Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jul 28, 2021 0:22:29 GMT -5
Orpheus shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to admit to L that he did have a gap in his memories. That he likely had been unconscious for a second or two. Were concussions deadly? It didn’t matter if they were or not, Orpheus needed the money from this job. He couldn’t afford to pay a doctor, and if the money was taken out of his wages… fear boiled to life in his stomach, hot and aching. He had to get back to work, but L had requested he lay down… which set of requests was he to take? The more recent request had come from L, but L wasn’t the master of the house. That was Lord Wammy. “Master L,” Orpheus replied, doing his best to keep his voice light, “My orders from Lord Wammy are to clean this room and the next several, and I’m already running behind. I’m able to take any requests you may have so long as they don’t prevent me from doing the cleaning here.” It felt wrong, denying a request from a nobleman. It was the sort of behavior that might have gotten him killed, in another family. “I apologize,” he added after a long moment, dipping his head and moving to clean the next shelf. He was a bit unsteady on his feet as he moved, but he did his best to ignore it. The last thing he could afford now was to break something valuable.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 28, 2021 0:31:16 GMT -5
Sal couldn’t afford to let Zuko anywhere near the Survivor. He couldn’t let him carry out his mission. He didn’t know what, exactly, it was, but he knew enough. He knew the Survivor wasn't meant to survive it. And that… That could not happen. That couldn’t be allowed to happen. Zuko wanted to get to the Survivor through him, he was going to have to try a lot harder. He could feel the knot on the rope. It was a good knot…he couldn’t pull loose, and he didn’t like to think what might happen if Zuko caught him working to untie it. The last thing he wanted was for Zuko to think to tie his hands together. He had one free, at the moment. He could use that. He was a thief and a liar, and he was going to do his best to live up to the name here. Life on the streets was never easy. It was a constant battle of wits. Of seeing who was quickest, who was strongest, who was smartest. Or, in Sal’s case…who was good at being invisible. Of course, the hair did that in a little. But it had been intentional. He could handle the side effects just fine. They were making progress. They were getting close…he cursed his lack of an actual trap. Not that anything he could have set up would have been able to avoid him and get Zuko, but still.,.he’d have liked to know he was headed somewhere safer, not more dangerous. They passed a window. It wasn’t very close…but he was desperate. He couldn’t wait for a better opportunity. So he didn’t give any sort of warning as he lunged to the side, trying to yank Zuko off balance enough to let him punch through it with his free hand, trying desperately to get close enough to grab a shard.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jul 28, 2021 0:39:50 GMT -5
Zuko was paying attention to Sal, but perhaps not as close attention as he should have been. He was prepared for the possibility that Sal had been lying. He was prepared to have to fight to get his money back. He was prepared for this situation to go south, but only when they got to wherever they were going. It was across town – that alone should have triggered the warning bells in Zuko’s head. It was just… the Survivor was fast. He could kill nobles from Houses that were all the way across Luthadel from each other. Zuko had studied every kill. He’d analyzed everything he could get his hands on, and there was nothing that seemed to lead him to where the Survivor was living. It was possible it wasn’t even in Luthadel, but that seemed… unlikely. All of the killings happened in Luthadel. Everything important that had to do with the Survivor happened here. This was where an uprising would happen, because this was where the Lord Ruler was. If it came to an uprising… no. Zuko couldn’t even consider that. He was lost in his thoughts by the time Sal pulled sharply to the side, and he flinched as he felt his body tugged along with it. It may have been different if he’d had time to brace himself, but all he could manage was to stay on his feet as he felt the window shatter. He raised his hands up, jerking Sal’s hand with it as he did his best to protect his face from the glass. It didn’t entirely work – a tiny shard embedded in the skin above his scar. He’d have to be careful about getting it out later, but for now… Zuko’s free hand drew one of his swords. They were meant to be used together, but they could be used separately. “You were lying,” he said, and it wasn’t a question. “I’ll let you go without a fight if you give me my money back.” He would just come after him again later, with a better plan. This one had fallen through, but Sal was still his only lead. He couldn’t give up on this.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 28, 2021 0:44:32 GMT -5
