until the devil's turned to dust

The name's Rocco. 50. Brink. Head of Security.

[colony22graphics]

J. ROCCO » NOT SO DENSE BY DEER TICK

Well it’s okay ‘cause the kids are making models of God out of paper mache Why did you ever vow to take the decadent path? ‘Cause you smile like a devil and shut up like a trap Well it’s okay 'cause you fixed your scruff so now you can be properly scragged

[its-rocco]

kxdapaync​:

We both were — I still am — Wiccan. Godless Heathens. [[ Koda jokes with an easy smile. Suvi always loved calling herself that, getting a special sick little thrill whenever anyone easily offended would tsk and gasp at her. ]]

They’re pretty much like any religion’s altars, maybe more decorative? I change ‘em every major Wiccan celebration, depends what Sabbat or season we’re in. [[ He simplifies it a bit, a little self conscious of prattling on for too long when asked a one-word question. Koda could, and would, gladly talk about it in more detail but he’s not some Wiccan Evangelist. ]] I’m sort of rearranging one right now, so, yeah, Karma’s probably going to try another great escape if she gets another whiff of them.

 [[ Then, Rocco’s whistling and giving Karma a sharp command. Koda almost perks up just as much as Karma does. Koda bites back on a laugh, one entirely directed towards himself. He tips back on his feet, almost reluctant to leave Rocco to his lonely little room and Karma who’s watching him with her intense little gaze. ]] I’m not great at being forceful — but I’ll give it a go if she gets loose again. 

🜲

["Godless heathens", that almost gets a laugh out of Rocco. Since he's not a very loud-laughter type of person, it ends up being more of a quiet hum, but the amusement is still there. He doesn't know much about Wiccans -- to be fair, maybe he doesn't know anything at all, not much past thinking they're witches and that's it.]

That sounds interesting, [he says, because he's been told before that sometimes, if he simply stares with squinty eyes, people think he's angry or something. He just has a resting annoyed face, and he's annoyed almost all the time, but not all the time. There's an important distinction there. He's awfully self-aware when a stranger is standing inside his room holding a cat skull.

And he feels bad about startling the kid with his whistle. It's a funny response, but he didn't mean to -- again, he's simply too aware of himself and how he's presenting, all of a sudden. It might be the effect of feeling exposed in his room, or something else Necromancer's energy brings.] Well, it's-- takes some practice, with this one, but she's easy to handle, [he looks down at Karma, more for the sake of looking elsewhere. He bumps the side of his foot against her side lovingly and watches her sigh and angle her nose a bit more towards him. It feels like a quiet little 'yeah, yeah, I know'.] Feel free to call me if she acts up again, though. Sorry that she interrupted your sacred time. And tried to ruin your altar. She's a raging atheist with strong opinions, [that last part is obviously a joke, one he hopes to God it lands, because otherwise he just sounds like one of those insane people who assign human conditions to their dogs beyond what's normal.] 

[its-rocco]

kip-whitmer​: 

to rules | rocco & kip

[One thing about Empatheia, which is not fun for Kip, but probably a relief for those around him, is that fucking with people loses a lot of its appeal. There’s little pleasure to be had in making outrageous comments when you can feel the other person’s disgust. It becomes less funny, and more masochistic.

So Kip feels like he’s gotten about as much enjoyment as he’s likely to out of this particular avenue.] 

Prude. [He grins, but is otherwise happy to focus on his cleaning tasks. That is until a thought strikes him – a thought that he’d missed earlier, when he’d been too busy arguing with Rocco and then making terrible comments about cartoon characters. There’s only a brief moment of quiet before he turns and fixes Rocco with an intent look.] Hey, you’re head of security, right? How much control do you have personally over the security classes? Because I don’t know if all my talk of cartoons and puberty is getting this across, but I’m really not as dangerous as I look – I know, it’s hard to believe. But it seems like bullshit that every time Reflection Hour rolls around, I’m sitting with a group of hardened murderers and criminals, and I’m just… a bit of an asshole. 

[Okay, he’s had a few fist fights in the months he’s been here, but Kip doesn’t think that puts him on the same level as people like Kaiser – who is objectively dangerous. Kip just has a loud bark; his bite really isn’t so bad. It’s possibly a little bold of him to bring this up shortly after losing his temper with Rocco, but he seems like a reasonable guy and he can probably agree that an irritable kid snapping at him isn’t on par with any actually grievous offences.]

.

[Rocco will take the 'prude' comment gladly, if it means it'll stop the kid from ever talking sexual things to him again. He doesn't even bother with a response, figures he's better off keeping quiet from now on, but Stuart Little calls him again.

