etrayalogs | damn bitch u live like this?

Entry tags:

original: knife

damn bitch u live like this?

WHO: "Antigone," Shadow
WHEN: Early May
WHERE: Alexandria
WHAT: interacting...socializing?!....scheming...
NOTES\WARNINGS: marked where needed, none in top-level

A scant-few miles south of the hospital, the land is...rather sparse. It's quiet in unnatural ways, lacking the typical fauna sounds Knife would expect with enough greenery (the chocobo noises are not pleasant to hear, though they're more tolerable at a distance). It makes innocuous sounds sinister with the risk of danger. It makes being closer to people seem...almost comforting?

Until remembering that Knife doesn't fucking know these people and there's autonomous slaves and and and--

Eugh.

This sucks.

While Knife's set up Pending's stashes along the water, they move Antigone inland with enough plausible distance as to avoid being too easily correlated. It makes them anxious to check in on their stuff, useful or otherwise, but it's safer to just leave it be for a time. They've set up a couple tents in a copse of trees near the baseball stadium - close enough to a food source to pinch from, far enough as to avoid regular traffic. It also gives them a chance to pinch any additional bots, should they need to, during investigations with the inactive ones one of the Shadows had mangled for them.

They're...not really a tinkerer, but the real Antigone is, and since that's their mask for now? Fuckin'...gotta learn to tinker.

It's something to do, anyway, that isn't just stressing about being stuck, alone, and separated from Soliton.

Suppose he thinks I ditched him. He's so convinced he's going to live forever alone, the dumbass. I'm not here on purpose, idiot! Don't think I abandoned you!

Antigone's lips curl back in a frustrated growl while trying to reconfigure chips and bits back where they belong; disassembling and reassembling repeatedly helps familiarize them with some parts, even if they don't wholly get computer chips or circuits just yet.

Near and around the tents, Knife has set up little signal traps: Buttons and tiny bells on threads and wires that shift or tinkle in ways not unlike a spider's web to alert them of encroaching bodies. When one of them goes off, they go still for a beat, waiting to hear if it's another damn chocobo. When the telltale dinosaur-thumping doesn't sound, they get up and peek out of the tent, blinking around in the daylight. Scattered giftbox debris, random assortments of wrappers or other odds and ends gathered from shops and trash bins, and...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Nothing that'd make it clear that this thing works, no. That's why I asked, [they gesture, trying to get Shadow to take the feather back.] because anything I tried wouldn't work. It'd only make sense if this thing were imbued with a magic I can't do, because if I used it and did cast it, then that proves it works! You see?

What'd be the point of having a focus for something you can already do? It'd be like a weather wizard stocking up scrolls of lightning bolt - they already do that!

You're unable to do anything that protects you. As far as I'm concerned, you can turn into deadweight.

[ he's blunt when he says so, but even as crude as it is, that's just his observation when looking at the other. as much as they try to hide and stay out the way, they're reckless in their actions. this is all shadow can offer for the other as a type of protection.

it seems that this wasn't the right choice. ]

It depends on how you apply the feather. Keep it. I was told there are times where our powers are taken from us, but this is separate from you.

[flatly:] Telling me how much I suck is like your favorite thing to do here, isn't it?

[sigh. they twiddle the feather between their fingers by the quill tip, considering it. if nothing else, it'd be a nice accessory to wear, but it'll be nicer if they could, say, load a fireball in this bad boy.

oh, to cast fireball...]

Guess take a raincheck on whether or not this thing can be cool.

Maximize your usefulness.

[ shadow tries so hard, but he can't say things nicely when he's an asshole. it's either he attempts to help or he lets them be a liability. coming here wasn't to find them, but finding them is what led to shadow handing over the feather.

he wanted them to have it anyway. ]

The energy that comes from it suggests that it is capable. [ because he's not trusting anyone else. ] You'll figure it out the same as you are figuring this.

[ he looks to the nuts and bolts all over the ground. ]

You need a new one?

[another eye roll. if Knife knew what a fortune cookie was, they'd definitely consider Shadow like some kind of crapsack version, just spewing criticisms and put-downs.

Joke's on you motherfucker, no one can hate me as much as I can!]

Naw. [they get up, walking around Shadow to exit the tent and go to one of the other ones and stow the feather among their clothing hoard, chatting as they go.] What would be better is a tool to look at their insides while they're still workin'. Got anything like that?

That's what you're supposed to be learning.

[ what does shadow look like, an errand boy? no. if the other wants to look into them then they should learn how. all this is telling shadow that someone was wasteful when working on these bots. ]

Have you decided to break into the cameras in this place if any?

[ here are the ideas. ] Reroute control from Aurora to yourself and use it as a spy. Control it from a device and maybe they aren't wary of each other.

