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

[blackfire]

（ why is everyone convinced he doesn't understand what fun is?

(spoilers: he does not.) ）

I enjoy reading.

[oiorpata]

[ gestures metaphorically at itachi. like gesturing at hiccup in how to train your dragon. 'you just gestured to all of me.' itachi, buddy. why do you think people don't believe you don't know how to have fun. ]

One of my brothers likes to read. His book collection is ridiculous. It only counts if you're doing it for leisure.

[blackfire]

Then I suppose it depends on how one defines 'leisure'.

（ having traversed distance between the training room and the kitchens, he now sets about preparing a simple meal. he assigns her a duty automatically — setting vegetables to peel in front of her and a knife.

it is normally something he would do alone. ）

[oiorpata]

Reading for the sake of reading. Not to learn anything or better your knowledge.

[ she takes the knife and starts to peel them without issue - just because she is a gremlin in the kitchen usually doesn't mean she doesn't actually know how to cook. ]

[blackfire]

（ he is silent a long moment, and then — ）

I do not believe any pursuit should be undertaken that is not intended for self-improvement, at least for myself. （ frivolity? don't know her. ） One can argue that one learns no useful skills from poetry — but art betters the soul, and is enjoyable to me for its own sake. Does that satisfy your requirements?

[oiorpata]

When I climb a snowy strenuous mountain, it's not because I'm trying to better myself. [ peeling and chatting, she can multi-task. ]

But if that's your logic, I can throw fun is important to self-improvement right back at you. You can read poetry just because you like the words.

[blackfire]

But it does better you — whether that is your intention or not. Climbing a mountain increases strength, fortitude, one's ability to navigate and survive in dangerous conditions, self-reliance, preparedness.

（ he is speaking in partial theoreticals — he has no idea if she can increase her strength or if she exists at a fixed point, but the other things surely apply. she is clearly of capable of learning new things. ）

I do like the words — these concepts can live alongside each other.

[oiorpata]

I'm already in shape, and I knew how to do all that before my first real climb. I like the thrill of it.

[ her strength can wax and wane and it's really the only reason she does train - she doesn't need actual practice with skills so much as she is keeping herself in shape. ]

[ but she is arguing with him mostly for the sake of it. ]

I guess that counts. [ she'll give him poetry. ]

[blackfire]

I find it difficult to believe you mastered the art of climbing a mountain before ever having done it, and have never improved your technique or equipment once in all your long years. Your primary reason may be enjoyment, but one still learns and improves passively.

（ a different route, a new technique, a piece of equipment that was not available a thousand years before. he doubts she climbs them in the same way as when she was truly young — he rather expects she would be bored. ）

I also do calligraphy for the enjoyment. It is... meditative. Serene.

[oiorpata]

You're being pedantic. [ she's grinning though. ] I didn't say I was born with innate mountain skills, nor that I don't improve each time I do it. But you said you only pursue things for self-improvement, and that's not my motivation for a climb. I literally just do it because it's fun for me.

[ it's not her only leisurely activity, but even those have changed over time, different recreations going in and out of style. ]

Now you're getting somewhere. [ learning to write was annoying enough, andy definitely does not do calligraphy. ]

[blackfire]

（ she calls him out, and there is a very brief flicker of a smile that does not linger. ）

I did not say only for self-improvement.

（ local man requires his fun to have a point.

but what would even bring a thrill, after so many thousands of years? life had ground him down to exhaustion before he was twelve years old. he cannot imagine and does not wish to fathom what carrying that for millennia would cost. ）

I also find it pleasant to be given time to cook.

[oiorpata]

[ that's not the point of fun, itachi!! ]

[ it's much easier to remember how to have fun with her family. they bring her a joy she sometimes loses when they're apart, as much as those breaks have become a necessity for her. she supposes it's one thing about humanity - they're always coming up with new ways to amuse themselves. ]

I promise I do know how to cook myself - [ he's seen the monstrosities she eats when she's feeling lazy ] - but another of my brothers enjoys it too, so it's easier to let him. How often do you attempt new recipes?

[blackfire]

I don't.

（ this is said as he adds stock to the rice cooker, and then sets its timer. he always prefers to have a protein alongside his meals — chakra expenditure is exhaustive, after all — and so he starts with preparing some of the freeze-dried meat from the supply drop. ）

Most of what I make is from my world, either learned in my travels or from watching my mother when I was young. I am not averse to trying new things, but it would be wasteful given our resources were I to ruin a recipe.

（ he'd still... eat it... but the perfectionist in him would rather not err to begin with. ）

[oiorpata]

It's not a waste if you still eat it.

[ it's almost like she can assume his train of thought. she harbors no such thoughts on perfectionism while cooking, because she is basically a goblin. ]

Tell you what. You ever feel like trying something new, I'll be guinea pig. I'll eat it even if it tastes like shit.

[blackfire]

I suppose it's only natural that you would have had worse in your life.

（ that'sajoke.gif. ）

What is a 'guinea pig'?

[oiorpata]

I've had all manner of delicacies. [ delicacies being used loosely here. ]

[ she pauses. ] It's a small rodent. But it's an English language idiom, because scientists used them a lot for experimentation, so it's sort of like... calling yourself a test subject.

[ she pauses again. ] I've eaten them too. A dish called cuy from a country called Peru.

[blackfire]

Ah. 'Lab rat'.

（ that one he understands, given orochimaru's proclivity to his tests. ）

Very well, then. Should I be so inspired, you may be my 'guinea pig'.

[oiorpata]

Pretty much. They're interchangeable.

But I love to eat, so you don't have the wasteful excuse anymore. It's a deal.

[ kitchen gremlin, as he's no doubt seen. ]

[blackfire]

（ kitchen gremlin indeed. he shakes his head faintly. ）

Deal.

（ a very faint echo, and then he turns his attention to preparing the meal, not troubling himself to speak again unless spoken to. ）