L blinked, surprised as Orpheus spoke. The cleaning…the cleaning wasn’t relvent. It wasn’t important. It certainly wasn’t more important than a possible concussion…he didn’t stop Orpheus from moving away, but he didn’t leave, either. He stared at him, a puzzled, almost worried frown on his face. “I’m sure Watari would understand…” he attempted after a helpless moment. “You can’t keep working. You’re injured. If I’m right, and I generally am, you need rest and medical attention.” He moved towards Orpheus again, trying to look at his eyes one more time to see if he’d missed anything. “You shouldn’t be standing up. You need to lie down. The floor will suffice for now.” He wasn’t meaning to be overbearing. He was just…concerned. And Orpheus didn’t seem to understand the severity of the situation.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jul 28, 2021 0:50:55 GMT -5
Orpheus could tell that L had good intentions, but it was those good intentions that was making the entire situation so much more difficult. He wanted to be noble, if only for a day. He wanted to live in a world where he could afford to lay down on the floor, where he didn’t have to worry about how much it would cost to have a doctor look him over. He wanted to live in a world where his health could come before working, but that wasn’t the world he was in. “You know Lord Wammy better than I do,” Orpheus allowed, looking up for a long moment to meet L’s eyes, “but I know what the vast majority of the nobility are like when it comes to their servants. There is too much at stake for me to lay down right now. If I lose this job, Master L…” he breathed out, trying his hardest not to sound desperate. “If I lose this job, then my… father… and I don’t get to eat. If I have to foot a medical expense, I die of exposure, or hunger, or… or something.” He didn’t mean to be harsh about it, and he wasn’t entirely certain how it came across, but he needed L to understand. He had to keep working. He had to finish the cleaning. He was far more likely to die of starvation than he was an untreated concussion.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 28, 2021 0:54:40 GMT -5
Sal felt the glass come down around him, tiny stabs of pain peppering his skin where it wasn’t covered. It wasn’t ideal. It was so very, very far form ideal, but he closed his eyes and let Zuko drag his tied hand up to shield his face from it. His free hand felt at the ground, his fingers dusting across the surface, looking for…there. He turned, opening his eyes wide aa the glass finished its cascade, and began to saw at the rope as hard and fast as he could with the broken glass he’d grabbed. He saw the sword slip free, and somewhere deep inside his head, whatever buried spot was untouched by the pure adrenaline aiding his movements, let out a piercing scream, Lord Ruler he’ll kill me - He sawed faster, ignoring the blood seeping from his hand, ignoring the words Zuko spoke. He didn’t believe him. He just didn’t believe him.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jul 28, 2021 0:59:55 GMT -5
Zuko’s eyes widened at the desperation he saw in Sal’s eyes, the frantic way he sawed at the rope with no regard for how much his hand was bleeding. Before Zuko could think, the sword dropped to the floor and he reached out to grab Sal’s wrist once more. He didn’t care if Sal cut him, it didn’t matter. The fingers on his free hand tugged at the knot, undoing it just as quickly as he had tied it. He kept a solid grip on Sal’s wrist, searching his eyes for a long moment. “Now who’s getting scammed?” he asked, anger boiling to the top as he stared at Sal. “I’m going to let you go if you give me back that money.” He glanced pointedly at the ground where his sword lay. He wasn’t going to be able to use it against Sal, and he wanted the boy to know that. There was, of course, another sword strapped to his back, but he couldn’t reach it with his hand busy restraining Sal’s. Besides, they were both armed. Zuko with a sword he couldn’t reach and Sal with a piece of glass that was doing him as much harm as it might do Zuko.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 28, 2021 1:09:38 GMT -5
