realityshifted

Entry tags:

red vs blue (d2) north dakota

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[the loud crack of a bullet echoes from the coliseum, the sounds coming in groups of four before there's a break and the sound resumes. if anyone is nearby, they'll see signs and caution tape thrown up around the various entrances warning them not to come in that way. there is, however, one entrance in the south (or what seemed like the south) is still open. tacked to a pillar is a handwritten sign in block lettering that simply reads, "Interested in some sparring or target practice? Come on up!"]

[head into the coliseum itself and in the main arena, and one will see a few sets of pugil sticks leaning against one wall next to a simple metal table covered with various guns (pistols, battle rifles, and another sniper rifle) and several spare clips of ammo separated into two piles. in the middle of the grounds and scattered around the stands are various bottles of liquor--and in some cases, the shattered remains of said liquor bottles. and at the very, very top of the coliseum, situated at the top-most southern point of the coliseum is North.]

[as always, he's in his full suit of body armor and is lying down flat on top of the old stones, sniper rifle aimed at one of the many bottles he'd set up earlier, his motion tracker switched on so he can see any movement going on down below. which he does, so he quietly stands, stretches, and then jumps down from his perch, ready to greet whomever is coming to visit.]

[ooc: Hey, as North's sign says, if anyone's up for some sparring, training, or target practice with North, this is the place! He's up for any kind of sparring and has a few training weapons at the ready. (Though the live ammo is only for the target practice.) As a note, the pugil sticks can give off a small amount of electricity, but we can turn that off. There is also a special paintball scenario training that the Freelancer agents undergo, an example which can be seen here, but that particular paintball might hurt a little more than your typical one. So! Even if he hasn't met your character yet, what's a faster way of bonding than a good ol' sparring session?]

[ooc again: Sorry for the slow tags! I've been sick all week. Brain just hasn't been there to tag, but I'm feeling better! Thanks for having patience with me!]

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[he laughs lightly, rocking a bit from her push] Yeah, I know. But just...hang on a minute. There's something I want to talk to you about.

[Nod!] What is it?

[Meanwhile, she's going to check her gun over for anything that might need readjustment after their little game.]

[he hesitates for a moment] I want to know what's going on with you and Wash when we're back home. [holds up a hand to stop any arguments right at the pass] Now before you get the wrong idea, I mean when I try to talk to you about this place. Take today. I asked if you wanted to train in the coliseum and set up training sessions for the others here, but you seemed to have no idea what the hell I was talking about. And Wash--well, you know Wash and that memory of his. He's said he's never even heard of the Plane.

[and he's asked that North quit asking him about it since he asks every now and then to see if anything's changed.]

[That makes her stop what she's doing.

She looks up at him, hesitates as well.] No. What are you talking about? You've never said anything. I thought you were trying to keep things... separate. Or something.

[This isn't sounding good.]

[yeah, that...doesn't sound good at all.]

No... I'd been trying to talk to you about it for a while now. Hell, you didn't even bat an eye when I mentioned the mansion. [and that, above everything, had been the biggest warning sign]

So what's going on?

[She wants to point out that she's never heard him bring up the mansion, but there's no sense in repeating herself, so she's... stuck.]

I don't know. ... You said that Wash won't talk about it either?

[Wait.]

.... Do you remember when Wash went missing back home? For a little bit?

[he frowns, a knot of concern growing in the back of his mind]

No, what do you mean Wash went missing? [that should answer your question, South] When did that happen?

[... She closes her eyes. Focusing on explaining will keep that nagging feeling in her gut from growing for at least a few seconds. Right?]

Yeah. For me, no one could see Wash. For him, it was the other way around. Found out we had to... spend time together. Those mergers they talked about in the brochures? Something like that. I just... assumed we didn't have to. [For obvious reasons.

And that... wasn't nearly as long as she was hoping for. Fuck. She hesitates, but continues.]

But you don't know anything about that, do you? Even though I told you about it. Back home. Even though you didn't... say much about it.

[man, that feeling just continues to grow the more she talks.]

[softly] I don't. [looks away] I would have remembered something like that. Especially because it's Wash you were hanging out with.

[turns towards her] But it's like you said. It's us; why would we even need something like a merger?

[Yeah. No wonder he never teased her for it, if he didn't even know.

... Which... isn't a good thing.

She's still facing him, but her eyes are cast downward.]

I don't think mergers have anything to do with this.

[he still reaches out to her anyway, placing a hand on her shoulder] Hey, it's okay. I think we're the first set of twins this place has ever had, so there's probably something weird that's going on.

[but even as he says that, he's...not quite sold on his own words of encouragement]

[She can tell. She stays where she is though, for a long moment.]

No. ... North, You said Wash won't talk to you about this place. But... he'll talk to me about it. Hell, you even said that your Wash doesn't have a clue.

["Your"... ... There's the first tip as to where her mind is going. It's hesitant, but she pulls away from his touch, takes a step backward.]

I don't think... [and she does not want to finish that sentence.]

[he lets his hand slide off as she moves away, his mind torn between still wanting to deny that something is seriously wrong and the fact that there just might be two of Wash--which means... yeah, he's suddenly glad she didn't finish her sentence.]

South... [he hesitates, searching for the right words.] This... This doesn't change anything. Not between us.

[Meanwhile, South feels like her world just broke a little. She shakes her head once, sharply, but she doesn't actually say anything. She's biting her bottom lip. Hard. Not that he could see, but... still.

... You've probably got five seconds before she runs.]

[no, he can't see her expression or anything, but he knows her. he knows her, and not having a stupid merger or being something else completely doesn't change the fact that she's his sister. and...that his own heart is breaking thanks to this.

but again...he knows her, and he can kinda guess what she's about to do. and perhaps a part of him is even surprised she didn't do this sooner in their conversation, but he's still hopeful. he has to be because if she won't, then he'll do it in her stead.]

Don't... [it's soft, a touch of melancholy underlying the word. it's a tone he'd only ever use around her. she's the only one who would understand it.]

[She does understand it. She can't decide if that makes this whole thing hurt less, or more.

She finally looks back up at him.]

What, then? What now?

[Maybe she can't keep her voice from shaking just that little bit, but she can damn well make it seem less like uncertainty and more like an angry snap. He might see right through it, and she knows that, but it... still makes her feel better to do it.]

[that tone stings, and he knows full well why she uses it, but that doesn't take the barb out that easily.]

We take what we know...and we move on. This doesn't change who we are. You're still my sister and I'm still your brother. Nothing is gonna change that, not different realities or anything. [he steps towards her, his arms slowly opening wide] I love you, kiddo, no matter what--and don't you dare go forgetting that.

[and guess what, he's gonna hug you, South. even if you don't want it or try to move away, he'll reach for you and pull you back in. the reassuring gesture is for him just as much as it is for her.]

[She is incredibly tense at first, but she doesn't move away. She lets him embrace her, staring blankly over his shoulder, trying to process just what is going on and where this puts the two of them...

But she did hear him -- really heard him, really listened. She wants so badly to believe that this really doesn't change anything, and even though she's still not entirely sure of that, she's willing to take it.

She closes her eyes, rests her forehead on her brother's shoulder as she finally relaxes. She needs that reassurance right now, more than she'll ever admit, even to herself.]

I know. I... ["I love you, too."] ... I'm not. I won't. ["I'm sorry."]

[to him, all this is just like when they were assigned their new names. who they were before and after that didn't change. "North Dakota" and "South Dakota" are just names. their familial bonds weren't broken by such a thing.

and this? the spirit of it all is just the same. it's something he easily believes in once his mind makes that connection.]

I know. [his voice is soft again, but warmer; closer to its normal warmth. he gives her a squeeze before relaxing his grip--his way of letting her out of the hug if it's gone on too long for her]

[If only she could make the same connection... no, names are different. Names have no meaning to her, they’re just words used for identification. Realities...

She’ll get there. She knows that he’s still him, but somehow, it still feels like looking at a copy... But that’s not true, is it? And it’s not something that matters. That will all sink in. Soon. Just... not yet.

She does take a small, half of a step backward, but doesn’t completely pull away. She looks up at him again.]

Good. [She clears her throat. Any and all hostility from before is completely gone. She's calm now. Concerned, but calm.] Because this is... a hell of a thing. [Hey, there's even a faint - albeit a bit dark - laugh here.]

[it's going to be something that's in the back of his mind, but he's had plenty of practice closing thoughts off to focus on the current tasks that need the most attention. and being a brother is the thing that matters the most right now.]

Yeah, that's one way of describing it. [he keeps his crack about telling their parents they actually had quadruplets to himself for now.]

Come on. [shifts so one arm stretches across her shoulders and he gives her another squeeze] Let's continue this over a little target practice. I can see some bottles with your name on them.

Yeah? I'm thinking all of 'em. [That would normally come with a smug grin. Right now, it's still smug, but it's accompanied with more of a small, weary smirk.

She casually pulls away from him (yes, now the physical contact's gone on long enough), inclining her head back toward the arena proper before she takes a step that way.] Let's go.

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