shockingblue | IC Inbox: Daybreak

[Desi moved her right arm around a bit, looking briefly annoyed at it.]

Mmm, could you wait for just one moment, please? That bandage is getting to be a little too bothersome, so I'm going to go and do something about it really quick.

[She excused herself to the bathroom for a moment.]

[When she returned, not only had she taken the bandage off, she'd gone ahead and changed into some new clothes, as to leave her shoulders uncovered. Not only had the tattoo been removed like she'd said, but there was still a mark visible there, a scar from where one of Asimov's shots had grazed her.

She could have had that taken care of as well, but evidently, had decided against it.]

There we go.

Now, ah, about that. Mother's a human. I don't know my father, but I do know that he's human as well. So, that means I'm human too, but I also feel like I'm a daemon, sort of? It's like... You know what I can do, and it...just feels completely normal, now.

So recently, I've started thinking that, when Mother tried to do what she did, I wasn't given anything and that was what ended up changing me, but actually changed myself and what I have is just naturally mine.

With how it's allowed me to do things and help people here, and how most of the people I know now don't treat it like it's some kind of problem, I...think I'm okay with that.

Feel like a daemon... [He echoed, watching her, and noticing that scar across her arm. ...He was rather surprised that she left it there, to be frank. But, in a sense, it really wasn't all that different from the tattoo, was it? A mark of a different kind. ...And still, thinking back, to her own self, with eyes slightly aglow. ...Huh.] ...I see. I think I get it.

[He smiles, a bit warmly. Warmer than most smiles he's managed over the past week or so.]

...Desi. I know I don't have to say it, but I will anyway. Daemon, human, and anything in between, I'll be there for you, no matter what.

[If he guessed that Desi was keeping it because it had been earned while helping him—while helping to rescue Monarch a second time—well, he'd be right. And if he didn't guess as much, she certainly would.]

You're right, you don't need to say it now, but still, grazie. [The rest of the world might still have some things to say about it, eventually, but here, it doesn't matter what she is, just that she's still Desidera.] I could say the same for both of you: no matter what, I'll be there. [And for both of them, in the past weeks, she already has been there.

Monarch might still have been a relatively-new addition to either of their lives, but it already felt difficult—even impossible—to say she didn't feel like family in a way.]

Edited (that one line just kept BUGGING me, so I changed it a little) 2019-12-22 00:09 (UTC)

...Thank you, Desi. Really.

[When his entire life had been flipped, and everything he knew turned into chaos around him, even unsure if what passed for his family back at QUILL would even want anything to do with him? Hearing that was a balm to a still stinging burn he had been nursing. Sure. He knew that already, but hearing the words alone made a huge difference.

Monarch, though, while she had been quiet through much of this, finally took an opportunity to speak up.]

Hey, Desi? I know you had the tattoo removed, but... not that scar? That couldn't be that hard to heal with magic, so... why didn't you?

[After all, it seemed strange to get all that healed up and still let that linger...]

[She paused for a moment, while glancing across the room.]

Monarch? Come here.

[The hologram visibly got up as if to do so, only to be stopped.] No. Come here for real.

[It then flickered off, and the core hovered up and off of its pillow, floating over as instructed. Once it was close enough that Desi could reach it, she took it in her hands and pulled it to her chest.]

I know we haven't known each other too long, but it's already hard to imagine things without you here. [The week that Monarch was gone and GV was still recovering had basically been hell for her.] So if it's for him, or for you, I'll do anything I need to, even if that means getting hurt.

Think of it as proof of that.

[Well, being hugged, the core itself, at any rate, was definitely a new experience. And something very strange, considering its casing had no nerve endings to speak of, but it definitely had the mind, the intelligence, to understand that sort of feedback. The hologram, or what of it could be displayed, almost flailed a little in surprise, but practically melted into her hug after a moment.

...She even looked ready to tear up.]

