Log // Catch-All for April - OTA

[out_of_order]

WHO: Cal Kestis, BD-1 and you!
WHERE: Around Temba
WHAT: Exploring, fixing stuff, poking around and scavenging
WHEN: Catch-all for April
WARNINGS: N/A

Without the threat of a storm looming over them, Cal figures it's as good a time as any to try to get anything done. There seems to be plenty to see, and he's had his share of experiences when it comes to roaming ruins. The replicator project has been a success, and in no small part due to the help of Cipher Nine and Hux. What else needs fixing around here? Other than...well, everything.



Green
In the northwest part of the city he's begun clearing out one of the larger buildings. The space had seemed ample enough for a suitable work area, and the adjoining room suitable for storage. If not moving things around, Cal can be found bringing in some things, likely broken, very much salvaged, from wherever his wanderings have been.

...or you might catch him napping on a makeshift pallet in a corner while BD-1 plays around in a box of junk. Hey, even Jedi get exhausted! Who knew?




Blue
Running around some random ruins is probably training enough, but sometimes it's nice to know you're in a controlled space. The old theater looks sturdy enough, and given it's still standing as it is after so long, Cal hopes his trust in the architecture isn't unfounded.

If he's not found climbing along the sides of the highest raised rows or making impossible jumps (or heaven forbid, wall-running), he might be found at ground level at the theater's center, going through some exercises with a metal rod (probably a thin pipe) he'd found somewhere. It's far from a lightsaber and it makes him miss the one he's lost, but he goes through the forms fluidly and with as much care as if he still wields a blade of light.

Alternatively he can be found by the flood plain, looking very much like he's contemplating a swim as he wonders what the waters have swallowed up.



(OOC: Or choose your own adventure/wildcard! If you're up for doing anything else or have any ideas, tag away or PM/plurk/discord (Trilobite Punch#4073) me! :D And if action tags are more your thing over prose, I'll go with whatever your pref.)

Comments

[in_extremis]

Tony didn't have a good answer for the droid, so he offered a cautious shrug while he didn't think he had Jon's attention, but that was something of a mistake-- that look Jon shot him clearly said he was not interested in pursuing Tony's oblique suggestion to address what just happened. That was fine, Tony wasn't going to approach it any more directly; as far as he knew, this was an unhealthy coping mechanism, not the start of a downward spiral, and Tony definitely was not the guy to try to talk anyone through their psychological problems. He had his own suggestions, but AA steps didn't apply in every situation. His next signal to Cal was palms out, fingers spread, telling him Tony was disengaging. If Cal was pursuing it, he was on his own. "Great, we're all apologizing, powerful stuff," Tony said, hoping that would put an end to that behaviour and they both realized it was ridiculous for either of them to have gone there.

[out_of_order]

He doesn't directly look a Tony but he does catch the man's gesture out of his peripheral. Distancing from the situation isn't a bad idea at all. Cal just doesn't want to do so too abruptly. It's only when Tony speaks up that he does glance at the man, his head canting in the subtlest of a nod in acknowledgment of the unspoken.

"Hey. We're all good. Okay?" Cal tries to meet Jon's gaze as he speaks. "Anyway, it was something." It wasn't quite the workout he'd expected to get out, but he's not sure it helped the Archivist get over any qualms about knowing how to arm himself.

Slowly the padawan offers a nod as Jon volunteers to return to the library. "If you want," he says, not wanting to outright stop the man, but wanting to leave the option there so he'd know he's still welcome company. But if Jon wants to retreat, Cal can understand the need for some space.

[beholding_archivist]

As much as he likes to admit it, but Tony is right. Maybe not in his literal spoken words, but the underlying message carried within the tone. This sort of behavior is exactly what got Tim killed. It's this entire refusal to talk about stuff that Jon himself has been trying to press Martin to leave behind. To stop drifting away into the distance and talk to those that care.

And now it's him doing that very same thing.

Jon shakes his head, only half daring to look at the Padawan.

"No, Cal. It's not good. It's not okay. He's right, you know?" He gestures towards Tony. "He's right! I talk about hoping for there to be an us and now I just want to run and hide and- Shit." A rare expletive for the Archivist and it's then that he fully looks up to Cal again "I tried to split your skull with a fire iron! Yes, realistically I wouldn't have succeeded, but I still tried! And that's not okay. If it weren't you or if Tony weren't around - The thought alone scares me!"

