[He just nods, because honestly? He trusts Amos more with that than he'd ever trust himself. He hadn't even noticed the oxygen levels depleting in his suit when they were on the Knight. He just doesn't want a repeat of that experience.
At the question, he pauses.]
You might not be worried about it, but I sure as hell am. This place feels like a stoppered tea kettle on boil, if you know what I mean.
[He gave a weary look.]
And I ain't sure how well bullets are gonna work against molten doors or wires appearing under our skin.
[ They'd both lived through the worst of the tension between Earth, Mars, and the Belt. They'd been, technically, on opposing sides, just due to having been born on different planets. But Amos had not felt like an Earther in a very long time, and Alex's patriotism ran deep, but he was also half a Belter, at this point. The Roci felt like the most unified ship in the system, sometimes.
But the thing about Reverie is that, well. They don't have Holden. And Amos might give the Captain shit, but there's no denying that he is better at making the hard choices than the rest of them.
Still, Amos gives his gun another look. ]
Might not, but I still feel better having it than not. You don't know what could be coming through an airlock, but if we get boarded, at least I can defend our position.
[ By our, he mainly means his people. Alex, Prax, and Naomi. Maybe a couple other people that he doesn't mind having around. ]
Now, if someone tries a bit too hard in here... [ He pulls the gun to sights, aiming at nothing, but making his point. ]
[The first comment got a huff of a laugh - just a single one - not amused so much as agreeing. Yeah. It wasn't exactly new, but...]
Least back home I knew which parts were likely to explode. [ Sort of. He'd put a lot of faith in Mars to do the right thing, and learned the hard way that they hadn't. Weren't. Wouldn't.
God damn, he hated not knowing what was happening back there right now.
He let out a breath, almost a sigh. ]
... Not gonna lie, I feel better for you having it, too, just wish I knew what in the hell had given it to you, when they will ain't released Holden.
Just try to keep it as a last resort, huh? Everyone here is in the same shit place we are. Best thing we can do is get everyone home.
[ Sighing, Amos puts the shotgun down over his lap, looking up at Alex, eyes serious. A while ago, they were thrust together, the four - five - of them. The Knight, the Roci, the protomolecule, Eros, Miller - all of it had happened to them, and had created some bonds Amos never really believed would be created. But now he knows that Alex trusts him, and that he trusts Alex. ]
Not our job to get everyone home. [ This is the same argument they've had multiple times, now. So Amos moves right on. ] But I don't plan on using it. Only if it's necessary.
[ Alex shouldn't be surprised by that answer. Amos has always only ever resorted to violence when he had no other choice. The rules of survival. ]
[He's not surprised. But he and Amos sometimes have differing opinions on 'no other choice'. Not as differing as between Amos and Naomi, though - Alex knows there's a line after which you just have to take the shot. He doesn't have to like it, for it to be true.
So he just nods, to the 'only if necessary'. Amos might be a little unhinged, sometimes, but Alex has never known him to lie.]
As far as I see it, our best chance to get ourselves home is to help get everyone else off this bucket too. No one here deserves this shit.
And I'm getting the sinking feelin' that this is just another Eros, all over again, and we're all part of some experiment. The less people we leave as fuel for that, the better.
Let him keep his delusions for a little while, Amos. He needed to believe that everyone here was on the same page, even if Samus had already kind of proven to him otherwise.]
And what exactly would we have done to end up in a prison with people from different universes? Just cause I can't seem to remember everythin' that happened before we got here don't mean that we did a single god damn thing.
[Which brings him to another point--]
Bobbie said she knew us, but damn if I don't remember it. Do you?
[ He is wrong less often than people would like. It's because his truth tends to bother people.
Alex, though, is right as well. Like, the kid with the garden, or Venus, even. The devil, but hardly that. Amos shrugs a shoulder. ]
I don't know, man. All I'm saying is that I care more about getting myself and you guys out than the rest of the population here. I'm not going to lie about it.
[ Isn't who he is. And then, a smile appears on his face. ]
Didn't know you could make them that hot, on Mars, but damn, Alex. Did I tell you she punched me in the face?
