expiationlogs | [open] and all watched over

Entry tags:

[open] and all watched over

Who: A2 and open + some closed prompts
Where: all over Aldrip!
What: February open log for depressed androids
Warnings: Nothing yet.

Good morning, A2.

[Pod's clipped and calm voice makes her squeeze her eyes more tightly shut before they reluctantly flutter open. Dawn is beginning to make patterns out of the shadows of the tree branches. The snow is starting to melt. Cold water drips, drips, down onto the top of her head, the shock of it waking her up properly. A2 stands up in slow and careful passes, checking herself for damage. Those dreams...

But there is no damage, nothing outside of the usual. No pain, save the tingle in limbs that had been sprawled at odd angles on the cold, hard ground as she'd slept. Androids did not dream. And yet she had.

(Evolution?)]

Morning, Pod.

[Her own voice is without inflection. She takes her sword from where it leans against the trunk of the tree she'd been sleeping under, and studies the cold, blue-gray sky. Something is budding on one of the branches, a tentative spot of green on a dark, gnarled branch. Weak early morning light begins to flow in from the west. She can hear the discordant chatter of crows, intermingled with softer cooing from songbirds.]

The season is changing.

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[ Ragna's routine has been somewhat altered by the loss of his right arm; while he can still fight with impressive efficiency, all things considered, mundane tasks are taking him longer than they have any right to. Case in point, gathering firewood. Pigs will fly before he asks anyone for help, so instead he's here, early in the morning, looking for suitable logs or a tree to cut down. Instead, however, he ends up running into a figure he recognizes... and one that immediately causes him to feel a pang of guilt in his gut over their dream encounter. But before he even has a chance to figure out what to do with that, she points out the animals in the nearby clearing, and... oh.

Yeah, he should probably clarify that. ]

... They're wolves. Kinda similar, but more... wild.

[ He speaks in a hushed voice, not looking to provoke the pack into attacking them. Not that it would be hard to dispatch them, probably, but why kill innocent animals needlessly? ]

They'll leave you alone if you don't bother them, but might attack you if you stick around in their territory for too long.

[Surprise crosses her features when she sees the man from that... whatever it was. That bizarre dream. She frowns: it's hard to say if it's disapproval or simply her default expression. Then she turns back to her observation of the wolves.]

Looks like you woke up. [She mutters, and then she leaves it at that. It's not in her nature to pry, and the information he gives about these animals is more interesting to her at the moment, anyway.

She would ask later. After the wolves had departed.]

That's what they're called, huh. [...] I know they're more wild. I've been tracking them for days.

[Her own voice is low too, barely above a whisper.] That's what makes them tough. They're not going to attack me. I know what to do.

[She reaches for something — not a sword, but a plain black cloth bag, the sort used for groceries. Fishing around in it for a moment, she emerges with... what looks like a package of American cheese slices.]

This will lure them.

So did you.

[ Since they're apparently doing the Captain Obvious routine here. He's more than happy to leave it at that and move past the whole dreams business ─ he has some thoughts on the ordeal, but as always, it's nothing he's eager to share with others.

Instead, Ragna takes a moment to actually watch the woman now that they're not in a life or death situation for a change. There is... a lot to unpack here. For starters, why isn't she wearing... well, anything, really? It's hardly a weather to be running around almost... naked. Second, days? Why would she devote so much time to stalking a pack of wolves? They're quite neat as a species, he supposes, though he's more familiar with the seithr-infected kind that he'd have to kill during his travels back in his world, so he'd rather keep a safe distance if given a choice. And third... why is that her plan to engage with wolves?

Maybe he'll start from the end, since that seems to be the most pressing part. ]

... What are you planning to do with those, exactly...?

[The question makes her eyes narrow. Wasn't it obvious, she thinks? (It really wasn't...) Flicking her hair over one shoulder, like the irritated twitch of a cat's tail, she responds.]

Dogs like this food product. "Floppy cheese." One of the humans told me. Since these are... big, wild dogs, I'm going to test if they like it too.

