quietplacelogs | III. (open-ish) i said i've been through a lot of noise

III. (open-ish) i said i've been through a lot of noise

featuring: hotdog & his (close) cr
what's happening? frank is suffering from vaccine side-effects and has been ordered to go to the clinic to take care of it; meanttime max has arrived! and just undergone debarking surgery.
day: march 1 (night) & march 2 all day
content warnings: sick man, sick dog, the whine (not)heard round the world.
notes: if it's feasible that frank or micro would have told your character where he is, then feel free to show up. or if you are sick maybe you are unlucky enough to encounter this jerkbutt. hit me up if you want something specific!

march 1

[ after frank gifted jessica a lovely murder basket, she suspects he isn't feeling himself (joke's on her tbh.) since only just injecting him with the experimental drug that would (with any luck at all) make him immune to kilgrave's powers, she assumes frank's weird behavior is a side effect and sends him to the clinic to get checked out. after akira puts him on bedrest, he's open to visitors, and of course the first person he wants to see isn't a person at all. he texts hawkeye and micro furiously: ] bring me my fucking dog, you assholes.

[ okay, so he might be a little testy. once a sleepy max just out of surgery is brought to the clinic, too, the dog will lay at the foot of his bed, alternating between lazily guarding and even lazier dozing. frank hates being stationary. he hates feeling useless. the aches and pains are taking a toll on him, but not as much as the rising tide of frustration and irritability. even if he's usually not a chill guy by a landslide, today he's especially twitchy. he'll likely be up long into the night fantasizing different and creative ways to make kilgrave hurt. oh, hi kids. didn't see you there. ]

march 2

[ frank hasn't slept much. between the fever and refusing to take anything stronger than aspirin, he's sweating and out of it, an angry red rash climbing steadily up the back of his neck to peek out of his black jumpsuit collar. the blankets are on his feet, but he keeps kicking them off. he hates being sick, and he knows he's a terrible patient besides. maria always used to scold him for acting like a child; or worse than their actual children since they took being sick like a champ, just happy for the day away from school. he could endure torture and pain aplenty, max the dog had witnessed both first-hand. he lived in bunkers buried in the sand and traveled to countries that were just holes in the ground, but a little fever and nausea and he's ready to die. every time a cold shiver wracks his spine, he wishes for it even; picturing the bullet in his skull. the doctors telling him a shift in millimeter increment would have killed him. should have, even the way it is.

max is on the floor now, his big block head peeking out from underneath the cot. he watches the door, alerting frank to any new arrival with a tiny growl before shutting his eyes again. the noise little more than a rattly rumble from the dog's barrel chest. the message is clear: you take this one, dad. i'll get the next. ]

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[ he's starting to feel slightly more level by the time poe makes his way in. the flight suit has his nose crinkling in bemusement, and now that's 3/3 of his friends that have greeted max before him. he had chosen well, clearly. the dog seems to agree, licking poe's hand before putting his head back down on nthe floor. ]

Hey. [ he signs, sitting up now with a slightly listless smile. he'll wait for poe to move on from the dog to say anything else. he knows he hadn't left things in the best place between them, but it means something that poe is here. ]

[ Poe smiles as the dog lick's his hand. There's a small nod of his head to Max before focusing his attention on Frank. Once he heard that the other wasn't feeling well, he needed to know more. It didn't matter how their last encounter had been. There wasn't much point to avoid others or someone you were trying to get to know. Sometimes there will be disagreements to things. Poe understood when Frank left that he was all about killing. It's not bad, it meant there could be no more threats, but somehow in someway a bigger one usually shows up or someone takes their place. ]

How are you feeling? [ He can't help but ask such a generic question. Poe slowly moves away from Max standing back up. ]

[ since he's seen poe, he's earned another bruise. just the one this time, high on his cheek. and it already appears to be healing. rey had hit him not moments after he saw poe, in fact, but he's focusing on the man's hands. their sign practice with the mother in the community is starting to pay off, and his answer is instant, the slightest tug of a smile at one corner of his lips. ] Better than I deserve.

[ Poe looks at Frank's face for a moment before focusing on the man's hands since that was the most important thing. After reading them though he can't up but look up toward the ceiling. He's thankful and appreciative of the practice since he truly needed it back when he was trying to save 9S. ] Who punched your face this time?

