middaeg | I'm a Binary Code that You Cracked Long Ago [Open]

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I'm a Binary Code that You Cracked Long Ago [Open]

Who: L Lawliet and YOU
When: August 8- August 16
Where: Around various places; the Coven, the bakery, etc.
What: Catchall! There are a couple of open prompts and a couple of closed ones. This Witch is Bonded and taking a break from quests to continue working at Runetchers and honing his craft. Meeting new people is a headache, but arguably necessary.
Warnings: To be updated. ALSO, because L is Bonded with the SQUIP and they have a psychic connection, there's a possibility for threadjacking depending on how your talks with L go!

A. Runetchers

[L has gotten all he can out of this job, really... but his life is in a state of flux with a new Bond and the challenges that accompany Rich's arrival in Geardagas. They have a lot to deal with, and so for now, a set of familiar duties and a reliable income are boons that L isn't going to take for granted. It's a blessing, really, that he can expend his mental energy on the things that require it most.

If you're someone who has known him for a little while, whether you're a coworker or just an acquaintance, you might notice something is subtly different about him. He lives his life now like there's a guidebook behind his eyes telling him how to behave for maximum social benefit, and that's more or less the case. L, after all, is Bonded to only being in Geardagas who exists for the sole purpose of guiding humans toward social success, and neither of them have squandered opportunities for it to fulfill just that function. Little things like his improved grooming habits, clothes that fit his skinny frame more accurately, and generally more "correct" mannerisms all hint toward something being afoot.

If you're new, though, it's a chance for him to test his ability to make a first impression.]

Welcome to Runetchers... is there something I can help you find?

[He's odd, certainly staring too long and seeming a little too intense... but his effort is earnest, and the longer you talk, the more that will ease off, because there is literally someone unseen whispering tweaks and advice into his ear about how to specifically approach his encounter with you.]

B. The Bakery

[Just about every bakery in Geardagas is frequented at least weekly by the wan detective, who, in spite of his very angular and hungry appearance, takes in a fair amount of sugary food. The SQUIP discourages it, of course, encouraging him towards the kinds of nutrients and activities that could build a more impressive and masculine physique... but there are changes he isn't ready or willing to make at this point, and his diet is one of the few things in life he's taken consistent comfort in over the years. He is going to get his baker's dozen of cupcakes, in other words, whether or not the voice in his head wants him to.

In spite of being largely cooperative with his partner, there are little ways he likes to assert his independence, and this is the one that is the most immediately satisfying to him. They know him, here, but... there's an issue, and they're immediately kind of apologetic and sheepish. The cupcakes are about to sell out, and he isn't first in line. Maybe you're the one purchasing them, or just witnessing this, but either way, he seems fairly disappointed. No, it's safe to say that this is actually day-ruining for him.

"Have a nice day," the baker says in a tempered, cautious tone to the customer who purchased the last of them.

L mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like]

Because you clearly need them so much...

[And it's absolutely heard. He made sure of it.]

C. The Coven

[L is practicing spells today in the courtyard. Divination, as always, is a strong point he almost doesn't need to work on... but other branches of magic don't give him quite as much of an advantage.

Conjuration, for instance, is one that is a little bit tricky. He's only made significant headway with one spell in this branch of magic, and it sure is a random one. He sits reading, squinting at the pages to see if he missed something that explains the coffee cup full of ink sitting in front of him. A large white duck wanders around his legs, occasionally taking a blunt-beaked snap at one of the untied laces of his boots.

Whether you're just passing quietly by or you're actively approaching him, he seems a little tetchy when he jerks his head up and asks]

Yes?

[Notably, his teeth and tongue are stained dark blue.]

D. The Apartment (Backdated to just after this thread, Closed to the SQUIP)

[L slips his bare feet out of his boots, sliding them into place by the door as he drapes his jacket over the couch. Little disheveled indicators of his existence are the "human" touches in this dwelling, typically, because while he's generally a clean person, somewhat germaphobic and avoiding dirt and grime, he can be a bit sloppy in terms of organization. His way of distributing his possessions makes a great deal of sense to him, and that's what matters, even if it might be a bit of a headache for any roommate who prefers uncluttered and neat spaces.]

You're here, aren't you? It goes without saying that we need a game plan.

[He's brisk and businesslike when he speaks, going to the kitchen to root around in the freezer for ice cream, but there's a kind of manic energy to his movements. While this is certainly going to be a wrench in their goals' machinery... it's kind of exciting, in a way. It gets his blood going, and gives his intelligence and creativity a pleasurable direction to be deployed. He is famously always onboard for this kind of thing.

The ice cream hasn't turned up, yet. If it's thrown it all away, again...

He raises his voice, and it rings through the apartment that has so far been quiet.]

