explosivecombat | 015. [Video/Text]

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015. [Video/Text]

[It's been several days since Kimblee spoke to Archer in Olivine City; he had decided the morning after that conversation that it would be for the best that they keep their distance from one another, at least for the time being - the last thing they needed was to be unsure that this was going to work, after all. He needed space.

And he certainly has gotten space! The room he's in when the feed flickers on is rather spacious, all things considered; of course, the actual size of the room is a bit difficult to determine, given that the place is kind of the most retina-searing green imaginable. Like a factory of limes exploded in here, people. That is the level of green we are looking at.

Kimblee is pretty easy to spot, however; he's wearing the usual white, which is incredibly ill-suited (no pun intended) for his current activity, all things considered: namely, he's getting rid of all the green. Clearly, he's decided that he's somewhat unimpressed with the lack of activity lately - he's still working those mutations out of his system, and flooding his system with electricity has left his motor skills...uh, lacking, for want of a better term - and he's decided to remedy this by simply having at the room with a can of paint and a roller brush. Never mind that he grew up incredibly spoiled and has never painted a damn wall to save his life, and the fact that his motor skills are, again, shot to all hell; this can't possibly be that hard to figure out!

...needless to say, there's a huge amount of dark red paint just kind of everywhere on that poor wall. There are several good solid sections that are painted in a perfectly normal, rational manner, of course - and then there are sections where he's really obviously slipped, thick red haphazard streaks all over the place, before he seems to have worked out what he's doing and reset himself on some sort of halfway sane path...somewhere else entirely.

It's fairly clear that he's been at it for a while; this entire room is going to need to be redone by the time he's finished with it, but at least he's trying?

The camera follows the wall for a moment, showing the room in all its...uh, glory, before flicking back to Kimblee, kneeling by the wall and smiling in an incredibly content, if a bit vacant, manner. He's completely alone in there, just amusing himself with a can of paint.]

...still haven't made any progress...

[Kimblee's voice is soft but clear; he sounds as though he's speaking to someone, despite...being...completely alone in the room...]

...they'll probably never find whomever did such a number on the Centers. Such a display...I understand that they will be down for some time now. And they haven't a clue who was responsible for it. For any of it.

[He doesn't sound bothered by this, nor does he sound particularly pleased; he's just making statements. At no one. He pauses for a moment; his hand's slipped again on the brush, drawing another jagged streak against the wall. He looks momentarily displeased at that, linefacing hard, before moving on to pick up where the line stopped.]

Shame that the infection spread to so many, though, especially with the vital cities running so low on medical supplies; I wonder how many were hit by it. My own mutations will fade shortly, I'm sure - it will be unfortunate if this keeps up for much longer. It's incredibly inconvenient...not that I don't miss the power, however. That was lovely, while it lasted.

[He pauses again. Smiles to himself.]

It wasn't quite like alchemy, but it was close enough. Such a beautiful feeling...I wouldn't mind feeling it again. Perhaps someone can assist with that, if they ever work out -

[There's a rather odd, blurred flash of green-and-white across the screen before Kimblee can finish that thought, then the video feed shuts off; it takes a moment, but a bit of text goes out to the Network before too long, also from Kimblee's 'Gear.]

i think my trainer is broken

[...yeah, Kimblee's Gardevoir is getting a bit...concerned about this talking-to-the-walls business.

Kimblee will definitely answer responses as they come in, though; he's not that out of it, though it may take him a few minutes to get on it.]

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[Archer is quite pleased to hear that; it's worrying to see Kimblee shaking like that. Archer wouldn't be surprised if he had the coffee there just so he had something to grip to keep his hands from shaking. He knows how Kimblee is about any sort of perceived weakness, after all.]

...The entire place is that hideous color?

[Oh... good lord... This place must have been cheap.]

How long have you been here?

[...it's at times like this that he's glad you know him well enough to keep those sorts of thoughts to yourself, because you also know him well enough to be completely correct in that assumption regarding why he has the coffee out in the first place.]

Since shortly after that altercation we had in Blackthorn City; I believe you returned to Goldenrod City, while I returned here. I wasn't completely alone; I met up with Isaac here. I'm sure you remember him.

Yes, I do.

[He's kind of hard to forget. I mean really, have you seen his face? Archer almost feels bad for him. Almost. ...Okay, not at all, but you know how he is.]

And you decided to buy a house?

[He bites back the last part of that question "without me?" Not that he's bitter or anything! Of course not! He knows they were fighting at the time and Kimblee probably didn't bother thinking how he'd react to something like this but... it still bothers him.]

Where is your... friend anyway? Is he staying here with you?

[That question is very pointed - Archer has always had issues with replacement. If he's not fretting about replacing Kimbley with Kimblee, he's fretting about being replaced.]

