What Blizz people? What are you onto, Gaz?
Who: Kerrigan and Gaz What: Making friends, discussing older boyfriends, learning about Starcraft When: Last week! Where: a park Status: complete Rating: Pg-13 for anger issues
Kerrigan was out for a jog. It felt good to wear tank tops and shorts again. Her brush with the Zerg-side had made her appreciate what it was like to feel normal - chitinous dreadlocks not withstanding.
She jogged into a park, and made her way towards one of the jungle training area. Things. It’s a technical term.
Gaz to enjoyed the jungle training area things. (No, really, that’s what they’re called.) She was upside down inside of one, listening to music on her iPod, swinging contentedly. Sometimes, all she wanted to do was breathe fresh air, listen to metal, and let blood rush to her head.
Kerrigan came to a stop when she saw the other woman. There was a strange feeling of peace off of her, as well as deep seated ...something. She closed her mind off, not wanting to intrude as she took a sip from her water bottle.
Swinging slightly, Gaz let her arms fall over her head as she dangled. Opening her eyes, Gaz saw another woman there, standing and drinking some water. Huh. Gaz waved lazily.
“Hey.” Kerrigan felt self-conscious with her hair, but masked it pretty well. She waved back at her. “You almost looked like you were asleep. Did I interrupt?”
“Nope.” Gaz lifted her torso upward, gripped the bar, and shimmied her legs down so she could land on her feet. “Just listening to music.”
“What kind of music?” Kerrigan came closer, something about the woman drawing her. It wasn’t attraction - it was something else entirely. She wanted to find out what.
“Metal.” Gaz offered the other woman an earbud, smiling lopsidedly.
Kerrigan’s grin turned dark. “Yeah? Turn it up.”
Gaz did as instructed, turning up her iPod and letting the music go louder for the random woman.
It sounded like something that Kerrigan could burn worlds to, and it brought out a darker side of herself that she usually struggled to keep in check. Regardless, she liked it.
“It’s good, huh.” Gaz smiled more widely, moving a bit closer to the other woman and smiling. “It’s what I listen to when I’m thinking, or driving.” Painting and sleeping were classical times.
“I’d be liable to run someone over if I listened to that while driving. It’s something I’d shoot to, though.” She smiled, happy at the thought.
“You shoot guns? That’s awesome, I always wanted to learn.” Gaz figured she’d be an okay shot; she was dead on in House of the Dead, always had been.
“I was in the army, and before that I did rifle and pistol competitions. My .... boyfriend got me a really fantastic sniper rifle as a gift. It’s a blast to shoot. I think he realized what it would mean to me.” Kerrigan smiled thinly. “Women aren’t allowed to be snipers.”
“What the fuck, why?” Gaz blinked. “You’d think they’d put us there since we’re supposed to be fragile and shit and it’s at a distance.”
“Don’t know. I’ve got purple hearts and bronze stars and I was never a ‘combat soldier’.” Kerrigan shook her head. “It’s bullshit. Just my luck it changed a year after I got out.”
Gaz rolled her eyes. “I swear, our society is fucked up and backward as hell. I should take lessons sometime.” She held out a hand to shake, a bit awkward at making new friends. “I’m Gaz.”
“Sarah Kerrigan.” She held out her hand to Gaz, shaking it in a firm grip. “I could take you out some time?”
“That’d be awesome. I’ll just have to buy a gun first. Or can I borrow one?” She figured she probably didn’t need one around the house.
“Wait, Sarah - huh.” Gaz blinked.
Sarah blinked. “What?” She didn’t understand Gaz’s reaction, and immediately grew cautious.
“Nothing, just recognize your name.” Starcraft was strong in her. “Probably a coincidence.”
“Not too many Kerrigans around,” Sarah mused. “But I was in the news a lot when I was younger, maybe you came across my name somewhere.”
“Maybe the Blizz people named her after you,” Gaz smiled. “It would make sense.”
“Blizz people?” Kerrigan’s eyes narrowed. “What Blizz people? What are you onto, Gaz?”
Gaz winced. “Ever play a video game called Starcraft? There’s a character named Kerrigan. Queen of Blades. She’s awesome.”
“Don’t do video games. After the army I don’t do a well with loud noises as I’d like. Though it’s gotten a lot easier since my dreams....Queen of Blades?” Kerrigan stared at her. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“PTSD?” Gaz had read enough cases about it, but then Kerrigan was staring at her. “Fucking - are those the dreams you’re having? Zerg?”
She tilted her head, hands closing up into fists. “Yes. Until a week ago I had been growing wings, and other changes to my body.” Her eyes had started to glow an eerie yellow.
Gaz cocked her head, narrowing her eyes to slits. The light around her seemed to run and hide, which brought shadows to cloak her. Tiny flames danced in her pupils. “I didn’t do that. Calm the fuck down, Kerrigan.”
“I don’t do calm.” The glow in her eyes, faded though, and she closed them with a huff. “There’s a video game, with the Queen of Blades?”
“‘Course you do. No such thing as a jittery sniper.” The shadows around Gaz settled, and she smiled. “Yeah. I can give you a copy if you want.”
“I’m not sure if I want to know.” She had the impression there was more. She’d dreamed of that vision, after all. But learning about it? Could she handle it? Did she want to? Without wanting to kill the bastards that made a game about her life?
“Probably for the best. Your eyes are rad, by the way.” Gaz put her iPod into her pocket, leaning against the jungle gym.
“....thanks.” That seemed to calm Kerrigan done some more, and her mood started to improve again. She realized she could be ultra swingy.
“Don’t worry, I’m not an enemy,” Gaz chuckled. “I’ve got some hinky shit from my dreams too.”
“I just feel kind of used.” Kerrigan leaned against the jungle gym. “I didn’t really need anything to help make the anger issues worse.”
“Maybe your dreams are part of a collective. Mine are too stupid to be totally my own.” Gaz wrinkled her nose.
“...Jimmy could be out there? Or Mengsk....” If pure, unadulterated rage could be shared, Kerrigan was sharing it right then.
Gaz was a bit immune to rage, especially since her own powers fueled off of her own. “Sorry.”
Kerigan closed her eyes, and shunted the anger away to other parts of her mind to stew over later. “Not your fault. What kind of game is it?”
“Strategy. Military takeover. What else would it be?”
She chuckled, though the sound was without humor. “I guess that makes sense. Grand armies clashing over resources.”
“Basically.” Gaz smiled weakly. She saw how upset the other woman seemed. “We don’t have to talk about it.”
“Thanks...I’m sorry if I’m disturbing your calms. I have that effect on people.”
“Nah, I’m fine. I’m more worried about you.”
She smiled tightly. “I’ve got..some friends who help. And a boyfriend. Not that he’s the end all and be all but...it helps.”
“Really? What’s he like?” Gaz grins and squeezes Sarah’s hand, smiling brightly.
“Wise and strong, a little on the naughty side. He’s older, but it’s really hard to tell.” Iroh was well built, which Kerrigan liked, an she always did have a thing for older men...
“My boyfriend’s in his fifties, I don’t care. Older’s better when it comes to men. They don’t outgrow their stupid until their forties.” Gaz grinned.
“I feel less bad about mine being in his fifties, then.” She’d have to agree about outgrowing their stupid.
“Yeah, don’t.” Gaz held out a fist for the other woman to bump.
Sarah held her fist out, giving Gas a bump. Evil bitches unite!