Somewhere out there I can hear people screaming for my murder

[break_the_nine]

[1] Second Verse same as the first - The Ever Present Combat Prompt

[Its a pitched battle in an urban environment, and the guy you're fighting alongside is...]

Oh c'mon! Stay still a second so I can hit you! I'm trying to do my job here!... Please?

[Well he's terrible at this. It doesn't help that its his first day on the job.]

Oh...oh no... nonono..c'mon not no-ah-..aaaAHahaaa...-HFGKJSCHOO!

[The mecha jerked to the left - barely avoiding a strike to the head and almost crashed into you!]

Oh..oh god... its all over the inside of my helmet...

[Somehow you can imagine whoever was saying that just had the most disgusted look on his face.]

[2]

[Everyone's back at home base and this barely competent twit was struggling to pry his helmet off after stumbling down the gantry like a stampeding elephant.]

Ack! You- stupid.... why is safety gear so useless at everything but keeping me safe?! Get... OFF!!!

[He finally managed to pry the helmet free, chucking it to the floor before proceeding to vigorously rub at his nose with a sigh of relief.]



Aahh.... muuuch better... ugh... it was dripping all over the place back there...

[He proceeded to rapidly flick his hand away from him before just falling onto the ground with a thump out of complete exhaustion.]

...Ow... okay... I don't think I thought that the whole way through...

[3]



So... uh... hypothetical question! Lets say you're a mercenary slash robot prizefighter who's not very good at your job.... and... lets say when you tried to get your helmet off you might have broken some really important pieces in it because it has all your screens and info gizmos in it when it bounced thirteen times across the floor and got hit by a jeep and then a pack of delirious hobos snatched it up and thought it was some kind of mind control helmet and one nearly stabbed you with a toothbrush shiv -

[The young man coughed slightly. He totally did not have a toothbrush shiv sticking out of a part of his pilot suit. There was no blood at all trickling in small amounts from the totally nonexistent injury, and he was totally not holding a completely wrecked helmet in his hands.]

- long story short, and totally hypothetically because I don't want my Operator to get REALLY angry with me about this, do you know a guy who can stitch a person up discreetly and fix crazy techno-helmets you need to pilot robots with?

Also if a bunch of homeless people walk around the front of the base looking all beaten up I had nothing to do with it. Honest!

[4]

[While wandering around you come across a rather ragged photograph of a family, and that cheery and clumsy goof you had the displeasure of working with for a while was on it. It wasn't anything special really. Parents, younger sibling, and his girlfriend to with how they were damn near trying to spin each other on camera much to the amusement of the others in the shot.]

Oh...Hey! You found my picture!... I was looking for it all over the place I thought I might've gotten someone pissed at me and they pulled it from my pants in the changing room or something and... and...uh-

[He paused, looking at you with confusion.]



Why are you looking at me like that? ... Oh jeez is there something on my face?

[Yes there are. Tears.]

[5]

[There was something on the TV you were watching, maybe it was a commercial, maybe you were channel surfing or maybe it just looked interesting - it was one of those big mecha vs mecha battles that got popular a few months ago. The reigning Champion's machine appeared on the screen for a few moments, showing off skill and brutality against an opponent that clearly made a mistake by entering the ring. And that was all you got to see because something just got thrown into the TV by someone behind you.]



A... ahahaha... sorry about that... I just... felt like I needed to throw something really hard and the TV was in the way. Sorry.

[He was trembling pretty badly, sweat forming on his brow and his grin forced so hard if someone tried to touch his face it would feel like they were pressing against straining steel cable.]

Lets discuss this never okay? I'll just be going this way.

[He's going to try walk away from this, are you going to let him get away with property damage?]

Comments

3

[herodrawing]

[Bounced on the floor?]

Eh?

[Hit by a jeep?]

Eeeh?

[Taken by crazy hobos?]

EEEEEEEEHH?!

[break_the_nine]

It's all hypothetical! I mean seriously, there's no way it couldn't happened... aaat all..

[He does his best to avoid touching the shallow stab wound.]

No seriously! Nothing happened.

[He just beams happily at Izuru despite all evidence to the contrary.]

[herodrawing]

I'm sure miss Reika can do it, she can fix anythi...

Hey! You're bleeding! It's not a "nothing happened" at all!

[break_the_nine]

Really? Man! That's a relief! If Lana knew how much of a mess I got into she'd have my head... its like she doesn't have a sense of humor or something....

[He blinks as Izuru points out the painfully obvious.]

I think your eyes are playing tricks with you.

[Drip. Drip. Drip. Nope. Definitely bleeding, whose he trying to kid?]

... Off topic, do you know what are the odds of getting an infection from a stab wound if the weapon was a dirty toothbrush?

[herodrawing]

What kind of question is that? I don't know!

Quick, we need to go to the nurse!

[break_the_nine]

Oh hey, that's a good idea! I can figure out what's been getting my allergies worked up so much!

[And you know... get that injury he has fixed but doesn't seem to be acknowledging for reasons?]

... and maybe get a few shots I might have missed out.

[herodrawing]

Okay, let's go with that. Anyway let's go!

[Izuru will try to push you in the right direction.]

[break_the_nine]

[And of course Leos is just going to go along with it, flinching a little every time the not injury is irritated.]

5

[a_linear_mind]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

MY TV!

You, you, you....YOU MONSTER. I SPENT OVER 50 CREDITS ON THAT!

[break_the_nine]

Then you can get fifty more! Its not like its that hard after all right? RIGHT?!

