There is no defense line, but defense territory.

[noonlight]

Who: Illumination & You.
What: Various goings on at the abandoned building that Lu has moved into.
When: Throughout the second and third week of the story.
Where: A former wine merchant (possible smuggler's) abandoned house in the 'neutral' territory.
Content warnings: None, yet.

Comments

[ugh_emotions]

"Except the vampires here don't go around murdering people to..." it makes an absolutely disgusted face, "...eat. They manage."

Did they manage by eating fauna? Or by...ugh...eating humans without killing them? It didn't know, and it didn't want to know. It didn't matter, anyway, because they point was they got by without murder, and Curze didn't.

"And humans notice, you know, when they start disappearing on masse. Sometimes it takes them a while to notice, because they're shit at that sort of thing. But they do notice, eventually. And the easiest ones to blame are all the new people. Which is us."

[curzed]

The flicker of changing color and scent is as interesting now as it had been when he'd first realized it matched with what they were saying, but he still can't quite actually translate it. It might not be language at all, merely emphasis, but the mystery is terribly distracting. "Ah, honesty. In the name of honesty ... contentment is not required. Survival is. A difference in flavor alone would not be worth the trouble."

He's capable of restraint! Sometimes, in specific areas.

"I rather think they would also notice were I to step onto the surface and wander about asking for handouts." Now that comes with a growl, a low rumble of displeasure he doesn't bother to hide. Curze doesn't blend in, not at his size. The Emperor hadn't wanted any of them to blend in. "Your concern for mortals is touching but please try to use some logical reasoning. Wasn't your point trying to avoid drawing attention?" There isn't much else to discuss as far as he's concerned, if the worry is leaving corpses, he won't. There won't be anything left to find.

[noonlight]

Curze isn't wrong, either. Hard to just walk into the local bloodbank and pick up a snack when you need to bend down to get through the door.

"I have heard that there is a bloodbank and while you might not be able to visit easily, I can. I don't think they'll give enough to slake your hunger entirely, but if I or another from the Library asks and can get a regular supply, it might make your life easier. Is that something you would want?"

If it doesn't appeal to him, then that's not their problem.

[ugh_emotions]

"You use some logical fucking reasoning," SecUnit says, because it is, obviously, the most mature.

"And Hikaru's making nice with the local vampires," it says. "He can probably access the blood bank and find out how they don't go around murdering everyone all the time."

[curzed]

A blood bank. How in Terra were people this primitive keeping such things cold enough to stay viable for long? "My life is simple enough as it is. There are those who very much deserve to be removed from the population. I have no interest in targeting others." It's an interesting notion, though, and he seems curious about it. Something Sanguinius might be able to take advantage of. "Understand blood - or flesh - is not simply a meal for my kind. I also gain their memories. I would prefer to know the type of creature my targets are before I bite."

A blood bank would be pure RNG.

Secunit however, draws a sigh. "Do you suppose if you complain and insult enough, others will simply fall in line with your false expectations, Rin?" When the primarch turns, it's very deliberately away from both of them. He has hunting to do. "I grow tired of listening to your naive and narrow-minded assumptions, as grateful as I am for your monitoring drone."

[ugh_emotions]

"I'm not stupid. I know you'll do what you fucking want. And I probably can't stop you," it says, and it sounds...tired. Like this is something its seen before, over and over again.

It's tired of all of the violence it wasn't able to stop.

"But you're so determined for murder to be solution. You won't even consider anything else. How the hell are you any better than all those people you say deserve it?"

[noonlight]

Not an ideal outcome, but what would be ideal, really? Everyone here is alive(ish) and well, Curze won't be leaving them gifts any longer, and the door has been hung on its hinges.

It might be better if there were fewer murders in general, but that's something wholly outside Illumination's sphere of influence. There's a sudden, sharp scent of fermenting apples and Lu shivers all over like a dog getting out of the water. They make a small noise and move to chalk up the doors and smooth the wards from the wall over them.

[curzed]

Konrad pauses, glancing back over one shoulder, expression dark. SecUnit can't help how it's programmed. That's the fault of whoever designed it. The disapproval is clear however, in tone and bearing - not that it'll matter much, Curze's disapproval is meaningless even to his own Legion. "You know very little of what I am, in this Story or outside of it, and you have no interest in learning."

But it's true. Everyone's still alive that's supposed to be and the undead one is still ... undead. Much like his arrival, it isn't long when he steps into the dark again that the drone is the only thing that marks his place at all. That unnatural ability to evade sensors and scans does NO GOOD when being followed by an easily detected flying marble!

It rather ruins the ominous effect entirely.

[ugh_emotions]

Curze leave. And SecUnit slams the door shut behind him, and stares at it.

It doesn't think Curze will leave dead bodies behind the door anymore. Which was...half positive. At least Illuminations hideout would be safer.

But people were still going to die. And SecUnit still felt like shit.

It keeps staring at the door. But if Illumination looks at its face, it's clear that SecUnit is...a little upset.

[noonlight]

"I'm sorry, SecUnit. Your arguments were sound, but not everyone wants to be persuaded. I'll try again with him, not too soon, but I won't forget."

Illumination's voice is gentle, and if they were with someone else, they'd reach out to touch. "I don't really know what to do, or how to ease your heart beyond thanking you again."

[ugh_emotions]

"I should stop him." That's what it should do. It should open that door, run after Curze, and physically stop him from murdering anyone.

To do that, though, it would have to kill Curze. Assuming that was something SecUnit could even do.

(It doesn't want to kill Curze.)