Mutual friend. [ as usual, he isn't very forthcoming, and he just shrugs. he's glad poe came to see him though, and he's left with a small grateful smile. ] How are you holding up?

Deserved I'm sure. [ Frank is being mysterious as ever. Poe's not going to ask though, he knows that Rey would, there's probably plenty that would now that he thought about it. ] As alright as I can be. What's going on exactly?

[ such a loaded question, as ever. frank just shakes his head, pulling out his device. he does like the signing, but it takes a measure of concentration he simply doesn't have right now. ]

this is phase two of the plan. don't worry about it, you'll know soon.

[ Of course it's loaded question. There has to be more than just sick. Frank probably wouldn't be using the clinic for a regular cold. Poe glances over at the device before pulling out his own to reply back. ]

Fantastic. I'll watch you to see what I'll be in for. Since you seem to want to leave me in the dark. What's your new friend's name?

[ He points down to the dog with a small smile. ]

[ he does want to leave poe in the dark, and everyone else. it's still need-to-know, even with kilgrave temporarily contained. until frank knows he's immune, this isn't over. the mention of the dog gets him to drop his darker thoughts and smile though, signing the letters for his name: ] M-A-X.

[ Poe doesn't want to be in the dark, but he understands that Frank's doing it for his own good. He'll continue to show his dislike for it though. Frank's on a mission and hopefully he'll succeed. He stares at the hand motions closely while repeating them himself. ] Max. How did you two meet?

[ if he had another choice, he'd take it. but he's been burned too many times. not just by this kilgrave situation, but... before. somehow in only two months frank has so much to lose here. he wasn't ever supposed to have anything to lose ever again. ]

There was a gang... [ he starts, trying to think if he has the vocabulary to tell this story with sign. eventually he issues a tiny sigh after thinking too long and hard and picks back up his device. the fever is wreaking havoc on his brain, sign practice will have to wait for another day. ]

the irish. they used him for a guard dog. they threatened to hurt him to get me to talk since torturing me wasn't working.

[ that's right -- torture frank castle all you want. but torture a dog he barely knows and he will gut u like a fish. ]

[ Poe carefully watches the signing done by Frank. Sometimes stories were easier to be told on the device still. Ones that might seem longer and still getting used to the language meant accidentally saying the wrong words. He lifts his eyebrows up in response to reading the wanting to hurt Max to get to Frank. ]

I shouldn't be that surprised at torturing not working for you. Using an innocent being against another is always bad form. How did you get out of that situation? Did Max end up helping you in some way?

[ He's going to not ask about what Frank was being tortured for. This story was about Max and Frank and how they became connected. ]

i was right where i wanted to be until they brought him in. it's funny what a man will say to someone he thinks he's about to kill.

[ frank literally only you would find that funny ]

What was the line he used? I'm sure you gave it right back at him.

[ Maybe there might be some humor within it. Poe might find it a little funny. It all depends on the line and outcome. ]

[ he grows pensive for a moment, remembering the moment like it was yesterday and fondly too. as much as killing all those people hadn't changed anything; hadn't brought his babies back, it had felt satisfying. and it's hard not to recount that along with the memories. ]

he said he'd make it quick, that it would all be over soon. [ a shallow smile works its way across his lips. that irish fuck really thought he'd be the end of frank castle. that he'd be the one with the privilege to hear him beg for death. and it's a funny thought for frank, even if no one else might understand. he fixes the other man with a stare then, changing tone abruptly -- or as much as one can over text. ]

you ever torture someone poe?

[ Poe waited while watching the other closely. It almost felt as if he was waiting for a punchline. At the line used his eyebrows rose upwards because he's pretty sure it was Frank in the end that made it be over soon. He presses his lips together because that's a pretty good set up before all hell breaking loose. ]

That's when you decided to break free I take it. [ It was the only other way it could have gone. Frank probably could push all of his adrenaline into busting a chair. It meant the man knew when and how to use all of his strength in full force. A literal torpedo that would blow up anything in it's path. Poe glances at the question before up at Frank with a slight frown. ]

