Forgive and Forget [Ace]

[Machina Kunagiri]

So far, so good. Although Machina had been pretty worried about this mission, since it involved entering enemy territory, so far, nothing bad had happened just yet. The Milites hadn’t spotted them yet, and they were just outside their destination; a prison of sorts where one of their informants was being held captive. Had he been here with Rem, he might have even smiled and given her a high five or something for a job well done so far, sadly, he wasn’t here with his childhood friend. He wasn’t even here with Carla and her crazy dragoon temper that was sure to get them into trouble. He also wasn’t here with some of the Class Zero members he could actually tolerate for a day, like Seven or Eight. No. The higher ups had seen fit to send him along with Ace, the temporary class leader until this war was over. He was supposed to be the brains of this operation, and Machina of course served as the muscle power in case they ran into trouble. Not that Ace couldn’t fight, but he wasn’t physically as powerful as Machina was, and he most certainly didn’t have the right weapon for a direct confrontation. Ace and some of the others in Class Zero did better fighting from a distance.

The dragoon quietly put the binoculars he’d used to get a good view of the front of the facility down and stepped away in case his ‘companion’ wanted to check it out one last time. He was the smart one who was supposed to find a way to get them inside, wasn’t he? Machina certainly didn’t feel the need to chip in unless directly asked to do so. It had been a while now since that initial attack that killed Izana, but despite the time that had passed by and the numerous talks he’d had with Rem, Machina was still bitter about all of it. Because of Ace and Queen, he was forced to live the rest of his life without his brother – the last of his family. Were it not for Rem, Machina would’ve been all alone in the world, and none of them even seemed to care about that. They’d just told him that being angry at them and blaming them for what had happened wouldn’t bring Izana back, as if he were some idiotic mouth breather who couldn’t come to such a simple conclusion by himself. Of course it wouldn’t bring him back… nothing could bring him back now.

With a slight glare, he looked down at where Ace was, “So?” he asked in a slightly irritated tone. He hated war and fighting, but if it had to happen, he’d rather get it over with as soon as possible. Just standing around here made him nervous, and not just because his companion wasn’t one he would’ve picked for himself either… it was just the thought of what would happen should they get caught here that had the dark haired youth even more on edge than was usually the case. Hopefully Ace would figure something out sooner rather than later, because Machina’s already stretched patience was definitely wearing thin by now.

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Words: 530
Tagged: Ace!
Location: Outside a Milites facility
Outfit: Uniform
Notes: After ten billion years, it’s finally up! If you need anything changed, poke me in the cbox or something? And don't ask about the title, I don't know.

[Ace (No. 1)]

It was all going to plan. Well, at least from Ace's view. That could have just been his interpretation. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened yet, but there was plenty of time for something to happen. That's why they needed to be precise. Every move counted. Every one. The blond had put a bit of thought into this mission, and he had most things planned out. However, he couldn't think of everything. There were lot's of possibilities of things that could happen. Ace was sure he hadn't thought of everything. He was only human, after all. Still, he would probably hate himself if something went terribly wrong here. He didn't need anything to go wrong. Nothing. Anything bad happening, they getting badly hurt or something, was not on Ace's plan. And that was that. It needed to go well.

He shook his head to clear a few thoughts, before releasing a slow breath. It wouldn't do to have a hazy mind, one with unclear thoughts. This needed Ace's full attention and focus. Anything else to wait. At least, wait for now. He needed this mission, any mission, to go well. He rubbed his eyes, and then looked at the binoculars. He picked them up, and blue eyes looked through them. From what he see, it wouldn't be too hard. But that could be a ploy, right? It could be a trap. He had really tried to think of everything. Tried, being the key word. He blinked, and then put them back down. Ok, he needed to calm his mind for a second. Ace needed to slow down his thoughts, and think carefully. He, then, looked at Machina, and his thoughts were swimming.

As much as Ace was a tactician, he couldn't guarantee that everything would be alright at the end of this. He needed Machina to know that. He just hoped that he did already. It would save them time. Time that they didn't have. But he needed to think a little more positively. Negativity wasn't a good thing. However, at Machina's words, he sighed. He didn't say anything to begin with though, still mulling things over in his mind. Ace looked at their destination, crouching. Even at a distance, anything could happen. They needed to be a little cautious, even if it was just a little, after all. "I think you know what we need to do." He replied, shutting his eyes, then looking at Machina for a reply. Ace had a feeling that Machina still blamed him for what happened that day.

Ace shook his head slightly, before standing up. "How do you think we should go about this?" He asked, curiously. He didn't want to do all of the work by himself. That, and he wanted to make sure either of them was running in blind. He still wasn't sure about this, anyway. But...he had to trust that Machina was certain, right? He did have a plan. "I have an idea, but it's not entirely fool-proof." He said, crossing his arms. Ace just wanted to make sure that this wouldn't end well.

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Words:; 555
Muse:; Really Good!
Tagged:; Machina
Outfit:; Uniform
Location:; Outside
Listening To:; --
Notes:; --

[Machina Kunagiri]

Although Machina was no fan of Ace, and he could get really hotheaded and irrational sometimes, the youth still wasn’t quite stupid enough not to realize that Ace’s wellbeing for this mission was tied directly to his own. Their numbers were already few, losing someone, especially the group’s leader of all people, that just didn’t sound like a good idea. So even though it was far from easy to work with this guy – his new ‘classmate’ – he’d do what needed to be done, and keep up his end of the job. Everyone else relied on them to do well here, and Machina didn’t want to be responsible for the mission completely and utterly failing. So for now, he’d try his hardest to bury his feelings of resentment and just cooperate with his teammate. He could go back to being angry and bitter when the job was done, and pray that they’d never get sent on another mission together again. That was probably wishful thinking, but a guy could dream, couldn’t he? Although… if he had to pick one dream that could come true, it most certainly wouldn’t be a dream involving Ace. That was for sure.

“Of course I know,” he replied with a roll of his eyes, “I was briefed just as you were, remember?” he ran a hand through his hair and then knelt down beside the tree he’d been leaning up against, “I was also told that you’d be the brains of this operation, so get cracking, ‘boss’.” The dragoon couldn’t help but snort a little when Ace asked him for his input. Had this been anyone else, he might’ve appreciated the fact that his opinion was apparently valued enough to be asked for it, but seeing as this was Ace, a guy he’d already lashed out at before, Machina couldn’t help but assume that this was the blonde’s half assed attempt at making peace. That thought had him stop glaring for a moment, if Ace was trying to make up for what had happened… shouldn’t he give him a chance? That’s what Rem had been trying to tell him all this time now, but if anyone was as stubborn as a mule, it was Machina Kunagiri. The lack of angry looks only lasted for just a few seconds before his face twisted back into its usual stoic with the slightest hint of irritation that was trademark whenever Ace or Queen were around. Still, he found that he wasn’t quite as angry as before. Maybe he’d finally come to terms with the fact that they really did need each other for this mission, they had enough to worry about right now, arguing and throwing snide remarks around left and right would only serve to slow them down, which was something neither of them wanted.

