Whatever you do it's all good

[paragon]

Who: Steve Rogers + assorted others
Where: 5031, the sheriff's station
When: Backdated to the night of the 26th and a couple of days after.
What: Wayward Pines' rendition of Weekend at Bernie's, i.e., transporting a dead body.
Warnings: The corpse-related grossness that's par for the course of this event; feel free to use headers liberally.
[Closed to various]

fellow lawbreakers at the rogers-romanoff-barnes residence; the 26th

[ Bucky's been keeping Steve briefed and in the loop ever since Nyx brought him in on what they found in the river. While the body is certainly a mystery, it does confirm one thing Steve's suspected since he'd first started to wrap his head around the dichotomy of memories here — that whatever lies have been put in their heads by the people who don't want them asking questions, those same connections can only work against the powers that be in the end. For his part Steve is glad to let that happen.

For all his experience with all of the ways a body can fail, it's always been something he's resisted down to his bones, trying to shrug it off even as it's lodged itself there like frozen winters and gunshot wounds. He's always just figured that as long as he had a chance to keep ahead of it, he wouldn't slow down long enough to let it catch up to him. Watching someone else die, though — that's a different story. A familiar one, maybe, but he's not any more interested in getting used to it now than he was when he watched his mother coughing herself to death. (Or Bucky falling, or Peggy's mind failing her.) So he doesn't. Instead he carries Natasha to the car, stumbling as he goes like he's ninety-five pounds soaking wet again with two left feet. It occurs to him he's still never danced. He doesn't count memories of things that never happened, and he knows she wouldn't either.

After two days of sitting in an uncomfortable hospital chair, he's almost relieved when Bucky tells him he's needed elsewhere. Somewhere he might actually be able to do some good.

He knows now that the cameras get replaced when no one is home to see it, so Steve leaves them for the time being, and he and Bucky drive towards the water, first making a pit stop to pick up Prompto and his camera. When they get closer he's careful to leave the car where it won't be seen, well back from the cordoned off section of the river though it'll mean a longer trek back with the body in tow. Still, he and Bucky have both recovered somewhat just in the day since they stopped drinking the water themselves, and between the group of them (and one fairly loud explosion, which he imagines he'll hear about later), they're able to wrangle the body into a tarp in the rear of the station wagon.

(Part of him can't help but regret that they had tarp in the garage at all, but he grabs it anyway out of some residual gratitude for the car's last use in getting Natasha to the hospital.)

Steve goes ahead of the group into the house to break the cameras along their path after telling Izumi he can lead the way a few seconds behind him, up the stairs to Bucky's bathroom. The cameras in the living room and kitchen are left alone, however, so once the body's settled and their motley crew begins to make their way back downstairs, any conversation about it must still remain hushed. There are, however, safer spots for such conversations thanks to Natasha's careful angling, so anyone who seems inclined to do so might find themselves nudged in that direction by Steve. It's not the only thing he's learned from her, and he knows it will only look more suspicious if they all leave now, looking various stages of wet, muddy and exhausted. ]

Can't get that kind of workout at the gym. Who's hungry? Pretty sure we've got bottled water in the fridge, too.

[ Yum. ]

ibaraki at the sheriff's station; the 28th

[ The body disappears sometime late morning or early afternoon — hard to say and no one's fault, really. There was only so long they could expect to keep it hidden once the cameras were taken out and lives had to be gone about as usual.

At least it gives him a chance to visit Ibaraki at the station after he gets home from school to find the tub empty. He's not worried; if they were planning to arrest him, they would've done so already. He's been in the same place all day, so it seems they're more concerned with keeping things quiet than exposing him as a troublemaker. That he holds himself stiff and straight while the officer at the front desk inspects the tin of cookies he'd brought with him has little to do with worry for himself and more to do with the fact that they're keeping a young girl locked up in a jail cell. He doesn't necessarily mean to be imposing but can accomplish it without much effort when he's unhappy, and the officer seems only too glad to hand it back to him and point the way through.

Steve heads in that direction and peers inside at the sleeping horned girl; there's some faint sense of recognition for her that probably precedes the last couple days, but he can't place it beyond that. He taps the tin once, lightly, on a bar to announce himself before speaking. ] Ibaraki?

