☈ strike #13 (action / voice)

[thestormishere]

[ Today, Lightning's doing something fairly unusual in comparison to her normal - and recently even darker than normal - behavior. For once, she's outside and yet doesn't seem busy, merely watching as her puppy Baldr frolics about in the general area of community housing 4 in search of sticks to defeat, things to dig up, and nearby people to greet

Comments

[Action]

[wingenvy]

[Sup, Lightning. It's your friendly neighbourhood SOLDIER, walking his- ......... well, okay, no one can really call Daisy a dog in the normal sense of the word. But he is indeed with Daisy, and the two are approaching at a friendly pace, with Zack lifting a hand to greet her.]

Hey, Light. Enjoying the sun?

[Action]

[thestormishere]

[ When Baldr sees Daisy? Immediately he rushes to gather up the latest awesome stick he's found - arguably too big for him, still covered in half-green leaves on one end - and awkwardly begins running over with it, tail wagging furiously.

Lightning just closes her journal, folding hands on top of it. ] Hey. [ And she raises an eyebrow at her puppy as he makes it over, narrowly avoiding the loss of his prize by tripping over it. ] Something like that.

[Action]

[wingenvy]

[Daisy is... well. Not exactly a normal dog, so he lowers his head to observe Baldr with the same mixture of weary amusement older animals seem to feel when faced with an excitable puppy.]

Man, it really feels like an average town if you look at us now. Out and about, walking the dogs, greeting the neighbours...

[Action]

[thestormishere]

You think so? [ She looks up at him flatly, not trying too hard to conceal just how bothersome she finds that idea. Here's a woman who's definitely not the type to settle down and be 'average,' now or ever. But... hm. ]

So then what's next? Talking about the weather? [ ... Never mind that's sort of what she's been doing on the journals-- is that the hint of an ironic smirk?

Anyway, as for Baldr: who knows exactly what he's trying to accomplish, but it apparently involves... pushing the stick and himself up against Daisy sideways? All the while he's play-growling-- or actually saying something that's rendered incomprehensible by the thing in his mouth. Yep. ]

[Action]

[wingenvy]

[That sure looks like an ironic smirk. Zack likes what he sees! (Really, at the very least it's fabulous to see her in a good mood. It's been a while.)]

Well, it is a beautiful day, that's for sure. There's plenty of lovely sights to see in this kind of weather.

[HINT HINT look it's totally okay to sort of playfully flirt when she's smirking about irony.

Meanwhile Daisy is giving Baldr an unimpressed look, the wing on his back flapping a bit dismissively. How... cute. A puppy. Shoo.]

[Action]

[thestormishere]

[ Less good mood, more not horrible mood, really. Even now she does manage to break out of the latter sometimes, though, if only because otherwise she'd probably just snap and start burning things down or something... ]

...Like what? -- Baldr, he doesn't want to play with you.

[ With a sigh, she pulls her legs up under her, effortlessly rolling into a crouch to grab the stick and pull it + puppy towards her instead. ... Yes, what he said may have mostly flown right over her head. ]

[Action] light don't you know that crouching is bad when you have no panties

[wingenvy]

[Like what. Oh bless her. Zack grins and gives Daisy a little nudge, hoping to coax him into the game. The result is a blank look and a very immobile housepet. So much for that.]

Like... the scenery! [Okay that was weak and he knows it.] You know, if you're not gonna accept subtle compliments I'll have to get more obvious about it.

[Action] ...she's got SHORTS on underneath her skirt, gdit. X(

[thestormishere]

[ Your bizarre 'dog' is useless, Zack! Lightning chooses to just take care of the puppy's insistence herself, pulling the stick out of Baldr's grip and flinging it away-- so that it actually whistles as it flies through the air. Have fun fetching that, puppy dog.

And then... oh. She pauses, blinking, before straightening into a stand. ]

... I guess you never struck me as 'subtle' before.

[Action] WELL FINE IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE A PRUDE :C

[wingenvy]

[Zack shrugs absently, lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the sun as he watches the dog scamper after the stick. With his free hand he gives Daisy another nudge-- why can't you fetch sticks? It'd be so fun. Still not reaction. Sigh. At least he's housetrained.]

Believe it or not, it happens now and then! [Mostly when dealing with girls who can punch him and actually make it hurt.]

[Action] cocoon is not a nest of vipers. it is a nest of prudes.

[thestormishere]

Should I be noting down the date, then?

[ So, so dry there, as she just crosses her arms to watch the results of her handiwork as well. Yes, she can accept a compliment, but... a little awkward there, Zack. Sort of. Maybe. ]

[Action] how in the world does anyone ever have children

[wingenvy]

[Oh, Light, he hasn't even gotten started. Case in point-]

Are you saying this is a date?

[Okay maybe he's just having fun with it now.]

[Action] they eventually stop being prudes. so really I lied. it's a nest of not-prudes pretending.

[thestormishere]

[ ... A lot awkward. Oh, the silence that follows that. And the look. ]

Ah... this is your idea of a 'date?'

[ And that tone. 8| Getting it thrown right back, Zack. ]

[Action] fake prudes? that's somehow even worse

[wingenvy]

[Ooh, so stingy, Lightning.]

Well not if you're going to glare at me like that.

[There's a mild pout in his expression as he steps up and crouches down to meet Baldr when the pup returns, trying to steal the stick off of him. If he can't play fetch with his dog, then dammit he'll borrow Light's.]

[Action] >_>;

[thestormishere]

[ Lightning just gives a short hm as Zack steps forward. That's sort of what she always does, after all- shove people away whenever she's uncertain. She figures he's not serious anyway, though, so even if she'd usually she'd feel weird about it nowadays when it's towards someone who she's halfway friendly with...

... He is joking with her, right? It's not like she can even pretend to understand half the things these 'Gaian' folk do. Guess that's what she gets for spending almost six years being a complete workaholic, deliberately cutting herself off from 'normal' people and all. Imagine that.

Anyway, while Zack's paying attention to Baldr - he actually brought the same stick back this time, wow - Lightning is left to stare at Daisy instead. Who stares at her.

It's like a party back here. ]

[Action]

[wingenvy]

[So dismissive, Light. Zack just grins and shrugs it off- she can take it however she likes, it doesn't really bother him. Some people move faster than others, and some people just don't reciprocate; he can't help that flirting comes easy. It's just easier to flirt when people joke back, sob.

Slow is okay sometimes, though, so he keeps playing tug-of-war over the stick with Baldr, letting himself fall back to sit down in the grass more comfortably.]

He's getting pretty big now, huh? [Well, bigger.]

[Action]

[thestormishere]

... Yeah.

[ Lightning looks back from trying to remember if it's alright to pet Daisy without offending the creature, shifting her weight as she watches the fluffy pup actually try crawling into the man's lap somehow while he wrestles with the branch. Obviously, he hasn't quite figured out himself how big he's grown. ]

Hopefully he doesn't just keep growing. I don't know what I'd do with a dog the size of a chocobo or something.