[META PRP] Eyes in the Skies (Stryke + Cerpin)

[Yamashii]

i'd like you to meet a friend of ours...

 

[Yamashii]

Cerpin sat at the one of the stools at the swamp bar, tasting something from one of the bottles. It wasn't what he expected to find all the way out here but it wasn't bad. He capped it again and stretched his back. The purpleblood had asked Stryke to meet him to talk about something with the upcoming space mission. Space! It was finally within reach. But in order to flesh out an efficient space program for this rag tag team of rebels, they were going to need more people. They were going to need a particular tealblood.

"Don't ******** this up, Dei." He mumbled to himself. Although he still wasn't sure how the Forera and Perore thing was panning out with the insomniac, he still wanted to ask the yellowblood to keep an eye on the boy. To watch him in case there was anything suspicious or dangerous about Deimos that would tip him off as a spy or a potential problem. Cerpin doubted they would find anything but he was willing to bet money that Byakko would want a vetting process before letting any newcomers into her group. After the greenblood betrayal, they had to be careful.

leon_a_darkangel

setting this at the swamp bar in the swamp because i figure stryke probably doesn't wanna go out much quite yet

 

[leon_a_darkangel]

Stryke still was nervous to actually leave the swamp..it seemed like every single time something went wrong. However. With his newfound responsibilities, and Byakko counting on him to coordinate things with the space team he needed to get his head out of his a** sooner than later. Being afraid would solve nothing, nor was he a coward Still, Stryke had a lot on his mind, and a lot of reservations after what he had been through.

Life had to go on. He nor any of his fellow members of the Phoneix Initiative could afford to hide forever.

Taking in a slow breathe, he exhaled as he walked along the wooden walkway heading for the bar he had been invited to. Cerpin had approached him, asking to have a chat of some sort. The purpleblood had grown considerably from the smaller child he had initially met. It was almost unnerving, given the drastic height difference between them. That, of course, was no matter. Stryke was accustomed to most trolls towering over him. The real question was what exactly did Cerpin want?

Poking his head into the bar, he unconsciously pulled his scarf up against his chin in contemplation. "ah. good evening." Stryke greeted. Striding over to the spot the other sat. Sliding around behind the bar, he reached for one of the many selections...pouring himself a drink before walking back to pull himself up onto one of the bar stools.

"how are you cerpin?" He inquired, leaning an elbow on the counter as he turned to face him.

Yamashii

you aren't wrong. he still hears the girls laughter/taunts in his nightmares

 

[Yamashii]

"I'm basically buzzing right now." Cerpin gave Stryke one of his usual smirks. He felt like he was walking on air these past few nights because of the hype around the space program. Tevini and Cerpin had been tirelessly working on it and finally, they were getting somewhere.

"It's finally happening, you know? We're going to space." His eyes glittered with excitement at the thought. "I've been dreaming about it since I was a wiggler." The purpleblood chattered on, filling the space with conversation as Stryke nursed his drink. The yellowblood seemed somewhat muted compared to normal but then again, he had always been a quieter troll. Cerpin kept an eye on him but didn't comment on that quite yet.

"I wanted to ask you a favor while we're up there. There's an outsider I want you to, well, screen." If Byakko trusted Stryke's judgment enough to make him commander of the forces in the sky, that had to mean she valued his opinion pretty highly. And if Cerpin wanted to tempt a certain insomniac into a criminal organization for the sole purpose of taking him up to the stars, that meant he had to make sure the Phoenix Initiative would even be open to the idea of recruiting Deimos.

"You up for it?"

leon_a_darkangel

 

[leon_a_darkangel]

Stryke seemed to actually brighten up at the others comment. "you certainly sssounded polished. yours and tevini's input was marvelous." The yellowblood complimented. His gaze had rested on the other, a ghost of a smile forming as he nodded his head in encouragement."the prospect of a space program is.. extremely exciting. the initiative needs positive growth. space has always intrigued me as well." His fingers lightly drummed the glass.

Stryke looked down briefly as if he was lost in thought.

Blinking once or twice his head tipped up, looking back to the other. His brow raised as Cerpin asked him for a favor. "any recruitment for us is...a good idea. i am open to looking into them, yesss." Stryke confirmed as he nodded solemnly. It was a sore subject. However, he would investigate the lead all the same.