A small hum leaves him at the first question, and he nods, adjusting the shower temperature to hopefully start washing Karma. He looks over his shoulder at the next question, brows furrowed. He had some power over security classes back in the day, and he still can help it swing this way or that, but the NWRFs had more of the control over that area now. He doesn't think he would go too out of his way to help this guy, who just went off on him and almost got himself a strike, because he doesn't think he'd be able to persuade the NWRF to lower anyone's class, anyway.]

Ah, kid, I don't think I can help, [he offers, and his voice is genuinely weighed down apologetically. Sure, the kid's a bit of a jerk and has issues with authority, and Rocco isn't looking at his files to actually know what he's done or not, but he hardly believes anyone this tiny needs to be locked up with the actual murderers they keep around.] I usually get a say when people first arrive, especially people who have been out in the Wastes, but... I haven't seen them lower anyone's class in a good while. You can always behave -- which you didn't, just now, but I let it slide --, and try to talk to the Head of your House, and they can try to bring your case up to the big guys. I'd personally give you a chance, but I don't know what else you've been up to, so. We'd have to go over the bigger picture and all that.

[its-rocco]

roy--walters​:

[Roy just gives him a nod.] Sure, right, yeah, makes sense I guess.[Roy doesn’t think the pipes are breaking any time soon. This building was as old as shit and the pipes had seemed to do just fine for a long ass time. And Roy knows how nice it is to have a shower. He isn’t sure how long he went without one before getting here and being allowed out of the infirmary. But damn this guy is just so serious about so many things.

But Roy shrugs.] Hey, man, I wouldn’t tell anyone if you were showering with your dog. But see, since you’re acting so shifty about all of it and so defensive, it’s much easier for me to go around to people and be like ‘This guy was acting real weird in the showers earlier, I think maybe he showers with hid dog’, y’know. And honestly, there’s so much other weird shit in the world, I don’t think you showering with your dog would be the topic of conversation for long. And again, how do you know there are only cons if you’ve never tried it before? Maybe that’s why she’s messy about it while you bathe her because she’s confused as to why you’re not getting clean too, and she’s just trying to help. [He shrugs, gathering his things under his arm.] But okay, if you insist that you’ve never showered with your dog, and you never would, I’ll go along with that. Won’t tell anybody I even saw you come in here with her. Just, maybe get the dog hair out of the drain before you leave because people will definitely notice that and as we’ve discussed poor janitorial already has so much shit to deal with.

//

[Rocco wonders, not for the first time and likely not the last that day, what the fuck did he do to deserve this? This kid is clearly set on not leaving him alone. At the very least, the damage is already done; he can feel a headache forming and he feels irreversibly annoyed already, there's no chance of getting out of this unscathed.]

No, she's messy because she's a dog and-- [he stops himself short, figuring it was much better to just let the thing die entirely. It felt like the kid could ramble on for days if he gave even the smallest amount of attention, so maybe nipping it in the bud was the only choice.] Okay. Thank you. [At least, in the end, it didn't turn out so bad, because he promised not to tell on him and Karma anyway.] Never planned on leaving any mess behind, but thank you for the reminder. Don't worry about it. No dog hair will be left behind, and no drains will be clogged.

[its-rocco]

kxdapaync​:

[[ The relief is clear as day in his posture when Rocco shifts to hand the skull back. Loda really only feels the full extent of that relief once it’s in his hands again. He smiles a little sheepishly when Rocco reassures him he’s not going to ‘grill’ him for it. Hopefully, his explanation of why he has it will be enough for his defensiveness to be explained away. Koda doesn’t want to make anyone feel bad for asking questions. ]] My mum, Suvi, and I collected bones. [[ He begins turning the skull over in his hands, simply admiring it. And maybe checking for any minor damage. ]]

She always liked preserving bits of nature, bringing it indoors. Suvi would decorate her altars with them. I do the same with some of mine, but never to the same extent, ‘specially nowadays. Makes it feel more like home for me. Even if it’s a bit… morbid I guess? [[ He looks from the skull to see Karma sat down, focused very intently on the skull in his hands. Panting, sporadically stopping when she closes her mouth, laser-like focus on the bone. ]] 

Sorry, girl. [[ Koda says in a soft voice, holding it a little protectively. He looks back up to Rocco, smiles again. Rocco’s own choice of ‘decor’ was alarmingly sparse. If Koda had his own Elite suite, he’s certain he’d decorate it a bit more. 

