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[This day had to come eventually, didn't it? Just another one of those damn Blood Gulch Sim Troops arriving here to crash the party, and predictability a little late like always. But hey, it wasn't like he hadn't been busy saving a planet or being blissfully retired or anything equally as important. Nope.

The video shifted a little as Tucker tried to set it upright, but it soon found itself quickly propped at an angle that said this wasn't his first time recording himself; the purpose of such skills would be left up to the viewer to guess at their own discretion. But hey, have Tucker with that beautiful aqua colored armor looking right back at you, even as he sat back down and tried to appear relaxed, cool, okay with ...well, all this. All this.

Ladies in hot tight superhero outfits definitely helped.]

So, yeah, Tucker here. [It felt like an interview with Dylan. Good thing talking about himself was one of his favorite things to do.] Please try to contain your applause, but ladies, feel free to toss your bras in my general direction.

[No shame, this one.]

You know, I was kind of busy back home. [With Church shit. It was always Church shit, and there wasn't a single damn regret for it; in a way, he hoped it kept being Church shit because that meant that bastard was still around. Tucker wanted to be back there, needed to be back there because--] Those idiots - my idiots - have no one to lead them now unless you count Sarge and no one counts Sarge. Shit, I don't even think the Reds count Sarge. Okay, so maybe Simmons does, but whatever.

[He sighed, rubbing his hand over his helmet before he just waved his hand.] But cool, superpowers, am I right? I mean, if I was getting chicks before, I'm getting triple chicks now.

[Let the record show that he was not, in fact, getting ladies before, and that the triple of "zero" is still "zero".]

Look, I just want to get this shit done and over with so I can get back to being a badass back home and get my shit done. So, you know, I'll do what I have to, I guess.

[There's a sigh, that burden of few choices and responsibility - ew - before he cocked is head up.]

Hey, important final question: where do all the hotties hang out around here? There's the title of wingman up for grabs if you tell me.

[At least the video ends there, and everyone was probably better for it.]

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[Tucker laughed. Boring?]

You would think, right? I mean, sometimes it was, and that was great; those were the good days. But when stuff started happening...it just never stopped. It was like this stupid snowball rolling downhill, getting bigger and bigger and faster. Freelancers kept showing up. Aliens. Certain Chosen Ones who had Certain Chosen One babies. Getting blown into the future except not really. It was way too much shit when all any of us really wanted was to sit in the canyon and just bullshit. That's when it was the golden era.

[He was quiet for a minute.]

I think that's when we were the happiest. Well, next to retirement anyway, because at least Carolina and Wash were there, even though...[He stopped for a minute.]

...even though Church wasn't.

[Connie nods at certain points of Tucker's recap. Grif had mentioned meeting Wyoming and Texas while at their sim base, but the rest of it as he goes on get a more and more surprised and skeptical look.

She's honestly probably most surprised about the retirement, and that Carolina was there. Given how Connie last saw her...it's hard to picture Carolina letting herself rest at any point. But who knows how she'd change after the fall of Project Freelancer.]

I take it back, that sounds like you've been through a whole lot of shit. But congrats on making it to retirement.

[That last part...well. Eight years, almost nine is a long time for an AI, even without all the trauma that the Alpha had been put through.]

I'm sorry you lost your friend.

[Oh, he could tell you about retirement, Connie. He could tell you about Wash's creepy beard and Carolina's bad singing and Grif's lessons of trying to get her to relax, of burning waterparks that she hadn't been that into. He could tell about how they had gotten drunk a few times together and how they would talk around Epsilon, but not about it directly other than the one moment where Tucker whispered, It's so fucking empty. He could tell you stories.

He wanted to tell you stories. He wanted to tell someone.]

Thanks. Um, [And wow, this was uncomfortable for a minute.] wish you could have, too?

[What? What was he supposed to say to that? He didn't want to think of her being killed by the people she was friends with. Who...did that?]

Thanks. Knowing him, he'll probably find his way back. He never stays gone for long.

[He hoped...]

[Connie smiles, something a little more genuine in this one even if it's still plenty dry. She appreciates the sentiment.]

