sixthiterationlogs | And yet no greater, but more eminent

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And yet no greater, but more eminent

WHO: Jake Jensen
WHERE: Around the village, further out from the village, in house 8 and the Inn
WHEN: First part of January
OPEN TO: Anyone
WARNINGS: None really applicable

A new education, the same skills - The Inn, the Village, and Beyond

They lived close enough to the Inn that Jake just considered it a second part of their home. Easy enough to go over there many a morning for breakfast, pour over some of the notes left there by others, gather a few odds and ends and head out for the day. Sometimes he'd be gone a few days, others he could be seen trudging back late into the evening.

Some days he can be seen closer to the village, collecting withering flowers, or using paper cones from pages torn from the back of a book to try and gather up dust moths and glass ants. Utilizing his ready and Cougar's notes, he steals items from their own kitchen and the "lost and found" at the inn to help him harvest and gather things he takes back to the house.

Christmas might be late, but it's appreciated - House #8, South Village

It all kind of happens at once. There's a box sitting on the counter in the kitchen. A plain white box with no bow or ribbon. Within is a very familiar looking pirate hat, battered and worn, and a package of boxers. Black with red hearts. A pair in a muted Hawaiian print. A third leopard print.

As he's standing there, marveling over how those items ended up here, just as he has taken to Cougar's words, the lights come on in the kitchen. It doesn't take long to learn there are working lights throughout the house, the stove no works, and there's a sewing machine in the third bedroom. It's as if whatever powers that be knew of Jake's new endeavor and are helping. Maybe they are observers after all.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth though, Jake is quick to strip down into boxers, put the hat on and get working. Anyone that comes by the house many a day of the week, either coming to the door or catching a glimpse through the kitchen window, might catch sight of Jake in silly boxers and a pirate hat, humming under his breath as he works on various projects that including brewing things on the stove, and doing his damnedest to get dust from moths without losing his memory in the process.

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The pirate hat is back.

Cougar isn't so sure whether he should feel good about this or not, because that hat has been one of the most annoying items of clothing he's ever seen and he'd thought about shooting it at least once or twice a day. Still, he thinks that maybe it makes Jake happy, which means he's going to need to bear with it.

What's more interesting, though, is the lights. He eyes them, before heading to see what else is changed, and the stove is the most telling thing. Glancing at Jake warily, the new items means that it must have something to do with him. "What did you do?" he asks, not accusatory, but curious enough.

Jack is sitting at the table, a torn shirt over his mouth for protection as he goes over his clothes from the mine carefully with the edge of a piece of paper. Carefully scrapping up the bits of the dust that still linger there to put into a cup he got from the supply room.

"I'd love to take the credit, but it was just like that when I got up. There's a sewing machine too, and it seems to be working well," he says, laughing. "I mean I guess it is. It moves," he adds, not really knowing how to use it but knowing he's going to work hard to learn.

"I mean, unless this is to try and stop me from toying around with the one in the inn. Might be that."

Cougar can see the dust, but he'll let Jake have the benefit of the doubt when it comes to explaining it. It looks all too much like back in Bolivia in the doll factory for his liking, and it shows in how uneasily he stands.

"Why?" he asks, not how anymore, but why the sewing machine. Maybe he's asking the wrong question and he takes a moment to reset, squint at Jake, and figure out the right one. "What will you do with it?" That feels better, like it's getting to the right point.

At least this time he's being careful, or as careful as he can be given what they're dealing with. He still doesn't know all of the properties, but so far so long as he's not breathing it in, he still seems to be staying solid.

"I have some ideas. Both about fixing things up here, for you and I, and for some of the things like this," he says, gesturing at the stuff in front of him. "Remember in the water? When I was invisible?" He's sure he does. How could either of them forget?

"You told me then that I should hack this place. That's what I'm doing."

Cougar still keeps his distance, because he really doesn't want to get too close to this. He remembers Jake going intangible and while it seems like a good tool, it's not something he wants when he might want to touch Jake in the next few hours.

He raises his brow and smiles when he realizes what Jake's doing. "What kind of weapons are you making me?" Maybe he's jumping ahead a little here, but that's what he heard. It's a new thing to hunt with, something he can use.

Jake is doing the best he can to be careful, to not endanger himself more and upset Cougar. So he breathes shallowly, not risking inhaling the dust through the clothe that covers his mouth.

