maskormenacelogs | Everybody wants to rule the world

[ That invisible tattoo on her wrist is covered by one gloved hand. He catches her wrist, to catch her attention, as his voice will come from lower than she remembers. ]

Lil.

[ These people, whoever they were, fixed him up with a functioning wheelchair. There is a certain gratitude, but his frustration bleeds through above all.

He thought the Porter was supposed to resolve things like this. It solved death, but not injury? Maybe the mess of the end of all things left the Porter less than functional. It all makes a certain sort of sense, but that doesn't ease his irritation.

This isn't the condition he wants to be in, now that they're trapped somewhere new. He's immobilized. He can only fight a fraction as well as he'd used to, and he's not going to be going anywhere on his own like this. How many weeks will it take to repair two broken legs?

He somehow doubts this place has any miracles with medicine.

When he sees her, it's natural. He has few allies left in this place, and he trusts her. She's stubborn, and she's foolish with her emotions, but she's loyal. Lil is someone he would trust with his life, after everything that's happened, and few people earn that status anymore. He's has that trust abused before -- but not her; he no longer has any doubt that it couldn't come to that with her.

He may regret it. ]

[ her arm instinctively tenses, muscles tightening through her shoulders when he touches her, a reflexive and almost defensive sort of surprised annoyance rising in her expression until it's washed away by recognition. she doesn't seem sure what to make of him at first -- maybe because what time they had together during the "end of the world" still seems surreal, or because the sight of him in that wheelchair is a little jarring.

but he made it. he's here. relief floods her chest. ]

You've looked better, old man.

[ it's a little fond though, betraying her relief. she can't help that. ]

If you're gonna try an' bail on me later, I feel like I'm gonna have t'give y'some kinda head start.

[ There is a comment on his tongue which almost escapes -- you like it anyway -- but he bites it back. It's oddly easy to get back-and-forth with her, after what's passed between them, and that's a bad habit to form. ]

Looked worse too.

[ Frank releases her arm now that he has her attention, moving back to the armrests of his chair. ]

Not sure about that. [ A beat as he gazes around them. ] Might be wise to bail here.

[ lil knows bad habits -- and making bad habits out of people. but she cares less about that than he does. it's probably better for him, to resist the urge to tease her. what already transpired between them is still fresh in her mind, feeding her affection in a way he might have disapproved of. ]

Yeah? Y'got some kinda jet pack hidden in that chair a'yours, hon? 'Cause I don't think you're gonna get real far.

[ she pauses, sighing lightly. ]

Y'could at least wait 'til you're actually walkin' again.

Edited (html no) 2014-01-17 00:10 (UTC)

Funny.

[ Her taunts are another dangerous thing, but he's learned to accept them and brush them off. He leans back in the chair, watching her with his good eye. ]

Meant this. [ A nod, indicating the surrounding ceremony. ] Obnoxious.

What, y'don't like the welcome wagon?

[ another taunt. she isn't really surprised. it doesn't seem like the kind of thing frank castle would appreciate. not that she's really enjoying it either. between the tattoos and the files, it bares a vague resemblance to the containment camps that still makes her uncomfortable.

still, she's always good at keeping her strong face on. ]

Figures. When this is over, all I want is a warm bath and a bed. Can't get me to the goddamn housing fast enough.

Do you?

[ Even with her dismissive words, he can see her discomfort under the surface. Her response catches his attention, and one brow arches towards her. ]

You'll accept it then, and register with them?

[ she hesitates under his scrutiny, but after a beat, her response comes in a voice than downplays her uncertainty: ]

Might as well. Ain't like I'm a stranger t'working for the government. An' wouldn't hurt t'have someone backin' me up in a new place anyway.

[ another pause then, as she considers him. ]

Ain't really your thing though, is it.

[ Her response makes enough sense. He supposes she has no real reason to run or hide from this, and there are benefits.

Benefits that he also needs. ]

No. [ He says it plainly, then directs his stare down at his legs. ] But won't do well with this without a doctor.

[ she senses the shift in his attention, her own eyes finding his legs -- remembering, for a moment, how awful they'd looked when she'd uncovered them, broken and bloody. dwelling on the image forces her to glance away, though she disguises it by lifting a hand to tuck hair behind her ear.

lil does her best to sound nonchalant enough when she answers: ]

So stick around a while. 'Til you're better. See what happens.

Had a feeling you'd say that.

[ It's more of an undertone when he says that. It isn't with any disrespect. It is what makes the most sense, as reluctant as he is to admit to it. ]

Seems to be the only option.

[ she isn't sure why hearing that admission makes it a little easier for her to breathe. it's reassuring somehow, that he won't just up and vanish -- at least not now. there's never any promises for later, not with this man, but she's stopped banking on promises anyway. she'll take whatever time she can get. ]

Well, don't sound so goddamn cheerful or anythin'.

[ the words lack any real bite. ]

It won't be so bad. I said I'd take care of you, didn't I?

[ He glances up at her when she says that. She's always had a few inches on him, and now from the chair, he does have to crane his head to accomplish it. ]

You did. [ Even if a lot of that night is fuzzy, he can remember that well enough. ] Didn't think you'd take it that far.

Why not?

