[ DRAFT 16 ] The Woman's Work Is Never Done

[metharchy]

Buffet is open again, and the library is next.

Miniature golf course and deck seventeen are still closed until further notice.

[That said and done, Meth was going to enjoy the rest of her day off and retreated to her treehouse.]

Comments

[ilikesoap.livejournal.com]

Work, work, work. Is that all you ever do?

[He sounds amused.]

[metharchy.livejournal.com]

[Meth does not sound amused, but not irritable either.]

Most of the time. Especially when certain people create more work for me.

[She's not subtle at all.]

[ilikesoap.livejournal.com]

Oh, whoever could that be? People really need to think before they act.

[His light and happy comment is finished with a snort.]

[metharchy.livejournal.com]

[Cue eyeroll.]

I don't know but between you and me, I'd say they owe me.

[ilikesoap.livejournal.com]

Owe you? What kind of debt are we talking here exactly?

[He sounds, if anything, rather interested.]

[metharchy.livejournal.com]

Depends on the culprit, I imagine.

[There's a noise in the background as Meth ascends the winding stairs to her tree house and opens and shuts the door as she enters.]

[ilikesoap.livejournal.com]

Hit me with an example then. What about the fool that trashed deck 17?

[He's pausing mid-step to listen to the background noise, trying to pick exactly where she is.]

Special treatment for fire damage? Or has he already got all he's going to get?

[One doesn't need to see his face to know that he's grinning.]

[metharchy.livejournal.com]

Oh no, that's not all he's getting. I figure it could go one of a few ways with that one.

[Meth flops onto the couch and stretches, enjoying the chance to work some of the stiffness and ache from her muscles.]

Depending first on whether he offers himself up for sentencing or makes me go out of my way to find him.

[ilikesoap.livejournal.com]

[There's a bit of a laugh there. Tyler is amused.]

Perhaps relaying your current location might make it easier for this particular individual to turn himself in?

[He shrugs, not that Meth can see it.]

Then again, he might get a kick out of making you find him.

[metharchy.livejournal.com]

I'm sure it would make it easier. It certainly wouldn't be difficult for them to find me in the tree house on deck three.

[Meth lazily makes use of her powers to open the small mini fridge inside the tree house and floats a can of soda over. It makes a distinct, familiar sound as she pops it open.]

If he makes me find him for the sake of his own amusement, I don't imagine he'll find the results very pleasant.

[ilikesoap.livejournal.com]

[Tyler quirks an eyebrow at the comm. That was way too easy.]

A tree house. I was unaware the ship had one. Hm, looks like I might have to make a detour.

[The sound of the soda can cracking open is familiar. Tyler concludes that she's either on a break or taking the afternoon off.]

I dunno about that. From what I hear he's pretty tolerable to unpleasant things.

[metharchy.livejournal.com]

[Meth was enjoying the conversation, but she was just off work, and didn't want to bother coming up with some cryptic hint for Tyler. It simply wasn't important enough to make him work for it.]

I built it myself.

[The tree house in question was nothing like the little shacks that kids made in their back yards. This one had a stairwell that wound its way up the trunk to a deck platform. There was a door that opened into a large room complete with pull-out couch, television, minifridge, and a few other amenities.

Meth spent her nights there more often than not, and considered the place hers, though those facts were not something she advertised at all.]

On the topic of unpleasant things, well, there's no guarantee he'll tolerate everything. I might enjoy taking my time finding which things they are.

[ilikesoap.livejournal.com]

Just you all alone. What, no friends to help out?

[Tyler laughs again, the sound a low, amused chuckle. There's a ding of the elevator in the background and the sound of footsteps before the door closes.]

True. After all, he's just a man.

[metharchy.livejournal.com]

[His first comment earned a snort.]

You've seen what I can do. Do you honestly think I need someone to help me?

[Meth heard that chime of the elevator, but instead of commenting, took another sip of her soda.]

Precisely, just a man.

[ilikesoap.livejournal.com]

Need. Want. The pair go hand in hand.

[Elevator rides are always boring when you're alone. Sure he doesn't have far to go, but that doesn't make the trip any more exciting. So he's pacing, lifting himself on the railing and when the lift does come to a halt, Tyler jumps in time that momentum will make the thud of his landing a little bit louder.

Ding. The doors open.]

Rainforest on a cruise ship. I gotta say that guy is pretty impressed.

[metharchy.livejournal.com]

[The pair did go hand in hand. Meth didn't need anyone to help, and she certainly didn't want anyone to help.

She rose from her seat when she heard the elevator ping again, and headed for the door. Soda and comm clutched in one hand, Meth opened the door with her free hand and stepped out onto the porch. She leaned her forearms on the railing, watching for Tyler and sipping from her soda.]

Redd is a great man who captains an impressive ship.

[ilikesoap.livejournal.com]

[The tree house is decently easy to find. Tyler was fortunate to of picked one of the elevators that spat him out in the rain forest side of the deck. Upon spying the building he slowed his pace, taking on a more casual stroll as he admired Meth's handy work.

The comm raised again to his mouth and he gave a low whistle.]

Whoa. Not a bad little tree house you've got there, Meth.

[Not waiting for any further invitation, Tyler heads for the stairs.]

[metharchy.livejournal.com]

I doubt you've seen better.

[It was after all, a house in a tree, distinctly a residence and yet the design seamlessly worked with the shape of the tree. Unlike some tree houses, Meth's looked as if it belonged there.

She could see Tyler soon enough from her vantage spot on the porch and rather than straighten to greet him, raised the soda can to her lips and drank again.]

Well aren't you prompt.

[ilikesoap.livejournal.com]

[Tyler walks up beside her and joins Meth in leaning on the railing. He's admiring the view, unwilling to give too much praise to the woman's work on the house. If she wants that, she'll have to earn it.

He shrugs a shoulder.]

Bored men do crazy things. Besides, you've got me curious about this big ol' debt of mine.

[Smug Tyler is smug. He remembers all too well what happened last time they met.]

[o right, comment log]

[metharchy.livejournal.com]

[Designing and building the house single-handed was earning the praise, but she hadn't built the house for others approval.]

Well like I said, it can go one of a few ways.

Since you didn't make me hunt you down, those unpleasant things that no one likes can be ruled out. The ones you...tolerate [She's using that word loosely.] are still in the running.

[She ended the sentence on a note as if to imply there was a third option. Tyler wasn't the only one that remembered their last encounter.]

[fred-cassidy.livejournal.com]

[Hello the architect lady said "library."]

I have that component list for you. No rush.

[metharchy.livejournal.com]

[She certainly did.]

That's great, thanks. I'm out of the construction zones now if you want to drop it off somewhere.

[medicalofficer.livejournal.com]

Excuse me, but are you by any chance 'Meth'?

I was told by Lenny I should speak to you about... an engineering matter.

[metharchy.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm Meth Rezza. What do you need?

[medicalofficer.livejournal.com]

My companion has suffered acid burns to both optical units, in addition to extensive wiring damage in his neck and upper back. Unfortunately, my tools were stripped upon my arrival on this vessel, or I would deal with the problems myself.

I have attempted to speak to the engineer responsible for the repairwork of Cybertronians on this ship, but have had little success.