Agent North Dakota | Andrew Engelsen (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bothbarrels) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
hexaflexagons2020-11-30 08:49 pm
bothbarrels) wrote in hexaflexagons2020-11-30 08:49 pm
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Wherever you go, there you are [voicetesting]
[ On the run. It was a phrase with certain connotations that North didn't necessarily like. It implied a sense of illegality, a sort of illicitness that he didn't enjoy thinking about. It wasn't him and South that had done wrong; it was the Director. But here they were, stuck with the consequences.
It had been nearly six months now. Six months on the run on a tidally-locked planet with barely even any cities to hide out in. Most of the facilities on the planet were sim bases, which were affiliated with the Project, and they mostly avoided those.
On this particular night, North and Theta had managed to hack someone's bank account and pay for a night in a hotel. It had been a while—quite a while—since they'd had one of those. North came out from the lobby and motioned to South to follow him to the door of the room they had gotten. ]
First dibs on the shower.
[ He says it with an easy geniality, as if they aren't on the run, aren't stealing other people's money to survive, aren't suffering from all the stress and tension that they have been allt his time. ]
It had been nearly six months now. Six months on the run on a tidally-locked planet with barely even any cities to hide out in. Most of the facilities on the planet were sim bases, which were affiliated with the Project, and they mostly avoided those.
On this particular night, North and Theta had managed to hack someone's bank account and pay for a night in a hotel. It had been a while—quite a while—since they'd had one of those. North came out from the lobby and motioned to South to follow him to the door of the room they had gotten. ]
First dibs on the shower.
[ He says it with an easy geniality, as if they aren't on the run, aren't stealing other people's money to survive, aren't suffering from all the stress and tension that they have been allt his time. ]
no subject
You didn't have to invoke dibs, dipshit; you stink. Sooner you get under the water the better for the both of us.
[ Not that she's much better herself. She never thought she'd say it but she actually misses the Invention's crappy showers; turns out life on the run give even her a new appreciation for the little things.
She jabs her elbow into North's side as she follows him to the room, walking just a beat faster. A single step ahead at all times. ]
Y'reckon there'll be some shitty clippers or something? Y'know, like they sometimes put those crappy hairdryers in hotel rooms. I feel like I'm wearing a fucking mop on my head. I'd take a full buzz over this.
[ That's another problem with being on the run for almost six goddamn months: grooming. South doesn't remember the last time she let her hair grow out this much.
Some fresh dye would be nice too, might make her feel more like herself and less like a shadow at North's heels, but she doesn't linger on that thought long. You don't find random hair dye in a hotel room and you don't get to ask the twin brother you're monitoring for the Project that fucked you both over to spend stolen money on it, either. ]
no subject
I don't, but who knows—maybe the hotel manager would let you borrow some.
[ After his armor plating is off, he grabs a towel off the train rack above the sink and disappears into the bathroom. Taking off his undersuit and slipping into the shower gives him time for something else that's a rare opportunity, these days—the chance to talk to Theta alone. Theta can't project since he's not wearing his armor, but North has the distinct impression of a small boy playing in the water. They talk for a while about the previous several days and all that has happened before North is fully clean. Finally, he emerges from the shower and dries off. The undersuit needs to be cleaned before North can slip it back on; he rinses it out and scrubs it with body soap on the inside, then dries it as thoroughly as he can with the towel. By the time he comes out of the bathroom proper, it's been over an hour. ]
Want to order food in?
no subject
She pulls her suit down to her waist, leaving her in her sports bra, to get some air on her skin. Groaning, she rolls her shoulders to try and ease some of the tension and aching that comes with wearing armour 24/7.
As North showers, she flops back onto the sheets and exhales. The sound of the running water is almost enough to put her to sleep, for a little while, running on fumes as she is, but the sound of muffled voices beneath the water makes her face twist. ]
Stupid fucking lightbulb.
[ Not a day goes by where she wishes he wouldn’t just give that damn thing up so they could actually stand a chance at being free from all this. She knows he won’t, she made the bargain she’s made for a reason—but she could cut and run, they could cut and run, if only North would stop playing happy families with a computer.
So she doesn’t get that nap, before he finally comes out of the bathroom, and she has to forcibly soften her expression when she hears the door open. ]
No, I want to sit here and starve. [ She snorts. ] Yeah, I wanna order food in. Or, well, I want you to order food in whilst I go fuckin’ shower.
no subject
As opposed to going and picking it up, I meant. I'd have to pay cash.
[ Their supply of cash is always slim, as they have to earn it doing petty jobs. A delivery fee will increase the amount they'll be shelling out.
Of course, North only brought it up because he's willing to pay that fee—this time. He's typically a lot more frugal, but he's tired. Not in the 'wanting to go to bed' sense but in the sense that their lifestyle is stressful and it's been a while since he felt like they had a real break from it all. ]
no subject
[ South gives him a look right back. ]
Yeah, I figured. Neither of us wants to go right back out to go pick shit up after we just got in here and stripped off, North. Give me some credit.
