day 046 | running from the bae

[unfavoured]

CHARACTERS: Conchita ( unfavoured ) & Steeb ( decommission )
WHERE: Concordia
WHEN: Day 46, very early morning (as in why are you awake kind of early).
SUMMARY: Stop following me.
WARNINGS: Parkour.

[ Someone should probably wonder if Parker's sleeping schedule hasn't completely gone to hell. But then again, nobody will considering how approachable she is. Somehow, she has figured a way to avoid as much human (or alien) contact as possible. Which is to twist her sleeping schedule so much that her waking hours are when most are asleep and her sleeping hours are confined to spaces nobody tends to be in. And when she can't be left alone, then she goes for a run - which usually happens in the mornings when everyone is getting up and she's getting out.

Today was earlier. She couldn't sleep (she rarely can) and so she might as well put her legs to some use. Concordia is bustling with life, but even New York had it's quieter days. There is almost no morning light as she runs through the streets, the cold of early dawn barely grazing as she just pushes on through. The burn of her muscles, of her lungs, the sweat trickling down her brow, the heaviness of pushing and pushing and not slowing down. It takes her mind of things. Pushes her back to Earth. To where her life belongs. And then she buries that bitterness by running faster, until her legs start hurting.

She uses the poorer part of the city almost like a playground. It reminds her of the Outer Slum in New York (her version of it), cluttered, dirty. She leaps over obstacles like fallen bins and abandoned furniture. Uses steps to jump over, pushing and pushing. Climbs up the lower walls, up to the roofs, leaping from one to another, and then back down. All by instinct, because if it's instinct, then she isn't thinking - of her pointlessness, of not belonging.

She turns into an abandoned warehouse, a good workout place when you're trying to get consumed by your own tiredness. She runs up the wall, half torn down, the floor above with too many holes on the floor as if trying out its Swiss cheese Halloween costume. She climbs up easy, one, two, three, and grabs onto the floor, pushing herself up. Keeps running - not like you would when training. The angry sort of running, the one you do when trying to block out memories, to forget, to drown. Parker leaps over a hole in the wall, fitting through to land on a roll over her shoulder, then going down to the lower floor again, using the wall to slow her fall, one feet to one and then to another.

She notices him then, in the corner of her eye. Turns around like a tense cat, but recognises him. Just frowns at Steve for a second before turning his back and running off. Not even here she can find solitude. ]

Comments

[decommission]

[ He likes exploring in the early hours, when the city's just starting to wake up - though this is when he feels at most like a tourist. Everyone's got their business to do. Earlier in their stay he stumbled upon the fish market as it was winding down, the crates filled with strange and almost familiar sea life half empty from the bidding.

He doesn't frequent the slums as often as he used to, not since his ID got flagged and the sweeps started. And not with Bucky likely to follow him down there and... something else to happen. But with his friend in a long sleep (he'll wake up, Steve's can't think of the alternative), he finds himself down those familiar streets.

And, he's not the only one.

Following after Parker isn't what he means to do, exactly. There's a kind of draw to other minds from the Nest, especially when you're the only ones in the area. He figures he'll just peek at what she's up to. He's wondered a few times now whether she fell into the same sleep that's got Bucky, seeing as how she's never around. But her mind's still active, just far away, blocked up more than anyone else among them.

He stands at the ground floor of the warehouse, watching her climb about like some kind of monkey. Not the first time he's seen her do it: despite not wanting anything to do with their missions, Parker's got no lack of skill when it comes to getting in and out of places. He doesn't mean to stare, really, but all of a sudden she's frowning at him and he's opening his mouth to say something and...

she's off.

His mouth clamps shut on a hey, wait! Never worked with her before, he doubts it's going to work now. Instead, he tears off after her, his feet pounding on the floor. The sound echoes against the empty walls. ]

[unfavoured]

[ He would be right in not calling out for her because since when does that work on one of the most stubborn people in the Nest? Especially one that does not care to connect with anyone at all.

But to say that she's running away from him is a stretch. Sure, she is running. But that's about it. The fact that he is following her is just a little annoying. She isn't pushing on to her fastest pace, having already ran a fair amount of miles in a tight stretch of time, on top of all the monkeying around, but she doesn't take a break. However, she isn't as fast as she could be and he's not particularly slow either even with his noodle legs, so the fact that she has a slower pace as she runs through the streets should be enough for him to catch up to her. Of course, that fact annoys her, but out of anyone in the hive, she can say he's the least harmful one (as in harmful for her patience).

