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 Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 12:31 am
She was tired. Exhausted even. Getting up at the crack of dawn (it felt like, anyways) and going out running, hitting the training fields... exhausting. She'd hit the ground running, only to look up and realize it was time for dinner. Dinner and a shower, actually. But the shower had come without too much fuss to how she smelled and a clean uniform to make her feel like a brand new trainee (not literally, though. That would have been awful) she'd made her way to the commissary to actually eat.
It was an understatement to say that Hunters were able to put food away - Cass had never been a big eater before she'd hit up the island, but ever since that mission in the haunted house? Ravenous. She felt like she ate enough to feed several families in a small country sometimes.
So it didn't surprise anybody when Cass had gone back once again to make another sandwich. It was probably her fourth or fifth one just that meal, lingering at the sandwich bar as she hummed thoughtfully, some rather addictive little tune, table left unattended for a brief moment. Baneful I had to make an opportunity for a hilarious WOMAN, MAKE ME A SANDWICH themed interaction. Or a get in the kitchen one. Whichever. Doesn't have to happen, BUT MY MOTIVATION IS THERE
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 12:42 am
Rep felt like he was always hungry lately, between working out and fighting with mostly anything that moved, he was also on a pretty high metabolism to begin with, so food was generally a priority. He liked to partially blame Tracey too, though the angel insisted that he had nothing to do with it.
As he sloped in though to see what was actually on offer today though, he looked pretty far from the clean and showered figure by the sandwich bar. Rep still staunchly avoided the showers during the hours the men were actually allowed in and was living with a combination of ocean and buckets of water. The result was that lately people tended to smell him before they saw him. He hated it but explained it away to himself that real men didn't need to care about that whole washing bullshit.
Still, as he eyed Cass and what she was up to, it was much too easy to sidle over in a distinctly creepy fashion and croon with a smirk.
"Nice to see some women know their place."
He might have promised he'd be good, but really, some things just called for suspending those manners. "Fancy making me one of them too?" He gave her a conspirational wink, only half joking, even sandwiches were a chore for him, they involved restraint on amount of filling and on how much knife waving you did.
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 11:44 am
It was done! A masterpiece - well, kinda. Sandwiches were about all Cass could do on her own because it was just assembly. Still, the last step was just to cut it in half a- oh my god, had something just walked in from the ocean and begun it's salty-breeding all over the cafeteria? It smelled better than the Las Vegas rot, but -
Oh, it was just Rep. Somehow that made it ten times less bothersome to her.
Cass paused briefly to look up at Rep, giving him a thoughtful look in turn of that look he had on his face before she shrugged lightly. "I can't say I actually know my place." she answered with a small laugh, beginning to hum again as she pushed her own sandwich aside and actually did get to work on making another sandwich. A process that she would sometimes pause during to look at him again.
It was mostly to make an assumption on choices of filling and the meat-to-other-stuff ratio.
Which resulted in the fact that Cass made a pretty damn enormous sandwich that was mostly Roast Beef and 10% everything else - but that wasn't too bad to her. He seemed like a meat guy with those huge muscles and all.
"Can't promise it's the best sandwich ever, but there you go. If you want another one after that, I'll make you another one." she said with an easy smile, handing him the plate as she moved to head back to her own table without a care in the world about the fact she'd responded to a 'get in the kitchen and make me a sandwich' esque situation by...actually making the sandwich in question.
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 11:56 am
Rep wasn't expecting Cass to actually co-operate with his request, almost patiently waiting for the, he felt, inevitable catch to the whole thing, whether that was some delayed rant or just some horrible catch to the sandwich she was making. The result was that when she /didn't/ lash out at him he was left looking almost humorously baffled.
And then she handed him the plate. With a damn good looking sandwich on it he'd just watched her make so couldn't have any sort of lurking danger or catch to it.
He stared at it as if it might bite for a bit, before picking it up. "Th..thanks." He was so stunned he actually thanked someone. It even took until he'd sat down at one of the tables and took a bite for his brain to actually catch up with the rest of him and to blink slowly as it waved up the something isn't right here flag. He glanced over at her.
"Eh. Most people would get like pissed about that s**t." This wasn't how things were supposed to go.