[ do these bots do maintenance on one another? who knows. ]

[feather safely stowed, back safely turned, Antigone pinches at their brow, picking and pulling at the skin briefly in a way unbefitting its fit on the skull. it goes back into place seamlessly before turning around to return back outside.]

I don't know how to do that. Did I mention I'm not an artificer? And before you scowl at me and say "Learn," it's not like I can snap my fingers and magically make that happen.

I tinker. At best. And these are... [a beat. they shrug, unable to come up with the right analogy.] I don't know. If things like this exist where I'm from, I've never seen them before. So I'm starting on the ground. No, under the ground, in the bedrock, you know?

[ it's not his expertise either, if there was someone else like robotnik or even tails, then they could help this idiot. unfortunately, they'll have to find someone who can. ]

Save the pieces, you can make something new with them.

[ that's all he can give when it comes to that. ]

Come along, there should be a store with books for individuals like you.

[ building robots for dummies. ]

[god dammit Knife is not ready to explain that they can't fucking read.]

[god dammit.

they grab a little clutch purse they nicked from a shop and trots after him.]

So, when do I get to decide what I want to do with my time? Or are you gonna just run my life from here on out.

[ that's quite the deflect.

... hm. ]

You did this on your own time, didn't you?

[ the whole set up and hide away place. it's not like shadow told them to do that. ]

Do what it is you want. Follow me or don't. It'll always be your decision.

[ there's only so much he can do in return. ]

Sure you're not gonna kick my ass for doing other stuff? [there's an attempt at levity in their tone, but it doesn't mask the genuine uncertainty that's there.

truly, they would love to not have their ass kicked.]

Depends.

[ don't worry, he's not going to lie and say no, sometimes sonic does other stuff and shadow kicks his ass. ]

As long as it doesn't annoy me. [ but he will save them where he can only because shadow has done this much, but it's not something he says aloud. ]

Don't make stupid decisions.

[incredulous:] This is you not annoyed? [holy shit.]

As long as you keep up this attitude, you can prevent it.

[ don't piss him off. come the hell on, fuzzy. ]

How much money do you have?

[they make a zero with finger and thumb and wink.] Zzzzzzzero!

[ shadow'll scoff, they should have known, and here they are acting as if it's entertaining. ]

You can't rely on me always for this either.

[ but he's able to get antigone what they need when they get there. as he continues to walk through this.... TRASH, shadow clicks their tongue as they walk in direction of the city. ]

Not my fault I got abducted flat broke! Can't pin that on me. [they fold their hands behind their head for a few paces, daring to relax a bit.] Dunno what kinda money chuds here are into, either. Gold? Bars or coins? Or I heard some people dig on paper? Which is insane, in my opinion, but whatever.

[ "dig" on paper. he's able to get an idea of antigone's era, dated, but usable. ]

Could be used, but there isn't anyone aside from those abducted. Things could be free.

[ an empty world for them to take whatever they need and magically restocked? he doesn't know, it's the only thing that makes sense, but they'll see once they get there as he doesn't think anyone has a job here.

antigone couldn't last a day. ]

A city of broke abductees, yippee. [maybe they're letting their tone get too relaxed and casual, but if one jaws around someone enough, that's bound to happen, right?

they sigh and remind themself to tighten up, arms flapping back to their sides.]

Nothing's really free, anyway. Even if it's not gold. Whoever's running things is gonna make us pay.

...

[ he raises a brow at the comment which isn't wrong. ]

We are already paying by those willing to follow along.

[ shadow is part of the problem, especially when they were all searching for the flash drive.

it seems no one found it, and it wasn't even brought up by aurora any. what was the point of looking fir something like that when the world was dying? ]

Do you believe in her?

Not really. [they're skimming the skyline the amalgam of mostly-empty buildings make, ears full of the emptiness of streets that ought to be filled with life.] People with power can say a lot of things and get away with it, and it sometimes doesn't matter if they're making it up, because they're getting their way anyway.

[ shadow pauses in conversation, still moving as they wander into the city. ]

Hm.

[ is that how they feel about the entire thing, also why they stay so distant from the city created by aurora? the less power they have over them the better. ]

She's only in power because they allow her to be. Some like her, trust her, but I don't believe what she promises us.

Why would you? "Here, let me help you save the world. I'm strong enough to drag you all from realms unseen, but that's all I can do, surely! Nothing else!"

Buncha otherworldly garbage. [they roll their eyes.] Put her in some scales and feathers and she's like any other ancient dragon.

"Ancient dragon"?

[ it sounds like him asking if that's something the other is familiar with. then again, shadow should expect it from them willing to use gold as payment.

dated... ]

I wonder if there's anyone who matches her in strength.

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