[He blinked in surprise, a little ashamed he'd not thought to ask for her name sooner, especially when the topic of intimacy between then came up. It was another step that brought him uncomfortably close- not just physically, but on a deeper level. Learning about the rest of his team was something he'd avoided back at Sawmill. It was easier to feel nothing for them as they were shot down all around him if he didn't think too hard about who they were or what they had in life. They were professionals with the same job- that was all that mattered. Everything else got in the way.
They weren't at the base anymore, the trees and muddy hills a far cry from Paradise's paved roads and futuristic buildings. Similarly gone was their occupation, and with it a large aspect of stability in his life. He wasn't much of a man for change; all he'd faced upon his arrival in Paradise— the loss of his job, parents, and nearly everything he'd thrived on for the past several years— had nearly broken him. He'd snapped, which brought even worse consequences to his plate.
While Pyro herself was the same teammate he'd worked with at Sawmill, even she was a changed individual from the one he knew: gone was her suit, her true identity known. He hadn't batted an eye as she was slain before; watching her be maimed on a daily basis was just a part of the job. She was a faceless figure, one without a true voice, one for whom he couldn't care less.
A little over two months in the city, and his opinion had changed to the point of nonrecognition. She'd visited him daily in the hospital; somewhere along the way, he'd become somewhat comfortable with her being there, with talking to her beyond a gruff greeting and a few belligerent words. He still claimed not to care, but there was a level of concern for her that had welled itself in his chest without his knowing. He wouldn't have returned to the house if it didn't exist, would have been able to talk himself out of it as he always had.
He could see the change in himself; it was one that went against his personal code, but he wasn't sure what he could do to stifle it... or if he even wanted to. She brought back some sense of stability to his life- she was there every day, whether he wanted her to be or not. She had become that unchanging element he craved, and he'd never even realized it.
He had a private smile to himself, feeling calmer somehow.]
[Action]
They weren't at the base anymore, the trees and muddy hills a far cry from Paradise's paved roads and futuristic buildings. Similarly gone was their occupation, and with it a large aspect of stability in his life. He wasn't much of a man for change; all he'd faced upon his arrival in Paradise— the loss of his job, parents, and nearly everything he'd thrived on for the past several years— had nearly broken him. He'd snapped, which brought even worse consequences to his plate.
While Pyro herself was the same teammate he'd worked with at Sawmill, even she was a changed individual from the one he knew: gone was her suit, her true identity known. He hadn't batted an eye as she was slain before; watching her be maimed on a daily basis was just a part of the job. She was a faceless figure, one without a true voice, one for whom he couldn't care less.
A little over two months in the city, and his opinion had changed to the point of nonrecognition. She'd visited him daily in the hospital; somewhere along the way, he'd become somewhat comfortable with her being there, with talking to her beyond a gruff greeting and a few belligerent words. He still claimed not to care, but there was a level of concern for her that had welled itself in his chest without his knowing. He wouldn't have returned to the house if it didn't exist, would have been able to talk himself out of it as he always had.
He could see the change in himself; it was one that went against his personal code, but he wasn't sure what he could do to stifle it... or if he even wanted to. She brought back some sense of stability to his life- she was there every day, whether he wanted her to be or not. She had become that unchanging element he craved, and he'd never even realized it.
He had a private smile to himself, feeling calmer somehow.]
I'm Alan.