♤ More Than Fine, More Than Bent on Getting By

[deal_me_in]

WHO: Cayde-6 and all'a you
WHERE: IN YUR SPACE Here, there, anywhere! Ugh, just tell him to go home
WHAT: Someone is totally not having attachment issues and just wanting to hang out because that what u do
WHEN: Post-Billicity, through June
WARNINGS: N/A I think
NOTES: Prose to start, will match as preferred.



♤ Fancy Meeting You Here!
For the lack of adrenaline Cayde had still found himself able to go along as though nothing had happened, because things being 'normal' acted in its own way like an energy boost, just being in familiar territory with people whom not only did he know, but that knew him back. He knows it's not nearly so simple, of course, but that's a different sort of problem that he knows he can't personally fix for everyone. Not that it means he won't try to make things a little better.

He certainly hasn't been particularly shy about popping by the more frequented places of the town to begin with, and now it's like he's doing so with a vengeance. The greenhouse, sure. The diner? Of course. The hangar? You bet. The Deep End? Absolutely. He may even be there more often than usual, if only because he knows it's a sure place people come by, if not for the hard liquor then maybe for some coffee. Thought you were about to have a quiet drink? Well, look alive, you've got company. Maybe he'll even try picking out a tune on that guitar there that's practically become a communal instrument. And then there's the amphitheater, because he knows some people use that as a place to blow off some excess energy.

For people he's more familiar with, it shouldn't come as a surprise to find him just there in their space at some point, invited himself in, made himself at home. It's fine, we're all fine. Yes, he's terribly clingy (even though he will attempt not to make it obvious) because being in a busy city and yet finding yourself able to still be isolated is an experience he could have done without. No, he's not going to outright admit it, but it's been a long month. Let him have this. Please.


♤ Great Googly Moogly!
It never fails; you're just going about your day like usual and then you turn and suddenly find yourself startled by a pair of googly eyes staring at you. Unless you're Ikora, in which case this will probably not startle so much as prompt an arch of a brow. But there they are.

Helmets are a prime target, especially on the back. Doors, trees, Jon's chair, someone's mug, a random wrench, Ophiuchus, glasses (I mean, how can you not?!)- free game. Sky's the limit- although if Cayde had the means, he might have very well tried that too.

Not to worry. This too shall pass. Probably.

Or at least it will when he runs out of googly eyes.


♤ Not-Home-Away-From-Not-Home-Away-From-Not-Home
The days and nights in the city facsimile had been more like regular days back on Earth and yet they still had felt incredibly long. Staying awake most of those nights just lent to the impression. He's sure that the exhaustion he feels is more mental than physical, but he's been most determined to make his rounds.

The old Agrii furniture store is one of Cayde's more random haunts, a place he enjoys poking around for supplies and random knick-knacks when he's bored or to sprawl out on one of the many beds. At the moment it's the latter, and should anyone happen to wander into the bed section, they'll find the Hunter lying across the end of a bed on his side, an arm tucked under his hooded head, optics shuttered, hand cannon still holstered at his side. Exos don't need to sleep, but in keeping with the habits of their formerly fleshy selves they can if they wish, and low and behold, it looks like he's doing just that, finally given in to all the running around.

Hovering watchfully nearby is his Ghost Sundance, and should they suddenly find themselves with company she'll swivel around to look at whomever might come upon her sleeping Guardian.


♤ Aces Wild
((AKA if you have any other ideas or something you want play out, toss down a starter or bother me to hash out some deets, whichever!))

Comments

[deal_me_in]

Deaths and reboots were separate. If Cayde counted deaths as reboots then he'd have lost count for what number he'd be. He'd probably even give Banshee-44 a run for his glimmer.

"I don't know what was worse, really, before Ikora tried to get through to me or the after. Either way-" he shook his head again, slicing both hands him in a definitive 'x'. The question had him sober a moment, and he folded his arms, shoulders lifting and dropping in one of those believable sighs.

