It's almost like coming home

[soldierinblack]

Who: Tex and whoever is at the For Hire base
What: She’s heard she still has an empty room and has finally decided to move back into it.
Where: For Hire base
When: Forward dated to 4/6, throughout the day
Warnings: Cursing and the like. I have been warned there may be baking and knitting.
Note: Feel free to name a location/room within the base to find her in (or for her to find you in) or to catch her as she’s coming in/setting up her room.


It had been a surprise when York had asked her if she was planning to stay on base with the rest of them. With how rarely she’s in the Gulch, she had thought her room would have been re-purposed by now. She lets that bit of information sit for the better part of a week before making a decision. There’s safety in numbers and even with her argument with York over the network, it’s a place she can trust to not have her throat slit overnight and if she’s going to be staying for an extended period in the city, she needs that.

She waits until the morning before slipping into the compound. She doesn’t have much, mostly tools of the trade and bare necessities, but the little she has is soon in her room. Her helmet is set on the desk and the door is left open as she sorts through the few belongings that were left behind, primarily clothes she couldn’t carry with her, and settles in. Her room is composed of the most basic of furniture and when she’s finished, her arsenal of guns and various weaponry will be the main feature.

Once her room is situated, she’ll wander the base and see what new additions have been made since she last was here. Eventually she’ll wind up in the kitchen to make and eat lunch before continuing her exploration and perusal of everything the base has to offer.

Comments

[maine_makes_growly_noises]

Maine has only narrowly evaded grocery duty this week. He celebrates by going into the kitchen and heating up the skillet for a pair of grilled cheese sandwiches. Finally, he has time to make and enjoy lunch.

He has just finished prepping the bread and slicing the additives (cheese, onion, avocado, a little bit of vat meat) when he hears someone invading his kitchen.

[soldierinblack]

It's hard to miss the large form of Maine as she enters the kitchen and she stays a couple feet back to see what he's making. Grilled sandwiches, she could deal with that if he's willing to make more.

"Room for two to work in here?" she asks. "Or are making extra?"

[maine_makes_growly_noises]

If Texas thinks he's going to share his sandwiches, she has another thing coming. "Plenty of room," he says. He'll even leave the vegetables out for her, if she wants them.

[soldierinblack]

She could hope to get out of making herself something, though sandwiches aren't exactly difficult.

"Thanks," she replies and reaches for the ingredients to start making her own food. She works in silence for a moment before simply stating, "I moved back in this morning."

[maine_makes_growly_noises]

"I noticed." Why else would she be here? Texas has never struck him as the kind of woman who makes friendly house visits. "Staying long?"

He passes her the butter and the kitchen knife so she can prepare her own lunch.

[soldierinblack]

She accepts and keeps her attention on making her food as she speaks.

"Long enough." Until she gets a rumor she wants to chase down or a big job out of the Gulch, anyway. "Figured it'd be easier staying here than drifting."

[maine_makes_growly_noises]

"True." He assembles his sandwiches and sets them in the skillet. The butter sizzles, a rather satisfying noise when he's this hungry.

"What brought you back?" If she's here to stay, he feels comfortable asking that much.

[the_informant]

Something is different, Florida thinks to himself as he enters the main room with his afternoon coffee, his knitting and a bag full of knitting supplies and snacks. The problem he decides as he gets comfortable, is that he doesn't know what to knit. Normally he had so many thoughts, so many ideas.

Instead he nibbles on his lip and frowns at his colors and wonders.

[soldierinblack]

It isn't until after Florida has settled in that she wanders into the main room. Her pace slows when she sees the man and her eyes are immediately drawn to his knitting supplies. He had mentioned yarnbombing York's room, but she hadn't realized the supplies may have been his own and that it was a hobby of his.

There's no words as she stares. Only a raised brow as she takes in the image of Florida preparing to knit.

[the_informant]

When Florida sees her he just takes the woman's presence as a given and in quick stride.

"Quick, Tex, pick a color and hold your arms straight out from your sides. And turn around."

[soldierinblack]

"Black. Why?" she demands. Suspicion is hard to shake in the face of the unknown and she's eying his knitting bag like there might be a bomb in it.

