[TW] The Alleys

@★ Ghost [H] Bogyeol was surprised by the offering of the man’s coat it actually made her suspicious, did he know what she did for work and was just looking for a “service” or perhaps he was one of those gang members the media warned about trying to recruit her as a spy. “Thank you.” She said, pulling the jacket closer around her shoulders with her free hand. Bogyeol couldn’t sense any ulterior motives, and she considered herself a good judge of character after being face to face with a lot of men with bad intentions. “Yes it’s right up here to the left, it’s called ‘weathered roots coffee co.’ its rainforest themed, you’re pretty tall so watch your head for some of the low hanging vines.” Bogyeol chuckled a bit imagining the man encountering some of the overgrown foilage. “But if you do get any leafs stuck in your hair, I’ll pick them out for you.”

@Ko Bogyeol (sorry I totally missed this)

Ghost stared at the woman curious about her, she clearly didn't know who he was despite the fact he was lacking a disguise and it was nice. She spoke to him as if he were human, not a luxury the cyborg seemed to be afforded much nowadays. He nodded whilst she spoke, shielding her hand that cupped his elbow with his other hand. "I can understand your concerns, let's get you out of the rain." He quickly slipped out of his long coat and carefully put it over her shoulders, immediately taking her hand back afterwards. "You mentioned a cafe?" He offered, unsure why he wanted to protect this woman from the poor weather.

@★ Ghost Bogyeol was programmed to behave like a human but she was now aware she wasn’t. Bogyeol usually lied and pretended to be human, that was what was comfortable for her, it was inherent. But the way this man spoke, how indifferently he stated his reasoning for disliking the rain made Bogyeol brave enough to speak of her own dissatisfaction. “It hasn’t ever happened before, but I’m always a bit uneasy that the rain could damage me or short circuit my wiring or something.” Bogyeol took the arm he offered to her and looked up wondering if what she said made sense. The words felt foreign on her lips, not used to talking about herself as a piece of technology.

@Ko Bogyeol Ghost had no idea how to answer that question, it wasn't something he would be asked. He had to do his job and that was it. He stared at her blankly for a good minute, blinking as if his brain had stopped working. "Fine. I'm fine." He had no idea what that meant but it was the usually accepted response. Coffee was a social convention, a ritual almost, and so he nodded. He couldn't pass up the human ritual, it would be suspicious. "Sure, the rain slows down my processing memory, it's difficult to function correctly under this air pressure, so I'm not a fan either." Ghost stated plainly, sticking out his elbow to the woman, another social convention he had learned. If it meant getting out of the rain he would do anything right about now.

@★ Ghost "No. I'm fine. Are you okay?" Bogyeol couldn't read the strangers expression he didn't seem to be annoyed by her, but he didn't appear the most friendly either. There was something in his gaze that both frightened and enchanted Bogyeol it made her heart race both with the urge to flee and the want to stay. "I don't like the rain very much, anymore. There's a cafe nearby, let me buy you a cup of coffee, as an apology for getting in your way." Bogyeol blinked in disbelief at her own words, she usually tried not to speak to strangers and here she was inviting one for coffee. But there was something about the man she wasn't ready to part with after a brief encounter.

@Ace he had no strength in his body, simply collapsed onto the floor as his frame shuddered, overwhelmed by waves of emotions. soft apologies were still flowing from his lips, terrified of what would happen if he continued to displease the other. he had heard of soohyun's previous masterpiece, of the perfection of felix. hyunjin, on the other hand was still only human, no matter how many pieces of metal he had stuck to him. he would forever be flawed and the fact that he would never be able to reach absolute perfection was a haunting thought. when he found himself in soohyun's arms, he couldn't help but initially feel a pang of fear. he didn't know what to do. all he wanted was comfort but the only source was from his tormentor. did it really matter though, he asked himself. he should be grateful for the moments of kindness, he told himself. and as soohyun whispered words of comfort, hyunjin found himself curling into the other's embrace, trembling hands gripping onto him as he found refuge in the very creature he had been running away from.