Comments

[ouzel]

[ Cassian had vaguely considered walking back from the woods, but...with the explosion he was honestly concerned the sheriff's office might just start sweeping the roads back to town so like everyone else, he piled in the incredibly crowded vehicle and made his way with his roommate, a body, and a motley crew of residents back to the house where Steve, Bucky and Natasha lived.

This entire ordeal has been...interesting. Watching people who remember interacting with one another and yet are aware (at various levels, probably) that those memories might not be real, coming together in order to solve a mystery that affects everyone's health because the powers that be are probably in on it or at least don't have their best interests in mind. Evaluating the skills everyone brings to the table and wondering what that says about him, that he's perfectly comfortable to be quiet and just watch.

Plus occasionally put in his two cents here or there.

Probably doesn't say anything good, really.

Either way, Cassian is still in watch-everyone-mode when he comes out of the kitchen, water bottle in hand, and catches Nyx napping standing up against a wall. Not a bad look, honestly, but. ]

Hey.

[ Do all their conversations start this way? (Probably.) ]

Maybe you should take the couch?

[sirnyxalot]

[Nyx opens his eyes as Cassian comes out of the kitchen, quirking a smile at the simple greeting. He hasn't had much of an opportunity to talk to the man since he started remembering. It's only been like three days, but that's hardly the point.]

Probably not a bad idea.

[His voice is little more than an exhausted rumble, but he also makes no move to get off the wall that was holding him up.]

[ouzel]

[ Cassian tilts his head before giving it a little shake and putting his water bottle in his jacket pocket before his hand ends up at Nyx's elbow and he gives a little bit of an encouraging pull. ]

You don't even have to lay down. Sitting will do just fine.

[sirnyxalot]

[There's only a moment of hesitation. He doesn't know this man beyond a month ago. Cassian has never been from Insomnia. Nyx didn't know where he was from, but they didn't meet before he woke up here. But his mind is a dirty liar and he can't forget the easy camaraderie.

When he can ask himself if he trusts someone and still answer 'yes' without thinking...well, how is he supposed to deny that?

(He's been burned before by that trust. He knows that now. Doesn't make it any easier to deny it when it's there, though. Cassian isn't the enemy. Not here.)

So it's only a moment's hesitation before he's following that pull over to the couch, rubbing his free hand over his face in an attempt to wipe away the sleeping crowding in at the edges.]

Should head home.

[It's a token protest, with almost no conviction behind it.]

[ouzel]

Probably. It'd be a better idea in a little while.

[ After, presumably, Nyx has managed some sleep. Cassian's involvement began with the necessity for Nyx to sleep instead of pushing himself for over 48 hours to watch the body in the woods; seems reasonable, to Cassian, that it would extend to making sure the other man doesn't fall over immediately, or pass out in the street on his way home. ]

Besides, pretty much everyone's here. [ Meaning that if something were to go down, they'd have a better chance of handling it as a varied group than one tired man on his own.

Granted, if someone wanted to take them out from orbit...

Cassian gives himself a mental shake to let that idea go. There's nothing to be done for that, really, and it's a vaguely everpresent threat besides. There's more pressing things.

Like the body upstairs, and the fact that Cassian doesn't know any of these people. He thinks he does. He remembers that he does. But he remembers other things too, things that strongly conflict with the idea that he's spent the last decade or so in this tiny, weird town.

He settles on the couch next to Nyx, rolling his shoulders and grimacing at the noise when something pops before pulling his water bottle out of his pocket again and taking a drink, glancing at Nyx out of the corner of his eye. ]

[sirnyxalot]

[Nyx groans as he sits and drops his face into his hands. He'd feel guilty about dropping his dusty ass onto their couch, but all the mud in the world won't change the fact that it's a relief to not be standing.

It doesn't make sense. He didn't do anything last night. Hasn't done a whole lot since he first got sick. His body should be accustomed to far more strain than this, right? It wasn't that long ago he'd been fighting a war.

Finally he leans back. He's acutely aware of Cassian sitting next to him, but instead of keeping him alert like any other stranger would have, his instincts read an ally in the other man. Someone who'll have his back while he rests.]