I'd be surprised if I ever did, I'm too curious to stay out of trouble. Would have liked to get myself a nice motorcycle at some point.

[She tips her head in thought at that last part. Curious, but she doesn't want to pry too much ~~even if the temptation is there.~~]

From what I knew of him he's good at finding loopholes and exceptions.

[It seemed like every Freelancer he had met seemed to have a dry smile. Must be a prerequisite before getting brought in. Or, you know, more likely an after effect.]

Well, what's stopping you from getting one now? You'd look hot in chaps.

[Goddamn, Church. Tucker's lips twitched down a little, before he shrugged.] That's one way to put it. He's good at drama, but...he's good at saving our asses, too, so it balances out.

[And there it was: the truth. Wash saved them and vice versa.]

If I get one, it's going to be some futuristic as hell space motorcycle. If I'm going to treat myself then I might as well customize it, right?

[She rolls her eyes a little at the chaps comment but it's becoming more out of a general reaction than actual irritation. It may get annoying but it's something she can get used to, especially if it keeps the conversation going. There's so much she wants to know about.]

So...backing up a bit, you said Carolina's with you now in retirement. It's hard to picture it.

[She's quiet a moment, weighing her words a little even if Carolina wasn't around to tell her off for her smartmouth.]

How is she?

Let me warn you: they jump a lot farther than you think they're going to, so if you're planning any dramatic drop ins, be careful.

[Or maybe that was just alien shit, which still applied in this case. He noted her lack of comment on the chaps and it reminded him a little of Tex and the way she ignored at least forty percent of what he said, too. Cool. He could work with that.]

Yeah, she's not great at it, but neither is Sarge. Hell, I think the only one who was good at it was Grif, but he's born for doing nothing. We all kept getting into shit even when we tried to do nothing, like when Donut burned down the waterpark.

[The question was loaded, and he didn't know why. His brow furrowed a little.]

She's...Carolina. She's a scary badass that's like a sister to us. She's shit at doing nothing and she's hurting but she's a survivor. Like the rest of you Freelancers, right?

[And then he realized his fuck up, and looked away.]

Um, shit, you know what I mean.

Still sounds like fun if you ask me.

[So long as they had an understanding. Also- Connie knows she looks good, no need for her to be redundant about it. Connie makes note of the names she doesn't recognize, snorting a soft laugh at the idea of a water park burning down.

And then there's Carolina. It's bittersweet to hear, because she recognizes and remembers a bit of that from before things in Project Freelancer got too terrible. If Carolina showed up, how would she react to seeing her? There's more than a few things Connie wishes she could tell her.

She shakes her head as Tucker corrects himself, her tone a bit quieter and thoughtful.]

It's alright. Thank you for telling me, I'm glad to hear she's...moving on.

Damn right it was! Just...wish I had better timing with it.

[That fight had been fun. It shouldn't have been, not really because they were killing people, but these assholes had assaulted him for how long in the desert? How many innocent other diplomats had they taken out? How many more would have they taken out if they had gotten their hands on those weapons? Fuck them. Fuck all of them.

Tucker stared at the camera before laughing under his breath and shaking his head. Is that--]

"Moving on"? I wouldn't go that far; I don't think any of you guys ever move on from the shit they put you through. You just learn to live with it and that's what she's doing.

If you know the plans for it you might be able to get it remade here.

[And if he could do that, she might be able to snag the designs for her own copy.

Connie quirks a brow, giving a small shrug.]

That's still a solid step of moving on past when I last saw her. The Carolina I knew was all work non-stop; always training no matter the cost. I'm glad she's trying to relax, even a little.

Do I look like like an engineer to you? I don't know how it worked; all I know is that I got my legs around it and it went fast.

[Sorry, no bikes. Hell, he wished he had one, too, because bike races would get chicks easy. Eeeasy. Sure, it couldn't hold as many as a tank, but he could work around that.]

After the whole Charon thing, I think we all needed a break, even her and Wash. It was rough. [Rougher than any of them let on.]

Did you know she sucks at singing? She's fucking awful.

We've got future-google around here, you might be able to find it if you look.

