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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 26, 2021 22:02:55 GMT -5
L slipped into the room, hands in his pockets as he approached Orpheus, who was thankfully still lying down. Hopefully…he could remain there. Hopefully he would understand that the best way to heal was to rest, even if he wouldn’t be paid for it. He knelt next to Orpheus, studying him. How long was he supposed to rest? L hand gotten a specific time frame from the doctor…he shook his head a little. It didn’t matter. “You may stay here and keep your job, but Watari won’t pay you for time you don’t work,” he told him quietly. “I tried to convince him, but he wouldn’t change his mind. But he says your father will be alright for a few days on his own, and you’ll be cared for.” He couldn’t offer any more than that. He had to hope Orpheus wouldn’t do anything foolish with it…he had to hope he’d take care of himself.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 27, 2021 19:50:49 GMT -5
Sal allowed himself a small smile as Zuko reacted to his words. There was no harm in it. It wasn’t like Zuko could tell, and even if he could, they were never going to be anything but enemies. They might as well hate each other while they were at it. If Zuko hated Sal personally, rather than just being annoyed that he was stubborn, he’d be a lot more likely to keep on chasing him. The longer he did that, the safer the Survivor would be. It wasn’t a job he’d been asked to do, but it was one he was going to do as long as he could. “Oh, you meant we’re as intelligent and capable of leading ourselves as you are in a Lord Ruler friendly way,” he replied easily, not looking away. “Right.” He was about to continue, but Zuko’s next words froze him, and he stared, mouth slightly open, trying to process what he’d just been told. “So he can die,” he breathed finally, not looking away. “He’s not immortal. Not really. The Survivor is a real threat to him. That’s why he sent you, isn’t it? He knows he can die, and he needs to make sure no one gets any big ideas. The Survivor is right…there really is hope.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 27, 2021 22:51:23 GMT -5
Just from looking at him, Kelsier knew how anyone who still cared to try to rationalize their actions could do it. He was small. Weak. They were doing him a favor. He wouldn’t last. Dying was better than losing your mind. They hadn’t killed him. They’d had no choice. Why should he live and not them? It didn’t matter. Desperation was in the heart of every Skaa, and not all of them ended up cruel. Plenty of desperate people also became better people. Kelsier didn’t want to try to see any other side of this. The people trying to attack this kid were wrong. Of course…he also knew Nico was desperate, too. He blinked, raising an eyebrow at the pointed words. He wasn’t sure whether he was more surprised that Nico had said it, or that it had actually stung. It was just a little bit too close for comfort. “You seem to be very certain that she has all the answers,” he noted, studying the kid. Had Mare told him something? Or was he just that observant? It probably wasn’t all that hard to figure out, really, if anyone cared to watch. Kelsier just hadn’t expected anyone to bother. Would he ask her? He would probably have to…if Nico had done something, he’d need to know what it was, and as much as he wished he could, he couldn’t trust that any answer Nico gave would be truthful. Still, he would rather hear it from him first. “Just tell me what happened,” he said calmly, not looking away. His voice was firm, but not unkind…he may not have dealt with children very often, but he knew how to deal with desperate people.
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strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Aug 28, 2021 0:57:58 GMT -5
Orpheus looked over at L, uncertainty flickering across his gaze. He was tense, eyes wide as he watched the noble boy. He was expecting to hear that Watari had fired him. He was expecting to hear that he had to go home, and not to expect to find a job anywhere that would be willing to tolerate such laziness. Unlike other noble house, Lord Wammy would probably let him go with his life, but he wouldn’t have any money. His job prospects would be sullied because he had failed in a noble’s court. “Oh,” Orpheus gasped, eyes wide as he tried to push himself into a sitting position to better see L. “I… that’s very kind of him,” he breathed, searching L’s gaze to make sure there was no trick in it. It sounded too good to be true. It wasn’t ideal, of course, to not be paid and to have no way to contact Mr. Hermes, but at least he still had a job when he recovered. “Thank you,” Orpheus remembered a moment later, eyes wide and genuine as he searched L. “For fighting for my ability to maintain my job in spite of an inability to work. You… well, what you did was nothing short of a miracle.”
