[PRP] Lifting the Weight (Otto + Simon)

[Bittiface]

As a Full Hunter, this was sad. As a Sun hunter, this was just pathetic.

Otto Graves had never been the strongest fighter, but at least he'd been fairly decent on average. But ever since he'd obtained the red key over a year ago, he was about as useful as a trainee out of the pods. He trusted the Life department about as... well to be honest he didn't trust the at all. He went to the infirmary out of necessity, and nothing more. So who was he to turn to? Talking to a lead about the key seemed risky. However, Sasha now knew about it, and she turned out to be one of the wrong people to talk to about it. In the deadliest way.

So really, he may as well share with someone who could possibly help him. He couldn't exactly ask Sasha; the woman nearly brought down Maebe just because she warned him about her.

Allen? Otto was fairly sure the man had brain damage. He'd had the gaul to trust Otto with mentoring; a task unsuited to the blond in every manner imaginable. He could barely take care of himself.

Simon was the only other choice in his Division. He knew little about the man aside that he really liked pointing guns at people. But.. it was ask him for help, or deal with another year of weak limbs and bad dreams.

So on a day Otto felt a little more eager for answers and less fear of decapitation, he sought out Simon.

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[lizbot]

Otto was directed toward a hallway littered with caution signs, followed by warning signs, followed by signs bearing threats that if you should speak too loudly or suddenly, rough house, or summon a weapon in this area, grievous bodily harm will result. He'd find Simon just past these, in the startlingly clean Sun kitchens, bent over a plastic box and applying small pieces of seaweed to a mound of rice within using surgical precision.

Apparently Allan's lunchbox was a dire undertaking for his assistant.

bittiface

SORRY I WENT MIA FOR A MONTH

 

[Bittiface]

The further down the hall he walked, the more he wondered just what terrifying or importantly delicate work must lie beyond. Upon discovering it was just Simon making Allen's lunch, all of his wild curiosities plummeted into crushing disappointment.

"Um.. s'cuse me, sir?" Otto tried not to be too quiet while approaching. He didn't want to startle the man who was quick with a gun, even if he was focused on handling balls.... of rice.

lizbot

U ABANDONED MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

 

[lizbot]

Simon leveled a dire gaze at Otto, intoning, "This is Allan-taichou's lunch. If you're hungry you'll find something adequate in the fridge." Something adequate came in the form of a neat row of brown bagged lunches. Apparently hungry Sun hunters were an issue in these parts.

"The courses you made have proven useful," the assistant added in a moment of high praise.

bittiface

I DID I AM THE ACTUAL WORST

 

[Bittiface]

"I wasn't actually.." But Otto curiously looked to the fridge anyway. Simon... Simon made lunches for the Sun hunters. Otto's mouth gaped open. The man was a homemaker with a face as hard as steel. It was almost adorable. Idly he wondered if this was a regular thing he did. He'd have to stop by more often to nab himself a free lunch, made with the loving hands of a gun wielding man in a suit.

He pried his eyes off the fridge and up to Simon, blinking back the surprise of having received an unexpected compliment. "Oh... thanks, sir." Otto murmured, uncertain how to react. He'd not much faith in the courses, and often wondered if they did any good at all. As much fun as hurling giant snowballs at hunters was, it didn't mean it did much in the way of training. But maybe it did after all.

He shook his head. This wasn't why he was here.

"I've actually got a bit of a problem." Otto persisted, trying not to squirm and weasel his way out of the room.

"I wasn't sure who to talk to about it. Frankly, I ain't keen on depending on H.." He really didn't want to talk to Simon, either. But it beat being seen as a human guinea pig. "I got a bit of a handicap in battle. I can't fight with as much power as I used to. Happened around April last year. I thought it'd just solve itself if I waited it out." A dumb and naive way to deal with it, he realized.

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[lizbot]

"Your distrust of the Life leader is well placed," Simon answered darkly, adjusting his glasses with an aggressive index finger. "Was your weapon damaged? You've done well to last this long but I would not advise you to hide a handicap from your division again." There was a threat lingering in his business-like tone.

bittiface

 

[Bittiface]

"No, my weapon is fine.." The threat was well understood, and Otto gave a grave nod of agreement. At least he'd been right to keep it from H, anyway. Even if hiding it from his own Division was probably not the best for him.

He looked down at his palm , partially hiding it with the hem of his sleeve. He knew the key was bad news, if Sasha's reaction to it was any indication. In this case, he truly needed to take steps in seeking help from Simon.

"It's um... this thing." He took a cautious step forward, gingerly opening his palm to show Simon the key imprint on his skin.

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[lizbot]

Simon gazed down at the offered hand for a moment and then returned to putting the final touches on Allan's bentou. "I see. Jerry Collins has similar. A black one. There's also been rumors of other colors, and it can be assumed to be related to the legacies, most likely the one who bears keys as a personal theme."

The Sun assistant was free with information, to the point and lacking in games or dismissive threats to figure it out yourself and earn the information. On the battlefield, concise and open communication was a matter of lives at stake.

"Likely, it's tied to either Reflection, given the theme, or Destruction, given the color. It's likely, due to the nature of Legacies and the rumors related to these marks, that you will need to gather seven people with a similar affliction for their use to be revealed."

With care, the assistant placed the lid on the lunch box and wrapped it in a large cloth napkin. "It's also possible that there's a way to remove it. But you are a Sun. We bear the burden of the fight."

cbittiface

 

[Bittiface]

Otto pocked his hands one Simon had seen it, nodding as Simon spoke. He recalled someone saying Jerry had one. Otto hadn't seen the lunatic guitar lover in ages. Possibly for the better. Better for his own sanity.

Otto felt grateful the more Simon indulged him with information. He didn't feel like a mouse in a cat's paws; no mind games or puzzles. He sucked at puzzles, riddles and anything that involved advanced problem solving. Things were so much simpler when given point blank. Anything left to interpretation was a mess of doubt and indecision.

As for his key specifically, he felt some relief to hear some of Simon's suggestions mirror his own.

"I wouldn't try and remove it. If it's as important as it sounds, then it might be best to keep it close if s**t goes bad." It made sense for a hunter to bear the key, if it was related to the legacies. It made it easier to remain in the know of those particular goings on. For better or for worse, he wanted to make the right and moral decision about what happened to it. Hence not handing himself over to H.

Otto furrowed his brows as he thought of something else to ask. Simon had turned out to be the best person to ask about facts. He wondered why he'd been worried about it all this time.

"Gatherin' anyone who has one of these keys.. it sounds pretty dangerous." Which sounded perfect for any Sun Hunter. Right up their alley. "I'm worried that havin' them together might end up playing into whatever these key things are for. Probably nuthin' good." Would Simon know if it was bad or good? If his key was indeed related to Mordred or Destruction, he seriously doubted it was anything but terrible.

"As for the handicap; other than keepin' on with my trainin' and being careful.. is there anythin' else I could do to uh.. stay alive a little longer?" Otto fancied himself an expert at not dying, but he attributed most of it to being lucky.

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