virewolf

[virewolf]

starter for: @chaoticneutralbell

location: junkyard "Careful. Still sharp enough. Don't want to get tetanus in this world." Vi commented, doing her best to not apply too much pressure even with the leather gloves as they worked together to yank a blade out of an old saw table. It looked to be one of those fancy ones, the type that retracted if you nicked your finger on it, now damaged by years of rain and weather exposure. Still usable, with a bit (a lot) of elbow grease, though. Which was the point

Even with two people, it required considerable strength to wrench the blade out of it's bed of rusted nuts and bolts and wiring. "Fucking Christ-" Vi cursed, her muscles straining until finally, it came loose, and they could lift it out onto the tabletop. "Hell, whoever left this out here is a damn idiot. Motors probably a bust now. Jesus." Vi breathed out, leaning on the table for support as sweat ran down her brow. The heat was almost unbearable. Her eyes fixed on Lucy, probably just as exhausted from the heat and work. "Alright. You're gonna fix this thing up. Show me what you learned." Vi patted the tabletop with her gloved hand, then grinned. "After a break. Don't know about you, but I could use some lemonade."

[virewolf]

"None of your business if I do or don't. Not your job anymore." Vi crossed her arms, staring him down without averting her gaze for a second, though she noticed his wandering to the tractor tires. Lifting up a 500-pound tire enough to roll it wouldn't be easy, but she'd manage. The doubt didn't dissuade her.

Her gaze still pierced the back of his head when he turned around to leave. Her eyebrow quirked up when he turned back around, though something seemed to have changed. His tone had shifted, from his usual flat intonation to something more... open. "Oh hell no, you don't get to say that." Vi felt the anger hit her, scorching hot in her chest. "You don't get to pretend to care now. You hurt her, and then ran away like a damn coward. Maybe Ermano buys your demure act, but I don't, so you can shove that where the sun doesn't shine."

Liam looked down, and still was not moving an inch. There was nothing in his eyes Vi could read for sure. No anger, no hurt feelings, he just remained annoyingly neutral while facing her anger. He had never used her first name on her, but fair enough he had a pretentious politness. He looked at the tractor tires, then back at the woman, wondering just how she wanted to carry those herself.

"As you wish Miss Wolf, it has been asked to be done today. Hopefully you will be able to complete the task in time. " he stated. He took his leave with a nod, turned away but stopped after a couple of steps and looked back at her by turning his head slightly. "Thank you, Miss Wolf, for being there for Penny. " the thank was said in a more vulnerable voice, with a real appreciation that Penny had not been alone and was being kept safe by fierce characters while he was gone. He continued to walk away from the junkyard.

[virewolf]

"Probably in the overflow storage or in the clinic." Broken? Not like she wasn't familiar with things breaking, but that still irked her. Lucien hadn't intended on breaking it, it'd probably been a mistake, but still- maybe it was the exhaustion of the day tugging at her, and the damned pain that didn't want to leave her leg, but she could feel herself growing irritable.

"I sure as hell hope so." Vi took a sip from her tea, still hot enough that it almost burned her tongue. Clutching the mug and feeling the warmth seep into her fingers, Vi regarded her. "Last thing anybody in this place needs is somebody getting all up in their business. Just because they think they know what's best for other people. Clear?"

"I think one broke, but I can't speak to the others. Might be at the clinic." Not included in her inventory counts, at least. Beth would protect Lucien, keep private that his leg was worse, that even the cane hadn't stopped him from nearly falling down the stairs. However much Lucien wanted people to believe otherwise, more was needed. "Thanks for letting me know about them, I'll see if I can't figure out where they're at."

Beth tried the tea again. Cool enough now. She didn't disagree with Vi. "Mm," she began, cup held between both hands, "you're right. It isn't my job here. If he hadn't asked, I probably wouldn't have done a blessed thing." Beth's dogged respect for the autonomy of others, for better or worse. "And if he tells me to stop, Vi, I stop."

[virewolf]

"I was closeby. Figured I might as well check it out and see what's wrong." Might as well do something. She'd probably go check in with outside security, see if the walls needed fortification. There was enough work to go around, at least. She followed him into the kitchen, her attention quickly focusing on the unruly appliance.

