Looking back and Laughing

[broken_frightener]

[As if to continue on with how badly things had gone for the Unity Group... well nothing more needs to be said. The damage that Alhambra base took and the burned out chunk that used to be the Huckebein's cockpit block was testament to that. As for Leos he was simply going to sit on some debris. Those who get closer would note that he was bleeding from quite a lot of places. As was Boyle who was not too far away, grumbling very audibly to his sister.]

Hah... I told you Dido... I told you we shouldn't have left them alive.

[He says this regardless of the presence of the mechanic.]

But what can you do... the past is past already. The dead can't hear their eulogies or know if they were avenged. Or that their deaths could have been avoided.

Unity Group... I wonder who will lead you now...

[Maybe he's delirious from the blood he's losing. Maybe he's just thinking out loud. Its hard to say.]

Comments

[megamipurple]

[The transformed Neptune stops not too far away.]

...You certainly had a lot to say out there, too.

But right now, all you need to wonder about is where to find a doctor.

[broken_frightener]

Yes... I did didn't I?

[Leos chuckles softly.]

And its almost not as bad as it looks.

[megamipurple]

[Neptune frowns a little.]

What do you mean?

[broken_frightener]

I've actually had far more worse than this.

[Leos tugs enough of a sleeve away to show extensive scars trailing all the way up his arm.]

I have plenty on the rest of me as well. This is honestly like a few paper cuts, a headache and a cold all at once. I can wait out the worst of it. Clean up the rest.

[megamipurple]

So this is what you didn't want to tell me before...

[booty_chaser]

[Ashe looks less than pleased at hearing that, but she slings Leos over her arms anyway and begins carrying him to the infirmary]

Look, I already want to sock you, so cut that out, alright? Don't make this worse than it has to be.

[broken_frightener]

[Leos' wingmen were about to go stop Ashe before he made a tired motion for them to not interfere. They still followed though. Ashe could feel them glaring daggers at the back of her head.]

...Well... that makes two of is doesn't it? Heh...

Alright.

[booty_chaser]

And quit that, you two. [Ashe turns her head to look at the two minions for a moment with a stern expression, without stopping walking. Yeah, sorry, guys, but in the scale of scary people Ashe's seen you guys don't so much as blip] You should have done this already in the first place.

[broken_frightener]

"If you think you can order us around I am afraid you are dead wrong. We only answer to Commander Klein."



"So unless you want a broken neck you shut your mouth and show some respect half pint! If the Commander says he needs the Infirmary we'll take him there ourselves, guess what? He didn't!"

[Leos lets out a soft chuckle and slowly shakes his head. If it was because he was amused by the twins defending him and themselves or just their stupidity its hard to say.]

[brought_it_back]

[Eva walks up and immediately punches Leos across the face.]

That's my response to your offer. Don't make me say it any louder.

[She shakes her hand a bit, that whole Human+ thing makes punching him a painful affair.]

Come on. Let's get you to the doctor.

[She holds out her good hand towards him.]

[broken_frightener]

[Eva, you immediately have a much larger Human+ confronting you via grabbing your collar and lifting you. Yes this meant he was going to lose a bit more blood, but Boyle never was much of a forward thinker.]

"You're going to need more than a doctor for doing that you little bitch!"

[Remille simply has a smug look on her face as she watches Boyle threaten Eva. Leos' frozen expression seems to get a bit more icy.]

[brought_it_back]

...Are you quite done?

[broken_frightener]

"Not before I crush your skull I'm not-"



Now now Boyle. No cranial collapsing. I'm sure the Unity Group has had enough death and losses for one day. It would be rude to our hosts to injure personnel.

[Boyle lets out a choked noise...]

"She still needs to learn her lesson sir."

By all means... go ahead and try teach her. I'm sure it will go very well.

[The Frightener's eyes light up with maniacal glee, not understanding how exactly this is about to end for him as he cocks his fist back to try punch Eva square in the face.]

[kill_all_vagans]

Leos...!

[When he'd heard that Leos had tried to go head-to-head with Loni, and all the other carnage that had followed...]

Leos are you okay?

[broken_frightener]

I've been better. The feedback from the damage and overclocking Ethermaster experienced and trying to hack one of those unknowns was... quite painful. It'll pass though.

[He wipes some blood away from under his eyes.]

Are you okay?

[kill_all_vagans]

Not... not really, no.

[His fists are really tightly clenched.]

How can Loni... how can he even think of himself as a hero after everything he did!

[broken_frightener]

Its because he refuses to believe anything else. To him the world is simple. Everyone who doesn't support him is the villain in his story. Anything he does, no matter how violent, no matter how vicious will always be justified because he sees himself as the hero and he had no other choice.

[Leos simply looks up to the sky.]

The power of self delusion is a terrifying thing Flit. People as twisted as him don't normally live that long. Not unless they're either very lucky or have people look out for them. And those people always cater to their beliefs.

[actuallyselfish]

Dido and a group of techs pass by Leos. She doesn't seem to hear Leos's comments, or even see him.

She and the techs work on hauling away rubble and cutting fallen girders in half with welding torches for a while. Eventually she wanders off by herself to an unoccupied corner of the base, still in earshot and eyesight of Leos and his enhanced senses.

There, she falls to her knees and punches the ground. "FUUUUUUUUU–!" She seethes.

[broken_frightener]

[Leos motions for the Fortner siblings to sit still while he slouches over towards Dido.]

You should know that getting debris stuck in your hands is very painful and really annoying Dido.

[actuallyselfish]

"Leos?" Dido says, looking up and rubbing at her knuckles. Her widened eyes narrow.

"So...come to gloat?" She mutters, falling onto her haunches. "Ha-Ha, I was right, poor naive Dido: that sort of stuff?"

[broken_frightener]

No. I don't think this is something anyone would have wanted you to be wrong about... the world just decided to be cruel.

I'm not Loni... I'm not going to rub your face in your mistake. You just tried to see the best of people and give them a chance.

[cloningblues]

It wasn't her call to make. Or yours. Or mine.

You're wounded. Come on, get up. We gotta get you to the infirmary.

[broken_frightener]

No. It probably wasn't. But it still would have solved a lot of problems in the long run.

And... just give me a few minutes...

[Boyle and Remille move to block Asagi from getting closer to Leos without their leader's say so and glare at Blue 1's pilot as if daring him to get closer.]



"You heard the Commander! Get lost punk!"

[The taller and considerably more violent twin's mechanical eye gleams with a wicked light. Neither of them pick up on the aforementioned 'Commander''s sigh of irritation.]

[cloningblues]

What did you call me? I'm trying to help him! You get lost!

[broken_frightener]

"Hah! The day he needs your help is the day he won't need us!"

[Boyle moves over to Asagi and shoves him, daring Blue One's pilot to try something.]



"You're more likely to cause more trouble than good for the commander given your incompetence. After all. What sort of pathetic excuse for a pilot flees from his own equipment?"

[And this makes the second person to bring up an incident that happened more or less a year ago. Because of their positioning, Asagi doesn't see Leos' reaction to this whole thing. Suffice to say he wasn't amused.]