[in_extremis]

As much as Tony liked to hear about how right he was, it felt so accusatory from Jon that Tony looked between him and Cal with a wide-eyed shake of his head, trying to figure out if he should defend himself somehow from this outrageous defamation. That was an interesting interpretation of 'us' that Tony hadn't really factored in to the social health of Temba; he had meant more of a shared moral compass, a general agreement on boundaries and goals and how to manage elements working against those, not emotional openness. If that was the credit Jon was trying to bestow on him, maybe he really should have been defending himself.

From what Tony could tell, Jon wasn't any more in control of what was happening now than he had been over his practice sword, but those wild swings sure did connect-- just like Tony couldn't very well slink away from this conversation now that running and hiding was explicitly in the 'shit' territory. He was going to have to take some more cues from Cal here, because the kid had had proven so far to be overwhelmingly both nice and gentle, much more qualified for the job. Tony went for a more familiar physical tactic and slid an arm over Jon's shoulders again, a mirror of the cautionary hold he had over him before, leaning his weight carelessly into Jon to force him out of his head. "What d'you think?" he said to Cal, the victim deserving of reparations, "We send him to the brig?"

[out_of_order]

As much as he might agree with Jon, with the sentiments silently echoed by Tony, Cal doesn't say as much. For a while, he doesn't say anything, letting the Archivist do the talking. At least Jon can admit to things. It doesn't mean a quick fix, but there are never quick fixes to anything like this.

Although he doesn't mean to be, it seems like he's been made out to be the mediator in all of this. It's a Jedi role if ever there was one, and while he doesn't necessarily think these things, it comes naturally for all that he's never actively played the part. Looking at Tony, the flicker of a half-smile appears in appreciation of having an offset to the heavy emotion rolling off of Jon and the wake of his words.

"If it weren't for me or Tony, you wouldn't have been pushed into the position you were in. We're to blame as much as anyone, but rather than point fingers or claim faults, we can all say we had no idea what would have happened. But right now, we're past that point. What's happened has happened. So..."

He trails off, feeling that knot in his gut. This is wrong. He shakes his head. "I'm..." His brow furrows as he looks aside. "...I'm hardly the person to be suggesting what should be done, not without being hypocritical." He can't say to move on, he can't say to accept and learn, not when he hasn't.

[beholding_archivist]

That sudden weight leaning on him? Certainly distracting. Especially combined with that nonsensical question.

It was a nonsensical question, right?

At any rate, Jon is trying to focus on Cal's words and for a moment he wants to argue that something like this might have been happened under somewhat different circumstances with different parties involved as well and- and- and....

Okay, Tony. You're getting heavy. And sorry, Cal, but it's hard to think while slowly being pushed to the ground. Jon will have to put this entire argument on hold to deal with a literally more pressing matter. Which means to direct a simple, pointedly non-compelling question at Tony.

"...d-didn't you have your share of physical contact for today?"

[in_extremis]

Tony didn't mean to imply that anything should be done, just put Jon's crisis into perspective, so he doesn't know what to with with Cal's vague allusion. Did Cal mean to tell them that he had bashed some kid's head in with a piece of metal, too? He didn't come off as the type to Tony, but he had seen some real transformations in his life.

Cal is briefly rescued from Tony's probing by Jon's ever reliable grace under pressure, earning him a dangerous smirk. Tony had no idea where Jon could have got that idea, unless he was feeling more sore about how Tony had intervened than he had let on, because Tony answered quite honestly, "Are you kidding?" and dragged Jon up closer to purr into his ear, "I'm starving." That would keep him occupied for a little while. Tony did him the favour of shifting his weight back, but he was going to have to suffer the indignity of trying to escape Tony's arm if he could face it, because the tactic had proven fruitful. Very casually, Tony's attention went back to Cal, "You can't just say things and expect me to let them go. Is this coming from the same place as that ambiguous stance on letting people arm themselves?" He seemed to have a firmer opinion in this case.

[out_of_order]

And in his own way, Tony provides equilibrium. By...casually threatening to tip over Jon. The farther they lean, BD-1 tries his best to act as counterbalance, but given his size the little droid probably doesn't do much. After a while he shimmies down the man's leg and back to ground level where he can better look on.

The scene is so ridiculous that a laugh escapes Cal in spite of himself. He shakes his head, a rueful look on his face as he runs a hand through his hair before setting his arms stance akimbo.

