[ Or maybe $doubleneon is helping him along? Because Victor's already blocked Lucio, but Silje's still getting his texts. And... it's the exact same one every time. Mark as spam apparently isn't working either.
After the nth time: ]
you seem like a decent person but can you please leave me alone thank you
vesuvia is beautiful with a bunch of statues of me and for my birthday we have an annual masquerade that can't be beat. if you haven't been, you need to go!! i can ensure you have only the best hospitality.
vesuvia is the best city there is! not only does she have a wildly beautiful count, but plentiful parties and festivities and a bustling market. people come from all over to live here and we have a wonderful meeting of cultures. i'll have to take you sometime and give you a personal tour!
This place continues to confuse me, but there's apparently a mall now. Wanna go check it out with me? We can get whatever passes for Starbucks around here and wander around, see what they've got. I could use a wardrobe upgrade.
[Ainsley has no clue that this isn't the Silje she met last month, so there's a tone of familiarity there that is probably a bit jarring.]
[ When Silje comes in for her normal hospital shift tonight, she will find that her duties have already been attended. All of them... from the paperwork she usually has to fill out, to her rounds, to the normal restocking and cleaning of the nurses' station in the main hallway. Everything on the floor is running remarkably, almost suspiciously, smoothly. ]
[ Silje's not had a night โ er, day โ of restful sleep since Doubleneon's misfire. While Victor's warded their apartment so she doesn't unconsciously slip into other people's dreams anymore, her own have been more than enough for her to deal with. Giant wolves, overgrown crystal roots, a blond-haired man chained to a gilded throne...
You think you've won, but your love can't save you. You'll never be free.
She's still been dutifully reporting to the hospital, though, pushing herself to get through her shift despite her fatigue and lack of sleep. So she's very much surprised when she tries to do her usual duties and she discovers that... there's nothing left for her to do. Everything has already been attended to.
Confused, she seeks out her partner for the shift. It doesn't escape her notice that everything on the floor is running remarkably, almost suspiciously, smoothly. ]
Doctor? I... did I miss something? [ She probably did, since she hasn't been sleeping well. But Knock Out's on top of everything, so he'll know for certain. She'll just have to apologize if she's indeed gotten things mixed up. ] Is it not my schedule tonight?
[ In mech form, Knock Out is restricted to the hospital's lower and more generously built levels, where his size can be accommodated. But he doesn't mind too much, making good use of the large labs that make him feel oddly calmer. It's no Nemesis medbay, but it will do.
Tonight, he is seated on the makeshift, mech-sized stool that he's fashioned so he has somewhere to sit, and his energon prod is expanded on the workbench before him. Part of the outer casing has been removed, revealing the weapon's internals and the glowing blue energon core that powers it. Knock Out is feeding a new segment of wiring into the case, carefully clipping and tucking it where it ought to go.
Without looking up from his work, he answers Silje's question; he'd expected her to seek him out when she discovered she had no work left tonight to do. ]
It is, but I suspected if I told you not to bother coming in, you'd ignore the order and show up anyway, despite looking like you're dead on your feet.
[ When she doesn't find the Doctor anywhere on the floor, she's quick to deduce that he's in his mech form and thus down at the lower levels. It had come as a surprise that her former roommate Soundwave hadn't been the only one of his kind in the city, let alone that she'd ended up working so closely with one of them... but despite their rough patches, she's managed to form some sort of partnership with Knock Out.
Though is it a partnership when they're hardly equals? She doesn't think it counts that they're both licensed medical professionals, seeing as Earth science is terribly limited.
Her footsteps are light, but not entirely quiet. She doesn't intend to sneak up on him, after all, though she doesn't want to disturb him either. Though he's... working on some sort of... is that a spear? The glowing blue core โ blue like the eyes of Odin and his brood โ looks powerful.
Her attention is transfixed on the energon prod for a moment before she blinks and realizes he's answering her. ]
I... I'm not... [ It's true, she hasn't been sleeping well. But... he noticed? ] You didn't have to, Doc... I'm fine. I just... [ Well, he's a doctor, isn't he? Of course he'd have noticed. And he should know what to do, too. ] I've been having a little trouble sleeping...
[ With its pronged tip, it certainly resembles a spear or even a trident, and he notices that she seems transfixed by the glowing core. ]
You're not? They have these miraculous things called mirrors, you know... I think you'd be less in denial if you tried looking at yourself in one.
