Posts

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  if there's a way out of this, somebody tell me
  R Role

  "Oh," Pen voiced, so quietly. She covered her mouth, taking it all in. God, what was this world doing to them?

  She slowly got up, quietly coming around to offer her arms to him.

  "Netto, that's horrible. He took so much from you," she whispered. First Laika, now Netto. Their connections severed and damaged. It was no wonder Crossfusion was off the table for them. She'd always thought it was because of that virus.

  "So, he's getting fired. Is that it?" Pen was suddenly furious. Was there no justice? Was there no way to truly punish the people that hurt them? No way to keep them away? She could just see that man, crawling away, and blaming Netto for his fade into obscurity.

  "He won't try to hurt you again, would he?"

  Open Threads kq-i

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  if there's a way out of this, somebody tell me
  R Role

  "Oh," Pen breathed, just barely audible over the sound of the kettle. She rubbed her face, as a torrent of emotions she hadn't been ready for rushed over her. The void they had all felt, the space Netto usually took up, the extra time Pen had spent—

  "Oh, Netto," she shook her head, because then she felt the guilt he must just be realizing. "He stole so much from you. From us."

  She couldn't cry, not yet. It was obvious from his expression that he would stop right here if she gave any indication she wanted him to.

  "I'm so sorry," she repeated. "Let me get you a cup, before you keep going."

  "Thank you for telling us this, boys," Role said softly.

  Open Threads kq-i

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  if there's a way out of this, somebody tell me
  R Role

  "Oh, Netto," Pen whispered. She stared at Netto's downcast face, finally noticing the faint burn scar along his temple. She stood up, placing her hands on his face to turn him to look at her.

  "What happened?" She asked. "Did he hurt you?"

  Words like "ethics" brought up frightening images in her mind of testing and probing that harkened back to the darkest days. She pulled back from him, to hug her arms to her chest. Coming from that figure of authority... Why would Netto ever have said no? She remembered Enzan telling her about slipping into the crossfusion scanner, how he couldn't refuse a doctor's words.

  "I'm so sorry, whatever it was," she said. "That you were involved in something... messy."

  Open Threads kq-i

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  if there's a way out of this, somebody tell me
  R Role

  @saviior_exe "Mmhm," Pen hummed, though her brow rose a touch. "I knew you were on break, but I didn't know that second part."

  She folded her hands in front of herself and gave Netto her full attention. They were no stranger to needing time, to insisting upon proper care... But what had Netto gone through, where he needed such a thing? What would make him look so anxious?

  "Is there something Enzan was supposed to tell me?" She paused, gauging Netto's response before she moved to get a mug from the cupboard.

  "... I noticed that project you were on stalled. I was supposed to have some fancy new tech by now." Somehow, Pen felt Netto needed some privacy to answer that, so she busied herself with boiling some water. There had been whispers of trouble, but she hadn't thought of it as anything critical. Bumps in the road were common at Scilabs.

  Open Threads kq-i

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  follow me into the desert, as desperate as you are
  R Role

  Enzan remembers those cold lips. Death lips. They'd been blue, contrasted with the harsh red burns across his lover's face.

  He finds his fingers drifting over his lips, and struggling to recall when the exact moment his desire had begun. Was it when he was a child, and he'd seen into the power infecting his navi? Was it when he'd held Laika's body, knowing it was the divine material keeping him in this world?

  "Put me down on red," Enzan says, as he pushes his bet towards her.

  "What do you really want to know?" He asked. Maybe if he told her—

  Maybe something different would happen this time. Maybe his luck would improve.

  Open Threads kq-i flashpoint

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  if there's a way out of this, somebody tell me
  R Role

  Pen sat up from the couch, and rubbed her eyes. She wasn't unused to visitors at odd hours, but the knock at the door still made her jump.

  "Role, get the door?" Pen asked. "I don't think I latched the bolt."

  The navi's digital voice chimed through the lock system as the latch released. "Come on in, Netto!"

  Pen climbed out of her cocoon and shambled over to the table. She brushed aside some errent papers and her mug from the night before. She thought she was going pretty quick, despite her grogginess. Within a few seconds she had cleared a hospitible enough looking place for him.

  "You're up early," she called to him. "Aren't you on the way to work?"

  Open Threads kq-i

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  follow me into the desert, as desperate as you are
  R Role

  Enzan winces. The tug he feels towards the glass is violent.

  "I had enough," Enzan mutters. He's pulled back to looking at the wheel. Up and down, mesmerizing wheel and enticing drink. He can remember the feeling this darkness, overtaking his vision and all his feelings. It numbed the pain, that was for sure.

  The ball spun around the outer ring, teasing its slow down. Enzan had put his money on a long-shot, not the smart bet. The ball rolled over the first green slot, and rambled on. Enzan couldn't bring himself to care. What was money, compared to what she held?

  "It's none of your business," Enzan reminded himself, more than her.

  Open Threads kq-i flashpoint

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  follow me into the desert, as desperate as you are
  R Role

  Enzan hadn't noticed how thirsty he truly was. But now, he couldn't seem to swallow right. His vision narrowed just to that small glass, just to the woman's perfect nails against it.

  "None," Enzan repeats, because it's the only way he'll be able to make the right choice. He tries to blink, focus on the wheel before them. This place should have made him feel tense, but her words seemed to rake over his mind, keeping his breathing steady and slow.

  "Certainly bold to be trying to sell to me before I've won anything," he tried to smile, summon that cocky demeanor he was always working with. "Just-- put me down on green. I've been waiting long enough."

  Enzan rubs his eyes. Why did he say no? He did want it. He was thirsty, and tired. Just one sip would bring the strength back into his lethargic limbs, he was sure.

  Open Threads kq-i flashpoint

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  follow me into the desert, as desperate as you are
  R Role

  Enzan clicks his tongue between his teeth in irritation. He can't help but feel exposed like this, under those slitted eyes. More distressing than the confusion of being here, is the paranoia that she knows how he feels.

  "Never been more at home," he lies, with a vicious grin.

  Though he's not a gambler, he's used the chips enough to know how to look competent with them. He knows how to ruffle them, how to place his bets, and how to hold a steely facade.

  "Are we waiting for other players? Or can I get my hand?" Enzan asks impatiently. The quicker he plays, the quicker he can move on from this.

  Open Threads kq-i flashpoint