L listened, eyes wide as Orpheus spoke. He didn’t interrupt, not even to ask questions, of which he had a few, now…such as why he couldn’t just ask for time off. He didn’t have to just disappear without telling anyone, did he? And L was certain Watari wouldn’t have any objections, if asked. But he tried to see it the way Orpheus was describing it. He did his best to imagine that, in Orpheus’ world…his basic needs depended on him completing this work. “I see,” he said softly, and he thought he did, at least better than he had. He hesitated, looking at the shelves, the things Orpheus was doing his accomplish. “I see,” he said again, looking at Orpheus. “Then I will do your work, while you lay on the floor. Then it’ll still be finished, and you won't die of a concussion, or exposure.” He hoped that was good enough. He didn’t want Orpheus to keep arguing while standing up. “If you have any other objections, please lie down while you tell me about them.” He added for good measure. He just didn’t want to see anyone die, that was all. Especially not when he could do something about it.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jul 28, 2021 1:15:54 GMT -5
Orpheus frowned for a long moment, staring at L as though he couldn’t form any words. The truth was, he couldn’t. He couldn’t fathom why L was doing this for him. He was just Skaa. Skaa were expendable. They were servants that could be replaced in a moment because there were so many of them vying for work. It was a wonder that Orpheus had gotten this job in the first place. He didn’t want to lose it this quickly because he’d accidentally bumped into a stranger on the street. There were a number of objections to be made, but L had a point about the lying down. Orpheus was beginning to feel a little bit shaky, though he wouldn’t have admitted it out loud. He wanted to prove to L that he was perfectly fine. Nothing to worry about. “If Lord Wammy catches you doing my work,” Orpheus began, eyes wide as he tried to crane his neck to better see L. It wasn’t very comfortable on the floor, but the carpet was almost softer than the mattress Orpheus slept on, so he couldn’t really complain. “He’s going to blame me for it. I’ll be punished for making you do my work, when I’m the one who works for you.” Did that make sense? He had never been the most logical, but logic seemed to have abandoned him now.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 28, 2021 1:24:34 GMT -5
Sal fully expected to feel the sword cut him, slice a wound into his legs so he could never walk again, or pierce his spine, killing him in seconds. He wasn’t quick enough. The rope was sturdier then he’d anticipated, or the glass wasn’t sharp enough, or maybe he was just at a bad angle. He flinched as Zuko’s hand caught his wrist, and resisted the urge to scream, because he couldn’t cut off his own hand and escape with his life. Then the rope slipped free of its own accord and he looked down, startled. Untied, it had been untied. And Zuko wasn’t holding the sword, now. All that was left between him and freedom was a hand on his wrist. He still had the glass. He could cut Zuko and make him let go. His breaths came in sharp gasps as he tried to pull himself together again, the terror of believing he was about to die fading as he realized what Zuko had done. He had disarmed himself. He didn’t intend to kill. He stared at him, blue eyes wide with shock and desperation, slowly fading into something like confusion. Why? Why would he ever let Sal go once he had him? It didn't make any sense. The glass slipped from his bloodied fingers and he lowered his hand without breaking eye contact, removed the bag of coins, and handed them to Zuko.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jul 28, 2021 1:32:00 GMT -5
Zuko stared at Sal, barely managing to avoid flinching as he thought of what Azula would have done in his situation. Sal would be screaming, probably. She never would have put up with being lied to. Zuko was angry about it as well, but it wasn’t Sal he wanted to kill. Sal had just been misled by the Survivor, like so many other people. They were dangerous, of course, but they could be subdued without killing them. Zuko was certain of that. Once the Survivor was dead, there would be nobody to incite them all to violence. Then they could have the peace his father had been trying to build for centuries. And when Zuko inherited, he could make it better. He had to be able to make it better. “I won’t kill you,” Zuko said after a long moment, accepting the bag of coins with trembling fingers. He needed them. Not as much as Sal did, probably, but he did need them. If he were a kind person, he may have insisted that Sal take a quarter of it. He didn’t. All he did was hold blue eyes with gold, breathing hard as his grip stayed steady on Sal’s wrist. Sal could have cut him. He could have fled that way. But he hadn’t. And he’d given the money back. “I won’t kill you,” Zuko repeated, sounding a little bit more certain of his next step. “But I won’t stop looking for the Survivor, either. I’ll see you tomorrow night.” He let go of Sal’s hand, his own falling to his side. Though it was smeared with Sal’s blood, he made no move to wipe it off. The words he’d spoken were both a promise and a challenge. They would keep playing their game until either the Survivor died or Zuko did.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 28, 2021 1:37:30 GMT -5