"No, I wouldn't. See- back before we became Guardians, reboots were done whenever we'd start calling up our old selves. Memories we weren't supposed to be holding onto, people we weren't supposed to be. I don't remember when I started wising up to it, started writing things down, little notes to Ace sorta thing, but I did, because I guess I wanted proof I'd been someone before."

He tilted his head back, as though suddenly finding the ceiling lights very interesting. "When I became a Guardian, the Light brought more of that back- the memories, the things I thought I'd forgot, the things I didn't know I knew. Except it's not in any order, it's in fragments, like scattered puzzle pieces. And each time I'm brought back from death, you get these glimpses, more flashes of that past. I think that goes for the same for Guardians in general, not just Exos."

[in_extremis]

Ikora, the librarian--or, maybe not, but Tony had seen her around the library in Temba, too, so that was going to be a difficult association to shake, but she had known, too, Tony realized suddenly, asking questions just like Cayde had tried to shake Tony of the delusion. It was starting to feel like Tony was the only one who hadn't noticed, so susceptible to a little persuasion. How weak. He wanted to talk about it as much as Cayde did.

For once, Tony did actually manage not to interrupt Cayde with his own blustering, welding together the reality Cayde was sharing with him from the fragments he had already collected and watching Cayde intently. It didn't sound to Tony like it wouldn't be Cayde after a reboot--not in any way that mattered. When he did open his mouth to interject, though, Cayde managed to surprise him into asking instead, "What?" Tony had not figured out the death vs reboot problem. Tony generally understood that Cayde worked the way he did because he was an Exo, and the Guardian part was just some uniform. After looking mildly offended that Cayde would say something so confrontational to that understanding, Tony clarified, "What do you mean, not just Exos?"

[deal_me_in]

Without any other Guardians for reference, it was easy to just fixate on it from the angle you were given. Cayde swung a glance at Tony, flashing a lopsided grin.

"Guardians aren't just Exos brought back on line. They're Awoken and humans too. Ikora, for instance. All of us used to be dead before we had a Ghost find us and bring us back. Confusing stuff, being brought back to life not knowing where you are or what's going on- more so when you've got a little floaty star-thing in your face trying to explain things over your screaming." He chuckled a little at that. At least he could look back on that with some fondness, especially after everything since then that he and Sundance have been through.

"There are some death junkies out there who willingly get themselves killed, you know? Shoot themselves in the head, get their Ghost to bring 'em back. Just to get a glimpse of whoever that person they used to be between each bullet." He shook his head. "I'm not one of those. But I will horde what's mine."

[in_extremis]

Cayde didn't get nearly as lucky this time, and Tony was interrupting early as his eyebrows shot up at the very human-looking Ikora being able to come back from the dead and interface with a Ghost, as far as he could infer. It didn't seem likely, but Cayde seemed to be implying, "She's meat all the way down?" No adaptations necessary, just the Light.

Tony did have enough self awareness to at least feel bad that he did not need to be enlightened about 'death junkies' in the intervening seconds between finding out that this was possible and, to him, its natural conclusion. He shrank slightly, glancing away like he was avoiding an accusation, and definitely not wondering where Sundance went when she disappeared like that. "That would get old fast," he did acknowledge, "not being able to die." A guy was supposed to have something to look forward to. Sharply, because they were supposed to be looking for parts and getting Cayde to talk, not whatever this was, Tony went, "But--" hands up and too far ahead of himself, without something actually prepared to continue. He had to sort back through what Cayde had told him, setting proper containers for Death and Reboot, to say, "You'd come back, that's why you had to reboot so many times, it comes back. So, even if you weren't you, not yet, even if you didn't remember me..."