Machina shrugged his shoulders, “We should probably try and avoid a direct confrontation. There’s bound to be more than a few guards inside, and it’ll be difficult to get our contact out when they’re all pouncing on us,” he sighed then, not really sure what else to say. He didn’t have some sort of grant plan for this mission. How could anyone make a plan when you didn’t know what the situation was like exactly before you got there? “So what’s your plan, then?” he asked in the most civil tone he’d used with Ace so far. Maybe he was finally getting better. Or maybe he was just saving his energy for later on. Whichever, it was at least a good sign that he could reign his feelings in for a while, no?

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Words: 600
Tagged: Ace
Location: Outside a Milites facility
Outfit: Uniform
Notes: Damn girl, you fast! xD

[Ace (No. 1)]

He was trying. Ace would admit that. He was trying to sort things out for Machina, even if it was for a short while. At least, until this was over. However, so far, it didn’t seem to be doing well. He knew that his classmate wasn’t fond of him. That part was entirely obvious. But they needed to just put that aside. There were more important things than grudges against each other. Ace just needed Machina to work with him for this, and then he could go back to hating him, if he so wished. Not that Ace would prefer that. It would be a lot less hassle if Machina just forgave him for what happened. It would just be easier, right? He would just have to hope that maybe this would change circumstances, and their relationship would change into something more civil then it had been previously. It would be best for everyone.

Ace looked at Machina’s reaction, and frowned. Was that necessary? He then nodded. ”Yes.” He answered, simply. He did remember, obviously, but he was just making sure. He then gave a small smirk. The ‘brains’, huh? He wasn’t entirely sure of that. Wouldn’t somebody like Queen be better with brains? Well, either way, Machina seemed to think that, that was Ace’s job this time. Still, he wasn’t complaining. It wasn’t like he had much of a choice anyway. That’s what Machina seemed to think, and he didn’t have a say in the matter. ”Hm.” He crossed his arms, before thinking for a second. If they needed to take an approach, it would be best not to be seen, correct? But how would they do that? He raised one hand to his mouth in thought, his eyes closing. This would take a bit more thought, on his behalf.

Ace opened his eyes, and they narrowed slightly at the building. He then turned around and faced Machina, his arms resting on his knees. Avoiding confrontation was definitely was what Ace wanted. If they had to fight, it would waste time they did not have. The quicker they did this, the less chance they had of a downfall. He nodded. ”That’s a definite.” It would be the best thing, and it was part of Ace’s plan. ”It’s simple. Get in, get out. Stay unnoticed as best as we can, and not to get caught.” Ace hummed, then looked back. It wasn’t hard, in theory, but when put into practice; there were lots of flaws. Part of Ace was waiting for Machina to say something about how brief his plan was, but he didn’t entirely understand why they were going in. How could he think when he didn’t know what to think of?

Ace licked his lips, before placing his palms on the ground, ready to spring. ”Ready?” He said, in a questioning tone. He wanted to make sure they were ready, and not running in unprepared. He just hoped that everything would go well. But… he couldn’t be sure.

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Words:; 656
Muse:; Really Good!
Tagged:; Machina
Outfit:; Uniform
Location:; Outside
Listening To:; --
Notes:; xD

[Machina Kunagiri]

The plan seemed simple enough, go in, get their guy without being seen, and get back out again. Of course, plans that sounded too simple to be realistic often were exactly that, and that’s what made Machina feel nervous when Ace asked him for his opinion. The dragoon sincerely doubted that he’d asked just to be civil, there was a higher likelihood that Ace hadn’t really thought things through as well as he should have and was now trying to leech ideas off of his team member. Sadly for both of them, Machina wasn’t really the brilliant mastermind you should go leeching ideas off of. He wasn’t the plan maker, he wasn’t a strategist, and though he could probably come up with a decent enough idea if given a sufficient amount of time, asking him to think one up on the spot was a bad idea. Hopefully Ace realized that as well. Upon hearing Ace’s idea, which sounded pretty much identical to his own oversimplified version of how to go about doing this, Machina could merely raise an eyebrow. That was really it? Ace, the brains of this operation, honestly couldn’t come up with a more detailed plan than ‘run in and hope for the best’? He was about to shoot the blonde another snide remark about his skills when a realization made him stop himself. Was it really fair to scold the guy for not having a detailed plan when they hadn’t been given detailed information about this mission? Nobody knew what the place looked like inside, so they hadn’t been provided maps or anything that could help them with organizing a proper rescue mission… without maps and other detailed information about this place, who could honestly come up with a plan other than ‘try not to get killed’.

“Those higher ups deserve a punch for not giving us more to work with,” Machina grumbled, surprisingly he was angry at someone besides Ace for once. Count yourself lucky, kid, because it wasn’t likely to last long. “Let’s just get this over with,” He huffed as he got ready to sprint across the courtyard and into the building as well. There were only a few guards stationed outside, so if they ran fast enough, they should be able to make it inside without being detected. Hopefully there were no guards next to the doors inside, because that would make for a tragically short mission if they had guns that they managed to fire before either Ace or Machina could summon their weapons. Machina took a deep breath as his eyes remained focused on the few guards outside. They needed to plan this dash towards the facility just right if they wanted to make it inside without being caught. When it seemed like the guards were changing positions and turned their backs towards the entrance, Machina saw his chance, and was determined to take it, lest they’d have to wait for another few hours for the next opportunity. “Now,” he told Ace quickly as he started running as fast as his legs could take him. He didn’t bother to look at the guards or back at Ace as he made his run for the door. If the guards spotted them, he’d know about it without having to look anyway. It was best to just focus on the door and get inside as swiftly as possible.

