A Good Day

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   

    The wind gently brushed past, a calm whisper on a bright, peaceful day. Black hair flowed in its wake, while the sun bathed down upon a young man, sitting idle on the balcony of his apartment, his silver gaze cast outwards while an old radio broke the silence with its cheery tunes. Overhead, a wind chime waved ever so slightly, its tones ringing out and being carried along, mixing with the sounds of hundreds of others all throughout the city. 

    The young man drank it all in, back up against the railing with his legs stretched out before him, one arm propped up against his knee, the other in his lap. The sight was far more beautiful than any he'd ever known. It almost didn't feel real. As though it were just a dream and any minute he'd wake up and... 'poof'... it'd all be gone. Blown away by the breeze like ash. 

    It was a testament to how far he'd made it.

    Luke left the radio as it was as he climbed to his feet with a grunt, taking his time to stretch himself out after lazing about for what had felt like an eternity. Through a pair of sliding glass doors, he entered into his apartment. His new home. It was sparsely furnished, but purposefully so, leaving most of the living space uncluttered and pristine looking. In the living room, a sectional couch surrounded a hardwood coffee table, which in turn stood before a stand mounted television. The carpet was cream colored and soft underfoot.

    The kitchen neighbored the living room, a counter dividing the two, and had about everything to be expected from a kitchen. Above the counter hung the pots and pans, while a knife block sat beside the spice cabinets. The stove and oven were built into the counter top, and behind that sat the fridge. A black marble table sat in the middle of a booth, the seats made of a crimson colored leather. The floor was tiled to match the carpet in the other room.

    The young man avoided these rooms and instead went down the hall. The apartment had come with two bedrooms, but only one was being used. It too was sparsely furnished, containing a queen sized bed, all made up and tidy. Next to that was a nightstand with an alarm clock and lamp, and to the opposite wall was a set of hardwood drawers, topped with a few photos in their frames.

    The bathroom was a bathroom.

    As for the spare bedroom, it had been turned into a workplace, and entering it was like stepping into another world. Instead of the neatly kept, pristine looking appearance of the rest of the home, the new work area was cluttered and chaotic. One desk held a computer set up, with three screens and a powerful, tank of a tower. Both the keyboard, the mouse, and the tower itself were lit with vibrant colors. Behind the first desk, was a much larger, sturdier table, stocked high with machine parts, wires, and other mechanical bits and bobs. The important and the small were stored in containers, drawers, and bins, where as the larger items seemed to be cast off with no concern.

    This seemed to be a theme amongst every remaining available space, save for a small section cleared out for a large and expensive looking 3D printer. Tools were stored in a large, rolling tool box that was less of a box, more of a shelf, and a few assorted kits. A book shelf held large encyclopedia's of knowledge, all on engineering, coding, mechanics, etc. Next to that was another shelf, only instead of books, it was stuffed and stacked with various inventions. Trinkets and gadgets worked on and improved upon throughout the years. The walls were covered in sound dampening foam, with one gap made around what was once a window to accommodate an air conditioning unit, keeping the whole set up at room temperature on a bad day.  Still, even with the air conditioner, during heavy work loads it was all Luke could do to keep himself from being drenched in sweat. The only odd thing out in all of this was a small area sectioned out for a worn punch bag. Luke approached it and gave it a few heavy swings for the hell of it, then moved back to the computer desk. 

    Luke spun around in the office chair to face the computer, browsing through recent job offerings and replying with how long it would take him to get them done. A few repair jobs that could be  done in house, and a few bugs that needed to be hunted down and fixed up. Nothing that immediately caught his eye or took his interest. Then again, that meant it was all easy. Boring, sure, but not time consuming. The repair jobs themselves would take a day or so to come in for him to work on, while the hardest of the bug fixes took an hour or so. 

    In the end, Luke was left with a lot of spare time. He found himself bouncing between spinning in the office chair, wailing on the punching bag, and fiddling with some of the parts he had strewn about. A recent invention was perfected, and Luke saw fit to test it on himself. The small shocks made him jolt, but the end result was a small device that sent electrical signals into a person's muscles... forcing them to dab. 

    Truly, he is the pinnacle of modern intelligence and ingenuity...

    Inevitably though, Luke grew bored of being caged up and found himself wandering along the streets, familiarizing himself with his new home and its many facets. The people weren't anything special, the buildings generic, but somehow it still all had this charm. This soothing feeling about it that quieted his mind. As he leaned against the ledges of one of the many stone bridges and cast his eyes out towards the distance, he felt comfortable. Content. 

    Bored to death. 

