fatalstriker | ic contact; cerealia

[even flynn's taste buds, hardened as they are, refused to touch the breakfast left behind by the robots. they gave little choice but to accept it. as soon as the welcoming crew leaves, a sigh escapes him as he glances around. back in his room. why no worry for yuri? well, a blue pup sitting in the corner and yawning might be the reason. repede had come in right when the robots left, quite probably to ascertain flynn's condition and if repede's here then the other part of their trio can't be far behind. going off mosley's little stunt, everyone likely returned back to the city. whether that's good or bad, who can say?

a frown gets sent down at himself, an action leading to the furrowing of brows. his person lacks any sign of having been in a situation so perilous as he had been in. how can that even be... rather than dwell on it, flynn opts to go get something to eat instead, something that doesn't look as though it'd get hacked back up. mulling everything over on a full stomach sounds like a good plan. with one final distasteful glance at the breakfast, he stands and starts toward the kitchen.]

[yuri hadn't been much better off in that regard, having been woken up by the robots and also handed a breakfast that looked like—well, it looked to him like something even more inedible than one of flynn's creations. but whatever. he'll take it if it gets them to leave.

and it works.

he's not all that sure if it's a good thing or not that ceres managed to bring them back, but he's kind of grateful for some things: a bed. a bathroom. actual warmth.

what he's not grateful for is being met with two week old rotting nachos and tons of alcohol that hasn't been cleared from the coffee table. the first step is disposing of all that (and trying to forget those bad life decisions, that feel as if they were months ago by now). the second? breakfast. actual, edible breakfast. so yuri doesn't waste much time after that rooting around the fridge for something that's not expired—it's a bit of relief that there's a carton of eggs that hasn't passed the date yet. everything else, save for what's in the freezer is no good; there's not bread, or bacon, or anything else. so... eggs it is. he's already started to prepare enough for himself and flynn by the time the other enters the kitchen. and at the sound of footsteps, he'll make a statement without even looking up.]

We gotta go grocery shopping later if we want to eat again. Most of what we've got's expired thanks our deity friends and their little escapade. [there are more important things to ask: is flynn okay? did anything happen while they were separated? yuri was forced to deal with a couple of really shitty things that he may skirt around, but he's no less concerned.

but that, along with some other pertinent things (like showering, for example), can wait until after breakfast, and coffee. the coffee is still good, as long as they drink it black.]

[finding someone else already in the kitchen gets him to pause in walking, if only momentarily, to take in yuri's appearance. in one piece. good. there's definite relief at that. it isn't that yuri can't take care of himself; it's that the last time flynn had lost sight of yuri, it involved spending weeks wondering whether or not his best friend was dead. granted, dead here lacks the same finality as dead back home, but it's still preferably avoided.

a myriad of questions pops up in his own mind, but get pushed back down. details about what happened can come once they're both seated and both with at least coffee in their hands. coffee, black or otherwise, can only be called godly right now. seeing as yuri's fiddling around with something, it gets assumed the other man has that part under control. good. for once, he'll take the option to be lazy and not help out. next time they're transported to some weird place and then flung back? coffee is all on him.

flynn plops himself down in a chair while voicing a less heavy, but equally important of a question.]

Is there anything edible left?

[because he really doesn't feel like doing a grocery run right now. or today period. too much else exists to deal with today, including showering and cleaning up the remains of their drunken adventures. it's not like he can't take one more day of not really eating, having done it more often than not while a kid, but food really would be nice. whatever is on the plate back in his room does not count as food, for the record.]

[it's fine, maybe even for the best completely that flynn doesn't bother to try and help out. yuri doesn't really need it, after all. making eggs and coffee is a simple enough task, one he could practically do in his sleep.]

I'm making eggs, but that's about all we've got unless you want to start eating peanut butter out of the jar. [which he knows flynn is not going to go for at all.

hell, he practically expects flynn to reprimand him for even saying that.

but he does as he continues to work, turning his attention away from the pan as it heats up and starts making the coffee... which, thanks to CERES-technology is not more difficult than popping a pod into a keurig-equivalent. easy. flynn will having a steaming cup of black coffee placed in front of him within a minute, with yuri already setting up to make the second for himself.]

Edited (saves the rogue runaway brackets) 2015-11-03 20:35 (UTC)

We are not eating peanut butter out of the jar.

