acatalepsy_rpg | video, after the caverns

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video, after the caverns

So, correct me if I'm wrong about this.

[Hank doesn't bother with an intro, just starts right on in. The angle he's holding his wrist shows both his face and the stick he's dragging along the wall behind him, which has been in a fire at some point in the recent past and leaves a long black trail of ash over the wall as he walks.]

But when all you heroes trooped into the haunted caves under the mysterious freaky lake the communication plan was along the lines of, 'gee, if someone gets their feet ate off by some freaky bullshit I sure do hope they yell real loud so I can get there before they bleed out' right? I mean, I trust you guys know to make a post letting us all know if you need backup, but what if this- [Here the screen shakes as Hank wiggles his wrist, indicating the watch] -gets busted, or stolen, or whatever?

I don't know, I was just thinking, next time a bunch of us, or just anyone, goes into something that might get bad there should be some kind of post stuck to the top of our feed that we could all check, just something like this-

[He stops walking, still talking as he starts to scratch a little list in ash onto the wall beside him.]

Hey, I wonder how little Suzy's doing. Oh, she checked in an hour ago, she's probably fine.

[He writes Suzy on the wall, and a checkmark next to her name.]

How about JimBob the Murder Bot? Oh, he hasn't checked in for about seven hours, I should take someone to go look for him.

[Next to JimBob the Murder Bot he doodles a little skull. Sorry Jimbo, it's hard out there for a figurative probably-dead robot. Better luck next time.]

Or maybe you guys would rather do some kinda daily role call like in school or, hell, maybe it's just more fun to lone wolf your way through all this world saving shit, what do I know. Decide amongst yourselves. I might be around, I might not. Just thought I'd throw this out there. I'm gonna go eat.

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[Hank snorts, crosses his arms, looks off to the side with a bitter little smile. Connor might of been calling Hank out at the end there, might not be, and either way Hank definitely isn't going to outright call attention to it.]

Too curious for your own good, huh? Hope you're allowed to tinker with that drive a little, Connor, turn it down a little. Cause that's the kind of thing that's gonna get you in trouble one day.

[If it was, Connor won’t say as much. Hank will just have to leave it up to his own imagination if that was some subtle commentary on his part.]

It’s proven beneficial so far — for the both of us.

[For those instances that Hank doesn’t remember from home.]

Yeah, well, so far isn't forever.

[Hank's just going to keep skipping over parts of what Connor says, cause the implication there - that other Hank who was so wonderful and great and trusted Connor implicitly, or whatever - that's also something Hank doesn't want to touch.]

That's what the whole status update thing's for in the first place, you know. You get curious about something, you say on the little chart that you're going to look into it, update it once you're out okay. I mean, you know what you're doing and all that shit, but just in case, you know? Being curious's not always a good thing, even for a good, hardworking detective like you.

[Subjects that Hank hasn’t yet been willing to tackle. Ones that Connor is more than willing to, for a number of reasons, but he remembers Hank’s reaction that first day. Knows to tread carefully around the implication for now — it’s always a figurative bone he can sink his jaws into later.]

It’s hard to call curiosity a disadvantage; often it’s only a matter of how it’s applied. That being said, I agree with you. There should be a system like this in place, to further facilitate both organization and safety.

Maybe that would be enough to convince you to join in the next investigation, whatever it might be?

What, you want me to join up to facilitate organization and safety? Have you met me?

[He thinks about it a second, shrugs.]

I don't know Connor, I guess it depends on the next, uh- investigation. You know it's not necessarily gonna be an investigation, right? And that I don't necessarily have to be there? For the newest, most adaptive tech you're pretty set in your ways, aren't you.

I know that. But I also know that there will be more investigations in our future. Each time we visit another world, it’s expected of us to find out just how to help the natives — that in itself requires research and close examination of the setting itself.

[He seems to be watching Hank’s expression carefully.]

And of course you have to be present. We’re partners.

[Hank huffs, a dry noise, not quite amused, and looks away, his lips twisting up.]

Like I said. Set in your ways. How'd you get by before I got here, if you're so set on working with me now?

[Not a preferable reaction; hard to parse.]

I simply accepted the fact that I was the only one from my world here, and would have to face unknowns accordingly on my own. That isn’t the truth of the matter now.

[Before Hank can protest, because they’ve had this conversation before—]

Or rather, it doesn’t have to be. Besides, you’d be a great help to any investigation — you have an eye for it, but you don’t need me to tell you that.