    There was nothing to do to keep his attention right now, so instead of just wandering, he found himself hunting, searching out something to do. In lieu of anything meaningful, he fell back on what he knew best. Picking pockets and picking fights. The place was practically blooming with easy targets in both regards, especially when being looked at through the eyes of an expert. Luke's delicate touch swiped many coin purses and pouches, emptying them of their contents and disposing of the useless remains. Of course, Luke had enough money to live comfortably off of from his job... but you know what they say...

    ...Old habits die hard.

    Speaking of old habits! As a once strong looking man toppled and fell backwards unconscious, Luke grinned devilishly as he took pride in his accomplishment, shaking his fist after the well placed punch he'd just treated the poor sap to. That was almost too easy. Thief by instinct, mechanic by trade, and fighter at heart, Luke wasn't noble or proper or anything you would expect of a kind hearted soul. What he was, was a force of havoc. A born and bred little hellion with a love for mayhem and mischief. Essentially; A trouble maker. Still, times were changing. He was in a new home, and he had to consider the idea of trying to make something better for himself. As his silver gaze fell on gold, staring at the collection of pilfered coins, he at least accepted that he should keep his hands to himself and his money clean. 

    He wasn't returning what he took though. He didn't feel that guilty. With a sigh, the young man pocketed the gold and decided to stop by some of the stands along his wandering path. Might as well make the most of it, seeing as I'm out here and all. He thought idly. The young man browsed the various stands, studying their goods and picking out what he might want or need. Now, while he might have promised himself to try to keep his money clean, that didn't say anything about haggling. 

    "Hmm." Luke lifted up a mechanical component and studied it while the gruff looking seller eyed him. "How much?"

    "Fifty." The merchant replied. Luke shot him a glance and gave an expression that said 'Really?'

    "Fifty, for this hunk of junk? You have to be kidding me." Luke shot back "This thing is worth twenty, at least."

    "If I says it's fifty, it's fifty." The Merchant leaned over and Luke fought back a smile. The young man leaned forward and met his glare with a scathing gaze of his own. 

    "Listen old man, you probably scavenged this piece of shit off some old war husk. Don't you play me here, this cheap piece of junk is worth twenty on a good day." Luke set down the piece of equipment and leaned over to better face the merchant. The old man scoffed and spat off to the side.
    
    "Yous don't know quality when you sees it boy, if yous ain't gonna buy it, then stop wasting my time." The merchant lifted his head, staring down at Luke with a condescending gaze. 

    "Don't think you can play me like this. I've been working on junk nicer than this since I was a boy. I don't want to have to tell all these good patrons here about how you're trying to cheat me out of my hard earned gold with over priced junk!" Luke made sure to raise his voice on that last part, getting a few glances from bystanders. The old merchant's face didn't show it, but in his eyes Luke could see him start to panic.

    "Forty." Got him.

    "Thirty."

    "Deal."

    "And toss in that bag of electrical parts for five." Luke tilted his head, gesturing towards a small pouch full of wiring and other electrical necessities. The Merchant paused, then grumbled and gave a sigh, tossing Luke the bag. The young man caught it and set it down to dig around for the gold. "Pleasure doing business with you old man."

    Luke didn't let the man see his grin as he left, his head held high. Little does he know that I was right. This thing isn't worth fifty. It's worth eighty. Luke studied the piece of tech with a Cheshire grin, then stuffed it back in the bag and continued on, whistling cheerfully to himself. The wind gently brushed past, a calm whisper on a bright, peaceful day. Black hair flowed in its wake, while the sun bathed down upon a young man, walking happily through the streets. 

    Today was a good day.

[[God] - Nike]

"Hey kiddo." A woman with vibrantly coloured hair with a bright green fading to a yellow stepped in front of Luke. She wore simple workout clothes, a graphic tank top that almost looked like it was made of two of them, and a pair of leggings that stopped halfway down her knees. The only thing really outstanding other than her choice of wearing vibrant colours was that one of her legs was a metal peg with a loop roughly in the shape of a calf and ending in a single point. Her face was full of piercings to match her hair. She had an amused spark in her eyes, staring at him with a grin to match. "Saw you bargain with that man over there. May I see that piece?" Even if he said no, it wouldn't have mattered. The item was in her hand without her even reaching for it. She was already turning it around, inspecting it carefully and even turning away so Luke wouldn't interrupt her by trying to grab for the item. "Hmmm hmmm... You said this was worth 20 gold and he said it was worth 50. You're both wrong, but I feel like you know more than you're letting on." At this point, if Luke even tried to grab for the item or do something to the woman, she'd dodge it almost as if she saw it coming from miles away. By the time she turned back to face him, the item was gone and back in his bag. This time, the person was inspecting him, making quite little notes about his features and seemingly in thought. A life of hardships, habits that are too hard to break. The whole shebang. Street smart... Oh, a fighter. A mechanic. Interesting, interesting. It was almost like she was reading into his soul and history. "Name's Nike, yours?"

