#echo.threads

[loftycries]

open to everyone / the gala, at approx. 8pm

REMI is not too proud to admit that he had anticipated that this night would go — well, badly isn't exactly the word he's searching for, but it's close. after talking to some colleagues at work earlier in the day, he had been under the impression that everyone would be more or less dreading the event. remi himself had to arrive a little late, as he had to rush to go and get ready in his apartment after work.

he's hovering near the bar, waiting for drinks, but since an hour has already passed since the event began, the bar is currently swarming with guests vying for their own orders. he's not surprised — it's more or less expected at an event that's offering free drinks on a friday night, especially when it's taking place at a location that's as nice as the ritz-carlson.

" i had expected fewer people to be so... thrilled to be here, " he says, more or less under his breath.

[loftycries]

you sound like my sister, kyungseok says, with a tone so derisive that it makes REMI want to retort — is that so terrible ? is that so surprising ? there was a time when remi would have considered kyungseok to be something like a brother, if only because he would have done anything to protect him. yet, it's just another thought that goes unsaid, unexpressed. he's not used to holding back his words with kyungseok in the same way that he pulls his punches while sparring with a new agent-in-training.

remi is not an easy person to rile up by any means, but he feels his impatience give way to a flash of anger. " oh, cut the bullshit, kyungseok. don't give me that shit. yes, i care. " if anything, remi is more concerned now than he was before stepping out into the balcony. the signs are hard to read unless you know kyungseok, but they're there. and it's unlike kyungseok to seem so rattled… so off-kilter. remi doesn't flatter himself enough to assume that it was only his absence at his former mission partner's side that led him to reach this point. however, he does wonder if anyone else in kyungseok's current circle has noticed. he's not your responsibility, he thinks, but it's not a comforting thought. you gave that up.

he crosses his arms, and it's not just to combat the oncoming chill. " should i feel bad, kyungseok ? is that what you want me to say ? or would you rather i not give a fuck. would that be more convenient ? "

"Right." He should have known that. Then again, years change people. A life could be severely altered in one day — it's happened to pretty much everyone in this building. A coin flip — did you get lucky or not? These day, Kyungseok isn't sure. It feel like bad luck has been piling on his shoulders, one straw after another. Sooner or later, one of those is going to snap his spine. Faults with his public image, these long, dragging days, and these fucking nightmares. Something had to break. He shakes his head, arms resting heavy against the railing.

He glances over his shoulder, looking Remi up and down. He narrows his eyes slightly, letting the cigarette burn down between his fingers. A scoff. "You sound like my sister." Not a bad thing, necessarily but according to most, Kyungseok doesn't hold them in high opinion. Many are surprised that he even has one with all that he brings her up. His temper, it seems, is short and sharp. "Are you worried my coat isn't thick enough? I don't have my socks on? What?"

The cigarette is crushed into the metal of the railing. "Or are you just trying to fill up space because you feel bad? Do I make you feel bad, Agent Echo?"

[loftycries]

closed for omar gomez @ofrepeat / abandoned warehouse / october 31st, afternoon

for a building that is supposedly abandoned, there are too many active security systems in place to make that believable. a green '100% completed' appears on the screen as the computer sitting in REMI's lap disables the last of the cameras. "so. the security system is now inactive, and diagnostics returned and it seems like we're alone," they say to their partner. they let memories from the location seep in, pointedly trying to avoid collecting any of omar's. after a moment, they continue, "i think we need to go deeper inside the facility."

[loftycries]

" it's awkward to feel like you're alone in a crowd, " REMI agrees. they also agree that this is marginally better — making small talk with a stranger — but only marginally. " so.. you're an eo too ? "

"You?" she admitted, them having been one of the first people to speak to her since she got here. "As corny as it sounds, and as much as I hate crowds, it feels nice to have another person talking to me right now"

[loftycries]

" that was a good shot, " REMI notes benignly when it seems as though jester won't comment on it. " even half-assing a report for a mission gone wrong takes longer than just writing up a short one that says something along the lines of—" they cock their head, as if reciting from memory. " mission completed. nothing of note happened. no agent injuries or civilian casualties to report. " turning the corner, they continue, " you know, if nothing goes wrong on this mission, you and your duplicate can both go home as soon as this is over. one of you can party and drink yourselves into a stupor, while the other one can get… high. " or, rather, more high. are they still supposed to be pretending that they don't smell the weed off of jester's clothes ?