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strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Aug 28, 2021 1:38:56 GMT -5
Zuko tried to tug lightly at the restraints on his wrists, but he wasn’t going to get out of this without Sal untying him. It was probably a good thing that Sal didn’t actually know who Zuko’s father was, otherwise Zuko had no doubt he would already have been used for ransom. It would be painful to watch his father refuse to pay it, but he knew that was what would happen. He had been banished for a reason. There was no way that Ozai was going to care about his fate until he proved that he was worthy of that worry. He needed to bring the Survivor to the Lord Ruler, dead or alive. Zuko had always much preferred the thought of bringing him in alive. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to get his hands dirty, it was just… he wasn’t sure he wanted to have blood on his hands. “I’m not saying the Lord Ruler is perfect,” Zuko retorted, crossing his arms, “but he’s our best option! He just… is!” Zuko pursed his lips, cursing himself under his breath. He hadn’t meant to let anything slip, but… now that it was out there, who would believe Sal? “The Lord Ruler isn’t afraid of the Survivor,” he informed Sal, puffing up his chest just a little bit as he tried to sound confident. “The Survivor is just… a very annoying fly.”
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strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Aug 28, 2021 14:15:56 GMT -5
Nico knew that there were any number of ways his death could be justified. He was a nobleman. He was part of the people that had put them all in here. He was just a child, why should he have a chance to live when nobody else here did? He knew that being what he was made him a target. He knew that it would be very easy for someone to catch him off guard. It was why he tried not to speak to anyone. Why he spent as long as he could in the Pits, even if it was dangerous. Why he rarely went anywhere other than to try to find somewhere safe to stay for a few nights. He preferred to be like a ghost in Hathsin. If he was only seen every so often, maybe everyone would forget about him. Maybe nobody would try to target him or attack him for his geodes. Not that he had any now… they wouldn’t believe him even if he told them that. There were any number of people here who would be inclined to attack and kill him on the off chance that he might have a geode. It hadn’t taken Nico more than a day to figure out how this place worked. He already had a system in place to try to survive as long as possible. If he didn’t find another geode, though… he wasn’t going to last even to the end of this week. “Maybe she does, maybe she doesn’t,” he replied, gaze hard as he looked at Kelsier. He just wanted to go. He wanted to try to sleep so he could get back to looking for geodes in the morning. Not that sleeping was as easy as it had been when he was home. “I repaid a debt,” Nico said after a moment, meeting Kelsier’s gaze and not looking away. “That’s all that happened.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 28, 2021 19:52:17 GMT -5
Kelsier didn’t stick out much in Hathsin, either. Not by appearance, at least. He looked like any other Skaa on first glance, his scars only serving to make him a part of this, not set him apart from the rest, as they would if ever he made it out. Pain was a uniform they all wore, and not one even he could shake off just by wishing he could. But if pain was their uniform, then despair was their badge, and that was one thing that Kelsier would not wear. On first glance he was like the rest. On second, if you happened to meet his eyes, there would be a fire there that was endangered among the Skaa and extinct among the prisoners of Hathsin. The air here, built only for destruction, seemed to make it burn all the brighter. He didn’t smile as much as he would one day, but even one smile was infinitely more than belonged. He knew he couldn’t be the only one fighting, but he was probably the loudest about it. Louder than Mare, certainly. And now, louder than Nico. “You repaid a debt you never owed,” he corrected gently. “Which makes me wonder what you thought was a fair price. I told you already. I don’t need paid for something that should be done without hesitation by all.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 29, 2021 14:07:21 GMT -5
Sal didn’t know who Zuko was. He didn’t know anything but his name, and whether Zuko was well known as the banished prince or not, it didn’t matter. Sal wouldn’t have heard of it, even if it was relatively common knowledge. He tried to stay updated, but he knew he wasn’t. It wasn’t like he could just listen into conversations…he was Skaa, and he looked it. Since he didn’t have an actual job, he had no access to information. He stared at Zuko. He couldn’t quite seem to figure him out…the boy seemed so determined to be who he was supposed to be, but he kept saying things that didn’t sound very noble, somehow. “So the Lord Ruler can make mistakes?” He asked finally. “You think we’re stuck with him because everyone else would be worse, but doesn’t that mean you don’t agree with him?” He breathed out, reining himself back in. He was definitely getting too involved here. “With very sharp objects,” he added. “Yeah, that analogy is perfect. My entire family was murdered by a fly.”
