DwnCata

after his shift, he starts heading up to the office- fuck it. while entering the number, his boss is passing by.

"what the fuck are you doing? You're gonna get MY ass in trouble for fucking with the upper's shit. If you wanna stay, work on your fucking backlog."

"I..." How the hell was he supposed to say "I received an anonymous text claiming to be him"?

"...Was told to be at this office after my shift due to insubordination. I spoke out of line in his presence."

"hah, of course you fucking did. and now you're trying to take me down too, acting like this?"

He goes up to the door and knocks on it, loudly.

Tene, who was basically watching from the elevator the whole time, shakes his head. He approaches the two, speaking with sheer disappointment, laced neatly with malice.

"I see you still can't draw any logical fucking conclusions, No. 10044. I had my reasons for giving a false code, and yet, here you are, ruining it even further. You could've seen the alarms go off, see his face go pale, caught red handed... but no. Still waiting for those solutions, by the way. Shit's been piling up."

Miryn's face just goes fucking cold. Like bro knows he's fucked- enough that he can't even enjoy how badly his boss is getting chewed out, because he knows he's thrice as fucked.

"Well! I have been working on it! I just require resources that are still on this one's fucking backlog--"

despite the audacity in his voice, there were tremors.

"...so instead of helping through it, for the sake of the company as a whole, you'd rather wait and go on a week's vacation?-- I'm not wasting my time any further, I actually fucking value it. Leave this one to me, and figure out a way to placate 671 before I have to myself."

He entered the code to his office (which was indeed the code he shared, not that Miryn had the guts to even glance in the direction,) and waved Miryn in.

He slammed the door shut, flashing Miryn a smile and giving a slight waving motion with his hand, more or less telling him 'just go with it' before speaking in a harsh, condescending tone.

"So, just how many people have you gone and spread this shit to?"

Tenebrus could barely contain his snickers, but kept the act up- just a bit, to make sure whoever was drawn by the commotion fucked off after a while.

"Well?"

He motioned for Miryn to reply.

"Ah- I... apologize, sir!" He spoke louder than usual, and Tene made a lowering gesture, mouthing "natural" as he glanced to the monitors beside him.

Miryn adapted to speaking in his usual bullshit apology voice. "I... I'm being honest, it was a rare occurrence..!"

Tene nodded in approval. "Is that so? Let's look here, then..."

The charade went on, purposely quieting his voice overtime until he was sure they were in the clear.

"... There's no excuse, sir. You're right..."

Tene let out a quiet chuckle. "Spoken like a true modern slave."

The posters on the walls shifted; Miryn was surprised when initially looking around, seeing the usual "Hang in there!" with the kitty on the branch, or the "Wash away your stress" with the stereotypically attractive couple in the rain- he didn't take Tene for the type at all. But the moment that data shift crept across the walls, it all made sense, and it took everything he had to contain his laughter.

"Hang in there" with a silhouette of what looked like himself hanging from a noose. "Wash away your stress" with artwork of him holding a toaster in a bathtub (...complete with the bubbles and a strange little ball that took the role of a rubber duck). ((its a whorb)) "Let passion drive your actions" with an image of his arm, veins popping with tension, iron grip on the wheel with the speedometer well over its limit, several of those same ball creatures in the road...

"Good improv skills, honestly. So you're the one who wants to blow up the fucking HQ?"

Miryn held is hand over his mouth, doing his damndest to stifle his laughter.

"I-... I'm sorry, are these fucking posters custom commissioned?"

Tene nodded, a proud smirk. "Gotta support artists~ those who still can create, the few left in the world with a fucking soul."

Miryn shook his head slightly, mourning the loss with Tene as he worked through the last of his giggle fit.

"Cool, so we both hate the fucking sensic dream, it's not just me being biased because I have 20 extra fucking hours thrown on my desk every week, for shitty fucking code they released without any sense of a fucking beta, for a program that's designed specifically to kill any intelligent thought."

Tene let out a quiet sigh, his smile turning more bitter. "Its creator would say the same. It looks like we have a common interest, then."

Miryn's face contorted with confusion, processing all the implications behind that simple sentence. "...I'm sorry?"

Tene raised his brows in a 'yeah, i know', shift of expression. "I'm no storyteller, so you ask questions, I'll answer. Easier for both."