@Ace Mio felt his watchful eyes burn into her and it spurned her one. The adrenaline was making her mind throb. She didn't look at the man and did her best to stop crying until only the occasional sniffle could be heard. After gathering all the broken pieces of the constructions on one side, cleaning the entire living room floor was an easy task. She kept her head down, scrubbing away even old stains. She didn't want to die. Papers were gathered in one stack, but she had trouble reading them so she could 't tell if she had sorted them right. All other household items were put on the shelves, until only mecha remained. This was the real challenge. Mio wasn't a genius. She couldn't construct things the way the man could. The water poured away and the floor dry, she did try though. She did her best to piece the mecha back together and gathered and sorted spare parts by category. There were no longer a jumble of pieces and papers scattered across the floor. One could actually walk freely. Papers were neatly stacked, parts lay jn piles on the floor at the side of the room or in drawers. Hours had passed by this point and Mio was sweating. She had done her best with reconstruction. It was as similar to before as she could make it and now she took a fresh pen and paper and tried to copy the writings from the sheets she had soiled. Mio was crying again. She wasn't good at writing. She wasn't good at reading. The letters would swim and blend and make her head hurt, but she did her best. The writing was a painfully slow process and the end result was a vaguely accurate script in all caps block lettering. Mio wiped at her eyes with her sleeve when she wrote the last letter and added the pages to the previously made stacks. The entire living quarter looked clean, organised and structured. Mio sat on the floor, looking down when she finished. She was too scared to look up.

@Mikami Mio On different circumstances, seeking the human wither in horror and fear would have made him feel powerful. But at this moment, all he could see was red. He felt hopeless. He couldn't have stopped the mess that had happened. It was his own fault for letting such a barbaric thing into his lab thinking she was harmless. He laughed. A laugh that was almost crazed-like. He wanted to kill her. But not yet. His cold eyes watched as the child, who was most likely on the spectrum, pull herself together and got to work. He gritted his teeth before going to sit down on his desk, trying to sooth the still pulsing hear beat that was pounding against your eardrum.

[Idk why that made me smile g gk kgvohvkh go mio go]

[post deleted by owner]

@Ko Bogyeol If there was anything Ghost could safely say he hated within this world it was rain. And this wasn't just any sort of light rain, no. It was heavy. And it soaked through his clothes. Blood was different, blood could be controlled, it was warm and inviting, but rain... Rain was cold, unexpected and aggravating. Ghost was walking home from a particularly trying assassination, the buzz of the kill still running through his veins when a woman bumped into him. She almost tripped into him so Ghost held out his arms to instinctively catch her, he wasn't in the business of caring for people so the action surprised him just as much as it probably surprised her. "It's okay, are you hurt?" He eased the grip on her arms once he saw she was steady and he took a polite step back.

@Ace Mio collided with the wall with a dull thud and slid to the floor. The impact stunned her silent. She cowered in the corner, arms raised defensively, peering past them up at him. For the first time in a long time someone communicated in a way that she could begin to understand. On the one hand, there was relief, on the other, horror. Her scalp still ached from the pain, as did her shoulder which had collided with the wall first. She didn't cry anymore though, not bitterly, the tears were silent, sniffles and whimpers suppressed. Mio didn't want to die. She picked herself up, ducking past him to change into the clothes he had given her the night before. Her own clothes she left in the sink. Then she was back, water-filled bucket and towel in hand. First, she collected the papers and set them aside, then she gathered the mess she'd made on the floor with a towel and cleaned that part of the floor with a wet rag. She cried the whole time, cowering, but she worked quickly. Because she didn't want to die.

[ ace's place is going to be tidier than it's ever been when she's done :D she's good at cleaning]

@Mikami Mio When Soohyun heard and felt the stream of liquid pooling at his feet, he immediately threw the small girl against the wall, grunting in disgust. "You filth. You're en disgusting." His lab and paperwork that was sprawled in the ground had been soiled. It took all of his not to throw up and faint. "Clean this up. All of these up before the end of the day. If not. I'll kill you. " He said, slow and clear, motioning with his hands for the girl to understand. He did this 2 more times to engrain it into the girl's head. He was going to kill her regardless. But she didn't have to know that. She got lucky that she wet herself. If he hadn't been for the possible of soohyun cleaning her urine, her head would be flying off by now.