[a_linear_mind]

I HAVE LIKE, 20 CREDITS LEFT TO MY NAME!

[break_the_nine]

Awww... well that's too bad. Maybe your next TV won't get in my way!

[Yeah. Just this grin dude.]

[a_linear_mind]

This TV wasn't in your way in the first place!

[break_the_nine]

It was in the way of where I felt like throwing something. So clearly it was in my way.

[a_linear_mind]

Kids these days...are so cruel...

2

[ben_dixon]

*Someone helps you to stand up, then hit your back with his palm*

Bwahaha! What's dripping from your helmet, kid? Did you throw up your lunch?

[break_the_nine]

[YAY THAT HURT!]

Ahahaha! No, that'd be gross... really gross...

[He shudders, but grins again.]

It was allergies! S'not so bad though...

[Did he-... Did he actually mean to do that horrific pun or did he not? Its hard to tell.]

[ben_dixon]

Ha! Not everyone can be a mecha pilot! But don't you worry about it, kid. Soon you'll get used to it and be a cool mecha pilot like me! Even if not, you can still be a comedian!

[break_the_nine]

I'll do my best! Also... I didn't know pineapples were cool these days! I bet you get a lot of attention looking like one!

[ben_dixon]

Wow, you said I'm cool?

(Yeah, for some reason that's the only part he heard.)

I like you, kid! Come on, let's have some food. Some big, juicy steak, it's on me. You look like you need some good food, that's why you fell down before, right? You need a lot of energy to pilot a mecha.

[break_the_nine]

Of course you are! I mean you've been around longer than me right? You'd get plenty of time to pick up coolness points!

[And at the mention of steak he just looked so hyped at the chance.]

I haven't eaten steak for like a year! How big can we get it? Do they have those huge chips with them too?

[ben_dixon]

What!? A year without steak? That's really sad! Come on then, let's get those steak. don't let anything separates you from your steak before you finish it, you hear me?

3

[actuallyselfish]

"Huh." Dido says, turning over the helmet in her hands.

"Yeah, I could take a look at this. Could I have a moment alone with it?"

[break_the_nine]

Sure! Take as long as you need, just... you know... not too long. Lana's kind of a slave driver some days and she might've lined up a fight for me or something.

[Dido... there are no words for just how thoroughly screwed over this helmet is. The numerous dents, scuffs, cracks and scratches across it were bad enough, but the electronics in it may as well be so much useless plastic and metal from the impact damage and the rank smell of wild hobo.]

[actuallyselfish]

Dido hands it back.

"I changed my mind." She says quietly.

4

[kill_all_vagans]

Um... sorta.

[Flit's going to hand that picture back though.]

Is this your family?

Re: 4

[break_the_nine]

[He took the photo back from Flit, trying his best to bring back that big goofy smile everyone's so used to seeing on him-]

Yeah! That's them! They're the best people I ever knew! Dad was a big time journalist and mom was into the whole science thing. Me and my bro weren't as smart as them though.

[-but for some reason every single one of his attempts just keeps his face into a lost and near blank look.]

Me and Callista took this photo with them after we graduated. It was an awesome day.

[kill_all_vagans]

[Flit's a smart kid. He can sorta start to connect the dots but at the same time, Leos is just...]

... I'm sure it was.

Glad I found it for you. If you want we could probably find a picture frame to keep it safe.

[break_the_nine]

[Leos is just strange isn't he... its a little disturbing just how hard he's trying to play it off.]

That'd be nice... but I dunno if a frame can fit in a pocket. I just want to keep them close y'know?

... Thanks...

[kill_all_vagans]

No problem, Leos.

Keeping even reminders of stuff you lost... it goes a long way to making them feel they're not totally gone.

[What with everything besides the clothes on his back, AGE-1, and his Haro going up in smoke on Nora.]

4

[way_of_vengeance]

...Yes, there is.

[The pink-haired booby lady reaches forward, and wipes away some of the boy's tears with her handkerchief.]

That must be quite an important photo.

[break_the_nine]

Oh... wow... maybe someone was cutting onions or something when I was looking for it.

[He looks unsure as if even he couldn't believe what he was saying.]

Yeah. Its the only thing I kinda feel that's really mine. I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost it...

[way_of_vengeance]

It is quite pesky how much the chef likes adding onions, isn't it...

[Sure, she'll play your game.]

I've heard every picture has a story behind it. Would you mind telling me the story for this one?

[break_the_nine]

Graduation. Practically the brightest moment of my life. We were on our way back when we took that photo. My kid brother fell asleep a lot during the ceremony... heh... it was pretty funny actually.

[Leos took a deep breath and sighed.]

Course that's pretty much the last I saw of.... well... everyone...

[way_of_vengeance]

I see.

Do you want to talk about it?

[break_the_nine]

What's there to talk about? An army or two fought over the city, everybody died and my home along with everything I owned was destroyed. I mean its a really boring story and all right? I mean no one else bothered about it!

[way_of_vengeance]

[That's a seriously warped look on his face. But Kanae is a seriously warped person.]

...Is that so.

Well, if you ever wish for my help in getting revenge, you need only ask. Come see me anytime.

[break_the_nine]

Oh, but it wouldn't be good if I let you have all the fun! I mean the best part of having revenge is if you can make the people who ruined your life beg and scream and cry for theirs with your own hard work before you kill them!

[way_of_vengeance]

Oh, how true!

Still, I think I would like to watch. If that's not too much trouble.

[break_the_nine]

Okay! Wow... its really nice to have someone who finally understands!