shadowed-grand-master

[shadowed-grand-master]

Luger blushed in almost embarrassment at the way in which he had been conducting himself; he had known himself to be quite imposing in his heyday, even if he felt himself more compassionate and gentle than his forebears. He had almost opened his mouth to apologise, finding himself shockingly rusty at carrying himself with composure. This hedgehog was throwing him through a loop; he didn't quite mind, but he did wonder if he was acting too strange that he might be coming across as ... Weird. He wondered if he even knew what 'weird' was.

"Right... Hello, Iris. It is likewise, a pleasure." He shook their hand firmly, his own tail finding a bit of a slow wag; was conversing always this fun? It was so exciting for him to find a friendly face. He felt as if he were acting like a puggle!

He glanced up, eyeing their surroundings; "What brings you out here, Iris?" He asked with a genuine intrigue, the steps of conversation slowly falling back into place for him.

For a moment, Iris grew a bit concerned at his change of expression, his emotionless face was a hard read, and the last thing the hedgehog intended to do was to offend him.

They became more at ease with his response, as his demeanor shifted to a softer tone. Taking notice of his body language a playful grin slowly crept on the hedgehog's face. This soft side of him was rather unexpected, he just looked so… adorable! They couldn’t quite contain their excitement at this, their grin now becoming a soft chuckle the more they thought about it.

“You are just a big ol sweetheart aren’t you?” Iris blurted their thoughts out loud absentmindedly. Their cheeks turning a bright pink upon realizing the words that escaped their lips. Turning their gaze downwards for a moment, placing a gentle hand over their mouth, Iris makes a poor attempt to compose themself. Clearing their throat softly they look back up to address Luger again, their cheeks and ears a soft red.

“M-My apologies, my excitement can get the best of me sometimes. I don’t even believe I introduced myself proper… I’m Iris the hedgehog, It’s truly a pleasure to get to know you Sir.” Iris steps forward getting a bit closer to him, extending a warm hand to the cybernetic echidna, their tail once again wagging in excitement.

[shadowed-grand-master]

He blinked, realising just how rusty he had gotten in talking to others as the hedgehog before him seemed to almost wince at his description, when his intent laid more on the side of humour. He nodded slowly, trying to find the words for his rebuttal - he had appreciated the compassion, but he still felt that it was misplaced.

His calm, polite smile had dropped into an almost pout as he allowed Iris to finish, feeling genuinely surprised that such words might be spoken to somebody like him. He gave them an almost confused face; in all of the years, anybody who he had spoken to had given him words of atonement. Not once did somebody express a gladness for his presence.

"... Thank you." He said softly, in a tone which couldn't quite sort itself out. His face barely showed any hint of emotion, but the way his voice struggled to balance itself, it was clear that he had needed such words.

Luger drummed his fingers on his leg, truly thrown through a loop. "I don't think anybody has ever ... Said that to me." He nodded slowly, looking off to the side, looking and sounding positively dorky; a softer side of him, which had used to paint his every-day life.

“Atomized? Geez! Guess it’s a good thing I don’t tend to make foes easily…still, to deconstruct someone like that… just sounds like a rather extreme way to get rid of somebody…” They paused, their active imagination giving Iris a mental image, a mere glimpse of what might have happened to this man. Iris couldn’t help but feel for Luger in his current position.

“R-Regardless of what you may have done in the past… I don’t believe you deserved that honestly.” Iris raised a hand to rub the side of their neck pensively. Their wandering eyes soften, looking over the echidna’s metallic body, fascinated by its composition of metal and flesh. While a rare sight for the hedgehog, the Dark Legion’s cybernetic technology was truly something to behold in their eyes.

“I for one am glad that you are here, I feel like the world is a much richer place with you in it Luger” Iris gives him a gentle smile, appreciative of his presence.

[shadowed-grand-master]

Luger nodded, standing tall once more, though his calm smile stuck to his face. "Interesting, hmm? Is that the word you're choosing? Well, it certainly fits." He sighed softly, thinking about these past few years. "Don't worry, I... Don't much consider myself part of the Dark Legion, so much as a washed up remnant, a tumbleweed blowing in the wind.. You need not pay me any mind on that front."

