[OPEN] The air is silk, shadows form a grin

[ofobedience]

Who: Giovanni and OTA
Where: Giovanni's subconscious, have fun with that
When: Chapter 4
Summary: dreams and nightmares
Restrictions/Warnings: violence, gore, bioweapon horror, that kind of thing



[Various dreams and nightmares written out in the comments. They'll all be open so feel free to tag them!]

Comments

[somnusrex]

Eh, well, Ryner thought being held against your will and talked to...that way was more than a little unpleasant. Maybe not torture in the strongest sense of the word, but..something, at least.

"Good."

He wanted to ask, since it was obvious this guy had been hurt and healed, somehow. Ryner'd considered that he might just have been given tattered clothes, but it didn't seem to be that way, so...well. Nothing to gain by focusing on that now.

"Yeah, probably won't be too happy about it. But I can fight him. Might not win, but I can try."

He did realize how ridiculous that sounded, but he'd hate himself forever if he didn't at least make the attempt to help this guy. Nobody deserved treatment like he'd heard him endure.

"Pretty sure if we can get out of whatever building this is we'll have a shot. I'm pretty fast."

[ofobedience]

Just a testament to the kind of treatment he's accustomed to enduring, perhaps, that the words themselves leave little impression on him-- he's had worse, after all, throughout all the seconds minutes days years down there in that bright-lit blood-scented place, with Mother and all her cutting criticisms. Her obvious disapproval of him. What Zollner has done to him, it's an irritation at best in the face of all that.

The man keeps talking, and Giovanni observes him assessingly, red eyes running him up and down and all the way through, as though trying to discern some quality in him that might make this 'escape' a possibility. He won't refuse his help - why look a gift horse in the mouth, and all that - but it's clear from his demeanor that he remains skeptical.

"We're in the Mayor's chambers, in the central building. But you must have noticed that when you came inside," and the man he'd seen, Zollner Neubauten, is of course the mayor, among other things. Which brings Giovanni to his next question.

"You know what he is, I suppose? Or perhaps you don't. It seems not many do," and then, as an afterthought, the edges of his words tipped in darkness, "I wasn't aware myself. If I'd been informed, things might have gone differently."

Why Mother hadn't briefed him on this one essential fact, that Neubauten is like him, only better stronger faster and in possession of a Spine that can control his own, is a source of delicate pain for him. As though perhaps she'd wanted to be rid of him.

Yikes, I'm so late, gomen

[somnusrex]

He saw that skepticism, and couldn't say he blamed the guy for it. It was hard for him to trust himself in this, really. But Ryner had always had a very strong tendency to simply act when he felt someone was being abused or mistreated, plan or no plan. And here, he had no plan whatsoever.

"What he is? No, I'm afraid I don't. Doesn't really matter at the moment, if we need to get past him to get out of here we'll figure something out."

And no, he hadn't known that they were in the Mayor's chambers, but he supposed it made some sort of sense. Maybe. Or maybe not, but it also didn't seem too important at the moment. Ryner wasn't normally given to hopeless optimism, but he did believe in finding a way to make things work.

"If you could tell me, that'd help."

He sensed the pain in the guy. It was really well hidden, but Ryner knew firsthand how it felt to carry it all the time. Hopefully distracting him might help.

you're fine! <3

[ofobedience]

"Doesn't really matter. Hahah," his words, they're bitter-edged and cutting. Because oh does it matter. It matters far more than he'd initially known, not just a renegade researcher, no, but something infinitely larger than that, something more. He should have been told. He should.

But no matter. He rolls his tight-packed shoulders, ridding some of the remaining ache in him from being bound and forced into stillness for so long, before he begins to cross the distance to the door. If they're really going to attempt this, then may as well get it overwith.

He doesn't turn as he responds, the words carrying easily enough in the small space of this prison cell.

"Zollner Neubauten, Mayor of this festering city, renegade researcher from the Below, in possession of one of the Kerberos Spines," this time he does turn, just slightly, a glance back over his shoulder, "should he give a command, I'll be compelled to obey it whether I want to or not."