As Machina’s legs were longer than Ace’s, he beat his teammate to the door but was civil enough to keep it open so Ace could run through smoothly. Once inside, he looked around in a panic for the next spot to head to. There were likely to be patrols in this building, and Machina didn’t want to get caught by one now that they’d actually made it inside. It was pretty clear that this building wasn’t open to the public, because pretty much every door he saw was guarded by some sort of laser field. Whether it was a laser that would set an alarm off, or one that would actually blow you up when you came in contact with it, he obviously didn’t know, but either of those things would be bad, so they needed to find a way to shut at least one of those lasers down so they could get through the door. There had to be some sort of control panel somewhere, right? But where? So far, the only thing he saw were small keycard slots next to each door. And seeing as they didn’t have a keycard, those things were useless to them right now. That was… unless Ace knew how to trick those things. That didn’t seem to be his area of expertise though, but it was worth a shot, right?
“We’re sitting ducks here, Ace, we need to get out of here fast,” he pointed at one of the keycard slots, “Can you do anything with those? I’ll look around for a control panel or something else that might drop those fields.” Without waiting for Ace’s response, he walked off to do just that. Hopefully they could figure out how to proceed from here before the security personnel dropped in on their party.

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Words: 864
Tagged: Ace
Location: Milites facility
Outfit: Uniform
Notes: I figured I'd move them inside, otherwise they'll be stuck outside forever. XD Hope this was okay!

[Ace (No. 1)]

Ace knew that the plan wasn’t very well detailed, or well constructed. But he had only gone on what people had told him, which hadn’t been very much. They were practically running in blind. It was risky. He didn’t know what would happen, and he didn’t know if they would come out alive, injured, or not at all. That was what was gnawing at his mind. Surely, it would all be fine, right? It was difficult, trying to guess what would happen. It was practically impossible. Ace just hoped that it all went ok. That was also on his mind. They were winging it, he knew that. It wasn’t the ideal plan, but they had no other choice. It was all they had. Still, he couldn’t help but worry a bit. Who blamed in? Everything could go wrong with one fatal move. One fatal move decided the result of this mission. Ace kind of wondered why they sent him and Machina. It was obvious the two didn’t get along. That, and Ace doubted whether he was the right person for the job. This seemed something that one of the others would excel at. At least excel more than him, anyway. Ace sighed, and thought for a moment. It was definitely a difficult mission without the proper information. Thus, it was dangerous all together. Ace looked at Machina. He just had a feeling that this was going to go wrong, for both of them. He didn’t know how, and he didn’t know why. Still, he wasn’t Cinque. He didn’t have a sixth sense for danger, that was for sure. He just had a feeling. Still, Ace didn’t think to act on it, or say anything about it. It could just be nothing, right? It probably was more than likely just nervousness.

Ace agreed with Machina. It was rather inconvenient, after all. ”Yeah…” He whispered. Did they expect them to just know what to do? Especially with that next to nothing information. It was awfully awkward. He nodded. ”The sooner we are done, the better.” It was the best thing to do, anyway. He changed his position so he was ready to make a run for it. They would just have to hope that they wouldn’t run into anybody on the way. That would be the best, but then again, it was a little unlikely that they would do this whole thing without being spotted once. Large building, and lots of guards and people with guns. If they were spotted, almost definitely they would open fire. That was the worst option. Ace Kept his ears wide open, trying to listen for anything, when he heard Machina’s command. A little slower getting up was a little fatal. He was at least three metres behind him. As much as Ace tried to keep up with Machina, he kept on stumbling slightly and he couldn’t get as far as quickly. It was almost a lucky escape when none of the guards had seen him, and he slipped through the door. Ace looked at Machina, and uttered a quick and quiet [color=gold”Thanks.”

[/color] He put his palms on his knees, before standing up straight to his full height. At least they had both got in unnoticed. Now they just had to find their comrade, and figure a way to get unnoticed also.

Ace looked around, and put one hand on his hip. He couldn’t see anybody, but he saw something. Laser fields. Perfect. That was exactly what they needed. Not. Ace faced Machina, and he could tell that the dragoon had some sort of idea of what to do. Ace looked at the keycard slots, and looked at them. Hack them? Well, it was the only way to drop those laser fields without the control panel Machina mentioned. ”How am I going to do this?”[/color] He muttered to himself. ”This is not my forte.” Ace had his hands hovering over the keycards. What was he supposed to do? A thought popped in his head. What if he used one of his cards to try and trick it? Ace grabbed one and slid it through, scowling when it came up with small red light. He sighed, before hitting the keycard, watching as the laser fields falter for a second. That’s when another idea came into his mind. He could try that, but he wasn’t as strong as Machina. Ace released a breath, before looking at the direction Machina went. As he looked for him, he realized that he had probably gone too far to see or hear him. I could try calling him… He thought, before nodding. That seemed a good option. ”Hey, Machina!” He called, trying not to attract too much attention. He just hoped that nobody heard him, or else it would spell bad news for them both.[/blockquote][/size]

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Words:; 990
Muse:; Really Good!
Tagged:; Machina
Outfit:; Uniform
Location:; Milites facility
Listening To:; --
Notes:; Not liking this much, but I hope it is ok :3

[Machina Kunagiri]

To be honest, Machina was kind of divided about the whole splitting up to find a way to move on through the next door thing. On one hand, it was nice to be alone for a little while to sort out one’s thoughts and give yourself a pep talk to help you through this ordeal, but on the other, he felt kind of nervous about being alone in a place packed with enemies ready to kill you should they find out you were there. He could just see it happening now, one of the doors would open out of the blue, neither he nor Ace would have enough time to find a proper hiding spot and then… what? Would they get shot? Stabbed? Imprisoned? None of those things sounded particularly nice, and if at all possible, Machina would like to avoid those situations. With Ace working on the slot though, Machina had to do something to make himself useful, right? So despite his concerns about splitting up, that’s exactly what he did for now as he searched the room top to bottom for some sort of control panel that would make messing around with keycards unnecessary.

Sadly, it seemed the people who had built this particular building had accounted for overly stupid guards who just let people run past them while they changed their positions, and no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find anything that would help get them to their next destination. Damn it all. I guess expecting absolutely everyone to be incompetent in this place would’ve been too much to ask for, but considering the disadvantage he and Ace were at due to a lack of information about this mission, it would’ve only been fair that their enemy had a disadvantage as well, right? With a sigh, he wandered closer to one of the doors, staring at the door behind the laser field. It was so close… so close he could practically feel his hand on the doorknob already, the only thing that stood in the way of their success was this flimsy little laser field, and yet that was enough to keep them trapped here forever unless Ace could figure out a way to get them out of here.

