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Jayne Cobb (my_swinging_cod) wrote in indarkness_logs,
@ 2010-07-22 07:10:00

Entry tags:

!complete, 2032 07, jayne cobb, xena

RP: Snow ... huh.
Characters: Jayne, Xena
Time/Date: Morning, July 22
Location: Front of the lobby
Warnings/Rating: Jayne's mouth
Summary: Jayne sees more snow
Status: Complete

Jayne had woken up chilly, but he was awake enough that snagging the extra blanket from the closet and trying to go back to sleep probably wouldn't work. So he'd sighed, grumbled, turned up the thermostat in his room, showered, and dressed in some warm clothes before heading downstairs. The rest of the place seemed a little cool to him as well, but he had no idea where the main thermostats were. Maybe Jaime or Lily or Tyler did, but ... not him. Wasn't his job to know. Or care. He could always go hide in his room once it had warmed up.

Preferably with a warm, willing female body ... but for whatever reason, he hadn't had much luck in that department. A lot of them were a touch too young for his tastes, and the rest just ... weren't willing. It was a shame, really.

Drifting through the kitchen, Jayne dug out the box of strawberry PopTarts and tore open the package as he wandered to the door of the hotel. Pushing it open, he leaned against the door frame and gazed out. There was a good foot or so of snow covering the ground, and he could see places where the wolves had walked. With them being that obvious, he had to guess that Jaime'd been right - they'd probably been set loose and not escaped.

His free hand dropped to his hip, fingertips brushing against his gun, and he thought it'd be nice if one of those wolves showed up just about now; he wouldn't mind killing something. It'd been too long since he'd had a proper job or a proper lay, and this was getting obscene. How was he supposed to work off all this aggression anyway?

Shaking his head, Jayne drew away from the door and swung it closed; no sense in letting all the cold air into an already chilly building.

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ex_manyskill100
2010-07-22 04:36 pm UTC (link)

You could say that Xena was pretty restless herself. She'd combed the building looking for Gabrielle, and when she tried to go outside, she found that it was already snowing in the wee hours of the morning. It would have been useless tracking in the dark and in the snow, so she gave up and went back to her room to perform all the requisite nightly rituals (cleaning her armor, sharpening her sword) before trying to get some sleep. It was pretty useless - the bed was nothing like her bedroll, and it felt weird to be on a mattress, in a room with four walls and a roof, instead of with Gabrielle, making camp under the stars. The absence of the younger woman felt like a permanent ache in Xena's side. She'd have to find her soon.

It didn't help that it was damn freezing in the place, which seemed like some kind of inn. She finally hauled herself downstairs after dressing slowly in her armor; with her sword on her back and her chakram at her belt, she felt somewhat like herself, but no closer to soothing that particular Gabrielle-related ache. She rifled through all the drawers, and found that some of her things had actually been brought in for her - namely, one of her cloaks, the one from... Oh, whoever was running this place definitely had a sick sense of humor. But a cloak was a cloak, and it was her warmest, so she fastened the clasp and chain, grimaced at the sight of the metal, claw-shaped epaulettes, and went out to see if a warrior couldn't get something to eat in this place.

She went into the kitchen, and after realizing that the cold box was for keeping things that could spoil, and that the even colder box was for keeping things that could spoil frozen, she decided not to venture into their depths for now. There was an empty box left on the counter, and, going through the cabinets, she found another one like it; opening the package inside it, she found some kind of pastry that she hoped was breakfast appropriate. Taking one, she wandered out again, towards the front doors, where someone already seemed to be lingering. Looking past whoever it was, she saw the snow with dismay - if Gabrielle was out there, she'd be frozen by now, or eaten by these... Wolf things.

But maybe - Xena prayed - she just wasn't giving her enough credit. Gabrielle was tough and smart, she could be trusted to find shelter, take care of herself. Although the idea of Gabrielle not beng there at all was getting more and more attractive, no matter how much Xena's heart hurt.

"Pretty cold out there, huh?" she said conversationally to the stranger, taking a bite of the pastry in her hand and grimacing a little at the foreign sweetness of it. That didn't taste like any pastry she'd ever had before. "Maybe those wolf-things will get frozen out."

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my_swinging_cod
2010-07-22 05:14 pm UTC (link)

"They do things like this a lot," Jayne offered before he shrugged. A lot was subjective; he'd been here a month or so, give or take; what did he know about a lot? "I mean, it snowed at the end of a heatwave, coupl'a weeks back," he offered. "Guess this is just snow at the end of a cold-wave."

If there was such a thing. "Doubt they'll get froze," he continued. "Big shaggy things probably handle this mess just fine."

He turned then to regard his conversation partner, brows lifting slightly as he took in the sight of her. Sure, Zoe had some height and there was definitely an intimidation factor there ... but this one brought a whole new spin on the Amazon Warrior deal.

"New here?" he inquired, and he smirked as he wondered how many times she had heard - or would hear - that particular phrase. He figured it was going to become part of a standard greeting, along with what years people were from. He didn't care about what year; he had yet to meet anyone from after his time as it stood, and he doubted he would.

