[open] like puppets dangling on strings

[whowhatnow]

CHARACTERS: Nathaniel Horn and YOU
WHERE: Concordia
WHEN: post Big Bang, 025
SUMMARY: Nathaniel dabbles with his parasite powers and hangs around Concordia trying to deal with life.
WARNINGS:none at the moment except mind control! will update as needed

I. just let them hang where they stand

[In the hustle and bustle of Concordia, its easy to miss things. Secret trysts, forbidden deals, activities done only in the darkest of places...and what Nathaniel is doing may count for that last one. After the whole bomb fiasco, he's been hanging around, looking like he's doing nothing but lazing around like always...but, in reality, he's up to something. That whole event shook him to the core, and he's not going to pretend that everything is okay. He needs to adapt to this, just like he's adapted to everything he's encountered in his life.]

[You can probably feel the pricklings of his thoughts coming over the mental link (it feels pleasant, like he's having fun, like he's winning at something and laughing about it)- track them down, and you'll find him standing across from a man in an alleyway. The man looks like some kind of office worker, his clothes neat and tailored but not especially extravagant - he's just a cog in a large corporate machine, by the looks of it. He's staring at Nathaniel, who only grins and points down to the end of the alleyway. He speaks, but his voice holds a certain strange tone to it - it's far too smooth to be comfortable.]

Pick it up.

[The man jerks a little in place, like his body is moving on his own without his control. He walks down the alleyway, picking up what looks to be some kind of bottle. He stares back at Nathaniel, his expression confused.]

Bring it back to me.

[A pause, and the man does so, his dark eyes darting nervously in their sockets. When he approaches, Nathaniel outstretches his hand, and the man drops the bottle into it. Nathaniel lets out a laugh, like he can't believe his good fortune, and then suddenly turns to toss the bottle back into the alleyway.]

[He turns back to the man, a grin on his face as he points back into the alleyway.]

Come on, go on. Go pick it up.


II. or cut them down and let them fall

[What's work? Nathaniel certainly doesn't know. He travels the streets of Concordia like a vagabond, exploring every nook and cranny he can find. He's far more on guard since the bombing incident, and isn't willing to draw attention (no more wearing Bout-It-Out gear for him!), but still, he's unwilling to let himself get bored.]

[Eventually, it's nighttime and he has to take a break, and he decides to rest by sitting up on the roof of a small building near the outskirts of the city, staring out at the bright lights and bustling movement with a wide smile. You know, Concordia isn't half bad, he thinks. Just remove all the hassle, the fighting, the politics, and you have a place where fun lurks in the form of so many things. He can get behind a place like that.]

[He leans back on his perch, and if he senses somebody approaching, he'll greet them by turning his head over his shoulder, his wide grin glinting in the low light.]

Hey, quick question: if you could be anyone you wanted to be in the whole wide universe, who would you be? And I'm not talking about jobs, here. I'm talking about everything.


III. WILDCARD

[Want a prompt with Nathaniel that isn't up here? Just let me know! Nathaniel is all over the place and isn't hard to find, so send me a message if you want to work something out!]

Comments

i

[inflori]

[ It's virtually impossible for the members of the hive to hide from each other, the constant feedback of their mental links making them aware of who stands where. Petre still seems to be drawn to the alleyway like a shadow, though. Just a boy in regular clothes, chewing on some kind of candy the city is known for, blue eyes distinguishable in the darkness he steps out of. There's a careless kind of smile hinting at the corner of his lips when he speaks up. ]

What're you doing?

[ He makes the man startle, which doesn't stop him from fulfilling his command. Petre's eyes follow the movements without confusion or surprise - it's nothing more than observation, deliberately pushing the fact that he rejected Nathaniel's help (and maybe tried to eat him) to the back of his mind. Just so he doesn't have to apologize for it, of course. ]

[whowhatnow]

I'm having a little fun.

[He gives Petre a cool smile, devoid of warmth. He doesn't seem like he's going to ignore him or try to belittle him, even though their last encounter was, well, not so nice at all. The man stumbles back, eyes wide as he glances between the two, probably expecting Petre to go and mess with his mind, too.]

Bring it back. [He says, over his shoulder, and the man steps back up with the bottle in his hand, depositing it into Nathaniel's palm.]

What's been going since I saw you, last? You seem much less toothy.

[inflori]

[ He can recognize it for what it really is, of course. He could just be doing this for fun, could have somehow threatened the man into these inane tasks, but there's an element of practice to it that Petre remembers having experimented with as well. He's controlling him.

So... Petre can do what Nate does. And Nate can do what Petre does. Isn't that interesting. ]

I'm okay. I died, but I got better.

[ As Nate knows. ]

[whowhatnow]

Sounds pretty harsh, buddy.

[He sounds as if they're talking about the weather, but in reality, he knows it's anything but. They were practically at each other's throats. Petre would've killed him if Nathaniel had given the chance for him to do so.]

[He shrugs.]

Go take a break. [He says to his victim, whose shoulders slump with an obvious sign of relief. The man instantly rushes past Petre, nervously, ever so eager to get the hell out of dodge. When they're finally alone, Nathaniel drops the bottle to the side, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he steps closer to the other.]

So, Petre. [He shakes his head, smirking.] Tried your best to rip me apart back then, huh? Didn't know you had it in you.

[inflori]

[ There's not even a glance at the man as he rushes past the two little psychos. Petre's attention is on Nate and Nate alone, staring up at him as he moves closer. He still won't apologize, but it's clear there's no pride in what he did, either. He likes the alien. Eating him would really have been a shame. ]

... You got in the way.

[ In the way of a demon's survival instinct. He wouldn't even know how to describe how much Petre restrained himself to not just rip him apart in those first few seconds. ]

I wasn't really going to eat you. I just needed to get my powers back.

[ And, ya know. ]

I guess I should thank you, though. I figured out what my new power is.

[whowhatnow]

Ah, so I was an obstacle?

[Is he offended? Surprised? It's hard to tell - he says the question as if he's just clarifying it for himself. Nathaniel nods, still smirking - honestly, he doesn't hold a grudge against the other. He's a bit miffed, yes, but at the end of the day, it isn't a terribly big deal.]

Let me guess. It was that nice-looking other form of yours, was it? [He leans forward, his voice dropping to a low, almost conspiratorial murmur.] With all those lovely eyes.

[inflori]

I had to get my energy back. I died. [ Arms crossed, sulking a little, but not entirely defensive. ]

I was turning into you.

II.

[exhuxperation]

[ Concordia at night is his favorite time. Something about all the blinking lights and rushing traffic is soothing. Everyone is so busy 10 stories below on the street. Lights dazzle and flash– it should be aggravating but it reminds him of over-active landing pads instead. Or of the control panels on the deck of the Finalizer.

Ren has been up and moving, something that is moderately relieving as much as it's draining. Hux can't tell him what to do though, so he just ignores it and moves on. Having been cooped up over the last couple days, he decided to walk around on the street, to be around people that weren't the nest for once.

His unplanned path takes him out towards the outskirts, where the pull of a broodmate catches his notice. Nathaniel– that mental impression is easy to name. Glancing up at the nearby building, he carefully navigates to the fire escape on the side, climbing up the metal bars. He's dusting his hands off as he walks over to Nathaniel, who's perched near the edge fearlessly. ]

Is this a question to have logic and real life circumstances applied to it or is it a flight of fancy?

[whowhatnow]

Knowing you, you'd choose the former every time.

[He grins wide - ah, Hux, always the stickler for rules so uppity and strict about everything in life. Nathaniel perches his chin in hand, his eyes almost twinkling as the cityscape before him shines within a multitude of colorful, dazzling lights.]

So tell me the latter. Like, if you could be anything or anyone in the world, what would you be? Don't be boring.

[exhuxperation]

Of course. Why have aspirations that you cannot achieve?

[ This was their gap. The sticking point between them, really. Nathaniel adhered to the chaotic side of life. Selfish and without a full regard for rules and regulation. It contrasted sharply to his own life, to put it lightly. Still, the outlook wasn't something he could completely fault. It could be useful.

Surprisingly, as Nathaniel looks up at him, Hux moves closer to the perch, taking a seat a comfortable distance away. His posture is still stiff as he glances out to the city, the neon lights flickering in patterns across both of them. ]

I'd be emperor.

[whowhatnow]

...Wow, Hux.. Here I was thinking, like, you'd answer "military commander" or something. But emperor?

[His tone makes it sound like he finds it funny, but the look on his face is clearly impressed - he had honestly expected something incredibly boring, but Hux is clearly full of more surprises than he makes it seem. Hux: Emperor. He could see it.]

What would you be emperor of? The entire universe?

[exhuxperation]

[ Hux tilts his head just enough to glance at Nathaniel, taking in his expression. There's amusement– to be expected of course– but there's a fascination. Or something that resembles it. Being so close, mentally, makes it even easier to pick out. There's nothing completely mocking underlying.

In some way, he's relieved. Nathaniel is one of the first people besides his father he's told this. ]

I am already a military commander. The ranking chain only goes so far; military rule is not sustainable, either.

[ All things he's reasoned out, over time, as he climbed the proverbial ladder. ]

I'd envisioned the galaxy I'm from. Perhaps more. [ All the core worlds and the outer rim under his control. It would've been possible, he believed it. ]

It's no longer something available to me. [ A hard pill to swallow. ] What about you?