[Kimblee's grip tenses quite a bit against that cup of coffee; he's fully aware of what Archer is getting at. They've had arguments in the past before, regarding replacement and how much Archer dislikes it; that had been what caused the initial fight between them back in February. His voice, however, remains very calm; he isn't going to get riled. There's no sense in it.]

I did, yes. There was nothing further to be done, after all - or so I thought at the time - and I wasn't going to put my life on hold because of it.

[He shifts his grip again, tapping his fingers gently against the cup without moving to drink any of it.]

And Isaac is staying with me, yes. He has been for a while.

[Archer shifts a bit in the chair, moving to rest his fingers over his mouth and glancing away. His expression doesn't alter any - he still looks mildly displeased - but that's not exactly what he's feeling.]

[It hurts to know that Kimblee was planning to move on without him. He had tried to move on without Kimblee, of course, but he's fully aware that he's far too dependent on Kimblee. He stresses himself out when they're fighting - this time he overworked himself instead of doing nothing, but neither reaction is a good one. It's a simple matter of not functioning properly without Kimblee around. He hates it, but at the same time he has no idea how to change it - or if he'd even want to change it.]

[But Kimblee's words do imply that something can be done now, and it's possible that they can move on from that. That's what they're trying to do now, isn't it?]

I see.

[He doesn't bother trying to make eye contact though. Archer isn't sure what to do with the knowledge that Kimblee's friend is staying here. Archer has gotten better about giving Kimblee his space and letting him have friends, mostly through necessity. Kimblee will leave if he isn't allowed to do his own thing every once in awhile, so Archer lets him. But if all this happened right after their blowup, it's entirely possible that Kimblee did intend to replace him. Right?]

[Archer has interacted with Isaac though; he knows that the man isn't exactly the brightest. He doesn't seem like the sort who would take well to knowing that Kimblee was behind several of the attacks for Team Rocket - far too moral and all that. So it is possible that Kimblee was just letting him stay here but...]

[...You don't mind if Archer just sort of strays off into his own little world of thought here, do you? Of course not.]

[Again, that level of silence and general blankness isn't a good thing; Kimblee is fully aware that in this instance, "I see" isn't agreeing with him by a long shot.

Again, his voice is calm when he speaks, the words coming easily; he's relaxed a bit physically as well.]

Talk to me, Archer.

I don't know what to say.

[He falls silent after that. No, it's not that he doesn't know what to say, it's that he isn't sure where to start. He has so many questions he wants to ask, but he knows he's not going to like the answers. The last thing he wants is to fight with Kimblee again.]

...Were you going to replace me with him?

[He figures that's as good a place to start as any.]

No.

[The answer is simple, but immediate.]

There's a difference between spending time with someone else and replacing you, Archer; I wasn't trying to find anyone else to fill your place in my life.

[Archer relaxes at that, though the smirk doesn't return immediately. He isn't really sure what to say in response to Kimblee's words; he appreciates it, of course, but he's sure Kimblee already knows that.]

...Thank you, then.

[He hesitates for a moment.]

I take it you're going to stay here with him, then?

That's what I was planning on doing, yes.

[He pauses for a moment; he still remembers what Archer had said before. Regarding dependency, and being unable to leave, and needing Kimblee around to function. He doesn't like it, and he doesn't want to discuss it. At the same time...there's not much else to be done, is there?]

...I believe we have a lot to discuss before any decisions are made, don't we.

[And despite his wording, that isn't a question.]

[That makes two of them. Dependency issues aren't something Archer wants to deal with, let alone discuss.]

I suppose we do.

[But at the same time, he doesn't like the idea of returning to Goldenrod on his own.]

...Where do we even start?

[This is gonna suck, Kimblee...]

...I can't say that I know. This isn't anything I have any experience with.

[He sighs, leaning forward over the table a little more, though he doesn't remove his hands from around that cup of coffee.]

Why don't we start with what you told me back in Olivine. Clarifying exactly what you meant by all of that.

[...oh boy...]

I assume you mean about the... dependency issues?

[Not that he'll give you time to respond to that, of course that's what it's about.]

I believe you know what happened in February after you left; I didn't do much of anything and ended up only talking to Hughes and Sheska. This time I threw myself into my work. Obviously those aren't very healthy ways of... dealing with this.

[He nearly said "coping with loss" um... let's just... move on...]

I don't... function very well without you around. It's easier to keep track of what I need to do when I'm not upset - or avoiding the issues - something that I can really only do when you're around. When you're not around, chances are it's because we're fighting. The few times we've separated before have been bad as well, though. I just... don't do very well on my own, Kimblee.

[He hates admitting that. Archer leans back in the chair, dropping his hands to the table.]

I don't know if I'm explaining it very well at all. It's... not something I really know how to explain.