...Ah.... thank you, Desi. ...But please. Don't try to get hurt because of me. ...And that goes for you too, GV, before you try to say anything...

After this past week, I don't think either of us will be going out of our way to be reckless, but if anyone takes you again, we are going to try to get you back. [They saved her twice, they can do it again if they ever need to.

And with the two of them having been the ones to take her in and effectively provide a new home when they first brought her here, her happiness and her safety are basically their responsibility, aren't they? If anything else happened, they should try to do something.]

Hey GV, it's Becky.

Lia's thinking about hitting up the arcade in Soleil because Reasons, I'm gonna be going with and told her I'd ask around a bit: you feel up to coming along?

I'm not sure I'd be great company right now.

I went down to confront Flat and Micah but the faculty's already got the area locked down. Maybe it's better that way. I don't think even a deserved ass-kicking would do much about them in the long run. Goddamn nutjobs.

But if you can put up with me being in a lousy mood, I guess it'd be a good way to let off some steam.

We both saw the video. And several of the posts that went up in response. [That includes his. And the response he got.

As well as the additional thread that spun off of it. Becky has some feelings about one particular thing that had been written there, and they're not good ones.]

I think we'll be willing to deal with a bit of grump if you wanna cool off out there rather than like in the Cage or something.

I'm down for going out.

At this point, I think going to the Cage would be less productive training and me just reinforcing negative feelings through breaking things. ...That's probably not healthy.

Where should I meet you both?

We're gonna need a few minutes here--need to get my stuff together at least, shouldn't go anywhere without my ID--so prob just swing by our room and then we'll head out once we're good to go.

L-403 if you need to know where it is.

Sounds good. It'll take me a bit to get back there, but I'll be there ASAP. Lemme know if I need to make a pitstop back home if I should bring anything else.

After the whole battle, the injuries, and the stress put upon him, when Gunvolt got back to Daybreak, he felt like he needed to sleep for a week. He didn't, but he definitely cut back from his usual breakneck working pace. He only went out for classes, recreation, or a bit of physical therapy; exercise, mostly. Otherwise, he mostly stayed in with Desidera and Monarch. It wasn't a stretch to say by the end of it the poor kid was at his limit.

A few days after the event, Gunvolt was walking from class back toward his dorm when he heard a voice call out to him. Familiar, at that.

"Oi! GV! Wait up!"

The boy halted, and looked over his shoulder to the young man rushing over to greet him. Blinking a little, and feeling a little trepidation in his heart in seeing his face, Gunvolt nodded.

"Zeno? What are you doing here?"

"Not exactly a warm welcome, huh?"

GV frowned before replying. "...We can't pretend the whole thing with Asimov didn't happen. He was like family to all of us. I know we managed to keep from tearing each other apart and stayed cordial, but we haven't exactly talked anything out since then."

Zeno was quiet for a moment, looking away, for once a little lost for words. "...Yeah. It took a long time to process what happened. Turned out, Asimov was keeping a lot from us all. Between grieving, putting ourselves back together, reorganizing QUILL, and going over all of the intel... it took us months.

But that's why I came here, GV."

"You're sounding way too serious, and you're worrying me. What happened, Zeno?"

"...A lot. We went through all of Asimov's effects. His computers, anything he'd written, all of it. And everything in that suggests everything you and Daybreak reported was right. He... he really went off the deep end years ago. He pulled the wool over all of our eyes. Especially Moniqa. She couldn't believe it. It nearly broke her."

Gunvolt shifted uncomfortably, knowing something like that probably happened. However, given QUILL endured and even helped in the last battle, that told him enough to know she kept it together.

"Finding out the guy she loved was an genocidal maniac? Yeah. That'd do it. How is she now, though?"

"Exhausted, but carrying on. She decided that she cared about the cause she signed up for was still worth fighting for, even if she joined up on pretense of a lie. She's gonna make it the truth of QUILL, not the cover. ...It's why I stuck around. And why we've implemented a lot more transparency measures. The level of secrecy Asimov worked with isn't there anymore."

