datadiving | lobcorp/ruina AU catchall

[ Well, some of them are definitely cursed. But he wouldn't give anything like that to a *civilian*. An agent who knew the risks, sure...but not Avery. ]

I can only hope it'll be that helpful. [ His smile brightens a little as he looks at him, in reflection of that hope.

He continues to eat. He slows down as he gets close to finishing his meal, aware of how it's marking their time together coming to an end. ] So, where are you going to live? You're moving to a different Nest, aren't you?

[Avery nods and gives the district's info. It's not W Corp or J Corp's district, thank goodness. Just your average, run-of-the-mill Nest.]

Not too far from here, thank goodness. And hey, if it turns out L Corp has a branch there, I can put in a good word for you and see if they can move you over.

Oh, you really don't have to do that...I'll be fine, don't worry. [ He's got something picked out. Not another Nest, though; he feels more comfortable in the Backstreets, somehow, even after all this time. ] You've been more than generous enough, with offering me space as your roommate and everything.

[ ...All done. He puts his utensils down with a clink, feeling an odd sense of finality. ]

[The clink of silverware echoes in his mind, and a sense of loss grows, weighing heavily in his chest. Still, Avery wears his smile. It would be harder to leave if he said anything, after all, and acknowledging it aloud at all just makes it feel too real.]

Just keep it in mind. Someday you might want a change in scenery, you know.

Okay, okay. I'll try not to forget. [ He pushes his chair back to rise, picking up his empty plate. ]

Do you want a look at my gear now? It's not like we've got much to do after dinner. [ Except washing up, but he can handle that. ]

[Avery nearly drops his plate into the sink in his excitement.]

Ha! Do you really need to ask? Just show me where it's at! I want to see what those babies look like!

[ Ekkehardt laughs a little, putting his plate in the sink and beckoning to Avery. ]

All right, all right. Come on. [ He opens the closet inside his strangely sparse room and drags out a large case stamped with L Corp's logo, which he takes several minutes to get open. ]

I don't want anyone else to get their hands on these, [ he explains, as he unlocks it. ] They'd be hard to replace.

[ The case pops open to reveal a set of funereal clothing in black and white. It smells faintly like dust and moths; even looking at it feels heavy and sad. Ekkehardt carefully folds it up and puts it aside, revealing a case with miscellaneous trinkets underneath; a purple and yellow heart badge, a set of bandages, a match, a gold and blue smoking pipe, a curled flower. These, he unlatches the tray for and similarly puts aside.

Waiting almost ominously underneath are two weapons; a thin sword with a blackened hilt, and an innocuous looking rifle in the same blue and gold as the pipe. ]

I don't use the rifle a lot...I guess he'd be a little miffed about it, but it's too powerful to use carelessly. [ What he means by that is hard to discern. ]

Edited 2021-06-08 14:06 (UTC)

[Avery's mouth drops open at it all. Some of them look so innocuous, even ridiculous, but others, such as the strange, heavy funeral attire and the weapons practically have his head spinning.]

Wait. That's a gun.

[He shakes his head.]

Those things can even produce a gun of all things... No wonder L Corp's Singularity is so tightly under wraps.

I'd, ah...demonstrate what it can do, but that would be a bad idea. [ He lifts the gun from its casing; it seems to visibly shiver in his hands, a silent complaint. I'm getting dusty in here; don't you want to see what I can shoot for you? it might say, if it could speak (and maybe it does, though he doesn't dare to think of it - when he raises the gun in proper form, finger on the trigger guard, stock pressed against his shoulder, a dry, low voice speaks to him; darkness crowds his vision, until he can only see what he wants to fire at.

Is it the voice of the Abnormality he hears? Or maybe, like in the story - the home or world it, he, came from - the voice of the devil still echoes inside even a mere copy of the rifle that held bullets powerful enough to cross any distance, pierce any heart.

"I don't think you're a devil," he had said once, bold enough to say it to der Freischutz's face. The Abnormality had merely laughed, soft, the only time it had ever done so.) ]

It doesn't use ammunition either. [ His smile is small and regretful. ] It's, sort of, based on a story, you know? A hunter made a deal with the devil for bullets that could pierce anything...

I don't know if you know that one, though. [ Did the people in the Nests bother with tales of that sort any more? ] Do you?

[Avery hums to himself and then shakes his head]

No, I don't think I know that one.

[He's more familiar with the tale of the three birds and Little Red Riding Hood. And even then he'd spent more time with children's mystery novels than he had with books of fairy tales.]

But I get the feeling it's one of those stories with a bad end. Wanting bullets to pierce anything is just asking for trouble.

I'll spare you the details, then. But you're right. It doesn't end happily.

[ He'd always wondered why, the reasons for making such a deal in the first place, but he's not sure the Abnormality would tell him. He's not sure he even knows, or remembers, or finds it important.

He places the gun down again, fitting it safely back in the case. ]

The bullets from this gun pierce through anything, like the story says...They stop at walls - they're not as powerful - but they go right through people. It doesn't discriminate.

The sword hasn't got anything very frightening to it, though.[ Well, apart from the fact it makes you a better swordsman just by sheer rate of blows. ] So I use that one more, for work.

[Avery can't help but shudder.]

That's one hell of a gun. Glad you have it under lock and key there.

[The thought of a Syndicate or one of the Fingers getting their hands on something like that is almost too much to bear. Even the most cowardly of the dregs in their midst could easily be emboldened to storm any Nest they pleased armed with a weapon like that.]

Well. Here's hoping you don't ever have to use it anywhere, eh?

It's my hope that I don't have to use it. At least, not too much.

[ The sword has less of a tendency to creep into his mind, or perhaps they're already similar enough that he doesn't feel it. It speaks with the voice of the Abnormality it was forged from, a despairing lament about the sacrifice of protecting others. ]

...Did you want to ask anything else? I mean, it could be the last time you get to ask me anything! [ There's a mild sort of humor to his voice, even if the implications are morbid. ]

[There's a brief pause before Avery responds, and it's with a cheer he doesn't feel in the slightest.]

You sure you don't want to come along? Vanessa's folks have a pretty good position in the Wing at the Nest I'm going to be living in. I'm sure I could put in a good word for you there.

[ He waves a hand. ]

Don't worry about it. I used to live way out beyond the City, you know. [ how would he know, Ekkehardt, you never said anything ] So the Backstreets suits me fine.

And I wouldn't want to get in the way of anything! You two lovebirds should have the house to yourselves.

You sure? It's a big place. There's more than enough room for you.

[And the last thing he wants to do is leave Ekke in a place like that, where he'll probably die.]

It's okay!

There's no need to worry about me. I've lived this long, right? It's not going to hurt me.

[ He did live in the Backstreets longer than any Nest, after all. ]

Anyway, you should worry about yourself more. You never know what could happen, even in a Nest.

Mn... if you say so.

[It's hard to believe anything bad could happen in a Nest. Sure, Wings collapsed sometimes, but he can't see the Nest he's going to doing that anytime soon.

But even if L Corp is thriving, everything Avery's learned today makes the place seem like hell on earth.]

Anyway, let's end this night on a high note. What do you say I put on some old, horrible B-movies for us to make fun of!

Oh, movies! I haven't watched those in ages. [ Too busy, too tired, the list goes on. He puts away all his gear as he talks, neatly folding it away. ]

What better way to spend the rest of the night, right?

Right!

[He rubs his hands together, grinning from ear to ear.]

And, lucky for us both, I have a couple bags of popcorn to pop. You pop the popcorn and I'll pick the dumbest movie I can find.

lobcorp/ruina AU catchall

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