When South drags her sorry ass back to to Juniper Drive in the early evening, she hasn't decided yet if she's hoping North is home or not. On one hand, she could really do with the help patching herself up, on the other, he'll have questions, and several of them have answers she really doesn't want to have to give. Maybe it'd be simpler if she can just haul herself into the bathroom and handle it on her own.
But then he'd still see all the bruising later, so— ugh, it's lose-lose. He's gonna fuss sooner or later.
She shoulders the front door open out of habit and regrets it immediately, hissing as fresh pain sparks through the battered joint. Re-set or not, it still hurts like a bitch. That's gonna suck.
A mental coin toss and she decides, at least, to try and make for the bathroom before North maybe realises she's back. Maybe he's not here and it won't matter, maybe he is and he already knows like his fucking twin sense has gone off, but she's gonna try anyway.
He's in the kitchen, setting up his newly acquired basic items in his new home, deciding where things ought to go while some kind of simple soup boils on the stove.
"South? That you?" His voice echoes from the next room. Busted.
South freezes mid-step and winces—godfuckingdammit, okay, fine. Fine! Fuck this is going to be embarrassing. "No, it's a fucking cat burglar. Yeah, it's me. Gimme a sec, I— need a piss?"
Not convincing. Sometimes it's easy to forget the managed to lie to him for two years straight without getting totally busted, because she can't seem to fucking manage it now. The sound of her gait as she moves won't even sound quite right, after the beating she took.
And it does. Most of the left side of her face is awash with fresh, blooming bruises, matched by the shoulder on the same side where the skin peeks out from her shirt. She's cleaned most of the blood off, but her nose is still visibly busted and so are her knuckles. She's favouring one side of her ribcage.
"—but I swear to fucking god, I'm fine. Just— need a bit of patching up, that's all."
"Okay, well---- let's go do that, then, damn." Letting out a stressed breath, North takes his soup pot off the stove and bustles her off to the bathroom. Thankfully this place has some basic first aid things. Not much, but more than what they had left by the time North died. "God, what did you do?"
"Carolina." Beat. Phrasing. Anyway. "I mean— ugh, we just sparred. Maybe it got a little out of hand."
More than a little, really, the evidence is written literally all over her face. She gives herself a once-over in the mirror, wincing as she prods at her nose, before turning around to lean against the counter whilst North digs out the supplies. Shrugs off her shirt on the injured side, undershirt keeping her covered. It's familiar enough a routine, needing his help like this—however begrudgingly.
"A little, huh? Jesus." North sighs and shapes his head, starting to patch her up. They've gotten good at this, over the years. After a childhood of scraped knees and sprained ankles all the way up to being military runaways, it makes sense.
"Look, I didn't even fuckin' start it this time, alright? She suggested it. Thought it was a good idea to—" Ugh, what did she say again? South rubs her head. "Do something with my energy, or something, I don't fucking know. Something about feeling better if I'm punching her than just lying around drinking. Still haven't decided if she's fuckin' right."
Actually, she's not, that fight really was the most alive she's felt since North's death, but she'll be damned if she gives Carolina the satisfaction of being right that easily.
"But maybe it kinda helped. A little. Except for her dislocating my fucking shoulder, jesus christ—"
"Getting my ass beat was our day job, not like it'd be any fuckin' different." But also there isn't really a job around here with that job description, is there? So she's shit out of luck regardless. "I dunno what to do around here, dude, it's all— weird. Even the cops are half run by the traitorous bitch. Who the fuck put her in charge of anything?"
Ugh, here they go again. She grabs a towel to stuff between her teeth so she doesn't hurt her jaw any worse than it already has been by all the kicks to the head, then nods to him. Go ahead.
The popping of South's shoulder back into place serves as a good enough reason to avoid commenting on CT. Personally, he doesn't think that he, South, York, and Tex are any better. Turncoats, the lot of them. CT was just the first to wise up.
With a quick, decisive yank and a gross pop, South's shoulder returns to its socket, and North keeps talking once she's had a chance to yell it off.
"Yeah, well. At least back then it was with a specific objective in mind. Why don't you check the billboard in town? I've seen some stuff."
