goddamngrenades | RP Open Post

"I dunno. I think we gave him a pretty good view of what we can do. Just not in the way he might've liked. In that we're successful. Besides." He reaches across, gently laying his hand over Wash's. Squeezes, tries to pry the nails out of his skin. No more of that. No more pain when they haven't done anything to earn it. "I'm the boss. And I say you did a damn good job. Both of you. It wasn't easy- it wasn't pleasant and you both pulled through for me."

A nudge from Delta has him adding one last little bit. "I'm proud."

He slumps at the touch, reluctantly lets York pulls his hand away from his neck. They're going back to the rebel camp except he's a lot less whole than he had been last time. He doubts he could muster even a fraction of the control that he would need to be the merc again. Not now.

He tilts his head, gives York a slightly confused look when he says that, a frown between his eyebrows. Feels a little off. Something has shifted and he's not sure what it is, but it leaves him unsteady. Maybe it's... everything. Being proud though, that gets a small smile from Wash. "Finally did the right thing. Shouldn't have taken this long."

"Didn't have much opportunity to do the right thing till now." He gives Wash's hand a squeeze, leaning in to butt their foreheads together for a moment. Safe. Well. Safer. He got them out. He got it DONE.

This armor's better than he'd feared it might be. And without side effects! That's a bonus.

A brief moment of affection is all he lets himself have before he pulls away and unstraps himself to check in with Carolina. Give her much the same talk- she had it worse. SHe never got a chance to slip out and be herself- or shades of herself, with anyone else.

"I'm glad I found you, y'know, in the canyon. Even if I did try to shoot you," he adds, a tired smile on his lips. He leans his forehead against York's, lets himself breathe for a long moment. Feels better. Feels comforting. He wants nothing more than to curl up in his bed in the rebel base and sleep.

He leans his head back against the wall when York leaves, focuses on breathing as the pelican touches down on the ground. Fuck, he's gonna have to face Kimball and the kids.

"Me too." Even if there was a while he felt like he'd been used up and ground up. They're fine now. Well. Fine ish. He'll sort it out once they've landed.

York heads out first, helmet clipped to his belt to talk with Kimball. The kids. Explain what he can as best he can and- they're remarkably forgiving. The fact he promised a bunch of arms and ammo probably helps. That he brought Wash back and one more. That he's covered in blood is probably disconcerting but- it's war. It happens.

THey'd gotten their shit together at least. Pulled in to Armonia, started small strikes against Charon bases listed in the info Wash had given him. Some casualties but- they're making progress. Slowly.

Wash and Carolina... "I'll take responsibility for them. I got it. They'll fall in."

THey'll have to.

He ducks back into the Pelican, nodding at his- squad? Second in command? Whatever. "Unload. We got new rooms, we'll be setting up there afterward."

The wait while York talks to Kimball and the kids is maddening. He's... he's nervous. More nervous than he has been for a long time. Waiting for punishment sucked, but there was a certain resigned inevitability about it. This? He doesn't know what will happen.

He looks up when York returns, gives a short nod. "They're... I'm surprised they're letting me anywhere near them. I wouldn't." He doesn't trust himself.

"We're in our own area." A beat. "You're both in a suite with me. I'm sort of your warden/roomie." He had to talk them DOWN to allowing that much, even.

He nods. That makes sense. "Then can you tell them that I'll submit to whatever justice they want to bring against me. Court Marshall or a full trial, whatever."

He stands up, keeps his helmet under his arm. Less threatening that way. Should probably lose the armour altogether.

"Dish duty." Quick and easy, Painless. HE may or may not have alluded to the brainwashing. "We'll work out the rest later. Come on, help me unload."

Wash stares at him incredulously for a moment. "Bullshit. It's not that easy. I betrayed them. I got them killed." And if nothing else, he is going to do whatever he can to make up for that.

Instead of grabbing any of the crates though, he grabs the matching cube to the one he'd vanished. "So, this is my load of stuff," he replies smirking.

"What do you want, the chair? They don't operate like that here. We'll sort it out later. Hell, I'm STILL pissed you two got caught up in this and I"m still pissed with both of you but bringing Charon down and saving this place kind of takes priorities. So. Later." He heads to the first crate and turns, peering back at Wash. "You wanna do penance you will lift and carry with Carolina and me. Jackass."

He flinches at the mention of it, his smirk fading instantly. "Right. Yeah. I just... like to know where I stand." He always knew where he stood with Charon. They never let him forget it. He hadn't expected this to be easy, but he also hadn't really expected that he would survive to do more than get York out and maybe take out the base.

He slips his helmet on and goes over to heft a crate of ammo, starting to unload it. There are people outside staring at him. Kimball, a couple of the kids. He tries very hard not to look at them.

Palomo's the one that can't keep his mouth shut. York figured as much. "Traitor!"

Only reason an apple doesn't get thrown at them is Andersmith catching his wrist and tugging him away. Jensen stares and Bitters is actually putting in the effort to seethe.

The Feds were likewise staring- though that might have more to do with York in bloody armor carrying crates of equipment that should use a lifter with his bare (ish) hands. The suit's strength buffs are pretty nice.

