No matter how much he had argued, it was like speaking to a wall. Dell's old man didn't hear him or get into this geezer's head that there was no way in hell he ever wanted to be an infiltrator for the Magisterium. It's not what he wants.
"There are some who deny thur true callin' in life; that is natural. Children dream big, sat naw limitations of thur own abilities, only after Settlin', will thay realize that the world is not at thur feet and Authority has chosen them a path thay need to walk."
Nathan has heard something similar from the Disciplinary class. The priest sure loved to preach about the role chosen to them, whatever shape their daemon took; many of his former friends definitely came to believe it as everyone got offered scholarships at jobs most suited for whatever shape their daemon took. Of course, Nathan never got such a thing as Nalini never settled into a permanent form.
Mr. Conagher continues leading him to his "destined calling," and Nathan got no choice but to follow as that stupid daemon of the old geezer is keeping Nalini close and has already made a small dent in Nalini's back with those teeth. "You will see, in time, y'all will bay thankful for thus path and bay proud that you were chosen."
Nalini huffs loudly, and Nathan agrees that those words are a load of bullshit. "You don't know me at all, doncha?" The old man turns so their eyes meet briefly, like always; Dell's father dislikes when someone dares to push on his belief. But Nathan is sick of his choices and has been disregarded and treated as a naive kid. He's not. Nathan knows far too well what of a hellhole the world is and how he will always be looked down on. He is a freak, and nothing will ever change that fact. But at least he has people that love him and allows him to forge a path on his own, even if that path is incredibly limited. "You think this is such a great honaw, but all I see is you jerking me around, promises mean shit." He no longer trusts Mr. Conagher's words, for as he can see clear as day; they mean jackshit. "If you really meant me the best, you would help me become what I really want. Not to boost ya own ego by giving the Magisterium anotha' backstabbing scumbag like this snake guy."
Teeth rag Nalini's ear, clipping a small part off. She jerks away but stomps in defiance and glares at the teeth-baring beaver. Mr. Conagher has stopped; besides the daemon's sudden violence and jaw tightening, there is no other sign of the man's brewing anger. "Nathan, this is your path. No other is more worthy of this." he spoke calmly, yet the threatening tone was apparent.
He did not heed the warning when he knew submitting would only lead to a miserable life. One where he never will find any happiness or feel pride in. "This is not what I want! I am not going down this path!" Nathan remembers how Dell told him how he was forced into a life as an engineer, and sure, he is brilliant at it, but he never had a choice if that path was what he truly wanted. Dell's old man wants to do the same to him, and it does not matter what others say. "This is not who I am; sure, I might not fully know who I am or where I belawng, but this is NOT it." Dell's old man's daemon lunges at Nalini and bites her leg, Nathan winches at the pain, and parts of him want to collapse and curse up a storm, but Nathan refuses to let it show how much that hurt. "I ain't doing this," He asserts hard; his determination helps with the pain, allowing Nalini to take the cheetah form and whack the beaver away from her leg. Barring her teeth at the other daemon, who is now too small to do much against her.
Mr. Conagher seems a bit puzzled about this firm refusal, like it's the first time someone has ever rejected his wishes. he chews on the inside of his cheek as if trying to figure out how to persuade him to do what this old geezer wants. His daemon looks up to him and, for the first time, gets a solid expression on her face. She looks strangely scared, unsure of what to do with herself, and it's strange to see such a disconnect between man and daemon. Nathan promises himself that he never will be like that with Nalini; he won't reject the part of him she represents. Then, a sigh escapes the man's lips. "You really like to do anythin' the hard way, don't you?"
"If you arn't tough, Boston will eat ya up." Nalini sneers, and Nathan nods in agreement. He grew up where gangs fight for territory, and everyone who cannot pay the protection fee; they will cause a hell of a lotta trouble. That's why Leon, Ian, and Peter founded the family gang. To keep the surrounding thugs from messing with their home and give Ma a bit of a break– even though Ma could hold her own and has kicked other members' asses if they dared to break into the house.
Another sigh, and the man turns partly around for a while, standing as if in deep thought, "thuh hard way it is then," he muses, turns back to Nathan, and the beaver jumps at Nalini's face. This startled him, and before he could do anything, the old man grabbed his arm, twisted it behind his back so it hurt, and practically pushed him forward.
Nalini gets the beaver off, yet can't do much about Mr. Conagher holding Nathan, and all he can do is yell, "What the hell, man?!" as he cannot do much against this forced grip.
"You will thank may later, boy." Mr. Conagher says; it does not sound like he's enjoying this either, but that apparently did not stop him. Nathan tries to fight, but even if the man is old, he is much stronger and heavier than Nathan. Plus, the grip keeps him from turning around and punching the old geezer in the face. Mr. Conagher pushes him to a large room, almost resembling a hall for small airships. Inside awaits this Viper guy, sitting on the only chair, drinking from a silver pocket lark. The giant black snake turns its attention to them as Mr. Conagher shoves him inside this large room. Meanwhile, Viper is more preoccupied with whatever he's drinking. "I apologize for the delay, Viper." Mr. Conagher calls out to the room, closing the door and standing so Nathan cannot escape. Leaving him no choice but to stay in this room. "Boy decided tuh make up a fuzz."
