[It was a wonder getting back to the quiet of the hub after the months spent among the very noisy palai. The uvi threat defeated, and further mystery solved, it was no wonder that the coven saw the need to go back. Though she did feel that itch of adventure, Madhuri turned away from it. She would hero no more... it was for sanity's sake.
She did have other 'duties', however. How in the seven hells was everyone doing now that they've gone back? Thus, moving from tree to tree to get a better vantage point was best.
Oh, there's one. She knew this gentleman. She quietly climbed down with a smile, but decided she'd loop the end of her tail around one of the last branches and swing down. She waved, despite her upside-down position from the treelimb.]
Hey, good-lookin'! Whatcha cookin'? Oomph-
[She snatched for it, but no dice- the hat fluttered to the floor, just slipping from her fingertips. Well, so much for smooth.]
[ Julius is someone naturally inclined to stay away from others, and it's no different once they returned to the Hub. Having discussed about a garden with Haru, he had sought out to water what she had started then take a break... which is when Madhuri finds him.
Surprise flickers on his normally stoic visage, but he recovers fast enough to make a lunge for her hat and catch it. ]
[ It gets a pause as Julius briefly considers the impact of his appearance, but he decides that it's probably just flattery and/or she's exaggerating. ]
I'd thought to just take a look around. This is my first time here.
[ holds out the hat to her, if she's able to take it ]
Got me there. The palai didn't seem entirely bothered with the whole, er... well. Bones, or whatever those were being used against whatever the uvi were cooking up out there.
It was why I sought crystals, or some sort of equivalent.
[For a few days now, he's found himself puzzling over something as he works on renovating the abandoned house west of base camp and scouting the area. And the more he thinks on the matter, the less sure he becomes.
There are very few with whom he's spoken of personal matters, and in this case, fewer who might understand why he's grappling with something perhaps terribly mundane. But he thinks Julius will.
The man at once understands what the human mindset is, and that of a weapon, and so...]
Hey, Julius? Could I maybe...ask you what someone means when they want to know how important they are to you?
I'm not really sure if it's a quantitatve or qualitative sort of question.
[ Julius is unsurprisingly in the garden, trying to use his powers on the plants that have taken root there. Thus his reply comes a little later, still fringed with static at the edges - though it is very slight, indicative of a state of healthy control (or as healthy as it can be).
The question, though... ]
I find that context is important. May I ask who said it to you?
I'm not sure I should say, but...a friend? Does that help at all?
[He doesn't doubt that Julius would keep the matter to himself, but even so, 9S was never the most forthright. Not when it concerned him. Not when something was potentially loaded like this seems to be. Maybe he's just overthinking it, but he's really not sure.
[ It doesn't, but then again that is impacted by his own lack of experience in this matter. There may be more layers of complexity, but he had not had to deal with them - thus, it is in the simplest way that he will answer: ]
I suppose they wanted to know how much you cared for them. Friends are important to each other, after all.
I think it is supposed to be qualitative. Such things such as 'caring' is hard to count in numbers.
[At least he has feedback from someone he considers a more knowledgeable source, though he isn't sure still yet what the right answer to such a question is.
Julius' answer does seem to fit though. Jude had said he wondered if he was important to 9S as he had become to him, so that must be it]
Do humans often state those things to each other? YoRHa don't really... To me it makes sense to protect people when they matter, rather than...
[ He can follow 9S' argument, for it is practical - it was one he had struggled with some time back. But it can be explained. ]
Not very often. Some humans care not for others, while some other humans care for those around them very much. Humans are fickle in that way.
It seems more as an affirmative of your friendship, than actually questioning your desire to protect others. It would make anyone happier to be appreciated with these sorts of gestures.
You think so? I couldn't really tell if it was the sort of answer he was looking for.
[And 9S is good at reading his environment, whether it's the scenery or the people around him. But in this case, he feels as though he's missing information in a way that's difficult to apprehend.
Regardless, Julius' reasoning seems sound to him]
If someone important asked you something like that, how would you answer?
[ it didn't take long for the ice to come out when they started doing temperature testing; even jusis was impressed by how reflexively he conjured it in the presence of extreme heat, which meant the observing monitors must have been over the moon at finally seeing his coven magic for themselves.
which made everything more difficult. it's hard to deny a magic he's already put on display and harder still to get them to believe he has no idea why it functions on this goddess-forsaken world, and then there were the particulars of how it worked. at the least, it's been enlightening for all parties involved, if exhausting, painful, and dehumanizing. jusis has never been particularly cooperative with people who don't deserve it, and it's earned him no additional points with the staff.
still, he holds his head high when he's returned to the cell, even if everything else about his body language indicates he's being worn down by the day. he finds julius. he sits at a respectable distance, just like day one, and pretends he's composed—pretends his readiness to talk about something, anything, isn't one of the only ways to keep himself grounded. at first, he indulged in conversation for julius' sake. he's not quite ready to admit it gradually became more selfish than that. ]
I think they've finally stopped calling me Julius. It's an impressive staff that can't even remember their prisoners' names.
