trans_9 | Cranston For Hire [Open!]

Entry tags:

Cranston For Hire [Open!]

It was once again time for Billy to assess the progress being made in this seemingly endless war with tasks and deadlines. So far, reorganization of the Engineering department was about 25% complete. Not terrible for a day's work, but he could certainly do better. Several projects were stalled pending discussion from the involved parties. His social time and interactions with the Rangers had taken a hit due to all of this.

Though he was following his orders to take more resting time during the day and having fun with Ronnae on many of the nights, nothing stopped him from taking on more than enough work to fill the compressed schedule.

Today's work: Supervising the new structure and performing odd jobs around the ship. Repairs were going well in the hangar, Neuropathy needed to be left alone, infrastructure was busy in the City. He visited wherever he could and lent a hand to each, struggling to find time for what he wanted to do in secret: move his personal belongings to his girlfriend's house.

As Billy wandered back and forth throughout the day, a stuffed backpack always accompanied him. Throughout the day, the loaded-down teenager made trips between a number of places on the upper levels and a particular house in the City. Distracted as he was with the constant juggling of omnicom, comm ring, tools, and items, he eventually wore himself out.

Where he ended up shouldn't be a surprise: in the city park, fast asleep, sprawled across an assortment of odd items. Somehow, he'd note when he woke up, he doubted this was what had been meant by the recommendation for 'personal time'.

((ooc: The two location tags basically mean you can catch him anywhere: asleep with shiny stuff to steal or rushing back and forth between the different areas of the ship. Just make a note of where you found him.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Mhm, we're good. Besides, lots better cause cocoa makes everything better! And cookies, can't forget cookies." She said in her cheery mood, grabbing a cookie and taking a small bite out of it happily.

"Just needs blankets and a fireplace," Billy added nostalgically, leaning back onto the couch and taking a sip. She was excellent at this.

"It's a fine selection of comfort foods. I haven't had these for a long time," he smiled, chewing a cookie oh so slowly. The next one wouldn't be coming for a long time, so it was best to savor it while it lasted.

"Cookie?" Katara went into the jar and pulled out one of these cookies that these guys were talking about. It looked harmless enough, though it reminded her a little of that horrible doughy thing they had to eat on Avatar day.

She chewed thoughtfully, then smiled. "Hey, this is delicious! Thanks Ronnae, its definitely a treat!" Who knew when they'd be able to have comfort food again? "Blankets are easy enough, but I'd definitely help with building a fireplace. We could get a few people over to help even!"

She smiled happily as all three enjoyed their snacks. She was really happy that her damage control skills hadn't rusted. She took a nice low sip of her cocoa, closing her eyes as she remembered how one of her mothers would teach her how to cook when she came home crying or upset.

She never asked questions and always told her she could talk when she was ready. Instead she'd teach her a new dish each day... She regrets not being ready ever to talk... It was too much. But her mom always made her feel so much better. She smiled into the last bit of the sip she was taking and lowered it, taking another small bite of the cookie instead.

"It would be nice to have a hang out spot, speaking of which. You know Katara, there's plenty of abandoned houses on this street. When I first discovered this house with Billy, we thought it would be amazing if a small community grew here. With people claiming a different house and such."

Billy nodded. "Yeah, that was when I believed we'd be living in separate houses and remaining friends," he added with a wink. "But that just leaves more housing space available for everyone else, right?"

When the snacks were done, he leaned down and rummaged through the bags he'd been bringing all day. Aha! Blankets. He tossed one to the girls, tucking the other around himself.

"This feels like a place for storytelling." Odd comment, maybe, but...it was true. Cozy and comfortable.

Katara fidgeted a little. A room at the Outsider's hotel was one thing: it was small, quiet, enough for her. But being in a house by herself was a little too much for her to think about. She would have liked to suggest it to Sokka, but she felt a little estranged from him, that she had invited discord with her brother. Why should he want to room with her?

Why would anyone?

She wiped her eyes. "It would be nice," she said, talking the opposite of how she felt. "Just have people who are friends helping each other out. I'd like that. I just...sort of don;t know where I'd fit in. It might be better for me to stay at the hotel. The room is small, adequate enough."

It didn't feel as empty as a house would.

Ronnae frowned slightly looking at her curiously. "I'm sorry... I mean you could take the house next to mine and Kosi's if you felt you'd be alone. We'd be a shout away... But maybe I'm off base here. You might want your privacy! Errr.... Ummm I am totally off base here aren't I?" She hid under her covers feeling so dumb. Her face burned at her embarrassment.

Billy sighed. They still had issues to work through, it seemed, but they would accomplish this somehow.

"I understand if you feel better staying there," Billy said slowly, "and I'm definitely not pushing you to move. I want you to find the place where you're happiest. We might even be able to build it if it doesn't already exist."

After a moments' thought, he stood and walked behind the other couch, squeezing Katara's shoulder.