Miryn figured this was some kind of test, but he decides to just be upfront anyways with his highest curiosity. "The creator hates this shit too? Who... There's only one? I thought the execs in sensic R&D were the people who made it."

Tene nodded slightly. "That's the story, yes. Easily told to and taken at face value by anyone who didn't personally know No. 17337, or 7423. Xander Khorvis, and Alex Thornlocke, respectively; no bells, Im guessing?"

Miryn shook his head. "Not a clue. Shit, 17000s... kid was fucking new, only a few years here, tops. How did him and 7423 meet?"

Tenebrus spoke quietly, but resolute; while wanting to maintain an open air, it was clear he was dead serious. "...While in private, I'd like to refer to the few of us with humanity, with our names. You'll get to meet the faces to them soon enough, but we're killing this fucking number system."

Miryn blinked, his heart stopping for a second, but fully accepting of this rule; fuck, he was intimidating when he meant actual buisness. It came with experience, he supposed. "Understood, my apologies."

"No harm, no foul, I should have stated earlier- no bullshit procedural apologies necessary. Anyways, Xander was actually very open about the idea he had. His coworkers didn't care to hear it, dubbing it as a childish daydream, or an early midlife crisis- imagine hearing the guy you just met in this hellhole, saying he'll be the world's next Tito Beast. (fuckass Mr. Beast reference) Or that he knows that one day, he'll be able to create an algorithm, capable of processing the thoughts and dreams of everyone in it, procuring information locked in their subconscious- such information could be used to skip years of silence that victims subject themselves to in fear, or to make clear and concrete the true suffering of a person..."

Miryn started connecting the dots, a pit forming in his gut. "...And the poor bastard thought this fucking company would fund such a grand idea, once he had a working prototype."

Tenebrus let out a quiet sigh. "Enter a mister Miryn Dahl, another sudden 50 anomalies thrown into his bug hunting backlog. Now you know why the project is held together by spit and glue; Barely up and running in a small scale, perfectly ripe to claim and fucking defile in the name of "Truth."

Miryn remained silent, processing. The pain those people must have gone through...

"...Are they still working here...?"

Tenebrus shook his head. "No; well, yes and no. Xander stormed off the moment the project was claimed by the company under clause 34-U, All creations of..."

Miryn joined in, knowing the entire fucking contract all too well.

"...any BEI staff member using any company material are subject to the complete surrender of rights to said creations upon the company's discretion." Miryn shook his head. "... Did 7-- Alex not realize this would happen? A member that senior should know this fucking place well enough by then."

Tene's glance shifted to the side. "I don't think I'm in the right to speak for him- that story is best told by the decision makers themselves, but I'll put it this way for now: Ambition, empathy, hope... love. Some of the strongest drugs your brain can forge, that'll fuck it into the worst decisions."

Miryn remained silent, solemnly nodding. Tenebrus continued,

"After Xander left, he never returned. He and Alex had been in a relationship for a few years at this point, and Alex is a very... ambitious type. Wheras Xander... he tends to think, and act, in solitude more often than not. Though, he's anything but the type to completely give up, if it means enough to him- and if there's enough loopholes."

Miryn's gaze fell to the floor. "...I apologize, I don't think I follow."

"Well, no surprises there, since the answer we have is one even BEI itself is unaware of; Xander managed to force his way into the Sensic Dream, and cobble together a means of skirting just under their radar using some features they'd had yet to fully implement at the time of presentation."

"...So you mean to say, they made their own back door? Ironic they didn't think twice about that possibility."

Tene nodded, a spiteful chuckle leaving his throat. "Indeed. They expect complete submission to a fault; look at where you are after all. And when people think about an employee who suddenly disappeared after endlessly pining for some grand ambition, who would truly guess it was linked to BEI's newest revolution, years later?"

((sidenote i wanna make it clear that Mir thinks they're doing all this shit like. hand in hand so when they actually meet and he learns how hurt they are by each other,, AUUGHDVDVhhhh,h,,g,,,))

Miryn let out a quiet sigh. "It's disgusting how much that checks out. So, then, why are you telling me this? I was already sold when you left a fucking matchbox in my stupid little coffee creamer pile, you didn't need to somehow make me hate the company more to get me on a plan to kill it."

