i brought you something. (closed)

[noscope]

who. north (noscope) and carolina (myturn)
what. north brings home a burned varren pup after the event.
where. their home in zeta district.
when. right after the event.
warnings. sap and north generally making up for making Bad Decisions before now.

The whole mess with the water supply being offline, the space monkeys and the fire and the varren had been a lot for him to handle. Granted, he knew things weren't exactly going to go smoothly when they showed up here, but he'd at least thought they might catch a break since the last bit of nonsense they'd encountered.

.. Yeah. Like he could ever catch a real break. Even outside of the Project, things weren't that simple.

It wasn't until he was walking around on his own, trying to scope out the damage to see if there was anything he could help fix when he saw it. A tiny little thing huddled up in a corner, curled in on itself and whimpering. North couldn't help but to squint at it, because if it was what he thought it was? He couldn't imagine one of those things whimpering for anything.

Except, when he got closer, it was exactly what he thought it was.

He crept closer, worried that the varren would react as most injured animals do - but to his surprise, the little thing practically crawled into his arms the second he got close enough to it, and there was no way in the world that he could leave it behind. Looking down at it, even as he was making his way back to their home, he was already wondering what Carolina was going to think when she saw it.

He really was hoping she would take pity on the thing, considering it had a burned paw and had probably lost its mother to the fire. Which .. was really damn depressing.

".. Roxie?" he called as he stepped through the door, peeking into their living room looking for her. "I .. I have something to show you."

Comments

[ex_myturn41]

With all the commotion going on every two seconds in Omega, Carolina wasn't sure what was expected to come next. She was worried for their makeshift home, if she were honest, and she was debating calling on York to work on their security system a little. Not that she expected that to help with pyjack infestations or the fact that some weird alien had decided to set a bunch of rabid animals on said pysjacks to 'solve' the problem, but it would be something.

As it was, they just needed to make sure their guns were in easy reach when they went to bed at night.

When North came into the apartment she glanced up from her spot on the couch where she'd been looking over a datapad she'd managed to pull enough credits together to afford. Reading things on that damn omni-tool was a little annoying when she was more used to reading data this way, and it hadn't been that expensive a purchase anyway.

He looked alright, which was good given the state of their district lately, but that thing in his arms has her attention. She raises an eyebrow, not entirely sure what he's got from where she's sitting, but she puts the datapad down and looks at him curiously. "What is it?"

[noscope]

Calling York to come work on their security system wouldn't have been a bad idea - and if she mentioned it, he wouldn't say no. If anything, it would have made him feel better about where they were living and the security of their new home in general, but since she hadn't mentioned wanting to call the other woman, he wasn't going to bring it up. At least, not just yet.

Still, it was nice that things were finally calming down, and they could try to get back to normal in the meantime. Bringing a varren pup into the house might not have been the best idea for getting things back to normal but he couldn't very well leave the poor thing out there to die. (Yes, he was thinking in those terms. He couldn't very well help it.)

When he saw that he had her attention, he stepped further into their apartment, far enough to show her the still-whimpering thing in his arms. The poor thing was still nursing that burnt paw, and every so often it would look up at him as though to say why aren't you doing anything about this yet?

North tried for a half-smile, coming to sit next to her on the couch. "I found her on my way back .. she must have lost her family in the fire."

[ex_myturn41]

When North came over to sit next to her on the couch, she finally got a better look at what he had brought into their apartment. She's a little surprised, understandably, to see the little varren curled up in his arms, because she hadn't seen any young varren when they'd been running after the pyjaks. Of course she also hadn't been looking for them since the varren had seemed more interested in attacking than anything else at the time.

The little thing in north's arms, though, didn't look like it was interested in anything like that. In fact, it looked like it could use some treatment and a good nap. "A varren... she looks terrified," she remarked, looking down at the whimpering creature with a small frown. As it peeked up at her and tried that same look on her, she let out a soft huff.

"And in pain. I think I still have a medi-gel or two..." Carolina started to tap through her omni-tool, the menus still a little strange to navigate, but soon enough she found her medi-gel options and selected to apply it to the pup, holding out her hand as she let it work. "...and hopefully it'll work on her, anyway."

