forum two losers wind up as the world's most wanted simply by existing (o/o) (closed!)

Started October 20, 2020 by Deleted user

tune

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Paike slid his hands into his pockets, his gaze dropping to the ground as he mulled over the question.

"Hm.. well, I've been out and about since I was fifteen," he replied, "and I'm nineteen now. So that's… four years, give or take? Not too long when I say it out loud, but it's felt like forever."

Four years. Hard to believe that he'd been on his own like this for four years. It feels like it was just yesterday that—

He shook his head vehemently to himself. That was a whole other can of worms, and he'd thrown away the can opener a long time ago. This was his life now, and it was for the best that the past stayed in the past.

But still. He took his hands out of his pockets and rubbed his wrists. It always felt like just yesterday.

He shuffled through his satchel until he found his water bottle, deciding that it'd be enough to keep his hands busy. He took a swig from it and grinned.

"How about you?" he asked. "What'd you do to get you landed in the papers?"

@Carrots hi! everything alright? it's been a bit 0:

(hiya, sorry for disappearing! shit got crazy irl and i haven't had the time/mental capacity to come on)

Lucas bit his lip, scratching at the back of his neck with a small sigh, "Ah well…" He mumbled, "I ran into my.. parents, at the grocery store," He shrugged, "They tried to quote 'take me back' which, obviously didn't happen."

It was the only logical explanation he could think of. The entire time he'd kept his mask over his face but to his parents? It was obvious it was him, they had raised him after all.

"I'd had a low profile till I saw them, pretty sure they sent my details into the papers after that incident."

Lucas knew his parents had been looking for him since he ran away. He'd come back to the home every so often to see if maybe, just maybe, they had changed. Every time he was disappointed.

(no problem! take your time, i hope you're doing okay!)

Paike raised an eyebrow, but his eyes had a more sympathetic glint to them.

Parents. They kind of sucked. At least, his sure did, and it didn't sound like Lucas had come from anywhere better.

"You don't have to spill if you don't want to, but I imagine if you ran away in the first place then things weren't too peachy," he replied, his now somber tone a stark contrast to the humor that was usually in his voice. "Which… well, I'm sorry about that. Whatever mess you were in, I'm glad you're out of it now."

As he walked, he caught sight of a pinecone and kicked it ahead of him, doing so again each time he'd walk up to it. Wasn't often he got to stroll like this, and he found himself enjoying it, regardless of the circumstances. He could still do without the overwhelming darkness and the ominous feeling he'd get gazing into the void of flora that surrounded them, but he wasn't by himself, at least. Juxtaposing it with how he thought Lucas might feel, however, it amused him — as most things did.

"Funny how life works. Someone out there is living a completely normal life with a normal family and all the normal stuff. And here we are, 'bout as much of an antithesis to that as you can get."

He snickered. "I guess at least we're interesting. Sometimes I wonder if that's all I've got going for me, though."

(Thanks! you as well :) just a very busy time of year)

"Sometimes I'd rather be boring than interesting," Lucas shrugged a shoulder, "It gets quite lonely out here all on your own. At least you can go out in the day and be protected by your powers, you probably meet more people than I have since my time on the road."

He'd never felt safe enough to venture out during the day, only when it was extremely necessary. Food, water, supplies that he couldn't get at night. Staying hidden in the shadows was all well and good when you can control them, but after a while it felt more like a burden than anything else.

They were complete opposites, Lucas and Paike. Maybe it was fate that had made them that way. their powers complimented each other in a way that when they were together, they could both maybe have a chance at a normal life, even if it only was for a moment.

"Anyway, I'm sure your powers aren't the only thing that makes you interesting," He continued, "I'm sure you have lots of things going for you."

(thanks!)

Paike picked up the pinecone he'd been punting around and began examining its finer details, picking it apart curiously.

"Huh. You've got a point. I've never really thought to take advantage of the chance to get a dose of social interaction," he admitted. "I always thought it too risky; anyone could rat me out for a quick buck if I gave them the information. You can't trust anyone, not when the world's after you."

