gotta get down for a mingle

[redactions]

Who: The crew of the SS Heron and visitors.
Broadcast: nope.
Action: Aboard the SS Heron.
When: After returning to the ship.

[ finally back on the right ship, except the corridors are all mysteriously cold and the ship seems smaller. Thanks, Atroma. New crew, visitors, starters in comments ]

Comments

[touchofrogue]

[Why?

She doesn't ask. If it gave him a measure of peace and purpose, she wasn't going to strike at it.

Rogue just settles back into silence for a time before she feels her legs starting to go numb. It makes her curious, and she doesn't hesitate to ask Winter the stupid personal questions she'd never ask anyone else, mostly because she thinks they're good for him.]

Do your legs ever fall asleep, doin' this?

[reconstitution]

[ The stupid questions are good for him. It can at least get him thinking with an outside perspective just why he feels he has to do these things. ]

I never really paid it any mind before, but I guess so.

[ He shifts his legs, working the pins and needles out. ]

[touchofrogue]

[...heh. She gives him a warm half-smile.]

Should I apologize for bringin' it up?

[Since, well, becoming aware of pins and needles is not exactly the best thing in the world, however much more of a step towards... being human it might be.]

[reconstitution]

No, it's fine.

[ Becoming conscious of those normal human things is definitely something he needs to get used to. He's so used to just blanking every sensation out and discrediting it as a problem. It's odd, but.. fucking refreshing. ].

[touchofrogue]

Okay.

[There was a pause, Rogue's line of thought more of a zig-zag. And then:] What about a sneeze? Ya ever sit waitin' and just get the itch right on the bridge of your nose so bad until the point where you just have to?

[reconstitution]

[ He actually has to stop and think about that one. ]

I guess so, yes. It's involuntary.

[touchofrogue]

Huh. [Thinking on it, turning it over a little.] ...anythin' else?

[She paused a moment to clarify.] I mean, what else would start ta get distractin'?

[reconstitution]

[ He shrugs a shoulder. ]

Fatigue. Hunger. I can ignore them, but that's not good, I guess. Not something most people do.

[touchofrogue]

[Rogue bobbed her head from side to side, considering.] Guess that depends on the circumstances. Lotta people will do that sort of thing, if they don't have a choice or if somethin' more immediately important's goin' on.

[She sure did.] But it does tend ta get unhealthy after a while.

[reconstitution]

This is easier, sometimes. Routine that's set in stone.

[ There's at least a small veil of use in what he's doing. Thankfully, the reading and catching up provides a much-needed distraction from that. ]

[touchofrogue]

[What was easier, she wonders. Ignoring fatigue? Sitting here and watching... waiting for something to happen? Stalking while he was doing... whatever he was doing that left him like this?

Well. Only one way to find out.]

What's easier?

[reconstitution]

Waiting. Watching.

There's not much else for me to do. [ Not much use he can provide when there isn't a war. ]

[touchofrogue]

[She gave him a curious glance, that particular brand of interest that was also determined to be non-invasive.]

Well... plenty ya could learn ta do, if ya wanted. Knew some folk, the last place I was, who just went around learnin' everythin' they could from everybody. Ain't often ya get so many people like the ones gathered here in one place.

[reconstitution]

..I could.

[ But that would mean actually being around people again. Thankfully, it doesn't require being around more than one or two people at a time.

There's a silence that develops afterward, Winter mulling everything over and wondering just what his hesitation in the matter is.]

What can you teach me?

[touchofrogue]

Me?

[Rogue's surprise was genuine - she rarely talked about herself, for one thing, for another she very rarely thought about the things she could do as opposed to the things she couldn't...

She gave a quiet, self-depreciating laugh as her mind raced to come up with things both that she could share and that she would be willing to share with this strange, quiet, broken and deadly man at her side.]

Guess ya don't need me ta help ya learn how ta throw a punch...

[reconstitution]

Not really, no. But it can be something simple..

[ There are probably a thousand things he doesn't remember being able to do, and stumbling upon them suddenly hasn't really been a thing that's happened, either. Learning something new is good, too. Anything, at this point. ]

[touchofrogue]

Ya probably don't want lessons in eyeliner either... not that we have eyeliner...

[Rogue misses make-up. It's the little things.

But we have now reached our end of 'whistling in the dark' and she sobers, shifting her weight against the wall as she sat in a way indicative of finding balance, despite the fact that she's sitting. Rogue continues quietly.]

I can cook. Draw, a little. Ride horses. [...even more quietly, something quite private:] play guitar. Maybe I ain't the best example of folks ta learn things from - we've barely got materials for two outta the four.

[reconstitution]

..I liked helping you cook.

[ None of the others quite stand out to Winter, though he's quick to think that Steve can draw. Not necessarily a memory, but something that he's been told several times. ]

[touchofrogue]

Yeah? [A little mild surprise in her tone.] Well, your ship could use a l'il more help in the kitchen, I won't lie. Might be a good skill for ya ta take up. If ya want.

[reconstitution]

I guess it could. Someone has to step into your stead.

[touchofrogue]

[She gives a small smile, irrationally pleased that this was something he'd want to learn.]

Could set up a schedule for lessons if ya want. Might help ya figure out the kinds of things ya like ta eat, not that our ingredient list is that great, but you can do more with it than it seems.

[reconstitution]

That would be okay. ..I remember liking apples.

[ As if that is the solution to their problems. ]

[touchofrogue]

Apples, huh?

[Where the heck was she gonna find apples?]

Well... we'll have ta keep our eyes open for 'em. Maybe we'll get lucky, be able ta plant some seeds.

[reconstitution]

Well.. I got some. In that basket from the Atroma.

[ He hasn't really touched it aside from giving it an intense survey of its items and stowing it in the room he doesn't use. ]

[touchofrogue]

Yeah? [Huh.] That was neighborly of them. Ya ought ta make sure you save the seeds.