hadriel_logs | [closed] Our house is a very very very fine house

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[closed] Our house is a very very very fine house

Who: Leonard Church (Alpha) and Tex
What: Church gets up the courage to ask Tex if she wants to live together
Where: Just around
When: Forward-dated to the 13th
Warnings: n/a

Ever since arriving on the islands Tex has been living the life of the virtuously homeless, spending her time in her armor exploring her surroundings. Ever since the arrival of the boats, that's been easier. So Tex makes her way around, checking out where the various locations of the city have ended up.

Today feels a bit different from before. Tex is feeling more lazy, and decides to just slip off her armor and hang out on the beach. She never bought a swimsuit, but she has athletic shorts and a raceback tank on underneath, so she just pulls the armor plates off and finds a place to hide them before settling in on the beach.

Of course, she can't resist the pull of the water, so after a time she wades into the surf and swims about a bit. She eventually tires and walks back to shore, squeezing the water out of her hair and laying back on the sand. Her thoughts are of resting and relaxing—there's nothing on her mind about the nonsense that has gone on in Hadriel since her arrival. It's a lovely afternoon and Tex doesn't intend to let worries interfere.

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If there's one thing Church isn't going to do, it's camp out in his Armor for any stretch of time. He's always been more of a homebody... basebody?... than the other blues. What's that, there's a crazy quest or some bullshit like that? Does it involve him directly? No? Then fuck that, he's staying home.

So, one of the first things he did was find someplace he could crash. It's nothing fancy, but it's nothing nearly as bad as the last place he was living. So, no holes in the roof or wall but it's still a bit of a shithole... but it's his shithole. Casa de crap.

Today though, instead of seeing all the flaws with the place, he can see the potential and he actually feels motivated enough to do something about it. Tex is alive and well and Tucker is here. Hell, Caboose can't kill him! Things might actually, finally, be looking up.

Church spends the morning cleaning and setting up what little he has... most of it was junk that had been left around. By the time the afternoon rolls around the ol'casa is looking not as bad and he's feeling pretty hungry. Food wasn't something he had much of and he'll have to get out and find some. He figures he might as well look for any odds and ends that he could use. It's like college apartment 2.0

The island isn't exactly huge and eventually Church finds himself walking along the coastline, half-eaten sandwich in hand. He can't remember the last time he went for a swim, he knows he has but it's just beyond his grasp... more of an abstract idea than a memory. Normally this sort of thing would bother him but today he just puts it out of mind. It's too nice to let it get to him. Catching sight of Tex certainly makes it easier.

"Hey," Church doesn't wait to be invited to sit down next to her. "Who thought we'd ever see a beach-day again?"

Tex doesn't open her eyes when Church starts speaking. She smirks a little, letting her face tilt a bit in his direction. She knows that Church knows there was never any beach days for them. But she also knows that Church has his own way of dealing with the fact that he was never told he is an AI until the end of things, and so she doesn't intend to contradict him.

"You don't see me wasting it," she replies. One eye opens and she glances at him before closing her eye and resting her head back again. "Not dressed for the beach, though, are you?"

Is avoidance and a dose of denial count as 'dealing with it'? Because that's his plan for now. Is it a good plan? Hell no, but he's in no rush to deal with the 'surprise everything about your life is a lie' stuff anytime soon.

"Hey, I'm a guy," he makes an amused huff "I just have to take off my shirt and ta-da... beach ready."

Okay, so pants aren't exactly beach attire. Whatever. He's just enjoying the moment for a change. The completely mundane moment. No bases, no armor, no one shooting at them or trying to stop some psycho. He isn't even worried about Tex shooting him, though that might be because it's obvious that she doesn't have a gun.

Church looks out over the water, not expecting a conversation.

She snickers.

"Better than just planning to take everything off, I suppose."

When Church allows silence to descend, Tex lets it lengthen...for a time. But then she stretches her arms over her head and sits up, looking over at him.

"Have you gone in swimming yet?"

She knows the answer. She stands and jerks her chin toward the shore.

"Come on."

There's something familiar in just quietly looking out over the landscape. At least it's not the canyon or an icy nothingness. And it gives him time to think.

There are so many questions that he's trying to ignore and others he wants to ask but isn't sure how to. And how many of them actually matter?

"Huh?" Her question brings him back to the here and now. "I can't go swimming like this."

He gestures to point out the fact that he's in pants. "And with water that cold, I'm sure as hell not pulling a Tucker and skinnydipping."

She lets out a little snort, tilting her head and studying him for a moment. She's not thinking about the conversations they haven't had, or those they might need to have. She's just thinking about goofing off in the water, and maybe sharing the fun of that with him. That might be odd, but she's not giving it too much thought. She just wants to have some fun.

She shakes her head.

"Don't say I didn't give you the chance, later," she says. She gives him one last look and then strides toward the place where the water is rushing in to meet the sand.

Church watches Tex leave him behind, again. Finally he rolls his eyes and gives an exasperated 'ugh' and gets up.

"Fine," he starts rolling his pants up to his knees. "I'm coming."

How bad can it be? It's not like he's going to melt. He walks over and as soon as his feet come in contact with the waves he gives a strangled sound dar to close to an 'eep' for his liking.

"Shit, that's cold!"

When he changes his mind she pauses in wading into the water, and waits for him to catch up. But he hasn't even pulled even with her when he stops to complain about the temperature.

Tex grins at him, amused, and walks back toward the shoreline, back toward him.

"You have to get your whole body used to the temperature at once," she says. "Just dive in and go."