[Well, if Tucker doesn't look for it then she will. And...well, from what little she knows about Wash's future from the man himself, namely the Epsilon incident during Project Freelancer, she'd say he deserved a break years ago.

Connie nods in agreement up until the comment about Carolina's singing and she snorts a sudden laugh.]

Oh god, you let her sing?

You want to ride on the back of my bike, baby?

[Yes, he did have the perfect inflection for a come-on, and no, he didn't regret it. He never regretted it, even when Tex had kicked his ass after the fiftieth one in a single day, a new record for him. He had been marathoning then, mostly to piss Church off. It had been great.

Tucker rolled his eyes, but found himself grinning, warmed by the memory. Fuck, he missed her already.]

Dude, you don't tell a woman like Carolina that she can't do something; you just find some earplugs and try not to go deaf. Way better than letting her kick your ass. [But wait--]

So you've actually heard her sing before?

You don't have one. Not here, anyway.

[Connie counters but there's a bit more amusement in her tone than before. Nice try, Tucker.]

She's messing with you, then. [Connie grins, shaking her head a little as she winces in memory.]

Yeah, once on shore leave. South got on the microphone at karaoke night in some bar and tried to make it into a competition and Carolina stepped up to the plate.

We're not allowed in there anymore. [Not that they'd really had the chance to go back lately.]

But if I did?

[Hey, you can't blame a guy for trying. And maybe someday he would get that awesome alien bike again and they could do badass ramp jumps and things would be cool. Maybe it wouldn't even have to be during a life or death fight, either.]

Messing with me? Are you serious? This entire time?!

[And sure, he could have been annoyed over it, but why? They had shared that shit as a team, had fond - if not screeching - memories of it, and it just showed that Carolina was different than the chick who shoved a gun to his head.

The person who she was when Connie knew her was still there, a little dinged, a little dusty, but there.]

So, did you sing?

Depends on how cool it is.

[And whether or not Connie can get one for herself, too. The idea of space motorcyle races is pretty cool, okay?

Connie snickers a bit more at his incredulous tone.]

Carolina's jokes tend to evoke a physical reaction...usually it's pain in some form or another. [Ringing ears, bruises from a little too literal slapstick or on the rare occassions, aching stomachs from laughter. It's been a while since Connie really thought about who Carolina used to be as their team leader...and even under orders, when faced with a 'traitor' Carolina had showed her a little mercy before the end.

Tucker's question shakes her out of her memories. She shakes her head with a faint shrug.]

Once South's got centre stage it's hard to take it from her, but she might have pulled me in for a song or two before Carolina went up.

Edited (misread 'did' for 'do', whoops XP) 2017-07-20 06:38 (UTC)

Um, pretty fucking cool. I wish I had a picture, but guess you'll just have to take my word about the badassery of it all.

[They could race each other, gunning it at a streetlight, seeing how fast they could go until Tucker totally overestimated things and wiped out. Healing factor would come in handy like that, and she would get that checkered flag.

He listened to her talk about Carolina and nodded with his own smile. Seemed about right.] One time she tried to slap my shoulder and accidentally dislocated it. She thought it was funny when she realized it was my "friendly" hand.

[Hell, everyone had laughed except him. ]

What song did you sing? Want to do a repeat performance?

Hm... In that case I reserve my answer.

[She'll need more proof than words to take a ride on just anyone's bike, sir.

Ah yes, the 'love taps'. Usually York ended up getting the brunt of those during the project. And Wyoming. They were one way to counter his old 'knock knock' jokes.]

Damn, that must have been sore. [She snorts.] Have you ever tried messing with her back?

[Because Connie has a few stories to tell. All of them end in pain but oh, they had been so worth it for those few rare moments Carolina had been thrown off balance.]

South was a fan of oldies rock at the time so, you know, something you can scream to.
And...not really, no. [Wouldn't be the same, especially after South's already been and gone from Legion.]

[It's not a negative, so hey, he'll take it. He sure as shit wasn't beggar and he wasn't a chooser.]

If it was, will you kiss it and make it better?