South hisses sharp and yells loud even with the towel, but she does grumble a 'thanks' once she pulls the thing out if her mouth and rolls the joint cautiously. Gonna have to be careful with it, which they both know is going to piss her off.
"The objective was winning. That's specific." No it wasn't and no it isn't. She huffs. "Ugh, maybe? It's not like I have that much else to fuckin' offer. Punching shit and shooting shit's my whole thing."
It's not, of course, she's just feeling lost and a little defeated. Hard to see herself accurately (though that's hard... most days, really).
"But if I don't at least look you'll keep telling me to, right?"
It's not like it's that out of her way, she guesses.
"Obviously," North says, chuckling. "Just because I'd like to see you have something to do that isn't running up your blood alcohol content. Y'know, something that you're excited about."
"Maybe what I'm excited about is running up my blood alcohol content," she snarks back, only half her usual energy in it. Kinda is already craving another drink, hasn't had any since last night. "Ugh, fine, I'll swing by the damn board tomorrow. Assuming I can even get off the fucking couch. My eyes don't look fucked, do they?"
Concussion check. She got a lot of knocks to the head, will definitely be feeling it, but she might just have dodged an actual concussion. This time.
"Fucked in a head injury way, no. Fucked in a pending shiner way, definitely the one on the left," North remarks after giving her face a check. "Lemme make a cold compress."
He grabs a clean rag, turning on the sink water to dampen it. "Also, I'm not so straight-edge that I don't already know from experience that drinking isn't that interesting. Especially not the way you do it."
"Coulda fooled me. Fuckin' square." That's dumb, she knows it's dumb even as she says it, it's not like they haven't drank plenty together many times over the years, even if he never has gone a hard as she did even before this... problem, that she knows damn well she has now. Isn't eager to fix it, that's all. "It's sure more interesting than not drinking. That's all that fuckin' matters."
She turns her head so he can use the compress, once it's ready. Will take it from him soon enough, mind you, but the reflex is still, despite everything, to let him help.
"Maybe," she retorts, like a twelve-year old, then snorts and plays into it by sticking her tongue out at him immaturely too. "If twelve-year-olds said fuck." Beat. "Okay so yeah."
Yeah she was a twelve-year-old who said fuck. Of course she was.
She sticks her tongue out even more aggressively, never one to be one-upped, even if it makes her wince thanks to her aching jaw. Worth it.
"Soup does sound pretty good," she concedes, groaning faintly as she pushes herself up from leaning against the counter. "Still fuckin' weird seeing you cook shit."
Actual food. Not just heating up MREs and cans of crap.
Waving her along, North heads for the kitchen. "I like cooking well enough. It's relaxing, y'know? Clears my head. And then afterward, I get to eat! It's cleaning that's a bitch."
She keeps the compress against her face with her good arms as she goes, snorting quietly. "Well, we can agree on the fuckin' cleaning part being a bitch."
Can't relate to the rest, but if he's enjoying himself and they're getting decent food out of it, it's not like she's complaining. May as well enjoy it while she can.
"It's just a beef broth and some random veggies," North says with a shrug. "I have no idea what the hell I'm doing, but I think Mom made a soup sorta like this sometimes. Smells good, anyway."
He fixes South a bowl first, then himself. His description of his dish was pretty accurate--- beef stock, plus onions, carrots, and celery that seem to have been sauteed first, chopped up potatoes, garlic, beans, tomatoes, corn, green beans, and mushrooms. He clearly has a vague idea of what he's doing, at least. There even appears to be some herb bits floating around in there. His vegetable cutting is rough, and there's definitely way more bits of thyme and rosemary stem than one might like, but it seems like a downright okay soup.
"Приятного аппетита," he remarks--- an old colony phrase. His actual Russian-speaking abilities are somewhat limited. "Lemme know what you think."
Never really gets less odd, thinking about home. Always been less likely to bring it up than he is, but has no real reason to stop him, either. One of them should probably be keeping the memory alive, right? Even if she doesn't know how to feel about the place, the past, sometimes.
He might not be making it onto Galactic Masterchef, but he's clearly figuring shit out, and it's not like it's not— nice, seeing him in this more normal light. (He's better suited for this than her. He's probably always been better suited for this, for life after the military, than her. Anyone could've told you that.)
