[ it had been simon, then lucy, then josh, then north. the five of them, intermingling in hesitant ways, turning to one another in their most vulnerable moments - he had repaired lucy, and she, in turn took to repairing others when they eventually came stumbling in. the josh that markus had met was not the same josh that simon had met, and he honestly is contented by that knowledge.
markus has seen them at their best, their strongest. he'll never have to see his cabinet brought low. just simon, who is falling apart at the hinges and bleeding intermittently when his system is overburdened by the beautiful byprocesses and electric-bright consciousness of a model that is far superior to him. their leader has a gentle, wounded heart and an exterior that is at time simultaneously brittle and unyielding. ]
It doesn't hurt at all.
[ his world feels slower, day by day; reactions dulled, sensory information coming in a beat too idly. the damage he has sustained since jericho had mobilized has likely hastened his inevitable demise. there's only so often he can replace his parts and refill his body with thirium before the parts are too sophisticated for his processing to comprehend. honestly, slipping into obsoletion had once been his quiet fate. acceptable, to fade away into anonymity. and then markus had arrived and -- well. ]
All's fair, I suppose.
[ he sets his fingers along markus's jaw. steals this, like so many other things.
he's a good thief, he knows it. ] I've hurt you, too.
no subject
markus has seen them at their best, their strongest. he'll never have to see his cabinet brought low. just simon, who is falling apart at the hinges and bleeding intermittently when his system is overburdened by the beautiful byprocesses and electric-bright consciousness of a model that is far superior to him. their leader has a gentle, wounded heart and an exterior that is at time simultaneously brittle and unyielding. ]
It doesn't hurt at all.
[ his world feels slower, day by day; reactions dulled, sensory information coming in a beat too idly. the damage he has sustained since jericho had mobilized has likely hastened his inevitable demise. there's only so often he can replace his parts and refill his body with thirium before the parts are too sophisticated for his processing to comprehend. honestly, slipping into obsoletion had once been his quiet fate. acceptable, to fade away into anonymity. and then markus had arrived and -- well. ]
All's fair, I suppose.
[ he sets his fingers along markus's jaw. steals this, like so many other things.
he's a good thief, he knows it. ] I've hurt you, too.