And it had served him well, but he kept that part to himself. The day was his domain, and while he didn't take pleasure toying around with people, a good dose of intimidation had gotten him a long way. The Syndicate had practically established a nasty reputation for him; all he had to do was live up to the label and more often than not, he got his way.

That same chilled mist began to emit from the hand holding the pinecone, and it began to stiffen until flecks of frost began to pierce through whatever cracks it could find. He tossed the pinecone to the side, no longer intrigued by it. Then, he cast a side glance at Lucas, looking him up and down. It hadn't occurred to him that Lucas would have a more difficult time, only being able to safely operate at night. He waved a hand dismissively, averting his gaze.

"Nah. I just… I mean, yeah, but…" as his voice trailed off, he huffed in irritation, frustrated by his inability to articulate himself. "It's… whatever. I've been playing the hand I've been dealt, is all. Haven't really had the chance to do much outside of trying not to die, but, hey, with you here, maybe that'll change. How close are we to that cabin?"

Maybe it was a bit rude of him to change the subject so abruptly, but introspection wasn't his thing, and he wasn't too keen on talking about himself until he got to know Lucas a bit better.

The abrupt change threw him for a moment, but Lucas brushed it off quick enough for it to not be noticeable.

"Just up ahead, you can see the outline in the distance if you look close enough." He pointed to where he was looking.

The cabin was small, large enough for the two of them to rest comfortably for a night. It was made of dark wood that blended easily into the surrounding darkness. Anyone at this time of night would have trouble finding the place had they not been looking for it. The exterior was plain, simple, unassuming. A hunters cabin at best. Usually the two lights out the front would be on but maybe it was better they stayed off.

"We could dump our things and then go get food?" He suggested, rather than lugging their bags around with them into a diner, causing more suspicion then they needed.

Paike blinked, searching for the cabin up ahead, squinting as he could just barely make out the silhouette of it. He'd practically missed it until Lucas pointed it out, even with his eyes finally adjusted to the dark.

Not bad.

He approached the cabin and stared at it for a moment before lifting a hand and pressing it against the wood. He drew his hand across one of the walls, wincing as he felt a prick in his hand and pulling away, now fumbling for the splinter.

"Yeah, this'll do," he replied with a grin, tossing away the little bit of wood that had wedged itself in his palm. "You mentioned you had to get changed, yeah? I'll wait out here while you do that, sort out what I want to bring and what I want to leave."

Lucas nodded, finding an old key perched in the middle of a plant pot sitting right next to the door, "Don't bring too much, just in case we have to make an escape in a hurry."

He unlocked the door, the wood opening smoothly with little to no noise. Once he was inside, Lucas turned on one of the smaller lights, enough so that he could see what he was doing, but not enough to alert anyone in the surrounding area of their presence there.

It had been quite a while since he'd been back here. He'd never wanted to risk being caught by his family if they decided to look. Luckily, he figured it had been long enough that they had forgotten about it. And Lucas knew he was probably right about it. The couches had remained untouched since he'd last been, dust coated everything in a thin layer with no sign of intruders.

He was quick to change into a simple pair of blue jeans and a sweater. Casual and easy to move in. He left all of the gear he didn't need next to the couch in the middle of the main room, only bringing with him a small knife, some money and the key to the cabin. He figured he wouldn't need anything else if they were to return.

Paike set down his satchel and dumped out its contents: his water bottle, a pocket-sized first aid kit, roughly $2.50 in change save for a dollar bill, the case for his sunglasses, a phone charger, a bottle of painkillers, and a closed butterfly knife. The items scattered themselves in front of him and he sat down on the ground to pick through them; having them all out in front of him made it easier to sort through them all. He took his knife and the money, the rest of the items returning to the satchel. He'd organize it later, neglecting to address that he thought that the last time he sorted through his belongings.