"i...take it this outsider is sometroll you know?" Stryke asked, seeking more details. He finally took a sip of his drink all the while the older teens eyes regarded the other sharply, watching Cerpin closely.

Yamashii.

 

[Yamashii]

"That's right. He's a kid I met that's into star stuff. If he turns out sympathetic to our cause, he could be useful in the space program." Cerpin and Tevini had made some progress on their own but it would help out a lot to start officially recruiting people onto an actual team. And this was going to be their first step in that direction. His shoulders relaxed as Stryke agreed to take on the matter. It was a little weird how out of it he seemed but honestly the purpleblood didn't know if it would be rude to comment on or not.

"His name's Deimos Somnus. A tealblood. Wears a lot of star covered stuff." It would be easy to pick the boy out of a crowd. His slightly cozy and slightly disheveled appearance was hard not to notice. "He's got heavy bags under his eyes too." Cerpin made a motion under his own eyes for emphasis.

"Thanks for doing this. I owe you one." He would make good on that favor whenever Stryke opted to call it in. Cerpin knew that this world was full of give and take and he was willing to play that game if it got him what he needed.

leon_a_darkangel

 

[leon_a_darkangel]

Stryke listened to Cerpin, his head tilted slightly forcing his long hair to rustle with the sudden movement. "that does sound promisssing. we'll have a dedicated program, and team in no time. i'll keep an eye out for him." The yellowblood replied with a thoughtful expression before he rubbed his neck slightly.

"he shouldn't be too hard to pinpoint...do we have anyone making contact with him beside either of us then?" He tried to keep himself rooted in the conversation, it was important after all. Stryke pursed his lips slightly at the physical description. "that's almost enough detail i could draw the troll in question." Stryke chuckled gently, shaking his head.

"you don't owe me anything.." The yellowblood's voice trailed off, his eyes finally breaking contact as he looked down. "we all help each other out. i appreciate it regardless." Stryke replied in a soft tone, even nodding gently.

"how have things been for you by the way?" He finally asked after a brief pause.

Yamashii

 

[Yamashii]

"Rera's been talking to him while undercover. Going by Perore or something. I don't really get it but I'm staying out of it." Cerpin seemed confused by the odd relationship between the two tealbloods but willing to let them handle things on their own. Maybe she had some kind of whole schematic for how she was planning to go about the recruitment. He didn't want to mess that up. Deimos would take the proposal better from her over him anyways.

"And yeah, I mean we help each other out but... if you're ever totally screwed, you know who to call." The purpleblood shrugged. It was nice to say lines about not owing people stuff. But he would add it to his own tab to remember later. He didn't like to only take. It was important to give back in return.

"I'm doing alright. Things were rocky for a while when Vee and I were fighting but we worked it out." It was still kind of shaky between them at times but at least Tevini had returned home to Chittentown. That was the most important thing.

"You?"

leon_a_darkangel

 

[leon_a_darkangel]

Stryke's made a light tsk sound. "mmm..i see." He and Forera had always been on odd terms given how they first met. However, the yellowblood held no ill will against her. "i trust she will handle that part. i still want to get a read for the other troll." Stryke finalized, confirming his promise with a nod. He even raised his glass as a tribute to the promise to the other troll as a sign of solidarity.

There was something about what the other boy said that struck a chord with him. Stryke really seemed to look at Cerpin then...as if the fog that had been surrounding him lifted. Squinting at him in consideration, a genuine smile formed. "...thank you." His cheeks tinted a faint shade of citrine. "i appreciate that. really." Stryke huffed softly. Too many trolls simply had one goal in mind, to get what they wanted and needed. It had thrown him off at how pure, and genuine the others offer had been.

"oh?" A flicker of concern for either troll showed in his expression at the mention of Tevini and Cerpin's trouble. "good then. you both deserve to be happy." As did anyone, but he'd seen both grow up from small children until now. The idea of either unhappy didn't sit well with him.

Now that was a loaded question. "i'm...okay?" He settled for, unsure what to say. Every night got a little better, but he was still troubled. "plus we are all progressing along, it gives me something to focus on." Stryke added calmly.

