video and spam

[witness_this]

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[Furiosa spends most mornings in the gym. Honestly, she'd prefer the Enclosure, but she needs to be moving long and often enough that she can't justify using more than her share of the precious time in the false environment. She works out quickly how to run on the treadmill, but most of the other machines remain a mystery to her. If the right person is using them, they may see her watching, or so may decide to approach.

Some mornings her prosthesis is on, and others it is off, tucked protectively and nearly underfoot, out of habit, though this doesn't seem like the kind of place where anyone is likely to get any ideas.

When she is done, she usually ends by slipping upstairs, showering quickly, and permitting herself what feels like the decadent luxury of putting her feet into the pool. It takes her until about the fifth time to get up the nerve to walk in to the water, to lower herself down in it until she feels it lap up around her neck, then to hold her breath and gingerly, cover her mouth and nose, and cautiously, gingerly slip under the surface and just let herself float, suspended.

She can be found in any of those places.

Still, a workout isn't the same thing as practice, really, and the conversation that has been going on here has weighed heavily on her, though she hasn't participated. So, finally, she takes a break one morning in the gym and turns on the feed.]

Video

[She has to clear her throat to start, and wipe the sweat off her face. She's sitting in the frame, bare feet apart, elbows rested on her knees, metal arm down at her side. Furiosa isn't comfortable, exactly, talking to a little plastic box that will take her words all over the ship, but this is important to her.]

My name is Imperator Furiosa. I'm human. No powers. I'm in the gym.

If you need, I've been teaching people a little about how to fight. If you don't need, but you're--

I could use the practice.

[Short, unceremonious, she disconnects.]

Comments

[witness_this]

[Good. She presses the advantage, tries to get him down onto his front and into a hold he'll have to yield from, when he's still dealing with the onslaught.]

[chillestrogue]

[He's lost the edge, and it makes it all the easier for Furiosa to pin him down. He grunts in surprise at her, annoyance at himself, head still reeling from the hits]

..didn't expect that one.

[witness_this]

Sometimes an out and out rush when you're at the end of your rope is the way to play it.

[Sitting back, letting him up.]

Water?

[chillestrogue]

Risky. If that hadn't worked, you would've been caught up.

[He pants, but sits up opposite Furiosa, rubbing his jaw]

Please.

[witness_this]

Well, I'm alive because it tends to work.

[Leaning over to go grab the water bottle she'd brought.]

[chillestrogue]

You'll have to teach me sometime.

[He's not wounded by being beaten by a girl - having a tough-as-nails little sister will do that to you. Instead, he takes the water bottle with a nod]

Thanks.

[witness_this]

Meet me back here and I'd be happy to.

[And, because it's occurred to her what he meant, she admits;]

But you should know I'm a warden.

[chillestrogue]

[He blinks, tilting his head in surprise]

A warden who looks and fights like that?

My intuition must be off.

[witness_this]

Six months ago, I might have easily come in as an inmate. There were- things that I've had a chance to come to terms with.

[She says, short and serious.]

But nothing's worse than being preached at. So.

[chillestrogue]

Seems unfair. Who's to say I wouldn't have turned hero in a year?

[legends of tomorrow anyone]

I'd appreciate it. I'll take preaching from my own warden, but if we're not assigned, I'd rather not get an earful.

[witness_this]

Maybe you will.

[Completely unperturbed. A businesslike nod. She'll mark it 'none of her business,' in that case.]

You can fight, and that's a start. Can you show me again what you did with your shoulder back there? You weren't where I thought you'd be.

[chillestrogue]

Yeah. I can do that.

[He doesn't mind showing off his own bit of skill to this person. Had she been actively in his way, he might not have, but here they seem to be just victims of the same system. Furiosa's not the enemy here, and Cold's smart enough to realize it.

He stands again in front of her, reaching for her hand but pausing for permission, eyes searching her face]

May I?

[witness_this]

Please.

[She says, but with a real, glowing approval that makes it obvious that the answer isn't a casual one. It's a yes, because she really appreciates that he asked. She offers him her hand, trying to find the position she'd been in before.]

[chillestrogue]

[A smirk, and Cold is taking her hand, reaching up to put it back on his neck. He gets back into position, and with his shoulder, shoves into her upper arm to bring her forward and loosen the hold]

Like that.

[witness_this]

Can I-?

[Shifting, so he can grab her neck in return, to see if she can replicate the movement. It's a good one.]

[chillestrogue]

[He nods, and takes Furiosa's neck in a similar hold, looking at her with a slightly excited look in his eye. He enjoys teaching others, Cold's found]

[witness_this]

So--

[In slow motion, she mimes what she'd felt, giving him a chance to correct her angle.]

[chillestrogue]

[Cold releases Furiosa to place her body just a few inches over, then gives a short nod of approval]

Right.

[witness_this]

You are good.

[Approving.]

Thanks.

[chillestrogue]

You too.

[He straightens up, cracking his neck a little]

So. Warden.

How's that going?

[witness_this]

No one has tried to kill me yet.

[She says, direct and pleased about that; she's being sincere, in this place it seems like a good benchmark for an okay time of it.]

The rest of the job is mostly worrying and waiting, interspersed with patrolling and hoping.

[chillestrogue]

I'd count that as a plus.

[Hey, so would Cold]

Hoping for a pairing?

[witness_this]

Certainly.

[Bending to pick up her water again.]

It's why I'm here- and now I have the system down well enough to hope not to make too much of a fool of myself. [Because she doesn't want to pretend to be the kind of warden who pretends that this feels dignified or sensible or easy.] It must be the opposite for you, right?

Do you have someone?

[chillestrogue]

A temporary one. Someone who's going to stick around for the month to make sure I behave myself.

[He stands aside, rubbing sweat from his face]

Much as I don't like having a babysitter, I'm waiting to be paired too. Seems the fastest way to get what you need around here, and it's better than being passed around like a foster kid no one wants.

[witness_this]

The last thing I ever wanted in captivity was the personal interest of one of the guards.

[She admits, with a twist to her mouth- and something like admiration, for him being able to take it so calmly.]

Why is it better to have a permanent than a temporary?

[There are still parts of it that she doesn't really have yet.]