sixthiterationlogs | This feeling begins just like a spark

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This feeling begins just like a spark

WHO: Kate Fuller + 1 Single thread + 1 OTA
WHERE: Bunker + Inn
WHEN: 10-12th
OPEN TO: Anyone! Though one only for her Bunker arrival, please :)
WARNINGS: None as yet

Caught in the riptide

bunker || ooc: single thread only please

[ People have a way of looking peaceful, younger even when they're asleep and the girl surrounded by water in the pod is hardly an exception. Of course, Kate Fuller has never looked a day older than her seventeen years. Even after everything she'd experienced in Mexico, she was just one of those people who was be cursed with a baby face. Like this, however, encased in water with her fine, dark hair billowing around her, it was hard to imagine she'd ever seen a difficult day in her life. Her features looked too soft, her rosebud lips too pure and her round face and full cheeks all spoke to an innocence she'd lost many months ago now.

As the water drains away and she opens her hazel eyes, you may get a sense that she's not your normal teenage girl, panic fast giving way to determination as she recovers fast enough to look for anything she could use as a weapon. There's nothing, of course, only the weight of the bag she has strapped to her back but Kate wastes little time in trying to twist it around her body so she can use it as a shield against the person who is releasing her from the tube.]

I swear - if you come any closer I'll make you regret it. [Her soft, southern drawl accentuated under the strain of panic she tries to suppress. It's a bluff of course and whoever is releasing her has to know there's nothing useful in her bag of tricks but if she's going to die here in this place - wherever she is - Kate's determined that she's going to go down swinging.]

I was searching for the truth

inn || ooc: feel free to approach her at any point within the following, heck you can go with spotting her at the window of the house she's staying in.

[No matter what she's told when she gets here, it will be several days before anyone gets a good look at the newest arrival. Just long enough for her hunger to reach a point where hiding is no longer an option. Until she walks into the Inn during today's lunch, Kate has been little more than a face somebody might have caught a glimpse of. She's been watching the others go about their day, trying to understand what exactly this place is. Has been reading the conversations on the network, yet hasn't once attempted to reply.

The smell of food cooking on her first day had almost been her undoing. Kate couldn't remember the last time she'd had a meal that hadn't come from a can or a fast food place and the way her stomach had grumbled and twisted in on itself as she watched people come and go from the Inn? It had taken every ounce of willpower she possessed to remain locked behind the doors of the little house she'd been hiding in.

By day two, she doesn't even try to fight it. Instead, she waits, watching the people come and go, hoping to find a perfect moment when the Inn might not be overcrowded. It's only once she's made it inside that she realizes, there isn't ever going to be a good time to do this, but if her alternative is starvation? She reasons that the middle of the day should at least be the safest choice.

Still wearing the pale grey scrubs that allow her to blend in, Kate slips into the line of people cueing up for their meal, copying everyone else in getting a bowl and a spoon as she attempts to become part of the scenery. She thinks she's rather good at that and perhaps it would work for her back home, but around here there aren't enough people for newcomers to easily disappear. Her mere existence in the village is what makes her stand out and the more that people cast looks in her direction, the more she seems to resemble a deer in headlights, complete with wide, round eyes that she desperately tries to keep averted from those around her.

She can feel the panic begin to rise in her chest, her legs wanting to buckle under the weight of her anxiety and anyone within earshot might hear her growling something under her breath, a harsh whisper meant only for herself that at least seems to have the desired effect. She straightens then, rolling her shoulders back and projecting a confidence she doesn't entirely feel but she had a good teacher when it came to allowing bravado to take the wheel for a while.

That bravado will only get her so far, however, and she's not about to take her bowl into the middle of the dining area. Instead, Kate sticks to the outskirts, finding a table close enough to an exit that she can almost relax, her serving of what she assumes is some sort of stew, smelling better than anything she's had in a long time. She might change her mind if she were to discover that she's eating some small, woodland creature, but the way her stomach growls at her for taking too long? It's doubtful even that would matter.]

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[Unfortunately, Steve discovered firsthand that walking around in scrubs was essentially like wearing a sign that says 'HEY I'M NEW.' In fact, he's still wearing his, a dark hunter green, as he plops down in a seat at the same table as her. He likes the outskirts too, at the moment.]

Hope you don't mind some company. There's never enough tables in here.

[There's probably a couple of other chairs he could have picked, but sitting with the new girl that looked about his age seemed like a much better prospect than all of the other options.]