"...This sounds like a recruitment pitch."

"I guess it sort of is. Moniqa sent me down here for a couple of reasons. The first was... to tell you we know about Asimov, and that we know what you told us was verifiable truth now.

The second... both Moniqa and I... well. We wanted to say there's always a place for you and your friends in QUILL. If you want it. Even after everything that happened, you're still my friend, and I think Moniqa still thinks of you like her kid brother. ...Even if you're looking more and more like a man every time I see you. ...You've gotten taller, too."

Gunvolt lowered his eyes, a dark sadness dulling their bright blue hue. He hesitated before speaking.

"...I don't know if I'm ready for that, Z. I don't know if I can ever be ready to go back to QUILL. Asimov poisoned that well pretty deeply, even if I know you and Moniqa are cleaning it up." His fists balled at his sides. "...I still see his face in my nightmares. Both when he shot me, and when I killed him in revenge." He looked Zeno in the face and firmly stated: "I murdered him, Z. I didn't take justice into my hands that day. I wanted him dead for what he did to me and Monarch, and the pain he put Desi and my other friends through.

And what good did it do in the end? An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind."

"...I don't believe that was the only reason you did it. GV, you're my bro. And I know you well enough to know you put him down because it had to be done to protect the world. A lot of innocent lives. Yeah, sure, still murder, you're probably gonna say. That you're not that far off from him."

"I've asked myself that. In a sense, we're both weapons. Sumeragi used him, turned him into a Glaive Soldier. And he used me, with the intent to groom me to lead Candles everywhere, probably through violence and force."

"Moniqa said you'd probably say something like that. But you're not a weapon, a tool, or anyone's fool, GV. Not anymore. But you and Asimov aren't even in the same league. You are the better man. By far, even if you wanted revenge like he did. But the difference? You didn't take it out on the world, and you chose to do more, to help people instead of hurt them. ...And that's why we wanted to tell you, that you always have a place with us. You're still family to us. And always will be, even if you walk your own path away from QUILL."

"...Moniqa told you to say all of that, didn't she?"

"...A lot of it. The whole 'better man' thing was me," Zeno said, with a wry smile.

Gunvolt paused, shutting his eyes for a bit. He couldn't really look his old friend in the eyes. "...Thanks, Z. And thank Moniqa for me too, when you get back. But right now, my answer's still the same. I'm not ready. ...And..."

"...And you're building another life here. I know. You look... more at ease here at Daybreak than you ever were at QUILL. And that's okay. ...You just make sure you take care of the people you love here." Zeno stepped closer, a smile forming on his face as he slapped Gunvolt on the shoulder. "Especially Desi and Monarch! I'm jealous you live with two beautiful ladies! One of them my favorite idol, at that! Turns out you're a pretty lucky guy!"

Gunvolt's eyes shot open when Zeno slapped him on the shoulder, and he shot his friend a look that wasn't quite withering. "Zeno, please..."

"Too far? Ah, you're still no fun," the agent teased, his eyes sparkling in a nostalgic way. "But... that does bring me to the last thing Moniqa sent me here to do."

"What's that?"

The agent reached into his pocket and produced a flash drive, handing it over to GV. "We did more than digging into Asimov. We followed the breadcrumbs to Sumeragi. Xiao Wu helped us out a bunch into digging into Sumeragi's dirty laundry. We had a breakthrough, and found out a bunch of juicy stuff. We're going to hand it off to Daybreak as collab work tomorrow, but... Moniqa and I believed you deserved to know about all of this stuff personally." And in an instant, a lot of the joviality fell from his face. "...I'll be real with you, GV. You're not going to like what you read in there. It's... disturbing. And very personal. But you deserve to know the truth now that we found it. ...And it's information that you'll probably need to know to protect the people you love here. And this time, we really will have your back."

