((RP Thread, Waspinator's Cave))

[bw_waspy]

*It's autumn here now, and the large rose garden is still stubbornly in bloom even though the leaves have changed color. The weather is clear and the sky blue with only a few wispy white clouds. Sometimes prehistoric Earth can be simply beautiful. But who has time to stop and look some days?*

Comments

[rmmayhem]

*Quick winces a little at how Air sounds. He shakes his head a little before speaking.* Air, it's not your fault. Wind put that thing in you; he deserves the blame.

[lavender-wings.livejournal.com]

*softly, to Air* Shhhh, it's okay. I'm sorry for shooting you; we had to stop you.

[rmmayhem]

*Air avoids actually looking anyone in the eye when he speaks.* Better me hurt than anyone else. I deserve it. *His mind thinks back to some of the memories that the chip had dug out.* After what I remembered that I did...

*softly* I told the chip I'd go back to Wind willingly if it just left everyone else alone. Would have been better that way...

[pogo_boy]

*quietly* No, it wouldn't. You didn't deserve any of this, 'niisan.

[rmmayhem]

*Quick looks a bit angry, not at Air, but it definitely shows in his voice and expression. He wants to hurt Wind right now.*

*scolding, sounding a bit harsher than intended* Air, quit that. You know exactly what Wind would have done to you. Don't do this to yourself.

[pogo_boy]

Air, you can't blame yourself for things other people force you to do. Some people just.. just use other people. And what they cause is their fault.

[rmmayhem]

*Air reacts badly to the scolding. Worse than he would under normal circumstances at any rate.*

*looking rather scared* Sorry.

*Air's not even sure why he's apologizing, but part of him said he should.*

[pogo_boy]

*restrains himself again from hugging Air, though he does cautiously place a hand on his arm* Air, there's nothing to be sorry about. You didn't do anything wrong.

[rmmayhem]

*just shakes his head sadly* Air, I'm not angry with you. As Quint said, you have no need to apologize. Trust me. I'm not going to hurt you. None of us wanted to hurt you earlier, either.

*Quick hesitates before giving Air a quick hug. Even though Air isn't that fond of that kind of contact.* I'm just worried about you. That chip sounded nasty enough from the outside for the short time we dealt with it. You had to deal with it for a week.

[http://users.livejournal.com/ballade_/]

*sneaking out of the Nexus to visit, peeks into the cave and gets a surprise when he sees Wilybots other than Quint there. He doesn't bother to look long enough to notice they'r enot the Quick and Air from the same universe as him, hiding in the shrubbery outside*

*he wonders if he should warp away, but.. wasn't Quint there? Maybe it's safe.*

[lavender-wings.livejournal.com]

Air... you didn't deserve what Wind did to you.

All that stuff I said about you being weak? Didn't mean it. Now get yourself together; you have brothers who love you and want you to live.

*not noticing Ballade yet*

[http://users.livejournal.com/ballade_/]

*peeks around the cave entrance*

[bw_waspy]

*shoving the goose into a makeshift dutch oven, thought he heard something outside, but thinks it's probably just animals*

[rmmayhem]

*Air flinches slightly at the physical contact, still a bit jumpy.*

*quietly* If I weren't so weak, I'd have been able to stop that thing. I deserved what happened and more.

*mumbling softly* Should have been scrapped a long time ago as worthless...

*Air shies away from even responding to Quick's comment about what the chip did over that week.*

[http://users.livejournal.com/ballade_/]

*seems to forget he was hiding, and edges closer* Aww... you shouldn't be sad. You're fun when you're not sad.

*sudden grin* Maybe I could find another tribble? I don't think there are any here though. There are tortoises, though!

*ends up right next to the CR by now and sits on the cave floor to grin at Air* I got turned into a tortoise once in the Nexus. It was wierd. But I got better!

[pogo_boy]

*serious* No, you didn't. You didn't deserve that, and you couldn't have done anything to stop what the chip was making you do.

Air.. the universe I'm from, we have to obey Dr. Wily. Our programming won't let us do otherwise. It hurts even to consider it too much.

I've done a lot of things I didn't want to. Being 'weak' - and you aren't - has nothing to do with it. None of us could disobey. That chip you had was wired in a lot like the choke chips we had, only ours only overrode or locked us up or hurt us if we were trying to disobey... and most don't try. I only did a few times before I gave up.