[Sparky]

[Refs]

      

    The day was going... fairly well. Luke's luck was holding up, and so far, the weather held up nicely, and he made a sizable net gain from that bartering session. He studied the gizmo with a satisfied gleam in his eyes. There were many things he could do with this now. He could use it in a build and tinker with it. He could clean it up, put it on display as a pretty piece of history. Or... after cleaning it up, he could sell it off and make a lot of money. 

    Everything seemed fine and dandy, honestly. Though, things seemed to come to a brief halt as he heard someone call out to him. The young man paused and took a step back, studying the newcomer with slight apprehension. They didn't... look outwardly bad. In fact, he liked her style, it wasn't bad. "Hmph. Nice piercings." 

    Luke relaxed his stance slightly, but still eyed her with suspicion. He opened his mouth to tell her that he'd rather not, but before he could even make a sound, it was already in her hands. Bewildered, he patted himself and scanned the bag, then shot a death glare towards the woman as she continued. This bitch. Luke balled his hands into fists, his stance tensing. Welp, in his life, it was inevitable...

    His luck always ran out.

    Luke didn't respond to her question, instead kicking off the ground and lunging for the device. If she hadn't dodged, he very well might have grabbed it, but just like the gizmo, one second she was there, the next- a wall. Luke twisted and slammed against it shoulder first, steadying on his two feet and gritting his teeth. If he were a dog, he'd be snarling up a storm right now. Even his hair almost seemed to react along with him, standing ever so slightly on end. Though... that might just have been a reaction caused by leaping so crazily and nearly slamming headfirst into a stone wall. 

    Then... it was back. Luke felt her eyes probing him, and his skin began to crawl. It was as though the woman was dissecting him, with her gaze. He felt... sick. This fucking BITCH. "Keep fucking with me and I'll rip that damn pegleg off your stump and bludgeon you to death with it, you pompous dick socket!" 

    The young man kept his breathing quiet, but deliberate, preparing himself. His blood felt like it was on fire. He had no magical capacity, all he had was his skills and his wit, and here this bitch stood, literally dancing around him with him unable to do anything. He was seething. 

    Then he stopped. 

    Make no mistake, he was still overflowing with enough hatred the sun itself looked practically antarctic. But the second she said her name it felt like pieces fell into place, and the hatred was given a new meaning; Pure, unadulterated spite. Or intense, unrivaled loathing. Honestly, take your pick. Both are good options here in the five star anger buffet. 

    "Tch... you're a god... aren't you?" Luke's words practically dripped with venom. He never much liked or cared for the gods. Then again, he didn't like anything that ruled over him, so this was just parr for  the course. Still, it made sense. Luke held the bag behind his back, twisting his body so that he was in a more defensive stance. Wonder if all gods are this fucking terrible? The young man's eyes burned back into Nike's. She didn't deserve a name. 

[[God] - Nike]

"You could try to steal this leg off me. But whacking degenerates with it is my thing." She crossed her arms over, staring straight into his eyes without a hint of being unphased. Rather, there was a slight hint of concern after Luke rammed his head into a wall trying to attack her. "Can't say I've seen anyone ram a wall so hard recently outside of... The Boulder, really. You alright?" Although she was sure he'd shrug off help right now. Guy was pretty angry. "So what if I am? Does it really matter that much?" She didn't seem to care that she was a god, nor really care if that meant anything for Luke's view on her. His anger was clear to read, of course it's usually because the person angry wants people to know that. And it was more than obvious he wasn't from here. It wasn't the lack of overall respect or seething rage that she was a god, it was also how his soul looked and how it was surprisingly minimal. "But, you might wanna tin that anger and unleash it elsewhere. I could suggest the Gauntlet. Lots of opportunity to let out rage there. You know, don't want to make a huge scene around people here." Nike didn't dare offer to help him get up, she knew he'd probably try to attack her or shrug it off. She's seen almost every trick in the book. Though, Nike had another feeling this guy also didn't care about making a scene if it fit his purpose. Typical.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   

    "Eat. Fucking. Shit." He hissed. "Don't touch my shit without fucking asking, don't fucking do anything like that without fucking asking, and you know what, just in case someone forgot to teach you  during your miserable fucking upbringing, if you want to try a fucking conversation, Peggy, try not being the definition of a god damn cunt. Fast fact for you, respect someone's personal fucking space."
   

