RP Home Is - A Foreign Land



“Hm,” is all The Hound says, not quite a harrumph but certainly not a full agreement either. They watch the sword fold into a pocketknife with some interest, and though they are admittedly curious as to how exactly that even works they don’t ask - they worry she might actually answer, if they do.

“Sure,” they agree instead, offering her another easy smile. It’s an expression too practiced to be fully true, though something of the person beneath shines through when they jerk their head towards the hole in the roof and allow it to tilt a little more crooked. “Right after you patch the hole you made in the roof.”

Their eyes squint just slightly behind their shades, amusement radiating off them in waves as they settle back against their door with their arms crossed, well out of the radius of the rain dripping through the hole in the roof. “Honestly, some people just don’t have any respect for their vehicles. Poking holes in ‘em all willy-nilly. I would never.”



The patching doesn’t amount to much more than some duct tape slapped over the fissure, but if that isn’t the story of The Hound’s whole life they’ll eat their robot hand. They do not lift a single finger to help, and the rage on the woman’ face is practically incandescent by the time she’s through.

It’s glorious. They’ll drive her away in no time, at this rate.



The woman’s name is Freyja. The Hound takes note of it this time, locking the shape of it into their memory. They’d tossed it aside when she’d first given it, but it’s worth keeping around for as long as she insists on following them, at least.

They let themself fade into the background while she books the room, casing the lobby through nearly-closed eyes and taking note of possible escape routes. The inn isn’t terribly large, but it also isn’t exactly impenetrable. If - no, make that when - their handlers come to collect, this isn’t exactly their first choice for the kind of place they’d want to hole up in, but it’ll do for now.

They follow her back to the room without complaint, finally allowing their eyes to open more than a sliver only once they’re safely inside with the door shut and locked behind them. Freyja has stopped cold just at the end of the short hallway leading further into the room, and they wander over to see what’s got her all worked up, peering past her to give the bedroom a once-over.

It seems normal enough. There’s a bed, chair, dresser, and nightstand, so all the essentials are accounted for. They don’t see the- ah. Right. There are two of them.

They consider the conundrum in contemplative quiet for a moment, then shrug, turning and strolling into the en-suite restroom while they shuck their rain-splattered leather jacket. “That’s fine. I’ll take the chair.”

Closer to the window. Easier to cut and run if they need to. They lay the jacket carefully over the counter by the sink, then peel their gloves off and add them to the pile along with their shades. Glancing at their reflection, they frown, ruffle a hand through their hair, and then start digging through the drawers under the sink in search of some scissors.

It’s way past time for a haircut. They don’t even recognize themself right now.

 


Freyja shot a confused glance at Kerry as they gave up the bed without a fight. She half-expected it to be a slugfest, hours spent fighting over who slept where until one one of them either graciously accepted defeat or, more likely, cheated and tried for the bed anyways.

Instead they relented almost immediately. That wasn’t the only odd thing. Freyja had noticed how Kerry had taken a step back, both figuratively and literally, while she had gotten them the room. They’d been quiet the whole time, a leather-bound statue glaring at the world through empty metal eyes. It was very interesting, and the shift from their usual brashness had Freyja itching to dig deeper and ask questions. But they didn’t give her that opportunity, instead retreating to the bathroom after giving their surrender.

Freyja shrugged, not one to look a gift bed in the sheets. Veljara growled at her, a warning about turning her back on a potential enemy, especially in an unknown location when previous contact had only been in an enclosed space. Freyja shook her off, shooting back a reminder that the quickest way to turn potential into a guarantee was undue hostility. She grumbled in response but didn’t argue further. Freyja felt an internal shift, Veljara’s presence withdrawing deeper. Sleeping or sulking, both were equally possible.

Sleep sounded great, actually. But as much as Freyja wanted to fall face-first onto the bed and let the pillow guide her into a now-dreamless sleep, the shower was also calling her name. Its call was also a bit more pressing, as she felt just a little gross. Crash-landing onto a muddy road and being soaked with ice water, only for the tepid-by-comparison Irish rain to drench her once she’d finally reached some semblance of dryness had left her clothes feeling awkward on her body as they dried, and made her skin feel weirdly tight.

After quickly removing her jeans and jacket, hanging both of them up to dry further, Freyja made her way towards the bathroom. She paused in the doorway, shifting to lean against the frame as she let her eyes linger on the sight in front of her. She’d only seen Kerry fully covered before, and was seizing the opportunity to satisfy her curiosity now that they had doffed their armor, however temporarily.

What she had originally thought was a mechanical hand was actually the entire forearm, trailing bits of metal digging into the flesh above the robotic elbow. The flesh of both arms was a museum of scars, a tapestry of pale lines crisscrossing their skin and covering the sizable quantity of muscle that lay underneath. Their hair had been pushed back out of their face, dripping down their back and wetting their shirt further. It wasn’t quite soaked through thanks to the jacket, but it certainly clung enough to garner Freyja’s interest.

She let out a low whistle after a few moments perched on the doorframe. “Might’ve missed dinner, but arrived just in time for the show.” She chuckled before pushing off the frame, letting her gaze trail as Kerry straightened. Freyja grimaced slightly as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Gods she looked rough.

“I’m going to shower.” She said, letting any perceived implications on Kerry’s part fill the quiet that followed. Freyja had started to realize that her interest in them was no longer purely academic, their snark and combative nature drawing her further in rather than pushing her away. It certainly helped that they were attractive in a natural way, like a storm-battered seaside cliff that stood defiantly against the salt and wind and time that attempted to drag it down. It added to their story, which just made her want to turn the next page.

And while there may have been only one bed, that didn’t mean they couldn’t share.

Code by Reyn
 
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