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ex_manyskill100
2010-07-22 05:45 pm UTC (link)

'They do things like this a lot'? Xena frowned at this new piece of information. So whoever had made this place and was orchestrating this whole thing could control the weather too, huh? That wasn't too big of a shock - she'd dealt with gods and magicians who could do the same thing - but it just meant more trouble for whoever crossed these creators. She took another bite of the pastry in thought and made herself not think about the taste as she chewed slowly, considering. She remembered herself enough to swallow before responding.

"Even wolves need shelter from the snow," she said, musing aloud more than she was carrying on the conversation. "If we could find wherever they're staying and smoke 'em out..." Maybe literally. There was nothing like a brushfire to drive out a pack of wolves. "Even wolves trapped in the snow are less likely to be able to fight back. Less dangerous, easier to take down." She'd have to find out more about the wolves - like why they were called 'dire' wolves. Maybe they were especially dangerous.

It took her a moment to notice Jayne's question, and she said, "What? Oh - yeah. New here." She offered him a smile - wouldn't hurt to be polite - and offered her free hand to shake. "I'm Xena," she said. "It's nice to meet you, Mister...?" He seemed a little rough for her to be addressing him as 'Mr.' anything, but it was one of those things she'd learned from Gabrielle. If you were polite and respectful to strangers, they were polite and respectful to you.

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my_swinging_cod
2010-07-22 05:53 pm UTC (link)

Jayne barked a laugh at the address. Mr. As if he merited any sort of fancy titles. "Just Jayne," he said as he reached out to shake her hand, oddly amused at the gesture. But he was (slowly) learning to deal with all sorts of different cultures here. Mostly out of necessity.

"I ain't too worried," he said with a slightly bragging tone. "They ain't never kept any o' this up for more'n a week or so at a rush. They'll probably miraculously caputre th'wolves by ... what, Saturday or so, since we got the news on Sunday. Let 'em worry about the wolves; I ain't got no need to head out for anythin'. No one needed anythin', so Lily an' Jaime said not to worry about runnin' out there. We got plenty o' food 'n' drink 'n' whatnot inside the hotel.

"Guess if they ain't been caught by the end o' the weekend, the girls an' Tyler will make some sort of executive decision an' we'll go 'long with that." He'd more or less come to accept the trio of Jaime, Lily, and Tyler as the leaders, though if anyone else opted to take initiative, he supposed he'd seen what the new deal was and decide who he wanted to follow from there.

"But yeah," he said as he cycled back to the earlier statement-question. "They're 'parently big on changin' our environment around. Everything from dreams t'smells, to weird weather. The moon don't follow no pattern, either. Full one night, new the next, an' everything in between, only all outta order."

He shrugged. "Guess they like keepin' us on our toes."

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ex_manyskill100
2010-07-22 06:21 pm UTC (link)

Although her grip was reflexively tight (Gabrielle called it 'crushing'), Xena did her best to ease up. She didn't want to scare him off or anything, as her apparently freakish physical strength tended to do to people. She smiled again, nodded, and said, "Nice to meet you, Jayne." Letting go of his hand, she nodded along as he kept speaking, taking another bite of the pastry.

Lily and Jaime. The girls an' Tyler. She supposed that these three were the de facto leaders or something; in any case, they seemed to be who Jayne answered to. Who else would be making an 'executive decision', anyway, besides the leaders? She couldn't help but be caught by his statement about the moon, though, and her frown was grave. "They mess with the moon here, too?" she said, and might have growled if she hadn't remembered that she was trying not to scare Jayne off.

But anyone who messed with something as natural as the moon... That just rattled her. So not even the tides here were regular. She didn't like that one bit. "Looks like they do," she agreed with him. "For any particular reason, though, do you think? Or just for fun?" Maybe if it had some reason, made some kind of sense, she could come to terms with it a little easier. Or... Maybe not. But it was worth a shot.

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my_swinging_cod
2010-07-22 06:28 pm UTC (link)

Jayne shrugged. "Dunno if anythin's got a real reason around here. None of us really noticed the moon 'til Lily thought they turned her into a werewolf an' then she started payin' attention an' noticed it weren't regular like it should be."

He paused. "They didn't. She's still normal."

Exhaling, he shrugged and flexed the fingers of the hand she'd shaken, though he said nothing. All the same, he made a mental note not to get into any sort of contest with her; he'd end up losing, regardless.

"Some people who 'parently can smell the air better or somethin', they think this is a closed environment." He had only the vaguest idea of what that actually meant, but he felt smart saying it. As long as there weren't any complicated follow-up questions, he thought he'd be all right. "That ... none of this is real. Fake snow, an' giant heaters and coolers to make the weather. I dunno nothin' 'bout that."

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ex_manyskill100
2010-07-23 09:05 pm UTC (link)

"A closed environment," Xena repeated quietly, considering that fact. So this whole thing was orchestrated? As phony as a stage with props? She didn't like that any more than she liked the whole kidnapping business. She leaned back against one of the doors, taking a bite of her pastry and chewing reflectively, considering this whole thing. She'd done a lot of things in her time, experienced more than most people, but this wasn't something she knew anything about. How could anyone do that - make fake weather, without magic?

