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+---- Thread: cut our teeth and make our bones right here (/showthread.php?tid=7764)
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Ronin - 05-09-2023
Grinning now, Ronin shakes his head a bit. [say]"Not so much like that,"[/say] he says. [say]"But once someone figured out how the timer worked. Made the day an hour shorter over and over, until someone finally wondered why everyone kept waking up in the middle of the night feeling like they needed to go out and do something."[/say] It had been a long con, if he remembered, and whoever had been responsible must have been a huge nerd.
It's kind of sad to think about when Remi puts it like that, Ronin's smile growing a touch bittersweet. [say]"Well, even before everything went to hell, it still seems fae."[/say] He bobs his eyebrows at Remi, stirring at the cooking chicken and adding a little honey and black pepper for good measure. The wendigo's description is both apt and a little upsetting in a way that the hunter can't put his finger on, and so, scrunching his nose, he nods his understanding.
[say]"Well,"[/say] he says after setting the chicken aside to wait for the vegetables to cook, [say]"if it's a special occasion, I'll add a little decorative garnish to your pills. Make it feel fancy."[/say]
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 05-09-2023
[say]'Hah.'[/say] Remi chuckles, eyeing Ronin and wondering if the hunter had been the one who'd done it. Deciding that the hunter would have done a much more immature prank (and one that didn't require such constant effort), the wendigo merely shakes his head still grinning.
[say]"Oh, it seems threatening and child-stealing to you?"[/say] The wendigo counters, picking on his partner's word choice if only to be dickish. Watching Ronin keenly as he spices his food, though not adding any input, Remi takes a few steps closer. In reality, he's creeping the way a predator might, though he's totally unaware of it.
[say]"Oh? Are there any special occasions coming up in the next week? Or will we just be celebrating every day I don't accidentally pull your doors off their hinges?"[/say] Or tearing someone's throat you. You know, same difference.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Ronin - 05-09-2023
[say]"A cutesy little vegetable garden in the middle of the Italian countryside? Yeah, it seems threatening and child-stealing to me,"[/say] Ronin raises his eyebrows at the other man, matching dickish for dickish, and actually pausing to watch as he very obliviously prowls forward. The hunter even waits until Remi is close enough before piping up with a, [say]"Can I help you?"[/say] and an amused smile.
There's a reason, after all, why the wendigo has come to live with Ronin and not one of the other hunters.
[say]"Well I figure today is a special occasion, so I'll put a basil leaf on your pills when I'm done cooking,"[/say] he says. [say]"Though I do think you should celebrate every day you're not on a constant video steam to some scientists."[/say] Remi can even masturbate in peace if that's what he feels like doing.
[say]"Is the room okay?"[/say] he adds, belatedly realising he'd never checked. [say]"I had to put silver along the window sill, but if it gets in the way, I can make it more subtle."[/say]
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 05-09-2023
[say]"Now that you mention it, most of our fairy tales do involve bad little children being kidnapped, so..."[/say] As he's called out on his Stevening, the wendigo tilts his head to the side slightly (looking all the more beastly for it), but he seems to realize and takes a few hasty (and loud) steps backward. [say]"Dispiacente."[/say] He mutters sheepishly. [say]"Maybe I can take some of those bells the hunters gave me and put them on my feet."[/say] The wendigo suggests.
Popping out his lower lip slightly as he considers, Remi bobs his head in agreement even if the thought of basil now makes him want to gag. [say]"It really is weird thinking that it's someone's job to watch me all the time. I bet it's even someone else's job to rewatch me on the tapes they have. And someone else's to make notes about it."[/say] Grimacing, Remi pulls a face before nodding toward the oven so that Ronin wouldn't burn his vegetables.
[say]"Oh, yeah it's perfect, thanks."[/say] If Ronin was expecting the wendigo to say anything else, he'd misjudged just how keen Remi was to make sure everything went smoothly. [say]"I wasn't planning on touching anything other than the bed, really."[/say] If there was a fire, he'd just die. In all seriousness though, that was a better option than having the ability to get out, even with his nifty little necklace.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Ronin - 05-09-2023
[say]"Listen, I was like... one year old. I don't know if I can be counted as a bad child that young,"[/say] Ronin says, and while once upon a time he might have been horrified at the memory (or lack thereof), now it's just a source for some dark humour. Who doesn't love a bit of trauma bonding, right? [say]"We can make you some earrings with them. Or a pretty anklet,"[/say] he suggests of the bells.
And when the wendigo puts it like that, Ronin starts to think that the scientists must just have some mad crush on Remi. [say]"Gosh, I wonder if you got someone made redundant, rudely coming up here to not be constantly monitored."[/say] Smirking, he follows Remi's lead and goes to check his vegetables, giving them a shake on the tray before shoving them back into the oven for a little longer.