[ But all sarcasm aside, she really does look like she could use a few days of downtime. The tells of someone burning the metaphorical candle at both ends are distressingly similar across their respective species, and Knock Out is well-acquainted with them. Millions of years of war hardly leave time for a lot of R&R. ]
Besides... if you're too exhausted, I'm the one who has to correct the mistakes after the fact. This is simply preventative maintenance, nothing more.
I know a dead person when I see one, Doc. [ It's said with a small smile, because she's a nurse after all โ and a valkyrie.
Though the mention of mirrors has her shifting her gaze from the weapon on the table to the mech's plating; whether it's glossy enough to actually show her reflection or not, she make a show of looking herself over. She might be exhausted from lack of sleep, but she's touched by Knock Out's gesture and it's lightened her mood considerably. Not that she expects him to own up to caring or anything.
Which is exactly what he does a moment later, chalking it all up to preventive maintenance. He's right, of course, though it's been a while since they'd had to work really hard and pull off a medical miracle anyway. ]
Ah, ja, so I'm getting a doctor's note too. [ A callback to their conversation about Tailgate. ]
[ Silje can certainly use Knock Out's gloss finish as a reflective surface, and he rolls his optics though in a way that suggests he's not as put-upon by it as he strives to portray. He offers her a canny smile as she mentions the doctor's note a la Tailgate. ]
Of course, all proper paperwork.
Although I'm surprised your partner didn't take a step like this, before it came to me doing it.
[ They're in certainly much better terms now that she can risk checking herself out in the "mirror" a little longer, though Knock Out's comment makes her stop and abandon the act, giving him a small, strained smile in turn. ]
He can't tell me what I can or can't do until we're married.
[ It's... complicated, her and Victor. Even without the doppelganger incident, though that's only highlighted some of their issues a little more. They've patched up, too, but she's still unable to reconcile some things in her head, in her heart. ]
[ She's chews the inside of her cheek. Of course that wasn't what he'd meant. ] Victor's a good guy. He tries to take care of me, but... I've just been so used to doing things on my own, you know? And after everything that's happened, I... it's complicated. Like, we have baggage from thousands of years ago, and I still don't know what to do about it.
[ She's not sure what compelled her to open up, but it's too late to take back what she's said now. She just gives him a sheepish smile a moment later. ]
[ Knock Out's smile is wan, amusement dulled by sadness. ]
Everyone has baggage, Silje. There aren't any free rides in life. Get it sorted out sooner rather than later... you never know when you'll run out of time.
[ Her smile fades, and she purses her lips together into a thin line, trying to think of a response to all that but failing. It's true, everyone has baggage, and having been to the hotel before coming to Svelte has kind of put their weird situation at the forefront but... at the end of the day, the doctor's right. You'll never know when you'll run out of time.
She finds a place to sit, because while she probably shouldn't be bothering him, he's not told her to go away either. ]
How did you know he... [ She catches herself before she could finish the question. How did you know he's the one for you? Just because they're "friends" doesn't give her the right to ask about his personal life, right? Even if she'd seen that intimate memory and all back then. So she switches course, and starts with herself. ] Nevermind, Iโ I never told you, did I? Victor and I, we... we've lived another life before. Reincarnation, if you've heard of the concept.
[ Yet Knock Out seems to know where the aborted sentence was headed, because the holoform follows to where she sits, although he doesn't join her; it's just a construct of pixels and code, it doesn't get tired from standing too long.
And his answer... is surprisingly brief, if unexpectedly profound: ]
Simple: I was better when I was with him, than when I wasn't.
Breakdown felt like... filling in pieces of myself that I hadn't realized were missing.
[ But he does mod at the remark about reincarnation, that he knows it. ]
Cybertronians have something similar, with sparks.
[ And Knock Out's answer is surprisingly like what an organic in love would say that Silje just looks back at him for a quiet moment. Of course she's long known that they're not robots per se, but it still strikes her whenever he says or does something that's profoundly... well, human. ]
I know I felt that, in the past. [ Tricky thing, reincarnation. ] I didn't even know him that long, from what I remember, but we had something special. Something that we defied his family for, and his family is... [ She gestures vaguely with her hands as she tries to find the polite term to use, considering what his father had put her through and all, but she just settles with: ] Royalty. Technically. And I was just a nobody.
