OTA

[captaine_sykes]

Where most others in camp who had inhaled the drugs pumped through the ventialtion system last night were having a less extreme reaction to the chemical compound Ethan was struggling. You see the thing is he's a man who is excellent at keeping his emotions in check and putting on that cool, calm facade to everyone else and then going to the gym and

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[mad_asahatter]

She'd been sleeping. Quite peacefully too. For some reason, things were smoothing out nicely in her mind right then, it was like a power boost only without the aggravation of too many emotions. It was almost lovely to have the order coming back to her chaotic little mind, she tended not to question these things

[captaine_sykes]

It's the snap of the branch that breaks Ethan's self-imposed mantra of hitpunchpummelsmash and he only gets a moment to glance up before he ends up with his arms full of Mayspring. Ethan staggers back as the tree creaks in response to his attack and slowly tips to one side; all the time Ethan still has Ophelia held in his arms like a bride over the threshold.

The tree, finally felled, lays on the ground whilst Ethan and Mayspring are surrounded by fallen leaves, twigs and other foliage. "What the hell were you doing in that tree!?"

Ethan berates Mayspring as he sets her down on her feet and pats his hands down across her body to check for injury. He might be on the verge of fuming but he still can't help his military ingrained response to check that she is alright and uninjured.

[mad_asahatter]

She's not sure if she's being frisked or not, but she stands there and stares. This is Ethan Sykes, her brain supplies, this is the military leader of the camp. This is a rather complex man who's jumbled mind just knocked her awake. This man just killed her tree.

"One has the right, you see, to wonder, just why you'd wake her from her slumber. It's plain to see, for those who're me, that something is not as it should really be." And she wasn't having some strange insight into the state of his mind; no. She was meaning her tree. On its side. In pieces.

Ophelia was miffed. And a miffed off empath was trouble. Raising her gauze covered hand -burnt from a kitchen incident not a few days before, Ophelia pointed an accusing finger, "You killed it dead, but it didn't bleed red. How cruel a fate for a nature mate. It's not right to rage on that one darling page. Shall rest the soul of one fine bark, forever stolen from man and park."

She'd have a burial next week if she could.

[captaine_sykes]

Staring at Ophelia like she had grown another head (or three) Ethan crossed his arms across his chest and then uncrossed them before recrossing them and glaring at the shorter, reddish-pink haired mutant as she babbled on. "I didn't kill the tree Mayspring, merely moved it from an upright position to a horizontal position."

He's not even trying to be funny, he just can't be bothered to even go down the route of working out why Mayspring would be so upset over the tree. Other than the fact being she had been sat in it at the time. Which yeah, he could normally understand why she migth be just a little bit miffed at his actions. ANYWAY!

Barely giving the tree another glance Ethan lowers his arms from across his chest and repeats the same clench and unclench action over and over as he waits for Ophelia to say something. He's trying to remind himself why killing a team mate is a really bad idea.

[proper_twinkie]

The man was losing it.

He was standing there beating up a tree. It was so hard not to laugh but Betsy got the distinct impression that laughing would only piss him off further so she swallowed it down leaving only a hint of a smile on her face.

"I think Greenpeace would have something to say about that, luv." Dammit. She couldn't help herself.

[captaine_sykes]

Ethan stops in his rage against the... foliage and lowers his fists. Thankful that he had luckily had the sense to raise his mutation and protect his fists from the potential damage to be inflicted. He stares at Braddock though and rolls his shoulders, the anger still thrumming through his veins but also something else.

He doesn't know what it is right now, still too focused on that urge to kick ass and then some. "I don't give two fucks what Greenpeace think. It's my camp, which makes these my trees so I'll do whatever I like Braddock."

[proper_twinkie]

She'd seen the man throw his weight around. Betsy had even see him lose his temper but seeing him so forceful made her stomach tighten a bit. She didn't know he had it in him.

Without thinking, she took a step forward. She really didn't want to get thrown in the brig again but she just couldn't help but poke the bear and test his dominance. "Tree can't fight back though, can it? Perhaps you'd have a go at someone a little more... spry."

[captaine_sykes]

There's something about Braddock that makes Ethan want to puff out his chest and strut like a Peacock displaying his tail feathers. Why? He doesn't know. Not so much ignoring the urge he plays it down, instead focusing on the comment about having someone else to fight. To spar with.

Raising an eyebrow Ethan chuckles and moves in closer to Braddock, hands shoved into the pockets of his combats as he leans in closer. "You offering?"

[notouchpolicy]

Something wasn't right the last few hours. Haylie couldn't help but feel on edge all the time, and nothing she did - running, swimming, cooking, practicing sutures on fruit - seemed to remedy it. She had been trying to calm herself down with a long walk around the base, but the second she heard fists pummeling a tree, she spun around.

"What the hell?!" She shouted, hands out defensively. Unaware that she was under the influence of a chemical that increased her already high levels of caution and suspicion, she couldn't help the wave of energy that burst from her hands toward Sykes with enough force not to shread him apart, but to knock over a couple of trees in the process.

...And if she wasn't on this drug right now, she'd apologize. Profusely.

