mark iv (slimeknight jaeger au)
masterpost here if anyone needs to know what's happening!
It’s not hard to figure out what the message is for, even if Derek didn’t already know it. His trial with Avery went perfectly, just as Wifies had hoped for- now, they’re going to get the results.
Be there in a minute, he sends Wifies, and sighs, looking around the small guest room they’ve given him temporarily. Derek is going to have to move, soon; most likely back to a Ranger’s room, one that he’ll be sharing with Avery.
But first, the routine he’s gotten painfully used to since Operation Pitfall; one painkiller every few hours. He reaches for the well-worn jacket draped over a chair, and then hesitates. As familiar as the red-and-gold is, the stylised, neat and blocky lines and patterns meant to emulate Peregrine Lord’s gladiator-esque design… a new Jaeger means a new jacket. A new identity as a Ranger.
Derek leaves the jacket hanging on the chair, and heads off to meet Wifies.
“Derek! You’re late!” Wifies declares, and Derek raises an eyebrow. Avery blinks at him from behind the Jaeger Programme’s director, and he can tell he’s right (as if he needed the confirmation) when Wifies looks him up and down and claps his shoulder with a “And minus Ranger jacket!”
“Yes, I did,” Derek says, raising an eyebrow, “So, Wifies. You couldn’t spring for a Mark V?”
“Jaegers are expensive,” Wifies complains, “And a Mark V is even worse.”
“How’d you know?” Avery asks, quietly, when they begin to leave, heading towards the Jaeger bays, and Derek shrugs, unwilling to get into the technicalities, “Long story. Excited?”
“Not, like, excited,” Avery laughs, “But I think… anticipatory? Obviously it’s a terrible thing that we need to do this, but… I’m glad to do it. I hope we’ll work well together!”
“We will,” Derek says. And it’s not so much his own… situation… as it is something deeper. He knows, not just because of the knowledge forced upon him, but because of something deeper, that Wifies knew what he was doing. They can work well together.
So they walk deeper into the Shatterdome, to its beating heart, to the Jaeger bays. And finally, Wifies stops at the viewing beam, throws out his hands, and says, “Here you go! This is Green Knight, our newest Mark IV!”
The Jaeger has been designed for him. That’s Derek’s first thought. And it sounds silly, it definitely sounds a little egotistical, but- there’s no way it wasn’t. Because the way the arms and legs are constructed, the way that the Jaeger’s limbs are built and plated like armour…
“Did you borrow Peregrine Lord’s blueprints for some of this?” Derek deadpans, and Avery- seemingly taking his cue from Derek- tries not to laugh as he adds, “Not very green, is it?”
Avery’s right, honestly. It’s not that green, for a Jaeger called Green Knight. The Jaeger itself is a dark steel grey, with an accent colour of emerald green (note to self, Derek thinks: tease Wifies about the lack of paint). The green is fitting and stands out, no doubt, but still.
Overall, though… it’s elegant. Streamlined and powerful- looks the part, too. Derek can’t say he’s unhappy.
“Show some respect,” Wifies complains light-heartedly, shoving the two of them, “I’ll go get the jackets.”
Avery straightens up at that as their director saunters off, and Derek smiles, just a little, “Excited?”
“Yeah,” Avery admits, sheepishly, “That’s the cool part. It’s not real until you get the jacket, and then you second-guess yourself until you step into the Drift.”
He does. And he also knows they’ll be fine.
…Although he has to brief Avery on the Drift, first. That’s not going to be very fun.
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