02 | I'd like to make myself believe

[sinistral]

WHO: the Soldier (sinistral) and you
WHERE: network and out-and-about
WHAT: pre-voyage preparations
WHEN: after the Agrii announcement; before heading onto the ships
WARNINGS: none expected aside this asshole's attitude; will update if necessary

---

NETWORK
→ Text;

If anyone tries field stripping one of those Agrii weapons
You might be in for a shock
Just FYI

[Can a text sound pissy? Because this one most definitely is.]

TEMBA
→ Exploration;

In the wake of the Agrii communication — and people weren't kidding about the communication skills there — and the apparently inevitable excursion into space, the Soldier is making use of his time by combing through the ruins looking for potentially useful equipment. The weapons had been interesting yet disappointing as well; he considered himself something of a weapons expert, but the gun's workings had escaped him, even with the knowledge from the Atroma added to his own base skills.

He's definitely not happy about that.

To work out the frustration — from that, and from this whole Agrii situation — he's out and about the run-down city: exploring, scavenging, and yes, pushing himself into as much of a workout as can be had in the landscape. Occasionally something might catch his eye, or perhaps your character is more the sort to try to flag him down.

→ Wildcard;

Want something else? Have an idea? Hit me up at sometimesamuse or via PM. Open to wherever, whatever, and though I write starters in prose I'm more than happy to switch to brackets if it's your preference. Want to handwave a vaguely-met-during-Calibrations so we don't have to go through the first meeting/introductions thing? I'm perfectly fine with that, just give me a heads up. Has your character met one of the other Buckys and wants to go for the whole mistaken identity thing? Go for it!

Comments

[seeingscarlet]

Are you all right?

[brooklyn_boy]

Steve sees the Soldier from a few paces off and stops dead mid-movement. He knows well enough that doing so has made him more conspicuous than if he'd just turned around and kept walking, but he can't help the instant reaction. Seeing him again after so long--and in person--is like so many months ago in the Energy Storm; Steve is seeing a ghost. But, at least this time, he knows he won't be led off a cliff by getting closer.

Or at least he hopes he won't be.

"Soldier?" He wants to announce his presence even though it has to be completely unnecessary at this point. Steve keeps his hands loose at his side, expression neutral. "Hey. You...finding things alright?"

Steve Rogers: Captain Small Talk.

[out_of_order]

The message had been a troubling one, and there's no way to figure out anything more than that something had happened. Like everything else, it was another unanswered question, but maybe they'd be able to get some answers. Maybe they might not like them either, but surely the chance to get off-world isn't something to miss.

Unsure of how feasible it would be to get the replicator up and running to help with preparation for a journey ahead, he's been giving more attention to the latter, but keeping an eye out for parts or things that could be used to fix the former. The Soldier's not the only one who's out scavenging, although currently Cal's looking for tools he might need should their ships need a tune-up during the trip out. There's only so much one can do with a welding arc, after all.

[theladyofwinterfell]

I would recommend not hurting yourself. Perhaps you're impossible to kill but I can still die of shock.

[sinistral]

I'm pretty impossible to hurt too.

[sinistral]

I will be.

[sinistral]

Apparently nothing about Steve is ever going to be subtle. He wasn't subtle in the Fleet — if this is the same man; Sansa has told him that he's here but told him too that, like the Fleet, the Agrii believe in doubles — and he's certainly not subtle now. May as well just paint a big target on his back (or chest, or arm) and scream hey punk, over here!.

He's not thinking about from where the vernacular of that thought comes.

At the hail he stops his own movement and turns in acknowledgement; he'd noticed the man some moments ago but probably doesn't need to point it out. Eyes sweep up and down his form, taking in details — and yes, performing a threat assessment. The habit has served him well in the time since he left the Fleet, a behavior he's taken and turned into something he chooses to use. And in his eyes, Steve clearly feels that he needs to present himself as a non-threatening entity, given the posture he takes.

"Finding a lot of useless, broken planet," he replies, voice neutral. Steve can probably interpret that statement in several ways, and the Soldier figures that'll likely give him an idea of what the other man wants.

[sinistral]

The Soldier knows that he's far from the only one out scavenging about the planet for useful bits and pieces, but the city seems large enough to not be atop one another. Either that or this particular cluster of buildings doesn't appeal to most, maybe potentially because of the large amount of rubble. It's a lot of work for the possibility of very little return, but he won't know that until he tries.

Still, there's no reason to get in each other's way; the area is plenty big enough. Until he encounters what looks like a door, blocked by a beam that's too heavy for even his strength to move. Figuring that if it's that hard to move, then whatever's behind the door might be untouched, he thinks it's worth considering a teamwork attempt.

"Hey," he hails the other man. "Come look at this."

[theladyofwinterfell]

Don't be reckless. Please?

[sinistral]

Who, me?

[theladyofwinterfell]

Yes, you. Be careful. For me?

[out_of_order]

He's aware of the other person in the vicinity, but it's only when the other breaks his silence that Cal finally has a better look at him. Familiar, the face, and given it's been a while ago since the last (first?) time he's seen him that the padawan supposes the man's finally decided it's kind of pointless skulking around.

Hopping down from a pile of a collapsed wall, he holds his balance as he skids the last few feet to the ground, transitioning into a casual walk easily enough as he makes his way over to where the man is. Over his shoulder, the rectangular head of his little droid head peeks, borbling curiously.