"S'good," she says, muffled around a mouthful, because she's never had manners and she's sure not starting now. Elbows on the table and everything, one still holding the compress to her face and the other the spoon. "Could not fuckin' tell you if it's anything like whatever you're thinking of from Mom but I never remember that shit the same anyway, so. Whatever. It's good. Downright fuckin' edible."
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early november, after her spar-turned-brawl with carolina
When South drags her sorry ass back to to Juniper Drive in the early evening, she hasn't decided yet if she's hoping North is home or not. On one hand, she could really do with the help patching herself up, on the other, he'll have questions, and several of them have answers she really doesn't want to have to give. Maybe it'd be simpler if she can just haul herself into the bathroom and handle it on her own.
But then he'd still see all the bruising later, so— ugh, it's lose-lose. He's gonna fuss sooner or later.
She shoulders the front door open out of habit and regrets it immediately, hissing as fresh pain sparks through the battered joint. Re-set or not, it still hurts like a bitch. That's gonna suck.
A mental coin toss and she decides, at least, to try and make for the bathroom before North maybe realises she's back. Maybe he's not here and it won't matter, maybe he is and he already knows like his fucking twin sense has gone off, but she's gonna try anyway.
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He's in the kitchen, setting up his newly acquired basic items in his new home, deciding where things ought to go while some kind of simple soup boils on the stove.
"South? That you?" His voice echoes from the next room. Busted.
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South freezes mid-step and winces—godfuckingdammit, okay, fine. Fine! Fuck this is going to be embarrassing. "No, it's a fucking cat burglar. Yeah, it's me. Gimme a sec, I— need a piss?"
Not convincing. Sometimes it's easy to forget the managed to lie to him for two years straight without getting totally busted, because she can't seem to fucking manage it now. The sound of her gait as she moves won't even sound quite right, after the beating she took.
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North sticks his head into the room, and right away his expression switches from quizzical to alarmed. "Jesus Christ!"
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"Okay I know it looks bad—"
And it does. Most of the left side of her face is awash with fresh, blooming bruises, matched by the shoulder on the same side where the skin peeks out from her shirt. She's cleaned most of the blood off, but her nose is still visibly busted and so are her knuckles. She's favouring one side of her ribcage.
"—but I swear to fucking god, I'm fine. Just— need a bit of patching up, that's all."
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"Carolina." Beat. Phrasing. Anyway. "I mean— ugh, we just sparred. Maybe it got a little out of hand."
More than a little, really, the evidence is written literally all over her face. She gives herself a once-over in the mirror, wincing as she prods at her nose, before turning around to lean against the counter whilst North digs out the supplies. Shrugs off her shirt on the injured side, undershirt keeping her covered. It's familiar enough a routine, needing his help like this—however begrudgingly.
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"What's the point of doing stuff like this?"
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"Look, I didn't even fuckin' start it this time, alright? She suggested it. Thought it was a good idea to—" Ugh, what did she say again? South rubs her head. "Do something with my energy, or something, I don't fucking know. Something about feeling better if I'm punching her than just lying around drinking. Still haven't decided if she's fuckin' right."
Actually, she's not, that fight really was the most alive she's felt since North's death, but she'll be damned if she gives Carolina the satisfaction of being right that easily.
"But maybe it kinda helped. A little. Except for her dislocating my fucking shoulder, jesus christ—"
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He places his hand on her shoulder, and braces the other.
"Also, what I think this means is, you need a hobby. Or a day job. Something that isn't getting your ass beat, preferably."
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"Getting my ass beat was our day job, not like it'd be any fuckin' different." But also there isn't really a job around here with that job description, is there? So she's shit out of luck regardless. "I dunno what to do around here, dude, it's all— weird. Even the cops are half run by the traitorous bitch. Who the fuck put her in charge of anything?"
Ugh, here they go again. She grabs a towel to stuff between her teeth so she doesn't hurt her jaw any worse than it already has been by all the kicks to the head, then nods to him. Go ahead.
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With a quick, decisive yank and a gross pop, South's shoulder returns to its socket, and North keeps talking once she's had a chance to yell it off.