He sighed softly, buffing out a piece of his metallic body. "How have I been, young padewan?" He tilted his head, finding that question almost amusing. "Well, I'll tell you this; I've found myself having a few more metal parts than I used to. Word of the wise; don't get atomised." He squinted one eye, thinking, bringing a hand to his chin. "Or, perhaps a better piece of advice would be, don't put yourself in a position where somebody wishes to atomise you..."

Iris: *squints* no… it can’t be... *eyes begin to widen in surprise* but it is, isn’t it? Its you! Luger of the Dark Legion *their tail begins to wag, unable to hide their excitement* I must be dreaming…

Luger stood tall and elegantly, holding his neck high like a swan. Unlike a swan, he looked quite surprised, blinking quickly. "Hello..." He spoke, eyeing the hedgehog, all the way down to the excitable, waggy tail. He tried to work out if he knew this hedgehog, slowly cocking his head like a dog.

"Yes, I am the one they call Luger... Of the Dark Legion, that, I am not so sure at this point in time." He paused, the excitement of the hedgehog before him being surprisingly infectious. He couldn't help but smile, finding this all quite endearing. "And this is a good thing, is it?" He almost found himself chuckling, as he had been prone to do in what felt like another lifetime ago. It had been a while since anybody had been excited to remember his face, after all. His eyelids relaxed, as did the rest of him, slowly settling back down.

[shadowed-grand-master]

Kragok's wife, yes. She was a brave one. She saw the worst in him, and prayed many nights to ensure their son would never turn out the same. And when a chance for it arose, she took it. Ran away, son in hand, and never looked back. She met the guardians, pleaded her cause, and disappeared in echidnapolis. For all you know, he may still reside there. This is the Hope I spoke of you about.

Luger thought about that silently for a moment, relaxing his stance, rolling the words through his mind akin to how one might gently thumb a piece of cloth. He wondered, why he had never heard of this grandson; but he had supposed that he hadn't much talked to anybody, these past few years.

"I ... See." He glanced up, then out towards the horizon, where the peaks of the city were making themselves be known. "Perhaps, yes, there is indeed hope. A child who has not the chance to be ruined by my meddling."

[shadowed-grand-master]

Iris: *squints* no… it can’t be... *eyes begin to widen in surprise* but it is, isn’t it? Its you! Luger of the Dark Legion *their tail begins to wag, unable to hide their excitement* I must be dreaming…

Luger stood tall and elegantly, holding his neck high like a swan. Unlike a swan, he looked quite surprised, blinking quickly. "Hello..." He spoke, eyeing the hedgehog, all the way down to the excitable, waggy tail. He tried to work out if he knew this hedgehog, slowly cocking his head like a dog.

"Yes, I am the one they call Luger... Of the Dark Legion, that, I am not so sure at this point in time." He paused, the excitement of the hedgehog before him being surprisingly infectious. He couldn't help but smile, finding this all quite endearing. "And this is a good thing, is it?" He almost found himself chuckling, as he had been prone to do in what felt like another lifetime ago. It had been a while since anybody had been excited to remember his face, after all. His eyelids relaxed, as did the rest of him, slowly settling back down.

[shadowed-grand-master]

I know many things, Luger. I know about your son, I know about his failure at husbandhood, I know of a daughter consumed by hatred but still looking for a path to call her own. I also know about hope. About a runaway wife, and a grandson you never knew.

Luger squinted, stepping backwards, still unable to pinpoint the tone of this mysterious stranger. He wasn't sure whether to arm himself, but he certainly felt it imperative to stay within distance of a weapon. He thought for a moment of Kragok; he didn't know, initially, that the boy's life had been lost - but in time, as he lurked in the depths of the facility, he'd picked up on it. He also thought of Lien-Da, of how he'd failed her, how he'd failed all three of his children. He tilted his head, mulling over these words.

"Tell me. Tell me of my son." He felt almost as if he didn't deserve to ask such a thing; after all, he had failed him in life. He had been so caught up in living up to his fathers' strict expectations, that he had failed in his own fatherhood. "Of my grandson." He spoke dryly, his eyes losing their subtle shine. He wondered if this stranger was some form of divine punishment, tearing open those scars which he had numbed himself to.