"What've we got?" he asks, more to break his own silence than expecting an answer if he can see what's there. It's clear enough to see what the other has found, and setting his hands at his hips, Cal studies the situation of the blocked door, nodding. Could be worth looking into.

[seeingscarlet]

You know I can heal you, yes?

[sinistral]

He watches with appreciation as the other man smoothly makes the transition from rubble to ground. He doesn't move in quite the same way the Soldier does, but he nevertheless can recognize the command over one's body needed to make such a series of maneuvers look natural.

He blinks, a little taken aback, at the appearance of the robot head. That's different for sure; he wonders if it's from this place or something the man brought here. This isn't the time to ask though, and he refocuses on the man's face as he approaches.

"Maybe nothing," he replies, gesturing to the blocked-off door. It's clear from the positioning of the debris that no one's been inside for a while. By that logic, anything useful inside should be relatively unscathed. Of course, there's a big if on there being anything useful inside in the first place, but one never knows. "But maybe something."

He really hopes it's something. After the confinement underground and the less-than-pleasant experiences therein, even a small victory will be welcome.

"Can't shift it by myself without bringing too much of the rest of it down though. Could use a hand." He's not sure if this guy will be much help, but appearances can deceive.

[sinistral]

I'm being careful. Promise.

[sinistral]

I do know.

It was just an electrical shock. I've had worse.

[out_of_order]

"Maybe something," Cal agrees, coming to the same conclusion that a blocked door meant things left untouched within. Hopefully, anyway. From this perspective it's impossible to tell what sort of damage might have been done to the interior. Still, it's definitely worth a shot.

Stepping closer to the doorway, the padawan sets a hand on the beam as he tries to have a look at where it's wedged, nodding as he considers the man's words.

"All right. Let's give it a shot," he says. The droid clinging to the back of his rigger vest hunkers back down as Cal looks to the Soldier, stepping back a bit to see where he'd position himself first.

[sinistral]

It's entirely possible that the interior is filled with nothing more than rubble and cobwebs. But the Soldier believes there's a chance at something more, given that it doesn't look like the rest of the building has collapsed in this particular direction. Of course, he's no expert in alien architecture and the collapsible properties thereof, so he could be entirely mistaken.

One way to find out.

He moves in closer, running his hands along the beam to find where he'd gripped it before: a spot easy to bring his full strength to bear, with enough friction against gloves that nothing should slip. Ideally, anyway. "I can take most of the weight," he explains, positioning himself, "but not all of it. And if it shifts while we're moving it, I might not be able to catch it."

A warning as much as anything else; he has no desire for his companion to be harmed in their venture. But looking at him, he's not sure what he's going to be able to do to help with the lifting. It'll be interesting, in any event.

[out_of_order]

Watching the man step into place, Cal nods at the explanation, again tilting his head to look to where the beam is braced and where the potential collapse would be most likely. He'll believe the man to know his own strength. Likewise Cal knows his own, and although physically he's a little stronger than he might look, he has a feeling in this instance, he might have to rely on other strengths as well.

"Got it. I'll do what I can to make sure neither of us end up getting crushed," he promises, stepping over to find his own spot where he can put in his own efforts with the beam and keep an eye on things above. There's something about the way he says it that doesn't make it seem like empty words, and he does take care not to be in the other man's way. The beam seems pretty solid where it is, and loosening everything at once is probably the only real way to get things moving.

"Whenever you're ready." He'll follow the Soldier's lead.

[seeingscarlet]

[Oh, she knows, just secondhand.]

That was a different time. It is no trouble for me to help a friend

[She is not going to force it on him - that wouldn't really be helping. But sometimes brains are jerks and one has to be explicitly told that something really is okay.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

Tell me what you find out, if you can. I might not understand it but I might need to know it.

[sinistral]

Important finding #1: don't try to field strip the Agrii weapons.

[sinistral]

You shouldn't encourage me to be more reckless, you know.

[It's teasing, or what passes for a tease between them.]

If my arm's still twitchy by the time I decide I'm done, I will let you know.

[sinistral]

"That's the end goal." He feels the corner of his mouth ticking up into something that approximates amusement, decides not to squash the reaction. He's not the type to make fast friends, but jumping into doing something potentially dangerous, on the off chance it pays off for them? Well, there's a certain thrill to it, a certain fun.

Or maybe that's just him.

He nods as the other man positions himself, wondering at the phrasing of his assurance. Really, the Soldier figures that if they're very unlucky and things start coming down in earnest, they're likely to need to dodge and roll more than anything else. But he's not thinking about that; while the possibility is there, it's best to focus on the good outcome, on shifting things without disturbing too much else in the rubble. Envision the future you want, and all that, which is not how the phrase goes but whatever, it is now.

He takes a deep breath, getting ready. "On three?" Since that does seem to be a universal get-ready-and-go signal and hey, it does work. When they're both ready, he starts the countdown to their efforts: "One, two, three!"

The beam, once it comes fully loose, is heavier than it has any right to be, and accompanied by a small shower of rubble — hopefully not a precursor to something worse.

[theladyofwinterfell]

What happens if you do? Will I get injured? Nevermind that I don't know what field stripping is.