[It’s the scrubs that keep her from tensing as he takes the seat across from her. That and because he looks about as harmless as, well... Her. If it weren’t for the fact that they’d all been kidnapped or something, she could almost consider this normal. About as close to normal as anything she’d experienced in a while, anyway.]

You’re not even going to wait and see what I say?

[Her eyebrows raising infinitesimally, just the hint of a smile playing across her lips.]

I could be saving that spot for somebody. [Feeling more of her uneasiness slip away as she stirs the contents of her bowl.]

Nope.

[The word comes out fast and clipped, with the slightest dash of humor. She doesn't seem to be super put out, so he'll play this game. It's the most normal conversation he's had since he got here and it had barely started.

Besides, he can't wait to see what she says if he's already sitting down, now can he?]

Are you? [His eyebrows lift expectantly as he shoves a bite of food in his mouth, chewing it quickly and swallowing before he gestures at her with his fork.] Your scrubs say that's probably not true.

[She feels her lips twitch with the widening of her grin, in spite of herself. Kate trying to mask it by taking a mouthful of stew, grateful for the warm liquid that trickles down the back of her throat and promises to soothe her angry stomach.]

Very sure of yourself, aren't you.

[It's not so much a question, though. She had gone to school with guys like him. They oozed confidence in an effortless way that she quietly envied.]

Do they? [Another raise of her eyebrows, though as she does a quick glance around the room she realizes the point he's trying to make. Almost everyone else here seems to have found their way into normal clothes, but for the two of them.]

And if I hadn't been wearing scrubs? [Suspecting she knew the answer to that one already but wanting to hear him say it.]

[The stew was good. The food here generally was, despite whatever they were using to make it. Steve was pretty sure he was better of not asking for specifics and just decided to be grateful they could cook at all.]

I'm just making an observation.

[He takes another bite as she surveys the room, catching on to what he's throwing down, though he grins ever so slightly again as he finishes off another bite, giving her a quick shrug of his shoulders.]

I would have sat here anyway. I mean, would you rather sit with big tall and horny?

[He assumes she's seen The Iron Bull around. He's pretty hard to miss.]

Oh is that what you’re doing?

[Kate with an infinitesimal shake of her head ~~still fighting that smile, dammit~~ as she spoons more food into her mouth. It wasn’t the kind of meal she used to eat every night with her family, but that life was so different from the one she led now, it was still the best thing she’d had in some time and now she had even a little food in her belly, it this is also the closest she’s felt to human in just as long.]

What? [Her spoon clanging against the edge of her bowl as his words register in her head. The description, while perfectly apt for Iron Bull, would only be considered so if she’d actually seen him and with her spending most of her time since arriving, hiding in a nearby house? There was a lot that Kate had missed by only seeing the world from behind a curtain.]

I - [Without any makeup, there’s nothing to disguise the crawl of pink that pushes across her cheekbones, Kate dipping her head to stare pointedly at her bowl as she retrieves her spoon.]

I’m, sure I wouldn’t. [Kate unsure if it's the description causing that flash of embarrassment, or if because at first? The image that popped into her mind was Richie Gecko.]

Yup.

[For once, he's being completely innocent here. It's not like he came over here to deliberately hit on her or something. She just really did happen to be the least intimidating thing here and Steve doesn't really feel like getting hit or dealing with drama just yet.]

I mean, you've seen him, right? He's pretty hard to miss.

[He lifts his eyebrows expectantly before he continues, gesturing with his hand that isn't holding his fork as he talks.]

Really freaking tall, shoulders wider than a defensive lineman, giant horns coming out the sides of his head?

[Really, the actual hardest to miss. Regardless, maybe she's new enough she actually hasn't run into The Iron Bull. At least he'd been friendly.]

He seemed alright but I'm pretty sure he could squish me like a bug without even trying.

[That’s Kate. Forever the least intimidating person in the room.]

Ohh… [She actually looks relieved, which she probably shouldn’t be given what that meant.] You mean, real honest to goodness horns?

[It should have been scary, it would have been to a normal teenage girl but she’d seen enough in the last year to save her fear for the things that really warranted it. He hadn’t tried to kill her, therefore he can’t be too fearsome.]

I… only got here yesterday. [Lifting her shoulder in a sheepish shrug.] You’re… the second person I’ve actually talked to.

[There was no point in continuing to pretend otherwise and he made it clear he’s new as well. It seems unfair to let him think he’s the only one.]

