vatheon | Sunbathing Crocodiles

Entry tags:

sol badguy

Sunbathing Crocodiles

Who: Sol, anyone around
Where: Up on the island, on the beach
When: Wednesday morning
Style: Adaptable
Status: Open

Sol found himself mostly unbothered by this curse thing. He had plate-like scales across his shoulders, hips, knees, elbows--major joints; weird, but he wasn't exactly human anyway. The eyes weren't really anything new, just a small change from the norm. His teeth and nails were a little sharper, but they got that way under, ah, certain circumstances. Whatever the case, he wasn't going to bitch about it. Easier. But man, the one thing that bugged him was how easily he got cold so far this week. So it was good fortune to find the sun out when he went up to the island, Wednesday morning, and Sol decided he just... wasn't going to move.

Gear cells would keep him safer from UV than human skin, so he discarded all but his jeans and the suppressor across his forehead and sprawled across warm sand. Not as warm as he'd like it--punch it up to the 80s and he'd be happier--but it was better than the cold that'd been up here lately. The sun made up for it, too. Maybe it was the strange addition of crocodilian traits, but lazing mindlessly in the sun just felt like the best idea he'd ever had, at the moment. Screw everything else, lounging in the sun for now. Woe be unto any who try to get him to move; the Fireseal wasn't even in hand, but it's within easy reach still. Sunlight was just an excuse to be boneless, relaxed.

Eventually, Sol settled on resting his cheek against folded arms and fell to dozing.

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Ky was out on the island himself, feet carefully planted in front of each other to negate the possibility of falling as he made his way toward the figure resting there. It looked like Sol, if Sol were wearing less clothing than usual, but Ky wasn't particularly in the mood for getting snippy over that.

As it was he settled down to sit next to Sol, in apparently some kind of alligator or crocodile form, greeting him with a serious expression apart from the little smile fighting to get through at the corners of his mouth.

"Enjoying the sunlight?"

Ky's presence, though duly noted, didn't even cause Sol to stir. In fact, it was equally duly ignored. Ky wasn't even going to get a glance for his troubles, and the partially crocodilian-cursed Gear really didn't care if Ky was snippy over his state of dress. Look, he wanted to soak up the heat, okay? He produced plenty on his own thanks to his particular brand of magic, but still.

...And then the kid sat down. Okay. Still not caring. Sol shifted a bit, mostly just to huff out a breath and restart circulation in his arms. He made a throaty sound, intended to be an affirmative response; if he was going to ask a question, might as well answer it to keep Ky from getting pushy about it.

Ky was enjoying the sunlight as well, but he didn't feel the need to get half-naked in it. He gave half of a huff, before he shifted, getting himself a little more comfortable sitting on the ground.

"I'm feeling better," he offered. He didn't necessarily think that Sol cared, but Ky still felt like sharing it. "And my arm's been healed." He still didn't really like the facts of what had happened to Riff, but he figured that Sol cared about that even less than he cared about Ky's health. No sense in completely boring the man, particularly not with something Ky felt so passionate about.

Well, that's Ky's problem. It's best to feel the sun everywhere possible--or, that's the answer Sol'd give at the moment (it might be the one he'd give at other times, too, but who's to say?).

The bounty hunter huffed at the statement; obviously. He wouldn't be perky and talking to Sol if he wasn't. Sol wasn't exactly someone you went to when you felt miserable, after all. And Ky certainly wouldn't have given up part of his time to just sit and chat with Sol about his issues (but his teacups...). It was good news, sure, but nothing to get excited over. For Sol, it wasn't really even all that relevant. It just meant Ky would be back to his usual standard of nagging.

Shoulders curved, vertebrae running between scapulae and a bit lower popping audibly, and then Sol flopped back down flat. Yep. That's about the size of his caring.

Ky lets out a little miffed noise, and settles into lecture mode. "Don't you ever feel tired of not doing anything?" He can guess Sol's actual answer to that, but he knows that he won't like it, and that it's not the answer that Sol should be giving.

Ky's tail hit the ground with a thump, although his ears were at least still for the moment. "You have something to offer this place, same as I do, you just choose not to do anything at all. How can that even make you happy?"

