been too long since I played him

[too_high]

[Mun has left him alone for a year and change, and as far as canon points go she could have picked worse, but he doesn't trust her. at all. He growls softly at her suggestion, then returns to sharpening his brute shot.]

No.

Comments

[improvising]

No to what?

[She can make a few guesses but a word or two (which is all she might expect out of Maine) should be enough to give her a better idea.]

[ironlady]

You ought to know that rarely works.

[too_high]

New game. Happy where I am.

[Which is to say, left to his own devices. Although of all Freelancers to contact him, he's at least greatful that it's you, Carolina.]

[too_high]

[He hefts a weighty grunt of reluctant agreement. Mundanes are, if anything, encouraged by their muses grievances.]

[He adds an inquisitive little grumble, looking over at her. One of the few people from the castle he actually tolerated, he's curious where she is right now.]

[ironlady]

[She hates to answer this since her luck has about run out when it comes to "nice" games. It can't be helped so Caterina is as matter of fact about it as possible.]

I am staying in "Haven" which is not as pleasant as the name implies. I suggest avoiding that place if at all possible.

[too_high]

[A long grumble. He'd almost ended up there, but the mundaneran into a combination of application and RL problems and hadn't tried again. Now MAine's wishing she would have tried harder, so he could have been there to protect Caterina.]

[improvising]

[Carolina grabs a seat across from him, and pulls out her side-arms to clean as he works on the brute shot. Having teammates pulled out to god knows where doesn't sit well with her, but she knows that Maine can handle himself.]

Yeah I know. Me too. She decide where?

[ironlady]

You needn't worry. I am capable and unafraid to ask for help if I need it. [More like if her pride allows it, but she's not going to admit to that.]

I am concerned about you however. Respectfully, your player is far more eager to harm you than mine is. Are you going somewhere that will minimize that risk?

[too_high]

[He huffs.] No.

[Though it might not be quite as bad as where she has Carolina, currently it's nothing the uplifting like the castle could be.]

[too_high]

Considering. Outer Divide?

[She's seen a Wash there, at least, put it definitely sounds like roughing it.]

[ironlady]

[There's a split second glare before Caterina realizes she is wasting her time trying to intimidate a player.] I pray there will be more restraint on the part of your player this time around.

[too_high]

[He chuffs a laugh and shakes his head. Considering his mun just had her Freelancer character in the castle killed? She's unrestrained as ever.]

[notthesecondworstfighter]

Let me guess; trying to send you to a game?

[He nods knowingly because that's what it always is. He can sympathize, man.]

Disagreeing doesn't really work. ...Nothing really works.

[too_high]

[Maine gives a long, low growl, watching Washington. He's spent enough time in a game previously to know how this works. But he's still going to try.]

[But Wash certainly sounds like he's speaking form experience.] You?

[notthesecondworstfighter]

[Okay, well the growl is a little offsetting, but he's not going to argue further if Maine doesn't want to budge. Instead, he'll just nod in answer the question.]

Yeah. Just got accepted into my third, unfortunately. [He releases a sigh and shrugs. ...His mun just has too much free time and takes it out on him. She's also painfully indecisive.] And two from an unpleasant canon point. Go figure.

[too_high]

[Fortunately for Wash, this is early-canon Maine. He's not planning on beating anyone up or eating any AIs. yet.]

[He gives Wash a curious grunt, what games?]

[notthesecondworstfighter]

[Yes, that's a big plus and gives this mun a chance to use her Project-era Wash, which is always nice.]

Hm? Oh, uh... Well, the newest one I got into is ataraxion. There're quite a few people we know there, actually. [He sees that as a definite plus to being thrown into a game, at least.] Then there's tanelorn, as well as outer_divide. [For which he's on a different account, but it's still him. Another shrug, and he's just staring up curiously at Maine.]

You have any places in mind yet?

[too_high]

[There's a long rumble at that list, because mundane is considering Outer Divide. He'd been at Ataraxion a long time ago, and as a much later meaner version of himself.]

[notthesecondworstfighter]

[The noise earns a bit of a head tilt, as Wash finds himself uncertain of how to take it. Unfortunately, he's currently a much later, meaner version of himself in Ataraxion. Funny how that works.]

