ghostthatlingers | Sanctum IC Contact

"Not like the Freelancers were ever the only project going on, and not like there weren't already rules and regs set out for using AI. And see where that got us."

Wow this is getting dark as shit. Let's back it up a bit. "I'm glad we're not alone. I mean, I'm glad you're here, even if it sucks that we're here, you know? And you're not stuck with just me."

Backpedaling is good. They're still out and about after all. Her arms fold over her chest as she tries to relax muscles she didn't realize tensed at the subject matter.

"I know. I want to figure this place out, but even if we do, there's not much for us to return to."

"We'll figure this place out, and then we'll figure out what to do about it." He's not touching the idea of nothing to go back to. He doesn't want to stay here. This isn't home. Not...gonna thing otherwise, just yet. "Hey, we take things one thing at a time, or we'll never get anywhere, okay?"

"Yeah, and right now, we need to worry about getting more clothes. I need alcohol before we talk about anything else." Lots of it. First thing they get home she's taking a couple of shots.

"Right, anything shiny you see in a window, you just drag me in and try things on and I'll pretend to tell you everything looks good on you. Also, food, and also booze. You have the best plan. I like this plan. This day rocks." Hey, maybe fuck going back to where they came from if they can have days like this, right?

"Pretend? You better damn well mean it if you want me to pay for your clothes, too." Or he could with the meager amount of money he had. His choice and he won't have too much longer to make it since the store she's chosen isn't too far now.

Wait. Wait, she was going to pay for all of his shit all day? Why the fuck didn't she say so?! "I mean, uh, I'm gonna make you feel like a beautiful and buxom radiant queen. And mean every damn word of it." Or make it seem that way.

"Don't lay it on too thick." That would be worse, especially if he uses words like 'buxom.' "And don't get used to this. I'm only doing this to get us set up."

"Right, right, just--figure out what sizes we are, start trying shit on. Pretty sure we can't fuck up something like clothes shopping too bad." Just so long as nobody comes out looking like an asshole. Wait, that might be harder than it sounds.

"I don't want to take that long with it." Clothes shopping isn't her thing and she's only going out of necessity. The place she picks to stop at proves that as it's more on the practical side of the scale than stylish. She doesn't plan to stick by him while they shop and wanders off to the women's side of the store to find whatever passes for fashion here.

No, he's not gonna be that much of a needy little puppydog following her around. He's got his own needs, too. It's really...weird. It's weird to be standing around in a store with a shirt in his hand wondering if it's the right size is it too expensive does he like the fabric is the color okay.

(Fucking Donut would be helpful here. He is finding he kind of maybe misses some of those stupid bastards.)

When is the last time he ever wore an honest to god shirt before coming here? So it ends up that he mostly starts grabbing things that catch his eye and, arms full, tries them on all at once. Not in a panic. Definitely not in anything like a panic of 'what the fuck do I do'. Nope. There is definitely some nice blue going on in his mini-wardrobe. And absolutely nothing at all ever in the vague vicinity of red. Old habits die hard. He's not the most handsome thing to ever walk the streets of the Sanctum, but hell, he doesn't think it's a bad look, workable jeans, cozy button-downs, a little of this, a dash of that to branch out, but it's...something.

A start. It's a start. This is the start of something new. A new life, here, with Tex, in a house, going on dates and shopping for clothes and food and cooking for each other. With neighbors who aren't an opposing army.

There's a dumb, simple t-shirt that's just the shade of blue that makes him think of Caboose and his fucking downgraded armor that he can't help but stare at before he pulls himself away. Dear god, what if any of those assholes end up here? What if it's the Blues and the Reds all over again, but with the addition of Freelancers?

It might be...pretty cool, actually.

She's having more trouble in the women's department. Much of what she's going for are practical - t-shirts and jeans are a good stand-by as are a few button-up shirts. All things lace and glitter are avoided like they carry a deadly virus that will turn her into a glitchy zombie (and who's to say anything here won't do that anyway?).

It's difficult to keep her mind from straying from this mindless task. It feels wrong to be wandering around like a damn civilian when she should be doing... something, anything that might get them closer to figuring out what the fuck is going on in this city.

But it's about time something went well for her. It's almost like a vacation despite the baggage from the last 48 hours looming overhead. And there's still the matter of the housemate that she has yet to inform Church of, but even he's not in the way if it took over a day for them to cross paths. Shit will hit the fan once the other agents discover the Director's around and maybe that's an issue she should handle after Christmas, if he doesn't press it sooner.