The thing about crocodiles is that they have moodswings, so to speak. All Sol wanted to do was bask in the sun and nap. And maybe figure out some of the inner workings of the place, but he didn't have his lab to start work with, and he was in the process of rewriting things by hand to have them more readily accessible--mostly finished with that, at least. But that was also for later when he wasn't sitting in the sun.

The thump led to eyes opening, gaze turning to lock onto Ky. Ochre irises nearly covered the surface of his eye like this, slit pupils widening for a flash.

"S'it matter?"

He's bound to shift to lazy aggression at this rate, especially if Ky decides to nag at him.

Is there a chance that Ky wouldn't nag? Particularly when Sol seems to be baiting him like this. Ky's ears twitch in irritation for a moment before he talks. Even the sun isn't enough to settle him.

"Of course it matters! Do you really wish to simply pass the time in this place without thinking about it? Is that enough, even for you?"

Ky huffs, but he's deciding on a followup to ask so he doesn't have to hear Sol's answer to that particular pair of questions. "It's all well and good to take a couple of days off, but surely you've been here long enough to care about this place or the people here at least a little."

No. Ky's exceptionally good at nagging, but the results haven't changed in the last six years: Sol will still largely treat it as white noise. It's about as annoying, anyhow. But for the moment? It's disturbing his peace enough that Sol plants one palm against the sand to push him up slightly onto a side to stare Ky down.

"Kid, th'day y'get in my head t'see how it works is th' day y'can nag me'n get an answer." A gutteral growl edged those words. "Y'don't know half what y'act like y'do." The answers to all of those amounted to something simple to him, yet no doubt complex enough for Ky: he was thinking about it, but he was markedly more easily set off while doing so now--he was going to blame being an over-sized killer lizard for it (...okay, so being a croc). And truth be told, he didn't really care about the people here all too much. Ky and Dizzy were as close as he got, and that wasn't really saying much given the population.

There was enough to make him skeptical about this place, but not enough to be able to do anything about it yet.

Ky simply huffed again, since a little bit of work from Sol would go a long way, as far as Ky was concerned. Sol might not care about the people here, but even had Ky not managed somehow to make friends, the people in Vatheon were people, and that was as much as Ky needed to know to be able to determine if they mattered. And they did.

"If I could see in your head I wouldn't need to nag you to get an answer because I already would have it. I don't know how you expect me to know anything about what you're thinking when you never share it. I can't have a basis for such judgments without you helping me to get it. And since you're clearly not going to do that it shouldn't be such an annoyance that I don't know what you're thinking."

You bring it on yourself, Sol.

Sure it would. That's why he was kept in the Order instead of tossed out on his ass, wasn't it? And people are people, and they can take care of themselves. Sol's not about to go sticking his neck out for them when he doesn't have the prompt or the data supporting a reason to do so. Someone else can do it; they don't need him.

"Not askin' y't'know," he growled, lazily pushing himself up higher to better turn reptilian eyes onto Ky, nearly sitting up. "'N I don't expect jack shit from ya, boy. Y'spend too much time passin' judgment an' not enough keepin' yer nose in yer own business."

Keep it coming, kid; he'll lunge.

Ky does do it, is that someone else, then, and he's decided that he does need Sol. There, all above board and logical, if Sol would just cooperate. But Sol and cooperation clearly are pretty far from each other, and Ky holds his ground as Sol shifts position.

"And what is my business supposed to be, in your head, anyway? Just sitting around," ~~slowly~~ quickly going mad, "while I wait to be returned to the world we came from, so I can do my work there? Except you don't think much of that either." Huff, and Ky's tail goes thwack thwack on the ground in the middle of his irritation.

"I just want to help the people here while I'm here."

If Ky's taken up that mantle (like he takes up too goddamn many), then good for him. Better be sure he can handle it because too bad, Sol isn't helping unless he gets truly bored. Or antsy for lack of being able to move as he pleases, or agitated for being denied his self-assigned mission.

Right now he's just being agitated because Ky isn't shutting up. Missing the point is more readily tolerated when there aren't words reminding him that he's talking to a thick-headed choir boy.

It's the last straw in a body that comes with a shorter temper than Sol's used to.

Kicking up sand, Sol hurls himself at Ky, aiming to pin and loom over him as if it'll drive his point home better. But even if the kid's speed spares him, Sol glares and flashes presently very sharp teeth.