There's no flinch for that. No visible reaction, although inside his helmet his expression is far less relaxed. Shouldn't have got attached. Should never have let himself care. It just made it hurt more when things came crashing down. Should have learned that during the project.

He just keeps unloading the crates, silent, until the pelican is empty. And then he pulls out the cube and tosses it, making the second load of supplies appear as though it had always been there.

York Sighs and keeps right on working. They'll deal with it later. Kids still need training, Wash needs to work, he's more or less their handler-

It'll be.

Difficult, moving forward. But necessary.

"Rooms are this way." At the far end of the facility. Bedroom, private showers, private armory. That he'll have a key to.

He's grateful when they can get away from the crowd they'd gathered. God they'd been grateful for the equipment, but suspicious as hell. He can't blame them. He'd be surprised if they weren't. He's still glad to be out of the public eye. The shadows suit him much better.

"Nice. What the hell did you say to get us the royal treatment?" It's a nice set of rooms. A suite in, well, he guesses it used to be the presidential residence.

"That I blew up their base, brought them intel, brought them equipment, two soldiers that will do as they're told, and kind of really want Hargrove to die. A lot." A beat passes as he starts unhooking his armor to hang it up, Carolina doing much the same, quietly. "Also brought up 'brainwashed beyond an ability to rationally resist-' so that bought us some breathing room."

Well, when he put it like that...

He doesn't start undressing though. Still feels too on edge to want to be that vulnerable, even if it's just the three of them. God, all three of them. He hadn't taken his armour off much during the project either.

"I see," he says, letting out a soft breath. "Guess that explains why Kimball didn't just try to shoot me."

"Nah. If either of you do anything suspicious or act out or- anything it falls on me." Since he's couching for them. More or less. "So she wouldn't shoot you-well. She wouldn't shoot you first."

That has Carolina going tense, but he doesn't comment on it further. Strips down to the undersuit and massages the skin around his implant, Delta already running a diagnostic. "Left shoulder sticks a little. That me or the suit?"

He gives York a sharp look, and he's very glad that he has his helmet on so that he can hide his expression. "Why? Why would you agree to that? We don't know... I don't know what kind of effect the... suggestions Charon gave us will have while we're here." Still can't call it what it is. The word sticks in his throat. "What if the Chairman manages to activate something?"

He didn't think that he knew everything they'd done to his head. Why would they tell him everything?

He looks at Carolina, a pleading look, before he starts pacing, agitated now that he's trapped again, with York as collateral.

"Because whatever they've got left we'll work through. Because I trust that we can redirect it if not get rid of it outright. Because I trust you don't want anything to happen to me if we can help it." Down to his undersuit and he reaches out to Carolina, squeezing her shoulder. "For now it's just gonna be us over here, working through- well. Working through it. D's got their records. We'll get it sorted."

Understanding is the first step, really. Everything else will come after. "We win this war for them then...like we planned. Beach house, surfing, kitten. Somewhere with rock climbing too, I think."

For Carolina.

"Of course I don't want anything to happen to you," Wash says. He sighs and reaches up to pull his helmet off. "I just don't trust myself. I don't trust my own thoughts or instincts." He didn't trust himself to do the right thing, or to even know what the right thing was. He'd struggled hard enough to not shoot York back in the base. How did you work through that stuff?

Carolina smiles slightly at him, raises a hand to squeeze York's fingers.

"And we'll work on that." He doesn't shrug- this isn't something that's so simple but- something about being with both of them, with having a base, with having a purpose and Delta buzzing in the back of his head- It makes anything more feel like small stuff. They can work through it together, little by little. "For now? Strip down, clean your gear, take a shower. I'll grab dinner."

It's not that easy. How do you rebuild yourself when you don't even remember what you're supposed to be? But there's something in York that's so certain when he speaks. And the orders... Even as Carolina's second in the project, he hadn't been one to give orders. Something about it leaves him on edge, even thought mostly it feels very right. Hah, see, can't even trust his own thoughts.

"Yeah. Sure." He was right about that. He's still exhausted.

He strips down quickly and they've been left with stuff to clean it. It's second nature to do that by now. You took care of your armour and weapons so they could take care of you. Ends up with his knives and guns laid out on the table while he checks them over.

And then, oh a hot shower. Sheds the undersuit for that, not caring if either of them sees him naked. They've both seen him nude before in the showers.

He didn't direct. He didn't order. He didn't take point- that was for Carolina to do. But here he was stepping up and handling it because-

why?

He couldn't place why. He'd done it for the kids (but they're kids not soldiers, kids not career fighters, rookies not Wash, not Carolina.) and it'd felt fine. Maybe it's him maturing. Maybe it's him being greedy. Maybe- He doesn't know.

Doesn't much care either. Focuses on cleaning the blood off his armor. Must be coated with teflon or something for how easy it is to clean. Stripped down to nothing and he's tired. The hot water's nice. He tries not to stare- Wash he's seen. Carolina? Not so much. The scars have him frowning but- nothing he can do about that now. "Clothes in the chest at the foot of the bed. It's all pretty basic." He dresses, gives them both a quick, crooked smile, and ducks out for food. Returns later with a tray heavy with protein bars and chicken and vegetables. Larger portions for people that burn through calories like smoke.

"It's not Gourmet but- it's something."

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

Re: York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

Re: York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance) META YORK