[ it's called a security blanket, frank. thanks for the judgement, though, he really needs that. especially now that he's remembering all that he knows about this man, running the town, the mayor, how nancy talked about him and how max and mike did, too. now that he sees him - jumpsuit and boots and bulky frame - steve is suddenly feeling like he should have....what? cleaned up? stood up a little straighter? done his hair?
instead, he just keeps standing there, waiting for some kind of direction or order. that's when the gesture comes, and steve nods, ducking his head and hurrying past him out of the house. ]
[ it's okay he'll give steve a proper knife like he did nancy. the bat is actually kind of cool if he's honest. which hoo boy what a slippery slope that is. once they're outside on the sandpath frank feels instantly better. he can see their surroundings from all angles and know that they're safe. he pulls out his device once it's clear he's less on edge, and also because he wants steve to stop looking at him like he's a terrifying pillar of a man any time now. ]
[ he'll take the knife with only a minute amount of confusion, before recognizing that it's similar to the one nancy has, one he's seen before. his attention holds to it for a few moments as they continue to walk before he realizes frank has taken out his device, and that prompts steve to slide the knife into a pouch on his backpack. ]
once i was ten
[ someone might have tried boy scouts for a solid 8 months before deciding he liked baseball better. ]
camping? [ frank hopes he means camping bc fighting monsters is more steve's bag. ] since i was a kid. always did like being outside more than in. and then i enlisted so [ camping forever and ever on ]
[ a confirmation. this trip is mostly about survival skills and making sure the kids know how to be quiet. but he thinks it's important to see the monsters too.
steve's question nearly startles a laugh out of him, something that hasn't happened since he got here. he can't help the playful shove that he deals the young man, perhaps as a result of hanging out with tetora too much. ]
[ steve....is not quite sure he gets what that is supposed to mean, or why someone would liken soundeaters to sprinkles but sure. why not. this guy is the mayor, isn't he? he probably knows what he's doing.
but then there's the shove, which definitely catches steve off-balance, pushing him out of his step and forces him to stumble for a bit, catching himself before he actually falls, but not before he definitely makes a little bit of a fool of himself.
great. awesome. totally the best way to make a first impression. he straightens his grip on one of the handles of his backpack and his device. ]
[ at the stumble, frank's gaze turns worried, about to reach out when steve rights himself. it wasn't like him to be careless, and he looks apologetic for a moment before sobering considerably. at first he thinks vietnam is a joke, haha he gets it he's old. but then he remembers-- steve is almost 30 years in the past for him. and also in an alternate universe where monsters possess tiny kids etc. whatever. ]
a few different places but afghanistan. kandihar.
[ that's where he was for the most time and where the most damage had happened. frank turns his attention back to the path ahead of them. ]
[ steve feels a bit guilty at the look, shaking his head as if to tell him he's fine, that was on him, sorry sorry.but he falls back into step easy enough, right? lets act like it never happened. ]
didn't know there was a war there
[ granted, steve's not actually the....smartest. and probably wouldn't know if there was. ]
and was that where you were before you showed up here?
[ it would be so nice to not know about anything that goes on over there, honestly. to be as ignorant and naive as steve is right now. he almost answers 'yes,' because there's always a part of him that's still there. frank doesn't think he'll ever retrieve it. ]
i was in new york. there's been a war in the middle east since the dawn of time. america started meddling with that shit in the 90s and it's been downhill ever since.
[ like with anything else about this place, frank doesn't see the value in tiptoeing around things. he's always been straightforward as a rule, so even when dealing with things he doesn't understand, he's only interested in dealing in truths. ]
[ steve looks from the message, to frank, then back to the message. he kind of very obviously is processing, but also not processing. sort of being overwhelmed, and letting that overwhelming feeling happen, and then just sort of exhaling in response to it. ]
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instead, he just keeps standing there, waiting for some kind of direction or order. that's when the gesture comes, and steve nods, ducking his head and hurrying past him out of the house. ]
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you ever been camping before?
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once
i was ten
[ someone might have tried boy scouts for a solid 8 months before deciding he liked baseball better. ]
i assume this is going to be a little different
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[ though to be honest, 'monsters' aren't all that different from home, either, so steve doesn't have much room to talk. ]
how long have you been doing this, anyway?
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guess that makes sense
and the monsters are just extra?
how long were you in the army?
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[ a confirmation. this trip is mostly about survival skills and making sure the kids know how to be quiet. but he thinks it's important to see the monsters too.
steve's question nearly startles a laugh out of him, something that hasn't happened since he got here. he can't help the playful shove that he deals the young man, perhaps as a result of hanging out with tetora too much. ]
the ARMY is for pussies
i was a marine
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but then there's the shove, which definitely catches steve off-balance, pushing him out of his step and forces him to stumble for a bit, catching himself before he actually falls, but not before he definitely makes a little bit of a fool of himself.
great. awesome. totally the best way to make a first impression. he straightens his grip on one of the handles of his backpack and his device. ]
right, duh
where were you deployed? vietnam?
[ timelines!!!! ]
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a few different places but afghanistan. kandihar.
[ that's where he was for the most time and where the most damage had happened. frank turns his attention back to the path ahead of them. ]
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didn't know there was a war there
[ granted, steve's not actually the....smartest. and probably wouldn't know if there was. ]
and was that where you were before you showed up here?
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i was in new york. there's been a war in the middle east since the dawn of time. america started meddling with that shit in the 90s and it's been downhill ever since.
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what do you mean the 90s?
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it's 2017 for me
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sure
[ this might as well happen. ]
how did that happen? do we know?
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[ aka he has no fucking idea. ] i don't have fucked up monsters or an "upside down" in my world either. just assholes who fight crime in their pjs
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[ and then there's that. which. he guesses makes everything easier? ]
i'm guessing you got the rundown from mike?