We should be tryin' to save as many people as we can. That's all I'm sayin'. And I know we gotta make the crew our first priority, but that means we can't leave till we find the Cap, anyway.
[About Bobbie, he just lets out a low whistle while shaking his head.]
If I'da known, maybe I wouldn't have spent so much damn time in the belt. [ He's kidding. He would have still ended up in the Belt. As patriot as he was, it was a nostalgia. The Belt was his home, now, and the Roci crew his family.
Just didn't mind he couldn't appreciate the sights, when he saw them.
He gave an amused snort, looking at him.]
What'd you do? I seen those guns. That ain't a punch I'd go lookin' for.
[ That conversation is going in circles, and they both know it. This is where their views diverge - Alex wants to be a hero. Amos just wants to survive.
The next part, though, makes Amos snort. ]
Yeah, sure.
[ They both know it's a lie. Alex was stuck to a pilot's chair, not having managed to find happiness anywhere else, even with a wife and kid waiting for him at home. Amos grins though, rubbing at his jaw where a soft bruise is showing. ]
She didn't appreciate my work on the Martian flag on the Roci.
[ They could argue about it until both their faces went blue, but Alex wouldn't push it. Ultimately, it was Naomi that had to agree with him.
She'd put Amos down once, in order to save people. He hoped that lesson would stick.
He grins back, amused and lopsided as he leans in to get a little better view of the bruise. Nice. ]
Probably shoulda fixed that back up before we ended up with company. [ He feels a little guilty, but - honestly? Amos kind of deserved that punch. Alex had resisted punching him on principle - since it hadn't really been the point and it wouldn't have made him feel better. But he wasn't about to begrudge a marine for teaching Amos a little respect for the flag. ]
But damn. Means she had to have been there, right? There's no one else who could'a known about that.
Yeah, she definitely has. That's what I don't like, the - the idea that maybe someone got into our heads. Just like someone got this fucking wire into my chest the other day.
[ It's a fucking unpleasant thought, and honestly, Amos would rather continue talking about Bobbie's... assets. Yes, he's gross. ]
Gotta wonder how it is on the Roci with her walking around.
Might not be nice for her if you look at her the way you speak about her, man.
[ It's a tease, although not a lie. Of course Alex would already be enamored of the Martian Marine. It's similar to how Amos always finds mechanics more attractive than anyone else. ]
You ready to declare your love under the dual moonlight?
[ He gives Amos a flat look, and it's for the best that the other man is across the room or he would be getting an elbow to the ribs right about now. ]
Hey, now. It ain't like that.
I can appreciate a woman without it bein' about that. [ Probably protesting a little too much to help his case, though. ]
I'm just sayin'. She's good company. And where there ain't another soul on this rust bucket that has even ever stepped foot on Mars, it's a damn relief, too.
[ Protesting way too much, indeed. Amos, for himself, tends to not deny these things. If he's asked, he'll answer, truthfully. Is Bobbie hot? Most certainly. Would he let her step on him? Absolutely.
He has no reason to lie to himself, but he knows Alex likes to.
Amos looks up at Alex, batting his eyelids a couple times. ]
Would you like me better if I'd stepped foot on Mars?
[ Alright, that's it. He takes a couple steps further into the room just so he can just plant his magboot into Amos's thigh. Not even hard enough to be called a shove. Just to make a point. ]
Yeah, yeah, you can shut the hell up now.
Mars would spit your ass back out to orbit before letting you touch down.
[ At Alex's half-baked threat, Amos cannot do anything but laugh. He could easily keep at it, rile Alex up further, and maybe a few months ago he would have. He could also flip Alex right on his back. Or just wrap his hand around Alex's calf, just to see how Alex would react if he decided to dig his fingers in a little, like a tease.
Instead, he just pushes Alex's foot off, still smiling. ]
[ The laugh actually relaxes him, for a weird reason he can't explain, a little of the tension in his shoulders easing. He realised he hadn't heard anyone laugh in a few days.
Maybe the hit to his pride was worth it.
