multiversallogs | gifts from the heart, AWWWW.

Entry tags:

gifts from the heart, AWWWW.

Who: Rex Lewis, Ana Lewis, Odessa Wander, open to all
What: Rex has some going-away drinks after quitting his nursing gig and gifts his sister with a weapon.
Where: A low-key bar in Mog Hill and Ana's home in Syriac Well.
When: A few days after St. Kelley's.
Notes: I'll be tossing up two threads for Ana and Odessa, but if your character wants to run into Rex/has business with him and his engineering workshop ~~which may or may not take weapons contracts~~, feel free to start a new thread. It can be anywhere/anytime, I'm flexible and can make up reasons for Rex about.
Warnings: N/A

Rex should never have been taken from the Barge. Certainly, he'd been making progress. He'd learned that mind control was, perhaps, not the best way to get things done (if only because it had ways of backfiring, and then he was left with the consequences), and that he couldn't always take care of a problem through blowing it up. He could even function in society (unlike many of the other inmates), put on a polite face and work a legal job out of the shadows, come home to a partner (who he didn't even feel the urge to dominate. Progress.) and a cat, of all things. Rex Lewis with a cat. How... normal.

But he wasn't ready to return to society. Rex could be... functional, but he hadn't been rehabilitated. For months, he'd been coasting along, but without any supervision, the slide back into old habits was simply inevitable. First, he began drafting up designs for Baedal-compatible weapons. Just as an intellectual exercise. Then, well, he might as well build a model or two. Just to see if he could. And now that he had a few successful (if less sophisticated than he was accustomed to) prototypes of pulse pistols under his belt, it would only be a matter of time before he decided to take his little operation to the next level.

Now, if only he could figure out how to begin production of his nanomites again. The limitations of this world were nothing short of infuriating.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Rex hates taking his projects out of the workshop. There's always a chance that he could find himself getting frisked or taken in for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. A small chance, perhaps, but enough to fill him with a small sense of dread whenever he leaves the shop with something suspicious hidden in his messenger bag.

In this case, it's a small gun capable of emitting a pulse blast with the help of some crystals he purchased off another engineer at Tinkers' Lot. Not as powerful as the weapons he'd given her back home, and the power source burns out faster than he'd like, but it's better than relying on bullets.

Rex avoids public transportation as he makes his way from his workshop in Brock Marsh to Ana's place in Syriac Well. He wants to get there in as few stops as possible, so he doesn't mind splurging on a water taxi service. The only downside is the ferryman won't stop trying to make light conversation with him, and there's only so much he can say about the state of the fog today. By the time they get to his stop, Rex is all too happy to make the rest of the journey on foot.

It takes him a little while to locate Ana's home. Being a pretty terrible brother, this is actually the first time he's visited her part of town-- they usually met in more "neutral" territory. Still, he finds his way there without incident, and the nervousness is starting to abate by the time he knocks on her door.

Ana was fond of her borrowed abode in the nicer section of the city. Her two years with Micheal had in fact worn off some of the harsher edges about Ana Lewis, and she discovered that there was a bit of a necessity in her for luxury. Of course, tying one's self down to a husband wasn't something that Ana ever intended on doing again with or without the addition of the illusion love to it. There was something to be said for being free.

No, this house had come by a different con, one that started by convincing one of the families that Ana was the illegitimate daughter of a beloved son from a tawdry affair. The nanomites and healing ability in her skin had convinced them of her parentage, and so this small house had been gifted to her, along with a certain sum in order to keep her mouth shut about it.

Of course, Ana had added to her fund through nefarious means, mostly because she was a bit bored. The smell of roasted garlic plumed when she opened the door, because Ana had been cooking. She grinned at her brother and then stepped inside, waiting to hug him until the door was closed.

Once the door was closed behind him, Rex reciprocated the hug, a little more easily than usual. He was getting used to these normal displays of sibling affection, at least in private. Even though nobody would care if Ana was his sister-- it wasn't like he was a figure of any prominence in the city-- Rex was still in the habit of keeping his important relationships private (or trying to).

