Posts by ASIMOV

★ - "uh, cause she's rebelling against society, yeah," he joked, though watched as angelbeats came to take in the young girl in a hug. hmm, it seemed that they were close. "angel, have you never had teenage kids? one time i walked in on lunar piercing his own ears." he grinned, remembering it. "it's not permanent, and if they hate it and take out the stud, then it closes up." the kitsune added. "do you know how to do it? i should have a needle and disinfectant in here, somewhere." he fumbled around in his bag, retrieving a case of metal surgical tools.

"i wouldn't recommend a hoop at first. they'll put too much weight on a still-healing wound. what about a stud? still pretty," he commented, flicking his ear. his old body had been pierced, but now that he had switched into his new, fully-kitsune body, he was piercing-free. he glanced at angel - he wondered if she would take payment from someone so close to her, but just in case, asimov asked "what do you have to pay with?"

★ - asimov grinned, coming to sit with his siblings. he, like angelbeats, probably would have liked something a bit stronger, but he enjoyed all alcohol. and the best thing about drinking wasn't really the drink, per se - it was the people you shared it with, and in this case, it was his siblings. "you're not only the deputy, sis. you work hard, you know that," he complimented her, dragging a claw around the glass rim of his drink. he turned to liquid. "seriously, angel's awesome. i can't believe breakout gave that consigliere title to alcibiades instead of you, angel," he took a drink. he didn't really... like alcibiades, to be honest. maybe it was his stupid crush on breakout, but asimov wanted breakout to love him, and not alcibiades.

he looked at the two again. "liqi, you're leader of the sanctuary, right? how's that like? y'know, i've come to visit for ambassador things and it's really peaceful every time i'm there. how do you do it?" he asked, curiously, his ears perked.

★ - asimov felt her head in his fur, and he breathed out a sigh. he smiled softly as she said she trusted him - even if only a little. he decided that now would be a good time to at least disclose some of his identity, even if it made him uncomfortable. truth be told, he didn't like his past, which is why he kept it mostly a secret- except his siblings knew, and now oceana would know. "it's full disclosure time, i guess," he told her, mentally preparing himself for it. "i used to be a prince of the solaris kingdom- i bet you already knew that, since you know i'm angel's brother, but... i never lived there, unlike her. i don't have a close relationship to my dad- sorry, i don't have any relationship to my dad. he had kids with another woman- his wife- and he loved those kids much more than he loved any of us bastard kids, like angel and i." he puffed out his cheeks. "kind of cruel, right? so i don't really... like any of my half-siblings that are from his wife. they grew up loved by their parents. i guess i'm jealous." he sighed, resting his own head on her forehead. "it's why i refuse to be a dad like that. i can't let any of my children feel like i do."

after a few breaths, asimov closed his eyes. "the name i was born as wasn't asimov. i... i didn't like it, so i changed it, and gave myself a new surname, too- that's asimov. i like going by my surname because my first name, even though i picked it, is something i wanted to protect. i just wanted something of my own, y'know?" he enjoyed her warmth against him- feeling like this... it wasn't entirely new, but it wasn't entirely something repeated, either. he felt different towards oceana than he had towards any of his other little girlfriends or flings.

"i want you to trust me, so... my first name is aleksei. my full name is aleksei asimov-arcanium-leonidas." it felt almost like a burden relieved from him. "you can call me aleksei, if you want. even in public. i won't mind if it's your voice i hear saying it," he said, his face hot with embarrassment- why did he feel like this? he was usually not nervous around women, so... oceana was different, then.

★ - drawing near now, the kitsune lingered over his two children currently present, his ruby red gaze focused on his boss. he nodded- none of this was exactly news, although he frowned when he heard carmenere had been demoted. not that it was a surprise, of course, but he couldn't believe carmenere had simply dropped her duties. he had no respect for people like that. he figured they'd have to find a new host capo, and he was curious who breakout thought was qualified for that.

his son's strange reaction surprised him more, and he blinked. he was about to congratulate him when he dashed away, and asimov narrowed his eyes in thoughts. he decided he'd just ask makariy about it earlier. but makariy did earn that position, after all. as breakout asked the capos to hold meetings, he nodded, and cleared his throat. "i'd like to make an announcement, too. i have picked RUE INFERNO as my lieutenant. she's strong and capable, and i trust her." and i owe her. it's my fault she's missing those teeth because of my son.

★ - the kitsune drew near, gently brushing against his daughter as he stared down at the tiger cub. she's a child, he thought. barely older than makariy and camellia... he thought, his gaze meeting breakout's cold stare before he focused back on the blue-furred child. i wonder if she knows beleth, he thought, eyes half-closing. he had already justified himself in his mind- the girl was an enemy, although brainwashed into believing their religion. this was breakout's job, to punish those who had hurt his crew, and he would not speak out against it.

besides, he wasn't one to talk.