He grins though behind the mask at that question, the corner of his eyes crinkling. "With this? Hoping to manufacture something that you can use to throw them or shoot them at anyone or thing dangerous. It's hard to attack if you're intangible. Also going to see if I can manage to distill the oil from Magdalena to use as a depressant to stop others. There's also the dust moths, and several others I'm considering for you."

He glances up, considering him for a minute. "You ever use a regular bow?"

He's not sure he wants their new pet being used for experiments, but maybe that's the protective part of him. "Be nice to Magdalena," is his only warning, because if Jake wants to, he can use her, so long as he doesn't end up causing her some kind of pain.

He smiles, though, warm and fond when Jake talks about making him weapons. He also likes the thought of going intangible. He nods when Jake asks about a bow, because it's not like he did it often, but often enough. "Why?"

"Hey! Of course I'm going to be nice to her. That tail though? It's a narcotic, and we can use that and it's all part of grooming her," he says, already having put thought into this. "Likely good for her anyway. Is for most cats."

"Just a thought I had of using some of the creatures here to make poison darts. Could maybe do a blowgun, or might be able to make a functioning bow," he says, having put thought into all aspects of this. "Wish we had bamboo here."

He knows very well it's a narcotic and he thinks that it's part of why he likes their cat so much. He'll always invite her to sleep in the bed with them, at the rate it goes for making them comfortable and steady and dazed. Should he tell Jake that? Probably not, but he feels like he already knows.

"No other wood works?" He thinks that bamboo would be the lightest, but he's sure he could make do with another type of tree.

Jake hasn't thought about it, that Cougar is using Magdalena's nature to help him sleep. Of course, if and when he does realize, he might be glad for it if it means Cougar can sleep without the nightmares. Anything to make life better for him.

"Maybe!" He perks up then, sliding a cloth over the top of the small container and then tied twine off to hold it secure. With that he pulls off the scrap to uncover his mouth. "I will have to see about drilling into it and what I might use to get through other woods. Bamboo is just instantly hollow."

Cougar's seen Jake on an inventing high before and he always appreciates the energy, but he also knows enough to be wary about what kind of inventions might come out of this. He doesn't want to end up testing things that give his mouth splinters, after all.

"What about you?" He nods at him, because all these weapons sound very good, but he still wants to know if Jake has something on the books for himself.

It's in moments like this that he's managed to break into the most encrypted sites ever known, when he's traced money from others and sent it to the people harmed by those that had made the money.

Now he's trying to use the same energy to ensure whatever happens here, they come out on top.

"Worry about that later," he says, then he shakes his head. "Well, no. Not entirely. I am working on the teas that counter act this, and distilling other items I've been reading about. If I've got this, then I've still go everything I've done before. Like you said, hacking this place."

Cougar gives Jake a look that says he plans to worry about it all the time, so Jake doesn't have to worry about that. So long as Jake is working, it's good, but he doesn't want him to come out the other side and then be bitter because Cougar got all the good things.

Lucky for him, it looks like Jake hasn't forgotten that. "It's good work," he praises. "Smart," he adds, which is a compliment to both himself for the idea, but mainly to Jake for the execution of it, and his smirk shows that.

"I want to do this," he says, smiling a bit as he rolls his eyes at that look. He's working, and he has a purpose, and that makes him happy. "I want us to be safe, armed, and protected," he assures Cougar. "Besides, I'm having fun with this."

And he is, and it shows in his smile, the brightness in his eyes. All of the items he's been gathering to help him to work on these things.

Lighting up though at the compliment, glad to hear that from Cougar. He knows he thinks well of him, both in what he does and as a boyfriend, but it still means a lot to him to hear that from Cougar.

"Thanks. I'm glad for it, for all of this," he says, gesturing. "I have a lot of ideas, and we'll see how they go. We may never need them. I hope we don't."

He wanders closer to drape his arm over Jake's back, making sure he steers clear of the dust, but wanting to offer him some positive reinforcement in the form of his body, seeing as his words fail him, from time to time.

"Fine if we do." After all, he doesn't mind a fight, because he trusts in their team. Together, they can do just about anything they want. "We get to test it?" he asks, eyes bright, like he's asking about a rocket launcher or any other new weapon he's seeing for the first time.

Jake shifts, leaning back against Cougar. Even before the change in their relationship in this place, being close to Cougar has always benefited Jake.

