singillatim | august catch-all.

[She figures she should at least keep an eye on him until they get to town, but she does have to admit that she's less concerned about leaving him to his devices now that she has a better guess at where his anger's at.]

Ohhh, Okay then. Well it's good that you guys are making progress if that's the case.

Did he leave a bad first impression on you? Or is this a long standing thing and you guys knew each other before you got here?

It's complicated.

( he doesn't even dislike tim, they're fine back home. they've been fine, for - a while. tim is also just conveniently located for threatening when jason's in a mood, and he's definitely in one right now.

arms shift to adjust the hoard of pelts in his arms, throwing one over a shoulder and wrapping one over the top of his arms to keep his fingers from freezing off. he'll need to--adjust shit a little more once he gets to somewhere a little warmer, but that's a problem jason can solve later.

under his arm, covered in pelts, comes a quiet little howl. jason's head tips down towards it, and the scowl on his face softens a little. )

Don't fuss, you're fine.

Ah, Gotchya. I get complicated, believe it or not.

[Complicated was the name of the game when it came to Ruby's relationship dynamics. She figured prying wasn't really going to get her anywhere here, and Jason was entitled to his privacy too.

However once the shifting of pelts starts she moves in a little closer. She catches the little howl and feels a little smile curl up on her lips too.]

Do you want me to carry some of that? You don't have to do it all on your own.

It's only clothes. ( aside from the mysterious hidden howler. ) They're just - big.

( like his boots, which are not meant for a small child-size person. or the shirt that's falling off him, and the four layers of coats/furs he's carrying. don't think too deeply about that. after another moment, jason - stops in place, shuffling around to take the puppy wrapped up in another coat out of the pile of things he's lugging around and offers him out towards ruby. )

You can hold this guy, if you want. Just don't put him down, he'll roll around and get himself covered in snow.

Yeah. But you're kind of small if you haven't noticed.

[Pointing out the obvious? She's one hundred percent game for that. Plus she has to tease someone around here.

That is until the puppy comes out of the jacket and she gives a little gasp in delight.]

Oh my gosh- Look at you!

[Her attention is immediately pulled away from Jason for the moment and she gladly takes the Puppy into her arms and rubs her cheek against his snout.]

Don't you worry- Actually. Maybe you should worry, I might not ever put this little guy down again.

( don't call him small. he's not - extensively bothered by it, but it doesn't mean he's not bothered at all. jason hates it, because he'd worked hard to become something else. someone else. but her focus goes elsewhere and so he - lets it go. she's not tim, he doesn't need to beat her face in to prove a point.

the puppy, at least, seems happy with the attention. full of energy and puppy smiles where jason's just - scowling. )

Hold him forever, if you wanna. Who's going to stop you?

( not him. he's walking. )

[That was something Ruby could get behind herself. She's been around two to four years younger than most of her peers doing similar work, and has had to deal with the challenges that provides. She's still probably not quite as mature as she should be about it.

On the bright side, seeing and getting to play with the puppy tells her a lot more about this boy than their initial conversation might have given her. There was a softer side to him than he wanted to let on.

She'll move to follow along a little closer to his actual side this time.]

I mean- I could do that. But I think he'd end up stopping me at some point. You can't say he wouldn't miss you. And I bet you'd miss him licking your face first thing in the morning.

Yeah, whatever.

( he'd, eventually, go find the dog again. jason's bonded to him by now. but they don't need to get into that.

especially not when he's small and figuring out what the hell he's supposed to do from here. it's an inconvenience and a pain in the ass. )

Which way were you headed? Y'know, before deciding to tail along with me. ( despite his protests. )

[She is counting that one as a win, mainly because she doesn't know any better.]

Not anywhere in particular. I was mostly patrolling around, I'll probably head back to the community center soon though. It's getting kind of chilly.

[She is aware she kind of intruded on his bad mood, and that could be wearing out it's welcome.]

And hey- I just wanted to make sure you were safe and not itching for a fight or anything. If it's a big deal, I'll go.

( it's always chilly here. but he gets what she's saying, even if he almost, almost gives in to the urge to snap back at her that it's hardly any different from normal. partially because it's, well, wrong - there's the cold that leaves snow blanketing every surface, then there's the storms that leave the cold seeping deep into their bones, killing everything stupid enough not to cover up.

ruby hasn't done jack shit to piss him off, she's not responsible for this. he's just bitchy. )

Which way's the community center?

( he knows. he's just not saying he knows. )

[If she had any idea that this kid was actually the same guy as the hulking broken red helmet guy she had met before, she'd probably be watching her words a little more. But she is way more convinced that he's just a cranky newcomer, which she does understand at the very least. She just had to assert that she doesn't have to sit here and take the grouchiness either.

Still- She has to say she's a little surprised when he speaks up again, and she feels a little smile play back up on her lips.

She kind of nudges her shoulder a little further along and to the right. She can't exactly point with a puppy in her hands after all.]

Oh! Over this way. It's pretty warm and there should be some spare beds for you and pupper, too.

I mean- Unless you've got better places to be.

august catch-all.

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