Ethereal
Banned Member
- RP Date
- YE 40
- RP Location
- Reservoir System
Reservoir System/ Vice/ evening......
Lazarus had flown them back to vice, a trip that took a few hours. He set down at the M.E.C.H.A. facility where the storage bays were. Osiris would dismount with them, now inhabiting a small orb like drone with stabilizers. The particular bay was privately owned by him, having purchased the space from the company as a preferred contractor. Rain pattered off the metal building to cascade over the bay doors outside as a downpour greyed the skies.
"Osiris call a vehicle to pick us up. I don't want to bother walking in this. Place a note with the office here to have my armor cleaned, standard fee," Lazarus said heading towards a shippingl pcontainer that had been repurposed as a makeshift armory and changing room. He hit the code into a pad and opened it up to reveal his arsenal of ammo, armor, and arms. He disappeared inside to quickly shed his armor and place it in a hardened crate. A few moments later he re-emerged dressed in nice close as he fixes his hair.
"So free birdie, what will you do now? I have not even heard your name yet."
Kaya practically leaped free of the confined space as Osiris opened up, the ride had been unbelievably cramped as she squeezed into space that wasn't designed to be occupied.
Leaning to one side as the tinkling of the overhead downpour cascaded against the entranceway, the large bay doors trundling shut, Kaya's back popped gloriously. A relieved sigh escaped her pink lips, momentarily forgetting the situation in her bliss.
Before she knew it Lazarus had changed outfit, something she silently envied - the blood that had trailed up her legs was matted into her fuzz and was going to be painful to scrape and wash out.
Timidly, her rounded ears waggled a little at the question posed to her. "Uhm.. I don't know.." The words escaped Kaya were almost given as a question. What did she plan to do? The Helashio had no clue. "My name is Kaya, sir. Thank you for allowing me out alive." This time, she made sure not to run with 'master', though her tone was still that of a servant.
"Your very well mannered Miss Kaya. Slavers are a nasty sort of scum. I was a slave once, granted I was made to be one, for what you can probably guess. Normally I wouldn't care, but I guess my black heart has a soft spot for other slaves. I guess I should be saying ex-slaves," Lazarus said casually looking at a couple coats he kept in the cargo container, picking out one that was meant for a feminine figure about the same size as Kaya.
"Here. This belonged to a woman I used to be involved with. It should cover well enough until proper clothes can be found," He said offering it after closing the container up.
Kaya listened closely, the occasional crack of thunder outside rolling across the darkening sky and punctuating Lazarus's speech. She watched on with incredulity as her apparent saviour confided a snippet of his past with her. The petite girl's golden eyes changed their look, a light of compassion and comradery bleeding through.
She squeezed the large remote between her cupped hands, wondering what the odds were of a slave rescuing a slave in this great multiverse. Kaya blinked the beginnings of tears from her eyes, the universe had finally decided that she'd proven her suffering.
Reaching forwards cautiously, as if the coat would vanish once she touched it, Kaya wrapped her slender fingers around the gift. It was beautiful, to her at least. It was a deep Seafoam green, an intricate and elegant design of cyan blue stitched in neatly across the fabric. It was clearly made of high quality materials.
"S-Sir.. May I have your name, if that's not too much to ask- I don't mean to pry- You've done so much for a stranger like me I-" The collared woman stopped herself, realising too late that she was rambling and making her question seem weirder and weirder.
"Lazarus. That is the name my creators gave me," he answered.
The smaller door built into the bay doors would open, a nice car of a stretched design. It pulled up only a couple feet away.
"Good the car is here. I would rather not get my chassis rusty. Shall we take our leave pilot?", Osiris said as he floated towards the car, the back seat doors swinging open.
Lazarus began to walk to the vehicle himself, he paused as he was climbing in. Was he really considering what he was about to ask, "Kaya, do you need a place to stay?"
The smol Helashio looked to her left, then to her right, for some reason actually thinking over the question. Stupid girl, she thought, of course you don't. "I uhm.." Kaya began in an almost upbeat tone.
"N-No. I don't.." She ended in a slightly deflated manner, floofy ears drooping a little at the admission. In reality, there was no way to know if she even had any family left - it was almost impossible since the Lorath checked out of this universe and left stragglers like her in disarray.
"Then you can use the spare bedroom at the apartment until you find someplace. Also have left over clothes like that coat that fit you," Lazarus said taking his seat inside the car, the drone having nestled into a seat across from him.
Kaya padded over as Laz slid inside, stopping just outside the door, rubbing a sole on the ground back and forth a few times. Surely nobody did this much for strangers in this horrible universe full of terrors and demons. Though, she couldn't think of what the mercenary would want, squeezing her remote gently in her left hand.
Either way, if her rescuer had wanted to hurt her he would have done it already - "Thank you, Lazarus." Kaya smiled, very close to having the first happy smile in the longest time as she dropped down and took her own seat carefully.
Lazarus said nothing else as the car rolled back out into the rain. It drove away from M.E.C.H.A. through the slums. The large two tiered city was their destination, the mass of metal and technology where the wealthy lived, a mushroom. The cap an amalgamation of sleek towers and other shiny buildings, while the shady undercity of similar if not slightly behind in age of design around the central pillar of the upper city.
