Chapter Text
Softly, a sigh escaped her lips and she tapped her pen on the table. The headquarters which usually felt so homey and comfortable, suddenly doubled in size to the group of silent cleaners.
“So, does anyone wanna tell me how this happened?” It was a question that sounded like it was for all, but everyone knew it was actually directed at their leader.
Semiu’s quiet voice felt boisterous as it echoed through the silent room, yellow eyes darting everywhere but hers. However, her eyes remained set on one man Enjin, like a sniper keeping their aim on a particularly sorry victim.
’Answer’.
Tr as he might, his face stretched into a tight grimace he was trying to push into a lazy grin spoke louder than everyone in the room.
I mean- fuck. What were they supposed to say? They didn’t plan to take this psycho home.
Before answering, he decided to.. survey the area.
Zanka’s lip looks particularly busted, the poorly hidden veins on his neck itching to burst and burn everyone with his fury.
Rudo’s.. not that well off either. One of his ugliest expressions to date. Rather not get into it.
Riyo would be unreadable to anyone, even amused from the outside eye. Buuuuutttt…. Enjin knows that face better anyone else.
And follo? Kid looks like he’s gonna keel over.
Now Enjin saw, he foresaw the future if he didn't play his cards right, and tell this story even better than it happened- because he'd rather not be the target of everyone's displeasure. Especially not on this.
Enjin had one shot.
He cleared his throat, “wellll…”
Twas a warm day up on them there contamination zones…
The raiders appeared during a usual trash beast job. It was a valiant scuffle but ultimately the raiders took home the loss. Mainly because it was just Jabber picking a fight, but oh well.
It seemed like it was done. Jabber was down for the count, eyes rolled to the back of his head.
His unconscious form tried, but he couldn’t get anything to move. Kinda hard when everything is broken in a few different places, feel me?
But he still had that smile on his face, unbridled ecstasy-grinned like a winner.
Ultimately he probably did. He likes pain, right? But even this.. Blegh.
Just seemed like too much, man. The smile was stuck to his face, like someone just pasted it there. When you look closer, it honestly just looks like a default expression.
We was just about to walk past, but then Rudo shot up towards the raider. Thought it was to give him another beating, but Rudo just picked him up and threw him over his shoulder with force even he didn’t seem to expect. It’s almost like Jabber weighed paper.
Very.. unexpected. Maybe he hides his build under all that clothes n' shit.
Riyo’s eyes widened just a millimeter and just for a fraction of a second. Then she gained this curious look, urging Rudo to speak without asking.
It took a while- mostly because he wanted everyone in the car before he spoke, but he quietly said,
”We could get some information out of him, maybe.”
Nobody would admit it, but everyone was kinda worried rudo would try to play white savior and ‘help’ Jabber become a cleaner or whatever.
Zanka was still pissed though. He didn’t say anything which is strange for a guy who’s usually so mouthy. Pretty funny watchin' such a stick try not to poke a bear.
In fact, everyone was some variation of annoyed or concerned. But the sigh of release was felt and Rudo couldn’t help but feel vindicated.
He looked around, offended. Though he couldn’t really pin point what he was supposed to be mad at, so he huffed and said nothing.
Nobody saw that man-hole girl, so it’s assumed they were just gonna leave him there.
Or maybe she was just moving slow.
And everyone figured, why not? Ya know.. he is a high ranking raider, and Zodyl seems to have utmost faith in not just his fighting, but also his intuition. So..
”Soo… we took him.” He finished. He tried to use a charming smile- but apparently Seimiu thought he looked careless.
Semiu looked up. “You do realize that if he’s so indispensable to zodyl, it’s only a matter of time before he’s at or doorstep right?”
”ah.. you know..” Enjin murmured- not looking as sorry as she wished he was. He did try to look sheepish though.
”I’m not even gonna.. whatever. Take him whenever you need to put him and keep him locked up.”
They took her words with grace, and tried to cruise on by. But after their first couple steps…
”Hold up, let me take a look at ‘im.”
Follo who was carrying him because Rudo got agitated at the smell of chemical burning his nose, verrryyy gently laid him out.
Out of trying to give this dude some modicum of dignity, before entering they close his eyes and mouth like you’d do the dead.
He almost looked like a different person with that, resembling almost.. pretty? Don’t know if ya could dub a dude that, but that’s what it was, man. A pretty girly face when he didn’t look like the sicko He certainly was.
Even without her instrument, she already has a few things she was.. concerned about.
”Is he always this..dangly?” She questioned, very slightly in a grimace.
Enjin just grinned.
Exasperation leaves her mouth, ‘nd she activated her instrument.
Immediately she gained a disturbed look, like one who’s seen a grizzly autopsy. And she probably is.
“Uh.. you might wanna get him checked out. I don’t think you’ll be able to get any answers from him if you don’t get that shit out of his system..”
”And ya might wanna feed him a couple meals. I knew he was skinny, but damn… could blow him over like a piece of paper.” She muttered, looking away from the mess that was the Jabber Wonger.
That got an eyebrow raise. He turned around and pat rudo’s shoulder.
“Oh and take them rings too.”
Enjin nodded. And made a note to come back and chat with her.
Rudo turned to look at him, so he put his most easy going face on.
“What’d ya say about a quick trip to Eishia?”
Then it was a done deal.
The journey to the doc's was filled with subtle glances, and people whispering to themselves. Truly it was a miracle that everyone was so agreeable about this raider in their base, but it's because they're good people.
“Um… I can heal him but.. it will require repeated exposure since I do need to recharge, and plus itwontfixrhemalnutritionandterriblesodeeffectshisbodiesalreadyusedtoo-“
”This is dumb, why are we healing him? Just fix his bones and bind 'im..” Zanka whispered. Probably didn’t wanna say it louder cause it would just feel wrong to make the poor girl feel rushed to her point, knowing shes already the shy type and trying the best she can.
It seems she still heard him anyways, as she halted to a stop and shook in her boots a little.
Scaring girls? So not cool, Zanka.
”Um it’s just that.. with the broken bones, the extreme malnutrition and the poison in his body from the polluted zone and whatever else is him his system, he’ll surely die. And he’s also now a health hazard to everyone else and everything around him. So.. even if we treated the minimum, he could get all of us seriously sick.”
”He’s also seem to have a fever.”
She looked at him like more than he was worth, like he was a viable patient in need of gentle care.
”It’s a miracle he’s even alive. He’s got three times the killing dose of polluted air in his system and so many other toxins.” She marveled.
She moved his purple waist thing, and lifted up his skin tight undershirt, revealing nasty, infected gashes against his skin. Some old, with white bumps and swollen, angry red areas. Some fresh- could be treated with some antibiotics. And it wasn’t no cleaner-made wound.
“This is so much,” she whispered. You could hear the tightness in her chest. "How is he even.." She lightly tapped one of the nasty bruises. Jabber twitched, but didn’t wake. His fingers kept trembling- it seemed like he was missing something, a pet of his being. He continually flexed his fingers but wasn’t satisfied.
But he couldn’t find them.
How could he, when they where now in the hands of Corvus?
Jabber’s hand curled into a fist, but then he stopped twitching.
Looking closer, he dug his hand so deep that blood began to leak through where nails dig deep.
Cthoni checked thrice. No Jabber. She shook, exhaustion heavy on her.
Zodyl.. will be angry.