Mettalic:
*he stands, not quite at attention, but relatively so...the forgotten icepack long since gone warm....man, I'm a moron..I should have followed my policy and avoided him...too late now....his gaze remains fastened on Pole during the entire speech, never wavering..and here he thought he had escaped because he identified a movie...life wasn't that simple* Yes sir *what else could he say, no he didnt' spend time on base, didn't spend much time doing anything GUARD related, except when ordered to...but when ordered he always carried it out, usually in his own way but he always obeyed orders..but then what other choice did he have...become a RUNner and lead a restricted life, always looking over his shoulder? that life didnt' appeal to him.....he doesn't recall ever actually being given a choice, it just happend one day...he became GUARD*

Psiclone:
*Rikky doesn't sigh, he doesn't roll his eyes, he doesn't change his voice, his posture, any of that... he keeps speaking in his quiet voice, all patience, all kindliness, seeking his answers... seeking with eyes and his touch, to hold her where she is, to keep eye contact, to make her look at him and /answer/... something he knows she's struggling to do, is confused about... he can feel her fear, smell it, taste it, his sensitive fingers pick up every miscroscopic tremor in her flesh, in her breathing, in her manner, all of it* Do you enjoy being struck? Do you enjoy being treated poorly? Do you like to be ridiculed, threatened, beaten? Do you like others to look down on you with contempt? Would you like to be called, to BE, a natural?

Pirahna:
No. *Those are questions she can answer easily, all of them the same answer, all of them something she knew well, had undergone at some point in her life..some she never wanted to experience again, others were daily events that she ignored, her senses so dulled to the events that she rarely acknowledged them..why was he doing this? what was he trying to do?...or was this perhaps 'him' in disguise trying to bring her back down...anger briefly mixes with the fear....but how? why? this wasn't 'his' style...she doubted that 'he' would go to the effort to seek her out, she wasn't worth it, there are worthier prey about...the anger vanishes, having only been there for the briefest of seconds, yet the fear remains*

Warpole:
*Well, under the circumstances, what else could the boy say? Pole knows he's painted the kid into something of a corner, meant to do it, really. Pole was worried that Mike might have to learn about things the HARD way... harder than he sould have to, a way which could seriously hurt him, break him beyond true healing... it's happened before. Pole is all for outside interests, for being laid back, for taking it easy and having fun, but he KNOWS, too well, what THIS kind of attitude, Mettalic's could lead to. How to tell the boy that, tho? It'd go in one ear and out the other. Instead, Pole takes a breath, lets it out, and relaxes his posture just a bit, tad less threatening* Listen, kid... you're under my command, got it? I got enough blood on my hands, good men who just got careless, or were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't... just do a me a favor and stay alive, any way you have to, okay?

Mettalic:
*he sees Pole relax, but doesn't follow suit...already he had been tricked into letting his guard down, into getting careless..* Yes sir, no problem there sir *He diDn't plan on dying anytime soon, and wether it was a GUARD or a RUNner or just a natural that threatened his life he would react the same, and fight hard to keep it*

Psiclone:
No. *Rikky smiles, just a flicker over his lovely lips* No, you do not like /anything/, then. That, at least, is something. Now then, how DO you like to be treated? *it was piece by piece, this... but if he could get her to think, to open her mind and look /inside/... it could take awhile, but he was willing to try, because he's been /here/, is here... it hits close to home. /Who was /he//? He has to struggle everyday to figure that out... others want him Aerik. He KNOWS he's not Aerik. So what... who... was he? And it bothers him that this beautiful woman was under the same, though for different reasons*

Pirahna:
*a half shrug is his only answer...what did she like?...she was cosseted, petted and adored by her men, but did she really like that?..she didn't know, it had been going on for so many years that she didn't know anything else...its like the women that threaten her, those that hate her, for no reason than what she was..then there were those whom she gave reason...did she like it? enjoy it? she didnt' know*

Warpole:
*Inside, where it can't be seen, Pole smiles. The kid was learning already. Maybe he just needed to be taken underwing or something* Good. Fuckin' A good. Now here's a command, and you best follow it out to. The. Letter. This base's Wreck room will be operational by tonight. Ever been in one? Probably, but on Rookie level training. Here's what you do... go in, ask the techie, TELL the techie, you've been given orders to go through a class 5, alpha scenerio. No matter what he says, looks like, or does, you demand it. You take the scenerio. Then you come back and report to me. Got it? *The Wreck room could be akinned to the Danger Room in comic books, it mixed real and hologram, fooled all the senses, even Scratch's half the time. It was as close to being in a real situation, real, full-on combat situation, that Mettalic could get to without actually being IN one, and many times, such a scenerio, especially the level Pole is going for, would be MORE difficult, far more dangerous, than a real life encounter. Pole knows it. Just a small dose of reality, as it were, for the kid here*