The snake looks back to her human, one who sips from that pocket lark. "Wine is a drink of the patient. One shouldn't hastily drink it, instead shavor every sip." The man speaks, holding the lark to his eye height, and Nathan almost finds it amusing how this guy ignores Mr. Conagher… if he didn't feel disturbed about this man. No idea why, though; just something about Viper gives Nathan a sense of unease. Viper puts the lark into his side pocket and leaves the chair in a single, almost flowing move. Every step, every move got this grace, yet Nathan senses danger in how the hands move as if they were the head of that snake of his. "Dealing with prisoners ish the same; it needs time befoe the flavor becomes just…perfect." Those cold gray eyes meet him and Nathan knows that this man has no plans of making him a student. As he said, he is a prisoner.
"Hold up," Mr. Conagher speaks; it sounds like he, too, came to the same conclusion. "I thought you were gunna to train him."
The masked man's chuckle is like being stuck out in a blizzard. Unable to see anything but the biting, freezing snow "Train thish? It will be a waste of my time." Viper waves at him, and usually, Nathan would be offended, but something about this man seriously scares him. Maybe it's the snake, which is enormous and has an air of malice and power. It slithers around him, more than big enough to look him straight in the eyes with those abyssal black eyes. "Only use; he is bait." the snake speaks; her voice makes Nathan thinks about the steak knife cutting through some tender meat. Her words, though, confuse him. What does she mean he's bait? For what? Or rather… for who?
Mr. Conagher gasps, and the snake breaks its gaze, turning its attention to the old geezer. "Shomething the matter, my dear head engineer?" The snake asks in a strangely soothing tone like a butcher speaks to the pig before slicing over the throat.
"You made thuh daemon speak." Hearing Mr. Conagher shocked about something helps Nathan to break his gaze from this unnerving man and his equally creepy daemon. The old geezer stares at Viper, appalled by the other man. "You know it's not–"
"Only thoshe with doubts about the Magisterium and the one we all sherve need to quiet the voiche of the daemon." Viper didn't have to raise his voice; that raspy voice demands attention as much as a rabid dog does. "I hold no doubtsh. Therefore, Aurélie may shpeak." The snake, Aurélie, curls up her lips; if that is supposed to be a smile, it's not a friendly one. "Do you have any doubtsh?" She asks Mr. Conagher, those abyssal eyes on the beaver that does her best not to meet the sizeable black snake's gaze.
It is strange to see Mr. Conagher this tense, even express some sort of worry towards Viper. "of course not. I know whayer mah alliance lies," The words strained, making Nathan wonder; if Mr. Conagher is lying or does Viper also make him nervous. It's honestly hard to tell; reading people has more been John's strong suit. He clears his throat, and the old geezer places his hands behind his back, the former signs of worry gone. "Whut is your plans with thus boy?"
Nathan opens his mouth, wanting to voice his contempt about being used like this. But all he got to say is; "The hell with–" before Viper literally shuts him up by grapping him around the mouth, holding so tight that he can barely breathe. Nathan's fight and flight instincts kick in; his entire body goes into doing whatever just so this man will stop blocking his airway. Taking hold of the hand, trying to pull it away, when that does not work, he goes to kick.
"Shettle down," the snake speaks before going at Nalini, biting the cheetah right over the neck and wrapping herself tightly around the chest, increasing the suffocating sense. Nalini only managed to let out a yelp before she wheezed for air. He collapsed to his knees, and Viper let go so he could breathe while the black snake kept Nalini down with that hug of death. The pain and struggling for air forces Nathan to stay put; Viper steps to the side so Mr. Conagher can see him; Nathan notices that the old geezer's beaver looks horrified, while Mr. Conagher's jaw tightens at this entire scene, making no move to stop it. "I know thish young man, back when he was jusht a toddler." Viper grabs the lower part of his jaw and forces Nathan to turn his head to this man's wishes. The other hand gestures at the scar on his left cheekbone, a scar he got as long as he can remember and one that has never faded as others he got as a stupid kid. "This is my mark."
Wait what?! Nathan would've voiced his shock, showing it more than just looking wide-eyed at Viper, but the suffocation the snake causes his daemon forces him to save all of his strength to just breathe, so not pass out.
Mr. Conagher raises a brow at Viper's statement, "You… gave thuh boy that scar?… why?"
"To remind my student of hish plashe in thish world." Viper replies. He lets go of Nathan, confidently walking around him as if knowing he won't be able to move. Nathan wants to, but he cannot make himself fight through the pain of his daemon. It is too much. "Thish student; my greatest achievement. He has been led astray by another. Thought he could play family with thish… shpawn of hish."
…. no way… is this what Dell meant by his father left to protect him? Is… is this why he was taken? Nathan has no idea, only that he now knows who he is bait for. Viper wants– expects his father to come and rescue him. Nathan is no longer sure if he wants a father that actually cares for him, well aware his old man will be going straight into a trap for his sake. Then again, it is kinda nice knowing his father actually gives a shit about him. Unlike most of his brother's father's.
"Y'all think his father will come?" Mr. Coneghar asks, not convinced, "Accordin' to thuh boy. He has naw relationship with his father, naw love for him."
Viper chuckles. "If he doesh not take the bait, then there's hope for him yet." The snake finally lets Nalini go, and both can breathe properly again, though at the moment, wheezing for air and trying to regain some composure at this bomb, Viper threw at him. "If he doesh come." This cruel man smirks at him, seeing nothing more than a lure to the big fish in the pond. "Then I can redeem my failure. Maybe I'll keep the spawn's daemon as a trophy." He then turns to Mr. Conagher, "Do whatever you want with thish one, but keep him alive and in thish building." with those words, he leaves the room altogether.
Silence falls into the room; the only thing breaking it is Nalini's wheezing from the assault that crazy snake did on her. It is a struggle, but Nathan forces himself back on his feet, walks over, and picks Nalini up right after she takes the wild rabbit shape. She's trembling under his hands, and Nathan cannot deny that this whole thing got him rattled.
Mr. Coneghar is glued to his spot, staring at the only door to this room. "Are ya gonna let him use me like that?" He demands an answer; as it turns out, he won't be trained, only be used as bait towards a man he does not know, only is aware that his father left to protect him.
Slowly Mr. Coneghar turns his attention back to him, yet does have the puzzled gleam he had before. Unsure about the next course of action. His daemon looks up to him and moves closer to the old man's feet but gets pushed away, and with a disappointed look, she sits down and returns to this passive state she was in before. The old man glances at the door again, where Viper left not long ago. "I hadn't expected thus outcome." the man muses, and it's close than Nathan hadn't heard him. "I'm mighty sorry for this, Nathan."
The apology sounds sincere, but Nathan no longer trusts this man's words or the tone of his voice. Even when he sounds gentle, he still can be cold and cruel. "Sorry faw what? He will use me as fricking bait, or he was close to killing me, and you did nawthing." At least Mr. Coneghar tried to stop the hairy dude with the monster lizard, while here, the man made no such move. That crucial moment was the window to what kind of man Mr. Conagher truly is for Nathan; a man that is too weak to stand up for others, even if he knows it is wrong.
The old man opens the door, awaiting him to come over. "You may see thuh children. I will brin' you to them."
About god darn time; maybe for once, this old geezer has some sympathy towards him. Nalini, on the other hand, "Why now?" she whispers, and he realizes that it does not make sense why Mr. Conagher shows him kindness after Viper laid out his plans for his father. 'He's using them to make me stay', and as much as he hates it, Nathan knows in his heart that he cannot make himself leave them like this. Not when he's an entire ocean away from the people he could rely on.
Begrudgingly, Nathan follows Mr. Conagher and has the man said, lead him right to where the kids are held. They were separated by gender and stuffed in one big room with beds. Each is simple gray-green clothing and a sorry collection of toys. Mr. Conagher led him to the boy's room, and one of the kids Nathan met inside the debilitated school recognized him almost instantly, but fear kept those tiny feet glued to the spot. Nathan feels sorry at how these kids are trained to stand beside their beds as if they were their desks at school. Not to mention the look of despair in their eyes and the droopy attitude of their daemon.
"I'll be outside." and Mr. Conagher leaves the room.
Nathan will not let this chance slip him. He hurries over to the boy he knows, "You alright?" the boy breaks this obedient character and throws himself into Nathan's arms, sobbing at whatever these people have put them through. The boy's mouse daemon seeks cover underneath Nalini, and she does her utmost to comfort the younger daemon.
Slowly, the other kids come over, unsure about him. Yet as Nathan meets their eyes, their shells break, and he offers each of them a much-needed hug. He is, of course, too old and cool for hugs, but when he was young, Ma made sure to give him hugs when he found himself too upset about something. Most of the time, it was one of his brothers' being extra assholry towards him.
After they have gotten a wanted warmth from an adult, Nathan takes a seat at one of the beds. Like his, the bed is uncomfortable and squeaks with every move. The young boy sits down around him or on the bed before him.
"What did these people do to you?" He asks the gathered-around boys.
At first, he's met with silence, each of the children uncertain if they should speak. Then, the boy he met at that abandoned school, "It is like a school that nevah stops…" this one squeaks out.
"Except the teachers are quicker to discipline us." an older boy, still several years from Settling, speaks up. "They want us to do whatever they ask."
"And we ah not allowed to be around the girls," another boy says, frowning deeply at this. "it is because they got cooties?"
That throws Nathan back; he snorts a small chuckle at the reminder that these boys yet do not view girls as he does. Still, it is sad to know that these boys won't get female friends. Nathan sure learned a lot from cousin Danica on how girls see things, not something his brothers would teach him as most of them only wanted to get laid by the other gender. "Hey, we got cooties too." He lighthearted defends the girls.
The boy frowns at this statement, "No, we don't."
"Sure we do; why else do you think girls find you disgusting?" Several of the older boys exchanged looks with one another, musing, "Oohh." like they just got revealed the world's secrets. It's funny, but Nathan really doesn't want to have THE talk with them. First, they aren't yet at that age; second, it's their parent's job. Not sure if their parents will find it as amusing as Ma did with him and Ken, then again, Ma had this talk with the others long before them.
'I sure hope Ma is doing alright….' Nalini looks at him, and it's enough to remind him about the task at hand. Nathan knows he cannot help the children to flee the place. Not with that old geezer shadowing him and less so when he got no idea where to go in this foreign country. For now, the kid's only chance to get home– as much as he hates to even say it – is to do what these people want. "Look, I know what these guys are doing. It is not fun and frickin' hard. But I heard from one of them that if you do they want lawng enough, they will bring you home."
The kids look at one another, surprised by having given this glimmer of hope. The oldest of this group speaks for all, "Are you sure?"
With another saying, "None of them says anything. Won't tell us when we can go home."
Then he will be the one to tell them. "I am sure. They want you to be exactly how they want you to be. You don't have to like it; only keep up what they want until satisfied."
"What if we don't do what they want?" The one he met asks quietly. "Will they take us away like some of the others?"
"Others?" Are some of the children taken somewhere else?
Several of the boys nod, and one whose daemon is currently in the shape of a calf. "The troublemakers get taken; they haven't shown up since." He explains, and the others around him nod that he speaks the truth.
That is troubling; what happens to those taken? Nathan doubt he will get the answer, only that if he can help it, no more will be taken permanently away. "Then don't make trouble. Every time you want to live things up, then remind youhself that whatevah you want to do can wait until you're home." He meets every boy's eyes, well aware that what he asks will be difficult for them. "Can you do that?"
They each speak their version of promise or at least do their best to try; that is how long Nathan can stay with them; not long after, Mr. Conagher takes him, but the man must feel extra nice as he then brings Nathan to the girls and like the boys, Nathan comforted and explained the scared girls the deal as to why they are kept in this schooling torture. They, too, promised to try and act like these people want, though, unlike the boys.
"Will you come with us home?" the older girl he met at that deliberated school asks.
"Sure, but I will stay behind faw a while, ensuring everyone gets home safely." He assures her and, as hoped, eases the kids. Nathan hides it behind a smile, the sadness of knowing he may never return home. But that should not mean the rest of the kids will share his unfortunate fate. If they get home, then he can face whatever Viper got planned for him with a clear conscience.
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It is one of these days. There is no appetite, and he much rather want to be hungry later than try and force down some food now. Too bad he cannot leave, not with Ross keeping an eye on his entire schedule, especially now that he got a "special" case to experiment on.
'It is one of these times I regret taking this job.' Josef grumbles to himself while mindlessly messing around with the scrambled eggs he is not going to eat, only to hold up the facade that he is at least trying. The only one eating is Archimedes, who does not see the irony that he is eating one of his avian relatives.
The others do not pay him much mind; several are most definitely pleased that he decided to sit at a more lonely spot and not pester them for the latest gossip. Josef would, but with what is going on outside of his workplace, he does not feel like chatting. 'It's the Magisterium who made the attack, but your protector is still alive and more or less safe.' That is what he has sensed from her. That and a few other things over the years since their separation, one of them is a lucid idea of who this protector is as a person and their stance in this hidden war between the Church and those claiming to be fighting for the people.
'He lost several that are close to him. And I get the sense he has no idea if these people are dead or alive.'
Josef cannot help the protector with this unfortunate loss of close comrades, and he senses through her that going to where they are won't be a wise option either. He gets a strong feeling that it is not yet safe to see the face of the one who has kept his other self safe from harm.
Seeing no reason to stick around, Josef throws out the minced eggs and heads back to his office. The samples of that unusual young man, a random soldier, and one of the children await him in the office. The mysteries about the daemon may reside in these samples, or maybe not. Does not matter; the journey of discoveries is most interesting for Josef.
"Doctor Ludwig." Ross calls, and Josef inwardly groans at whatever his strickler boss wants with him. Still, the fake smile comes up, and over to Ross he goes. The man's daemon, the shape of the seemly timid hedgehog, something the bigger daemons could easily push around. But Josef and many others soon enough learned that Ross's daemon Settled into that shape for the sole reason of doing things at his pace, and everyone trying to kick him to do anything would be met with a ball of spikes, and everything going to a screeching halt until Ross decided to move; always on his terms.
Ross is, like his daemon, nothing physically special about himself. At first glance, he looks like a soldier, still in shape, and the scar across the lip tells a story of battle. He wears his dog tags with pride as they are always on display above his finetuned ironed medical coat. "Your report about your test subject is late." The head scientist of this place states.
Like always, Ross here wants things done at his pace. No care is given to others' schedules, and this man is one of the reasons why Josef hasn't left this limbo of a bore already. He holds everyone's future in his palms; his words will decide if one can rise in rank or be thrown to the streets. Josef loathes that he has to kiss up to this man just so he might one day be thrown a bone to get the job he wants. "My tests haven't yet given me any clear answers. I can give you a report on my current experiments with the young man."
"No need; I want a full report, not a slew of snippets." Ross isn't pleased with this; Josef can tell. Yet he can't help but feel some satisfaction in the waiting game for the details of the answer the experiment may hold. "When do you think your tests will be complete?"
Glad he asked. "As soon as I get back to my office."
The hedgehog snorts loudly at her partner's annoyance. Still, Ross does keep face, hands stay put behind his back. "I want that report tonight." Josef nods and turns to leave but is stopped by, "Before you leave." keeping a groan at bay, he turns back to his above officer. "Head engineer Conagher has informed me that the restriction on the Defiled has been prohibited. "
That is strange. Usually, they only get these free reins with subjects the Magisterium has concluded worthless their effort to reintroduce into their fold. "Oh? Wouldn't it be hard for Viper to properly train that young man if he lost a limb?" According to the head engineer, Viper chose Nathan as a student. Although the training is rumored to be ruthless, these future spies needed a healthy body that includes all limbs intact.
Ross moves his gaze over to where a group of some of the guards is eating, "Frank mistook Viper's attentions. It turns out the Church's eyes merely need bait to lure someone more important, and so, we have been given the permission to ease down on restrictions." The slightly narrowed brown eyes are the only sign of his true emotions about this subject. "Viper did, however, request we left the vocals intact; oh, and he needs to be alive."
This is quite the turn of events. Sounds like that young man is nothing but a means to an end and, by this permission, to do the more invasive experiment. "I see." Josef isn't fully sure how to feel about this, as Nathan has revealed he got people waiting for him back home, but with this… that young man is never coming home. Doubt Viper holds the grace to return the remains to the family, maybe if he feels it would hold a powerful message. This change in Nathan's safety status grants him certain perks, like what tests he can now perform. If he still can get his hands on this young man. "Am I to understand I can continue my tests on the subject?"
"Yes," Ross confirms, but do add, "I will put someone outside your office in case the subject will try and escape."
They genuinely do not care about Nathan anymore. He's nothing more than a lap rat for them. Josef nods, and the head doctor leaves. He also leaves the cantina, both surprised yet excited by this turn of events.
Returning to his office, Josef instantly begins to check on the samples he made, checking for any sort of difference.
The different blood didn't reveal anything unusual, at least nothing to pinpoint the difference between child and adult, nor where Nathan is among the two.
Writing this down and concluding that answers to one's soul partner did not reside in one's blood, Josef quickly moves to check on the skin samples he took. He is interrupted by someone entering, and looking up, he sees Nathan accompanied by a guard.
"I'll be outside if you need me." The man simply informs him and leaves Nathan with him. The young man looks at him differently. He is distrustful and unsure about his position. And by how the daemon has taken the cheetah form, and she is clinging to his side; the young man is expecting a fight.
This is an interesting observation, "Viper revealed his plans about you." Nathan nods, proving that he's correct, and Josef reminds himself to hold his cards extra tight with that man around. Only someone with extraordinary confidence in themselves would reveal their plans like that. It is like Viper is daring Nathan to try and escape, yet Josef sees no signs that this young man has been trying. "I'm surprised you don't get further injuries for trying to make life hard for the guards." He resumes checking the skin samples and does find something fascinating. The daemon's skin acts differently compared to a person like it's made out of stuff other than flesh.
Could it be what he heard Ross call Dust? This elusive particle is rumored to be the first sin of man.
He takes the child's daemon skin sample, which is somewhat harder to see; it feels… livelier than an adult. Interesting.
While writing this down, Josef notices that the chatterhead has lost the chatter. Glancing over, he sees that Nathan is touching some of his instruments and lingering over the sharp ones.
"Are you going to use these on me, doc?" the young man speaks. The crack in the voice proves he's far as calm as he's trying to pretend.
The samples can wait for now; this young man's behavior is much more intriguing. Nathan hasn't tried to escape, a sign of the lack of bruises or injuries, yet the current cheetah is barring her teeth and hyper-focused at his every move. Nathan is determined to stay alive, not lie down and let anyone harm him.
'Like two sides fighting for control. It is his nature to fight or at least get out of a tough situation.' The forms the daemon takes prove that much, always favor speed, yet some have teeth to make another daemon think twice in taking pursuit. 'I doubt he wants to stay in his current situation, he wants to fight or flee, but something is keeping him here.' Josef is fairly certain he knows what it is; the children. That explains why Viper was so confident that Nathan will stay put. Quite smart, really.
Now, to this sign of subdued resistance. Nathan here will fight, as most people would when knowing someone else will hurt them. At least those not yet broken or painfully aware of how out of someone's league they are.
That begs the question; 'Am I going to massacre that speedy body of his? Cause him scars that will stick for life?'
Josef has done such things before, though only when he knows it will benefit him or science in the end. He prides himself that no one will die under his care, not before he has given his all. Cutting people up for no other reason than to inflict harm is a waste of time, and with the experiments, he got in mind for Nathan here. Well, that will definitely be a waste of his time and yield no answers to his questions. "I see no need to do such a thing." he replies to the young man's tense question. Does smile at how Nathan glances at the window as if thinking he can get away from there. "I wouldn't suggest trying out my window. Only if your legs can withstand two stores fall to solid concrete." The young man deflated; yeah, Josef thought that was the case.