"Well, this suits you," he remarked, looking around. What was she even going to do with all this space? Rex knew what he'd do-- fill it with engineering equipment-- but he doubted Ana would try anything along those lines. He shifted his messenger bag around and opened it, digging for the gun. "What're you making, anyway?"

"It does, doesn't it?" Ana grinned a bit and looked around her abode. She wasn't quite proud of it yet, but she was definitely working on being proud of it. It was only a matter of time before every bit of it suited her. After being underwater, and then being in her husband's house and of course, the Joe Brig and the Barge, Ana wanted space of her own. Space where she could just move and breathe and live.

Space had become a very important thing to Ana Lewis somewhere along the line.

"Roasted chicken and garlic like dad used to make. Well, as close as you can get to it with stuff here. I talked to someone at the market and they suggested good substitutions for things."

Rex chuckled as he continued to rummage around his bag. "Let's hope you're not cooking some kind of... magical, three-headed cockatoo that grants wishes." What? That sounded perfectly plausible for Baedal. His hands found the gun, holstered and wrapped in brown paper, and he pulled it out and offered it to Ana. "Here. I owe you a present." He smirked, looking more "Doctor" than "Rex" for a moment. "It's from the heart."

"Don't worry, Rex, I know how to make sure I get the wishes first before I kill it and cook it." It did sound perfectly plausible, and Ana grinned. She felt more relaxed, and more at home in her house here than she'd felt in years. It was like there was no one she needed to be other than herself and it was incredibly freeing.

And of course herself was pleased to see the thing wrapped in brown paper, and Ana grinned as she unwrapped the gun. Clearly pleased with it, she traced her finger over it. "It's wonderful!" And it was, in her eyes.

Rex grinned for a moment, then reached out to point out a few details. "It's best to keep it holstered until you absolutely plan on using it. The power source glows, and I couldn't cover it without compromising the overall safety of the piece, so it's not ideal for stealth or subtlety." Pause. "And it isn't as powerful as what you have to work with back home. But if you use it sparingly, it should stay charged for a long time-- it gives you less to worry about than bullets. When the crystal starts to dim, come to me for a new one."

Ana always kept her gun holstered unless she planned to use it here. Her time on the Barge had taught her how ridiculous their world had been especially when it came to weapons. Occasionally she'd needed to rely on skills of subtlety; not something that were often needed at home. "It's nice to have an energy weapon again; bullets are so messy." For the amount of killing people that Ana had done in the past, she really disliked blood.

"Thank you, Rex, I mean it." Hugging him again, Ana gestured toward the obscenely large and windowed kitchen. "How are things going otherwise?"

It's a few hours after his last and final shift at the Glory Shada, and Rex is already a few drinks into his celebration. Not that he didn't enjoy his job-- he'll miss the educational opportunities it afforded him. The uniqueness of the patients never ceased to fascinate him, and the specifications of women's health were... somewhat novel to him. He'd largely worked with men in various capacities, tending to soldiers on the battlefield or modifying soldiers in MARS's headquarters, so he welcomed the change as a learning experience.

But what he won't miss are the weird hours, the long shifts keeping him on his feet to the point of aching, the sex rituals...

Besides, working for himself and taking contracts for medical and surveillance equipment (and the odd weapon here and there) pays better.

The possibilities seem endless now that he's freed himself from the time-sink of his nursing job. So Rex, normally reserved and a touch antisocial, is celebrating a little harder than usual. Probably not a good thing when Odessa's about.

The crowd here is on the smaller side, but it's somebody's birthday, and cheers and laughter flood the bar. Rex chose this place because it's a little out of the way, less likely to fill up as much as The Apache at this hour. Besides, he was already there a few days ago to make an appearance at that St. Kelley's party, even though parties aren't exactly his scene. A little change can't hurt. After all, it's pretty much the theme of tonight.

While Odessa is definitely going to miss the chances to chat (briefly) with Rex at work, she can't at all fault him for making the leap to the private sector. And there's the allure of being one's own boss that can't be denied.

She's a little behind on the celebration front, if only because she's curious to see how Rex does with a head start. It's for science, okay? He'd approve if she explained her nefarious plan, obviously. She's swirling a skinny straw through some sort of bright green mixture that tastes dangerously like candy.

