Phillip stands outside The High Visionary's headquarters. Dressed more casually in jean and a red sci-fi graphic tee in place of his usual field clothes, it's clear from his appearance he's got the rest of the day off. A bag of farm grown produce is tucked under his arm, mostly aubergines, but some other stuff as well. Why did he even bring a housewarming gift to a cult leader? This is why people are telling him he's naive.
He takes a deep steadying breath as he looks at the building for a while as the conflicting things he's been told replay in his mind. Everyone urging him to stay away and be careful™, and even knowing what this cult did the Thomas and Gemma and their son... it's keeping him from knocking on the door. But he's here already and curiosity killed the cat. The evil High Visionary he's heard about and Dillion he met on the street seem similar enough, he should be scared away, but he's always had a knack for sticking himself into other people's business.
(@assistant-and-lover)
Does Leila or Dillion spot Phillip first I wonder?
The shirt he's wearing is based off a real one I own, it says "This is my lucky red shirt" with the Starfleet logo on it. He's in danger.
He spots Phillip from where he’s stood on the balcony of the building. He can’t help but smile to himself. The man has even brought a gift, how thoughtful.
Dillon sighs to himself and turns to look over his shoulder.
“Put something decent on will you, and perhaps go and greet our new guest.”
Leila looks up from where she’s sitting in the room behind him and nods, much more reserved than before.
“Of course High Visionary.” She quickly finds some simple white robes and leaves the room.
She closes the door behind her and takes a deep breath, putting on the metaphorical mask.
She walks down the winding stairs, through the hall and to the door. She composes herself again and walks out and up to the gates, smiling warmly though it does reach her eyes.
“Hello, The High Visionary welcomes you, I’m his second in command, my name’s Leila. “
[Congratulations, Jackson is now stuck bandaging a wounded, suicidal, and half emotionless woman. The last trait seems to be wearing off the longer she's in this shit show though.
She's quiet. Even as the world comes back to her grasp, as she knows she's alive and in reality. Tears streaked her face, but her expression is stone cold again. Was it the pain or the betrayal that hurt her more?]
// @ask-professorautumnmaple
I hope you know that wasn’t your fault.
[Jackson continued to bandage her.]
His worldview was falling apart, and he was acting on his own twisted logic. That is not your fault, it is Giovanni’s and Valeria’s.
[Once he finished bandaging Norway, he stepped back.]
You seem to be taking this similarly, albeit less radically.
[Warnings: Death, lots of blood, themes of worship, heavy angst and implied manipulation! Proceed with caution!]
Thin strings looped tightly around his wrists, suspending him in the abyss. He swayed lazily in the air, watching and waiting for something to happen. He wasn’t too sure where he was or why he was even here. He was sure Tobias had something to do with this. Was this where he’d finally be freed like it had promised him? Had it found the gods, Daemon and Apollo? Was this accursed realm where he’d finally be returned to a normal life? Free to write to his heart’s content, free to live out the average life he never got, free from the ever watching eyes of the god he’s done everything for. Everything. He’d given his mind, his body, hell, Tobias practically owned his soul.
The strings unraveled from their spot, letting him plummet into the dark space he was previously dangled over. His heart jumped in his chest, beats skipping and jumbling over and into each other. A cry of static left the speaker on his head, sharp and loud. He landed on solid ground, collapsing to his knees with the air punched out of his lungs. His tail quivered as his chest heaved. In and out. In and out. He had to breathe manually with the shock of it all. In, out, in, out, in and out. His legs ached and he still had the adrenaline rush from the fall. He held a clawed hand over his heart, feeling out his own heartbeat. It was a rapid and sporadic rhythm, a constant, fast paced thumping that made his head spin. It took him a while to get back to his senses. The second he was able to focus again, he felt around his platform. He quickly realized it was incredibly cramped. One wrong step could land with him toppling off the edge and falling much longer than he originally had. He settled on sitting directly in the middle of it after that discovery.