[flynn fulfilling all expectations and without even realizing it. rebuffing yuri's dumb ideas is pure habit at this point. ...even if said dumb idea is somewhat tempting, but not enough so to actually do. they are not barbarians. they can eat peanut butter properly and not out of a jar.

any annoyance quickly disappears at the sight of the drink of the gods finally ready. a small smile comes yuri's way as he eagerly takes the coffee. some of the technology here truly was a blessing. it doesn't outweigh all the bad stuff, not by a long shot, but it does make things a bit more tolerable. never could coffee be made so quickly when so needed back home. it doesn't taste half bad, either.]

Thanks.

[as soon as the word leaves his mouth, hot liquid goes in. one thing flynn's good at tolerating is heat and without getting burned. drinking freshly brewed coffee without flinching comes with that territory. it's a good skill to have on days like today, truly. no other words come from his end for now, with him instead fully enjoying the joys of the caffeine while waiting for yuri to join him.]

[it may have taken a bit of getting used to some of the tech that makes the kitchen go, but even yuri can admit that if they remember any of this when they get back to terca lumireis... well, he'll definitely miss some of the amenities.

but that's neither here nor there. for the time being, he's quiet as he prepares a meager breakfast—three eggs for each of them, and nothing to go along with it. at least repede lucked out in that the dog food has a bit longer a shelf life. whatever; he'll place one of the plates down in front of flynn along with a fork before plating his own food and sitting down across from him.]

Groceries are gonna have to come pretty soon, then. [since the peanut butter option is out. and a breakfast this small is hardly going to be able to even tide them over until lunch.]

Showers first, though. [showers first. repede could use a bath, too.]

[rita can no doubt see to recreating some of these if told about them. she's brilliant enough to bring some of these marvels into fruition. being the commandant means he could probably sponsor the research himself, research to make instant coffee a reality. potential research sponsorship can wait until after they manage to get back to their world.

and after showers. blessed showers. flynn picks up his fork and eagerly starts to dig in, giving a small nod of agreement at that last part.]

Showers first.

[no argument there. as soon as the food is downed, he plans on jumping in and staying in there for an hour. all right, maybe not an hour but the idea is definitely tempting. being stuck in an underground cavern... volcano? whatever it was meant zero water and zero showers, along with zero food and necessities and about everything normal people need to survive. that line of thought brings up the question of what yuri ended up going through.

flynn swallows a mouthful of egg before speaking again.]

How did things go on your end?

Guess that depends.

[by which he means "shit. it went like shit." but yuri isn't about to say that. he's got a forkful of eggs in his mouth as he considers the best way of telling flynn what happened.

because really, it all went poorly and a lot of it dredged up memories he feels are best left forgotten. yuri himself hadn't even realized how much the fall from zaude still lingered in his mind until he was faced with a gap that hovered over an endless abyss; and worse was the fact that he ended up helping more than one person bridge that gap, because yuri just can't let kids potentially jump to their doom while he does nothing.]

It was colder than Zopheir, I had to jump a gap over an endless abyss three times, took on a bunch of pissed off griffons with nothing but a wooden sword, and then Cloudman up and disappeared on us. I'll let you decide how you think it went.

[does he look unamused? because he's unamused. but at least he thinks he covered up the discomfort of what that gap did for his rare anxiety well enough. better to just gloss over it, right? right.]

Better or worse than what you dealt with?

[like shit is very accurate on both their ends. flynn gives a frown while in the middle of chewing. so both of them ended up thrown into something very unpleasant. how any being, human or otherwise, could have considered this a rescue attempt in any sense of the word....

on the bright side, the masking effort on the endless abyss jump discomfort succeeds. flynn fails to notice anything off, instead focusing on the question posed. better or worse? taking a moment to swallow this mouthful gives him a chance to piece together what to say. ...and what not to say. what happens in a volcano stays in a volcano. accidental groping falls under that umbrella.]

It was a pitch black cavern with paths that led to steep ledges you were unable to see, we were swarmed by fireflies that burned you upon contact and our guide left us in an underground village with little in the way of food or water or ways to obtain either and with air so thin we could scarcely breathe.

[one thing flynn opts to leave out is how the air kept growing thinner and thinner by the day. yuri didn't need to know how close it had been. if mosley hadn't rescued them when he did, it's unlikely they could've survived for more than another day. it was the most unpleasant, almost terrifying feeling, trying to catch your breath but being completely incapable of doing so. what kept terror from fully setting it was the need to find a way out and help others. displaying terror or fear never helps anyone.

flynn gives a small sigh. one thing is for certain: the spirits are officially on par with ceres.]

So I'd say about the same.

So much for "saving" us from CERES, then.