[the_informant]

"The absolute rule here," Florida says simply, "is no harm to another merc here, except what naturally occurs within and is reasonable to training. Now put out your arms."

Meanwhile he hauls the bag into his lap and starts pawing through it. He's got a good, soft black here.

[soldierinblack]

"That doesn't mean I want to hold my arms out like an idiot because you said so." There's another moment of watching him before she sighs and does as he requested.

"Make it quick."

[depthlesslock]

York's lounging in the main room after a training session which left him hot, sweaty and gave him a few new bruises. After showering, he'd raided the freezer for ice cubes and is now half lying on the couch with a glass of them, occasionally taking a sip of the melt-water or crunching an ice cube between his teeth. To be honest, he's not sure what the TV's showing, but he doesn't really care. He just needs to do nothing for a bit after the session.

[soldierinblack]

She hears the noise of the television and there's a brief moment of consideration before she decides to enter and see who's there. When she spots York, she remains silent and only gives him a nod in greeting as she folds her arms over her chest and glances at the TV screen. Their argument from the network is fresh in her mind and on top of their bar conversation, she's not sure how keen he will be to stay in the same room as her.

[depthlesslock]

He's tipping back more melt-water when a shadow in his peripheral vision catches his attention and he looks over sharply. The sight of Texas standing in the doorway makes him flinch. Damn, he needs a warning system for when people get within a certain distance of him. Although Tex would probably be able to beat that as well.

'Welcome back to base,' he says. Being rude will garner nothing and the last thing he wants is to annoy her.

[soldierinblack]

She catches the flinch, but pretends not to notice. The TV gives her a convenient excuse to keep her gaze elsewhere though she's watching him out of the corner of her eyes.

"Thanks. It's nicer than I remember it," she remarks. To be expected given how long she's been away.

[depthlesslock]

He shifts slightly, not away or towards her; just edgy. The glass is gripped tight in his hand and, like he did when he first saw her at the Eagle and Asp a few days agp, he has to consciously relax his grip before he breaks it.

'We made a few alterations,' he replies. 'Nothing major.'

[soldierinblack]

The tension is heavy and part of her wonders if that's ever going to change between them. It'll make for interesting living arrangements and communal meals, at least.

"Everyone's rooms in the same place?" If so, she knows where to avoid so she's not near his personal room.

[searchandrecovery]

Wash has just come back to base from running errands, large cat food bag in tow. He's walking down to his room, keeping an eye out for his cats. It's their lunch time, and the last time those cats went without food for too long, they invaded York's snack stash. Wash is still thanking his lucky stars that York never found out.

He does a double-take when he passes Tex's old room. There's stuff in there! Curious, Wash pokes his head in. There's her helmet. Tex is back, all right.

[soldierinblack]

She hears the footsteps coming down the hall, but pays it no mind until she notices the sound stops by her door. She turns to face him with her hands busy folding a shirt. It won't be much longer before she has her room situated.

"It's been a while. I didn't know you were in town."

[searchandrecovery]

Startled, Wash whirls around to face Tex, almost dropping the bag of cat food. "Y-yeah. I live here now, actually. My rooms's just down the hall. So, you know. I was just passing through." Tex has always scared Wash. She's a woman who could kick your ass and probably not think twice about it. Plus, the look on York's face every time she was brought up...

[soldierinblack]

She had forgotten how much she enjoyed the effect she had on some of the other mercenaries. It's a nice confirmation of her reputation.

"Just down the hall, huh?" she asks as she sets down the shirt and purposefully walks towards him. "I'm going to have to get used to the new neighbors. You have a bunch of cats you keep cooped up around here?"

[searchandrecovery]

"Yeah, I do." Wash relaxes when Tex brings up the cats. They're his pride and joy, practically his children. "Right now I've got three. I take 'em in when there's a plague cloud. They eventually run away again, off to bigger and better things, but there are always a few around. Wanna meet them?"

[soldierinblack]

Why is she not surprised? Cats aren't her preferred pet, but she remembers Wash's fancy of them.

"If they're going to be roaming the compound, yeah. How many of them do you haul in when a cloud hits?" Because she can imagine him covered in cats as he tries to get them to safety.