Down Under - Men at Work

[playingtough]

WHO: Hargrove, Shepherd, Stark, OTA
WHERE: Swimming through Temba
WHAT: Various posts
WHEN: It's Gonna Be MerMay
WARNINGS: Language, talks of injuries



Vegemite Sandwich - Open

As if the what, thirty-six hours or so weren't enough whiplash for Billy, imagine the surprise of waking up underwater. With fins. Either Kaplan was really trying to make up for what happened in some weird way, or the aliens were doing shit again. Swimming out of his hospital bed, everything still hurt, but it was bearable. His left arm is all wrapped up and splinted, and his torso is just as wrapped, as per Billy's request.

After giving himself some time to make sure all of his injuries and scars were wrapped up, he heads out. The blond isn't really... fast, per say. There's speed to his swimming compared to doing it as a human at least. Seems like the bruises from his fall transferred to his tail though. Damn aliens, they could've healed him up first before giving him a tail. Or Kaplan. Whoever it was that did this shit. Swimming out to the town center and hovering over the fountain, he decides he'd rather be closer to the ground.

"I guess this is to make up for trying to set the place on fire last year with the volcano?" he grumbles, looking around with a hand on his hip.

Fried-Out Kombi - Stark

His exploring of the water leads him down to the southern part of the city. Maybe the southwest? It's difficult for him to tell like this underwater. Whatever, it's not important. What is important is that somewhere here, where the lake is now really filled again, is Billy's lost axe. The one he had dropped during the rage bug thing had Kaplan attack him. It wasn't anywhere on the road, which was a shame.

His heart drops in his chest at the sight of that yawning opening below him. That bright red tail swishes to take him further from it. He breathes in and out steadily, staring down at it. Everything was underwater. There were no rats here to swarm him, nothing to snap out to snag him. To drag him down into darkness while whatever possessed him made his hands do unforgivable things. He swims in a circle above, trying to gather enough nerve to just swim in, to find his weapon.

"It's just a tunnel," he mutters under his breath. "There's no rats, no Vecna thing."

A Man in Brüssel - Shepherd

Later, when it's clear the sun is setting, Billy heads back to familiar territory. His swimming is a little stronger now, more familiar with the natural feeling motion of his fins and tail. There's a quick trip into the civic center to make sure his tape player is okay - it seems to be - and he swims down to the main level. A longing look at all the training gear he wouldn't be able to use for awhile, Billy heads back out to the town square. There's no lingering there, because now he can do something he wouldn't be able to as a human.

Bubbles stream in his wake when the Californian heads to the diner. Not to the doors though, going up around to a window he's more familiar with. Peering in, he knocks on Tommy's window with his good hand. "Shepherd! Open up!" he calls, lowering enough so he can lean against the windowsill with his good arm like he's some sort of fairytale prince or something.

"It's not every day I can meet you up at your window like this after all."

Comments

[in_extremis]

The damage that Wiccan was capable of under the influence of one of those bugs was intimately familiar to Tony, and he hadn't even been near this time to be feeling the ripples of it. The cameras had been the first priority, leaving him feeling blind while he slowly assembled what he needed to manufacture them again. The damage that he should have anticipated was his launch platform, left out on the field like a beacon for disaster, and looking miserable tipped on its side with weeds ripped up where it should have been securely bolted into the ground, swaying serenely like flags of surrender. His approach was slowed as he spotted the flash of colour hovering over the lake, and Tony ducked low to slink across the field, watching carefully and feeling emboldened by just how distracted the guy seemed to be. In fact, Tony could make it all the way to the platform without the guy moving much at all. And now he seemed to be talking to himself. Tony lingered a moment longer, holding the edge of the platform and ready to duck behind it, but ultimately gave it an apologetic pat. Something wasn't right, and Tony had to leave the relative security of it to circle generously around the guy, where he could slide carefully into his view from a safe distance. He threw a cautious glance down at the darkness opening below them before flipping casually onto his back and letting himself drift, too cool and curious to pose a threat. "Are we waiting for something?" he ventured.

[playingtough]

Billy isn't paying too much attention, focusing on the depths of the opening below him. Even as Tony shows up, the blond tenses and moves to get a little more meters between them. "No," he responds with more defense than necessary.