"Yeah, well. At least back then it was with a specific objective in mind. Why don't you check the billboard in town? I've seen some stuff."
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South hisses sharp and yells loud even with the towel, but she does grumble a 'thanks' once she pulls the thing out if her mouth and rolls the joint cautiously. Gonna have to be careful with it, which they both know is going to piss her off.
"The objective was winning. That's specific." No it wasn't and no it isn't. She huffs. "Ugh, maybe? It's not like I have that much else to fuckin' offer. Punching shit and shooting shit's my whole thing."
It's not, of course, she's just feeling lost and a little defeated. Hard to see herself accurately (though that's hard... most days, really).
"But if I don't at least look you'll keep telling me to, right?"
It's not like it's that out of her way, she guesses.
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"Maybe what I'm excited about is running up my blood alcohol content," she snarks back, only half her usual energy in it. Kinda is already craving another drink, hasn't had any since last night. "Ugh, fine, I'll swing by the damn board tomorrow. Assuming I can even get off the fucking couch. My eyes don't look fucked, do they?"
Concussion check. She got a lot of knocks to the head, will definitely be feeling it, but she might just have dodged an actual concussion. This time.
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He grabs a clean rag, turning on the sink water to dampen it. "Also, I'm not so straight-edge that I don't already know from experience that drinking isn't that interesting. Especially not the way you do it."
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"Coulda fooled me. Fuckin' square." That's dumb, she knows it's dumb even as she says it, it's not like they haven't drank plenty together many times over the years, even if he never has gone a hard as she did even before this... problem, that she knows damn well she has now. Isn't eager to fix it, that's all. "It's sure more interesting than not drinking. That's all that fuckin' matters."
She turns her head so he can use the compress, once it's ready. Will take it from him soon enough, mind you, but the reflex is still, despite everything, to let him help.
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Add another twenty to that, actually.
"Maybe," she retorts, like a twelve-year old, then snorts and plays into it by sticking her tongue out at him immaturely too. "If twelve-year-olds said fuck." Beat. "Okay so yeah."
Yeah she was a twelve-year-old who said fuck. Of course she was.
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She sticks her tongue out even more aggressively, never one to be one-upped, even if it makes her wince thanks to her aching jaw. Worth it.
"Soup does sound pretty good," she concedes, groaning faintly as she pushes herself up from leaning against the counter. "Still fuckin' weird seeing you cook shit."
Actual food. Not just heating up MREs and cans of crap.
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She keeps the compress against her face with her good arms as she goes, snorting quietly. "Well, we can agree on the fuckin' cleaning part being a bitch."
Can't relate to the rest, but if he's enjoying himself and they're getting decent food out of it, it's not like she's complaining. May as well enjoy it while she can.
"What's the soup anyway?"
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He fixes South a bowl first, then himself. His description of his dish was pretty accurate--- beef stock, plus onions, carrots, and celery that seem to have been sauteed first, chopped up potatoes, garlic, beans, tomatoes, corn, green beans, and mushrooms. He clearly has a vague idea of what he's doing, at least. There even appears to be some herb bits floating around in there. His vegetable cutting is rough, and there's definitely way more bits of thyme and rosemary stem than one might like, but it seems like a downright okay soup.
"Приятного аппетита," he remarks--- an old colony phrase. His actual Russian-speaking abilities are somewhat limited. "Lemme know what you think."
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Never really gets less odd, thinking about home. Always been less likely to bring it up than he is, but has no real reason to stop him, either. One of them should probably be keeping the memory alive, right? Even if she doesn't know how to feel about the place, the past, sometimes.
He might not be making it onto Galactic Masterchef, but he's clearly figuring shit out, and it's not like it's not— nice, seeing him in this more normal light. (He's better suited for this than her. He's probably always been better suited for this, for life after the military, than her. Anyone could've told you that.)
"S'good," she says, muffled around a mouthful, because she's never had manners and she's sure not starting now. Elbows on the table and everything, one still holding the compress to her face and the other the spoon. "Could not fuckin' tell you if it's anything like whatever you're thinking of from Mom but I never remember that shit the same anyway, so. Whatever. It's good. Downright fuckin' edible."
Pretty high praise off her, really.
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