[he definitely doesn't like the way flynn's excursion sounds either, but he can admit to himself that he'd rather have dealt with that than what he did. "the grass is always greener" and all that.

but whatever. maybe it's just better to leave that in the past, right? the fact that flynn isn't giving him any suspicious looks means he must have done well enough at covering up his discomfort; really, it's for the better. flynn absolutely does not need to know how zaude affected him. it's not as if heights in general are a problem, after all. riding with ba'ul is fine by him even now, and he knows that he'll probably face similar things in the future. but the wound is still a little fresh in his mind... despite the fact that he's been in cerealia for close to half a year now. but something like that, where the risk was very high and there wasn't going to be another duke to save him... it was a little scary.

he's okay with dying as punishment for having taken other's lives; he knows it's coming. but that's just not how he wants to go, not because of CERES, and not because of some half-baked deities intentionally making their lives more difficult.

again though, a problem for another time.]

Guess there's a hell of lot out in this world besides this city and we got a nice taste of it. ["nice."]

[whereas flynn's happy yuri doesn't pry into details on his end, either. maybe flynn himself doesn't entirely wish to recall them. struggling to catch a breath, that brief moment of worry about whether or not you could and then more worry about how long breathing will last...

without thinking about it, he takes a deeper than normal breath. sweet, sweet air.]

Yeah. It only reaffirms how little CERES wants us to know and how little we do know.

[his frown deepens as he chews another round of egg. the more they learn, the more they learn they don't know. it really feels like alexei all over again, if in a worse way. alexei... is someone flynn can harbor respect for to a degree. prior to going off the deep end, the man was a good leader and did good for the empire. granted, that good made the treason all the more painful to bear, however it also was there at some point in time. alexei was not always evil.

the same cannot be said of ceres. so much of what has happened to them has been bad to a degree that cannot be ignored. how can someone claiming so much good be so openly not? even alexei, even cumore and ragou, weren't so obvious about their schemes. ceres flat out toys with people. they don't even acknowledge it, not even when having done so moments prior. truly despicable.]

And how little the spirits seem to want us to know, as well.

[all they have been is ridiculously cryptic while placing innocent people in danger. some saviors. as of the moment, little difference between them and ceres exist.]

You know what this means, right?

[yuri's not going to beat around the bush here. they can't ignore this, and they can't keep sitting around waiting for something to drop in their lap.

he's not going to suggest anything extreme yet; taking out the spirits or ceres entirely doesn't seem plausible in the least. not yet, not with what little information they have. they need to find out who these groups side with, what the truth is, and what it means for them. there's no more time for complacency, they have to ask. so whether that's venturing out of the city (presuming they can find a way back out, of course) and trying to see what clues they can find that way...

...or infiltrating ceres directly and trying to get something out of that, they need to do something.

no more waiting.

no more hoping something useful will crop up, or that they'll be able to find an opening.

yuri knew this was coming—that the only opening they'd get is one they made themselves, but he's been careful in holding back for flynn's sake, for the fact that flynn had been trying to give them the benefit of the doubt that they never deserved. but no more; yuri needs to do something, whether or not flynn approves. he and repede will strike on their own, if flynn doesn't want to take part, and that's all there is to it.]

[flynn meets yuri's gaze and holds it, momentarily not saying anything. of course he knows what it means. it's something he's dreaded ever since declaring his own desire to stop ceres' tyranny.

two options exist: do nothing or do something. doing nothing means staying on the side of what is the law of the land; doing something means going up against said law. the logical course of action would be the former. obeying the law is key. logic can't be applied so easily this time. the lawful side is the side that brings so much suffering to others. numerous events have occurred that made ceres and the spirits shine in a very negative light. how could he ever live with himself were he to side with them despite knowing that? it would be no different than before.

no, it'd be worse. last time, his awareness about alexei's ambitions was minimal and he never dreamed of the true aim of the former commandant. this time, he's aware of the less than admirable desires of ceres, of how their interests matter little to the group. if he were to side them with then yuri would have full right to just stab him right here and now.

so this leaves only a single choice, the lesser of two evils. he closes his eyes and nods.]

Yeah. Waiting will only lead to more of the same so... [he takes a breath before looking yuri in the eyes once more.] We need to take matters into our own hands.

