Jotto

[gnomebody]

totallystoppable /It doesn't like my word
certainty /you cant have two of the same letter
totallystoppable /goddamnit this is hard
totallystoppable /whew
certainty Good morning, Grif.
certainty /are you wearing normal clothes now or
totallystoppable Hey, Gaius.
totallystoppable /Nope
totallystoppable /It's a blue showgirl costume today
certainty /you have a strange job
totallystoppable /you like the outfit though
certainty I trust you are well?
certainty /yes
totallystoppable I just won a game of mafia with Tucker in it!
totallystoppable So yeah, pretty good day.
totallystoppable I killed him before he could accuse me of being mafia.
certainty I was under the impression that you worked with him.
totallystoppable Yes, well. He's also a part of the other team stuck in the gulch with us.
totallystoppable So we have a history of vaguely hating each other. He understands.
totallystoppable It's cool.
certainty The ones involved in the "training exercise", you mean.
totallystoppable Yeah. Except we only found out they were training excercises until we stormed command because this
totallystoppable freelancer... thing was trying to kill us.
totallystoppable So for like five years, we actually thought there was some kind of war going on. I don't think
totallystoppable Sarge has accepted it yet, either.
certainty ..... /he seems dissaproving of the entire thing
certainty While the concept of the exercise in general is rather odd to me,
certainty the fact that you were misled is far more concerning.
certainty /Gaius is so serious
certainty /war is serious frigging business
totallystoppable We weren't the only ones. There was this whole... Freelancer Project. With at least 50 other people
totallystoppable in it.
certainty And these people were unaware of the true purpose of the project?
totallystoppable I don't know all the details about it, but I know it was pretty fucked up, and my team totally
totallystoppable brought them to justice.
totallystoppable Shut down the entire operation.
certainty That is good to hear. /he's still frowning, though
certainty /I am so concerned
certainty And what of the participants?
totallystoppable From what I hear, a lot of them were killed by the Meta, which was the thing after us.
certainty .... /hrn
totallystoppable And I guess The Director, the one running the show, shot himself.
certainty Any man who would experiment on his own people deserves nothing less.
certainty /Gaius is really intense sometimes
totallystoppable I guess...
totallystoppable Church is a copy of him. I dunno if you know him.
certainty I have spoken with him.
totallystoppable Except he's missing pieces. Like, that was the whole thing that was fucked up about it.
totallystoppable He made a copy of himself and then tortured it, and implanted the fragments into the Freelancers to
totallystoppable make them into super soldiers, only the Meta went crazy and started killing people to harvest their
totallystoppable fragments. And he was going after us cuz of Church being the one they came from.
certainty He was here as well, I believe. The one who does not speak?
totallystoppable Yeah. Although from the sounds of it, it's from before he went crazy.
totallystoppable Or in the process of going crazy, I don't know.
certainty I sounds as if we should all hope that is the case.
totallystoppable I could totally take him if he does. /Grif flexes his arm/ I totally did last time.
certainty Oh? /a small smile
totallystoppable I hooked a tow cable to his chest and pushed the jeep it was attached to over a cliff.
totallystoppable Sure, it pulled me over with him, but I used the Grifshot to catch the side.
totallystoppable It was awesome.
certainty /I don't know what half of those words mean because technology
certainty /but yes
certainty As long as you survived, a win is a win, yes?
certainty On the individual level.
totallystoppable Yeah.
totallystoppable I mean, it was better than being punched repeatedly in the balls.
certainty /a snort
certainty It sounds to me like your strength is quick thinking.
certainty Rather than physical strength
totallystoppable I. /no, wait, he has to agree with that/ Yeah, I'm pretty good at handling situations.
totallystoppable /like finding new and creative ways to distract Sarge/
certainty It's an undervalued skill.
certainty At least where I am from.
totallystoppable It's pretty undervalued on the team, that's for sure. No one appreciates the amount of skill it
totallystoppable takes to keep Sarge from killing me
certainty And Sarge is?
totallystoppable My commanding officer.