[say]"Perfect, huh?"[/say] Call him guilty as fuck suspicious, but Ronin absolutely remembers the last time Remi described something as perfect, and it should have killed him. [say]"You... why?"[/say] he wonders, genuinely curious. [say]"Don't you want to go out, find some shit you like to put in the space? Ugly ornaments or a painting or some new clothes?"[/say]
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 05-09-2023
[say]"Perfect. Or maybe I'll take up belly dancing."[/say] Remi suggests with a grin. He really would try and be less of a predator though, and for all the times he couldn't?
[say]"Hey. This was your idea, remember?"[/say] The wendigo retorts, raising his chin. [say]"Besides, maybe they just got a vacation. It is only for a week and I doubt if anyone in the compound thinks it is going to go well."[/say]
Blinking his confusion, Remi narrows his eyebrows and merely stares blankly at the hunter. [say]"..why?"[/say] Earnestly asked, there's genuine bewilderment on the wendigo's features now, even as he gives his head a little shake. It had been years since he'd had anything of his own, not to mention having something just for the sake of having it. [say]"It's just a place to..to be, right? To sleep in?"[/say] That's all anything around here was to the wendigo: a space within which to exist before he was experimented on, tortured, or checked out by Ronin.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Ronin - 05-09-2023
Ronin doesn't know why the image of the wendigo belly dancing is so horrifying to him, but it's likely because he's mentally pairing it with the stalking, predatory movement from a few minutes before. And when the result in his mind's eye paints Remi as a sort of menacing jell-o, it's time to stop imagining things for the evening.
[say]"Mm...? Oh, no. Most of what was in the box is for good luck or to purify a space, or ward away evil,"[/say] he assures him with a small smile. [say]"And you're right - it was my idea, and I find most of those scientists to be insufferable, so I take it all back. I hope someone got made redundant."[/say]
He's chuckling to himself as he goes to retrieve his tray of vegetables, pairing some with the chicken on a plate and leaving the rest for another meal. But as he grabs a stool to eat at the counter (sprinkling some basil in Remi's decoration with a flourish), he can't help but feel suddenly incredibly saddened by the wendigo's response.
[say]"It's whatever you want it to be,"[/say] he says softly of the room. [say]"You can even paint the walls, if you want to. I just... I guess it's weird to suddenly have options where there weren't any before, right?"[/say]
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 05-09-2023
You know what happens when you try not to think of something, right Ronin?
Snorting quite loudly without being able to help it, the wendigo suddenly touches one of his cheeks where he feels a strange tension. It isn't pain exactly, it's far too muted of a thing for his brain to identify as such, but it's a sort of strain.
From smiling.
Having taken just an afternoon with Ronin, already Remi's cheeks have grown weary from being used in ways they so rarely were. Pressing just above where his dimples appeared as if to relax the muscle, the wendigo instead nods his amusement and watches the hunter putter about fixing himself dinner.
Not wanting to dismiss his partner's generosity, the wendigo ruffles a hand through his hair before leaning his cheek against his palm. [say]"I guess...I mean, it's only for a week, right?"[/say] They were only a few hours in, and as optimistic as those hours had made Remi feel, he certainly wasn't so naive as to begin to nest in Ronin's apartment. Hell, things went wrong on their hunts on the regular, and that was something they were both good at and used to.
But this?
[say]"But if I think of anything, I'll let you know."[/say] He adds quickly.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Ronin - 05-09-2023
[say]"You okay?"[/say] Ronin raises an eyebrow at Remi between bites of food, thinking that perhaps the wendigo had a monster's equivalent of a toothache or something. (And wouldn't that be hilarious if, within an hour of arriving at his apartment, he has to go back to the medical wing of the compound for unrelated reasons).
And while it's true that it's only for a week, Ronin has no doubt that if it goes well, even without making himself at home, it will be a painful thing for Remi to return to his former lodgings. And he knows that Isla knows that too. [say]"Please do,"[/say] he says with a smile that surprises him with its softness. Clearing his throat, he of course adds [say]"We were given a budget for it, for you. So if nothing else, cost those fuckers some money."[/say]
Quickly finishing up his dinner, Ronin washes up and puts away his leftovers, before moving away from the kitchenette. [say]"I don't know if I want to know the answer, but... what would you do with your evenings, or the time after you were signed back in after a hunt?"[/say] Because Ronin has just realised that he's absolutely got a routine he automatically wants to go into, but of course this is a very different day to usual.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 05-09-2023
[say]'Mmm?'[/say] Glancing at Ronin, Remi blinks a few times and drops his hand completely casually. [say]"Oh, yeah. It's nothing."[/say] He mutters, offering the hunter a smile that he instantly regrets.
Given that only a few weeks ago the pair had been at each other's throats, and that days ago Remi had been tricking his partner into handing him the tools to take his own life, it was suddenly incredibly surreal to be standing in Ronin's kitchen as the other man had his dinner. Not to mention smiling at Remi the way he was: as if he were a real person and not just some lumbering liability.
