ximilialog | ( open ) I like to call myself wound but I will answer to knife

CHARACTERS: Erik Stevens / Killmonger You
LOCATION: The Station
DATE: Post-Mission Conclusion
CONTENT: Aftermath / Settling back in the station
WARNINGS: scarification, body modification in the first prompt

( i. infirmary - new wounds ) cw: body modification, scarification

[ a success.

not that erik would say so in public, but he accomplished his personal goal and the mission. he has solidified his use as player, even if his integration into the team was haphazard. he let too much slip to people, they know too much. but that can be a problem for another day. no one knows the extent of it after all, just patches of erik. and erik isn't real anyway. it's not his name.

erik sits on one of the medical beds, his shirt tossed to the side. his skin is littered with crocodile scars. he has a scalpel in his hand, as he assesses the free space to his side. ]

Hmm, think I got a little room there.

( ii. lab - spellwork and metalwork )

[ he hadn't gotten to use much charterwork in the field, preferring to lean on the abilities he did have and the panther suit. he wasn't fully comfortable with spells just yet, but erik is a scientist in his own right, not simply a war strategist. and what he needed was more comfortable exploration in his own time and space.

so erik has a bunch of different metals laid out on a table with a notebook littered with various charter configurations as he tries to find the best combination to strengthen the durability of each one. this would be best with vibranium, but erik wasn't going to risk his suit on an experiment.

he taps his forehead, drawing upon the marks for strength and shielding and weaving them into iron. satisfied, he plucks it from the table, idly tapping the side to listen to the vibrations and noise. he makes a little sound of disgruntlement before he bends over his notebook, scribbling his theory. ]

Sounds denser. Can charter affect molecular structure? Gotta give it an acid test later.

( iii. simulation room - oakland apartment )

[ he's not sure why he comes back.

lack of self-preservation? a reckless need to let all his secrets out? to see if his father will appear just like it had once with the heart-shaped herb? but erik no longer had the herb's effects pumping in his veins. at least he thinks so. he has no way of knowing for sure. he doubts t'challa would have left it in him. he doubts . . .

erik leans against the window. the wakandan sunset beats down on his face. it seems he's at his rawest here, caught between two worlds. two homes that never wanted him. and erik . . . wants something. wants more. he thought he had bled it all out, but talking about it again had given him the twist of yearning in his heart. where was he supposed to go? where was he supposed to be? was he meant to give up the dream and just settle in another reality?

out loud, he says. ]

You should have taken us back.

[ it is the first kernel of resentment for his father. who believed in the dream, who bled for it. who wanted a better life for others. but erik can't help thinking that the minute his mother died, alone and unwanted in a prison, they should have gone home.

but he thinks of his father's tears and he ducks his head, guilt churning. ]

( iv. wildcard )

[ got a prompt in mind? you can reach erik here / pm this account / hit me up @ timmtams ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ erik looks up, pushing his glasses up his nose. ]

I'm testing how much Charter magic makes these metals stronger.

Charter magic? That something from your home?

[ Didn't Edward mention something like this? ]

[ he chuckles. ]

No. Sabriel hooked me up with the basics. I'm working on some experimentation with magic and metals.

[ ... Oooooooooooh... That's a thing?

He looks back at the metal selection with a more serious face, as if he can see things changing before his eyes if he looks hard enough. ]

Anything I can help with? [ Probably not, but he (oddly enough) knows metals and alloys pretty well. Weapons, armors, etc. ]

[ he gives a loose shrug. ]

If you wanna perform your own lil' experiment, be my guest. You got some ideas?

Some. [ Loose ideas, anyway. It's putting the metals and alloys together that he's not sure about. He starts picking up a few pieces and setting them down again, getting a feel for each of them. ]

I used to wear armor made from plastoid all the time. It was light, insulated, durable enough, but it was cheap and completely pointless for what we were doing. Had the opposite effect, actually. Solid white isn't good camouflage in every environment, come to find out.

[ Wait, the chatterbox is getting off track. ]

Anyway, it had some good qualities, but I had a lot of time to think about how it could be better. For armor, weapons... Were you trying to make something in particular?

[ that sounds pretty cool actually. erik could already come up with a couple of uses. ]

One, I wanna combine metals and magic to make our stuff durable and last longer. Second, I picked up some energy weapons from our mission and I was hoping to hook up a mini-battery. Small but packs a strong punch.

... I spent a lot of hours watching my friend build something like that. It took her a few months. Have you built one of these before?

[ There are also vibroweapons but this doesn't sound the same. ]

[ erik nods. ]

I've dabble in a few prototypes. Nothin' that made it big. But I'm not startin' from scratch which helps.

[ Finn nods back. ]

Knifes? Swords?

[ erik chuckles. ]

Yeah, none of those. Colleges tend to frown on people makin' sharp pointy weapons.

[ Oh? An eyebrow rises. ] A scholar and a soldier. [ He likes it. ]

What were these prototypes then?

Sonic emitters. Good for disrupting communication signals.

[ among other things. sonic is the only defense against vibranium. ]

[ !!! ]

Oh, that's useful. We could use equipment like that. No telling where the next mission will take us.

Yep. Sound disruption can be quick and painless and virtually undetectable. Not the easiest thing to put together though.

... If you can build one, it might be easier to build more. If that thing in the armory won't do it, maybe we can get some other people together to help replicate it. I'm sure it's not as simple as just... following a blueprint, though.

[ erik assesses him curiously. ]

Sure. Shouldn't be too hard. But I thought you wouldn't be into this. Don't you wanna break from warfare?

[ His shoulders droop. ]

Yeah. For as long as I can remember. But I've learned the hard way that you can't just run off and pretend things are fine. You have to fight for that break, and I'm not going to let other people fight in my place.

[ erik gives a slow nod. good to know finn has some teeth. ]

Have you figured out how you're gonna do that though? Doesn't have to be violence.

No, it doesn't. Violence isn't always the answer, right? The enemy usually expects a punch to the face, not their trade routes being redirected or their financers suddenly going broke.

It's why I like this idea of yours.

[ huh. ]

Looks like you've got the mind for it. Okay. I can pass along some of the plans though I'll have to draft 'em up from scratch.

[ Hey, he's been doing this for awhile. His rank, while abrupt and early, was still earned. ]

Anything I can do to help out?

Right now, we're only in the metal testin' phase. You're welcome to make notes while I compare how magic works with each.

Feel free to pitch in suggestions too.

( open ) I like to call myself wound but I will answer to knife

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