redjacketthief | Appointments

[That calm demeanor...

Lupin took a chance to breathe.]

Robert and Donatello. Robbie can't lie...and Don, while smart, was not able to communicate properly when we last met. I think it's a Malnosso affliction of some sort, but there is a possibility that they could misstep and compromise everything.

The other ones are Steve, Tony, and Loki. Steve, on his own, is a great man. Honest, earnest, and a true soldier. Tony...well, you've seen him around. Brilliant playboy who's too smart and has too much energy. But Steve and Tony are on the same team in their world, and their most recent enemy was Loki.

He's another chaos god. I don't think he'll do anything right now, but he's planning something. We spoke, once, about singularity theory. He wants to compare the 'maths' outside of the barrier to the ones inside of it. There might be a conflict there, because Loki is dangerous if he gets restless, should Steve be believed. I mentioned a solution, and it made Steve rather uncomfortable.

I'm not sure how willing they are to work together.

[Long silence and then a sigh.] We can work with the first two. It'll be easy enough to pass Mister Donatello's troubles as a Death Penalty gained from a Third Party attack, and Mister Robert's anxiety and awkwardness around people as trauma from the same attack. They're partners, so any closeness they show, we can also pass off as bonding due to shared traumas.

We don't need them to lie. We need them to speak as little as possible.

[...]

But the latter group of people... so much more difficult. Especially since Mister Rogers is field leader.

...yeah, that was my thinking when I saw their names on the sign-ups when they went live. That excuse can cover so many individual problems.

[It was the exact excuse he came up with for himself should he have continued to go on that mission. Residual neurological damage from a Third Party attack. It was so reasonable.

But he apparently was too compromised to do anything.]

I agree, it will be. Worse is that Steve, just last week, sent a warning and a call to arms to the entire village because of Loki. Unfortunately, he didn't filter it very well. While he says that it's a precautionary measure, an army is still an army.

Loki knows of it. It was a terrible move on Steve's part.

Edited 2012-09-23 01:08 (UTC)

I saw that. While I can understand the sentiment behind the action, the man laid out his cards too soon.

[Law's finger's drum, and only the creasing of his brow mars an expression that has frankly become unreadable.] Quite frankly this is last thing anyone needs. We have enough on our plate without having to babysit three of our own. [One who's supposed to be our commander.] It can't be a one man show though. People like Shikamaru and Mister Albert are going to have to be involved in keeping things simmered down. Nearly everyone respects them, including Mister Stark. They might be able to nudge two of those three into putting things aside for the moment.

Frankly, the more eyes watching the situation, the better.

Edited (Wrong icon) 2012-09-23 01:35 (UTC)

[He nodded slowly, understanding the full weight of this situation. Lupin knew that his presence wouldn't amount to much in the long run, but it would have been another person to help contain any such difficulties. A rift within the group could ruin the entire mission, as well as missions in the future. It was a rare chance, and one that he understood was likely not to come again.]

I know. I would if I could, but...

[He waved his hand at the entirety of the small building listlessly. Did he really have to elaborate?]

[No.

But it brings them to the next order of business.]

What happened, Lupin?

[He appreciates that. Truly.]

I tried signing up. My housemates didn't like that.

...a fight ensued.

[Glancing around the room. Sighing, but not at all surprised.]

A very vicious one. [... mother ocean.] What was said?

[It was more than just words.]

They called me a liar because I couldn't keep a promise that I shouldn't even have made in the first place. It was...against everything that I am. They said it was unforgivable--

and I was all ready pissed, so I threw a verbal bomb. Lies are nothing compared to some of the things that Luke has seen and done, but that's not my place to explain further.

That was all I said, I gave no details. They kicked me out for it.

...Then Obi-Wan was abducted just the other day, right near here. I went to go tell them, and there were further comments that I was the only one in the wrong. Maybe I am, but that didn't make their words or actions any better.

So...

I doubt they'll ever hear me now.

Edited 2012-09-23 02:14 (UTC)

[Indeed. There is more at play here.

... he needs more perspective than this one side.]

... do you think of them as nakama, Lupin?

[He chuckled, bitterly.]

I only learned that word because of you guys from the Grand Line. The idea of it doesn't really exist at home, but things happen. It's hard not to grow close to someone after you've exchanged bullets and survived. It's twisted, I know, but it works. That idea is the closest way to define how I feel about my partners at home, and I had hoped that the same type of idea could apply here.

So...yes. In a weird way, yes.

Edited 2012-09-23 04:15 (UTC)

You know... I spoke with Miss Adele earlier. That night at the beach where we all watch Superman. We discussed nakama. She didn't know what that was.

I'm willing to bet Luke doesn't either.

[Growing more distant. Reflective.]

She told me you shook on it. Partners. Sealed it with a glass of brandy. She wondered if that was more important to her than yourself, and wondered if you would be straight with her if she asked. I told her if it was important, you would be. And to ask.

... at least for her, and I heavily suspect Luke as well, this fight was more than about broken promises and brushed on dark secrets. That's what I think.