Kaya gazed out the window at the sights that whizzed by - to her, this was the equivalent of a cross-sector trip. The life of the poor girl was one of the inside of an estate, a sweatshop, worse. Her Lorath and certainly humanoid masters had never permitted her to go outside, likely because then they would have to shoot her. Even just the street lights to her seemed like she was travelling through exotic territory. "I've never been in a car, I didn't expect it to be so.. Open?" The petite Helashio mused quietly, to herself, only hoping she didn't break the silence.
"Thats because it's a limo. I make a lot of money at what I do. This is one of the perks of being good at what I do," Lazarus said neutrally as the car rolled into the city. The city was way larger up close, the influence of the crown everywhere. In many ways the two tiers made up a compact metropolis, a place where the rich and those loyal to the crown made a private paradise in Vice. This was one of several.
The car would stop a few minutes later at the entrance of a residential tower.
"This is our stop. Avoid eye contact with anyone and just follow. Most people here are rich assholes who look down on the poor and weak. Stick with me and no one will dare speak down to you."
"A limo, huh?" Kaya's fingers ran along the bottom of the window, careful not to leave any marks as she did. Now they were closer, people began to whizz past by the windows. A wide selection of people, all going about their lives like little busy bees.
Kaya took the time to watch each one like a theme park attraction. Normally her quarters didn't have any natural light, let alone a view of any sort of street. She'd never seen this many people walking about freely in all directions.
"Wow, do you ever get used to this?" The petite girl didn't want to annoy her benefactor at all, restricting herself to this one question as they exited the car one after another. Having listened closely to Lazarus, she held tight beside him, casting her yellow eyes to the ground despite her desire to observe everything.
"I got used to it a long time ago." He simply said as he lead the three inside.
The lobby was full of nicely dressed people, some gave him glares, others gave fearful glances. The staff all gave indifferent expressions, Only watching as they crossed the lobby to the lifts. Lazarus hit a button at the top of the panel. A few minutes later opening to a large penthouse style apartment.
"In those boxes are female articles of clothes, feel free to take what you need. There's a shower and full bath in the bathroom on the left," he said entering the contemporary designed space, a large skylight dominating the ceiling. He had gestured to a pile of boxes marked zephyrine in one corner, then to a door to the right of them. Lazarus pulled a bottled drink from fridge in the kitchen area before crashing on the couch.
The Helashio made sure her eyes were low as they entered the lift, hopping inside quickly before the doors closed, causing some onlookers to scoff like she was supposed to know how this specific elevator worked.
Lazarus's apartment was expansive, larger than most ships she had been stowed away on - it was almost inconcievable he could have all this to himself. Then again, these clothes must have some from someone.
Kaya's bare feet scuffed against the floor, silently glad that the walk into the apartment had been so short, wrapping the garment Laz had offered up to her at the bay a little closer.
She hadn't cared very much when walking through the lobby, it seemed like the onlookers either didn't want to say anything or had seen stranger anyways. "So, you live here all by yourself?"Kaya asked, in an approachable tone which relayed he didn't want to answer if he didn't need to.
Levering open one of the many boxes, the collared woman's eyes widened a fraction. There were so many.. She'd never seen this many clothes just lying about outside of the wardrobes of her first mistress. Was she really being given the pick?
"Yep. Most people tend to avoid the bioweapon like the plague.", Lazarus said from the couch before looking over, "Why not just pick something to replace the rag with, then you can sift through your new collection of clothes."
Kaya stalled as she was busy delving through what the boxes held at that, "M-Mhm, sorry." She couldn't quite think of what else to say, it was pretty inconsiderate of her to leave her host waiting. Picking one of them at random, a simple olive dress (https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2...476a-aa68-3c027d4858a1_600x.jpg?v=1522183569) the petite girl scampered off into the shower.
She carefully hung up her new outfit, the only new thing she'd had in a long, long time. Kaya let the borrowed coat fall free to the floor with a slight 'whoomph', the dusty material running across her porcelain skin smoothly. Fully exposed and a little grimy, the Helashio set the precious remote she had clutched in one hand gently aside.
One foot first, Kaya stepped into the shower, thinking over what Lazarus had said about a bioweapon. Her dextrous hand found the controls, she would make this quick and not leave the imposing man waiting. He surely had things to say if nothing else and Kaya didn't want to bore him in the meantime. Clear water cascaded over her nude form, cleansing the slave or rather, ex-slave of her own filth. It felt heavenly, Kaya running her hands through those white-pink locks of hers to get every last speck of dirt out and free.
Her large rounded ears wavered happily, as did her lengthy tail, curling around the door to the shower every now and again. The stream ran like a waterfall over the lip of her sturdy collar, the device fused to her skin and CNS effectively permanently. A memento of her time and one that she needed to make sure never again held her captive, if she could.
Lazarus watch the usual vids, news mostly, looking for any new bit of info on his father's newest shenanigans. A recent report caught his attention on a heist that was local to the area, leaving a lot of the local gang dead. He chuckled, was about time they got some karma their way.
The steam rose around the curvy figure of Kaya as she finished up, fumbling a little with the switch given her slippery fur. Stepping free, the smol Helashio grabbed a deep black towel and quickly dried off best she could, placing it back onto the rack.
Now, taking the dress in hand, she slipped it over her head and smoothed it down. If she was more used to being in such nice clothes she might have complained about the lack of undergarments. Kaya, however, simply gazed at how the tight-fitting olive piece was unmarked and not stained, feeling lovely and clean against her skin.
After allowing herself a few moments to close her golden eyes and revel in her freedom, the joyous girl slipped through the bathroom door and practically skipped over to Lazarus. Without hesitating, she scooted around the side and perched herself neatly on the seat beside him on the sofa.