“Boris Madden.” The familiar voice of the messenger god sent shivers down his spine, a contorted, twisted comfort nestling deep in his bones. He’d grown to trust it. He’d learned that all his fighting had been for nothing. Him and Tobias had wanted the same thing all along. Freedom. Some strange force left him unable to respond, as if his voice box was on mute and his mouth was glued shut. He dipped into a half bow instead, hoping to please Tobias with a simple gesture.
“I have one final request before you achieve your desires. One simple little task. You can handle it, correct?” Boris nodded as fast as he could. He was so close to his goal. He just needed to listen to it one more time and he’d be free. Just once more and he can live in peace.
“Tear open your chest and dig out your heart. A two for one deal, truly, the final sacrifice you need to make and I get to check the purity of it in the process. It’s simple, is it not?” Caught off guard, he nodded a bit more hesitantly this time. What if he died before he could succeed? Surely Tobias would bring him back. Fill out it’s end of the deal. Surely he’d make it. He just needed to suffer for a few seconds and it would all be over. Tobias wouldn’t lie to him after all of this, right?
“I’ll leave you to it. Don't fail me now, vessel.” The voice left and Boris was left in utter silence yet again. Guess he should get to work. He shuffled out of his tattered, bloodstained shirt, letting it flop to the floor of the platform with a gross squelching sound.
He dragged his clawed fingers down the front of his chest, as if plotting out where he needed to cut to open himself up. One steady breath in and a quick slash and blood poured down his front. Pain spread like a wildfire, he found himself looking through blurry vision at his own blood covered talons. Another slash and he’d managed to strike bone, leaving him with a gaping wound running down the span of his ribcage. His breathing grew shallow, red flowing steadily from him and pooling onto the platform below him. He needed to work quickly. He was bound to pass out soon. He just needed to prevail. He just needed to get to his heart.
He carefully took his own hands, separating the small flaps he had created out of the gash. He reached into his own chest, claws sliding between the gaps in his ribs. He felt around for a while, prodding around at different organs, allowing more blood to gush onto his arms and hands. He found it soon enough. His own heart. It’s beat was slow and choppy, trying to keep him alive and preserve energy. His head felt light, pain seared through all of his nerves, almost being enough to stop him. He took the sensitive organ into his hand, feeling around for where it was connected to his body. Another slash was all it took for him to peel it out of himself.
He drew his hand back out, looking down, foggy eyed, at the pulsating heart in his hands. He knew he was going to die by now. He had accepted that fate the moment he took this request seriously. He turned the organ in his hand before setting it down. He settled down onto his knees, hands clasped together in prayer as the life drained from his body. His tail wagged weakly behind him, blissfully unaware that this was the end for him. The shadows crept over his vision and Boris Madden lay dead in a puddle of his own blood.
His last thoughts were those of worship for the one who caused this. His last dreams of freedom would never find him. He had been set up after all. A god of Tobias’ nature wasn’t afraid to make deals only to get it’s way. Boris had truly believed it was going to bring him back. Bring him back like how he used to be. A normal human. A normal human with a normal life that was ripped away from him. He would never get to live it out now. It was too late for him. Farewell, Boris.
@deltanerd24601
@sewagedrainrat
i thought both of ya asked t be tagged? sorry if not my bad </3
There was no promises broken, only a poor person who lost their life.