Tenebrus leaned on his desk, steepling his fingers. "Of course, but context always helps; I want to be open with whoever I work with, it's good practice. That, and so you can start processing all this now, instead of the whole 'YOU did this?! But how???' discussion as we meet; though they don't want to admit it, the subject in and of itself still hurts them a lot- especially so for Xander. Don't make a big deal of it, he doesn't like making it difficult for others- but on a personal level, please just give them space if you see they need it."

Miryn started thinking about potential interactions, and ways to mediate or adapt in a neutral manner. "Understood. What exactly are you trying to rope me into, then? Or rather, the plan overall? Wait-- I'm sorry, how did you, number 10, one of the most senior executives end up in support of this?"

Tenebrus let a dreary smirk creep across his face. "I had soul. It's what got me to this position. Ambition leads to many great, and terrible things. I was originally head of creative marketing. But who needs to market a monopoly, at this point? My position is merely that of whatever the hell is needed by others; but I still do it better than any others here. Experience is everything, I'm sure you know. I could skimp on work to the same result, sure, but I did realize something important; the better I did, the higher I climbed, the less humanity there is around me. And so I knew, if anyone could be the person on the inside, to finally take down this fucking place... I feel I'm a fair candidate." Hia grin gained a cocky tinge to it.

"As for how I learned about them, well. I was part of that presentation. I watched as No. 4 told Xander on the spot BEI accepted the proposal, and would claim all rights to the project immediately; that his involvement would no longer be necessary, as his vision didn't align with that of Black's Eye Incorporated. I gave it a few days to let the dust settle, but I was able to contact Alex away from the company's prying eyes, and help him track down Xander's whereabouts."

Miryn now was getting the whole picture of their dynamic, or at least he felt he was. "So this is the opportunity you needed. You, the high ranking insider, Alex and Xander, the rejected revolutionaries... so me, some random mid-low ranking software engineer..."

They said it in unison, both smirking.

"The unsuspecting rat."

Miryn liked the idea, no hesitation. "Feed information, be discreet, cause misdirection, the likes of that?"

Tenebrus nodded, pleased his intuition was spot on. "Precisely. While a silly gesture with the packets, yes, the sentiment remains the same. And just enough subtlety to skate under the radar of potential "malice". You've been tempered by the years of harsh words and expectations, I know. But this time, you'll be able to use those bullshit fronts and apologies as your greatest weapon."

He glanced off to the clock on his PC. "I'll be in touch, but things will look suspicious after too long. You'll meet the others, we'll talk, and you'll be receiving more specific tasks and information as needed. Please do contact me any time you need; I'll find the time."

Miryn stood, extending his hand. "Understood, pleasure to work with you."

Tene grasped it as he stood himself. "Likewise. Oh, do me a favor and pretend I just threatened to rip off every feather and stab them into you, or some shit like that."

Miryn blinked, holding back a snicker. "Hells above man-- alright."

They walked towards the door, Tene's voice slightly picking back up. "I believe I've wasted far too much time on you- Hells, I can't think of the last time some lowly fucking rat pissed me off this much."

He opened the door, his cynical smirk immediately snapping to that intimidating glare. "I do hope I made myself fucking clear. I will not tolerate shit like this being spread in these halls."

Miryn's reaction was 80% acting, but fuck, that glare really was easy to work with to feel frightened. "R-right, sir. My... sincerest apologies--"

"Enough. Get the fuck out of my sight.'

Miryn held his head low, maintaining a hastened pace to the elevator.

As he reached the garage floor he was parked at, he received a text on his burner. "It is so fucking hard to hold a straight face when I do that lmao. Also damn your boss really is a dick, those apologies are way too natural smh."

Miryn finally let out a good laugh.

"Fucking tell me about it... So when are we blowing up the building :P?"

"Soon (tm).

But on a real note, I will let the others know what's up soon. Might add you to a group chat first, Xander tends to ease up to people better that way."

Miryn felt... strange, about Xander so far.

A guy who avoids everything he can, somehow created the program that would permanently change BEI for the worse, and hid away even further as a result- he supposed anyone going through that would end up pretty touchy. He knew how to be gentle, though- a developed skill he never thought he'd be able to use, outside of occasional nightly meets with more timid souls.