[say]"Fair point."[/say] He muses, of the money. [say]"Maybe tomorrow we can go shopping."[/say]
Ronin's question makes the wendigo laugh feebly. [say]"After you sign me in, normally I have to go through some sort of decontamination, depending on where we've been. There's blood work and other vitals, then normally Isla or someone checks me over and doses me with food for the evening, and then..."[/say] Remi fans open his fingers to indicate that's it. [say]"If I come back injured the procedure is a bit different. And it's different still if Heimerdinger or Grimm need me for something."[/say] He adds dryly. [say]"Then I just...wait."[/say]
And listen to whale songs, of course.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Ronin - 05-09-2023
Completely casually, sure. But it's enough of a tell that Ronin doesn't pull at the thread any further, and the idea of going shopping with his hunting partner the wendigo is both amusing enough to distracting and strange enough that he'll probably mull over it for a while later. For now, though, the hunter is moving towards a threadbare sofa and some mismatched armchairs, sinking down onto the former and settling back.
Remi's regular evening sounds absolutely terrible, honestly, and part of Ronin is ashamed of himself for never having asked before. Then again, until literally a few hours ago, asking would have only served to remind Remi how bad things were. It wouldn't have been as though Ronin could help. Now, at least, he's out of there. [say]"Wait for what? To be signed out again?"[/say] He frowns, before shaking it off.
[say]"Well,"[/say] he says, [say]"if you want to just wait while you're here, it's up to you. I usually take a look at the hunting board at some point - that's downstairs - and I keep a map up here that I like to update depending on what we've been hunting."[/say] He's a workaholic, who would have thought? [say]"You're welcome to stick with me, but you don't have to."[/say]
He's not sure how to say you can do whatever you want, especially now that he knows how very empty the wendigo's existence has been.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 05-09-2023
Following Ronin obediently toward the couch, the wendigo's eyes dart from the space left on the sofa next to Ronin and one of the armchairs. Opting for the latter, Remi sits stiffly down, keeping his back far too straight to be comfortable and folding his hands neatly onto his lap. [say]"To be signed out, or for tests."[/say] He replies with a small shrug. [say]"The stamina and reflex tests are pretty routine, but every week or so Susan comes up with some nonsense to try."[/say] Ronin had already heard about the tests surrounding Remi's virility, but those were more humiliating than torturous. [say]"The worst are tests of my healing."[/say] He says with a sigh. [say]"I only hope it gives the interns nightmares to have to watch videos of my fingernails growing back after they've been pulled out, or watching my skin knit itself back together after being stabbed."[/say]
Listening to Ronin as if the hunter were going to quiz him later on the things he said, the wendigo nodded along diligently as his partner spoke. [say]"The map sounds interesting."[/say] He isn't sure what Ronin means by hunting board, and assumes it's a bounty sort of thing. [say]"I..probably should, though."[/say] Remi says instantly as if this had been a trick question. [say]"As long as it doesn't bother you. At first, anyway."[/say]
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Ronin - 05-09-2023
Ronin doesn't think he's ever seen someone sit so uncomfortably in an armchair, and he wants to make a note of it but ultimately decides it would be a bad idea. (It's still probably more comfortable than Remi's usual evening, and that's just terrible to think about, so he tries not to). [say]"Well fuck,"[/say] he says eloquently in response to the routine torture that Grimm had called tests and that Remi calls nonsense, the hunter sagging further against the sofa.
[say]"Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think being my roommate is going to be incredibly boring after what you're used to."[/say] Ha ha, get it? Because there's no waiting around to be brutalised or pulled out on a hunting mission? Because there's downtime, where Remi can relax as much as a wendigo-human mashup can manage?
Humming his agreement about the map, Ronin gestures to a large, rolled up scroll of paper leaning against one wall corner. [say]"It's a work in progress. I still don't know what a lot of the coastline looks like since everything went to hell."[/say] And Remi is right about sticking with him, but it's still a choice. (Or it should be anyway). [say]"Doesn't bother me at all. You need to sleep in your own bed, though. If you're good I might read you a story."[/say]
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 05-19-2023
[say]"Oh no, boredom, how will I ever cope?"[/say] The wendigo wonders, rolling his eyes and grinning down at his knees. It had been years since he felt bored; sure being locked up could be boring, but because it was always shackled with the knowledge that something worse was looming, it wasn't quite the sort of thing most people meant when they said they were bored.
Rising from the chair, because yes it was uncomfortable for Remi but that was more or less his default state of being when "inside", the wendigo goes toward the map. Narrowing his eyes and leaning forward like a man inspecting the brush strokes of the Mona Lisa from behind a velvet curtain, he hmms under his breath before glancing over his shoulder. [say]"You want to go look? Not now I mean, but.."[/say] ..during my Out of Jail Time?
[say]"I might be in bed, but I do not typically do much sleeping."[/say] Remi counters, and while this would normally sound like a euphemism for masturbating or some such, a lack of sleep simply came with the territory for what Remi was.