[That smile helps nothing, but he forces himself to keep looking at her. Eyes taking in all the details of her face, even the slight crookedness of her bottom teeth. There's something endearing about the imperfection.]
Don't think we might need it for somethin' else? Can't imagine they got the ammo for it here. Not that I'm against blowin' shit up.
[Guzma's far more a pessimist than an optimist, so while he'd be down for blowing shit up randomly with it, he can't help but wonder if it might be a waste. The thought it struck from his mind immediately as she approaches him, standing next to him. His breath catches in his throat—but then she begins firing. Unable to take his eyes from her, he continues to watch.
It's almost a little much, and he doesn't even fully realize how much he's staring at her, his eyes tracing over her features, taking in everything...
Where the hell is HIS emergency exit when he needs it??]
[ Jill is, naturally, still oblivious and delighted about shooting. She's a little red-faced, but it's more due to the light wind and slightly cool weather than anything else. It's just enough that she seems all the more content with the moment. ]
Oh, definitely. It's why I've got two stashed. Although I've been working on a missile for it, I'm not sure if it'll work well. Don't usually carry them around because they're so cumbersome, so I've never made anything for 'em.
[ She makes her own ammo overall, really, if possible even if she's feeling a bit lazy. There's something satisfying about it versus paying someone else to make them, especially considering they're not native to this world. ]
I think I told you, but I joined the army when I was still in my teens. I lived in the midwest -- kind of middle of nowhere in the country I lived in.
[Guzma feels like he needs to swallow again, but his throat is so dry it feels impossible. He needs a drink, is what he needs. Maybe not just a drink of water, but his options are limited here.]
Yeah? Well, then maybe we oughta blow some shit up!
[Yes, focus on destruction and explosions, not how hot Jill is right now. Finally, he tears his eyes away from her, looking at the target she just finished shooting up, his tongue darting over his dry lips to wet them. There's certainly a warmth radiating from him, that's doing a good job to combat the cool air.]
Midwest? [he looks back at her, eyebrow raised.] Was your country so big that the normal directions weren't enough?
[ Sucks that he chucked that beer. Maybe in a few moments she'll fix that, but for now she's not doing much to sort that out. ]
Ah, a man right after my own heart. I mean I'm not against it. Just gotta find the right spot...
[ She probably shouldn't be encouraging it, but it's a subject that she's comfortable with obviously. The AR is used borderline like a walking stick to lean on now, which were she anyone else might seem dangerous. ]
It's pretty big, yeah. One of the biggest, though I've been settled down with my partner in norther part of the continent for a while now. Well, before... I... [ Died. It's unspoken, yet somehow clear. ] Don't even know if there's anything left to go back to. Been considered KIA -- killed in action -- for the past three, nearly four years. Not the first time I've started from nothing. Just...
[It's Jill's fault for making him drop it in the first place!]
You know me, I'm always down for a little destruction!
[That comment about being a man after her heart, however, does leave him a little awkward because it's... not wrong. A normally inoffensive and playful saying getting weaponized against him by his own stupidity. What more of a Guzma thing is there, really?
As she talks about the country she's from, Guzma grows a little silent. His question wasn't meant to make this conversation go grim, but that always seems to be the case. It's not really his fault, nor Jill's, it's just bound to happen when your past isn't a happy one.]
Startin' over ain't the worst thing. Life is full of losin' shit and things not turnin' out how you think it oughta. But at least you got another chance—even if it ain't the best.
[He finally adds. He cannot imagine the amount of loss she must be feeling, which helps nothing when he's not the best at comforting people as it is. And when it comes to family, at least biological family, he's a mixed bag on that subject and wouldn't know where to start with empathizing.]
Heh. That so? I get the feeling that's not entirely true.
[ Messing with stuff is one thing, but being... well, she thinks more of him. It's not the first thing that comes to mind, let alone the second or third. Jill likes him. ]
I mean I did it back when I was twenty-three. Entire city was nuked, so... it's not new. Just would be nice to come back to familiarity, right? It was a long time ago. More than a decade, but it feels like it was yesterday.
[ Don't let it slip through your hands, she supposes is what she means to say, but avoids saying. She cares. Not just about her life or the life of friends of her family, but the people she knows here. The people she cares for here. Loves, maybe. ]
I'm not complaining, of course. What matters is they're alive and they managed to survive, regardless. You know that, right?
[ It's not that Jill is sacrificial so much as she loves ferociously. ]
[He likes breaking shit, it's cathartic, and destruction was indeed his go to coping mechanism for a long time. This would be contained destruction at least! A harm to basically no one.
But honestly, the conversation's emotional shift is certainly heavy, and Guzma feels out of place for it. More and more he and Jill have had these deeper conversations, and on one hand he's grateful. He likes getting to know her more, to feel trusted like this, but on the other he feels like a fish out of water, flopping ineffectively on the ground in these unfamiliar social landscapes.]
Yeah, I get you. Even if you're familiar with doin' it, havin' been there before, it don't change how hard it is. Especially dealin' with everything you knew being gone.
[Y'know, like what could have potentially have happened to Alola!]
Got that damn straight. Not that I dislike things being neat and tidy or anything like that.
[ She definitely can agree to that. She ran on hatred and vengeance for so long. She might've acted justified and righteous and as if it was for the greater good, but a lot of it was there to quell the heat that fired through her veins and made her feel like she'd burst at any moment. It had to be let out some way.
Jill finds it to be frank and honest more than heavy. It's certainly not easy, but she'd be just as happy to hop to another subject and laugh. It's not so important that they stick around on it and address all points or that she feels that she needs to be comforted. It's fine the way it is. ]
It's crap. But I traveled the world after that, just packed up and took off with Chris -- sometimes Barry, but he had two little girls, you know? -- and we worked as mercenaries for a few years.