"Not mine." Straight to the point. He'd managed to get this far before, so it's altogether more frustrating to have to apparently start over. "You go'n help whoever you want. Jus' don't expect me t'follow you. Never did an' never will."

It's pretty easy to handle, but Ky still wants as much of the bubble prepared for mobilization in the case of an emergency as possible. If Sol would agree to follow orders and work with other people instead of always on his own, he could be much more effective. Particularly now that Ky has a much better idea of just what he's capable of, and why.

Ky's tail lashes the air and he growls, teeth bared in return as Sol moves suddenly towards him. He moves out of the way, but not far, he's not so much retreating as regrouping -- even with the reminder of how a fight with Sol will either be Sol pounding him easily into the ground or not a fair fight.

"You can't always be off on your own, Sol," Ky retorts. "You don't want to lead and you don't want to follow, but this is too small of a place to pretend we're not reliant on each other."

"Reliant?" Sol snorts, deciding that's enough energy spent and sitting back. "Th'only person 'm 'reliant' 'pon is me." With damned good reason, he might add. "S'a small place, but that ain't gotta mean jack shit." The Defense Force has enough people on it to make up for Sol's lack of participation; he'll participate in what he feels he needs to participate in. What about that is so difficult to get through Ky's head? Pisses him off.

"S'a few things y'should keep in mind." Sol pulls his pack of cigarettes out, fishing through the mostly empty thing. "Wasn't in th'Order for nobody but 'cause it was doin' same as me. Took th'opportunity." Exhaling smoke in Ky's direction, Sol continues: "'M a self-servin' bastard." Indifference, but he smirks with the cigarette between his lips. "I can damn well be on my own."

Now if Ky'd just... stop being so reliant on him with just that much said. Ky isn't stupid, though; he knows the kid's probably gotten some sort of idea from that switching curse, but how close it is to the truth is another question entirely.

Edited 2012-12-07 00:36 (UTC)

Ky can see Sol's laziness, and can only think that the man needs something more to motivate himself. Spending that much time doing nothing couldn't be good for anyone. "We're all trapped here together, and in the event of some kind of attack it would be best if we could easily and efficiently work together in order to manage against the threat as quickly as possible. I know what you're capable of Sol," and oh does he know, even if he'd rather not think on that matter very much at all, not if he doesn't have to. But does Sol think he hadn't taken the headband off, to see what's underneath? He couldn't resist.

"But if you still think that you're exempt from basic rules of cooperation just because..." A pause, while Ky waves a hand in front of his face to try to keep from inhaling the smoke. It's not as effective as he'd like it to be. "You're stronger? No man, no matter how powerful, is an army on his own, and your time in the Order should prove that to you, not be an argument against it."

[Argilla often comes up to the island to de-stress; and after dealing with Sera's disappearance, not to mention Heat's temper tantrum afterwards, she definitely needs it. It seems many of her comrades have been affected by the curse this time around, actually; though when she spots the (mostly) demonic-looking creature, a crocodile, lying in the sun, she's certain she doesn't recognize him.

. . . She is curious, though, so she finds herself approaching, leaving footsteps in the sand-- wondering if it would even be wise to disturb him.]

Edited 2012-10-19 05:21 (UTC)

[She's free to approach as near as she wishes; Sol's going to pay her as much mind as anything. That is to say, he's really not going to give a shit unless she tries to wake him up or get him to do something. He wouldn't much appreciate the comparison to looking demonic, though he probably wouldn't actually blame anyone for it. Especially not right now, since the suppressor can't really handle one of Vatheon's handy-dandy curses. Ugh. But Sol only shifts for the sake of comfort, as is about the only thing he's doing right now comparable to activity. Just let him soak up the sunlight for a little longer.

She's free to try talking to him, really, but the likelihood of answering her is fairly low. Sol is notoriously "lazy", as-is, so soaking in the sun like this...? He's liable to even worse.]

[. . . oh, he moved.

Argilla remains quiet, for a moment wondering if he'd simply fallen asleep. The sun feels pretty nice, after all, and in weather like this, she wouldn't really blame him. But when he stirs, she takes it as an invitation to get a little closer, tilting her head.

Surely it's okay if she speaks to him, right?]

You're awake.

[Living things do that.