"Understood, I'll be here. I'll always fucking be here lmao"

"you and me both, bud 💯💯"

Miryn snickered, putting his phone in his pocket and unlocking his car. He hadn't felt this good (outside of his daydreams) in a long, long time.

bro has to work 13 billion hours and that's half his personality, the other half is going on tinder dates for one night stands n shit bc he's am intimate kinda guy but deadass just doesn't have any time to spend with an actual s/o,,,,

he gets bullied for his tinder profile at work but also like. bro pulls so idk what to tell u

as for his actual work his boss just dumps everything on him and like. the guy is one of those mfs who definitely got there via nepotism

"Why did you do it this way?"

"Ah, well, since we were limited on time--"

"Bullshit, you call in help when you need things done and do it the right way. Your pay is docked 10% this week."

(...Half the people in my dept are sick or working themselves to the bone to compensate.)

-

"What, you can put all this time into the little coffee cups you give out, but you can't write a proper report?"

"...My apologies, sir."

(...It was a single typo. I've already spent 15 hours here. The coffee was the morning after and takes less than a half hour- how could you even compare this...)

-

"What the fuck is your problem? Staying up all night hooking up or something? Get it together!"

"I-... Right, sir. My apologies, I'll be sure to have it done by tonight."

(... I'm staying up all night FUCKING WORKING. I can't get it all fucking DONE because there's NOBODY ELSE.)

-

also he's rly good with making coffee,,,, a silly ode to the OG version who was a barista :33

Krystal sighed, wolfing down a few protein cubes and deciding to call it a day.

“I'm going, I'm going. Hells above, this shit hurts, you know that.”

She heard the spite in her own voice as it answered, silent in the room but piercing through the static in her mind:

“And you're the one who's choosing to do so. Fuck, if it weren't for me, you'd probably be fucking dead by now, too weak to eat or too dehydrated to move.”

Krystal didn't respond, checking her phone out of habit- and she finally saw the message, 3 hours after the fact. “Shit.”

It wasn't rare for Krystal to answer late, she knew Yue wouldn't be upset- but damn it, man…

“Shit, work has been a bitch, sorry- but I'll probably be heading home in a few hours. Did you want to talk about something, or just pass the time?”

No response for several minutes, she's probably doing something else…

She finished up her work for the day, finally heading home after another 4 hours. And yet, it felt like she didn't get much of anything done…

On her way home, she checked her phone again. This time at least, she was only 20 minutes late.

“Nothing specific… I just wanted to hang out while doing my homework”

Krys felt her heart sink a bit. “I'm sorry I've been so busy lately, man. Did you need help on any of it?”

Yue started typing a few seconds after.

“No, I think I got it this time. Could we still call though? Just like in the background you know”

Krystal was happy her homework wasn't too bad, at least.

“Yeah, I'll let you know when I'm home, another 20 mins or so”

“okii”

And after she got home, changed, and laid on her bed, she actually remembered to respond this time.

“alr, whenever ur ready”

…no response. Krystal assumed she might have gone to bed, and was about to do some more research- when her phone went off again.

“Sorry… had to deal with something. I might want to call later, but not now.”

Krystal felt a bit of anxiety pooling in her gut- less fear of a major issue, and more just general empathy, knowing what her household was like.

“That's absolutely okay, did you wanna talk about it? Or would a distraction help maybe? If you need a min to yourself that's absolutely fine too, no pressure /gen”

The mini paragraph made Krystal feel she was saying too much to not say anything… or was that just Daiki's influence in her head again…

“I think I want to text, just not about that. There's this silly post I saw, it made me think of your work, actually.”

Krystal opened the link, leading to a post where a technician was basically cussing out new tech hardware, and praising old, dangerous hardware in a silly, comical manner.

“HDKSBSH ‘RAW CAPACITORS READY TO BITE YOUR FINGERS OFF’ LMAOO”

“No but fr sometimes idk it be like that??? Like,,

Krystal hesitated to finish that text- she was gonna write, “Sometimes I lowkey wish we had that shit here, maybe people would bitch about my shitty work less”, or something to that extent- but that wasn't quite the best sentiment to share. “I wish I was in constant danger so people would leave me the fuck alone”, is what Krystal felt about that sentence- whether or not it was said, she didn't exactly want to play with the sentiment while talking to Yue.

“Like,, idk its dangerous if u fuck it up but there's not a billion components to lose….”

There, that was a decent enough deflection.

“How hard do you think it is to work on that stuff?”

Krystal felt bad for the initial thought she had, but at least it fueled a better line of conversation.