Lazarus heard her skip about, but didn't pay any mind until he felt the soft thump of the couch as she sat next to him. He gave a worried surveillance before scooting over an inch towards the opposite direction. Does this girl have a deathwish, she has to be crazier then me.
"Um,.....hi.", Lazarus said not sure what else to say. He was nervous now that she was possibly up to something.
Kaya blinked a few times as Lazarus scooted away, frowning to herself - had she done something wrong? "Hello." She stated questioningly in return, raising an eyebrow a fraction. After a moment, she reached up and ran a little hand over an ear of hers, brushing some drops of water free. Leaning back against the couch seat, the Helashio regarded Lazarus with a curious gaze, still trying to gauge why he would have such a reaction.
He saw the questioning look, "Most people don't just sit by me. Unless they plan to try to kill me," he stated before looking away.
She had no idea, and he could not fault her for that. She despite what had been done to her, still had some innocence left it seemed. He relaxed as it became clear she meant him no harm, really a man as dangerous as him, worried by such a disarming woman.
What was wrong with him today?
She seemed to understand that, making sure he got the message by her body language that she wouldn't come closer if he didn't want her to. "Well Mister Lazarus, I couldn't kill you even if I wanted to." Kaya giggled a little at the thought, showing up her empty palms as if to show she was unarmed. An amused smile lit up her rosy lips as she settled down, gazing idly at the TV as if waiting for something.
"Yeah.......So any plans for you with your new found freedom? Surely you had dreams, plans, or whatever if you ever got the chance.", Lazarus asked trying to make idle conversation to prevent things from being more awkward.
Kaya hummed at the question, glancing back away from the screen to Lazarus, seeing his curious eyes on her. "Oh, hmm.." She contemplated the thought, trying to figure out what that meant to her. "I never really thought I'd ever get out.."
A suppressed sadness twinkled in her golden eyes as she cast her mind back, "I was split from everyone I knew long ago so no plans I made ever made sense.." Before she could get too emotional, Kaya blinked the beginnings of tears from her vision, interrupting herself abruptly. "Pizza? I always wanted to try pizza. Maybe start a family too I guess, or just have a fun time until I figure out what I want..?"
Lazarus fidgeted a bit at the mention of family, "There's left over pizza in the fridge from last night...I indulged in the idea of a family a few times. Things never worked out though. Before I never had emotions, my master always pumped me full of inhibitors. But for while I became human, the feelings became addictive, I even fell for a few women. But looking for.......love.....was apparently never meant for something like me. Take my advice, never turn to violence, it's something that draws you in and never let's go."
"Oh?" Kaya didn't want to pry, Lazarus was ironically the first person she could remember that would even consider answering a question from her. "Well.. I don't really know what to turn to. My family are gone, my friends scattered in syndicates across the galaxy. About all I can do is clean, cook and pilot." She admitted, pushing off the plush sofa gently before padding over to the fridge, searching through its contents. "So you used to not be human? They're pretty rare I.. think?"
"Other way around. I was human once, then I had my genes modified extensively, my muscles replaced with synthetics, and my bones cased in metal. I don't need power armor to rip a door from its frame. Humans are already rare......But hey look at the bright side, you can now endeavor to learn new skills," He said starting to flip channels.
The petite Helashio bounced back over, bearing a cooled pizza box in her mitts. Drawing up beside the couch once more, Kaya slid back down onto the cosy cushions and placing it down onto the coffee table. "Wow, so you can do all that?" She would have never guessed, it seemed almost impossible from where she sat across from the man. Lazarus could crush the life out of her with one fist.
Still, Kaya leaned forwards carefully, flipping the cardboard lid and retriving one of the juicy portions within. Her remote even had a button to kill her, the constant possibility of instant death wasn't something that perturbed her - not much in this life did. "It sounds.. Painful."
"They have their uses, I can heal faster, and pain is dulled, or negated. Very helpful. And all in a package that looks like any normal person."
Kaya sat back as she closed her golden eyes, letting out a little sigh as she took in the aroma of the morsel she had been kindly offered. The white-pink haired girl let one eye slide open, taking in Lazarus once more calmly. Shutting it again, the Helashio smirked.
"Quite a dashing person, I'd say. Even with all the extras included." She then took a small bite of the meaty pizza, letting her rosy lips wrap around the slice as she pulled it clear and chewed slowly, savoring it. "Maybe one of them tweaked your looks a little, hmm?" Kaya was teasing of course but she needed a little fun to unwind.
"I get them from my father, the first of my line of product. He didn't get the extras though," Lazarus chuckled back.
She swallowed delicately, the delicious pizza slipping down her throat as she did. "Your father, huh? Sounds like an interesting upbringing. Not that I can talk." Kaya smiled, hoping she wasn't crossing a line. Just having a meaningful conversation was a breath of fresh air.
"What? Oh, he didn't raise me, I was just cloned from him. I was fully grown when I came out of the tube. After that it was mission after mission. To be honest I don't know what to do with all the free time I have now," Lazarus said settling on a channel overviewing the Havok festival.
"Really? Fully grown?" Kaya sounded skeptical, chewing another bite slowly as she regarded Laz in a new light once again. "You're an enigma wrapped in an enigma, Mister Lazarus." The Helashio glanced at the TV for a second, not quite taking in what the festival was celebrating. "Maybe you should take on an apprentice, hmm?" She winked cheekily, licking her lips free of crumbs for a moment.