He's sought him out often to be near to the man he cares about, to find stability and comfort in the other man.

"Oh I'm sure we can find a way. Lots of wild animals to test it on." Which kind of feels cruel, and yet he suspects it would be most useful and not as if he thought they would get volunteers to test it.

He knows that even back home, people had assumed they were connected in some way. Jake interpreted for him, he was Cougar's lifeline and spoke for him, how could they not be connected like this? When Jake talks about testing, though, he was hoping they'd have someone to test it on, but sadly, no villains here.

At least, none that they would be allowed to do this to, that he knows about.

"Lethal?" he checks next, because he doesn't want to kill anything innocent, not even an animal. Hunting is different because it has a purpose, but strictly testing doesn't feel right.

Of course, not that he would admit, but Jake has considered who they might test them on. Or ways to do so that isn't entirely ethical but wouldn't harm them. In the end, he came back to using them on animals, for the sake of all.

"This? No. No more deadly than it was on me," he points out with a nod, gesturing at the dust. "Some of us can be, but there's a lot of ones that benefit instead of harming. And..." He pauses, knowing this is not going to go well. Not at all. "Some I may try myself, just to see how well it goes."

Cougar gives Jake a look as he stops wrapping himself around him, and it's a look of 'are you honestly being this stupid right now'. He wouldn't be surprised if Jake kept insisting on it, but Cougar feels more than within his rights to do that, because why is he in love with such an idiot?

"You thought you died the first time," he says bluntly, which had been an accident, sure, but who knows what else might happen that could go wrong?

"And yet I didn't," he says, shrugging as if that's all that matters. "I am very much alive, and I was then,' he points out. "But not with this," he admits, shrugging. "And not the dust. There's a lot of other things I want to try. Things that give strength, or like the zoom seeds which really just made me feel like I'd been beaten up and threw up a few times,' He says.

"Given all the times I've been beaten up, I never got anything out of it like being able to run that fast," he points out. "Also there are teas and such to be made that can counteract the problems with some of them. I need to test that. Who else am I going to test them on?"

Cougar wants to hit him again. Instead, he narrows his eyes because no, he didn't die, and Cougar told him about five times that he hadn't before it sunk through to his head, so he's not so sure that he likes this idea of Jake experimenting like that.

If they're going to do that, he might need more alcohol than they have on hand. "Me," he says. He's not saying that he's tougher than Jake, just that he won't complain half as much. Besides that, if he has a genuine reaction, it will show, because of how stoic he stays normally.

"No."

There's no even thought to that, just a single word. Sighing as he closes off the container he has the dust in, carefully twisting the shirt in on itself and then sliding it into a pillowcase to ensure neither of them breathe it in.

Pushing his chair back and looking at Cougar with a sigh.

"Look, I have to test it somehow. On someone. I test it on me, and it's my fault if I screw it up. I hurt you?" He shakes his head, nearly tossing off the pirate hat, catching it and pushing it back on his head. "I already worry about this damn power the people behind this gave me," he says, vocalizing that more than he really has. "I can't risk you intentionally. If I fuck this up, I'm the one that should pay. Not you."

Cougar gives Jake an impatient look that's verging on annoyed. If Jake thinks that he can test them on himself, then why isn't Cougar just as viable an option? He doesn't see why he can't be helpful like this, and it won't be difficult for Jake to see that.

"You test on you, you hurt," he points out the insane logic in that, which doesn't make any sense. He's risking himself intentionally, which is just as bad in Cougar's eyes. "We split everything," he adds forcefully, with a gesture between the two of them as he gets closer, starting to inch in on this not being a discussion, but an order.

"Cougar." His voice is soft, plaintative, almost a whine to it as he says that single name, and then worse, dropping even softer as he goes on with a single word. "Carlos."

He pauses, pained as his lips roll inward, biting at them a moment, trying to not just blurt out things.

"I don't wanna hurt you," he says, looking pained even saying that, trying to make himself make sense without being a spaz. "It makes me nervous to think about doing anything to hurt you. You spent so much of your career protecting me and..."

He shrugs, shaking his head, not sure of the words to explain how much he cares about Cougar, and how much he owes him his life. But he's not arguing now, just explaining, knowing he's likely going to lose this battle.

He narrows his eyes, because Jake is being a very big pain in the ass. He's being very thoughtful and caring, but he doesn't want this right now. He wants to make sure that neither of them are getting hurt, which doesn't feel like is the case, when he's being like this.

