[ One blow knows him back sure enough, and he has time to speak before his unbalanced footing takes him back. ]
You got it.
[ And then down he goes, half landing on the matt, showing her defeat and clear advantage, and for a moment just folding his arms across his knees as he blinks up at her. ]
There a word for all this? [ He waves his hand to indicate the fight, the mood, perhaps even the ship itself - doesn't matter - but she can take the question (or not) however she wants to. ]
[ Breathing heavily, Carolyn stops before she can follow through -- before she can leap on him, try to finish what they started. This isn't that kind of fight. Her hands are curled into fists at her sides, and she looks down at him, sweat trickling down her hairline and across her jaw.
She doesn't reply until she starts to uncurl her hands, until she lowers herself to the mat next to him, looking up at the ceiling. Rubbing her palms against the legs of her pants helps get the sweat off them, but it doesn't make them stop shaking. ]
This fucking place, [ she manages, though it's not really an answer. Not a real one, anyway. ] I just... [ She hates it. She's scared of it. It's all she has. ] I don't know. It's stupid.
[ For that brief moment he sees in her eyes the will to carry on and make him feel every inch of what she's feeling. It's a good look, but he's relieved when she reels it in, too; it means she has it under control.
When he leans back, she comes down too, settles down on the mat with her head back, and Casey is instantly there to help her bend her head forward, encouraging her into a better recovery position after the strenuous exercise. ]
None of the punches you were throwing were about anything stupid. If you were fighting me over our favourite flavors of milkshake, maybe. But not this.
[ There's an irritated swat when Casey lifts her head up, but she doesn't fight it any more than that. She does pause though, looking over at him, because- ] What's a milkshake?
[ Though that isn't the point. ]
I don't know. [ Fry supposes he never has before, but that doesn't change the fact that not opening up is the easiest way to protect yourself. She learned that the hard way. Still... ]
It's... This ship. People crawling out of the depths, people who were supposed to be dead here and not just back where they come from. [ Her head rolls to one side, eyes fixed on a random point on the wall. ] And then they look at you, even if they shouldn't be able to see, and tell you that you know, and I just...
[ He'll save that for some day when she needs cheering up; cadge a little milk off the right people and turn up with a fruit milkshake to spoil her with. He can be decent enough when he puts his mind to it.
By now he should realise that Carolyn is special, but Casey is stubborn. So long as it remains mostly they're secret, he can pretend to himself that she's not getting any kind of special treatment. It's the same way he approached his relationship with Chuck and Sarah. Hell, even with Morgan. He's just a big softie, that's all there is to it. ]
I have to say people crawling back out of the woodwork who're supposed to be dead...that's... [ Well, it's happened to him before. It's not new. But for Carolyn, maybe. ]
[ He's been good to her. Better than she deserves, she thinks, and he's the one he seeks out more than anyone else these days. She tries not to think about how quickly that might all change. ]
Did you see them, Casey? See what they were like, what they were saying?
[ She shudders. ] It wasn't right. They weren't right.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ninetydegrees
action;
You got it.
[ And then down he goes, half landing on the matt, showing her defeat and clear advantage, and for a moment just folding his arms across his knees as he blinks up at her. ]
There a word for all this? [ He waves his hand to indicate the fight, the mood, perhaps even the ship itself - doesn't matter - but she can take the question (or not) however she wants to. ]
action;
She doesn't reply until she starts to uncurl her hands, until she lowers herself to the mat next to him, looking up at the ceiling. Rubbing her palms against the legs of her pants helps get the sweat off them, but it doesn't make them stop shaking. ]
This fucking place, [ she manages, though it's not really an answer. Not a real one, anyway. ] I just... [ She hates it. She's scared of it. It's all she has. ] I don't know. It's stupid.
action;
When he leans back, she comes down too, settles down on the mat with her head back, and Casey is instantly there to help her bend her head forward, encouraging her into a better recovery position after the strenuous exercise. ]
None of the punches you were throwing were about anything stupid. If you were fighting me over our favourite flavors of milkshake, maybe. But not this.
You don't think I'd judge you, whatever it is?
action;
[ Though that isn't the point. ]
I don't know. [ Fry supposes he never has before, but that doesn't change the fact that not opening up is the easiest way to protect yourself. She learned that the hard way. Still... ]
It's... This ship. People crawling out of the depths, people who were supposed to be dead here and not just back where they come from. [ Her head rolls to one side, eyes fixed on a random point on the wall. ] And then they look at you, even if they shouldn't be able to see, and tell you that you know, and I just...
This fucking place.
action;
By now he should realise that Carolyn is special, but Casey is stubborn. So long as it remains mostly they're secret, he can pretend to himself that she's not getting any kind of special treatment. It's the same way he approached his relationship with Chuck and Sarah. Hell, even with Morgan. He's just a big softie, that's all there is to it. ]
I have to say people crawling back out of the woodwork who're supposed to be dead...that's... [ Well, it's happened to him before. It's not new. But for Carolyn, maybe. ]
You shouldn't let it get to you like this.
action;
Did you see them, Casey? See what they were like, what they were saying?
[ She shudders. ] It wasn't right. They weren't right.