V-Day Means Work Day. [OPEN]

[thewarisover]

Characters: Roy and other Workaholics
Location: The DOGS Office
Rating: G for now!
Time: February 14, after training until whenever!
Description: What do you do while love is in the air and a chocolate craze has hit Death City? Work like nobody's business.



Even with all of the buzz and the excitement, Valentine's Day was just another day, wasn't it? That meant that people got up, people trained, and people went to work, especially if they happened to be employed with DOGS and the Watch.

Of course, Death City had a way of making things stop being normal pretty quickly...




ooc: Make your own threads and do your own thing in here, guys - do action or prose, whatever you're more comfortable with! Just specify a time, whether your thread's open or closed and maybe a general location as needed. ♥

Comments

[ghostofaqueen]

She noted the exchange between the two and thought that she would do better if she pressed the questions at them both. There was a chance that she could get better answers out of them if they thought to be honest at all. Of course, world secrets did seem to happen and she glanced at Wild Tiger when it seemed he wanted to not be involved.

"I'm curious about NEXT, that's all. I realize you both used to have such abilities, but I find it curious that a society is based on using... well, mutants to catch criminals," she murmured with a shrug of her shoulders. She just killed criminals if she was ordered to, and it was never public.

"Does the heroes of the city even know who all the other NEXT are...? Like, tracking numbers, brands or mental dampeners?"

[sentiments]

Barnaby caught the squeeze. Although he didn't glance back at Kotetsu, he could understand the meaning behind it. Kotetsu was holding himself back, but he was still there. But for what...? Barnaby didn't see Kerrigan as a threat in any case. They were coworkers, and not unpleasant ones. But he could still answer - couldn't not - and the first questions weren't very harmful. That second one, though?

Barnaby's eyes narrowed immediately. "We're not mutants," he answered, trying to keep his tone as level as possible. He had to pause, enough to blink away and return to glancing her with a nonchalant indifference. "There's most likely some sort of genetic difference which causes the NEXT ability, but no one's been able to explain it. And most, if not all, of the abilities are retractable and controlled by the person. They're not mutations, they're just added abilities. Please don't use such pejorative terminology."

With a soft sigh, he ran a hand through his hair. "But to answer your second question, no. NEXT are to be treated just like non-NEXT humans in society. The only major registration comes from those who commit crimes and those who actively work with their abilities." Although vague, he meant the heroes, as well as the students at the Hero academy. The ones who used their powers almost every day, if not for training then for fighting. But he didn't explain any of that - he wouldn't unless her questions led into it.

[wildest]

The second the 'm' word reached his ears Kotetsu had to use every fiber of his being to not jump at Kerrigan in a tirade of angry words, instead having pinned her with a heated gaze that just screamed, 'If Bunny doesn't do a good enough job of chewing you out over what you just said then I'm going to do it myself.'

His partner succeeded, in a much more reasonable manner than he could ever manage and honestly it didn't feel like enough but he held himself back and just bristled off to the side, but the more she said the more pissed off he became. Brands? What did she think they were, cattle?! As soon as Barnaby had finished talking he wasted no time in leaping into the ridiculous conversation. Enough of this patience crap, he needed to clear things up before she made anymore insane suggestions.

"I've got no idea what kind of picture you're trying to paint here but I wanna get one thing straight; NEXTs aren't supposed to be treated like you've gotta keep an eye on them 24/7 just because they're different. They're not animals and they sure as hell aren't mutants, they're people. They go to school, they have jobs, they raise families, they do anything you or I or anyone else can do on a regular basis. There's no need to have to keep track of every single one of them thinkin' they're gonna snap at any moment. Heroes aren't being used, we're protecting people, all people, NEXTs or not and if you wanna try and argue otherwise then you obviously don't understand a damn thing!"

...yeah, he's mad now. Very mad.

[ghostofaqueen]

She raised an eyebrow at their ire at the use of a simple word, and it seemed that response was more than enough of an answer for her. NEXT weren't mutants, but they had been adapted by a genetic mutation, which by the definition of the Confederacy made them 'mutants'. However, she wondered if NEXT were prosecuted more than evolved by their government; people did tend to fear what they didn't understand after all. Besides, she could feel their anger; she had that much psychic ability left.

"So when an ability emerges, one has perfect control over it and can repress it if they choose to?" She didn't believe that for a second, but she was distracted from picking at small details by Wild Tiger's sudden burst of words at her. It really was a sensitive subject.

Turning her head to stare Wild Tiger in the eye, her lip curled into a sneer as she left behind her casual stance and stood straight and almost leaning offensively. "Don't you lecture me about normal lives and how you aren't animals," she snapped hotly. "Simply because your government doesn't have to slam mental training and computer chips in your brain to control you doesn't mean that all of us are so lucky." Her temper flared and she pointed a finger at him, her expression twisting in her own anger. "Don't be so damn defensive about your status, pops. It gives away the truth of your hardships."

