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Feb. 27th, 2024 01:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsMadin and Mel. Walking disaster meets (another) Guthrie.
Mel wandered into the rec room, book in hand. She remembered it being comfortable looking when Paige had showed her around and she needed a spot to curl up that wasn’t her room. Well, needed somewhere Paige wouldn’t think to look and judge her for her choice in trashy romance novel.
She nodded in greeting to the other person in the room and tucked herself into a chair. Company was no mind, she preferred it. Hopefully they wouldn’t be too bothered.
Madin waved vaguely to the new entrant and finished the equation they were doing before looking up. "Hi. You Mel? Sam's sister?" She had the Guthrie look and there'd been something on the journals a few days ago.
“Yeah, that’s me. You know Sam?” Mel didn’t even know why she asked the question. Seemed like everyone did in this place.
"Yeah. Really nice guy, you know?"
“Mm, nice. That’s-yeah.. What’s yer name?” Someone who reacted to her being Sam’s sister favorably? What had he been doing up here?
"Sorry, I'm Madin."
“Nice to meet ya,” Mel smiled. It struck her then that Madin was purple- and wasn’t that something. They were cute. “An’ I’m sorry. Yer busy I’ll jus’ pipe down an’ let you get on with it.”
"Yeah nah, you're good." Madin stood up. "I'm just doing a thing and honestly, I'm looking forward to any reason to not do it. What led to you moving up here?"
Ah, so Sam hadn’t mentioned the blood feud. “Er- well, I started a fight and then got shot at fer bein’ a Guthrie and a mutant, an’ my Mama didn’t want the little ones gettin’ mixed up in it.” Her hair was strategically styled to hide the healing cut, and the bruises were gone. “So I’m here for… a while. Yer Australian? Am I reading the accent right?”
"Yeah. Haven't been back for a while but." Madin shook their head at everything else Mel said. "That's fucked. You've got a bunch of younger siblings, right? Sam's said. Why aren't you bringing them up here? Just because you're not there doesn't mean they're safe."
“It’s just- it ain’t that simple.” How could she explain it? That as long as Cumberland had been a town and even before, Guthrie’s had been there? That one never backed down, that leaving would be letting the Cabot’s win? Mel sighed. “They’re good kids. They’ll stay outta trouble.” She said it like a prayer, as if her worry from a hundred miles away was as good as being there like she should be.
"It's not about if they're good kids. You can't trust humans. And yeah, I assume that they're not mutants yet, but they know your family are, so they've at risk." Madin paused. "I'm sorry. I just met you and I'm yelling about this."
Mel shook her head. “It ain’t nothin’ I haven’t thought myself, but the mutant thing ain’t what it’s really about. The Cabots have wanted us Guthries outta the county fer longer than you an’ me, and us bein’ mutants is jus’ an excuse to follow through. They probably wouldn’t’a kilt me, but even if they had, I used my powers on ‘em. Any judge coulda been convinced of self defense, ‘specially with their money.” She threaded a hand through her hair. “But they try anything with the little ones? Most folks like ‘em, an’ they ain’t known for causin’ a ruckus, ‘cept for Jeb but he’s still a kid. That won’t end well for the Cabot’s an’ they know it. They’re hateful devils but they ain’t fools.”
"Like an actual militia feud? Jeeesus Christ. I didn't know you had them here. I've only seen that kind of bullshit in Africa and it was always waaay more complicated than people wanted to admit - ethnic tensions and historical land boundaries and, like, colonialism and then who was where in wars plus who owned what stuff and like, you just had to roll with that, you know? But like, this is fucked. It's fully home grown militia stuff if they're shooting at you. I know you're a mutant so they won't do anything but don't you have police? Isn't stopping militias their job? They can't just walk around with guns wanting to pick fights with you all."
Mel looked at Madin like they’d grown a second head. “What’re you goin’ on about? It’s just a family that don’t like mine?” And what the fuck had Madin been getting up too? “An’ of course they have guns. Kentucky’s concealed carry an’ stand yer ground, whole thing was practically legal, what’s the sheriff gonna do?” Not to mention that the Cabot’s had them in their pocket.
"What do you mean carry concealed? And stand your ground? That just sounds like an excuse for murder. You can't just go shooting at people!" Madin wailed. "I swear to god, I've only seen people carrying guns around like that in actual fuckinig war zones. Next you'll be saying that they have road blocks and shake down the traffic."
“They ain’t got guns in Australia? I’ve been using ‘em since I was about six. It’s plenty legal. For huntin’ and self defense.” Practically everyone she knew learned to handle guns from a young age. It was normal. “An’ what’s this about an active war zone?"
"I mean, maybe, for pig hunting and roo shooting and things but I never did that.. Guns aren't a thing! Even if you had one, you'd be arrested so hard if you tried to walk around with it. Trust me, I've been arrested for being a mutant and basically being a weapon." They were waving their arms as they spoke, and calmed themself, talking more quietly. "I was. I guess. I was kind of a soldier, I guess, and when I left Australia I spent a lot of time in the field in Africa."
“Oh.” Mel knew nothing about Australia’s mutant policy, and she suddenly felt like she should know. Were things really that bad? She looked up at Madin and said softly, “I’m sorry. That shouldn’t’a happened to you.”
Madin shifted awkwardly. "I'm sorry you have to go through all that, too." Conversation was never Madin's strong point so, struggling to figure out how to carry this on, they said, "Look, want a drink? My roommate probably won't mind and this got real heavy, you know?"
