Uh... Faust said something about Enkephalin being extracted from the brain and spinal nerves...?
-oh, shit, that's probably why it was Lobotomy Corp, wasn't it? Little bit on the nose-- I mean, not like they were telling anyone where Enkephalin came from, we never knew that before we worked for Limbus, but...
We didn't know about it for that long! Enkephalin was just an energy source they discovered! What, you think we knew we were lighting our cigs with lighters full of brain juice?!
[ the funny thing is ichiban always carries a bunch of bandages on him, but thanks to SOMEBODY deciding he will have a hard time doing things for himself, he does not think to use them. ]
Oh, uh— r-right. Sorry, it's just... a lot to think about now that we're removed from the situation, y'know?
... don't have any on me, so I think we're gonna need to head to the medbay. C'mon.
[staunching the bleeding with a napkin in the meantime... going there can't hurt anyway, they might need to wash this. get antiseptic and all. especially if this came from one of those facilities.]
[ he nods and lets himself be led like a dumb puppy. ]
...got this from a dude who had an arm like yours. [ ... ] Were you one of 'em? Like... a desperate scavenger who's barely gettin' by, who lives each day by trying to make the most of the shitty hand fate dealt them, not knowing if they'll be around for the next.
[BOY. that's a loaded question; gregor is quiet for a minute after it.]
...nah. I mean, I've mostly lived day by day like that, sure... but not the same way. Rifling through the trash like actual bugs, clinging to things that don't matter anymore... even though the war's been over for a decade already.
[traitor. deserter.]
Hope you didn't mention me to 'em, or you really would've pissed those guys off.
[debating for a second, but. well. ichiban saw them.]
You probably noticed they look different from me, right? We all got augmented like this, but mine... I came out without the same side effects. All the extra mutations the rest have. They've been scrounging around down there resenting me for going back into society, like it's been easy to just go have a 'normal' life after that. Never bothered finding out that looking mostly human doesn't matter. I still worked for a fallen Corp-- nobody takes you in after that.
[gregor gives him a sidelong look at that, still leading him along down to the medbay, but-- he doesn't say anything about it immediately, leaving it to see if ichiban explains.]
he reacts more or less like a guy who's never been hugged in his life, basically. freezes up at first, little bug antennae straightening up in shock, before what's going on kinda catches up with him and he just. gives ichiban an awkward couple of pats on the back with his human hand.]
[ yeah, that doesn't really surprise ichiban. but gregor wouldn't be the first person ichiban has hugged like this, someone who isn't used to the idea of human contact being something warm instead of something to be frightened of. ]
You get it. You're exactly the kind of person I look out for, man. The tattoo on my back—I'm ex-yakuza, we got the same kinda thing goin' on. In a way, I'm branded for life. And just like you, they all told me there's no way I could survive trying to live on the straight and narrow. But guess what? I tried anyway. I tried, I kept going, and I didn't let anyone or anything stop me.
As long as you're willin' to put in the effort... you can start over. You can come back. All you gotta do is try. 'Cause when you're at rock bottom, the only way to go is up.
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-oh, shit, that's probably why it was Lobotomy Corp, wasn't it? Little bit on the nose-- I mean, not like they were telling anyone where Enkephalin came from, we never knew that before we worked for Limbus, but...
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[ he doubles over as his arm wound starts to reopen and bleed a little. ]
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[reaching over to steady him. helppp.]
Your arm's bleeding again, hold still. Let me-
[let him put some pressure on that while he looks around for a napkin or SOMETHING.]
We better go bandage that.
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Oh, uh— r-right. Sorry, it's just... a lot to think about now that we're removed from the situation, y'know?
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... don't have any on me, so I think we're gonna need to head to the medbay. C'mon.
[staunching the bleeding with a napkin in the meantime... going there can't hurt anyway, they might need to wash this. get antiseptic and all. especially if this came from one of those facilities.]
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...got this from a dude who had an arm like yours. [ ... ] Were you one of 'em? Like... a desperate scavenger who's barely gettin' by, who lives each day by trying to make the most of the shitty hand fate dealt them, not knowing if they'll be around for the next.
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...nah. I mean, I've mostly lived day by day like that, sure... but not the same way. Rifling through the trash like actual bugs, clinging to things that don't matter anymore... even though the war's been over for a decade already.
[traitor. deserter.]
Hope you didn't mention me to 'em, or you really would've pissed those guys off.
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[ "how could i not" is an additional fleeting thought, but he has the emotional intelligence to not voice it. ]
But I would've never said anything about you to them. They're not the kinda people I see you hanging out with.
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[debating for a second, but. well. ichiban saw them.]
You probably noticed they look different from me, right? We all got augmented like this, but mine... I came out without the same side effects. All the extra mutations the rest have. They've been scrounging around down there resenting me for going back into society, like it's been easy to just go have a 'normal' life after that. Never bothered finding out that looking mostly human doesn't matter. I still worked for a fallen Corp-- nobody takes you in after that.
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sorry, but ichiban just kind of. starts laughing. not with mirth, of course, but with something more like... incredulousness. ]
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You still had the drive to keep going, right? To try.
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then laughs again, and turns to hug gregor with his good arm.
(his other one is still def bleeding btw) ]
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[hello?
he reacts more or less like a guy who's never been hugged in his life, basically. freezes up at first, little bug antennae straightening up in shock, before what's going on kinda catches up with him and he just. gives ichiban an awkward couple of pats on the back with his human hand.]
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You get it. You're exactly the kind of person I look out for, man. The tattoo on my back—I'm ex-yakuza, we got the same kinda thing goin' on. In a way, I'm branded for life. And just like you, they all told me there's no way I could survive trying to live on the straight and narrow. But guess what? I tried anyway. I tried, I kept going, and I didn't let anyone or anything stop me.
As long as you're willin' to put in the effort... you can start over. You can come back. All you gotta do is try. 'Cause when you're at rock bottom, the only way to go is up.
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[their job still very much involves killing people. doing what they need to do. dying in order to do it.
but it's still--
well, it's still something that's not bad to hear, honestly. a similar kind of camaraderie to knowing other people who were former military.]
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[ he is very much trying not to think about that part right now thank you. ]