★ - he hoped angelbeats was okay. he had witnessed her panic attack, the way she so closely held on to his brother-in-law, the true fear in her eyes, even if for a moment... it scared him. despite all their differences and their minor spats, he loved her. she was his beloved older sister, and it felt a little weird to think. all his life, he had grown up without any reliance on his family- after all, he couldn't have done it any other way. suga hadn't loved him, robin was overworked... and he had ran away from home, after all. he didn't know angel's history, but he figured she had it much worse. the way that battleroyale and lunarwing were not sir pentious' children... the way she had flinched when he approached her that one time... it worried him.

so he had a little plan, to hopefully make her feel a little better, even if it was just for a few hours. it would involve a little dexterity, an adventurous spirit, and perhaps a little suspension of disbelief, but he was sure angelbeats could manage that. the sun had set about an hour ago, so the mansion wasn't entirely quiet, but things were beginning to slow down. putting his bag over his head, he slipped out of his bedroom after putting makariy and camellia to bed. he made his way through the mansion to angelbeat's shared room- he figured that she was in there, but not sleeping, right? he knocked really gently, not wanting to wake up her new children yet. "angel?" he said, trying to be quiet, again. god, if i wake up her kids, i'll have my head on a platter. he was excited for the little trip he wanted to take her on, though.

Angelbeats~

★ // sorry this is NOT wholesome :-(

- it was late at night - unusually late. so late that in about an hour, the sun would begin to rise.

asimov didn't care. it didn't matter. he couldn't be trusted alone with himself, alone with his dear sleeping children. he loved them so much- he needed to relieve some stress. something, something, something- something was wrong. it stung him white-hot, burning, burrowing deep- he couldn't fix it with drugs or sex. this was not the first time he had felt like this. he was stressed, tired- he had bottled up all of his emotions and now he knew what he wanted to do- the desire, the call of the void, dug into him.

he stood by the cliff, looking over the ocean. jagged rocks were right below. if he just took another step, then... he wouldn't have to feel this way. he wouldn't have to feel ever again. his body would be torn apart by the rocks and he wouldn't even feel it. he let out a shaky exhale, coming to sit on the edge, looking straight ahead. it was beautiful, entirely dark. he could see every constellation, the bands of the galaxy visible to him, too. why did he deserve to live in this beautiful, rotten world?

the reason he didn't just inch forward, to purposefully lose his balance, was because he wasn't strong enough. he knew the cartel was on the cusp of war and they would lose. he knew breakout would never love him like he loved him. He knew he was replaceable. breakout could find a new capo. oceana would find a better man to raise her children. makariy and camellia could go back to live with their mother.

the ocean rushed below him. leaning over- so close now, just a little more-

no, he couldn't do it. he was a coward.

BREAKOUT

★ - the water rushed beneath him, what seemed like miles down. it wouldn't hurt if he did it, right? he blinked, going through every possibility. best case scenario, he hits his head and he's out immediately. worse case scenario- he ends up with a sharp rock piercing through him, and he bleeds to death. the fear of dying a painful death scares him much more than dying in general, and he didn't want to risk it. he figured, he could just angle himself to fall head first, then he could-

he was then suddenly ripped away from the cliff, pulled back a safe distance, and pinned to the ground. his eyes widened in shock as his nostrils flared, ready to fight back as if he was being attacked, and he struggled momentarily, before he realized it was breakout, pinning him to the ground. he was breathing heavily now, and gritting his teeth, he listened to his boss yell at him, but he could tell breakout wasn't angry. not really. "what do you think i was doing? i was just sitting. you know i'm a shapeshifter, if i fell i would just turn into a bird or something," breakout knew asimov well at this point, and asimov's panicked explanations would likely do little to deter him from the truth.

he blinked, realizing it was no use, and he relaxed. "... i wasn't really going to do it. i couldn't bring myself to do it." he avoided breakout's gaze, not moving to get out from his spot under breakout. "... because i'm a coward. i should have.... just... done.. it."

★ - asimov was a breakout devotee. how could he not be? breakout had taken him in, a former exiler and then proclan leader, and then made him one of his vice-deputies. asimov had his fair share of disagreements about how the clan's business was conducted, sure, but that wasn't breakout's fault. if akuma had actively voiced his disagreements about breakout or the status of the clan, asimov perhaps would have perhaps torn the serval's neck to shreds.

but akuma was smart enough to bite his tongue, and asimov didn't act. coming to stand by his daughter, after brushing his fur against hers, he looked at the two- totally unfamiliar. he liked the painted brigade- after all, they had customers from there. "i think you can let her talk to us, y'know," the much more casual man offered to akuma, drawing his gaze over snowbelle. she's quite pretty... it was strange- just by that one phrase he overheard, his opinion of this man had been sullied. "anyways, it's nice to see you both. i'm asimov- this girl's dad and capo of the militia division." he said, grinning.