She gestures toward the open ocean with her head again, knowing he won't listen.

"Or, if you don't want to do that, you can let me help," she adds, reaching toward his hand.

"Yeah, no fucking way."

Wading out to his knees is one thing, it's from there to his hips that he isn't thrilled about.

He looks at her... hand out in invitation and that smile. He's such a sap for that smile. He's never seen that smile... again, he pushes it aside and just accepts the moment.

"If you throw me in," he smiles back and takes her hand. "I'm going to be pissed."

Her smile grows as she takes his hand. It may look a bit devious now.

"Like that would be anything new," she says, all sweetness and light. "I—no, you know, that's a challenge for you." She draws him up to her side. "What could I do that wouldn't result in you screeching your head off at me?"

He's about to protest that he doesn't screech... but yeah, no way would he win that argument. And he doesn't actually feel like arguing anyway. Miracles do happen apparently. Church stands there a couple seconds, looking out over the seemingly endless ocean... hand in hand beside Tex and wonders how far the ocean goes, would there be any way they could even know? He looks back at Tex, flesh and blood and not cold armor... does it matter? Endless or not, they're here.

"Okay, challenge accepted." He smirks and holds his free hand at just above his hips. "Let me at least get to here before you give in and try to drown me."

He's mostly sure she wouldn't try to actually drown him.

She tilts her head a little, but nods, smiling. "All right. No dunking until then," she agrees. And then she faces the open water, beginning to lead the way, still holding his hand. "It takes a little while to get that deep. Besides, it's not that cold, anyway."

Tex wouldn't ordinarily be much of a hand-holder, at least not with Church, but it seems completely normal for now, completely comfortable. She doesn't see any reason to let go. So she doesn't—she even swings their arms a little as they make their way further out into the water. She doesn't think about how strange this might seem to behave this way, or why it's not striking her as odd—she just enjoys it.

"Not cold to you maybe," He hates the cold, bitching about the cold was the only thing to do while he was on Sidewinder. If he ever was on Sidewinder... "You don't have to worry about freezing your balls off."

Normally, Church would find this situation, if not suspicious, then certainly odd. Today isn't normal though, and he's perfectly content with the way things are. That is until the water starts lapping at his thighs.

"Fuuuuck" He hisses softly as his whole body stiffens and his hand clutches her more tightly. He takes a second before taking another couple of steps, stops, and repeats. Softly hissed 'fuck's and 'shit's punctuating the process.

It takes a few minutes, but eventually he starts to relax. The water is starting to feel warmer as his body adjusts, but it's still chilly.

She doesn't rush him, letting him acclimate at his own pace. She squeezes his hand lightly whenever he curses about the temperature, but makes no other move to change his behavior or reactions.

"I've been living on the beach since we ended up here," she confides eventually as they continue to wander into the water. "Sleeping in my armor and stuff. It hasn't been too bad, but I didn't really realize how nice the water and sun on my skin were until I took my armor off earlier today. I don't know if I want to put it back on tonight, really." She looks out to the horizon, contemplating that for a moment. "Maybe I'll just sleep out in the open air."

She looks at him again. They haven't really interacted much since his arrival in Hadriel. They haven't had any of the conversations they probably should have had. They haven't exactly been ignoring it, but they haven't made any attempts, either. And maybe one could say she's been avoiding him—and after the way things went with Epsilon after her arrival, who could blame her? Churches are abrasive and salty and petulant, and just because she was upset that Epsilon was imitating Church didn't mean she intended to just spend all her time with the original.

But maybe she's been doing too much of that. This is nice, and pleasant enough. She smiles again. "I notice you're not so opposed to the body thing," she says.

It's always been easier to avoid certain things... he's never been very good at talking about the important stuff. Not when it's so much easier to go off on the insignificant bullshit instead.

"You've been sleeping out here in your armor?" A slight frown pulls at the corner of his face. He pushes any concern away. Not that he finds that concerning at all, obviously. "I never pictured you as a beach bum."

Snarky levity is always the best way to push serious stuff off.

"Well, yeah." he shrugs "I don't have to worry about Caboose killing me this time."

It wasn't like he hadn't had a body before Caboose arrived and everything went to hell. Sure, certain things had been easier without it... but it was his body. He thought it was, anyway.

"Not anymore, I guess," she says, her tone softening a bit. She'd been told people here could just disappear, but it was sad that it had happened with Caboose. "Not a beach bum, though. Just...not making any moves to find a place, yet."

By now they're fully up to their waists, far from shore, and she lets go of his hand to turn and face him.

"You want dunked now?" she teases with a smirk.

He's quiet a moment. He'd forgotten that he'd been here. "He'll be fine."

His relationship with Caboose has always been... complicated. Sure, he hates him, but it's the kind of special hate born out of closeness. The kind that makes him belittle him on one hand and still manage to care about him on the other. "He's too much of an idiot to not be."

Of all of them, he has the most ridiculous luck and naivety to cope with just about everything. He'll be fine. Church shrugs and gives her a smirk of his own in return. "Like I have a choice...?"

"Ok," He closes his eyes and plugs his nose. "Let's get this over with."

He agreed to it, after all. Hell, it might not be fun, but it might not be as bad as he thinks either. Only way to tell is to do it.

Tex doesn't laugh often. She often delivers her rejoinders with wry amusement in her tone, accompanied with a smirk, but laughing out loud is just something she doesn't tend to do. But this does make her giggle a little. She steps toward Church, clasping her hands on his shoulders.

"How about we do it together?" she asks.

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[closed] Our house is a very very very fine house

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