" you can still learn a thing or two from your company senior, you know, " they say. " including the importance of eating before an evening shift. do you need a protein bar ? i should have an extra in my pocket."

          jester kicks a rock and sends it flying into a trashcan, a perfect shot that she otherwise would be elated about if it wasn't for remi completely raining on her parade.  still, there's very little that can stop her from getting her way.     "     paperwork  ?  is that your biggest worry  ?  y'know , one of the perks��of being a replicator is that i can have one of my duplicates handle the boring stuff while we have fun.     "     while technically true, it required a bit more finesse and concentration to separate focus into two separate bodies.     "     they don't even read the paperwork half the time.  don't tell me you've been all diligent about it.     "

          she spins around to him, stuffs both hands in the pockets of her ill-fitting cerberus provisioned field outfit.     "     if i say no i haven't had dinner, will you take pity on me  ?     "

[loftycries]

" it's literally the ritz-carlton, " REMI replies, their tone dry. despite their words, they aren't even trying to seem like they're having a good time. ironically enough, the mask is doing little to mask their feelings. they let out a put-upon sigh. " at least the food and drinks here are free. "

𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫

" i personally think a night club would have been a more thrilling venue. " lucien begins , glancing around at the splendor of the ball. would his conversation partner connect the dots that he was the owner of a prominent club in the city ? with his simple black mask , there was no telling. night club owner by ... night , villain by trade. lucien was enjoying this night of anonymity and curiosity.

[loftycries]

" why does everyone always expect me to give them a slap on the wrist ? " REMI asks, though it's clear that they don't actually expect a genuine answer. they fold their arms across their chest with a sigh. " smoke to your heart's content, talia ... i mean, i'd rather you wouldn't, given the health risks — " and therein lies the answer to your question, remi. they shake their head at themselves, as if to clear their mind of their own thoughts. having lost their momentum, they finally continue on a little awkwardly with, " well. how have you been ? "

who  :  talia ochoa + remi ninomae @loftycries when  :  6:47pm where  :  cerberus corp rooftop

" oops — busted, aren't i ? " smiling over her shoulder at her former mentor, she put out her cigarette next to her on the concrete wall of the rooftop where she sat. talia seldom smoked publicly; bad for her image and all, but desperate times called for desperate measures. today, a mission well - done served as the ' desperate times ' in question... well, and a profound lack of sleep, perhaps a new record for her no - sleep streak, but mostly the former.

[loftycries]

even just the act of recalling what happened during his last mission is enough to make him sigh. REMI runs a hand through his hair. " what it comes down to is that there just wasn't enough security at kyungseok's fan meeting, and they didn't anticipate the volume of fans that would make the trek to see him, " he admits. " there was a full-on crowd surge, people got hurt — " here, he gives seongyeol a knowing look. " — and kyungseok didn't take it too well. it didn't help that there was a distressed mother blaming him for the entire situation. "

@loftycries / with remi .

seongyeol had already since read the report and if remi hadn't expected him to then he'd be surprised. how had things gone so wrong as something that was supposed to be an easy and simple fan meeting. he knew cerberus was pushing pr heavy on kyungseok and yet this had happened and he didn't think it anyone's fault, well except those those caused the stampede in the first place. seongyeol shakes his head when remi comes into view, " in your own words, what exactly happened ? "

[loftycries]

REMI turns his head when he realizes that he's being spoken to. there's a familiar heat at the back of his neck, but it's barely more than the faint flame of a candle — mild embarrassment that he was overheard. there's something tangibly more embarrassing in particular about being the debbie downer when it's closer to the holidays; it's not like he wants to be perceived as the grinch.

the other masked guest seems to have received their drink already, and remi feels a faint pang of jealousy. he should have started queueing sooner, but he had wanted to make sure that cass felt comfortable before leaving him alone.

" i guess you're right, " he concedes goodnaturedly. " i'm not sure if mr. andersen thought any part of this event through at all. he seems like.. a character. have you gotten the chance to talk to him yet ? "

Bakari’s eyes tracked the droplets of condensation dripping down from the half-empty mocktail loosely grasped in his hand as he huddled in a nook probably intended for decorations. The liquid pooled at the junction between his thumb and forefinger before the reservoir created by his purlicue overflowed, and water slowly dribbled down his palm. He had made the unfortunate error of arriving at the bar just moments before a rush of people and, as a result, had gotten trapped. Licking his lips, Bakari tried to focus on his shoes and not the chatter around him as he waited for the crowd to clear enough for him to leave.

Lifting the glass tumbler up to his mouth, Bakari snorted when a low mutter reached his ears. " Well, it's not every day that there's an open bar at Ritz-Carlton. I just hope Mr. Andersen understood that most of the guests would take full advantage of the opportunity and order the most expensive thing they could think of. "

[loftycries]

ah, so here was another person who seemed less than excited about being here. “ it’s … just a little concerning, isn’t it ? like yes, there are cerberus agents among us… but eos make up a disproportionate number of villains and vigilantes … " REMI trails off with a sigh. he's aware that he may seem a little paranoid, like he's sucking all the life out of a party he voluntarily attended, but is he really ? " sorry, i'm not trying to ruin your night. though i was helping that a drink could probably help ease my nerves... " it's a little white lie to pretend that he's nervous, but he doesn't think the woman had signed up to hear about his woes.

