( semi-open) catch-all for event happenings;

[fakers]

Who: archer (fakers) & various others
What: fall-out from being falsely accused of terrorism
When: october 1 and shortly thereafter
Where: all around olympia
Warning(s): violence, most likely

( catch-all post for event threads. feel free to hit me up here if you'd like to plot anything! )

Comments

zero;

[fakers]

[ it had been a few days since the bombing; days archer had spent on the run, doing his best to avoid anyone with designs on the price on his head. he hasn't always been successful, but he'd at least managed to evade capture so far.

but the longer he remains here, the more dangerous it becomes. the sickness that had begun spreading in the city only seemed to be getting worse: at the very least, it was spreading quickly. the panic it caused would only lead to people becoming more irrational over time. needing someone to blame. someone to martyr.

he knew the pattern well. after all, he'd been victim to it once before. which is why he wouldn't allow himself to get caught unawares again; he knew he needed to get out of the city. and while he hadn't insisted his master accompany him in this flight, she had agreed to do so all the same. she had no particular attachment to this place either. ]

Is this really the best you could come up with?

[ while he'd gauged the defenses of the city walls, at the moment fighting their way out seemed inadvisable. not because it was impossible, but because there was no way to do so without causing unnecessary casualties. for now, he was an unjustly named fugitive... but if he actually took lives to get out of olympia, the price on his head would become more than warranted.

which meant the only way out was... ]

A child could see through this disguise.

[ simply combing his hair down and slapping glasses on him wasn't exactly professional espionage material, but at least he looked different than he did on the wanted posters. ]

And I don't see how pretending to be... a couple... makes this any more effective.

[ though despite his protests, the reasoning was actually quite straightforward: throughout all his time in olympia, archer had always remained something of a loner, a fact that had been circulated to those out looking for him. so while the guards would be looking for him, they'd hardly be looking for two people together... especially since zero wasn't on the listed of wanted criminals. ]

[offtune]

[ it makes sense that they needed to stay close; having gone through the trouble of adjusting to her role as archer's master, it'd would be particularly foolish to let him venture alone. walk beside me, she had told him that night. it should be obvious that it means she would walk beside him as well, despite telling herself that she has no attachment to him... and especially not that god forsaken city—

she had a vision about this, back in that machine— that she'd have to leave eventually. olympia is lucky she didn't need to resort to bloodshed for it.

more ironic is that it's archer who is being pursued by the government. from what she'd heard (and not necessarily directly from him), he'd killed some people, and that helped facilitate the bombings that occurred a couple days prior. it sounds the kind of trouble she would typically get into, but zero had been too weak to partake in all this fun... was she even around at the time?

so they flee. archer talked her out of killing, for the exact reason that these assholes would probably pursue him for the rest of his life. but, the compromise is a shitty cover, and look, zero's not into it either. it's the best they can come up with the limited time they have. ]

You said no killing. [ it's a surprisingly effective disguise. even zero has to occasionally doubletake to see if she's still speaking to the same man. ] So shut the hell up and act like you're my goddamn husband.

[ she holds out her hand. ]

[fakers]

[ really, he just counts himself fortunate that she's cooperating for now. it had taken some effort to convince her that just breaking out wasn't the best of ideas - beyond the long term ramifications, forcing their way through would mean an immediate pursuit. at least for a while. and unlike the olympian guard, they didn't have any means of transportation.

so for the time being, just pretending to... wait what? ]

That wasn't the plan...!

[ it really isn't that dramatic a change - what difference does it make if they're simply pretending to be lovers or a married pair? but he bristles all the same, either due to the last minute change or... something else entirely. but as soon as his initial surprise fades and begins think over it more calmly, he simply takes her hand.

especially since he notices some guards looking in their direction. so he quickly adds under his breath: ]

Just act natural. [ says the guy who looks waaaay too stiff right now. ]

[offtune]

[ she's standing close, so his protest is met with a hard jab of her elbow against his rib, certain to hurt him. ]

Being a fugitive wasn't a part of the plan either, [ whatever plan that is... maybe survive. ] Do you hear me complaining?

[ okay, so maybe she did when she first heard of this, but they're beyond that point now, aren't they? she tries not to roll her eyes when the warmth of his hand finds hers. zero intertwines their fingers, noticing how tight his grip is. and of course, he doesn't appear natural at all. cursing under her breath, she places her free hand against his chest. ]

Are you okay, darling? [ she fucking hates this fake shit, but it worked on four, so — ] You look pale...