Speak of the devil… Ace’s voice calling his name suddenly gave him a bit of a start, and with slightly widened eyes he looked around the corner he’d disappeared behind as he held up his hands and mouthed the word ‘what’. The field was still up, so Ace couldn’t have succeeded yet, so why was he calling him? Whatever it was, he figured screaming things back and forth, even if they did try and be as quiet as possible about it, wasn’t exactly the best way to stay undetected. And so, Machina hurried back over to his blonde companion and again hissed his question to him, “What? Can’t get it to work?” he asked as he looked at both the keycard slot and then the actual laser field, “There’s no other way to get in, I’ve checked every corner of this room. These things are the only way we can get inside,” he scowled again at such a small, harmless eyeing thing getting in their way, “I can’t believe this… we can’t even move beyond the damned entrance hall.” What did he just say about incompetent guards? From the way it looked now, it didn’t seem like he and Ace were all that competent either. Joke’s on him, apparently.

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Words: 583
Tagged: Ace
Location: Milites facility
Outfit: Uniform
Notes: My muse for this kind of sucked, I'm afraid. >.< They can probably get captured after a few more posts, maybe after they get the door open and there's a surprise waiting for them on the other side? XD

[Ace (No. 1)]

It was obvious that if they didn't get this open soon, they would probably get caught. And that was what they had definitely been avoiding. Ace glared at the little thing that blocked their path. Why did they have to have this thing? But, of course, they didn't want to make Ace and Machina's life just that little bit easier, did they? Then again, this whole mission wasn't exactly easy as pie. If the higher-ups had given them some sort of map or something, then they would know which way to go and the whole thing would be done a whole lot quicker. If Machina had stayed closer, then it would've been slightly quicker, because Ace had to call him to get him over there. If he didn't need to, then they might even have their problem solved. However, that wasn't an option, and they still needed a way to get this damn laser field gone.

To get through, they only had three options. Hack/ break the keycard, find a different way, or manoeuvre around them, hoping that they didn't accidentally touch one. But then, Machina had just said there wasn't another way without this laser field. Each one had flaws, but they didn't have the time to think up a flawless plan, did they? They were pressured on time as it was. Any second some guards come could and either kill them, or capture them. Both weren't what Ace was hoping for. All he wanted to do was to get in and get out, with both their man, and Machina. Alive, that is. Ace looked at said classmate. "No, obviously. But there are two ways we can go about this." He stepped away from the keycard. "When I couldn't hack it, I hit it, and the lasers faltered. You're stronger than me, so you could try hitting it and hope for the best." He, then, faced the laser field, and took a step closer to it. "Or we can find a way to go through this without disabling it. Your choice." He said. Ace crossed his arms. He didn't exactly want to do any of the options. If they hit the keycard, it could set of an alarm. If they tried to find a way through, they could either get burnt alive, or again, set off an alarm.

Ace kept on feeling more and more nervous the longer they waited. What kind of rescue mission would it be if they ended up getting caught themselves... or killed or that matter! They just needed to hurry. "We need to hurry." He muttered. Ace had an almost feeling that he was getting watched, or he was walking into a trap. He didn't know which, but it was making him anxious. Ace looked over his shoulder, and then he walked back to the keycard. He released a breath, before rubbing his face. This was just irritating. Why did he keep on worrying that they would get caught? They'd be fine, right?That's when a unsettling feeling grew. "Machina?" He muttered, barely above a whisper. Yeah, he definitely felt like he was being watched. If that was true, he might also be listened too. And that would not be good. "I think we're being watched..." Ace said again, only this time it was a whisper. He wated to tell Machina, so then he didn't say what they were doing next so loudly. His eyes looked around for cameras. He sighed, and looked between the keycard and Machina, wanting for a next move.

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Words:; 788
Muse:; Really Good!
Tagged:; Machina
Outfit:; Uniform
Location:; Milites facility
Listening To:; --
Notes:; That sounds good. Maybe in your next post, or my one after that? Or the one after that xD I hope this is ok, though. xD And I'll work on the Ace/Deuce post soon, 'kay? ^.^

[Machina Kunagiri]

Ace hadn’t gotten the keycard machine to work, and Machina hadn’t been able to find another way past those fields. This was just fantastic, how were they ever going to finish this mission if they couldn’t even make it past the first room? Maybe he’d been too hasty in assuming Ace was supposed to be the brains of this operation, after all, how complicated could it be to hack that thing and get them to the next room? Sure, Machina couldn’t do it, but then, he wasn’t supposed to be the smart one here, that wasn’t to say that the dark haired youth was some sort of moron… he just wasn’t as intelligent as say Queen, or Trey, though he was fairly certain Trey just pretended to be smart half the time. He was way too pleased with himself whenever he got a question right, actually smart people wouldn’t be impressed by themselves anymore because they’d be used to getting things right the first time. So yes, he sincerely believed Trey was just a clever actor who basked in his own play. But whatever, Trey would be Trey, and there was little he could do to change that. Strangely enough, he was actually grateful that it was Ace and not Trey who was accompanying him today. Machina had a serious chip on his shoulder when it came to the shorter blonde, but at least he wasn’t as full of himself as Trey was. …maybe Rem was right, maybe he really did look for reasons to hate on Class Zero.

That moment of hesitation soon faded again when Ace told him of his wondrous plan that had no doubt taken less than three seconds at most to think up. Hit the thing or find a way around it… there was no way around it, so basically his only plan was either trigger the alarm or get disintegrated by walking through the field without trying to disable it, or hit the box on the wall and hope for the best. Yeah, that was truly a marvelous plan… nothing could go wrong here. Still, it wasn’t like Machina had a better suggestion here. And maybe if someone as smart as Ace couldn’t figure out anything besides this overly simplified solution, maybe that meant there really was no other way to handle this situation. “Ugh, okay, let me take a look at it… maybe two sets of eyes are better than one,” he sighed as he stepped up to the slot and examined it. Breaking it would be easy for someone with his strength, but what if it triggered some sort of alarm? That was something they were trying to avoid here, so it was best to just take a look at the damn thing himself. Maybe he’d spot something Ace hadn’t. There really wasn’t much to be seen though, and before too long, Machina let out a grunt of frustration when he couldn’t figure out how to trick this thing either. “Dammit,” he cursed under his breath, “What?” he hissed irritably, this time more at the fact that they were stuck rather than just because it was Ace who called for him. His expression changed from angry to worried when Ace told him of his suspicions. Oh gods, someone was watching them? The dragoon turned around to look at Ace and then joined him in searching for cameras. If they were being watched, he could only imagine how hard their spy had to be laughing at their misfortune so far… two kids run into the building and curse at a keycard slot for a while and then peer over their shoulders in paranoia… it sounded like a damned joke, and Machina didn’t appreciate being a part of it. Though he couldn’t spot any cameras from where he was standing, just the fact that Ace had suggested that someone might be able to see them out here had put him in a fearful mode. If someone spotted them here, they’d be in all sorts of trouble. They needed to get out of here, and fast. But they couldn’t leave without their contact. Damn it all to hell. “Alright, step back.” He told his ‘companion’ as he pulled his arm backwards a little. Just attacking it with his rapiers would do the trick just fine, but it would be pretty obvious that their base had been infiltrated with one of these things completely ruined by a sharp object. If he just punched it, they might be inclined to believe that it was just a malfunction or something… yeah right. Nevertheless, Machina readied his fist, and swung it at the slot as hard as he could. Sure enough, the field crackled a little before dying completely. The way was clear now. Machina was swearing under his breath and waving his hand a little though, because hitting something solid with your fist always tended to be kind of uncomfortable.