...Possibly.

[And it was something he was sought to understand underneath his agitation and trouble focusing. Even underneath his own hurt underneath the cutting actions and words, he was willing to make the attempt]

I think it was a misunderstanding, and the fact that I was trying to be something that I fundamentally am not. I did shake on it with Adele, and did drink on it...and it was a gesture that meant a lot to me. My partners back home, we never did anything so...'official.' This was something different, a solemn agreement to be by each other's side. The same goes for Luke--I want to think that our friendship is more than Shift related. There are days when I have a hard time understanding him because our views are too different, but I trust him...and that's the bottom line.

But I've been taking it easy for two months. I can't do it anymore. Once I'm stable on the pills again, I know that it's just going to hit that same plateau level that it did before. It won't get much better than that until November. [Because he did his research, and he made his calculations.]

...I've gone back to work, not as much as before. It helps, kind of. Working with Smoker always helps. There are materials I need to get, tasks that I need to accomplish...

I'm tired of sitting quietly and waiting.

... time and separation can only help now. Tempers need to cool. And... everyone needs to reflect.

[More sighing.]

You're not glass, Lupin. To be frank, I don't think I could have held on much longer myself. And at this point, house arrest is not going to do you much more good.

But you're going to have to pace yourself. Prove to them that you know your limits and can take care of yourself.

'Bubblewrap protects no one.'

[An intonation of Smoker's words from earlier in the week, and a startling parallel between the two men that harbored such dislike for each other. Lupin understood this, on many levels.]

I know that we need to give it time, but I still want to try. This isn't something I want to give up on, even if we never really agree on this point. I am also pacing myself, not working as hard as I was. I need to work on my projects, but I am taking my time.

--Their argument against all of this was that they're trying to protect me, and that I'm too compromised to help. That may be so, but it's not that much worse than Robbie or Donatello. And not near as bad as Steve, Tony, and Loki could be.

...I was going to ask around, you first. Then Daisy, Shepard, Fujiko, Shikamaru, and even Steve. He doesn't know, but I would have briefed him on what happened. He all ready has an idea, but I hesitated on giving him the full story. If any one of you had concerns, I would have pulled back. I'd have pulled back anyway, because this weather is making everything tricky.

Even if talking won't work right now, Adele deserves a shot. She at least deserves some honesty, and now it's a question of how her idea of partnership compares to mine. It might be too different, but it should be discussed.

[Law sits and listens and nods. And then when Lupin reaches the subject of Adele, something in his expression becomes satisfied.]

Good.

[Lupin smiled, distantly. It was heartening to know that Law understood his piece, and was wholly non-judgmental over it. Truly, he was a good doctor. One of the sort that looked at his patient's entire well being.]

...off the record, I'd like to know. Would you have cleared me to go on this mission?

[Because knowing the answer was important to him.]

[Would he have? Good question.]

I admit I would been torn. This is a very dangerous and quite possibly, the most essentially important mission to date. You know the stakes. You know what it would mean if we fail. [What the Rogue Malnosso will do.] It only takes one misstep. And we need as few complications going in as possible.

You are also an expert in the required fields. There are other experts, yes, and I will not insult their skills, but you are able to do what they do with no special and easily blocked abilities. You also possess what few do - years of experience. We are also already having to accommodate non-combatants, we can do so for one more if the benefits outweighed the downsides.

Lupin, I am not just a doctor, but a commander of men. [Or the Surgeon. People only see one of the three - they couldn't perceive him for the entire trinity of roles that he was.] I don't get to be sentimental; I have to remain objective. Sometimes that means sending out a wounded man to fight. Or putting a friend in the line of fire.

[It's very hard. He conflicts and contradicts.]

... and closure? Is something you need as well.

It would have been conditional. I would have reserved the right to draw back my clearance at any time. But that is my answer.

[Lupin had willingly followed Law into battle. Twice. And he would do it again.]

Your experience...

It shows.

[Even outside of combat, Lupin had his suspicions about Law. Doctors normally weren't trained to plan out and lead such large-scale tactics, nor did they command near the level of respect that Law had around the village.

In the event of another crisis, Lupin knew that he would turn to Law once again.]

It's so easy to forget the strange nature of this place sometimes. Beyond the Shifts, it is positively mundane enough that our proximity to the front lines just slips from notice. Everyone is surprised when it comes back--you'd think that, after how long some have been here, this sort of thing would be well remembered.

[Then again, he was just paranoid enough to suspect that something would go wrong no matter how clean the job was going. Staying alert kept him alive.]

But thanks. That helps. We'll have to get coffee, even if this mission ends badly. It's getting cold, and even you deserve some downtime.

Mm...

[Can't argue with that.]

Well, I hear there is a coffee place in the works.

Yuri, [Pippa,] right? I volunteered to be her taste tester. If you want in on that, she probably wouldn't mind.

Edited 2012-09-28 23:52 (UTC)

Got it in one.

That sounds like something I'd be crazy to turn down. [So speaks addiction.]

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