Katara sighed, smiling. "I don't mean to get you guys down. I'd love to be around you, to hang out when we could, talk about things. It's just...the idea of sleeping in an empty house when I shared it with my brother or with the people I traveled with would be torture. It really is a wonderful idea. I'd love to be around the both of you."

She hadn't met Kosi, so who knew?

"Privacy? No, that wouldn't be a problem. Aside from bathing or dressing, I don't really have a need for privacy."

And she stayed hidden, nodding her head under the covers. "Understandable." Yup, she was safe. It was her blanket armor! Fear it! FEAR IT!

Billy nodded, giving Katara a brief hug around the shoulders. "I think I understand. It's all right, Katara."

He shuffled over to Ronnie's position then, eying the moving blanket armor with some amused suspicion. "Something wrong, Miss Blanket?"

She hugged Billy back. "I knew you would," she said softly. "Thank you."

She laughed lightly. Ronnae was definitely strong in her own way, but sometimes she had this really timid way that she (and she was sure Billy did too) found so endearing. She kissed Ronnae lightly on top of her head.

"Yeah. Face it: I love you guys, both of you."

"Miss blanket cannot be bothered at the moment. She's too busy being dumb. Please come back when the world needs a ditz, thank you!" She couldn't help but giggle under the blanket. She loved playing around. Shove acting your age! Her siblings always told her to act how she pleased as long as it made her happy. And right now she just felt playful.

After turning to squeeze Katara warmly, Billy performed his couch-leaping maneuver again, sitting beside the blanket. This called for a drastic measure. If she was so absorbed in that state that Katara's kiss wasn't even a blip on the radar, maybe he could help.

He slid closer, wrapping his arm around the blanket's shoulders. "Alright, I'll leave this message for Miss Blanket: she's a wonderful woman, certainly not dumb, and loved by both of us."

She smiled. The two of them were really cute together, she couldn't help but watch them in admiration. Yes, she knew that there was an ache for something like that with Aang, but if she couldn't have that, she could at least see that magic with people she cared about. It was so warm and inviting, watching the two of them together.

"If Miss blanket doesn't watch out, she might get paid a visit from Ms. Tickle!" Katara said, her hands reaching out threatening. Maturity, what?

Oh shiz! One of her biggest weaknesses! She squirmed but to no avail, Billy had just wrapped his arm around her and was also sitting on her blanket! It's a trap! "N-no th-that's fine! No tickles needed here! In fact! It's very bad to tickle blanket people. They might ummmm blow up!" Yup who needs maturity when you have good friends?

Billy grinned, winking at Katara where Ronnie couldn't see them. Oh, the Water Tribe girl was good.

"None of my research has indicated that that is the case," Billy said rather solemnly, his fingers slowly walking down Ronnie's back. "In fact, the probability is so low that I can recommend a test."

And after a second's suspenseful pause, he was tickling her sides! Through the blanket and clothing, reducing the effectiveness of the maneuver, but it was his best shot.

Katara nodded. "Oh, he's quite right, Ronnae. If I trust anyone's research when it comes to things like this, its Billy's. He's pretty thorough. I think it might be a good idea if we experiment, just so we understand the response more accurately."

Which equated to Katara attacking her toes and knees with vigor. She knew how to get under the oppressive powers of Ms. Blanket!

And of course, cursing her luck they went to her WEAKEST spots! What the hell were the odds... Her body squirmed a bit impaired due to her own armor becoming trap. Giggle fit after giggle fit she tried to talk. "W-wai-- haha wait! St-st--- hahaha stop! I g-gi---heehee! I give up! I give up!" She squirmed all over and the cheery cute giggle fits could be heard from underneath the covers.

Billy laughed---hearing her like that was sweet, but he started to worry that she might not be able to breathe. One of his hands kept tickling where it was, if slower, but the other worked at starting to peel the blanket from her.

"You're sure?"

Katara followed suit: after all, she didn't want to turn Ronnae into a puddle of goo. In any case, she was laughing too: it felt good to cut loose and be a little immature, she hardly got to do it as much as she liked.

"Do you surrender, Miss blanket?" Katara asked.

"I do I do! Oh gods I do." She laughed trying to squirm out of the blanket. Finally poking her head out with her hair disheveled, she laughed, then made a cute pout. "Meanies..." She stuck her small tongue out at them.

Billy laughed at her pout, still trying to help her out of the blanket. It really made his insides melt.

"That's how Katara and I operate. We've both been trained in the tickling arts, but we know when to back off."

After Renne? Oh yes, they'd better be pretty good at their tickling arts. She gave Billy a knowing look here, and quietly tapped his fist in acknowledgment.

And yes, her pouting was incredibly cute. "Hold still, I think miss blanket might have mussed you a bit."

She brought out a brush and started on her, making sure to keep her hair in place.

Ronnae puffed her cheeks in protest but made no move to get out of that spot. "Hrmph..." She was blushing, but it felt really nice to have a fun moment like this. It wasn't a bad thing to wish things were like this more often was it? She hoped not. She rather everyone be happy than anything else.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject