( open ) out of isolation

[motivation]

Who: dutch (motivation) & YOU, thomas nightingale (ettersberg) & YOU
What: a month in the life of a former assassin, a month in the life of the former last sanctioned wizard of the uk
When: may
Where: flona cove and khalo
Warning(s): alcohol and fyrra use, nudity, sex and probably swearing

Comments

DUTCH @ FLONA COVE'S BEACH

[motivation]

( dutch hasn't been to olympia since the entire evacuation to wyver happened in the first place. wyver suits her better on the whole; she likes the emphasis on strength, she likes the respect her fighting prowess earn her, she likes the warmth and the sense of freedom and wildness. olympia has more rules, olympia reminds her of the nine and their lives — but olympia also has some people she knows and likes, whether she'll admit it or not.

flona cove is a happy middle ground in some ways. it feels like a holiday, and dutch doesn't remember the last time she ever had one of those. going undercover doesn't really count, but that trip to leith had been the closest thing to a vacation and that was ages ago. (she's not thinking about how johnny almost died there, about how johnny's in stasis here. it's fine.)

it's like a holiday and dutch is making the most of it: at times, she can be found lazing by the beach in a low-cut emerald swim-suit with a cocktail next to her, scrolling through the network or watching those walking by to see if she spots someone she knows. she also wanders along the shoreline at some point, bare feet on wet sand, finds the nearest bar to get another drink, and goes for a swim. )

[willrevile]

[ This atmosphere is one that, in theory, Jim likes just fine, but becomes a bit of a mess in practice. The last time he was on a beach, the water was violet and the 'sand' was soft, powdery pink, he was working through learning a native language with Uhura, and the planet's radiation was pleasantly soft enough to pose no threat to human skin.

Alas. Well, he'll work with it. ]

Feel like a refill? [ asks the behatted figure approaching Dutch. Hi, it's Jim, who has come in peace with cocktails, wearing a gauzy black robe over the appropriate swimwear shorts and a giant wide-brimmed hat. ]

[motivation]

( he's wearing a hat and a gauzy black robe and for a moment, dutch only stares over the rim of her sunglasses at him. then she starts laughing. sorry, jim, but you look ridiculous. )

I'd say yes, but that would mean you have to take all of that off.

( the robe at least. look, they can find him an umbrella or something to sit under, but that robe is just not on. )

Where did you even find that?

[willrevile]

I didn't have anything appropriate to wear and this is what the ladies at the shop stuck me in.

[ He somehow retains his dignity. Look, it's comfortable, and he's at least somewhat less likely to immediately light on fire. Do you want your cocktail or not, Dutch?? ]

I think I look very fashion-forward and secure in my masculinity, actually.

[ HE KNOWS, ALRIGHT. ]

[toten_sie]

[ It's rare you'll see someone as covered up as he is on the beach; he's got his coat in his bag, but he's still got on his undershirt and his slacks as he makes his way out into the cove. He wants to see the water, wants to enjoy the water, but 'enjoying' it largely involves watching it from a distance and letting the peace of the location filter into him.

He can't really swim, after all; he knows not to drown, mostly because if you didn't you would have in District Zero with all the canals and waterways, but that's about all he can do. And he doesn't want to subject anyone to looking at him. But the beach is nice.

And he throws up a gloved wave to Dutch in her nice outfit. She looks nice and she looks like she's having a good time. ]

[motivation]

( with anyone else, dutch would poke fun at them for being so completely and utterly overdressed — but randel isn't anyone else. randel is someone who reminds her of herself and of johnny, someone who struggles with the things he's done more than dutch ever lets herself struggle with what she's done. he's still fighting.

so she doesn't mock him for how covered he is, but she does stretch in front of him, her entire body and all her scars on display, and then she moves to sit next to him. )

Hey.

[toten_sie]

[ He nods to her, smiling a little as she settles beside him. He glances at her drink curiously, since he likes the colors. He wonders if they'd do something that's just fruit juices for him. That would probably taste delicious. ]

Hello.