certainty ... It strikes me as odd that he would be trying to kill you then.
totallystoppable He kind of obsessively hates me.
totallystoppable Because I lack respect for him. But to be fair, he doesn't exactly inspire respect.
certainty Hm.
totallystoppable Actually, I do kind of respect him, but don't tell him I said that.
totallystoppable It's complicated
certainty /mildly amused
certainty I hope your team is still able to function as a unit, despite these problems
certainty I cannot imagine how I would have survived
certainty if the Chimeriad were unable to ignore their squabbles during battle.
totallystoppable Yeah. You wouldn't think so, with the way we trash talk each other, but we really come together when
totallystoppable it counts.
totallystoppable I miss 'em.
certainty None of your teammates are here?
totallystoppable Even Sarge. He's supposed to be around here somewhere, I've seen him way back when I first got here,
totallystoppable but he hasn't been around since.
totallystoppable I'm worried. He gets these... ideas in his head, and he's not exactly responsible.
certainty I am not sure any of you strike me as especially responsible.
totallystoppable Yeah, but at least I try not to get shot. He just charges head first into battle.
totallystoppable After. Trying to throw me head first into battle, anyway.
certainty ... Ah, yes. I know the type.
certainty /he's so tiring
totallystoppable I guess I'd just feel better if he was around so I could tell him how stupid he's being.
certainty It sounds to me like you care about him. /a small smile
totallystoppable /blushes and looks away/ Yeah, well. They're practically family.
totallystoppable And you're not allowed to tell anyone that!
certainty I promise I will not.
certainty /he looks distant for a moment
certainty When you share a battlefield with someone there is a bond formed regardless of who they might be.
certainty I think.
totallystoppable ...yeah.
certainty Which is rather the same as it is with family.
totallystoppable Yeah, I. I have a younger sister, and... Sometimes I get so angry at her, because she can be so
totallystoppable stupid, but... Man, i would do anything to keep her safe.
certainty I agree.
certainty /a complicated expression
certainty Even if it means not being with her as much as either of us may like.
totallystoppable Oh man, I know that feeling. She... jesus, I had to leave her behind when I got drafted, you know?
totallystoppable And she fucking followed me...
certainty She followed you? /surprised and confused
totallystoppable Yeah. Ended up on the wrong side, but one day, she just... crashed right into the canyon.
certainty /Gaius looks distressed imagining his own sister getting wrapped up in his nonsense
totallystoppable /he rakes a hand through his hair and sighs/ That started a whole lot of shit.
certainty I hope she was unhurt.
totallystoppable Oh, pft. She was fine. It's almost amazingly hard for her to get hurt.
totallystoppable I don't know how she does it.
certainty That is lucky, I suppose.
certainty I hope she forgave you for leaving her.
certainty /not asking for personal reasons water u talking about
totallystoppable Yeah, she. She had fun trying to find me, I guess.
totallystoppable And then we left her there again...
totallystoppable /he slumps sadly/
totallystoppable It's for her own good, don't get me wrong, but. I miss her.
certainty To come here, you mean?
certainty /or
totallystoppable No, I got. I got transferred out.
totallystoppable Everyone did, but Sarge refused orders, and I don't know what Sister's deal was.
certainty I hope she was not left there alone, then.
totallystoppable I don't know. Lopez says he killed her, but...
totallystoppable I don't believe it. Not until I see a corpse.
certainty /that is concerning
certainty /have a pat on the shoulder
totallystoppable /is it okay if he leans against you, Gaius?/
totallystoppable /Cuz he's totally going to lean against you
certainty /it is totally ok
certainty I find one of the consolations of this place is the fact that it seems outside time and space.
totallystoppable Oh yeah, totally. I went from "I've been in Blood Gulch for four years" to "I killed the Meta and
totallystoppable brought down Project Freelancer and shit, it feels like it's been about ten years" in one week
certainty Ah. I know the feeling.
certainty /I sort of kind of almost tried to become a god it was something
certainty What started as a war between our two countries turned into something far larger than even that.