★ - asimov looked at his sister, hoping he had not disturbed her kids, but judging by her face, mild concern laced in those eyes of hers, he figured he hadn't done anything too bad. he nodded. "yeah, no, don't worry. everything's fine. i just thought i'd show you something. won't take too long. it does involve climbing out of the window, though." he suggested, grinning. if angelbeats had any intentions of stopping him, it was already too late- the red kitsune had already set off on his journey, walking down the hallways, the gears in his head spinning.

he turned back to her. "look- one of these empty rooms has a window that goes directly onto a part of the roof, so to get to the roof we can just climb out here," he told her, before opening the unoccupied bedroom door, sliding into the room, marching right to the window. he had discovered it while trying to find a bedroom for makariy (after all, the boy was growing up, and he was likely to get his own room soon) and this was not his first time getting onto the roof via this window, but it was his first with someone else. with a click, he unlocked the window pane and pushed it upwards, sitting on the sill, waiting for her.

★ - asimov hadn't quite gotten along with sir pentious, or as much as either of them would have liked, to be honest. he had his disagreements about raising fortuna, but penny was a father and would defend his kids, so it was a brother-in-law stalemate. he had been going up to his office when he saw the large basilisk, and was only going to just say hi and then leave, but he appeared to be... stuck.

"so you are getting fatter," asimov teased, moving past azumi. thanks for your help, he thought sarcastically, before trying to come up with a plan. asimov was methodical like that- he wouldn't do anything without a bit of structure. "okay, so... does it hurt? we could get some soap and water and just lube you up to get you out of there," he suggested, but as he spoke, he tried to force his paw between the pillar and the basilisks' tail, trying to gauge just how stuck he was.

★ - asimov nodded as his daughter approached. "yes- water and soap would be great." he said, unable to really get his paw in between this pillar and his brother-in-law's fat tail. glancing down upon it, it was a little weird- why had he gotten so thick in such a short amount of time? it was stranger still to think that snakes- or basilisks- generally did not have their mass distributed like this, and he noted the odd placement of the fat deposits. something's... not right here, he thought, and waited for scarlet to bring him the soap.

a bottle was dropped near him, and he grimaced. i'm... i don't feel great using this on my... on my brother-in-law's body, even if it's just to get him unstuck.... he would wait for the soap and water, as scarlet tended to be quick-footed. "hey, penny, can you wait like three minutes so i don't have to use azumi's lube on you?" he asked, and without really waiting for a response, he picked it up via telekinesis and chucked the bottle down the hallway. it landed with a distant thud. "we shouldn't destroy the pillars... could be load-bearing, and i'm sure the soap-and-water will work. he's not stuck too badly to where it's cutting off circulation."

★ - asimov gently slid onto the roof, making his way up to the tallest point on the building, ushering angelbeats to follow him, not yet answering her question as he climbed up the shingles, hauling himself up, walking on balance-beams of straight roof-peaks, only stopping so ever often to glance back at the white catsune, cracking a knowing, playful grin. the moonlight illuminated their silhouettes as asimov continued to move, elegant as ever.

he finally heaved himself up onto the highest part of the mansion, right in the middle. he'd help his sister up if she needed it, and sat on the roof, the shingles being just a little bit uncomfortable. he glanced upwards to the vast night sky before turning to her. "i read somewhere that... the higher up you go, the less gravity you experience pulling down on you." his eyes searched the galaxies in front of them, beautiful swirls of pinks and purples, the night sky clear and gorgeous. he then turned his focus to her. "so... i brought you to the highest-up place i know, so maybe, the burdens on your shoulders will feel a little lighter," he hoped she'd realize it was more of a metaphor than anything else, and he fully expected to be pushed off the roof for his sudden influx of dorkiness. but he'd look at her, grinning. he truly cared about her.

