[There's something so impossible-sounding about "stole a dead rockerboy terrorist," besides 'rockerboy' being a word Palamedes has only ever heard during this one conversation, that it loops back around to being - well, plausible? Sure, why not. V has a visible slot in his head, so why not put a dead terrorist in there - it might as well happen.
He nods along; it continues to make conceptual sense to him, that a second consciousness smashed into the original would alter it in some way both coming and going. The concern is the part where it sounds like it was never meant to smash into an original at all, so...
Well, that's what the wire is for, mostly. Palamedes watches V stick the end of the wire into his hand and then nods, doing the same with the other end. There isn't an effect; there isn't even a feeling to whatever he does with this wire next. There's just Palamedes standing there for a long couple seconds, in turns raising one eyebrow or both and frowning here and there.]
You've got a lot of stuff in there, don't you, [he says, a little incredulously, and then more helpfully,] Necromancy is a flesh-and-blood thing; this can tell me that your flesh and blood is doing pretty well, all things considered, thanks to a series of inorganic parts I cannot see and am just going to have to trust. If you weren't- augmented?- I'd be worried your body is going into overdrive for the wrong reasons.
[A weird effect, like looking at a circuit with half of the connections covered, but all the evidence that the covered pieces seem to be doing what they ought to. Academically, he's fascinated; but ah, yes, the - brain. This is the part that makes him frown, so much less tidy and more - odd, full of pockets of the same static feeling he gets from a trace of thanergy that isn't clear enough to be anything.
There's a worrying amount of that. He assumes that must be 'Johnny,' and decides not to mention it. As for the rest...]
Well— news: you're not out of the woods yet, [here he tugs the wire out of his own hand and pinches blood off the end, gesturing for V to do the same.] But you're not going to fall over comatose anytime soon, from what I can tell. I'll be honest with you: it's ramshackle. Whoever doctored you wherever you were last did inelegant work. But they bought you more time than you'd otherwise have.
[Blunt, but after what V's already said, he figures it's both acceptable and necessary.]
cw: wire hand stuff but last one, mention of previous mugging
[ Despite the reason Palamedes is hooking them up with wire, V can't help but breathe out his amusement at the way the man phrases things. It's kinda weird and V's only too happy to take enjoyment from that. He's here for anybody whose vibe is so unashamedly their own.
That half smile presses into something more serious as the results of whatever analysis Pal can do with that wire is shared. Considering up until this moment he had no idea if he was a step away from flatlining, the news is positive. The next breath out is filled with relief as he twists the wire from out of his hand and releases. ]
Maybe at some point explainin' how that [ he gestures at the wire ] works is somethin' ya could do for me, 'cause I'm curious as hell.
It's better than I was expectin', though. 'ppreciate that ya did that for me.
[ Which is just one more thing on a list of things that Palamedes has helped him with, he owes big time no matter what the other man insists. It makes asking the next thing harder, but it's got to be done. ]
I... we only just met, and so far I've not been helpful at all. You don't gotta say yeah, but right now you prob'ly got the best understandin' o' what I'm workin' with.
[ Which is to say... ]
Last place I was, this got pulled outta my head 'thout my consent.
[ He taps the relic tucked away into one of those chipslots. A nice way to say he was mugged for his hardware. ]
It should've killed me, havin' it removed like it was. 'cept my brain is a mess, like ya just saw, so it switched off any chance I had of bein'... decent. Best we figured is it disconnected the parts my brain needs to be empathetic.
[ He'll just let that sink in for a moment before: ]
I hurt a lot o' people I care about, and people I didn't even know. So... guess what 'm tryin' to ask is if ya see me actin' like a piece of shit, smack my ass to the ground and check my chipslot. If the chip ain't there, lock me the fuck up 'til it's found or leave me there if it's gone for good, 'cause I can't be trusted 'thout it. Only way to keep people safe.
[Palamedes hums as he begins rolling the wire back up; sure, he can explain this trick one of these days. He's curious about what kind of necromancy V's necromancer partner employed, because it seems to be different every time, so - he makes a mental note: trade necromancy stories.
And as he tucks the wire away again, as V makes his case for this big question of his, he raises an eyebrow, curious. The idea of anything being pulled out of a head - or any other body part - without consent is, hm, horrifying! Cyberware or not; that makes him grimace sympathetically, and...
'Smack my ass to the ground,' ha— if he gets to cheat with necromancy, maybe, otherwise he will merely be swatting uselessly at V's shoulder and going 'no!' He nods, says,] Sure, I can handle that.
[And then stops to think about how this is, probably, a thing normal people think about for more than five seconds, particularly when a near stranger with a very strange set of circumstances is asking. He thinks about this. He thinks, huh!, and he puts the thought away somewhere else; now that he's all but rooted around in V's skull, he's pretty sure they are at least friends, and obviously this is a normal friends thing to do.
It's the bit at the end there that gets him, 'keep people safe'— as if Palamedes could listen to a fundamentally good person entreat him to help and go eh, no thanks. Please.]
I know a few tricks that don't even need the wire; if I'm around, you'll be alright. Somebody around here has to know more about mixing organic and inorganic hardware. I'll ask around. In the meantime, keep out of trouble.
[ As good as he can be at managing his own emotions, the last five minutes has been heavy duty. His gratitude towards Palamedes knows no limits, and he's especially thankful for the agreement to take him out if necessary. It wouldn't be all too hard to read how much he hopes that never comes to pass from his expression.
Being out of control like that without anybody else steering...
He shifts on his feet, fidgets against the uncomfortable thought worms he's got to contend with now that he's cracked that lid open. It was bound to happen sooner rather than later, it's just harder to deal with so far removed from his usual support network.