Lazarus genuinely looked surprised at the idea,.....an apprentice? "To answer the first question before I address the idea. Yes, I was rapidly grown to maturity, my training and knowledge uploaded as I grew in the tank. I was not born between parents, but in a lab. I've only been alive four years. As for the apprentice notion. Are you applying for such a position?," he asked curiously.
The rather diminuitive girl seemed to turn the idea over in her mind for a moment, a thoughtful expression in her yellow eyes as she twiddled her thumbs against each other. "Four years, huh?" Kaya muttered idly, her focus obviously still on the proposition. She really had nowhere to do to, from what she'd seen nobody around here would let her go about her business, let alone help her. Lazarus had essentially pulled her from her godawful existence, even if only on a whim. Better yet, he'd invited her in, clothed and fed her.
Kaya bounced a bare foot distractedly against the sofa as she considered the thought. He seemed like her best bet, at least for the present. "Well.." She decided, posing the shy statement like a question, "I wouldn't say no."
He had to play off almost chocking on his drink at her last statement. It had sent a chill down his spine, spooking the reaper was something few could accomplish. She had to be crazier than him, "You really want to learn how to do what I do? By the void, if this is what evil looks like, good has no hope of winning."
The smol Helashio pouted, patting the cushion beside her in indignation. "Hey! I'm not evil!" She complained, even with an amused smirk on her ruby lips. Seeing the man - the same one who had been silent almost the whole way here - react in such a way was pretty funny, she had to admit. With mock anger, Kaya threw up her arms, "Well it's not like I have anything else I can learn here, huh?!"
"Let me make this clear. I am not a nice man, I kill people for a living, usually in brutal and painful ways, and for the majority of the time it's not to help people. I'm not a hero, just a weapon that does what it was made to do. My major goal is to make my father see the truth about himself, after that......I don't know, probably will just give up and die. The universe doesn't want a science experiment like me," He said bluntly albeit still fidgety with how close she was. Her wanting to be this close made him think of how nice Zephyrine was to him, that brought a feint tint to his cheeks. "So you need to make sure learning these skills is something actually want."
"Oh.." Kaya blinked rapidly a few times at the revelations, eyelashes batting as she did. This was very much news to the ex-slave, she barely knew anything about Lazarus after all. It definitely put a damper on the comfortable mood that had developed, a light unease taking its place. Suddenly the choice was less desirable.
Still, it didn't change the fact if she let any opportunity pass her by now and she wandered into the street.. Well, she would be homeless, jobless and without anyone she knew. Kaya hummed, rolling her neck to the right and then back to centre, missing the mercenary's flush. "Well.. Who says I need to use them for that?" Kaya offered, raising her slim eyebrows as she glanced back to Lazarus to gauge his reaction.
"I teach you the skills to kill people, What else are you going to do with them? What calling have I missed out on? I would love to hear it because I'm honestly tired of what I do." He asked rather neutrally before grumbling to himself in a whisper, "No because I can't keep a girlfriend when most are as crazy as me."
"Hmm- Good point." She hummed, tapping her small chin a few times in thought as footage from the Havok Festival continued to play out on the TV. "Well, I can think of a few.. Soldiering.. Bodyguarding.. Secret agent stuff..?" Kaya pondered out loud, patting her thigh a little as she did.
Lazarus chuckled at the secret agent part, "So merc, escort, or agent. Merc still is killing people. Since you care about that, guard would be your best bet. Shouldn't be taken lightly however. You need training before doing that," he said thinking for a moment. His gaze traveled to the open doors to the home office he never used, "Why don't you handle incoming contracts and jobs for me, and I'll teach you how to be a guard. But I want you to only tell people I'm only accepting bodyguard work. I'll also pay you, deal?"
Kaya didn't know how to respond - was she just offered a job? Really, surely not? "U-Uhm.." She muttered intelligently, gaze switching rapidly between Lazarus and the TV screen; surely she had misheard. "Wait, you mean it.. I can work for you?" The Helashio's tail flicked against the couch seat behind her rapidly and eratically all of a sudden, making a rushed brushing noise fill the room.
"....yyyeeesssss, that's commonly what "I'll pay you" means. Besides, that way I can focus on prep for jobs and such, more free time, which means lessons for you. Win win. So do you want the job, board and room will be included," Lazarus said giving her an odd look. It really wasn't that big of a deal. To be honest, he hated paper work.
"Sure!" Kaya almost shouted, exclaimed would be an understatement - her normally timid voice brimming with excitement and relief. Calming herself visibly by taking a fast breath, the Helashio nodded at least five times in confirmation, fuzzy ears bobbing dangerously. "Mhm! I would be honored, Mister Lazarus!"
"Good I'll get the office setup tomorrow. I also have the other bedroom made tomorrow, so use my bed tonight. I'll sleep here on the couch," Lazarus said idly.
"O-Okay!" The Helashio was visibly struggling to contain a sudden surge of energy. "Are you sure? I can sleep easily on the couch, it's nothing compared to a metal floor." Kaya patted the nearest pillow a few times with a smile, letting his fingers slide across its soft covering, a tiny smile at the corners of her mouth.
"Nope, you ma'am are using the bed, I haven't used in a while anyways." Lazarus said placing the empty bottle aside.
Kaya nodded a few times appreciatively, offering a bright smile. "Okay, Mister Lazarus. Thank you so much." She beamed, bowing as she stood politely. "I'll retire for the night and leave you to your rest." A bed! A bed?! The concept made the Helashio's head spin as she padded off with her bare feet.