he takes a second to glance towards the bar, where one of three frenzied bartenders makes eye contact with him, and then pointedly turns away in favor of attending to a less crowded section. “ well, “ he says. “ i’ve all but given up on getting an order in in the next half hour. want to take a trip outside the ballroom and try our luck ? "

" You and about everyone else," Her sarcasm thickly laced her words. . Tonight had been more or less what she had assumed. A mingling of all sorts, singing the praises of Cerbrus and their newest acquisition. Though, if she were to play devil's advocate, the crab puffers were pretty stellar. She arrived early― mostly in the hopes that she would be able to stay for an hour or two and then make a polite exit. It was about that time to be sure, but those that came with her from GISS were still drinking, so she figured one more, she could call her car and head back home― to her sure her son Mateo was still awake― definitely.

She peaked at the line ahead of them both, letting out a puff of air. " you'd think they would have more than just three bars for all these people." she offered up additionally― not sure if he would even answer " Could be one outside of the ballroom maybe, have you checked?"

[loftycries]

" didn't really realize that i had an audience, " REMI replies, tone even. he catches her expression out of the corner of his eye, noticing that the other guest meant nothing by it. he sighs, more tired than exasperated. " in any case, my point still stands. "

if it weren't for the mask, remi still would have been able to make an educated guess on who he was talking to — mostly due to the other guest's extra ordinary height. " i'm fine, just tired. " his eyes meet hers through the mask. " sammy, right ? i'm sorry i wasn't able to arrive at the event with you, " he says apologetically.

Sammy was settling herself down at the bar to rest from feet. She could only walk for so long before her feet gets sore. Sitting down she adjusted herself against the chair. Finally some time to rest and relax. She looked around before hearing the familiar voice.

Sammy sighed and turned around with an uninsterested look on her face. "Either say it with your chest or say less." Sammy said with an exasperated voice. She looked at Remi or who she as Remi with anuetral expression. Not one of anger or disappointed, just a look trying to indicate no hard feelings.

"How are you doing?' She asked.

[loftycries]

even after all these years, it feels all too familiar to stand next to kyungseok after an incident like this. after all, they were regular mission partners once. even now, REMI can read the tell-tale signs of kyungseok beginning to implode on himself. it's in the clench of his jaw, his balled fists.

remi's power hadn't helped much today, and neither did his physical training from years spent as a cerberus corp agent. nevertheless, he steps in between the mother and kyungseok, hoping to diffuse the situation. his greatest strengths as an agent have always been his ability to stay calm and his ability to calm others.

then, the summation of kyungseok's anger and frustration rears its head in an outburst. remi can't help but wince. most of the crowd has already dispersed, but there are still civilians lingering around them, eager to see what happens next. it must be an uncommon sight, to see a level i hero getting berated like this. he notices a phone pop up out of the corner of his eye—with the obvious intention to film what's happening—and steps into its line of sight.

"the important part is that your son is safe, miss," remi tries to tell the mother. she's all but shaking, mind still trapped in the panic of a situation that is now over. "i assure you that loveshot did his best—"

she scoffs, interrupting him. "it wasn't him who saved my son, even though he's the hero. that was you. you and that girl."

her statement leaves him at a bit of a loss for words—sure, he's currently in civilian clothes and part of why he stepped down to level ii was to be less recognizable to the public. though would it help the situation to tell her that he is a cerberus corp agent as well ? at the mention of 'that girl', his head turns towards the civilian eo who had helped him, who has been silent until now.

@ofpantheons

@loftycries & @ofpantheons // [ LOVESHOT : ECHO : SILHOUETTE ]

Kyungseok has to clench his fist into a tight ball as the adrenaline thunders through his veins. It crawls cold up his arms, spinning each heartbeat into a flurry, and all he wants to do is get out of here. The sirens blare too sharp in his ears, the sobbing, the crying, everything just felt like it was pressing in on every side. He just wanted to leave. He just wanted this to be over.

Instead, he's staring down at the pointed finger of an upset mother.

His fault. His fault. His fault. It didn't matter what actually happened. It didn't matter the truth of the thing. It didn't matter no one died. The kid sobbing into her neck had been swept away by the rush of the crowd and knocked down to the floor. A miracle he hadn't been hurt but — a mother doesn't see those edges when her eyes are rimmed-red and her voice is hoarse from screaming.

"How could you have let this happen? You're ... you're supposed to be a hero! He came to see you and—and—"

"Let this happen?" It snaps out too quick, his temper already flaring hot. "You think I let this happen? I wanted this to happen? I can't be everywhere at once!"