"Got into a fight that had me lose my axe. And it was around here, near the road, so I'm pretty sure it's down in there." His scales and stripes shimmer in the light and he looks over Tony as if trying to assess the threat he is. "Who're you?"

[in_extremis]

The strange fixation that Tony had stumbled upon had prepared him for some defensiveness, so he appeared not to notice it, chin raised with a hum of acknowledgement like 'no' was a perfectly satisfying answer, and making no move to return all of that tense energy. On his back and still drifting, he let his head keep rolling back, like maybe he could spot where the axe might have landed from this new perspective, then kept tipping back to flip lazily with a peacocking show of his sizzling tail to answer, "Just what you're looking for, sweetheart." After a beat and a wry grin, he had to admit, "In a manner of speaking. That axe wasn't cheap, we better get looking, but maybe start thinking about how you're going to pay me for another one."

[playingtough]

Billy is thankful that Tony doesn't push on his defensive response. He swims back and forth a little, like he really is working up some kind of nerve. When he moves his bandaged arm there's a grimace, but nothing more. "I'm not your sweetheart." Now that's a face he makes for that.

He does close a little of the distance, but not close enough to grab immediately. A brow lifts. What did—— "Gladio went to you to get it made?" It seems like an obvious answer, but sometimes it actually wasn't.

"I'm not paying you for shit because there's not exactly money here. So I guess I'm gonna have to go find it." There's a little swim towards the entrance, but doesn't go in. Billy hesitates. He shouldn't.

But he does. "I can find it." Is he saying it for himself or for Tony? It's hard to say.

[in_extremis]

Tony gave an easy hum, like that sour face was a very predictable response, and only went a little still when Billy slightly less predictably advanced on him. He was already down a limb, he couldn't have really expected to get aggressive, but Tony had been more surprised by a punch. "He managed to pay me," he confirmed, with an expectant raise of his eyebrows. Everyone around here hated the petname, and not one of them could conceive of a currency that wasn't money. One day, someone would surprise him.

He didn't quite paddle, but let himself sink after Billy, letting him consider the darkness of the lake from a distance that wasn't urgent. It was only the restless flicking of the up of his tail, drawing an arc of electricity through the water each time it curled against itself, that betrayed his energy. "Big metal thing," he did volunteer. "Got to be some way of, hm, detecting it."

[playingtough]

From Billy Hargrove? Very predictable response. "Well I'm not him and it's not like there's a demand for lifeguards and car mechanics here. Do aliens even believe in money? In cash?"

The first crackle of electricity following Tony's tail gets him to jerk a little to the side, startled by it. "I don't know about detecting it, but if we get a light, we can probably find it faster." A glance at the tail. "Maybe we could just attach a lightbulb to your end there."

[in_extremis]

The water bubbled around Tony as he sighed a laugh and eyed Billy with a smirk like he had just shared an inside joke. Billy was going to have to figure out on his own how funny it was that he thought it necessary to insert a step between offering his services and getting paid, though, because Tony skipped over to, "You're a mechanic?" He looked brightly curious then, and almost like he might flip over again, until he noted, "Then you should know making a magnet is a lot easier than making a lightbulb. We could race, if you really want, but I do have a bit of an advantage." He flicked is sparking tail again, with a slightly strange move that may or may not have been an indication toward the hulk of metal scrap that had been tipped over in the field. The launch platform maybe had a few options to aid their search.

[playingtough]

"I work on my car at home. I thought about doing it as work after I got out of high school, but I ended up being a lifeguard. Best looking one, too." A side glance as he sees that curiosity there. "Yeah I'm not racing you. Older men cheat and lie to get the advantage, so I'll focus on finding my axe."

He does look over at the heap of what might've been metal scrap and drifts towards it. "Any idea what the hell that was supposed to be? Maybe there's something in it that can make some light."

All of this looking for a light because Billy did not plan on going into that tunnel without one.

[in_extremis]

There wasn't a more important quality in a lifeguard. Tony snorted another laugh, and started to purr, "I'm sure you were...," but his playful lazing was finally interrupted as he drew himself up more stiffly. He knew he was a threat, but this kid didn't have to catch on so quickly. He stayed where he was as Billy moved this time, coiling his tail up while he watched carefully.

