Silverias
Seeing is Believing
- Location
- Squiddy Places
That's just Armsy's halberd.
No good deed... (Worm AU)
- Thread starter LD1449
- Start date
NotAKobold
Retired "High-Elven" Revolutionary
- Location
- Florida, the giant aligator.
Oh so THAT'S what I've been doing wrong! My parents and friends kept playing tag and they always made me 'it'! It was quite aggravating. Not to mention those incessant screeching noises. *Shudder*
Note to self: no feeding on brains and/or souls whilst performing a 'hug'. There! That should do it! Thank you SV!
1.2
LD1449
To the last; Kill them all
- Location
- The other side of the labyrinth.
1.2
"Ms. Hebert."
There was a knock on the door.
I was kinda surprised actually. It was early.
"Yes?" I called, reaching for the blindfold.
"Ms. Hebert your attorney is here to see you."
I blinked.
"I have an attorney?" I called through the door. "Am I...Am I in trouble?"
"No Miss," the agent called from across the door. "You require an attorney for legal proceedings. Yours is Mr… Anthony Hassan."
"Oh," I answer, not really knowing what else to say. "Umm...let me- can I take a shower and get dressed or do I have to go now?"
"Mr. Hassan is waiting for you in a conference room just down the hall, he said that there was 'no great rush'."
"Thank you," I call out, stepping out of bed. "Tell him I'll be out in thirty minutes."
"You got it."
I move quickly, quicker than I have in a while, knowing there was someone I might be keeping waiting making me rush.
I brush my teeth, shower and have enough time to tie my hair behind me in a very loose, low tail to keep it out of my face before I march out of the room, dressed and blindfolded.
The hallway is bright enough that I can see the guard's silhouettes, even without the sparks and clusters of nerves.
"Ok," I say. "I'm ready."
One of the men nods, the nerves along his neck and shoulders flashing with the sparks.
"Good morning," he says. His voice is kind, I think. "Right this way."
We walk down to the left, deeper into the building, rather than to the right where the elevators are.
There's a cluster of nerves I recognize as a man sitting down in a chair, leaning back, his posture almost slouched. Is that him?
When we stop, I determine it is.
"Just in here Miss. I'll be right outside, call if you need anything," the agent says.
I nod, keeping my face, even blindfolded, held downwards.
Stepping through the door, I hear it hiss shut behind me.
"Ms. Hebert, I take it."
The voice is… cold. Not like...angry or hate filled or anything, or even bored. It's just this slow, languid little drawl that reminds me of ice frosting over on a window. Cool to the touch and taking its sweet time to freeze over the whole frame.
The man hasn't moved from his slightly slouched position. Maybe because he thinks I'm blind or something?"
"Yes that's me," I answer, reaching out with my hand to wildly feel for a chair.
"I assure you, you can take your blindfold off if you wish miss."
I breathe through my nose, half in relief, half in gratitude.
"Thanks."
I reach behind me, untying the knot with a single tug.
I open my eyes.
And find myself, not looking at black sunglasses but rather green eyes.
I gasp and cover my eyes with my hand- "Are you crazy!"
"I assure you I'm not, I've read your file rather extensively before coming here." The man, an old man now that I'd noticed said, I saw his nerves shift and move as he sat up straighter. "Now you've already caught me and I'm not dead so then let's move on shall we?"
I cursed, reaching to pull my blindfold back on- "What the hell were you thinking?"
"I was thinking that sooner, rather than later, you will get rather tired of having to listen to someone without looking them in the eyes. You can put that blindfold back on if it makes you feel better, but I am sixty-seven years old, I've survived a war, the rise of Parahumans, two heart surgeries and four wives, I believe I can survive a conversation with eye contact."
I hesitated, the blindfold hovering just an inch below my downturned face
Five days of staring at nothing but reflective glass whenever you tried to talk to someone…
I never realized how much I'd miss such a simple thing.
I bunched up the blindfold in my fists and turned my gaze back onto the man.
Instantly, I felt my power activate, primed like the hammer of a gun cocking back, my mind flooded with an overflow of information like...patterns over a screen, my mind's eye seeing ways I could change and alter them, like ripples on a crystal clear lake.
I shunted those thoughts to the side, pushing away the stream of data to the back of my mind and resolutely deciding to not touch it in the least.
He didn't smile, his face never left the veneer of calm neutrality.
He did, however, nod.
