mental link // S72

[servitor]

DIASPEIREIN To scatter, spread about.	MELIORISM The belief that the world gets better.
ORIFLAMME A symbol or standard that inspires confidence, devotion, or courage.	VANGUARD The troops moving at the head of an army.

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Comments

[sizeofyourbaggage]

( If Ilde and the Darkling were still here, they'd probably have a different opinion. )

[ Damon's not all that happy with him at the moment, and it's only a matter of time before he and Bucky are shouting at each other again or Katie's leaking anger all over him, but those are different.

Besides, Sam kind of likes Nyx's rough edges. Honestly, he's always a little uncomfortable around people who're too smooth, who feel like they haven't lived at all. Hard to relate, maybe - or maybe it's just that Nyx says stuff like that, and Sam can't hold back just how much he emphasizes with that, or just how damn good it is to find someone who feels the same way. ]

( Me neither. I was pararescue before I went special ops. ) [ Not that pararescue itself isn't special ops, just different than when he put on the wings or became an Avenger. ] ( We've got the memory shots for small stuff, much as I hate the idea. When it comes to getting stuck in a bigger way... )

anyway nyx is gonna hit on him again real soon

[servitor]

( Memory shots aren't going to save us if we're being shot at. )

[How the hell are they supposed to pull off a covert mission with no real direction, no real leadership, and spread the word among people who are so adamantly unwilling to work together?

He'd trust Sam in a heartbeat, that much is true. It's everyone else that he can't rely on, and it kills him. Lexa had mentioned they're not at war or the battlefield, that demanding proof of trust is available.

Except it's not. Except it's still a commodity. Except they are at war, just a much slower one.]

( We need a rendezvous point first. If we get separated or lost? That has to be our first order. Anyone who's got infiltration or rescue needs to go with us if we have to go looking for someone, while everyone else plays their part. )

spoilers sam's gonna hit on him back

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ There's the sensation of a soft huff that could almost be laughter, and a swirl of agreement. If they're being shot at, they're a little past being stuck and well into fucked.

The lack of direction and leadership has been a point of contention for Sam since the start - but then, would he have followed Cathaway or Prince if they started with orders? Would he now, would any of them? Honestly, he's not sure.

But it'd hardly be any different than now, and at least it'd be better than throwing people with no training into a mission like this.

You don't send people still going through basic on highly classified special ops missions. ]

( Yeah. Yeah, good idea. I'm going with nobility for my cover, gonna make it seem like I'm in the habit of getting too close to my bodyguards, so I'll have a real good explanation for wandering off with someone if we need to. )

yeaaa girl

[servitor]

( Anytime I open my mouth I get into trouble, so I'll leave the nobility to you and the rest. I'm just here for the backup when things go south. )

[Making it seem that things will, inevitably, go south.]

( I'll be around anyone who needs me. Call it a personal guard for anyone who's attending. It's not like I haven't done that all my life already. )

[And really, he'd rather be able to fight than to talk, because Nyx is really no good at talking the way the royals can talk. The last time he said anything it got him demoted worse than was necessary. Funny how he's fulfilling the same demotion now that he's far away from Insomnia.]

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Things will inevitably go south. It's a fact of life, really, and the best thing you can do is prepare as much as you can and be willing to adapt when something you hadn't thought of gets sprung on you.

It's... kind of a relief to find that sentiment echoed in Nyx. Not from someone who automatically leaps to the worst case scenario and doesn't think of anything else or from someone who's too damn optimistic, just - someone who's practical about how often things go to shit.

And it's also a relief that Nyx will be around. Ridiculous, maybe, but knowing that Nyx'll be there if needed - well, Sam's felt a camaraderie with him from almost the first day he met him, and it's reassuring.

There's a warmth to his side of the link as he replies, and he can't help but make the conversation a little lighter, slide a little into teasing. ]

( You get into trouble anytime, huh? I don't know, sounds to me like that might be something of a skill. )

[servitor]

[Nyx laughs, shaking his head. It's so easy to fall back to old ways when you've that one reminder, the tether to the old life. No magic, no daemons, but soldiers still are the same everywhere, aren't they?]

( My mother would disagree. You know the last time I disobeyed orders, it was to get my best friend out of the line of fire. I was put on guard duty and driving Noctis around for a few days after that. Drautos took me off the front lines as punishment and a demotion. )

[Didn't exactly work out that way, in the end. Maybe Drautos hadn't counted on Nyx putting together a wild theory and pulling off a rescue mission as the de facto captain of the Glaive.]

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Soldiers being the same everywhere is something that Sam's come to count on - for better or worse.

In this case, for much, much better. ]

( No better reason to disobey orders. ) [ But then, this is from the guy who's probably a war criminal back home, so he's probably not one to talk about following orders. ] ( How'd that work out for you? )

[servitor]

( I drove Noctis around, drove the princess around, led an infiltration and assault to rescue the princess... )

[Things got wild real fast when he was supposed to be watching the gates and being a bodyguard...]

( Not what you'd call the typical day of guard duty. )