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Author Topic: Lead, and I will follow [Nix]  (Read 1070 times)

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Offline nephero

Lead, and I will follow [Nix]
« on: May 09, 2017, 01:43:24 am »
It had been... one hell of a night. Chance had meant it when he said he felt like twenty years had been taken off his life-- he wasn't built for all this intrigue of who was doing what and when and under who's nose and in what subtle unseen way. He was a specific tool fitted for a specific purpose, and some problems you just simply could not punch to death.

Chance's thoughts flitted to Omajon for the barest hint of a second-- yeah, no. A lot of problems were not solvable by punching. Though, maybe if Chance punched himself he'd be braindead enough to never have to deal with anything close to Feelings ever again.

Gods but that conversation had come dangerously close to a trainwreck. There had been points, so many points, where he thought he might as well just curl up and die. Izzy hadn't helped in the slightest; she had seemed hell-bent on making Chance's evening as miserable as possible, with such lovely gems as

'So, you gonna tell him? Is today the day?'

'Sooo, how're things going over there?'

'Mr. Ultra-cool Awesome Hottie Pilot oh my god Chancey what the ever loving fuck?'


Yeah, super helpful. Number one best and most sympathetic twin.

As if she knew what Chance was thinking, Izzy smiled at him from where she had taken over their nest of pillows in the far corner of the living room. Her thumbs flicked over her phone's screen without missing a beat, even as her lips curled into a deeper, more diabolical smile.

"Off to see Jonjon, then?"

"You're an asshole," Chance declared, before shutting the front door solidly behind himself. He could still feel her giggling even through several layers of military-grade steel, and decided the best course of action was to put as much distance as humanly possible between him and her before he decided to revisit his punching theory.

Right.

He had somewhere to be, anyway.

Purpose renewed, he followed the well-worn path to one Pilot Cardinal Rheeves' domicile. And as promised, it was only about ten short minutes later that he raised to press the coms with his thumb, buzzing a quick little rhythm that he had adopted forever and a half ago and just never felt right about giving up.

Offline Nix

Re: Lead, and I will follow [Nix]
« Reply #1 on: May 09, 2017, 08:53:31 pm »
Jon: Wanna go to the ATC with me? If we go there I might pick up something. You can hold my hair if I puke lol
Chance: lead, and I will follow
Jon: Shall I pick you up or will you be escortin' me on this fine evening good sir?
Chance: well as a gentleman I do insist upon your safety
Chance: be there in ten

Thank the stars. Chance didn't hate him and they were actually going to go help some people. He had been on the verge of getting sick just worrying about whether or no Chance hated him.

10 minutes. Jon jumped up and realized he was wearing the same shirt he wore over to Chance's the other night. Shit. He ran his hand through his hair and went into the trash heap that qualified as his bedroom trying to find another shirt as he ripped off the one he was wearing. Fuck. The only clean clothes he had were....

Well they were going to the ATC.

Jon put on his uniform and trudged into the bathroom to brush his teeth and comb his hair. He had just finished when that familiar pattern buzzed over the com. He rummaged through his discarded jeans for his mint tin and then answered the door. "Well if it isn't my date for this evening~" He grinned and as he tried to nudge his way out of his apartment without Chance seeing the mess.

Offline nephero

Re: Lead, and I will follow [Nix]
« Reply #2 on: May 22, 2017, 10:20:10 am »
If Jon was especially worried that Chance might get a glimpse into the nuclear wasteland that was his apartment, he had no need. Chance himself was still reeling from the night's events, following a long day, and precluding what looked like it would be a distinctly long night. Still, despite the threat of shadows under his eyes, Chance looked otherwise impeccable (as always), and shot Jon a wide winking grin as the other emerged.

Chance was also distracted, not just by everything going on, but by how goddamn good his bro looked in his uniform. They didn't often work together, and tended towards fairly different schedules, and so a lot of their time spent in one another's company had to be on off moments. Chance had been so used to seeing the other in jeans and a t-shirt that he often forgot Jon owned a set of professional attire.