[Kimblee takes that in quietly - tilting his head a bit at some of the things that are being said, but for the most part he simply listens in silence. His gaze shifts downward toward the table after a moment, though his expression isn't angry or agitated in any way; just contemplative.]

I understand what you're saying.

[His words are quiet, though they're still audible; it's fairly clear that he isn't sure what to say to that, but he's trying to work his way through it anyway.]

When you refer to "the few times we've separated before," I assume you're referring to those periods of a few days at a time when we've been assigned to different locations, or business needed to be tended to apart from one another?

Yes. It doesn't sound like a long time and it shouldn't bother me, but it's obvious it has. You remember... my conversation with Descole.

[That isn't a question. Archer hates acknowledging his breakdowns, but that was a particularly bad one. The majority of them have happened around Kimblee - if they weren't directed at Kimblee, he would at least be there to calm Archer down. He wasn't there that time and Archer's agitation was obvious.]

Yes, I remember that well.

[He's quiet for a long moment after that's out there; for a brief moment he considers telling Archer that he's not the only one who's experienced problems during those relatively brief periods of time. That he nearly blew the entire operation with Miss Altava because of it. That the attack against civilians on the routes so many months ago - the incident that started both of them leading anonymous attacks over the network - had come about because he couldn't calm himself down after they had fought in the first place. That he can't stand how directionless and passive he tends to become without orders, especially here; he doesn't remember it being this bad in Amestris. It had never been this bad in Amestris.

He considers telling him, but he doesn't.

It isn't that he doesn't trust Archer; he does. More than anyone. At the same time, he can't admit to it. It's entirely too much at once; his pride won't allow it.]

What do you want to do about this, then?

[The silence doesn't bother Archer - he barely even notices it. He's lost in thought as well. What can they do about this? He's not surprised to hear Kimblee voice that thought.]

...I don't know.

[That's not true. He runs a hand through his hair, expression darkening. He knows exactly what he wants to do, but admitting this is difficult.]

I suppose I... want things to go back to the way they were.

[He hates showing weakness like this. It's the truth though; even if it means he can't be on his own - that he can't act like a normal person without Kimblee around - he would prefer to stay by Kimblee's side. They work well together. Why should they change that just because of some issue he's having?]

I'm not saying we should ignore what happened. That won't do us any good. But I don't want anything to change between us.

...I would like that.

[Kimblee's voice is quiet when he answers, but again, the answer is immediate. Unlike the last time, however, he seems far more relaxed; it's a genuine answer, surprising though that might be.]

You... would?

[It is a surprising answer. Of course Archer suspected that they would eventually reconcile somehow, even if it was just for the duration of a mission or something, but he hadn't expected Kimblee to agree so easily. After all, he's broken Kimblee's trust twice now, why would he give in so easily?]

[But Kimblee has his own issues, and Archer's quite aware of them. Kimblee needs someone to point him in a direction and tell him to go; Archer can only assume he doesn't get that from Isaac if he's so eager to reconcile here.]

...Thank you. That... means a lot to me.

Of course, Archer. Despite the issues we've had, I've genuinely enjoyed our working arrangement, and as for the personal relationship...I've told you in the past that you've been good to me.

I don't see why I wouldn't want things to continue as they had been.

[He's certainly not going to try to argue with you! The smirk finally reappears, though it's a bit closer to a genuine smile than anything else.]

...I appreciate it. I know you wouldn't agree to this if it was detrimental to you.

[And Archer does know that. That makes things much easier to deal with. Kimblee genuinely does believe everything he's said, Archer's sure of it.]

[There's a much longer pause, and then when Archer speaks again, he's back to smirking like a douche.]

Well, I suppose I'll need to examine the place and select my room. Of course I can help you with the rent; it just wouldn't be fair otherwise, now would it?

[....Of course he just invited himself to live with you. Deal with it. c: ]

[.......................WHAT]

I'm...sorry?

You heard me. I take it your rooms are already furnished...?

[You might want to stop him, because he's totally going to go explore the house now!!]

[LETO

TAKE

THE WHEEL]

No, most of the rooms aren't. Archer...

[He will just be jumping up and grabbing your sleeve, if you don't mind!

...the motion is a lot less fluid and coordinated than it normally would have been, especially for something so simple, but he's working with what he has, and "what he has" are nerves that are still a bit shot from the electricity overload, deal with it.]

[That will get him to stop, if only because he wasn't expecting it. Of course he knows about Kimblee's issues with the mutation, but he wasn't expecting Kimblee to grab him.]

What's the matter?

[That's serious though instead of half-joking like his previous comments. He has to wonder if there's something in the house Kimblee doesn't want him to see...]

Edited (HTML....) 2012-08-27 01:16 (UTC)

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