“I’ll go first, stay close…” he mumbled as he stepped up to the door. He might not have been Ace’s number one fan, but he understood well enough that if anyone was supposed to act as cannon fodder here, it was Machina. Rubrum would need a strong Class Zero to win this war, and the class wouldn’t be as powerful without their leader, and if they weren’t strong enough to protect themselves, how were they ever going to protect Rem? That was really the only reason he’d agreed to go on missions and work together with this class at all, it was just to protect Rem. Whatever else happened wasn’t the dragoon’s main focus, it was just a happy coincidence.
His hand reached for the doorknob, and with some hesitation, he turned it and opened the door. All seemed well… until he stepped further into the hallway and managed to look around a corner he hadn’t been able to see from his spot in the doorway. It seemed Ace’s suspicions had been right, because there they were; half the building’s guards seemed to have gathered in the hall to set up an ambush. They had shields and gunmen and whatnot. This… was not good. Not good at all. “Get back!” he called over at Ace before summoning his twin rapiers and making a suicide run towards their enemies. Shots were fired, and before Machina could even reach them… he was on the floor, his weapon dropped to the floor after he’d been hit in the shoulder, and he himself had taken a fall after getting shot in the leg. As soon as he was down though, they stopped firing altogether… it seemed their aim wasn’t to kill, but to capture. The dark haired young man tried to stand back up, but by then, one of the guards had already approached him and knocked him out with the back of his pistol. Machina’s vision went black then as he slouched over onto the floor. Hopefully Ace had made it out alright.

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Words: 1162
Tagged: Ace!
Location: Outside a Milites facility
Outfit: Uniform
Notes: Hope this was alright. D8 You can timeskip them to the part where they're in a cell, since Machina is knocked out. <3

[Ace (No. 1)]

It seemed that mission was doomed from the start. At least, from Ace's view. But there was no proof in that. He sighed as he saw Machina had no luck either. What were they supposed to do? They couldn't just abandon the mission. That wasn't an option. However, at the moment, they were just waiting to be captured. He put his hand to his forehead in thought. Two eyes were better than one, but Ace was sure he wouldn't find anything different. "Maybe..." He muttered, before shrugging. What else was there to say? He crossed his arms. This was becoming much more complicated than it needed to be. He blamed his higher-ups. If they had given the two more information, then it may have gone better. Ace sighed. It was making him anxious, and a little jittery. He looked at Machina, hoping he would sort it soon.

Ace lost his train of thought when Machina spoke. "Hm." He said, nodding. He didn't understand it himself, but it felt weird. He couldn't explain how it felt, to be watched. Like every move was being traced, and every time you made a wrong one, they would laugh. Ace shuddered slightly, before shaking his head free from those thoughts. He tapped the keycard in annoyance, before leaning against the wall, giving Machina a side glance. He was looking for any guards, not that they could really come from anywhere. All this, and the Operation Apostle stress was really getting to him. Was he getting paranoid? Possibly, but he sure hoped not. That would just top it all off. Ace narrowed his eyes, looking for those cameras again. He couldn't see any, but that didn't mean that... stop! Ace was definitely getting paranoid. He had to stop that, immediately. "This is going well." He muttered, sarcastically. Ace nodded, and stood back from Machina, releasing a relieved breath when it worked.

He followed the dragoon through the door, a foot or so behind. Maybe, he had just been imagining that feeling of being watched. That was more than likely, but he still couldn't shake that feeling. Releasing a deep breath, Ace ran a little to be directly behind him. He shouldn't lag behind, that would only cause trouble. When Machina stopped, he cocked his head. Was something the matter? Get back? That's when he realized. An ambush. No way would he leave a classmate like this! Quickly summoning his cards, Ace looked. Gunmen, shields, basic things to protect them from bullets, which he and Machina lacked. He fired a few Cards, before looking at Machina. Ace winced, already down. Now it was just his magic against all of these lot. "Damn!" He hissed. bullets were fired at him, and he tried to teleport to dodge them. But he couldn't leave Machina, and he couldn't teleport very far with another person. Suddenly, he felt pain shoot up his upper right arm, and then his inner arm, nearer his wrist. He groaned. Ace fell down to his knees after being knocked on the head.

Time Skip = 1 - 2 hours.

Ace was sat against the floor, holding his arm tightly. Stupid idiots had only bandaged both his and Machina's bullet wounds badly. However, the dragoon still hadn't woken up. His own head was pounding, and he knew Machina would probably feel the same if he woke him up. Still, they needed to get out of there. "Machina?" He crawled over his classmate, and shook him lightly. "Machina?! Come on, wake up!" His head wasn't bleeding, so he just might be knocked out. Ace slapped his cheek lightly. "Wake up!" He called. After a few more tries, he gave up, and slumped against the wall. His upper arm was slightly bleeding again, but not too badly. He sighed, and shut his eyes for a moment, trying to formulate a plan. However, his head was pounding too much, it felt like drums were being played badly.

Ace heard some door opening, and shutting. He couldn't be bothered to open his eyes, he didn't know what it was, he just felt tired. As much as Machina had 'slept', he hadn't since that morning. Ace sighed, and his eyes opened half-way. "D..Damn..." He heard footsteps, and willed his eyes to open properly. His vision was slightly hazy, before rubbing his eyes slightly with his uninjured arm, causing a tiny bit of blood to go on his face. Machina, why can't you wake up now? He thought, looking at mentioned dragoon. Why did they go in without any intel? They were unprepared, and thus, they got captured. It was a reckless, stupid thing to do! Ace would have whacked himself if he could. But there was no time for that. He needed to wake up Machina, get the contact, and get ut. But would it really be that simple?