"Neither do I, Jayne," she said, and finished off her pastry decisively. She was willing to bet that if Gabrielle was there, the people running this place wouldn't want her dead. They'd orchestrated everything too perfectly - the arrivals, the hotel, the wolves, the snow. It was all a part of a game, and she doubted they'd like to lose one of their players early on. "Thanks for telling me all this stuff, by the way," she added. "I really appreciate it."

Pulling her cloak around herself more tightly, she added, "Feel like finding somewhere warmer? I think there's a draft coming in under the doors or something."

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my_swinging_cod
2010-07-24 01:10 am UTC (link)

Jayne grinned, just a little. If she hadn't been so obviously capable of breaking his neck by looking at him funny, he may have verbalized the thought that flit through his mind - that his bunk was a fair bit warmer than this.

As it stood though, there was a certain class, breed, whatever, of women that he just didn't mess with. She and Zoe were of that breed; he wasn't really inclined to get himself in that sort of trouble with someone who'd just shown up. Maybe in a couple of weeks, when they knew each other better ...

He shrugged off her thanks. "Someone's gotta do it an' I don't see any o' the usual suspects," he continued. He figured if she posted anything on those devices, one of the trio had gotten to her already, but ... he hadn't checked it this morning.

"Dunno where else you'd want to go. Anywhere down here's gonna be this cold 'til someone who knows where the ..." he made a twisty motion with one hand. "Heat ..thinger is shows up."

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ex_manyskill100
2010-07-24 04:54 pm UTC (link)

Her brow furrowed, and she said, "'Heat thinger'?" She tilted her head slightly to the side, trying to figure out what, exactly, he meant. She mimicked the motion with one hand in thought, then said, "You mean that knob thing, with all the numbers and lines on it?" She'd seen it on her way in, but she hadn't recognized it as anything of importance - she'd thought that maybe it was decorative, or some kind of measuring device. "That's for the temperature?"

She had to pause and take stock of this briefly. It wasn't nearly as much of a surprise as the idea of someone making false weather, but it was still something. She knew the Romans had heating systems, for their baths and saunas, but this seemed more sophisticated, if the temperature could be adjusted just by turning a dial. Was there a furnace somewhere, making the heat? Maybe in the basement?

"It's back there," she said, and made a gesture towards one of the halls that adjoined the room. "Do you know how to use it?" Although by now she'd generated a pretty good idea of what the knob did, she didn't want to touch it and do something wrong. She'd probably get so frustrated she'd rip it out of the wall or something.

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my_swinging_cod
2010-07-24 05:02 pm UTC (link)

Jayne was pretty sure he could figure it out. It couldn't be that complicated, right? But if he broke it, he didn't want Lily or Jaime yelling at him. Besides, he figured one of them would be down soon enough.

"Pro'ly, yeah. I've never done it before myself, but I ain't never had to make it any warmer down here. Figure it's best to leave it to people that know how t'use it," Jayne decided.

Like Kaylee. Kaylee could figure it out, which made him wonder where she was and what she was up to; he hadn't seen her or the captain in a bit.

But he could at least go look at it, right? No harm in that. Deciding that was how he'd swing it, Jayne cocked his head in the direction she'd pointed and started along that way ... where he'd probably just stare at the thing and decide not to touch it for fear of overheating the place or breaking the dial somehow - or something.

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ex_manyskill100
2010-08-01 08:45 pm UTC (link)

When he tilted his head, indicating where he was going, Xena shrugged, pulled her cloak around herself, and followed. He probably had more experience with these things than she did, and at least she'd have done what she could so that she didn't just leave the issue up to someone else. She'd taken the steps to get something - anything - done.

Conversationally, she asked, "How do these things work, do you know?" She gestured to the dial when they reached it. "I mean, the Romans have their furnaces and stuff, but to adjust the temperature, you have to send an order down to the slaves, that kind of thing. How do you do with just a dial?" It was the least of her questions about all of this, but it seemed the simplest one to ask.

She didn't want to get onto the whole how-do-the-lights work thing, or why-isn't-there-a-fire-anywhere. Seeing as he didn't look too knowledgeable, even about this one thing, she didn't want to keep bothering him with questions he couldn't answer. Wouldn't be fair to either of them, would it?

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my_swinging_cod
2010-08-01 08:59 pm UTC (link)

Jayne laughed softly. "Hell 'f I know," he admitted. "Kaylee could probably tell y'the ins an' outs of everything with movin' parts around here, but I ain't got half a clue how they actually work."

He really hadn't thought too much about it, really, and he peered curiously at the dial. His brow furrowed as he figured where the marker line was, and he prodded curiously at the device before he figured out where to twist it. He turned it a little, and somewhere distantly below them he heard something spring to life.

Shrugging, he dropped his hand and took a step back. "Think that's it," he declared. "Guess we'll give it a few minutes and see if it helps at all."

Feeling smugly proud of himself and amazingly accomplished, Jayne grinned.

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