Paige remains in place, gaze fixed to Amy for a few moments even after she finishes speaking. It's not until she seems to realize that nothing else is coming that she draws in a breath, gaze turning towards the ground. "Ooookay..." she huffs, cold hands returning to the pockets of her jacket. "Look, Amy..." she continues, shifting her weight from one foot to the other before stepping past Amy and over to the small table and pair of chairs
#Traveler'sGorge – July 30, 2021
they picked out and plopping herself down with a familiarity she probably hasn't quite earned yet. "...You haven't been here long, so I'm gonna do you a favor and spare you from having to learn a very important lesson the hard way, okay?" she explains with a bit of severity as she looks up at Amy from her position perched at the edge of her chair. The rosiness in her cheeks and the glassiness to her eyes implies the steady flow of
booze has certainly had an effect on her. "You'll save yourself soooo much time and annoyance if you just come right out and tell me what's bothering you." she shrugs, sitting back in the unimpressive old chair and crossing her legs as if to imply she's prepared to settle in for the long haul if Amy is feeling particularly stubborn.
Jessica tries to wiggle away from pointy elbows but refuses to remove her arms from around Yan Sun, leaning forward against her back to force Yan Sun to bend forward a bit as her laughter turns sharp from her captive's attempts to break free. "I am joking!" she insists through her laughter which garners a few glances from those around the fire, Rafe's gaze lingering on the pair. "Don't-... gah!" she groans as an elbow digs into her,
Amy blinks as Paige passes her and invites herself to sit. The words that follow don't exactly put her at easy, right hand running up her left arm as she shifts on the spot, nodding for Paige to continue to show that she's listening. The advice that follows makes her let out a quiet, surprised snort, expression caught somewhere halfway between a smile and a wince. "It's... stupid." she mutters in the tone of someone trying to get out of
explaining themselves, gaze turning in the general direction of the fire for a moment, not that it's visible from here. "And everyone's having a good time. I didn't want to bring the mood down." she adds with a shrug, eyes on the floor of the prefab now, near the backpack, which she's still using to store a lot of her things.
Yan Sun doesn't seem all that convinced, elbow digging deeper, but it's a struggle to keep her own laughter at bay, Jessica's all too infectious. "Yeah, right! Now it's a joke! You're so gross!" she exclaims through a poorly suppressed smile. She ends up staggering slightly from Jessica's wiggling, bumping against Gaz' table.
Paige's expression shifts into something of a frown as she studies Amy, the non-answer doing little to satisfy her curiosity. "...Did Jess say something to upset you?" she asks through a scowl that's slowly beginning to manifest. It's not exactly a reach. Jessica has a knack for getting under people's skin. It's almost impressive. And it's not out of the question that she said something to Amy during one of Paige's beer trips. She doesn't
even wait for Amy to respond before scoffing loudly and shaking her head in distaste, as if it's already a foregone conclusion.
Gaz is quick to pull her case a little closer to keep it from being knocked off the table as Jessica and Yan Sun's antics jostle her workspace, but she's all smiles.
Jessica staggers right behind Yan Sun, her position causing her to pin her against the table. "Is a j-..." she begins to repeat, but Yan Sun's protests cause her to cut herself off with more laughter. But even the most calculated of attacks can only last for so long against the infallible defense of pointy elbows and, soon enough, she releases her grip on Yan Sun and leaps back, as if to escape her reach in case a follow up attack is to
come. "Okay, slut! Was not a joke!" she admits, arms extending out to her sides in a 'What are you gonna do about it' sort of way, that usual annoying, mischievous grin plastered across her face as she prods at the bottom of her upper teeth with the tip of her tongue.
Thomas is unable to suppress his own smile, merely settled in his seat shaking his head at the pair.
Jean-Luc seems to have found what he was looking for in his back. A small, rectangular razor. It's settled on his thigh as he watches Jessica and Yan Sun, brows furrowing in disgust as Jessica reveals that the ruse was a ruse.
Yan Sun spins around once she's free, arms half-raised as if ready to attack... sort of. Jessica's admission is met with a sputter that settles into an unamused look. "Now..." she digs a hand into the pocket of her jacket, pulling out a pack of wetwipes. "You wash your hands and stop being such a 讨厌的混蛋!" she exclaims, tossing the wipes at Jessica's face.