[noscope]

He wouldn't have been surprised at all to know that she was surprised at what he'd brought into their apartment. To be honest, he hadn't been expecting to find a varren while he was out in the first place - but he couldn't have very well just left her there, alone and hurt and defenseless. (Yes, all right, so maybe he had a penchant for wearing his heart on his sleeve. That was nothing new.) But he was hoping that Roxie would warm up to the idea of .. well, keeping it.

North stayed quiet as she applied the omni-gel, looking down at the pup and how she seemed to relax the slightest bit when the pain eased. He'd been worried that it might not have worked on her, but he was pleased to see that it did, and that the little thing seemed to perk up the slightest bit once it began working through her system.

The wound on her paw healed well enough, but it did leave a scar - but the varren didn't seem to really care about that. ".. She looks like she feels better already," he commented with a small smile. "Can't blame her, really .. that must have hurt."

[ex_myturn41]

The fact that North was already making plans to see about keeping this little pup would have surprised her a great deal. Mostly because it seemed a little more impulsive than she's used to him being. But she wasn't aware of his plans, so.

So she'd just focus on helping the poor thing. The fact that the omni-gel seemed to be working on her was a good thing, and the pup looked at least a little less scared and pained than she had a moment ago. Once the omni-gel was done applying to her burn, Carolina put her arm down and looked over the paw, pleased with the results.

This stuff was pretty damn useful. Must have had some good painkillers in it, too, if the varren was really perking up like this. "Looks like it... can't imagine it felt nice. She's too young to do anything about it." She reached over to scratch lightly behind the first spine along the little thing's neck, pleased when it seemed to enjoy that. "You think her family is gone, though?"

[noscope]

He wasn't going to let his plans be known until he thought it might actually be something that he could convince her to do. Normally, it wasn't something he would have done; but there was always going to be something about animals that tugged at a corner of his heart, and even though this varren wasn't a conventional housepet like he would have had back home, he couldn't very well turn the little thing on its own and hope that nothing bad happened to it.

He was just going to have to come up with a good reason for them to keep her.

North waited until she was finished applying the medi-gel, watching as the pup seemed to perk up right away, and he couldn't help but to chuckle as it leaned into the scratch Carolina was giving her. That was she was already relaxing, now that she wasn't in pain, was definitely more than just a good thing.

He nodded at her question, reaching over to give the varren a small scratch as well. "She was backed into a corner .. if there is anyone left, I'm sure they've found a hiding spot away from the fire," he responded quietly, almost pensively.

[ex_myturn41]

She's been fond of animals herself, probably not to the extent North is though, but she can't say she's ever had a pet. Her father wouldn't have wanted something like that around the house, she imagines, and she hadn't ever bothered to bring it up with him. A varren definitely wouldn't have been welcome in their house, though, that was for sure.

She hadn't had time for animals once she'd moved out, either. But North was probably the only person on the planet who could convince her that it was time to look into it.

Carolina continued to absently scratch at the creature, letting it relax in North's lap while she did so. It was good to see she wasn't fretting anymore, it had to be painful to have a burn for that long. "I see... wonder if anyone around here takes in strays?"

[noscope]

North and his sister had never been allowed to have pets growing up - but he'd always wanted a dog. One that would follow him around and be what a dog should be: every little boy's best friend. But their mother had had strict rules about there being no animals in the house, and though he couldn't begrudge her for it, there were times he still felt as though he'd missed out on something vital growing up.

Maybe that was part of the reason he was already so intent on keeping this pup. To make up for lost time. But he wasn't thinking about that so much as how it might affect Roxie; that it might be enough to pick her spirits up, and keep the fact that they have things to worry about back on the MoI out of her mind.

The pup really was soaking up all of this attention, as was made clear by the muffled half-growl, half-yip that she gave as she practically rolled onto her back, as if hoping for bellyrubs. And at the words that came out of the other's mouth, he found his opening, though he found himself hesitating before he actually said anything. "I'm not sure .. but I was wondering .."