And it's fine if she speaks to him, so long as she doesn't expect much conversation in turn. He's not very good at it, mostly because he just generally doesn't care enough to participate. He doesn't even look at her when she speaks up. Well, answering her statement could potentially cut any further conversation off... So. Tch.]

Am now.

[Argilla takes a seat next to him for . . . no reason in particular, really. She takes his response to mean that she'd woken him up, and though she does look apologetic for a moment, she doesn't say anything aloud. Not until a few moments have passed, and she's managed to tear her gaze away from the sun off in the distance.

. . . The bright, yellow glowing sun . . .]

Is it comfortable?

[She glances at Sol, if only to indicate that she's speaking to him. Not that there's really anyone else around . . .]

[Or... it could invite further. Right. She's free to sit wherever she wants, though; he's not really going to care. And a lot of suns are yellow. Then again, there are probably solar systems built around other class stars, so he shouldn't really go around assuming--she'd have to say anything about it before he comments on that, though. Her question strikes him as a bit weird, though. Eh.]

M'hn.

[It's gonna be a pain to get rid of all the sand later, though.]

Edited 2012-11-15 08:52 (UTC)

[Argilla's had the pleasure before of dealing with sand absolutely everywhere, considering how often she comes up to the beach. But it's always worth it in the end. Maybe he doesn't feel the same.

. . . Admittedly, it's a little hard to tell.]

I see.

[She doesn't know what else to say to that, so she'll try something else, after a long pause.]

. . . I didn't mean to disturb you. I'm Argilla.

[Nah, the sand's plenty worth it. He'll just end up half-asleep in the bath later (yes, bath), too. He's up here fairly frequently himself, if only because he's not too keen to be surrounded by water with a barrier he doesn't quite know the reliability of.

It doesn't bother him unless he's thinking about it.

And at first, Sol says nothing, neither inviting further conversation nor offering any starters of his own. Her introduction earns a lazy glance. To be or not to be obliging? That is the question. A beat passes and he shifts only enough to peer at her better.]

Yeah?

[...Completely unhelpful.]

[. . . Completely. This doesn't escape Argilla, and she won't necessarily let him get away with it that easily either; though if he does persist, she'll take it to mean she's not wanted. Which would be fine by her, but she'll never know these things if she doesn't take a chance.

She doesn't regret anything.]

Yes. Who might you be?

[She might as well ask.]

[At least that's better logic than the usual persistent brats he deals with. Tch. Getting the point is important, something certain others don't quite grasp.

And there's a lot to be said about going in with no regrets, right?

Her question's met with silence for a few seconds longer after he settles back to his initial resting position, but, after a huff that disturbs the sand in front of him...]

Sol.

[Get it over with.]

Sol.

[She repeats his name: a simple and rather elegant one, she can't help but think, but either way, she commits it to memory. It's the first time she's seen any such creature in the city, so she thinks he must be one of the ones affected by the curse.

. . . He doesn't seem to mind it much.]

It looks like you plan to stay for a while.

[What? No, lady; you're over-thinkin' things. But the obvious oddities (like the ridges along his spine) are definitely curse-relatd. And it's not really getting in Sol's way, here, so nope, no minding it at all. Makes it easier to soak up what warmth there is, too.]

S'yer first clue?

[Hmpth.

Argilla's still learning slang and turns of phrase, but she's been here long enough to recognize a jab like that. She makes it a point to look unbothered, though. After all . . .]

It was only an observation.

[Smart girl. Already ranking higher than other nosy busy-bodies Sol knows and he's only been around her for less than a half-hour, probably. But even still, she keeps talking. Short sentences, not as noisy as some people which is good, but still talking. And observations don't require mentioning. Still, Sol barely grunts in reply.]

[. . . Oh, well. Observations don't always require mentioning, but when you're attempting to have a conversation with someone -- especially someone new -- it tends to help, just a little.

That's okay, though. Argilla can tell he prefers the silence, and takes the hint quite well thank you very much -- so she lies back in the sand and doesn't say another word, for now. She stares up at the sun, thinking about how bright it is, and the only thing that can be heard over the waves is a sigh.]

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Sunbathing Crocodiles

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what are tenses /dies

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sorry for dropping tsubaki on you before ♥

♥ s'all good

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