[it's wrong. it feels wrong and he hates it. he hates that it's necessary. he hates that changing things from the inside can't happen. no other choice, not one that he can accept without hating himself for it, exists. it goes against so much of what he believes. that said, what is the reason he became a knight? not to blindly follow a twisted leader, that's damn sure. the reason he became a knight has never changed in all these years and it won't change now.

that reason? to make people smile regardless of if people praised or hated him. ...hated them. it wasn't just him alone who'd taken that childhood vow and it isn't him alone in this, either. somehow, that thought makes this all the more bearable. knowing yuri was here and more or less on the same page helps make how unpleasant all this is feel less so.]

[there is the slightest air of surprise that comes with flynn's agreement—though it's something he was vaguely hoping to hear. but wanting to hear it and expecting it may be two different things entirely, especially when they've stood on opposite sides of similar matters before. even if they wanted to reach the very same goal, their approaches didn't always align.

but with how things have been between them in the last couple of weeks, there's a surprising amount of relief that comes with the fact that he's not being scolded for his train of thought. they're on the same page, and though they may clash on the specifics, they're both for the same cause here. it's a good thing, though maybe it shouldn't be surprising. flynn isn't one to make the same sort of fatal mistake twice, and after what happened with alexei, he's sure flynn has thought on what to do a lot.

they may never agree with how yuri handled ragou and cumore, but it's not as if he blames flynn for that, either. yuri knows his actions at that time were that of a criminal; he knows his own brand of justice was probably not the right way to approach it, but it was the only solution at the time. does he hope it won't come to that this time? of course. but all the same, he knows that if he has to take a life to save the rest of the people in the colony... he'll do it without faltering.]

Which means we have to decide where to start. Our spirit friends, or CERES? [leave it to yuri to get right to the point when it matters. there's no snarking, there's no joking around. he's obviously serious about this; he doesn't want to waste any time. they've been complacent for too long now, and the itch to actually accomplish something is much stronger than that to wait around.]

They'll make sure we don't get any chances unless we just go in and take them for ourselves.

[straight to the point as always. it's an oddly endearing trait about his friend. for all that yuri jokes and messes around, he also knows when to cut that out and get serious. this little chat requires such seriousness.

...it still rubs him wrong to be so openly discussing this. were they back home and doing it against the empire, it would fall along the lines of treason. but they aren't home and this isn't the same. that's what makes it different, what makes it necessary. right. it may not be okay, but it is necessary. those who hurt others and to this degree need to be stopped and made to stand proper trial. that final thought eases his worries somewhat. yes, trial. somehow that much can be done. he will not take the law into his own hands to the point of murder; they will not and flynn plans on seeing to that.]

The spirits may be more likely to share information, however CERES is more likely to possess information regarding our situation.

[namely about their homes, the flamines and all else. flynn taps the fork against his plate while mulling the choices over. both options hold similar risks and similar appeal. going against ceres sounds about as pleasant as hunting down the spirits for a heart to heart. neither choices guarantee information, either. the tapping stops once he speaks again.]

Let's take a day to comb through all that we do know. While it may not be much, it'll be easier to determine where to begin when we can properly weigh both choices.

[it's a day well needed. some might see it as stalling for time by a goody two shoes boyscout, but flynn knows yuri won't, not when flynn's already given his approval. weighing everything is much needed and so is checking up on what happened during their absence. what has ceres been up to during the time they've been gone? have the spirits done anything else? all of it deserves looking into prior to taking action.]

May be a good idea to see what we can find out about CERES agenda before our own situation, anyway.

[he agrees with flynn, though. they've got a bit of work ahead of them before they can really make that sort of decision—it's not something they can take very lightly, after all.

knowing what their situation entails is important, but he's also got the feeling ceres will keep a lot of that locked up tight. the spirits, though... they haven't seemed too thrilled with whatever ceres is up to, or what it is they've done. so he can't help but to think that maybe finding out that connection may unlock some doors that could point them in the right direction.

not that it'll be easy, of course. the sprits weren't very forthcoming; if anything, they're secretive and cryptic in an entirely different way. yuri's not all that interested in siding with either faction, but he thinks that maybe buttering them up may be more viable than going straight for the jugular with ceres.

but they can't decide that right away. it shouldn't take them that long to figure out what they know and where to go from there, after all—not when information is so scarce to begin with.]

Maybe so.

[flynn can't argue. spirits have proven a fraction easier to deal with if only because they do oppose ceres and seem to favor them. granted, the favoring resulted in nearly dying, but it could lead to them being more cooperative in the long run. their goal for now is information gathering. action can only be taken once having acquired enough information, after all, and the spirits are more likely to help lead to that goal.]

Either way, sorting through everything and taking some time to plan can't hurt. The more cautious we are, the more likely our effort will succeed.

