poly_chromatic | ♦ ♦ 29TH CONTRACT

[ It happens as it's just getting light, at six in the morning. At the City's mountaintops, the vista is bleak, almost apocalyptic. On a flat stretch of rock, the harsh treeless beauty of the landscape opens out on both sides, making Hei feel small, less than himself, yet at the same time pleasantly calm. His form, outlined in a blue glow, is preternaturally still. His eyes are fixed on the meteor shard he holds up, between a thumb and forefinger. ]

[ It takes a moment before he channels his ability and focuses on periscoping it skywards. But when it happens, the scent of ozone floods the air like a thunderstorm. The abrupt blue light glaring off him is intense; it's hard to see anything beyond it, and when you blink, pink and orange spots blind you. ]

[ In a perfect funneling arch, the light shoots straight for the City's barrier. ]

Options For Run-Ins:

1) Mountain-top (After): [ Have you spotted the source of the disturbance? Then arrest him. We suggest wearing shockproof gear and sunglasses. Rubber boots are also a plus. ]

2) Hiking (Before): [ He's plotted out a careful route. He's marked a spot with a perfect trajectory to target the Barrier. Now all that matters is reaching there. In his thick clothes and heavy gear, he seems like an explorer. But if you see him -- and recognize 'Li' -- you might be surprised at how spry he is with a coil of rope on the towering rocks. ]

[ ooc: Barrier Plot post! Characters who can withstand the horribu blinding light -- and climb the mountain he's sitting on -- are free to run into Hei. Tags can be Before or After the energy-blast itself, but please title them as such! Backtag friendly as always.<3 (...c-curse my slow ;;). ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Being responsible, well-meaning, and dutiful seldom work out in Pavel's favor. Funny how he didn't notice that until the City.]

No one will know about the Meteor Shard. [Even if habitual honesty has made him a terrible liar. Hopefully there will never be a time when one of his shipmates has reason to ask him about any of this; Pavel would never be able to fool them, even if he was willing to lie to them.] I can promise that.

[ If it's any consolation, it didn't work in Hei's favor either. (He was -- is -- all those things for Pai, if no one else.) But he'll never regret it, because there's no him without her. In Pai's absence, he can still be ruthless and clever and fully functional. But his emotions go on a cold standby. He's given up finding happiness, real off-time happiness, without her. New love, or failing that, new friendships, new interests -- none of those come easily to him. At home, five years after Pai's disappearance, he'd done some of his best work in-field, but when not working, he was shadowy, barely-there. ]

[ He know it's an unhealthy codependence. But if it's not toxic to him, Hei refuses to let it go. ]

Don't promise too much. [ Dry, but a well-meaning reminder. He knows how ridiculously transparent Pavel can be. Never having been punished for lesser mischiefs and major infractions, he hasn't learnt to be as discreet as Pai or Hei. Or, in many ways, the average teenager. ]

[That kind of codependence--or any significant amount of codependence--strikes Pavel as a strange and potentially unhealthy phenomenon. It makes no sense to invest yourself fully in someone who may or may not stay around.]

I have only promised what I can.

[Pavel interprets this as a manifestation of Hei's inability to trust people rather than a lack of discretion on his part.]

[ No, there is no sense. Outside of Pai, Hei would never bother. But it's a strange thing, having a younger sibling. Especially when they're the only family you have. It sometimes alters your most fundamental priorities. Hei has long since come to terms with the fact that he'd do anything -- anything -- to protect Pai. It's an illogical yet miraculous thing, to care about someone so much that the measure of the worth of your own life is changed by it. ]

[ (Perhaps, on a subconscious level, Hei regrets the absence of a stable foundation, nurturing parents, in Pai's life. So he tries to be all of that for her.) ]

One more thing, then. [ Not a promise, but a word of caution. ] Inform me if Pai starts sleeping too much. At odd times. In odd places.

[ Anyone else would assume Hei's monitoring symptoms of depression. But the truth is, the more erratic Pai's circadian rhythms, the more likely it is she's using her ability. Which, in itself, is a cause for concern. ]

[There's a drawn out pause while Pavel wonders why Pai's sleep patterns matter. Don't ask questions of assassins who are intensely protective of their sisters and prepared to be taken into custody is the answer his brain provides. It sounds reasonable.]

I will.

[ Very good, Pavel. Stick to the original Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. There are certain aspects of Hei's homeworld it'd do no good to explain to anyone. Ditto for his background. ]

All right. [ Terse, but not unfriendly, given the circumstances. ] I'll see you later.

[ re: When and if they let me out. ]

♦ ♦ 29TH CONTRACT - Video/Action/Text

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