IC Inbox | Carlos Oliveira

[sendinthedelta]

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Carlos Oliveira ⬤ Resident Evil 3 (2020)
residential district ⬤ Level 2
moonblessing ⬤ Sanguis

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[torsion]

[ It's just a weird subject to broach. Were it grey hair, it would be one thing. This, though... it's something else, really.

She's sheepish when she ducks her head in thanks, eyes catching his along the way while she swerves around him in the tight lane in order to pay. He's still jobless and she really doesn't want to know how he makes chroma, so that's that. Plus, if he's doing the cooking? It's the rules that she foots the bill.

Looking to him when he speaks, she questions him. ]

Do you want me to go on ahead and meet you back at home, then?

[ She's looping bags around her arms before going for the watermelon. ]

[sendinthedelta]

[Oh.

Well, yeah, talking about how he's getting chroma without a job might be. Awkward. He is very much a red blooded 21 year old male so, you know, things happen but he's also not the bragging sort.

He had expected to pay for it himself yet she went through the line ahead of him and covered it before he could even really protest.

Well he can pay for the hardware then!]

Yeah. I shouldn't be too long.

[torsion]

[ Jill just doesn't want to think of him holding anyone else's hand, even if it makes her a hypocrite. But she's hypocritical about a lot of things, whether it's this or protecting others or her feelings or a hundred other things. It's never the same for her as them. ]

Okay. [ Hesitating, it's clear that this is a very new thing she's doing with him right now and for her, it's something major despite the simplicity of it. It's honestly just nice to have his company for something so mundane. So, with watermelon in both hands and bags on either arm, she dips in to nudge him with her elbow and leans in just enough that she can press the top of her head to his chin. ] I'll see you soon, in that case.

[ And without any other thought, she ditches the lane and is heading out the automatic doors. ]

[sendinthedelta]

[Something they should probably talk about.

Some day.

Eventually.

Maybe.

In any case he's not going to keep her waiting long back home, or at least he'll try not to. He does luck out in that the prismal worker he winds up asking about grill racks shows him a couple of large flat ones with collapsable legs already attached so he doesn't have to fashion some makeshift ones like he was originally planning, but it does take a few more minutes to decide on the right size.

Eventually he returns through the front door of the house with two of them, a small tactical shovel and a stack of precut firewood to make the fire pit with.]

I'm back!

[torsion]

[ He'll have to get her in an armbar to talk about her feelings. Or, maybe just approach her earnestly. Whichever comes first.

Jill is already outside when he returns, finishing off the watermelon in large rectangles where she can manage it based on the shape and discarding the rest in bite-sized pieces into a bowl. She might be doing a little taste-testing when she hears him come back, hands sticky yet she doesn't take motion to wash them up and instead takes another bite from a slice, nearing the rind. ]

Yard!

[ She probably should've told him she'd be back there before, but she's managing just fine now. ]

[sendinthedelta]

[Look, don't give him weird ideas, okay? He's already watched enough of those weird Asian dramas here to start thinking that doing a kabedon on her is a good way to get her to talk.

(More likely a good way to get him punched in the nards.)

But in food related things, that watermelon already looks yummy even before it's grilled, and he can't blame her for snagging some bites out of it. He nudges the door open the rest of the way with his foot so he can shimmy outside with his goods, setting the racks down carefully.]

Got a good spot for a fire pit I can get started on?

[torsion]

[ Jill doesn't exactly watch anything on any given day, but occasionally enjoys a martial arts action film. There's usually more punches than discussions in them. At the very least, she'd appreciate him being assertive. She often feels like she's the one being more direct... if only she was actually direct.

She's quick to notice and attempt to help, but he's already made his way over by then so Jill sort of just watches while she polishes off her slice. ]

Wherever you'd like. Your yard, too, you know. Just leave some room for training -- and let me know how I can help.

[sendinthedelta]

[Carlos has gotten into some weird TV since arriving here. Stuff he wouldn't ever consider before but just happened to be on during a really boring day.

The racks weren't too difficult to carry but he could probably still use some help with the fire pit.]

Yeah, sure. Probably be faster with two sets of hands.

[He'll put it further back in the yard so the smoke doesn't billow inside and doesn't block too much off from being used for training.]

[torsion]

[ He sure is a guy. That's something Jill knows now.

She's already on her way when he's answering her, following suit after he lifts one up and uses her legs to help hoist again. Without too much observation, he may notice that she relies on the strength of her legs for a lot of things. While her arms are perfectly shapely, she still doesn't lift nearly as much as she can be found in the house's mini-gym on the adductor machine.

Jill hasn't really done something like this before, so she defers to him along the way, holding it upright against the ground while watching him. If he needs help otherwise, she waits for more directions. ]

I've only really half-assed a bonfire grill before. Kind of a staple of what Chris and I would do with camping.

[sendinthedelta]

[Some people just prefer leg day.

As long as she's not hurting herself doing so he won't judge.]

You live outside long enough you learn to do things like that more efficiently.

[It's said lightly but there's something in his posture, in the tone of the words. A resignation decades old at this point.

He knows his life has never been normal.

It doesn't linger, though, and he quickly pokes several thin holes in the soft ground, creating a rectangle roughly 2x3.]

Dig out about two inches down. Helps protect the fire from any wind that might kick up but isn't too low for heat.

[torsion]

[ Some, indeed, do. Most days she can be found in the small gym they have in the house on the absolutely essential adductor machine. That's usually when she finds herself looking on the network at posts, too. ]

You do. [ She says like she understands, though perhaps not as well as he did. Without finality to the way he's said it, she digs in a little. ] You... the you I knew, anyway, he didn't have it easy. Grew up as a mercenary and traveling. I suppose it's too much to hope you had it any more comfortable than that.

