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[gotup]

action/text/pictures/whatever I'm easy

something less lazy coming in another two years

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[myheartglows]

[ tony glances down. isn't a swishing tail a sign of irritation? not to mention that tone. with a deep breath, he makes what might possibly be the stupidest decision of his soon-to-be-over life: he reaches up both hands, the helmet hisses and unlocks, and he bares his unprotected head. his hair is matted flat to his forehead (helmet hair, maybe he should start keeping it shorter?), and he's more cleaned up than when the gion last saw him, but his face with the circular white-blue light in his chest should connect the last of the dots. man, tony really hopes this is the same gion and not a pride-mate or something. ]

You're the one who helped me, aren't you? [ he asks, meeting the gion's eyes, his own widened in awe. i really didn't dream it. ] About two months ago, in the desert in Afghanistan. It was you.

[gotup]

[As the man moves, he tenses, first out of caution, then from shock - he'd honestly never expected to see him again, even if he'd survived the desert. He leans in closer to sniff - not that he really needs to, but he does anyway - and, yes, the scent is the same.

Fuck, he thinks, and his heart sinks. He'd remembered and come back. After all these years of caution, it really did only take one act of kindness in the end. His ears press close to his head as his thoughts race. (He could crush his skull like a melon in one bite. Humans are so small, so fragile.)

He moves back slowly, forces himself to relax a little. (He's not going to kill him. He can't.)]

It was, [he confirms. Doesn't even think about lying, because what good would it do?]

You weren't supposed to remember me, [he adds, voice quieter as he glances away.]

[myheartglows]

[ the strength of the sniff lifts part of tony's hair. briefly startled, he bears with it, then mirrors the gion's tension, gripping the helmet tighter, face dropping the awe for guarded wariness. (he can kick out with the thrusters to make space, get the helmet back on...) he's made poor character judgments before after all, one very recently. his trust is in short supply these days. but the gion backs down, and tony follows suit, relaxing as well. ]

And I'm not supposed to be alive, but here we are. [ he slides the helmet back on. it locks into place, the plates shifting together, eyes renewing their glow, and the speakers mechanizing his voice. ] You got somewhere we can talk? This area's about to be teeming with American and Pakistani troops and I take it you're a little camera shy.

[gotup]

[He bares his teeth and his chest rumbles with an irritated growl. Of course he's bringing troops down on him, and who knows how long they'll stick around, and how closely they'll examine the surrounding terrain. After this man leaves, he'll have to seriously think about leaving, and all of the work he's done over the years will be ruined, and who even knows how he'll find another place this uninhabited-

One thought at a time, he reminds himself. He's survived this long, surely he can make it through this.]

I'll wait for you at the entrance.

[He picks up the packs he's filled and slings them over one shoulder, meandering slowly back to the entrance to the caves to wait; once they get started and he's outside the cave, he drops down onto all fours in a ground-eating lope. Instead of using one of his smaller nests nearby, he leads the man to his "home" cave - a system not unlike the ones the humans have been moving into, with a water source deep within the mountain and plenty of caves for storage. They don't go very far past the entrance, though.

After he's dropped his burden near a wall, he rummages through one of the packs and takes out a battery-operated lantern and switches it on to give them light.]

Sorry I don't have any coffee to offer you.

[More of that sarcasm - but it's worth noting that the vowels in the word 'coffee' are broad and Brooklyn-esque, betraying a home he can't even remember.]

[myheartglows]

[ tony honestly expects the gion to be gone by the time he finishes canvassing for weapons and he wonders if that wouldn't be the best for the both of them. but to his pleasant surprise, they meet up. in the far distance whirl the blades of two military helicopters, so they steal into the night. tony spurs the suit into low-hanging flight, tracking the gion on his hud. even the king of the jungle's powerful gait can't match the mark iv in the air, so tony pulls tricks to slow down and entertain himself: a spin, barrel rolls, a loop-de-loop. (if rhodey was ever right about anything, it's the joy and privilege of flight.) and–okay, sure, he's showing off, too.

he hovers lower, lighter in his heart, and follows until they reach the entrance, where he cuts off the thrusters. tony clomps alongside his host. inside, he analyzes his surroundings, head tilting. ] I've had worse hospitality, trust me.

[gotup]

[There's not a whole lot in here. Scorch marks on the stone and the leftover bits of fuel show where there's usually a fire, and in one corner, there's a pile of dried grass with an assortment of blankets thrown on top. Near the firepit, there's a large iron cookpot, currently empty.

Intelligent eyes blink at him, flashing gold in the light from the lantern.]

What did you want to talk about?

[myheartglows]

[ that impassive mask stares back at him. then, tony removes his helmet again, holds it under one arm (a more casual stance than before, but just as personal with the eye contact), and says, short and simple and so sincere, ] I owe you.

[gotup]

No, you don't.

[He softens slightly. Whoever he was before, whatever he was, there are some things that run bone-deep. They'd tried to change that, but they hadn't succeeded entirely; free from their control, he clings to the only thing he can be certain about. His morals might not come into question often out here, but when they do, he stands by them.]

You would have died if I'd left you there. I couldn't let that happen.

[myheartglows]

[ of course the gion's noble. of course. tony almost rolls his eyes. ] Not a real strong case for your argument, gotta say. In your own words, I would've died, right? Ergo, I owe you.

[gotup]

Is there a reason why this is relevant?

[He steps to the side for a moments and rummages through the packs, coming up with some jerky of some kind. He makes a face at the plastic it's wrapped in, but rips it open and starts chewing on a couple strips.]