DUTCH @ CUPID'S POOL (probably nsfw)

[motivation]

( her walk along the shoreline eventually brings dutch to a lagoon that is secluded, empty and utterly beautiful. no harm in going for another swim, is there? she's taking this holiday thing seriously, after all.

so she settles in the lagoon, enjoying the warmth of the water and of the sun, floating in the water — and at some point, she notices a different kind of warmth settling low in her stomach, too. maybe that's why, when someone walks by, she might casually mention: ) The water's nice.

( she might be looking for some company. )

[impavid]

[ John has grown tired of all the people around the bonfires.

He's not super big on noisy parties to begin with, especially when he hardly knows anyone. With friends? Sure! But big crowds of strangers leave him unconsciously alert for trouble. So eventually he wanders away down the beach, absently rolling up the sleeves of his already unbuttoned shirt and trying to find some peace and quiet. He's lost enough in thought that he'd doesn't notice Dutch until she calls out to him, but the sound of her voice has him pausing and turning toward the waters edge. ]

Looks pretty nice from here.

[ You know, both her and the water for that matter. He shoves his hands into the pockets of his shorts, squints at the way she's floating thoughtfully. ]

[motivation]

Maybe you should get in.

( the phrasing is mostly a suggestion. her tone is light enough that it doesn't turn into an order on that alone. dutch has plenty experience ordering others around, of course, but there's a time and a place for it.

this probably isn't it.

he squints, she tips her head back for a moment before slanting a glance at him again. ) Like what you see?

[impavid]

[ Huh.

He hadn't really pegged Dutch this way during their first encounter, but to be fair it was just one encounter. One... mostly full of discussion over Olympia vs Wyver. He takes a slow step closer to the water's edge, resting one foot on a rock and leaning in as he looks down at lagoon more carefully. He's checking for... fish, tentacles, anything that might make this feel like a bad idea. You know. Usually hot women who seem into him turn out to be a trap. Once bitten. ]

Anyone who told you they didn't is either lying or blind.

[ He's just saying. ]

DUTCH @ ENTRANCE TO KHALI VILLAGE (fyrra use)

[motivation]

( there are no warrants here and fighting in one of wyver's fight clubs keeps her well-respected and fed, but it isn't really a challenge in the way her work as a killjoy had been. she doesn't want to be a killjoy without johnny or d'avin, without her team, but — maybe she misses it. she misses them, first and foremost, but she misses the rac and the warrants, too. especially the way it was before the war, before khlyen and red 17 and arkyn, before everything. she misses when it was uncomplicated. challenging but fun.

visiting khali vilage isn't nearly the same, but it's an adventure of sorts, isn't it? so she takes the fyrra that she's told is the only way to get in and starts walking.

at some point during the trip, the tension starts bleeding from her shoulders, her gait loosening, hips rolling a little more and her lips curling up into what can only be described as a soft smile. dutch doesn't remember the last time she's been this relaxed. it's almost as though the pain of losing a world and johnny (to stasis, at least), the recent kidnapping and torture, the anger and the aimlessness of no longer having a purpose, a goal, a war to fight, as though all of that has fallen away. her training from khlyen, too. most of all, her training from khlyen. )

[willrevile]

[ If there are native beings who look like the Khali living on this planet, why are the Natha going so far out of their way to cloak non-humanoid refugees?

-- is not something Jim can just ask the representative at the Outpost. But, he thinks, he should have asked more about the terrain surrounding the village. He's not sure if what he's seeing is real or a hallucination courtesy of the herb that's otherwise mellowing him out to a pleasant degree. Space-age immunizations mean he's not as susceptible to intoxicants as he might otherwise be, but it's still definitely hitting him. (And briefly caused a rash on one forearm, thanks for fucking nothing, allergies, but it seems to have gone away.)