That's what they all say. It's never true. I'm not stupid. I'm not. I'm not. I- I'm smarter than this. I'm not believing 6our stupid lies! I'm not! I'm not going to! I- I don't even care, anyways! I- I never did. Never will. A-Archer can rot in that- stupid flesh pit for all I care! It doesn't matter. He- He never mattered. Not to me. Not to me. I- I don't care. I don't care. I. Don't. Care. I dont and i never will. J-Juet like I wa supposed to just like cyrus ordered. i dont care. I don't care. because it's bad to care. Imperfection is bad. And im not bad so that means I don't care. A doesn't matter Indont matter only the new world he'll create matters that's all nothing else-
Here have this unedited thing for my Gone Girl au that I just finished writing at like 3am <3
CW: implied abuse, manipulation, torture and mind control. Someone dies (lmk if there's anything else I need to warn for)
-
gone girl au
Garmadon poured out the tea in a circle, watching as a portal slowly formed in front of him. It was time to finally get his little brother back. Too late. You're too late. Much too late. Voices whispered in his mind, doubt creeping up his neck as he stepped through the whirlwind of colours and magic.
And right into the UnderWorld, where his brother had banished himself with his wife almost two decades ago. Too late. You're too late. Much too late. He had never understood why Wu had banished himself rather than Garmadon, when Garmadon was the one bitten with venom coursing through his veins. Still, that is what had happened, and now he was finally here to bring his brother back, even if it'd mean he'd have to stay here instead.
It was quiet where Garmadon stepped through, a faint red light in the distance that he quickly made his way towards, four hands fidgeting nervously. He had no idea what to expect anymore, not since he'd felt Wu's own Oni be let out. Why that had happened, or anything else during those twenty years they'd been apart, he didn't know either.
Too late. You're too late. Much too late.
The red light turned out to be coming from an underground cave, Wu and his wife sitting by a table and eating dinner together, chatting happily. Something about it felt off though, so Garmadon moved closer, hiding behind the cave walls to observe. Wu almost looked human from this angle, and for a moment Garmadon thought the connection to Wu's oni was faulty, that he was wrong, but then his brother moved and a long deep purple horn caught in the red light, a hand with twisted claws reaching out, so similar to his own pair of horns and claws. So it was really true then, but why? What had caused this? He hid more behind the wall, listening to the voices coming from down below, listening to the small talk and random conversations between the two, but once again something seemed off and he furrowed his eyebrows. He and Misako had always been open with their affections, even after the venom had completely taken over him, always made sure to let each other know they were loved through it all. It was something both Garmadon and Misako held on tightly too, something that helped him feel.. not quite as cursed. But here, listening to his brother and his wife, there was absolutely nothing of that, no declarations of love, no pet names, no 'how was your day's or 'how are you's, no nothing. There wasn't even any of the small actions he was so used to with Misako. Granted, Garmadon knew Wu's wife was different from his own, and had known this for quite a long time, but this? He peaked out from the wall again, finding the table empty and his brother moving away towards a corner out of sight.
Too late. You're too late. Much too late.
Something must be done, and that something soon. Garmadon moved, creeping closer towards the entrance of the cave as he kept listening to the noises from the inside. The sound of chains clanking together got his attention, head whipping towards the sound as he focused. There it was again, more chains clanking and rustling, something being locked with a click and a low whine abruptly cut short by a strangling sound like someone was being choked. He slowly began moving again.
"I know you're there." The voice of Wu's wife echoed through the cave, bouncing off the walls, "Stop sneaking around and get over here."
Well, there wasn't much point in staying hidden any longer if she already knew he was there, besides it would be easier to read the situation if he was inside the cave. Garmadon stepped forth, stopping a few metres from the entrance inside. Wu's wife stood in front of him, hands on her hips as she glared at him with an aura that made her feel taller than even himself, but this is not what he focused on. No, what he focused on was his brother chained to the far-off wall, snarling and growling one second, whining and screaming the next, pulling on the chains that kept him there with an aggressiveness Garmadon knew more from himself than ever from his brother. Was this really Wu? This man so far away from what Garmadon had ever known him to be, or did the venom in his veins twist his perspective so badly he couldn't even truly remember his own brother? He turned to look at his brother's wife again and thought, no. The brother I know from before this marriage is different from the brother I know after. This woman ruined him in ways only the venom could ruin me.