    "Fuck your gauntlet, you can take it and shove it in your rotting cooch." Luke's knuckles were white, the fingernails digging right into his palms of his gloves. If it weren't for them, they'd leave irritating marks. He wanted to fucking spite her for telling him 'not to cause a scene' he wanted to pummel her into the dirt and ask her if that was enough of a scene for her. But he didn't want to feed her bullshit either, and just wanted to leave before he actually broke his knuckles from punching her face one too many times. 

    He compromised by throwing a weighty metal electronic part at her head and walking away, muttering "fucking "gods"" under his breath. 

    High and mighty sacks of shit. He didn't like a dynamic that only served to benefit the strongest. The gods in this country sat satisfied at the top, while most everyone else got on their hands and knees and kissed their feet. Wasn't much choice, though, the fuck else were you going to do compared to an actual fucking god? You'd have to have more than iron cojones to want to fight them. Luke certainly wanted to fight them, but self preservation was a lot stronger. 

    Kings, queens, gods, didn't matter to him. The only one that ruled him was himself. He mockingly repeated what the goddess told him under his breath, just venting his anger into the world. Today had been excellent. And then of course, his luck ran out like it always did, and everything came crashing and burning around him. 

    Luke didn't like being angry. No one in their right mind liked being angry. But he had actually moved miles to try and find a place where he could find some sort of peace, try to kick bad habits he'd grown up with, and maybe make a better life for himself. 

    Life had different plans. And it was in collusion with Luck to make his experience hell.

    Luke found a spot where no one walked, approached a bridge overlooking the scenic view of the city, and vented his anger in a long, hate filled scream, until his face was red and he was buckled over with no breath left in his lungs. The young man panted, sighed, and sat down, resting his back against the bridges stone ledge, and just... beat the ground with his left hand. It didn't have the same, satisfying yield as his punching bag, but it still had the impact he needed. Even through the glove, the strikes wore on his skin and eventually a few drops of crimson stained the earth, but Luke didn't seem to mind much. It was only a few drops, not like it'd kill him. 

    "Just one fucking day. I'd like to go... one fucking day without this shit." He muttered, exasperated. "I can't meet anyone chill or calm, you know what, I'd just take fucking polite at this point. No, I have to get the dickholes. People with no sense of personal space or privacy who have to push my FUCKING buttons."

[[God] - Nike]

"Do I really smell that bad? Could have sworn I used Fenris' stuff today. huh, maybe I didn't." Nike checked herself, but couldn't smell anything. Like, she legitimately couldn't smell a scent coming off her. Fenris' deodorant and antiperspirants, whatever the hell they were, were good stuff. Though that was partially her just joking around, knowing full well this guy was just salty. Please, The Pebble's rage was many times worse.

Seriously though, this guy could really get a rough wringing out. A spar, the gauntlet, maybe even getting a shaking with Fenris if the old wolf could even bother with this kid. Nike knew enough about discipline, but Fenris was better at teaching it than her. Nike didn't bother looking for Luke, she just waited to hear a faint scream in the wind that anyone with a good ear would pick up. Of course, anger like this is incredibly rare here.

"Now Nike, do you go pursue the kid or do you leave him be to continue acting like a burning pile of salt and alarming half the pantheon?" She waved her prosthetic around mindlessly like a metronome, pondering her options. She let out a huff of a sigh and snapped her leg back on, pushing off the wall and heading in the general direction she heard the scream come from. "Fenris is probably going to give me flack for pissing off someone anyways." It's not like she was going to be on everyone's good side immediately or indefinitely.

Ah, there he is. The kid was just moping next to one of the bridges in the farther region of this district. Nike made her presence apparent in the least flashy way possible, standing a few feet from him. Her silver and gold eyes stared at the ground where his hands where, small splatters of red staining it. "You sure you don't want to try the Gauntlet or a spar or anything? Punching the ground isn't as satisfying." Her hand was on her hip as her eyes scanned up to look at him. "I'll give it straight to you kid, I know your type and whatever you throw at me, I've probably seen before." She didn't sound annoyed or like she was pitying him though. Her eyes gave away that's she's met people like him quite a bit. Of course, each case was someone unique to the person, but that didn't make Nike care any less. Despite being from somewhere else, he seemed to live here. He was by all rights, a citizen. And she cared for anyone that lived within Avalon's jurisdiction, plus a few others from outside the borders.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   

    Luke worked on his breathing, trying to avoid the thoughts of what just happened and just... trying to level out. He didn't fucking need this right now. the young man had a lot of regrets right now. So many he couldn't fit them all on each hand. He shouldn't have left the house, he should have gone home instead of wandering, he should have picked a different street, he should have turned around when a weird woman appeared out of nowhere, etc. After forcing himself out of those thoughts, he had started working himself down and out of his wound up state when he heard a familiar voice, and thought; Oh fuck OFF.