"Good. Now, my name is Anthony Hassan and if you so wish it, I'd like to be your lawyer."
I blinked, finally getting a good look at the man.
"You don't look like a Hassan." Was the first thing I blurted out.
Smooth Taylor.
"No I don't," he answered.
It was true. The man was white. If I didn't know any better I would have pegged him as an ideal E88 member. I wasn't one for genealogies or recognizing the subtle differences in facial structures that told people of their lineage but if you were to stick him in a viking costume, I'd probably buy him as a genuine Saxon or whatever.
He was...not fat per se, but definitely not skinny and in shape either. His face was clean-shaven with a crown of hair that went around his head, having long receded from the top.
At his short answer I decided to venture into a slightly different subject. "I thought you were my lawyer? What do you mean you'd like to be?"
"I can't very well be your lawyer if you don't want me as your lawyer."
"The PRT didn't appoint you?"
"No. But even if they had the same rule applies. No one can force you to accept a lawyer to represent you if you don't want one."
"Oh," I said, the man not taking his eyes off of me, staring straight at me like he was the one with eye-powers. "Well, what do I need a lawyer for right now?"
"To help you manage the affairs of your inheritance and adjoin the rather large sum of money Hookwolf's bounty has suddenly added to it."
I blinked. "Hookwolf's bounty!?"
He nodded. "Indeed. As you may know the largest bounty in the United states is currently held by the Siberian, sitting at seventy five million, with the other members of the Slaughterhouse Nine all being below that and upgraded as the years roll by. I believe the lowest of them is Hatchet Face at thirty-two million. Each of these however held kill orders, as such, their sums are much greater, but Hookwolf's reward is not an insubstantial amount.
I was trying to even begin wrapping my head around the number. Hookwolf's wasn't as much but… "Just...what exactly are we talking about here?"
"Five point seven million."
I felt like the wind had just been punched straight out of me.
"Wha- I...What?"
"Five point seven million." The man flatly repeated as if that number wasn't more than I'd ever heard, or ever even dreamed of in my entire life.
"That including the inheritance left to you by your father, his life insurance policy and your home, your earnings are closer to a solid six."
Oh. Six million.
Well...ok then.
"I...think I need to sit down."
"You are sitting down."
Oh. When did that happen?
"Before you start getting your hopes up, you are a minor with no legal guardian, as such, the Court will assign to you a tutor, and the bulk of those funds will be held by the court until your eighteenth birthday."
Oh.
Good. I might be able to begin to make sense of this by then.
I took a breath.
We sat in silence for a good, long while. Enough for me to get my wits under me at least.
Mr. Hassan leaned forward on the table. "Now, let me be frank before we proceed any further."
I looked to him, still reeling so much I barely even blinked when I realized I was looking him in the eye again.
The man's green eyes were sharp as flint knives. "I'm an old attorney, frankly, I was due for retirement before I saw your story air on the news and decided to take one last case, pro-bono. I am not a nice, or the most likeable person. If I feel you're being an idiot I will tell you so. I have little patience for…" He paused, looking around the room. "Bureaucracies, if I am your attorney I will look out for your interests, not the Protectorate's or the PRT. If you want to be assured to stay forever on their good side I am not the attorney you want. You want one of those pencil pushers that take orders up above and give you a sales pitch down here."
I leaned forward, looking at the file on the desk. "Why did you volunteer to take this case pro bono? That means free right?"
He nodded. "Indeed it does. I volunteered for this case for many reasons, but primarily for you. You've clearly suffered a tragedy and, as an old man with enough money, just ready to retire I have no one to impress, no bosses or superiors to please. You are the client, the buck stops with you. There are few attorneys who specialize in parahuman law that can say the same, they all have their strings attached. I don't."
"So this is all just for me then?" I asked, my incredulity easily audible in my voice.
He nodded. "Quite."
I looked at him, grateful that I actually could look at him… "And if I say I don't want you for an attorney?"
"Then I give you an orientation on what I believe your next moves should be, and what's going to happen in the following months as the government engine begins to put coals in the boilers to get the bureaucratic machine to move, hand you my card in case you change your mind, walk out that door and unless you call we never see each other again."
"That's it?"
Hassan nodded. "That's it."
I looked to the file again, the first paper holding my picture with a copy of my birth certificate stapled behind it.
(X)(X)(X)
By the time I'd returned to my room after talking at length with Mr. Hassan, it was well past noon, probably three o'clock or so. He told me that the court would assign a social worker to me soon, along with a short hearing to discover what exactly my...inheritance was and the mass bulk of the liquidated assets.