[myheartglows]

[ tony purses his mouth shut. he could say, "thanks for helping me, see you never!" and jet off into the night like the gion so obviously wants, but something else roots tony in place. some need he has trouble articulating. the gion risked his own security to help him, and human contact must be dangerous for him if he's staying so hidden. tony can guess why–word gets out, and everything from cat enthusiasts to nat-geo would be on him. hell, the world would be. the gion just wants to j.d. salinger his way through life. yet he helped tony anyway, and here they are again meeting by complete chance. it has to mean something. doesn't it?

don't waste your life.

after a period of silence, tony motions to the packs, his tone lower, chastised. ] ... You need food? [ jerky can't be enough for the gion's size. he should be eating, like, a whole antelope. how much big game is out here? ]

[gotup]

It never hurts to have it. I eat a lot, and it helps stretch things out.

[Never having quite enough to eat seems like a natural state of being to him. He has enough to survive, but more than that? He can't remember ever having enough.]

There are sheep and goats, [he offers awkwardly.] Small deer. I've killed bears a few times. I move around a lot, to keep from depleting the resources. If I have to, I take from the herds, but- it doesn't seem right. Folks out here work hard enough for what they have without having something like me steal from them.

[There are those damn morals of his again. To say nothing of the fact that a large predator depleting the herds at the rate he could - much more than the area's few natural predators - would certainly draw notice. He can't remove all traces of his presence.]

I don't exactly talk to many people, [he adds with a certain self-conscious wry tone, well aware of how awkward he sounds right now.]

[myheartglows]

[ for the first time, tony wonders if the lone ranger act for the gion is a choice or a necessity and simple fact of life. either way, an idea is forming. a crazy one, but he's had crazier, and recently, too.) ] Any others like you?

[gotup]

[He shakes his head, and his mane moves slightly with the motion.]

Just me.

[It's not totally impossible that they'd made other hybrids that he'd never found out about, but it's unlikely, or so he thinks.]

I'd hope anyone else would have the sense to live somewhere warmer.

[Because it gets damn cold up here sometimes - not as cold as Siberia, but there are times when he has to huddle under furs to stay warm.

(He's considered just letting the cold take him before, but he's not sure it would kill him, and it's not worth the risk.)]

[myheartglows]

No kidding, [ tony mumbles, mainly to himself, eyes drifting to the cave walls and mind drifting with them: in it he's wrapped up in tattered wool and scratchy blankets in front of a coal fire. he turns away to break himself out of it (doesn't like to dwell); the memory clears like smoke and he's the wind. affecting casual, tony observes the gion's nest. ] So, would you? If you could?

[ direct again, to the gion: ] Live someplace warmer?

[gotup]

Oh, sure, maybe I could have a nice cattle ranch in Texas.

[Not that he's being sarcastic or anything. Not him!]

Hard for me to get anywhere else without being noticed. I don't exactly blend in.

[The jungles of southeast Asia aren't a total impossibility, but they don't have the sheer desolation he's found here. It's borderline inhabitable for humans, which makes it perfect for his needs.]

So it's kind of a moot point.

[myheartglows]

[ tony's head tilts. the gion has some decidedly human knowledge and characteristics. was he around humans before? maybe captured, separated from his species? (was he human before?) ] I was thinking more ... private island-y. But you're right. Transport would be tricky. If only you knew someone with a multitude of connections and, let's say, a private jet.

[gotup]

[Of course he connects the dots. It's not exactly hard. But his eyes narrow warily, and the tip of his tail twitches.]

There's nothing to keep you from using me.

[He thinks about being shut up, being forced to kill, and his muscles tense slightly.]

[myheartglows]

Fair. [ eyes aside, they gain a distant quality, until with a blink tony picks himself back up, the levity just a bit too forced. ] I wouldn't trust anyone either in your ... fur.

[gotup]

It'd have to be a damn big island, anyway, to sustain a large enough population of animals for me to eat.

[His tone is almost apologetic. It's a kind offer, if it's real, but - well, that's the problem. Something about accepting charity sits wrong with him, even if he doesn't know why.]

[myheartglows]

Could merge it with your cattle ranch idea, [ tony throws back, seemingly earnest, but knowing full well it was sarcasm. ] Honestly, I'm just spitballin' here, [ he admits as he eases himself down onto a convenient boulder with a grunt. the helmet he rests by his feet. ] I'm not sure what to do.

[gotup]

I told you, you don't owe me anything.

[Especially not when an apparent gift could be so easily turned around on him. Once he's in a plane, he's as good as trapped.]

Nowhere to land a plane around here, anyway.

[Which is pretty obvious, but he feels obligated to point that out.]

Look, I was here a long time before I found you in the desert, and I'll be here after you leave. You don't need to worry about me; I can take care of myself.

[myheartglows]

[ in the dark of the cave, only moon- and starlight spilling inside, tony tries to read answers from him. but whatever the gion's story is and whatever happens from here, the one thing tony knows for sure is this: ] You took a risk on helping me, [ he states head-on, solemn and resolute. then his eyes drop; what follows makes him too vulnerable. ] Maybe it didn't mean anything to you, but it does to me. I can't just let it lie. [ even if he maybe should. ]

[gotup]

[He tilts his head slightly, and the light catches his golden eyes.]

I've never helped a human in the entire time I've been out here. It's not that it doesn't mean anything, it's that I'm worried about what you might do to me. I don't live out here because I like it, I live out here because it's safe.

[Safe for him, safe for the people he might be forced to kill otherwise. It's win-win.]

[myheartglows]

And how's that been treating you?

[ lots of cold, empty nights, tony imagines and better than people might think. sure you can sleep at night secure in your place in the world but you'll still wake up with nothing. ]