Xander the Sniper

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[deadshot-sniper-deactivated2016]

There’s a casual slide of his eyes to the other man as he spoke, catching the partial smile at the story and offering up a low chuckle of his own. It was quite the replay of the tale in his head and Stone is sure that if he’d been present, he would have laughed well into the next round. Taking shots like that at men who didn’t die was half the amusement of it, knowing full well that phantom feeling of a bullet in the ass would persist well beyond respawn.

“Keep shootin’ people in the ass an’ you might just get a Demo bomb on your pillow instead. Some rather salty people runnin’ around out there now an’ again.” He bridges the cards a last time, smiling at the idea someone would even try to go that far. They’d be lucky to open the door to his camper without a gun to their face. “Not that I won’t be tryin’ the same trick myself tomorrow either.”

Indeed, Xander just offered up a new goal for the next round of battling in the sandbox. It sounded like a fair trade to the Soldier that kept bombing him earlier and could already imagine the cursed up storm to follow it. Ah, yes, revenge can be sweet.

“You ready to try your hand at Poker? Otherwise we’re goin’ to have to drink a hell of a lot more for that game of Drunken Go Fish we were talkin’ about earlier. I started earlier for your sake.” A quiet jab at their outing to the bar, where Stone has certainly slammed back more than his fair share of alcohol.

[thesnipingaustringer]

“Funny you should mention that. It’s how I ended up at one base.” Lifting his hand he scratches at an eyebrow as he tries to recollect the story that was told to him. Another drink is taken, wetting down his throat before he lowers the bottle to rest upon his stomach. “This is when I got transferred to ah…Damn, what was it? Viaduct? Yeah…yeah it was Viaduct. I guess some Sniper really pissed off a Demo and ended up getting killed for it, and not the kind of killing that you come back from, either.”

Thankfully that Demoman had been taken care of. He’s not exactly sure how, but he decides he probably doesn’t want to know. He would have hated to be next on the list should the man have it out for Snipers after whatever happened.

“Sure, I’ll give it a go. You’ll be easy on me, right?” He lifts a brow, his grin forming upon his lips again. While he’s not the best at Poker, he believes he can hold his own. He does seem to give Drunken Go Fish a thought though, only to shake his head with a soft laugh afterwards.

“I think piss drunk once a month is my quota. I’m surprised I didn’t wake up with a murderous hangover.”

[deadshot-sniper-deactivated2016]

Stone catches the pack of card and gives a short ‘tch’ at the mention of the Spies, clearly finding no favor in them just as much as the Soldiers. One shot you in the face while screaming bloody murder while the other slit your throat from behind. He supposes of the two, he’d go running with wild abandon into the helmeted lot. At least he’d stand a chance of them doing damage to more than just him in that instance.

“Think the suited bastards flip coins to see if they’re goin’ to go after a nest or sentry. Sneaky lot that they are, ya can never quite tell how many creep about.” Considering what Stone has seen, he’s certainly one of the Snipers that are dead set in keeping himself and Spies at more than an arms length apart. But tonight wasn’t about them.

And so he gestures to the large camping chairs with their swooped canvas and horse blankets draped over top. At least Stone has testimonies that they were comfortable despite the rugged wear and tear of them. He takes the one he had been occupying earlier, pulling up an empty wooden ammo crate that would serve as the card table. “Five star accommodations, at your service.” Said pack is then shucked in hand, drawing out the cards to begin a series of different shuffling techniques. “How’d you fair in the day’s matches? Hopin’ ya better luck than me.”

[thesnipingaustringer]

Tugging up the edge of his shirt, he uses the cloth to twist off the cap, then pulls at the rest of the material. They’re no longer working. There’s no need to keep a ‘professional’ appearance with the whole shirt-tucking matter. As he drinks he looks over the entirety of the set up which looks beyond comfortable. There’s nothing elaborate about it, but what need does he have for elaborate?