[fighting against the law doesn't mean being stupid about it. the more they work it out, the easier time they'll have. however, if they only keep working it out without action then they won't make any progress.

then again, flynn isn't particularly worried. those cautionary words lack the same level of concern as they normally do. sure, some level of worry exists (especially considering the nature of this conversation) but not about the planning and all associated. it's them. they're already on the same page and chances are that they'll remain so for a while longer. yuri also isn't one to rush in stupidly to this degree and in circumstances like this. reckless his childhood may be, but reckless doesn't mean foolish. at least not this time.]

Yeah, I know.

[it's not something to argue; as much as yuri can be reckless, he's not into stupid decisions, that's for sure. whatever action they take could have major consequences for everyone, after all. this isn't just about them. it's about spirits, ceres, the other aliens in the colony, and of course... all the people that have been taken to cerealia against their will.

and they're the ones who would suffer most for these types of mistakes. so yuri knows they have to weigh their choices and pick what'll work best not just for them, but everyone else involved, too. it's not going to be easy... but that's just a risk they have to take with it.]

We just have to be quick about coming to that decision. The longer we wait around, the more chances CERES will get to close us off.

Right. Whatever decision we make has to be made soon and be one we won't regret.

[not regretting means doing something. it means putting all their talk into action. no more talking about rising against ceres, but inching their way toward the goal. poorly as this all sits with flynn, he knows no other option exists. they can do this. ceres and the spirits cannot continue as they are. maybe their efforts won't lead to anything, but they still have to try.

but first: showers.

the last of the eggs goes down the hatch. despite it being a slim and fast meal, it was still pretty good. flynn can't help be a little envious at how good yuri is at cooking up even simple dishes like this. how naturally it comes to him is really impressive. one of these days, he'll repay yuri for cooking all the time by creating a delicious and awesome meal. one day.

but first: still showers.]

As soon as we finish eating and get cleaned up we can begin the planning.

[flynn sounds determined to see this through no matter the personal discomfort. however quickly they need to move, food and showers are also very necessary. and a grocery store trip can't hurt, either. time may not be on their side, but taking a few hours to settle back won't make too much a difference.]

Sounds good to me. I could use a shower about two weeks ago.

[he feels practically rancid at this point. sure, it's a little better now that he's got food and coffee in him, but... filthy. he's filthy and his hair is kind of a disaster that needs some work, especially if he has any job calls to get back to this week.

sure, they're rising up against whoever, but they still need money to eat and live, and relying on ViViD for that just seems like bad news. so of course, it's the crappy hair model job for a bit longer.

but first: showers.]

You want the honors of going first, or am I lucky winner today?

It's all yours. I'll clean up the dishes [a beat] and the mess in the living room in the meantime.

[those booze bottles won't put themselves away and the place needs to be aired out. it... doesn't smell that great. then again, they probably aren't helping the smelling situation. flynn can tolerate it a little longer. factor in the fact that maybe he owes yuri a little for overreacting about the drinking back in the jungle and, well, showering rights go to him.

plus, yuri needs it more. his hair will get cleaned out in a few seconds. that mini jungle on yuri's head will probably take a little effort. he doesn't envy the de-tangling challenge awaiting his friend during and after that shower.]

Then I'm not wasting any time.

[he'll sip the last of his coffee before standing up. showers. there's nothing more important than that except for one thing neither of them has addressed yet.]

Repede's gonna need a bath before we do anything else, too.

[ah, repede. right, the dog suffered through the two week jungle adventure right along with them and likely is suffering from the same grime and stink. no matter how much he may not like it, a bath is necessary.]

He will, won't he.

[flynn hums softly, weighing the best way to go about this. that's probably a two men job considering how repede gets with water. chances are, it'll end with none of them coming out dry, either. some of the grim is bound to get on them, too, so it'd require them to get cleaned up again if they shower before the bath.]

Want to do that first then?

Yeah. If we wait til later, we'll just have shower again.

[though.]

Unless you want to shower a second time. [wink wink. yeah, yuri is finding the time to make that kind of quip right now.]

[sorry, yuri, lines like that go well over flynn's head. there's a reason why people at bars hate him after trying to indirectly say they wanna bang. 'wanna come up to my place for coffee?' gets 'oh, i'm certain they have some here if you'd like some'. instead of any blushing or giving the comment consideration, all it receives is a blank stare of confusion.]

Why would I want to shower a second time?

[is he... missing something here? who would want to do that? it wastes time and feels unnecessary. is this a joke he's just not getting?]

ic contact; cerealia

action; ic 3/26

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