bravenewworld | Tenth Snapshot

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Tenth Snapshot | Action;Video

[Someone has been hard at work since returning from Glacier.]

[Or at least, trying to be. Space wasn't really the issue. He'd found a small room and with permission, set it up as a temporary dark room. He really needed to just rent out a studio but for now, being as he was still settling after the Oakenshield residence went up for sale, this would work for what he needed it.]

[He had some pretty important pictures to develop. It's too bad the place covered in huge, extroverted pokemon made that really difficult.]

[About the sixth time someone tried to open the door (Three or four times with it still being locked somehow) Hayato just set out his two biggest pokemon to guard the door while he worked.]

[Feel free to still try to bug him. Nikon is kind of a pushover and Fuji is really easily distracted. He could probably use an interruption.]

[Video]

[When the video clicks on. Hayato can be seen with a bright grin. He's wearing a work apron and a pair of goggles on his head- his usual for working on photos. As such his antennae are visible for once instead of being crammed under a hat. They flick and twitch with his expressions.]

So it looks like everyone had a pretty good trip. We made out okay even if I've gotta be kind of hush hush about the details, but what about everyone else? Got anything fun to share?

[It looks like he's about to say something else when there's the distinct sound of a door opening and a creaking of hinges. He jolts, antennae flicking straight up and he turns towards the hall he was standing near.]

Oi!

[Someone tried to go in the dark room again. The feed ends as he's running towards the source.]

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[He pauses a little as he pulls his jacket on, giving him a curious look.]

Sure. Ask away.

[That was a reasonable enough of a question, really. Especially if they were living together.]

[Oh, good. Now he had no reason to beat around the bush.]

Just about you, really. Your reasons for being in Union, what you plan to do with your photography work...why, every time I look at you, I find that I'm not really understanding what I'm seeing.

[Well the first two questions were pretty normal but that last one- it pretty visibly caught him off guard. He looks at him, not really understanding.]

Eh? Is that supposed to be a metaphor?

Literally, Hayato.

[He just sighed, knowing that he was going to have to spell this one out.]

I've a skill combination that would have been prized in the Academy if not for my weak bloodline and poor family-- I'm a Magus who can understand the basics of people and pokemon when I look at them. I've been working on not peeking at personal details since I came to Union, but I like to look at the people who end up as my 'patients'

...Including you. Something about you seems off, in a way that's different from the Homunculi whose passed through here.

Let's walk and talk, but can you tell me why that is?

[Well, it's certainly something with the way the color leaves his face when he explains his ability. Ah, so all these time, huh?]

[He's oddly quiet, though he does nod to Waver's suggestion and decides to start walking.]

Guess wouldn't be fair of me to try and lie to you about it after you gave me a place to sleep, huh?

[Hooooboy.]

[Very telling, but it was clear from the beginning that this was going to be a touchy conversation. Falling into step beside Hayato, Waver carefully trained his focus on anywhere and anything that wasn't in the direction of his new room mate, as if that alone would make Hayato a little more comfortable.]

And after I've healed you multiple times because you refused to visit the clinic-- which I'm guessing is also connected to this problem.

...look. You don't need to give me details if you don't want to, but I'm going to go try to get some proper medical training because that healing spell I've used on you isn't an unlimited resource for me. I need to know what I'm working with if you're going to continue to go without a proper doctor looking at your case.

[Ah, way to make him feel guilty about it. He smiles that looks more like a grimace.]

I'm causing you all kinds of trouble.

[He sighs and looks forward, expression becoming a little more somber.]

How do the homunculi look in comparison to me? I'm curious, now.

[No guilt was intended...but, it was a strain on his resources to have his entire spell list be filled with single-target healing spells when he needed to focus more on diversifying his techniques and adapting to the ever changing community that was Union.]

Don't change the subject, [he muttered, pouting, but conceeded:]

Growing up in Sanctuary, I'm pretty familiar with seeing the Magi's handiwork. Even outside of the towers, certain things are just inevitable. The homunculi have an obvious look to them that indicates magical alteration, like how some Magi can alter the physical properties of an object through either spellcraft or alchemy. Applying it to a living being never occurred to me...but, desperate times drive people to make questionable choices.

When I look at you, I don't see those indicators. It's something different-- and it's lacking the same fluidity.

I wasn't. [It's all related, he promises.]

[But he listens intently, nodding as he understand the explanation.]

I'm a little surprised you haven't figured it out, given what you already know. The homunculi and I aren't so different. It's just that I wasn't altered with magic. It was science. At least as far as I know.

[That should at least give him the idea. If he needed further elaboration then Waver could ask for it.]

...I might not be the best with people, but I'm not going to make assumptions without the right information. That's what any responsible academic would do, and it's no different between one who went to the Academy and one who was self taught.

[But that scrap of information was just enough to make the rest of the unknown factors fall into place. Taking a deep breath, he continued:]

It was Gigas, wasn't it? No wonder you're always involved whenever their name pops up.