She looked between Wild Tiger and Barnaby, turning her back on them both. "Some of us aren't so lucky to be able to live normal lives once we are discovered with 'abilities'. Some of us are nothing but animals to be controlled; some of us aren't allowed to remember what freedom is."

[sentiments]

Oddly enough, Barnaby couldn't be that mad at Kotetsu for getting angry. From their encounter with the young NEXT child and from stories he had heard both on the news and from the Academy, he knew that not all NEXT children had been lucky enough to escape teasing. Hell, even Barnaby had faced it from time to time, but he had too much to concern himself with over someone wasting his time. But judging by the argumentative response Kerrigan had dished back, it seemed as though the concept of NEXT hit a lot closer to home than expected.

After all, she had said 'us'. Hand tightening in Kotetsu's, he moved it behind them just a bit more, a way of calming restraint. Just to hold him back, in any way possible. After all, there really was no need for this to turn into a worse argument than already leading to. "Our societies are different. No, it's not always easy for NEXTs, but we don't come from the same sort of society, even if we may have similarly powered individuals," he said, doing his best to remain calm. After all, someone had to. "And no, they're not easily manageable from the beginning - like all new talents, they take time to train. But there are programs to help with that. And practice, and training." Since he still had to answer that question. Ugh on this entire day.

[wildest]

The more that was said the more Kotetsu bristled, hardly able to contain himself and if it wasn't for the fact that they were indoors then he would have been yelling with a whole lot more bravado. Not because he was wrong, because he wasn't. No, it was the fact that she had been able to read so clearly through him that had put him even further on the defensive. So what if he'd had hardships? How was that supposed to make him speak out any differently about how he felt and what she had said? But he stopped, and his eyes widened slightly because it was then he realized that this wasn't coming from a place of bias from her part. If he had heard right, made the proper connections...

He'd heard the 'us' part as well, and that along with Barnaby's tug of their joined hands was enough to completely derail any anger further angry words from being spoken. Kotetsu went quiet, the kind that was filled with guilt and frustration but even if a tiny voice in his head insisted he apologize, he absolutely wouldn't. He hadn't started this, and so if he received an apology first then he'd gladly give one in return. Otherwise, nothing.

However, somehow that wasn't enough to stop him when he mumbled faintly under his breath as he turned his head away, shoulders slouched in defeat. "Sorry, Bunny." Because he at least owed that to his partner for being such a sensitive loud-mouth, and that was as much as he was willing to say for the time being.

[ghostofaqueen]

NEXT may have developed random abilities that suited them or however they showed off their genetic changes, she knew well what it was like to have an ability emerge and be uncontrolled. The fact that she was treated as an enemy when she had her own source of understanding made her temper remain very close to the surface.

Here she was trying to find out more to limit her own ability to judge them and what they did, and she was the bad guy? The use of a single word turned her enemy?

She shot Barnaby a furious look, her hands clenched at her sides and the urge to drive his glasses into his eyeballs rose and ebbed away. "Well, considering you didn't even ask about mine, how would you know? You two are too busy being on the defensive," she snapped before shoving passed them both to get outside.

"I'm sorry I asked. It won't happen again, gentlemen," she said before walking away down the street without a glance back.

[sentiments]

What... just happened here?

From her glare, Barnaby was sure he somehow set her off as well, though he honestly could not figure out what happened in that failure of a conversation that had caused it to break that quickly. Frowning, he just watched as she left, deciding against attempting to stop her. While still holding onto Kotetsu's hand and knowing his partner was already riled up, they wouldn't go very far with this.

He would just seek her out later, on his own, when the chaos of the day blew over. But for now... He just sighed, pulling off his glasses to blow dust from the lenses. "...come on, old man. Let's start our shift."

[wildest]

Kotetsu had winced slightly when Kerrigan fought back with her own angry words, and once again he contemplated on whether or not to merely apologize, but his stubbornness would refuse to let up for anything and so he just remained quiet, standing right where he was like some kid ready to take on a verbal lashing. It was quick, and he really had been expecting more but when she was done and had stormed past the two of them Kotetsu had just blinked and stared at the empty spot where Kerrigan had previously been, looking over his shoulder eventually to where she'd started to walk off.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but nothing, and even has he turned his head over to Barnaby he still kept silent, though that wasn't so much because he didn't know what to say but that he didn't want to risk igniting what burning retort Barnaby would say to him about what had happened. He was angry. He wasn't showing it, but he was angry and Kotetsu was definitely not going to hear the end of it for a long while. "--r-right..." Was the only clumsy response he could give as he looked over his shoulder one more time. Kerrigan was gone, but it wouldn't be the last time he'd see her.

He was so screwed when they'd get home. Not even in the questionable way.