( 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

[willrevile]

I'd want to keep all the argumentative politics out of this place, too, [ he muses aloud as they approach the heart of the village and the crystal pond there. Damn. They're told they can keep their clothes on if they want - but Jim just shrugs. Boots go off first. (The walking ones.) He spots a few other refugees, at least one familiar face from Wyver, but he's content to let his attention stay with Dutch. ]

[motivation]

Is there?

( the robe is ugly and his upper body without it so much nicer. generally nice. she's quite happy to run her hands all over his back. for proper coverage with sun blocker, of course, and for no other reason. )

Planning on bringing lots of girls cocktails?

[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.

[motivation]

( they probably do have fruit juices, but dutch's drink of course features a variety of different alcohols.)

Enjoying the sun?

( even if he wears far too much to tan. )

[toten_sie]

It's warm. And there's a breeze here.

[ So yes. It's not too hot, but nice and warm. He might sweat, but there's something to the heat itself that soaks into him and takes away some of his aches. ]

You?

[motivation]

The water's amazing, too.

( but she glances at his outfit and shrugs. ) Guessing you're not interested in that.

[toten_sie]

I don't really know how to swim.

[ There's a few people he would feel shamefaced about admitting that too, but Dutch isn't one of them. ]

It wasn't safe in the canals in District Zero.

[ Since there was any amount of garbage and sewage and whatever the main city tossed in. ]

And my country is landlocked. Was.

[motivation]

You could always go in to where you can still stand.

( she considers him for a moment. ) I think you should.

[toten_sie]

[ He looks out at the water, at the sand and then over at Dutch. There's a moment where he looks at his boots, but- ]

Is that an order?

[ He doesn't look like he's upset at the idea. In a way, it looks like he'd very much enjoy if it was. ]

[willrevile]

[ Uh huh. Whatever, they met over aphrodisiac chocolate cocktails and fucked within thirty minutes. Neither of them have to pretend their friendship isn't what it is. ]

What other girl could possibly hold my attention next to you?

[ Delivered intentionally goofy. The truth is he's not fooling around with any other women here (except for that shop girl from Olympia who gave him her number when he and Alan were running around for Cree, but it's been a while, there). ]

We could always go find some.

[ Is Dutch into group sex, let's find out. ]

[steponme]

[Ah yes, Wyver proper, the place where Shell spent all of one day before admitting defeat.]

I've only been there once myself. I could hardly stand it-- and it wasn't even summer yet.

--ah, not to bore you with all this talk about the weather... if you came out here this late for a little peace and quiet, I can leave you alone?

[motivation]

( dutch considers that for a moment. considers him. then she nods. )

Yeah.

[motivation]

( dutch isn't going to pretend their— thing isn't what it is. sexual, to a great degree. does she want to call it a friendship? she thinks she might, but she's not quite ready to say that out loud yet. not in a way that is meaningful, at least. )

Fair point.

( she's clearly amazing. still, she rolls her eyes and nudges his side a little with one hand, not quite a punch. it'd probably be a lot more effective in communicating annoyance if her hand didn't linger, soft. )

Or some cute guys. ( but also: nah. )

[willrevile]

[ Jim leans back enough to look at her, holding himself at a slightly stupid angle for purposes of trying to tease her - ]

I don't mind cute guys either. But I'm all yours today.

[ He doesn't even wobble. Showoff. ] Want to switch?

[motivation]

( good thing she likes showoffs. sometimes. usually. )

You just want the bears to chase me instead.

( but if she's already sitting next to him smelling like the stuff, she might as well smell like it, too. ) Gonna give me a message while you're at it? ( so demanding. )

[willrevile]

Maybe I want some bear solidarity.

[ Is there even a single "bear" in El Nysa. Maybe their good friend Alan Foster, he's got the grief beard going on lately. ]

If you want one, [ he says. ] Since it's a vacation.

[ What, like he's gonna say no. ]

[toten_sie]

[ Randel gives her a quick, firm nod before starting to pull off his shirt, his boots, his slacks, his gloves. They're all neatly folded to sit atop his bag, hopefully to keep some of the sand out of them, and it just leaves him in his underclothes as he looks back at her.

Steeling himself, he refuses to look around, see if people are disgusted, and heads towards the water. He'll go about waist deep before stopping. ]

[impavid]

No? Then what, you're after my shirt? I think it'd fit you.

[ He lets his feet dangle in the water while he watches her, half amused and half not... quite sure how certain he is that he's reading her intentions right.

Easier to circle his way up to things and make sure. ]

[motivation]

( alan foster is one of the few men dutch would hesitate to have sex with or hit on because their relationship is — it's different, is all. used to be, she'd try not to sleep with people she cares about, but that's gone out of the window long ago. )

I want one.

( how unexpected. )

[motivation]

( she watches him get undressed, then she sets her drink aside and gets up as well, following him into the water. whereas he seems a little worried and a little defiant, looking for people's reactions, dutch invites stares with the sway of her hips and the curl of her lips.

let them look.

he goes about waist deep, which is almost chest-deep for her. )

You can go a little deeper.

[toten_sie]

[ He looks at her for a moment, sees how deep it is for her, then takes a few steps forward until he's chest deep. That's as far as it looks like he wants to go, but for all that he was hesitant, the water does feel nice. ]

[willrevile]

[ Jim would definitely sleep with Alan, because Jim has no problem sleeping with people who don't actually care about him personally. Makes it easier. (Like this. He cares about Dutch, but there's something in her refusal to engage with emotions that makes her -- safe. Jim's not the kind of the man anyone keeps around for very long.) ]

Alright, [ he laughs. ] C'mere.

[ Jim's gonna steal his hat back, also. It'll be like she has an umbrella!! It's fine. ]

[motivation]

( dutch has no problem sleeping with people that don't care about her and that she doesn't care about, either. she has a problem sleeping with people she cares about — or she did, but between alvis and d'avin and admittedly also some people here (or not admittedly, because she's not admitting to anything), that's not where she draws the line anymore. )

You better be good at this.