OPEN. — i knew that something would always rule me

[avicula]

WHO: dutch + you
WHERE: the training deck, a bar?
WHEN: dutch's first week aboard
WHAT: dutch needs sparring and possibly drinking buddies
WARNINGS: none yet, will edit if necessary

[ the eluvio is considerably larger than dutch’s own ship, designed to hold a great many more people and to remain in space for far longer periods of time, or so dutch guesses. this is not the kind of ship that can dock at a planet or a moon like lucy’s docked on westerley. in size, it’s more like the rac cruiser or one of the slaver ships travelling the j and beyond. it doesn’t seem to be a slaver ship, at least, but dutch is still on edge, displeased with her displacement and her current situation as a whole. that explains why she’s found her way to the eluvio’s training deck, too: fingers wrapped, feet bare and non-descript athletic clothing on the rest, she’s been punching and kicking a punching bag for a while now, working up a sweat and settling in a steady rhythm of jabs that is broken up by kicks. she’s light on her feet, but her mind feels heavy, some of the same thoughts recurring over and over.

she didn’t get a choice about being here, and if those who’ve come before her are to be believed, no one knows how to get back yet. it’s just another event in a long line of events that dutch never got a say in, and she’s so tired of decisions being made or things happening that impact her like this. she’s tired of it, and it comes out in anger, simmering under her skin and making her punch just this much harder.

johnny left. that’s another things that she keeps coming back to. he’s been her moral compass ever since she’d run away, he’s been her gravity and her centre when she’s been lost, her best friend through it all, and he left instead of letting her ride shotgun on whatever train he’s gotten on. she wants to punch him for that, too, and yell at him, and she wants to hug him because he’s a stupid bloody idiot who won’t let others carry any weight for him even if they offer. because he left.

she can’t punch or hug johnny, right now — or she could, he's here, and maybe she will, but for now, she's punching this bag instead. she really can’t turn back time and make it so that the anomaly or whatever it was never picked her up and spit her out on this ship in a corner of space dutch has never seen or heard of. she can’t, and so she keeps punching the bag, hoping to at least drain some of the anger so that she’ll be able to think more clearly. ]

[ additional starters in the comments! if you'd like something specific, hit me up at abiosis ]

Comments

[amelioraate]

[ While Tony knows that he could probably just use his communicator to figure out where the fuck he was going and what the layout of this ship was, he was a paranoid kind of guy and would rather wander around the place himself and document the ship on his own phone.

You know, for less likely to be skewed maps and whatnot. (Paranoia is an asset, honestly.)

That and he is fairly confident in his ability to keep his phone secure and as un-hackable as possible. Mostly. Maybe. Until he is proven wrong, at least.

Today's adventure was to seek out the training area and perhaps look for the elusive black market that had been mentioned to him in passing. Because, if the first few days were anything to go on, he was sure as hell gonna need some of the stronger alcohol in order to survive this place.

But, perhaps luckily or not, Tony comes across the training area first. And it's occupied. With someone who is really rather angry (not that he knows what kicking the shit out of a punching bag out of bottled up anger looks like, oh no). And, really, he would slowly slink his way out and go in search of alcohol except--

The woman is really fucking pretty. And clearly deadly. And, well, if that doesn't scream a terrible person to flirt with, Tony doesn't even know.

Which means he is shoving his phone in his pocket and wandering into the area with a smirk on his face and a low whistle.]

Would it be more fulfilling if it made pained noises every time you hit it? Because I am pretty sure that if you give me like, ten minutes, I can totally have it do that for you.

[avicula]

[ dutch recognises the look of him, or at least some of that look: appreciative, a little full of himself, probably hiding something behind that smirk because dutch has seen one similar to it one too many times in the mirror not to know that there's always more to the story than confidence bordering on arrogance.

she stops punching, steadying the bag with both hands first and then tipping her hip against it as she crosses her arms once it stays in place. she's still mad at everything and nothing, really, but it's probably not his fault. ]

Yeah? And here I thought you were going to offer to let me punch you until you moan.

[amelioraate]

[ okay now, he has been here all of five seconds, you don't need to go and pull him apart at the metaphorical seams and putting him in boxes. no matter how much of it is honest to god true. the smirk on his face only twitches at the scrutiny, he is more than used to people looking too close at him.

of course, the smirk falters and turns into an honest to god laugh because, damn, he likes her already.]

Not my usual way of getting off, but if it's going to help you out there with the rage, why the hell not?

[ no. really. why not. he is toeing off his shoes and sliding out of the hideous outfit provided to him on the ship until he is just in the black undersheath from his suit (you'll have to try a little harder than that to see him naked, Dutch, but only a little harder).]

And may I just ask, please don't hit my face, I bruise easily and, despite what a lot of people think, mottled yellow is not a good colour on me.

[ another grin, this one amused but a little curious. ] Also, are you more than human? Because if you are, no judgments on the poor human man okay? I did as much training as possible with the Black Widow as possible, but there are still some things I will never be able to do. Like kill a man with my thighs, though, she did totally try to teach me that.

[avicula]

[ would he prefer it if dutch takes his smirk at face value and doesn't question it? because if he would, that's - fair enough, but she still won't. dutch is too used to analysing situations and people, to finding angles. it's what she's been trained to do almost all her life, and she may have run away from the one who trained her once, but she never quite managed to escape her skill set. ]

How kind of you.

[ dutch watches with interest while he undresses, raising an eyebrow at the black undersheath that doesn't look at all familiar. she doesn't ask, though, just uncrosses her arms and settles into a loosely defensive position. ] All human, and I've never heard of the Black Widow, but I know how to do that, too.