He stood and stretched out with a yawn, wincing as the effort strained his shoulders and caused an arrow of pain to shoot through his upper back. He pulled the bottle of pills out of his bag and popped a capsule into his mouth, biting down on it and swallowing it with a swig of water. The taste of medication made him cough, and he swished a mouthful of water before spitting it out and mumbling to himself in disgust. He could kill the aftertaste with some food.

When he was done, he rapped on the door lightly with his knuckles. "You good in there?" he asked, his voice quiet but with a hint of urgency, not too keen on staying out in the dark by himself for long. "You mind if I put my stuff in here when you're done?"

Lucas glanced over his shoulder to the door when Paike knocked, "Yeah I'm dressed, you can come in." He turned back to his bag, closing it up and ready to grab if they needed to make a quick escape. He doubted they would. It was late, they far enough out of town for Lucas to classify it as 'bat-shit nowhere' that his family wasn't going to find him and he knew Paike's wouldn't from what he could gather. For now, they were as safe as people like them could get.

People like them… Lucas almost laughed quietly at the thought. They were the only people like them. Sure, there were probably other fugitives on the run, but none like them.

Sighing to himself, he headed to the small space deemed as the kitchen. It wasn't much, just a couple cupboards and a sink. He opened one of the cupboards. A couple packets of noddles, some sultanas and a packet of salt and vinegar crisps. Not much.. he supposed if they needed they could take them on there trip, where ever they were gonna go next.

Paike turned the knob and pushed the door open, taking in his new surroundings with wide eyes.

"This– this your place?" he asked, voice cracking a bit. He cleared his throat, forcing a cough into the bend of his arm. "It's pretty good."

Pretty good, he had to admit, was a bit of an understatement. Paike had decided to forgo a permanent residence in favor of flexibility, but there were a lot of downsides to not having a stable home that he wouldn't admit to outright. Of course, the time spent on the run was vastly different for both Lucas and Paike, and with that thought, he couldn't help but wonder how long a cabin like this would remain undetected.

But it was a nice cabin. It had a simple yet home-y feel to it. He felt safe.

Or maybe it was just because he was out of the gaping void that was the outdoors. Either way, he liked the cabin.

He took a few careful steps inside, glancing over every nook and cranny just in case things weren't what they seemed, before tossing his satchel onto the couch.

"I've got everything I need on me, if you're all ready to go."

"Well I mean technically it isn't mine," Lucas said, shutting the cupboard he was looking in and turning back around to face Paike, "I don't really know who owns it, I found it when I was younger all abandoned. No one ever came home to it."

It had made a good hide out over the past few years. Secluded, out of the way. The only people who might know about it were hunters in the area but they never came in or even tried, minding their own business. Lucas supposed it was a blessing.

"Let's get going then."

He made sure he had everything he might need in his pockets before heading to the door, twiddling the key in his hand until both were outside and he could lock the door behind them.

They probably wouldn't be long gone, but leaving the place always made Lucas nervous, no matter how many times he did.

Paike slipped his hands into his pockets, walking backwards carelessly until he had passed through the door frame and returned to the chilly night. As he passed by Lucas, he noticed his companion fidgeting with the key.

All abandoned, huh? A cabin, out in the middle of practically nowhere, just here for the taking. He didn't doubt Lucas; one could find abandoned houses left and right if they knew where to look. He just wondered what would prompt Lucas to need such a getaway to begin with.

"An' the key was just there?" he inquired, watching Lucas as he locked the door. "How'd you even come across a place like this? What'd you do with it before?"

It wasn't much his business to pry, especially since he was so reluctant to divulge information about himself, but such thoughts didn't occur to him. He sized Lucas up, reading his body language in an attempt to gain any new information.

The questioning, even though Lucas knew was justified, still made him a little wearing. Especially since Paike hadn't shared much about himself thus far. They had to trust each other, but that didn't mean Paike needed to know everything about him straight away. He had nothing to hide, but still reluctant to share.