@Ace Mio screamed, startled by the sheer volume of his voice. Her body curled inwards, hands raised defensively, but she wasn't looking at him so he easily grabbed her. "Ah.. AH! AHH!!" Mio burst into tears, sobbing and shrieking as he lifted her by her hair, her hands flying up to grab onto his and relieve the pressure somewhat. Mio lashed out with her legs and hit him in the chest. "N-.. n-.. No!" Mio didn't mean to make all the loud crashes. It wasn't her fault he built them so flimsyly. Mio was not crying prettily, she was sobbing and screaming her heart out. Drip. Drip. Drip. A pale liquid trickled down her legs and pooled on the floor.

@♞ Hwang Hyunjin Disappointment. That was all Soohyun could think of when he looked at Hyunjin. This half breed could never be as perfect as Felix. His Felix. The object of his obsession. The cries of the cyborg only made soohyun tighten his grip on the other's hair as he stared at him, his eyes clouded with an unreadable darkness. After a few seconds, he shoved the cyborgs head away roughly, spitting at him before pacing around the room. His slender fingers threaded through his hair, the other rubbing his face in attempt to calm his growing irrational anger. His eyes flickered back over to the teary eyed hyunjin, expression softening a great deal. "Oh.. baby.. I'm sorry. " He mumbled, rushing over to the cowering male. He gathered hyunjin into his arms, rocking them back and forth in a comforting motion. "You know I didn't mean to.. You're beautiful. As perfect as you can be."

@Mikami Mio [tw: mention of decapitation]
"Ah.. ahh!" Soohyun repeated back to her in frustration and lifted his hands to grab the erratic child. However, right as he was about to take hold of her shoulders, another dreadful crash could be heard behind him. Another one of his creations ruined. Another one of his blood, sweat, and tears, in shambles all over his lab floor. It was all due to one "harmless" inaudible child. All because of her. His blood shot eyes flickered over to her, he was almost in tears because of how angry he was. He watched is seething resentment, silently debating how he would get rid of the annoying pest he'd brought in. Should he sell her body parts to the black market? Drug her up to use as his practice dummy for his new experiment? Cut her up and feed her to the hounds in the junkyard behind his lab? So many possibilities to get rid of this imperfect. "CHILD." His voice boomed throughout the walls of his lab as he took the child by the hair, roughly lifting her up to eye level. "I think it's time to pay up."

@★ Ghost ‘! Rain!’ Bogyeol thought to herself as the grey skies suddenly began to downpour. She hadn’t brought an umbrella though she didn’t need one, per se. Since finding out she was an android rain made her uneasy, storms made her uneasy, what if she was struck by lightning and it short circuited her wiring or something awful. Speaking of storms she thought of how scared her little girl would be. Bogyeol wished she could wrap her arms around her daughter under a safe blanket until the thunder was distant and the sun shined again. Distracted by thoughts of her child Bogyeol didn’t realize she was crying and walking directly into someone else. “Sorry.” She whispered looking up at the stranger.

@Ace perfection. perfection. perfection. soohyun seemed to be obsessed with achieving it with his creations and hyunjin couldn't help but fear that he would only become a disappointment to the other. someone like him seemed so far from the idea but there were times when he'd come to crave it, wishing that he could be perfect so the pain could end. when his hair was suddenly gripped and he found himself crashing off of the table, he couldn't help but cry out in pain, reaching up to clutch onto your hold. "i- i'm sorry! i'm sorry, sir-!" the words came out panicked, fighting another sob as he tried to contain his emotions. he certainly was not fit to be in this environment whether it was the lab or simply the gang. regardless, he had become trapped in this hell hole and he still carried a desire to survive. he inhaled a shaky breath as his frame trembled, doing his best to keep his tears at bay.

@Ace Mio wasn't looking, but she could feel his white-hot rage seething through the room and boiling the air. "Ah.. ah..", she started to whimper, thumping her right leg against the ground in an attempt to dispel the growing anxiety. She didn't realise he was speaking to her, nor did she understand anything he said so his words were left hanging in the room, ignored. "Aah!" Her short shriek came at a bad time. Remember that thing she'd been playing with? Screwing and pushing and pulling, but 'not doing much for the most part'? Well, it turns out her little actions had piled up and to a big action and now that structure as well came crashing down. Mio let out another startled shriek and crouched down in the corner, still facing the wall, hitting her ears with her hands now. There was shattered glass all over the floor, the dirty tracks of her shoes soiling various papers that littered the ground.