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Words:; 1014
Muse:; Great!
Tagged:; Machina
Outfit:; Uniform
Location:; Cell
Listening To:; Uraboku
Notes:; xD I hope this is ok. Muse is lagging a bit at the beginning, but I think it got better nearer the end xD

[Machina Kunagiri]

Everything around him was dark and silent for a while, and although a small part of himself encouraged him to wake up and face reality again, a much larger part preferred this peaceful place where nothing could reach or harm him over the cruel place that awaited him in the waking world. The darkness soon faded, creating hazy images of the past instead as the silence too made way for sounds stemming from happier days. He’d had this dream a lot in the past few weeks, a dream where there was no war or conflict. A world where Izana was still alive, and where Machina was just a regular student in the dragoon class. Surprisingly, Carla was there as well, maybe his mind had conjured up her image to make the dream seem more real than it actually was. The youth turned his head some in reaction to the voice, but his eyes remained shut as he continued to dream of a world he wished he could’ve lived in, but regretfully didn’t. A slight smirk appeared on his face when dream Carla tried to scam Izana out of his money, and how his brother completely believed her larger than life tales and actually handed her the money too, despite Machina’s subtle warnings that he ‘might want to reconsider that’. His smirk disappeared instantly when Ace started slapping his cheek a little back in the real world, and he let out an annoyed groan in reaction as he weakly swatted at the blonde’s hand before rolling onto his side. “Get lost Izana…” he mumbled in his sleep, “’s not funny… jerk…”

After that, he just slept quietly, blissfully unaware of their situation as Ace fretted over exactly that. No more noises came from the sleeping dragoon until his dream neared its inevitable end, which was when he started shifting restlessly in his spot as his expression scrunched up into something between fear and sorrow. This was how that dream always ended… one moment everything was fine, the next, everything came crashing down. People screamed and cried, their location crumbled beneath their feet, and it always ended with his brother walking away without even looking back no matter how hard Machina called his name. “Don’t leave…” he muttered silently to himself, “Don’t leave… me…” and that was when it ended, and he felt a strange sort of falling sensation wake him back up, making him jolt awake with widened eyes. Because of his poorly patched up injuries though, sitting up so suddenly wasn’t exactly the best of ideas, and as soon as he did that, he gasped in pain as his hand flicked over to his shoulder, where he’d been shot earlier. “Fuck!” he swore through gritted teeth as he massaged the spot a little. That really did hurt like hell. After a few short moments, he had finally woken up properly enough to realize that they were in some sort of cell, with the emphasis on they. Though his mind was still hazy, Machina soon found himself crawling over to one of the cell’s walls and resting his back against it, and soon he turned his attention to his cellmate, “The hell are you doing here?” he asked with a frown, “I thought I told you to get out, why didn’t you take that chance to run?” he shook his head in disappointment. Throwing yourself at the enemy like a meat shield just so someone else could escape, and what do they do? They don’t escape. It almost sounded like a bad joke, one of those jokes that were so awful that they somehow became kind of funny again.

His frown deepened some, and a look of confusion found its way onto his face, “Wait… I did say that, didn’t I? Or was it… a dream?” he looked around with the same confused look before his eyes settled on Ace again, whom he slowly studied up and down, “Are you a figment of my imagination? Because if so, could you change into Rem instead? I like her better.” Blinking his eyes a few more times, he reached out and touched the back of his head, wincing slightly at the lump he felt there. He must’ve been hit harder than he thought because the things he was saying right now didn’t even make sense to himself. “Screw this mission…” he finally muttered as he rubbed both his hands over his face. Was this it then? Was this how he was going to die? In a cell, with Ace for a roommate? Of all the people he could’ve been stuck with, why did it have to be his face that he had to look at during his last moments. Wait… no way. He didn’t want to die here, he still wanted to live. They had to escape before the Milites came back and finished what they’d started. “I can’t think clearly…” he growled in irritation as he pinched the bridge of his nose and looked over towards Ace, “Quick, come over here and hit me.”

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Words: 842
Tagged: Ace!
Location: Cell
Outfit: Uniform
Notes: Machina's mind is a little scrambled, he'll be fine in a bit. =D Also, I thought about how we could end this thread. Maybe the guy they were supposed to save turns out to be a Chuck Norris level bad ass who ends up saving them instead, after Machina and Ace talk things over? =D

[Ace (No. 1)]

He flinched when he heard Machina speak of Izana. Ace could clearly remember what had happened that day. Him, Nine and Queen were battling, Izana had a deep wound. He wouldn't be able to save him, his healing magic wasn't as strong as his other magic. He continued to fight, and when he had finished, he was dead. Ace refused to think about it whenever he could. He felt guilty, for taking away Machina's brother... but it wasn't really his fault. However, that was not an excuse in Ace's eyes. He should have done something, anything. If he had, maybe Machina wouldn't hate him. They might have even gotten on, perhaps. What's done is done, he couldn't change the past. "I'm not Izana..." He whispered, hugging his knees, and laying his chin upon them.

Ace felt a little guilty now. Obviously, Machina had been dreaming Izana was alive, and he disturbed it. Now, that dream was probably lost. He shook his head. It was more important that they got out of the cell, before they ended up even worse. But, he couldn't help but have a small thought on his mind. Was he... the real bad guy in this situation? Did he make everybody live's worse? No, surely Class Zero would have told him before now. Especially those who were not shy about voicing their opinion. Ace could name a few right there. He frowned. This was no time to be brooding about his decisions in life. He jumped at Machina's sudden movements, but didn't wince in pain as much as his cellmate. Ace cocked his head at him, before letting his legs straighten out, resting one injured hand, the other bloody, on his knees. He, then, shrugged. "No man left behind, I guess..." Honestly? That was the one reason. He wasn't cowardly enough to leave a classmate. A classmate that liked him or not, he still wouldn't leave them with the enemy.

Ace frowned at Machina. The dragoon seemed to be getting confused, about which was a dream, and the other reality. He nodded. "You did say that." He hummed. "However, I just didn't listen." He shrugged, before scratching the back of his head. Ace raised an eyebrow, and sighed. "No, Machina. I'm here, and I will not turn into Rem." He sighed. He knew this was complicated. Two injured, and one of them was delusional. Or so he thought, anyway. He chuckled lightly. Yeah, screw this mission. His words exactly. It was that damned mission that got them in this mess, and caused them both to be captured, like their contact. They were doomed from the moment they were told. Ace and Machina weren't compatible mission partners, they had already figured that out. However, he hadn't expected it to go this wrong. He groaned, and gingerly touched his own wounds. They burnt a little, which was a little strange. But that might have just blurred together with pain. Pain felt different for different people, right? "Don't think, then."