"You realise if you suddenly discover you're making boat loads of money, you have to call me and let me come work for you, right?"

"Careful, I just may take you up on that," Rex replies with a laugh as he dabs at the condensation on his glass. It's a way to keep his hands busy as he pauses between drinks. He's still not too fond of the taste of vodka, so he's taking this drink slow. He should branch out, try something that isn't common to Earth, but... As much as Rex enjoys scientific endeavors, he's not really up for imbibing unfamiliar liquids. Who knows what he'd end up doing or saying.

"But I don't think my entrepreneurial endeavors will pay as well as the hospital." His own pay may've been modest-- he'd deliberately taken work that was 'beneath' him, as far as he's concerned, for the networking and education-- but Odessa's a surgeon. He figures it's safe to assume she's quite comfortable with her salary. He muses for a moment, then takes a drink. "You know, I still don't have a name for the business. I need something striking, like... I don't know, 'Ouroboros Ventures'."

No, that's a very bad name. But if it's related to snakes in some capacity, chances are, Rex will think it's gold.

He may have something of a one-track mind.

Edited 2012-02-15 19:32 (UTC)

"I think the word ouroboros always sounds impressive." Not that she's the authority on excellent names for organisations, considering she comes from such gems as The Company and The Institute. The Vanguard was perhaps not particularly inspired, either. Not that she was actually responsible for the naming of any of those.

She giggles, pressing the back of her knuckles to the underside of her nose as if to stave off a snort. "Could always go with Cobra Capital if you wanted to be alliterative. Viper Ventures would be perhaps a touch too evocative of villainous intent." Finger and thumb held up a half inch apart to indicate just a smidgen.

"It does, doesn't it?" It's so good to have somebody who thinks like him. He lifts his glass and takes a sip through the little stirrer that's now doubling as a straw. "It calls to mind something... timeless." He rolls his eyes up towards the ceiling, as if drawing inspiration from above. "Legendary."

But that's not nearly as great as an alliterative snake name. He brings his gaze down, meeting Odessa's eyes, and his mouth quirks into a brief, crooked grin. "Cobra Capital? I like that." He raises his glass and tips it to her in kudos. Vodka threatens to spill out, but he straightens it out before it does. "It's catchy." Naturally, the guy who used to call himself Cobra Commander would think that. "A shame that a lot of people would be put off by snakes. I suppose I'll have to dress it up a little. Ophis Industries."

Rex takes a drink and shrugs. "Anyway. That's assuming the contracts will keep coming in at their current pace. I'd hate to get ahead of myself."

Lies, he always likes to get ahead of himself.

Odessa traces circles and curly-cues absently on the table's surface while Rex talks. He draws a smile from her when he invokes the word legendary. She matches his gaze, a glint of something between mirth and mischief there. And when he nearly spills his vodka, she exhales a breath of laughter.

"Regardless," she assures, "I think you're on to something. And there's nothing wrong with looking to the future, eh?" The green concoction is sipped through her straw and seems to draw a wider smile. "And I'd say you've got a bright one ahead of you. This place, Baedal? It's not so bad, really. Fresh beginnings and all. I think it's a blessing."

Fresh beginnings. Rex lets out a soft chuckle. How many of those has he had now? Far too many, although good things have certainly come from them. His work at MARS, for starters. His experiments on the Barge, studying the special abilities of others. Meeting Iago, Wichita... Hm. Baedal could certainly bring as many opportunities as his other "fresh beginnings."

However, he's more interested in Odessa's choice of words right now. Rex leans closer, like they're about to talk conspiracies, and grins teasingly. "Only if your old life's worth leaving behind. Was yours?"

Odessa's fucked up her fair share of fresh beginnings, though she'd argue until she's blue in the face that she never stood a chance and there was nothing fresh about it. So when he asks her, was her old life worth leaving behind, she doesn't quite lose her smile, but it instead gains a bittersweet sort of quality. "Oh yes. Definitely. I can't think of anything I would go back for."

Not even the people she's claimed to love.

Rex tilts his head and hums quietly, considering his own answer. Was there anything worth going home for? His lab, his projects, his power. His cobras.

But that's about it. Ana's the only person from home who matters, and she's here now, so...