certainty /gonna casually put his arm around Grif
totallystoppable /he's just going to cuddle/
totallystoppable Yeah, stuff. Kinda feels like that.
certainty /"stuff" he says
totallystoppable Like there was just this stupid little fight in the middle of nowhere, and then just
totallystoppable Everything exploded.
certainty Do you feel you are better for having been through it?
totallystoppable I dunno. Way back, all I wanted to do was take care of Kai, you know? Make sure she grew up okay.
totallystoppable I just wanted to go back home.
totallystoppable But now, I feel like I don't have a home to go back to.
totallystoppable The battlefield has become my home, and that scares me shitless.
certainty ... I see. /pulls Grif a little closer. That sucks.
certainty Do you not wish to leave this place then?
totallystoppable No, not really. I mean, people are actually nice to me here. I'm happy. It's *weird*
totallystoppable But good.
certainty Mm.
certainty It troubles me to be away from Auj Oule for so long, even knowing time does not pass the same here.
certainty Though I know that when I return Wingul will not be there waiting for me.
totallystoppable Yeaaah, about that guy.
totallystoppable This... um.
certainty He is aware.
totallystoppable Look, mostly I don't care if he gets jealous because I'm flirting with you or whatever.
totallystoppable I just... I don't want to be like a homewrecker, you know?
totallystoppable So it's okay?
certainty It is okay.
totallystoppable Okay.
certainty Though I would not suggest you give him any reason to be angry with you in a game.
totallystoppable Pfft, good luck with that, I naturally piss people off.
totallystoppable I just. /he fidgets a little with the edge of his skirt/ I may not have a lot of strong morals, but
totallystoppable I didn't have a dad growing up, and my mom... abandoned us when I was 12.
totallystoppable It was shit, and I don't want someone else to go through that because of me.
certainty /he just sort of looks at Grif for a long moment
certainty I do not mean to insult you,
certainty but I assure you that there is nothing you can do that could overcome the bond we share.
totallystoppable Nah, I know.
certainty I have known him for fifteen years.
certainty /well, had.
totallystoppable I'm just spilling my guts because I want you to like me.
certainty /sdjgjsa
totallystoppable I don't really expect anything.
certainty You should have more confidence in yourself.
totallystoppable That would take years of negative reinforcement to counter, so I don't think that's going to happen
totallystoppable any time soon, sorry.
certainty /poor Grif
certainty Regardless of what you have or have not accomplished I think you are a well intentioned person.
totallystoppable I'm a selfish idiot and I know it, but thanks for the vote of confidence.
certainty /he could argue that point but
certainty /he'll just sort of lean against you instead
totallystoppable /hugs tight/
certainty .... How old are you, Grif? /IT SUDDENLY OCCURS TO HIM HE SHOULD ASK
totallystoppable Twenty eight. Why?
certainty ... /he laughs
certainty Your the same age as Wingul.
certainty I was just wondering.
certainty /*YOU'RE WOW
certainty /I have sinned against the grammar gods
totallystoppable Oh, well, at least we have that in common, along with wanting to bone you.
certainty /jsdkadkjg
certainty I am afraid that may be where the similarities end.
certainty /then again why would anyone want to be like Wingul
totallystoppable I'm fine with that.
totallystoppable Don't want to have too much of the same thing, now do you?
totallystoppable Then it gets boring and stale.
totallystoppable Like MREs.
certainty .. I am not familiar with that term.
totallystoppable Uh, it stands for Meals Ready to Eat. It's like.
totallystoppable Jerky and freeze-dried vegetables and stale water.
certainty Ah.
totallystoppable They're standard army rations. I once heard them called Meals Rejected by Everyone. /snickers a bit
certainty I would have thought that with the advanced technology you seem to have
certainty that you would have improved on that.
totallystoppable Oh god, no. Why would they do that? Why would they do anything to make us poor bastards on the front
totallystoppable line happy?
certainty Ah. It's that sort of military, then.
totallystoppable You mean there are other kinds?