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 12:06 pm
"You're welcome~" Cass half hummed as she took her own seat, stretching out and feeling her back give a satisfying crunch before she actually took a bite of her own sandwich - which was less mighty than Rep's, but it was good enough for her little frame. She wasn't a tall beefy man, after all. Still, she seemed to know she'd gotten to him somehow, turning to look back at him between bites and offering a shrug.
"Why should I get pissed at you asking me to make you a sandwich, exactly?" she asked. "You asked nicely enough and you didn't gripe when I was done, soooo..........?" clearly she wasn't seeing the logic behind it. Maybe she'd missed some intention with it?
I think he's implying it would upset other people because he was implying as a woman you should be in the kitchen.
<> She looked up to the left part of her temple during an exchange to follow, seeming to grow more and more puzzled as Nicodemus tried to explain to her just why she was supposed to be bothered.
The implication is you're only good for making sandwiches.
<can make!! So that's an accurate assessment!>>
...... You're not....
<>
She was a touch too level sometimes - or just hard to piss off. Either or.
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 12:32 pm
Rep was still totally confused by running into a woman who on appearances was about as passive as his mother had been. It was how women were meant to be, he was sure, it just wasn't something he ran into very often, most women at least put up an argument. Didn't just..fold and actually make him a damn good sandwich.
"I just.. I mean eh. A lot of the women on the island want to like be men or whatever, they don't /do/ anything without a macho epeen argument and s**t. I just got used to everyone doing that. If I'd asked them to make me a sammich, they'd probably have hit me with the ******** tray." he laughed with very honest amusement. "Which not isn't a hugely bad thing. Though I think Before just finished up cleaning up the mess in here after the last time I kicked his a**." Granted, he'd /lost/. Pretty miserably too, the thin scars at his ankles a little reminder of that whole throw down.
"This morning though, I'm kind of glad of just the ******** sandwich, I'm still ******** sore from my last fight." He took another bite of it approvingly.
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 1:24 pm
Cass half leaned onto her table as Rep explained why he'd been expecting her to get mad at him, seeming to consider it thoughtfully.
"I want to be a girl most of the time, to be honest. If being female got me the luxury of sleeping in until noon and not doing training runs all the time, I'd totally take it. But the fact I'm female has only earned me a yearly shot to turn my uterus's monthly superpowers off when it comes to the administration." she shrugged. "So I'm not going to say I'd rather be a man - outside of the fact I bet Nicodemus would be easier to handle with some nice muscles," she seemed to give Rep's arms an envious look, "but I would like not having to pull twice as much weight to just keep up out on the field."
As for the sandwich...
"And a sandwich is a sandwich. It isn't a big deal to me. I don't have to prove that I am a mighty woman to anybody - my performance out in the field should be enough for that, I'd think. If I have the energy to hit you with a tray, I have the energy to take another run at Deathsweeper."
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 1:41 pm
Rep definitely wasn't used to women actually being capable of holding a proper rational conversation, so it still took him a while to process the fact that, yes, Cass was actually making sense. It was almost offensive to have nothing to get angry at, and he still maintained that look of bafflement. "I still think Deus shouldn't have bothered recruiting women. There's nothing women can do that men /can't/ and having both of them together on an island is just ******** asking for trouble." He waved a crust vaguely. "I tried to tell Clarice that, she said Deus recruited individuals not genders. I still think that's overlooking a lot of very natural urges and possible problems later but what do I know?"
He raised a brow. "I'd never give up being a dude, not for anything in the whole ******** world. I love being a guy. s**t's amazing."
Tracey was reminded no one cared about his opinions, especially not Rep.
"And see, that's a good attitude, that way you won't make a fool of yourself trying to show off to a guy. That way you can just keep your head down and get on with your own s**t."
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 1:57 pm
"Mmm, I beg to differ. Would you really like being on a remote island just filled with men in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle all day?" Cass asked, making a small face. "I'll agree that there are a lot of things that women do that men can't, but I really think the atmosphere would be a lot different if it was just...men." Cass turned around in her seat to lean back against the table, setting her own plate on her lap and propping her feet up in the seat across from her.
"Sexual Frustration and all that." she waved a hand nonchalantly then took another bite of her sandwich, settling in to listen to Rep and his chatter about 'showing off' to guys, nearly choking on said sandwich as she suddenly began to laugh.
