forum I summon thee @Young-Dusty

Started May 08, 2019 by @amber_is_in_a_loop

tune

Charlotte hesitated. Maybe… maybe they could talk, if her answers were kept concise. It could be argued that more she knew the more she could use against him in case it was needed.
With a nod she said, "No. It's fine."

Rick instantly brightened. "Oh, all right then. I think it's always nice to have a good conversation while you're walkin'. Stimulates the mind, I believe. Have you done much traveling since you settled down here?"

"No," was all she said. Then paused, and continued. "I've been… recovering."
What a way to break it down.

(I'll be on and off for a while, our basement flooded and we have to mop it up T.T)
"Ah." Rick nodded. "Fair enough. That's what moved my dad back home, after the war was over. Recovery was definitely what he needed. He hasn't left the farm since." He trailed off thoughtfully. "I wonder how he's doin' these days. We haven't talked in….well, I guess it's been a few years now. I hope he's all right."

"Fathers are quite something," Charlotte muttered thoughtlessly. She kept her head high, attempting to keep her tone light and unreadable.

"Ain't they just? I do like mine, but he can be a bit of a codger sometimes." Rick spoke equally thoughtlessly. "What about yours?"

Codger. Southern slang, she figured.
"Dead," she said calmly. He'd died honourably and she had moved on. "Any siblings?"

Rick fell silent for a second, only just now realizing he might be treading on delicate ground. "Uh….yeah, a few. Three sisters and four brothers, to be exact. I'm the third-oldest." Should he ask about her family? He'd already made the mistake once, so he figured he might as well keep going. "And…you?"

This time around it was a bit harder to keep the cool facade up; she took a breath to silence the emotions bursting to come out after all this time. "No idea. She ran off." That was all she said, though she could tell the simple implication of Jodie was loaded with bitterness. She just hoped he wouldn't be able to tell. "Are you still in contact with your parents, your family?" she asked.

Fortunately, it seemed that the question distracted him from trying to read her expression. He looked away, seeming a bit sad. "Well….not really. My big brother's kind of in charge of the family business, don't'cha see, and he and I…don't get along so well. Some years back I couldn't take it anymore and cut loose before he could kick me out himself." He shook his head. "Sorry, it's kind of a long story. I won't bother you with the details. Bottom line is, I'm not sure when I'll get to go back home again."

Touchy subject.
"Look at it like this. However far, you've got a home," she pointed out in what could only be said as a kind voice.

He gave her a half-smile. "That is true. I try not to get too torn-up about it. Maybe my luck will change someday, eh?" It seemed like he couldn't stay sad about anything for long, even this. "And in the meantime, at least I have my health and my letters of recommendation. Those will keep me goin' for quite a while."

Charlotte sighed tiredly in admiration. He was so positive it seemed unnatural.
He might be a respectable person despite his job, though she didn't want to believe it. Principles, after all.
"There you go, then."

"Yup." Rick hitched up his backpack, adjusting his course slightly avoid some puddles from last night's rain. "So I take it you're pretty much on your own, like me? Doesn't seem as if there's many other homesteads around here. Is it ever lonely to be by yourself all the time?"

"To be fair, I've been weaned into it," Charlotte admitted quietly, stepping straight into the puddles, relishing the coolness in the harsh midday sun.

"I s'pose that would help," Rick conceded. "I got thrown into it kinda sudden, so I'm probably still adjusting. They wouldn't even let me take my horse when I left…I'm definitely still ticked off about that."

(YEE MY CAPS WON'T COME OFF, APOLOGIES)
"SMALL WORD OF ADVICE, SINCE WE'RE HERE," CHARLOTTE SUGGESTED. "YOU'VE STILL GOT A HOME. DON'T LET PETTY DISAGREEMENTS GET IN THE WAY OF THAT WHILE IT LASTS."

(lol that made me laugh XD I hope you can get that fixed without too much trouble!)
He glanced at her, rolling her words over in his head. "Yeah….you're darn right about that." He couldn't help but wonder if she'd learned that lesson from experience….something in her tone seemed to hint at it. But he'd learned by now not to inquire too closely unless she offered the information willingly.
"Anyway, it's really only my brother Johnny that I don't like. I miss the rest of 'em a lot, but I don't wanna risk going back yet because Johnny's got a mean streak and I don't trust him not to make everybody's lives miserable if he sees me again."