[ She pulls herself to her feet and shoulders him as she heads past him to the bathroom, already half-way to kicking off the rest of her suit before she even crosses the threshold. ]
We both need a damn break.
[ The door shuts behind her a little louder than she means it too and she flinches. Kicking her suit off into some nondescript corner of the room for post-shower her to deal with, she strips off the rest of the way and quickly drowns her thoughts in the shower.
The sweat and grime and tension starts to fall away and she sighs, resting her forehead against the wall of the shower. Her nerves and patience are shot, but the comment wasn't worth the sharper response and she knows it. ]
Goddammit.
no subject
This had wiped them out, but North figured going by the smell? It had been worth it. ]
no subject
Holy shit. You went all out.
[ She tosses the towel back into the bathroom then takes a seat and deep inhale. She's sure this cost an arm and a leg, but even if it did, she can't bring herself to care about the money. Good, proper food is more than worth it. ]
no subject
You bet I did.
no subject
This [ She swallows. ] is good shit.
[ Already, with hot food in front of her and her shower behind her, she feels a little less ready to either pass out or lash out. ]
no subject
It really is. I really can't find it in me to regret buying it.
[ They'll need to find another odd job to do soon, but it doesn't matter. They would have anyway, sooner or later. ]
no subject
[ She stretches over to jab him with a harmless kick. ]
We deserve some good shit every now and then. The fuck's the point in doing all this fucking shit to keep ourselves alive if it sucks all the time, y'know?
[ Of course, they probably wouldn't have to do it at all, if North would stop putting that AI over their chance to get the hell out of dodge, but that's not an argument she actually wants to have tonight. ]
no subject
[ And it's not the first time they've had this discussion, of course. ]
D'you want me to go buy some whiskey?
[ That doesn't come via delivery. Also, he doesn't exactly have the money for it. ]
no subject
[ She snorts and gives him a look. ]
Like we have enough left for that after this. Nah, better to save that for some other time.
[ She stuffs a forkful of food into her face to stop herself from saying something she’d regret, about how she’s surprised he’d even suggest alcohol with the ‘kid’ around.
Thoughts like that come whether the day’s been good or bad. On good days, she just has the restraint not to say them. ]
no subject
All right.
[ They probably don't need a substance that will make them lose inhibitions in their systems anyway, with how careful they need to be to keep their positions secret. ]
no subject
[ South lapses into silence, disguised in mouthfuls of food and drink. Funny how easy it is to find you have nothing to say to someone you know so well, but she's not sure they've had anything real to say to each other in a long time.
She finishes her food before North does and leans back on her hands, nodding vaguely towards her empty plate. ]
Oh yeah, that was absolutely worth it.
no subject
[ Even frugal North can see that.
After he finishes his food, he tidies up his trash and puts it in the can. ]
We can stay here a couple days, at least. Theta hasn't found any evidence they tracked our last move.
no subject
Two good nights' sleep. Hurrah.
[ She gives the world's laziest air punch and flops back dramatically, hiding a roll of her eyes.
They'd have been caught by now if the Project had anyone but her on his tail, she's sure. Even careful as they are. They've caught up to a lot of those who took the chance to bolt and there's whispers that Recovery isn't the only thing catching up to people, these days. Only whispers, but still. ]
no subject
[ North reaches over for her trash and once everything's been cleaned up, he flops onto one of the beds. ]
Wonder what kind of garbage we'll find on TV tonight.
no subject
[ South dramatically covers her face with her arms. ]
Ugh, probably re-runs of the exact same garbage from last time we had a TV to find garbage on. This planet sucks.
[ But she still sits up enough to be able watch whatever there might be, because you can't afford to be picky when you have literally no other options. At least garbage keeps your mind off other shit. ]
no subject
[ He switches the TV on.
This turns out to be exactly the truth; he remembers watching the program that appears on the screen, but a different episode. It's about two cousins from different planets who meet when one makes his way to the other's planet to seek out opportunities that might be available to him there. The two get into madcap adventures every episode, it seems, and this time they're trying to paint a house. ]
no subject
Told ya. Network out here has like, three things to broadcast, I swear.
[ She adjusts the pillows behind her to lean against and gets as comfortable as she can, settling in to see how ridiculous this gets. ]
Who even writes this stuff...
no subject
[ Based on some of the dialogue and situations, at least. No human being has ever dealt with things by doing that. ]
no subject
[ South snorts a half-laugh. ]
What, you think they got the aliens writing weird TV? That’d explain some shit.
no subject
Sure, why not? We're allies now, right? At least with some of them.
no subject
Which is still fuckin' weird. After all that...
[ She shakes her head. Times sure are weird. ]
Guess there was a fuckin'— elite, or whatever, out there with a secret passion for writing terrible human television.