L breathed out, relief filling him as Orpheus finally went down. That was the first step. Once he was resting, L could take care of the rest. They’d need a medic of course…he could send for one himself, probably. He needed, somehow, to take care of Orpheus and do his work at the same time. It was a good thing he was very good at multitasking. “I’ll explain the situations if he catches me,” he promised, beginning to clumsily pick up where Orpheus had left off cleaning. Most of it could be copied, probably. And Orpheus wasn’t actually dead. He was still available if L had any questions. “If he tries to blame you, I’ll tell him it was my idea,” he added confidently. “This is also my home. He can’t just fire you for being ill.” At least, L couldn’t imagine the Watari he knew doing such a thing. He could tell Orpheus was afraid, but he didn’t think the was any need. No one was going to harm him. Not here.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jul 28, 2021 1:42:08 GMT -5
This felt… dangerous. It felt like the kind of thing to be discussed in hushed whispers with other Skaa, never in broad daylight, never with a nobleman. Yet Orpheus found himself oddly compelled to share his experience with L. To try to make the man understand that the world wasn’t as kind as he seemed to believe it to be. Orpheus could imagine a world that was kind. A world that wouldn’t punish him for bumping into someone. A world where people like L were more common, who didn’t want to punish other people. Who, somehow, saw the Skaa as people rather than vermin. It was a shame how unusual that perception was. “I was punched because I accidentally bumped against a nobleman while I was walking here,” Orpheus said after a long moment, letting his eyes drift closed. He didn’t want to see L as he told the truth of what happened. While he revealed the truth of what he expected. “It was an accident. Yet the punishment he gave me for it was merciful, compared to what he would have been entitled to do. Forgive me, Master L, if I don’t believe Lord Wammy will take kindly to me finding excuses to avoid work.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 28, 2021 1:50:15 GMT -5
Sal didn’t know if he’d made the right decision. He didn’t know if giving the coins back had been the right move…if he’d cut him, he could have kept them and ran. He could have hurt him. He could have made him let go. He carefully released the bag as Zuko took it, pulling his hand away slowly. He didn’t want to make any sudden moves. This felt…delicate. But Zuko didn’t intend to kill Sal, or even hurt him. Zuko had put the sword down. He waited, heart thumping dangerous as he waited to be released. As he waited to be double crossed. As he waited to be killed. The grip stayed steady. His heart missed a beat. He met Zuko’s eyes, his own wide as he listened silently. Zuko wasn’t going to kill him. He’d never even intended to, most likely. Sal didn’t get it. If he had caught him, why not hold onto him and make him a prisoner? Even if he didn’t want to hurt him…why let him go? And then he was free. He scrambled to his feet and backed away, putting distance between them. Then, impulsively…he dipped his head to him, turned, and fled.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jul 28, 2021 1:57:48 GMT -5
If Zuko had any resources at all, he may have considered keeping Sal as a prisoner. He may have considered holding him for as long as it took to make him tell the truth. He might have considered it, but he didn’t know if he was capable of doing it. To go home? Yes, he would have been capable of almost anything. Almost. He wouldn’t needlessly kill civilians or innocents. Maybe Sal wasn’t the most innocent, but he wasn’t the Survivor of Hathsin. Zuko had no proof that he even knew who the Survivor was, or, more importantly, where he was. The whole thing may have been a scam. But if it were… then Sal would have taken the money and left. It wouldn’t have come to this. This was… he shook his head, trying to clear the image of Sal’s wide, terrified eyes from his head. He hadn’t killed him. It was okay. He didn’t have to kill anyone. Not today, at least. He tried to look neutral about that, but he knew it wasn’t that easy. He was relieved. It was impossible not to feel it. And then Sal was gone and Zuko let himself breathe again. He would need to chase after him again. He would need to get his answers. But the game had reached a draw, here, so they both had to try a little bit harder next time. Next time. The hunt wasn’t over.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 28, 2021 2:02:17 GMT -5
