Comfort Food (Pregame 2 LA, Cafeteria)

[John Slaktare]

"Hatchet's probably not ideal. I like em, but that is a preference. It's not cause they are great. Maybe battle fists?"

He shrugs at that.

"But if ya make it capable of fighting up close, I think it's important to think about weapon layout. I hate that my hatchet gets in the way of one of my lasers. If you got melee options, best to make it so you can use em with all other weapons."

[Hrafnhildur Ylfasdottir]

"Hmm...I got some research to do I think. But this is defi...defin...defifinitely a good start. Hey now, good thing I got you to help out with this bashing stuff. Let me make that a note here...no hatchet in the way of lasers. Good point. This here is a real work in progress but I'm excited big time. I'm glad to have shared it with you, Big J."

[John Slaktare]

"Well, I can't do a whole lot. But I'll always try if you ask. Got any plans for later on? Doing anything interesting in preparation for the mission?"

[Hrafnhildur Ylfasdottir]

"No plans.for me, other than to give some equipment another look over. I want to be able to eat off those gears." She closed her notebook for now, looking at it with a smile. There was a lot of new great stuff in it now. "This is the time I would be volunteering to go out and help with some of my explosives only to be said no to. I wonder if I should even try this time. Nah, I'll save the time but the next time I will. Yup, you never know, one day they might send little Hrafnhildur out there to see what she can do. Maybe. Probably not. But hey I can ask all I want. Gotta keep working in this stuff anyway." With that last part she tapped her finger onto her well worn notebook. Said notebook went back into the bag slung across her body.

"How about you? You got anything you do to get ready for this stuff? How does the J Man get his mind ready to go?"

[John Slaktare]

"If you end up going out there, let me know. I'll come with to cover your back. Can't let anything happen to the best mechtech around here." He looks at her for a long moment before squeezing the food pouches into a ball.

"And I am always ready to head out there. I could roll out of bed in the morning and into battle. Though it don't hurt to get in some exercise the evening before a fight. Get some testosterone going and make sure the muscles are ready to go. And a heavy meal for plenty of energy."

[Hrafnhildur Ylfasdottir]

"You'll be the first person I bring the good news to!" Her cheeks turned a slight red at the compliment, not many people have called her the best. Effective, yes. Adept, sure even though she wasn't quite sure on the meaning. But not the best. Whether or not John was just saying that didn't even cross her mind, to her he meant it.

Her eyes met his and she smiled big before tilting her head. "Tess-toss-da-rome? Is that some muscle juice you mech peeps drink to get ready? Oh! Does it taste like watermelon? Does it taste like grape? I like strawberries myself, so if I was out there piloting I'd like my tess-toss-da-rome juice to be strawberry flavored." Part of her wanted to reach back for her notebook to right the name down as best as she could to do some reasearch on it but she figured she could remember it for later.

"Do you want me to set up a speaker system in your cockpit so you can listen to your music when you kick butt?"

[John Slaktare]

He notices the blush. And if he were the smiling type he probably would at how cute it was that she got embarrassed.

Then he thinks for a moment to try and explain. "Testosterone's a hormone, a body chemical, that makes you stronger. Guys got a lot of it. Always was told for sports and training that there's things you can do to increase it. Like exercise and eating meat and fat. So you don't drink it." Other things too, but... he doesn't go there.

"I don't like distractions in the cockpit really. Like stuff to be more functional personally. But good speakers would be good for comms."

[Hrafnhildur Ylfasdottir]

"Interestin'. Tess-toss-da-rome. Very interestin'." Hrafna had almost completely recovered from her blush but she still felt like she ears were hot. "I gotta get me some of that. This way I won't have to ask for help when I need to carry the heavy boxes. Imagine that, little Hrafnhildur liftin' those boxes way up over her head. Now I just gotta find a sport to play, meat to eat, and weights to lift. Hoo boy, look out Big J. Now I'm as small as a postage stamp, but soon I'll be as big as a tractor.
Then we'll arm wrestle."

[John Slaktare]

"Well, it ain't exactly like that, but kinda. But if you're working on increasing testosterone as a woman, it might make you get more muscles and more hair and stuff like that. Make you look a little more like a guy," he says, no judgement or discouragement, just informing.

"Like I've told you before, you're always free to join me at the gym. I'll get you stronger in no time. And I wouldn't mind some more time hanging with you. You're easy to talk to."

[Hrafnhildur Ylfasdottir]

"Oh...well...thank you. I enjoy sittin' around and just talking with you. You haven't said one of my ideas is wild or crazy or unfistable...um...unsneezable...wait...un-feez-table like a lot of others. It's nice." She looked down at the table and tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. They wouldn't stay there long before she would have to do it again. "I wouldn't want to slow you don't in that gym but I'd love to go with you some time.

[John Slaktare]

"I wouldn't have any idea what is unfeasible. If you say it's possible then I believe you," he says. He watches her tuck the loose hair...one might say intently.

"You won't slow me down. Folks work out together at different levels all the time. I will use different weight for the same exercises so it's all good."

[Hrafnhildur Ylfasdottir]

The redness in her cheeks was back and her ears felt hot again. "Good to know I got some backin' in you." Hrafna looked at the table as she spoke, her usual enthusiasm subdued for once. "Ah, there are some ideas that we share in this notebook of mine now. Good heads together, right?"

Her eyes went from the table to her slender arms. Let's pump some of that iron together. I think I would enjoy that."

[John Slaktare]

"Some real good ideas," Butcher agrees with a nod. He goes back in his head and reviews the ideas.

And then starts picturing some of them. A family farm with her... working and talking and everything that goes into it. And then the idea that a family farm needs a family. And then images of his grandmother and thoughts of others he might choose to care for suffering and dying while he can't do anything. Then Butcher shuts all of it down, convincing himself that caring for or letting someone care for him is a dumb imaginary thing anyway.

Throughout all of his mental gymnastics he fiddles with the trash food pouches. He looks back up at her and nods.

"I'm looking forward to it," he says, the shift in her attitude noted but not reacted to. "We'll have some fun and work hard. Good times."

[Hrafnhildur Ylfasdottir]

Well now Big J, I should be headin' off. I think I talked your ear right off the side of your head and onto the floor. But it was nice to have the time to do just that." Letting herself float near the table for a few seconds she finally looked up at him. "You. Me. Gym. We'll lift heavy triangle weights like those strong men in the carnivals back home. Good? Good. I'm already looking forward to it."

And with that the small engineer pushed herself off of the table and in the direct of the door. She did spin herself around to give John a quick smile and wave as the momentum took her away.

(Thank you for an awesome scene!)

[John Slaktare]

"Good. See you then," he replied with a small wave of his own, watching her leave.

/Scene