Post by Banshee on Feb 5, 2024 23:31:25 GMT -6
If anything, Nox was the one that was the most terrified to be within the sewers. He believed the fabricated lies that Lucian told him about monsters lurking about. There was also the lingering depressing thought of, they were trudging through organic waste. Which didn't settle well with him at all. And he made a mental note to burn all of his clothes. Even if he had to make like a pure naturist and live life in the wilds with plants covering his lower half.
Even holding onto Dawn's hand wasn't comforting enough. Any strange sound he heard, he would instantly turn his head to face that direction. He then would mumble in his native tongue; ”Comment mon frère peut-il gèrer des choses dangereuses comme celle-ci, si facilement?” (How does my brother deal with dangerous stuff like this, so easily?)
Then there was a splash which made him nearly jump out of his boots. It was followed by a laugh from Lucian, who was the culprit for spooking him. Nox then gave him a nasty glare. “Excuse me!”
“Just making sure you're awake.” He said before carrying on with leading the group down the sewer pipe.
He grumbled incoherent words to himself as he folded his arms tightly across his chest and followed along. Nox felt so miserable walking through the stinky and disgusting pit of mysterious liquids. Even if they weren't knee deep in it and were walking on a solid surface that seemed only damp from the air; it was still the thought of walking within it that irked him.
Lucian was having all the humor in seeing how annoyed Nox was. But after his arms crossed, Lucian figured it was enough and decided to not bother him too much more. So he turned his ear to Dawn and listened to her talk. “Well, pleasure to formally meet you then.”
After she expressed her confusion about what was so bad about his people, Lucian gave her a small frown. “Mom would be the one who would know how to answer that question...but...from what I do know is; it had something to do with my kind not bending to the invaders' beliefs and whatnot. Then when they didn't like it...they captured us with debilitating mechanisms that would suck our energies out from us whenever we tried to transform...”
“Who...are they?”
“High Elves. Who else?” Shrugged Lucian. “But that's all I know about it. Otherwise, I'll have to get Mom on a good day and get her to tell me more. All I can do is base everything off of assumptions and my own Mother's actions as well as my deceased brother.”
“I'm...sorry...” Nox said to him.
“Eh, we normally didn't get along...” Shrugged Lucian. “He was your typical Golden Child. Mom's special pride. Got stripped right away from her from the big old bastard himself. Cornelius.”
“W-Wait...Isn't he the one running Cornelia Corp?” Asked Nox.
“As a CEO he's supposed to be. But he's been pretty damn lazy lately and has been putting everything on my Mom's shoulders. Mine too.” He shrugged.
“Why is she working for him?”
Lucian placed his hands behind his head and continued to lead them on. “Eh, beats me. I never asked.”
“Wh-How? How can you be so complaisant? The company ruins lives and-”
Lucian interrupted him with a calm tone. “I know what the company does, kid. I've pretty much lived here since I was five years old. None of your information is news to me.” He shrugged. “I just...felt like I belonged here. For a reason. Didn't know what it was until your pretty faces came along.” He smirked as he stopped before a ladder.
Lucian then turned to Dawn and chuckled. “Yeah, need to get rid of the Mayor first. He hasn't done this city any good since obtaining the throne. He's kind of a two-faced jerk, if you ask me. But...” There was a small smile. “It'd be nice to let my people go...So they can finally live life as they please.” He then turned away and looked up the ladder.
Nox stood at the back and watched him. He sort of felt bad for Lucian but he also couldn't help but wonder how much he wasn't actually telling them. A part of him just couldn't believe him. But then again, there was also a shared disdain for High-Elves. As the two species shared equal issues with them.
“Keep in mind...” Lucian said. “I don't hate all High-Elves. There's some really nice ones out there that wish to make changes, just as much as we do. Their time will come but not right now. But...that is a future I would love to see happen...because at the rate their captivity is going? I wouldn't be surprised if Mom and I are the only two survivors...”
“...Do you think there's any way we can save your Mom?” Asked Nox.
Lucian's face fell as he wasn't even sure how to answer Nox. “...Can't say. You can only save someone who wants to be saved... And to be quite frank...” He turned back to them. “I'm not sure how much she really does...”
Lucian then shrugged off his emotions to continue with the primary focus of their mission. “So...anything you need me to refresh you on?”
- - - - - - -
Ezra...was not expecting to break Mark's brain. He had eventually stopped moving him along to listen to him ramble on about whether or not he had the power to create judgment. Calmly, he planted his hands on his hips and just allowed Mark to get whatever it was on his chest, out. Otherwise, he was feeling that if he didn't allow this to happen, Mark would be hyper-fixated on it the entire time.
“Woah, calm down there Bud.” Ezra then placed a firm hand on his shoulder, it was a way for him to give comfort. “Mark, you need to sit down before you hurt yourself before you go into any of those crazy thoughts.” He twirled his finger at the side of his own head before letting him go.
