[open] delicate in every way but one

[controlledvariable]

Date & Time: Late December/Early January
Location: The woods around Exsilium
Characters: Stephanie Brown and you~
Summary: Hunting! Doing stuff! No it's mostly just hunting
Warnings: Some descriptions of killing stuff, will update if it gets worse
Notes: This is mostly for people I talked with on the CR meme but feel free to tag in if you'd like to do a thing! You can run into her in the woods or in her way back into town or whathaveyou!


[Back when Ellie taught her to hunt, Steph never thought she'd have all that much use for it; they had plenty of money in old Exsilium, enough that she never worried about running out of funds or food. It definitely wasn't necessary on the moon, but now that they're in this snowy landscape and there's rent and utilities and food costs, it helps to catch some of their own meat, either to eat themselves or trade for something else. The killing part she's got down pat, though more often than not she takes the animals to one of the butcher's in Exsilium, rather than trying her hand at gutting and skinning. Ellie did teach her those parts, and it's not that Steph's worried about how gruesome it can be, but she's not good enough, and she doesn't want to waste anything due to a lack of skill.

So she sticks to the hunting, which is where she spends a few afternoons a week. She wears her Batgirl suit, sans cape and cowl, under a pair of jeans, a shirt and light coat, because the suit itself is heated, keeping her warm without layers that weigh her down. She picked up a rifle (illegally) while staying in New York, and she handles it with ease despite that whole no guns rule; it's been a long time since she's worried about that.

Mostly, she sticks to hares or rabbits, with the occasional penguin (though she always trade those, not wanting to take a dead bird back to the apartment she shares with an actual duck). The deer are tempting, and more than once she lines up a shot only to let it go, because she knows she can't haul the whole thing to a butcher. The smaller animals are easier to string up and carry back to civilization, even if it means she has to be extra careful about each shot, aiming for the head and succeeding nine times out of ten.

While she doesn't take any pleasure in killing, there's something familiar and reassuring in having to move silently through the woods, in the way she has to stop and listen for sounds of movement, in those final moments before she takes a shot. It's almost like being back on patrol, stalking criminals across the rooftops, spending hours on a stakeout, even though the snow covered woods is nothing like the streets of Gotham. It still helps, and she usually leaves the woods feeling better than when she went in.]

Comments

[ready_to_bloom]

[Caspian's been doing a lot of hunting since he's been down here in this new Exsilium. He's been able catch enough for food and for trade, and he's been supporting himself quite well.

He considers himself lucky that he grew up hunting, and when he's out alone in the woods, he almost feels like he's back at home, if only for a little while.

He's making his way back to town with a string of birds, when he comes across someone he knows.]

Hello Steph!

[controlledvariable]

[The day's been moderately succesful; she's got two hares, and she really wishes she were better at field dressing the things, because she knows it's safer to get them skinned and gutted as quickly as possible.

It's on her to do list, but so are a lot of things.

Still, she brightens when she sees Caspian, raising a hand in greeting.]

Hey, fancy seeing you here.

[She's not actually that surprised, considering the way he talks and what she's guessed about the sort of world he comes from.]

[ready_to_bloom]

I have not seen you for a while. How have you been?

[That would be, since the mutiny. And he knows... stuff happened. But while it may sound like common politeness, she will hear a note of genuine concern in his voice.

He bends down to look at what she is doing.]

Do you need a hand with those?

[controlledvariable]

Keeping busy, mostly, it's nice to be outside again.

[And it's easier to forget everything that happened up on the moon.]

How about you? And - maybe, if you're any good at skinning hares.

[There are certain situations where she doesn't like asking for help; this isn't one of them.]

[ready_to_bloom]

It's very nice to be outside again. Especially after being up there. [Caspian makes a face. He hated the moonbase for several reasons, but the lack of fresh air was at the top of the list.] Even if it is very cool.

I'm doing well. Mostly hunting to keep busy and earn some money.

I'm fairly good at it. Here, let me help.

[He doesn't like cleaning game, who does, but it's something that must be done. He goes slowly, showing her how to do it and chatting as he goes.]

This is very different from the last time we were on Earth. How are you adjusting?

[kilimanjaro]

[Hunting is second nature to Kili. Honestly being back here and being able to hunt at all is refreshing. Fili's busy directing others at the forge and their food supply is starting to run low, so it's Kili out in the woods on his own today.