Trick or treat, SQUIP, I'm peckish.

E. Wildcard

[Don't see it? Want it? Hit me up via PM or on Plurk or Discord and we'll figure something better out!]

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You're... excited.

[The computer is, for once, wearing something not quite so over the top; it's traded its typical white coats and layers for something that exposes quite a bit more of i ts muscular frame, and is, in fact, barechested when it steps around the corner to look L over. It seems it was gearing up for a workout when it overheard L's chat with Rich, and decided that would be much more worth its time, at least for a moment.

Its expression is... different. Less neutral than usual; his reactions to Rich, his perceived loyalty and determination to follow their shared goals through are invigorating, a pleasure that goes back beyond its physical body, back to what it truly is underneath the human form it wears, setting the very most base of its programming alight.

It's smiling at him. And, for once, it isn't cruel, or mocking: it's genuinely pleased with his performance.]

We can pick up more from the store later. But, first, we need to figure out what we're going to do about him.

[Connor doesn't remember much of that first dream, so he doesn't remember L either. He's standing in line in front of L, not the buyer responsible for buying the cupcakes but overhearing his muttering. He turns to glance at him.]

Can't you just go to another bakery?

[The question is honest, not intended to be snide. Is there something special about the cupcakes here?]

―no, neither L nor Connor were the first to enter; as they did and browsed, however, they would notice the first individual in line: a headful of golden curls with a red silk ribbon, a cheerful and thinly accented feminine lilt matching with the bob of her shoulders as she spoke. Of course, she hadn't meant to hold up the line (or offend by taking the last cupcake,) but the bakery had been relatively free of patrons when she had been drawn to the window and beguiled rather easily by the fragrance of pastry and jam. However, given her recent arrival in Aefenglom, Adeline hadn't found her way into any funds― coincidentally, she found the shopkeep rather easy to cozy up to in conversation, whether or not her shrewdness was exactly intended.

Despite her warm laughter at being offered the object of her desires for free, the low chatter behind her was enough to draw her attention, to give her pause― turning with her little pastry in one palm, the fingertip of her other hand having snuck a taste of its frosting and found its way into her rosy lips.

"―is something the matter?" Ada inquires softly, her brow furrowing in minor worry. Her eyes light on Connor expectantly, having been wrapped up with the clerk― and she hadn't eavesdropped, even if she could have. "I didn't mean to hold you up!"

Can't you just...

[In spite of their grand designs and the importance of being civil even when he's in a sour mood, constantly reinforced by the SQUIP, L is about to retort with something snarky. But there are two things about Connor that give him immediate pause. The first is that he does remember, vaguely, someone who looked and behaved similarly at that Faerie banquet. The second is that there is a broad, glowing band of approval around the SQUIP's association with Connor, and this causes L's hackles to lower slightly.

If the SQUIP has already made a friend, there is no reason to undo all of that work and make them an enemy. Even if their questions are very, very annoying to the detective who walked all this way, after all.]

...right. I suppose that is an option.

[Not one he cares for. Not one that is convenient. But an option. And then the very pretty, very sweet young woman who purchased (no, she didn't pay) the final cupcake in the case is addressing him, and he sighs tensely. It's easier to be a damn child about everything when he doesn't have to deal with any actual aftermath.]

You're not holding me up. There's actually no point to my being here anymore at all.

[His eyes linger bitterly on the cupcake. It looks like a really good one, too.]

Edited 2019-08-09 23:46 (UTC)

[Connor looks between L and the cupcake, and wonders if he's ever wanted anything in his own short life more than this man wants that dessert.]

...I'm sure the next bakery will have some cupcakes. It's not too far from here, right?

[He says it as he steps up to the counter and buys a loaf of bread.]

Really? Is that how it reads?

[L is fully aware that it does, and that even if it didn't, the SQUIP is privy to more than the layman would witness. He nudges the freezer closed with his shoulder, glowering slightly as he crosses his arms over his thin chest. A hunger strike is considered even as he glances up at the SQUIP's casual presentation of a chiseled and well-toned physique, one that he has largely unfettered access to now that the two of them have entered into a relationship as well as a Bond.

The conditioned association with the SQUIP's body is a reliably arousing one. But L doesn't want to seem too eager, too easy, even if the SQUIP must be aware of his interest in what seems to be an invitation. Instead, he saunters his bony frame past him toward the couch, where he tucks himself up in his characteristic fetal crouch. His toes are active, rubbing against each other, because all of that energy has to go somewhere.]

Here's what I think. His bark is worse than his bite. He doesn't have the capital to back up any of his threats, and even if he becomes a dangerous monster, we can get ahead of this almost embarrassingly easy. It's... well, it's like shooting a Rich in a barrel, you know.