Karma stands up rather suddenly. Tail doing a slightly agitated wag as she makes an old not -quite-growl but a more impatient grumble. Koda steps back with a laugh. Karma seems to take that as an invitation to get more excited. ]] Sorry, Karma, it’s mine.  [[ Koda holds it up a bit. A bad call because she whines a little more. ]]

🜲

[Rocco nods when Necromancer mentions his mom, a quiet 'ahh' of understanding following suit. Hearing anyone mention family usually explains things, even if he doesn't dare question it any further. It was a touchy subject for most of them, nowadays. He didn't particularly care to talk about his own family, so far removed from them as he was even before D-Day, but he has other particularly sore spots in his past he'd rather not talk about. So he steers clear of asking anyone too many questions.

He can't help feeling curious about the subject at hand, though, so he'll refrain from asking about the mother -- and why Necromancer felt the need to share her first name, which seems like an odd addition --, but he'll allow himself another question.] Altars? [It vaguely makes him think of an altar at his grandmother's house, a distant memory by now. When he was a kid, he accidentally kicked a ball that broke a Jesus sculpture and she almost skinned him alive. Definitely no bones around, though.

Karma is suddenly being a big nuisance, trying to go after the kid's skull, and Rocco whistles to catch her attention.] Hey. Karma, drop it, [he commands sharply. She grumbles, whines a little as she looks back at him, but finally moves back to lay down by his feet. She looks grumpy, face resting between her paws, eyes still tracking Necromancer and the skull.] Sorry. Not sure I ever even... gave her a bone to chew on. I think it's just instinct. For future reference, telling her to drop it usually does the trick, if you say it like you mean it.

[its-rocco]

kip-whitmer​:

to rules | rocco & kip

[Kip lets out a short burst of a laugh, because this conversation has taken an incredibly bizarre turn that he’s fairly sure is his own fault. Perhaps he should have just kept yelling at the guy – that would be less weird than talking to Rocco about Jessica Rabbit’s tits.] Look, man, I’m gay, so Jessica Rabbit’s cleavage is about as tits out as I care to consider.

[And Rocco knew what he meant, anyway. He’s not going to get caught up in the semantics of the phrase ‘tits out’, because it would be too weird. Then again, maybe ‘weird’ is Rocco’s thing, since he seems to have an interest in Kip’s cartoon crushes. Which is definitely an odd request. Then again, porn isn’t as accessible as it once was, so maybe the guy is looking for inspiration.] Um, why do you want a list of my pubescent spank bank? If you really wanna know: Milo Thatch, Geralt from the video games – and the tv show, actually – and Shang from Mulan were top of my list. But I hope you know I’m judging you for asking. That was all in my past, this is apparently your interest right now.

.

[Rocco's face twists at that, brows furrowing with disgust.] Spank bank? Christ-- [but he can't quite the stop the kid in time, and there he goes, listing the characters anyway. Oh, well. This is information he did not need, and did not want, and it's mostly his fault for asking in the first place. He forgets that these kids are thirty years younger and hormone-filled and everything to them is about getting some action. He didn't expect "cartoon childhood crushes" to actually mean anyone was having sexual fantasies, he just thought it was that dumb vague "I'd like to hold their hand" type of childish sentiment.]

Not exactly my current interest, kid, [and yes, he wants another credit for not calling him Stuart Little again.] I was just curious -- before you mentioned actually thinking of these characters like that. That's rough, buddy. I thought you just meant you liked them... in a... childish, innocent way. Forget I ever asked, and I'll forget I know the answer.

[its-rocco]

kxdapaync​:

[[ Rocco’s making a dry joke, one that gets a small chuckle from Koda. He’s always been free with his laughter. ]] If I were truly a necromancer, that pretty thing would have given poor Karma scratch. Cats don’t like being handled so gruffly. [[ Koda’s joking, clearly, but mainly taking the opportunity to answer his question in a roundabout way. He used to have a deer skull, it had one majestic antler and another that had been gnawed away at. He loved it, Koda always tried to collect pieces that were blatantly results of natural deaths. Thankfully, taxidermy and general dead-animal-bits-collecting were a more respectful market in recent centuries.

Rocco keeps a hold of the skull, it makes Koda feel oddly protective of the piece. He used to decorate and collect pieces wildly before, it was so much more difficult now. Although,  honestly, it makes sense he’d ask before handing it over. Head of Security nowadays would likely entail any missing pets. Or, he’s having the standard reaction of bewilderment at. Thankfully, he’s not acting horrified or disgusted. 

Koda’s a little endeared by the way he carefully wipes clean whatever drool Karma left on it. At least he’s respectful of the piece. ]] 

I bought it. One of the shopkeepers enjoys fulfilling my odd requests. [[  Koda says with a flash of a smile. Thankfully, this purchase was entirely above board. He has to keep a closer eye on his things if Karma’s a little snitch. It’s not her fault, it is a perfectly good bone. Koda’s smile broadens at the thought, looking down at Karma, they both have an appreciation for bones in common. ]] 

He told me it was found up near Brighton, in some antique type shop that half-survived D-Day. [[ Koda steps further into the room, holds out a hand for the skull. ]] I came by it honestly if that’s your concern, Rocco. I wouldn’t hurt a fly. 