“Five star, huh? Does that mean I get a little mint on my pillow and all?” He flashes him an easy grin and takes up one of the chairs to settle down into it. Sighing gently, the length of his legs stretch forward to be crossed at the ankles. “Not too bad, I think? Didn’t get killed more than usual, so that’s good.” Wetting his lips he idly tucks his hand beneath his shirt to scratch at his scarred stomach.

“There was one persistent ankle biter, though. Guess he got a little upset I sniped his rear out of the air. Literally… his rear. He was being a pain in the ass, so…” Half grinning, he gives an almost innocent shrug. “Tomorrow should be interesting. I wonder if he’s going to try to gun for me again. At least it’ll keep me awake for a spell.”

[theshortestsniper-blog]

Her eyes followed his hand as he brushed aside the auburn strands. The sight, though a fleeting and mundane moment easily forgotten, was one that made a certain warmth in her chest. He had honored her in the past with letting her play with his hair before but now she had more opportunities to intimately enjoy those locks and the man they belonged. She grew quiet as she took the moment to simply enjoy observing him.

Strange how freeing it was to know she could truly admire him without feeling guilty that she was sneaking a peak.

“Several counties, rivers, and towns have Native names.” Her shoulders rose and fell in a brief shrug before she busied herself to remove the large clip from her hair. Thing was starting to give her a headache. “There were and are several tribes that call Washington home. Some names even I have difficulties with still. Speakin’ of names, how in the hell did you say that one earlier? It sounded like a bunch of clicking sounds to me.”

[thesnipingaustringer]

It hadn’t gone beyond his notice that she allowed herself to admire more than she had before and, often, it brought a smile to his lips. She used to be so shy about letting her gaze linger, something that confused him. If something’s to be admired, it should be without shame or hesitation. His attention turned to her own hair before her question had him softly laughing.

“Mabuqubuqwana,” he repeated, rolling the clicks off of his tongue as if it was his first language. In fact, it was. He picked up the glass of water next to him and brought it up to take a drink before he spoke again.

“Xhosa has three major clicks. Well, four actually but we mostly we focus on the ‘x’, ‘c’, and the ‘q’. It’s all about tongue position. The ‘c’, for instance, you place the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth. For ‘x’, you place your tongue near the side of your mouth like ah…” He snapped a few times, looking for the right description to use.

“Like that noise you make when you want a horse to go.” He demonstrated the noise, drawing back the side of his mouth slightly. “The ‘q’ is much like the ‘c’, but you’re playing the sides of your tongue against your teeth. Like you’re making a suction? That one’s more like a popping sound than a click.”

[theshortestsniper-blog]

Her suppressed grin faltered and spread from ear to ear as she gave hearty laugh. “It’s not like ‘fished’ though, love. The ‘I’ is closer to the middle of your mouth than the front like in ‘fished.’” She faintly shook her head. This was turning out to be a bit more difficult than she thought, but with his accent? It was no wonder the man was having difficulties. Well, that and she made a point to pick the more difficult names of her state.

Then again wouldn’t she miss the opportunity to enjoy her boys’ accents.

“There ya go!” The shorter sniper chirped as she reached over to help herself to more of the popcorn. “Now you got it. But now I got another one and this one should be a bit easier for you: Kalakala. Kah-la-ka-lah.”

[thesnipingaustringer]

The look he gave her was an utterly blank one before it broke with a slow raise of a brow. Closer to the middle instead of the front? He didn’t bother thinking about that to much. He had gotten the word correct, eventually, and there was no real need to revisit it at this time.

Moving his hand from his jaw, he pushed his fingers through his hair, tucking the long strands back behind his ears. He considered tying it back, but he was sure that E. would have something to say about that.

“Kah-la-ka-lah, yeah that one’s easy. It feels much like something I’m used to.” Resting his forearm to his thigh again he tipped his head. “Sounds almost native. Most of the cities are native names, right?”