"It was a missile launch platform," he answered, teasing and encouragement gone to leave his voice much colder. "Nothing to worry about now, the dangerous parts all got launched." Nothing particularly illuminating, either; mostly metal beams, wiring and computer chips, and sharp spikes that had been driven into the ground.

[doubled_speed]

"At my window, huh?"

Sorry man, you're definitely not catching him off guard by showing up at his window. Because of course Tommy hadn't been in there. Any time he wasn't working he'd been spending at Billy's bedside, or at least in the hospital, a place that he hated, anxiously wondering if he was hovering too much.

Which of course meant it's Tommy, with another load of foodstuffs. This time it trails along behind him, a net caught around some fish and greens, all tied around his shoulders. Had to be that high up of course, to not interfere with his tail and sail. Both of which are of course marvelous. Maybe his belly scales aren't as impressive, silvery-white in color and mostly plain, but along his sides there's a light green going up to a dark green along his back. His tail fin was the same sort of spotted, iridescent purple as the truly large, spiny sail along the ridge of his back, which stood tall right now with his excitement.

Clearly he was a guy that wasn't going to get to wear a shirt. But that's fine, because he has a fine smattering of silver and pale green scales running up the tops of his arms and his back and all the way up his neck.

He looks almost relaxed in the water, smiling wide and keeping his position with ease. Like he was born to it. Maybe he was. Hard to keep memory shit straight when this stuff happened. Tommy was... particularly susceptible to mind fucky things like this.

"Want me to swim in so you can try again?"

[playingtough]

His fins wiggle gently back and forth, the red spines swaying with him. At the sound of his partner's voice, he turns, grinning. Billy leans back against the diner, very carefully crossing his arms. "Ruining my approach? Maaaaan."

He laughs, eyes still on the greens and whites of scales sparkling on Tommy. "I think it'll lose the effect if you do it, but if you want to, because I don't get to do it." Usually he was on the ground and since ladders weren't common around the diner, he wouldn't get an opportunity like this. Billy keeps where he is next to the window. "Yeah, go inside so I can swoon you up here, Shepherd."

Despite the injuries and some lingering pain when he moved, Billy was in far better spirits than when he was in the hospital.

[doubled_speed]

Well then. He offers a wink and slips down to haul things inside. Takes some time before he swims upstairs. Then he comes right to the window and looks out.

"Hey there gorgeous. You come all the way here just to see me?"

[playingtough]

Well then. Billy didn't think he'd go for it, so color him surprised when Tommy disappears into the diner out of sight. He pushes himself back up on the windowsill some more again. He almost collides with Tommy, but manages to pull himself back just in time.

"You bet I did. Feeling better from all of this so I figured I'd come to see you for once. It's not every day I get to swim into someone's room through the window after all."

[doubled_speed]

"Isn't it? Could be. It should be. Beautiful man with beautiful fins coming to see me? It's a blessing," Tommy says with a smile. "How's the healing going? Think I can finally talk you into accepting a magical fairy's touch to heal it up?"

[playingtough]

"I’ll give you the beautiful fins part," which swish behind him as he wiggles a bit for the attention. Tommy knew how Billy felt about the rest of his looks, no matter how much so far his speedy boyfriend tried to change his mind. It was going to be a tough hurdle to jump.

"Arm is still sore, still stings," but he bristles at the accepting Kaplan‘s help in the healing. He looks away. He hadn’t seen the guy since the whole ordeal, and was plenty okay with it. But Roger’s said this would scar and Kaplan might be able to lessen it. "Maybe. Try to talk me into it." A little challenge, and he swims a bit closer, a little more in the window.

[doubled_speed]

"Beautiful fins. Gorgeous man that is denying me a view of his absolutely beautiful skin and muscles," TOmmy pouts. But yeah, the pain was a fair reason.

"Well, my brother is pretty good at getting magic healing done quickly. And he owes you, Billy. For what he did. Come on, let him take away the burns, baby."

He also reaches out the window to cup his hand around Billy's cheek and leans in to kiss him. So fucking nice.

[playingtough]

"I gotta keep my injuries protected," Billy lies. He didn’t need that much around his torso, but it was nice having his Flayed scars hidden away. He listens to Tommy, a flicker of doubt in his own pretty blue eyes. Kaplan did owe him.