[His expression turns sour.]

Aside from the fact they laid seige to my home for fifty years? Yeah.

[Bastards. He 'tch's loudly before taking a deep breath.]

As for your other questions, it's all kind of related. I came to Union after I escaped that hellhole just for the sake of trying to get my feet back on the ground and to figure out what to do with myself. I stayed because ....I realized that If I were going to be any good to doing something about Gigas or people like them, then this was where I needed to be.

Edited 2016-03-13 00:14 (UTC)

Sanctuary's had Gigan problems for the same amount of time, you realize. And we have no military either, so we had no real choice but to let them take over the government if we wanted to survive as a culture...but that's over now, thanks to Union.

[He lowered his head, now staring more at his feet than anything else.]

This really is a special city, and knowing that my best shot at doing something in this world was here rather than back at home is why I came. Gigas has done some terrible things...but they're not all bad. When Nero had her feet in the city's politics, none of us starved or wanted for any of the basic necesities...but, well, not even her good graces kept her out of trouble.

[Sanctuary. Gigas. Both cities were equally guilty of committing terrible deeds-- as much as he didn't approve, he also knew that he had no right to judge.

After all, his city had folded. Caldera, as always, had stood and fought.]

...As someone who's going to be looking after your well being, what sort of things do I need to know to make sure you're not going to die? Are you too sensitive to the hot or cold? Do you sink like a hammer in a lake?

[He's quiet as Waver talks, digesting that. There were a lot of things he could say but most of it is kneejerk bitterness and he cools himself before he shoots his mouth off. On the subject of Nero he's thoughtful.]

I'll admit. I was pretty wary of Nero when you told me about her but ...she's just as anyone else that suffered from the real problem. I told a friend of mine a few months ago, the friend that helped me escaped that place, that it's ...not just Gigas and it's not just Sanctuary we can put the blame on. It's those that are corrupt in general. Blaming an entire people for the sins of some would be just as bad, yeah?

[A pause.]

It just happens that there are a lot of corrupt people in Gigas so even I need to be reminded of my own words sometimes.

[He quirks and ironic smile before he looks at Waver.]

Hm? Ah ...not. Well- actually I probably do sink like a hammer in a lake. I've never tried to test it. Otherwise I'm pretty sturdy. My weakness to fire is even pretty muted compared to other steel types. Drinking alcohol has healed cuts and scraps. The worse thing you should really be worried about is ...the way my body shuts off my sense of touch sometimes.

[A grave nod-- he understood that sentiment all too well.]

There's corrupt people everywhere; it's a part of why I wasn't able to get into the Academy proper, and it's an unfortunate factor of life...but, Nero isn't one of them. She's actually quite nice, if incredibly exhuberant.

[Which was no fault of her own. It was her personality, and some people coped with hardship by focusing on everything else around them.]

...

Wait, you can't feel things sometimes?

[That had taken him by surprise. The problems that come with the Enhanced were new to him, so he had no idea what to expect...but, somehow that made sense.]

No wonder you didn't notice you were cut earlier...and no wonder you're a very annoying patient at times.

[He smiles a bit.]

Yeah. I like her. She's fun to take to a bar.

[He thinks back to proposal day with a grin.]

[Back to the subject though.]

Oi. It's not something I can really help and if I'm telling you not to touch me, its usually for a good reason.

[He sighs.]

When that happens I can't gauge my strength at all so I risk breaking whatever I touch or worse. The last thing I want to do to the guy patching me up is break a bone on accident.

[Waver finally looked up at Hayato, a petulant frown bending his lips.]

A patient still needs to stay in bed regardless of things, and if you're not seizing then you should have the insight not to move suddenly in that situation.

...besides. I could just throw a fireball in your face if you did manage to do something on accident.

[Bug-types were one his own sensitivities, as a pure Psychic-type. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Hayato would win any confrontation between them...but Waver's own stubbornness tended to win out 99.9% of the time.]

Your bed-side manner is terrible, you know.

[He's mostly just messing with him at this point. Another short frown before he looks at him again.]

I do appreciate all the trouble you've gone through for my sake.

[Waver looks over, for once not looking like he was barely controlling his sense of agitation.]

Caldera and Sanctuary have been allies since before our grandparents' time. It's only natural, especially since we're both travellers here.

...Besides, someone once told me that these Warp Bands mean that we are not alone, but that we're a part of the community. So long as we're carrying them, we don't need to worry about never having any support.

Union's ways are idealistic, but infectious.

[He can't help the way that makes him smile. He was definitely right about that.]

Ha, you've got that right.

[And his expression goes somber a little.]

I like it, however naive it might be. That's what I want to protect here.

['Protect.'

That was a word he hadn't considered before since he got to this city-- but protecting anything had never really been a strength of his. There was no hiding the small little smile that lit his face at Hayato's words, and he seemed like an embarrassed school boy for a moment.]

I do, too. I want to see what sort of influence this city can have on this world.

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Tenth Snapshot | Action;Video

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