Cal's not so sure a distraction is the best solution either, but right now he can't help but feel that Tony's accomplishing more than either of them just by acting like he probably always does. At least that's been the feel Cal's gotten from him, ever since the man had traipsed on in.

The padawan stoops down to pick up BD-1 as the droid wanders back over to him. He pauses, not quite frowning as Tony turns his attention and questions to him. No, he supposes he couldn't have expected it to be let go. He's not sure he wants to delve that deep, either.

"No, it's..." He gestures vaguely. "It doesn't feel right just letting it go like that, but neither is forcing confrontation. And I don't want to start a fight about it."

[beholding_archivist]

Enjoy this small noise of exasperated indignation from the Archivist as a result of being pulled into a whole different physical trap than before. And he isn't entirely sure which one is worse. Before, Jon has been worried, even a little scared. But he can handle being scared fairly well.

This? Is aimed to embarrass him. Especially with Cal being there to witness Jon's brain plain shutting off while the man tries very hard not to appear entirely flustered by that horrible combination of Tony's words and tone.

This is punishment, right? This is what he gets to endure now and trying to squirm out of this hold isn't something he can possibly do without humiliating himself even further. And there is a conversation going on and he should probably try to keep track of that as well? But...

Right. Jon will have to settle to scrape his brain back together enough to cast a disapproving glare up at Tony and muttering something through clenched teeth "Tony... please."

[in_extremis]

"Who said we were fighting?" Tony asked as Jon fought for his dignity. Cal wasn't giving him much, but at least that tiny data point suggested the hypocrisy he had put on the table had less to do with his own violent streak than the fallout here. It was entirely possible, after that performance, that Jon was the emotionally healthy one here. It clicked for Tony-- of course Cal had a complicated relationship with expressing his weaknesses, he had basically said the army raised him. Tony cocked his head, locking Cal into a scrutinizing stare that promised Tony was reading his hard drive, then all at once released both him an Jon with a final pat to Jon's back and swung back around to the bag he had left over by the seats. They weren't going to get anywhere like this, not with everyone on edge now. Cal was going to have to be unsuspecting for Tony to tease the details out of him.

"Listen, Jon wants to talk about it, he freaked himself out," he pointed out, letting Jon decide if he still wanted the confrontation now that he had someone to be more frustrated with than himself. To neither of them in particular, Tony added, "I'll say this, though: I've seen guys do way worse shit when they get like that, so don't get yourself too worked up over what you did. That's wasting time."

[out_of_order]

It's kind of amazing how Jon's feelings have shifted completely off one track and onto another. Cal's not sure it's any better, and he's not sure if gaining Tony's attention instead is any improvement for the situation.

Sooner or later... he tells himself, knowing that being so physically distanced from the problems he'd been forcibly pulled away from don't give him an excuse to pretend nothing happened. Not that that's something so easily done anyway.

He meets Tony's look as calmly as he can, having at least managed to get a handle on his own breathing and heart rate by now. His eyes shift towards Jon then, and then back to the former. "If he wants, he can talk about it. If not now, maybe another time." He tilts his head in Jon's direction as once again he looks at the Archivist, but he's already said earlier, he's not going about forcing anyone and he hopes that translates.

"...I agree though. It's a waste of time. But sometimes it's difficult to let go, because of the things that might have lead up to it."

Cal turns away from them, and with hardly a glance in the direction of the abandoned pipe on the ground, the thing flies to his hand as though attracted magnetically. This session's as good as over, and he's of the same opinion anything more might get done today, so he's willing to bow out. Running away from things doesn't solve matters, but he understands a need for space and time to think as well.

[beholding_archivist]

Despite originally having been the first ready to walk away, Jon finds himself to be the last left behind. And seeing how first Tony and then Cal turn away from him in a very literal way feels oddly appropriate - In an unpleasant way.

He isn't going to stop either of them, even now that he's been released and flustered embarrassment crumbles away in favor of a certain brand of guilt and regret. At least he is quite used at carrying the blame and regrets... Well. He has a long list of those as well. But it wouldn't be fair to hold either of the others back. It doesn't feel right. They made it clear enough that they have no interest in wasting any more time and it's hard to argue with that.

It's as the others take their leave that he picks up the familiar whirring noise of a tape recorder. And he spots the device shortly after as well. Still recording.

Right.

Jon will harvest the tape before taking his own leave. And maybe he will listen to this entire conversation again one day. Maybe. If he feels like wasting some time.