[He’s gotten used to people checking in on him this past week. To the point where he might start finding it embarrassing, if it wasn’t for the fact that it was genuinely comforting and, well, an incredibly normal thing to expect. He can use some normal.
There’s the faintest blip of surprise at the contact, but overall Vander seems to be feeling pretty alright at the moment. Maybe he’s been partaking in some of that Dank Kush™ Cetina gifted him. Who’s to say?]
Better, for the most part. Mostly glad to be out of that mess.
[ They might not be all that close but it's a relief to hear that the guy's doing well all the same. He'd seemed like a genuinely nice guy, easy to get along with if the patrons always crowding his bar are any indication. It would be a shame to lose a guy like him. ]
Do you usually make it a habit of getting kidnapped?
[ Damn. He hadn't actually been expecting any sort of serious answer in the affirmative, and there's a little blip of surprise on his end before it smooths out into dry amusement. ]
That popular, huh?
[ But, unfortunately, he's never been one to drag out a joke too long, and his businesslike demeanor creeps back in shortly afterwards. ]
Were you just in the wrong place at the wrong time, or was there a reason Aetos kidnapped you in particular?
[Ha, if this is what popularity gets him, he’ll take peace and quiet any day. There’s the barest wisp of wry and incredibly self-aware amusement on his end, before his thoughts slip into something more thoughtful at the question.]
Claimed that my Shard has “potential.”
[Thinking about that particular conversation causes a noticeably darker shift in his mood, but not enough to make him unwilling to talk about it.]
All of this nasty business of theirs is apparently in service of trying to create a soul. What me or my Shard have to do with that, I couldn’t tell you.
[ If that phrasing isn't shady as hell. Admittedly, the whole thing's been shady as hell up until this point, but this really is the cherry on top. A flicker of unease ripples through from his end. ]
'Create a soul'?
[ He echoes the words, as if saying them aloud (or at least, through Communion) will somehow solve all the mystery surrounding that singular concept. ]
[There’s some noticeable restlessness there—and maybe a blip of anger that he quickly works to smother—as he tries to recall anything the madman had said to him.]
No, not really. Went on about how he had to better understand Shards to get there, mostly. Probably lucky to have gotten that much out of him, considering the circumstances.
[Hadn’t exactly been in a position to pry much, when locked in a cage and strapped to a table there.]
[ Given the circumstances, he was definitely lucky. Probably lucky to make it out alive too—although, given all the horrors scattered about the lab, maybe make it out in the same condition as before would be a more apt phrase.
Eustace frowns on his end, the thought sending a ripple of unease down his spine. ]
[There is a pause, and when he does continue on to answer he just sounds… tired. There’s worry there too that he mostly tries to bury, but it’s a lot harder of an ask when Communing with another Exalt.]
He… injected me with something. I don’t know what.
[He can still see the sickly green glow of it plain as day in his mind’s eye, even if the immediate aftermath of it is mostly a painful and exhausting blur. For all he knows, he’s got a ticking time bomb inside of him.]
Said it was to try to draw something out of me. Felt like my whole damn body was on fire.
[ Worry spikes through the connection again, stronger this time in the face of Vander's admittance. Too much to hope that nothing harmful would have happened while he'd been down there, but a part of him had still wished for it regardless.
Maybe it's too much to hope that there won't be any aftereffects either, even if he wishes for that too. ]
Guess it's not something any of the doctors here would be familiar with, is it.
Edited (tired of my own typos) 2023-04-10 20:20 (UTC)
[Nothing about this is, though. So he’s stuck here playing the waiting game and hoping that he doesn’t wake up one day and find himself a monster like Manon had.]
So far so good, though there isn’t much I can do but cross my fingers and wait it out. But admittedly, I haven’t been totally feeling like myself since getting back.
[That’s to be expected regardless, right? Trauma always leaves an indelible mark on a person.]
[There’s a pause then as he mulls it over, because really, he’s not entirely sure what would help.]
Mostly I just want to keep my mind off it for a while. So if you need a hand with anything, or just feel like swinging by the bar when you’re looking for company, that’d be more than enough.
[ It's a shame that he works alone most of the time, and that his own personal projects don't usually need input from others. He's about to nod and offer a simple will do when he's suddenly reminded of a past excursion from weeks ago. ]
Actually I do have a question. Though if you'd rather not answer, I understand.
[ Wouldn't it be nice if he knew how to talk about more lighthearted things instead of always talking business.... ]
[There is an immediate surge of displeasure at the mere mention of that name, but he works to tamp that down as quickly as possible. He is (mostly) successful, though his tone is still rather rueful.]
The kind of experimentation involving other people, you mean?
[Another unspoken 'yes.' Hard to escape the rumors, with as much time as he spends down in the undercity. He'd hoped it was all overblown, but...]
So he really is up to his old games with Shimmer, again?
[And why wouldn't he be? The man thought it to be the end all be all method of getting what he wanted, consequences and side effects be damned. (Of course—Silco wasn't the one suffering them.)]
He'd barely begun producing it in earnest before I'd— [died] —arrived here, but I'd seen enough of it first-hand to know it's far too much trouble.
[ It's an unfortunate time to be bringing it up, after everything that's happened, but the longer Silco's left to his own devices, the worse it'll all end up. No better time than now to at least bring it up. ]
I came across one of his [ ugh ] subjects in Springstar awhile back. Unfortunately I wasn't able to pacify him at the time.
[ There is a thread of remorse in his tone over having to kill a (possibly) innocent man. ]
I'm guessing there'll only be more from here on out?