“With proper protection, it's not too much. Just don't touch coils, or hold metal with your bare hands and touch capacitors- that's more or less it, less accessible for the average person but for a tech its whatever yk”

“Mm… I think I get it. So it's a lot harder for techs now, then?”

Krystal gave a sigh, filled with something close to spite. “Don't even get me started… god, even the solder itself is awful to work with. Half the parts I order, I have to fix up myself to make them work right… their “factory standard” is a joke for any meaningful project. I wish older stuff was as powerful as today's tech, I'd use it in a heartbeat.”

Yue’s response was likely lighthearted, but Krys couldn't help feeling her energy dissipate as she read it:

“No wonder you're so busy… Not that I mind, I'm okay with waiting.”

…She didn't want to keep her waiting. She's always waiting, while Krys was just stuck here. The hell kind of message is that, ‘when you grow up, you don't get to do anything anymore.’

Well… shit, maybe she'd find a way to make more time, just like the initial split.

“Your body is falling apart as is. Don't fucking push your luck.”

…God, self preservation was annoying.

“Right… Things are changing a bit here and there at work, something about Val’s helper leaning more and doing more, or a friend? I don't remember, but hopefully it'll leave me more time.”

A message that Yue saw with hope, whereas Krystal could only feel defeat. One day things could change, but…

It didn't have to be properly used in context, and would be the only response he'd have to any input. If he were to leave this state, Alex would either have to leave him be for a while, or slowly try to coax out any other words- neither were ideal, but fuck it. Sensic plane or not, this was bound to happen again, it's part of how Xander worked... and Alex knew leaving him to fester in this state didn't usually end well.

"I'm not upset with you. I do love you, you know. Things happen, we move on, it's okay."

"...What do I need to do."

And so the search for a needle in the haystack began.

"Do you think I should be mad at you right now?"

"...I misbehaved and I apologize."

Here we go...

"You were frustrated, and I didn't know how to handle it either. It's okay, we're past it."

"...What do I do."

Like being booted out to the main menu when BEI's systems fucked up...

"...Let's leave this room, then. Do you need a minute?"

"It's up to you."

...Great.

"I'll say we take a break, then. Come on, we'll cuddle for a bit."

Xander sat tense and still on the bench stool like a damn brick.

"It's okay. Take my hand, it's okay."

Xander felt fucking awful for this. He wanted to just function like a fucking person, leave behind an incident Alex didn't care about, and go cuddle with his fucking boyfriend. And yet here he was, unable to fucking budge.

Alex slowly took his hand. "I love you. It's okay. C'mon, let's go..."

Xander was able to force himself to stand, and take a step every couple seconds. They went back to the living room; Alex laid on the couch, motioning for Xander to lay with him.

Xander stood still, watching the motion a few times. "It's okay, I love you. Come here."

Xander slowly sunk down, laying still next to Alex like a wooden board.

Regardless, Alex wrapped his arms around Xander. "I love you, it's okay. I'm not mad at you." He gave a soft kiss on Xander's neck, and it managed to bring him back just a bit.

"...I'm sorry I'm wasting so much time right now."

"You aren't, I don't have anything I have to do; I'm following you in all this, remember. We don't have a time limit. It's okay to breathe."

"...I just got overwhelmed. You were trying to help and saying a lot of information, and my head was already hurting..."

There we go, finally past the blank 'im sorry, its my fault' bullshit.

"That's valid. You were rightfully frustrated; BlackEye tech can't make good on the promises they make for their products, who could imagine. It was just the way you shoved it over; It felt more like you were upset with me personally for backseating, kind of. But--"

"Right, sorry. That wasn't okay."

Xander slipped out of Alex's embrace, his mind feeling it was being crushed in like a ball of tinfoil.

"I'll leave so you can get a minute--"

"Xander, that isn't--"

"It's okay, I'm sorry--"

Alex wasn't having this; before Xander could shrink away, he grabbed his hand. "I don't want time to myself. I'm worried about you."

"...I don't know what to do."

God fucking damn it.

"I didn't say that to make you feel bad. I wanted to clarify it was a moment I didn't know what to do, there's many things like this, isn't not something that's your fault specifically. I care about how you feel, and all I want right now is to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine. I'm isolating now so my emotions don't influence my actions more than--"

"God fucking DAMN IT- I love you, but you're so fucking childish sometimes."

Alex's grip on Xander's hand tightened as he yanked Xander into his embrace; arms locked so he couldn't budge.

