Log: Settling In

[notyourrookie]

Who: Agent Washington (OU)+open!
What: Adjusting to life in Gulch
Where: Scoping out the city (Shopping District, Park, a cafe)
When: Between October 26th and 30th
Warnings: None



York's safe house really had turned out to be a good choice. The security was good and it does make him feel better knowing that it was there. Lets him sleep more easily, when he actually manages anyway. It's better than staying in the casino with the constant noise of people outside leaving him on edge.

Getting to grips with the city is a top priority though, and has him heading out . Exploring. Scoping out is probably more accurate, treating it like he would a mission.

The shopping district seems the best place to start, busiest at least, and a good place to figure out what's normal here. The helmet store has a wide variety of them in the window, and he scans a catalogue showing enhancements and mods that are available. Some of those would be pretty useful if he's honest with himself. There's weapons shops too; nothing as heavy as the weaponry he's used to having at his disposal, but it's a start. There's a nice set of knives in there too. Now that is something he's going to have to get hold of.

He spends lunches in the park. It's a little surreal to see the covered ceiling up above and know that the sky outside could kill him, but it's nice to take off his helmet for a while. The place is climate controlled, and considering the last places he'd been at home had been a desert, an icy wasteland and a humid pit of a canyon, he's not complaining.

There's a little cafe a few minutes walk from the safehouse that stays open all night, and it's a better option to be there than sitting awake and twitchy in the safe house when he can't sleep.

Comments

[notyourrookie]

"Thanks."

He settles down at a table, one where he can see the door and the majority of the cafe and tries to ruffle his hair into something less awful after being in the helmet.

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

Her drink takes a little longer to warm up than his, but when they're done, she takes them back to the table and starts rifling around in her kit for first aid supplies.

[notyourrookie]

It feels a little ridiculous, getting first aid for a few scrapes when he's carried on fighting after being shot. But the clouds are poisonous. This would be so much easier if he could wear the armour everywhere.

"Thanks for the drink."

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

"It's the least I could do," she says. "I'm sorry for almost running you over."

Though she's still definitely confused that there's another Wash in Gulch.

[notyourrookie]

"Don't worry about it. No harm done. Except to my pride."

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

"Well, we wouldn't want that," she teases.

So. Talking about York and his old like seem to be off-limits. "How is Adaptive treating you so far?" she asks instead. She's found that first aid works best when her patients are mildly distracted. "Besides nearly getting you hit by cars."

[notyourrookie]

"I think I'll survive." It hadn't exactly been grappling hook to the balls after all.

He's not sure how to even answer that. He has to think about it. "Well, it's not a permanent icy wasteland, so that's nice."

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

"No, that's up north," she says. "In Sidewinder. Where I grew up."

[notyourrookie]

His gaze flicks up to hers instead of focusing so hard on his drink. "Sidewinder, yeah. That's what the place was called. Also more hospitable than the desert. So I guess it is honoured by not being the worst place I've ever been."

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

"The snow is beautiful," she says. "I used to be a driver up there. It's barely hospitable, but at least it's worth looking at."

[notyourrookie]

"I wasn't there to admire the scenery." He pauses for a moment, and then adds, "I'm sure it's very pretty though."

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

She shrugs. "When you're out in it every day for five years, you learn to keep an eye out," she says. "Especially when the terrain can kill you."

[notyourrookie]

"Yeah, I am not a fan of it when it tries to kill me. Fucking glaciers." And cliffs. He hated cliffs.

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

"You just have to learn to treat it right," she says. "Show it the right amount of respect. And learn to keep your distance."

[notyourrookie]

"Not going there does seem to be the best way to not die, absolutely." Twice he's almost died in the snow. He's not keen to repeat the experience.

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

"I mean, if you don't like the snow," she says. "Or just go with someone who knows what they're doing."

She knows. She was the best snowmobile guide in Sidewinder.

[notyourrookie]

"I'll bear that in mind if I ever feel like reliving the experience." Which means never. He hopes he never sees that pit again.

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

Something tells her he won't.

"There," she says, cleaning her hands again before sipping her cocoa. Perfect. His hands are cleaned and bandaged against a storm.

[notyourrookie]

She finishes treating the cuts and scrapes on his hands, so they're covered up against the plague clouds. "Thanks," he says, and he means it. Even if this would never have happened if he was wearing gauntlets. "I'd have hated to die because of a few clouds."

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

"These clouds don't mess around," she reminds him. "Having to clean plague toxins off of your clothes is bad enough, but they corrode open wounds and sear soft tissue like acid. You've got a good helmet, right?"

[notyourrookie]

"Yeah, I want to avoid that." He doesn't need any more scars if he can avoid them. "It's good, yeah. Be easier if I could wear my armour but people don't go in for that here."

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

"Armor? You have a full suit like that? Isn't that heavy?"

How awesome would that be in a place like Sidewinder?

[notyourrookie]

"It takes some getting used to," he admits with a shrug, because the armour isn't so surprising but the specs were. "But I've been living in it for oh- a few years so it's weird to not have it now."

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

"Living in it? Doesn't that get uncomfortable?"

[notyourrookie]

He shrugs at that. "Better than getting killed. I used to take it off to sleep and that was it." And more recently, not even then. He didn't want to be around the Meta without it.