[theshortestsniper-blog]

“Cloquallum. Closer hun. Try again but with a longer ‘o’: Clo-qual-lum.” She said with a poorly stifled chuckle as she helped herself to another piece of popcorn. The bowl between them was already halfway gone. A sign of how long they had been discussing how to properly pronounce the various names from their place of origin. She was finding it amusingly adorable how his South African tongue muddled the various names of creeks and roads she slung at him.

The feeling was likely mutual. If his own laughing at her horrible butchering of his homeland’s names was any indicator.

“At least you are sayin’ it better than you did Pysht.”

[thesnipingaustringer]

“Longer ‘o’,” he repeated, raising a brow as he did so. Just how much longer did he have to make that vowel? It already felt awkward in his mouth. Shifting his weight he propped his forearms against his thighs as if the hunch and closer positioning would give him a better idea of how to say these words. So far it hadn’t helped in the least.

“I still think it should be pronounced ‘fished’. Reasonably it would be.” He shook his head, chuckling softly and lifted a hand to idly scratch at a stubble-lined jaw.

“Clooh-qual-lum. That still feels damn odd.” Then again, the various sounds she had to make for his language probably didn’t help. And he hadn’t even started teaching her words in Ngala.

[thesnipingaustringer]

It is incredibly difficult finding long haired pictures. Especially ones where it’s his real hair and not some cheap looking wig. 

[thesnipingaustringer]

[Finally updated Xander’s theme a bit. Going to be working on the pages now that I have one that I’m happy with. The picture is drawn by mrgamblingman with a bit of color tweaking. The original’s below. Anywho. Maybe working on the pages will inspire me to write for this nerd more. I really need to get back into RPing TF2.]

[avianawareness]

White morph of the Grey Goshawk are the only raptors with pure-white plumage in the world (nonalbino).

[theshortestsniper-blog]

There was only compliance from the shorter sniper as he eased her between his knees. Her thumbs would pause their gentle caresses long enough to adjust their angle as Xander made himself comfortable. “Eugene has always been the better tracker out of our trio. Perhaps that’s why they always send him off on solo missions outside of the battle grounds when the spooks are occupied.” She chuckled softly as she glanced down at him beneath her frames. Her view turned into nothing but smeared swatches of tanned skin hues and a splash of auburn, but that didn’t deter her from gazing fondly at him.

The corners of her mouth turned up warmly as her hands slid slowly from his cheeks, one coming to cup the nape of his neck while the other began to gently stroke the long auburn strands. It was very faint from where she stood, but she could smell the musk of clay dirt intermingled with the scent of his hair. He either didn’t wash his hair today or had been out walking before her arrival. The scent was seemingly different—more noticeable—now that she could take a moment to truly enjoy the smell rather than stealing a timid whiff.  

She gave a weak, pensive hum to his initial thoughts of relocation. She had heard him, but she was more focused on enjoying the sensation of his cheek upon her stomach and the warmth of his neck beneath her kneading fingers. There weren’t any indications that she was going to move any time soon. “I would like to go back to Sawmill personally. I never did care for this place and Sawmill is so much more like home. I wouldn’t be opposed to moving here if it mean I could be in your company, but Sawmill holds a special place in my heart and it’s not because of the rain.”

[thesnipingaustringer]

He gave a soft puff of a laugh when she mentioned Eugene was the better tracker. She wasn’t entirely incorrect, he supposed. It all depended on their surroundings. He would have lived to see their fellow Sniper try to track anything through something other than his comfort zone, such as a jungle or savannah. Those were definitely Xander’s territories; ones that he missed now and then. Sometime he’ll return home, maybe after he had earned enough vacation time. Or just up and leave as he had been prone to do before.

Softly exhaling a hum under his breath as well, his was more out of contentment than thought. It had been sometime since someone had kneaded into the commonly tense muscle along the back of his neck. No matter how relaxed he could be it was persistent, likely from the way he kept his head slightly angled while working. His head shifted and he gave it a turn, placing his brow back upon her stomach rather than his cheek, allowing him to stretch his neck beneath her fingers. If she kept this up he was going to end up falling to sleep right then and there.