"You have tea? Or is the kettle broken too?" Even with her messed up leg, dragging the oven out from where it nestled below the counter was easy enough. Her arms still worked well enough. Without much ado, Vi started working on getting into the guts of the thing. "Does anything else here need help while I'm already here? Not a fan of extra trips."

Harry was thinking about it; going outside, volunteering to share some help. He might will, who knew? But for now, he still had some more simple things to deal with, giving him a weird feeling by the way, it was like spectating some weird kind of inevitable. "Hi?" He greeted after opening his front door, a bit puzzled by the lady, his oven totally forgotten until she mentioned it. "Oh right!" This one was just not cooking anything, 30 minutes for almost no result. "And sure yeah, come in." He reacted, giving her some space before leading her to the kitchen. "Thanks for passing by, I wasn't really expecting the oven to be a priority but hey if I can have a working one, I'm not gonna complain." He gently joked. "Want a drink?"

[virewolf]

starter for: @harry-thompson

location: Harry's home

The explosion had unsettled everyone. Of course, it'd sent people swarming. What was left of the raiders, hunters probably outside security too. And people like Vi were left on the inside, having to wait for whatever news would be brought back.

Still, that was no reason to drop everything. Which was she was at Harry's front door right now, toolbelt around her hips and toolbox in one arm. "Hey. I'm here to look at your oven. You said it wasn't working properly." Vi's voice was a little gruff. Her patience was running a little low, admittedly. The explosion had strained her even further.

"Mind letting me in?"

[virewolf]

"The hell you are doing." Vi pushed inside of his space, staring up at him with hard anger. The dog didn't bother her. Liam wasn't stupid enough to let her attack a resident. "And you can shove your pretentious politeness up your ass. You don't get to come here and 'Miss Wolf' me."

The junkyard was technically open source. Even if Vi regarded it as her domain, anybody could come and take what they wanted. Unlike what they kept in the overflow storage, this was just junk and scraps. But Vi would do hell and let Liam take any of it. "It's not your job to fix the front gate. I'm gonna go and fix it. You have no business here, so unless you want me to sock you, leave."

To be honest, Liam had not expected anyone to be at the junkyard, let alone it to be Vi. Her anger, however, was welcome to the Legionnaire. It meant that , only one narrative prevailed. They could make him their villain all they wanted, as long as Penny was safe. That was all that mattered. He was not going to take more of her time nor enter any confrontation with Penny's friend. She had every right to be angry with him, because the words he had said before leaving, those words were just unacceptable and unforgivable all together.

Juno came in front of her master, ready to bounce when given the command. "Juno , non , assis." he ordered the dog, who looked up at him then sat by his side. He pointed at the tires. "Miss Wolf, I just need two tires to change the bumpers on the front gate , and be out of the junkyard. I did not know it had become your property." he spoke, not moving , yet not passing by her, even if he could if he wanted to.

[virewolf]

"Do it for him, huh?" Vi's mouth shifted into a lopsided half-smile as she thought about it. They were close. Vi didn't know Cat enough to figure how much staying inside for Isaac's sake meant to her. Probably a lot.

They traveled on quietly, until Cat spoke up again. The question made Vi huff with faint, bitter amusement in response. A purpose, like she was working towards something bigger than life. "Not really, other than trying to live." Vi shrugged, staring out into the air. "You don't have to fight to convince me to stay in a place like this. Food, water, electricity. I get a whole junkyard I can play around in."

It was probably different for someone who wouldn't have considered staying here in the first place. "Ike being here's good, but I'd still be here if he wasn't. I'm staying for myself. And if I wanted to leave, I'd walk right back out that gate. Lucky for this place-" Vi turned to look at her, with a smile. "I don't. Otherwise the laundromat would be breaking down."

Cat lowered her head to allow a private little smile in response to Vi's answer. It was good, that he'd had good adventures and memories. Cat would ask him about the sea.

Less blood on his hands. True of them all.

It was good people outside of the Raiders saw how he cared. That he was on the council implied it, but confirmation was better.