[ouzel]

[ Cassian raises his eyebrows when Nyx leans back, his brain being very unhelpful about details that have absolutely nothing to do with the problem at hand. Is this why he doesn't have friends? Because Cassian is starting to suspect it might be.

Still, since Nyx is not (hopefully?) a mindreader, Cassian forces himself to relax a bit. There's no need to be so tense his joints ache, and there's little harm in noticing, in cataloguing details. Very little.

He sighs, and takes another drink, glancing up at the ceiling.

A normal person, Cassian would bet money, would say something now. Something reassuring, or maybe a joke, but Cassian feels so far from a normal person with his mind in overdrive that he doesn't.

Except: ] Do you want some water?

[sirnyxalot]

[Nyx snorths, the sound leveling into an amused chuckle. The idea of drinking water should make his stomach shrivel in protest, considering what they'd found.]

Yeah, that sounds great, actually. Coulda probably used one three hours ago.

[He'd forgotten, talking to Rachel, that he'd been out without supplies. Ibaraki had told him he could have one of the crystal pepsi from her bag, but he doesn't even know what that is. Nor has he opened the backpack yet to find out.

His stomach decides to make itself known with a low rumble over it's emptiness. Nyx rolls his eyes.]

Wonder if we could bother Buck for something to eat, too.

[ouzel]

[ Cassian hands over his water, more than half full. Easier than getting up and getting Nyx another one; besides, out of the two of them, the dustier gentleman is also the one who seems more likely to fall over, so it only makes sense.

At the sound of Nyx's stomach Cassian lets out a soft snort. ]

Worse come to worst I'll just commandeer their kitchen.

[ Actually: ]

Might not be a terrible idea to feed everyone.

[sirnyxalot]

[He takes the bottle gratefully, sipping slowly at first to wet his throat. He's woken up a little bit by the conversation, curiosity matching with his need for information.]

You can cook?

[ouzel]

Yeah. Why, you got a request? [ Cassian smiles, but his gaze is still evaluating. Nyx could probably do with some food, honestly. ] I can always see what they've got. Worse comes to worst, I can head to French's and pick something up to make.

[sirnyxalot]

Anything that wouldn't count as a military ration.

[It's mostly a joke. Between stupid dares growing up and survival training he's learned that anything that keeps you from dying is acceptable. Nothing could quite reach the magic that was dinner at his mother's house. A taste he was never going to get again.

Nyx's smile fades as the reminder makes him shudder. Homesickness. Who would have thought?]

[ouzel]

I can manage that.

[ Joke or not, it brings to mind Cassian's own considerations about how people who've experienced war live here. There's a support group; he knows most of the others by name from that, or from group drinking exercises at the bar. At first he'd wondered if it was just a part of the false memories ruse, here is something else that binds you all together...but the more he thinks about it, the more he feels that it is probably something so deeply rooted in who they are as people that whomever is running this Grand and Fucked Up Experiment couldn't navigate around it.

Still. He blinks at the shudder but gives Nyx a small smile. ] I'll bring you another water though, until it's ready.

[sirnyxalot]

[Nyx has a surge of deep gratefulness for whatever it was that told him Cassian was someone he could call on. The man wasn't a Glaive, but he doesn't look at Nyx like he doesn't belong because none of them belong. And now he's got someone who's offering to go out of his way to make sure Nyx doesn't pass out from lack of resources.

It reminds him of the times Libertus would practically knock down his door to make sure Nyx didn't just hole up and sleep after a mission. He thinks they'd probably like each other.]

Appreciate it.

[ouzel]

In the meantime, enjoy becoming one with the couch. [ Cassian claps Nyx on the shoulder, gently (trying not to think about the last few times he'd done that - dead, dead, dead, they're all dead, either by his hand or his choices) before he pushes himself up and stretches a little. ]

Don't go anywhere.

[ Into the kitchen first, to obtain another bottle of water for Nyx, and after handing that off, Cassian will start inquiring about food preferences. ]

[sirnyxalot]

[Nyx's laugh is strained, but there's a lightness to it that it wouldn't have had ten minutes ago. That's certainly one way of putting it, and right now Nyx can't argue that his intentions aren't doing just that.]

Not sure I could go anywhere if you paid me.

[He closes his eyes again and settles, confident that if anything does happen, he wouldn't be left vulnerable.]