[ he is painfully aware that it took this long because their names are irrelevant. they only really started classifying them properly because whatever chronic illness julius has makes him a special case on his own, most likely; if their vital readings had been even remotely similar, he would probably spend the rest of his days being addressed by the wrong name. if jusis had more energy, he could push some lightheartedness into his tone, but he can't quite manage that. it comes out flat, dryly mocking. ]
First was the fact that the staff had mixed up the both of them - perhaps something to be amused at in another time and place, but this only meant that he was expected to produce the results that Jusis had given. He had replied to their questions with only silence, which escalated the situation. Suffices to say that the monitors were surprised to find out that his cells entered the blood drawing tube and proceeded to corrode its systems completely.
Small victories. ]
It's about time they've learned. [ A pause as he suppresses the cough reflexively coming up his lungs: ] But if they be still this incompetent, then it's in our favour.
[ He raises his head, revealing human-looking skin. However, his eyes have now turned a bright gold - the one change he can't afford to undo. ]
There's some water on the counter, if you need it.
[ small victories. making trouble for the monitors is still something, even if it usually means they get treated worse for it. were julius' eyes always gold? (no, he would have remembered something like that.)
water sounds good, even if he'd like to avoid it as long as possible. people who treat their prisoners like this aren't above drugging their food and water. it wouldn't be lethal, but he doubts it would be pleasant either. he glances at the counter, but stays resolute. ]
I'm fine, for the time being. [ instead, ] What about you? How are you holding up?
[ he has!! so many questions!! from the most basic—have you eaten today?—to the more complicated—does your eye color usually change when your sickness flares up?—to the questions he doesn't want to ask—how are they treating you?—partially because he already knows the answer and partially because he doesn't want to hear it stated outright. ]
[ The prospect of drugged water had skipped Julius' attention completely; in part due to his fatigue and in part due to how his body negated all poisons. A bright side of his current state, perhaps - as much as they tried to understand him, it was all rendered impossible by the selfsame curse that cost so much to demystify back home.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't in pain. But then again, that's just his constant state of mind. ]
I've half a mind to doze off when they try to ask questions. That'd solve two problems at once.
[ Just shut off his awareness and go into half-hibernation mode. He hasn't tried it yet, but that's out of concern that whatever they try to draw out of him will escape and... fall onto a person, instead of a machine.
[ most assassination attempts in erebonia would be more forward and jusis was never in a position where an attempt on his life would be likely, but it's not as if poisoning was unheard of, either. call it an extension of his ever-present cynicism to consider their rations something other than a kindness.
it's actually kind of shameful for him to sympathize on the point of dozing off. he hasn't been sleeping, but he's done his share of zoning out ... ]
You'd have to be a heavy sleeper. They seem strict about the time relegated to questioning, even if they've been asking you the same questions for a week and you've given them the same answers for just as long.
[ not to speak from experience, but he sounds exasperated enough it's hard to imagine it's from anything else. ]
Depending on the moral integrity of the on-duty guard, I can't discount the possibility they would be kinder with you, though.
[ not harassing the sick man is a low bar to set, but jusis is pretty sure the shehui government can't even get over that one. ]
[ Heavy sleeper becomes inevitable once a person hasn't slept for so long... but he's not here to debate the finer points of sleep deprivation, so he'll just move on. ]
The guards are varied. Some cruel, some kind. [ Julius closes his eyes again. ] As much as they are our enemies... they are still people, especially that one which let me sleep.
[ A pause. ]
When we leave, I hope they won't be here. [ So he doesn't have to consciously restrain his power any more than he already has to. ]
[ he's well-aware of every enemy being a person. he hasn't forgotten how it felt to have half the guns in the government building on him, but he's not itching to spill more blood here, either. —or, he won't be, as soon as he's capable of fighting back in a meaningful capacity. ]
If they're kind enough, maybe they'll turn a blind eye.
[ he doesn't think you get to this level of clearance while being liable to assist the clearly disruptive element, but you never know. ]
But you should prepare yourself for the possibility of facing them. We're clearly being treated as dangerous unknowns. Every guard out there will shoot to kill, whether it's under orders or out of fear.