Gunvolt held the flash drive between two fingers, looking at it with a sense of dread and purpose.

"I see. ...Thanks, Zeno. And thank Moniqa for me too."

"The best way you can thank us is to keep living the best life you can. ...But don't be a stranger either. You can come back and visit us any time. ...And do think of stopping by for Christmas. It'd make Moniqa happy, and she really wants to meet Desidera too. Probably to do the big sis check to make sure her little brother has a good girlfriend." With that, Zeno turned and started walking away, giving a wave over his shoulder. "Hey, make sure to ask Monarch to brush up on her Christmas carols too, okay? See ya, GV."

"Bye, Zeno. See you soon!"

Of course, he was unsure if that were true. He looked at the flash drive one more time, before slipping it in his jacket pocket.

Seems there was a little more homework to do than he thought.

Edited 2020-09-24 18:45 (UTC)

[Desi's at her desk going over some recent notes when she hears her phone go off. Normally she lets it just sit and checks it later if she's already in the middle of something important, but seeing it come up as being a text from Gunvolt has her wondering what it could be; if it's a text from him, it usually can't wait, because anything that can wait is often saved until she can be told in-person.

After reading the message, she slowly lowers the phone back down to the table and casts an awkward glance toward nothing in particular.]

[Desidera's phone buzzing normally isn't something terribly notable, though Monarch did hear it this time. While she was quietly idling, working on something herself within the AI Core, the hologram appeared to stir from a slumber. She played a yawn animation before looked over to Desidera.]

Desi? Are you okay? You look... troubled?

That was GV. [There's a brief pause before she quickly adds:] He's fine, he's fine, it's just— [She cuts herself off abruptly.]

He just told me that one of the other students I've been tutoring—

[She pauses again.]

She has the tattoo. The same one that I had. [And Monarch knows what that would mean.]

[When she reveals it was Gunvolt who messaged her, that was more the red flag. She drifted closer, looking more concerned, but not totally worried. After all, right now, there wouldn't be any real reason he would be in danger, right?

But then she continues, and the hologram's eyes widened.]

...She's part of your old extended family.

...Are you okay? Did you need to talk about it?

I don't know. [She lifts the phone back up and re-reads the message.

The whole thing might just be coincidence; Marise wouldn't have told anyone that Desidera was here at the academy, not with the both of them being aware of how some of the family felt about her in the first place.

After a few moments of awkward silence, she types out a response and sends it.]

I'm always here to listen if you need it. You know that.

[She floats beside her, giving her as reassuring a smile as her hologram can manage.]

Though, you know? Just because what your extended family might be like about things doesn't mean everyone in it's going to agree about it either. If you've been tutoring her already, she already knows the kind of person you are. She'll have seen the truth with her own eyes.

If that's not good enough for her, then it's her loss, and you still have the family you chose. And even if she accepts you, you don't have to go back to that family in full either.

[Desi remains quiet while the phone buzzes with another message. She looks it over before turning a bit and responding to the AI.]

Yeah. Yeah, you're right. She's had time to get to know me.

[She then looks at the phone again for another moment, before typing out another short message and sending it off.]

She has. And you've gotten time to get to know her too. And she hasn't turned away from you based on your looks either. If she wasn't put off by first impression and she trusts you enough to teach her... then she might have a different outlook than the others.

But either way, you don't have to make any calls you're not comfortable with either, y'know?

Maybe.

[She rereads the last message that she sent, wondering if she should reconsider what she had typed, but ultimately she decides against changing her response. They've both had plenty of time to get to know each other without the potential complications of each knowing who the other really is; maybe that will help make things easier.]

Maybe this will change some things, but she's trusted me so far, so...I think I'll try to trust her, too.

IC Inbox: Daybreak

1/2

2/2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

late July, around the time of the Problem Student Shenanigans (un: Bekamari)

UN: AZURESTRIKER

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Closed, Shortly After the Battle of the Third Herald

MONARCH. During the thing.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject