It doesn't take a genius to figure out the two newest children Hunters are fans of X.
And perhaps a little on the stalkerish side.
"They're staring at you, X." Axl jibes, grinning. "Shouldn't you wave at them or offer signatures or something? They're just going to keep it up if you don't do something about it."
X, eight plus decades veteran of fame from his unique status and position, sighs into his monitor screen. By some strike of fate, he and Axl are on navigator duty for once, meaning Axl has little better to do than direct his extra energy into being as much of a busybody as possible from his limited vantage point of the navigator's work table. Usually this wouldn't have been a problem – except X was something of prime gossip material lately. Concerning the two new additions to the Hunters anyways.
In an attempt to bring the other's attention back to focus, X interjects, "Axl, don't you have work to be doing? We may not be on the field, but this is – "
"Important work too, I know." The young reploid huffs, spinning idly in his chair. "But it's so booorrrring…. I don't know how Alia and the others stand it. They do this almost all the time. I'd go nuts!" A pause. "And hey! You didn't answer my question at all, X!"
Ah, he was caught. X coughs and turns back to his monitor, attempting to look busy. "In my experience, it's best to leave such things be. If they wish to act on their… feelings, they will. In the meantime, I'd rather not encourage their behavior."
Axl pouts. "For such a nice guy, you're such a hardass about these things – ow!" The reploid recoils, hands over his helmet.
X leans back, calmly shaking off the hand he'd used to … reprimand the other reploid with. "Language, Axl." A moment of consideration, and X adds, "And get back to work."
"Yes, Mother – ack, hey! Stop, this is abuse!"
-ooo-
He has a bit too much free time in between wars, Zero laments. Not that it's a bad thing – not having wars, that is – but it also meant that he was assigned extra duties, like training newbies.
Newbies who knew more of his reputation than Zero himself.
"You need to go at your swings with the intention of hitting a point somewhere beyond the target. Our goal is to cut through them, not whack them with the beam saber." Zero lectures, trying his best to fix the child reploid's – Roll, the female unit – form without actually physically touching his student.
"I understand," Roll replies, then flinches away from Zero's touch when he moves to shift her arm. "Sorry." She adds, sounding unapologetic. Sounding very unemotional, actually, as if she's attempting to repress all her emotions rather than just her fear of Zero.
Zero sighs, moving back. "Would you prefer that we find you another teacher? There are many other saber specialists than me, after all." Maybe none as experienced, but the child isn't a master saber user. She doesn't need him specifically for something like the basics.
Roll looks ready to accept Zero's offer, before her eyes stray to her sibling unit, sitting on the other side of the training room. The other child smiles encouragingly at her from his position on the sidelines. (The reploid – Rock – has an extraordinary amount of skill with his buster already. More sympathetic rumors circulate about how the two must have lived on a difficult side of town.) This seems to decide something for Roll, the reploid visibly steeling herself before staring Zero straight in the eye. "No, I will proceed with your tutelage. I am in your care."
Despite himself, Zero can't help but smile. The courage to overcome one's fears is something he can admire. "Alright. Let's run through this form again. Concentrate on the basic movements, okay?"
"Yes, sir."
-ooo-
"I like them," Zero says offhandedly to X, one day. "They've both definitely had some kind of prior battle experience, and they have good heads on their shoulders."
"The children, huh?" X says, surprised by Zero's comment. "I'm supposing their training is going well?" He himself hasn't had the opportunity to observe the two in any capacity – well, rather, it would be more accurate to say he's avoiding them in a sense….
"Yeah," Zero responds, sluggishly turning himself over from the lazy sprawl on X's couch. The squishy and ratty piece of furniture is absurdly comfortable. "The melee attacker – Roll. I had to retrain her out of some bad habits from using a dull physical weapon, but she picked up the rest pretty quickly. And Rock…." Zero stares directly at X. "How should I say it…. You haven't trained anyone recently, have you?"
X stares blankly, not making the connection between Zero's statements. "No? Yes? I'm in charge of training most of the new Hunters, Zero. You know this." Because of his reputation, X was a popular choice in instructors as well as an incentive point for joining the Irregular Hunters. Anything to raise those lagging employment numbers, X supposes.
Zero looks away. "You know what I mean, X. Rock. You haven't trained him before?"
"No," That, X can be sure of. Child units weren't the popular type of model for reploids, and even those who started out with such frames often upgraded within a couple years to match their peers. It'd be difficult to forget a child reploid. "Is he really that similar…?"
X has heard things. First and foremost: Rock. Rockman X. Also the shades of their armor were hard to miss.
Zero nods, eyes far away in thought. "Yeah. It's almost eerie. He's really good, that kid." He frowns, then adds. "They're scared of me."
X's mouth tightens. "Zero…."
Zero's eyes flick towards X, "Roll almost had to switch instructors, she was so jumpy around me. I can't help but wonder if I'd met them before…."
"I dunno, your face is probably bad enough to scare away most newbies, you know?"
X and Zero blink as Axl shreds the tension in the room with a single comment. X can't help it. He chuckles. "Axl, I can't tell if you have the worst timing, or the best."
"The best, obviously." Axl huffs, tilting his head upwards in a theatric display of haughtiness. "I also bring offerings of pizza, so double score, yeah? You two are too gloomy. I can't take my eyes off you guys for a second, I swear."
Zero smiles. "And you're too loud. Hand over the pizza, and maybe I'll withhold the comment about your maturity."
"You just try it, old man." Axl snaps back, grinning. "I've got Hawaiian."
"And I retract my previous statement, Master Axl."
Axl laughs. "I thought so."
By official sources, Zero wasn't active in the Classic era, but it's always fun to speculate. Roll using blunt weapons is reference to Rockman Rockman (Megaman Powered Up in the English release) and the fighting games she's appeared in with her broom.