Lazarus had flown them back to vice, a trip that took a few hours. He set down at the M.E.C.H.A. facility where the storage bays were. Osiris would dismount with them, now inhabiting a small orb like drone with stabilizers. The particular bay was privately owned by him, having purchased the space from the company as a preferred contractor. Rain pattered off the metal building to cascade over the bay doors outside as a downpour greyed the skies.
"Osiris call a vehicle to pick us up. I don't want to bother walking in this. Place a note with the office here to have my armor cleaned, standard fee," Lazarus said heading towards a shippingl pcontainer that had been repurposed as a makeshift armory and changing room. He hit the code into a pad and opened it up to reveal his arsenal of ammo, armor, and arms. He disappeared inside to quickly shed his armor and place it in a hardened crate. A few moments later he re-emerged dressed in nice close as he fixes his hair.
"So free birdie, what will you do now? I have not even heard your name yet."
Kaya practically leaped free of the confined space as Osiris opened up, the ride had been unbelievably cramped as she squeezed into space that wasn't designed to be occupied.
Leaning to one side as the tinkling of the overhead downpour cascaded against the entranceway, the large bay doors trundling shut, Kaya's back popped gloriously. A relieved sigh escaped her pink lips, momentarily forgetting the situation in her bliss.
Before she knew it Lazarus had changed outfit, something she silently envied - the blood that had trailed up her legs was matted into her fuzz and was going to be painful to scrape and wash out.
Timidly, her rounded ears waggled a little at the question posed to her. "Uhm.. I don't know.." The words escaped Kaya were almost given as a question. What did she plan to do? The Helashio had no clue. "My name is Kaya, sir. Thank you for allowing me out alive." This time, she made sure not to run with 'master', though her tone was still that of a servant.
"Your very well mannered Miss Kaya. Slavers are a nasty sort of scum. I was a slave once, granted I was made to be one, for what you can probably guess. Normally I wouldn't care, but I guess my black heart has a soft spot for other slaves. I guess I should be saying ex-slaves," Lazarus said casually looking at a couple coats he kept in the cargo container, picking out one that was meant for a feminine figure about the same size as Kaya.
"Here. This belonged to a woman I used to be involved with. It should cover well enough until proper clothes can be found," He said offering it after closing the container up.
Kaya listened closely, the occasional crack of thunder outside rolling across the darkening sky and punctuating Lazarus's speech. She watched on with incredulity as her apparent saviour confided a snippet of his past with her. The petite girl's golden eyes changed their look, a light of compassion and comradery bleeding through.
She squeezed the large remote between her cupped hands, wondering what the odds were of a slave rescuing a slave in this great multiverse. Kaya blinked the beginnings of tears from her eyes, the universe had finally decided that she'd proven her suffering.
Reaching forwards cautiously, as if the coat would vanish once she touched it, Kaya wrapped her slender fingers around the gift. It was beautiful, to her at least. It was a deep Seafoam green, an intricate and elegant design of cyan blue stitched in neatly across the fabric. It was clearly made of high quality materials.
"S-Sir.. May I have your name, if that's not too much to ask- I don't mean to pry- You've done so much for a stranger like me I-" The collared woman stopped herself, realising too late that she was rambling and making her question seem weirder and weirder.
"Lazarus. That is the name my creators gave me," he answered.
The smaller door built into the bay doors would open, a nice car of a stretched design. It pulled up only a couple feet away.
"Good the car is here. I would rather not get my chassis rusty. Shall we take our leave pilot?", Osiris said as he floated towards the car, the back seat doors swinging open.
Lazarus began to walk to the vehicle himself, he paused as he was climbing in. Was he really considering what he was about to ask, "Kaya, do you need a place to stay?"
The smol Helashio looked to her left, then to her right, for some reason actually thinking over the question. Stupid girl, she thought, of course you don't. "I uhm.." Kaya began in an almost upbeat tone.
"N-No. I don't.." She ended in a slightly deflated manner, floofy ears drooping a little at the admission. In reality, there was no way to know if she even had any family left - it was almost impossible since the Lorath checked out of this universe and left stragglers like her in disarray.
"Then you can use the spare bedroom at the apartment until you find someplace. Also have left over clothes like that coat that fit you," Lazarus said taking his seat inside the car, the drone having nestled into a seat across from him.
Kaya padded over as Laz slid inside, stopping just outside the door, rubbing a sole on the ground back and forth a few times. Surely nobody did this much for strangers in this horrible universe full of terrors and demons. Though, she couldn't think of what the mercenary would want, squeezing her remote gently in her left hand.
Either way, if her rescuer had wanted to hurt her he would have done it already - "Thank you, Lazarus." Kaya smiled, very close to having the first happy smile in the longest time as she dropped down and took her own seat carefully.
Lazarus said nothing else as the car rolled back out into the rain. It drove away from M.E.C.H.A. through the slums. The large two tiered city was their destination, the mass of metal and technology where the wealthy lived, a mushroom. The cap an amalgamation of sleek towers and other shiny buildings, while the shady undercity of similar if not slightly behind in age of design around the central pillar of the upper city.
Kaya gazed out the window at the sights that whizzed by - to her, this was the equivalent of a cross-sector trip. The life of the poor girl was one of the inside of an estate, a sweatshop, worse. Her Lorath and certainly humanoid masters had never permitted her to go outside, likely because then they would have to shoot her. Even just the street lights to her seemed like she was travelling through exotic territory. "I've never been in a car, I didn't expect it to be so.. Open?" The petite Helashio mused quietly, to herself, only hoping she didn't break the silence.