[fakers]

[ he winces at the blow, but does his best to hide it. there are still eyes on them, even if they're a bit too far for anyone to really tell what's happening. ]

...fair enough.

[ he does still feel rather bad about that, so for once it's enough to get him to stop protesting. part of him feels she's probably overselling this a bit, but the guards at the gate are starting to get closer, curious about what this pair of weirdos is even doing out here. ]

Yes, I've simply been overworking myself a bit lately. Providing for you isn't easy. [ actually, this isn't even a lie?? which is perhaps why he doesn't sound at all fake as he says it. ] This... vacation will do us both some good.

[offtune]

[ it's fair that the guards would find them strange. zero admits that there is nothing natural about the way they're acting; even holding hands feel like some bizarre kink she's not yet used to, and this coming from someone who's done all sorts of freaky.

it doesn't help that there's no natural chemistry between the two of them; every word he utters just makes her curse under her breath, forced to hide the scowl in her features as she suppresses the instinct to quip right back. ]

We can talk about who provides for who more when we get to our vacation home, [ pause. just let her die. ] ...honey. [ supplying you mana isn't all fun and games either, you ungrateful piece of shit?! zero shifts her attention to the guardkeep then. ] What do you need from us, sir?

[ will she have to kill this guy just to get through the gate... only time will tell. ]

[fakers]

[ the hand holding his feels like a death grip, though that might not be too far from the truth. they aren't holding hands out of affection or anything like that... this truly is a matter of life or death. if the pretense falls apart, there's no telling what might happen here.

though even without that added layer of intensity, he'd likely find the gesture disquieting. ]

You're the one who insisted we purchase this vacation home from that suspicious merchant. [ timeshare scams are everywhere, even in olympia. ] And yet this is the first time we're even using it. [ he pauses, glancing at zero, then at the guards. for whatever reason, everyone seems to be expecting something more. ]

...dear.

[ whether the guards by that or not is questionable, though they at least relax a little bit. if only because they were pretty sure they felt killing intent in the air until just moments ago. ]

As you can see, we're rather anxious to get on the road. Mind letting us go already?

[offtune]

[ there are many reasons why the guard would let them go without so much of a passport; they may have been slacking for the sheer about of nobles who decided to leave the city. with simwe gone, it's only a matter of them before the rest of the civilians will have to leave too. zero is certain that they'd still insist on having either of them provide documentation, and while that would mean the unfortunate end to the guardkeep, it doesn't mean that zero wouldn'td do whatever is possible to spend as a little energy as possible.

she's still not in the best of shape, after all. it would have to be archer who handles the men, and zero isn't entirely sure if he's willing stain his hands with even more blood. he's a difficult man to read, with all his goddamn contradictions. ]

Don't rush him. I'm sure he's seen many others like us. [ zero can't even bring herself to call archer her husband at this point. doesn't suppose the man would care as much. ]

But our daughter did leave before us. She wanted to see her grandmother before she passes away... and it's only a matter of time before she leaves us.

[ zero slips away from archer. this time, there's a flirt in her tone if the guardkeep is looking for one. she instead takes the guard's hand, displaying a sort of feigned concern for the child she'll never see. ]

We would like to be there for her as soon as possible. Please let us through.

[fakers]

[ for at least a moment, archer's mask slips as he simply stares at zero incredulously. daughter? dying grandmother? surely, there were limits to how ridiculous this could get. no guard could possibly buy such a farfetched story... but more importantly, it's alarming just how seamlessly zero was able to slip into this deception.

thankfully, no one notices archer's slip, as the guards remain mostly focused on zero. and if anything they seem... sympathetic? ]

You have to be kidding...

[ he can't help but mutter under his breath, though from this distance it's not entirely impossible that a guard could overhear him. at this point, he really doesn't even care. if they got caught, at least they wouldn't need to keep up this charade any longer.

but... then he'd probably have to deal with zero's temper, if all her efforts were undone because of him. ]

I apologize. It's been... a very trying time for our family. [ that last word is a little too strained to seem entirely natural. ] But the longer we dally here, the higher the chance that...

[ he just lets his words trail off, unable to finish the sentence.

mostly because it's too dumb to say aloud, but at least from the guards' perspective he probably just seems overcome with emotion. they're just not right about which emotion that is. ]