He leaves the chair and samples, approaching the to be subject. Not paying much mind, Nathan took hold of one of the knives and a warning growl from the cheetah. "I am interested in the uniqueness of your daemon, so I don't need to do any invasive physical examines."
"What about her?" Nathan nods to his growling daemon.
There, it becomes a bit more… tricky. "I may have to do a few tests on her, but don't you worry, I will not physically touch her." He assures the young man cheerfully and is set on not crossing this line. Josef is painfully aware of how violated it feels for such an intimate invasion against the daemon. Josef does not wish for anyone to feel the same– aside for one, but that person asked for it. "You have my words on it."
"How can we know you're not lying?" The young man's daemon asks; she steps in between him and the person she belongs. "Everyone else has been lying, and those who haven't wishes us nawthing but harm."
This actually makes Josef laugh; the young man is getting it; he sees the cruelty of this world. His amusement enrages Nathan enough for the daemon to lash out at him. Josef does not move, well aware that Nathan is not desperate enough to break that barrier. However, what he expected to be a fierce bluff proved to be a feint. The cheetah becomes a small hawk, and before he can do anything, she strikes Archimedes off his shoulder and throws them both to the floor. The dove is cooing loudly and flapping its wings in a desperate attempt to get free from what it most likely considers an attack by a real predatory bird.
Seeing Archimedes in danger, but most importantly, the danger he now finds himself in. Josef takes the nearest weapon, in the shape of a saw used to cut through bone, rushes at this foolish young man, and slams him into the nearby wall. Nathan does have quick reflexes, so Josef does end up with that scalpel through the forearm. That does not bother him, not when his entire existence depends on someone prone to blabber and whose life hangs on a man that wishes to use him. Pointing the bone saw right at Nathan's jugular, "Make her let go." he speaks as calmly as possible yet does not hide that he will use his makeshift weapon.
Nathan's eyes are wide in shock, yet not at the fact he's millimeters from getting his throat cut open. This horror is of a different kind, one Josef recognizes from his younger days. A look deacons of the Magisterium have when the talk comes to the blood that flows through his mother's side. The sound of Archimedes flying away is a sign that his daemon let go. "T-That's not his daemon," She stammers, putting voice to what got this one so rattled. "he got no daemon."
"Of course, I have a daemon." He snaps at this idiot's soul partner. The now rabbit winches backward, frightened by this discovery. Honestly, Josef is afraid as well. He has carefully and diligently trained his favorite dove to stick near him. To always keep his coworkers appeased, all so no one would sic their daemon at him. If he knew Nathan would lash out like that, he would've thrown the daemon into a cage. Now that he is discovered… "No one can know about this." He turns back to Nathan; those brown eyes are filled with terror, more so as Josef prepares himself to ensure his own safety.
"Wait!" the young man cries, like anyone else in such a situation, trying to make a bargain. "I won't tell. I-I promise."
It's hard not to laugh about this pitiful attempt. "You promise? The last time someone gave me a promise, I got a wound deeper than this." He lifts the arm with the scalpel still embedded into the flesh, and blood starts to trickle down his arm. Josef does find some irony in this, though, for he does share something with this fool. "You see, the Magisterium does not appreciate special people like you and me. But unlike you," he lets the saw touches the other one's skin; Nathan begins to tremble at the sense of blood trickling down from that small cut. Josef smirks at how he, for once, feels in control, yet underneath the glee. He is equally as afraid. "I know how to hide."
"You can't kill him." The daemon argues; every hair on that story's brown body is on edge, and those rabbit feet are trembling. "Wouldn't it look bad in Viper's eyes?"
"True." Josef knows he has to make an excellent lie and count every lucky star that Viper will punish his body and not go for his pet disguising as his daemon. The cut to end this one's life will be easy, but it won't look like an accident. Now that he thinks about it. 'It will be hard to come up with an excuse for why I had to make a kill in self-defense. Especially with a guard nearby.'
Speaking of the guard, Josef is surprised the man hasn't stepped inside. Perhaps Nathan's cry wasn't enough to make that guard move, instead waiting for him to make sounds of distress. "You have put me in quite a tricky situation." Josef had to admit, knowing that there's only one choice, one he hates to do but really, sees no other option. But first, "What is it Viper needs you for?"
"He wants to lure my father. Something a-about him being Viper's f-former student or something." Nathan stammers out, and from how his eyes are darting around, he is trying to find something to use as a weapon. The only thing he can use is the scalpel, but it's like the young man knows reaching for it will get his throat cut. So he at least makes the wise choice to stay put. "A-And we might have giv'n the terrorists a heads up about the childr'n." The daemon adds to that statement. Nathan nods, "Yeah! They might be coming this very moment." Once again, he fails at sounding confident to cover up the fear.
A former student of Viper, and the possibility of the terrorists having a clue about what is going on behind these walls. Not much to goof on, and the chance of this father coming is slim to none. The terrorists, on the other hand…. Their activity has decreased a margin this past year, but Josef has seen how dangerous the local group is when they begin their assault. Many soldiers have come to him with severe wounds and stories of crazy gunmen destroying anything with the Magisterium logo. All of this does give Josef something to work with. "Here is the situation as I see it. I cannot kill you as it might get me killed by Viper, but so far, I am the only resemble of an ally for you. If you want any hope of getting out of here alive, you will stay on my good side." Nathan nods quickly, at the moment, ready to promise anything, all to keep his daemon from vanishing at his heart going forever quiet. If the terrorists Nathan contacted hadn't been put to the sword, then it is likely that group– perhaps several are coming. If that is the case, then Josef wants to keep this bargaining chip close.
Josef removes the saw and steps away, giving the young man a gleeful smirk. "Glad we can come to an agreement." He may have to rely on Nathan to keep his mouth shut, but he is still the one in control.
And Nathan knows it; the gleam in his eyes says as much. "Yeah…" He muses, brushing his fingers over the cut.
The rabbit runs over and clings to his legs; the scare has been real for that one. Still brushing over the small wound, "So um… where is your daemon?"
That was fast he recovered from a near-death experience; either he was more resilient than expected, or Nathan's former fear got overruled by curiosity. "Dear lord, you got some nerves asking questions this fast after I almost killed you." He can't help but laugh, yet funny enough not irritated by this. In fact, Josef finds it oddly endearing that Nathan is curious, just as he is curious about this young man. He pulls out the scalpel and walks over to the sink where he examines the wound. It's not that bad, actually, only hit the muscle, so there is no lingering damage. "I'm not entirely certain. She's in this country, though where exactly, I cannot say." But if he ever decided to leave and try and find her, he could easily follow the bond towards her.
"How can you lose youh daemon? I mean, hav'n't you always been like this?" Nathan asks and by the words of his daemon. "where have we heard it before?"
It sounds like they still teach children that in school. "Ever heard of the witches?" The face lighting up is enough; Nathan has been lectured about them. "I was permitted to perform the ceremony that allows a daemon to leave my side without pain." He cleans the injury and can see there's no need for a bandage; the bleeding has already stopped.
Nathan gasps; one look is enough. The young man has noticed his ability to shake off most injuries relatively fast. "Oh yes, about that. Sometimes, the male offspring of witches heritage their magical abilities." He shows the closing up wound; soon, not even a scar will be there. "Mine is rapid healing."
"Cool~" the rabbit speaks in awe; Nathan, too, stares at him as if he's seen something out of this world.
Perhaps for him, but for Josef, "It can be quite the curse at certain points." Water washes away the blood, and only the small blood stain on his shirt shows signs of that minor scuttle. "If the Magisterium knew, they would know about what my mother was and I would be hunted down like the witches. Tea?" He asks the standing awkwardly young man.
The question surprises Nathan: "Oh, um, sure?" Josef fills the kettle fully up and begins to rummage for the tea leaves. "So, ya ma is a witch?"
These words do, for some reason, cause him minor flashbacks. Fortunately, his back is to the young man. "Obviously," Josef is quick to resume his task of preparing the tea.
"I thought witches daemon was born without the limit, but you said it was a ritual? Is that why your daemon isn't around?"
It's strange to be around someone genuinely curious about that part of him. No hint of disgust; simply wanting to learn. It reminds Josef about how he got curious about Nathan's daemon. Seems fair the young man is equally interested in someone who does not fit the Church's mold. "It is partly the reason." He admits and wishes the beauty of that ceremony wasn't ruined by what happened not long after. Kind of glad the water is ready, gives him the excuse not to face Nathan. "The ceremony took its toll on me, and I wasn't able to search for her." Josef still remembers the sheer agony he felt when the limit between them was broken, how the backlash tore something inside of him.
How it sat him free.
The pain persisted for weeks; he could barely move, let alone try and find his daemon. And after… the incident, Josef couldn't risk looking for her, so with a heavy heart, he had to abandon her.
They both have long recovered but cannot be reunited as it will be a detriment to his safety.
"How long have you…"
"About two years now." He replies without missing a beat, grabbing the tea leaves and the warmed water. The eyes of Nathan follow his every step.
"Two years?" The young man sounds disturbed by the very idea. The now dog approaches him, pity in those brown orbs. "Isn't it lonely?"
The daemon's question hits a bit harder than expected, but Josef figures it's because Nathan is the first person he has had an open conversation with since the separation. "In some ways, yes." He admits, for even though he can still feel Silvia, he cannot hear her. Cannot touch and feel her soft plumage, nor the beak peck his finger when he gets too excited with his research. "I will admit I miss her presence occasionally." Josef gestures to the second chair and sits on his personal chair. Pouring himself some tea, "But it is too dangerous for her to come. Not when everyone believes I have a dove for a daemon." he pours a cup to Nathan and hands it to him with, "Unlike you, I don't have the excuse my daemon can change her shape– not that I would, I quite like her Settled form."
Josef can still recall the joy he felt when she took her final form; showed him who he was.
Nathan takes the offered cup but does not drink. Instead, he holds it, the eyes reflecting thoughts he may never before had to contemplate about. The cup is placed on the desk, and one of the questions gets voiced. "Do you think Nalini evah will Settle?"