His foot returned to the floor, magboot engaging when it touched back down, and Alex found himself smiling too. ]
Yeah, I'm terrified.
[ He had been, in the past. Amos could scare the shit out of him, sometimes. But not now. Not here. ]
Better you than Samus, is all I'm sayin'. You eaten yet?
[ Amos's eyes catch Alex's, knowing all too well what's hiding behind them. Alex is an open book, compared to Amos - just like Holden is. Amos knows he used to scare everyone on the Roci, even Naomi, sometimes. She was thankful for his actions, even if she would never admit it, but he knows that his attitude was worrying, even for her.
Funnily enough, he feels like he's mellowed out, just - going through everything they did together. He puts the gun down by the side of his bed, shaking his head. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
At the question, he pauses.]
You might not be worried about it, but I sure as hell am. This place feels like a stoppered tea kettle on boil, if you know what I mean.
[He gave a weary look.]
And I ain't sure how well bullets are gonna work against molten doors or wires appearing under our skin.
no subject
[ They'd both lived through the worst of the tension between Earth, Mars, and the Belt. They'd been, technically, on opposing sides, just due to having been born on different planets. But Amos had not felt like an Earther in a very long time, and Alex's patriotism ran deep, but he was also half a Belter, at this point. The Roci felt like the most unified ship in the system, sometimes.
But the thing about Reverie is that, well. They don't have Holden. And Amos might give the Captain shit, but there's no denying that he is better at making the hard choices than the rest of them.
Still, Amos gives his gun another look. ]
Might not, but I still feel better having it than not. You don't know what could be coming through an airlock, but if we get boarded, at least I can defend our position.
[ By our, he mainly means his people. Alex, Prax, and Naomi. Maybe a couple other people that he doesn't mind having around. ]
Now, if someone tries a bit too hard in here... [ He pulls the gun to sights, aiming at nothing, but making his point. ]
no subject
Least back home I knew which parts were likely to explode. [ Sort of. He'd put a lot of faith in Mars to do the right thing, and learned the hard way that they hadn't. Weren't. Wouldn't.
God damn, he hated not knowing what was happening back there right now.
He let out a breath, almost a sigh. ]
... Not gonna lie, I feel better for you having it, too, just wish I knew what in the hell had given it to you, when they will ain't released Holden.
Just try to keep it as a last resort, huh? Everyone here is in the same shit place we are. Best thing we can do is get everyone home.
no subject
Not our job to get everyone home. [ This is the same argument they've had multiple times, now. So Amos moves right on. ] But I don't plan on using it. Only if it's necessary.
[ Alex shouldn't be surprised by that answer. Amos has always only ever resorted to violence when he had no other choice. The rules of survival. ]
no subject
So he just nods, to the 'only if necessary'. Amos might be a little unhinged, sometimes, but Alex has never known him to lie.]
As far as I see it, our best chance to get ourselves home is to help get everyone else off this bucket too. No one here deserves this shit.
And I'm getting the sinking feelin' that this is just another Eros, all over again, and we're all part of some experiment. The less people we leave as fuel for that, the better.
no subject
[ Never underestimate how shitty people can be. ]
What if this place is some kind of prison?
no subject
Let him keep his delusions for a little while, Amos. He needed to believe that everyone here was on the same page, even if Samus had already kind of proven to him otherwise.]
And what exactly would we have done to end up in a prison with people from different universes? Just cause I can't seem to remember everythin' that happened before we got here don't mean that we did a single god damn thing.
[Which brings him to another point--]
Bobbie said she knew us, but damn if I don't remember it. Do you?
no subject
[ Let's not be naive, here.
And - fuck. Yeah. Amos's face closes up. ]
Nope. Which, fucking great, on top of being in the middle of god fuck nowhere, we probably also have been brainwashed.
no subject
Fine. Us, maybe, but I've met a bunch of the people here an' I can't see any of 'em needing to be sent off to a gulag.
