Rugovin didn't even want to know the youth's motivations for participating in this aftermath spectacle of the Hunt. In his opinion you had to be pretty sick per definition to willingly hurl oneself into any sort of genocide, but ever since the chaos a good many weeks -god, it felt like years- ago, he had come to accept that Drente just happened to be swarming with very angry, very irrational and very, very dangerous individuals. The overnight decision to go for a complete wipeout had come like a thunderclap under a clear sky, even if it was widely known that there had been a rising concern regarding the evolution in Essentic autonomy.

The ironic thing in this was that as a person, even without being legally branded as scrap material, the mimicker had felt plenty conflicted about his own nature already. If the public opinion about Essentics had been different, chances were that one day someone would have published a study or two in a psychology journal about the rather cruel ordeal the general mimicker-population was being put through, simply by forcing them to become something they are inherently not. Oh boohoo. 'On the inner conflict of those who play pretend'. At least this way they got to retain some dignity... at least Vin wouldn't have appreciated being lamented in public-scientific literature, leave the issues to those who struggle with them, thank you kindly.

As things were, we had two individuals with a wide range of entirely unrelated problems, now stuck together unaware and uncaring about the other's plight, as long as they managed to somehow wiggle their way out of this sticky situation and part ways.

The injured Essentic just let him strut. Yeah, you have fun keeping up your image, we both know you ******** up royally and now you're having a spaz. No need to be cool, bro, but feel free to keep up the farce to soothe your own worries. The insults so casually thrown around -a tool I am eh? mocking my influence, yeah, go ahead, that's very respectful- he did his best to ignore. While his general pride was hurt rather quickly lately, especially when it came to pointing out his status as a non-human, he was simply too exhausted to do much more beyond ruffing up his feathers in mild annoyance. at it, and using the rest of his irritation to fuel his resolve to stand up. Now what's the plan?

Oh, stay still. I can do that, I suppose. Sure, go ahead, knock yourself out with whatever you're planning...
"Oh come on." he could help scoffing out darkly at the youth's suggestion to 'not hurt himself'. Please go die in a fire, you royal sack of douche.
Why no, he did not like this kid.

And then quite suddenly, Vin had barely had the presence of mind to register, the idiot kid had left him behind with the corpse. Oh jolly good, I'll stay put alright...
Or will I really? With Kaosu out of sight, the tempting thought of just getting the hell out of here was growing rather powerful out of nowhere. A minute of thinking it over was all the Essentic needed to quell that urge though. There was a good reason why he hadn't even thought of escaping before. If he even managed to walk at all -doubtful on its own- there was not a snowball's chance in hell he'd be able to outrun a goddamn jeep, especially not without leaving a trail he could as well point out with neon-glowing roadmarkers in the rock desert. No, getting out now was less than an option. And to be frank, he did need the help right now. Even with most of the pain dulled to background-noise, it didn't relieve the bone-deep exhaustion that was spreading through his body.

His reflexive glance behind him, scanning the limited area of the wasteland he could see, did draw his gaze to a nearby rock formation though.
Two minutes later, not long before Kaosu arrived with the vehicle, we had one mercifully seated parrot. Somehow he'd managed to cross the several yards of distance, and haul himself up the outcrop to quite relievedly plant his butt down on the flat of it. He was clearly just waiting though, not trying to make some idiot getaway.

"Just don't bring coffee and chocolate chip cookies and you'll be fine." He called over dryly at the young man scuttling about for equipment. Bird-care 101. Mnph. I bet you and your folk know rather exactly what substances to use to cause us quite grievous amounts of hurt, I'm sure. No, I don't bet, I know, I know very well how good you bastards are at inflicting pain. Of course non-harmful is much harder to pull off. Karmic balance is nonexistant, tsh.
Not as if he didn't have a much more efficient painkiller at hand though. Screw medicine, I have powers. Okay, it was rather disconcerting to realise he'd have likely gotten himself killed a few times already if he hadn't been able to rely on this erratic, powerful gift, but right now wasn't the time to spend angsting over it. It served him well, that's all that mattered this moment.

"Funny of you to mention that, I'm not sure myself." he looked at Kaosu with an impassive gaze at his implied question. Trying to put this as apathetically as possible was the only way not to turn this into a battle of snark, and he really wasn't in the mood for pissing the kid off by accident. "But trust me, it won't end up getting you fried. It's not made for cooking flesh." Just levelling with you here... but allow me not to get too indepth about what its effects are instead of the usual electric-jolt singe. You don't even want to know. And don't you give me any of that 'incompetent' crap. The last thing the mimicker needed now was getting reproachful remarks for having no control over a curse inflicted by his enemies, hell no.

"Seems to be behaving for now, might as well benefit from the timing." he let out a dully aggravated sigh. Why yes, he hadn't sparked over ever since wrenching it into focus earlier.

"Trust and be trusted, assuming we can refrain from tearing each other's jugular out, that works for me. Do whatever you feel like doing kiddo... my survival depends on you now, and the rest of your career depends on my survival. At least temporary, nothing will stop you from turning around and shootin' me in the back later, if that's how you swing." Seriously man, whatever. I'm 'at your mercy', I'm not going to be stupid enough to try anything funny.

Leaning back on his hands and turning his head aside a tilt ostentatively, Rugovin was now clearly showing Kaosu had free reign. I'm not going to gnaw your head off the moment your neck is exposed, and you've seen I can handle pain. For all I know, you can trust me, so the only one needing convincing now is you. Ball's in your camp.
There was no denying the Essentic had his doubts though, but that reflected mainly in him closing his eyes to his surroundings, to try and keep his control wrangled down tightly. If his odd gift slipped up now, the hunter might interpret it as something other than an accident.

It be known though: choosing self-control over keeping an eye on Kaosu sure proved that there was a rudimentary level of fiath from the Essentic's side, no matter how dire the situation was for him.