"Thats because it's a limo. I make a lot of money at what I do. This is one of the perks of being good at what I do," Lazarus said neutrally as the car rolled into the city. The city was way larger up close, the influence of the crown everywhere. In many ways the two tiers made up a compact metropolis, a place where the rich and those loyal to the crown made a private paradise in Vice. This was one of several.
The car would stop a few minutes later at the entrance of a residential tower.
"This is our stop. Avoid eye contact with anyone and just follow. Most people here are rich assholes who look down on the poor and weak. Stick with me and no one will dare speak down to you."
"A limo, huh?" Kaya's fingers ran along the bottom of the window, careful not to leave any marks as she did. Now they were closer, people began to whizz past by the windows. A wide selection of people, all going about their lives like little busy bees.
Kaya took the time to watch each one like a theme park attraction. Normally her quarters didn't have any natural light, let alone a view of any sort of street. She'd never seen this many people walking about freely in all directions.
"Wow, do you ever get used to this?" The petite girl didn't want to annoy her benefactor at all, restricting herself to this one question as they exited the car one after another. Having listened closely to Lazarus, she held tight beside him, casting her yellow eyes to the ground despite her desire to observe everything.
"I got used to it a long time ago." He simply said as he lead the three inside.
The lobby was full of nicely dressed people, some gave him glares, others gave fearful glances. The staff all gave indifferent expressions, Only watching as they crossed the lobby to the lifts. Lazarus hit a button at the top of the panel. A few minutes later opening to a large penthouse style apartment.
"In those boxes are female articles of clothes, feel free to take what you need. There's a shower and full bath in the bathroom on the left," he said entering the contemporary designed space, a large skylight dominating the ceiling. He had gestured to a pile of boxes marked zephyrine in one corner, then to a door to the right of them. Lazarus pulled a bottled drink from fridge in the kitchen area before crashing on the couch.
The Helashio made sure her eyes were low as they entered the lift, hopping inside quickly before the doors closed, causing some onlookers to scoff like she was supposed to know how this specific elevator worked.
Lazarus's apartment was expansive, larger than most ships she had been stowed away on - it was almost inconcievable he could have all this to himself. Then again, these clothes must have some from someone.
Kaya's bare feet scuffed against the floor, silently glad that the walk into the apartment had been so short, wrapping the garment Laz had offered up to her at the bay a little closer.
She hadn't cared very much when walking through the lobby, it seemed like the onlookers either didn't want to say anything or had seen stranger anyways. "So, you live here all by yourself?"Kaya asked, in an approachable tone which relayed he didn't want to answer if he didn't need to.
Levering open one of the many boxes, the collared woman's eyes widened a fraction. There were so many.. She'd never seen this many clothes just lying about outside of the wardrobes of her first mistress. Was she really being given the pick?
"Yep. Most people tend to avoid the bioweapon like the plague.", Lazarus said from the couch before looking over, "Why not just pick something to replace the rag with, then you can sift through your new collection of clothes."
Kaya stalled as she was busy delving through what the boxes held at that, "M-Mhm, sorry." She couldn't quite think of what else to say, it was pretty inconsiderate of her to leave her host waiting. Picking one of them at random, a simple olive dress (https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2...476a-aa68-3c027d4858a1_600x.jpg?v=1522183569) the petite girl scampered off into the shower.
She carefully hung up her new outfit, the only new thing she'd had in a long, long time. Kaya let the borrowed coat fall free to the floor with a slight 'whoomph', the dusty material running across her porcelain skin smoothly. Fully exposed and a little grimy, the Helashio set the precious remote she had clutched in one hand gently aside.
One foot first, Kaya stepped into the shower, thinking over what Lazarus had said about a bioweapon. Her dextrous hand found the controls, she would make this quick and not leave the imposing man waiting. He surely had things to say if nothing else and Kaya didn't want to bore him in the meantime. Clear water cascaded over her nude form, cleansing the slave or rather, ex-slave of her own filth. It felt heavenly, Kaya running her hands through those white-pink locks of hers to get every last speck of dirt out and free.
Her large rounded ears wavered happily, as did her lengthy tail, curling around the door to the shower every now and again. The stream ran like a waterfall over the lip of her sturdy collar, the device fused to her skin and CNS effectively permanently. A memento of her time and one that she needed to make sure never again held her captive, if she could.
Lazarus watch the usual vids, news mostly, looking for any new bit of info on his father's newest shenanigans. A recent report caught his attention on a heist that was local to the area, leaving a lot of the local gang dead. He chuckled, was about time they got some karma their way.
The steam rose around the curvy figure of Kaya as she finished up, fumbling a little with the switch given her slippery fur. Stepping free, the smol Helashio grabbed a deep black towel and quickly dried off best she could, placing it back onto the rack.
Now, taking the dress in hand, she slipped it over her head and smoothed it down. If she was more used to being in such nice clothes she might have complained about the lack of undergarments. Kaya, however, simply gazed at how the tight-fitting olive piece was unmarked and not stained, feeling lovely and clean against her skin.
After allowing herself a few moments to close her golden eyes and revel in her freedom, the joyous girl slipped through the bathroom door and practically skipped over to Lazarus. Without hesitating, she scooted around the side and perched herself neatly on the seat beside him on the sofa.