L glanced at Orpheus as he spoke, pausing in his work. Or…Orpheus‘ work, technically. But his work for now. He didn’t know about the things Orpheus had been through, he didn’t understand what it felt like to be Skaa. Couldn’t understand. He just…wasn’t one. But he was going to to the day’s work as well as he could. He didn’t know how, exactly, worked, but he had to try, didn’t he? Orpheus needed to rest and he needed to finish his work. So…for now…L could be effectively Orpheus.” He blinked at the words, the explanation. He looked down him for w very long moment, then frowned, eyes narrowing. “You were afraid I’d give you a concussion when you bumped into me?” He asked after a long moment. That felt…very wrong. “I don’t think Watari would hurt you in any way,” he managed finally. “But I won’t tell him. I can be very stealthy.”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jul 28, 2021 2:09:30 GMT -5
“Not specifically a concussion,” Orpheus replied, voice small. He didn’t know what he believed anymore. It seemed like this could be a test. It could be a trap. It was entirely possible that L had decided he didn’t like having Orpheus in his house and had just decided to find a convoluted way to fire him. If that was the case, though… L likely could have fired him just by saying so. Watari may have been frustrated, but it wasn’t as though Skaa servants were difficult to come by. They were everywhere, constantly looking for work because it paid better than most other fields. It was just… a lot more dangerous than a lot of other work. Orpheus wondered sometimes if there was nay work available to the Skaa that wasn’t likely to cause them serious injury. The thought was depressing. “Thank you,” Orpheus breathed, gratitude filling his veins. It felt better, laying there with his eyes closed. His head wasn’t pounding quite so hard. It was a little bit easier to think clearly. “It’s odd to me,” Orpheus commented, distinctly aware that any verbal filter he’d once had had been turned off, “that you think I’m a person. That you care what happens to me as a person. The nobility don’t do that. We’re just… things to them. I don’t… get it.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 28, 2021 2:34:58 GMT -5
L was far too straightforward to go for such a roundabout method of firing Orpheus. This was…a compromise, or an attempt. He was trying to get him to rest, that was all. And, so far, he was succeeding. “Or another significant injury?” He amended, looking down. Orpheus had been afraid of being hurt. By him, for merely bumping into him. He didn’t like it. He really didn’t. He looked up again, eyes widening a little bit at the words. “Oh…” he replied after a moment, considering that. “You look like a person. You speak like a person. You get concussions when hit very hard in the head like a person. I couldn’t pick you out of a crowd of nobility and say you were different.” He looked at the object he was meant to be cleaning. “I suppose…what I mean is that, I can’t say you’re a person with 100% confidence. Because I’m not you. I also can’t say anyone but myself is sentient with 100% confidence. Because I am only me and no one else. For the sake of convenience…I assume most humans are sentient, rational beings like myself. I don’t see why I should exclude you from that assumption.”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jul 28, 2021 2:52:39 GMT -5
Part of the issue was, undoubtedly, that Orpheus didn’t know L. He didn’t know what he was capable of. Didn’t know what he might or might not do. The only reference Orpheus had was the way other members of the nobility treated their skaa. The disdain in their expressions. The way they didn’t seem to care one way or another if their servants lived or died. They were just objects. They were replaceable. If one servant broke, there would be another waiting to take their place. It didn’t seem as though L and Watari operated that way, but Orpheus wasn’t entirely certain how they did operate. It was a maze that Orpheus wasn’t sure how to navigate. He leaned his head back, doing his best to just keep breathing. To not be terrified of what felt like pressure building in his head. He didn’t look as L as he spoke, just listened as carefully as he was capable of. “I see,” Orpheus replied under his breath, though he wasn’t really sure he did see. The way L was looking at it was… logical, but also kind. It made sense that everyone around was a person, but most of the nobility didn’t seem to think so. Perhaps that was just because it suited their cruelty. Was L this kind because he had been raised away from the influence of those people? Was L this kind because Lord Wammy was as well? It was beginning to seem that way, though Orpheus was hesitant to fully believe it. He could believe that L and Watari were kind. He just… couldn’t trust how far that kindness might spread. He couldn’t allow himself to rely on it.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 28, 2021 13:38:40 GMT -5