[ that goes, like, quadruple for julius, though jusis isn't quite aware of that. ]
[ the jailbreak was a few days ago, and jude has been checking on all his patients, particularly the chosen twelve, but julius' circumstances are... a little different. ]
Hey, Julius. How are you holding up? How are your injuries?
[ Julius has been let into his apartment by a fellow resident, so he's recuperating in his room when there's no one around. It's rare that he has been able to rest properly, his dreams free of nightmares.
So when he answers, his voice is remarkably clear; free from the static that usually accompanies it: ]
Hey. I'm still quite tired, but I don't think anything serious is going to crop up anymore.
[ He's learned that Jude will be insistent until he's given the full answer, so might as well be honest upfront. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
The day after getting back to the ol' hub.
She did have other 'duties', however. How in the seven hells was everyone doing now that they've gone back? Thus, moving from tree to tree to get a better vantage point was best.
Oh, there's one. She knew this gentleman. She quietly climbed down with a smile, but decided she'd loop the end of her tail around one of the last branches and swing down. She waved, despite her upside-down position from the treelimb.]
Hey, good-lookin'! Whatcha cookin'? Oomph-
[She snatched for it, but no dice- the hat fluttered to the floor, just slipping from her fingertips. Well, so much for smooth.]
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Surprise flickers on his normally stoic visage, but he recovers fast enough to make a lunge for her hat and catch it. ]
Beg your pardon...?
[ She's also upside down. Is it safe? ]
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[A matter-of-factly raise of a finger, despite being upside down at the moment.]
It's a turn of phrase. I'm asking what you've been up to, but I suppose I don't have to explain the first part at least, now do I...?
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I'd thought to just take a look around. This is my first time here.
[ holds out the hat to her, if she's able to take it ]
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I see. Well, welcome to our little base of operations! Mind the seafood- gives you the, er, intestinal duress. The boars are fine, however.
[She reached for her hat and pulled herself up to sit neatly atop the branch instead. She gave a nod of thanks.]
But that little trip leads me to wonder where next Qri desires magic. Hopefully she won't use the bones of the civilians next time.
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I worry more about the worlds we've been to. If the magic drain will affect them.
[ His mind has been on it for a while, as signified by a slight frown on his countenance. ]
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It was why I sought crystals, or some sort of equivalent.
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10/2
There are very few with whom he's spoken of personal matters, and in this case, fewer who might understand why he's grappling with something perhaps terribly mundane. But he thinks Julius will.
The man at once understands what the human mindset is, and that of a weapon, and so...]
Hey, Julius? Could I maybe...ask you what someone means when they want to know how important they are to you?
I'm not really sure if it's a quantitatve or qualitative sort of question.
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The question, though... ]
I find that context is important. May I ask who said it to you?
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[He doesn't doubt that Julius would keep the matter to himself, but even so, 9S was never the most forthright. Not when it concerned him. Not when something was potentially loaded like this seems to be. Maybe he's just overthinking it, but he's really not sure.
And that's what it all comes down to, really]
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I suppose they wanted to know how much you cared for them. Friends are important to each other, after all.
I think it is supposed to be qualitative. Such things such as 'caring' is hard to count in numbers.
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Julius' answer does seem to fit though. Jude had said he wondered if he was important to 9S as he had become to him, so that must be it]
Do humans often state those things to each other? YoRHa don't really... To me it makes sense to protect people when they matter, rather than...
I'm not sure what friends say for this.
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Not very often. Some humans care not for others, while some other humans care for those around them very much. Humans are fickle in that way.
It seems more as an affirmative of your friendship, than actually questioning your desire to protect others. It would make anyone happier to be appreciated with these sorts of gestures.
[ Possibly? Probably? ]
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[And 9S is good at reading his environment, whether it's the scenery or the people around him. But in this case, he feels as though he's missing information in a way that's difficult to apprehend.
Regardless, Julius' reasoning seems sound to him]
If someone important asked you something like that, how would you answer?
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SOMETIME MID-TESTING let's say day 213 or something. what's up cellmate pt2
which made everything more difficult. it's hard to deny a magic he's already put on display and harder still to get them to believe he has no idea why it functions on this goddess-forsaken world, and then there were the particulars of how it worked. at the least, it's been enlightening for all parties involved, if exhausting, painful, and dehumanizing. jusis has never been particularly cooperative with people who don't deserve it, and it's earned him no additional points with the staff.
still, he holds his head high when he's returned to the cell, even if everything else about his body language indicates he's being worn down by the day. he finds julius. he sits at a respectable distance, just like day one, and pretends he's composed—pretends his readiness to talk about something, anything, isn't one of the only ways to keep himself grounded. at first, he indulged in conversation for julius' sake. he's not quite ready to admit it gradually became more selfish than that. ]
I think they've finally stopped calling me Julius. It's an impressive staff that can't even remember their prisoners' names.