I was on my bed, sitting and reading over the transcripts again when the door snapped open.
I looked up, reaching for my blindfold only to see Armsmaster at the doorway, the reflective visor protecting him from me.
"Hey," I greeted. "Something wrong?"
He shook his head, stepping into the room.
He unfurled a length of white cloth in his hand and held it out to me.
I took it. "Umm...Thank you. It's a very nice blindfold."
"It's Tinker-tech," he explained. "Inspired from one of Aegis' adaptation. The cloth absorbs ambient light, allowing you to see the shapes of inanimate objects and people, similar to the silhouettes you can see now only much more clearly defined."
I looked at the cloth in my hands with a new appreciation. "Thank you!" I say. "Did you make it?"
"Dragon helped with the technology, but I implemented it, yes," he answered. "I will develop a visor, as soon as I can safely find a way to place the technology into folds of plastic. Glass would be easier, but placing glass over your eyes would be...unwise." He clinked his finger against his visor, allowing me to hear the thunks of metal on plastic rather than the clinks of metal on glass. "It might take some time, given that-"
"Oh, no! Take your time it's ok." I smiled. "This is good enough for me, really."
He nodded, and without another word turned and marched out of the room.
(X)(X)(X)
Ok, there are 2 interludes left for this arc and both can take place next,
So I'll put it up for a vote.
Would you like to see Emma Barnes interlude next?
Or Purity?
"Ms. Hebert."
There was a knock on the door.
I was kinda surprised actually. It was early.
"Yes?" I called, reaching for the blindfold.
"Ms. Hebert your attorney is here to see you."
I blinked.
"I have an attorney?" I called through the door. "Am I...Am I in trouble?"
"No Miss," the agent called from across the door. "You require an attorney for legal proceedings. Yours is Mr… Anthony Hassan."
"Oh," I answer, not really knowing what else to say. "Umm...let me- can I take a shower and get dressed or do I have to go now?"
"Mr. Hassan is waiting for you in a conference room just down the hall, he said that there was 'no great rush'."
"Thank you," I call out, stepping out of bed. "Tell him I'll be out in thirty minutes."
"You got it."
I move quickly, quicker than I have in a while, knowing there was someone I might be keeping waiting making me rush.
I brush my teeth, shower and have enough time to tie my hair behind me in a very loose, low tail to keep it out of my face before I march out of the room, dressed and blindfolded.
The hallway is bright enough that I can see the guard's silhouettes, even without the sparks and clusters of nerves.
"Ok," I say. "I'm ready."
One of the men nods, the nerves along his neck and shoulders flashing with the sparks.
"Good morning," he says. His voice is kind, I think. "Right this way."
We walk down to the left, deeper into the building, rather than to the right where the elevators are.
There's a cluster of nerves I recognize as a man sitting down in a chair, leaning back, his posture almost slouched. Is that him?
When we stop, I determine it is.
"Just in here Miss. I'll be right outside, call if you need anything," the agent says.
I nod, keeping my face, even blindfolded, held downwards.
Stepping through the door, I hear it hiss shut behind me.
"Ms. Hebert, I take it."
The voice is… cold. Not like...angry or hate filled or anything, or even bored. It's just this slow, languid little drawl that reminds me of ice frosting over on a window. Cool to the touch and taking its sweet time to freeze over the whole frame.
The man hasn't moved from his slightly slouched position. Maybe because he thinks I'm blind or something?"
"Yes that's me," I answer, reaching out with my hand to wildly feel for a chair.
"I assure you, you can take your blindfold off if you wish miss."
I breathe through my nose, half in relief, half in gratitude.
"Thanks."
I reach behind me, untying the knot with a single tug.
I open my eyes.
And find myself, not looking at black sunglasses but rather green eyes.
I gasp and cover my eyes with my hand- "Are you crazy!"
"I assure you I'm not, I've read your file rather extensively before coming here." The man, an old man now that I'd noticed said, I saw his nerves shift and move as he sat up straighter. "Now you've already caught me and I'm not dead so then let's move on shall we?"
I cursed, reaching to pull my blindfold back on- "What the hell were you thinking?"
"I was thinking that sooner, rather than later, you will get rather tired of having to listen to someone without looking them in the eyes. You can put that blindfold back on if it makes you feel better, but I am sixty-seven years old, I've survived a war, the rise of Parahumans, two heart surgeries and four wives, I believe I can survive a conversation with eye contact."
