(no subject)

[anewlanguage]

Everyone make it back?

[he's, perhaps, a little more gruff than usual. And also he's bandaging his own arm, which promptly stains right through the bandage, and he tsks and applies heavier pressure to it.]

I think it's about time for another camping trip.

Comments

[routemistress]

[One of Iris' wrists is splinted, but she can still give a thumbs up with it.]

Not exactly, but the boat scooped me and Mira back anyway. Missed you out there.

[What happened?]

[anewlanguage]

Trust me you weren't missing much.

[Whatever he was caught doing, he doesn't feel safe talking about over the network.

He purses his lips, eyes her wrist.]

Ouch. Where'd that come from?

[tucky]

[Tiffany, on the other hand, is bouncy as fuck.]

Yes, I did. I made good decisions in that port-- ones that I can look back on and be proud of, just like I was told I should.

I was fucking brave and fierce.

[Paaaause.]

You didn't? You don't look so good.

[private]

[routemistress]

[She shrugs, self-deprecating tinged with embarrassment.]

Friendly fire. You know 'ow our Marsh can get around anything psychic.

[Easily hijacked, with his nonexistent defenses, is what she means.]

I could've left it for Jean to deal with, she's got range and I don't, but ...I know what it does to 'im. I couldn't just leave 'im.

[anewlanguage]

It didn't go so well. Ran into more than I was counting on I guess.

[He wishes there was a better way to brush it off, really, but there's not so...]

Tell me 'bout these decisions you made.

[private]

[anewlanguage]

Yeah I understand. I'm glad you gave him a hand. [He says it with the tiniest smile, like he might have been thinking of that as a pun]

[tucky]

Well--

[She hesitates, wondering if she should be more subdued. It hadn't been a good port, and she knows that.]

I didn't panic, you know? I was cautious. I looked for help.

[private]

[routemistress]

I see what you did there.

[Her laugh is immediate and genuine, but part of it is relief: she would never have asked aloud whether taking risks for Marsh's peace of mind counted as That Thing Iris Isn't Going To Do Any More, but nor was she completely certain it wouldn't.]

I'm coming up to look at that, I prefer you with all your blood in you, ta very much. I'll bring duct tape.

[bodilesswarrior]

I did. [She took a hot shower, and now she's rubbing antiseptic into all of the cuts and scrapes. Her movements are a bit stiff, but there's no agony in her eyes. She made out all right, this time.]

You sure that doesn't need stitches?

[anewlanguage]

[He musters a grin, shrugs]

Not an easy thing to do. Most people--well, me, anyway--lost their cool. How'd you know who to trust?

[tucky]

I waited for someone I knew already. It was Simon; he came.

[Gratitude and affection are clear in her tone.]

Re: [private]

[anewlanguage]

And a stick for me to bite on.

[Which is his way of saying he'll unlock the door for her (just her).]

[anewlanguage]

[He chuckles, short, dry] I tried. It just won't stay closed for long. Iris is gonna come up and try something on it.

How'd it go for you?

[private > spam]

[routemistress]

I bet I can find summat more fun to bite on than that.

[Said with the patented, wide-eyed Irisian innocent face.

She's there a few minutes later, loaded up with antiseptic spray, local anaesthetic, synthetic skin gel and whisky.]

I'd've put on a naughty nurse outfit but the only one I've got's in Wade's size. So what did you get on the wrong side of, my love?

[anewlanguage]

[He swallows, thinking that over, nods.]

I'm glad someone came through after all.

So you didn't run into anything nasty?

[tucky]

Sometimes. I got Mason away from some monsters that were eating all his energy; probably would've killed him if we hadn't escaped.

But I always got through it, you know? I was strong.

[spam]

[anewlanguage]

Eh, the usual. It's gone now.

[It hadn't been a bad fight. It had been his fault, though: hearing his sins listed--screamed--at him, he'd lost his cool.]

[spam]

[routemistress]

[That gets him a cocked-head look, because when Cain can't spin something into a funny story, Iris knows it has to have got him on a really sore spot. And she's curious, of course she's curious, but mostly she's just concerned.

She doesn't speak further, only comes and starts working carefully on his injury. She doesn't in any way need to sit on his lap to do this, but it does happen to be workable, and when he hurts she wants to wrap her whole self protectively around him, mind and body and soul, so she goes for maximum contact and asks no questions.

She doesn't speak until she has the wound disinfected and covered to her satisfaction, with bonded organic polymers that will act as scabs until Cain's body finishes the job, and when she's done she tilts her head up to kiss him.]

I got caught in that room with the demons. Little Touko actually rescued me, can you credit it?

[anewlanguage]

[He smiles, nods slightly] Doesn't surprise me, kid.

What'd the monsters look like anyway?

[tucky]

[She snorts.]

Hot girls. So it was hard to get him away, as you can imagine.

Re: [spam]

[anewlanguage]

Touko? Really? How'd that pan out?

[He can't quite picture it, but he wants to. It'll be nice to think of something other than his wrist--which he's massaging through the bandage--or the whole mess behind them. It's nice to be talking to Iris again like this, to see that she's injured but not view it through a lens of panic over her mental state. He's proud of her, for having risked her life for Marsh, and he knows that might seem hypocritical but he hopes she of all people will understand that it's not.]

[anewlanguage]

[He laughs]

You didn't have to gouge his eyes out did you? Didn't have to fireman-carry his ass out?

[tucky]

Almost. They were doing this mind-control thing-- I almost fell for it too, 'cause there were other ones that were hot guys. But I snapped out of it and got him out and now we're here.

[spam]

[routemistress]

It were a sort of temptation set up. Mason got caught in it and all; I saw our Tiffany tell you. It weren't quite that way with me - I mean, if it'd just been a roomful of pretty young men offering drinks and foot massage, I don't think I'd've fallen for that, you know? Not in a tower full of flipping ghosts.

[She curls in close, her head under his chin, and basks on the feeling of not being hurt and angry with each other. She's proud of him as well; whatever hurt him, he got free.]

But I were frantic about Mira. That's where they got in. They were promising to 'elp me, see? Only they'd be like, 'ere, there's time to sit down and 'ave a gin first, it'll be fine, we're on your side. A lot of guff about being a good mum.

[She's embarrassed; fortunately, her pride for Touko eclipses it easily.]

Touko come striding in like a little cross Valkyrie with a poker, all over green blood and slime where she'd killed one already. That were enough to break the spell, and I kicked out 'is kneecap then 'it im in the gob with them knuckledusters Babs gave me for Christmas. And Touko's graduated! I'm so pleased.

[anewlanguage]

[He grins at the thought of her rejecting a bunch of male-model-demons, and hauling Mason to freedom]

So you didn't, uh...have any demon screaming at you about shit you did back home or anything?