It was always a pleasant surprise to be reminded. Mm-mm-mm.

Aaand Chance quickly tapped down on that train of thought. Best to not let himself go daydreaming in front of an empath, especially one already keyed up. Besides, they had work to do, and it was with a joking little bow that Chance offered his arm as he might on an actual date.

Fully committed to the ironic playacting, Chance began to lead them both down the hallway as if escorting the other Pilot, though he did keep his pace brisk considering their actual "mission" here was of some significant importance.

Or at least, that's how Chance felt. Inter-pilot relations had always been something that he felt there needed to be more focus on; he supposed it stemmed from being combat OS-- after all, if you couldn't fully trust the guy next to you, well, you were as good as dead. There was no room for this hazing bullshit in his squadron, or whatever other malicious little games were being played, and it straight up boiled Chance's blood to see it being played out elsewhere where he couldn't do much to stop it.

His own subordinates he could bring the fear of God into. Others'... not nearly as much.

Offline Nix

Re: Lead, and I will follow [Nix]
« Reply #3 on: May 22, 2017, 09:33:25 pm »
Jon grinned a bit when Chance held his arm out to him and he took it easily looping his own arm around it in return. Something about being around Chance just, made him happy. Maybe because Chance was always happy. Maybe cause this was what friends were supposed to be like with each other and somewhere along the line Jon had forgotten that. But this wasn't about him and his bullshit for once.

"So when was the last time you were at the ATC? Do you do your drills there?" He asked keeping up the brisk pace. He wanted to make sure this Candidate Quirin Ritter was ok. He also wanted to figure this all out and help Pilot Voronin out. There was no reason a Pilot should be picking on Candidate. It was bad enough that some Pilots felt it necessary to 'train' candidates with physical punishments for every little mistake, but they were training soldiers after all. But this.. this didn't seem anything like that.

Poor Candidate Ritter... wait. Why did that name sound familiar?

Offline nephero

Re: Lead, and I will follow [Nix]
« Reply #4 on: May 22, 2017, 11:31:58 pm »
"Most of every damn day," Chance replied, shooting Jon a little smirk, before shrugging a bit. "It's easier to run the non-flying drills in those spaces, plus there's the equipment. You know, combat simulations, target practice, blah blah..."

That was the downside to being Combat OS outside of open warfare, he supposed. All it ever gave you was time to practice. Something he'd never openly admit to anyone else, though, was that he kind of preferred it that way. Better to go to the ATC and train until he was black and blue than go to pick up fresh recruits and know half of them would not live to see a second tour.

He'd gotten enough of that his first year as a Cardinal.

Shaking that particularly melancholy thought the hell away, he turned his gaze back down at Jon, patting his arm with his free hand. Better to keep the subject matter light until they needed to get serious, and Jon's face spoke of nothing but creeping worry. Which was totally fair, all things considered. There was something not so chill going on, and with a candidate involved the matter was all the more urgent.

"Bet the Seekers don't have much reason to go down there often, though, huh?"

Offline Nix

Re: Lead, and I will follow [Nix]
« Reply #5 on: May 26, 2017, 01:28:26 am »
"Well.. after the Pilot Cnyte incident I was here quite a bit for work." He admitted. That wasn't something he wanted, or even could talk about, since the investigation was still on going and there was still a strong possibility that Gospels were involved. Of course there was absolutely no way Chance was a Gospel. "I should probably train more often. I'm getting a flabby tummy." He admitted muttering and blushing a little as they got closer to their destination.

Ritter... Ritter... where did he know that name?

He looked back at Chance, not thinking twice about the fact that their arms were still linked as they entered the ATC. Chance was great. They could be dumb nerds like this.

Nerds....

"OH MY FUCKING GOD. Quirin Ritter! Dude! This candidate is Renatus Ritter and Gwilim Cael's kid!"