Oh hey, it's Dutch. Jim approaches, neither sneaky nor clumsy, because he doesn't have a concern in the world about that sort of thing, at present. Instead of calling out he just waits until she notices him, then snags her hand in a silent hello. ]

[motivation]

( ordinarily, dutch would have realised someone was approaching from behind much sooner than she does now. ordinarily, snagging her hand without her awareness would be a great way of getting a broken hand. jim waits until she notices to take her hand now, but he probably would have gotten away with it without broken bones even if he hadn't. there's no tension between her shoulder blades now and no sense of needing to defend herself, of needing to be alert.

his palm meets hers, their fingers intertwining, and dutch smiles up at him. )

Hey, you.

NIGHTINGALE @ FLONA COVE'S BEACH

[ettersberg]

( thomas nightingale's idea of casual is a pair of chinos and a crisp white button down shirt, a panama hat on his head. he's rolled up the sleeves of his button down, at least, and the top button is opened. in this outfit, he can be found strolling along the pier, reading a newspaper on a bench overlooking the ocean, or even on the beach, hand-made leather shoes in one hand, socks stuffed into them, his toes and ankles visible because he's rolled up his chinos as well. (scandalous!)

at various points, you might seem something moving in the front pocket of his button down. sometimes, a little sugar glider will poke its head out — and very rarely, it might decide to go on an adventure and launch itself from nightingale's chest into the air, hurtling toward you. please make sure it lands softly and doesn't get hurt! )

NIGHTINGALE @ HEART OF KHALO

[ettersberg]

( he has no particular inclination to get naked in front of a group of strangers, but there is something to be said for the casual and matter of course manner in which the natives of the village go about it. he has no particular inclination to get naked, but nightingale does have a particular inclination to be clean, so come nightfall, nightingale can be found at the edge of the pond, stripping down his suit layers, folding them neatly, setting them atop of his shoes.

it reveals a slender but muscular body, not entirely free of scars: there's one on his shoulder that someone with the relevant knowledge might identify as the result of a bullet going through, entry and exit wound both scarred by now. there's another on his right leg.

he wades into the pool, not seeking eye contact or companionship but not principally opposed, either. )

[steponme]

[Shell isn't exactly the type of person to gawk at someone while they're undressing, really. But he also didn't expect to see anyone else entering the pool this late at night. Of course, it's not a desire for modesty that brings him here -- the weather in this region was really too warm for vampires like him, and finding himself unable to sleep, he thought relaxing in the water might help him cool down.]

[Seeing that the other man isn't one of the Khali has him a bit curious -- is he from Wyver or Olympia, he wonders... he's not sure whether the man is looking for company or not, but at the very least, it feels a bit awkward not to let his presence he known.]

[Not that he's easy to miss, what with his pale skin and bright green eyes that seem to reflect any light that hits them, rather like a cat's eyes. But he's also keeping himself lower in the water, with only his shoulders and head poking out from the surface.]

--s-sorry, I wasn't looking! [So he says, obviously turning to look away.] I didn't think anyone else would be out here this late.

[ettersberg]

( nightingale hadn't precisely expected anyone else to be in the pool, either. he glances at shell for a moment, then continues wading deeper into the pool. not toward shell, but not away from him, either. it is only when he's covered to his shoulders that he answers: )

It seems we had the same idea.

( and expectation.

the pale skin and the eyes seem preternatural, but nightingale is very much used to all sorts of fae — the collective term for all those the wizarding community knows little about, which nightingale will be the first to admit is most of those in the demi-monde. )

NIGHTINGALE @ KHALO ACCOMMODATION (fyrra use, possibly nsfw!, m/m only)

[ettersberg]

( the accommodation reminds nightingale of his time in india, back when he'd worked for the foreign office still. back when india was still part of the empire. he thinks peter would frown at the comparison and rightly so, but he cannot undo his experiences and he cannot change that he is a product of his time, though he can change his attitude and beliefs now. discussions with peter have gone a long way to doing just that.

peter isn't here, of course. neither is molly. he is, by and large, free of responsibility and duty. it leaves him more aimless and adrift than he'd like, but for the moment, the ghosts of the war and the heavy weight of loss are not rearing their ugly heads. he has the guard and he has people he cares about here. he has a duty, still, to ensure that should molly wake, she will have a home. he cannot let himself go entirely — but for tonight, there is nothing he ought to be doing.

