open 🗡may staycation

[oiorpata]

CHARACTERS: andy + open!
LOCATION: various station spots
DATE: post vrefesea mission
CONTENT: misc downtime feat an axe
WARNINGS: temporary burns and gnarly injuries in closed starters



I 🗡 QUIT YOUR JOB

[ after the initial arrival back on the station, the kaiju blood is clean and her skin is ✨ clear ✨, but she lost track of joe in the chaos, and there are others she wants to check on now that there isn't a lizard monster determined to tear everything up. her clothes are a bit of a mess - torn from the fight, holey from the blood, revealing pockets of unmarked and uninjured skin as her ex-archeologist attire is no longer fit for service. but she is deeply unconcerned in the immediate about any exposures, especially now that she's rid herself of the acidic blue sludge. ]

[ her axe is neat on her back in its holster, guns tucked away, and she looks remarkably put together for a woman who just double-team killed the train monster. mostly she is moving through the orbers, but she'll stop at anyone who looks worse for wear, or at anyone she already knows even a nominal amount. she can't believe how concerned she's getting for these orbers. ugh. ]

You good? [ injured? in need of a snack? a literal lift to the infirmary?? ]

[ after the visits to the infirmary, andy makes her way to the kitchen. her axe is still at her back, her clothes are still a mess, but she wants a goddamn drink. for once in her life she doesn't steal the whole bottle of vodka, popping it open and pouring herself a full glass at the counter instead. it is roughly the size of a beer mug. ]

[ and then she just starts to chug it. water break?? no. this is better. snacks will be next. ]

II 🗡 LIVE IN THE WOODS

[ andy, as always, prefers the sunlight room. ]

[ perhaps today she is sitting beside the stream, barefoot with a smatter of tools scattered around her as she scrubs and cleans her axe. she made sure the kaiju blood was removed quickly and immediately, but it was a good reminder that it's probably due for a good fixer upper. the sun is warm, and she's in a dark tank top with black leggings, expertly wiping it down. at some point she switches over to sharpening it. ]

[ it's old as balls, just like she is, and it does not have the same healing properties. but she handles it with both great care and expertise. ]

[ if she's not with her axe, she is probably just sleeping. her feet dangle in the stream and she lays flat on her back, eyes closed. the sun feels nice on her face and she enjoys the quiet, save for the sound of the water. she won't miss anyone approaching, but she'll give it a minute to see if they pass before saying anything. ]

Come on in, the water's fine. [ the water is in fact chilly, and maybe she's not entirely asleep despite all appearances. there is also zero sign of injury, despite most assuredly coming in close contact with kaiju blood. ]

III 🗡 WILD CARD + POTENTIAL TRAINING

[ throw something at me or lets chat!! you can find me at communism or romanitas#5368 @ disco! wildcard me or we can do a custom thing! c:

[ definitely open to training stuff, especially if we've talked about it before, but i'd prefer to write up a custom thing given andy + weapons etc so hit me up if you'd like and lets plot! or drop one of your own design! you wanna learn to use any weapon at all?? andy's ur girl. ]

Comments

quit your job;

[farr]

[ there'd been an abundance of negative energy on the train from the other orbers, related to something or other with the loss of their powers. it'd been the opposite for rita who'd had the most jolly time, free from the prison of her atrocious abilities, free from the anxiety of potentially becoming a ball of slime every time she so much as breathed.

the moment she'd returned to the station, her body had nearly melted on the spot, managing to escape on clumpy legs to her room just in time before being spotted by the others, giving her the space to quite literally pull herself back together into looking like a proper person again.

hours it had taken, but rita farr eventually makes her way to the kitchen, no imperfection in sight, even if it's taking all of herself to stay looking like that.

she needs a drink, probably. a good martini. a gin and tonic. anything to cope with the loss of those few days of bliss — though the moment she gets there, she finds someone's already beaten her to it, her brow raising at the woman chugging down her glass. ]

Am I intruding on a private little toast or is there free entry for company?