"Men can be very temperamental, can't they?" she mused, shuffling dirt beneath her bot as she walked. "Why did you stay in this line of work when you ran?" she asked suddenly.

"Well….it's about all I know how to do. And I really do know the ins and outs of it. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but Johnny knew he lost one of his best fighters when he got rid of me. I've built up a pretty good resume over the years, and I've always been able to find work somewhere." Rick shrugged. "Besides, the point of bein' a mercenary is that you don't have to pick a side. I've defended honest villagers from bandits before, and peaceful sanctuaries that couldn't protect their peace by themselves. I even kept a bunch of hoodlums from burnin' down a library one time, and got me some good books in return. It's dirty work, sure, but sometimes to can do real good for people because you don't have to follow the rules."

(ah fuck I'm so sorry, I'm in a real strange place right now)
"I don't have the best

Experience with hired workers. This'll take time," Charlotte told him honestly.

(no worries! What kind of strange place? XD)
"'S'all right," Rick replied amiably. "A lot of folks have trouble accepting men like me, and if I'm bein' honest, I don't blame 'em. There are plenty of mercenaries out there who're no better than common criminals, so it's right to be wary of us. Don't feel obliged to treat me one way or another–just go with your gut on it, I guess."

(oof I don't think you'd want to know)
"My instinct is vicious. Think about what you're saying, is my adbuve," Charlotte smirked. This was… banter. Casual talk. How strange.

(oh jeez that bad, huh? O.o)
"Heh. Well, you know best. I'll try not to antagonize your instinct, if I can help it." He grinned, pleased to see her looking a bit more cheerful. "Oh by the way, I've been meanin' to ask you. You must be combat trained, if you were in the army once. What kind of fighting do you do? What weapons 'n stuff?"

(ehh)
She tensed. Searching for weaknesses? Finding out the most effective way to get rid of me?
"I do hand-to-hand mostly," she said vaguely. "But I've got a decent aim. And you?"

"Well," Rick began, "My family passed down its knowledge of fighting, so it's probably developed an accent by now, but so far it's never failed me. I'm trained in army-style hand-to-hand, but I took a course from my uncles in the traditional fightin' style of our family, which is a lot like boxing. While I was on the road I picked up some extra moves here and there, so now I generally use a mix of things to confuse the enemy. As for weapons, I got me 'bout four knives, three guns, a hatchet, and a hammer that I s'pose I could fight with if I had to. The guns are all heirlooms from my dad at this point–he did a lot of stockpilin' when he was younger. There's Young'un, my nine-millimeter that ain't so young anymore, and Pup, the snub-nosed shotgun–that's the one I got with the most power in it. But my favorite is the hunting rifle." He patted the shoulder strap affectionately. "Girl was my first gun, and she's been with me through thick and thin. She used to have almost perfect aim, but then a Deorn bit her barrel and bent it a little. Now her aim's even better." He finished his enthusiastic explanation and grinned at Charlotte. "I guess that's all. What did you bring for this trip? Anything fun?"

(Jesus christ Dusty XD)
Charlotte listened to it all intently, taking note of any weakness she could exploit if necessary. She had to admit, though, planning to take Rick down was hard when he sounded so completely happy.
"Well… I've got one sniper and one express rifle, as well as a couple revolvers. As for blades, I've got a set of trailing- and spear-point knives, and the one dagger-axe blade. I have a mambele too. And I know how to use a variety of Chinese weapons including the Zhua," she added." But I don't."
Her hand had gone to her pocket, in which she kept her smallest yet deadliest weapon– she chose not to mention it.

(haha X'D)
Rick looked impressed. "Very nice! You just mentioned some weapons I ain't ever heard of. A variety for any occasion is always good to have, in my book. We oughta do a little sparrin' sometime, it'll be fun." He paused, then added, "But only if you want to, acourse."

(I feel like the respective lengths of our replies are indicative of their personalities)
"Why not," she caved after a moment of thought. "My opinion is you're better off not wielding the Zhua though. In a personal opinion, the gore is too much. The mambele is a lot of fun," she added with a quiet excitement.