Lazarus heard her skip about, but didn't pay any mind until he felt the soft thump of the couch as she sat next to him. He gave a worried surveillance before scooting over an inch towards the opposite direction. Does this girl have a deathwish, she has to be crazier then me.
"Um,.....hi.", Lazarus said not sure what else to say. He was nervous now that she was possibly up to something.
Kaya blinked a few times as Lazarus scooted away, frowning to herself - had she done something wrong? "Hello." She stated questioningly in return, raising an eyebrow a fraction. After a moment, she reached up and ran a little hand over an ear of hers, brushing some drops of water free. Leaning back against the couch seat, the Helashio regarded Lazarus with a curious gaze, still trying to gauge why he would have such a reaction.
He saw the questioning look, "Most people don't just sit by me. Unless they plan to try to kill me," he stated before looking away.
She had no idea, and he could not fault her for that. She despite what had been done to her, still had some innocence left it seemed. He relaxed as it became clear she meant him no harm, really a man as dangerous as him, worried by such a disarming woman.
What was wrong with him today?
She seemed to understand that, making sure he got the message by her body language that she wouldn't come closer if he didn't want her to. "Well Mister Lazarus, I couldn't kill you even if I wanted to." Kaya giggled a little at the thought, showing up her empty palms as if to show she was unarmed. An amused smile lit up her rosy lips as she settled down, gazing idly at the TV as if waiting for something.
"Yeah.......So any plans for you with your new found freedom? Surely you had dreams, plans, or whatever if you ever got the chance.", Lazarus asked trying to make idle conversation to prevent things from being more awkward.
Kaya hummed at the question, glancing back away from the screen to Lazarus, seeing his curious eyes on her. "Oh, hmm.." She contemplated the thought, trying to figure out what that meant to her. "I never really thought I'd ever get out.."
A suppressed sadness twinkled in her golden eyes as she cast her mind back, "I was split from everyone I knew long ago so no plans I made ever made sense.." Before she could get too emotional, Kaya blinked the beginnings of tears from her vision, interrupting herself abruptly. "Pizza? I always wanted to try pizza. Maybe start a family too I guess, or just have a fun time until I figure out what I want..?"
Lazarus fidgeted a bit at the mention of family, "There's left over pizza in the fridge from last night...I indulged in the idea of a family a few times. Things never worked out though. Before I never had emotions, my master always pumped me full of inhibitors. But for while I became human, the feelings became addictive, I even fell for a few women. But looking for.......love.....was apparently never meant for something like me. Take my advice, never turn to violence, it's something that draws you in and never let's go."
"Oh?" Kaya didn't want to pry, Lazarus was ironically the first person she could remember that would even consider answering a question from her. "Well.. I don't really know what to turn to. My family are gone, my friends scattered in syndicates across the galaxy. About all I can do is clean, cook and pilot." She admitted, pushing off the plush sofa gently before padding over to the fridge, searching through its contents. "So you used to not be human? They're pretty rare I.. think?"
"Other way around. I was human once, then I had my genes modified extensively, my muscles replaced with synthetics, and my bones cased in metal. I don't need power armor to rip a door from its frame. Humans are already rare......But hey look at the bright side, you can now endeavor to learn new skills," He said starting to flip channels.
The petite Helashio bounced back over, bearing a cooled pizza box in her mitts. Drawing up beside the couch once more, Kaya slid back down onto the cosy cushions and placing it down onto the coffee table. "Wow, so you can do all that?" She would have never guessed, it seemed almost impossible from where she sat across from the man. Lazarus could crush the life out of her with one fist.
Still, Kaya leaned forwards carefully, flipping the cardboard lid and retriving one of the juicy portions within. Her remote even had a button to kill her, the constant possibility of instant death wasn't something that perturbed her - not much in this life did. "It sounds.. Painful."
"They have their uses, I can heal faster, and pain is dulled, or negated. Very helpful. And all in a package that looks like any normal person."
Kaya sat back as she closed her golden eyes, letting out a little sigh as she took in the aroma of the morsel she had been kindly offered. The white-pink haired girl let one eye slide open, taking in Lazarus once more calmly. Shutting it again, the Helashio smirked.
"Quite a dashing person, I'd say. Even with all the extras included." She then took a small bite of the meaty pizza, letting her rosy lips wrap around the slice as she pulled it clear and chewed slowly, savoring it. "Maybe one of them tweaked your looks a little, hmm?" Kaya was teasing of course but she needed a little fun to unwind.
"I get them from my father, the first of my line of product. He didn't get the extras though," Lazarus chuckled back.
She swallowed delicately, the delicious pizza slipping down her throat as she did. "Your father, huh? Sounds like an interesting upbringing. Not that I can talk." Kaya smiled, hoping she wasn't crossing a line. Just having a meaningful conversation was a breath of fresh air.
"What? Oh, he didn't raise me, I was just cloned from him. I was fully grown when I came out of the tube. After that it was mission after mission. To be honest I don't know what to do with all the free time I have now," Lazarus said settling on a channel overviewing the Havok festival.
"Really? Fully grown?" Kaya sounded skeptical, chewing another bite slowly as she regarded Laz in a new light once again. "You're an enigma wrapped in an enigma, Mister Lazarus." The Helashio glanced at the TV for a second, not quite taking in what the festival was celebrating. "Maybe you should take on an apprentice, hmm?" She winked cheekily, licking her lips free of crumbs for a moment.