A smile flickered across Mel’s face. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
Mel wandered into the rec room, book in hand. She remembered it being comfortable looking when Paige had showed her around and she needed a spot to curl up that wasn’t her room. Well, needed somewhere Paige wouldn’t think to look and judge her for her choice in trashy romance novel.
She nodded in greeting to the other person in the room and tucked herself into a chair. Company was no mind, she preferred it. Hopefully they wouldn’t be too bothered.
Madin waved vaguely to the new entrant and finished the equation they were doing before looking up. "Hi. You Mel? Sam's sister?" She had the Guthrie look and there'd been something on the journals a few days ago.
“Yeah, that’s me. You know Sam?” Mel didn’t even know why she asked the question. Seemed like everyone did in this place.
"Yeah. Really nice guy, you know?"
“Mm, nice. That’s-yeah.. What’s yer name?” Someone who reacted to her being Sam’s sister favorably? What had he been doing up here?
"Sorry, I'm Madin."
“Nice to meet ya,” Mel smiled. It struck her then that Madin was purple- and wasn’t that something. They were cute. “An’ I’m sorry. Yer busy I’ll jus’ pipe down an’ let you get on with it.”
"Yeah nah, you're good." Madin stood up. "I'm just doing a thing and honestly, I'm looking forward to any reason to not do it. What led to you moving up here?"
Ah, so Sam hadn’t mentioned the blood feud. “Er- well, I started a fight and then got shot at fer bein’ a Guthrie and a mutant, an’ my Mama didn’t want the little ones gettin’ mixed up in it.” Her hair was strategically styled to hide the healing cut, and the bruises were gone. “So I’m here for… a while. Yer Australian? Am I reading the accent right?”
"Yeah. Haven't been back for a while but." Madin shook their head at everything else Mel said. "That's fucked. You've got a bunch of younger siblings, right? Sam's said. Why aren't you bringing them up here? Just because you're not there doesn't mean they're safe."
“It’s just- it ain’t that simple.” How could she explain it? That as long as Cumberland had been a town and even before, Guthrie’s had been there? That one never backed down, that leaving would be letting the Cabot’s win? Mel sighed. “They’re good kids. They’ll stay outta trouble.” She said it like a prayer, as if her worry from a hundred miles away was as good as being there like she should be.
"It's not about if they're good kids. You can't trust humans. And yeah, I assume that they're not mutants yet, but they know your family are, so they've at risk." Madin paused. "I'm sorry. I just met you and I'm yelling about this."
Mel shook her head. “It ain’t nothin’ I haven’t thought myself, but the mutant thing ain’t what it’s really about. The Cabots have wanted us Guthries outta the county fer longer than you an’ me, and us bein’ mutants is jus’ an excuse to follow through. They probably wouldn’t’a kilt me, but even if they had, I used my powers on ‘em. Any judge coulda been convinced of self defense, ‘specially with their money.” She threaded a hand through her hair. “But they try anything with the little ones? Most folks like ‘em, an’ they ain’t known for causin’ a ruckus, ‘cept for Jeb but he’s still a kid. That won’t end well for the Cabot’s an’ they know it. They’re hateful devils but they ain’t fools.”
"Like an actual militia feud? Jeeesus Christ. I didn't know you had them here. I've only seen that kind of bullshit in Africa and it was always waaay more complicated than people wanted to admit - ethnic tensions and historical land boundaries and, like, colonialism and then who was where in wars plus who owned what stuff and like, you just had to roll with that, you know? But like, this is fucked. It's fully home grown militia stuff if they're shooting at you. I know you're a mutant so they won't do anything but don't you have police? Isn't stopping militias their job? They can't just walk around with guns wanting to pick fights with you all."
Mel looked at Madin like they’d grown a second head. “What’re you goin’ on about? It’s just a family that don’t like mine?” And what the fuck had Madin been getting up too? “An’ of course they have guns. Kentucky’s concealed carry an’ stand yer ground, whole thing was practically legal, what’s the sheriff gonna do?” Not to mention that the Cabot’s had them in their pocket.
"What do you mean carry concealed? And stand your ground? That just sounds like an excuse for murder. You can't just go shooting at people!" Madin wailed. "I swear to god, I've only seen people carrying guns around like that in actual fuckinig war zones. Next you'll be saying that they have road blocks and shake down the traffic."
“They ain’t got guns in Australia? I’ve been using ‘em since I was about six. It’s plenty legal. For huntin’ and self defense.” Practically everyone she knew learned to handle guns from a young age. It was normal. “An’ what’s this about an active war zone?"
"I mean, maybe, for pig hunting and roo shooting and things but I never did that.. Guns aren't a thing! Even if you had one, you'd be arrested so hard if you tried to walk around with it. Trust me, I've been arrested for being a mutant and basically being a weapon." They were waving their arms as they spoke, and calmed themself, talking more quietly. "I was. I guess. I was kind of a soldier, I guess, and when I left Australia I spent a lot of time in the field in Africa."
“Oh.” Mel knew nothing about Australia’s mutant policy, and she suddenly felt like she should know. Were things really that bad? She looked up at Madin and said softly, “I’m sorry. That shouldn’t’a happened to you.”
Madin shifted awkwardly. "I'm sorry you have to go through all that, too." Conversation was never Madin's strong point so, struggling to figure out how to carry this on, they said, "Look, want a drink? My roommate probably won't mind and this got real heavy, you know?"
A smile flickered across Mel’s face. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
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Date: 2024-02-27 07:39 pm (UTC)The Madin creed.
The culture clash here is hilarious. "Why do you guys have so many guns here?? Also I was a paramilitary terrorist."