[shadowed-grand-master]

May I just-(plonks comfy pillows and blankest around you). You deserved a lot better. You deserve comfort.

Luger blinked in surprise, opening his mouth to suggest otherwise - but perhaps, just for a short while, he might accept this - just for a moment. "... Thank you" he said softly, looking almost .. Tender. He had been through hell and back, this was the first time anybody had ever comforted him since the incident. The confirmation, the allowance to let himself accept this comfort, even for a moment.

[shadowed-grand-master]

Hey, seen your daughter lately?

Luger paused, squinting. He could not for the life of him decipher what the intended tone was; naiive, curious, cruel? "... My daughters are doing well for themselves, despite all odds." He spoke quietly, keeping his eyes on this faceless stranger, not letting his guard down, nor saying more than he might want to. He found himself surprised by the plurality of that sentence; even though he knew how much of a depraved monster his eldest daughter was, he couldn't bring himself to truly disown her. After all, he reckoned, it was his own actions which had built her up to be such a way. Indeed, he'd had a lot of time to reflect on this.

"Why do you ask?" It was foolish to presume that nobody might recognise him; this past was recent, no matter how deep it had been burried. He had supposed that he was to get used to confronting his past, the more he re-entered into the world. Just how much did this stranger know?

[shadowed-grand-master]

*stroking your chest* I know what you can do with me :3

Luger blinked, removing the hand from his chest. "Look... You seem nice. But I'm not really ready, or equipped, for something like this." He was clearly flustered and appreciative of this advance, his voice was tinged with a genuine sense of remourse. He had always considered himself more of a lover. "Besides... I don't even have a name for you, stranger. Who are you?"

[shadowed-grand-master]

Oh, I know allllll about you :3 handsome.

"Handsome?" Through his cybernetics, you might wonder if you could see his cheeks flush a little. "I don't know about that." He shook his head. "What am I to do with you..."

[shadowed-grand-master]

*giggles* hi lulu.

"Hm... Hello, faceless stranger. What's so funny? ... ... Lulu? You wouldn't be calling me such cutesy names, if you truly knew what I was."

[shadowed-grand-master]

[CANON]

Many years prior, in the settling depths of the rubble, a strange blessing had taken place; or perhaps, it were a curse. The experimental weapon which had intended to atomise Luger, had indeed torn him to pieces. The mauve echidna was torn apart, atom by atom. He caught a glimpse in this moment of his daughter, holding the trigger, watching as this strange weapon imploded in on her. The next thing he remembered was a searing, blinding whiteness. Each atom of this fine, Lugerish mist, had been transported, one by one, into the wilderness of the zone. In an instant, he had been transposed, painstakingly rebuilt out in the wilderness of The Twilight Zone. The process had felt worse than death itself; for a short moment, he drifted, wishing that it had finished him off. Then... Calm. Shortly after, the freezing cold of the inter-void had taken to his very bones. It was only now, in this calm after the accident, that he realised the still-searing pain covering his body, as if his very being had been stapled into. Transported with him, was a heap tonne of metal parts, intended to be implanted with delicate care onto the many members of the Legion. They had been carelessly fused into him as his very being was transmogrified, wrapping around his very soul.

He was truly, fully, a cyborg.

Luger spent the next four years fighting through the Zone towards their former base of their operations, setting up in the depths. He had only intended to spy in for a moment, then reclaim his throne; but something about the way that his son, Kragok, had been running the place, seeing his youngest daughter pushed around by his eldest daughter, he chose to keep watching, waiting. He slowly reached out to Simon, his old left-hand-man, and got the fill-in. From thereon, he reckoned that he would take a leaf out of the Brotherhood of Guardians' modus operandi, hiding in the shadows, influencing from afar. Those who had caught glimpses of him reckoned that they'd seen ghosts.

And now, in the present day, he found himself on Mobius Prime. The old Legion base was destroyed, and the new base was hardly more than a settlement of tents. He kept watch as the changing tides of the political scape changed rapidly. He wondered, was it finally time to walk out into the world?