Psiclone:
Do you like to be smiled at? Do you like others to say hello to you, or do you like to be ignored, never interact? Do you like to be treated with respect or like a dog in the street? *he wasn't willing to give up yet, not at all, and he'll push it until she can't stand to be pushed anymore. He wants her to /think/*

Mettalic:
*he inwardly rolls his eyes..the Wreck room..oh man...now I'm in deep...and level five...his wince is visible* Yes sir, training at level five in the Wreck room tonight, then report to you. Yes sir! *this was definately not good news for him, he was getting in deeper every minute...man he wanted someway out of here, before he got himself into more...his hand throbs, a reminder thats its injured and he winces slightly as he pulls the now warm cold pack off of it*

Warpole:
*Pole nods and motions with his chin, dismissing the lad* Good. Now get that hand tended to and have fun. *he grins ferally* And hey, let's be careful out there. *then he turns on his heel, very formally, and marches off to do more work, leaving the boy to carry out the orders, something he's certain Mike will do*

Mettalic:
Yes sir, thank you sir *he stops and blinks as Pole digs up yet another old reference, but wether it was intended as such was unknown...he doesn't respond to it, instead he watches pole turn and leave then he turns and heads off in the opposite direction, fully intending to get his hand seen too, then to go check on the Wreck room*

Pirahna:
What do you want?*She stares into his eyes, her gaze meeting his, but hers is full of confusion and fear* I don't understand? *Once more thoughts of Aerik race through her mind, except she keeps convincing herself it can't be...why would he be here?...why wouldn't he have broken me already?...it can't be him...* Why?

*Rikky leans in closer, eye to eyes, intent, unblinking, intimate... and his soft, sweet voice twines between them, dust and petals* I am not /him/, Rika. I assure you of that. If this causes you fear or pain, know that is not my intent. I /want/, Rika... I want you to tell me who you are, not who others have wanted you to be, not who you've had to play at being, not what you thought others wanted you to be. I want to know who /you/ are... untangled from the rest. *Outside the sounds of moving go on... Scratch has wandered off to sign more papers, Warpole is assisting with assemblying machines... business as usual. And Rikky just waits...*

*She closes her eyes as she fights back the fear and the tears of frustration* I know *whispered words only he could hear, her lips barely moving with their passing* I don't know who I am *a tear manages to escape her closed lids* the gardens....kitchen*the words seem almost forced then suddenly seem to rush out of her* late at night, very late...sometimes I go there, to be alone...the downstairs kitchen, the gardens..when noones there....I visit them

*Rikky smiles faintly, pleased. The tears and fear, the rush of words, so very difficult to spill... this pleased him. With his thumb, and without moving his cup of her face, he wipes that rogue tear away, off her cheek, and blinks so slowly* Good. That is good, Rika... *so soft his voice, so calm, almost a lull though he's using no telepathy on her, no power in his approach, just patience, quietness, urging her onward gently* And why do you go there? What are you seeking? What do you feel when you are there? In the kitchen... do you feel the same in the gardens? What do you think about when you stand there, amongst the copper kettles and rose trullesses? The peonies and cutlery? Can you recall?

*she feels his silken touch on her cheek as he wipes the tear and her eyes slowly open to once more meet his....She had never had to under go such an examination, noone had ever tried to probe this deep into her, or made her look into herself....even she had never bothered to look...his warm tones soothe her, encourage her to examine her reasons...to think...because... *she hesitates as she thinks...why does she go there?* because no one else does....*few ventured to the gardens at night, then she could relax and enjoy the beauty, the tranquility....and the kitchen, there were always a few there, yet she could maintain a distance, be around others yet relaxed...because they ignored her and she them all seekinG the same thing, their own private worlds*

And you enjoy being alone? *he tries to help her, tho he doesn't want to lead her, doesn't want to supply answers for her or give her ideas, he wants to know her alone, he wants HER to know herself, and maybe its because no one has done this for /him/, save himself, wanted to know him, asked him about himself, examined him and forced an examination, maybe out of a kind of empathy for the situation, for the seclusion, for the lack of true attention... maybe this was why he was asking these questions. Everyone assumed a clone was just... a thing. It didn't really have its own ideas, its own likes and dislikes. It was just... a clone. A made thing. But Rikky was /real/, and he was his OWN... he just had to figure out who he was, a normal enough reaction for anyone. And he doesn't like it, being pidgeon-holed, being boxed into an idea, a stereotype. He doesn't think Rika really likes it either, or maybe she's just never questioned it. Her powers most likely affected others' abilities to attempt what she attempted. Men just wanted one thing. Women, the nurturers, hated her. It would be hard indeed to get any kind of emotional support or intimacy. And he knew of her past...* Do you enjoy being.... just yourself? No stress to perform?