The woman noticed Garmadon looking at the man chained to the wall and clicked her tongue, "He's become so violent, you see," she started, voice velvety, "I had no choice but this. Surely you understand, with you both being cursed by that hideous snake."
"What did you do to him?" The anger and fury inside threatened to once more take over, Garmadon barely restraining himself to not let it, "What did you do to my brother?"
She tilted her head to the side, a small smile on her lips, "Nothing he didn't deserve," and without turning around she continued, "Husband, quiet down."
It was the order in it, followed by the way his brother immediately complied that made him see red, the anger too much to contain any longer.
When he came to, all he could see was something red on the floor and all he could hear was the piercing scream of something feral in pain, agony and terror in one. It took several minutes for him to realise the red on the floor was blood, that Wu's wife was now laying dead on the other side of the cave and that the screaming was coming from Wu himself, trashing in the chains until they broke.
"Wu!" Garmadon tried, repeating the name several times yet his brother kept on screaming, writhing around on the floor in pain and clawing at the stone floor, "Wu!!!"
No matter what he tried, nothing got through to his brother, no amount of shaking or snapping fingers or attempts to comfort, nothing worked. Not even his attempts to muffle the screams with his four hands worked, Wu's screams still echoing through the cave, cutting into his heart. Until, far too long of screaming, Wu just collapsed, like a heap of ragdoll on the floor he fell. For a few seconds, Garmadon stood frozen, staring at his brother before finally moving, carefully picking him up. They could sort this out back at home, away from this place that reeked of death and an evil as bad as The Great Devourer. Wu was much lighter than he could remember, a long white tangled beard covering most of his body like a messy blanket. (He almost seemed to be the same age as Garmadon himself now, a fact he'd more properly think through later. He hoped this was untrue, that he hadn't really been too late.)
With Wu still in his arms, Garmadon left the cave behind to begin the long trek home, but barely had he left the mountain with the cave when Wu began twisting and writhing in pain again, cries and screams speaking volumes of his agony. It had begun suddenly, like a switch being turned on, from one step to the other and Garmadon paused, taking a few testing steps backwards. Wu stopped instantly. Furrowing his eyebrows, Garmadon took a few steps forward again and immediately, Wu began crying in pain again. For a few moments, Garmadon stepped back and forth, trying to figure out what could have caused this change in behaviour and with his brother still unconscious, there wasn't too much to do.
As he stood there, thinking of what to do next, he realised Wu was screaming words too. Names. Mainly the one of his wife. He… supposed someone good would allow a more proper farewell to their spouses, and his family did make him want to try and be good again. With a heavy sigh, Garmadon turned back to the cave and threw Wu's wife over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes before returning the journey home.
This time Wu didn't scream of pain a single time.
(Later, he'd find out the wife had spelled his brother from the very first day, made it completely impossible for Wu to ever refuse her. He'd find out, together with Misako over the course of the following months, his brother was forever attached to the wife that had so completely ruined him. He'd find out, one late night a few weeks after getting Wu back home, the wife had forced the oni out of his brother, tortured him for days. He'd find out Wu had lost everything to this woman, even the control of his own body and voice, the remnants of his mind left shattered.
And for each thing Garmadon would find out, the less he'd come to regret killing the wife, instead only wishing he'd done it slower and more painful.)
(But for now, he was making his way home, happy to have his brother back into his life.)
Written by:
@heroes-villains-side-blog★@tratieisdabest★@just-a-space-rabbit
TW:Implied toxicity, Implied manipulation, and Implied toxic relationship
☰☲☷★☷☲☰
The old classroom was filled with the sounds of keyboards and hushed conversations.
Lukas, the youngest student there, was sitting in the back corner talking with some classmates while they completed their notes for the day.
His friend, roommate, and longtime tech rival, Elliot, was just about to get to the punchline of the overdramatized ‘adventure’ he and Lukas had been on the week prior, when a student walked up to them.
