[open] Nothing to See Here, Move Along

[pioailurophobia]

[After the fiasco in the mall, followed by the fiasco of a slightly lesser magnitude in the Executor house, Kingslayer has come to a conclusion: with the exception of a few other half-feral Eidolons (namely Wolfsbane), their presence would only cause strife in the group. So while they make a few token appearances at the regular meetings and idol practices, they largely keep to the back and stay quiet, attracting as little attention as possible. Which, granted, was somewhat difficult to do when they were a suit of armor, but still.

But they can't just let all the other Executors do all the work. Considering the underhanded methods Esme resorted to in order to get rid of the Executors, her sending assassins wasn't out of the question either. The other Executors obviously needed some kind of backup whenever they went out, you know, just in case.

To Kingslayer's credit, they do try to be stealthy as they follow the other Executors through the streets of Invidia. Try, being the key word. Eventually, they round the corner at the exact same time, or literally bump into whoever they're trailing, freeze in plain sight, and mutter a single word:]

Shit.

[They look like they're on the verge of bolting.]

Comments

[callbacks]

[Yeah, like, it's completely impossible to ignore a suit of armor trailing him around. Clocks has seen it before at the edges of meetings and whatever, so at least he's not scared--whoever's in there, it's one of them--but come on.

He's waiting when Kingslayer turns the corner, arms crossed, looking unimpressed.]

Sup.

[pioailurophobia]

...

Sup.

[Kingslayer likewise crosses their arms.

The fact that they're more than a half foot shorter than Dave and clearly put off their guard reduces the effect considerably.]

[callbacks]

[In fairness, they're in full armor while Clocks is keeping it casual in jeans and a blue hoodie too big for him, so Kingslayer can still have little an effect, as a treat.]

I understand that the infinitesimal curve of my ass effects a draw on people unexplained by even the highest levels of gravitational physics, but can you, like, stop. We haven't even been introduced, shit's disconcerting.

[mementomoritz]

Oh, hi! [Just cheerfully waving hello like this is totally normal.] Did you need something? I've been wanting to schedule a follow-up appointment with you about that healing... [In her defense, they literally exploded. You kind of want to keep an eye on that, as a health condition.]

[pioailurophobia]

...disregarding all of that incomprehensible mess, why do you have Lion's cloak?

[Sorry, Clocks. Kingslayer's metaphorical eyes glazed over halfway through your rant.]

[pioailurophobia]

...why would I need a follow-up appointment? I'm fine-

Wait, do you want to try and dissect me again?!

[callbacks]

Huh? [He looks down.] Oh. Shit. I meant to give it back to him at the last thing, but then we got to talking about food and I found some stuff to be mildly concerning and distracted myself. I should probably wash it at this point, damn...

[mementomoritz]

...wait, again? [She's pretty sure she doesn't remember dissecting you a first time. That seems like the kind of thing she'd know about.]

[Shaking her head, trying to clear the confusion.]

No, I mean so I can do a check-up and make sure there isn't anything else to worry about! I've never healed someone who was a suit of armor before, it would be irresponsible of me to just assume it works exactly the same without making sure you were doing okay.

[emberserker]

Oh, now what. [She rolls her eyes, then turns from Kingslayer to the street.] I am trying to find evidence, or at least spread some rumours to undermine Esme, and I don't think being stalked by a knight is helping.

[pioailurophobia]

You probably should. It's rank—Lion's filthy enough most of the time that you don't notice how bad each individual piece of clothing smells, but on you it's painful.

[pioailurophobia]

And I don't think you'll be able to help anyone if you get jumped by a bunch of Esme's goons and mobbed to double-death.

[This may be an argument that's played out several times over at this point.]

[pioailurophobia]

If I'm a suit of armor, then I don't need healing, dumbass. At most I'd need a blacksmith and look, I'm fine.

[Kingslayer flexes. Some of their plates look worryingly... limp compared to their pose.]

[callbacks]

Hey. Dude's sensitive about his manly warrior stonk.

[pioailurophobia]

Just because he's sensitive about it doesn't make being around him any more bearable.

You know, I'd almost prefer it if I couldn't smell anything from in here. That way I wouldn't have to deal with the constant wafting odor of cheese whenever I'm around him.

[emberserker]

I haven't seen anyone out after me. Though I suppose one never knows.

[callbacks]

You always rag on people who aren't even around to hear it?

[mementomoritz]

Healing worked when you exploded, though! [...Were they not supposed to talk about that? Medic is only barely aware of what does and doesn't count as an awkward topic of discussion.]

[She squints, leaning forward.]

Are those plates not responding properly? How long have they been like this?

[pioailurophobia]

I tell him this to his face too.

[pioailurophobia]

Considering how she tried to poison you while sweettalking about how lonely she is, I wouldn't put it past her.

[pioailurophobia]

Ever since I tried to beat the shit out of a few of the guards that were hanging around the stage to get information on Esme, why? I just figure they'll eventually fix themselves, I've been adjusting them for a bit. [they say without any self-awareness at all.]

[emberserker]

Oh, I expect she'd do it. I just haven't seen any indication that she has, though with this idol business, there's no way she still thinks she managed to kill us.

[mementomoritz]

Well, your biology is pretty much a huge mystery, so I can't say for sure that they definitely can't... but I also don't know if they will, and degraded self-repair capacity is a pretty bad sign for any organism.

[She's not sure what's going on, but it probably isn't great.]

Can I try healing you a little, so we can see if it helps? [She holds out a hand, palm up. Not reaching for Kingslayer without permission, just putting the offer there, for them to take if they're willing.]

[pioailurophobia]

...okay, I have to ask: what the Hell is this idol stuff anyways? I don't get it at all but everyone else knows what's going on, so it's a bit awkward to ask about it at meetings.

[pioailurophobia]

[Kingslayer's hesitant at first. It's almost like they're a wild animal, looking at Mercy's outstretched hand like it's some fearful, alien thing.

But... something in her voice makes them consider it. There's less morbid scientific curiosity there, they think. Just a genuine desire to help.

So, after a few moments, they give Mercy their gauntlet.]

[callbacks]

Oh. Guess that's fine, then. [Even if he's sensitive about it.] I wouldn't really want to get into it with you, seeing as you're a whole-ass suit of armor and I'm at best some extinct kind of juvenile heirloom string bean, but I would if I had to because he's an upstanding kind of asshole.

[emberserker]

Celebrities who sing, dance, and usually also do things like acting and appearing on bizarre competition shows to get their names out there. A number of modern Earth cultures have something like it, but the specific way they're going about it, and the term "idol" for that matter, is more common in just a few. Probably where Ariel and company came from in life, not that many of us remember where we came from.

[pioailurophobia]

Oh, absolutely.

He's a good kind of upstanding asshole, at least. Keeps us all in line. It's hard to say no when he makes that... face, you know. Somewhere between "I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed" and "If I were 1% less manly I would be crying right now."

[pioailurophobia]

Huh.

[Beat.]

That sounds intensely stupid, but also the exact kind of thing that would go big in Invidia.

[emberserker]

Especially with the kinds of people who got stuck on this level. They don't just love Esme. They want to be Esme. Just look at how they touch.

Leaving it up to you what gets fixed, since I don't want to godmod. :D

[mementomoritz]

[Medic lets her power flow out into Kingslayer at the touch- healing, repairing.]

[Flesh and bone or soul and metal, it comes down to the same thing: a strange feeling made physical, the sense of be healed, be well. There's a kind of palpable energy to it, light and warm and refreshing.]