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strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Aug 29, 2021 18:24:47 GMT -5
Nico didn’t know if he was like the other prisoners yet. He knew that, by birth, he was supposed to be different. He was a nobleman. He was noble, which made him better. It meant that he had power, that he was supposed to be worth more than the Skaa here. Nico knew it wasn’t like that. He remembered his mother well enough to know that she hadn’t been as cruel as his father. He may not have remembered much, but he remembered that, at least. She had been killed because she had dared have children a nobleman had forced upon her. The fact that Hades had claimed them at all… Nico pushed the thought away. If Hades hadn’t claimed him and Bianca, he wouldn’t be here. Bianca wouldn’t be dead. Everything would have been okay. “Just… just accept it,” Nico replied, eyes narrowing as he tried to make his voice as hard and uncompromising as possible. “And don’t try to intercede on my behalf again.” In truth, Nico didn’t know what he wanted out of this. Kelsier had saved his life. A life came at a steep price here, and Nico knew exactly what that price was. He would pay it this time, and he would do everything in his power not to have to owe that debt to anyone ever again. “We’re not friends,” he added, looking sharply away. “You don’t have to do anything nice. I don’t want to be mixed up in whatever ideas you have about this place.”
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strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Aug 29, 2021 22:29:01 GMT -5
Zuko didn’t know how many people knew he had been banished. The Lord Ruler was fairly private about aspects of his life, and it made sense – most people thought that he was a god, but what about his children? Zuko and Azula could easily have been targeted when they were children. It was likely most of the Skaa didn’t even know they existed. The nobility did, if the sheer number of balls they had attended as children were any indication. There were people trying to set the two of them up with their children when they had been as young as five. That was when Zuko had met Mai. He had liked her, then, but she had preferred Azula’s company. That was one reason Zuko had never really had friends. Most people liked Azula better. Friends or not, it didn’t matter. Having friends wouldn’t have changed the fact that he was going to end up here. “I never said I don’t agree with the Lord Ruler,” Zuko replied, voice harsh. He didn’t know what he believed or agreed with. He just… wanted to go home. And if he could manage to swing it, he wanted to do something that would stop the way Skaa were killed like their lives were worth nothing. He may have believed that the nobility were technically superior, but… that didn’t mean that the Skaa deserved to die. “What?” Zuko asked, eyes widening suddenly. “What… does that even mean?”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 29, 2021 22:54:35 GMT -5
Kelsier didn’t know Nico’s past. He didn’t know how a child had possibly managed to draw enough attention to gain the Lord Ruler’s anger. He would have thought if that was possible, he would have been the one to do it. It wasn’t as though he had been invisible when he was younger. He didn’t know what had happened, but he did know that Nico was here now. He did know that all the others were doing was trying to take advantage of the weakest person they could find. Whether Nico was really weak wasn’t important. He looked weak, and that was all that mattered. He shook his head a little. Nico seemed to have reason for not telling him…otherwise, he wouldn’t be this stubborn about it. “You can’t help that, I’m afraid,” he replied lightly. “You’re here. You can’t help being wrapped up in it, anymore than you can help being seen as an enemy of the Lord Ruler and a target for the desperate and the greedy. Choosing not to be involved won’t keep you from it, it’ll only make you less prepared.” He glanced back towards the camp. He would have liked to keep Nico here, but…he needed to check on Mare even more. He stepped aside, gesturing to it. “I make no promises.”
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strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Aug 30, 2021 0:34:35 GMT -5
Nico didn’t want to think about the past. There was nothing he could do to change it, and though it had ended up with him here, he wouldn’t have changed what he did. There were hundreds of worlds where Nico would have been loyal to Hades, but… Hades had done nothing to earn that loyalty. He had pushed Nico away, made it known that Nico was the unwanted sibling, bemoaned the fact that he was still alive… “I know I’m here,” Nico replied, eyes narrowing. “I know I’m not getting out unless I figure out something miraculous. But I don’t want to be mixed up in whatever crazy ideas you get. You seem like the kind of person who thinks he has an escape plan but instead gets everyone with him killed because he was just convincing enough that people believed him, but just foolish enough that his plan fell short.” It was, perhaps, presumptuous and maybe a little bit cruel, but Nico wasn’t sure he cared. He didn’t want to be a part of Kelsier’s life if he could help it. That seemed like a great way to get himself killed, and Nico was interested in staying alive for as long as he could. “I don’t need your help,” Nico said, trying to keep his voice as hard as possible. “What’s more, I don’t want it.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 30, 2021 1:10:37 GMT -5
Kelsier raised an eyebrow, a small smile on his face as Nico spoke, as though it hadn’t been meant as an insult at all. He glanced down for a second. Just a second. Just enough to hide anything thar might have shown in his eyes. Because, as little as he knew…Nico was right. They were here, weren’t they? That was Mare’s fault, but he knew the plan itself had been reckless. Of course it had been. Kelsier knew how to convince anyone to believe in him, anyone at all, but in the end… He looked up, the smile still in place, any hint that the words had been heard gone. “Specific. Have you been watching me?” He asked, smile widening a little. “You may not want it, or need it, but there’s nothing you can do to get rid of me, so I’m afraid you may be stuck with me. May as well make the best of it.”
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strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Aug 30, 2021 2:37:28 GMT -5
Nico’s eyes narrowed as he regarded Kelsier. He didn’t understand him. Distantly, he wondered if telling Kelsier who he was would make the man leave him alone. The risk was too high, though. It might make Kelsier angry enough to try to kill him. Or it might make him even more determined to protect him. The issue with Kelsier was that he was unpredictable. The others had all behaved how Nico had expected them to. They had been desperate, and they had ganged up on him. They had attacked him because he had a geode, and he was the smallest and weakest target. If the cost of their survival for one more week was his life, there were any number of excuses they could make to alleviate their guilt. Kelsier didn’t fit that pattern. Nico had no idea what he was likely to do, so he didn’t know what to do himself. “Help someone who actually wants it,” Nico returned harshly, arms crossing. “A life for a life. I refuse to be in your debt any longer.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Sept 2, 2021 19:07:03 GMT -5
Sal didn’t know what Zuko’s life had been like. Being noble…he tended to assume that it had been easy. He didn’t know what noble life was like, in detail, he just knew they didn’t have to worry about starving or being killed for nothing at all. If they died, someone cared. It wasn’t common enough to be forgettable. Zuko’s survival had been almost guaranteed. Sal’s, and most of the Skaa’s, was more of a small miracle. “So you do agree with him?” He asked, holding Zuko’s stare. “Because you said he wouldn’t live forever, like you’re looking forward to what will happen if he dies.” He knew he wasn’t getting anywhere. This was pointless…but Zuko was the one who had insisted on talking. What had he expected? That he could try to figure out how Sal felt about his scars, but Sal wouldn’t turn it around on him? He shook his head a little. “It means the Survivor isn’t an annoyance. Annoyances don’t kill the people you’re relying on to keep you in power. Problems do that. I think the Lord Ruler is more threatened than he wants any of us to think he is.”
