BUCKY(?) CATCH ALL

[laid]

[Placeholder until I think of a meme]

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week 1, post trial

[frostythehitman]

[ Once everyone clears out after the trial, he tracks Raven down to the inn's lobby. ]

Hey. I need to talk to you. In private.

[laid]

[Yeah, this much he did expect.]

Yeah, figured at least one of the two of ya would.
[Especially after the bonus lore he spilled in front of everyone.]

I think Hikaru's still at the planetarium, so our room oughta be empty?
[Carless Whisper resumes playing but louder this time as Raven invites Bucky to his room.]

[frostythehitman]

[ waggles eyebrows suggestively as he follows Raven into their room. Once they are safely alone, he opens his mouth to say something but finds himself unsure of what to say for a few moments, until he finally settles on: ]

So...you good?

[laid]

[That's valid. There's a lot to unpack after the last trial.]

Yer gonna have ta be more specific there, Chad.

[frostythehitman]

I meant with whatever you've got going on around here. [ He gestures vaguely at his chest. ]

[laid]

[Ah, good, the easy one.]

Oh, the heart blastia? Yeah, that's been there fer ten years now. I'm mostly used to it.

[frostythehitman]

[ Well. Vezda didn't want to assume he'd be willing to talk about it, so he was keeping it vague. But now it seems like Raven is pretty chill, and he IS curious, soooooo... ]

What's it do? Is it like one of those mechanical hearts? Keeps the body working even though the original organ failed?

[laid]

Something like that? My real heart's destroyed, but this thing [He taps his chest where the device is.] keeps things going. It uses my own life energy instead of aer to keep going, that's why it's still working, I figure.

[Once the cats out of the bag he might as well give the logistics!!]

[frostythehitman]

[ He nods. He doesn't get all the specifics--what the fuck is aer?--but it's clear enough for him. ]

That have anything to do with that whole "I'm already dead" thing you mentioned earlier?

[laid]

What do you think?

[NO BUCKY, HE ACTUALLY SURVIVED HIS HEART BEING DESTROYED, DYING WAS ANOTHER THING.]

[frostythehitman]

I think I've seen a lot of people survive a lot of crazy stuff. I'm not in the habit of making assumptions.

But alright, sure, I get it.

So you've been dead for ten years, then?

[laid]

Well, I dunno if I'd put it like that. I was dead fer just a few days, really.
[He's... alive right now, technically??? He's pretty sure.]

But yeah, it's been ten years just about, since I died.

[frostythehitman]

[ Oooohhhhh, he gets it now.

He nods, as though satisfied by this somehow. ]

Well, in that case, welcome to the dead guys' club.

[laid]

Since when are you in it?

[Being frozen is clearly different from dying.]

[frostythehitman]

Since 75 years ago.

...and 10 years ago.

[laid]

....

[Squints]

Ya gonna explain that or just leave it a big mystery?

[frostythehitman]

[ shrugs casually ]

I died twice and got brought back both times. Not much of a mystery.

[laid]

Someone was real invested in havin' a freezable hitman, huh?

[frostythehitman]

First time around, yeah. Second time around, I wasn't doing the hitman thing anymore. That time I got revived by some friends with connections.

[laid]

[Hm. Sounds a bit similar to his situation, though the second death wasn't literal and wasn't technically him, so he won't bring it up.]

Must be nice ta have friends willing ta stick their necks out for ya like that.

[frostythehitman]

...well, I'm not gonna lie and say it isn't.

[laid]

Me, I've got friends who line up ta smack me after I save their lives.

[Feels like there's a piece missing in the story here.]

[frostythehitman]

They don't sound very friendly to me.

[ Even Vezda can tell there's some missing info here. ]

[laid]

Yer tellin' me! And then Yuri goes and says ta me I ain't allowed ta die because my life "belongs" to their guild now. The gall of it all.

[Hm.]

[frostythehitman]

[ Hm indeed. ]

You know, that's pretty much exactly what I got thrown in the freezer for for decades. Anyone who talks like that deserves to get their ass kicked.