[oiorpata]

[ should andy have done literally anything else before getting a drink? probably. but she has her priorities, and after a long few days without her immortality, she's glad it's back and glad she's healed and ready to drink away - well, everything, as always. ]

[ she's made it about halfway through her mug before company arrives and the woman speaks up. she takes another big gulp then breaks it with a deep breath. ]

[ then she pushes the bottle over to share. good thing she didn't chug from the bottle itself this time! ]

I'll toast to more drinks, but only after I finish this one.

[farr]

[ honestly, rita places no judgment. if she had gotten here first, she'd be doing precisely the same thing. blame her condition for causing a bit of a delay on that part.

when the bottle is nudged in her direction, she plucks out another glass before beginning to pour. even if she weren't sharing, she's not normally a straight-from-the-bottle kind of gal, if she can help it. best to maintain class even in times where she's fighting to pull out her own hair. ]

Is this a celebratory toast or one for simply trying to get through another day here?

[oiorpata]

[ andy likes the bottle because sometimes she ends up drinking the whole bottle anyway, so it just cuts out time. today she just felt like doing a good old fashioned chug. ]

[ she downs another couple big sips. ]

Let's go with both. We'll drink to orbs and dead monsters and a good night's sleep.

[farr]

That sounds like exactly the kind of thing worth toasting to.

[ she laughs with a casual delight, always appreciating a good drink, especially in a time in which she's still trying to get her bearings for being here in the first place.

tipping her glass up, she brings it to her lips, humming a satisfied noise. ]

Mmm. [ curling her lips inward, tasting the liquor from them, she holds up her free hand, pointing upwards with a finger. ] Hold on. Now, speaking of dead monsters — I heard talk about a woman that brought down that enormous ugly thing. Was that you?

[oiorpata]

[ andy will drink to most anything - but she does tilt her glass in time, even if there's probably some sort of toast etiquette about cheers before you drink. ]

[ it's always too late for that with andy. drink first, talk later. ]

What gave it away? [ her tone is edging on amused, as if she doesn't have a big old axe at her back and holey singed clothes. ] I didn't do it alone. Mal helped.

[farr]

Just from, what is no doubt, a very lucky guess.

[ though she's not sure anyone could look so "battle ready" after a battle as this woman seems to right now. honestly, she holds herself with a sort of casual confidence that rita could only ever hope to achieve. ]

Don't be so modest. That was brave what you did.

[ she exhales a stark breath, preparing herself for another hefty drink. ]

I spent the whole fight ducking behind the drinks cart, wondering whether to go out with the gin or the vodka.

[oiorpata]

[ she doesn't really think of it as brave. this is what she is good at, consistently, even when she hadn't had her healing on the train - it's not like she suddenly forgot how to fight. violence is just a part of who she is. ]

[ to avoid answering immediately, andy also takes a hefty swig. ]

There's no shame in taking cover if you're not in a place to fight. [ oop, another gulp. ] It's not modesty. Mal used a special gun to break through the scales, and it let us both strike it down. I did it because I could.

[farr]

[ i did it because i could.

the words are plenty simple, and yet they strike some kind of chord, like there's almost an epiphany behind the whole idea. how many times has rita doubted herself, chanting the inner utters of "i can't", only to find out she's plenty capable if she actually wills herself to.

she hums briefly, not immediately going in for another drink this time, looking at the liquid in her glass as she ponders. ]

And if someone ... is in a place to fight? Let's say, they have the potential ... skills that could be put to use. What would be your advice to jumping right in and taking that shot?

[oiorpata]

[ she seems to be having a bit of a moment, and andy will let her have it while she drains the last of her own drink, having no such qualms about slowing her roll. then she eyes the bottle, debating more. it's fine, she's fine. ]

[ luckily, the woman draws her attention. it leaves her curious, makes her wonder what skill she might have. some sort of magic, maybe? lots of magicked people were shit out of luck on the train. ]

[ she grabs the bottle anyway, pouring to fill her glass about halfway. ] Just fucking do it. [ easier said than done, andy. she leans back on the counter and sloshes the liquid around. ] We're all here for a reason, right? If you have a skill, it's not gonna do you any good to let it sit there.