"You trust me, yes?" Because if the answer is yes, then he should trust that if things get too bad or hurt him too much, he'll say something. "We have doctors, we have me," he points out, since his field medicine is hardly awful.

With all that in mind, he thinks it will be fine.

"We share," he reiterates. Pain, pleasure, all of it. Together.

"Okay one? Yes. Two, that's not fair and you fucking know it," he says, the last almost an accusation. "I trust you to do whatever you have to so I don't get hurt, which means dealing with what you shouldn't have to just because I'm going like nuts here."

He sighs, slumping in his seat and just staring at Cougar. "I don't wanna hurt you. Cougar, I..." he shakes his head, not sure how to put into words emotions he's never thought he could actually have. Instead biting at his lip as he folds his arms over his chest, petulant and not liking this at all. "I can do this without freaking out, if that's what you're worried about. I'll know what I'm doing this time."

He tips his head to the side, cocking it to tell Jake that he knows it's plenty fair, because if it means that Jake is going to be willing to split the responsibility, then he's going to keep pushing that. "We share," he says again. "If you don't let me do it, then you don't do it," is his final word on the subject.

Because how is he supposed to be okay with Jake testing it on himself if he won't let Cougar test it. "If it's safe, it will be fine. If not safe, you don't do it," he says sharply.

He wanted to argue that it's not like he hasn't done this before, just in a different way. It was his signature on every back door, trip wire, and virus that he'd used to infiltrate everything from government facilities to criminal enterprises, and he hadn't let that stop him from doing it. They came after him, so be it.

So it's hard for him now to let someone else be risked for what he is doing. He hasn't before, and he hates doing it now. Especially to Cougar.

"Since when has anything we've ever done been safe," he argues, softer though, not willing to concede defeat, but not fighting anymore either.

Jake's right, of course he is, but they went into that with their eyes open and together. It's not like at the port of Los Angeles that Jake went in and Cougar didn't. They take the risks together. "We take it in turns," he says, happy that they've settled this, even if Jake's not happy with it.

He trusts Jake completely to make sure it's safe, so he gives a firm nod and leans in to kiss his cheek. "You can test first," he offers, like an olive branch.

It's always been hard risking Cougar, and before this place he hasn't really had to worry about it. Cougar has always been above it all, looking down, picking off targets. Now he's in the thick of it more than ever, and he worries about him.

Which is amusing given all the times that Cougar has saved his ass.

"Fine. I can agree to that," he says, leaning into Cougar for a minute. "And we can start with the ones that have a possible antidote. So it doesn't last long."

Good. He didn't want this to have to turn into a fight, but he thinks that it had been creeping near to it. Lucky for the both of them, they can avoid it. "Good," he says, out loud, echoing his thoughts.

He gives Jake a rewarding peck to the temple before easing back, his stance clearly pleased that he managed to get his way, even though his way basically means a bit of danger for him. That said, he knows he'll be sitting there, ready and waiting, with the antidote in hand for Jake and he doesn't doubt the reverse will happen, too.

"You're genius," he points out. "It will be fine."

"Okay, let me finish putting a few things together," he says at that kiss, liking that. A lot. There's these little intimacies between them that is really starting to mean a lot to him. "And we'll test the first one."

He pauses, and then adds. "You'll test it out, and we'll see how that works."

There. See? He can compromise.

Cougar settles back from the kiss and heads to the kitchen so that he can perch on the counter, legs dangling from it as he watches Jake, giving him a nod to confirm that it's a good plan. With his ability to stay calm about most things, he knows it will work out.

Besides, then they can test on Jake and have more results, to see what it does to two very different people.

"You pick," he allows, like this is the declaration Jake is waiting for.

Turning his head, he watches Cougar settle in and it makes him smile. It's how they are, and why he always feels safe. Cougar has his six, and he's there, and that's what matters.

"I'm thinking some of them? We might go out hunting to test. I know the patrols and the talks of walls and all and they're thinking something large scale will come, but me? I'm thinking winter and snow, and starving predatory animals, you know?"

No, he doesn't want to think that, but Jake's right. Starving animals looking for something to eat will definitely be a real concern sooner rather than later, but it's also not too difficult to defend against. If he has a weapon and a place to nest, he can easily dismiss the threats.

If he has Jake's experiments, he knows it will go even better.