[He one hundred percent realizes that his lame innuendo joke is missing the mark and just making her hella uncomfortable, so he's just gonna casually continue to ignore that he ever made it. Good plan, Harrington.]

Yup, he goes by The Iron Bull. Pretty accurate name, honestly.

[He found the whole thing weird and humorous, now that he knew the guy wasn't going to try to gore him or something.]

That makes you probably the only person newer than me. People seem to really focus on that the first couple of days, but the novelty wears off pretty quickly.

[He hadn't really known what he was doing when he'd followed the steps to release the woman from the tube, having been instructed by someone who needed a break to go for supplies. Now, staring at a woman making threats at him, Vasquez huffs out a laugh as he leans against the console with his hip, twirling a cigarette between his fingers.]

Si, chica?

[He draws out his lasso and tips his hat up so he can get a proper good look at her, thinking that if she is going to cause some trouble, it's definitely going to be the fun kind of trouble.]

And how do you plan to do that?

[ There’s something about being found amusing that sees Kate offer him the defiant jut of her chin, her heart continuing to hammer in her chest as she tries to think her way out of this. She has no weapons, no skills when it comes to a fight and even if she could throw a punch without breaking her hand, he could just put his hand on her forehead and she’d be swinging at air. ]

I’ll scream.

[ Her eyes narrowing on the man before her now she could get a good look at his face, a memory stirring in the back of her mind, but she can’t seem to grasp it for the moment.]

Big, scary looking man like you. Sweet, innocent girl like me? Do you think anyone will stop long enough to find out what happened before they take you down?

[Kate Fuller may be a lot of things that had made her parents proud, but above playing dirty when she had to? She most certainly is not.]

Scream all you like, we're underground and the only person who was here went to get lunch.

[He shrugs casually, but he gives her a faint smile, because he's not planning to hurt her, he just enjoys the idea that she's going to somehow take him on. She'd probably leave bruises, true, but he's not about to say that.]

Also, that's insulting. I'm not scary, I think maybe rugged. Handsome.

[He raises a brow as he leans back a little more comfortably on the console, still twisting the cigarette.]

Besides, I'm not planning to hurt you.

So what does that make you? [Not entirely sure what he was doing here, or even where here was. It really didn’t help that he looked like one of Celestino’s men… or that he looked familiar.

She makes a face at that, as if she doesn’t agree though Kate would never admit it if she did. She could suppose that maybe, he would be considered ruggedly handsome. He could just also be considered way too old for her to notice.]

And I’ll just take your word for it shall I? [ She dead-pans. Kate seems to spend an awful lot of time with people who promise that she’s safe and they’re usually the cause of danger at every turn.]

If you’re not going to hurt me what do you plan to do? [Still keeping her distance, Kate remaining as close to the tube she’d been in as could be managed, without climbing back inside of it.]

Another prisoner, same as you.

[After all, isn't that what they all are, here? It's not like Vasquez volunteered to come here, because he preferred Cadelle. This is a little closer to what he's used to, but not so easygoing with the liquor and the smokes.]

I came down to watch the tubes while someone got food, trying to be nice for once, do my part.

[When she asks about what he will do, he raises his brow, not sure he really thought that far.]

I don't know. Make sure you won't collapse from shock and then go back out to have a smoke? I haven't really thought too much about it.

[There's always a lot to do in a meal service, and while Mulcahy usually tries to keep an eye out for new people, if only to make sure they get something hot and filling for their first time, he's not as perceptive as some in the village and sometimes newcomers get by him. The girl is one of those, as he's back in the kitchen scrubbing pots when she passes through the line, and he doesn't see her until he makes a round to collect dirty dishes that people have left behind when they're finished eating. With the lack of any sort of mechanical aid here, only elbow grease is going to get food stains off of crockery - thankfully he's used to that.]

[The head of dark hair is enough like a few others that at first he doesn't notice she's a genuine newcomer, but when he gets a closer look at her face he can tell that she is indeed not one he's seen before, and he's at least seen most of the faces here even if he isn't the most gregarious. Making his way over to her corner, stack of bowls in one arm and a small tower of cups in the other hand, Mulcahy gives her a smile and a nod as he approaches.]

Would you like me to take that for you, or are you still working on it?

Edited 2018-09-22 06:24 (UTC)

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This feeling begins just like a spark

inn;

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bunker

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Inn (if this is okay?)