[ She's glad things seemed to have worked out for him, at least. They took longer on her end to work out but they eventually did. ]
Nah. I'm selfish and selective. I like the cards in my hand is all.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
golisolation) wrote2010-07-17 11:01 am
no subject
Don't think we might need it for somethin' else? Can't imagine they got the ammo for it here. Not that I'm against blowin' shit up.
[Guzma's far more a pessimist than an optimist, so while he'd be down for blowing shit up randomly with it, he can't help but wonder if it might be a waste. The thought it struck from his mind immediately as she approaches him, standing next to him. His breath catches in his throat—but then she begins firing. Unable to take his eyes from her, he continues to watch.
It's almost a little much, and he doesn't even fully realize how much he's staring at her, his eyes tracing over her features, taking in everything...
Where the hell is HIS emergency exit when he needs it??]
no subject
Oh, definitely. It's why I've got two stashed. Although I've been working on a missile for it, I'm not sure if it'll work well. Don't usually carry them around because they're so cumbersome, so I've never made anything for 'em.
[ She makes her own ammo overall, really, if possible even if she's feeling a bit lazy. There's something satisfying about it versus paying someone else to make them, especially considering they're not native to this world. ]
I think I told you, but I joined the army when I was still in my teens. I lived in the midwest -- kind of middle of nowhere in the country I lived in.
no subject
Yeah? Well, then maybe we oughta blow some shit up!
[Yes, focus on destruction and explosions, not how hot Jill is right now. Finally, he tears his eyes away from her, looking at the target she just finished shooting up, his tongue darting over his dry lips to wet them. There's certainly a warmth radiating from him, that's doing a good job to combat the cool air.]
Midwest? [he looks back at her, eyebrow raised.] Was your country so big that the normal directions weren't enough?
[So asks the Islander...]
no subject
Ah, a man right after my own heart. I mean I'm not against it. Just gotta find the right spot...
[ She probably shouldn't be encouraging it, but it's a subject that she's comfortable with obviously. The AR is used borderline like a walking stick to lean on now, which were she anyone else might seem dangerous. ]
It's pretty big, yeah. One of the biggest, though I've been settled down with my partner in norther part of the continent for a while now. Well, before... I... [ Died. It's unspoken, yet somehow clear. ] Don't even know if there's anything left to go back to. Been considered KIA -- killed in action -- for the past three, nearly four years. Not the first time I've started from nothing. Just...
[ It feels bare. And lost. ]
no subject
You know me, I'm always down for a little destruction!
[That comment about being a man after her heart, however, does leave him a little awkward because it's... not wrong. A normally inoffensive and playful saying getting weaponized against him by his own stupidity. What more of a Guzma thing is there, really?
As she talks about the country she's from, Guzma grows a little silent. His question wasn't meant to make this conversation go grim, but that always seems to be the case. It's not really his fault, nor Jill's, it's just bound to happen when your past isn't a happy one.]
Startin' over ain't the worst thing. Life is full of losin' shit and things not turnin' out how you think it oughta. But at least you got another chance—even if it ain't the best.
[He finally adds. He cannot imagine the amount of loss she must be feeling, which helps nothing when he's not the best at comforting people as it is. And when it comes to family, at least biological family, he's a mixed bag on that subject and wouldn't know where to start with empathizing.]
Better than bein' dead, yeah?
[That's... arguable, but he's trying.]
no subject
[ Messing with stuff is one thing, but being... well, she thinks more of him. It's not the first thing that comes to mind, let alone the second or third. Jill likes him. ]
I mean I did it back when I was twenty-three. Entire city was nuked, so... it's not new. Just would be nice to come back to familiarity, right? It was a long time ago. More than a decade, but it feels like it was yesterday.
[ Don't let it slip through your hands, she supposes is what she means to say, but avoids saying. She cares. Not just about her life or the life of friends of her family, but the people she knows here. The people she cares for here. Loves, maybe. ]
I'm not complaining, of course. What matters is they're alive and they managed to survive, regardless. You know that, right?
[ It's not that Jill is sacrificial so much as she loves ferociously. ]
no subject
[He likes breaking shit, it's cathartic, and destruction was indeed his go to coping mechanism for a long time. This would be contained destruction at least! A harm to basically no one.
But honestly, the conversation's emotional shift is certainly heavy, and Guzma feels out of place for it. More and more he and Jill have had these deeper conversations, and on one hand he's grateful. He likes getting to know her more, to feel trusted like this, but on the other he feels like a fish out of water, flopping ineffectively on the ground in these unfamiliar social landscapes.]
Yeah, I get you. Even if you're familiar with doin' it, havin' been there before, it don't change how hard it is. Especially dealin' with everything you knew being gone.
[Y'know, like what could have potentially have happened to Alola!]
You got too big of a heart, y'know.
no subject
[ She definitely can agree to that. She ran on hatred and vengeance for so long. She might've acted justified and righteous and as if it was for the greater good, but a lot of it was there to quell the heat that fired through her veins and made her feel like she'd burst at any moment. It had to be let out some way.
Jill finds it to be frank and honest more than heavy. It's certainly not easy, but she'd be just as happy to hop to another subject and laugh. It's not so important that they stick around on it and address all points or that she feels that she needs to be comforted. It's fine the way it is. ]
It's crap. But I traveled the world after that, just packed up and took off with Chris -- sometimes Barry, but he had two little girls, you know? -- and we worked as mercenaries for a few years.
[ She's glad things seemed to have worked out for him, at least. They took longer on her end to work out but they eventually did. ]
Nah. I'm selfish and selective. I like the cards in my hand is all.