...I'm not sure if that's a good or bad response, but... [He pauses, trails off for a moment, then offers a friendly look.] Hopefully you get sent somewhere that's not too bad.

[too_high]

[He grunts, he just hopes Wash won't shoot him on sight if he shows up at the Outer Divide.]

What's it like, the Divide?

[-- wow that's a lot of words. Better enjoy them, Wash.]

[notthesecondworstfighter]

[Going from no words to a surprising number? Consider Wash surprised, though he tries not to show it because that seems just a little rude. The question causes him to take a pause though, in which he considers how to answer.]

It's...not bad. Kind of quiet; there aren't a lot of people over there yet... [Actually, he's been there for almost a month and should probably be more active.] I haven't done much yet, honestly, but there's potential! I just...kind of got tossed back in time shortly after joining, and it threw me off a bit. But once things are back to normal over there, I'm hoping to figure more things out and all that.

[too_high]

[He's hoping that's the most he'll have to say all night, and it was really at mun's insistance because she's curious (and you can bet he's growling in her direction now, too)]

[He nods, and slides the whetstone along the blade of his brute shot.]

[notthesecondworstfighter]

[Taking the nod as a sign to continue, Wash hesitates a moment, then carries on.]

Might be nicer with company? I mean, things like that generally are, but... [Awkward trail off followed by somewhat nervous foot shuffling.] If, in the hypothetical situation that you get sent there and are from an earlier canon point, it seems possible that we could work together?

[He knows from his canon point over there, his immediate reaction will be guns raised and ready to shoot the moment he sees that armor, but it seems entirely likely that if Maine is Maine and not the Meta, things could be nicer, at least. It's a suggestion that seems worth it, at least.]

1/2

[ironlady]

[So. Frustrating. Well for Caterina anyways. She is used to being able to push things to her favor and the people she favors by association. There's nothing the duchess can do in this case.

(Somewhere in the headspace a certain solider is sharing a lot of her feelings...)]

2/2

[ironlady]

[Eventually her expression softens.] I know you're not a man of many words, but I am willing to listen should you need me to. When these players go too far, it can be difficult to make peace with it. I'd hate for you to try to do it alone.

[too_high]

[He watches her in consideration for several long moments, recalling how she had helped him settle from his insanity. He would always harbor a certain respect for her. She was one of those rare people he would take a bullet for, and he hoped his mundane never again bumped him up to a moment where that wouldn't be the case.]

[He grunted an agreement, even if he thought it unlikely that he would seek out help like that. It was nice to know the offer existed.]

[too_high]

[He watches Wash, assessing the nervous movements, and offers an agreeing grunt. If he arrived at the canonpoint he's aware of now, he'd be as much a teammate as he was back then.]

[notthesecondworstfighter]

[The grunt sounds...more positive than negative, at least? Wash waits a moment to see if he gets anything more for a response, but when nothing comes, he simply nods.]

Just a suggestion. [A shrug.] Who knows? You might find somewhere else that you'd fit into better.

[too_high]

[He rumbles, at a loss. He'd fit in pretty well at the castle until his mun got all involved with her real life for a month and dropped everyone everywhere, and now he can't go back because she's got South entrenched in CR.]

[but he could tolerate being around team. In fact, it might be more fun then wasting his time alone in mun's headspace.]

[improvising]

Heard of it. Doesn't sound like a cake walk.

[Not that she sounds concerned. They've handled worse, right?]

[too_high]

[He rumbles agreement. Cake walks don't interest his mundane, and if he had to go someplace at least it wasn't someplace boring.]

[improvising]

[Carolina began dismantling her first gun to break it down to its base parts for cleaning, eyes flicking toward Maine after a moment.]

Could be worse. Could be kicking you off the top floor of a skyscraper again, right?

[too_high]

[He looks at her, then whuffs a disgruntled breath. Lot of fun that was.

[ironlady]

[She imagines it won't ever be put to use, but it is good he at least agrees to it even knowing that.]

Thank you. I do appreciate being indulged every once in a while.