We value life. The last person to betray my squad and the Resistance was going to be brought in for questioning. [ The big moral questions were above his pay grade, still is for the moment. The person in question, his wife had said he did it all because of love. Poe couldn't believe that was the true answer, there could have been more than that. ] Because if he got caught by the First Order they would do something far worse than a trial. I know being in a prison cell isn't exactly a future to think about. In short no, I haven't tortured anyone. [ Poe could have been court-martialed for disobeying orders with the New Republic, but he chose to not have his hands tied. He went and joined the Resistance to make a difference. ]

[ like any military structure, there was torture. poe just wasn't the guy who did the dirty work. which is fine, he's still a soldier. just not one in the muck the likes of frank castle. he reads it all carefully and allows a moment to process, only flicking his eyes up to the other man briefly before looking back down to respond. ]

you told me once you could withstand any questioning. that's good. but when you're on the other end, it's different. it changes you. i hope you never have to.

[ Torture wouldn't really be a thing if you're trying to get people to join a cause that's ran by someone whose father was one of the most scariest people out there in the galaxy. There needed to be trust somewhere. It's even more difficult to recruit. People out in the galaxy believed though. Poe wasn't taught such torment. He presses his lips together as he reads the message. His eyes dart up at Frank for a moment studying him. ]

Yeah I resisted the same question over a hundred times knowing that if I gave it up the only hope we had would be lost. General Organa taught me a bunch of things and torture is not one them. Running a heist, making a deal, coming up with a team. I should have listened to her better. Torture is not my thing. I don't think I could do it anyway.

Have you? [ He seems a little nervous in asking but everyone has their reasons for things. Poe doesn't know how it is back in Frank's world. ]

[ he reads it all carefully. from everything he's heard this general organa seems like a good leader. poe obviously respects her. he chooses to believe it all on face value even if he's seen over and over how any structure, well-intentioned or otherwise, could become corrupt. ] yes.

[ there's no real point in lying about that. he'd done it for a job and for pleasure both. and he was good at it. frank isn't done, however. ]

i was one of the leaders of a state sanctioned death squad. it was all off the books, funded by illegal drugs. i didn't ask questions, i just did my job. but our commander was a shitbag. he liked it, got off on it. so when the time was right, i did the same to him.

[ no he's not like poe. he could lie and say that maybe he was once when he was young and idealistic, but even then-- he wasn't like poe. he's always had darkness inside of him. and he's never been great at holding it at bay. maybe he never tried that hard, honestly. but he's always protected what was his. his squad, his family. until all of that turned out to be a lie, too. ]

[ Poe knew deep down that Frank was different than him but he hadn't thought that different. It seemed to make him slightly angry at first, his hands curled into fists before he reads the rest of what Frank explained. It seemed even in other worlds corruption could find them. Frank was a good soldier in regard of following orders of commander that seemingly loved the darkness. Poe could have easily walked on that path as a Commander himself. A silence falls over the pilot as he clutches his device thinking of the words he wanted to say. ]

I know about corruption. A Commander should know the differences, you were only following orders. He could have stopped all of that from happening. The Resistance is the organization I defected to. Not where I started. We have our differences and our own paths. I had a whole bombing fleet go down for one ship. I wasn't being a good Commander or leader myself. I'm a Captain now because of my actions, but I'll keep doing what I believe is the right thing.

We don't have to be any of that here though. I know changing won't happen over night and sometimes you're already that person you're meant to be.

[ Poe wasn't going to run away scared. The things that Frank said only gave him more of a reason to watch him. Make sure Frank stays out of deeper bigger trouble or try to at least. ]

Is there anything else?

[ anger flares within him too, not for poe but brought about by his fever all the same. he watches detachedly as the other man cycles through his feelings. he's not a good man, and it seemed the time for poe to learn that, even if later he'll wonder what the hell he was thinking. what poe describes isn't the same as the people frank had killed. he'd never made a single error out in the field. he'd always done everything in his power to bring his men home. that was his only aim in their last mission and it had gotten his family killed.

after a long moment, he lays back down on his pillow and miserably shakes his head. there's nothing else, he's wrung out in more than one way. poe should probably leave while he still can. ]

[ Poe won't press Frank anymore knowing that it wouldn't do much good. Before he leaves though he crouches down to give Max a small wave. He gives a small nod to the animal in case he senses anything off from their conversation. There's only a few moments that go by before he stands. He gives a wave to Frank signing. ] See you around.

[ With that, he turns walking out of the room to venture around the rest of the clinic. ]

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III. (open-ish) i said i've been through a lot of noise

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