@Mikami Mio Soohyun's bloodshot eyes traveled down to the mess that Mio had made in the span of five minutes. Five. That was all it took. All his late nights work broken. The genius could feel his hot and boiling blood pulsing through his veins and was sure that there were veins popping out of his forehead by how hot and angry he was feeling. He took a few steps towards his work, hands shaking uncontrollably. If anything angered Soohyun, it was when his hard work had gone to waste. His perfect creation he had worked so hard for.. imperfect. His irrational anger clouded his judgment. The items could probably be fixed in a matter if seconds by the genius, but at the moment, he couldn't see straight. He couldn't see at all. Soohyun snapped his head at the child who was cowering in the corner, his teeth clenching dangerously. "Child.. how will you pay for this. Money? Your life? How."

@Ace [] mio the counter-muse, how NOT to be xD

The bathroom door flew open and the frozen Mio unfroze, startled once more by the sound of the door banging against the wall. In her hand, she held half of the construct she'd been 'playing with'. Crack. A yelp. She'd stepped on something. Mio dropped the thing in her hand and hopped around the room, finally getting to a fairly empty corner of it. She stood there and stared at the very obviously furious man. She only looked for a few seconds though before turning away and facing the wall. Mio pressed her forehead against it and squeezed her eyes shut. She wasn't stupid, she knew he was angry and she knew she had really messed up. One great thing Mio had accomplished, however, was how, despite her clumsy movements, she had been able to take apart one of his simpler constructions, and she remembered how to put it back together again. Not that it mattered. She'd at least broken two things already.

@Mikami Mio Soohyun shook his head at the sight. Vulgar. Barbaric. Very far from perfection that he'd ever seen. Those were the words he would describe the child who'd just shoveled down food into so shamelessly and messily. The tasteless and unrefined behavior of the imperfect human made him glad that he was so skilled in creating perfection. Or else the world would be filled with things like that child. He sighed boredly before disappearing into the bathroom to wash up. It didn't take him too long to be ready in a full set of clean clothes and washed hair. In the middle of drying his hair, he had heard a horrendous noise drum his work space that should never have happened. The door to the bathroom flew open and his face was contorted with an undeniable and hideous fit of rage, foam almost forming at the corners of his pressed lips. "What. The. Hell. Are. You. Doing."

@♞ Hwang Hyunjin 'I'm almost done dear. You're one more step towards perfection.." he whispered closing up the tender flesh of the cyborg's leg. He had realized a couple nights ago that Hyunjin had a slight limp while he walked. It was nothing that Soohyun couldn't fix with his handy capabilities and years of experience working with machines. He had opted out from providing anesthetics because he believed that pain was beautiful. And real pain could only be felt by the living. He wanted to remind Hyunjin that although he was receiving enhancements to become indestructible, he was still human and could very much die in a second. Hyunjin needed to know his place.
To cry out and distract Soohyun's work was not only rude, but selfish. When the latter didn't quiet himself fast enough, the genius clutched the cyborg's long hair tightly, dragging him off the work bench and knocking any clutter that was in the way. "I said to stop crying. "

@Ace Mio stumbled past him with an energy that showed she'd been waiting for an opening. Her eyes were on the plate of food. Mio, as she had been taught, searched for cutlery but quickly gave up and just grabbed the egg with her hands and shovelled it into . She shuddered at the spices sprinkled onto the egg but forced herself, with some whimpering, to swallow. Then the toast. After some experimenting, she decided to on the toast and let it soften in before biting off a piece and chewing. So, toast hanging from , Mio finally got to look around the place. So many interesting things. Mio touched this and she touched that, screwed this one way and then the other way, pulled on this thing and pushed on that thing. Mio didn't do much for the most part, until she found an object that the other was building. Mio squatted next to it and stared at it with great interest. Then, clumsily, she started taking it apart. She was completely focused on her play, when, as a result of her shuffling, she nudged a book. That book set off a domino reaction that resulted in a whole pile of stuff coming crashing down. Startled by the large sound, Mio froze, her breath quickening.