maybe that's why he doesn't decline the offer of a new experience. he wouldn't have indulged in india, but he'd had a great many duties, then. most of his colleagues hadn't seen it quite the way he had. in a way, then, this is making up for lost time — or rather, using the additional time he's been given. it's precisely this kind of thinking that makes him inclined to try the fyrra again; what he'd taken to gain access to the village had left him in a pleasantly relaxed state that he wouldn't mind replicating, after all.

the fyrra doesn't quite replicate that state. he finds himself relaxed, yes, his mood elevated until there is a smile on his features. he also finds himself with heat low in his belly, arousal swirling, his throat a little dry and the sensation of his suit against his skin more noticeable than usual. he doesn't quite squirm in his seat, but he might shift his weight a little, looking around the room. )

[flashystyle]

[Despite Dorian's intentions being quite the opposite — there for work, there for documenting, there for slowly chipping away at his own sanity trying to store every mile of this world into his mind for safekeeping in case he needed it — he finds himself walking into the same room as Nightingale. The scent of the fyrra is a pleasant one, and the world is a bit more quiet here. Enough that he can sit back, relax, calm his racing thoughts.

Well, he was going to do those things. The moment he meets the other man's gaze, his brows shoot up in a mixture of surprise and amusement.]

You are, perhaps, the last person I thought would be here.

[ettersberg]

( nightingale feels very relaxed. it is a loss of control, certainly, but one he has chosen to experience and that makes it more palatable than olympia's red light district or the heat of the wyver moon — and both of those have led to some interesting experiences for nightingale. not bad ones; he will not regret them even if john watson is now in stasis.

he's relaxed, which is perhaps why he responds quite frankly: ) I'm the last person I'd expect to see here, too. ( and then he smiles. )

I may have needed the break. ( it's an admission he most certainly wouldn't be offering without the fyrra in his system. it is also, to some extent at least, a testament to the fact that he enjoys dorian's company and trusts him. he hasn't lost that much control. )

[poolhall_killer]

[Now there's a sight Venom never thought he'd see. He'd been poking around the offered accommodations, noting how cozy and warm they were. The smoke that's wafting through the area initially gave him a headache that dissipated into a light, gentle sleepiness. As for the sight, well...

He passes the room just as a small puff catches his eye, and the one partaking in the smoking ritual.]

Mr. Nightingale, I don't believe I've ever seen you smile.

[Coming from a man whose first smile came less than a year ago.]

May I join you?

[ettersberg]

Hm. ( nightingale hums his response. at the mention of it, the smile almost slides off nightingale's features — almost, but not quite. his expression settles into something more neutral, yes, but there's still a slight upward curl to the corners of his mouth, a warmth to his gaze.

he lifts a hand to gesture to the space in the vicinity. )

Of course.

[toten_sie]

[ Randal has made a home in Olympia, but after the scare of the war and the continued tension (lessened though it is), he's all for finding an alternative.

And the idea of hiding away from the conflict sounds like the perfect thing. Even if it's just temporary, even if it's just until he can handle it.

He should be more wary of the drugs, of what they might do to him, but he's so used to being medicated and experimented with that he hardly thinks of it as a trial. The strange heat is something he's familiar with, from those moonlit nights in Wyver, but he doesn't mind it, has no trouble pushing it to the side for the moment.

Instead, he decides to explore, to look around. To... smile when he sees a familiar face and offer a wave. He's glad nothing happened to Nightingale. ]

[ettersberg]

( between the heat and the fyrra, nightingale is not his usual sharp self. the slopes of his shoulders are curved, he isn't sitting as straight, his hair isn't quite as neatly parted anymore and there are some lines in the linen of his suit. it's nothing improper, of course, but he wouldn't usually show himself quite this relaxed to the outside world.

still, there's no embarrassment when he lifts a hand to return the wave. )

It's been a while. ( he offers when randel approaches. )