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 ]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[ It's not his simulation; it's not any simulation he recognizes, actually, and for a moment after he stepped inside, he thinks it must be some kind of malfunction. But then he spots Erik by the window, and he realizes that it isn't a malfunction, the room was just in use already. ]

I— sorry, I didn't realize it was... occupied.

[ He's not really sure what to do. He's wanted to see Erik ever since they got back to the station, but not like this. It feels too personal, something Erik wouldn't willingly share with him. ]

I should go.

[ erik shakes his head. ]

S'fine. Just wanted to look at the sunset.

[ he pushes his glasses up before eyeing him. ]

. . . You okay?

[ Jim sighs, taking that as all the invitation he needs to step further into the apartment. ]

Not really.

[ He could say he was, but it'd just be a transparent lie. ]

Where are we?

[ erik pauses. ]

Oakland. It's where I'm from.

Is it, now?

[ He looks out the window, the sunlight getting a faint smile from him. ]

That's quite the view.

[ Definitely doesn't look like an Oakland sunset. ]

[ erik folds his arms behind his back. ]

It would be. Wakandan sunsets are supposed to be the most beautiful. 'Least . . . that's what I heard.

[ Wakanda. Erik's never mentioned that name before, but he has mentioned how his father came from Africa. ]

Was that your father's country?

If it's acid you're worried about, there are spells specifically dealing with corrosion and protecting metal from it. As for the molecular structure- I'm afraid I have no idea. I know the Charter can't create matter from nothing, but it can certainly alter the structure.

[Sabriel's contributed to the notes as well- both with pages of her own notes, and annotations to Erik's in a tidy but old-fashioned cursive.]

We use steel and iron for our tools and weapons, and despite the stories those in the south of Ancelstierre tell, to my knowledge, there's nothing magical that's particularly bothered by cold iron.

Silver is another story. It's not really enough on its own, but it can help.

[ erik gives a slow nod. ]

Yeah. It's a small land-locked country. Isolated.

[ hmm. a spell that can alter the molecules could be a huge advantage. but the strain of doing so is taxing. even erik feels it upon his body. ]

Silver's not really a strong metal though. You use it in weaponry?

We use steel. But weapons intended for use against the Dead or Free Magic have a thin layer of silver over the steel. Even the Ancelstierrian soldiers at the wall use the same technique, somewhat more amateurishly. But there's another reason for the silver.

[Sabriel picks up the small piece of silver they were using as a sample, turning it over in her hands.]

Silver's an easy material to work magic on, and it holds enchantments well. So a lot of magical charms and jewelry are made of silver.

[ Jim debates for a moment on whether or not to voice the thought on his mind. In the end, he speaks up. ]

I'm curious. If you've only heard of Wakandan sunsets, how did the program know how to recreate it?

[ that makes more sense. silver weapons in general would never have the kind of durability to last long enough in extended combat. however, a coating or lining of silver could do the job. almost like it's conductive to magic. erik notes it down quickly. ]

Is there a reason for that or that's just how it is?

[ erik falls silent briefly. ]

I saw it once. Just for a moment. Guess it stuck with me.

[ He wants to ask so many questions, but he doesn't even know where to start. Unsure where the line is of what Erik's willing to share with him right now. ]

I can see why. It's beautiful. [ He smiles. ] Certainly beats a San Francisco sunset.

There's nothing like it.

[ erik shrugs, pulling himself from the view. seeing it again encourages complicated feelings in him. and he hates that. ]

What about you? Got a place you think beats this view?

[There's almost an inherent masochism to viewing these simulations. Shinjiro had gone into this room a few times before, punishing himself with the memory of that dark alley by the house where his life went all wrong, where he went off to meet his own end.

When he walks into the room this time, it's to a beautiful sunset, rather than an unnerving moonlight tinged green. And there's a familiar face watching it with him.

He sighs.]

Looks like my timing's shit as usual.

[At least this feels less invasive than walking in on him in the graveyard.]

[ erik gives a little snort, though he doesn't seem all that put out. ]

Learn to knock, bean boy.

[Bean boy??? He huffs, but lets it be. He doesn't care that much what people call him, when he hung around places where "hey asshole" was a common means of address.]

You'd think a place with this kinda tech would be able to put in an occupied sign like your average portapotty y'know?

[he's just sayin']

Maybe that's the idea.

[ erik hums, leaning against the windowsill. ]

They don't want us to keep secrets.

I'm afraid that's just how it is. Bronze also gets used for charms and jewelry a lot- it's not as good as silver, but it's cheaper. No one coats their weapons with it though.

Tch, like they're bein' so upfront with us. Figures.

[But good to know. Perhaps he'll do his brooding in here at some unholy hour when nobody's awake instead.]

Doesn't seem like a sunset could be that much of a secret, though.

[This is what weird quasi-friendship with Shinji looks like. He respects your privacy enough not to ask direct uncomfortable questions but also cares enough to sort of sideways comment on things in case you want to talk about them.]

[ erik's face is expressionless. ]

It is if you're not allowed to see it.

[ he nods. ]

Just the way it is. Gotcha.

[ he gives sabriel a side-long look. ]

You holdin' up okay?

Well, I think I slept for more than eighteen hours straight once we got back to the station, but- I'm fine, physically.

[Mentally... she'll get there.]

Everyone and everything has a time to die. [The words sound like she's reciting a mantra.] And life isn't fair, and people can be alive one day and dead the next. And my role is to make sure they pass on. [She's clearly talking more to herself than Erik.]

And I'm fairly certain So-Yeon knew what kind of deal she was making.

[Sabriel finally meets Erik's gaze, her voice steady.]

Still... I grieve her passing, even if it's for the best that the orb is in the station now.

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