Okay, maybe Tony didn't really know what that was like, chancing a glance back at Cayde with a new apologetic frown. Clearly, it wasn't something easy enough to sit with, because Cayde had kept his distance after Tony hadn't recognized him. "You'd have to do that on purpose anyway, right?," was the more important takeaway. Under what circumstances would Tony have to expect a reboot, so he could prepare for it.

[deal_me_in]

Tony's interruption had been unexpected- at least on that point. Cayde sputtered a laugh, surprised that of all things that would be Tony's question that it took him a moment before he realized the man was serious. "Oh, she's human. You can even ask her yourself- I'm sure she wouldn't do bodily harm for that question," he grinned.

He expected the conversation would be steered back eventually. As Tony tried getting his words together again, the Exo turned back to the assorted appliances, poking around at other things, wondering if any of them was a mini fridge. Or a noodle maker. He glanced back in time to catch the frown, offering a half-smile in return.

"I'd come back, but there's no guarantee I'd still be the same as Six. Also, there's just something about being Seven that doesn't sit right with me." That was probably lame reasoning, but it was something he just felt in his figurative gut. He popped the lid on a random contraption, looking somewhat disappointed that there was nothing inside. "It'd be on purpose, yeah. There's also this spontaneous reset thing that can apparently happen but I haven't heard of it happening to any Exos post-Light."

[in_extremis]

It was no wonder Cayde was such a technological mystery to Tony; he would have to untangle what was Exo and what was Guardian. Ikora might be more likely to tell him and not immediately figure out his intentions. Even if it did come with a little bodily harm.

The confirmation should have put Tony at ease, but clearly Cayde had done it enough times before so there wasn't a zero chance of it happening again. Tony started to ask, "Why did you do it before--?!" only for his voice to pitch up in panic as he spotted that scuttling thing clinging to the back of Cayde's cape as he turned. Impulsively, Tony grabbed that maybe-waffle iron to put an immediate and profound end to any further scuttling, swinging on Cayde without hesitation.

[deal_me_in]

It was just a fair warning. Cayde doubted that Ikora would resort to violence against anyone seeking actual information about anything, and Warlocks did like to divulge information. Maybe he should have warned Tony about that instead.

He whipped his head around at the accusation, only slightly confused for the sudden shift in Tony's tone, which rapidly turned into full-blown confusion and a twinge of panic when the man grabbed something to assault him with.

"What the hell-?!" he yelped, raising his arms up in defense as he stumbled back against the trash-can looking thing he'd been inspecting. While he was certainly sturdier than whatever sort of construction went into a waffle iron, the weight with the momentum was still jarring as it rung through him. He crashed to the floor, the large metal container thing clanging over beside him.

[in_extremis]

Cayde was allowed to retreat, safe from any single minded pursuit despite Tony's commitment to eradicating any possible roach-like threat, because Tony was just as committed to not being anywhere near the thing. "Stay still!" was all Tony said to explain, shrill and anxious, but the damage was already done; Cayde was moving way too much for Tony to keep track of the danger, so as he went down, Tony went up. By the time the crash of Cayde's fall had echoed through the showroom, Tony had clambered up on top of the glass-faced box that had captured his attention, looming over Cayde with his waffle iron clutched like he was ready to throw it at the next thing that moved.

Instead, it was just Tony breathing heavily at Cayde sprawled out on the floor. "There was a bug," he explained lamely.

[deal_me_in]

There was a very tense moment of silence despite the ridiculousness of the situation, with Cayde there on the ground staring up at Tony all hunched up on the box, attack-ready. It was only because the assault had been, at least by what he considered Tony's standards, outright sloppy and unreasonable that he took no immediate offense to it, although the thought that maybe the man had some kind of reset of his own that made him once again see him as that emotionless Exo who could care less about what happened did briefly flit through his mind.

There was a bug, came Tony's confession, so very out of left field that Cayde continued to stare uncomprehending for all of five seconds, as though the man had decided to speak in Graq.

And then it became visible in his shoulders, the quiet tremors of a chuckle that slowly welled up into full laughter.