“Hi, are you Lukas Aelius?” they asked.
“Yeah, he is! And who are you?” Elliot huffed, annoyed his punchline had been halted.
“Professor Andaka told me to give you this,'' the student handed Lukas a note, not sparing a glance at Elliot.
“Professor Andaka?” Elliot yelled in a mocking tone. “That weirdo who’s so busy studying Aura that he forgets that he’s a teacher? What does he want with Lukas? He’s not even his student!” The student just shrugged at his questions before leaving.
Lukas, who had remained quiet, looked down at the note. It was true that he was not technically part of Andaka’s classes, but that never stopped him from sitting in and listening in on them anyway. But Elliot didn't need to know that.
Lukas looked down at the note which was just a piece of paper ripped out from a notebook, with some text in a wobbly handwriting.
"Hello Mr. Aelius, hope you had an egg-cellent holiday. Would you please do me the kindness of visiting me in my office after your class at 16:30?
Kind regards,
Professor E. G. Andaka”
Lukas had just started wondering what Professor Andaka could possibly want him for when, “Oooohhh! Someone’s in trouble!” Elliot teased.
Lukas gave him a light shove, “It’s just an invitation!” he said, placing the note and the rest of his belongings back in his backpack.
“Yeah, I know that!” Elliot said smugly, rubbing the shoved shoulder, “I mean you're in trouble for being late, since it’s already 16:28.”
Lukas's eyes shot to the clock by the door which indeed said 16:28, “Shoot!” he muttered under his breath, before bolting out the door.
His departure only elicited an exhausted yell from the teacher, “No running allowed!”
As Lukas was sprinting down the halls, he wondered why Professor Andaka had called him.
Lukas, though only 18, was an engineering student in his final year in university, a field that was nowhere near Andaka’s studies about the human body and the strange inner workings of Aura.
Yes, he had been allowed to sit in on his classes but that was only out of, well… personal reasons.
He opened the front door of the tech building and looked in the direction of Andaka's office. He quickened his pace as he ran over the January snow that was blanketing the ground. It was fresh enough that he didn't have to worry about ice, and there was barely even a crunch as he rushed over it.
Reaching the first step to the Aura building, he slowed down, panting heavily. The building laid silent in front, the dark stone bathed in the orange and red of the setting sun, a stark contrast to the white snow surrounding it. After collecting himself, he walked up and into the building's shadow.
It took some time to find Professor Andaka's office. After asking the janitor for directions, and walking past it twice due to its confusing placement, Lukas finally knocked on the door.
At once, there was a sound of something hard hitting the ground with a loud thud, followed by hasty footsteps. “AH! Mr. Aelius, you're here!” said a soft-spoken voice as the door opened up revealing the professor.
“I’m so sorry! I got the message late and then —”
“Oh, no need to worry! Truly, it is perfectly fine. You are here, and that is what matters,” the professor said, welcoming Lukas in.
Inside, Lukas was immediately hit with the strong smell of coffee. The office might have been of decent size to the average professor, but to Andaka? Well, papers and books mingled with old and new machine parts. Several cups of coffee were spread around the room, likely the source of the strong smell. There were books on chairs, coats on bookshelves. Even the cute little vase with a single flower in it had been covered with multi-colored sticky notes. And almost like a wash over a painting, the room was submerged in the small amount of orange sunlight slipping past the blinds. It was a mess all around, and yet… Lukas took an instant liking to the room.
“Now,” Andaka clapped his hands together, “I have seen you sitting in on some of my classes about Aura and its history before, but I don’t think we have formally introduced ourselves. So, hello. I’m Professor Egor G. Andaka,” he said with a grin, holding out his hand. Lukas took it, and introduced himself back.
“Now, you may be wondering why I brought you here today. And not to worry it’s not just for a cup of coffee!” he laughed at his own joke, a habit Lukas found a bit silly but endearing. “Ahem. Sorry. No, I asked you here for something special!”