[loftycries]

" i'm a cerberus agent, " REMI admits, though he'd guess that a good number of guests here are exactly that. he doesn't find harm in disclosing his ... occupation to this masked guest, especially when they're both surrounded in a room full of people. " off-duty, yes, technically — but it seems irresponsible to have so many eo's under one roof without anyone having to disclose their identities... no ? " in other words, it's a shitshow waiting to happen, and remi's spent more or less of the entire evening bracing himself in case something were to go wrong.

" i'm just ordering cocktails off the menu, " he admits. part of him almost feels bad that he doesn't have a more exciting answer. " they seem a little... slammed with orders at the moment. i'd hate to add onto that by requesting something more .. special. " he hopes that the bartenders are at least getting paid extra for the night. " i guess i'm staying for as long as i can bear being on edge for the rest of the night. i like to think i'm attempting to do some good right now — but i don't really fancy myself as a martyr. tonight was supposed to be my night off. i'm not sure how much more of this hyper-vigilance shit i can put myself through before i bite the bullet and just go home. "

saint is already loathe to recognise most of his coworkers when their faces aren’t covered by materials more costly than cleaning up public school restroom graffiti. the addition of scientists and hotel staff and crystal ornaments that came straight out of the alchemist make him walk with his hands tucked into his pockets and his back hunched to the point where he feels like he needs to give himself detention. the various orders being barked at the bartend confuse him further. but someone’s speaking laymen’s english beside him. he hopes. he’s smelled too many varieties of grape to not be at least a tiny bit drunk.

“are you ordering a secret menu item? come on, sharing is caring,” saint says with a smile. the expression shrivels as soon as he scans the other patrons, unsure as to whether or not they feel tags snipping at their skin too. the tag itches so much. he looks longingly at a discarded toothpick on the floor. he does not dare to look at his seatmate. a single outfit on his bill and he’ll have to move to the galaxy over. “the crowd will die down once the science lark starts getting interesting, which may be now or never, depending on how you look at it. how long are you staying?”

[loftycries]

" then do it, " REMI replies, though it's devoid of any annoyance or judgement. if cass had been expecting remi to deny him, to beseech him to carefully think out all possibilities — he came to the wrong person. though if cass had been considering stepping down to level ii, it would make sense that they'd come to remi. after all, remi made the same decision nearly five years ago. and even with everything that has happened since his change in level, he can't say he would take it back. " is that... a serious thought ? or was i supposed to take it as a throwaway joke ? "

          cassian snorts and tosses the report onto the table, letting it fall next to the small pile of chocolates.  he's thoroughly given up at this point, might as well commit to the failure.     "     i hope the intern quits.  bet they're not even paid.     "     when did they become so cynical  ?  are the years finally wearing down on him  ?  he runs a hand over his face, rubbing at his aching forehead.     "     don't tell anyone  —  but i've been considering stepping down to level ii.  less pr is good in my book.     "

[loftycries]

he stops in his tracks; he trusts leo, in every sense of the word, which does include his judgment on things as trivial as coffee. " well, " REMI says. it's not an eloquent response by any means, but he still feels somewhat off-kilter without caffeine in his system. with a long exhale, he continues, "do you have time to kill ? i should have an unopened bag of coffee grounds at my desk. "

𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 : @loftycries

it might appear that he was contemplating life , but in truth leo was trying to figure out what the hell was in his coffee. he always drank it black , nothing extra , nothing fancy. but this shit ? tasted like a fucking unicorn shit in it. wrinkling his nose , the agent slowly slid the cup away on the table in front of him and glanced towards the person going to make their own cup. " just a warning , it's not the usual stuff. "

[loftycries]

" patient group of regulars you've got there, " is all that REMI says in reply. after years of living in new york, he's found that most new yorkers tend to be impatient and in a rush — convenience is valued. " do they know that your second job is as a cerberus agent, then ? " he walks to the other side of the lab, hoping to access an area where omar's memories don't reach. while he understands why cerberus corp may have decided to pair him with someone else for the mission, having a partner does make it harder for him to pick up memories — cleanly, for lack of a better word. " — sorry, i don't mean to interrupt, but would you mind staying quiet for a second ? " he puts a hand on one of the machines.

"i mean, they do, but also they understand having two jobs is necessary sometimes." the truth was there was something about these missions that actually made him feel useful sometimes. he knows that his abilities are his only asset otherwise cerbeus wouldn't drift him around with random agents all the time. though he must admit, he never thought that he would work with agent echo. as his gaze wanders around the empty warehouse he finds himself curious about remi's powers, not really knowing too much about retrocognition but he had taken note of who he was paired with before going on the mission. "do you... see a name or anything? AL could be someone's alias, or something." he looks around the empty area for a notebook or anything that might have any sort of clue, not really paying attention to where he is going. but he was attempting to do anything to keep himself busy and useful despite not actually wanting to be on. perhaps there was a piece of paper somewhere around so he was even moving his hands underneath the tables in case there was anything hidden anywhere.