Howard Bassem (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
iselldrugstothecommunity) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
trans_92011-10-27 12:11 pm
iselldrugstothecommunity) wrote in trans_92011-10-27 12:11 pm
Entry tags:
But Sooner Or Later God'll Cut You Down [Open]
'Running away' is, in Howard's opinion, the most useful thing the human body can do. And unfortunately, he has plenty of reasons to think it will come in handy at some point, or at various points, in the future.
That's why he's set up a 400 yard circular track-slash-obstacle course in Hydroponics, as well as set up markers for hundred meter, two hundred meter, and mile routes. Every other morning, before Med Bay shifts, he's here, improving on speed and stamina. He knows full well that even if he gets into the best shape of his life, he can still be outrun (or outflown) by his super-powered, magical or metahuman peers, but it's better to have that added little bit of competence if and when he ends up sprinting away from danger.
He's feeling the results, too. There's no way to time if he's getting faster, but where he was once just skinny, he's becoming lean, and the mile run that used to exhaust him leaves him considerably less winded than it did a few months ago. And he's getting much more confident going through the tunnels and up the ladders of the obstacle course.
The only thing looking worse for the wear is his shoes. At some point he's going to have to relegate his velociraptor shoes to a beloved keepsake, because the seams are literally coming apart around his toes.
Howard double-knots his shoelaces and stretches a bit before running the obstacle course again.
That's why he's set up a 400 yard circular track-slash-obstacle course in Hydroponics, as well as set up markers for hundred meter, two hundred meter, and mile routes. Every other morning, before Med Bay shifts, he's here, improving on speed and stamina. He knows full well that even if he gets into the best shape of his life, he can still be outrun (or outflown) by his super-powered, magical or metahuman peers, but it's better to have that added little bit of competence if and when he ends up sprinting away from danger.
He's feeling the results, too. There's no way to time if he's getting faster, but where he was once just skinny, he's becoming lean, and the mile run that used to exhaust him leaves him considerably less winded than it did a few months ago. And he's getting much more confident going through the tunnels and up the ladders of the obstacle course.
The only thing looking worse for the wear is his shoes. At some point he's going to have to relegate his velociraptor shoes to a beloved keepsake, because the seams are literally coming apart around his toes.
Howard double-knots his shoelaces and stretches a bit before running the obstacle course again.
Make up anything about the cows!
He tends to use hostility and defensiveness as a countermeasure to the attacks he sees as potentials. If everyone's a foe, hurt them first, so they can't hurt you with as much force.
He leads her through a clearing to where the cows are. "They're these guys. I milk the oreo-looking ones. The brown ones look a little intimidating. Like they want to squish me."
Anything? You may regret that. :P
As she looked out at the cows, her eyes opened wide. The animals did indeed look like normal earth cows even if they did have two too many legs. "They're pretty," she murmured as she walked over to them slowly. She didn't know how skittish they might be, although if they were milked often then they should be relatively used to humans. Well, at least the ones that looked like "oreos" as Howard had described them.
She cooed a mix of compliments and nonsense words softly as she approached one of the black and white cows, a smaller one compared to the rest of the herd. The cow in question watched Cassie for a few minutes before dropping her head back to the ground to return to grazing. Given the lack of fear in the reaction, these cows had obviously been socialized well.
A brown cow stood nearby, appearing to ignore her, but Cassie could see the way the cow had tensed as she'd gotten close. "Hi beautiful," she murmured as she took another step towards the cow, approaching cautiously and speaking continuously in comforting tones. The cow lifted her head to watch as Cassie got closer, her nostrils flaring a bit, but she did nothing else in response. "Good girl," Cassie smiled as she managed to get close enough to gently stroke the cow's neck gently. It took several minutes, but she could see the cow relax finally.
"Why don't you come on over?" she called softly to Howard, careful not to startle the cow. "This one seems pretty friendly, just a bit more skittish than the others. They probably aren't as used to being handled."
Re: Anything? You may regret that. :P
He stays a few yards back from the cows; he suspects that those things can charge, and naturally Cassie has to mingle with those awful brown cows instead of just sticking to the placid oreo cows. Sometimes he wonders how Cassie survives; either she knows something he doesn't about not getting killed on risks, or she's insanely lucky. One of the brown cows fixes Howard with a googly-eyed stare that he can only interpret as threatening.
He is, however, observing what Cassie's doing. He's always been good at picking things up by watching, and while he's fine with the black and white cows that brown one scares him. Then again, most things scare him.