certainty Yes.
certainty The kind that treats their soldiers as disposable shields.
totallystoppable Wow. I think you just blew my mind, because that is the only kind of military I've ever heard of.
totallystoppable Oh
totallystoppable I thought
totallystoppable You were going to give me a happy thought.
totallystoppable That was not a happy thought.
totallystoppable That was "Well, at least it's not me, the poor fuckers" kind of though.
certainty Mm.
certainty On the other hand.
certainty I do not order my men into battle. I lead them.
certainty I won my throne through battle, it would be disingenuous for me to not continue to fight.
totallystoppable You know, I've heard about those kinds of leaders.
totallystoppable In fairy tales and comic books
certainty /dskjfkjsrg
certainty Do you doubt my claim?
totallystoppable Sorry, not trying to be mean, I swear!
totallystoppable It's just... not a thing where I'm from.
totallystoppable I think Church likes to think he's that kind of leader, but he's... really not good at it, from what
totallystoppable I can tell.
certainty I understand. It is not how our previous king ruled, nor the former kings of Rashugal.
certainty The problem I have with Church is that his motivations are... not ideal.
totallystoppable Oh yeah?
certainty He seems to view wealth as the be-all end-all measure of sucess.
totallystoppable Ah, that's because that's kind of the way our society is.
totallystoppable I mean, I wouldn't turn down a huge pile of money myself.
certainty Most people would not.
certainty But true leaders should be first and foremost concerned with the well-being of their people.
totallystoppable You should talk to Sarge then, because his primary motivation seems to be winning and glory.
totallystoppable And the chance to make me suffer horribly.
certainty He sounds like an... interesting person, to say the least.
totallystoppable That's putting it mildly.
certainty /yes
certainty /that was his intent
totallystoppable Just make sure you wear a lot of red.
totallystoppable And say you're king of the red army.
certainty /looks down at his outfit
certainty /have you seen his outfit Gnome
totallystoppable /It's red, isn't it?
certainty /it's v red
totallystoppable /well just in case he wears something different someday...
certainty Does your army have a king?
certainty /he doesnt really get it
certainty /he's actually stupid
certainty /surprise
totallystoppable No, but I don't think Sarge is uh...
totallystoppable I don't think he'd think to question it, with the way you look and the way you talk.
certainty Oh?
totallystoppable /shrugs/ He's not exactly down to Earth, and you do look pretty kingly.
certainty Well
certainty I am a king.
certainty I would certainly hope I looked the part.
totallystoppable /he laughs/ Yeah, you kinda would, huh?
totallystoppable Of course, you *like* me, so he might not take you too seriously if he found that out.
totallystoppable A king likes me... man, what the fuck is up with that.
certainty /to be fair Gaius likes a lot of people
certainty I am only human, just as you are, Grif.
certainty My position does not change that.
totallystoppable Yeah, but it sure makes you a lot more important to people than I am.
certainty And how do the opinions of others change who I am?
totallystoppable Well, yeah.
totallystoppable I mean, I'm a shitty ass soldier in a shitty ass army. You're a *king*.
totallystoppable People expect people like me to die for people like you.
certainty That does not mean they are correct.
totallystoppable Actually, pretty sure that's a part of my job description. To die for my government if it comes to
totallystoppable that.
certainty Hm.
certainty It is an unfortunate situation.
certainty The fact that my opinions were regarded as invalid simply because of the family I was born into
certainty was why I sought to change Auj Oule in the first place.
certainty But I understand not many strive to do what I did.
totallystoppable /laughs/ Man, you just... you're so idealistic, aren't you?
certainty Perhaps in some respects.
certainty I have had to do things for the sake of my people I do regret.
totallystoppable Yeah well, people do worse just to make it through the day.
totallystoppable Some people do worse because they enjoy it.
totallystoppable People are shitty, and no matter how much you want to make things better, you can't.
certainty .....
certainty Perhaps.
totallystoppable Sorry. But I mean. My mom abandoned her kids to join the circus.
totallystoppable She just.