[Her attention returns to the pack of wolves.]

They're interesting.

[And she wants to pet them....]

And they can't hurt me much.

[ The list of things being completely crazy continues to grow, and Ragna's only working eye widens in disbelief. In fact, he pinches his cheek, not sure whether he truly ever woke up from his dreams. ]

You're gonna tame a pack of wolves. With cheese.

[ Those aren't even questions, just statements that he's voicing out loud so he can process them. ]

... I guess they'd make a better company than most people, but...

[ He trails off, at a loss for words. If nothing else, it's probably true they won't be able to hurt her, since he's already seen that she's a capable fighter... but at this point, he's beginning to worry more for the wolves than A2. ]

[There is some sort of judgment lying beneath his words, and A2's gaze sharpens and goes flinty.] What? I know what I'm doing. Watch this.

[With an unwarranted amount of aggression, she tears off the... plastic junk protecting the strangely plastic-esque cheese. Then, she tosses it in a perfect arc into the rambunctious pack of wolves. It lands in the snow, but they still go wild — they fight over it, until the fastest of them, a slim, sable-colored youth, snaps the prize up in his powerful jaws. He ambles off to enjoy his snack in privacy.

A2 looks smug as she turns back to Ragna, her arms crossed.] See? Told you.

[ "I know what I'm doing," she says... He knows the look of someone who shouldn't be messed with, and since she's so determined, then who is he to stop her? So he stands back and watches in silence as she throws food in front of a wild animal and it eats it. Who would've guessed? ]

Wow. That is so wild.

[ Ragna says, in complete and utter monotone. But sarcasm aside, he figures there's no harm in humoring her ambitions... she can have her little dancing with the wolves adventure. ]

At least try giving them something good next.

[ He reaches into his own bag, and pulls out a pack of beef jerky, offering it to A2. ]

[A2 scowls at his lackluster response. She'd been testing the viability of this "floppy cheese" as bait for a while now, and had found it suitable enough for her continued observations of the pack.

The appeal of the floppy cheese hadn't occurred to her. She'd tried it herself and found it repulsive, but animals (and it seemed, humans) were less discerning than her. Either way... she takes the package of jerky from Ragna, giving it an experimental sniff, not unlike an untamed animal herself. Then she cautiously takes a small piece and tries a nibble.

Salty... hard to chew. Some sort of dried meat? Not one of her favorite things she'd tried, but good enough for the wolves.]

Hm. This'll do.

Any other ideas?

[She's never had pets before.]

[ You know, the more he observes her, the more he's convinced she'll actually fit right in with the wolves. Which only causes more questions to pop into his head: where does she even live? What does she eat? When was the last time she had a proper shower? And does she even care about any of those things?

He has to remind himself that none of that is his business, and he just shrugs his shoulders in response to her question. ]

No sudden movements. Or anything that could be perceived as a threat, really.

[ He may have no experience when it comes to pets (aside from hanging out with a certain catgirl), but he's spent pretty much all of his life living in the woods. Dealing with wild animals comes as a part of the package with other survival skills, but he's also never had to do anything with them other than kill them or leave them alone. So for all his knowledge, it's still a bit of an uncharted territory that she's asking for. ]

Even if they tolerate your presence, they might turn on you if they feel threatened. Try not to forget that, Mowgli.

[The answers to these questions range from baffling to deeply sad. A2, for now, seems unaware that her behavior is unusual or alarming. She hasn't spent any extended period of time around anyone for a long time. Manners and social mores had been lost somewhere along the way. Often, she'd existed more as a wraith than a living and breathing thing. Some monstrous creature to use as a cautionary tale for new recruits in YoRHa.

At the moment, far away from YoRHa and that ruined world, she studies the wolves without blinking in rapt fascination. She nods at Ragna's advice.] Understood.

[And then she blinks. Her unnerving focus broken, she looks over to him.] "Mowgli." What's that?