“Mm?” Cracking his eyes open he tipped his head to the side and huffed at his hair a bit, getting some of it off of his face so he’d be able to see her. An amused grin settled upon his lips soon after. “Are you getting sentimental?” He couldn’t help but tease at her a bit, even if he was somewhat victim to that as well. That was where they had first met and got to know each other before they were rotated to different bases. His time at Sawmill held some of the most memorable moments.

“Could always see if you can get sent back there. I was planning on it myself, actually.” Biting back a soft yawn, he expelled the breath with a sigh and pointed his face downward again. His hands shifted, coming to rest upon the backs of calves, leaving his arms to dangle comfortably. 

[theshortestsniper-blog]

Although he wasn’t very familiar with Xander, Sten had no concept of “stranger danger.” Rather than being leery he happily rolled onto his side to receive the scratching, inevitably thumping his curled tail against the floor while wagging happily. For still being a pup, the basenji was a lazy and lovably little shit.

Evette couldn’t help but fondly watch as the boys interacted. Just listening to her friend talk made her chest take on a familiar warmth. She always did like his and Eugene’s accents. Something about how their English intermingled with their strong accents was simply enjoyable. “He won’t get up on the bed. Even with me. He has claimed my laundry basket as his own.” She replied with a brief wave towards the dog who was gave a yawn. “Which kind of explains that.”

Her eyes followed him as he settled upon the bed and checked out her present. She gave a laugh as her eyebrows rose in surprise at his guess. “Actually, yes. Good guess hun. I brought two dwarf rabbits for them so they’d have plenty for the night.” Evette took another moment to idly inspect the room before pursing her lips and giving it a small nod of her approval and turning back to the lanky man. Meeting his gaze, she quietly studied him just as he did her before slowly moving herself to stand squarely in front him. “I really missed you guys too. I’m thankful ya managed to find some nice people around here. I haven’t had any luck in finding Eugene, but god—“ her words trailed off into a whisper as she gingerly placed her hands upon his scarred cheeks and began to tenderly caress the scars with her thumbs.

For a few moments she remained quiet as she stroked the marred skin. Their rough texture beneath her fingertips made her smile grow wry. E. drew in a slow breath through her nose before sighing happily. “I missed you Xander…A lot.”

[thesnipingaustringer]

“They’re definitely going to love you for that.” Chuckling softly, he gave another peek inside of the carrier then lifted his eyes to her as she approached him to stand in front of her. The corner of his mouth lifted into a smile and hands rose to rest on her waist, drawing her closer to him to settle her smaller frame between his knees. The stroke of her thumbs against the chevron of scars brought a content smile to his lips. He urged her a bit closer, enough where he could set his chin against her stomach.

“Eugene will find us sooner or later. He always seems to one way or another.” It was uncanny how he did that, but Xander didn’t think too much about it. They were Snipers, the majority of them being trackers and hunters in that field. It wasn’t so unusual for one to be able to track someone down if the need presented itself. Finding the position of his arms to be slightly awkward, he shifted them to wrap the limbs around the backs of her legs, keeping her in place for the moment.

“Maybe you should see about getting moved here.” Thoughtfully pursing his lips, he tipped his head to the side, subtly pressing his cheek into the path of her fingers. “Or…Why not go back where you started? I’ve been thinking about being stationed at Sawmill again. I loved the surroundings and the girls had plenty to hunt.” That was the main reason why he was sore about leaving Mountain Lab. The beauties never had too much of a problem when it came to hunting and the environment was far more welcoming. He always did enjoy the woods more than the desert.

