indispensible | seven. text & spam. woman king, sword in hand.

[It doesn't take long before she notices: she's invisible. She realizes this by looking in the mirror first thing in the morning and not seeing herself, which is so far from the standard way of things that she has to pat herself down to make sure she does, in fact, still exist. Apparently, she does.]

[This doesn't make her feel any better about the dullness that quickly settles upon her. She can't hear, see, or smell as sharply as she ought to, and her muscles feel heavy and fatigued. Crossing her arms over her shift, she makes a face at herself in the mirror - or, rather, doesn't, since according to her own eyes she doesn't exist.]

This is stupid.

Then her eyes settle on the black metal ball at her bedside. It's the only thing, besides herself, that's different, and that makes her tense. Objects are just as dangerous as people are - more so, sometimes.

She reaches out tentatively to pick it up, cupping it in her palm - and almost drops it when the metal swarms up her arm and across her body, making the deftest set of armor she's ever seen.]

~That's so you don't throw me across the room,~ [it informs her, and it's right: her wrist flexes reflexively in an attempt to get free.]

Get off me.

~Why? Armor's a good look for you.~

private } kylar, significantly later after much argument

Get over here right now or I'll find you and break your neck.

[But in a friendly way.]

spam } open, after the above

[There seems to be no way to get away from the ka'kari, at least not until this flood has run its course, so Vin does her best to just deal with it. Which is not to say she appreciates being almost senseless and frustratingly weak, nor that she seeks out company, but she doesn't hide away entirely, either.]

[More than anything, she can be found in the gym and in the CES, pushing her body to its current limits with a look of extremely bad-tempered concentration.]

( ooc; vin has kylar's ka'kari, which is mostly sassing her, making her invisible, giving her cool metal armor, and magical absorption and judgment as outlined here. i'm kind of winging it so hit me up in a pm if you have questions? yeah!! )

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It?

[And it hits him. He had been wondering why nothing had been berrating him this morning.]

Oh, shit. You have it? Why the hell do you have it?

[What did he do wrong.]

Where are you, I'll be right over.

I didn't ask for it! I'm in my cabin. Get here, I don't want to walk around like this!

[He's already on his way.]

Like what? What did you do?

It's just sort of - all over me. And talking. And I broke a chair.

[Suplex.]

[This is upsetting. Kylar is sincerely distressed by this information.]

Did it- Did it say why? Why it's with you?

[He breathes, sounding a bit defeated.]

Just don't let it get on your clothes. I'm almost there.

Just that it doesn't want to be. It's supposed to be with you.

. . . Um.

[Only sort of reassuring. But there's a sigh of relief. He had thought he royally fucked up.]

So then why is it?

[Well, he's here and he was going to just walk in until the 'um'. He laughs under his breath.]

I'm outside, tell me when I can come in.

It says it doesn't know. It's angry. At least I think so. [Mostly it's just being rude and snide and she does not have time for that.]

[With an irritated huff, she flings open the door. She's covered neck to feet with black armor, her arms crossed over her chest as if Kylar has personally wronged her.]

Does it always do this?

[Kylar leans back and sucks in air through his teeth. She's not going to have any clothes in a minute. Great.]

... No. It doesn't. Not unless you tell it to.

Get back inside. I'll see if I can... [Will it back? That sounds dumb, and it's obviously bonded to you or you'd be dead with it covering that much. So talk to it? Yep, that's reassuring.] just get back inside before someone sees.

This is what you haven't been telling people about.

[She says this accusingly, but by people she means me, and she also says it while scuttling back into the room. It's a well-equipped room, a noble's, but messy, the bed unslept in.]

[Turning on her heel in the middle of the floor, she stares at Kylar accusingly.]

Are you going to fix it?

[He stays quiet for the accusation. Now is honestly not the time to go on about any skeletons in his closet. He'll have to pick and choose carefully when that time comes though. In the meantime he stays close behind her and closes and locks the door behind them both.]

I've been trying. See if you can concentrate it into a ball.

[There's a pause, why is he asking her to do it? He's talking at Vin, though not really.]

Hey, old bastard, start cooperating or no one's going to figure out this mess. You don't like it and I don't like it and obviously she doesn't either. Understand?

[To her credit, Vin doesn't waste any time assuming the second statement is addressed to her. She narrows her eyes and focuses into the middle distance, like she's listening to something - which, in fact, she is - and moves her lips slightly.]

It says-- [A pause; she rolls her eyes.] He says, if he could do it he would have done it already. What does that mean? [she adds sharply, glaring up at the ceiling since it would look significantly stupider to glare at herself.]

[It's so weird watching someone else trying to communicate to the ka'kari. Is this how he acts while the two of them are holding a conversation? That thought aside, he's only getting frustrated by the whole situation.]

I don't know. I've been trying to get it back since you opened your door. Nothing I try is working.

[He rubs his face before starting to pace in a small line, he's trying to think of any other way. But he's coming up empty handed.]

If we actually knew why this was happening then maybe I could think of something but right now? [The pacing halts and he gives her a dangerous look.]

Vin, I know you barely know me, but you can't tell anyone about this. What it is, or that it's mine. You don't know what it is or what it can do. Shit, I hardly know. But it's important and people want it and I can't let them know I have it. Do you understand?

[The look she gives him is hard and unforgiving, flinty. Underneath all that, she's hurt. Why does he think she'd tell? Why does he think she needs to be told? She knows all about secrets, and this has the mark of something very secret.]

I'm not a child, and I'm not stupid. There's a reason I didn't say anything over the network.

[She crosses her arms over her chest, glancing away. The armor creaks and shifts as it presses together under the force of her anger.]

You're wasting time persuading me of things that are common sense.

[He honestly hadn't considered that, but even when she looks away he's not certain why. He wasn't trying to call her stupid.]

Sorry. It's my responsibility. I can't lose it. I--

[Can't explain. But he'll hold that and only sighs.]

I think you're stuck with it for now.

[Says Captain Obvious.]

[She says nothing. Just stands there, her eyes downcast and her attention elsewhere, like she's listening to something only she can hear. She isn't listening to the ka'kari, as it happens; it's just a convenient thing to pretend to do while ignoring someone.]

[After a while of silence, her shoulders straighten almost imperceptibly. She looks at Kylar flatly.]

Then help me figure out how to keep it a secret. Tell me everything you know so that I can keep everything from everyone else.

[What. A. Pickle. He's reluctant and it's painfully obvious.]

Just try not to use it. Focus on not using it and it should listen. No one's going to find out it even exists so long as you keep it to yourself until I figure out a way to get it back.

You're willing to bet your life on should?

[Kylar, please. That is not how you self-preservation.]

Betting my life would hold a lot more meaning if I weren't already dead.

[He smiles before he sighs.]

Look, I don't know how it works it just does.

You just don't want me to know.

[She sighs, not particularly thrilled, but resigned.]

It's all right. I think you're being stupid, though.

[Despite all the lies he cooks up he's a little offended by the accusation of secret keeping and you know, the insult.]

And if I actually don't know?

Fine. Climb the wall. We'll see if you can.

seven. text & spam. woman king, sword in hand.

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