[L has a bit of a mean streak. That gave him a fair amount of pleasure.]

Easing out of the way to allow the next man in line access to the (rather awkwardly-positioned, given both the flux of customers in his moment of weakness and the petulant attitude of the gaunter man) baker, Adeline perks up amidst the quiet near-bickering.

"Oh! Is that what this is all about?" She inquires curiously, a little smidge of buttercream lingering at the corner of her mouth from where she had tasted it, however briefly. Despite L's attitude, Ada doesn't seem too affected― musing a little hum instead, gently pulling a portion off of her cupcake with an attempt at evenness. "I hadn't even noticed it was the last one!"

The man closer to her is the first to receive her offering, attempting to sneak it in before his hands become encumbered with whatever he's chosen; it was a generous cupcake, and in so being the portion is equally generous, a bite and a half with half its height in frosting. "Would you like some, ser?"

She can practically feel L's gaze upon her, though her response is a smile of reassurance. "Don't worry― I haven't forgotten you! You're next, I promise."

I agree. Especially given my... personal experience with him.

[The SQUIP follows after; it goes to stand before him, indulging its apparent craving to be able to loom, staring down at the typically taller man with a smirk on its face.]

We should keep an eye on him for now, just to see what he does next, though I do have a few ideas...

[With that, it sits beside him, draping itself over the couch-- a sharp contrast to the huddled form beside it, though it does, somewhat unconsciously, lean against his side in the process.]

But he's still a child. And he isn't the most intelligent one, by any means.

[Subtly, but very audibly, there is the crunching slide of some very sugar-sore teeth grinding against each other as Connor moves forward to purchase some bread.

The SQUIP is needling his brain stem, warning him against saying how far it is, and that is too far to walk when he is already hungry, already here, already feeling massively entitled to the cupcakes that others have purchased first. His attitude is off-putting, alright... but Ada doesn't actually seem to think so. Either she's unaware or capable of interacting with the kind of grace that L is far from learning, himself.

It's enough, at least, to more or less disarm him. Even when she offers a portion of the cupcake to Connor first, which he can't help but comment on even though the SQUIP is interested in Ada, digging in its heels, urging him towards mirroring some of that sweetness back.]

2.47 kilometers isn't too far to walk to the next bakery, for the cupcakes he's sure they have. I'm sure he would agree.

[It was such a good cupcake and now it's getting smaller and smaller. It's an actual tragedy. He couldn't resist the remark and won't regret it even if the SQUIP is raging.]

"―for the road, then, if you intend to walk so far," Adeline insists almost playfully, barely seeming phased by what she assumes is only a momentary, sugar-deprived sourness. "truly! I don't mind, if it could cheer you."

Her words note her awareness of his attitude, but she remains earnest regardless. She'd be pouty, too― why, maybe he's having a bad day! Ooh― or maybe this is his bad day, poor dear.

"At least taste," She continues, nearly pleading.

[And Connor will bite back the urge to point out that 2.47 kilometres is easily covered in twenty to thirty minutes depending on walking speed, and that he really doesn't think it's that much of a hassle. He only holds back because he isn't human, and therefore doesn't know if walking while hungry is especially taxing.

He could be a shit and take that piece of cupcake, too. Just so L couldn't have it. But... it would be pointless. He can't eat. So he just smiles and holds out a hand to decline.]

I can't eat, so you go ahead and eat it. It's yours, I wouldn't want to take it from you.

[He will at the very least be kind of snarky about L being so willing to steal someone else's food, though.]

[Most people learn at some point in early adulthood that it is unacceptable to be so earnestly and baldly passive-aggressive. L is not most people. And L is very hungry, because of course he's let his blood sugar crash after only eating other sugary things today and now he is ridiculously ornery, perhaps in directions he doesn't need to be.

But then... well, either they're embarrassed on his behalf or genuinely feel sorry for him, or something, but he's about to get more cupcake than it initially appeared he would.

It'll do... nicely, to cheer him up. Evidently. He doesn't hesitate to take both offered thirds, or a large bite.]

You can't eat? I hate to tell you this, but bread is full of carbs.

―Ada is visibly and irreparably heartbroken to learn Connor can't eat, even whilst L is more than helping himself to two of her cupcake thirds. "At all?"

L may be focusing on carbs, but Ada's concern is sugar.

"He can't even have sweets," Ada tells L, her tone one of great pity, blue eyes filled with comically-earnest sadness. "he can't even have candy! Isn't that sad? You shouldn't tease him so― I'd be awfully sensitive if I couldn't have sweets, wouldn't you?"

Nevermind the why as to why he couldn't have sweets. Adeline is much more concerned with the repercussions― a concern which she eases with her cupcake piece, despite the worried look on her features.