In the here and now, she's got an armful of clothing and a few dreaded bras to try on in the fitting room.

He doesn't know how much is too much or not enough, and, well, it just has to last, right, until the weather warms? This is going to be so hit-and-miss, being human for one and being 'normal' and 'domestic' for two.

...Of course now he's curious how Tex is making out. Since obviously she's not gonna go for anything really hot and slinky, or anything sparkly or colorful, or anything...Sister-like. (That last one's probably a little bit of a blessing, really.) Don't mind if you come out and he's lurking around, Tex.

He will be waiting a long while because she's not coming out until she's finished trying out the pile she started with. The more she tries on, the more she gets a feel for what she's looking for. Maybe she only needs a few t-shirts and can opt for something different for once...

She's narrowed down her initial pile and has found plenty of pants and some kind of bra size that'll work. She doesn't notice him until after she's put back what didn't make the cut.

"What?"

Well, he didn't see her around, and didn't know which dressing room she was in, wandered around, tried on a few more things, came wandering back--it's a process trying to figure out how to act.

"Nothing." He's almost as surprised as she is. "I was just...waiting on you, mostly. I mean. I dunno what the fuck I'm doing but I've got some stuff? We're gonna laugh about this after, right? I definitely need this to be one of those look back and laugh about situations."

What the hell is wrong with him? She's confused now and eyes him to make sure he hasn't tripped and fallen or something. "Laugh about what? We're just grabbing clothes."

Speaking of clothes, she hands over the pile she plans on getting so far. "I need to check out a few more things and get a few pairs of shoes."

"How about we pretend what came out of my mouth didn't actually. I'm having a weird moment. ...Okay, it's a long moment. I'm having a weird long moment." But he'll take on her clothes gladly. It's something else to distract? "I think it's just things catching up, and I'm gonna shut my god damn trap."

Do you know how weird things can get when you're stuck somewhere alone for 14 months? It's really through the virtue of Wash finding him and dragging him along with the others that he's even still been able to be properly social and fall back into the old routines. If Bifrons had decided to take him away from that lonely little base instead, things might be different. Add 'trying to be a civilian' to the zombie-blizzard-pocalypse, and yeah. Things are catching up when he has some quiet time to himself.

But he's gonna take a breath and let that long moment pass and be Tex's pack mule. "Hey, you better not get too much shit or you're gonna be popping my back into place. No piling the closet full of shoes." And by shoes he means combat boots. Those are even heavier.

She'll get as many combat boots and tennis shoes as she wants, thank you. Just be grateful they aren't heels with sharp points to step on your feet with.

She's not really sure how to take his 'long moment,' but it seems to be over, thankfully. Clothes shopping is painful enough without him making it weird. "We'll be home soon with lots of alcohol and the promise of steak later. Your back will be fine."

Whether he wants to sit and wait or not, she's back out on the store floor to grab more tops and find shoes that fit.

Heels with sharp points would be lighter! "And then maybe you can model some lingerie for me," he adds after her with a waggle of his eyebrows. Okay, some plain bras don't really count as 'lingerie', but they're what she's got, and she'd be hot in next to nothing. Almost as hot as being in nothing at all.

She snorts. "That's not happening unless you're going to pay me for it." Because that's not something she's spending her money on. Besides, the 'lingerie' in this store is pitiful.

His pile grows larger as she moves through the store and it'll take her a moment to figure out her shoe size again.

"Hey, that could always be arranged..." Her freelancing mercenary ways probably die hard, too. ...Wait. "So long as you don't do it for anyone else."

Did he really think she would do that? Well, if the idea is already there... She pretends to think about it, then smirks. "No promises."

"Wha--hey! No, no, that is a thing for just me. The two of us. And nobody else gets to take your bras off, okay? Nobody gets to share your ass. I will tattoo 'property of Church' on there if I have to." Look at his silly puppy grin. Yeah, as if she would ever be his property and as if he could ever stop her from doing anything at all.

She would hit him for that tattoo comment if it weren't so farfetched. Like that would ever happen.

"Keep talking like that and I might have to go do it on principle. I wonder which one would be easier for York to take off," she teases. Not that she's ever thought about her best friend like that, but she knows what buttons to press to rile Church up.

"Robocop better not have any thoughts about you like that or I'm gonna have to hurt him. I don't know how, but it'll happen!"

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