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strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Sept 3, 2021 16:42:17 GMT -5
Zuko didn’t know what he believed. It was harder and harder to believe his father the more time he spent outside of the Keep, but… how could he believe anyone other than his father? His father allowed bloodshed to happen, but he said it was for a reason. He said it was because the Skaa were unable to handle responsibility. Zuko had seen proof that wasn’t true. They were smarter and more resilient than they were given credit for, but that didn’t mean they could lead. It didn’t mean that the nobility could lead, either. Other than the fact that Allomancy was passed down along noble bloodlines, Zuko genuinely didn’t see a reason for a divide between Skaa and nobility. He just… didn’t think that the solution was killing the nobility. He wished he had been born with his father’s powers. He wished he had a guarantee that he could be as immortal as the Lord Ruler. If he could… then he might have been able to inherit the throne with no contention. His father may have felt comfortable stepping down. But… if Zuko had been born with those abilities, then it was possible he would never have spoken with any Skaa. It was possible he would hold the same beliefs as his father, and he would uphold them the same way. “Look, I don’t know what I believe,” Zuko replied, voice tight. He glanced down at his crumbled bread, raising a small piece of it to his lips. He hated that it was good. He hated that he was conflicted. “I think the Survivor is doing the wrong thing,” Zuko repeated, voice quiet. “And I don’t know if the Lord Ruler should be afraid or not, I just… I don’t think he is. I don’t think he’s afraid of anything.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Sept 3, 2021 16:53:02 GMT -5
Kelsier knew he was unpredictable. He never did what was expected for someone in his position, a fact he took pride in. It was useful, being able to surprise anyone, even those whose entire job was catching people like him. He was a thief, and a very, very good one. Good enough that he had only been caught because he’d been betrayed. It was odd, how he could turn even being a decent person into an advantage. It really should have made things harder for him, not easier, but he could take advantage of how few people were genuinely willing to help someone else, and he could turn it into something useful. Not that Nico would know that. And not that it was necessarily the main reason for doing it. He held up his hands in surrender, still smiling. “You were never in my debt,” he replied easily. “So you’ve nothing to fear from that. Besides, why would I put you in my debt when you could so easily refuse to repay me? It wouldn’t be much of a plan.”
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strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Sept 4, 2021 3:59:58 GMT -5
The issue was that Nico was a good person. He didn’t think he was a good person. He was part of the institution that had created all of this, after all. But… he couldn’t let someone risk their own life to save his without giving them something in return. It would weigh too heavily on him. Maybe he had repaid a debt not because the recipient thought a debt was owed, but because he couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t. Was that selfish of him? It was hard to know. “I didn’t think it was your plan,” Nico replied, irritated. He was having a hard time working through what the proper response would be. He didn’t know how much to share, but… he needed Kelsier to know that he wasn’t the only one trying not to let this place change him too much. “Maybe it wasn’t about you at all,” Nico muttered, crossing his arms and trying to seem bigger than he actually was. “Maybe I paid a debt that I felt like I owed. Maybe it’s not about whether you thought I owed it. You’re not the only one with morals, you know. Maybe mine will be gone next week, but… but they aren’t yet.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Sept 6, 2021 17:03:34 GMT -5
Sal narrowed his eyes, but he didn’t speak again. Zuko didn’t have an answer. Zuko really, actually didn’t know what he was doing, it seemed. He was trying to stop the Survivor, but he barely seemed to know whose side he was really on. He was doing what the Lord Ruler said, but he almost seemed to disagree with the things that were happening. It was…not what Sal had expected. Sal shook his head a little. Zuko was confused. So what? What did that mean? He was still determined to get the Survivor. Even if that was more to go home than to make the Lord Ruler more powerful. “Well…you should think about it, then,” he said finally. “Because if you kill the Survivor, it’s going to be too late to change your mind. If you kill him…you will have sentenced thousands of lives to death, whether you like it or not.” He stood, bread still held loosely in his hand. “Rest your leg,” he said finally. “Don’t try to escape, or you’ll mess it up even more. I’m pretty sure you won’t even have a limp as long as you let it heal.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Sept 9, 2021 1:04:04 GMT -5
Kelsier didn’t know Nico. He couldn’t pretend to, either. He couldn’t act like he could read him, or that he had any idea what he might be thinking when he wasn’t speaking, and even when he was. If he wanted to know that…he was going to have to get to know him better. More personally than just the kid who could probably take care of himself, but who had almost died not too long ago as well. Nico wouldn’t make that job easy. And trying to, what? Make a friend? He knew it wasn’t what he needed to be focusing his energy on. He had someone to protect already. Someone who, in spite of everything, was in more and more danger the longer they were stuck here. He raised an eyebrow as Nico spoke, and a slow smile spread over his face. Though he had an arsenal of smiles at his disposal at all times, this one had to be one of the most common…and, by certain accounts, the most insufferable. “So, which is it?” He asked innocently. “What was it you said? It was…’if you’re offering to help someone without either compensation or reason, you’re a fool’, were your exact words, I believe. I have an excellent memory, and very little I need to remember down here. So, either both our senses of morals are plenty reason for us to help each other…or neither of them are. Just a thought.”
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strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Sept 9, 2021 1:51:09 GMT -5
Nico blinked, somewhat surprised to have his own words parroted back at him. He had run through that conversation over and over again in his head since he and Kelsier had parted ways, but he hadn’t actually expected Kelsier to remember what he had said, word for word. Actually, he wasn’t sure he had expected Kelsier to remember what he said at all. He looked away, eyes narrowing at the sound of the words he had said. “I may have said that,” Nico conceded after a moment, hugging his arms closer to his chest, “but I never said I wasn’t a fool.” He had to admit that he was as idealistic as Kelsier was, even if his idealism was lined with cynicism about everyone else. He did good things, not because he thought the world deserved them, but because he didn’t know any other way to comport himself. He didn’t think he was a good person, though. He didn’t do good things for the sake of doing good things. He did them… well, to clear debts, even when they were debts only he thought he owed. “At least my sense of morals makes sense,” Nico grumbled, staring at the ground. “A life for a life. Yours just… seems like save as many people as you can. How has that worked out for you down here? What’s your success rate?” He knew it was a cruel question, but he wasn’t sure he trusted Kelsier. He would be safer on his own. He had to survive on his own. He couldn’t afford to care about anyone else in the process.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Sept 10, 2021 17:44:02 GMT -5
“Yeah?” Sal murmured, holding Zuko’s gaze with his own. “If you think of any other language the Lord Ruler can understand, you let me know. But I’m not going to let you get to him.” He knew he should have probably let him die. He knew that he needed to look at the big picture, like the Survivor did. He was willing to kill to protect these people. Was Sal? He didn’t have to choose yet. At least, that was what he told himself. Hopefully, he would never have to choose. He waved the bread a little higher. “Me? Out. I’m going out. Someone wouldn’t stop talking to me for long enough to let me eat this. I’ll be back in a bit. Just…really don’t try to run off, okay? I know you’re really determined but I don’t want to have to knock you out again.” He stared a moment longer, then turned, heading resolutely for the door.
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strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Sept 11, 2021 18:47:18 GMT -5
How long was Sal planning on keeping him here? Zuko cursed under his breath, pulling at the restraints for a few moments before deciding it probably wasn’t worth it. Sal would be back soon enough, and he couldn’t run on a broken leg. Maybe the best way to get to the Survivor was to stay here and get to know Sal a little bit better. He didn’t want to pretend to be friends with him to get answers, but if that was what he had to do… he gave a quiet sigh, watching Sal leave. It was odd to him that Sal had to leave just to take a few bites of bread, but he thought he understood. If he had a way to hide his scar, and if he couldn’t eat without revealing it, when nobody had seen it before… he didn’t think it was quite the same thing, but it was probably similar. The facts were this: Sal had information about the Survivor. Zuko needed that information. If he left now, he was going to have to find a way to recover on his own, and if Sal was crafty enough, he could move and bring the Survivor along with him. The only way to stay on the Survivor’s tail was to stay here and do exactly as Sal had asked.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Sept 12, 2021 15:01:41 GMT -5
Sal had decided that talking to Zuko was probably a mistake. It wasn’t like he was going to be able to make him stop. Just as Zuko could make Sal stop. Talking just made it even harder for him to keep deciding that not killing Zuko was the best play, and he didn’t need any more of that in his head. So, he just kept quiet and did his best to make sure Zuko healed. He did have more food. He’d been using Zuko’s money as sparingly as he could, but he had been using it, because it was a lot safer than stealing was. If he got caught stealing…Zuko wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore, then. Zuko would have to figure out how to keep himself alive on a semi broken leg. Assuming he could even escape the restraints, anyway. He stepped back inside the small room and breathed out, dropping the bag he carried and heading for the opposite side of the room from Zuko. No need to talk. He hated the fact that he had to sleep in the same room with him, but he didn’t have anywhere else to go.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Sept 12, 2021 15:15:52 GMT -5