Lazarus genuinely looked surprised at the idea,.....an apprentice? "To answer the first question before I address the idea. Yes, I was rapidly grown to maturity, my training and knowledge uploaded as I grew in the tank. I was not born between parents, but in a lab. I've only been alive four years. As for the apprentice notion. Are you applying for such a position?," he asked curiously.
The rather diminuitive girl seemed to turn the idea over in her mind for a moment, a thoughtful expression in her yellow eyes as she twiddled her thumbs against each other. "Four years, huh?" Kaya muttered idly, her focus obviously still on the proposition. She really had nowhere to do to, from what she'd seen nobody around here would let her go about her business, let alone help her. Lazarus had essentially pulled her from her godawful existence, even if only on a whim. Better yet, he'd invited her in, clothed and fed her.
Kaya bounced a bare foot distractedly against the sofa as she considered the thought. He seemed like her best bet, at least for the present. "Well.." She decided, posing the shy statement like a question, "I wouldn't say no."
He had to play off almost chocking on his drink at her last statement. It had sent a chill down his spine, spooking the reaper was something few could accomplish. She had to be crazier than him, "You really want to learn how to do what I do? By the void, if this is what evil looks like, good has no hope of winning."
The smol Helashio pouted, patting the cushion beside her in indignation. "Hey! I'm not evil!" She complained, even with an amused smirk on her ruby lips. Seeing the man - the same one who had been silent almost the whole way here - react in such a way was pretty funny, she had to admit. With mock anger, Kaya threw up her arms, "Well it's not like I have anything else I can learn here, huh?!"
"Let me make this clear. I am not a nice man, I kill people for a living, usually in brutal and painful ways, and for the majority of the time it's not to help people. I'm not a hero, just a weapon that does what it was made to do. My major goal is to make my father see the truth about himself, after that......I don't know, probably will just give up and die. The universe doesn't want a science experiment like me," He said bluntly albeit still fidgety with how close she was. Her wanting to be this close made him think of how nice Zephyrine was to him, that brought a feint tint to his cheeks. "So you need to make sure learning these skills is something actually want."
"Oh.." Kaya blinked rapidly a few times at the revelations, eyelashes batting as she did. This was very much news to the ex-slave, she barely knew anything about Lazarus after all. It definitely put a damper on the comfortable mood that had developed, a light unease taking its place. Suddenly the choice was less desirable.
Still, it didn't change the fact if she let any opportunity pass her by now and she wandered into the street.. Well, she would be homeless, jobless and without anyone she knew. Kaya hummed, rolling her neck to the right and then back to centre, missing the mercenary's flush. "Well.. Who says I need to use them for that?" Kaya offered, raising her slim eyebrows as she glanced back to Lazarus to gauge his reaction.
"I teach you the skills to kill people, What else are you going to do with them? What calling have I missed out on? I would love to hear it because I'm honestly tired of what I do." He asked rather neutrally before grumbling to himself in a whisper, "No because I can't keep a girlfriend when most are as crazy as me."
"Hmm- Good point." She hummed, tapping her small chin a few times in thought as footage from the Havok Festival continued to play out on the TV. "Well, I can think of a few.. Soldiering.. Bodyguarding.. Secret agent stuff..?" Kaya pondered out loud, patting her thigh a little as she did.
Lazarus chuckled at the secret agent part, "So merc, escort, or agent. Merc still is killing people. Since you care about that, guard would be your best bet. Shouldn't be taken lightly however. You need training before doing that," he said thinking for a moment. His gaze traveled to the open doors to the home office he never used, "Why don't you handle incoming contracts and jobs for me, and I'll teach you how to be a guard. But I want you to only tell people I'm only accepting bodyguard work. I'll also pay you, deal?"
Kaya didn't know how to respond - was she just offered a job? Really, surely not? "U-Uhm.." She muttered intelligently, gaze switching rapidly between Lazarus and the TV screen; surely she had misheard. "Wait, you mean it.. I can work for you?" The Helashio's tail flicked against the couch seat behind her rapidly and eratically all of a sudden, making a rushed brushing noise fill the room.
"....yyyeeesssss, that's commonly what "I'll pay you" means. Besides, that way I can focus on prep for jobs and such, more free time, which means lessons for you. Win win. So do you want the job, board and room will be included," Lazarus said giving her an odd look. It really wasn't that big of a deal. To be honest, he hated paper work.
"Sure!" Kaya almost shouted, exclaimed would be an understatement - her normally timid voice brimming with excitement and relief. Calming herself visibly by taking a fast breath, the Helashio nodded at least five times in confirmation, fuzzy ears bobbing dangerously. "Mhm! I would be honored, Mister Lazarus!"
"Good I'll get the office setup tomorrow. I also have the other bedroom made tomorrow, so use my bed tonight. I'll sleep here on the couch," Lazarus said idly.
"O-Okay!" The Helashio was visibly struggling to contain a sudden surge of energy. "Are you sure? I can sleep easily on the couch, it's nothing compared to a metal floor." Kaya patted the nearest pillow a few times with a smile, letting his fingers slide across its soft covering, a tiny smile at the corners of her mouth.
"Nope, you ma'am are using the bed, I haven't used in a while anyways." Lazarus said placing the empty bottle aside.
Kaya nodded a few times appreciatively, offering a bright smile. "Okay, Mister Lazarus. Thank you so much." She beamed, bowing as she stood politely. "I'll retire for the night and leave you to your rest." A bed! A bed?! The concept made the Helashio's head spin as she padded off with her bare feet.