“Don't be like me and fall into those crazy thoughts. You never know what you'll lose because of it.” He tapped his eye patch over his left eye. “Nearly lost my life but only lost my prized possession due to sheer luck. It's now a solid reminder for me to remember who I'm sworn to protect and to never lose sight of that ever again. With that said; I'm sure your purpose will come forward when the time is right. Just keep doing what your heart says. After all, that's what we all try to do. Right?”
He stopped for a moment before wrinkling his nose in absolute disgust. “For crying out loud!” He snapped his fingers out of annoyance. “The young brat is rubbing off on me. Ugh!” Ezra shivered as he tried to shake himself free from the idea. “Even though Lionel is seven years younger than me, his Dad-talk rubbed off on me... UGH.”
He took a deep breath and said; “Note to self, smack Lionel on the back of the head. Don't give him any reason. And if my sister gets involved? Smack her too...no wait. That might be a bad idea. Smack Lionel again.” He stopped for a moment and decided to clarify to Mark. “I know you're not into aggression like that but honestly... Lionel's like a damn kid-brother. He's annoying as he is smart. And it angers me...”
Ezra then diverted his attention to the comment about Lux and Nox. He seemed to be a lot more genuine this time as he spoke. “Hey...As a guy who had a terrible upbringing as well as a crap-show of a Father... And as a guy who eventually became a Father myself... I just couldn't let Reese have the kids back. Just like you did, I could see such potential in the boys. Nox really wants to become a teacher of many skills and Lux? He wants to protect the weak and be a hero, just like how you and we were to him. But his greatest power?” He smirked. “Was his humor through his creativity.”
Ezra added; “We may helped them train and hone their skills in magic and fighting. But we also made damn sure they enjoyed themselves as well. If Nox wanted to read stories or hang out in the gardens with the girls? We let him. If Lux wanted to have a day where he wanted to sit by the lake and draw, or just play with the kids? We let him. From what they told us about you guys, was a good starting point to see what they longed for. And that's for people who cared about them.”
He smirked. “Not to be chatting you up in the middle of a mission, but we have you to thank as well. Without you starting that fire within them, I feel the boys would've been more lost than they were. Lux knows that he's a clone of Nox. But he also learned that he's an individual, through being with you guys first.”
Ezra then turned to face the radio tower but before leading him closer he said; “The boys spoke highly of you. I know things didn't turn out how you wished, but I'm sure it'll all smooth out within time. We lost contact with Lux too, which pains Joe...but the kid will come back.” He laughed. “Hell, he's probably pulling some strings to get us through this muddy water of a corporate battle as we speak.”
Ahead of them, the radio tower was seemingly calm, not much patrolling was going on. In fact, it just looked like an ordinary day with people coming and going as they pleased. Ezra thought this was going to be a bit too easy, but he figured, maybe luck was actually on their side for once.
Even holding onto Dawn's hand wasn't comforting enough. Any strange sound he heard, he would instantly turn his head to face that direction. He then would mumble in his native tongue; ”Comment mon frère peut-il gèrer des choses dangereuses comme celle-ci, si facilement?” (How does my brother deal with dangerous stuff like this, so easily?)
Then there was a splash which made him nearly jump out of his boots. It was followed by a laugh from Lucian, who was the culprit for spooking him. Nox then gave him a nasty glare. “Excuse me!”
“Just making sure you're awake.” He said before carrying on with leading the group down the sewer pipe.
He grumbled incoherent words to himself as he folded his arms tightly across his chest and followed along. Nox felt so miserable walking through the stinky and disgusting pit of mysterious liquids. Even if they weren't knee deep in it and were walking on a solid surface that seemed only damp from the air; it was still the thought of walking within it that irked him.
Lucian was having all the humor in seeing how annoyed Nox was. But after his arms crossed, Lucian figured it was enough and decided to not bother him too much more. So he turned his ear to Dawn and listened to her talk. “Well, pleasure to formally meet you then.”
After she expressed her confusion about what was so bad about his people, Lucian gave her a small frown. “Mom would be the one who would know how to answer that question...but...from what I do know is; it had something to do with my kind not bending to the invaders' beliefs and whatnot. Then when they didn't like it...they captured us with debilitating mechanisms that would suck our energies out from us whenever we tried to transform...”
“Who...are they?”
“High Elves. Who else?” Shrugged Lucian. “But that's all I know about it. Otherwise, I'll have to get Mom on a good day and get her to tell me more. All I can do is base everything off of assumptions and my own Mother's actions as well as my deceased brother.”
“I'm...sorry...” Nox said to him.
“Eh, we normally didn't get along...” Shrugged Lucian. “He was your typical Golden Child. Mom's special pride. Got stripped right away from her from the big old bastard himself. Cornelius.”
“W-Wait...Isn't he the one running Cornelia Corp?” Asked Nox.
“As a CEO he's supposed to be. But he's been pretty damn lazy lately and has been putting everything on my Mom's shoulders. Mine too.” He shrugged.
“Why is she working for him?”
Lucian placed his hands behind his head and continued to lead them on. “Eh, beats me. I never asked.”