Still, he's grateful that whatever forces at play deemed it possible for his path to cross with Palamedes. A solidly good choom, in V's opinion. ]
I'll try. [ To keep out of trouble, he means, but it seems a lot like trouble follows him around... ] If ya find anyone, tell 'em I'll work to pay 'em back if I need any kinda tune up.
And uh... thanks, Pal. 's good to know there's good people here.
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the wire stabby continues as does discussion of terminal illness-like stuff
He nods along; it continues to make conceptual sense to him, that a second consciousness smashed into the original would alter it in some way both coming and going. The concern is the part where it sounds like it was never meant to smash into an original at all, so...
Well, that's what the wire is for, mostly. Palamedes watches V stick the end of the wire into his hand and then nods, doing the same with the other end. There isn't an effect; there isn't even a feeling to whatever he does with this wire next. There's just Palamedes standing there for a long couple seconds, in turns raising one eyebrow or both and frowning here and there.]
You've got a lot of stuff in there, don't you, [he says, a little incredulously, and then more helpfully,] Necromancy is a flesh-and-blood thing; this can tell me that your flesh and blood is doing pretty well, all things considered, thanks to a series of inorganic parts I cannot see and am just going to have to trust. If you weren't- augmented?- I'd be worried your body is going into overdrive for the wrong reasons.
[A weird effect, like looking at a circuit with half of the connections covered, but all the evidence that the covered pieces seem to be doing what they ought to. Academically, he's fascinated; but ah, yes, the - brain. This is the part that makes him frown, so much less tidy and more - odd, full of pockets of the same static feeling he gets from a trace of thanergy that isn't clear enough to be anything.
There's a worrying amount of that. He assumes that must be 'Johnny,' and decides not to mention it. As for the rest...]
Well— news: you're not out of the woods yet, [here he tugs the wire out of his own hand and pinches blood off the end, gesturing for V to do the same.] But you're not going to fall over comatose anytime soon, from what I can tell. I'll be honest with you: it's ramshackle. Whoever doctored you wherever you were last did inelegant work. But they bought you more time than you'd otherwise have.
[Blunt, but after what V's already said, he figures it's both acceptable and necessary.]
cw: wire hand stuff but last one, mention of previous mugging
That half smile presses into something more serious as the results of whatever analysis Pal can do with that wire is shared. Considering up until this moment he had no idea if he was a step away from flatlining, the news is positive. The next breath out is filled with relief as he twists the wire from out of his hand and releases. ]
Maybe at some point explainin' how that [ he gestures at the wire ] works is somethin' ya could do for me, 'cause I'm curious as hell.
It's better than I was expectin', though. 'ppreciate that ya did that for me.
[ Which is just one more thing on a list of things that Palamedes has helped him with, he owes big time no matter what the other man insists. It makes asking the next thing harder, but it's got to be done. ]
I... we only just met, and so far I've not been helpful at all. You don't gotta say yeah, but right now you prob'ly got the best understandin' o' what I'm workin' with.
[ Which is to say... ]
Last place I was, this got pulled outta my head 'thout my consent.
[ He taps the relic tucked away into one of those chipslots. A nice way to say he was mugged for his hardware. ]
It should've killed me, havin' it removed like it was. 'cept my brain is a mess, like ya just saw, so it switched off any chance I had of bein'... decent. Best we figured is it disconnected the parts my brain needs to be empathetic.
[ He'll just let that sink in for a moment before: ]
I hurt a lot o' people I care about, and people I didn't even know. So... guess what 'm tryin' to ask is if ya see me actin' like a piece of shit, smack my ass to the ground and check my chipslot. If the chip ain't there, lock me the fuck up 'til it's found or leave me there if it's gone for good, 'cause I can't be trusted 'thout it. Only way to keep people safe.
no subject
And as he tucks the wire away again, as V makes his case for this big question of his, he raises an eyebrow, curious. The idea of anything being pulled out of a head - or any other body part - without consent is, hm, horrifying! Cyberware or not; that makes him grimace sympathetically, and...
'Smack my ass to the ground,' ha— if he gets to cheat with necromancy, maybe, otherwise he will merely be swatting uselessly at V's shoulder and going 'no!' He nods, says,] Sure, I can handle that.
[And then stops to think about how this is, probably, a thing normal people think about for more than five seconds, particularly when a near stranger with a very strange set of circumstances is asking. He thinks about this. He thinks, huh!, and he puts the thought away somewhere else; now that he's all but rooted around in V's skull, he's pretty sure they are at least friends, and obviously this is a normal friends thing to do.
It's the bit at the end there that gets him, 'keep people safe'— as if Palamedes could listen to a fundamentally good person entreat him to help and go eh, no thanks. Please.]
I know a few tricks that don't even need the wire; if I'm around, you'll be alright. Somebody around here has to know more about mixing organic and inorganic hardware. I'll ask around. In the meantime, keep out of trouble.
[Don't walk into any butterflies.]
And— don't worry about 'being helpful'.
no subject
Being out of control like that without anybody else steering...
He shifts on his feet, fidgets against the uncomfortable thought worms he's got to contend with now that he's cracked that lid open. It was bound to happen sooner rather than later, it's just harder to deal with so far removed from his usual support network.
Still, he's grateful that whatever forces at play deemed it possible for his path to cross with Palamedes. A solidly good choom, in V's opinion. ]
I'll try. [ To keep out of trouble, he means, but it seems a lot like trouble follows him around... ] If ya find anyone, tell 'em I'll work to pay 'em back if I need any kinda tune up.
And uh... thanks, Pal. 's good to know there's good people here.