Go figure, this place actually being useful ...Sometimes it seemed like Xiao always wound up in the Nexus looking for one thing or another
( Read more... )
"Fafnir was away most often, so I guess they didn't see the need to make as many changes or just didn't have the chance. Leviathan they rewrote pretty often ..."
"Harpuia wasn't having the memory-repression take; he's too much like X, maybe. So they kept shooting him up with some kind of inhibiting nanite colonies -- and after he named me they increased the dosage."
No, we're not bitter.
Xiao's eyes flared redly as Chryses chittered and tried to wrap around his neck.
X frowns deeper as Xiao recounts what was done to them. Though, it's hard not to twitch at the glow of red eyes. Harpuia had had red eyes before, but they'd stayed red, rather than being normal colored and then flaring up unnervingly.
X sighed and rubbed a little at his arm. "It seems an unpleasant trend that Harpuia ends up the worst damaged in mind..."
"He's the most dangerous to people like the Council. He's too smart, too discerning for them to take the risk -- so they take that advantage away any way they can."
Xiao still looked angry at the notion; but at least his eyes were back to a sensible colour again.
"At least they didn't cripple him too, he's slighter than the rest. And he flies."
X nodded slightly, looking thoughtful. "He's probably the first to realize something's not right..."
Zanzibar warbled softly and stood on his hind legs, front feet resting on X's chest as he raised his head to nose and nuzzle at the underside of X's jaw. X blinked, then looked down at the bronze, one hand coming up to stroke down the firelizard's neck. Then he turned his attention back to Xiao.
"Good thing they didn't. Taking the sky away from him can hurt him just as badly as the other things they did to him, without him being obviously visibly broken..." X had the tone of someone who knew exactly what he was talking about from experience.
"Why else would he have started calling 'X' -- me -- 'Apprentice'? He knew, some part of him knew."
Chryses watched Zanzibar for a moment, sliding down Xiao's collarbone and clinging to his shirt like an outsized brooch, before clambering back to his shoulder and bumping her head against his neck.
Xiao was distracted by her for only a moment or two before he pounced on X's comment.
X's mouth twisted slightly in unhappiness. He didn't want to upset Xiao, but he knew he'd have to explain some things to him if he was going to ask for his help. He just hadn't been sure how to go about it. But here was an opening
( ... )
Xiao's breath came out in an angry almost-hiss as he listened to X's explanations. Within moments his eyes had flared red again and stayed that way, the rapid whirls of his little queen's eyes echoing the blood-color of anger.
"Exiled! Weil is exiled. I know that -- they should hunt him down and finish the job if that's what we can expect. Zero would do it out a second thought, I know he would."
"Are they better at all since they got away? Is it helping? What's happened to them?"
Xiao listened -- and quieted down -- and finally nodded without hesitation once X finished speaking. A nod which rather rapidly turned into an inquisitive cocking of his head.
X watched Xiao quietly as the young reploid shivered. When Xiao asked his question, X reached up to rub the bridge of his nose briefly.
"For now, he's mostly been keeping Harpuia company. Right now, I and a number of Hunters that I've cajoled into helping, are working on building him a new body. We're also studying the device. We hope to transfer him from the device into the body once it's complete."
X sighed a little. "However, it's slow going without complete schematics to work off of."
"We're planning to get him out of it. I've no wish to see him stay bound to that thing." X shook his head slightly.
X blinked at Xiao's question. "We don't have his schematics. There's no Phantom native to my world, and we don't have access to whatever might remain of Phantom's body. So far we've been using Harpuia's frame as a template, and we've gotten partial schematics and information from Harpuia. But that only takes us so far, and I know Harpuia isn't a perfect match for Phantom's body-type."
Now was clearly the time for some concerted ponytail-twisting, apparently; and Xiao applied himself to the nervous habit with a right good will, Chryses fluttering around him and cheeping in anxious response to his distress.
"Then -- will you piece together replacement schematics?"
"Right now we're working through what Harpuia provided for us and using them to figure out what else is needed. If we have to, we'll redesign things from the ground up, going off of what Phantom and Harpuia recall of Phantoms abilities."
"However, that will take quite some time if we have to resort to that."
X ran a hand through his hair. "...Admittedly, I've been hoping to locate another Phantom of similar design and ask if he'd be willing to provide his own schematics. We could compensate for any slight differences. However, I don't know any Phantoms with the right build to match."
X glanced over at Xiao before adding hesitantly, "...I... don't suppose your Phantom is of a slight build, like yours, is he?" X really hoped he wasn't overstepping by asking.
"Harpuia wasn't having the memory-repression take; he's too much like X, maybe. So they kept shooting him up with some kind of inhibiting nanite colonies -- and after he named me they increased the dosage."
No, we're not bitter.
Xiao's eyes flared redly as Chryses chittered and tried to wrap around his neck.
Reply
X sighed and rubbed a little at his arm. "It seems an unpleasant trend that Harpuia ends up the worst damaged in mind..."
Reply
Xiao still looked angry at the notion; but at least his eyes were back to a sensible colour again.
"At least they didn't cripple him too, he's slighter than the rest. And he flies."
Reply
Zanzibar warbled softly and stood on his hind legs, front feet resting on X's chest as he raised his head to nose and nuzzle at the underside of X's jaw. X blinked, then looked down at the bronze, one hand coming up to stroke down the firelizard's neck. Then he turned his attention back to Xiao.
"Good thing they didn't. Taking the sky away from him can hurt him just as badly as the other things they did to him, without him being obviously visibly broken..." X had the tone of someone who knew exactly what he was talking about from experience.
Reply
Chryses watched Zanzibar for a moment, sliding down Xiao's collarbone and clinging to his shirt like an outsized brooch, before clambering back to his shoulder and bumping her head against his neck.
Xiao was distracted by her for only a moment or two before he pounced on X's comment.
"What happened to Harpuia?"
Reply
Reply
"Exiled! Weil is exiled. I know that -- they should hunt him down and finish the job if that's what we can expect. Zero would do it out a second thought, I know he would."
"Are they better at all since they got away? Is it helping? What's happened to them?"
Reply
Reply
"Tell me. Tell me what's wrong with him."
Reply
Reply
For a long moment Xiao didn't have anything else to say; simply stroked Chryses and shivered.
"... What's he going to do now?"
Reply
"For now, he's mostly been keeping Harpuia company. Right now, I and a number of Hunters that I've cajoled into helping, are working on building him a new body. We're also studying the device. We hope to transfer him from the device into the body once it's complete."
X sighed a little. "However, it's slow going without complete schematics to work off of."
Reply
"... Why wouldn't you have access to the schematics?"
Just a bit of the situation has bypassed Xiao while he was having issues over the situation, yes.
Reply
X blinked at Xiao's question. "We don't have his schematics. There's no Phantom native to my world, and we don't have access to whatever might remain of Phantom's body. So far we've been using Harpuia's frame as a template, and we've gotten partial schematics and information from Harpuia. But that only takes us so far, and I know Harpuia isn't a perfect match for Phantom's body-type."
Reply
"Then -- will you piece together replacement schematics?"
"You do have something planned, right?"
Reply
"However, that will take quite some time if we have to resort to that."
X ran a hand through his hair. "...Admittedly, I've been hoping to locate another Phantom of similar design and ask if he'd be willing to provide his own schematics. We could compensate for any slight differences. However, I don't know any Phantoms with the right build to match."
X glanced over at Xiao before adding hesitantly, "...I... don't suppose your Phantom is of a slight build, like yours, is he?" X really hoped he wasn't overstepping by asking.
Reply
Leave a comment