totallystoppable Dumped us.
totallystoppable For the goddamn circus.
certainty ... I am sorry.
certainty /he doesnt know what else to say
totallystoppable I wasn't even old enough to get a job to support myself, let alone Kaikainna.
certainty That is your sister's name?
totallystoppable Yeah.
totallystoppable You just. You can't stop that kind of shit from happening, that's all.
totallystoppable No matter how much you fix.
totallystoppable You can't stop all the bad things.
certainty I cannot save everyone.
certainty I understand.
certainty But I will still try.
totallystoppable /Grif just shakes his head/
certainty What is your goal, then? Simply to survive?
totallystoppable To protect the people I care about. I don't really care about myself the way I used to.
certainty Yet you call yourself selfish.
totallystoppable Hey, just because I don't care if I get ripped to pieces doesn't mean I don't like to pamper the
totallystoppable shit out of myself.
certainty And how do you do that? /seriously Gaius is so outwardly focused 90% of the time
totallystoppable Well, I take a lot of naps, I eat a lot of food, and I avoid doing things that I don't want to do.
certainty You enjoy wearing dresses, then. /clearly the most important thing to take out of that
totallystoppable ........
totallystoppable Mostly, I enjoy the humiliation, actually.
certainty ... Ah.
certainty I don't suppose there's anything wrong with that.
totallystoppable Look, I said my relationship with Sarge is complicated, didn't I?
totallystoppable It's just
totallystoppable /he blushes furiously/
totallystoppable It's just a thing.
certainty I understand.
totallystoppable It's embarrassing...
certainty I think everyone has something a little different that excites them.
certainty /HELLA
certainty /Caitie is 3/3
totallystoppable /xD
totallystoppable /I would have never got ravens, so good job
certainty /weapons was really hard b/c I knew the word had w, p, and n but i couldnt think how to work them al
certainty /l in
certainty /ANYWAY lets just finish their conversation
totallystoppable /WELL LOOK AT ME, I had the R, A, S, and E
certainty /YOU WERE CLOSE
totallystoppable /anyway ye
totallystoppable Yeah, well. /he rubs the back of his neck and shrugs/
certainty Even kings do. /wryly
totallystoppable So what do you like, ,then?
totallystoppable Besides fat guys in dresses, anyway.
certainty /Grif osdmf
certainty Mm, I suppose the simplest way to put it is I enjoy it when my partner is rough with me.
totallystoppable /He's not sorry
totallystoppable Oh, same...
certainty Wingul seems particularly fond of biting.
totallystoppable Man, it's like everyone I meet is into the same shit I am. Finding a dom in all these subs is like
totallystoppable finding a needle in a haystack.
certainty I think you would find that I am rather versatile.
certainty /he says as he yanks Grif over so that he's lying on Gaius' lap
certainty I have ample experience with being forceful, after all.
totallystoppable /Grif yelps, goes red, and squirms/ Okay, that's, uh...
totallystoppable /might be trying push his rump up a little bit more towards Gaius like an offering/
totallystoppable I'm okay with this.
certainty Alright then. /a smile as he just... picks Grif up. princess carry. He is incredibly strong
certainty I'd suggest we find a more comfortable place, then.
totallystoppable /he squawks and grabs Gaius's neck/ Oh-okay. Yeah.
totallystoppable Uh. Probably... probably not my place. It's kind of a mess.
totallystoppable /which is an understatement. Huge understatement.
certainty ... Oh. /I mean they can't go to Gaius' because Wingul
certainty I will think of something.
certainty /he's very determined
totallystoppable Well, you know. It's just. A mess. So if you don't mind a mess...
certainty I do not mind particularly.
totallystoppable Alright.
certainty /mess is preferable to you being murdered
certainty /Gaius plants a kiss on Grif's lips before leaving. Off they go, to bangtown
certainty /Caitie's going to go eat dinner
totallystoppable /Have fun! Enjoy!
certainty /THANKS GNOMEN
certainty /I HAD FUN
totallystoppable /ME TOO