Special? Lukas wondered, why would the professor invite him for something special?
“I heard that your studies are going well, yes?” Andaka suddenly asked, catching Lukas off guard.
“Huh? Oh, yes, they’re going great! But not easy though.”
“Well, what's the point of studying if it’s easy?” Andaka chuckled “Still, though, good that you’re doing well. For I have an opportunity for you here. See that on my desk?” He pointed to a highly secured box.
Lukas had completely missed it in all the chaos. “What is it?” he said as he began moving closer. Andaka grinned as he got to the box, “It arrived this morning, I wanted you to be the first person I show it to,” Andaka smiled as he opened the box.
There was an instant change in the room. It felt colder, the warm sunlight was instantly drowned out by the bright blue light coming from a small oval object placed securely in the box. “This, Mr. Aelius, is the Ekalf zaar ruhatama e wafiz, an ancient relic with an ancient name from a bygone era.”
“Wow,” was all that Lukas was able to say. Staring at the relic, he felt a rush of questions flow up at once, “How did you- What is- Why?!” uncompromising questions were all that he could get out, far too curious and shocked to be intelligible.
“Easy, now! I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but you only have one head!” Andaka laughed.
Lukas didn't feel like laughing at his joke.
“As I said, this is an ancient relic and little is known about how or why it was made,” Andaka emphasised the last part of the sentence, making Lukas ponder more over the strange object. “Its name means 'holder of a thousand souls', and it is believed to be able to separate an Aura from its body,” he said, picking up the egg and turning it in his hand.
“Godness!” Lukas exclaimed. “Why would you hold it?”
“Don’t worry! There's no danger while the relic is in its current state,” he said, before handing it over to Lukas, who took it after a few moments of hesitation. It felt like he expected, cold to the touch, but as he got closer to it, the beauty of it finally struck him.
As he turned it around, the insides seemed to shift and move, almost like a liquid. Were there really souls in there? The thought sent shivers up his spine, but there was one more question he had. “What is it you want this, um… this relic for, exactly?”
“Well, I’m glad you asked!” Andaka beamed, clapping his hands together. “Well, first of all, I have gone and officially changed the name of the relic from Ekalf zaar ruhatama e wafiz to the easier and improved name: The Emanation And Growth Genesis.”
“The Emanation and — wow! That's not an easy name either!” Lukas said, finally moving his eyes away from the relic and back to the professor.
“No, it isn't.” Andaka chuckled, “But that name was only chosen so we can use the much superior abbreviation for it."
Lukas stood still as he began to think out loud, "Abbreviation? The Emanation, growth, gene — EGG! YOU NAMED IT EGG?! You renamed a legendary and dangerous relic 'EGG'?” he exclaimed, not sure what to feel. Granted it was kind of egg shaped, but still, something so legendary. It was just… madness to call it that.
"Yes, yes, my new dear friend,” Andaka said as he gave Lukas a hard pat on the shoulder. “Maybe that name wasn't all it was… cracked up to be. I was egg-xercising my right to improve the longevity of this relic by giving it a name fit for the modern age. Also, it's my research so I do not need to walk on any eggshells around it."
Lukas stared at him with his mouth open.
"Anyway," the professor pivoted, like he hadn't just altered the course of history for the sake of goofy puns.
Respect, Lukas thought.
"I'm currently working on plans to build a machine that can activate the EGG's abilities. The hope is that we can control it, and be able to safely remove people's superpowers!"
"You want to use it to remove powers?!” Lukas froze at the words, “Isn't that… like, villainous, and unethical?"
"Oh, we won't be removing powers against their will! No, no! This will be entirely ethical, Mr Aelius. I have partnered with the Aura committee who will be overseeing the project and that it will all be handled safely.”
“Yes, but… removing a part of someone’s Aura? A literal part of their soul?” Lukas bit his lower lip, this felt wrong. But Andaka placed a reassuring hand on Lukas’s shoulder.