[Karma is still watching him with hawk eyes, going from tongue-out relaxed to fully tense every time he moves the skull ever so slightly. She's probably expecting him to chuck it away so she can chase it down, and just the thought of it alone makes him feel a little bad. Necromancer clearly is very protective of it.

It's easier to look at Necromancer today, when he's fully, properly clothed. Rocco squints at him as he talks about the shopkeeper and Brighton, even if he has no reason to doubt it. He doesn't think anyone would be going out of their way to murder pets and then keep their bones, really. He doesn't fully get why anyone would have a cat skull in general, that much he won't deny, but he's seen weirder shit being snuck around, he doesn't care about an ethically sourced couple of bones.]

An antique shop, [Rocco repeats, turning the piece around in his hand once to look at it, lips tugging down and eyebrows raising in an interested huh expression. He tries not to physically wince when the kid uses his name in return. Because of course Necromancer remembers his name, and he can't remember Necromancer's. He'll have to check the database later.] 

Not concerned, Necromancer, don't worry. Not gonna grill you for it, [he hands the skull back, because anything that sooner ends that suck-up voice and eases the kid's tension is probably best for the both of them. There's a bittersweet feeling in knowing people are wary around him. He knows it's good for his job, and he wants to keep that job; it is also incredibly unnerving when he just wants to be a guy curiously inquiring about a cat skull, not running an interrogation. Still, he figures he'll still try for a normal conversation, because he is curious. If Necromancer is still stiff about it, he'll shoo him off.] What is it for? Interesting choice of decor.

[its-rocco]

kip-whitmer​:

to rules | rocco & kip

Nope. They called it Ratatouille because it’s French, it’s food, and it’s got rat in it. [Kip isn’t proud of his extensive Ratatouille knowledge, but he’d liked the film a lot as a kid, and watched it with the director’s commentary a few times. It’s not his fault he sponges up knowledge. He could wax lyrical about a lot of topics, but Rocco happened to bring up cartoon rats, so here they are. Talking about cartoon rats.

And cartoon twinks, too, apparently.] Um, yeah? Look, Jessica Rabbit is out there, tits out, vintage sex symbol. Animators have always been a little freaky. I don’t think anyone can look me in the eye and tell me they never crushed on a cartoon at some point.  [Kip could name several of his own. He’s not too proud to admit Max from the Goofy Movie doing his Powerline dance was a very formative experience for him. Maybe Rocco thinks he’s too old to enjoy a nice cartoon twink now – and okay, maybe Linguini is a niche cartoon crush, but Kip has a type, and that type is shy redheads – but Kip’s sure he was young once, and watched cartoons. Maybe he’ll deny having a crush on any of them, but Kip’s going to assume it’s a lie.]

Huh, [Rocco notes eloquently. Ratatouille is a dumb name for a movie if it isn't the rat's name -- besides, that would be a good name for a rat, anyway. Remy sounds a lot more boring.

The mention of Jessica Rabbit and tits out makes his head fully malfunction for a second because he can't put the name to a face just yet and what the fuck was this kid watching? The only thing he can imagine first is some kind of weird, niche cartoon porn, actual porn, and then vague images of red hair and red lips reach him.] Jessica Rabbit wasn't tits out, what kind of version of that movie were you watching? [He inquires, even though he knows what the kid meant. Truth is, he's now suddenly invested on what else Stuart Little has to say about hot cartoons. His hands rest onto his hips as he glances back.] I can't remember crushing on any cartoons, but I don't think you're wrong. Who else? What other cartoons did you crush on?

[its-rocco]

roy--walters​:

[This guy is clearly not amused by anything Roy is saying. Not really. Which is fine, he wasn’t really going for ‘funny guy’ but more ‘sarcastic asshole’ so it all worked fine for him.] Well good. This place already smells bad enough. Don’t need people not showering, too. [He gives him a shrug.] alright fair. Though I wasn’t really worried about the environment. In case you haven’t noticed, the trees haven’t really had leaves in like, five years. I was just making an observation. But also the way you say that makes it sound like you’ve either tried showering with your dog, or you haven’t and you’re too afraid to try because then you’ll be known as that guy who showers with his dog. 