Ace rolled his eyes. "No matter how much I kind of want to... No, I will not hit you. That would only give you more of a headache." Eh, it was true. Machina just needed to clear his head by himself. A hit would only make it more hazy. He rubbed his eyes, and sighed again. What he would do to just go back to before they got caught... That would be better. Still, that was impossible. At least, for Ace, anyway. "How's your leg?" He muttered, facing Machina. He hoped it felt a little bit better than his arm. But then again, he probably hadn't been shot in the same area. "We messed up..." Ace whispered, letting his head fall back and he closed his eyes. He still couldn't think of any plan. He raised his hand and held his palm against his forehead. "So, what do we do now?"

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Words:; 853
Muse:; Great!
Tagged:; Machina
Outfit:; Uniform
Location:; Cell
Listening To:; --
Notes:; xD Ok! That sounds good! I think those two need to have a good talk about everything anyway xD Clear the air xD

[Machina Kunagiri]

Being stuck in a cell sucked. Being stuck in a cell with a guy you couldn’t stand sucked even more, and since fate was such a lovely mistress, of course Machina had ended up in the very situation he dreaded. Why hadn’t Ace just taken his chance to make a run for it? Hell, Machina had even given him permission to flee, so it wasn’t like he’d have to feel bad about it. A snort escaped his mouth, and his eyes rolled when Ace mentioned his reason for staying. ‘No man left behind’, yeah right, because he really lived by that code, didn’t he? The dragoon might’ve made a snide remark about that, had he not been hit with a wave of confusion following Ace’s words. He didn’t even know why, but he suddenly felt like he had been talking to himself for some reason, and the feeling was strong enough that he outright asked Ace whether he was actually there or not. Ace confirmed that he was, but Machina barely even heard him as he continued to look around and asked more questions to validate Ace’s existence. He vaguely picked up on Ace saying that he hadn’t listened to what Machina had told him about running earlier, and he immediately replied with a sharp “Obviously you didn’t,” before requesting Ace turned into Rem, because he definitely liked the crimson eyed girl better than this blonde jerk he was stuck with right now, “That sucks…” he sighed when Ace said he couldn’t change into Rem. That really was too bad, he would’ve liked to have seen Rem at this point. She had a way of making him feel better even in the worst of cases, and this one definitely counted as one of the worst places he’d ever gotten himself stuck in, so Rem’s sudden appearance would’ve been more than welcome. Oh well, at least he had some motivation to actually get out of this place now. If he couldn’t see her here, he’d just have to break out and see her back home, but that was probably easier said than done. Placing his hands against the wall, Machina managed to get back on his feet in an agonizingly slow tempo due to both his arm and his leg being messed up in the fight earlier. Not that you could actually call it a fight, since he hadn’t managed to get even a single hit in before being knocked out, but it sounded better than saying you’d gotten your ass handed to you.

“Ugh, fine… be unhelpful then,” he muttered as he hugged the wall and slowly scooted over to where he assumed the door would be. Why couldn’t Ace just slap him once so he could wake up properly? Had their roles been reversed, Machina would’ve been more than happy to oblige. Whatever, he didn’t really count on Ace doing anything for him anyway, so he wasn’t too disappointed when the blonde refused to hit him. After a bit more moving around, Machina finally reached the door. Too bad it was sealed shut, but even shut doors could be opened if you used enough effort, right? “I’ll live,” he replied quietly, though as soon as he said that, he suddenly became aware of just how deep the wound in his leg was, and winced slightly when he moved his limb again, “We break out, of course,” he informed Ace as he took a step away from the door and focused all his energy on summoning his rapiers to him. If he could just get them to appear in his hands as they always did, maybe he could break the door open through sheer force? It was worth a shot anyway, though he did wonder about how they’d fare after making their escape from their cell, since neither of them were fit enough to handle another fight, and maybe next time, the Milites wouldn’t be so kind as to capture them instead of just shooting them in the head and being done with it. Machina hesitated for a moment. That was likely what was going to happen to them if they managed to break out of the cell… but what else could they do? Just sit around and do nothing? They couldn’t do that! They had a mission to complete, and people to return to back home. They couldn’t just leave everyone hanging, Machina could definitely not leave Rem hanging. Not now. Not when there was a war going on that he needed to defend her from.

With renewed resolve, Machina finally managed to summon one of his rapiers, and as soon as it had materialized in his hand, he pulled it back and struck out against the door. Sadly, he was wielding his weapon with his dominant arm… the arm that he’d been shot in. As soon as the metal hit metal, pain shot into the wielder’s shoulder, so intense that he immediately let out a cry of pain as he staggered back from the door, tripping over his damaged leg and landing on the floor near Ace. “Goddammit!” he swore through gritted teeth before glaring over at Ace. That hit seemed to have done a good enough job at clearing Machina’s head and bringing him back to the present. Sadly for Ace, confused Machina was a lot nicer and more forgiving than the real deal. “Why the hell couldn’t you just do what you were told?! If you’d escaped, you could’ve gone back and called for help or something! Now we’re both stuck, and nobody at the school knows what happened! Because of you, we’re both going to die here, and for what? Nothing!” he yelled angrily, “What, you figured since you let the first one die, you’d make up for it by saving his little brother?! Well good freaking job so far, Ace! Would’ve been nice if you could’ve adopted that policy of ‘leaving no man behind’ before, but hey, better late than never right? At least you got to play hero once before the Milites come back in here to kill us!”

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Words: 1016
Tagged: Ace
Location: Outside a Milites facility
Outfit: Uniform
Notes: They most certainly do need to clear the air, I mean dang! XD

[Ace (No. 1)]

This situation was not getting any better. Ace and Machina couldn't get along, and that was just getting proved more and more. They could barely hold a civilised conversation, for crying out loud! Why did they have to get paired together? It just wouldn't work at all. And it seemed Machina was still holding him against what happened to Izana. Sure, Ace did blame himself a little... but it wasn't his fault entirely, right? that thought was always plaguing his mind. He always remembered the day and it felt like it wasn't real. Ace sighed. What was the point in looking for an escape? He knew the Miltes had very high security, and they didn't know much about the base. Still, waiting around would only mean something bad. The Miltes didn't capture them for no reason, anyway. They wanted something from the two. Information? Possibly. Ace knew he wouldn't say anything, and he had a feeling Machina wouldn't either. His grip tightened on his arm, causing him to wince. They definitely needed to get out, but could they? How? And when? It all required time they didn't have... unless they wanted to end up feeling every worse and hurting even more. Ace put his head in his hands for a moment, trying to figure it all out. He was one of the logical students of Class Zero, always needing to think things through carefully. He didn't want to take any unnecessary risks. "Maybe you should have been paired with Rem." He muttered. Ace partly blamed himself for this situation. He hadn't listened to Machina, and he probably should have.