What he wants to know, though, is, "Which new thing?" are they going to start with?

Jake pauses, considering that as he looks over them, head canting. "There's one that lets you electrocute things and, well I find this a useful thing, it shuts down the device for a couple of hours. I have more of the speedy seeds, and the dust, but we know what those do. Especially the seeds, since both Ty and I used them," he admits, knowing that he and TY encouraged one another more than perhaps was safe.

Cougar likes the idea of being able to zap things and his eyes widen a fraction, which should tell Jake exactly how excited he is about it. He nods, vehemently, because he wants that one, to do that one, yes. He wants to see how far it can go, because he needs something that can mimic his skills from before.

"Good," he says firmly. "We can start tomorrow."

First, they need good sleep and then to warm up, because even if it's not like an actual mission, they should treat it like one.

Jake grins at that, sitting back in his chair. "Okay then. We'll start there then," he says with a nod. "I've got some already collected, so shouldn't be a problem testing it out." Pausing though, smiling a bit at that. "Tomorrow," he says, finding that much easier to agree to after the rest.

"Is that an offer to go to bed?"

He's not impressed and his look shows it. Yes, usually he would want to get up to all kinds of things, but he's still a soldier at heart, and the night before a mission is when you focus, or things can go very badly, very quickly.

"For sleeping," he insists, with the air of 'I outrank you' even if it's just barely. That doesn't mean he doesn't plan to bring it up every chance he gets.

"You're no fun," he says, smirking at him and definitely not at all bothered by that. He's never been in this position before, and damn right he's going to take advantage of it.

"Let me finish cleaning up all of this here," he says, gesturing to where he's been working things out.

He's already stripping off his shirt to head to bed, heading up to the bedroom where he's going to enjoy bedding down for the night, wrapped up in Jake, even if he doesn't intend for anything to happen. They need to be sharp for the morning, which means no touching.

It's just one more of the things that Jake is going to get to learn about Cougar and hopefully even love, despite the fact that he's having something denied of him.

A combination of his past, his emotions, and all that he's been through, and having whatever Cougar is willing to give is enough for Jake. Already he has more than he thought he might have, and he is not going to ever ask for more than Cougar is willing to give. If he lays down a limit, Jake will obey it no matter how he feels. There's nothing in him willing to risk what he has, the chances he has with Cougar.

It doesn't take him long to clean up, making sure anything that might have the dust on it is secured to be washed, all of the table is cleaning, and still being amazed at having lights and a working stove.

When he comes to the door, he pauses there though. "Would you rather I stay in the other room tonight?"

Cougar shakes his head and coaxes Jake in with a little crook of his fingers, because he might be determined for the both of them to test out Jake's experiments in the morning, but he also doesn't want him to go away. "No sex doesn't mean separation," he clarifies.

"We'll keep it in our pants," he guarantees, patting the bed beside him. "Come."

"Just not something we've had to deal with yet, and I didn't want to be a bother," he says, moving closer. "It's okay if you want it that way though. I won't be offended."

He wouldn't either, and only a tiny bit because he expects to overstep boundaries and become annoying at some point. He's been pretty grateful it hasn't happened yet, to be honest.

But he does come over, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Cougar lies back in the bed and reaches out to pluck at Jake's shirt to pull him down to sleep, turning so that he can let Jake be the big spoon if he wants, knowing that they're going to need their full senses around them tomorrow, but that doesn't mean they can't enjoy being like this when they sleep.

Besides, Jake keeps the nightmares away. He has to hope that Jake realizes that, because it means so very much to him.

Jake smiles at that, loving the way Cougar is. Letting himself be tugged down, carefully stretching out beside Cougar. Smiling at how he lays, so he scoots to curl himself in behind him, sliding a hand along his hip, curving around to lay on his stomach and hold him close.

"I want to be here," he says, wanting to make sure Cougar knows that. "But I also... I don't assume, okay?"

Even as he says it, his arm tightens around Cougar. "I always want to be with you."

Cougar turns to give Jake a nod of his head, because he does understand. He wants to have the closeness they have, always, because it's something he never gets. He wants to be with Jake, even if he still thinks of himself as broken, but he thinks that it will work.

They're going to make it work. "Okay," is what he says, and it's not just an 'okay' to what he's saying, but that he understands it all. "I know. Okay."

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And yet no greater, but more eminent

House #8

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