It's not quite about the environment, it's about not taking running water for granted, kid. You never know when the pipes will finally give out on us, [he warns. He's not sure the pipes will ever actually break on them, but he's serious about not taking these little things for granted. He still remembers the start of it all, when things were a mess; people didn't even have a safe place to sleep in, let alone working showers. He's never taking hot water or a bed for granted again, he knows that much.] I think it's safe to be afraid of that. No? Why would I gladly want to be known as a guy who showers with his dog? It's not like it's some cool party trick. And, again -- I see no point in the act anyway, there are only cons.

[its-rocco]

charlie-freakin-essex​:

NEW DOG, OLD TRICKS || charlie & rocco

[[ Charlie dumps everything in a pile on the pitch and isn’t sure any of it is salvageable, which is a disappointment, because that probably means they’re done for now. Charlie’s only a glutton for punishment so far as it won’t get him into trouble, either with Dr. Fitrei or with Ricky, for having too cavalier a sense of self-preservation. Or lack thereof.

He straightens up with a sigh and dusts the dirt from his clothes that Karma had kicked up. The remnants of the makeshift bite guard can stay where they are; Charlie’ll pick it up in a few minutes, or maybe he’ll totally forget about it. Hard to say. ]]

Yeah. No, I guess that makes sense. I wouldn’t really want to mess with either of you. [[ Charlie means it lightheartedly, but there’s an inevitable political undercurrent, as with most things these days. Every now and then he’s reminded that he and Rocco aren’t entirely comparable. Charlie wouldn’t say they’re on different sides, nor would he say they’re explicitly on the same one. He’d trust Rocco to go to bat for him in some respects, but he didn’t know how much. He’s at least put up with Charlie as a compulsory addition to the security detail – a higher level of authority, more than a lot of the other NWRF guards. A perk of Trent’s specialized program, but Rocco wouldn’t know about that.

There’s something to be said about the fact that Rocco’s never asked about Charlie’s alignment, and Charlie’s never asked about Rocco’s apparent lack of one. For now, at least, Charlie trusts him, even if it might seem stupid to do so. He crosses to crouch in front of Karma, making his generally intimidating frame as unassuming as possible as he offers his less-raw hand to sniff. ]] Still good, my buddy? No hard feelings?

FADE OUT.

[its-rocco]

lietzcameron​:

brotherhood | cam & rocco

[[ All in all, Cameron’s not too hard of a person to convince; he doesn’t like to push button too much – though Rocco is probably the exception to that rule, in the kindest way – and he much prefers a moment of discomfort for himself if it means keeping someone else happy. He won’t  lie down on railroad tracks for everyone, of course, but his cost-benefit analysis skews heavily in favor of putting other people’s needs and wants in front of his own. So he might drag his feet or complain to Rocco, but if the man wants him to come to drinks with him, he’ll eventually say yes. He just can’t let his friend know that… can’t have him catching wind of the fact that he’s a pushover.

He smiles then at Rocco’s approval, nodding in agreement. ]] I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks so. But then again, who doesn’t want to punch their boss sometimes? [[ He smiles. Boss hardly covers it.

Cameron’s grateful then when Rocco agrees with about as much sincerity as passes for acceptable in their friendship. Most sincerity comes where Sasha’s concerned anyway, which Cameron appreciates. Rocco seems to take his role as Adult Sasha Likes seriously enough, performing his duties as uncle and Fun Adult as well as can be expected of someone who likely didn’t expect them when they became head of security in a post-apocalyptic colony. That’s what Cameron likes about kids; they don’t care when or where they meet you, but if they like you, you’re in no matter what. At Rocco’s next dig, he rolls his eyes. ]] I’m glad to hear it. Though I resent the makeover comment; my wardrobe is entirely fit for the Post-Apocalypse Professor vibe, so you can just can it. [[ He points, like he’s accusing him of something, but smiles nonetheless before moving to pick up the Uno deck Rocco brought. ]]

I’m gonna be honest; I don’t know if I even remember the rules to this game. [[ He laughs, turning the box over in his hands. He probably played it with his moms and with Noah, one of those late summer nights on the back patio, when the farm finally went to sleep and all you could hear were the crickets and bullfrogs singing by the creek nearby. He’d fall asleep to owls hooting outside his window and wake up to the chickens six hours later. He vaguely recalls an Uno deck in the game chest he had to leave behind. ]]

[Rocco agrees with the part about punching one's boss, his head moving somewhere between half-shake and half-nod. He knows it's a very empty threat made in jest, but he's not offended in the slightest if it's true -- he is pretty sure half of the team might hate him enough to daydream about doing it, and he can't not agree with it. Every boss he's had, before D-Day, was a face he once wanted to punch. It's just human nature, he thinks. The desire to fight against the position of power directly above yours is just part of the employment experience; anyone who disagrees is one privileged bastard who shouldn't be talking.