    "Eaaaaaat shiiiiiit." He made sure to draw the words out long and slow so this time the woman could hear him loud and clear. And just like that, his blood started bubbling all over again and he found himself wound right back up. Tense as a spring ready to pop off and fuck some mechanism up. What happened next only served to fill him with even more hate. 

    "Right, of course you have. You've lived for eons, more than any worthless ant like me could ever comprehend compared to your godly perfection." He countered her condescension with spite. Sure, she might not have intended it to sound condescending, but it so, so fucking did. "Do me a favor and piss the hell off. Whatever you say from this point is pretty much worthless."

    Luke got up and brushed himself down, mulling over whether to flip the woman off or spit in her face. He wanted some way to just... insult her. To get her the fuck away from him, get back at her, something, anything really. But in the end, it didn't matter what he picked though, 'she'd seen it all.'

    Everything he could have done lost a lot of meaning after that. 

    He really didn't want to look at her. Her face pissed him off almost as much as her words. I'm a waste of her time, why the fuck is she hunting me down to continue fucking bothering me? You'd think he hated himself. Rather the opposite, though. Luke liked himself. He'd rate himself a solid six out of ten, and he was genuinely happy with himself, the progress he'd made, and the comfortable way of life he managed to secure for himself. 

    Luke was just being observant in how she acted towards him. 

    She didn't want to be here as much as he did, which made it all the more frustrating that she followed him. He was a chore to her. Probably something she was doing just to maintain the status quo. 

    "Seeing as the all mighty goddess has seen my shit before, then you should know enough to fuck off instead of continuing to follow and piss me off even further. You probably should also have known enough to not take my shit and respect a person's personal space?" Luke's voice held cold indifference. It still carried barbs, but he didn't add any inflections or emphasis on anything. another day, another thing to not give a fuck about. 
    
    The young man was tired of this already. He couldn't relate to Peggy, nor did he even want to. They were some all powerful dickhead, using him to amuse themselves. It wasn't even comparable to a senior vs a young adult, it was more like a great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandparent (somehow still with amazing skin?) vs a newborn infant. Already there was no fucking reason for them to deal with him outside of some sense of bullshit godly duty. He was a speck compared to her, so of course, she was treating him as such.

    Obviously, the young man didn't like that. Unfortunately, once again, he's comparing up against a god, so of course, an individual that is present no more than a fucking blip in the greater scheme doesn't fucking match up. All the more reason for her to fuck off and let him go on his existence, though. 

    Whatever chastising bullshit, he really didn't have the patience, want, or need to hear it. The short and skinny of the situation was that he didn't care about her, and she didn't care about him, and that should have been the end of it. Why it wasn't? Luke didn't know and he didn't want to know. 

[[God] - Nike]

"Godly perfection? Oh none of us are near perfect." Although, she thought that was obvious with her missing a leg. His snark was treading dangerously close to a memory that Nike tried so hard to leave dead. "Oh, I knew my options. But it was either leave you to let you continue being a massive baby, or see if you're willing to just calm yourself. Because I'm pretty sure there's a side of you that isn't this low. Besides, that piece of equipment is in your bag. My magic isn't faulty after all the years I had to hone on it, and I'm certainly no thief. Didn't you check, or were you too busy being salty?" She moved her hand from her hip only to cross her arms and continue watching him. "I'm not looking down on you despite that you think I do."

"Not gonna lie, you're like the only person on Avalon that appears here once in a blue moon with an attitude like that." Poor guy probably doesn't have many friends here. Of course, it was hard to with such a difficult history like his. But having an ally or friend somewhere would help him, like, not die so soon. He was still a young soul with a brilliant mind, it'd be a waste to not see what he could do without magic here.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   
    "Firstly, I was doing fucking great before you wandered along. I was pretty fucking calm, working on winding down and relaxing so-" He snapped his fingers and shot two finger pistols at her "-Fucking thanks for coming back around for another miserable pass. Secondly, yes, i know the equipment is in my fucking bag, that isn't the fucking point. You asked to see it, but you didn't even fucking wait to see if I said yes or no. If you had been patient and respected my boundaries, you would have heard me say 'I'd rather not.' You only waited until after I made a grab for it and ended up slamming into the wall like a damn battering ram to give me it back."

    "Oh, and that's another thing too, shouldn't me going for it tip you off to me not wanting you to have it? Why dodge and stop me from getting my shit back when obviously I don't want you fucking playing with it? You're coming over here like a self righteous cunt, shocked to all hell that you messing with my personal space and property upsets me, and coming at me calling me a damn baby for not liking that? It's called respect. You give respect, you get respect in return. You fuck with someone's shit, then it's a given that you don't get or deserve time or respect." 

    "But you couldn't just leave it at that, you have to come over here, swinging your big godly dick around and belittling me. You're not looking down on me? Pfft, then fucking act like it. Instead you're bullshitting me with this stupid fucking 'gauntlet' thing I've never heard off and chastising me for my emotions. Don't want me mad? Ok, fine. Don't invade my personal space and you won't piss me off. You'd fucking think that would be obvious. But apparently, to you, personal space doesn't exist." 

    "Oh, and you want to see a part of me that isn't this low? Tough shit." He made a jerking off motion "What you see is what you get. But it doesn't matter, because you don't even deserve that. You don't deserve my time, you don't deserve my name, you don't deserve my patience. Next time you want to start a conversation, remember to respect someone's fucking boundaries and you'll get the same in return, asshole." 

    "Now, if we're done here, can you do me a solid and leave me the alone? I'm worried that if I hear any more stupid shit vomit out of your mouth, my brain might start melting out of my ears. And, despite appearances, I very well need that, thank you very much." Luke waved her off and turned his back to her, pulling out the device and quietly looking it over.
     
    It's going to need some cleaning up, but it'll work. Unfortunately, I really do think the merchant scavenged it off an old war husk. Wonder where he came across it? Probably some old battlefield during his journey. Guy could have at least tried to clean it all off... Luke paused in his thoughts, then let out a sigh. Actually, come to think of it, looking at that guy there's no way he would ever put in that much effort.

    Luke rested his elbow against the bridge ledge. He'd said his piece, and now he was doing what he knew best. Burying himself into work. He should probably thank Peggy, venting all that out definitely took a load off his chest. Felt great! Now the young man could focus on what was important. 

    Already he was making a mental list of the materials he would need to restore the device. It was nothing major. In fact, the entire thing was in amazing quality. It was just the rust that was bothersome. A few wires, bolts, etc would probably need to be replaced, but the general shape itself was intact. 

    If only the poor sod who sold it to him knew what he actually had, then he might have been a little bit more... unwilling to part with the thing. Shame, all he thought it had been was just another piece of junk. Welp, one man's trash is another man's treasure. Quite literally. Alternatively, you could just call it another man's payday. 

    Really, it depended on what Luke decided on doing with it when the time came.

    Luke paused in his study and shot a vicious, almost murderous glare back towards Nike, not keeping the spite out of his voice as he growled back at her "You're still here? What'd I tell you, get lost."

[[God] - Nike]

This boy was, for lack of a better word, gross. “Your attitude greatly outweighs your looks there, bud.” Nike could have just left him be, but you know that wouldn’t really do much of anything in the long run. Kind had potential to be a decent person, and yeah she messed up but it was on something she didn’t even think of at first since most people here are so open with each other. It wasn’t likely going to impact her interacting with someone else, she’d still probably act the same she did with Luke intially, as casual as possible. But she was more cautious with Luke now, even so much so as to stay a distance from him and yet he still had something to bark about.

She waited for his temper to die out before chatting up with him again. “Listen kid, I’m sorry for like, intruding your space. But you need to know that the way you’re acting won’t let you last long here. You’re gonna need connections. Being a hermit can get you so far.” Gods know what would have happened to this guy if it was someone else who ran into him too.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   
    "Wh-? The hell does my looks have to do with anything?" Luke cocked a brow seeming just utterly flabbergasted by this woman. Now, if Luke had been a braggart or a narcissist, he could understand why she'd say that. But he didn't mention his appearance at all during this interaction. For all he knew, this was just an out of the blue statement with no real instigator. If she was referring to the brain statement, that was... just a general statement on how he looks dumber than he is. So... was she saying he was... better than his looks? I technically insulted my own appearance so is she... complimenting my attitude?? Why??? His expression contorted into one of intense confusion as he spoke "Thank you for the... compliment??"

    He let out an irritated sigh and simply pressed his hand to his face. The young man stood there like that for a long while, just trying to comprehend what the fuck was happening here. He was just... lost and confused right now he didn't understand anything anymore. 

    Luke.exe has stopped working.

    The black haired boy stopped for a second and turned to say something... then fell quiet again and returned to pressing his hand to his face. All he had felt during this whole time was nothing but irritation and frustration. It seems like his brain finally overheated and fried itself from being overloaded for so long. 

