like she'd be a dog person, but this creature acts close enough to a dog that she seems to relate to it well. She comes in from being out, expecting to be able to play with it, but Washington is dominating its time.

Speaking of Washington, he looks like an utter nervous wreck. Tex has picked up a ball of some material that she'd seen the tigerlily playing with, but carefully tucks it under her wrist when she sees. She's not going to horn in on whatever's happening here.

She doesn't mean to spectate this, but the whole thing is weird. She probably stands there a bit too long, then, not meaning to try to think of something to say about what's happening. She's just wordlessly watching. ]

[counterblows]

[Tex's presence is always impossible to ignore. He can't help but liken her to Maine, in a way; smaller she might be, the weight of her presence is no less heavy. It's just denser, compacted into a smaller mass.]

[Particularly now, she's impossible to forget.]

This is Ami.

[He might as well introduce them, right?]

C.T. was...well, she was here for a bit. Brought this home one day.

[a_shadow]

Ami.

[ She takes that as a cue to come closer, reaching out a hand to pet its head firmly. ]

Connie.

[ She says that more softly, tilting her head to look the animal in the face. ]

I would have liked to have seen her. Not sure if she would have wanted to see me, though.

agent maine

[bloodbathing]

[ Routine is an old friend of Maine's. It's what most of his life has been structured by. Within a routine, he's comfortable. He knows what he's supposed to be doing, and his temper remains mostly unaffected by day to day annoyances.

When Maine wakes up in this place, his routine is immediately broken.

He can still work out. He can still maintain his equipment. He can still gather intel, scout the area, and everything else he used to do on a regular deployment. But he doesn't have a fucking razor: he can't shave.

In one fell swoop, Maine's mood turns sour. His sole objective becomes finding something — anything — that he can use to remove his stubble. ]


(( ooc: or wildcard it! maine will be poking around both inside and outside the house. inside, maine will be fully armored minus his helmet. outside, he'll have the helmet on as well. ))

[motherfucking_ghost]

[Something Church has: a shaving razor. Something Church has no use for: a shaving razor. It's stayed in the bag with the other stuff, most of which he doesn't need. And as it's more or less forgotten, he doesn't think to offer it up to anyone yet. Because he's a selfish prick who hasn't had to think about shaving for like two years.

He's been warned about Maine, but he hasn't met Maine. Not until he nearly runs right into the guy, and at first, he's confused. Armor's armor, but there's a whole head and a face and it only vaguely niggles at the back of his mind.]

Who the fuck are you?

[That is, of course, his near instantaneous response to the situation. But Church, stupid as he is, isn't a complete moron. (Just mostly one.) He can see white armor, a third Freelancer running around, a Really Big Guy he has to look up and up at, and a memory of being attacked by a tall fucking growly menace.] Oh, shit- [He instinctively takes a step back.] Uh...uhhhh...

Me-uh, Mai--Maine? Agent, uh, Maine?

[bloodbathing]

[ When Wash told Maine that the Mother of Invention's smart A.I. was around, Maine neglected to ask what Church looks like. So, when the Freelancer sees what appears to be a blue Simulation Trooper, he's understandably surprised.

When the hell did a Sim get here? And why is he here, in Maine's way?

Then recognition dawns in Church. The other man stutters out his name — a name that Maine rarely bothers giving to Sims — and it clicks. This is the A.I. This is the invisible member of Maine's team. This is Church, who doesn't remember who he is.

Immediately, Maine's expression shifts from annoyed to contemplative. He nods, then asks, ]

Church?

[ That sure is a deep, growly voice — but it's distinctly different from the Meta's near-inhuman noises. ]

[motherfucking_ghost]

...Yeah? [The reactionary part says oh god the meta KNOWS WHO YOU ARE, but he squashes that down as much as he can. Wash had been so insistent. So adamant. That this is not the Meta. The Meta never talked, not that he'd ever heard. His body language still screams fear response, but he doesn't run.]

Wash said something, huh? He, uh. Told me about you. Well. Mentioned you were here.