[Vander at least appreciates being kept in the loop, sub-optimal timing or not. Especially if there’s only going to be more incidents like the one Eustace mentions.]
I’d bet money on it. To him, it’s just a useful tool.
[If he had no qualms about distributing it amongst his own people back home, there would be nothing holding him back here.]
Rumors are, someone’s taken over one of the more well-known establishments down in Kowloon. From everything I’ve heard, it sounds a lot like his M.O. If there’s a place to start looking into it, it could be there.
[ It's all good information to know, and he takes it all gratefully, silent appreciation - along with a more verbal one - spiking briefly through the Communion. ]
Thanks for letting me know. I'll take a look down there when I have some time.
[ In the meantime.... ]
I'll make sure to stop by the bar when I have time too. It's not a bad place to spend some time.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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There’s the faintest blip of surprise at the contact, but overall Vander seems to be feeling pretty alright at the moment. Maybe he’s been partaking in some of that Dank Kush™ Cetina gifted him. Who’s to say?]
Better, for the most part. Mostly glad to be out of that mess.
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Do you usually make it a habit of getting kidnapped?
[ It's a joke, mostly. ]
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I would say no, but… this is admittedly not the first time it’s happened.
[You’d think a big lug like him would be too much of a challenge to actually kidnap, but life (and mad scientists and scorned brothers) finds a way.]
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That popular, huh?
[ But, unfortunately, he's never been one to drag out a joke too long, and his businesslike demeanor creeps back in shortly afterwards. ]
Were you just in the wrong place at the wrong time, or was there a reason Aetos kidnapped you in particular?
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Claimed that my Shard has “potential.”
[Thinking about that particular conversation causes a noticeably darker shift in his mood, but not enough to make him unwilling to talk about it.]
All of this nasty business of theirs is apparently in service of trying to create a soul. What me or my Shard have to do with that, I couldn’t tell you.
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'Create a soul'?
[ He echoes the words, as if saying them aloud (or at least, through Communion) will somehow solve all the mystery surrounding that singular concept. ]
Did he say why he wanted to do that?
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No, not really. Went on about how he had to better understand Shards to get there, mostly. Probably lucky to have gotten that much out of him, considering the circumstances.
[Hadn’t exactly been in a position to pry much, when locked in a cage and strapped to a table there.]
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Eustace frowns on his end, the thought sending a ripple of unease down his spine. ]
He didn't—do anything to you, did he?
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He… injected me with something. I don’t know what.
[He can still see the sickly green glow of it plain as day in his mind’s eye, even if the immediate aftermath of it is mostly a painful and exhausting blur. For all he knows, he’s got a ticking time bomb inside of him.]
Said it was to try to draw something out of me. Felt like my whole damn body was on fire.
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Maybe it's too much to hope that there won't be any aftereffects either, even if he wishes for that too. ]
Guess it's not something any of the doctors here would be familiar with, is it.
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[Nothing about this is, though. So he’s stuck here playing the waiting game and hoping that he doesn’t wake up one day and find himself a monster like Manon had.]
So far so good, though there isn’t much I can do but cross my fingers and wait it out. But admittedly, I haven’t been totally feeling like myself since getting back.
[That’s to be expected regardless, right? Trauma always leaves an indelible mark on a person.]
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Is there anything I can do to help in the meantime?
[ Whether it be a drink, a distraction, something else to chew on... ]
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[There’s a pause then as he mulls it over, because really, he’s not entirely sure what would help.]
Mostly I just want to keep my mind off it for a while. So if you need a hand with anything, or just feel like swinging by the bar when you’re looking for company, that’d be more than enough.
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Actually I do have a question. Though if you'd rather not answer, I understand.
[ Wouldn't it be nice if he knew how to talk about more lighthearted things instead of always talking business.... ]
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Oh? What've you got?
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Back when you knew him [ back in the before days of their arrival in Kenos ] was Silco involved in any sort of [ ... ] experimentation?
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The kind of experimentation involving other people, you mean?
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I'll take that as a yes.
[ Unfortunate. Not that he'd ever really had a great view of Silco before, but it sure is souring quickly by the minute. ]
Did it also turn people into [ hm, how to describe it ] mindless creatures with an urge to destroy?
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[Another unspoken 'yes.' Hard to escape the rumors, with as much time as he spends down in the undercity. He'd hoped it was all overblown, but...]
So he really is up to his old games with Shimmer, again?
[And why wouldn't he be? The man thought it to be the end all be all method of getting what he wanted, consequences and side effects be damned. (Of course—Silco wasn't the one suffering them.)]
He'd barely begun producing it in earnest before I'd— [died] —arrived here, but I'd seen enough of it first-hand to know it's far too much trouble.
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I came across one of his [ ugh ] subjects in Springstar awhile back. Unfortunately I wasn't able to pacify him at the time.
[ There is a thread of remorse in his tone over having to kill a (possibly) innocent man. ]
I'm guessing there'll only be more from here on out?
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I’d bet money on it. To him, it’s just a useful tool.
[If he had no qualms about distributing it amongst his own people back home, there would be nothing holding him back here.]
Rumors are, someone’s taken over one of the more well-known establishments down in Kowloon. From everything I’ve heard, it sounds a lot like his M.O. If there’s a place to start looking into it, it could be there.
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Thanks for letting me know. I'll take a look down there when I have some time.
[ In the meantime.... ]
I'll make sure to stop by the bar when I have time too. It's not a bad place to spend some time.