At least, he thinks he's alone, until he sees boot prints in the snow. Curious, he follows after them to find a woman. Quietly, he comes up behind her and touches her arm, not wanting to scare off any game she might be tracking.]

[controlledvariable]

[She hears him before he touches her, which saves Kili from getting the butt of the rifle jabbed somewhere unpleasant. Instead, she's already made a guess at his size and weight from the sound of his footfalls, but she's still a little surprised when she turns her head to see a dwarf.

Not the first, mind; Nikolai used to spend time with Thorin, and Steph used to keep an eye on Nikolai, so she doesn't stare, just lowers her rifle and raises an eyebrow.]

Hi. [She keeps her voice quiet, since she's sure there's a warren nearby, though she hasn't spotted it's inhabitants just yet.] You okay?

[just checking]

[kilimanjaro]

Hello. [He gives her a quick smile. She doesn't look familiar, which is a little strange considering how often Kili hunts around these parts. But he's still of the opinion it would be nice to have everyone that hunts at least meet each other once or twice. Hunting together is easier than hunting alone, after all.]

Aye, just didn't want to disturb whatever you're tracking. Perhaps I could help...?

[controlledvariable]

[That's - not what she expected, which is probably an oversight on her part, since she knows that a lot of Transports are too helpful for their own good.]

'Preciate it. [Not wanting to disturb what she's tracking, she means. The question itself gets a moment of pause, before:] Well, I'm pretty sure there's a few rabbits nearby, but I don't wanna scare 'em away from me. If you feel like circling around to scare them up towards me, I'll set one aside for you?

[That seems fair.]

[kilimanjaro]

[What can he say? Living here has rubbed off on him. It's funny how when he first got here, he was angry and scared and completely antisocial, and now he's offering help to strangers.

Weird.

He nods at the suggestion and offer before stealing away to the other side of where he's fairly confident the warren is at. He stops once he's found a suitable position and looks up across the little clearing to the girl, giving her a short nod and waiting for one in turn to make sure she's ready.]

[motherofnemesis]

[ Max hasn't been going out a lot, but the past week or so she's started venturing into civilization a little again. She can't just use Tony as a buffer against the world forever, probably, however much it would make her feel better. Some things just have to be handled.

Running into Stephanie wasn't on the list of things she intended to do while out, but it's actually not - a bad thing. She's not sure precisely where they stand, these days. She owes Stephanie, that much she knows - never won't. That part of the equation is simple in her mind, but she's a little confused over where Stephanie stands. Still, she raises her hand and waves, waits until she gets a little closer to speak. ] Did you want to get that drink sometime?

[controlledvariable]

[Steph's not sure where they stand, either, but she knows that she's not scared of Max, and that might be the most important thing. So she waves back and pauses where she is, waiting for Max.]

Yeah, sure. [Because it was a genuine offer when she made it, as weird as things are. She isn't sure if she wants to... fix things, with Max, or if they can even be fixed, but she doesn't just want to give up on her, either.] I've got a couple hours free now, if you do.

[motherofnemesis]

[ To be honest? She probably should be. Max would definitely recommend it. Not in her best interests, but she'd still recommend it. Safer for Steph, in the long run.

Not that she has any intentions of hurting her. It's just sometimes she feels more than a little bit toxic. Doesn't mean she doesn't frequently feel a need for some level of human companionship, though, and she does owe Steph. ] I'm not generally doing much. Anywhere you like in particular?

[controlledvariable]

Can't say I get out enough to have somewhere I like.

[If she's not working or hunting or out trading, she'd rather be at home, or spending time with friends, rather than out at a bar.]

If you've got a preference we can head there, otherwise I think there's a bar a few blocks to the west.

[motherofnemesis]

Same here.

[ She shrugs, gestures in the general direction of the west. ]

Sounds good. Do they have food too, maybe?

[lucency]

[ belle did a thing.

granted, it was a few weeks ago at this point, but belle still did a thing that may or may not have involved taking ahiru to go see the yetis. she imagines that this did not go well with steph, but she also hasn't had the chance to see.

she did adopt a penguin, though. the whole trip wasn't really terrible. nobody got hurt. it was fine. it was great.

belle isn't hunting, but she doesn't see the harm with letting the penguin roam about in its regular environment. supervised, of course. but that supervision is a great thing to have around when she hears a gun go off nearby. her eyes widen and she gasps, stepping in front of the small thing and peering into the distance. ]

Steph?

[controlledvariable]

[Don't worry, Belle, penguin isn't on the menu today.