[captaine_sykes]

The burst of energy dissipates across his skin and makes Ethan rock back on his heels, thankful that his mutation is in place keeping his body from suffering the effects. He turns to glare at Collins, not bothering to apologise for his behaviour or how he may well have startled one of the newer team mates.

Any other time and he might have apologised too, made small talk and an effort to come across as the military man he is but now? He just growls out his response. "What the hell Captain. You'll do well to remember to respect your superiors."

He glances around at the felled trees and raises an eyebrow. Oh he's impressed though a part of him is registering this as possibly a threat. A fight. Which he might just need to respond to.

[notouchpolicy]

Sykes' tone causes Haylie to shift into a defensive stance while her brows furrow and she snaps back. "Respect isn't given. It's earned, Sir."

Fingers curling in slightly, causing the material of her gloves to creak, Haylie took a deep breath. Her pulse spiked, her chest tightened, and her body was on fire. If threatened, she wouldn't hesitate to remove the gloves and start blowing shit up.

[captaine_sykes]

"Actually in this camp you'll damn well respect me whether you like it or not! I am your Captain. Your superior. You answer to me in this camp and you'll do well to remeber that!" Ethan yelled, if Collins so much as dared to blow anything up Ethan would have her on lock down for the next fifty years the way he was feeling today. Her powers couldn't hurt him, skin and body to resiliant and any damage she caused to the camp would be coming out of her ass not his.

"Back. Down. Now Collins." And he meant it. Back down or he'd take her down, one way or another.

[watch_the_nails]

Thanks to whichever bright spark had come up with the idea of releasing the pheromones in the first place, Victor was currently feeling more territorial than ever. As well as following Emma around like some kind of stalker - even more so than usual - the feral had taken to patrolling the base as if he owned it, which in his mind, he did. Not only that, but he'd begun 'marking' his territory too, and that had been what he was in the process of doing when he'd caught sight of Ethan running through his exercises

[captaine_sykes]

Oh look. A pissy little tom cat who wants to 'claim' his territory. Ethan smirked as Victor approached, rolling his shoulders and staring the feral down. Victor might like to think that this camp is his but as far as Ethan is concerned this his his camp and these are his team mates who are here to abide by his rules.

Had Ethan known about the accusations he would have laughed them off, in Victor's face too for that matter. Still would now if Victor brought them up. Instead he's curious as to why Victor is pissing all over the place when there are perfectly decent toilet facilities available.

"You not been house trained yet Creed?" Leaning against the trunk of the nearest tree Ethan watches Victor. Taking in the way that the feral prowls, body tense and eyes narrowed. Ethan knows a threat when he sees one and what he is seeing right here is Victor posturing. Daring to try and assert his authority.

Pfft. Pathetic.

[watch_the_nails]

"Let's just say you might wanna check your boots before you put 'em on tomorrow," Victor smirked nastily, giving a couple of shakes before wiping himself off on his pants and shoving his bits away in his combat fatigues, sneering at Sykes while he zipped himself up. 'Claiming' his territory in as crude and as public a way as this was a very deliberate act on his part, despite the more primal, natural urges which lay beneath the gesture. "What, you wanna come closer an' wipe it off for me?"

For all his latent homophobia, he wasn't above making a joke like that if there was a chance it could make someone else feel uncomfortable.

[captaine_sykes]

"Sure you wouldn't rather have your boyfriend Richter do it instead?" Ethan has been observing the camp and the team mates, he knows that Victor and Richter seem to have some kind of dysfunctional friendship wherein the feral appears to tolerate the Mexican and apparently sticks up for him too. Well that's if the file and paperwork is anything to go by which is... intriguing to say the least.

"Anyway I'd rather not run the risk of catching anything you've got Creed." Ethan thankfully has also seen worse, training and living with military types for most of his life. Living in shit conditions under fire also means you get up close and personal with your team mates pretty quickly. Though normally, Ethan would probably threaten Victor with punishment rather than engaged him in a verbal fight.

[captaine_sykes]

Noting that he had company, respectful company at that too, Ethan lowered his fists but continued to glare at the tree. He wasn't even out of breath, which most normal men or soldiers would be after that display of anger against the tree.

Glancing at Christoffel he finally acknowledged her presence with more than just the halting of his actions. "I was merely utilising the resources available to me Christoffel. It was either that or a living and breathing person which would be highly inappropriate."

Tone gruff and posture still tense at least Ethan was talking rather than just hitting out.

[captaine_sykes]

"Yes. Thank you for that observation Christoffel. Was there anything else that you wanted to point out to me?" Okay now she was starting to remind him just why he had been taking his anger out on a tree rather than some innocent passing persons face. It didn't matter how calm and level her tone was, Ethan was angry as a can of rattlesnakes over an open fire.

"My hands are fine anyway." Ethan raised one arm to show that he had not been harmed at all from his temper tantrum. Infact it looked as if nothing had gone on. "I just didn't want to have to damage equipment qithout justifiable cause."

Why he was explaining himself to Christoffel was still an area of puzzlement for the Captain too. At least she was getting him to talk first rather than act first.