Ace took off his jacket. It had been stained with blood, and had started to feel uncomfortable. He laid it down next to him, and he just stared at the stain. Guns... out of all the weapons, guns. Something that could've easily killed them both. They were lucky to be alive. He was sure the bullet that hit his wrist had hit a few nerves, as he couldn't feel, or move, his hand. Thus, he couldn't his Cards as easily. It seemed Machina was having the same sort of problem. "I'm. Not. Hitting. You." He said, finally. Ace was sure he would probably only worsen the headache, and he didn't know if Machina had a concussion or anything. That, and he focused more on magic then strength. It wouldn't have really done much. He winced. His head hurt even more from the sound of both of their voices. But, breaking out... they couldn't break out just yet. They weren't strong enough. They would probably make it a few feet before they got caught and thrown back in. Why try, if it wouldn't work? Ace frowned. He did want to break out, but he didn't want either of them to worsen their condition. If they rested, their wounds would probably heal slowly. That would be better. They would be able to fight, then, and that was always handy. "Maybe..." Ace stopped himself from saying anymore, and he shook his head. "Doesn't matter..." He muttered. They still needed to find the contact, after all. That was the aim of the mission, and they couldn't leave empty handed. That's what he was trying to tell Machina, but he didn't bother. He probably knew already.

Ace watched Machina summon his rapiers, and then fall. He released another almost sad sigh, before looking at the door. It seemed strong. Maybe they had prepared this to stop any force breaking it? Ace jumped when Machina started screaming at him, and a small, barely audible gasp came. He really didn't understand. this made him feel a little bit angry. Was Machina really criticising him? After all, he had been the one to run in head first. Did he not care about his own wellbeing? Ace wasn't a child! He didn't need to do what Machina told him to! "I'm not a child!" He seethed. It was rare Ace got really angry. He got annoyed, yes. But never really angry. His left fist clenched,his right hand laying limp. "You don't know what happened!" He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. "You... you don't know what happened that day! Not properly! I tried! But my healing isn't that good! I couldn't have saved him!" Ace slumped, and took in a shaky breath. He did try. He tried hard, and he cried when Izana died. "That's why I didn't leave. I thought you would die too..." Finally calm, he faced away from Machina, and just stayed quiet. He had got it off his chest, and he knew it wouldn't stop Machina hating him. He hated himself a little bit. He never wanted to be like a hero. Ace looked away from Machina, and kept his gaze down. It seemed everything was going wrong. He was just waiting to see what bad things would happen next.

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Words:; 1025
Muse:; Excellent
Tagged:; Machina
Outfit:; Uniform without Jacket
Location:; Cell
Listening To:; Crawl
Notes:; xD <3 < love dis thread xD

[Machina Kunagiri]

Even with his mind being as foggy as it was right now, Machina still heard absolutely everything that was said about his childhood friend and crush. So when Ace muttered about how he should’ve been paired with Rem instead, he gave him a bewildered look, even though he was right… in some ways, but not in all. “Maybe not? I don’t want her in danger,” he countered swiftly, not even caring that he was indirectly saying that he was perfectly fine with Ace being in dangerous situations. “I want her far away from this war, as far away as possible.” He finished with a nod as though he’d just told Ace an amazing piece of information that he really couldn’t do without. He couldn’t help it though, he wasn’t feeling like himself right now, which was probably a small blessing for his cellmate, as he wasn’t being as mean and blunt as he usually was. He still wasn’t exactly nice to Ace, but he was a lot more civil than he usually was, anyway. The blonde should’ve taken his chance and smacked him up the head to keep him in that state when he’d been offered an opportunity, because as soon as his mind cleared some, he was right back at the nasty, grudge-holding level he had been on for a long, long time now. And the fact that he was trapped in a cell and wounded pretty badly certainly didn’t help to improve his already sour mood.

But his angry rant seemed to have snapped something inside Ace, because as soon as he finished talking, the short blonde yelled right back at him. And honestly, Machina was slightly surprised that he reacted that way. Never before had he tried to defend himself and his decisions as vehemently as he was now, and although Machina was still angry, he found himself staring at his cellmate with slight shock as he explained himself and yelled about how Machina had no idea what he was even talking about, because he hadn’t been there to see any of it happen with his own eyes. While Ace did have a point there, Machina still had trouble believing his side of the story as he told it now. After all, it had been influential and trustworthy people that had told the dragoon about what had happened to his brother exactly, and he sincerely doubted that they’d lied to him. No, Ace was just trying to save face by pretending he’d tried when really, he hadn’t. …right? That had to be it, because otherwise, it would mean Machina had been blindly fooled all this time, and he couldn’t imagine that to be the case here. “You’re lying, right?” he scoffed, “Because I’ve heard differently. I heard you barely even acknowledged his presence, and this wasn’t from random people either, but from reliable sources that were actually out on the field that day,” he continued before staring back up towards the ceiling. Ace was facing away anyway, so what was the point in staring at his back? “Doing something like that is bad enough, but lying about it just makes it worse. At least admit to what you did,” he could feel his anger rising again, but rather than yelling once more, he instead laughed sarcastically, “This is just great! The amazing Class Zero everyone! Our high and mighty saviors! What would we do without them?” he cringed slightly during that last bit as he forced himself back up into a sitting position, turning his own back towards Ace.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have bothered.” He muttered quietly, keeping his head low. Maybe Machina would’ve been better off dead, after all, it would’ve meant being able to see his brother again. The reason he’d tried to survive up until now was because of Rem, and because he wanted to protect her, but that was really the only thing keeping him going. Had she not been there, he would’ve probably purposely gotten himself killed by now, because honestly, what did he have to live for? There was nobody left. His parents, his only sibling… all of them were gone. And Machina, the wimp who was afraid of war was left behind. Who was he even trying to fool? He wasn’t strong enough to protect anyone. He hadn’t been able to protect Izana, and not a single day went by that he didn’t question himself about whether he would be able to protect Rem. The way he was now, he was too weak to win any battles or save anyone… he needed to get stronger somehow. But… how?

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Words: 768
Tagged: Ace
Location: Cell
Outfit: Uniform
Notes: The seeds of Machina's brilliant plan of joining the enemy to save Rem have been planted right here folks!