So, she doesn't speed up. Keeps the pace because endurance needs to be practiced with speed (she has always been more of a middle distance runner anyway). With a half-sigh, half-groan, Parker glances over her shoulder to his approaching figure. ]

What?

[ It's curt, her breath short from the exercise. Just that side of rude that one is to expect from her (and if she was to let anyone get to know her, one could also realize she's not actually being rude, it's just the way she tends to be). ]

[decommission]

[ He's quick to realize she's not trying to leave him in the dust, and it's not long before he's almost caught up to her side, the slap of his soles against the pavement less furious than even paced and almost matching Parker's. Endurance is what he's been trying to work on since they first arrived on the Station. He likes running, he likes the way his lungs burn without threatening to fail, the way muscles will twitch from the exertion when he's finished and stretching.

His eyes remain forward even as she turns to glance at him, he's coming up to jog at her left side. ]

It's a free street. [ He puffs the words out in between breaths. A few long strides. ] Wanna see something?

[ There's a turn up the street he wants to make. ]

[unfavoured]

[ On that, they could agree. Exertion is the best way to keep her mind off of things she usually can't shut off. The constant thud of regret and guilt and (spices and) everything nice. But they won't agree because she's not really talking and he's not really sharing the sentiment and if they can keep running in silence she will do a gargantuan effort to not to be annoyed by his presence.

Alas, he has to open his mouth to talk. Parker sighs with a bit of a eye-roll, keeping her eyes on the path ahead. There's a cart of some weird looking fruit coming up. She leaps over it without the help of her hands. It's part of why she prefers running in the messy subspace than anywhere else - impromptu obstacles to keep her on her toes. ]

Not really.

[ Parker finally answers, but doesn't seem to not to be too against it. Sure, why not? Maybe it will distract her further. ]

[decommission]

[ Rather than attempt to jump it, Steve has to evade the cart, which also means it's another handful of seconds before he's caught up to her again. ]

This way - [ He makes a sharp turn, not into a cross street, but instead a narrow alley strewn with garbage piled both in and out of the dumpster. An eight foot chain link fence blocks the rest of the pathway, he climbs it with much more coordination than he managed the night of the parade. Both feet hit the pavement on the other side and he steps a few more paces to stop in front of an old, rusting ladder attached to weight bearing structures that look to be holding up some kind of bridge - one that ends only five feet away from the windows of a dilapidated apartment building. Up he climbs.

At the top it's clearer what the structure is, or once was: an old elevated rail. It runs straight from one alley and over the street into the next, and on and on until the end. The old rail line is still mostly under their feet, though it's been taken over by grass and weeds, prickly flowers that could almost be dandelion heads. ]

[unfavoured]

[ The sharp turn almost catches Parker off guard, but she corrects the course quickly. To be fair, there was a quick second where she thought to leave him running into the alley alone and continue with her regular workout, but she supposes a change of pace could be good distraction. It's about the only reason she has to follow him.

The fence doesn't stand much of a challenge, and she quickly climbs it up like some sort of overgrown squirrel. At the top, she swings her body over, feet first, and follows Steve up the ladder.

As they reach the abandoned railway, Parker slows down to a walk, hands on her hips so her muscles slowly take a break from all the running around, sweat glistening on her skin. She wipes her nose on her shoulder, walking over to the structure overtaken by the wild grass, giving it a gentle kick with the tip of her shoes. It reminds her of the abandoned tracks back home, in New York, and she finds it-- unsettling, more than nostalgic or familiar. ]

What's this?

[ She looks over to him, slight up-and-down chest from the exercising. ]

[decommission]

[ He walks over to one of the railings, picking at flakes of rusted metal. ]

Elevated rail. They must've shut down this line when they built the new ones and never got around to demolishing all of it. [ The part of it that went down into Subspace, anyway. ] It goes on for a while and the just sorta ends about a quarter mile that way.