[farr]

[ definitely easier said than done. if rita had the muscles and the brawn of this woman, and could go charging like a warrior into the face of a giant monster to fight it, she absolutely would. but being on the dainty side means that she still hasn't quite figured out how to ... make herself more useful.

after all, her little special skill isn't as simple as being physically strong or capable of swinging a weapon. ]

And what if someone's skill — [ because, yes, she will keep talking in the third person. ] — is almost disgustingly embarrassing?

[ and now, she will absolutely down the rest of her drink in one go. ]

[oiorpata]

[ the third person is cute but andy knows without a doubt now that she can do something. she's curious, but she won't push too hard either, figuring she'll tell her if she wants to. ]

[ she takes another sip of her own drink. ] Embarrassing is subjective.

[ also easy for andy to say, who probably doesn't even know how to be embarrassed anymore. when was the last time she blushed?? fuck if she remembers. ] If this hypothetical person doesn't want to be embarrassed by what they can do, they can practice with it till they feel better about it.

[farr]

[ okay, so maybe she's being entirely obvious, but it beats coming right out and saying it. sometimes rita has too hard of a time admitting her own faults, since she spent far too long trying to keep herself defined within the parameters of perfection. ]

Well, that's very sound advice. Even Sir Laurence Olivier had to study his lines to be master of his craft. The same goes for any skill.

[ the idea is fairly obvious, yes. it's understanding the application that's the problem. after a moment of hesitation, pursing his lips to hold herself back, she finally blurts out — ] I need a trainer.

[oiorpata]

He was a good actor, but I'm partial to Anna May Wong if I had to pick a favorite. [ they definitely fucked. but she's talking about the acting here! ]

[ she takes another big swig of her drink, expression softening a little bit when the woman finally - sort of - acknowledges herself as the mystery person in need of training. it's a start, but there's still a mystery. ]

Do you wanna learn how to use an axe? I don't know what you need training with. I might not be a good teacher, if you're asking me. [ she doesn't get the sense it's weapons training needed here. ]

[farr]

Oh, she was extraordinary and an absolute dream that I never had the chance to work with, but that's all besides the point right now —

[ no, she doesn't even consider that andy would personally know her at all, much less in ways that she certainly wouldn't have, but her mind is focused elsewhere right now.

but the mention of an axe makes her scoff with a nervous laugh. ]

Me? With an axe? God, no. You never want to put a weapon in my hands. Not unless it's a prop. I can handle those just fine, but — [ don't trail off, rita. ] No, what I need is ... someone who exerts confidence in a fight. To teach me firmness and aggression for battle. Someone who faced a giant monster without batting her lashes.

[oiorpata]

[ old hollywood vibes. that's what she was getting from this woman! she wants to ask her if she's from the 40s but andy isn't quite sure when exactly she ran into ms. wong in berlin. she was there a lot back in those days. ]

I can do all that shit in a fight because I know I can. Whatever skill you have - it's yours. Do you trust it to be there for you? Do you know how to wield it successfully? I can help you practice, but the confidence has to come from knowing you yourself are capable.

[farr]

[ rita wants to believe she's somehow found the holy grail in this woman, like the trainer that's been necessary to push her into action (because vic had only ever really helped to an extent, on account of his own self-crisis). but whatever momentary excitement she'd found begins to stagger with that question. ]

The trust is ... a bit complicated sometimes.

[ which is hard to explain without having to explain everything. ]

Well, how did you come to be confident in yourself? I can't imagine you always knew you were capable, right? You had to have learned it somehow.

[oiorpata]

[ the thing about andy is that she does know she is confident as much as she knows she is good - they go hand in hand. and she very much thinks more women should also be confident in themselves. she might be gruff about it, but it doesn't mean she wants to discourage it. ]

It's allowed to be complicated, especially if it isn't something you don't have total control with yet. As you get better with your skills, you trust the skills.

[ she gestures idly over her shoulder at the axe. ] It's the practice. I know I'm good with this because I learned to be good with it, and I've been using it for a very long time.