Sal still couldn’t quite believe he wasn’t dead. He hadn’t stopped running until he was sure he had lost any potential tails he’d been given. And then he still hadn’t stopped. When he’d finally made it back to the small, abandoned place (more of a single room that hadn’t collapsed yet, really) he called home, he had been ready to just collapse and sleep for as long as he possibly could, to forget what had just happened. But he’d forced himself to stay upright as he cleaned and bandaged the deep gashes in his hand as best he could, changed his clothes into something not coated in glass dust, and searched for and removed any bits of glass embedded in his skin. The work was soothing, in a way…it made sense. He understood how to prevent infection, or at least try to. He didn’t understand Zuko. The look in his gold eyes as he stared at Sal, as he held onto him long enough to promise not to kill him, as he kept his promise and released him as soon as he had his money back. Having had to give it up meant that Dal would have to resort to stealing again if he planned to eat today, but he could live with that. Now, he leaned against a dark building, and he waited. He half expected Zuko not to show. Why would he? Sal had been caught now. What did Zuko hope to achieve by trying again? What did he think Sal would tell him that he had been willing to die to keep secret? One thing had changed, though. It hadn’t been easy to find a safe way to conceal, but the tiny, razor sharp knife at his side would make sure he wouldn’t be trapped so easily next time.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jul 28, 2021 13:52:10 GMT -5
They were still playing the game. That was the one thing Zuko was absolutely certain of as he made his way back towards where he had caught up to Sal the past two nights. There was a small bandage above the place where his eyebrow used to be, hopefully stopping the small cut from the glass shard from getting infected. He wasn’t entirely certain what he expected here. The Fisher boy would be more prepared now, certainly. He was likely to be more of a threat after seeing what Zuko was willing to do. He might stretch the rules of the game, or change them entirely. The fact remained that he was still Zuko’s only lead. Zuko had spent time the previous night searching out the place where Sal had sent them, but there was nothing there. It was just as he had expected – it was a lie. Zuko had been outmaneuvered there, but they had both escaped with their life. Sal had left more injured than Zuko had, but that was entirely his own fault. It was a new day. A new round, and they were evenly matched. Sal had won the first round, in a way. Zuko may have won the second. This time… they were getting a sense of the rules, even if neither of them wanted to think about it as a game. Just because it was life or death didn’t mean that they weren’t playing against each other. Zuko was half shocked to see Sal in his usual spot. He would have to be more clever, this time, if he wanted to catch him. If he wanted to get information out of him. Bribery, it seemed, wasn’t going to work. He’d need to get more creative. Zuko cleared his throat, just as he had the night before. He wasn’t sure he was ready to start running, but it didn’t matter. He’d been running since he was exiled. The sooner he got this over with, the sooner he’d actually be able to rest.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 28, 2021 14:08:34 GMT -5
Bribery might have worked if Sal was in this for the money. If he was just trying to make a profit off this..but the truth was that he wasn’t being paid for this. As far as the Survivor was concerned? He didn’t exist. His joh was self appointed and he had no intention of backing down. Though…he was curious about what he might try, now that he knew Sal both couldn’t be bought, and had no qualms about trying his best to double cross him. The game was only just beginning, and he didn’t know what moves Zuko was going to make. He looked up at the sound, masked as usual, his eyes catching sight of Zuko. For a moment, he didn’t move at all. He could stand there. He could see what Zuko would do, ask him why he hadn’t killed him, why he wouldn’t kill him. There were things to talk about, now. But he wasn’t here to talk. As long as Zuko was busy with him, he wasn’t getting closer to the Survivor. So he turned and began to run once again.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jul 28, 2021 14:16:47 GMT -5