The quip about his wardrobe has Rocco rolling his own eyes in retaliation, a scoff leaving him.] Are you kidding me? Yes, okay, the nerdy Professor energy works on the daily, but you can still dress up! [The more he jokes about it, actually, the more genuinely he means it. There is nothing wrong with Cameron's clothes, and Rocco is possibly the last person who should have anything to say about anyone's fashion, but that last part is still true. Dressing up is fun. He hasn't done it in ages himself, but he remembers liking it. It's a nice pick me up, sometimes, to actually dress in nice clothes and feel like hot shit for a night.] Don't tell me Sasha wouldn't have a field day educating you on what's hip these days. I wouldn't know, obviously, but I'm just saying. If you show up to the Catch wearing the same coat you wear to class, I'm getting you permanently banned.

[Can he even do that? Probably not. He'll stay by his threat anyway.

Cameron laughs when he picks up the Uno box, and Rocco follows with a chuckle of his own, a knee-jerk reaction to the sound.] You tell me. I never even played it much when the world wasn't shit. [The last time he played must've been before Jennika. He has some vague, deeply hidden memory about having a deck of these in their coffee room at the police station. He remembers a full table and a lot of screaming until some supervisor showed up to force them all back into boring paperwork. It's not often that he misses how things were before D-Day, but when he remembers these isolated scenes, there's a tug of nostalgia in his chest. He tries his best to push it away.] Should be pretty hard to get it wrong, though. It's stupid easy, that's why it's my only hope of beating Sasha. She can't outsmart me if there is no smart-ing to do.

[its-rocco]

kxdapaync​:

[[ It was only February, but it felt like the time for a spring clean. Of sorts. Really, Koda had been thinking more about getting back into his routine in following the Wheel of the Year properly. It would mean regularly setting up and changing his altar. The dorms gave him little room to decorate, but all he needed was the small square of a side table. He always made do with little space, this was no different.

It’s how Koda ends up cross-legged on the floor, pulling out every odd thing he saved or collected over the years. He’d opened every door and window he could, wanting to let a brisk breeze air out the space. Thankfully his dorm mates were understanding and mostly off doing their own thing, anyway.

Koda laid out his collection of bones, feathers and even an interesting rock or two. He’d sat the pristine cat skull a little off to the side, afraid he may drop something onto it. What Koda should have really been afraid of, though, was Karma. Not the Hindu belief but the creature that happily trotted into his room. Koda looked over his shoulder at the sound of her claws tapping on the ground. He smiled at her, turned around to continue pulling out a deck of cards he’d forgotten he had. ]] Hey, girl, whatcha doing?

 [[ He idly wonders if telepathy works on dogs. Karma trotted on in beside him. Then she’s gone. So’s the skull. ]] Karma!

[[  He’s on his feet, skidding slightly in his socks. He catches the fluff of her tail turning into an open door. 

Koda literally slides into the room after her.

The comedy of the moment will hit him later but for now, he’s sliding to a stop in Rocco’s room heart beating fast. It was a pain in the neck to get such a perfect skull post D-Day. Karma sits proudly at her owner’s feet. Koda breathes a massive sigh of relief to see it unharmed in Rocco’s hand. ]] Oh, thank fuck. [[  He smiles broadly at Rocco, a little embarrassed as he literally ran in he’s slightly out of breath. ]]  Is it in one piece?

[Rocco's eyebrows raise as an intruder comes after Karma, sliding into his room like he's been invited in, out of breath and buzzing with chaotic energy. It's a weird sight.

It's especially weird when he realizes it's the same person from the bath that day, and it only took him a moment too long to recognize because this time, he has clothes on. With all the tattoos Rocco had seen on display that day, he looked different now, covered. It's a funny thought.

It stops being funny two seconds later when he realizes he can't remember this kid's name. It's been, what, maybe a couple weeks since they met? Fuck. It was some weird combination of syllables, some mix that he'd never quite heard before, and that's why he can't remember it. There's no easy association that comes to mind, and he's blanking. He can only think of the nickname he'd given at the time.]

So you really are a necromancer, [he offers dryly, aiming for funny despite the dread in the pit of his stomach. He furrows his brows at the skull, turns it around to check if it is in one piece.] Never seen one of these before, but I think so. Unless it was supposed to have antlers or something. [Karma has left some drool on it, so he makes sure to grab the edge of his shirt and clean it, carefully, like someone wiping down their foggy glasses. Before he hands it back, though, a thought comes to mind.] Where'd you get this?