"I really doubt hitting you with a tray would convince you I'm physically capable and just give the impression that I am emotional and highly volatile young girl who probably weighs less than one of your arms." Again, she had to express she was impressed by his muscles - but Leon also got the same treatment. "I don't know. I can see why you think the monster hunting should be left to the men, and my disagreeances with it stem from the fact that I personally enjoy being here and have managed to pull my weight for about a year now. It's better than my situation was before."
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 2:25 pm
Rep put on his poker face as he considered this proposition. He wouldn't mind an island full of men. It'd be much less touchy feely, much less full of awkward distractions and devoid of women to argue with. He couldn't see the downsides.
He didn't know what Tracey was tittering at.
"I think I would. Would be pretty ******** fun if you ask me. Guys are ******** weird around women, and bitches break up bros all the time. Lost a few friends myself to the dreaded trap of them going steady and losing their social life. None of those worries on an island of dudes, just who is the most buff and whatever. All business" he nodded sagely. "And if you ask me, with the women here there's even more ******** sexual frustration going around. Especially with most of the women on the island being wannabe badasses, the only guys who get women around here seem to me, to be complete pussies. Like Jerry. Its like ******** island of the Amazons."
It was so very hard to hide the effectiveness of the flattery of his arms. He wasn't used to compliments of any sort, it was a very welcome change and warmed him even more to the mist intermediate.
<>
"Well, yeah, maybe. But it'd be what I've come to like, expect and s**t on this island. The tray throwing and whatever, or worse. I mean Candace and s**t tend to flip the ******** out at me if I push it. Which is pretty fun when it happens but doesn't do much for their lady cred. Though she ******** up her lady cred completely when she kneed me in the fork." he winced at the memory.
"But yeah, maybe some women can make it here. I mean Clarice seemed like a pretty nice bird all told. I still don't think its a good idea, but I can sort of live with it now. I have to."
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 2:55 pm
"I guess I'm just wondering if the environment would be too much of a mix of military or prison vibe." She'd never been in the military nor in prison so she wasn't actually sure about the atmosphere of such places - at least not while they were inhabited.
"Mmm, I guess I've never had the opportunity to be one of the 'bros' as it should be." Cass laughed again. "I have too much in the bra department to fit the bill. It does hinder things here and there and ruins the entire atmosphere." She made a point of actually frowning at her chest in disappointment here. "I mean, they're nice to have, but I'm seeing your point." She scratched the side of her head, refraining from making a comment about her guy getting p***y rather than being one.
"Deus ex Machina is full of madness, I'll say that much. We've broken it down to much more manageable since we woke up a year ago, but oh man. In the beginning?" Cass suddenly shivered. "Even more madness than now. Maybe just 'cause I go into things going 'We're gonna die and Caelius is going to ditch us to go find a high place somewhere and admire the scenery' or something."
Because that was totally what he did with his free time.
"But either way, it's good you're adjusting. It is certainly quite the thing to restructure your life around."
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 3:11 pm
"Military would work for me." He reasoned, it was Deus ex's unusual blend of the military and the laid back that confused him in the first place, it wasn't quite drills at 5AM discipline but you were still expected to do what you were told, when you were told. "And prison would apply too I imagine. s**t, its practically a prison right now. Can't get off island as a trainee, don't even know how long for."
He nodded though almost sympathetically. "Yeah, you are missing out on a lot. Bros are a great thing to have, backup whenever you need it in a fight and all sort of s**t."
He had to not though. "No ******** kidding on this place being a ******** asylum. If it was worse when you guys woke up I can only imagine, cause its pretty ******** right now. That Cael p***k just runs off whenever he wants on a regular basis then I'm guessing?" It certainly sounded that way from what other people had told him. "He cost the lives of two good hunters on that mission, the b*****d. Wonder where he even went."
He finished off his sandwich. "And thanks. Though my life? Honestly had no ******** structure at all back home. I prefer it here, its just getting used to arseholes telling you what to do that's the hard part. But I can live with that too when its "Go attack s**t." Man I ******** love being in Sun." and he intended to fight to stay there, even if it meant calming down a bit.
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 3:27 pm
"When you've been up for a while they'll start giving you one weekend a month to get off the island and spend your pay." Cass said with a shrug. "Marcus and I use it to go on real dates and I buy new socks and panties and s**t. Pretty mundane stuff, but once you start getting that kinda down time it becomes more bearable. Pay isn't too bad given you don't have to pay rent or do grocery shopping with it either."
