[ and he speaks up after he exhales his latest drag ]
He's bold enough to make such demands, even with two Generals in his proximity. He'll be dealt with accordingly if he goes through with his threat, "immortality" be damned.
[We'd all be damned, she thinks despairingly, and balls her fists where no one can see them.]
So long as we're all here, he is untouchable.
[Completely; Noah's memory need not apply.]
The Initiative will- [ tight: ] bring him back if we do anything to him, and I'm positive there would be hell to pay for it. It isn't the Noah in him which makes him a threat— [ she has seen just as many unforgivable human acts as Noah ones ] it's the will to cause harm.
It's just like Lenalee says, if we go after him we'll just make it worse—
[ Wait, hold the phone. Allen's words are sinking in and really Allen, you should tell him these things because he goes from stony calm to FREAKING THE FUCK OUT. A little.
His voice is definitely rising with sudden urgency. ]
Wait Allen, what do you mean you know what it's like? Did— [ the Fourteenth awaken here too? ]
[Ah, finally, Master decides to speak up. Even if he might not admit it to Cross, the presence of two Generals is a reassurance, to some extent. Tyki's no match for Cross.
But he wants to contest what Lenalee's saying. The will to cause harm is the Noah - he doesn't believe Tyki can be at peace until it's removed from him. He'd be human, purely, he could lead a normal life. But they're still trapped between a rock and a hard place. If they leave Tyki be, there's nothing stopping him from harming others. If attacked, he would retaliate, and Allen doesn't want any innocent people to—
whoa, are you feeling okay, Lavi?]
Oh- sorry. Some months ago, the transport machine malfunctioned, and people swapped bodies. It was only ['only'] a few days, but a Noah's existence... it's terrible.
"Only" a few days, he says. Even a minute would be horrible, let alone days. [ but he is going to shut his mouth on that. ohhh Allen, if you only knew... ]
[ So it's approximately day three of his stay here and after he has picked through the network and visited some of the noteworthy locations that are listed for use by transports and gotten used to the idea that this isn't some bizarre dream, it's about time to figure out what to do about Allen Walker...
He'd seen a post from two months ago with some rather concerning information about when Walker was from which made approaching him now all the more difficult (though a dutiful part of him can't help noting it's also an opportunity). It takes him a moment of staring at the contact options before he finally settles on Video... ]
[ When Allen receives the call, he is greeted by the image of a solemn-faced stranger who seems slightly preoccupied by some thought or other, set against the backdrop of the training facility where new transports are being temporarily housed while construction on the apartments continue. ]
[And Link will be treated to a video of featuring Allen Walker, looking hale, if pastier than usual, wearing a knit sweater and shorter-cropped hair, blinking bemusedly at the screen.
This is the first time somebody he's never met has contacted him privately, he was not expecting this. (Is... it a misdial?)
Ah, is it working? [Adjusts the device a bit as if checking, and once satisfied he seems to be staring at you and trying not to be too expectant...]
Good morning, Allen Walker. Ah.. I assume this is coming to you as a surprise so I apologize if it seems odd to be contacted like this.
My name is Howard Link. I am someone you.. work with in the future. Although I suppose you wouldn't recognize me, I thought I should pay you a greeting...
[There's a moment's hesitation as he tries to find a good way to put this that won't... send an Allen who hasn't yet experienced Noah's Ark screaming for the hills.]
...To put it less bluntly, I was assigned to accompany you in your day to day routines, including missions and the like... It may be easier to explain things in person.
[There's no pie to distract him this time! Also, no context whatsoever to soften the blow.
He can't think of any legitimate reason why he'd need to be accompanied by somebody from the administrative branch - in day to day life, no less! His wide-eyed shock shifts to something more guarded, uneasier. It doesn't make any sense, is it some sort of joke?
He supposes it would be better, to hear whatever it is this man has to say in person.]
[ when she comes out, she lingers awkwardly in the living room. the pant legs had to be rolled up to stop herself stepping on them. she goes to sit on the couch then thinks better of it. she worries her lip. ]
[Several hours! His mind's already racing, trying to think of why he could have been assigned a minder. It couldn't be for protection, from some administrative official. But why else? He didn't do anything wrong! He wouldn't.
There must be something he's missing, here. Nobody's mentioned a 'Howard Link' to him at all. But he's felt uncomfortably out of the loop ever since comrades began arriving. Miranda said she hadn't seen him in... in a long time, Kanda behaved strangely when he first saw him, Lavi's been acting a little bit odd lately... he doesn't understand why, and he hasn't let himself dwell on it, but.
He'll wait to hear from Link, still. Maybe it'll make more sense, if he's more than a face on a screen. He nods back.]
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