[ Well, now that he thinks about it, it's no surprise his joke flies over her head. Her profile said something about not having experienced much in terms of a normal life, and he has a good idea of how those who were created as weapons are usually treated... so she's probably never had a chance to read a story like that. Or have it read to her. ]

It's, uh, the name of a hero of a kids' book. [ Ragna shifts his weight, feeling awkward having to explain his own snide remark. ] He lives in the jungle and is friends with wolves and shit.

[ He originally just said it because he's a sarcastic prick, but now he kind of wonders if she might genuinely enjoy that one... ]

[So it was possible to befriend these animals... the logical part of her wonders if any would be large enough to bear her weight, the way a boar or moose would. The other part just wants to befriend them in order to study them more. They were kind of cool.]

I see.

[She says, not revealing any part of her future plans. To do that would be to expose herself to possible sabotage or interference. Even away from YoRHa, she still keeps these basic, paranoid tenets in mind.

She falls into silence for a few long moments, keeping her gaze on the animals. Then, finally, she looks over to him again.]

If you feel bad about that... dream, don't. It's not the first time someone's tried to kill me.

[ In the same way she finds the wolves fascinating, Ragna watches her with a mix of mild interest and... wistful nostalgia. The way she seems to fixate on things that any other person would consider perfectly mundane brings back the memories of his sisters, leading him to wonder if her past was similar in nature. He won't ask, of course, because he's not the type to pry into other people's traumas, but just the suspicion alone makes him feel oddly protective of the woman.

The comment about the dream catches him off guard, and Ragna blinks as his mind struggles to catch up. Oh yeah, that. On one hand, he probably owes her an apology for all that mess... on the other, he was kind of hoping they might never talk about it. ]

... Doesn't matter. Used to it or not, it shouldn't have happened. [ No, that's not quite right; he makes a brief pause, then corrects himself. ] I shouldn't have let that happen.

[ He knew all too well how Nu is, and how that whole scenario usually goes; that he didn't stop her sooner, or figured out a way to stop it from getting out of hand is entirely on him. It was his memory, and his responsibility. Not the first time he fucked that up. ]

So... what I'm trying to say is... [ He clears his throat awkwardly. God, why is this so damn hard─ ] ... Sorry.

[In the wake of his apology, A2 falls silent again. Her gaze drops to the ground, too-long bangs falling in front of her eyes. She's like that for a while: quiet and contemplative.

Then, without warning, she shoves him with enough force to make it clear that she's serious about it. Her petite frame belies a considerable amount of strength — it seems that part of the dream hadn't been illusory.

Normal response!]

[ Perhaps under different circumstances, he'd be better prepared for this development; he is more or less on guard almost all the time. Right now, however, with his thoughts drifting back to that dream and considering all the ways he could've handled it better, not to mention making the tremendous effort of forcing himself to apologize, Ragna is wide open ─ and her shove comes completely out of the left field, leaving him with no time to react with anything other than a shout. ]

─HEY!!

[ The man stumbles back, and with his balance already impaired from the missing arm and eye, falls to the ground; he certainly doesn't stay down, however, as he's almost immediately back up, this time in a defensive stance. ]

The hell do you think you're doing?!

[ Yeah, the indoor voice time is clearly over. There's no way the wolves haven't heard this commotion. ]

Would you shut up?

[Says A2, tone sharp and low. She's crouched lower in the brush, her attention fixed on the wolves, who have indeed noticed the ruckus. They become alert in the order A2's come to recognize is an aspect of their individual personalities: the bonded pair who took up the lead first, ears pointed forward, eyes fixed in the direction of the sound. Then the dark wolf looks up from licking cheese remnants from his paws with a curious huff. At last, the young, roughhousing trio seem to catch on to their pack's sudden quiet. They're all as still and eerie as statues. As still as the black-clad androids who had once been deployed in teams to hunt her down.] I didn't even shove you that hard, you baby.

[And then, more softly, she adds:] ... Don't apologize to me. I told you, it's fine.

Edited 2025-02-28 05:11 (UTC)

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[open] and all watched over

the forest

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