[ He wipes the flecks of rust and paint for his hands, shrugging as he eyes her, then pulls himself onto the railing. After a wobbly second he holds out both hands for balance, carefully placing one foot in front of the other. He's getting better at this. ]

[unfavoured]

[ With a watchful eyes, she looks from one side to the other of the rail before walking up to it to step on it as Steve does, sliding the sole of her shoes over the rusty metal.

In the corner of her eye, she sees him wobbling over the straight line and frowns, nose scrunching up slightly with a grimace. ]

Stop looking at your feet.

[ An off-handed remark as she walks along the rail. It's... quiet, so there's that. Secluded. Maybe there's more up ahead. She starts walking. ]

[decommission]

[ He's looking up just like she suggests, and oh, okay, that helps a bit. He's still moving slower than her, taking care with each step. ]

How come that helps? [ There's a puddle ahead of them, some rat-pigeon looking creatures drinking from it. They turn to watch the pair, wary and ready to take flight. ]

[unfavoured]

Do you look at your feet when you're walking?

[ Parker might just as well try to use this to keep practising. Regardless of how she might look some things easy, it doesn't come to her because she's a natural. It comes because she trains every chance she gets - aptitude or not, you don't climb up walls because it's a gift. You do it because you keep trying even when you fall.

So, that's what she does. Not climbing walls, but practising. She holds her arms up for impulse and leans forward, landing her hands on the rails. And then starts walking on a handstand, relatively slower than Steve woobly steps. Arms shaking only slightly as she focuses to keep balance, one hand, then the other, focusing on a point between them to keep her body straight. ]

And don't hunch.

[decommission]

[ Good point.

I'm not hunching - he's about to say (it's the second time someone's told him that), but gets distracted watching her do that handstand. Neat.

The birds finally decide their physical space has been encroached upon and take flight, the sound of their beating wings further distracting him. He wobbles, mid-section bending one way and then the other, but it's no use - he lands in the weeds, hands and knees first.

With a wince he pulls himself up again, dusting off his slacks and wiping his hands at the same time. There's a new tear at his knee. Have to patch that up when he gets back (imagining what Giorno might say has him grinning to himself a bit). ]

You know, you're not a bad teacher, even when you're pricklier than a porcupine. [ He's not at all apologetic for that description. He thinks, if there's anything they might possibly have in common, it's honesty. This time when he gets up on the railing he keeps his shoulders back. ]

[unfavoured]

[ Parker hears the soft fall, cushioned by weeds but hardly enough to stop the railings. She stops on her handstand, trying to look at him. She doesn't quite see hi, but enough to conclude that he had tripped. It's enough of an excuse to pull herself around, letting her legs fall over and bending in the bridge position, before pushing her hands against the rails and pulling herself up into a standing position.

She's wiping her hands from pebbles and dirt and weeds when speaks again. He would be right to think that honesty is actually one of Parker's few good qualities. Although it tends to waver between sincerity and bluntness. The potential offensive content is not what makes her frown. It's the complementary part of it that does. ]

I just told you not to look at your feet. [ Like he couldn't be farther from the truth.

She hops on the opposite rail, one feet in front of the other as she looks below to the subspace, grey and poor. ]

Do you have any idea of when we ought to get out of this place?

[decommission]

[ He'd take blunt over kid gloves any day of the week. Sometimes it's harder to talk with people who use kindness as a shield, for either their own sake or yours. Hiding the truth, even with the best intentions, makes hitting the ground more painful. ]

Huh? [ Responding to the question, not the order (he's got his gaze fixed forward again, back straight and arms out for balance). ] How do you mean?

[ Out of where - Concordia? ]

[unfavoured]

[ They would be in agreement in regards to bluntness over softening the blow. To be fair, it's all she offers. Most people don't really like it, even when they say they prefer honesty. Most people only want honesty when it's in agreement with theirs. It just doesn't work that way.

Parker keeps an easy flow of steps, not really too slow nor too fast, the perfect speed to never go too much to the left or the right. ]

You think we're going to be stuck here forever? In Concordia?

[ If that's what's going to happen, then she might start taking drastic measures to hijack a spaceship. ]

[decommission]

[ His brow furrows - he'd shake his head except he's pretty sure that'd upset his balance. ]

Nah. At this rate we might be here for another month, though. [ At least. Carata had said they'd been in the city for at least a few before the other hosts started getting sent down. ]

Why - you ready to get back? [ To the station. There's a hint of skepticism in his voice. ]

[unfavoured]

[ Another month? Parker makes a face at that. She can hardly stand another month of doing nothing. She might be going a little too restless and when she gets too restless, she tends to get reckless as well. She's patient, yes, but there is a limit to it. But she keeps quiet about it, instead focusing on the moment again: arms up for impulse and stance, and she's back to walking on her hands. A bit more stable this time as she goes.