He gives her a look, but he slowly approaches the cow. "If I get stampeded by a moo cow, it's over between us."
no subject
"You don't really think that I'd bring you over here if I thought there was any danger, do you?" she asked quietly when Howard was close enough to easily speak to again. "You'll find that many animals are more afraid of you then you are of them, especially when they don't have enough exposure to humans. We can be a frightening species." Her eyes darkened as she said spoke and she was surprised by the bitterness in her own voice as she hadn't intended it, but she also couldn't bring herself to take back her words. The truth was that she meant what she said. The horrors of war, the reckless destruction of the natural environment that sustained them all, and the careless disregard for the lives of all living creatures... It wasn't true of all humans and, in truth, she liked and chose to believe that it wasn't true of most people, but it remained a fact even if she didn't like to dwell on it.
"It's often just a matter of recognizing the signs of that fear and responding accordingly," she instructed as she finally pulled her attention back to the topic at hand. "If fear is the issue, then often the answer is just to let them know that you're no threat. Why don't you try saying hello to our new friend here? Try to keep your voice as gentle and non-threatening as you can."
no subject
He walks softly, so his feet barely make any noise against the grassy floor. He's surprised, too, by the bitterness. Sometimes it catches him off guard that she's a veteran. The sourness in her voice seems more believable to him than the amiable exterior.
"Hi, cow," he says under his breath. Fear. Fear makes the world go round. Everything's a threat, doesn't Cassie know that?
no subject
Still, she meant it with all her heart when she told him that she wanted only the best for him.
"You may not believe me, but I don't mean you any harm, Howard," she smiled weakly at him, her voice soft. "I don't expect you to take me at my word though. Words can be too easily ignored."
Cassie shook her head, a frown flickering across her face and sadness entering her eyes. She wished that she could deny Howard's statement in it's entirety, but she couldn't. Not after she'd seen the darker side of life. On the other hand though, she'd seen the brighter side of it too and that was the part that she held onto as best she could. "Sometimes, yes, but... but not always. Not always."
She smiled at Howard as he said hello to the cow, watching as the animal's ears flicked forward at the new voice. "Maybe we should come up with a name for her, so that we don't have to keep calling her 'cow'. We used to name the animals that we took care of in my father's clinic." Cassie knew fear and she understood that she was asking a lot of Howard now, but she was glad that he was willing to extend at least this must trust. She continued to pet the brown cow, who was eying Howard with more curiosity now rather than fear. Cassie made a point of continuing her efforts throughout to soothe the animal just as a precaution to keep the cow calm though. Although she didn't expect it, this could still go wrong if either Howard or the brown cow panicked. "Why don't you let her sniff your hand so that she can catch your scent? Then if she seems calm enough and you feel comfortable enough, go ahead and pet her neck like I am. She's a friendly cow, just a bit nervous."
no subject
And humanity is ugly. "Sometimes is often enough for me."
Howard rolls his eyes at Cassie's insistence on naming it. He holds his hand out, though, and lets the cow sniff it with those big damp nostrils. He uses his other hand to pet it. "Hello, Burger."
no subject
No, she couldn't fault him for his suspicions and she wouldn't argue. "I understand."
Cassie preferred to be a glass half-full kind of person, even if she didn't always succeed. Sometimes humanity could beautiful too. "If you assume the worst, then that's all you ever see. At least that's been my experience," she mused.
"Burger?" It... wasn't what she'd had in mind, but she had left it to Howard and she wouldn't discourage him by showing any disapproval. At least he'd given the animal a name and he seemed to be a bit more comfortable around the brown cow, which was a step in the right direction. "Okay then. Burger it is."
Smiling at the cow, she patted its neck softly. "What do you think, Burger? Do you like your new name?"
no subject
He looks like he's trying to find the right words and just getting frustrated. Maybe he could write it down. He's always been better in writing than just talking, but he'd never actually show anyone what he does. He's been working on some short stories late at night.
"That one's Worcestershire and the other one's Ribeye. Maybe this one over here is Babyback." He points to the others, clearly feeling encouraged that Cassie's rolling with it.
no subject
"Okay," she agreed with a smile, motioning to two different cows. "Then how about we name that brown one over there Rose and that black and white one by the fence Patches?" The cows can be named after things that are not meat based products, Howard. Really.
no subject
He shakes his head. "Nope. Au Jus and Tenderloin. And that one over there is Hollandaise. My herd of cows, my rules."