I hesitated, the blindfold hovering just an inch below my downturned face
Five days of staring at nothing but reflective glass whenever you tried to talk to someone…
I never realized how much I'd miss such a simple thing.
I bunched up the blindfold in my fists and turned my gaze back onto the man.
Instantly, I felt my power activate, primed like the hammer of a gun cocking back, my mind flooded with an overflow of information like...patterns over a screen, my mind's eye seeing ways I could change and alter them, like ripples on a crystal clear lake.
I shunted those thoughts to the side, pushing away the stream of data to the back of my mind and resolutely deciding to not touch it in the least.
He didn't smile, his face never left the veneer of calm neutrality.
He did, however, nod.
"Good. Now, my name is Anthony Hassan and if you so wish it, I'd like to be your lawyer."
I blinked, finally getting a good look at the man.
"You don't look like a Hassan." Was the first thing I blurted out.
Smooth Taylor.
"No I don't," he answered.
It was true. The man was white. If I didn't know any better I would have pegged him as an ideal E88 member. I wasn't one for genealogies or recognizing the subtle differences in facial structures that told people of their lineage but if you were to stick him in a viking costume, I'd probably buy him as a genuine Saxon or whatever.
He was...not fat per se, but definitely not skinny and in shape either. His face was clean-shaven with a crown of hair that went around his head, having long receded from the top.
At his short answer I decided to venture into a slightly different subject. "I thought you were my lawyer? What do you mean you'd like to be?"
"I can't very well be your lawyer if you don't want me as your lawyer."
"The PRT didn't appoint you?"
"No. But even if they had the same rule applies. No one can force you to accept a lawyer to represent you if you don't want one."
"Oh," I said, the man not taking his eyes off of me, staring straight at me like he was the one with eye-powers. "Well, what do I need a lawyer for right now?"
"To help you manage the affairs of your inheritance and adjoin the rather large sum of money Hookwolf's bounty has suddenly added to it."
I blinked. "Hookwolf's bounty!?"
He nodded. "Indeed. As you may know the largest bounty in the United states is currently held by the Siberian, sitting at seventy five million, with the other members of the Slaughterhouse Nine all being below that and upgraded as the years roll by. I believe the lowest of them is Hatchet Face at thirty-two million. Each of these however held kill orders, as such, their sums are much greater, but Hookwolf's reward is not an insubstantial amount.
I was trying to even begin wrapping my head around the number. Hookwolf's wasn't as much but… "Just...what exactly are we talking about here?"
"Five point seven million."
I felt like the wind had just been punched straight out of me.
"Wha- I...What?"
"Five point seven million." The man flatly repeated as if that number wasn't more than I'd ever heard, or ever even dreamed of in my entire life.
"That including the inheritance left to you by your father, his life insurance policy and your home, your earnings are closer to a solid six."
Oh. Six million.
Well...ok then.
"I...think I need to sit down."
"You are sitting down."
Oh. When did that happen?
"Before you start getting your hopes up, you are a minor with no legal guardian, as such, the Court will assign to you a tutor, and the bulk of those funds will be held by the court until your eighteenth birthday."
Oh.
Good. I might be able to begin to make sense of this by then.
I took a breath.
We sat in silence for a good, long while. Enough for me to get my wits under me at least.
Mr. Hassan leaned forward on the table. "Now, let me be frank before we proceed any further."
I looked to him, still reeling so much I barely even blinked when I realized I was looking him in the eye again.
The man's green eyes were sharp as flint knives. "I'm an old attorney, frankly, I was due for retirement before I saw your story air on the news and decided to take one last case, pro-bono. I am not a nice, or the most likeable person. If I feel you're being an idiot I will tell you so. I have little patience for…" He paused, looking around the room. "Bureaucracies, if I am your attorney I will look out for your interests, not the Protectorate's or the PRT. If you want to be assured to stay forever on their good side I am not the attorney you want. You want one of those pencil pushers that take orders up above and give you a sales pitch down here."
I leaned forward, looking at the file on the desk. "Why did you volunteer to take this case pro bono? That means free right?"
He nodded. "Indeed it does. I volunteered for this case for many reasons, but primarily for you. You've clearly suffered a tragedy and, as an old man with enough money, just ready to retire I have no one to impress, no bosses or superiors to please. You are the client, the buck stops with you. There are few attorneys who specialize in parahuman law that can say the same, they all have their strings attached. I don't."