He paused, more nervous than he had any right to be. "What if we kept her?"

[ex_myturn41]

She didn't feel like she'd ever missed much of anything but she still did enjoy animals. The lack of time for an animal meant that she had never bothered to correct this, and it wasn't as if there was a place on the MoI to even keep an animal.

The fact that this small creature was eating up the attention, giving a noise that Carolina wasn't sure about but she had to assume it was a pleased sound. That it rolled over in Evan's lap, giving her its belly, almost made her chuckle. Her hand smoothed over the pup's belly, giving it a small rub before she looked back up at Evan.

His hesitation was almost worrying, but then his question was even more so. She raised an eyebrow at the suggestion, wondering if he was serious about this, but then Evan wasn't exactly the biggest joker around. "You want to keep her?"

[noscope]

Well, that was true. If you've never had the time for a pet, chances are that you won't think of trying to fix that in the future, even if you do - and while he knew that they couldn't exactly have a pet back on the MoI, he didn't see why they couldn't have one here.

Because things were definitely different for them on Omega.

Evan was giving his own attention to the pup, just for the simple fact that she was practically begging for it, and it made his heart practically ache at the thought that Carolina was going to tell him they couldn't keep her. That, of course, did most definitely not mean that he wasn't willing to try to build a case in the pup's favor.

"What else could we do with her? I don't think there's a shelter around here for abandoned varren."

[ex_myturn41]

Things here were definitely different, their living arrangements attested to that. Something she wasn't complaining about in the slightest, really. It was nice to de-stress here with him, to have quiet moments with him whenever she wanted, and it was more relaxing than anything has been in some time.

The fact that the thing in Evan's lap was all but begging them for attention just prompted more rubbing from Carolina, even if she wasn't thinking too much about it. She was more focused on Evan's question, though, and the fact he really did seem interested in keeping the varren. Neither of them knew exactly how to raise a varren- not that it would be impossible to look it up- and she wasn't sure what sort of attention it would require. It clearly wanted as much attention as they could spare right now, sprawled out as she was on Evan's lap, and who knew if they'd have the time?

She's scratching under the varren's chin, letting out a soft sigh. "Do you think we have the time to take care of her?"

[noscope]

That was something that he'd more than been able to get used to, especially given the fact that they hadn't exactly been able to enjoy living together on the Tranquility before they'd been transported back to the MoI. And even though they hadn't come here on the .. best of terms upon their arrival, he was glad to now that things were getting better.

That they could finally settle down, just a little, and enjoy each other's company like he'd been wanting them to for so long .. especially since he'd been finding her practically training herself to death before they'd ended up here. This was something of a vacation for her. For the both of them, really.

Even if they had no idea why they were there or how they were going to get back home.

Evan brought his thoughts back to the matter at hand, though. If Roxie really didn't want to keep the pup, they would have to find something to do with her - though he didn't really think there were going to be many options for them. Still, if push came to shove, he wouldn't ask her to keep the little thing again. It just wasn't in his nature.

The varren let out another pleased-sounding noise at the scratches to her chin, stretching out on her back a little more, and he couldn't help but to be amused. "I don't see why not, really. It's not like we have any pressing matters that need our attention right now."

[ex_myturn41]

It had been a bit disappointing, to say the least, when they'd only managed to live together for a short time before they'd gone home. She'd been happy to go home, certainly, but giving up all the free time she'd had with him had been difficult. She'd had to push it aside along with so many other things once they'd been home. There had just been too many other things on her mind.

She didn't think her training was any sort of problem- and nothing North could say would convince her of that- but it was nice to be with him again. To have some time to actually enjoy being around him.

Roxie looked at the creature as it sprawled out, looking content as anything, and let out a contemplative hum at Evan's statement. She supposed he was right, there wasn't a lot of pressing issues to attend to around here. Even with all the chaos going on, it wasn't as if they had many things on their plate. "We'd need to figure out what to feed her... what she needs..."

[noscope]

They'd both been happy to go home, of course. Even given the stress that came with getting their old lives back together, the path the Project was taking, it was most assuredly preferable to being on a ship for an unknown reason. Than not knowing where they were, or what they could do to get back to where they belonged.

