VIDEO; UN: HAWKEYE

[strictdiscipline]

[Instead of any person, the scene presently on the screen is of a backpack lying in the snow, overflowing with child leashes in a variety of different colors and patterns. The voice that pipes up has about as much warmth as the chill tundra wind and is just loud enough to cut through the continued wailing of infant squidges nearby.]

It appears that some of our superiors question our ability to properly watch over these small creatures.

[Though if the delivery was sent in earnest rather than as a practical joke, she can't say she disagrees with the assessment, at least not with regards to a certain subsection of Team Audentes. (Fortune might favor the bold, but it certainly won't favor anyone lacking basic common sense as far as she's concerned.)

Regardless, she presses on.]

While I should hope that none of you will need one at the moment [judging u if you put a leash on ur infant squidge tbh] some of you may find them necessary at a later point in this mission. There seem to be enough for each recruit to have one.

[Unfortunately.

A brief pause follows, enough time for a resigned sigh.]

With that said, if you are concerned about caring for a living being, I'm sure there are several of us willing to provide advice.

(ooc: i bought a bunch of child leashes as an ac reward as i was completely out of ideas, feel free to handwave your character grabbed one.)

Comments

[strictdiscipline]

[No....they're gonna work on this!!

Which, frankly, is a bit unlike her usual self. She's never been one to pry or step over the line from polite to overly personal, but clearly ALASTAIR's had more of an impact on her than she would've expected. (Funny what ten months of near-constant life or death situations will do to a person.)

The reasons he gives, after some silence - during which she turns to watch the squidges play - makes sense, even if they also make her frown.]

I haven't seen much of a temper from you yet.

[Though she can imagine how a temper combined with extreme strength might cause problems. Carefully, she sets the plush in her hands off to the side before lifting her chin to stare straight at him.]

If you didn't have that temper, if things were safer....would you want a family?

[longtempered]

[What...how do you work on this....nobody's ever wanted to work on this??

The level of interest Riza seems to be taking in this is certainly more than a little odd to be on the receiving end of too. Without the benefit of having known Riza as she was before ALASTAIR's impact, Shizuo is assuming this is simply the sort of person she is. But it's still...something else. Aside from the immediate discomfort of the topic at hand, Shizuo isn't quite sure what to make of it yet. She isn't being obnoxious about it, or pushing too hard or too carelessly--novel things. He never talks about this sort of thing back home because there are so very few people to talk about it with without the heavy weight of risk hanging overhead. But it's...weird around here. Different. Riza remarks on Shizuo's absence of temper thus far, and Shizuo has to huff a small laugh at that himself.

He's surprised too, honestly. He hasn't attacked anyone in weeks now...]

Yeah, I guess you haven't yet. It'd be good if it stayed that way...

[But surely it isn't going to last. It never does--which is why the suggestion Riza brings up now is such an odd one. Shizuo stares back, frowning and uncertain. If he didn't have this temper...?]

...I don't know? There's not much of a chance that's ever going to happen--so I've never thought about it. [Not a good enough answer, though, is it? Freed of its leashes, he turns over the plush animal in his hands, frowning down at it. He thinks about Tom-san, easily confident about the fact Shizuo might find a cute girlfriend someday despite everything. Then, for some reason, he thinks about little Akane--small and cheery, surprisingly easy to get along with when not trying to murder him. Sort of endearing. He'd always wondered if that was what having a little sister might be like--or maybe even a...

Hm.]

...Maybe. [This is surmised a bit quietly, his frown taking a brief, almost wistful curve. Shizuo sets the plush down next to its slowly growing pile of fellows, looking back up to Riza.] What about you?

[strictdiscipline]

It's not to late to start, if that's something you want.

[A 'maybe' is good enough for her, and all the affirmation she needs to save this particular train of thought away for another time. Another time, because it feels innapropriate to push so hard so early, and because somewhere in the game of pattycake Remington seems to have started banging its flippers into the snow and inadvertantly gotten one stuck.

Oh dear.

Shizuo's question goes ignored a minute while Riza picks herself up and goes to unlodge Remy's flipper from the snow. Then, once that's done, she turns back.]

I gave up on the idea of having a family a long time ago.

[Her expression's accepting, though colored by faint wistfulness. Not for any forsaken family, but over the number of future paths closed to her now.]

[longtempered]

Well. It's not really a matter of lateness, yeah...

[He's back to an awkward half-mumble again, as he opts to sort of agree with this. Just admitting having a family wouldn't be half-bad was already weird enough, after all, and the topic is certainly edging into something a little bit much on his end. Shizuo's already half-wondering if he should have asked at all, too, as Riza shifts to rescue her squidge first and a pause settles.

Shizuo reaches for another leash while he waits, wondering if it's too late to apologize and try taking it back. Aki, as oblivious to the heavy conversation at hand as Remy's been up to this point, sits back and giggles quietly as the latter squidge's flippers are freed from the snow.

And then that crisis is averted, and Riza's turning again. --She answers after all. Ah...

It's Shizuo's turn to frown a little at Riza's expense, this time, fiddling at the leash portion of a round panda harness.]

I kind of want to say it isn't too late for you either, but I'm figuring it's probably more complicated than that... [So he ventures at length, tugging at fabric. His eyes drop; Shizuo sighs, half a laugh hidden somewhere in there.] Guess that makes two of us either way. Ah, even if it's probably for really different reasons...