Amy 's eyes widen, the prospect of someone receiving undue blame for her departure motivating her to speak up. "No! Uhm... well, not exactly. It was just..." a frustrated sigh and a vague gesture as she struggles to explain herself. Her shoulders drop a little and she goes to take a seat, considering the other chair at first before opting for the edge of the bed instead. It's not like it's far, given the size of the prefab. Once she's seated
she looks down at her fidgeting hands, drawing a long breath and then reaching up to pull off her beanie, using one hand to sweep her long, light brown hair to the shoulder furthest from Paige. As she lifts it up a bit a square patch of buzzed hair is revealed at her neck. She turns her head away to make sure Paige can see it clearly. "My-..." she swallows. "My dad tried to cut it the night I left." she offers quietly, voice little more
Jessica jerks her head back as she's thwapped in the face with a pack of wetwipes, blinking in surprise. She manages to pull her arms in just in time to catch the pack against her chest before it goes falling to the floor. Booze hasn't quite dampened her reflexes yet. She furrows her brow as she looks down at the item cradled against her chest, studying it for a number of moments before another loud snort escapes her. She backs up a
step, kicking the toe of her boot against the ground as she seeks out Yan Sun's face. "You are carrying these in your pocket?!" she asks in surprise, another short bout of laughter bouncing her shoulders.
Rafe draws in an exasperated breath as he continues to watch, falling out of the conversation that's continuing between Kirill and Caelus. "You keep pushing her and she's gonna get your ass, Jessie!" he warns through a grin with a gesture Yan Sun's way.
Jessica shoots a glance back over her shoulder towards Rafe, her own smug grin undeterred as she shifts her attention back to Yan Sun, giving her a pointed look up and down. "Mmm. I am terrified." she snickers dismissively as her eye meets Yan Sun's.
Paige's expression softens as Amy is quick to wave off her concerns, her brow pinching together in slight confusion. She follows Amy with her eyes as she takes a seat on the bed, eventually uncrossing her legs and leaning forward in her seat a bit to get a better look at... whatever she's being shown. She only seems to catch on once the final words have left Amy's mouth, causing the confusion on her face to give way to a gentle frown, a
soft, "Oh..." tumbling from her lips. It does little to improve her already-low opinion of Earl. It doesn't seem like she immediately knows what to say, resulting in her pursing her lips to one side as her gaze falls to the floor and a deep sigh slips out of her.
Amy allows her hair to fall back down as she removes her hand, turning back around. She looks Paige's way for a moment before turning her attention to the floor with a small shrug. She falls silent, hoping that's enough in the way of explanation - no one's fault, just bad memories. Her hand once again finds its way to her upper arm, rubbing it idly through the fleece.
Yan Sun 's unamused look just deepens as Jessica laughs at her, and she crosses her arms as she watches her, mouth a thin line. "You should be." she warns after biting back a smile, the light in her cybernetic eye brightening as she returns Jessica's look in kind.
Paige's shoulders rise and then fall in a deep sigh. A short silence passes until she eventually speaks up. "Your dad is a real piece of shit." she offers unapologetically through a frown, glancing back Amy's way. "But-..." she gives a shrug, this one a bit more careful, almost apologetic, "...he's not here, Amy." For a moment, she considers moving over to the edge of the bed to join Amy, but instead merely shifts a bit closer to the edge of
her seat. "...And-... umm-..." she shrugs to herself, "...nobody is gonna make you do anything you don't want to do."
Jessica's irritating grin remains as she lifts her hands, palms outward with a couple fingers hooked around the small packet in mock surrender. "Oooh!" she mocks as she takes another couple of steps back. Relenting with a roll of her eye, she swivels on the balls of her feet to face the bench. "Fine, kitty cat." she sighs, digging a wad of paper towels out of her pocket and tossing them into the bucket. She gives Yan Sun a pointed
look as she tears the packet open and begins vigorously wiping her hands with a wetwipe. All the while holding Yan Sun's gaze in an exaggerated look as if seeking her approval. "I am cleaning my hands. You see? Is good enough...?" she asks, "Mmm?"
Yan Sun just watches Jessica's theatrics, following her closer to the bench. When she's finished she studies her with an assessing frown. "Yup. I'm so proud of you, Jessica. You have the hygiene skills of a four-year old." she teases, holding out a hand for her wetwipes.