[theshortestsniper-blog]

A soft hum of contentment rolled in her nose when he returned her nuzzling. The warmth that came off him was welcoming even in the stifling heat of the Badlands. She found herself closing her eyes and resting her head against his to enjoy what little time was left before he set her back down. Unfortunately the moment was short lived but knowing they had a week or more to enjoy each other’s company dashed away what little disappointment bubbled up in her chest as he let her go.

“I figured since we have at least a week of me stickin’ around that there wasn’t too much of a rush.” She tilted her head back and flashed a bright, tooth gapped smile at him. Perhaps with just the faintest hint of a blush painting her cheeks as his hands found her waist. In the past such a gesture was something she never looked too far into but given her reasons for meeting him, well, those callused hands were more welcomed than normal.

When prompted, she gave a nod and quickly stepped inside. It didn’t take her or Sten any time to make themselves comfortable, the carrier being placed upon the meager nightstand and the duffel being dropped heavily onto the floor beside the bed. Sten on the other hand went right for one of the sniper’s discarded shirts and flopped onto his new ‘bed.’ Bringing her arms above her head, she gave a long groan as she gave a bone crackling stretch. “Speakin’ of the girls, I’d like to see them since I brought them a little present. I, uh, took your suggestion about bringin’ them something alive.”

[thesnipingaustringer]

Though he vaguely realized she brought the dog with her, he didn’t pay it much mind until it trotted inside and settled on his clothing. He didn’t mind it so much. It was dirty any way and he had a certain fondness when it came to animals. Just as long as they didn’t hurt his girls, of course. Grinning broadly he crossed over to Sten and crouched down to give him a good scratching. He had only seen the dog once but that didn’t stop him from being overly friendly to it.

“Sleep on whatever clothes you want, buddy. Just not my bed. Fur like this? You’ll have me itching for days.” Scratching behind his ears, he patted the dog’s side and glanced over to the carrier she had brought along. He couldn’t help but grin at the thoughtful gesture. Treat his girls well and that would certainly earn his friendship. Pushing up to his feet again, he idly raked his fingers along his jaw, getting rid of an itch found there.

“I usually let them hunt close to sundown. It’s cooler then and there’s just enough light for them to see what’s going on. What’d you bring? A rabbit?” Crossing over to his bed, he sat down and peeked into the carrier then turned his attention to her. After a moment of studying her, a soft smile came to his lips. “I really have been missing you two. I made some friends here but it’s just not the same, you know?”

[theshortestsniper-blog]

A soft yell of surprise jumped out of her as she found her feet leave the ground. The yelp however quickly dissolved into a fit of laughter as she wrapped her only free arm around his neck and gave him a squeeze. Or at least she attempted to, it was difficult to without compromising the small carrier tucked under her other arm. Evette could feel her cheeks already getting that dull pain that happens when one grins very widely. “Xander! Hello there yourself, hun! It’s nice to see you again!” Her laughter softened into chuckling as she turned her head and planted a kiss on the man’s cheek.

Pulling away long enough to adjust her face she placed her forehead into the cheek she just kissed and gave the scruffy skin an affectionate nuzzle. “It’s been far too long since I’ve seen you and the girls.” She said as she loosened her grip around his neck. She wouldn’t leg go, oh no—she didn’t even make a move to squirm out to have her feet planted back on the ground. Given she wasn’t crazy about being picked up, but with him or Eugene…they were an exception.

She missed her friend’s hugs and closeness for too much. Evette was quite content where she was, even if it was a bit awkward with the bag strapped on her back and the box under arm. “Sorry I didn’t come sooner. Making arrangements to use the teleporter took more time than I thought.”

[thesnipingaustringer]

He didn’t notice until the last moment that she was carrying something, and he peered at the carrier only to grin when she had kissed at his cheek. The expression diminished into a warm smile as he nuzzled in return, enjoying the warmth of her brow against his face. Giving her another squeeze, he lowered her to her feet and idly rested his hands upon her waist as a shrug lifted his shoulders.