    His hand lowered ever so slightly when he heard her... er... 'apology'... enough to reveal his eyes, giving a flat, cold gaze. The young man let her ramble on about how he was living his life completely wrong, and that everything he was doing was wrong and terrible, and how his terribleness wasn't going to work out for him in the long wrong. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Same shit, different day. 

    "I was doing just fine before you came around, no problems, no muss, no fuss, so already you're wrong. It's my life, and I'll choose how I live it. I function perfectly on my own, and people who complain, like you for instance, only come around to make my life hell once in a blue moon." Luke turned to face her fully, tossing the device up and down in his hand. "And being a hermit would imply that I never leave my house what's so ever, so, already that's incorrect." 

    "You've seen my shit before? Fine, good, great for you. Round of applause. One issue though." Luke put a hand on his hip, glowering at the woman. "I'm not them. I know it's easy to forget, but people are different. That's the great thing about having individuality. Just because one thing happened to person A doesn't mean the same things are going to happen to person B. Situational context and personal experiences define the person and their story, history doesn't. Well, unless there's a piece of history that slots into said context, but that's why it's called situational context. Oh, and before you cut in with 'I know' I'll counter that with fucking act like it, then." 

    "What do you even want with me? If it's to be a guide or some shit like that, you can rightly fuck off with that. I don't need it." Luke let out a grunt and stopped tossing the gizmo, instead letting his arm fall back to his side with it in his hand. "And if you're just going to keep telling me how to live my life, then I'll have to stop you right there. You won't get far."

    Luke wasn't boiling with white-knuckled rage anymore, but he was still moderately irritated. He just wanted a nice day without anyone bugging him. The hell is this bitch's problem? He wondered bitterly. Is there some sort of mechanical failure in her head that broke the logic parameters in her programming? Cus god damn, I wouldn't mind knocking her upside the head to fix that. He sighed, knowing full well that wouldn't do shit against a god.

    Then again, made for a good punching bag. 

[[God] - Nike]

Nike just squinted. Either this kid was dumb or trying to twist something and she wasn't sure. He wasn't really even all that attractive to Nike. Although that might be because there was more in play in her preferences than Luke's not-so-dashing looks. She simply shrugged about his lifestyle remark. Suits himself, she warned him and he's totally free to live how he wants. Issue is, the way he chooses to live might piss of the wrong person to the point where it'd look like he never existed in the first place. 


"What do I want with you?" Nike let out a laugh. "You seemed interesting is all, thought I'd learn more about you and you've certainly been teaching more." She wasn't really all that high spirited about this though. Actually, she wanted to dent some metal when she got home, this boy's outbursts were ridiculous. She shrugged and turned to walk off, giving him a passive wave as she began her leave. So far, the kid seemed like a lost cause. Well, it was interesting to meet someone so spiky in one of the most chill areas while it lasted.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   
    Luke had gone back to fiddling with the gizmo for the time being, continuing to inspect it and planning out how he would restore the device. It was actually in shockingly good condition. The rust, while it had looked pretty damning before, really wasn't caked on as badly as he thought. The whole process would probably take him less than a day. Hell, maybe a few hours, really. Just depended on how terrible the bolts and screws and all those shits wanted to be. The way he had his back tilted gave off a more protective stance, obviously still not trusting her not fucking with it again, but not being overly obvious about it. 

    He listened to her speak, and mused on her calling him interesting. Out of all the names he'd been called, interesting had never been one of them. Especially after he'd gone off on someone like he had with Nike. Luke didn't see anything special in himself, but sure, he was interesting. He was one hundred and ten percent a unique and totally interesting individual...

    For an asshole.

    "I don't see anything too special to be interested in." Luke mused, scratching off a bit of dirt from the gizmo. "Honestly, not all that attractive- average at best- and aside from any techy bullshit, I'm painfully plain. Hell, even said techy shit isn't that special. Just stupidly amusing for amusing sake. Buuut..." 

    Luke grinned as Nike turned her back to him. Slipping the gizmo back into the bag, he slid his free hand into a jacket pocket and gripped onto a small object. I know I should continue to get involved in this, and I should just let her leave and part ways instead of causing more mayhem... but fuck me I love mayhem, and there's no way in hell I can pass up such a prime opportunity to get payback.

    With a flick of his wrist, Luke chucked a small puck towards the back of Nike's neck, while pulling out an equally small device. He didn't know if it would hit, especially given her amazing ability to teleport all over the place, like when he was trying to get the device back and body checked a wall. 

    Side note, that still hurt a bit.