Amy doesn't respond to Paige's first statement, but the rest garners a couple of small nods, her eyes still on the floor. "...I know." she acknowledges quietly. At first it seems like she might say more, but instead she just sinks a bit further forward, gaze turning to her own hands in her lap as a sigh slips out.
Jessica levels an unamused glare on Yan Sun, her smug grin pulling back into a thin line. She slowly raises her brow as Yan Sun holds out her hand. Rafe's addition garners a sharp look his way and he quickly reels his smile in. She obliges Yan Sun, dropping the pack into her hand. The corner of her mouth turns up into the beginnings of a smirk just before she flicks the balled up wetwipe that she just used to clean her hands into Yan
Paige's frown deepens as silence fills the small prefab once more, Amy's discomfort practically tangible. She opens her mouth to say something, but seems to have second thoughts, quickly falling silent once more, an almost frustrated breath escaping her. Instead, she just watches Amy for a moment, the faint sound of the chime just outside filling the silence as the wind picks up. "...You're gonna be okay, Amy." she eventually assures, her
Yan Sun looks pretty pleased with herself upon wiping Jessica's grin away, but that soon changes, her nose scrunching up as she's hit in the face by the wetwipe projectile, a hand rising too late to shield herself. She lets out a none-too-harsh "Ugh. You suck." before retaking her seat on the log, taking another swig from her soda soon after.
Amy glances Paige's way for a brief moment before looking back to her own hands, offering no response to her assurance. Her face doesn't really look like someone that thinks they're going to be okay. "I should've let you know I wasn't coming back to the fire. Sorry." she says instead, another quick glance in Paige's direction following. "I... didn't think anyone would come looking for me." There's a different facet to her discomfort for a
moment, something less bone-deep. Embarrassment. She ended up disrupting the fireside fun despite her best effort not to.
Kirill passes a glance towards the pair as Yan Sun returns to her seat, but his gaze soon moves past her, to the turian at the end of the bench as he resumes updating him on the wall repairs.
Jean-Luc lets out a deep, intruding sigh as Yan Sun and Jessica continue their bickering. "Are you going to make me wait all night?" he asks, his frustration none-too-serious. "I'd much rather we get it over with. The suspense is killing me."
Jessica gently bites down on the tip of her tongue, amused grin slipping right back out as she regains her upper hand on Yan Sun. Jean-Luc's interruption causes her to flash Yan Sun a flip of the bird before finally turning her focus back to him. "You are sure that you are ready for this...?" she asks gravely, her serious tone undercut by the mischievous grin that's now cemented back into place and gives away the fact that she's looking
Thomas calls out from the table: "If you want, I can come hold your hand, Luke!" which gets a snicker out of Gaz and Rafe.
Jean-Luc draws in a deep breath, bringing a hand up and running it through his long hair. Thomas' question causes him to shoot a playful glare his way, but his smile soon slips back out and he gives a small shake of his head. He lifts the razor up, holding it out to Jessica but, as she reaches for it, he pulls it back, leveling a serious look at her. "Be gentle." he pleads, which gets a few more snickers and an eyeroll from Jessica who
Paige gives a small, dismissive gesture at Amy's apology. "It's fine." she assures, but as Amy continues, her frown returns once more. "Of course we were gonna come looking for you." she says, as if that should be obvious. There's a hollow chuckle that follows and it ends up sounding like little more than a snort. "Like it or not? We care about you." she offers matter-of-factly. Confident in that fact despite having only known Amy for a
couple of weeks. "You're one of us now and-..." she gives a small, slightly sheepish shrug, "...we look out for each other." It's what this place means to her. What it's supposed to be. People helping people. Looking out for one another. A sanctuary. Naive, maybe. Perhaps even dangerous to welcome someone you've known for such a short time so openly. But, despite all of the high-strung pessimism that comes with the burden of
responsibility that weighs so heavily on her shoulders at times, she believes in it. She has to believe in it.
Yan Sun snickers to herself at Jessica and Jean-Luc's exchange, turning a little to watch with soda in hand.
Amy ducks her head a bit, hair falling in her face without the beanie to keep it in place, but hints of a small smile shine through briefly before fading, a couple of nods following. "I should've known, I guess. Everyone's been so nice. Welcoming." There's guilt attached to her words - over being undeserving of that, over being a detriment to them almost as soon as she arrived, but she doesn't voice those feelings.