[ What a foolish thing for anyone to do. A bookman is only loyal to their mission--not to the people involved, not to those they might call friend. If anything, it would be in Lavi's better interest to let Midori sustain damage down here and leave him to die. One less killjoy to compete with, one less lie to maintain.
But Lavi is always mindful to cultivate what's useful to him.
(And in some small part of him, there's possibly some genuine fondness for the other, mired beneath layers of both earned and unearned distrust. But that isn't something Lavi pays mind to: if he became conscious of even the slightest sense of attachment, he'd have to severe communication immediately.) ]
Sure. I'll do my best.
[ Said with the usual smile and the sound of one long-suffering, he adds lightly -- ]
But if you get hurt because you left the one-eyed guy to fight in the dark, well...
[ The murmur of voices, tense but indistinguishable, catches his attention. Someone--possibly multiple someones--is shuffling, but stops when they in turn notice the approaching men.
Lavi frowns, regarding the supplies in his arms furtively. Dropping them would probably be fine, but this isn't the kind of area you just leave something--or someone--unattended. He glances back at Midori, then raises his voice to a level that most people would consider obnoxiously loud. A warning for those waiting for them down the line: ]
SO.. I heard you bagged a Level 4 warrant without any shots yesterday, nice job. What are you working on today?
[ Yes shut up he knows they're both level 3, but maybe "two killjoys coming through" will be sufficient warning without anyone having to get hurt. ]
no subject
[ What a foolish thing for anyone to do. A bookman is only loyal to their mission--not to the people involved, not to those they might call friend. If anything, it would be in Lavi's better interest to let Midori sustain damage down here and leave him to die. One less killjoy to compete with, one less lie to maintain.
But Lavi is always mindful to cultivate what's useful to him.
(And in some small part of him, there's possibly some genuine fondness for the other, mired beneath layers of both earned and unearned distrust. But that isn't something Lavi pays mind to: if he became conscious of even the slightest sense of attachment, he'd have to severe communication immediately.) ]
Sure. I'll do my best.
[ Said with the usual smile and the sound of one long-suffering, he adds lightly -- ]
But if you get hurt because you left the one-eyed guy to fight in the dark, well...
[ The murmur of voices, tense but indistinguishable, catches his attention. Someone--possibly multiple someones--is shuffling, but stops when they in turn notice the approaching men.
Lavi frowns, regarding the supplies in his arms furtively. Dropping them would probably be fine, but this isn't the kind of area you just leave something--or someone--unattended. He glances back at Midori, then raises his voice to a level that most people would consider obnoxiously loud. A warning for those waiting for them down the line: ]
SO.. I heard you bagged a Level 4 warrant without any shots yesterday, nice job. What are you working on today?
[ Yes shut up he knows they're both level 3, but maybe "two killjoys coming through" will be sufficient warning without anyone having to get hurt. ]