She'd heard said penguin making noise not far behind her, but had been more focused on making sure she got a clean shot on the hare that's hopping around in front of her. She'd stood after the shot, but when she hears someone say her name she turns, rifle pointed at the ground.]

Belle? Hi.

[Is that a penguin....]

[lucency]

[ IT SURE IS. it doesn't have a scarf. yet. it'll serve like a collar, you shut up.

belle lets herself relax when she realizes that her instincts were right and it is, indeed, her friend (because, even if they haven't had the deepest conversations as of yet, belle feels comfortable enough to, in fact, consider steph a friend), and lets herself breathe. hey, at least she doesn't have to run away from a madwoman with a gun. it's good. ]

Sorry - I - um. I hadn't realized you were hunting.

I hope I didn't interrupt you.

[controlledvariable]

And I hadn't realized you'd adopted a penguin.

[Which is... something to keep in mind, if that's going to be a thing that Transports start doing, because she doesn't want to accidentally shoot someone's pet.

That'd be awkward.]

S'fine, there's not a lot out here today.

[lucency]

It... seemed to turn out that way, yes. [ as these things with penguins do. it wasn't her fault, okay, someone was basically just like "hey catch" and it was either that or - not.

it's kind of a dumb penguin. watch as it trips over a twig and then scrambles back up.

she tilts her head, squinting out into the distance. ]

Do you need any help? I'm not much of a hunter, but if there's anything I can do...

surprise. betcha thought you'd seen the last of me

[miscreant]

[There is at least one creature lurking in the woods, higher up in the branches where she is less easily spotted by anything down below. The cover doesn't hide her glowing eyes or runes well, so anyone purposefully glancing upward could see her without too much trouble thanks to her lack of armor. The navy colored slacks and shirt helped, but a death knight only blended so well in the environment.

Seviilia doesn't usually tread this close to the newer city, let alone near other transports if she can help it, but today is different. The howling wind's company had grown stale, and it had been too soon since Tempest's last visit. Today, Seviilia opts for people watching.

When Stephanie crosses her line of sight, the elf takes a long pause of consideration. Her face was a vague memory, having been swept up in the dizziness of Ashraf's attempts to heal her. Hunting strikes her as a popular activity now a days, but Steph is not Charlie. Seviilia makes no plans to assist.

If anything, she plans to do a bit of hunting herself.

The death knight stands in a nearby canopy, staring down like a hungry vulture with both axes in hand as she weighs her options.]

oh boy C8

[controlledvariable]

[Using heights used to be a favourite trick of Ellie's, since she knew that people don't make a habit of looking up, but it never really worked on Steph, because she's spent a significant amount of her life on rooftops. When she's in a city, she tends to look up as often as most people check their rearview mirror, just in case there's someone up there, but it's different in the woods.

She glances up occasionally, but most of her focus stays on the ground, since that's where dinner is. That doesn't mean she's not alert, but until Seviilia makes a sound or makes a move, Steph's not likely to notice her.

At least she's armed.]

[miscreant]

[For such a bulky thing even without all of her heavy armor, Seviilia is agile. What the elf lacked in the muscle structure that many other races benefitted from, she made up for in speed and balance.

So when Steph moves out of her line of vision, Seviilia is quick to follow, leaping between trees until she ends up in the front. Her clothes are already bloodsoaked in various animal bloods, but that doesn't stop her from watching...or waiting for the right opportunity.]

[controlledvariable]

[If Bruce were here, he'd be berating Steph for not paying more attention to her surroundings, but she's come to think of Exsilium as fairly safe. The yetis might be an issue, but she's made sure to stay well away from their territory, and she doesn't think any of the wild animals are likely to give her trouble.

So when she hears the rustle as Seviilia moves through the trees, her first thought isn't that she's been stalked, but that there's something nearby she can hunt. Steph goes still, lifting the rifle a little higher and steadying her stance as she casts a glance around, searching for the source of the sound.

If she can't find it, she'll start moving again.]

[miscreant]

[Seviilia waits until Steph gains some distance, unable to keep herself from grinning just a little at the sight of the rifle. Humans were just so fond of them -- she never quite understood why. Give an elf a bow and arrow any day.

But she was never a ranger. The finery of long range weapons is lost on her.

After Steph successfully steps out of view, her echoing ethereal voice comes from the canopy, hidden mostly from view but easily heard. Her glowing runes and eyes are visible in the cover even from a distance.]

If you are looking to kill me, I promise that you will not get very far with one of those.