There’s almost a response, but Tommy’s cupping his cheek and kissing his lips.

Oh that was just playing dirty.

But Billy likes the kiss, judging by both how he presses into it, and also by how the spines jutting from his back spread. Out. He grins as he pulls back. "Dirty cheater. I feel like I can’t tell you no after that. I’ll do it, but," he licks blues to greens. "You have to stay with me. Or Soldier. I’m not being in a room by myself with him for awhile."

1;

[sinistral]

Some people, for all their strength, for all their fancy hardware, are particularly susceptible to the mind fuckery. Not the sort of playing around, telling someone one thing now and something different later kind of mind fuckery, but the big stuff. Control, memory alteration, all those fun tricks that could have a person believing that the tentacles he currently had, had always been there.

Well, maybe not always as he doubted he'd been born with the metal, but those two probably came from the same place the metal arm did.

Regardless of origins they were useful, strong and durable. He took advantage of them now to help him pry up stones, looking for crabs or small fish to hunt. Hey, a guy has to eat! Though he's being relatively quiet he does send a rock or two flying before abandoning the search in this area; nothing seems to be around.

Allowing himself to drift up out of the rocks, he can see why: little prey animals are likely to lie low with one predator around, never mind two. "Billy," he greets. "Looking for something?"

[playingtough]

He’s restless, wanting to get his weapon and yet not feeling brave enough to tackle the dark tunnel yawning open before him. Billy hates it and swishes his tail in irritation. The sound of rocks hitting the ground gets some of his attention, but Soldier gets it all with his greeting.

"Yeah. The… ordeal with Kaplan, I dropped my axe and it went down there," he explains with a pointed finger. "Trying to not be a chicken shit in going to get it."

But the tunnel looms with bad memories, which makes getting close difficult.

[sinistral]

Yes, Kaplan had attacked Hargrove, he remembered that. Threw him up and tossed him down, hurt him all over — but the exact details were fuzzy to the Soldier. He'd fought Kaplan, incapacitated him, but those details are fuzzy too.

He knows he should be worried about his mind, how he can't remember things he should know, how it seems worse than normal. But he doesn't have time to dwell on those thoughts.

He pulls himself over to Billy on mismatched tentacles, to get a better angle for looking in the tunnel. It's dark, and hard to make out what could be inside. "Do you want someone to go with you?"

[playingtough]

Billy wishes the details were fuzzy for him. It's difficult to forget, when your arm is still wrapped up along with your chest (though the latter is more for other reasons instead of just the breaks). He looks over the mismatched tentacles, and stiffens at the sight of them, but relaxes. It's only Soldier.

"I was hoping to get a light somewhere. Go in with it, find the axe and hurry back out. I won't say no to someone joining me."

Someone to come with him to help keep the nightmares at bay.

[sinistral]

"I'll help you." It's an easy offer to make. Billy has already impressed him by being level headed; he'd even venture to say that he likes the guy, attitude and all.

"The light's gonna be the tricky part though." Finding one, because while he's seen some luminescent fish and mosses, none seem bright enough to really light the dark cave.

"The supply place maybe," he muses, though that feels weird too. He's gotten supplies, obviously, but he can't think of a single thing he picked up in the last few days. Why?

[playingtough]

He's been through a lot that burned out the impatience he might've once had. Maybe being possessed and facing down death did it. Maybe dealing with Neil did it. "Good. I don't want to go down there by myself anyways."

He looks at the two of them, pondering the choices they had for light. "Yeah, neither of us are very bright, are we?" Smirks at the word play. "Supply place? Is that the welcome center or whatever the aliens call it? Whale combs or something?"

[sinistral]

"Safety in numbers. Smart strategy." Fear, real or perceived, has nothing to do with it. It's pure, practical strategy.

He cracks half a smile at the little joke; some of the others had a luminescent glow, but neither he nor Billy possess that trait. "Yes, the whale combs. I think if we find anything useful, it'd be there."

[playingtough]

"Learned my lesson the last time." Not that Billy thought there was any creature here that could possess him like the Mindflayer did, better safe than sorry. Again. He wouldn't be able to face himself if he let down Max or Tommy if something happened.

"Yeah, let's go look there then. Know where it's at? I can't make heads or tails of this place half the time."