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--V.S.
WAAPT@tropi.us Legacy → WAAPT: In-Universe → Herbert40k's Wrap-Up Thread
-Crewe kisses his cheek-
Crewe: Bye, fruitcake. See you around.
-she watches him go, then calls on Chad to teleport her back to Cocona Village-
-Sarah is pacing somewhere, still looking worried.-
-Having just paid a visit to Rasp Cavern and found it empty, Lucius is now wandering around here - still pale and haggard, though by the looks of things he's at least managed to get a few hours of sleep since his talk with Crewe - when he notices Sarah.-
Lucius: Sarah! I... I was wondering where you'd been...
-He glances around nervously, as if afraid of drawing attention to himself.-
-Sarah very briefly looks at Lucius, before looking down at the ground.-
Sarah: You... were looking for me...?
-Lucius nods.-
Lucius: Yeah, I... I wanted to apologise for the way I behaved last time we talked. It was stupid of me, focusing more on some dumb urge to get payback against Illusion rather than actually helping you through a tough time, and I'm sorry about walking out on you like I did. These last few days have made me realise that I can't just take my friends for granted... not after what happened...
-He trails off, shivering somewhat.-
-Sarah cringes noticeably.-
Sarah: After...
-She forces herself to look up at him.-
Sarah: ...Th-thank you for... for thinking straight... uh... do you want me to keep you company tonight? It... er, it seems like you need it...
-Lucius meets Sarah's gaze for a moment, seemingly oblivious to her odd behaviour.-
Lucius: Yeah... yeah, I'd appreciate that. If you don't mind, that is... I don't want to be a burden. Arceus knows that my friends have suffered enough because of me already...
Sarah: You'll never be a burden to me, I promise you that...
-Sarah tentatively takes his hand and leads him to her hotel room.-
-Upon arriving at Sarah's hotel room, Lucius slumps down onto the bed almost immediately, as if the effort of standing suddenly became too much for him.-
Lucius: ...I should probably explain how I ended up in this state, shouldn't I?
-Sarah sits next to him, nodding slightly-
Sarah: You... don't need to... if you don't want to, but if you do...
-Lucius rests his head in his hands.-
Lucius: ...You deserve to know. And as much as I hate troubling you with my problems, talking about it really does help...
-He leans back against the headboard, sighing.-
Lucius: I went too far. Way too far. I was so determined to stop Neo-Galactic and bring Titan to justice that I stopped caring about right and wrong... I stole in order to get the equipment I needed, and I tried to force the other superheroes - people who I was supposed to be looking out for - to help me take him down. When they refused, I went after him myself. They followed, just to make sure that my stupidity didn't kill me... which was more than I deserved. We won, and Titan's now locked up, but his Infernape was crippled during the fight... he begged me to save her, and I did nothing. Nothing at all. I wanted to help, I would've helped, but I hesitated... I actually had to think about it. Can you believe that? I had to think about saving somebody. Just goes to show you how far I've fallen...
-He clutches his head in his hands.-
Lucius: I went out on patrol again the next day. I just wanted some time to myself, some time to think. Instead, I ended up running into this... I don't even know what it was. Some kind of Aura vampire. I know it sounds stupid, but when I tried to fight it, I... it felt like my life was slowly being sucked out of me. She - I'm guessing it was a she, judging by the voice - knew who I was. Told me that she was out to get rid of the Avenger for good. I had to swear that I'd never put on my mask again just to stop her from killing me. I don't think I've been as scared since my first encounter with Alexia... but even then, I still managed to stand up to her until the end. This time I just broke down completely... and whilst I don't want to let her win, I'm terrified of what might happen if she learns that I'm so much as thinking about putting on a costume again...
-Sarah listens to the story from Lucius's side. As he finishes, Sarah says nothing, but looks rather ill.-
-There are a few seconds of silence before Lucius continues speaking, a hint of resignation in his tone.-
Lucius: ...I don't know what I'm going to do with myself now. Crewe told me to do something good with my life, but I don't think I can... each time I try, I just end up causing more problems than I solve. Perhaps I'll hand myself over to the authorities. Let people who actually understand justice decide how to punish me for all the awful things I did in the name of "heroism". That, or... if there's people out there that want me dead...
-His gaze drops to the floor.-
Lucius: Maybe it would just be easier to give them what they want...
-Sarah's expression is briefly replaced by a glare.-
Sarah: Lucius Cain, don't ever even consider that. Whine, moan, wallow in self-pity, whatever, I'll help you through it, but for the love of Ho-oh, don't die or get arrested after what I've suffered through to keep you from going off the deep end!
-After a moment of silence, her expression softens as tears start to well in her eyes.-
-Lucius sighs.-
Lucius: Sarah... I can't even begin to describe how grateful I am to have someone like you. Throughout everything I've gone through, you've always been there, and I know that you'd never do anything to hurt me... but how are you supposed to stop me going off of the deep end when I already have?
-Sarah struggles to maintain her composure, but breaks upon mention of "never hurting".-
Sarah: ...Fuck... I'm an idiot, I'm such a complete fucking moron...
-Lucius blinks at Sarah, putting a hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her.-
Lucius: ...What are you talking about? You did everything you could to try and help me... just being here and talking to you is reminding me that I still have something worth living for. You're the one person I can open up to, the one person I can still trust...
-Sarah cringes again, moving away-
Sarah: N-no, you... you can't trust me...
-Lucius rather hesitantly shuffles closer to Sarah and attempts to put his arm around her.-
Lucius: Why not? What's wrong? Is... is there something I should know about?
-Sarah moves away again, not looking Lucius in the eye-
Sarah: ...I... I was that thing that... that did that to you... It was stupid and dangerous and I almost killed you and I didn't want to kill you but I was so caught up in trying to stop you from doing anything worse than what you already did and I was just so angry about you stealing from PEFE that I...
-She stammers, trying to find the words to say more.-
-It takes a moment for Lucius to fully process Sarah's words. He stares at her for several moments, his expression of disbelief slowly shifting to one of fear as he pulls away.-
Lucius: ...You... you were... that was you...? The thing behind that mask...?
-He almost seems to be hoping that his own empathic senses have somehow deceived him.-
-Sarah nods, keeping her gaze down at the ground-
Lucius: No... no, you can't have, you wouldn't...
-He says this with a failing conviction, as if willing it to suddenly become true.-
Lucius: ...That was your choice? You... you chose to...
Sarah: Y-yes! I did it, I chose to do it, I was tired and scared of what the Avenger was turning you into, and I made the dumbest decision of my life to get rid of him!
-Silence fills the room.-
Lucius: ...I... I need to be alone...
-In an almost dreamlike stupor, he stands up and slowly makes his way to the door, pulling it open. As he lets it slam shut behind him, the sound of footsteps breaking into a run down the corridor can be heard.-
WAAPT@tropi.us Legacy → WAAPT: In-Universe → Herbert40k's Wrap-Up Thread
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