Cat moved to walk alongside Vi, rather than behind. "I don't know. He wants me to try, so I am." She was quiet for a time. "Do you have a purpose here? Or someone you've bonded with that's worth staying for?"

[virewolf]

"Ike brought back a bunch of canes a while back because Lucien needed a new one. What happened to that?" Vi remembered that, in part because she'd been offered one from the same batch. They'd looked pretty well made and sturdy. And Vi was pretty sure she remembered seeing Lucien with one like it, too. A flicker of irritation tugged at her.

And it didn't go away when Beth continued. Vi could feel her leg protest and throb as she stretched it out, the relief she'd felt before taking a while to hit. "Sounds like you're overreaching." Even though Lucien had asked her, and probably approved the alterations. Still, Vi felt... annoyed. She took a sip from her tea. "It's not really your job in town to do all that."

"Close - occupational therapist." Handy, after Colin's arm injury. Her shoulders relaxed when Vi approved, and Beth nodded. "Thanks. I'm worried about him on those steps more than anything, right now."

Vi was smart, practical, and forthright - qualities that left Beth as admiring as she was intimidated. Beth thanked her host for the tea, holding the cup in both hands. "Absolutely his call. I've asked Orion to find an adjustable metal cane for him, as well - the wooden one he uses is the wrong height for him." Beth looked at the tea. "Probably could have just had someone carve him one. Duh."

The tea still too hot, Beth blew on it lightly. "No, not my usual. Lucien and I just speak often enough that he knows my history. Asked me to come by and have a look at his knee."

[virewolf]

starter for: @lucienmelaina

location: library

"Hey. Just stopping by for measurements." The inside of the library was pleasantly warm, and Vi breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped inside. Despite the gloves, her hands felt numb and she rubbed them together to get some feeling back into them. "Figured Beth'd tell you she enlisted me for the whole hand-rail thing."

Even if Beth was getting involved in other people's business and that bothered Vi, she was, of course, gonna do the job. That meant she'd have to take measurements and check out the shelf-situation. Might as well conveniently combine that with a visit to her friend.

"How are you doing? Been so damn busy I barely get to go over here." Vi was already getting out her folding rule, though she didn't quite put it to use yet. She nodded at the cane, brand new from the looks of it, leaning up against the desk. "What's with the new cane? Grow out of the old one?"

[virewolf]

"I wasn't really planning on meeting anyone. But-" She smiled, and raised her glass at him. "Not opposed to it either." With that, she took another sip from her glass, the warmth of it spreading through her throat and body.

"Not bad, just long. Having stuff like washing machines and ovens means it's gonna break which means I'm gonna fix it. Sometimes everything decides it wants to break all at once." She'd spent enough time cursing out appliances that'd decided to break in another way just after she'd fixed them up.

"Gotta be honest, don't really mind it much. Work makes things feel more normal." She put the glass she'd been holding back down on the counter. "What's your poison? Work, I mean."

She was right - he'd adjusted to life on foot quickly enough. Perhaps settling into Redwood normalcy would be as rapid.

Slender hands, and surprisingly soft. Foster had grown accustomed to rough hands, exposed to weather and wounded. Little time for luxuries like lotion anymore. "Vi, a pleasure."

The glass felt cold after the warmth of human touch, but Foster didn't mind it much. "You didn't say what brought you over here, Vi. I'm guessing it wasn't to drink alone." Not given how readily she'd engaged with him. "Bad day?"

[virewolf]

Vi smiled wistfully, wiping away some condensation on her glass with her thumb. He was new here, made sense she'd never seen him. "Never does. But you get used to it quicker than you think. And almost mundane's pretty good already." Vi's normal included something that she couldn't get back. That was the case for most people around here.

"Viola. Call me Vi." She shook the offered hand firmly. His hands were rough. Big, matching his size, marked with callouses, roughed up skin and healing scrapes. Vi let her hand linger for a few heartbeats longer than necessary, before letting go.

"Talking to people helps, by the way." Vi took a sip from her glass. Whiskey didn't taste good, but it did a great job at unwinding. "Or working, if that's your kind of thing."

"If this were a normal bar," Foster returned with a smile, "I'd let you." He reached across the counter and hooked a bottleneck with one hand and glass with the other.

