Open + closed prompts

[belligerentwarrior]

WHO: Freya and open
WHERE: In a park, around the city
WHEN: Feb 15th
WHAT: Errands during expedition break + something of a catchall
WARNINGS: None expected

Open

[When Zee sent them home for a break and belated Valentine's Day, Freya didn't expect to find herself laying on a bench in the park, enjoying the sun and cooling her head. She missed the sun during her two weeks in Magatus' near-perpetual night, but she hadn't realized how badly until they were dropped off in the city.]

[A few bags lay near the bench (grocery, camping store, gift shop), as well as a shiny new set set of irons.]

[There's also a sizable split running through a nearby tree, and courtesy of her heartstone, the air around her is filled with frustration and agitation and fatigue. Some break.]

Wildcard?

[Surprise me! Freya can also be encountered at the grocery store, camping store, a toy or gift shop, and very briefly getting a drink at one of the bars.]

Comments

Lucy

[belligerentwarrior]

For Lucy

[Okay, coffee was the last thing she needed right now. Freya needed to be able to sleep tonight with as poorly as she's been resting, between the wolves, howling, and cold, but damned if she was going to be denied a warm drink that didn't taste like someone picked up forest dirt and stirred it into thermos.]

[A flash of pink catches her eye as she turns to leave. Freya cranes her neck slightly to see around the customers of the crowded cafe.]

Lucy?

[long_live_the_queen]

[There was no way she was going to stay awake after her shift; between that, not sleeping well, and this injury healing, fatigue was almost as constant a companion as solitude. Especially now that the apartment was empty. It was much harder to put her mind at ease without either of her roommates there. Every little noise seemed like it could be significant, stirring her out of sleep--just to make sure it wasn't a burglar, or a branch falling against the building, or the cat getting into the garbage. Even knowing both of them were fine and talking to her was just a partial comfort.

Still, it kept Lucy's thoughts from being too much of an anxious wreck. She was still functional, though her stone was broadcasting a cloud of irritation-fatigue-worry. She itched at the gauze wrapped around her left arm from the shoulder down, the current source of her irritation. And the line, she supposed—

The sound of a familiar voice startled her out of her thoughts; she snapped her head around, eyes wide.]

Freya?!

[Too short to immediately see over the people to the side of her, Lucy immediately abandoned her space in line, squeezing between two distracted office workers after the source of the voice.

It was Freya. Here, right now, not...wherever there was. Lucy didn't quite run, but she wasn't slow about scrambling to a stop in front of her roommate. She idn't try and hug or touch her though she was in range of that, hanging back a bit awkwardly.]

It's really you?

[That sullen bubble of thoughts was gone, replaced by surprise, relief, and a genuine happiness in equal measures.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[She... hadn't expected Lucy to run over like that, or the feelings radiating off her roommate. It's all she can do to stare for a brief, astonished moment, before her expression softens, the agitation clouding around her melting away to a gentle fondness.]

Freya? Christ, no, I'm Frigg. Don't know how you could mix us up. [She reaches out to prod Lucy in the forehead.]

Of course it's me; what kind of question is that?

[long_live_the_queen]

[Lucy's eyebrows furrowed in brief confusion, and she managed what sounded like a "what" before Freya poked her forehead. She made a noise, eyes blinking closed for a moment.]

I haven't seen you for two weeks, okay?

[That relief and happiness was still there, but from the way Lucy had started mumbling and curling her shoulders it wasn't terribly obvious otherwise.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[Freya's gentle smile didn't falter. She's figured out (mostly) how things've been working, lately. She's... still surprised, honestly. Lucy's said that Freya made her feel safe, but she's never really seen anything like the happiness radiating off Lucy, before.]

Hey, now. We've gone longer without interacting. [Freya was hardly home, nowadays, as bad as she was beginning to feel about that. Two--sometimes one--days a week, and Lucy's schedule often matched up poorly.]

[Rather than give Lucy a chance to dwell on it, she nods her head at the menu.] What were you gonna get?

[long_live_the_queen]

[Lucy did notice that, and did worry, and did fuss, and was going to do so again if Freya hadn't distracted her. A bit of unease curled through the stone, a slight fog muffling the edges of things.

Lucy blinked again, glancing back at the counter. Right, she was...supposed to be in line and kind of wasn't now. Oops.]

Uh—just coffee.

[belligerentwarrior]

[Lucy had come up surprisingly close, for her, even accounting for the crowded shop, but Freya decided to use it to her advantage. She bumped Lucy's shoulder with her own on the way back to the line.]

C'mon. I'll buy.

Penelope

[belligerentwarrior]

sorry. going to be late. lucy's been a dumbass.

[The message comes shortly after the most recent emotional outburst over their telepathic link, this time of distress and frustration and exasperation. It's been a very emotional afternoon from Freya's end of the link; it's no surprise when she walks in about an hour after she said she would looking drained and agitated.]

[She drops the bags she's carrying unceremoniously by the door, and once it's closed, just leans back against it, staring at the ceiling.]

["Very emotional afternoon" might have been something of an understatement.]

[mincingminuet]

Don't worry about it.

[Of course, Pen knew damn well that something was up, and the explosions of emotion had startled her enough that she had given up on doing much productive for a bit. At least until she could get her partner home and relaxed some.

So, she waited, trying to keep herself from jittering too much by playing Dario Kart until she felt the colors beginning to come back into focus. She rose and without even thinking darted to the door, catching Freya into a hug.]

You had an eventful day. But now you're here with me. Come sit.