[whowhatnow]

Well, galaxy's a nice neat goal. The universe is too big, but a whole galaxy? Big enough to be powerful, small enough to be feasible.

[He lets out a boyish laugh - ah, talking about taking over the galaxy so casually, it's so strange, in a way. And yet, it's something he enjoys - he's finally seeing Hux as more than an uptight stick of a man, and he appreciates the insight.]

Aw, really? [He pouts, slightly, like he's disappointed by that answer. No Emperor Hux in his lifetime, huh? The question gets him a pause, and Nathaniel thinks over it, before giving a shrug.]

Nothing in particular, but... [His voice is lower, quieter.] My own person. Someone who will never be controlled by anyone. I mean, I was on my way to that, but...

[A huff.] I guess I'm stuck with you guys, now.

ii

[headinjuries]

[ Sam likes roofs. They're as close as he gets to flying, since they're supposed to be keeping a low profile here, and spending so long grounded is driving him up the wall. The best he can do is kill some time in high places, stand too close to the edge, and pretend there's nothing under his feet.

He usually tries to do that when nobody else is around to see it, though, so he's considering bailing to find a different place until Nathaniel speaks. ]

Uh.

[ That question used to be really easy, even if for a while when he was a kid, the answer changed nearly every week. An astronaut. A baseball player. A pro skateboarder. A Jedi (come on, who wouldn't).

A superhero, for a month in there somewhere.

He doesn't know about the rest of it, but the superhero thing hasn't been everything he dreamed of, that's for sure. ]

[whowhatnow]

You don't know?

[They may have not talked in person, but by the feel of the mental link, Nathaniel knows exactly who this is. He gives him a lazy, casual smile, resting his ear on his shoulder as he continues to observe the busy city below.]

What's the first thing that pops into your head, then?

[headinjuries]

[ He doesn't answer immediately, instead closing the distance between them to take a seat on the edge of the roof himself. Because, sure, why not. If Nathaniel doesn't have a problem with having his alone time interrupted, conversation's as good a distraction as anything.

And it gives him a little more time to consider an answer. ]

Right now I'd settle for "someone whose life isn't a total freaking mess."

[whowhatnow]

Good answer. I like that answer. [He laughs - ah, doesn't everyone want to be that? Whose life isn't a mess? None of this hivemind crew, that's for sure.]

Do you think you'll ever reach that? It seems pretty impossible, honestly.

[headinjuries]

Probably not. I mean, I used to think that being a superhero would be totally awesome, but it's way more complicated than I thought it would be when I was like, six.

[ Sure, you get to punch through asteroids and fly into space, but nobody warns you about the part where you nearly flunk out of school and send your social life down the toilet because you're not around enough. ]

[whowhatnow]

That so? Everything looks better in the books and movies, right?

[Ah, fiction. He loved fiction - it wasn't exactly a common thing in the society he came from. What little they had mostly related to stories about how awesome they were compared to everyone else. But human beings? They could come up with some pretty inventive stuff.]

So, give me the cons of being a superhero. The crazy costume has to be one of them, right? Or could that be a pro...?

III. Ilde Option

[erbier]

[ She appears in a doorway, looking significantly better than the last time he had seen her. She pushes a strand of hair behind her ear. ]

Hello, Nate.

[whowhatnow]

[He's sort of half-asleep on his bed, some kind of brochure perched right on top of his face - at the sound of Ilde's voice, he instantly sits up straight with a gasp, the brochure fluttering down to the floor.]

Oh! Hey! [He says, a little startled - he hadn't expected anyone to come visit him, and he gives Ilde a sheepish grin.] Sorry, I was kind of drifting off there...how's everything? You seem much better after...well, you know.

[erbier]

[ She is somewhat used to people being more animated amongst the hosts, although it still causes her a bit of bemusement every time she sees it. Nate is particularly... odd. Almost as excessive in his speech and movements as Rhys had been when they were awkwardly attempting to talk around their stark cultural mistranslations. ]

Yes, I am doing well. I came to thank you for your help.

[whowhatnow]

You're thanking me? [He says, pressing a hand against his chest as if in shock she would ever consider a thing - his grin widens.]

Ah, shucks, really, it's no big deal. I just saw a cute girl in need of some help so... [He gestures, flapping his hand.] Really, it's fine! Thank you, though.

[erbier]

[ She doesn't particularly grasp his affectation, and considers him in bemusement for a moment. ]

No. [ She corrects softly. ] It was difficult for you. There was a reason no one else approached me.

[whowhatnow]

[He laughs. And even though he's still smiling, something changes in his gaze. It becomes more muted, somehow. More serious.]

Yeah, you're right. [He says, with a shrug.] But I did it anyways. It just seemed like I had to do it. If you were left there all by yourself, something bad might've happened.