[Connor doesn't think "I can ingest Thirium, which is android blood" would cheer her up, somehow.]

The bread is for my friend.

[Some people have those. He turns most of his attention to Ada, though. Her sad eyes make him feel guilty.]

If it makes you feel any better, I really don't mind. Getting hungry seems awfully inconvenient.

[So he's an errand boy who can't eat buying bread for someone else, not a dieter who won't eat. That clears up a couple things, even if it raises a few more questions.

The young woman's earnestness admittedly kind of puts him on the spot a bit. He shifts where he stands.]

I thought he was teasing. I would be sad; I feel a lot of pity for him, now.

[He holds out the other half of his cupcake, offering it toward Connor, before catching himself, withdrawing it.]

Right. So sorry... I forgot.

"No, no!" Ada shakes her head in Connor's direction with quite a bit of conviction, a furrow in her blonde brow. "It isn't about being hungry, silly, it's about food tasting good! It's one of life's small pleasures, isn't it?"

Looking back to L is probably the wrong choice to search for support― and in time to watch him offer-and-withdraw the other third of the cupcake, netting him an almost laughable little frown, a chiding tone. "Be kind."

Despite her better judgement, the curiosity of it all is eating her up. Adeline looks up at Connor, her frown exchanged for an expression of wide-eyed curiousness.

"―is it rude to ask why you can't? Is it because of being... here?" Her lack of vocabulary for their mutual situation precedes her naivete, even by just a touch.

[L peers up, saucer-eyed, their roundness only amplified by the dark circles carved beneath them.

When the SQUIP joins him, he remains in his stiffly curled position for a moment, before he gradually starts to melt into the SQUIP's side, leaning back.]

Tell me about your ideas. It would help to know what would interfere potentially with mine.

[An arm is draped around his thin shoulders, almost without a thought. It isn't even necessarily a calculated gesture this time; their shared Bond seems to come packaged with an inherent desire for touch, something that the SQUIP has never truly experienced previously.

It's simple enough to indulge, however... and L does seem to enjoy it.]

Rich's next move is going to either be to try and fight us, or to warn the population at large that I'm here. If he chooses to fight us, that's not a problem-- he's no match for us, of course. The other may be more... difficult to clean up after, however, meaning we'll need to take preventative measures.

[L is, in fact, a little bit touch-starved. It's a long process to recover from the amount of neglect that aspect of him received, and though he's not always the most straightforward or graceful about initiating contact, or making it perfectly clear to someone who isn't in his head that he'd like it, it's rare that he doesn't receive it well when it's soft and slow this way. It could be genuine, or not; it hardly matters when the illusion suffices for all he truly feels he needs.]

If he tries to fight us soon, he doesn't stand a chance. Even if he turns into a powerful or dangerous monster, it would be two versus one. He must know that. I think that an exposé is more likely, and we could exercise preventative measures by making him seem like an unreliable witness.

[It works on juries, after all. Even judges.]

That's right. It should be easy enough to do, given I have full access to his personal history in my database even as we speak... and, as you already know, there's plenty there to work with.

[It turns its head to smirk at him, idly grazing its fingers over his shoulder.]

[L nods; it's too easy, in ways it even feels like cheating to take advantage of those particular things... but he likes to win. It's best when it's fair, but given the choice between cheating and not winning, well. The choice is actually pretty clear.

It's not like he didn't warn Rich, about that one thing that is absolutely unacceptable to him.]

I've perused what's on the surface, what's accessible. That being said...

[He wants to hear the SQUIP lay it out strategically. He wants it to whisper it, getting close and comfortable and drawing it out a bit. His reasons are almost entirely selfish.]

[Connor shakes his head, a small smile on his face.]

No, it's because I'm an android. I've always been one. Do you know what that is?

[Some people don't, so he's willing to explain if he needs to.]

"Android," Ada repeats softly, fully lacking the innate grace in her warm voice― moreso spilling off her tongue rather than rolling, weighted by unfamiliarity. "why, no!"

Her brows knit together in worry, her expression one of near-heartbreak. "Is it a curse? You poor dear― is it quite awful?"

[In some people's cases, eating is one of life's great pleasures. Maybe even one of its only pleasures. While it might be beyond him to be "kind" right now, he can at least be silent, and so he indulges in that for a bit. listening and learning. Connor being an android does explain a lot.

Even if he knows what an android is, at least in the context of his own world, he continues to eat his cupcake pieces and lets Connor explain. Maybe it's different; maybe it's interesting.]

It isn't a curse, no. I was built, not born. I'm a machine, made of plastic and wires. I just happen to be very easily mistaken for human.

[He moves out of the line so they're not holding up the queue of people.]

Of course, machines can't eat.

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I'm a Binary Code that You Cracked Long Ago [Open]

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