*why was he doing this?....in a way she understood, but she didn't....she was full of conflicts...most of her was afraid to know the answers, afraid to know what lies beneath...for years she had been nothing more than a barbie doll, a thing manipulated by the beliefs of others...that is all she knew, all she had ever known yet a small portion, a very small portion of her wondered the same things...wondered what/who she was...what she was capable of....bt that small portion was weak, quiet...she didn't even know who her own parents were, how could she know who she was?....alone?..*yes * quietly spoken by that small portion of her, that small part that requires solitude...that has always yearned for answers that never were forthcoming and never would be*

*The sun is shifting positions as the day grows longer, and Rikky shifts with it, drawing Rika back into deeper shadows with him, unconsciously, away from that hateful orb. She's never been nurtured, he knows... same as himself. So similar, these two. He checks his shields again... perfect. Its his own desires he's answering now, his own to be asked and questioned.... but he knows himself far better than Rika does, it would seem. He's rebeled against who others want and wish him to be... he hasn't conformed, as she has. How to break it? First the desire had to be present... was it?* Now think, Rika... search. Why do you desire to be alone, ever? Why would anyone? No... I do not care about that. Why do /you/ enjoy it?

*she is pulled back with Rikky away from the sun, but she doesn't even notice instead she remains focused on him on herself..her mind is so wrapped up in all of it that she is entirely unaware of anything going on around them...she looks up at him chuckling* to feed the fish...to do something with absolutely no meaning except to myself....*she's still chuckling yet tears start to form in her eyes* they don't care, they don't care about anything...*the chuckling starts to get a little louder, perhaps even with a little more hysteria* they don't care what I look like, what I do...they don't care

No, they do not care. *his soft voice has become impossibly softer, gentler, a soft blanket to wrap in, find security in... it offers impartial comfort, nonjudgemental. This, tho, Rikky could have guessed... the stress and burden of power like Rika's would be staggering... never knowing if someone really loved you or really liked you or might even like you were she not forced to hate. Rikky... has an inkling into such a realm, but not nearly to total. Still cradling her face in soft, soft hands, he pulls her face upwards, to meet eyes, hers beautiful and wet, brimming over.... his clear and dry, but as soft as his touch, his voice... as acceptance* Why is this important to you, Rika?

*the chuckles turn into giggles which she can't stop* there's no expectations *still giggling she looks up, into his soft gentle eyes...for brief spurts she manages to supress the giggling, until finally they seem to stop....there is a moment of silence as she watches you, one hand reaching up to grasp yours...she gently pulls it from her cheek and turns it over and lays a kiss in your palm* Thank y...*a hiccough breaks from her lips and colour floods to her face in embarrasment....once more the giggling start, but this time they are those of embarrasment, giggles interspersed with hicoughs*

Except maybe for food... *he smiles at her giggling fit, her slow stop of it... she was, at this moment, impossibly /cute/. She kisses his palm, and he doesn't know how to react. It was a sweet gesture, and forces a grin on his lips. He blinks as the hiccup hits her, severs words... and his eyes brighten at that furious blush. Giggles and hiccups, Rikky begins to chuckles, then laugh... a sweet sound, its something he does rarely* I think you need water... *but he doesn't forget. It'll take more than the off-beat of a diaphragm to let up on Rika*

*The colour darkens as the hiccoughs continue*…I'm *HIC* sorry *if she wasn't also stuck in a giggling fit she would be mortified…she NEVER did something like this…this never happened to her, never in her memory had she lost control like this…oh she'd had little giggling fits before, but those had been feigned…played out for the benefit of her audience…but uncontrolled? never….and to top it off with hiccoughs, she would never do that….she tries to hold her breath, but ends up loosing it when a giggle spurts from her lips, followed by another hiccough* Y..*HIC* Yes, please *HIC* *At his own answering laughter her embarrassment starts to fade…and the giggling seems to diminish as she once more regains control* I've nev… *HIC* I'm S *HIC* sorry