Raising the bottle in half-toast, Foster poured. "Lucky us." The bottle was left between them without comment.

"Not bad as much as surreal." Tipping the drink back, Foster exhaled sharply. "Hell of a thing - not having to find my own food and shelter every day." He nodded to their drinks and asked, "If you close your eyes hard enough, does it all seem mundane again?"

He offered her his hand. "Foster."

[virewolf]

starter for: @liamxbryne

location: junkyard

"What the hell are you doing here?" In that moment, Vi wished her shotgun wasn't locked up inside their armory at the precinct. It'd have been good to feel it's weight in her hands as she limped her way over to a person she'd hoped to never see in Redwood again.

Not everybody knew why Liam had left. But Vi most definitely did. Her face twisted in a firm grimace she pushed in close, squaring up to him and certainly not giving a shit that he was almost a head taller than her as she stared up at his face with barely hidden anger. "You better have a fucking good reason for showing your face around here again. Get the hell off my property."

[virewolf]

starter for: @wordsseekingtruth

location: Redwood Bar

Vi wasn't really a drinker. She'd done enough of that when she was young. Then again, she also didn't mind the occasional stop by the bar, especially after a hard, long day of work, and especially when it involved the cursed laundromat. She could've asked Tamir and Jimmy but didn't feel like making her way across Redwood, and so, here she was, one of three fingers into her whiskey.

Though, she didn't stay alone for too long. A chair scraped across the scratched up wooden ground and a man sat himself down at the bar. Vi cast a sidelong glance at him, trying to figure out if she'd seen him before. Then again, she'd recognize a guy like him if she'd seen him around. "You know, if this was a normal bar, I'd probably buy you a drink. Lucky for both of us, they're free." Vi took a sip from her drink, feeling the alcohol burn in her throat. "Tough day, or do you just like going out for drinks on your own?"

[virewolf]

That was interesting. Cat had seemed pretty unaffected so far, drawing nothing but logical conclusions, but Ike seemed to be of personal interest to her. At least judging by how quickly she was speaking. Vi took in the visible scars littering her body for a moment, before she continued.

"Honestly? Not all that different." She huffed softly. "He was wilder, though, more spontaneous. Younger. Liked adventures. He had less to worry about. Less blood on his hands." She added after some thought, carefully watching Cat's reaction as she continued. "We went on a couple of roadtrips back then, when he could get some time away. Weekend trips, down to rockaway beach. He's mellowed out a lot since then. He still cares about people the same, though. That hasn't changed."

Like Ike taking a liking to those who didn't quite fit in. "Think you'll get used to it? You wouldn't be the first person who wants to move outside the walls."

Good answers. Not fluffing him up, not exaggerating. Simply observing Isaac and sharing what she witnessed. Cat nodded, either in agreement or approval.

"You knew him then?" A small little claw scratched up her throat - a need. Uncomfortable to want from a stranger, Cat shifted awkwardly inside her own skin. Would she get the chance to hear this again? Finally, she blurted, "What was he like?"

Cat thought on the Raider commentary, wondering what Vi made of the scars on her face, her throat, her hands. "I can't speak for them. It feels dangerous to have so much blocked from view, being bound within walls."

[virewolf]

"What were you? Physical therapist?" Vi didn't know Beth well enough to remember if she'd told her about her previous job. If it'd even come up in the first place during their limited conversations. Not that it mattered much. Vi regarded the other woman for a moment, as if appraising, then nodded. "Good idea, though. He could use some handrails."

The water in the kettle behind her started to boil, and Vi got on making both of them cups of tea. Setting one of the steaming mugs down in front of Beth, Vi seated herself on the opposite end of the couch. "Up to Lucien if he wants anything else. Handrail and keeping the shelves from falling over is a good enough start."

He wondered if it'd taken some effort for Lucien to convince himself to accept the alterations. He seemed to take more easily to accepting help. "That isn't normally your job though, right? As inventory manager."

"Not exactly." Playing with the hem of her shirt, Beth considered. "He knew what I did in the past - my old job - and asked me to have a look at his leg." Spreading her hands, palms up, Beth confessed, "The rail is my idea. And securing the book shelves, so he can lean on them without worrying they'll topple."

