victormakesart | (no subject)

(no subject)

Vic's been spending time on the spa planet, not to do spa things, but to spend time barefoot with the birds people, to meditate, and try to be less miserable.

But everytime she sees one of the little feathered kids, with their round healthy bellies, she can't help thinking about a few nights ago, the rescue mission, what was on the floor.

She's been spending a lot of time helping them garden the greens and harvest the rocks that give them the calcium that they need. But she needs another perspective, needs to get out of her head.

So she invited a military man over, someone who might know what she's going through. She doesn't want to burden Cole, Clark's been through enough, and she's sure James wouldn't even know what to say to her.

Most of the swelling has gone out of her face, now there's just a purplish bluish blotch on her right cheek. She waits.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Some would call that stupidity."

"It's only stupidity if it turns out sour."

"The only problem with Pandora is that if you're stupid there, chances are you'll be dead before you can regret the mistake. Neytiri called me skxawng for basically my entire warrior training."

She figures that that means 'dummy' and files that word away. "Yeah, definitely. Same with my line of work. You've gotta have a handle on things."

"Don't run the risk of getting eaten, I hope."

"Nah, more the risk of gettin' shot, but I'm glad I don't have to worry about getting eaten. Usually."

"Gettin' shot's no fun either. I've done that more times than I care to count."

"Got shot through the calf once. Luckily, only once. I was a stupid kid. I wasn't gonna let this guy destroy my painting, so I stood in front of it and he had a gun. Really stupid. Massively stupid. Got shot after that, but those only got the vest."

"You got shot over a painting?" He sounds a bit incredulous about that.

"The guy was a jerk. We have history of him hurtin' me and me havin' to deal with it. I think it was, ah, mostly that I was emotionally invested in the idea of--of not losing another thing to him."

"Who the hell shoots someone for art?"

Her voice lowers a little, and when she talks, it's evenly. "The same kinda guy who carves up another person just for being friends with someone he hates."

"What a jackass."

"That's exactly what he is."

"What happened to him?"

"I just haven't seen him in a while. That's all."

Jake looks pissed off by that. "Tell me someone at least punished him."

"My husband's brother tied him to a chair and broke both his legs. I... disagreed, of course, heartily. I don't believe people should be hurt like that. He got a healer for him later."

"Can't say I disagree."

"Most people don't. I just, I can't cause someone else pain. I hate when people end up in pain because of me. If I wanted to be a judge, I'd be a judge."

"Sometimes you gotta come back swinging, or you'll get your own ass kicked. It's basic self-preservation."

"I get my, my--" She looks around, says, "My rear end kicked a lot. I've accepted that, though."

"Yeah, but most of the time that asskicking doesn't end in being dead."

"That's true. I've been on the wrong end of too many beatdowns to wanna cause that sorta thing myself. I guess it makes me weak, but, it's the only way I can be."

"I wouldn't say weak. Everyone's gotta be a skxawng now and then."