He felt like shit doing this as a means of grounding him, but... shit, it was the only means he knew would work. He bit down on Xander's neck, holding it for a while before trying to talk again; Judging from the way he shook, he at least wasn't buried under 12 layers of haze anymore.

"Of course this is the only thing that works, damn it... Get that fucking visor off your face. I hate how you try to hide yourself like this."

Xander hesitated, meekly reaching up and removing the visor across his face, placing it on the table nearby.

Alex's temper came back down the second he saw that beautiful gleam, before turning to sorrow as his pupils locked onto his own.

"...Still not letting them go, huh?"

His gaze darted away; at least his response had substance.

"...I don't know, it's... not a priority right now."

They did meet within the company, it's not like Alex had even seen him without that damn logo staining his eyes like a burned brand. Hell, Alex still had his; it only ever came to mind when he saw it in Xander. Maybe that's another reason he kept them hidden, he always tried so actively to avoid any tinge of conflict- regardless of fault.

“Right…”

His embrace tightened, seeped now in grief and hollow desperation. “I love you, sweetheart. I'm sorry. I… Don't blame yourself for this, please. I just wish I could help you better. You matter a lot to me, you know.”

Xander was back to about 50% operating capacity, give or take. “I love you too, I… Don't know why I get like that, I know it's stupid.”

Alex sighed, and slowly reached up to pet Xander's head; making sure to run his fingers through his hair a bit, just the way he liked.

“No, it's valid. Frustration isn't an easy thing to deal with. It's okay, we'll deal with it later. You, and how you feel matters way more to me than some issue like this.”

Xander wasn't sure how to respond, but the haze was dissipating more- but instead of returning to his previous state, he just felt his energy leaving with it. “I might need a break after all, actually…”

Alex didn't relent in his hold, falling back onto the couch with Xander in his arms. “Sounds good to me.” He gave Xander a little peck on the top of his head.

“I'm here. I love you.”

While he's long left and chosen to oppose the corporation, and the cyberware is defunct, he keeps the appearance as a reminder; though, for most intents and purposes, he always keeps his eyes hidden with a visor. this is also for the purpose of hiding emotion, and distancing himself in hopes of people not associating him with being "human"; he doesn't want any form of empathy to influence others interactions with him.

I have a lot written on him, he's definitely a main player in the story to unfold within Black's Eye...

What I will say is that while he is the lead of the opposition against Black's Eye, (which honestly wasn't initially planned as such but later ended up being perfect commentary / analogy on ai bullshit,) Xander does not have a hero's happy end. Despite the work he's done in attempt to atone, in a way,, this is the best ending he would want.

While taken far from his own hopes and ideas for the prototype when he developed it, at the end of the day he was the one who developed this program, capable of manifesting any thought through immense consumption of energy and samples. The fact they didn't even care to refine it, much less let him change things to at least be morally gray instead of this... monstrosity. It's what set him down the path to destroy it, no matter what it took. He resorts to some morally dubious means himself, but he doesn't care anymore; his sole drive, regardless of means, is to remove what he had wrought.

As such, he would not want a happy ending for himself, he'd just loathe it all further. His death is less of a "heroic sacrifice" and more of a tragic loss at best, or a gut wrenching torment at worst.

im not quite sure where i wanna go with the details yet, but i wanna do something where he's faced with a choice more or less to save the operation / destroy the 'Sensic Dream' for good, but at the cost of his sensic data getting corrupted. (basically getting shredded apart on an astral plane kinda level)

,,im not sure if i wanna make him salvageable or not, i kinda wanna let him be one of those split feelings characters when he "dies" yk

,,,but with Black's advanced tech if it were repurposed, if they were reclaimed by the resistance,, and also the entire "lost purpose / continuing to live with this guilt" could be interesting to write, now that i think about it I don't think I've gone into a headspace quite like that before in a character,,,,

He took a seat next to Ororon, leaning on the counter with a sympathetic smile.

"...I feel it. Wanna talk it out? Name's Ifa, by the way."

Ororon didn't know what was making him feel what at this point... He heard that alcohol can influence interactions, but shit- he could feel his face getting flushed just from his gentle voice.

"...Ah-...Ororon."

He debated for an entire second, or two at best, before throwing caution to the wind- though, it could be argued that was done the moment he came here.