Then we met in this life, and there was that spark and all, but... the more I think about it, the more I wonder if we're just dancing to the same old tune, and we can never really be together, the way other people are. [ That's when she chuckles and shakes her head, gesturing like she wants him to forget everything she's said. ] Maybe this is a therapy sim, Doc. Maybe this is why I've not been able to leave.
[ She's teasing just a little bit. He's pretty and shiny! Compared to all the other Cybertronians she's seen, anyway. So is it any surprise that she comes to that conclusion? ]
If it's a therapy simulation, we should at least be able to talk to our therapist. But Doubleneon ignores us most of the time.
$mephistopheles
$ladyamalthea - because he's using her phone to answer
She has a boyfriend. And he's the only one she'll be kissing.
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Happily monogamous couple. Thanks but no thanks.
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as discussed, because lucio can't take a hint lmao
After the nth time: ]
you seem like a decent person but can you please leave me alone
thank you
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nevermind
where's vesuvia? what's it like?
[ She doesn't mean to show interest in him! She's just curious about Vesuvia! But take that as you will, Lucio. ]
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[ It's beautiful because it has statues of him? He almost sounds like someone she knows โ and doesn't like very much. ]
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[ Huh. So he's not from this Earth? Or he's from before the world was round, maybe? ]
tell me about vesuvia then ๐
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nobody's been able to leave
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there's no party
[ Why is he talking about a party? Is it the neon? ]
some time later he forgets he's already texted her and just. does it all over again?!
omg ilu yes pls keep it coming ahaha >:3
[ Wow, okay, this guy is persistent. ]
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you're the one who texted me
Text ยป 5/8 @ 12:03pm
Wanna go check it out with me?
We can get whatever passes for Starbucks around here and wander around, see what they've got.
I could use a wardrobe upgrade.
[Ainsley has no clue that this isn't the Silje she met last month, so there's a tone of familiarity there that is probably a bit jarring.]
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[ And it stays that way for a while longer. Why is Malcolm's sister texting her like they're pals? They haven't even met, technically.
Eventually Silje responds with: ]
ainsley, right? malcolm's sister?
sorry, i think you got the wrong person
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Oh. Are you sure?
Isn't this Silje?
[Can this stupid phone make her send things to the wrong person? She might riot if she can't even send a text easily in this city.]
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i don't think we've met?
[ That's when it sinks into her. Oh no. ]
on second thought we might have
did i say i was having trouble with my key? [ That's what Victor said her doppelganger had said. ]
06/05 - action;
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You think you've won, but your love can't save you. You'll never be free.
She's still been dutifully reporting to the hospital, though, pushing herself to get through her shift despite her fatigue and lack of sleep. So she's very much surprised when she tries to do her usual duties and she discovers that... there's nothing left for her to do. Everything has already been attended to.
Confused, she seeks out her partner for the shift. It doesn't escape her notice that everything on the floor is running remarkably, almost suspiciously, smoothly. ]
Doctor? I... did I miss something? [ She probably did, since she hasn't been sleeping well. But Knock Out's on top of everything, so he'll know for certain. She'll just have to apologize if she's indeed gotten things mixed up. ] Is it not my schedule tonight?
[ ... Has she been replaced? ]
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Tonight, he is seated on the makeshift, mech-sized stool that he's fashioned so he has somewhere to sit, and his energon prod is expanded on the workbench before him. Part of the outer casing has been removed, revealing the weapon's internals and the glowing blue energon core that powers it. Knock Out is feeding a new segment of wiring into the case, carefully clipping and tucking it where it ought to go.
Without looking up from his work, he answers Silje's question; he'd expected her to seek him out when she discovered she had no work left tonight to do. ]
It is, but I suspected if I told you not to bother coming in, you'd ignore the order and show up anyway, despite looking like you're dead on your feet.
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Though is it a partnership when they're hardly equals? She doesn't think it counts that they're both licensed medical professionals, seeing as Earth science is terribly limited.
Her footsteps are light, but not entirely quiet. She doesn't intend to sneak up on him, after all, though she doesn't want to disturb him either. Though he's... working on some sort of... is that a spear? The glowing blue core โ blue like the eyes of Odin and his brood โ looks powerful.