*....It only proved she wasn't all that different from others, natural or unnatural, tho she'd hate the comparison, Rikky surmises. And while she might be embarassed, it was far more a charming display, endearing, than anything else. His own grin is broad and beautiful, and he's trying hard to break down and giggle with her. He's yet to experience a full-out laugh of his own, a heartfelt, from-the-gut, raucous guffaw, and this is the most he's ever offered. He just hasn't had the luxury of watching too much TV or movies... he's been very busy. He's had a birthday, he thinks... not long ago, or was it coming up? Either way, it'd be his first one, but it seemed unimportant, he had few people to celebrate with anyway. Maybe just Rika here... maybe Scratch would be so kind as to show up... Warpole, perhaps. PsiWarp. Attrait? Not many more knew he existed. Why that popped into his head at this moment escapes him. He casts his dark eyes about for a water fountain of some kind. Workers wander around them, Rikky shielding himself from their minds, and with Rika controlling her powers, its easy for Rikky to keep the effects of her from the others. Most look over without interest, their minds slipping off the image as soon as they see the couple. A tall man... a beautiful woman. A dime a dozen around here. The workers continue on their ways, though some females feel an intense surge of jealousy at the woman's beauty... not hostility, just jealousy* Nothing to be sorry about, Rika. I rather like it. *he smiles gently at her and frowns when he doesn't see a dispenser* They must not have them up yet... where is the kitchen from here? *The lower workers were below him in rank, so he touches a few minds, searching... ah, there was a bottle machine just down the hall* We can purchase a bottle of water for you from a dispenser just over there... *he motions to the next hallway down* Actually... *he smiles at a worker who's turning the corner to the machine... the worker who disappears a moment... and promptly returns, expressionless. He holds a bottle of evian out towards Rika, not really seeing either of the Hunters, and once she takes it, and Rikky gives him payment for the drink, he leaves again* I hear drinking water upside down, or from the far side of the rim, works very well.

*HIC* *her hands cover her mouth as yet another hiccough erupts from it...but wether to hide from embarrasment or to try and muffle it is uncertain..she too looks aorund for a water dispenser, seeing none she once more tries to hold her breath, her dampers falling as she takes her concentration from them....realizing this she abruptly puts them back on...another hiccough breaking from her lips as she takes another breath....she tosses him a bewildered look as he comments on liking it...like hiccoughs? or her embarrasment?....she looks at the worker as holds out the bottle towards her then she glances at Rikky, one brow raised in question..another hiccough forces the issue and she almost eagerly reaches for the bottle...she struggles briefly with the cap ((damn safety seals))...then downs it, not pausing for a breath...she finishes it off and waits,then when no hiccoughs emerge she smiles and turns to Rikky* thank you *she cocks her head and looks at him* tell me, how are you supposed to do either of those? at least without wearing most of it anyhow

*her dampers fail a moment and Rikky, feeling it, strengthens his shields without thinking, as soon as the realization of the compulsions she issues hits him. He's very attuned to her now, able to feel such shifts before they even happen. He smiles down at her as she tears into the safety seal, tips her head back and skulls(chugs) the contents of the bottle. When she asks her questions, his dark eyes light with amusement and he chuckles* Well, no one said it would be easy. *he grins beautifully* Inelegantly, I would presume. I myself have never done it... I can just adjust the tempo of my diaphragm mentally. *he shrugs and casts about with his eyes, then briefly touches his empty belly* And you are welcome. ...Are you hungry? *he glances back at her*

*her smile deepens as no more hiccoughs are forthcoming..once more a faint blush colours her face* I have never done that before *her colour deepens as her gaze lands on a camera...she knew he had sort of been shielding them from people, but from electronics?..she highly doubted it..she was going to have to 'work' on a few techies so she could get that minor detail eliminated...she shrugs* I suppose I could eat

*electronics, no... he was no technopath, nor did he have a link to any technopath. He does not, however, have any idea she might, in her own way, help or protect him, which is what she would surely be doing if she worked her graces on any techies who had access to his visage via electronics. He smiles at her gently, at that charming blush and fights back a sudden, uncharacteristic urge which had nothing to do with physicalities, with desires as she produced. No... this stems directly from the blush, from her trust in him, from her loveliness even though her hair was so golden (which was a small affront to his good taste)... Rikky almost shakes himself. What the hell...? /That/ wasn't right, even for his body sake, it wasn't right. But something else entirely, something whispered from the darkness. He frowns, and covers it up with a glance to his belly. When he looks back up, he's smiling again, dark eyes bright* You do not need to eat if you are not hungry. I would like simply a piece of fruit. I do not eat meat. Accompany me to the kitchen for only a moment? */She's never done that before/* If we were not surprised every now and then, even by our own selves, life would not be worth living, would it? Devoid of the small delights, even such as hiccoughs... well, how empty. *He winks at her playfully. And that urge he swept aside... had never struck him before. It concerns him. He /needed/ to learn more about himself, but to whom did he go? To whom could he turn? He takes a huge chance as he turns towards the kitchen, glancing at Rika to make sure she accompanies him, and he offers something he should not at all... not at all* Have you ever heard of... Eshva?