"I can think of a few things. But things are so easily replaceable," he remarks. People, too, for the most part, but he decides to keep that comment to himself. "As long as I have a chance to do science, I'm happy."

She'd agree with that comment if he decided to voice it. They're a similar kind of terrible in that respect. "See, that's how I see things, too. Back home, I wasn't always left to my research, either. This place? It has some distinct advantages."

And besides all that, Odessa suspects she isn't nearly as important to the people who are important to her. Cutting ties and letting go may be the best thing for her. "I'm much happier here than I ever was in New York." She grins and cuts that space between them just a little more. "Company's better, too."

Shrieky leaned forward, invading the other man's personal space with the lazy obliviousness of the very drunk. As far as he was concerned, this was one of the single most successful conversations he'd ever had with a human, and he was not going to let a little thing like maintaining a polite distance during conversation get in the way of that.

"There was a nest of eels in the moat for a while, which, I know aren't the same as snakes, because they looked quite different, but they were still limbless and somewhat similar in shape to snakes?"

He didn't really expect Rex to care about eels, we was just sort of trying to prompt the human to talk more about snakes. Shrieky had never known they were so wonderful.

Rex shifted back subtly, because it wasn't like he knew Shrieky well enough to allow him to invade his space. Give it time, merman. He took a big gulp of his vodka-and-whatever, the drink going down a lot easier now that he was drunk.

"What kind of eels? I'm partial to... Ophi... ichthy... de... uh. Snake eels." Rex wasn't a huge fish person, but at least eels were at least, like, the snakes of the sea. In fact, he should say that. "Eels are like the snakes of the sea. I mean." He waved a hand. "Aside from actual sea snakes. Like the... the... sea krait." Wait. He leaned forward-- now it was Rex's turn to stop caring about personal space. His eyes were wide with sudden interest. "Have you ever seen a sea krait?"

Tell him you have, Shrieky.

Shrieky had absolutely no clue as to what a sea krait was, but telling this to Rex might just end the conversation, and that would be completely unacceptable. Instead, he answered with all the guile of a lonesome mermaid, "Well, I did live in salt water, so it's entirely possible I have seen one! However I mostly just made up names for the things in the moat, so in order to be sure, you should tell me about sea kraits?"

Shrieky tries to look as if he is being truthful, as well as being quietly intrigued by the concept of underwater snakes!

"They're just-- they're so--" He put a hand on Shrieky's shoulder for emphasis. "So beautiful. They have stripes, you know. It's like, the stripes? They camouflage the krait when it's on land, then just." He removed his hand from the merman and waved it about as if his hand was, in fact, the snake. "It confuses the fish. It's an optical illusion." Rex leaned back and sighed happily, looking quite content for a moment, just kind of staring at nothing. He was clearly thinking about snakes. "They're really venomous." Smiling and nodding as if to confirm, yes, Shrieky, what I say is truth. "They're in the same family as the cobra, too," he added. Just in case Shrieky was wondering.

Edited 2012-02-16 04:45 (UTC)

Shrieky was touched by Rex's passion, and he listened to the description intently. "There were some elongated striped creatures in the moat with me, none of them ever bit me, so I don't know if they were poisonous or not, but they were most beautiful!"

They were also fish. He is literally one hundred percent certain that they were fish, and not terrifying poisonous snakes. But for all Rex knows they could have been!

"Have you ever touched one?" He asked, earnestly. Whether the question was about cobras or sea kraits wasn't really important.

Luckily, Rex was drunk enough not to point out that many fish were elongated and stripey, so he just raised his brows, clearly impressed, and smiled the smile of a lonely man who just found a kindred spirit. "Really?" Siiiigh. "It must have been amazing, seeing them swim. Up close. In person." Rex paused. "Although if you see them every day, I suppose it might lose the appeal."

Like snakes could ever not be a beautiful sight. Rex tilted his head for a moment, clearly trying to figure out if the question was for kraits or cobras, then he decided that it didn't matter, because bragging was more important.

"A few times, in very controlled conditions. I had a pair of cobras-- king cobras, actually-- back home, but." He pulled a frown and glared to the side, clearly picturing something or somebody he hated. "Then my home was under siege and I couldn't take them with me."