"So this is all just for me then?" I asked, my incredulity easily audible in my voice.
He nodded. "Quite."
I looked at him, grateful that I actually could look at him… "And if I say I don't want you for an attorney?"
"Then I give you an orientation on what I believe your next moves should be, and what's going to happen in the following months as the government engine begins to put coals in the boilers to get the bureaucratic machine to move, hand you my card in case you change your mind, walk out that door and unless you call we never see each other again."
"That's it?"
Hassan nodded. "That's it."
I looked to the file again, the first paper holding my picture with a copy of my birth certificate stapled behind it.
(X)(X)(X)
By the time I'd returned to my room after talking at length with Mr. Hassan, it was well past noon, probably three o'clock or so. He told me that the court would assign a social worker to me soon, along with a short hearing to discover what exactly my...inheritance was and the mass bulk of the liquidated assets.
I was on my bed, sitting and reading over the transcripts again when the door snapped open.
I looked up, reaching for my blindfold only to see Armsmaster at the doorway, the reflective visor protecting him from me.
"Hey," I greeted. "Something wrong?"
He shook his head, stepping into the room.
He unfurled a length of white cloth in his hand and held it out to me.
I took it. "Umm...Thank you. It's a very nice blindfold."
"It's Tinker-tech," he explained. "Inspired from one of Aegis' adaptation. The cloth absorbs ambient light, allowing you to see the shapes of inanimate objects and people, similar to the silhouettes you can see now only much more clearly defined."
I looked at the cloth in my hands with a new appreciation. "Thank you!" I say. "Did you make it?"
"Dragon helped with the technology, but I implemented it, yes," he answered. "I will develop a visor, as soon as I can safely find a way to place the technology into folds of plastic. Glass would be easier, but placing glass over your eyes would be...unwise." He clinked his finger against his visor, allowing me to hear the thunks of metal on plastic rather than the clinks of metal on glass. "It might take some time, given that-"
"Oh, no! Take your time it's ok." I smiled. "This is good enough for me, really."
He nodded, and without another word turned and marched out of the room.
(X)(X)(X)
Ok, there are 2 interludes left for this arc and both can take place next,
So I'll put it up for a vote.
Would you like to see Emma Barnes interlude next?
Or Purity?
Last edited:
Dr. Mercurious
Strangest Person You Know
- Location
- New England
Preferably after a good deal of thorough grilling over a slow fire.
Oh, my vote is for Emma because I want to fucking see her freaking out.
Stranger1950
Worth It
- Location
- Reverse Side of the World
Well, if you are offering both, why not just both of them?
- Location
- NY, NY
I'd prefer both, but if we can only have 1, I'd vote Emma please.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Ganurath
Literal Enthusiast
- Location
- A Valid Location
- Pronouns
- He/Him
We're already getting both. The question is which one comes first.
Nashk
Tyrant of Kyushu
- Location
- Kyoshi Island
If both purity first. If only one... That's a toughie. I think I'd still say purity. Emma Barnes is a central character to Taylor, but to me she really isn't relevant anymore.
I'd rather see what direction the remnants of the empire will be going after Taylor's... Retribution.
I'd rather see what direction the remnants of the empire will be going after Taylor's... Retribution.
The Stormbringer
Worm Fanfic & Crack Connoisseur
- Location
- Spaaaaace~!
I say yes to all.
Also, that old geezer! I like him. I also like this Tinker-tech blindfold more than a visor... it's just cooler.
Also, that old geezer! I like him. I also like this Tinker-tech blindfold more than a visor... it's just cooler.
- Location
- Northish
I could see the recruitment pitch going something like this:
Kaiser: Ok I know this looks bad but I need you to join the the E88 again.
Purity: Not happening.
Kaiser: I will take custody of Aster if you don't.
Purity: I could fly over Medhall in broad daylight with you inside, melt it to a puddle, and the PRT could care less.
Kaiser: Shit.
Kaiser: Ok I know this looks bad but I need you to join the the E88 again.
Purity: Not happening.
Kaiser: I will take custody of Aster if you don't.
Purity: I could fly over Medhall in broad daylight with you inside, melt it to a puddle, and the PRT could care less.
Kaiser: Shit.
LD1449
To the last; Kill them all
- Location
- The other side of the labyrinth.
I suppose: we don't really have much use for him right now though.