[ he is painfully aware that it took this long because their names are irrelevant. they only really started classifying them properly because whatever chronic illness julius has makes him a special case on his own, most likely; if their vital readings had been even remotely similar, he would probably spend the rest of his days being addressed by the wrong name. if jusis had more energy, he could push some lightheartedness into his tone, but he can't quite manage that. it comes out flat, dryly mocking. ]
the ceiling obviously
First was the fact that the staff had mixed up the both of them - perhaps something to be amused at in another time and place, but this only meant that he was expected to produce the results that Jusis had given. He had replied to their questions with only silence, which escalated the situation. Suffices to say that the monitors were surprised to find out that his cells entered the blood drawing tube and proceeded to corrode its systems completely.
Small victories. ]
It's about time they've learned. [ A pause as he suppresses the cough reflexively coming up his lungs: ] But if they be still this incompetent, then it's in our favour.
[ He raises his head, revealing human-looking skin. However, his eyes have now turned a bright gold - the one change he can't afford to undo. ]
There's some water on the counter, if you need it.
what he wouldn't give to hear the sky tbh
water sounds good, even if he'd like to avoid it as long as possible. people who treat their prisoners like this aren't above drugging their food and water. it wouldn't be lethal, but he doubts it would be pleasant either. he glances at the counter, but stays resolute. ]
I'm fine, for the time being. [ instead, ] What about you? How are you holding up?
[ he has!! so many questions!! from the most basic—have you eaten today?—to the more complicated—does your eye color usually change when your sickness flares up?—to the questions he doesn't want to ask—how are they treating you?—partially because he already knows the answer and partially because he doesn't want to hear it stated outright. ]
they just need a break
It would be a lie to say he wasn't in pain. But then again, that's just his constant state of mind. ]
I've half a mind to doze off when they try to ask questions. That'd solve two problems at once.
[ Just shut off his awareness and go into half-hibernation mode. He hasn't tried it yet, but that's out of concern that whatever they try to draw out of him will escape and... fall onto a person, instead of a machine.
He has lines that he won't cross. ]
perhaps a ... jailbreak?
it's actually kind of shameful for him to sympathize on the point of dozing off. he hasn't been sleeping, but he's done his share of zoning out ... ]
You'd have to be a heavy sleeper. They seem strict about the time relegated to questioning, even if they've been asking you the same questions for a week and you've given them the same answers for just as long.
[ not to speak from experience, but he sounds exasperated enough it's hard to imagine it's from anything else. ]
Depending on the moral integrity of the on-duty guard, I can't discount the possibility they would be kinder with you, though.
[ not harassing the sick man is a low bar to set, but jusis is pretty sure the shehui government can't even get over that one. ]
YESSSS
The guards are varied. Some cruel, some kind. [ Julius closes his eyes again. ] As much as they are our enemies... they are still people, especially that one which let me sleep.
[ A pause. ]
When we leave, I hope they won't be here. [ So he doesn't have to consciously restrain his power any more than he already has to. ]
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If they're kind enough, maybe they'll turn a blind eye.
[ he doesn't think you get to this level of clearance while being liable to assist the clearly disruptive element, but you never know. ]
But you should prepare yourself for the possibility of facing them. We're clearly being treated as dangerous unknowns. Every guard out there will shoot to kill, whether it's under orders or out of fear.
[ that goes, like, quadruple for julius, though jusis isn't quite aware of that. ]
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Hey, Julius. How are you holding up? How are your injuries?
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So when he answers, his voice is remarkably clear; free from the static that usually accompanies it: ]
Hey. I'm still quite tired, but I don't think anything serious is going to crop up anymore.
[ He's learned that Jude will be insistent until he's given the full answer, so might as well be honest upfront. ]
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[ he can tell julius is telling the truth, and it eases his worries. there are other things on his mind, though. ]
So...
[ so. where does he begin? he saw some pretty interesting things back there. inhuman things. ]
Aside from your injuries, you're doing okay?
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I think so.
I tried... doing something that I didn't before. Somehow, I managed to turn back to myself without endangering others.
[ His mental voice is careful - his memory of those times are still somewhat muddled, but he can be sure that there wasn't any allied screaming. ]