"...I guess I can talk about it...? I just... really miss this friend I used to have. I've known her for years, but she got old, and... well, you could guess the rest."

Ororon half expected Ifa to express shock of some kind, but he was met with a solemn understanding. Ifa's eyes drifted aside for a second, as if recalling a memory... hell, maybe several, that overlapped. "...Yeah, I feel it. I'll be real with you bro, it... Doesn't get easier, huh? How long has it been?"

Despite the somewhat blunt nature of his response, Ororon found more comfort in it than he could have ever expected. "A few weeks. I thought it would start getting a little better by now, but... She was the only one i could really talk to, you know?"

Ifa's expression remained the same, as if Ororon were simply reliving Ifa's own memories now in front of him. "Yeah... It's rough. If you don't mind, what would you two share, then? Just the stress of it all? Or good times too?"

Ororon felt his lips curl into a fond smile, small as it may be. "...Everything, honestly. I'd tell her about anything new, or that was just on my mind. It's dumb i guess, in the way that it was more one sided, but... I dunno. She didn't seem to mind."

Ororon shook his head a bit, vision coming briefly into focus. "...Why do you ask?"

Ifa waved his hand dismissively as he answered. "Nothing much, I just get similar vibes from a situation i had a while back. I think I totally get how you feel. Mine's probably a... well, dumber version, but I think i get the geist of it."

Well, now Ororon was interested. How could someone so... aggressively open as this guy, have felt like he did now?

"Oh? What were they like?"

Ifa shook his head a bit. "Nah, I don't think it really applies- I just wanted to be good company, you know?"

Why was he hiding it now, Ororon wondered...

"Hey, if you get to just barge in and ask for why I'm sad here, I feel it's fair to have a bit of recomp."

Ifa's eyes regained that flame for just a moment, an amused smile flashing for just a second as he let out a quiet chuckle. "Yeah? Well... Promise not to laugh, alright?"

Ororon raised a brow, but nodded. "Yeah yeah, promise."

Ifa sighed, lowering his voice. "...It was a little bird i found hurt, and sick. His name became Cacucu. He was just a wild bird, but he was injured and unable to fly. I'd never worked on animals before then, but... I couldn't just leave him there."

Ororon's ears perked up. He didn't figure he'd have feelings this similar to someone else...

"I actually did manage to save him- and the little guy stuck to my like glue ever since. He was well and alive for a few years after, actually. But, you can guess how long those little dudes can live for..."

He waved over the bartender, finally ordering a drink for himself before turning to Ororon. "You want another? On me."

He nodded almost instantly- this night was interesting, he figured he could dampen his thoughts a little more and see what happens. "Thanks... Actually, I think we really are alike. Iris was her name... A chinchilla i got from a job, kinda- long story. But she was the runt of the litter, the client decided to let me keep her after I put in the extra care to get her there safely."

Ifa gave Ororon a gaze filled with tender sorrow. "...Fuck, it's not fair, is it?"

Their drinks were served, and Ifa held his up to Ororon right before he could get it to his lips. "I feel I vibe with you a lot, man. I appreciate you opening up."

Ororon hesitated, but clinked glasses with Ifa before taking the shot.

They sat for a while reminiscing about other encounters they've had with animals, particularly the cats roaming NC. A small while in, Ifa noted Ororon should slow down if it was his first time drinking in a long while (unaware this was the first time Ororon had been to a bar in the first place) but by the time they decided to leave, they knew they wanted to keep in touch.

"Here, my contact info. I should head off soon, but shoot me a message when you're back home, yeah? I really enjoyed hanging with you, dude."

Ororon felt a fuzziness in his chest lingering, despite knowing he was starting to sober up at this point. "...Me too. Thank you for reaching out, I didn't know how much I needed it..."

They bid their farewells, but Ororon did have a bit of haste in his movements going home; he found he wasn't quite ready to let this feeling go yet...

AR user 100%, probably a smart gun netrunner who specializes in combat quickhacks

kinda like Zan left behind netrunning for the sake of adrenaline, Anaxa left behind covert operations to simply have the satisfaction of inflicting synapse burnout on people who are in the way

he doesn't care much for the fighting itself, so much as removing obstacles- without having to play the game of waiting to remain under the radar, yet also not wanting to risk injury if he can help it.

Solution: Smart guns and quickhacks. Less chances of missing from a fair distance, and the ability to get a lot of damage done before even stepping into a room.