She stretched again, sinking into her seat a bit. "I normally just call Bix or Leon or Marcus for backup, so I guess I'm pretty solid on that front to some extent." Cassandra Norris, surrounded by men most of the time. "But I've never been in a good fist-to-fist brawl before." she flexed her arms. "Don't have the guns for it." Then she just laughed at herself.
"But...Caelius is....." Taking a moment to pause, she scratched her chin, "Caelius. I'd say in terms of putting things straight, he's perfect for it. He doesn't care how you're doing or what gender you are, he's going to make sure you fix your act up. He nearly broke my ribs with a metal pole in a 'play' spar and I was bruised for weeks to follow from how hard he hit."
But pointing people in the right direction and sending them at the monsters? That seemed right to her. "Sounds like you're right at home here then. I think all of us here were better off here than the alternative." she scratched her ear. "I was being paraded around as a child psychic and sent ghost hunting for the camera by my parents before I was recruited." she explained. "I like being a Mist Hunter better."
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 4:43 pm
Rep at least looked heartened by this. "A weekend a month shore leave? Sounds good to me. Can't come soon enough for me, I'm running out of my stash and could do with a ******** drink." He didn't clarify that "his stash" was actually sweets, that wasn't a very manly thing to admit to anyone. "Maybe some like ******** decor for that depressing dorm. Posters and s**t. Going to be here for a while, might as well settle in."
He frowned at the mention of Leon. "I don't get along with Leon. My first ******** run in with the guy was a fight over a seat. Doesn't seem like the kind of company a nice bird like you'd keep, a bit violent and s**t. Though I guess you can handle yourself well enough and he's probably not as much of a p***k to you." He shrugged resignedly.
He did laugh at the description of Cael's antics. "Yeah sounds like a hardass. A good way to be I bet. Probably keeps his division in line. Sort of like Simon. You need to have the ruthless ******** to make everyone else toe the line. Guess not babying people makes them learn or die. And I don't really intend to die if I can avoid it."
"As for Mist. My first run in with mist...hasn't left a good impression on me. Aria and s**t in that briefing. I just like breaking s**t anyway, Sun works. " He didn't share his little nickname for the mist division though, he didn't think it necessarily applied to Cass, at least not right now anyway. He gave her a sidelong look "Before coming here I just thought I was going ******** crazy." He hadn't even told anyone, scared he'd end up locked up, thinking it was the drugs and alcohol more than anything else. "Now I still might go crazy but at least I know its not because of that s**t."
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 4:59 pm
"Yep! Maybe next time I'm shoreside I'll bring you back a souvenir or something to help spruce up your space" she offered. "Can't bring you back any alcohol, since I'm too young." Which was unfortunate. She'd like the little sips she'd had at the Christmas Gala (also known as the party of Julie losing her mind), "But some posters and s**t? I can totally do that - promise I'll find the manliest posters possible with naked chicks and s**t on 'em."
"Leon.... Leon's probably at fault for me actually making it here. When I woke up a year ago I could barely to a push up - broke my nose on the corner of a table trying to mimic him before we were assigned our units. Literally..right before. It was like WHAM, BAM." she smacked her hands together. "My head met the table, then Caelius told me to get my a** up in front of the class and be a Mistie. With a bloody nose." Her misfortune actually had her laughing. "Was pretty funny, actually. So yeah, Leon's like a big brother to me and got my a** in working shape. Wouldn't take to my excuses to not go jogging at all."
She liked Leon a lot, but Rep was making a good enough impression on her too. "Yeah. Sink or Swim. I think the only time he bailed us out was when we met the Horseman of Conquest. Kept us from all getting crushed to death." Again, she rubbed her ribs thoughtfully when she mentioned being crushed to near-death.
"Honestly, I like Aria. But you didn't have the opportunity to meet the pretender-to-Aria." Cass frowned. "The Aria I first met was one of those things parading around as Aria. Nobody noticed! Well, Caelius noticed after a few months, but..... That Aria was awful, nothing like the Aria we have now." It was probably no surprise that Cass liked her Division Lead. She couldn't say she wanted to move to any other division either. She just liked being in her little group. Full of girls.
"If you don't go crazy while you're here on the island, then you're broken on a special level. Everybody here is just a little bit broken and a little bit crazy. I mean...have you met Julie? Prime example."
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