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]

"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.)