A simple question, yet for someone like him, it is a much-loaded question. Unlike when a child asks, Josef cannot say that every daemon will settle, whether they want it or not. Nathan is not like that, and it reminds him to perform a particular test. "Hm, I highly doubt it. But to be sure, I would like to do a simple test."
He leaves the chair and grabs one of the machines he was granted, thanks to being Nathan's personal doctor. It is a special photogram built to see Dust. Nathan stares at the photogram; it does look weird and bulky compared to the much more stylized photograms people can afford to carry around. "It's harmless," He snaps a few photos at himself, "see?" Nathan visibly relaxes. "Now sit still," and Josef points the contraption at the young man, all the time making sure to get the daemon in the photo as well.
He then takes the glass and puts it into a small projector. What he sees is incredibly fascinating. The pictures about himself show beautiful particles, like golden dust. 'Now I know why it got such a plain name.' he inwardly laughs. This Dust surrounds his body, but most interesting, the source of his Dust is something much out of view. 'So that's what the link between us and daemon looks like. Interesting, now I am starting to understand the North's experiments.' Though he still finds those experiment waste of resources, and honestly, Josef does not like the idea of losing the "first sin" as that was humanity's first choice of free will. Anyways, enough of the morals from a dusty old book. Josef takes the photos he took of Nathan and finds himself excited at what he sees. Ross once mentioned that children do not attract Dust, but Nathan got the same particle effect connecting him to his daemon as Josef did in his photo. This is the crucial evidence for Nathan's question.
There is, however, one question he needs to ask. "Did you notice a change in the forms your daemon took at one point in time?" Nathan raises a brow; right, he has to be more specific. "My former tests revealed that certain shapes affect you while others do not. Your daemon prefers to stick to forms that are sociable and nimble. When did she start doing that?"
Young man and daemon look at one another, the latter answering, "Um… I think I started doing that when pubahty hit."
This is very interesting, and Josef smirks at his little theory that got proven somewhat correct. "That was your Settling."
"But I can still change shape." the daemon – Nalini argues, confused about this whole thing. Her other half nods in agreement. "Yeah, so ya can't say she Settled."
But that's the fun part. What makes Nathan so interestingly unique. "She has, but not in the way most think." Josef counters, very pleased with himself that he got an answer. Not a complete picture, but a few answers are good too. "I can't answer why your daemon can still change shape. But all the evidence I got points that you have gone through Settling; in other words, becoming an adult. That's why your daemon prefers certain shapes, which are the only ones affecting you."
Young man and daemon exchange and look once again; this time, it is Nathan that speaks: "Huh, I guess that makes sense." he smiles, one of gratitude, "Thanks, doc."
Not often he gets such a smile, less so from the people around here. So it's nice someone at least appreciates his work. "You are quite welcome, young one." He smirks widely, well aware of the answer. "Perhaps now I should figure out what makes your daemon continue changing. Perhaps opening you up will give the answers."
He laughs at Nathan becoming white as a sheet, "No? Maybe another time then." he shrugs and sips his tea.
Nathan decides to do the same, although he does not seem to enjoy the quiet time as much as Josef does by how he keeps looking around and his daemon cannot sit still.
This inpatient display does ruin the quiet moment for him. "If you got further questions, ask them instead of fiddling around." It's quite annoying to watch.
Nathan smiles sheepishly at being called out but does not waste a second on the invitation to break the silence. "Got any idea how to get out from here?"
Already in the planning phase, huh? Understandable. "A few, but nothing concrete." One quick glance to the clock and Josef knows this as far as the pleasantries can last. He leaves the half-empty cup, walks over to his medical table, and quietly decides the tool. "So for now," he picks the tool and, in a swift move, grabs Nathan's arm and makes a light cut, enough for it to bleed. "keep up the act I am performing painful experiments on you." He meets the startled look with a gleeful smirk. "As long you do that, these cuts will stay shallow." He bandages the cut, and some of the blood appears on the fabric, as he had planned.
With that, Josef calls for the guard to take this unwanted but necessary ally back to his room. Once again alone in his office, Josef can think in relative peace. 'I won't be able to save him on my own. His entire life depends on his father or the terrorist's coming to rescue him and the kids.' Of course, Josef won't tell Nathan that, as he right now needs that one to keep his mouth shut, and for that, this fragile trust must be maintained.
Archimedes flies over and decides to perch on his shoulder, something that wasn't hard to train this inquisitive bird.
He gently brushes his fingers through his pet's plumage and responds to the dove's 'coo.'
"I know things didn't go as expected. But not the first time I got myself out of a sticky situation." Josef is, however, curious about how the future holds now that the brain-numbing mundane has been broken.
Writing this chapter was stupidly hard. Not only because so much had to be changed but also because I was heavily grieving my mother's passing when I re-wrote this. I needed to recheck the text more times than I liked to admit, but I like this revamp compared to the older version of the chapter.
I enjoy writing from Josef's point of view, though he is quite different from where he originated from. But that's the wonderful thing about fanfictions, and besides, he is still kinda crazy.