Of course there would have been nothing he could have said to make her think that her training was too intense - which was precisely why he'd chosen to keep his mouth shut on the matter. It was enough that she felt that she had to train that hard in the first place. He knew she didn't need him lording over her, worrying about what she was doing to herself.

Even if that was exactly what he was doing from afar.

That she wasn't outright saying 'no' to his suggestion of keeping the pup, that she was actively thinking of taking care of her .. it had something warm spreading in his chest, and he couldn't resist the urge to lean over and press a small kiss to the curve of her cheek. "Considering I've seen a few people keep them as pets, I'm sure it wouldn't take too much to figure any of that out. Not that I expect anyone here to be exceptionally helpful .." He paused, shrugging with a laugh. "I'm sure, between the two of us, we can handle it."

[ex_myturn41]

And that ship had been dangerous above all else- dangerous in ways that their normal line of work wasn't. Getting lost in mazes and dying of mysterious illnesses- something she still didn't like to remember and dwell on- it was all entirely worse than what they had to face at home.

The fact that he kept his opinion to himself on that one was something she was grateful for. She didn't want to be coddled and treated like a child- she knew what she was doing. And she knew North, above all other people, would understand that.

That little kiss, though, had her blinking. Made her look up with some small bit of confusion even if she didn't put words to it. He looked oddly pleased but she can't put her finger on why, even if she's glad he is. She nods to his comments, looking down at the pup in his lap again with some contemplation. "We can try it. If it's too much, we'll have to look into something else, but... we'll give her a try."

[noscope]

The fact that they both remembered dying - the fact that they'd died period was traumatizing enough - but remembering it was something else entirely, and knowing that they'd actually come out of it all right was something that he was willing to forgive and let go.

Because if he'd somehow managed to lose her indefinitely .. there was something about it that he just couldn't think about, and that was all there was to it. He couldn't think about being without her. In any capacity.

But she was still agreeing to keeping the pup - at least for the time being - and that alone had him smiling wider than he thought he had in a while. At the very least, since he'd been able to start spending more time with her again. "Really? You're sure?"

[ex_myturn41]

Dying had been terrible, certainly, and remembering it even worse. She had been so glad to wake up in the gravity couch after that, to find him afterward and hang on to him, that she doesn't think she can ever forget that. Even if some nights she wishes she could.

The thought of losing him is something she doesn't want to entertain. She's seen what something like that does to people, and she doesn't ever want to have to live through it herself.

She was more than a little amused with how much he was smiling about it and she nodded to his question. The pup in his lap looked pleased as anything and, well, it was pretty easy to keep delivering rubs and scratches to the wiggling creature. "I'm sure. If those weird looking bastards with too many teeth can handle these, I think we'll be ok."

[noscope]

The one thing that he would never forget about that - aside from the pain - was that he'd been terrified that it would be permanent. That he would never get to feel her close to him again, see her smile. Know that she was safe and taken care of, and once they'd found each other again once the whole thing had blown over, it had been incredibly difficult to let go of her.

If he'd been just a little protective of her since then, even more than he usually was, well .. he didn't think he could really be blamed for that. Not in the slightest.

It was ridiculous, really, how much he was smiling about something as simple as keeping an alien dog. (That was what he was calling it, even though it sounded just a bit .. not-nice, but he didn't think the varren would know the difference either way.) The laugh he gave at her response was genuine, pleased. "Well, then .. what should we name her?"

[ex_myturn41]

She's been more than a little protective of him, too. While being back home had her relaxing just a little, because at least then she knew what the threats were, having died with him on the floor of that ship made the idea of losing him all too real. If he's been more protective of her, well, she hasn't exactly noticed.

The only person who's been overprotective of her these days is York, as far as she can tell. And she doesn't exactly appreciate it.

But he seems pleased about the pet, even if she's a little bemused by the entire thing. She never pegged North for wanting a pet so much, but she's glad to give him this. It will be a welcome distraction, at least, to focus on training this little thing. "Hrm, we're sure she's a she?" she wondered, looking the animal over.