And then he ordered his men to blow up the base, so really, the death of his cobras was probably his fault--

No.

No, it was never his fault. It was the Joes' fault for breaking in and storming the place.

"I have another snake now, though. An Eastern indigo. Do you want to see her?" Like a proud, somewhat disturbed parent, Rex keeps pictures of her on his CID.

Edited 2012-02-16 05:15 (UTC)

"Oh no they never lost their appeal!" Shrieky replied emphatically, waving his hands to make it clear that that was never a thing that could happen, "They were sort of like having a very great number of friends, none of whom could speak, and some of whom I was required to consume for my survival, but seeing them every day was really the best thing about them being there at all."

Apparently this is just a convention for incredibly lonely people who over identify with creatures incapable of feeling love.

That was probably Shrieky's favorite thing about Rex. He might have been human (because really, so many people tended to be that, despite how Shrieky resented it), but he certainly didn't appear that interested in humans. He didn't even seem that interested in Shrieky, and Shrieky wasn't human, so clearly, he had even less time for humans themselves.

No, Rex appeared to be all snakes, all the time, and Shrieky liked that in a person. At Rex's offer to display his east indigo, Shrieky nodded earnestly, "I would be absolutely honored to see her!"

Edited 2012-02-16 05:31 (UTC)

Rex grinned and nodded enthusiastically. Yes, he could understand! Right down to having to consume one's friends!

Only, in Rex's case, it was less "consume" and more "inject with nanomites." Still, it was similar enough that Rex could relate to some degree. Most people were simply disposable, just like food. And, given that his favorite snake was the king cobra, which lived off of other snakes, he certainly had no qualms with ophiophagy, if that was indeed what Shrieky had practiced from time to time. With the banded kraits. That lived in the moat.

He dug into his pocket and pulled out his CiD, smile still playing at his lips. Shrieky's interest in his snake had just earned him a few more points in Rex's esteem.

"This is Tiamat," he said, leaning in to show Shrieky a series of totally exciting pictures of a large black snake just chilling out in its habitat. "I rescued her from my-- from a friend's bedroom. She didn't get there on purpose, you know? But everyone acted like she was a monster."

Truly, with Shrieky's eating of sea life, and Rex's brainwashing of his colleagues, these men were kindred spirits!

Shrieky squishes in towards Rex, to get the best possible view of his baby girl, and is suitably impressed by what he sees, "She's so glossy! Her scales are like ravens feathers..."

Okay, so they're actually more like snake's scales, but Shrieky's more of a bird guy, if he's completely honest. Still, he's not going to linger on birds when there's a snake lover right here, "Humans act like everything is a monster, it's really idiotic, because one day an actual monster turns up, and no one will take them seriously." This is a major concern shush, "Anyway, I think she's lovely. Is she here in Baedal with you?"

"They feel soft, too. Snakes. They're very soothing to touch." Rex pocketed his CiD now that picture time was complete, snorting with contempt at Shrieky's assessment of humans. How totally right he was. "They do. They're reactive, easily threatened by anything new or different. It doesn't matter who you are or what you are, they'll see you as a monster if it suits their purposes."

After a gloomy pause, Rex considered that question and smiled.

"She is now. That holiday, that... St. Kelley's day? She was brought back to me."

Iago had just needed some air. The cat was too close, the apartment was too small. Things were simply too much for him to handle at that point. Not that there had been any one incident to set him off, no. It had simply come to him, like flipping a switch. He had been sitting at his desk, reading something new he had found, unwinding from a long day at work. It hadn't been a particularly bad day.

But he needed to get out. Grabbing his shoes, he slipped them on his feet and just had enough time to invite Rex with him before he was out the door, his keys shoved in his pockets.

It hadn't been too long of a walk before Iago spoke, his hands clasped behind his back. "I can't stand it anymore," he muttered softly.

Rex was oblivious to Iago's restlessness, having planted himself in the bedroom to fuss over his snake. The long black serpent was a familiar and welcome sight-- Tiamat returned to him through... whatever means transported him, Iago and the others, presumably. The snake, recently fed, was coiled in her terrarium, digesting the rat Rex had given her. Rex had pulled up a chair just to sit and watch her as he jotted down some notes on the alternative physics of other worlds.