Oh hell no. Pilot Voronin was not messing with the son of nerd royalty. Renatus Ritter and Gwilim Cael were like a fucking nerd power couple! He had totally not fanboyed or anything when he saw them at a gaming convention out in Aurora a few years ago or anything. Renatus was an extremely talented and popular voice actor with a wide range, who portrayed characters that were fan favorites in many an RPG franchise especially. And Gwilim Cael... THE GWILIM CAEL! He was a game designer and the genius mind behind some of the most popular titles in the gaming world. Yup. Totally not fanboying. Nope. It's not like he was Gabriel or some shit.

Offline nephero

Re: Lead, and I will follow [Nix]
« Reply #6 on: May 26, 2017, 11:01:37 am »
"It adds a good bit of routine to the day," Chance said carefully, hearing the name 'Cnyte' and knowing that was not at all anything that he needed to stick his nose into right this moment. Better just go back to the old standby of teasing the Pilot Cardinal on his arm. "I could help you, if you want. Chase you aaaall around the ATC."

Not that Chance necessarily thought Jon really needed it. A flabby tummy wasn't so bad, and the Pilot Cardinal was still built underneath it. That and more to the point was Chance actually liked a bit of softness. It made for optimal cuddling times-- not... not that he expected to have something like cuddle times with Omajon Rheeves or anything. Endlessly fantasized about it, yes-- like what it would be like to rest his head on Jon's stomach and have the other Pilot pet his hair and--

So lost in his thoughts was he that he nearly jumped clean out of his skin when Jon shouted, and for one horrible second Chance thought he had accidentally telegraphed that little daydream. It took a moment for him to catch up with what Jon was saying, relief cascading over him like a waterfall but doing nothing for the faintest remnants of a blush.

Quirin Ritter? What was so special about-- Oh. Oh!

It was a mark of the popularity of Renatus Ritter and Gwilim Cael that even Chance knew who they were-- he dabbled in games, of course, but his particular brand of pop culture consumption had always leaned towards film-- and his eyebrows shot up high in amazement. Quirin was their kid?

Well, fuck him sideways.

...No, Chance, now was not the time to take THAT phrase running. Gods but he really wanted to set his own brain on fire today. He settled for shooting Jon a teasing grin and patting the arm still curled around his own.

"Maybe after we sort this all out you can ask for an autograph."

Offline Nix

Re: Lead, and I will follow [Nix]
« Reply #7 on: May 28, 2017, 05:51:47 am »
"What? Dude. No. I'm not going to ask the guy for his parents autographs... Besides I already have them." He muttered looking to the side bashfully.They were here to help this candidate and talk to him. Jon had to dislodge himself from the other Pilot's arm in order to pull his phone out of his pocket. He tapped away at the screen before show in the screen to Chance. "He looks like a little Renatus... Well, not little and he must not have Renatus' lower half." Jon didn't even realize how that sounded. He simply meant that for Quirin to be a candidate he would have to be able to ride a dragon. Which meant his lose body could not consist of a serpent's tail.

It listed the candidate's room designation and given the time he would probably be there... If not they could just page him. "Let's just go to his room first, don't want to worry him by paging his com straight off the bat." Jon said as he headed for an elevator. "Hey are you a mentor Chance?"

The mentor program always seemed cool to him, and Jon's own mentor had been good. Tough but good. He kind of wished he could be a mentor, but then again if he could it would be really tough too.

It didn't matter. He was foreign born. He couldn't mentor. At least he was allowed in the ATC. Lufti wasn't even able to get in.

Offline nephero

Re: Lead, and I will follow [Nix]
« Reply #8 on: May 28, 2017, 01:51:21 pm »
"Have a lot of experience with lower halves, do we?" Chance grinned, unable to help himself. It had been too easy a target, and Jon had looked so shy about the idea of asking for an autograph. Still, he didn't linger on the slip-up, instead taking hold of Jon's phone to get a better look at this candidate's profile; he had seen his photo before, earlier, but he hadn't exactly delved into the information that was typically attached. Even so, the appearance was striking, and more than a little intimidating.