[ But his expression falls as Amos continues. ]
Damn. [ He lets out a hard breath. ] They must've done something, because there's no way in hell I'd forget a woman like that otherwise.
no subject
Alex, though, is right as well. Like, the kid with the garden, or Venus, even. The devil, but hardly that. Amos shrugs a shoulder. ]
I don't know, man. All I'm saying is that I care more about getting myself and you guys out than the rest of the population here. I'm not going to lie about it.
[ Isn't who he is. And then, a smile appears on his face. ]
Didn't know you could make them that hot, on Mars, but damn, Alex. Did I tell you she punched me in the face?
no subject
We should be tryin' to save as many people as we can. That's all I'm sayin'. And I know we gotta make the crew our first priority, but that means we can't leave till we find the Cap, anyway.
[About Bobbie, he just lets out a low whistle while shaking his head.]
If I'da known, maybe I wouldn't have spent so much damn time in the belt. [ He's kidding. He would have still ended up in the Belt. As patriot as he was, it was a nostalgia. The Belt was his home, now, and the Roci crew his family.
Just didn't mind he couldn't appreciate the sights, when he saw them.
He gave an amused snort, looking at him.]
What'd you do? I seen those guns. That ain't a punch I'd go lookin' for.
no subject
The next part, though, makes Amos snort. ]
Yeah, sure.
[ They both know it's a lie. Alex was stuck to a pilot's chair, not having managed to find happiness anywhere else, even with a wife and kid waiting for him at home. Amos grins though, rubbing at his jaw where a soft bruise is showing. ]
She didn't appreciate my work on the Martian flag on the Roci.
no subject
She'd put Amos down once, in order to save people. He hoped that lesson would stick.
He grins back, amused and lopsided as he leans in to get a little better view of the bruise. Nice. ]
Probably shoulda fixed that back up before we ended up with company. [ He feels a little guilty, but - honestly? Amos kind of deserved that punch. Alex had resisted punching him on principle - since it hadn't really been the point and it wouldn't have made him feel better. But he wasn't about to begrudge a marine for teaching Amos a little respect for the flag. ]
But damn. Means she had to have been there, right? There's no one else who could'a known about that.
no subject
[ It's a fucking unpleasant thought, and honestly, Amos would rather continue talking about Bobbie's... assets. Yes, he's gross. ]
Gotta wonder how it is on the Roci with her walking around.
no subject
He was all too happy for Amos' topic change, and he just shook his head in wonder instead. ]
Damn good, I bet. [ And that had nothing to do with her looks. ] She's somethin' else.
Must be damn nice to have another Martian around.
no subject
[ It's a tease, although not a lie. Of course Alex would already be enamored of the Martian Marine. It's similar to how Amos always finds mechanics more attractive than anyone else. ]
You ready to declare your love under the dual moonlight?
no subject
Hey, now. It ain't like that.
I can appreciate a woman without it bein' about that. [ Probably protesting a little too much to help his case, though. ]
I'm just sayin'. She's good company. And where there ain't another soul on this rust bucket that has even ever stepped foot on Mars, it's a damn relief, too.
no subject
[ Protesting way too much, indeed. Amos, for himself, tends to not deny these things. If he's asked, he'll answer, truthfully. Is Bobbie hot? Most certainly. Would he let her step on him? Absolutely.
He has no reason to lie to himself, but he knows Alex likes to.
Amos looks up at Alex, batting his eyelids a couple times. ]
Would you like me better if I'd stepped foot on Mars?
no subject
Yeah, yeah, you can shut the hell up now.
Mars would spit your ass back out to orbit before letting you touch down.
no subject
Instead, he just pushes Alex's foot off, still smiling. ]
Careful there, big guy, I'm the one with the gun.
no subject
Maybe the hit to his pride was worth it.
His foot returned to the floor, magboot engaging when it touched back down, and Alex found himself smiling too. ]
Yeah, I'm terrified.
[ He had been, in the past. Amos could scare the shit out of him, sometimes. But not now. Not here. ]
Better you than Samus, is all I'm sayin'. You eaten yet?
no subject
Funnily enough, he feels like he's mellowed out, just - going through everything they did together. He puts the gun down by the side of his bed, shaking his head. ]
Haven't. Want to go grab something?
no subject
[ So come on, let's go. ]