weaponwithoutpurpose

weaponwithoutpurpose

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From:

weaponwithoutpurpose

He stares at him a moment, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

"Usually I can stop myself if I want to," he says. "Can't train soldiers if I don't have the discipline to know when to quit."

But sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes the war comes back in his ears and his eyes and his hands.

From:

riseunparalleled

Xie Lian simply listens, taking in what he has to say.

"I don't think there's a reason to punish you for the fight. No one died, and it wasn't just a random burst of violence. But it could've ended badly." He scratches his cheek, thinking. "Would you be willing to carry a talisman for the next, hm, two days? It will let me know if you get into a physical fight."

From:

weaponwithoutpurpose

"Surveillance?" he scoffs, but he feels like he's getting off easily enough as it is.

"Do I actually have a choice?"

From:

riseunparalleled

"The other option is that I can follow you around in person. But I feel that that's much more of an invasion of your privacy."

There's not a choice about the surveillance, but he can chose what kind.

From:

weaponwithoutpurpose

At least that feels more like a choice than not. "Talisman is fine."

He doesn't even question the magic involved. His acclimation to the Barge is based solely on the fact that he's too depressed to care or be bewildered by the mechanics involved.

From:

riseunparalleled

He nods.

He pulls out a piece of paper from a sleeve, tracing glowing characters onto it with a finger. The glow fades away as he holds it out to Jacob.

"Will you let me do something for the bruise?" That much is a choice.

From:

weaponwithoutpurpose

He takes it and folds it into his pocket, the same one with his phone.

"What can you do for a bruise? More magic?"

From:

riseunparalleled

"Yes."

From:

weaponwithoutpurpose

He's apathetic about the bruise, but curious enough to nod. "Alright."

From:

riseunparalleled

He holds out his hand towards Jacob, something that looks like faint blue smoke goes from his fingers to Jacob's face. For a moment it's cool and refreshing, before fading away along with the bruise.

From:

weaponwithoutpurpose

He reaches up, blinking a little in surprise, and touches the spot where the bruise was.

"Handy," he remarks with a laugh. "So who are you? One of the handlers?"

From:

riseunparalleled

"It's very useful for fights." He's not a doctor, but he can deal with a lot of the minor injuries that can come with someone being knocked around.

"What do you mean?" Jacob knows he's a warden, so he's not sure about 'handler'.

From:

weaponwithoutpurpose

"You take care of the new guys?" he clarifies. "Two days of surveillance and then what happens? I move to another one?"

From:

riseunparalleled

"Yes, that's right. I try my beset, at least."

From:

weaponwithoutpurpose

"Alright. Well. Thanks for the help, at least," he says, picking up his flask again and taking his phone out. "What - what did he call you? What's your name?"

From:

riseunparalleled

“Xie Lian,” he politely inclines his head. “I hope your time here so far has been…” he takes a moment to consider all the things the Barge can be, “Not overly violent.”

From:

weaponwithoutpurpose

He shakes his head. "Home is more. But that's life. Nasty, brutish, and short, as they say."

He pauses on a picture on his phone.

"He tell you why he popped off about my brother?"

Edited Date: 2024-03-14 09:40 pm (UTC)

From:

riseunparalleled

“Yes, I’m afraid a lot of people here have come from lives that could be described that way.”

He wouldn’t share Arthur’s confidences, but this doesn’t fall into that.

“He said something about a cult. I assume he’s had issues with such organizations before, and reacted with those in kind.”

From:

weaponwithoutpurpose

"He called us cockroaches," he laughs, a bitter edge to it.

"But he's not wrong."

From:

riseunparalleled

"Mm. I suspect I might not have the same definition of a cult as you or Mr. Lester might. I understand it as a small religious sect? Ah, I believe there can be... intense elements, but I don't know if that's what you're part of."