maskormenacelogs | (no subject)

WHO: Tucker and Tex
WHERE: streets of Heropa
WHEN: some early morning in mid-March
WHAT: Tucker runs into Tex while training, Tex is pleasantly surprised for once
WARNINGS: general rvb language warnings

[Caboose. Simmons, The Freelancers. Even with Felix and Locus gone, this place is still giving Tucker reasons to keep up this ridiculous training regime he made for himself when he thought for sure he would have the jump on the mercs for once.

Get up before dawn. Put on his running shoes, go run through Heropa because it's still chilly in De Chima. Plus he's done it so much now, he knows the running map in his head of Heropa better than his own town anyway. And he can make a stop at the end at that little coffee shop and get breakfast. It works out, really. Twice a week he makes it to the gym after this, other times he just goes back home. It works, gives him time to think and parse out a lot of things in his head he didn't have the chance to on Chorus.

The problem with this routine is while he pays attention for cars and motorists, he doesn't pay much attention to anything else that passes by.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ She doesn't need to train. Not for the reasons most people do it. But keeping up the regiment has helped to give her life here a schedule on top of work. Which is why she's up before the sun and donning her work out gear. A run to start the day has been a nice habit to keep up and it's helped her figure out the lay of the city much more quickly.

She has a new route set for today and her internal GPS navigates her along it without issue. It isn't until she catches sight of a familiar face and dreads as she's running past that she suddenly stops. And stares. ]

Tucker?

Huh?

[He doesn't usually hear his name while he runs. Definitely not with that level of confusion or Tex's voice. He skids to a stop and looks back to s-- Oh wow it really is Tex. Busted.]

Uh... Hey, what's up?

[ Sorry Tucker, her brain is still trying to process what her eyes are seeing. She stares at him for another moment, looking him over from head to sneakered toes. ]

What are you doing?

[ She can see what it looks like he's doing, but he can't seriously be out for a run this early. Or a run at all. Did Wash send him on some errand or something? ]

Running, what's it look like.

[Tex he thought you were smarter than the rest of them. Come on.]

Real question is why are you out here running?

[ She promptly rolls her eyes. The most physical activity she saw anyone in Blood Gulch do was walk from one end of the canyon to the other. Not even at a brisk pace. ]

Running. I live here. I thought you were holed up in De Chima.

And?

[He takes the minute to look around again, figure out where he is on the route. Only about halfway, tch.]

Didn't see a law saying I could only run there. I like doing it here, better scenery. [Heropa, Florida. Better coffee shops and babes in skimpy clothing everywhere.]

Didn't think you'd be around here. [ It required extra effort to get here and she's still not entirely sure he's not a hallucination.

But the tension is easing somewhat out of her posture as she regards him. ]

You do this often? This is a new route for me.

Every morning, yeah.

[Now that he knows he's stopping for longer than small talk, he shifts his weight and relaxes. He looks out at the road ahead of him, the street lights giving some guidance.]

It helps with some stuff. [Never did he think he'd have nightmares from actual war but here he is running to deal with it.]

Edited 2016-03-23 02:02 (UTC)

[ 'Some stuff?' She gives him a strange look for a moment before tilting her head towards the sidewalk in front of them. ]

Want company?

[ If he's still standing there, she could at least extend some kind of olive branch. ]

[He glances at her sidelong, regarding the offer carefully. They've come a good way from that last blow up in his apartment so... maybe not such a bad idea to take the offer. He's changed a lot since the simulation outposts; wouldn't hurt for her to see it.

Tucker rolls his shoulder in a shrug and motions for her to follow.]

Sure, c'mon. I've got a good route, sees plenty of the city.

You get to pick the route if you can keep up.

[ It's a light tease with some seriousness behind it. She won't just follow his lead the whole way if he's dragging his feet. But she's giving him the benefit of the doubt and waits for him to start up before she does. ]

Oh come on, like robot legs aren't an advantage for you.

[But he's already starting. He's obviously not in this for a race, he's actually being smart and pacing himself.]

I still don't get why you're running like this anyway?

[ They're a slight advantage, though not one she's going to take today. She lets him set the pace and notes with some surprise at the form he's taking. Huh. ]

Do you only run for the exercise? Because I seem to remember you saying you do it because it helps with 'some stuff.'

[When she matches it, he keeps it up. A lot easier to run without half a ton of armor on.]

Cardio, stamina... Stress.

[Yeah that's all he has to say on that one.]

Wash got me doing it back home, then I was running with Carolina here... May as well keep it up. [~~Bowchickabowow~~]

[ She gives him a look at the mention of 'stress.' Exactly.

And she'll just pretend she didn't hear a potential innuendo. She's more surprised he didn't verbally supply the bow chicka himself. ]

I'm surprised he got any of you running. Were you doing pull-ups and crunches for him too?

Squats, mostly. And he really only had me doing shit. Reds fucked off and Caboose was uh...

[Man there's not a delicate or nice way to say it, he's not sure why he's tryin-- oh right, Caboose is gone. That's why.]

He was Caboose. Wash's got a fuckin' soft spot for him and all.

[ She nods in agreement. It's hard not to have something resembling a soft spot when it comes to Caboose, even with all the idiocy he entails. ]

So, that's what you were up to while we were gone. Squats and running. Did you learn how to shoot straight?

Funny. Still stopped a civil war and saved a planet, thanks.

[And yet even with the snark and bullshit, he's keeping up at a steady pace and not winded.]

Did Wash learn how to build super fucked up obstacle courses from you guys? Because seriously, what the fuck.

You still don't have proof that even happened.

[ She rolls her eyes. At least he's keeping up with her and she doesn't have to slow down.

With the driest of sarcasm, ] How fucked up are we talking? We only had a few flamethrowers and landmines in ours.

Actually as a matter of fact, I do, in my armor storage. [Should he? Meh, couldn't hurt in case he comes back.] That guy that was here before, Felix? Him and Locus were mercs hired by Charon industries to facilitate a civil war on a backwater planet until everyone was dead so they could harvest the alien artifacts there and make a fortune.

[Surprisingly informational from Tucker. Must be the running.]

Dude, there were explosions and car chases and all kinds of weird shit, I dunno what he did. Ask him.

[Nevermind.]

[ The rest of that? Suddenly very unimportant as she focuses on the fact that he has proof. ]

You have video? Or audio only? [ Because one of those is a whole lot easier to fake. ]

I remember running into those two before, one was trying to run a bodyguard business here.