[Come on, Connie, you had to know that was coming? But yeah, fuck yeah it had hurt; it had been two days before he could swish swish stab in the correct order.] Sometimes? I mean, not in ways she'd ever know because fuck that, I don't have a deathwish. But sometimes pieces of her armor got "mysteriously" misplaced, and once her shampoo was replaced with mayo. Blamed that one on Caboose because I knew no one would fuck with him on it.

[Sorry, Caboose.]

Aww, damn, and here I thought I was going to get serenaded. We could go sometime?

[She snorts, shaking her head at his line and chooses to ignore answering it for now. The pranks earn him a good laugh though, and Connie's grin turns a little wicked in memory.]

One time before a training mission I stole her helmet. You know those little rumble packs in cellphones that make them vibrate? I patched one in to buzz every time she said, "Sync". She was furious.

[In the middle of the mission huddle before they all set out, after every step by step movement breakdown, her orders were punctuated with a cheery BZZZZ BZZZZ. It was a miracle they had passed the training session what with how often their teammates kept getting pegged by the other team while they were laughing.]

You gotta work for that. I don't sing for anybody who just asks. [Unless there's a lot of booze involved and you can convince York to play something on his guitar that she knows.] What, to karaoke?

[Holy shit, that sounded amazing. He could imagine Carolina's frustration, could imagine her wondering who the fuck did it, how it was happening, how to get it to stop without breaking training. He could imagine everyone else laughing their balls off over it.

Fuck, he would have paid money to see that.]

Did she ever find out it was you? [Is that how you died?] And if she did, how many things did she throw at you and what was the heaviest?

[You like to live dangerously, Connie. He likes that.]

Yeah, to karaoke! I mean, if I have to start the singing, I will. You like Queen?

Oh yeah, she found out. She has a way of intimidating the truth out of people. [Connie winces in memory.] And I guess the heaviest thing would be....me. A couple times. Before the lockdown paint training session where she stuck me to the ceiling.

[And the training room ceiling is high. It had taken disabling the gravity in the training room and a new set of armour for her by the time she got down.

Connie considers Tucker for a moment before shaking her head with a chuckle. They've...surprisingly covered a lot in their talk so far, and Connie's interested to know more about him and the rest of the team that Wash and Carolina have joined. It's a good sign if they make them happy, right?]

Who doesn't like Queen? ...Sure, why not.

[Okay, that sounds hilarious, and something he could totally picture her doing. Ceiling? Totally ceiling. It made him laugh because it sounds like shit they also did back in Blood Gulch (they crap they put Church through was the stuff of legends), and it made him appreciate Carolina even more.]

Okay, but how the hell did you get down?

[Because he needed to know now. The question was in his head.] Did she fuck with anyone else on the team? How much crap did Wash get from everyone?

[He heard about the grappling hook to his junk; there had to be other stuff, dammit.

And was she saying yes? Really?]

Sweet. Karaoke date.

[Who said anything about a date? This guy, right here.]

Grav boots, playing with the gravity controls, and a crowbar.

[Y'know, as you do.]

Everyone messed with Wash. Pretty sure North and South had a tally going for it, and Taylor could make him believe anything. But, you know. That's what we got for being the rookies.

[No specifics but that's as much as she'll give.

She raises a brow at the 'date' mention but...why the hell not? It's not like she's been on a date in a while, and she could use the fun. And if things got weird she could easily nope out of there.]

Don't suppose you know any places for it if you just got here, though.

You guys think of everything.

[Man, now he wanted to play with grav boots. ...what would zero gravity sex be lik--]

Wait, so Wash was gullible? [No, wait, he could see that. He could really see that. Not AS much anymore, but Tucker thought if he tried hard enough, he might be able to exploit that a bit.

There was a shake of his head, a no to a location; he barely knew where he was on any given day. All this shit would take some getting used to considering a large portion of his life included empty pieces of land with only two buildings on it.]

Nah, but I guess it's time I start the most important part of moving somewhere new: figuring out where the fun bars are, right? This seems like a pretty good incentive to me.

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short_changed - 2017-07-26 07:08 (UTC) - Expand

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