Yamashi

 

[Yamashii]

Cerpin reached forward to put a hand on Stryke's shorter shoulders. Something wasn't quite right.

"You sure you're okay?" He squinted at the yellowblood's face in concern. He wasn't sure what could possibly be wrong but he'd give the guy a chance to explain if he wanted to. If he didn't, the rockstar wasn't going to push it. Sometimes you wanted to keep the skeletons in the closet.

"It's gonna go great, okay? Don't worry or stress too much." He shrugged, either faking confidence in Byakko's mission or honestly being that cocky.

leon_a_darkangel

 

[leon_a_darkangel]

Stryke's eyes widened as he clasped his shoulder, the color even drained from his complexion. For a brief moment, he almost panicked. His psionics dimly lit up the quiet scene in the bar. no it was just cerpin. It took a lot of willpower not to flinch from his touch.

"...." Stryke opened and closed his mouth as his brows knit together. "i was kept by a pair of trolls and used as a test subject for several weeks on end. i'm still getting my wits about me." He was guarded in his tone as his eyes glanced away from the other, not wanting to go into details.

"so...i'm working on it, i..suppossse? becoming an officer has given me a new sense of purpose, which i am extremely appreciative of. you're right. it is going to be great. i believe in byakko, and those in the initiative with all my pumpbiscuit." Stryke's smile brightened some. Reaching up to gently pat the hand on his shoulder he attempted to shy away from that comforting gesture.

Yamashi

 

[Yamashii]

"That's... horrifying." Cerpin wasn't speechless often. But Stryke's story had him completely shocked. It was amazing how the yellowblood quickly tried to change the focus and look at the upcoming positives. He'd made fun of the guy for being a tiny wimp in the past but it seemed Stryke was a lot stronger than he gave him credit for. Cerpin squeezed the shoulder his hand rested on before letting go.

"We're going to make you proud. I'm going to get us to that moon somehow and get you far from any assholes that try to hurt you." The thought of experimenting on other trolls was sickening. As a purpleblood, he supposed people might expect him to be okay with a blatant disregard for the comfort or safety of the lower castes. But the more time he spent around them, the harder it was to understand why you'd have that mentality. He couldn't deny that he had a privilege and a status that protected him from stuff like this. But he could use it to shield others if possible.

"I'm glad you're back. With us." He said clearly, looking straight at Stryke unwaveringly. It was kind of an odd but not unwelcome feeling to belong to this community and support each other.

leon_a_darkangel

 

[leon_a_darkangel]

Stryke felt his shoulders relax. The knot in his stomach lessened once he'd been honest. It hurt to talk about what happened. Harder still was to try and move along. "...it's not..easssy moving on. even with all the experiencing leading to now. nothing prepared me for that." He admitted, his tone dropping an octave as he inhaled slowly and exhaled. Cerpin caught him off guard with his next comment.

"We're going to make you proud."

A swell of pride and appreciation for the other brought a soft chuckle from the yellowblood. "you flatter me." Stryke added quietly, surprised by his remark. If only Cerpin knew the half of it, the Siren's weren't the only ones he had a troubled past with. A brief patting of Stryke's hand was applied to the other's forearm before Cerpin released his shoulder. Such a simple explanation..and promise. It was funny how words could be so comforting. "in return, i'll work just as hard to help further our plans, for a brighter future. for everyone." Stryke retorted, looking thoughtful. "i'll have a reliable team i'll be working alongside." He added after a moment.

"i am glad to be back...thank you again. if you need anything, let me know." He sighed softly, being vulnerable wasn't his strong suit. It usually lead to his being hurt. It had begun with Vremea..Byakko, then Tevini. Perhaps he could trust Cerpin more than he had initially realized.

Yamashii

 

[Yamashii]

"Of course, man." Cerpin nodded in response to Stryke's offer. It was starting to get to that quiet time towards the end of the night where things were cozy and still. He poured another round of drinks for the both of them and clinked his glass with the yellowblood's in cheers towards the hard work they had ahead of them. With the team they had right now, there was nothing they couldn't do. The two of them sat quietly together, enjoying the remainder of the night.

leon_a_darkangel

fin!