Zuko didn’t know what he was planning to do now. He had questions he wanted to ask Sal. Things he needed to know. He thought that Sal had probably been hired by the Survivor or someone close to him to keep others off his trail. It didn’t make sense otherwise. He wanted to know what drew Sal to the Survivor. He wanted to know why he was risking so much to protect him, especially if he thought he was risking his life. There were very few people Zuko would risk his life for. His father, probably. And his sister, because family was supposed to be everything. His uncle, if Iroh were still alive… he bit his lip, trying to force the thought away. If he were to corner Sal again, they would have to talk. Zuko would have to try to get answers out of Sal that way instead of blatant threatening and bribery. Azula had always been better at manipulation than he was, but if he could find something that was important to Sal… A thought flickered through Zuko’s mind as he began to run after Sal. He didn’t like it very much – it wasn’t something he was going to try unless he ran out of any other options… but the covering Sal wore over his face. Would he be willing to trade the Survivor over to get that back? It was a cruel thought, Zuko knew, but he was desperate. And maybe it didn’t matter if he was cruel. Maybe he was supposed to be cruel. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He wouldn’t do it unless he ran out of options. He wouldn’t stoop that low unless there was no other choice.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 28, 2021 16:40:44 GMT -5
L didn’t see why Orpheus wouldn’t be counted as a person. He didn’t understand the way he said he was being treated. He knew people weren’t always kind, but they weren’t rarely so upfront about it in his experience…he had certainly never been physically struck. And for just bumping into someone? He was going to do his best to help. He wouldn’t tell Watari, though he was confident the man wouldn’t have done anything bad. If Orpheus didn’t want him to know, L would respect that. At least Orpheus was laying down. L didn’t know much about cleaning, but he would do his best. As long as he worked quickly, he could finish before Watari could catch him, and go back to making sure Orpheus was cared for. He wanted to call a doctor. Maybe he would. He didn’t need Watari’s help for that, and they could figure out the rest later. “What are your duties for today?” He asked after a moment. He needed to make a plan to do this as efficiently as he could.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jul 28, 2021 16:50:05 GMT -5
“I really can’t ask you to do all of my duties!” Orpheus murmured, shocked. He knew L had said to lay down, but he had assumed he meant only for a short time. How much work would he have to miss out on if he really did have a concussion? Enough that it wouldn’t be worth paying him, that was for certain. Orpheus knew that, if he lost his job, there were likely others that he could get, but if they heard from Lord Wammy what Orpheus had done to be fired… he shuddered at the thought. No, there was no option other than to get up and get working as soon as he was able. Hopefully before Lord Wammy even noticed that anything was amiss. Still… lying down was making it feel a little bit better, so L had been right about that, at least. Slowly, Orpheus listed the tasks he had allotted for himself to complete in the morning. There were more tasks than that, of course, but Orpheus had fallen into a rhythm. Certain tasks in the morning, certain tasks in the afternoon. If he wasn’t well enough to complete his afternoon tasks… well, he had to be. There was no other option.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 28, 2021 16:59:11 GMT -5
L blinked, frowning as he approached Orpheus. He didn’t see why Orpheus was objecting…L was offering, and it would give him the chance to rest. The tasks would get done, so Watari would have no cause to fire him. It would all work out just fine. “You aren’t asking me. I’m asking you,” he pointed out, raising an eyebrow as he listened to the list. Right…that was more than he’d anticipated, but he would do his best. If Orpheus could do it, so could L. It would just take some determination. “Stay here,” he told him. “Keep laying down, but don’t sleep. I’ll be back before long, hopefully after your work is done.” And with a doctor. But he knew Orpheus would object to that part, so he didn’t say it. They’d make it work somehow. He wasn’t letting Orpheus die of a perfectly fixable problem.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jul 29, 2021 21:03:36 GMT -5