“Wh-How? How can you be so complaisant? The company ruins lives and-”
Lucian interrupted him with a calm tone. “I know what the company does, kid. I've pretty much lived here since I was five years old. None of your information is news to me.” He shrugged. “I just...felt like I belonged here. For a reason. Didn't know what it was until your pretty faces came along.” He smirked as he stopped before a ladder.
Lucian then turned to Dawn and chuckled. “Yeah, need to get rid of the Mayor first. He hasn't done this city any good since obtaining the throne. He's kind of a two-faced jerk, if you ask me. But...” There was a small smile. “It'd be nice to let my people go...So they can finally live life as they please.” He then turned away and looked up the ladder.
Nox stood at the back and watched him. He sort of felt bad for Lucian but he also couldn't help but wonder how much he wasn't actually telling them. A part of him just couldn't believe him. But then again, there was also a shared disdain for High-Elves. As the two species shared equal issues with them.
“Keep in mind...” Lucian said. “I don't hate all High-Elves. There's some really nice ones out there that wish to make changes, just as much as we do. Their time will come but not right now. But...that is a future I would love to see happen...because at the rate their captivity is going? I wouldn't be surprised if Mom and I are the only two survivors...”
“...Do you think there's any way we can save your Mom?” Asked Nox.
Lucian's face fell as he wasn't even sure how to answer Nox. “...Can't say. You can only save someone who wants to be saved... And to be quite frank...” He turned back to them. “I'm not sure how much she really does...”
Lucian then shrugged off his emotions to continue with the primary focus of their mission. “So...anything you need me to refresh you on?”
- - - - - - -
Ezra...was not expecting to break Mark's brain. He had eventually stopped moving him along to listen to him ramble on about whether or not he had the power to create judgment. Calmly, he planted his hands on his hips and just allowed Mark to get whatever it was on his chest, out. Otherwise, he was feeling that if he didn't allow this to happen, Mark would be hyper-fixated on it the entire time.
“Woah, calm down there Bud.” Ezra then placed a firm hand on his shoulder, it was a way for him to give comfort. “Mark, you need to sit down before you hurt yourself before you go into any of those crazy thoughts.” He twirled his finger at the side of his own head before letting him go.
“Don't be like me and fall into those crazy thoughts. You never know what you'll lose because of it.” He tapped his eye patch over his left eye. “Nearly lost my life but only lost my prized possession due to sheer luck. It's now a solid reminder for me to remember who I'm sworn to protect and to never lose sight of that ever again. With that said; I'm sure your purpose will come forward when the time is right. Just keep doing what your heart says. After all, that's what we all try to do. Right?”
He stopped for a moment before wrinkling his nose in absolute disgust. “For crying out loud!” He snapped his fingers out of annoyance. “The young brat is rubbing off on me. Ugh!” Ezra shivered as he tried to shake himself free from the idea. “Even though Lionel is seven years younger than me, his Dad-talk rubbed off on me... UGH.”
He took a deep breath and said; “Note to self, smack Lionel on the back of the head. Don't give him any reason. And if my sister gets involved? Smack her too...no wait. That might be a bad idea. Smack Lionel again.” He stopped for a moment and decided to clarify to Mark. “I know you're not into aggression like that but honestly... Lionel's like a damn kid-brother. He's annoying as he is smart. And it angers me...”
Ezra then diverted his attention to the comment about Lux and Nox. He seemed to be a lot more genuine this time as he spoke. “Hey...As a guy who had a terrible upbringing as well as a crap-show of a Father... And as a guy who eventually became a Father myself... I just couldn't let Reese have the kids back. Just like you did, I could see such potential in the boys. Nox really wants to become a teacher of many skills and Lux? He wants to protect the weak and be a hero, just like how you and we were to him. But his greatest power?” He smirked. “Was his humor through his creativity.”
Ezra added; “We may helped them train and hone their skills in magic and fighting. But we also made damn sure they enjoyed themselves as well. If Nox wanted to read stories or hang out in the gardens with the girls? We let him. If Lux wanted to have a day where he wanted to sit by the lake and draw, or just play with the kids? We let him. From what they told us about you guys, was a good starting point to see what they longed for. And that's for people who cared about them.”
He smirked. “Not to be chatting you up in the middle of a mission, but we have you to thank as well. Without you starting that fire within them, I feel the boys would've been more lost than they were. Lux knows that he's a clone of Nox. But he also learned that he's an individual, through being with you guys first.”
Ezra then turned to face the radio tower but before leading him closer he said; “The boys spoke highly of you. I know things didn't turn out how you wished, but I'm sure it'll all smooth out within time. We lost contact with Lux too, which pains Joe...but the kid will come back.” He laughed. “Hell, he's probably pulling some strings to get us through this muddy water of a corporate battle as we speak.”
Ahead of them, the radio tower was seemingly calm, not much patrolling was going on. In fact, it just looked like an ordinary day with people coming and going as they pleased. Ezra thought this was going to be a bit too easy, but he figured, maybe luck was actually on their side for once.