[ Jill watches him and goes to grab a shovel. Maybe a gardening spade would be better, but she doesn't consider it much and instead gets to work, tossing aside any of the extra dirt. She'll figure out where to put it later or haul it out. ]

Makes sense. Like putting a rock wall around a bonfire.

[sendinthedelta]

[The faster they get it dug, the faster they'll be chowing down on some good spicy meats.]

Nah, but I don't hate that it happened. Gave me a lotta good skills. And hey, I got to meet you, so that's a net positive in my book.

[He looks up with a grin and a bit of dirt already on his cheek. The words could have easily come off as flirtatious but he's being honest with her. As awful as Umbrella was, if it hadn't been for them he never would have encountered Jill on that awful night.]

[torsion]

[ FAST ENOUGH, Jill's plenty speedy. It's more her height and ability to stretch and move which makes it slower than she might be any other time.

He's always flirting, so she always assumes he is. But, much like herself, she takes none of it seriously. She teases in the same way at times. One of her particular techniques to keep people at an arm's length.

When she thinks it's good enough, she looks to him for approval or disapproval, but for now gently lets the shovel fall just as she walks over to him and wipes at his cheek. She stares into his eyes, soft and pooling, more intimate than she's been with him before. After a moment she gently pulls him down for another hug, down to her shoulder where her fingers dip through his hair to his scalp and spider it. Just a little. ]

You never give yourself enough credit. But I'm happy that you're familiar still, that you're just as strong.

[ A rare moment for her. Careful so as not to go too far or pull him in too close past her walls, but utterly failing in that intention. She doesn't acknowledge it because she's not aware how far she's been letting him in. ]

I really can't articulate how much it means to me that you're here. I know I've said it before, but you don't... of all people, I'm so relieved to see you.

[ She tugs away slowly, hesitantly and lifts his head with her hand and rubs at the spot on his face again. Lingering, looking him over like she hasn't seen him before she just lets her hand fall to her hip. ]

...anyway, tell me what you need from me now, will you?

[sendinthedelta]

[It's fine if she takes it that way. He's never going to go any further with it unless she gives him a very clear green light to do so.

He likes her, but he's not hopeless. He's absolutely capable of pining for one but not obsessing.

He was inspecting the hole and getting ready to pat some of the dirt down before going to grab the wood but was stopped by her approach, the gentle thumb on his cheek and being so close he can feel the warmth from her breath, different from the low summer heat around them.

Even as close as they were the hug was surprising, different than the one in front of the store. It made him wonder what was going through her head right then, what was going through her head all the damn time, to constantly have him on this weird yo-yo of emotions.

Weirdly, though, he didn't mind. Just as much as she was grateful for his presence at all, he was grateful for hers, regardless of what the future held for both of them.

He didn't respond to her but there was a lopsided grin when she pulled away, and a faint darkening of his cheeks that had nothing to do with being out in the sun.]

Uhm. Oh, go grab the firewood. I'll pat the dirt down a bit and we can get the fire started.

[torsion]

[ The last thing Jill thinks is that he'd even want a green light. The man she'd gone through Raccoon City with or this one who had seen similar horrors, she has always believed he's just as false as she is with the flirting and teasing. It doesn't even occur to her that he may have any kind of greater feelings for her.

Her skin is warm and dewy from perspiration but she hasn't worked hard enough to go into a full-blown sweat quite yet. Just a bit beading at her forehead, making her arms clammy.

The only thing she knows is that spending time with him matters. And the words he says, she always thinks they're indicative of something more, something he doesn't want to touch. Similar to her own. She knew he had it rough, but she doesn't think he absolutely needs comfort from her when recalling it -- but she's been a bit harsh with him or withholding. That she feels capable of offering something is what pushes her into action.

She gives his arm a half-hearted punch, knuckles dragging as she parts. ]

An average stack? [ She questions, taking off and already piling it in her arms. She can always go back for more but she liked to keep things as efficient and quick as possible. She returns, waiting for instructions on what to do with it. ] This good?

[sendinthedelta]

[He can't be open about everything. He has his hang ups, his own issues, fears about losing more than he already has. He doesn't keep people at arm's length the way she does but he does retreat when things get too serious.

Maybe he'll get better at it as time goes on, as he's here long enough for things to be calm and normal and domestic.

Maybe.]

Perfect.

[He grins and straightens, taking part of the stack from her not to lighten her load but to start placing them in the most optimal position.]

[torsion]

[ They've both been shaped and damaged by the losses they've suffered and the struggles they've faced; not insurmountable for them, but with a depth most couldn't manage. It didn't define them and thankfully each passing day they were getting better about sorting through them more earnestly -- especially with each other.

Jill looks pleased as punch that she's done good. She eyes his motions carefully and make the judgement to lend a hand based on where she assumes he means to go with placement. ]

You're not so bad yourself.

[ Back to the same song and dance. Her face is a little redder than before, however. ]

[sendinthedelta]

[Someday something will change the tempo. For now, Carlos is just as content to keep it going the same way it's always been. For all the things he does want, among them is not pushing Jill in a way that's just going to break her all over again.

This is fine, and surprisingly not the dog on fire sort of fine. Actually fine.]

That should be good. Think you can get the fire going while I go get the meat ready?

[torsion]

[ For now, she's just happy for the smooth sailing. They don't especially have any issues, but there's a sort of tension that she isn't ready to address or discuss because she doesn't examine it or... really understand it's even there half the time. Just the worries of comparing him, defining him as someone that he's not -- or is? Sort of just like that.

They're alright, she figures.

So, she's messing around the shed because she actually doesn't have anything to light it up on her at the moment. ]

Yeah, got it. [ She calls over her shoulder, giving him a little thumbs up while she gets going. ] When I'm done, I'll come help if you're still doing it.