Just for fun.

He was deep in his recreational note-taking when Iago proposed a walk, and for a moment, he was too distracted to respond. After a few minutes, though, he'd set his notebook aside, grabbed his coat, and followed the soldier out the door.

Rex was somewhat lost in his own world, glancing around at passers-by, shops, the whole general... scenery... when Iago spoke.

"Can't stand what?"

"This." He knew that he was being vague, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was that bothered him. His life. His...everything was so...stifling. But he knew better than to mention that. Because it would cause a fight and he just really didn't want that right now. Instead, he moved an arm around Rex's shoulders and walked close to him.

"This place, I suppose. It's gotten to be confining. Stifling. I thought I felt that way on the Barge but here...it's different. So much freedom, but really none at all."

"Well, this city certainly has something that the Barge didn't," Rex murmured, glancing around to see if there were any Militiamen about. He leaned against Iago as they walked. "But at least it isn't hopeless." Regimes, after all, fall. Particularly when the right tools (or missiles, but okay, that's a little pie-in-the-sky right now) were applied. "Is it any worse than city life back home?"

Rex didn't think much about the literal confinement to the city they were under. The fog simply wasn't much of an issue to him, not after he'd been confined to much smaller spaces than this for, what... six years now? However much freedom he had as an employee of MARS Industries, his physical limitations and appearance had kept him largely confined to the base. After that, prison, prison, prison.

Baedal's the most freedom he's had in years.

"No, but I'm certain that you remember how well that ended up for me." He smirked slightly, giving him a bit of a squeeze as reassurance. It wasn't the physical setting of this place that bothered him, but rather the confinement of his daily life. He wanted his adventure back. He wanted his life as a soldier, though the interesting things afforded to him working in security was good enough for now.

He wanted so much...but he was getting very little. Rex was enough, for now, but Iago was a man who always had his sights set over the horizon.

"I'm not exactly certain what it is that has me restless. But I am."

He gave a half-nod, furrowing his brow as he considered how that ended for everybody who wasn't Iago, too. Luckily, he wasn't the sort to cast himself in the role of wife; otherwise, he'd be growing concerned for his own safety right now. "I do."

Rex was quiet for a moment, considering the variables, trying to narrow them down. "Is it the... living situation?" Domesticity wasn't either of their strong suits, and learning to live like a, well, normal couple was something of an adjustment.

Rex, personally, would've been happier with something a little less "young, urban professional" and a little more "lair."

Iago was afraid to say yes to that. Because it wasn' Rex or what he gave that Iago found stifling. But he, like Rex, didn't really have a lot of desire for "young, urban professional." He wanted his big house with too much room that he never saw. He wanted all of those things back.

Basically, he wanted his life back where he had been under the Master's rule. It had been oppressive and he knew it, but he felt like he was in control there. At least with enough control to be able to blame someone else when things went wrong. He felt like he had some sort of handle on his life.

"Yes and no." He dropped his arm. "And before you shout at me for...whatever it is that you might want to shout at me for...know that this isn't you. I was just never suited for this lifestyle." He smiled a bit, distantly. "I think...it's not so much the lifestyle, but...something different. I hate thinking like this. Perhaps...it isn't this place that ruined me. Perhaps it happened before then." Iago was always one to talk his thoughts aloud in order to get them situated, so, for the moment, Rex was just there for Iago to talk at. And he had reached a revelation.

"I think it happened at my 'redemption.' Rex...I don't think that was ever meant to happen."

Rex scowled briefly. "I wasn't going to shout." For once. Still, for Iago's sake, he shut up and didn't interrupt further. If he was a better person, he would've been concerned by that confession, that redemption wasn't meant to happen, that it was the start of his restlessness. But, to be honest, he wasn't. He was... relieved, actually. Rex touched Iago's elbow, signalling him to stop, then moved so that he was in front of the soldier, facing him.

"Well, the good thing about redemption is..." He took the other man's hand and pressed Iago's knuckles to his lips, briefly, then let go. He wasn't all about public displays of affection-- especially with another man-- so that was as far as he was going to go. "It's not permanent."