When he asks his question, though, Parker-- well, she keeps on walking. Focusing on an invisible point between her hands to keep her balance perfect.

And when you would figure she isn't going to answer, words come out of her mouth at long last. ]

I was as soon as I got here.

[ Well, not entirely true: but as soon as she understood she would gather no information about the station and its creepy inhabitants, then she was ready. All she cares is to find out about the Hive and who really got them to say yes to the question that got them all there. ]

[decommission]

[ He actually knows this time to wait a little longer than usual before expecting that the conversation might be over. ]

How come? [ He's looking at it from the perspective of how claustrophobic the station can get. Sure, it's got a nice fancy gym and some of the rooms are huge, but the lack of windows can get to you after a while.

And it's harder to get privacy. Or miles of space between you and everyone else, like Parker tries to. ]

[unfavoured]

[ Although she knows there is a long way to go, Parker also is very aware she has improved upon the whole blocking off people. But she is ready to sacrifice her comfort for answers - she always has been. She has never been the sort to play victim of circumstances and she isn't about to start here, regardless of what a handful of people seem to thin. Not that anyone could blame them. She is not exactly the easiest person to read, especially considering she keeps everyone at distance.

Parker stops walking, getting her balance back. She bends her elbows slightly and kicks her legs up, flipping a couple of times before going back to the walking handstand, but ends up not holding it for lack of balance and hops to a foot to regain stability. She wipes her hands on one another, before trying again.

Not quite one to give up on trying again and again. ]

The answers I need aren't here.

[decommission]

[ A quick glance and he stops to balance in place, wobbling back and forth until he's got both feet flat on the rail again. Nice and steady.

His mouth forms a silent oh. ]

There's a lot of stuff left over from the people that used to live there. [ Most of it's what she'd probably considered junk, though. ] You guys didn't get much time to look around, huh?

i thought i had tagged this lol

[unfavoured]

[ She wipes her forehead on her shoulder before pulling her feet up again to walk on her hands once more. Arms a little shakier now than before, but still stable enough to progress.

There's a frown on her face when Steve keeps talking. She doesn't really care about the people that lived here before, that live here now and will live here in the future. She cares about the people up there in the space ship that everyone is so willing to trust. She supposes, for some, they are parent-figures they never had, or some familiar grounding, comforting presence. She's sure some of them even use them as a platform of manipulation.

In any case, she wants her distance. All she wants is to find out about them rather than whatever's going on here. ]

Look around where?

[decommission]

On the station. [ That's what he meant, though he doesn't seem to realize the miscommunication. As he continues along. ] I found old sports equipment that looked like it was from ... home.

[ Earth. ]

[unfavoured]

[ Ah. She raises her eyebrows a little at that. True, she did not have time to explore the station before getting flushed smack down in the middle of this mess that only get worse by the second. Which really did not help at all with the whole playing along. Even less when it comes to someone like Parker, allergic to authority and suspicious of any figure that resembles some kind of military hierarchy (and if you were to tell her otherwise she would tell you you're an idiot for not seeing it, but by now it has been established how knee-jerk her reaction is to anything pertaining to the Hive). Dodgy answer and blatantly avoiding questions don't really make much for the way of trust and she still can't believe the majority (if not all) of the people here are so willing to believe they're doing good.

For what? For who? Who's to say they're in the right at all? Who's to say they're the good guys? It's an uncomfortable echo of the super heroes empire back in her own world. Where what they say goes.

With the need for a quick break, Parker tips around her again, elongating the muscles of her arms and back as she walks. ]

Maybe they put it there because they care about you.

[ She says, neutral tone, but sarcasm pouring out of every word. ]

[decommission]

[ He shoots her a sidelong glance but says nothing else, going back to concentrating on his balance, one foot in front of the other. He's not ignoring her - if she wants to ask anything else, he'll answer. Otherwise they're in for a long, quiet exercise (like she originally wanted). ]