*quietly* You couldn't have stopped it, Air. And it's over now. The chip's gone, and none of us will let Wind near you again.

[rmmayhem]

*Quick does notice the little avoidance of one of his comments. Though from the way Air's acting, he can almost guess.* The chip was telling you those things, wasn't it, Air?

*firmly* Those things lie. You know that. This one was just a little better made than the ones we usually saw. Just remember, we do care, no matter what that thing said. The only way I'm letting Wind anywhere near you again is over my deactivated body. Understood, Air?

[rmmayhem]

*Air is a bit startled at Ballade showing up, before he realizes it's just Ballade, nothing to be scared of.* Hi Ballade.

*doesn't exactly sound like he believes what Quint is telling him* I tried to keep it from taking over, Quint. I really was fighting the thing at first. Then, when I couldn't hold it back anymore, it was like the chip just shoved me into a little dark place where there was nothing. *cringes* Nothing to see other than what it was doing with my body. Nothing to hear but the sounds of the outside and it talking to me. Nothing to feel but what it let me feel.

*sounding frightened* Wind will come after me; I know he will. It said that I belong to him... I don't want you guys hurt when he comes looking for me. I'm not worth that.

[http://users.livejournal.com/ballade_/]

*huge grin at being recognized* Hi!

*shivers at the rest* Oooo, that sounds scary. Kind of how Quint gets sometimes except you have to watch. Or like the other time I fought Megaman, when those stupid Stardroids were around. Yeah. More like that, because I remember fighting him. And I wanted to, so I dunno why that happened. *looks confused for a bit*

*frowns* Why wouldn't you be worth it. You're fun! When you're not broken, anyway, and you don't look like you're broken now...

*smiles at Air* It's nice and all sunshiny out. Want to go play? No bombs, really. Well.. maybe some firecrackers if I remember where I hid them. Maybe we'll even find a tortoise! :D

[pogo_boy]

It lied, Air. We don't belong to anyone. Especially now. It's wrong for humans to treat us that way, and it's twice as wrong for Wind to be like that.

*seriously* You're one of the nicest people I know, oniisan. Of course you're worth protecting.

[rmmayhem]

*soothingly* Air, calm down. It's over. You're safe now, and fixed up. The chip is no longer there. None of us were trying to hurt you. Elec told me to tell you that he was sorry about his first shot not knocking you out. That's all any of us wanted to do.

*smiling* Air, you are worth it. You are your own person. Not property. Especially not his. *jokingly* Besides, you couldn't be his, he puts his name on anything he owns. Remember?

[rmmayhem]

*sadly* It was scary, Ballade. And it hurt.

*confused* But I'm just a weak fool, too much of coward to do the job I was made for... I'm not worth that risk.

*glaring at Quick* Wind was going to engrave it after he finished putting the chip it, of course the name's not on me yet.

*sighs sadly* Ballade, I really don't feel like doing anything like that right now.

[http://users.livejournal.com/ballade_/]

*looks puzzled for a moment* Job? Oh yeah. Getting rid of Megabrat. *shrugs* None of us have done that.

Least you didn't really screw up and do something stupid like blow yourself up to help Mega escape when he woulda been blown up on a space station because he couldn't get out of a room he was in. Um. Or something like that.

Little bastard left me behind after I helped him, just like Dr. Wily did...

*looks a little sad that Air doesn't want to go out and play* Oh. Maybe you'll feel better later?

[lavender-wings.livejournal.com]

Air... you aren't weak. The only way you'd be weak would be if you'd give up and let Wind win, instead of staying with those who care about you.

*quietly* Ballade, give him time...

[pogo_boy]

*almost snickers at Ballade and wonders if he can find something bright or sparkly to distract his younger brother with, but then scowls at the thought of Wind carving his name on Air*

He won't ever do that, Air. He won't get the chance to do that. Even if he had before, it wouldn't mean he owns you.

*he thinks back to some of the things that other Forte told him, months ago, when he first showed up in the Nexus.* We're not property, Air. We're not 'weapons' or 'tools'. We're people.

What Dr. Wily does, and what Wind does where you're from, is wrong. I don't care what the laws of my own world say about that or what yours might, it's still wrong.

*quietly* If anything, we're more like escaped slaves than anything else.