★ - asimov was not particularly close to his family, besides a few odd members- but only those specifically close to him situationally. if he had never joined the cartel, perhaps he wouldn't have reconnected with any of his family. and he was perfectly content to remain alone. unlike the rest of the family, he had little connection to the sun deity, had never lived in the solaris kingdom, and a rare disqualifier - he didn't like suga.

yet he had still came to this 'arcanium family meeting' after all, he was invited. he figured scarlet or any of the rest of his kids wanted to go, so he'd be there for them, even if he personally carried their last name and nothing more. as he stepped into clearing, he saw the white catsune, and he stopped.

that was his dad. suga fucking arcanium. the last time they had met, asimov had been a little kid who called himself ornias back then, and he had been an exiler with little power of his own. he had mustered up every ounce of courage it took him, an exiler, to visit his dad in the solaris kingdom. suga had treated him with such a lack of parental warmth that perhaps it still affected asimov today. he was in an entirely different body now, an elegant kitsune form, so it was likely that suga wouldn't recognize him. how would he, anyways? suga had not been there when he was born, when robin licked his forehead and named him aleksei leonidas. he had not been there when he changed his name over and over, trying to find something he was comfortable with. he was not there when he ended up the commander of warfare of the exiles, and then... he died.

sucks to suck, asimov thought. yet, he was here now, seeing the man who sired him again. it had been nearly three years. asimov had returned to his birth name yet introduced a new surname, and now asimov was one of the four capos of the cartel, leading a division just as he did in the exiles. he didn't care if suga would be proud of him. he hadn't ever been.

he didn't talk to him. he figured other people wanted a chance to reunite with suga's all-holy form, people who loved him and missed him, people he loved and missed. in asimov's mind, he fell into neither of those categories, and his watchful scarlet eyes tried to find someone he could talk to on friendlier grounds.

★ - asimov had not held the meeting immediately after the meeting. he figured the other capos wanted the meeting room and he had other, more private meetings to attend that day, so it was about a day after the main meeting that he found himself in the large room, sitting at his chair. he had advertised the militia division's meeting around the mansion as he frequently liked to do, and although he did call out "the militia division's meeting is starting," he sighed, knowing they had a few heavy things to discuss.

"i'm going to immediately state the obvious. if we fight against the sanguine ruins, we will lose. there is nothing that can be done about that. we won the rescue raid in part because of breakout's strategy and in part because it was a one-and-done sort of thing. if they raid us, they don't even need a strategy. they will overpower us with sheer numbers. i don't want to fight in a war we know we're going to lose from the get-go. this whole sanguine ruins thing started with one member, and we've been capturing each other back and forth, and at this pace, it's fine, but you know they're going to escalate it and attack us, especially after breakout kidnapped their child-priest." and he didn't even know that carmenere killed nadine, their queen. "so to save our hides, i think we should find a way to de-escalate. return our captures to them in an honorable way, and leave them alone, because we just do not have the people needed to fight a war against one of the strongest clans on this continent."

★ - asimov looked at teatime. really? i just said it, he thought, but decided to play nice anyways. "militia division. no place for a kid," he'd say, before nodding at wavepool. "i don't know." he listened to his sister, and flattened his ears against his skull. "we don't know if they have their minds set on war. their queen just died." he informed her, having heard. "we know our territory, sure, but the issue is we just can't win. we can run, sure, but there is so many of them that they will find us and they will kill us. we need to deescalate. not only are the ruins perhaps one of the strongest clans here, they are allied with the shadow veil. if they want a war, they will ally with shadow veil- yet one of the other biggest clans- and we will lose, again. we have no strong allies to back on. we're lucky the penumbra alliance is broken, or else we'd have the biggest three clans on our asses." he sighed, leaning forward in his chair.

"i would rather give them back their captures- they came to us begging instead of attacking. they are not looking for a war. they're mourning their queen. it's a good time now to de-escalate before it gets worse, because there is no winning. even if we have our home territory on our side, there's no luck." he looked at her, relaxing, somewhat. "though your optimism is inspiring, at least." he touched the tips of his front paws together, needing a smoke. "in the end, we need less enemies, right? if all goes well- perfectly well- maybe we can mend our status with the ruins, and we gain yet another client." he added, letting wavepool and angelbeats in on his ultimate plan.

★ - asimov sighed. he couldn't really directly argue against what breakout said- after all, breakout was right. they were awful. "you're right, sir, but... my son took rue. he wasn't looking to hurt the cartel specifically. he was looking to hurt me." there it was, out in the open. beleth was asimov's son, although this was a fact scarlet had already found out. asimov had watched idly by as breakout tortured his son.

"and we are so outnumbered. please... we're a busy clan, sure- we work hard, but they're a busy clan because there's just so many of them. they have the military might we don't. they killed my dad when he was at the height of his power," he said, near-begging breakout. "we won't win. it's not about bravado or anything like that, it's- i know they've hurt all of us, but- we just can't win. we can try and damage control, because- god, if they strike us with their full military force, we are going to lose. okay, so... i realize that my possible-allies thing isn't going to work." his mind was working faster than he could speak.

"so let's prepare for a war we're going to lose. you're right. they're going to attack us. it's inevitable. we have their priestess. what do we do? we need to protect the weaker and younger, first off."

now that asimov was resigned to war- as much as he didn't want to - he had to start planning.