[its-rocco]

felis catus | rocco & koda

@kxdapaync​

[It's not always that Rocco lets Karma hang out wherever she wants around the Brink common areas, because he's well aware she's technically not allowed to be in his room and all, but. Well. He's the head of security, who's gonna tell on him, anyway? Today, she can hang around, just prance through the dorms, searching for any attention, while he lounges back on his bed, door open for when she wants to return. It's no harm. If anyone complains, he'll get her out.

Rocco always has a difficult time enjoying his free time. He has a total sum of maybe three friends if you squint, and they're all busy people. Most of the time, when he gets a day off, he just has to entertain himself, and oh, boy, is that code for trouble. He can't have his mind empty for long, or it turns to places he doesn't want to go -- not while it's still light out, at least. So he made his bed, cleaned his room, played catch with Karma for a while, messaged Sasha about UNO again, and that was it. He ran out of things to do and the sun is barely even starting to lower itself in the sky.

He's considering just walking around looking for fights to break up or something, when Karma struts in with a gift. He sits up curiously, and she drops the thing on his lap with an overly excited wag of her tail.

It's a skull.] Oh, no, honey, [he sighs, turning the thing around in his hand, holding it gently. It's clean, no traces of blood or mud on it, so he can assume she didn't do this. There's barely any drool on it, no apparent bite marks. Maybe she's showing off a conquest from months ago, though he doubts it's likely, she's not the aggressive type.] Did you kill someone's pet? We've talked about this, you can't eat the cats. I don't care how much they taunt you.

[its-rocco]

kip-whitmer​:

to rules | rocco & kip

[Kip narrows his eyes at Rocco in a vaguely accusatory way, as if in disbelief that he wouldn’t know who Remy is. And then he remembers that Rocco is a lot older than he is, and his mental rolodex of fictional rodents is probably a little hazy. No doubt Kip will have forgotten the contents of most kid’s films by the time he’s Rocco’s age – unless he has kids, which is not high on Kip’s agenda.] 

From Ratatouille. You know, the little chef rat that pulled on that ginger twink’s hair to mind-control him into cooking good food. I hope you’re aware, by the way, I still don’t especially want to be known as any rat. But, we can’t all have your sexy John Wick vibes.

[He’s not bitter, per se, but Kip is certainly aware that his own appeal is specific and limited. He’s never going to be some tall, barrel-chested Fabio type and he’s made his peace with that. Some guys, like Rocco, just won the genetic lottery.]

[There's so much to unpack in the few short sentences that are thrown his way.

Rocco chooses to focus on the lamest part of it first.] Wait, isn't the rat's name Ratatouille? I mean, it's the food, too, but... it's the movie's name. Always assumed it was the little guy's name. Huh.

[He isn't stellar with remembering names, clearly. And he's not sure who John Wick is, he can't put a face to the name in his brain; he vaguely thinks it has some attachment to a badass guy, double-o-seven type, although given the context, it doesn't seem to make sense. Surely, Stuart Little -- or... Remy, he thinks, correcting himself in his mind like that's actually his name -- is trying to make fun of him in retaliation for being compared to a rat.

He'll let it slide, either way, and maybe ask someone else about it later.] 

Wait, did you just call a cartoon man a twink?

[its-rocco]

drfitrei​:

patch up | dr. fitrei & rocco

[Mei Zhu doesn’t have to look up from the stitches to see the wry grin cross his face. The doctor rolls her eyes, but she isn’t too annoyed by his nonchalance. She would never admit it, especially to the patient himself, but she likes him. His wicked charm, his dark sense of humor. If he ever found out she’d probably never hear the end of it, which is why she always keeps their relationship strictly professional, even too professional at times. But something tells her that he knows she bears him no ill will, otherwise he wouldn’t come running to her every time he got into trouble.]

You don’t have to worry about keeping me entertained; I don’t do this for my own amusement. [A silence falls between them, broken only by the sound of her medical instruments clinking against the cold metal as she sets them down.] So what happened this time? Breaking up a fight in Catch 22? [Which is far below his pay grade as the head of security, but he’s never been one to say no to getting his hands dirty. Gaius respects him for it; Mei Zhu, on the other hand, thinks he would benefit from a healthy dose of prudence.]

[Rocco registers the roll of her eyes, but he can only smile proudly at it. He knows that somewhere, deep down, she is amused. That's enough to keep him content, if you ask him. The goal of not being the absolute worst patient is somewhat achieved.]

But it definitely helps to be amused, no? [He asks, rhetorical, knowing she's focused on her work and won't give him a proper response. And he lets the silence go on now, after annoying her for the previous few minutes. It's important to know how to navigate the line between too annoying and too nice.] That's a cooler story. I think I'll use that, [he hums, giving it some thought before actually answering.] Just a dumb accident. [He doesn't want to say the full truth, which is that he was drunk senseless and cut his hand on a broken bottle. It was a dumb accident, so he wasn't lying.] In my room. Wasn't gonna wake you just to stitch it up.