"Yep, just here. The door was open when I found it, the key was just inside." He said, keeping his voice casual, nonchalant.

Lucas shrugged a shoulder as he placed his key in his pocket and began to continue down the path they had entered on.

When he'd first found the cabin, he visited in hopes of finding the owner, thinking they might come back looking for the key. They never did, and no one else ever found the place, so it became his secret place, safe space. He just hoped he hadn't made a mistake showing his new companion.

Paike hesitated, tempted to inquire further, but seemed to get the hint that Lucas wasn't going to talk if he wasn't. That was fair, he supposed. They could talk over dinner.

He picked up the pace until he matched even with Lucas, lifting up his sunglasses and resting them on his brow. He ran a hand through his hair and winced as he caught a knot, pulling the tangled strands close and working his fingers through them.

"You know anything 'bout the Syndicate?" he inquired. "You said you've only just recently been out on the run, yeah? How much about 'em have you figured out?"

Maybe a way to start building some trust could be sharing intel, he figured. Paike knew a thing or two about the Syndicate, but it was possible that Lucas had discovered something on his own terms. If they were going to be in this together, might as well combine information. It'd give the two some common ground, perhaps, and make conversation easier at the diner. While they were comrades in crisis, Paike still felt the discomforting air of strangerhood, and sought to break at least a couple social barriers.

Lucas hummed softly to himself. He'd only had a few encounters with the Syndicate themselves which he was grateful for, however leaving his knowledge of the organization limited. He wracked his brain for things he knew, things that Paike might not know. But the other had been on the run a lot longer than he had, any information he had was probably as important as knowing that water is wet.

"Well I- I don't know an awful lot, I dunno if that's a good thing or bad." He started, "I've had limited confrontations with them, but they seem to be everywhere these days."

Where ever he went, they were always there, watching, waiting for a slip up from one of them. It was terrifying.

"I've seen them use this weird ass device to hack into security cameras, only once. It looked like they were downloading footage or getting a live feed I dunno."

Paike nodded in agreement, a light chuckle escaping him. "Everywhere is an understatement. Sometimes — now, this is kinda stupid — but sometimes I wonder if everyone in the city's a Syndicate plant, all just waiting for me to slip. Logically, I know it ain't true, but after a while sometimes I just can't help but wonder."

At the information being relayed, a curious eyebrow raised.

"Weird ass device, huh?"

He hadn't known that. His brow furrowed as he retreated into his thoughts for a moment. After a minute, a smile cracked through his features, but there was no humor to be found in his eyes.

"You get a good look at it, or was it only a passing glance observation? How fancy was the tech?"

Admittedly, Paike had never thought to really get a look at the equipment they used. It was probably the smart thing to do, to be honest, but it had never occurred to him that it might be beneficial. All he'd really cared about was surviving, and even then he'd roll the dice of fate just for fun. Maybe Lucas would bring more to the table than just his neat abilities.

(Heyy, sorry for disappearing for a good while there. School kinda said fuck you and i just haven't had time or energy to come on)

Lucas hummed for a moment, racking his memory. It was a while ago. Admittedly he had been bored one evening and the shadows weren't particularly cooperating with him so he'd wandered the roofs for a good few hours till he took a nap. He ended up trailing a group of about five of the Syndicates men when he'd saw them hack into the security around one of the banks in town.

"It was maybe about this big?" He gestured with his hands, outlining a small box shape, "Had some sort of suction cone on one end that they attached to the camera," He lowered his hands again, "Had a couple wires that they also plugged into the camera and then it made a loud buzzing noise before the camera died and they left."

The sound it made had been more like a loud, piercing scream then a buzzing but it kinda sounded similar to the buzzing too.

"It also had a small screen on one side where they could watch the footage."

(hey, no problem!! good to see you again, i hope everything's going well now)

Paike made a face, "Oh, shit, that's great. Just fantastic. Guess I should've made more of an effort to stay out of the supermarket cameras."