    Internally, as the puck soared, Luke would repeat 'don't miss' over and over again as it closed in on the (hopefully still unsuspecting) woman. If he was lucky, and scored a direct hit, sticking the puck to the base of her neck, then before she could react, his thumb would hit a big red button on the second device, labeled 'DAB' in large white letters.
    
    Now, considering her ability to magic items into her hands, Luke was really hoping that he would be able to depress the button fully before she could remove it with the power of godly bullshit. He needed this, he needed this so bad right now just because of how utterly stupid it was, and how fucking hilarious it was going to be. 

    If everything went right, and she didn't dodge, and didn't remove it, then that small device, nicknamed Dab-Bot Jr, would send a wave of directed electricity, painlessly stimulating her muscles and causing them to tense, contract, etc and forcing her in to the sickest dab of the fucking millennia. A dab so fucking powerful it would bring tears to the eyes of the innocent with how fucking radical it was, only rivaled by the god tier, world obliteration amazing dabs he banged out. 

    A dab so beautiful, that it would bring tears to Luke's eyes... as he laughed his absolute ass off. Considering if everything went according to plan, he would be left doubled over, laughing so hard he would be struggling to actually breathe. An all powerful god, forced to hit a sick nasty dab in public thanks to a tiny puck named 'Dab-Bot Jr.' If that wasn't an amazing fucking meme, then there wasn't even a reason to live anymore.

    Now, in the case of him missing however, either with it skipping off from a well-timed dodge or from her taking it off, he would return quickly to staring at the gizmo before she could look back at him, not giving any physical sign that he was the one to throw it, and playing off any disappointment by making it look as though there might have been an imperfection in the device he was currently tending to. But god, he would be so sad if he failed. 

[[God] - Nike]

Really, Nike would have to credit Fenris for teaching her so well in the arts of war and combat. Him and Pyrion both had reflexes like cats on cocaine. Hearing Luke chanting it to himself was more than enough for Nike to twist around and spin on her prosthetic peg, and ducking down. The little puck soaring over her. But it wasn't a total loss on Luke's end, for Nike had done a dab to dodge the dabbot itself. "Boom, goteem.", she said, tilting her head so she was staring directly at Luke. "Not sure was that was, but you gotta up your ambush game." She got back up and looked around to see a tiny puck sitting on the soil. Seriously, what is that thing?

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   
    Well, seeing as he was already caught... there was no reason to keep the disappointment off his face. Luke muttered and grumbled under his breath and he miserably went back to fiddling with the Gizmo, teasing one of the old bolts until he managed to brute force it out of its rusted housing. The young man looked it over and tsk'ed, giving a sigh and slowly putting it back into place, just for safe keeping for the time being. 

    "Mmmhm..." Luke waved his hand dismissively at Nike's comment on ambushes or whatever it was. Really, the dabbing god thing was kinda funny, but it was over shadowed by his bad luck and terrible aim. Would have been real satisfying if he hit that throw. Who was he kidding, there wasn't a chance in hell he, a non-magic techy, was going to compete with a god. Even besides her being a fucking god, her magical power was far more than just some fuck-off mage. But that's why it would have been so satisfying and exciting to succeed. 

    Hope was poison though. He knew that. Even in something so stupidly little, expecting success was moronic on his part. Luke knew better. He shouldn't have expected so much. Just should have shut up and let her go on instead of trying. 

    Meanwhile, poor dab bot Jr. laid pitifully on the ground. The side that would have stuck to Nike had grabbed up a bunch of dirt. No doubt Luke would have to replace that pad when he got home, but otherwise, it was perfectly fine. Nice, smooth, injection molded plastic, a blue LED glowing to show it was on standby, and the words 'Dabby-boi [JR]' stenciled onto its upper surface. The side of the shell had a tiny emblem, like a seal or a brand. An inventors signature?

    Flashing back to Luke, the young man had gone back to burying himself into planning to make up for the crushing disappointment, muttering under his breath different plans and debating which chemicals he might need to properly restore the device. Really, he was talking as much as a whole committee as he muttered, debated, argued, and confirmed all under his breath. 

    The only pause in this display came when he started moving the device around, inspecting it more closely as the young man scanned the shell for a serial number. "Early development or late development? I wonder..." 

    Luke seemed to perk up after a moment, rubbing away a finer layer of rust. His silver eyes read the numbers, and then just to confirm it to himself he read it again, this time reading them off aloud, whispering to himself as he did so. He was talking to himself, sure, but he wasn't going to be super loud about it. It's almost as though he forgot completely about poor Dab-bot Jr, sitting dejectedly in the dirt.