Ha. Go on, compliment me again. That'll be a change from our usual talks.

But- [He's got his mouth open to go on but hesitates, still not quite looking at the screen, running his tongue over his teeth. Yeah. They have had this conversation before, but he wants to say it.] -look, you know you've got friends here, right? You don't have to wait on me. I mean- hell, I probably will end up getting involved in whatever goes down, and I'll probably come to you about it cause I know you and I know what you can do. But- Look, that Arenvald guy? Me and him still can't talk about, uh- the way they design androids back where we come from, the way you guys can put on emotions like I put on a new suit. He won't hear it. And Konoha? The way she talks about you?

[He glances at the screen, then looks away.]

You got told to work with me, yeah. That's fine. I get it, I guess. But it's not me or nobody. You do know that, don't you?

Lieutenant...

[For all that Connor tries, these conversations never head in the direction that he intends for them to. As if there's a great, giant magnet that pulls and pulls and drags them both down a path tangled up with bracken. Harder to navigate, easier to get cut.

He's aware of this being a public feed, conscious enough of where this is going to switch it over to private.]

The fact that you think there's a correlation between my other friends and the... legitimacy of your company is flawed. One has nothing to do with the other. Why are you comparing yourself to them?

[Sometimes it's hard to align his own logic with Hank's, even if Connor knows where it stems from. Even if he doesn't really need to ask that question.]

[Hank notices the change, thinks about it, then pushes off from the wall and starts walking to his room again. If Connor's going to make this private, he might as well, too.

He thinks as he walks, biting at the inside of his cheek, lifting his wrist to glance at the screen and make sure Connor doesn't think he's ignoring him, or something. That unexpected consideration, thinking about Hank's privacy, it just makes Hank want to try to be honest.]

I uh, I don't know, Connor.

[He sighs, ducking his head and scrubbing a hand through his hair.]

I wasn't thinking about it that way, I just, uh- You said you were going it alone before, and I just wanted to make sure you're- I mean, I just kind of hate the idea of you sitting around waiting for me to get my ass in gear. I wanted to make sure you don't- You know, just wanted to make sure you know you got options.

[He shrugs, grimacing at his own shitty answer.]

And, um. Thanks, for making sure no one was going to see that before you asked. That was- It was weirdly considerate. So. Thanks. I appreciate it.

...Of course.

[Weirdly considerate? Simply considerate, Connor would say. As suggested to him by more than just his programming, but common sense. Rarely did humans ever want to display this level of personal information to the community as a whole; he especially thinks that Hank is not an exception to the rule.]

I'm not 'waiting' for you to do anything. All I did was suggest that we might partner up once more for a future investigation.

[On his screen, his LED spins, though Connor remains standing in the same spot as he always has.]

I think you may be holding yourself to standards that I haven't set for either of us. There's no benchmark goal, I don't think, for any of this. [He doesn't think so, at least?? Friendship is hard when he has to work at it like this.] If you don't want to, you simply just have to say so. We can find other things to do.

[He darts a look at the screen again, a tired little half-smile.]

You say that like it's just another hobby. 'Hey, we could conduct an unofficial investigation to save real lives or, whatever, if you're not in the mood we could go play truth or dare again'. You make it sound so simple.

It is that simple to you, isn't it? You were just asking a question, I'm the one who-

[Hank sighs, rubbing the heel of a hand over his eye.]

Sorry. Yeah. I mean, we probably will end up uh- working together, I guess, a little bit. No promises, but, uh. That's all you wanted to know, right?

[Hank makes it sound like it’s a complicated thing, but it isn’t. It boils down to either he wishes to work with him, or he doesn’t. Whether he wants to partner up like they had back home, or let strange circumstances sever that tenuous connection — easy as it would be to do so.]

I don’t mean to compare an actual investigation to a passing game or hobby between friends. I just meant that I wasn’t going to press the matter if you were uncomfortable with it.

[Connor says it like he almost believes it. Like he isn’t the most stubborn thing to walk the Temple, like he’d actually let something like that go.

But still, the corners of his mouth crook up into a little smile. Just the prospect of it maybe coming to pass is enough to spark a little eagerness.]

But I am glad to hear it. That you might be amenable, I mean.

[Hank looks at the screen just in time to catch Connor's little smile and his own lips turn up in response, a tiny bit, just a little. He decides, impulsively, to go head for that bottle anyway and lengthens his stride, trying to make up for the time he lost slowing down just now.]

Yeah. Guess I might be, since you're so set on it.

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