He snickered to himself. He hadn't been caught yet, emphasis on the yet. And now, with this new tidbit of info, a small feeling began to sink in that his perfect record was about to get its first tally.

"Figures they've got all this fancy tech, though. Most of it's been done with regard to my little talents, but I wonder if they've got anything up their sleeve for you. I guess that's not something we'd want to find out," he added after taking a moment to reflect on his words.

"But, y'know, it ain't all that bad. It's fun to mess with them. I'd actually nabbed a bit of their tech at one point – some kind of taser gun. That was the most fun I'd had in weeks," he cackled, an impish edge to his grin. "On the run, you get to appreciate the little things."

(It's better than before to say the least lol. Hope you've been good :))

"Your idea of fun and my idea of fun seem to be too completely different things." He replied, nose crinkling at the thought of them having specialised tech in regards to him.

Lucas had kept his best to stay out of the sun over the past few years, only venturing out when he really need or pure desperation to escape his own thoughts. Libraries tended to be the go to, or quiet parks on the outskirts of towns were only a few children roamed and he knew he would be safe. He didn't go out stealing things from the Syndicate - that was the last thing on his list.

"True, you do. Do you still have the taser?" Lucas asked. If they had an extra weapon, maybe whoevers powers were the weakest could hold it, just for an extra precaution.

(that's good!! school's been a beast here too lol)

Paike shook his head. "Fried the thing. Everyone knows electricity and water don't mix, but it's always fun to have the idea reinforced every once in a while. Poor sod didn't stand a chance, but it was either him or me."

He pulled out his balisong, flipping it around haphazardly with a grin. "I got this, though!" he continued. "I can't do any fancy tricks, but I got it off the guy I electrocuted and it's served me well. They never expect me to whip this thing out."

Then, suddenly, he cursed, dropping the knife in a reflex reaction and biting the cut on his finger. He picked the knife back up and decided it was for the best it stayed in his pocket.

"It's easy to get in their base of operations; the hard part is getting out. At least, it is for me. But maybe you'd have an easier time with it, hm?"

Lucas shrugged, "I've only been in there once. I found getting in harder, personally, but it's easy to get out when you can jump from place to place."

He'd crept in during dusk, figuring his powers would be stronger later in the evening and he would be able to escape quickly if he needed. Turns out he had been correct. Finding a way in that wasn't heavily guarded had been the tricky part. Luckily he'd found an air vent and snuck in that way.

It had been a stupid idea to look around the place as Lucas nearly ended up captured. By that point he was able to jump out the way he came using his shadows but had collapsed a few miles out from the facility.

"But there's no way in hell I'm going back in there. I dunno about you but that place is too dangerous. Getting out is easy when you can use the shadows, but it's way harder when you've got your arms locked in between two of the syndicates goons."

Paike snickered. "Yeah, but after tangoing with the head honcho — Director Baruskov, you heard of him? — the goons don't seem so bad. I'd sooner take lead to my stomach than put up with his superiority complex. And I've done both," he added, his features scrunching up in contempt. "He thinks of us as parasites. Got government funding and public support and took off, made it the Ivory Syndicate's mission to 'get rid of the global nuisances'. Global nuisances my ass."

His voice had risen in volume the more he expressed his frustrations, and he seemed to realize that. He waved a hand dismissively, his gaze drifting away. "You probably know all this already, so I'm not gonna be a broken record for you. I just hate the guy," he muttered, his voice now taking on a softer tone. "How close are we to that diner again?"

"Hey, I don't mind," Lucas replied with a small smile, "I hate the guy as much as you, never met him, though, and I'm taking that as a blessing." It was nice to hear someone else's voice other than his or the whispering of shadows. He didn't care what Paike was talking about, it was just nice to talk to someone again.

"And it's right around the corner." He nodding to the path ahead where twinkling lights of the street and small shops shone through the trees. There was a large sign that could be just seen through the greenery. In big, bold and very pink letters read the words Flo's.