mental link (inbox)

[unsea]

there are NO OTHERS like us.	i taught him that he had NO EQUAL
i understand the desire TO REMAIN FREE	peace, on my terms. (WITHOUT REMORSE) [or you] will cease to exist.

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Comments

day: 021.

[deployed]

[ Briefly, the link between Bellamy and his broodmates sparks to life. Bellamy floods the link with disbelief, which gives way to crippling grief and anger. His thoughts skip through an assortment of faces, linger on Clarke Griffin and Octavia Blake before Bellamy forcibly breaks contact.

No apologies for the interruption. ]

sometime while renchan is sleeping off his mental link hangover

[frakkincylons]

( Hi. )

[ what's up, asshole, let's talk. ]

[unsea]

( There you are. )

[ It's about time. He was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to speak to him, Sam. ]

[frakkincylons]

( You wanna tell me what the hell you thought you were doing with my brothers? )

[ he almost sort of liked you once, but now you are the worst, sir. ]

[unsea]

( I offered Ren my condolences. With Steve, it was a response. )

[ Stiffly. He knows when he's been made out to be the at-fault party already. ]

[frakkincylons]

[ you are the party at fault, you turd basket. ]

( You pushed someone grieving and in an emotional break into unbridled violence, and almost cost him another piece of his family. You think that was gonna help him? I know Steve told you to stop, cut the shit. )

[unsea]

( Not everyone grieves silently or peacefully, Sam. I did not push him to that.

As for Steve, I distinctly remember telling him I thought it unwise to repress him. He reached out, I responded. He struck, I...

Regret lashing out in return. )

[frakkincylons]

( You think I don’t know who the frak Kylo Ren is and exactly how unpeaceful he gets? I’ve been farther in his head a hell of a lot longer than you have.

Steve was trying to take care of him, and you feeding Ren your crap, when he was already barely holding it together, meant reaching him was impossible. That’s not helping him, that’s manipulating him.

Let me get this one thing clear right now - you don’t know us, you don’t know Ren, and you’ve got no place messing with this brood. Stay the frak away from us, and keep your godsdamn encouragement to yourself. )

[unsea]

[ a weighted pause. he considers his words, his options. and when he responds, it's as though all emotion has been purged out. ]

( I see you've decided my role in things on my behalf. And that this was more of a courtesy call, on that matter.

Then, by all means. Do what you must, make me your monster.

Only stop treating him like an animal that needs to be muzzled, in return. That's all I ask. )

sometimes after the mess

[decommission]

[ A stiff knock on the mental door. Someone's looking for you. ]

[unsea]

[ fsjfdasereads -- here's the frosty but painstakingly courteous rendition of 'opening the mental door'. ]

( Yes, Steve? )

day ??? probably 024 i do what i want

[exhuxperation]

( Darkling, isn't it? )

[ No other greeting or courtesy because he really just wants to get to the point here. ]

f i n a l l y

[unsea]

( It is. If you've come to scold me, you're a little late. )

[ since, that's what's roughly happened the last few times anyone has contacted him. ]

im gomen im a slug

[exhuxperation]

( No, I haven't. Though I wonder if I should be now. )

[ Hmmmmmmm. ]

( You were at the arena, correct? )

[ When everything descended into chaos. ]

precious ginger slug

[unsea]

( I'd advise against it. It becomes repetitive. )

[ making sure you don't waste your breath, bud. just looking out for you. ]

( I was. What would you like to know? )

[exhuxperation]

( Well, it would hardly be fit to waste your time and mine. )

[ At least at this current moment. He'll leave final judgment for after he hears everything through. ]

( How did it start? The destruction, I mean. Most of the news outlets have fairly decent coverage of the event itself up until that point. It's generally agreed there was an explosion, but I'd rather hear it from a first hand account. )

[ He's got Ren to look after because of it. Not that he expected to be off the hook just because they had made an arrangement. Ren brought disaster with him. Or maybe it followed close at his heels. ]

[unsea]

( The crowd's response was... varied, when Adetokunbo debuted his new avatar. I will say that. Perhaps that should have been our warning.

It was the final match of the tournament. There was a -- pulse, first. It knocked out all the power. And then the bomb went off close to the center of the room. I believe they may have been trying to cover up the attempt to eliminate Adetokunbo. There were people there for and against the movement, after all. )

[decommission]

( We need to talk. )

[ In person. Steve's location is his quarters, he lets that image pass between them.

But he'd be happy to go find you. ]

[frakkincylons]

( I was in Steve's head. I saw your role in it, but if there's an explanation for it that somehow makes nearly getting him killed better, by all means, share with the class.

I've seen monsters, and believe me, you're not one. What you are is a lonely, bitter man intent on proving he's right in being so by dragging others down with him. You're so far gone you can't even understand what we're trying to do for him. You really think making a bloodbath is the only way for him to expend grief? What shortsighted bullshit.

Ren can have peace still, and he needs it, because if you haven't noticed, he's frakking miserable. I don't care if what he's doing is wrong or right, but it's sure as hell not helping him. )

[unsea]

[ He conveys motion to Steve; it seems that he'll be coming to his quarters.

Which - it's easy enough to follow the other host's mind to them, and rap the back of his knuckles on the doorway, to announce himself. ]

[unsea]

( You put him down, like an animal. You stripped him of his right to choose anything, Sam. And you consider yourself justified, in that. No, perhaps I am not the monster here. )

[ not implying anything here. ] ( So, if the only peace he, or any of us may know, is the peace you provide - I will respectfully decline it.

And if you want me to stay away from anyone within OUR nest, your choices are very limited. )

[frakkincylons]

( Gods, you're insufferable. No, what I did was put him to sleep before he made a massacre, that would've gotten all of us, the whole frakking Nest, screwed. He woke up later just fine. What I did was more gentle than any cop that would've wandered in could've done. )

[ can he just... reach through the mental link and throttle this dude? ] ( Did I say it was something I'm giving him? You can't give peace, it's not a godsdamn giftcard for Mental Harmony R Us. What we are giving him is a family and support. The rest is him.

Do whatever you want with your own brood or anyone else, but Castor's connected to me. If you hurt one of them, it's a strike against me too. )

[unsea]

( Someone killed a member of your brood, Sam. And I am deeply sorry for that loss. I thought, like Ren, that we could have found them. We could have gained information from them, and we could have had some small measure of peace, of satisfaction.

That is what I offered, nothing more or less. The same as you do. )

[ he understands the need to keep the peace, but seriously? let a huntsman hunt. ]

( I would not hurt the nest. Or you. I may not agree with you or what you do, but I respect you. )

[decommission]

[ The door opens, the room empty except for Steve. His face is still badly busted up from the fight, and there's a stiffness to his movements that he can't quite mask. With his hand on the door he jerks his head to the side, indicating for the Darkling to enter. ]

You should've just let go.

[ Getting straight to it, tone flat. With that peek inside the Darkling's mind he knows the guy doesn't think he did anything wrong. Just like Ren.

Two bad peas in a pod. ]

[unsea]

[ There's sympathy for Steve's pain. It's muted, shriveled - as though held down below dark waters and commanded to die off. He cannot remain distant, when there are other minds and hearts connected to his own. His ability to empathize, however - that may very well be dead and gone. Steve is... valiant, through his bruise. ]

Would you have?

[ Eh, Mr. Steve "Wouldn't Take A Knee Though My Face Got Busted Up" Rogers. ]