“It’s fine. This place is all about ‘hurry up and wait’. I knew you’d arrive sooner or later and it’s not like I do much around here anyway. Come in, come in. Not as roomie as my last quarters but it’s something. They let me have the room next door for the girls.” Stepping aside, he gestured her into the room and followed her within before closing the door behind him.

[theshortestsniper-blog]

Stepping off the teleporter and into the stale, arid air quickly reminded her why she hated the Badlands. It was everything she disliked in an environment: hot, dry, barren, and brown. Between the disorientation associated with long teleportation between bases and the strong smell of shale and dirt assaulting her senses Evette shook her head. She quickly found that wasn’t the right thing to do. The movement only making her dizzier but thankfully the spell lasted all but a few seconds. Stepping off the teleporter she made a beeline straight for the BLU barracks, a duffel bag slung over her back, a curious box hooked under her arm, and Sten prancing behind her at a leisurely pace.

It wouldn’t take her long to find Xander’s room in the dorms, even after being stopped by a curious Soldier and drilled about her reasons for coming. No less the confrontation was right in front of her friend’s door. It was much to her delight that the confrontation was short lived and she was able to turn her attention to the door and the familiar plaque on it. The sight of the old sniper insignia brought a small smile to her lips. As simple as the sign was, it’s only customization being an “X” carved into its surface, it always had a calming effect on her nerves. It meant her dear friend was indeed here.

She drew in a long breath before rapping her knuckles against the fusty wood. “Ya in, Xander?”

[thesnipingaustringer]

Expecting company sometime during the weekend, Xander decided to stay inside, or at least somewhere near his room since he wasn’t exactly sure when his fellow Sniper would be arriving. While his room wasn’t dirty, it still needed some tidying up. He tended to be a bit of a packrat when it came to papers and things he had collected around the world. With everything shoved away, he sat cross-legged on his bed, taking his time in dismantling and cleaning his rifle.

The commotion outside brought his attention up but with the way the wood muffled the voices he found nothing recognizable about them. It wasn’t until a knock came to the door that he lifted the barrel of his rifle from his lap to set it aside. Crossing the room, he snagged the handle to open up the door and grinned at the sight of the woman there.

“’Course I am. Hey there, darlin’.” Sweeping her up into his arms, he literally lifted her from her feet to give her a squeezing hug. It had been a while since he last saw her. 

[themxdtitan-deactivated20180409]

Please reblog if you’re OK with your partner ‘fading to black’ even if they’re of age.

[becausebirds]

Goshawk testing its flying capabilities. It is shown flying through a circular opening, horizontal opening, vertical opening and a tunnel. [video]

[thesnipingaustringer]

[deadshot-sniper-deactivated2016]

The bird call has him chuckling even before Xander comes into view, pushing a final log into the fire before he stands. Free hand rubs absently at his lower back, dropping it when he catches sight of the other man and answers with a raise of the beer in hand.

“Man’s gotta make anywhere he goes feel like home.” Stone crosses over to a dust and dirt covered cooler, picking up the top to withdraw a fresh bottle. The cap is popped using the punched in bottle opener near the side of the door to the airstream.

“Seems the scales have tipped then. I got four under my belt tonight.” A ‘what can ya do’ sigh and half shrug while holding the beer out for Xander. “Was a little heavier on the Soldiers for once. Blast happy fucks that they are.”

[thesnipingaustringer]

“Ah yeah, Soldiers can be tricky. The ones around here like to do these fancy things with their launchers. You can either go for the mobile head shot on them or do what I do. Go for the meat and let the fall finish them off.” Yes, even Xander had his moments of being an asshole. Very, very rare moments, fortunately.

Taking the beer, he gives him a half smile and tosses over the pack of cards. The box is a bit worn with obvious signs of travel, but at least all the cards are there. 

“You should have been here last month. I think there must have been a mistake in the Spy shipment department. Either they had one that was really good, or there were six on that team. I felt sorry for our poor Engineers. I think one quit after that.”