[ a beat, and dutch aims a kick at his side, just to see how he'll react. ] But you'll have to ask very nicely before I demonstrate.

[amelioraate]

[ well yeah, it would help him sleep at night. (only it won't because Tony can't remember the last time he actually slept like a regular human but, whatever, that is neither here nor there). but whatever, he does his best to not fidget with that look levelled at him, a look he knows all too well thanks to living with the Widow.

of course, beautiful and more than able to kill him. perfect.]

Of course, I have flickering moments of kindness every once in a while, the fact that you are stunning probably helps with the whole being nice thing.

[ at least he is honest. he is also aware of her, even as he kind of absently kicks his clothes over a bit, some of his senses still on her. he remembers the one time he stopped paying attention to Barnes when they were sparring once, that-- yeah that hurt and he learned his lesson well then.] Of course you do, is it a prerequisite in the assassin world? It has to be. That's what Barnes could do it too, assholes need to teach me.

[ nice try. he will block that kick easily, his movements focused more on moving her energy away from him rather than trying to use it against her. ]

I assume saying pretty please isn't nice enough?

[avicula]

[ there are times when dutch can't sleep and ends up bothering johnny or silently sitting in lucy's hangar, staring at the walls, but they're still isolated incidents more than the norm. she's glad for that. can't really stay sharp when you're completely sleep deprived, can you? ]

Who says I'm an assassin? [ he blocks the kick, and dutch falls back for a moment before mounting her next attack, this one a little more serious instead of just testing the water; a series of quick jabs and punches. ] And who's Barnes?

[ there's nothing sweet in her smile. ]

Not even close to enough. Try harder, handsome.

[amelioraate]

[ Tony has long since mastered the art of surviving on three hours of sleep and a few naps. the fact that he also has experimented on himself is-- something else. still, he isn't really more than human, and his lags in attention span are things that are easily fixed by black as sin coffee and sheer spite.

you know, the cornerstones to that which is Tony Stark.

there is a laugh at her question that really isn't a question at all. he manages to either deflect or block most of the punches with his forearms, amusement on his face.] You are, or you used to be. I live with enough of them, I know how they fight and move and look at people. Same way you do.

[ even though he knows that she probably outclasses him (she sure as hell moves faster than him) he knows a few tricks, slides down and swings a leg out going lower than he would if it were Steve or Barnes, but where Nat has told him many a times to hit on women who know what they are doing.] And Barnes is another assassin I know.

[ flash of a smile. oh, he is enjoying this.]

Do you prefer more creative begging or creative positions?

[avicula]

[ dutch prefers alcohol to coffee, if she has a choice about it. she prefers sleep to insomnia, too, but it's not like people with insomnia really get a choice about that.

and it should bother her, how easily he's figured it out when even d'avin with all his training could only realise that she's dangerous, not what she was. tony doesn't know her history, he doesn't know about the royal harem of khlyen or any of the things that still make dutch feel lost and scared in ways she wishes she could leave behind forever. it's worse now that she can't even hate khlyen anymore, that she doesn't hate him anymore. but tony says it so casually, without judgement, that dutch finds she doesn't hate the thought of him knowing. ]

Your life must have been interesting so far. [ if he knows two assassins but he's still alive, that promises a story or two. but dutch doesn't ask, or at least not more explicitly than what is already contained in that statement. instead, she moves back, narrowly avoiding his leg. ] Creative positions, hm? Now that sounds promising.

[amelioraate]

[ ahhh, a woman after his own heart. you know, you can mix the two for an excellent morning. not that Tony was ever prone to such choices, oh no.

as much as people like to think that Tony is just a genius when it comes to robots and schematics and the lines of code and math that make up things he events, he has long since learned to master the art of reading people. it was a great skill in the boardroom, when dealing with people like Natasha and Barnes and Maria Hill. being able to figure out if people were going to stab you in the back or potentially the front. there are those that are trained to kill, those who have combat experience, like Steve or even Maria, but then there are those that are trained for gathering knowledge, for bringing down empires from the inside, like Natasha.

and Dutch? reminded him a whole hell of a lot of Natasha.

he is always impressed by people like that.

Tony laughs at the statement, pulling back into his space to assess the room for another attack, and shrugs.] You might say that, yes. Never a dull moment that is for sure.

[ with another sharp smile, Tony feigns right, seeing how well she reads body language, before shifting closer and, perhaps stupidly, trying to get close enough to get under her guard.] I will admit, I am far better with creative positions, but no one has ever complained about how creative I can get with my mouth.

[avicula]

[ dutch has been trained to fight and kill from a young age. the royal harem she'd grown up in and khlyen's training weren't quite the red room, but there are many things she has in common with natasha, not that dutch even knows who that is.

point is? she has plenty experience reading body language and doesn't fall for his feint. instead, she uses his sudden proximity against him, a few short jabs that he might block, and then she's turning, attempting to throw him over her hip. ]

That so? Not sure I believe it on hearsay.

[amelioraate]

[ if they ever met, Tony feels like they would get along far too well. and probably kill him in his sleep, but that was neither here nor there (or, really, all that unusual).

his feign doesn't work, and he manages to block the jab, but he doesn't manage to stay upright as she tosses him. he doesn't go down hard at least, rolling with the impact while also trying to pull her off balance.]

Mmmf. Ha, wouldn't expect you to really. Demonstrations are the way to go, of course.

[avicula]

[ they'd either get along really well or not at all, there is no in-between.

he manages to roll upon impact, pulling her along, and dutch doesn't try to resist the pull, following him down on the matt so it turns from more of a boxing match to grappling on the ground. she's trying to get a forearm across his throat while avoiding being pinned, her smaller frame and experience against his bulk and muscle tone (and experience, too). ]

You offering?