"Nothing quite like inciting a panic in some poor Candidate with an official page, huh?" he said, remembering all too well the dread that such a thing often incurred. He sure as shit had never liked having his coms go off in such a manner when he was in Candidacy. As for being a mentor himself, well.

"Mm, no, not yet. Not really, anyway, like a proper mentorship. Izzy and I sometimes do guest lectures but that's been about it. I dunno, I've been thinking about it more and more, especially with all this," he gestured, vaguely, between Jon and himself and the phone still bearing Ritter's likeness, "y'know. Like maybe if I was more involved I wouldn't need to see it implode in the candidate chat."

Which was true. That was the downside of being kinetic, foresight was firmly locked exactly where it was, and it took just that much more work to recognize what was going wrong before it became a disaster.

"Then again, I'm a bit of an idiot, so that might damn more Candidates than help 'em." He gave a shrug and a grin, nudging Jon with his elbow.

Offline Nix

Re: Lead, and I will follow [Nix]
« Reply #9 on: June 17, 2017, 07:29:30 pm »
Jon rolled his eyes. "Not like THAT." He said stepping on to the elevator as it opened. "I just meant it would be hard for a kid with a serpent tail to ride a dragon... don't think they even get recruited for the program." Once they were on the elevator Jon bumped shoulders with Chance and just sort of leaned against him. He liked elevator rides with Chance. They were always comforting somehow. Not that he was really afraid of elevators before, just a bit unsettled maybe? But ever since they first met on one they were just... nice now. Especially when Chance was on it with him.

"I am sure you would help them Chance. You aren't the kind to damn anyone." He chuckled looking back at his phone. "Ok it should be just down this hallway. Bingo!" He stopped outside Ritter's room. "Wanna do the honors or should I?" Jon asked as he nodded towards the door. Not that it mattered who knocked. He just hoped the kid was there so they didn't have to hunt him down. Right. Not a kid. That was hard to remember.

Offline nephero

Re: Lead, and I will follow [Nix]
« Reply #10 on: June 19, 2017, 11:20:34 pm »
Chance was still snickering even as the elevator doors closed , locking with a soft hiss and floor indicators lighting up as they passed by. The ride was smooth, almost imperceptible, a testament to the finest Aedolian engineering. It didn't stop Chance from feeling dizzy, especially as Jon's shoulder touched his own, the sensation leaving a blossoming warmth that he was thankfully able to keep from creeping to his ears.

He loved elevators. It never failed to put him in a good mood, to slap a smile on his face, no matter how late or early it was, no matter how banged up and bruised from practice he was, no matter how exhausted his reserves were. Unbidden but not unwelcome, he was reminded of a similar elevator ride, though with both of them in wildly different uniforms. Chance had had no reason to get on that elevator; still in his flight suit, he had booked it for the doors just before they closed, making up some excuse of needing to get to the 31st floor. He wasn't even sure what was on the 31st floor. It didn't matter.

What had mattered was Jon was on that elevator, and for a few blissful moments, he got the Candidate from Pilot Instructor Leimann's lecture all to himself. It hadn't... gone as planned, mind. Jon had been utterly uninterested in his flirtations, but had accepted his number nonetheless. Platonically, but hey, Chance was okay with that. He was okay with that for years. He'd stay okay with that for years.

They made it out of the elevator and down the hall in short order, the blissful little ride together agonizingly short, like they always were. His mouth curved to the side in a wry little smile about to whom the honors belonged, and he raised his hand to rap in a short, insistent pattern against the door's surface.

Unofficial, casual. Which would hopefully help when the poor Candidate opened the door to see two full fledged Pilots standing there. He might not have been a kid, but good lord damn, that was still intimidating.

 

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