There was part of Zuko that hated that he was the one in the bed. He didn’t think it was fair. He was the one captured, sure, but Sal was being kind to him. Not only had he made sure that Zuko’s leg was set as properly as they could manage here, without a real doctor, but he’d given Zuko the bed. In such a small space… it made all the difference. Why was he being nice? Or was it just… a moral obligation? It certainly had nothing to do with Zuko. Sal hated him. Zuko was fine with that, he wasn’t sure he was a huge fan of Sal, either. What was most frustrating was that they seemed to want the same thing: less bloodshed. They just had very, very different ideas of how to get there. If Sal had known who Zuko was, would the moral duty to keep him alive have stood? Or would he have killed him? Would he have turned him in so others could kill him? Zuko was a traitor for sympathizing with the Skaa. He was even more of a traitor now that he’d seen his initial beliefs were right. The Skaa weren’t inferior. They weren’t superior either, but… they didn’t deserve to be killed. The only way Zuko could see to stop that was a throne with his name written on it. “Why don’t you stay with the Survivor?” Zuko asked suddenly, voice low and rusty from disuse. He hadn’t spoken in at least a day or two, maybe more. “I can’t really leave here, I mean, and… he probably has more space than you do here.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Sept 12, 2021 17:46:41 GMT -5
Sal wasn’t sure it had anything to do with what he felt he was supposed to do. Morally speaking, he should probably kill Zuko. It could save a lot of lives, potentially. The Survivor would almost certainly have done it. Zuko was trying to take away their only chance at stopping all this…it would have been self defense. It would have been the right thing to do. He didn’t know why he wasn’t doing it. He just…didn’t want to. He wasn’t sure he could. He could distract Zuko and waste all his time, but…kill him? He glanced over as Zuko spoke. He hadn’t expected him to try that again after last time, but here he was. Trying to…what? What did he hope to get out of this? He shook his head a little. “And leave you here?” He replied stiffly, his own voice somewhat ragged too. He had spoken more than Zuko had in the last few days, because he’d needed to buy food, but not that much. “Or let you go and lead you right to him?”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Sept 12, 2021 19:15:34 GMT -5
“I haven’t tried to escape when you leave during the day,” Zuko replied, brow raising just a little bit. “What makes you think I’d try to leave if you were to stay somewhere else at night? You were right. I can’t try to leave, or my leg won’t heal properly. Then I won’t be able to catch up to you or the Survivor. It’s in my best interest to stay put, and… you clearly don’t want to be here. You also don’t seem to want to kick me out, and self-preservation instinct is kind of telling me not to advocate for you kicking me out.” Zuko’s gold eyes locked on Sal’s blue, trying his best to read the other boy’s expression just through his eyes. It wasn’t very easy – part of him wondered if there was anyone who had learned to do it. Was there anyone close enough to Sal to actually take the time? “I can’t exactly track you when I’m tied to a bed,” he added, deadpan.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Sept 12, 2021 19:35:26 GMT -5
Sal hesitated, studying him. He couldn’t quite look away when Zuko was watching him, so he met his eyes, his one blue one stead as he searched Zuko’s face. Sal had the advantage of not being able to have his expression scrutinized, but even so…he wondered what Zuko thought of him. What did he think of the Skaa boy who wouldn’t kill him or release him? The real reason was simple. The Survivor didn’t even know he was alive. He couldn’t go to him because he didn’t know him, even if he did know where he was. For now, anyway. It wasn’t as though he’d be informed if he ever moved. He let out a short breath and looked away, searching for a reasonable explanation that wasn’t that. “No, but it’s still a risk,” he said after a moment. “It doesn’t matter, okay? I’m not going anywhere.”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Sept 12, 2021 23:26:21 GMT -5
Zuko didn’t know what to make of Sal, but it wasn’t because he was Skaa. It was because there were so many similarities between the two of them that it was hard to believe they were on such opposing sides. Perhaps that was because they were so similar. Zuko would never voice it out loud, but there was a part of him that wondered if, in a different world, he and Sal may have ended up as friends. Would they be hunting the Survivor together, or would they be plotting how best to kill the Lord Ruler? It didn’t occur to Zuko that Sal didn’t actually know the Survivor. It seemed bizarre to him that anyone would go out of their way to protect someone they hadn’t even met. “Okay,” Zuko said after a moment, leaning his head back. He could have tried to burn through the restraints if he’d had his metalminds on him, but Sal had taken those, too. Had he sold them? Zuko cursed under his breath. It was going to be hell to get another set. “I just thought it might be easier for you. Maybe not every thought I have is about trying to escape.”
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