shellphones | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Type: Accidental Video
Sender ID: 🖕nunya🖕(Sidestep)
To: Public
Subject:
Warnings: Mention of death and torture. Threads are likely to end up going deeply traumatic places.

(It's a typical day on Nogard, though many people who see this might be elsewhere.

Many have probably heard by now that Chris is dead. Has been dead for several days, in fact, after being captured and tortured by Ganon.

Except... they're not?

That's definitely a shot of a very panicked looking Chris running... somewhere, not paying attention to the shellphone clutched in their hand or noticing that it's recording.

Several people can be heard yelling in surprise in the background as Chris darts past them.

...The fuck are they even running from? It doesn't sound like they're being chased.

The hand holding the shellphone bumps into something, and the video cuts out.)

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(They sense him, so they don't startle too badly when he greets them.)

...Keigo.

(...They're not sure how to proceed.)

[ He tilts his head slightly, a small sign he might be confused by the reaction. ]

How are you doing? [ Admittedly he wasn't expecting them to call him by his name either. He doesn't know why that is, both Chris and Richie seemed to have made the switch. He doesn't find it bothersome, just confusing. Something to get used to. ]

(Because they got the sense he preferred it to Hawks, even if he hasn't consciously made that decision yet.

They flinch at the question. They'd really rather not be "doing" at all.

Couldn't it just have ended there? Knowing that even if the rescue failed it had at least been considered worth the attempt?

They don't want to go home. They don't want to forget.)

Um. (They say, awkwardly.)

[ The lackluster response in addition to the silence is enough to clue Keigo in that they don't really want to talk to him. That's...fine. He shifts, his expression melting not into disappointment, but rather a wide smile. Practiced, and perfect for the waiting public. He hasn't pulled that one out in awhile. ]

Well it's good to see you. [ A gentle dismissal. Chris can run if they like. ]

(Hawks, they can read minds. Do you think they can't see right through you?)

You rescued me.

(They blurt out, because that warrants talking to him, even if they have no idea what to say and are on the verge of breaking down.)

[ When they don't leave, Keigo doesn't either but he blinks when Chris blurts that out and glances away briefly. ]

Not very well. [ He can't help but mutter, looking more like he's being scolded than whatever Chris is thinking about it. ]

Sorry. About that.

(And that gets a snort, because of course he'd be like this.)

Not your fault. (They also look away.) Brought this on myself being an idiot.

[ Keigo owns his failures, and he failed to save Chris. There's no running away from that. ]

Yeah, well I botched that rescue. [ Always inadequate. ] There's no problem in needing a hand, I don't blame you for that...you're the one that had to endure it.

What, because my organs were already failing by the time you got to the ship?

(Tossed out casually, with no regard for the ugliness or discomfort of it. They were already dying anyway, Keigo.)

I'm the one who opted to work with him.

Yeah. I wished I had a healing quirk but...doesn't work on other people.

[ They can't stop him from feeling bad. ]

Not sure even supernatural healing would have helped much.

(So even if he did, there was still a good chance that they would have died.)

[ All the same, he wishes it was different. ]

Maybe, maybe not. Unfortunately we can't go back, only to keep moving forward.

You say that but I know you'll keep beating yourself up about it.

(Calling him out.

It's the best way to avoid having to talk about their own problems.)

I suppose you do. [ His tone is light. Keigo's not mad, he's confused about that, but in the end he's settled on he doesn't have an expectation of privacy the rest of the time, so he supposes he doesn't mind. ]

...Yeah. (Now they really are looking away.)

If it helps it's mostly just whatever is on the surface of your mind at the time unless I'm actively blocking you out.

So ...fried chicken and hating yourself, basically.

[ He could understand Chris' nervousness when they first met, perhaps, but these days they're friends and he doesn't think they would need to keep digging around in his head. ]

You can't help it though, right? So I can't really blame you. [ Although he has the grace to blush. ]

Ugh, don't have to call me out on my food obsession.

(They don't like telling people.

But he deserves the truth.)

For passive stuff, yeah. Active reading tends to be more ...noticeable.

(They snort.)

It's better than most of the shit in people's heads. Actually, with how hard you focus on it thinking about fried chicken is probably a good mental shield.

(Serious? Or teasing? How about both?)

Very funny. [ Keigo snorts, mildly amused by that. ]

It's a mutation side effect, believe me, if they could've fixed the food motivation they would've. As long as I ignore it, that's satisfactory enough. [ Would it have affected him so strongly if he hadn't been food insecure as a kid? He has no idea. ]

Me too, actually: Turns out the brain runs on sugar, apparently. The Directive used to make me drink these horrible flurries.

(They make a face at the memory. Ew.)

Commission meals run on some kind of balanced diet with protein powder enhancement. It's pretty awful. I cheat on it all the time. [ Because to his system that doesn't count as food. ]

As long as I don't gain too much weight they look the other way unless they're particularly pissed at me about something.

Balanced for humans ...or predatory birds?

(Hawks is both, but given his masters wanted to deny that part of him...)

The food the Directive gave us was probably better quality than what the paid workers got: real meat, locally grown vegetables... they wanted to keep us in good condition. It was all tasteless though. No texture, no spice. Re-Genes who behaved and did well on missions would sometimes get bread as a reward.

Yeah they're not that much of a fan of using flavours. [ It's boring, but it fills his stomach and some days when it's really a long shift, that's enough. ]

Probably for ordinary people, but I don't know. They claim it's good for me, I don't cook so I don't know.

It wouldn't surprise me. The Commission doesn't sound as knowledgeable or well funded as... any of the groups involved with Re-Genes.

(A big government and corporation artificial human manufacturing project vs a single well trained slave.)

I don't really know, I couldn't say. I don't know how they're funded. [ Not really, although certainly he must generate a good amount of income for them. ]

(They shrug.)

Yeah. I just know it's several million to grow a batch of us.