Iago watched him and stopped, allowing the display for a brief moment before he sighed and just smiled briefly. "Do you really want me to be that man again, Rex?" But he didn't wait for an answer. He just continued on. "I...just keep trying to remember the reason why I changed. I keep trying to remember what was so terrible about what I was and what I had before.

"Right and wrong are just...ideas. They're rules that I've learned but I don't fully understand. And I don't care to understand."

"They pushed it on you," he said. "The Admiral, the wardens... That ship was designed to force redemption through manipulation. Through trauma." Rex was lowering his voice now, speaking in a rushed, angry hiss as certain memories were pushing themselves to the forefront of his mind. "Some of us aren't meant for redemption. It's not natural to us, it's just... reprogramming." Rex snorted. "Really, if the Admiral wanted more permanent results, he should have consulted me." Just skip the torture and go straight for the brainwashing.

Rex took a breath, closing his eyes momentarily. Once he opened them again, he looked up at Iago, somewhat more relaxed. "I just want you to be true to yourself. There's no shame in being a... viper."

From Rex, that was a compliment.

Iago reached out and brushed a hand past his cheek. "Be true to myself?" It sounded poetic, but he wasn't buying it. The second part, though...now that was distinctly more intriguing. "But I have no shame in it. Do you know that's what they call me? A snake. I always liked the sound of it."

He glanced back towards their apartment and then sighed. "I think I should feel...guilty for it."

Rex pulled up one corner of his mouth in a little half-grin. "I like the sound of it, too." For Iago, and for himself. He followed Iago's gaze back to the apartment, his own feelings conflicted. It was a home-- his first home in years-- but was it the sort of thing either of them really wanted?

"Why?"

"Because so many people contributed to that redemption. And it took only months to undo it." The effects of that were slowly wearing off, but they were still there. He still recognized what he was supposed to be feeling and why, but it was just a lesson. A lesson he might have learned in school and forgotten years and years later.

He considered that for a moment. If anybody from the Barge heard them talking right now-- any wardens, at least-- he was sure they would feel betrayed by the course of this conversation. But, the Doctor aside, maybe Harper, Rex didn't much care how they would feel, even the wardens he was partial to. If mischief and wickedness made Iago happy, if it was what came naturally to him, then why stifle it?

"Because it wasn't what you really wanted." A pause, then he added, with genuine curiosity, "Was it?"

Iago was quick to shake his head. "Rex...who wants to be redeemed? Who wants to go through that for a redemption process that is at best flawed and at worst dangerous?" He shrugged. "And what would you get out of it? A chance to be a warden? Or a chance to return home, to a life that you had been away from for years, to a time you had been away from for years, and you're supposed to make things better? Live your life?

"Maybe it works for those who graduate in the span of a few months. But not for me." He started walking away, though he slowed to make sure that Rex followed. "I became a warden to stall for more time. To be with you...and to give me time to think."

"People who feel guilt," he ventured blandly, no real emotion behind those words. He wondered how close he'd come to redemption, himself, and if he was missing anything at all by leaving thoughts of it behind. Why work for it when he didn't have to?

Rex followed after Iago, then quickened his steps to match his pace. "If I'd graduated, what would you have done?"

Iago shrugged. "I'm not certain." He was actually feeling a bit better after revealing what he did and the heavy ache in his chest was gone. He wanted a drink, or two, but he felt...good. "I'm not certain. That depends on what you would have done, Rex. If you had asked me to come with you, I would have. If you had asked me to stay, I would have gone home."

"I would've asked you to come with me," he answered. "Unless I changed... dramatically, for some reason." After a beat, Rex looked at Iago, smirking a little. "So, in a way, this is almost like I've graduated. Not the ideal world, but the Admiral isn't one to keep his bargains, now is he."

Rex was quiet for a moment, then continued, his voice quieter. "Do you think we're here because the Admiral realized we were beyond 'hope'?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

gifts from the heart, AWWWW.

Syriac Well; Ana

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Mog Hill; Odessa

oh god sorry this took me so long

It's fine! I'm certainly not one to talk on the slowness front

Good. Now marvel at my abuse of italics!

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LO, AN INTERLOPER!

BEGONE

NEVER!

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