trans_9 | Whistle While You Work: [Open]

There was a problem with having big, massive battles that encompassed the entire ship, aside from the whole 'OMG We're Gonna DIE!' thing. The problem: Someone had to clean up after it.

After the battlefields of World War II had disappeared, after the Nightmare King had been destroyed, and after the pissed off bald kid had dropped a damn hurricane into the ship, the city was littered with rubble and debris. Broken sections of buildings lay on the ground, blocking entire streets. Shattered glass threatened to cut open the plant suits--of those still wearing them--and lodge themselves in people's feet. And then there was the dust that had been kicked up by the winds and still hadn't come down. It was a disaster.

But someone had to clean it up--or at least try--and someone was. Sawyer, equipped with shovels, some brooms, rakes, and a couple of wheelbarrows that he'd found in a garden shed in the Vatican, was down in the city getting to the business of cleaning up the mess. With the heat of the city coupled with the physical exertion and the dust in the air, he'd long ago ripped off the top of his plant suit and wrapped it around his nose and mouth in an effort to keep the dust particles from getting into his lungs.

It was a dirty business, but someone had to do it. Although, some help wouldn't hurt.

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"Yeah, well, it's a damn shame it was here at all," Sawyer replied between pants of exertion. "Or us for that matter."

The boulder gets stuck, briefly, on a smaller rock. Mulan leans her full weight into it - "Yeah - well - not a lot we can do - about that. Gah!"

Over it rolls.

"Except go on, I guess."

"Guess--not," he said, helping her--but what he thought was a him--push the boulder up against a pile of similar ones. Standing back, he took took a moment to catch his breath, his chest heaving, then wiped off beads of sweat from his nose with his forearm and turned to start on the next one. "So, what's yer name, rice paddy?"

Uh . . . that's a lot of sweaty shirtless man. Mulan has to look somewhere to the left of his shoulders, rather than at Sawyer's face (or pecs). This is highly inappropriate, a young woman like herself, betrothed to an honorable captain and speaking to and working with a man with no shirt on.

"Fa Mulan. Er-" she blushes slightly. "It . . . might have escaped your notice, but I'm a woman, so . . ."

So maybe you should put your shirt on, she doesn't say, assuming he'll figure it out on his own, and not wanting to embarrass him.

"Wha...?" he said.

He sized her up quickly, taking in the loose-fitting clothing, the facial features, which didn't help much since she was Asian and they kinda had soft features anyway--or maybe Sawyer was just one of those 'you all look alike' people. "Seriously?"

"So, you might want to . . . put your shirt back on."

Since he isn't making the connection.

"Huh?"

He looked down at his exposed chest, then back at the 'girl' who'd been helping him out, a bewildered expression on his face. "Why? It's hot."

Well that's . . . one of the reasons, Sawyer.

"It's . . . perhaps a little improper." She blushes, having to call attention to this.

"Im--," Sawyer began but interrupted himself. The confused expression disappeared and was replaced by a knowing, amused grin.

"Hold on a tick," hesaid as he sauntered over to her (he might even be flexing his pecs a little bit) and looked down at the smaller-framed Mulan. "You're checkin' me out, ain't ya?"

Ahh! Seduction!

"Sir-I-am-engaged-and-this-is-highly-inappropriate!" Also her fiance can beat him up. Probably. Maybe.

NOW she knows why she likes her gender-neutral identity so much! It prevents stuff like this from happening!

Seduction, wha...? No, Mulan, he's just puttin' you on the spot for doing what you're doing.

"Well, no kiddin'," Sawyer answered. There was a little bit of 'duh' to his tone as he agreed with the flustered Chinese woman. "What you doin' makin' googly eyes at me if ya already got yourself a man, rice paddy?"

Oh well now you've got her mad.

"I am not making googly eyes at you! I am trying to help clean up the city and now you are interfering by being improper. Forgive me for thinking maybe you wouldn't WANT to be half-naked in front of an unknown, engaged woman! And in fact I do NOT want to see that, because I saw enough of it already in the army!"

Disloyal to Shang? She'd rather die!

"Aww, hell, Crouching Tiger, I been a lot more naked in front of a lot more committed women in my life," Sawyer answered. Who was the guy who made a living sleeping with married women to con them and their husbands out of a lot of money? Oh yeah, that was Sawyer.

"But if it makes you that uncomfortable, then fine I'll put the damn shirt back on and just sweat myself to high heaven. Hell, I wouldn't wanna offend your delicate sensibilities now would I?" He's might just be mocking her. Maybe. A little. Yeah, ok, he is.

Whistle While You Work: [Open]

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