“Some powers are scary, Mr. Aelius. Dangerous, even." He said in a careful tone. "Those born with powers and those born without have no say in the gifts given to them, and there should be no shame letting them give the gift away.”
Lukas felt his stomach twist at the words, knowing too well about unwanted gifts. “But what if they want the powers, but… er, others do not?” he asked.
“The machine is only for people who do not wish to have powers themselves, and it is entirely their choice. Neither you nor me nor the Hero Agency gets to have a say in it. Not even your parents"
Lukas nearly dropped the EGG, “You know?!” he yelped.
“Mr Aelius. Your mother is a well-known elder in the hero agency, and your father is a Desolite guardian. I may not have powers of my own, but I have a keen eye. I have seen the way you seem to disappear in the shadows — what a fantastic power!”
Lukas was completely bewildered. No one apart from Elliot knew about his powers. “You may think they are fantastic,” he said with a defeated tone, “but, my parents disagree. They only see them as a bad omen and would rather have me be born without them.”
“Bad omen?!” Andaka spat, “There is no scientific proof that a person's powers mean any such thing! And no power is inherently good or bad!” Andaka stopped himself from talking further.
“Sorry about that. I dislike people who forget that Aura is not some mythical thing that brings good or bad fortune." Andaka turned and placed his hand on both of Lukas’s shoulders, and looked into his eyes "Now, Lukas. Please tell me. Do you like your powers?” he said softly.
There was a meek “yes” from Lukas.
“Then that power is yours, and it is a part of you.” Andaka said in a soft tone. “And no one should ever take it away from you. But to get this conversation back to the EGG," he said, before they both dropped their gaze to examine the artefact again, "For some people, their powers do not feel like a part of themselves. They do not feel that their power is theirs.”
"Do such people exist?" Lukas wondered aloud.
"All types of people exist, Mr. Aelius. And some people would want to remove their powers for a whole wide range of reasons. Maybe their powers are awfully inconvenient. Or, as I previously stated, they might be dangerous. It can also just be a personal choice for reasons that are not ours to know."
Lukas nodded. He finally understood Andaka’s vision. He understood completely. And his respect for Professor Andaka only grew. But there was only one question he had left. “Professor Andaka? Why are you telling me all this?”
“Goodness, me! I skipped the first step!” Andaka jumped. “You see, I need a partner!”
“A partner?!” Lukas’s face contorted in confusion; this was the last thing he had imagined him say.
“Yes, I may have a great knowledge about Aura, and trust me, I know a good amount about machine building as well. But I would want to have a partner who can really help with the machinery. But also, you know, have some knowledge about Aura as well." Andaka fixed Lukas with a determined gaze, "And that is where you come in,” Professor Andaka smiled.
Lukas was in shock. “You're giving me a job?” was all that he was able to say.
“YES! You have your final exam in the spring, correct? If you pass it, then you can come here and work for me… that is, if you want of course.” Andaka said as he placed the egg back into the box.
“I would love to!” Lukas almost yelled out, already excited to start.
"Well, I'll be looking forward to breaking a few eggs with you in the future, Lukas. You're as good an egghead as they come. A proper good egg."
Lukas stared for a few seconds, then finally asked the question that had been running through his mind all this time. “Professor… are you hungry? Would you like me to make you some eggs?” Lukas joked.
At that, the professor clearly deflated. His shoulders slumped and his gaze never met Lukas'. “Yes, please. I don't remember the last time I ate, to be perfectly honest.”
…
Meanwhile outside the office window, Elliot grunted to himself as he heard the two making more egg jokes before leaving. “Got yourself a new job with the professor, ey?” he said to himself “I can’t believe you would go behind my back like that! And for that egghead? If you think I'm going to just let you win at everything. Think again!' He clenched his fists and grit his teeth, “Seems like I was too soft. Time for more drastic measures.”