She'd asked Orion to look for a taller cane, something aluminum and adjustable. Deep down, though, she worried his leg could keep weakening. If James couldn't get him to work the joint and muscle, if ... well. If a thousand things.

"No, Orion mentioned that he and Ike can carve wood. Seemed like the more plentiful resource than metal." Shrugging one shoulder, Beth concluded, "I'm open to alternative or additional ideas."

[virewolf]

"I don't need rest. I can carry it on my own, no reason why I shouldn't. My arms work fine." She could see the worry in her friend's eyes. And while she knew that Penny had good intentions, it still ruffled her. Even has her leg sent icy hot slivers of pain that felt like they were stabbing into the base of her spine.

In spite of the annoyance she was feeling, she still relented. Going inside and lowering herself onto the couch. She remembered the doctors advice, to not overwork her leg. And stretching it out on the couch brought familiar relief. "You better put the damn thing to good use." Vi called out to her friend through her apartment, knowing that Penny undoubtedly would. Leaning back against the armrest, Vi sighed softly. "You got some tea? I could use a cup right about now. It's still freezing out there."

It was rare for Penny to be anywhere else besides her living room when she was home; that or her front porch. Previously working in an underground facility with many years being where the sun don't shine - literally - Penny took every opportunity to be outside. Even with it being four years since her organization caused the downfall of ... well, everything. Hearing Vi's voice from the other side of the door, Penny jumped up from the couch.

"Thank you fo-" Penny's eyes lit up when she saw the sewing machine. "Vi, you shouldn't have carried that on your own." Ever so grateful for the gift, Penny worried more about her friend. "Thank you for it, seriously, but get your ass inside and rest. I'll get this in."

[virewolf]

Vi snorted softly. Jimmy sometimes managed to drag some amusement out of her, even when she was feeling pissed. "I'm sure he loves you. That's why he's putting you to work." Tamir wasn't exactly the easiest to work with, but Jimmy was a pretty good match. It looked like they kept each other in balance.

With some effort and low-breath cursing, Vi finally managed to dislodge the motor. It was still in good condition, barely any sign of deterioration. She hoped the thing would hold out for a while, because hell, she wasn't in the mood to go down to the laundromat every week to fix the same damn thing. And it looked like Jimmy had been pretty successful too. She turned around to get a good look at it, when Jimmy's words made her bristle.

"Don't call me that." Her tone was sharp, sharper than she'd intended, though she couldn't quite manage to feel guilty. The ring in her pocket pressed up against her thigh as if it meant to leave an imprint. It'd been close to six years now. She shouldn't be that sensitive anymore, after all this time. Judah would've told her to move on years ago. But Judah wasn't here anymore, was he?

Vi took a long breath, finally averting her piercing gaze she'd been fixing Jimmy with. Of course, he hadn't meant anything by it. A teasing nickname, nothing more. There was the sting of guilt for snapping, the sense that she should apologize. She didn't. Instead, she grabbed the part he'd brought over. "It looks fine. Needs a bit of cleaning and fixing up, though. I got the parts in my workshop. I-" She sighed, turned the heating element around in her hand, then looked back up at him.

"Wanna come with me to the workshop? I gotta fix both of these up first." A peace offering.

Jimmy had stopped. "You know, that's not a bad idea, really not a bad idea !" he agreed, the idea seeded far too seriously in his being. "Tamir's busy, yeah, that's true. 9 am - brooding , 11 am - reflect on how he could have had a Nobel prize , 2 pm - insult me in his head for the next two hours because he loves me , 5 pm - maybe eat , 8 pm - realize that his idea for the sonal panels was not correct and make a mental note to put me to work ...again ... yep yep."

He had then wandered of to get to work. After a couple of minutes, he head Vi call out. "NOT YET. " he called back, and dug deeper into parts and piles they had not that much used. He found half of a dryer , buried quite deep in the junk, mostly rusted, so hope to find what he was looking for was slim. Yet, yet when he pulled the part they needed, he made a face. It was intact, a bit rusty but that could be fixed, it was missing some things, but it could be a good base for Vi. He came back with it. "Rate it wifey , nah or yay ? "