@Ace he struggled to hold back a sob, tears already staining his skin as his nails clawed at the table beneath him. now, he had endured many hours of torture during the early days of his debt but working with soohyun was a suffering he had never known. it hurt to breathe, praying to be drugged up with anesthetics so his body could at least feel numb to it all. "p please ,, sir ,, it hurts ,," his voice was weak, throat exhausted from the screams and sobs he had been letting out. being the rat of experiments was nothing new but soohyun's methods were indescribable. his whole frame was shuddering, trembling in both fear and exhaustion as he tried to plead with the man.

@♞ Hwang Hyunjin "Perfect.. You are- no. You will be perfect. After I'm done with you." Soohyun mumbled breathlessly with sweat beading down his forehead. If anyone caught sight of the genius engineer right now, they would describe him as deranged. Unhinged even. He wet his lips as the cries from the cyborg rang through the walls of his small lab. The poor soul was in pain, but it was the price to pay for such perfection. "I told you, Hyunjin... No crying. This is for your own good." He whispered against the teary eyed cyborgs ear. This was a common occurrence between Soohyun and Hyunjin. It hadn't been long since he picked up the cyborg during his time with the Golden Dragons to fuel his hunger he had been craving ever since Felix left. Hyunjin wasn't as perfect as Felix, but he will be once Soohyun was done ridding him of all his imperfections.

@Mikami Mio Soohyun stared blankly at the child in front of him and tilted his head, wondering if it would be easier to throw the child back into the street or use her as a practice dummy for his cyborg projects he had been wanting to try. It didn't seem like the child belonged anywhere nor did it seem like anyone was looking for her. So she wouldn't be missed if she somehow ended up dead or missing. But then he thought about how ludicrous she had acted last night and dreaded the headache it would bring him if he had enhanced her. Without a second thought, he moved out of the way for the child to pass, not wanting her to touch him with her filth. He nodded towards the half eaten toast and eggs on the plate and nudged her out of the bathroom before shutting it behind him.

@Ace Mio crouched in front of the door, still hugging the things she'd been given yesterday. Patiently. Waiting. Okay, not totally patiently. She could smell food. Mio heard him approach the bathroom and hurriedly stumbled to her feet. Mio stared at him with bright eyes and took a half step towards him. Her gaze lingered on him and then wandered past him to the kitchen. Mio shuffled, rocking on the ball of her feet. Now that the door was open, she was restless. "Ah.." Mio tried to move past him but he was blocking the door with his frame.

@Mikami Mio Soohyun sat at the counter with his back facing the bathroom. He had forgotten the pest he had met it last night and enjoyed his breakfast leisurely, daydreaming about his latest creation. The ultimate android with no flaws. He was so close but couldn't get pass certain parts of the code. Once he finished his breakfast, he headed to the bathroom in order to wash up, yawning and stretching as he went. He frowned when he noticed the door was locked and unlocked it, kicking the door open. His brow twitched up when he saw the child all tattered and bruised. "Oh."

@Ace Hours passed. Mio didn't spend the whole time like a statue, she fidgeted, stood up, walked back and forth, touched this and that and eventually curled up on the floor and slept. She still didn't know where she was, but inside was better than outside. It wasn't the first time she was locked in a room and not allowed to come out, so while she didn't like it, she knew not to make a fuss. Better things had always awaited on the other side of the door if she was quiet. She did not wake up until she heard the familiar sound of dishes and cutlery clattering in the kitchen. Mio tried the door again. Still locked. Now what? She could make a fuss again, but from experience, if the room was unlocked and the counterpart was angry, that had never been pleasant. So Mio stayed quiet and hungry. Hoping that he'd open the door eventually.

@Mikami Mio Soohyun sighed in relief when he was met with pure silence aside from the rain gently falling against his windowpane. He made his way back to his desk and continued working, drawing sketches of possible solutions to the problem his clients had at hand. After moving to Sigil, he quickly gained popularity among the dark web, selling almost impossible designs to advance builds and earning his nickname 'ACE'. No one could beat him at his obsession. He worked long throughout the night. He didn't realize how much time had passed until the sun started spilling into his apartment. The genius stretched his long limbs and yawned before getting up to go to the kitchen and make himself a small breakfast.