[ she doesn't seem fazed by his response, loosely folding her arms under her chest as she watches him. ]

I've been married half my damn life. I think I can look after one man, unless y'got other folks linin' up.

Prefer you didn't make that comparison.

[ It's another mutter, although sincere. He's more lenient with her now, but only by certain measure. He can't be so lax that he gets the wrong idea in her head. ]

May regret the offer later.

[ what he says makes her pause. she can't explain why even that small, subtle rejection makes her feel a little defensive. maybe he has been too soft on her. whatever it is that they have has become so familiar to her -- almost normal.

finally, she answers pointedly: ]

You're the one that regrets things around here, not me.

[ she glances away. ]

Y'want my help or not?

[ It isn't something he should give consent to -- on the other hand, he knows he's not fully capable on his own like this. He could manage fine, but if it came to a conflict, in that life that followed him everywhere... He's not equipped for that time, which is guaranteed to come. ]

Yeah.

[ He sounds bland enough, betraying nothing of the amount of truth he offers in that agreement.

He glances at her, nodding, and his hands drop to the wheels of his chair. ]

Should go.

[ as usual, his passivity in any situation works at her nerves, riling her far too easily. she purses her lips at him for his bland response before glancing away again, trying not to seem as petulant as she might feel.

it isn't really anger -- though that always ends up being the simplest thing to show on her face -- but her emotions feel tangled and mixed, her mind still dwelling on the things he said to her while the world was falling apart. ]

Where to, Captain?

[ the honorific is more colloquial than anything else, turbulent emotions making it fall short of her playful, affectionate teasing. ]

[ The response surprises him. He supposes it shouldn't; her husband was a military man. Even more harmless than that, it may be simple taunting. He's giving orders, so she responds in kind.

Still, it pauses him for a moment, before he gestures to the file in his lap, then the one she holds in her hands. ]

Should be obvious. [ Frank begins to move forward, expecting Lil will follow. ] Wanted us together anyway, looks like.

[ Frank hadn't lingered on it before, dismissing it as he expected to dismiss everything they assigned to him. However, now Lil made an offer, and he's accepted it.

He will see how long this lasts. ]

Yeah? [ mild surprise touches her tone. ] Y'really do have a hard time gettin' rid of me, huh?

[ truthfully, she hasn't paid much attention to the file she was given -- she'd never really been much of a bureaucrat, and paperwork of any kind rarely topped the list of her priorities. she was far too much of a hands-on type for fine print. still, at his gesture, she opens her file half out of curiosity alone, flipping through it as she walks along with him, unconsciously controlling her long stride to stay squarely beside him.

at length, after scanning the pages, she reads out loud a little skeptically: ]

"Supermodel." [ then, glancing over at the file in frank's lap: ] What'd they give you?

Seems so.

[ Modeling. Lil certainly has the look for it. He wonders if she'll accept it or not. She seems like she's used to far more excitement.

Then again, this place isn't discouraging 'heroism.'

Frank is practical enough that he read the file thoroughly. So, when Lil asks, he doesn't need to open to again to check. ] Firefighter.

Not that I'll be capable.

[ truthfully, it's beginning to sink in for her how different things could be here. her penchant for bright dresses and high heels aside, she's always lived a remarkably unglamorous life. the waitress from yellowknife got drafted by the canadian government -- and the rest is history. the foreignness of it all has small second thoughts spawning in the back of her mind.

she closes her file and glances back at frank as he answers her. ]

Guess they figured you'd be comin' over with workin' legs. [ her attention lingers on him though, becoming something between thoughtful and appraising. finally, in a mild, almost habitually taunting way: ] Bet the uniform'll look sharp though. Y'could always just sit there an' look pretty.

[ He hardly needs to be reminded about it. ]

If they wanted that, they'd have given both of us the same job.

[ It's a long sentence. Before, she'd have had to fight him for more than a few curt words. Now, it's not only several, but it's with an edge of dry, flatly delivered humor. The distance between them is short and he may have to make space again -- for now, it's a better strategy to stay close.

A soldier needs allies. ]

[ his little quip makes her pause and glance at him again, as if she isn't quite sure she'd read his tone right. her gaze lingers a moment or two before she finally answers him, her tone deceptively nonchalant despite the self-conscious way she tucks hair behind her ear. ]

Y'better stop teasin' me, or I'm gonna start thinkin' y'can actually stand me or somethin'. [ up ahead, the line of cars waiting to take the newly arrived imports to their homes catches her attention. one of the drivers must be assigned to them, because he waves them over as they approach. ] Then you'll have a harder time gettin' rid of me than y'did before, big guy.

Never said I couldn't stand you.

[ He shouldn't bother making the correction, yet still it comes. It's easier to speak to her now, after she dug him out of the wreckage of the end of the world. Maybe it's due to that original debt she's owed finally being repaid: he saved her life, and she saved his. Now, the ground beneath them seems level.

After what she did for him, it's justified. Still: he has tried partnerships before, and they never ended clean. If it wasn't someone who turned on him, it was his lifestyle which betrayed who he had taken in.

When the driver waves towards him, he frowns towards his chair. This whole thing will take getting used to. ]

Harder time doing much of anything.

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