[belligerentwarrior]

[Freya closed her eyes with a sigh, tilting her head down to press her lips to the crown of Pen's head. She only nodded in response, taking in the scent and sound of her partner and letting the familiar sensations soothe her. After that brief moment, she slipped an arm loosely around Pen and began to drift towards the couch.]

[mincingminuet]

[Pen drifted with her, eyes closed, the embrace holding her tight to her partner. She had some ideas on the problem, and she knew that the knowledge they'd return to the lodge wasn't helping, but none of that mattered. Her heartstone thrummed, the room warming by degrees as they sat.]

Want me to rub your shoulders? I can ease some of the tension out.

[belligerentwarrior]

[It was so easy to get lost in that warmth. It was addicting, almost. Someone saying they loved you was one thing, but feeling directly like this, without any of it being lost in the conversion to words...]

[It was sappy to say nothing else mattered at the moment, but Freya really didn't care.]

Like I'd say no to havin' your hands all over me. [She joked. Then, more seriously,] That'd be great, pretty girl.

[Her back was a mess, anyway. Today's stress played a role, definitely, but it was honestly more due to sleeping on frozen ground for two weeks. A camping pad only did so much. ]

[mincingminuet]

[Sappy or Not, Pen didn't care. She felt it too, the pulse and the focus of color, the sensation of warmth, even the little aches and pains that came with a stiff back. Extricating herself and gently tilting Freya down to lay flat, she settled into place. This wasn't the first time she'd done this, and a part of her considered taking a massage class while she was still in school. A thought for when spring quarter started.]

Alright. I'd never deny you that, anyway.

[Starting slow, of course.]

I felt most of what happened, but anything you need to talk about?

[hauntedsavior]

[meanwhile Anna's stone is still full of weird happiness that she might have once thought was love for love itself, but she thinks she's come to realize that it's, well, kindness and openness and a lot of things that she doesn't usually want to express. but it feels nice, she's finding, so here she is.]

Rough morning?

[Anna's wearing a tattered varsity jacket with a bunch of hand-sewn patches for punk and metal bands covering it, and a smirk. and since she doesn't go camping, the irons are what she notices first.]

Is that an axe?

[belligerentwarrior]

You've got no idea.

[Freya opens her eyes and shields them against the light, squinting at Anna. Not someone she was expecting to see, but currently not one Freya was avoiding. The ambient agitation recedes to a quiet, background hum.]

Yeah. What 'bout it? [She adds casually, like carrying fire axes around in public wasn't an oddity.]

[hauntedsavior]

Didn't think anyone just needed to have axes around.

[but she doesn't need a life story on why Freya's got that. she'll just be happy with not actively being avoided. not a bad outcome, all told. her hands go into her pockets.]

Been a couple weeks, and I hear there's a bunch of crap happening. Feel like catching up? Or you can tell me to fuck off. Your choice.

[belligerentwarrior]

It's the bar that's the deal of the set. [Freya taps the other coupled with the axe with her foot as she sits up and scoots over. ]

I've got a little time. Hell if I know where to start.

[hauntedsavior]

[yeah, Anna's not gonna pretend she gets it, but it's also not super important. gotta be something going on in Freya's life where she needs it. she sits down next to Freya and glances over.]

Feels like I would've run into you sooner than this with how many people I'm finding out are part of this. You figure out a way into those restricted areas or something? Must be pretty fucked up if we've got chimeras inside the city.

[belligerentwarrior]

[Freya turns her head to shoot Anna A Look.] Chimeras? No, I'm one of the lucky bastards out on a volunteer mission from our new Retrospec overlord. Been north of the city, camping in a frozen, magic-wolf-infested hellscape.

[She looks back out to the park.] I've heard jack from the city except a buncha people went missing, and that my boss was one of 'em.

[lostapprentice]

[Ren only knows the woman vaguely—just enough to know her name and face, thanks to working with Pen—but he'd noticed her name on that list posted on Retrospec earlier that month, and so his curiosity draws him to approach when he notices her. The tree and axe thing is secondary, but it does add another reason.

The feelings her heartstone is broadcasting are no different than what he usually feels himself, so he barely takes note of it. At least he's not sending out any feelings himself.]

Don't tell me all of you are done with those "restoration" missions already?

[His tone isn't the friendliest, but whatever annoyance that's coming from him rather than her reflected feelings are towards Retrospec itself, rather than the people doing their work.

... okay, well, and he judges the people who just go along with them, but it's minor. Mostly.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[A snort. Freya doesn't even bother sitting up or opening her eyes.]

As if. We lucky bastards have earned a break, apparently. A nice little 24-hour shore leave.

[lostapprentice]

Congratulations.

[His tone is flat, his continued disdain coming through even without her looking at him.]

I can't imagine what you must have accomplished for them to be so generous.

[belligerentwarrior]

[She frowns a bit more, a twinge of stronger agitation running through the heartstone.]

Not an imaginative one, then, are you? We got told something was wrong. We looked into it. We're workin' on fixing it.

Even if that involves camping out in Alaska's frozen asscrack, beatin' back ghost wolves every night.

[lostapprentice]

[Ren can see that irritation even without feeling, and he cants his head as he shifts his weight back on one foot. Maybe he was misinterpreted. (Not that that's new, with how terrible he can be with words.)]

I don't doubt you're doing everything you can. I'm just surprised they're actually giving you a break from it.

[His annoyance is directed squarely at Retrospec. Occasionally one of its users earns similar feelings, but it's not all that common. He has nothing against Freya.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[Freya relaxes a touch. The clarification was disarming enough.]

That makes two of us. [She lifts a hand for a vague, emphatic hand wave.] Guess Zee felt bad or something for makin' us miss Valentine's Day for the city's sake. He at least answers our messages, unlike the rest of that lot.