Her attention is transfixed on the energon prod for a moment before she blinks and realizes he's answering her. ]
I... I'm not... [ It's true, she hasn't been sleeping well. But... he noticed? ] You didn't have to, Doc... I'm fine. I just... [ Well, he's a doctor, isn't he? Of course he'd have noticed. And he should know what to do, too. ] I've been having a little trouble sleeping...
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You're not? They have these miraculous things called mirrors, you know... I think you'd be less in denial if you tried looking at yourself in one.
[ But all sarcasm aside, she really does look like she could use a few days of downtime. The tells of someone burning the metaphorical candle at both ends are distressingly similar across their respective species, and Knock Out is well-acquainted with them. Millions of years of war hardly leave time for a lot of R&R. ]
Besides... if you're too exhausted, I'm the one who has to correct the mistakes after the fact. This is simply preventative maintenance, nothing more.
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Though the mention of mirrors has her shifting her gaze from the weapon on the table to the mech's plating; whether it's glossy enough to actually show her reflection or not, she make a show of looking herself over. She might be exhausted from lack of sleep, but she's touched by Knock Out's gesture and it's lightened her mood considerably. Not that she expects him to own up to caring or anything.
Which is exactly what he does a moment later, chalking it all up to preventive maintenance. He's right, of course, though it's been a while since they'd had to work really hard and pull off a medical miracle anyway. ]
Ah, ja, so I'm getting a doctor's note too. [ A callback to their conversation about Tailgate. ]
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Of course, all proper paperwork.
Although I'm surprised your partner didn't take a step like this, before it came to me doing it.
[ His would have. ]
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He can't tell me what I can or can't do until we're married.
[ It's... complicated, her and Victor. Even without the doppelganger incident, though that's only highlighted some of their issues a little more. They've patched up, too, but she's still unable to reconcile some things in her head, in her heart. ]
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Well... I don't claim to know the finer ins and outs of every Earth culture's version of marriage, but that wasn't exactly what I meant.
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[ She's not sure what compelled her to open up, but it's too late to take back what she's said now. She just gives him a sheepish smile a moment later. ]
Sorry, Doc. You're a doctor, not a therapist.
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Everyone has baggage, Silje. There aren't any free rides in life. Get it sorted out sooner rather than later... you never know when you'll run out of time.
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She finds a place to sit, because while she probably shouldn't be bothering him, he's not told her to go away either. ]
How did you know he... [ She catches herself before she could finish the question. How did you know he's the one for you? Just because they're "friends" doesn't give her the right to ask about his personal life, right? Even if she'd seen that intimate memory and all back then. So she switches course, and starts with herself. ] Nevermind, Iโ I never told you, did I? Victor and I, we... we've lived another life before. Reincarnation, if you've heard of the concept.
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And his answer... is surprisingly brief, if unexpectedly profound: ]
Simple: I was better when I was with him, than when I wasn't.
Breakdown felt like... filling in pieces of myself that I hadn't realized were missing.
[ But he does mod at the remark about reincarnation, that he knows it. ]
Cybertronians have something similar, with sparks.
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I know I felt that, in the past. [ Tricky thing, reincarnation. ] I didn't even know him that long, from what I remember, but we had something special. Something that we defied his family for, and his family is... [ She gestures vaguely with her hands as she tries to find the polite term to use, considering what his father had put her through and all, but she just settles with: ] Royalty. Technically. And I was just a nobody.
Then we met in this life, and there was that spark and all, but... the more I think about it, the more I wonder if we're just dancing to the same old tune, and we can never really be together, the way other people are. [ That's when she chuckles and shakes her head, gesturing like she wants him to forget everything she's said. ] Maybe this is a therapy sim, Doc. Maybe this is why I've not been able to leave.
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I understand. Not the royalty thing, per se โ but opposite ends of a caste system, except I was the high-caste one.
[ His smile is once again wan. ]
If it's a therapy simulation, I don't think many of us will be leaving.
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[ She's teasing just a little bit. He's pretty and shiny! Compared to all the other Cybertronians she's seen, anyway. So is it any surprise that she comes to that conclusion? ]
If it's a therapy simulation, we should at least be able to talk to our therapist. But Doubleneon ignores us most of the time.
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Maybe it's more like exposure therapy, then.