[its-rocco]

roy--walters​:

to rules | rocco & open

Well, if I start, she has every right to attack me. [He looks back up at him. Well, his sense of humor is either incredibly flat or Roy’s deliver was way off. Or he just wasn’t funny, which… was a huge possibility. Roy shrugs a shoulder.] I dunno, man, I don’t see many people with dogs any more. Especially don’t see them coming into the showers with them, so it just seemed like maybe this was a you thing. [He quirks his brow up a bit.] Also you’re not showering today like at all or just not here with her? Because I mean, sure, you do you with your hygeine and all, but it just seems like you could save more water by killing two birds with one stone. [He looks back down at Karma for a moment, seeing if at least she was enjoying his slight wit. Well her tail was still wagging just a bit so maybe. His train of thought diverged onto a different track for a moment as he wondered if a Telepath could read a dogs thoughts or an Empath could feel their feelings. Probably not; he would’ve probably heard someone mention that by now, right? 

He looks back up from the dog, tucking his hands into his pockets.]  The stone being showering with you dog, in case that wasn’t clear.

[Okay, for all of Rocco's general grumpiness, he can admire this kid's wit and the instinct to continue to make fun of an authority figure. It's courageous, at the very least. He'll always give the kids that much recognition.

He waits for the boy's entire monologue to end before he gives out a groaned out sound. If you squint, it's almost a chuckle, though it's muffled even when it bounces around the walls of the otherwise empty bathroom.] Since you're so worried about my hygiene habits, I will tell you, I shower regularly, kid. [He whistles to get Karma over and pets her head when she enters the shower space begrudgingly.] And for your information, it wouldn't save time. There'd be water everywhere and I'd be too distracted to clean us both at the same time. Rest assured, your ideas are not environmentally ground-breaking as you think.

[its-rocco]

charlie-freakin-essex​:

NEW DOG, OLD TRICKS || charlie & rocco

[[ Charlie sighs out in disappointment but ultimately nods, figuring this is the right choice. ]] Yeah, alright. That’ll give me a chance to… I dunno. Do this up a little better. [[ Not that there’s much of the scraps worth salvaging, and some of the pillow stuffing is coming out in clumps. Charlie crouches and starts to peel back the duct tape, chuckling when clumps of fabric rip off with it. ]] Atta girl, Karma, [[ He congratulates with a glance up and a grin. ]] Would really hate for this to be my arm or leg.

[[ It takes some doing – Charlie used a lot of duct tape – but he finally peels the last couple layers off and pushes his sleeve up again to get a look at the damage wholesale. His arm is still red but there’s no significant bleeding, just a few scratch-lines of deeper red in the raw stripes on his arm. Charlie opens and closes his fist a few times, rotates his forearm. ]] Totally fine, [[ He declares, though his metric is a bit skewed, thanks both to the concept of the game and the harshness of the five years prior to his colony life. If it won’t scar, Charlie deems it ‘fine’ – not that he cares about scars. His forearms are well enough latticed with scar tissue as it is. He glances back up to Rocco with a smile. ]] I never asked, any particular reason you’re training her on this? [[ He legitimately wonders if Rocco would use her on a real-life threat or an escapee, if it came down to it. Is this simply a practical training aside, or does Rocco want Karma to become a proper threat? ]]

Good call, [Rocco nods. They probably should've worked better at the protection part of this, huh? In his defense, he never trained a dog like this before, he didn't work with the K-9 Unit in his time as a cop or as a warden. He's seen them in action, but he was never directly responsible until now. And it's not like you can easily search for video tutorials these days, so he was guessing it out.

Karma watches Charlie curiously as he undoes all of the padding, her head tilting and tongue hanging out of her mouth. Rocco worries she might still be in play mode and the other's forearm looks bruises enough for the day, so he ruffles the fur behind her ears and tries not to trigger any more adrenaline on her. He'd kneel down and chill with her if he was any younger and the sacrifice to his bones wasn't so painful. Charlie's question brings his attention back up.] Not particularly, no. Nothing in specific in mind, just... [he gestures vaguely around. He doesn't exactly fully trust the NWRF, but he supposes he shouldn't have a problem talking about security matters with a fellow member of the team.] Tension has been rising for a while now. The political climate and all that. I wouldn't throw karma into danger so easily, but it's good if she knows these things, just in case it's ever needed. And it's good if people fear her for it, too. Half the people here are already pretty scared of her anyway. I get more respect by proxy.