Orpheus wanted to argue, but he knew that wouldn’t go over well. The one thing he had been told over and over and over again was listen to the nobility’s orders and don’t talk back. Nobody had ever said what to do when their orders were conflicting. Lord Wammy had more of a potential to cause harm, but L was the nobleman right in front of him. He couldn’t keep arguing. Not because he thought L would hurt him, as it turned out, but just because L was stubborn and very persuasive. It would have been annoying, if Orpheus weren’t so bewildered by it. He was doing this supposedly to help Orpheus. There was no room in Orpheus’ head for that. It just… it didn’t make sense. Noblemen didn’t do things like that, not to help their servants. “Okay,” Orpheus managed in a small voice, letting his eyes drift closed as he heard L move to start on his tasks. He would rest for an hour or two. Then he would take over whatever L didn’t finish. It was fine. Lord Wammy would never have to know.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 29, 2021 21:18:21 GMT -5
L thought maybe he was getting the hang of this. He didn’t know how long he’d been at it, but the repetitive movement was getting easier to do without conscious thought. He was dusting at the moment, a task so mundane and easy that he could barely believe it was necessary at all, or that someone was being paid to do it. Still, if the job was as important as Orpheus had told him, he couldn’t complain. He could still have food at the end of the day if there was dust on things. Orpheus, apparently, could not. He moved into the next shelf, eyeing the vase it carried. He would not break this one, he promised himself. He could explain away one shattered vase, but probably not two, especially if they happened to be in different rooms. He began, carefully, to dust around it. He could move it…should he move it? Did Orpheus move them when he dusted? L had been watching him for a solid week now. He tried to think, but he hadn’t been paying attention to the technique used. He made a mental note to do better.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jul 29, 2021 21:38:54 GMT -5
Watari had been working. He thought he had come to something of a breakthrough, though it was hard to say for certain. He would need to figure out how to take the next steps, but for now… well, for now he was going to make himself a nice cup of tea and check in on L. He had kept a close eye on Orpheus the first few days the boy had been there, but after that he had allowed L to do the watching. He had a feeling that L would report back to him if there was anything the matter, even if it turned out to be nothing. He was about to round the corner into the kitchen when he realized that L was standing in the middle of the room, feather duster in hand. Watari thought it may have been a trick of the light, but as he backed up to get a better peek into the room, he realized it hadn’t been. “Good morning, L,” he said, just loud enough to alert the boy that he was there. There were a number of questions in his head, but he figured it would be best to see what explanation L offered up.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 29, 2021 21:48:36 GMT -5
Perhaps, L considered, moving the vase was the best option after all. He didn’t quite see how he could manage to dust thoroughly if he didn’t, and he wouldn’t allow Orpheus to be accused of laziness on his watch. If he were to be believed, this was a matter of life and death, and L was going to take that as seriously as he could. He trusted Watari, of course. He thought Orpheus’ fears were, for the most part, utterly unfounded. But he had never seen Watari hire a servant before now, so there was a sliver of doubt in his head, just a sliver. Watari would not be cruel. But would he think it cruel to fire Orpheus? He might not even have all the information. He had just made up his mind to move the vase when the low voice sounded and he jumped, whipping around to face Watari, duster in hand and back to the shelf. Several things flew through his head at once. Watari was not supposed to be in this room. L had memorized his schedule long ago. He was meant to be working now. Unless L had lost track of time and accidentally ended up at the time Watari generally wanted tea…? “It’s not morning,” he offered as an automatic reply. Then he glanced at the wall, as though it had a window. It didn’t. “Oh. Perhaps it still is.”
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