#ghost of the past (mmx blues)

[masters-menagerie]

Closed starter for @haunted-machines

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This was stupid.

Ghost was kicking himself in the rear mentally as he sat up in a tree. He laid back against the trunk, lounging on a sturdy branch with one leg propped up and his arm resting atop his knee. From his resting place he kept a close eye on his target in the distance, going about his day and duties.

This was so stupid.

It had been months since he and this Shadow had their little spat. Shadow had been more than clear that he had no interest in seeing Ghost again. Fine, he thought. He just won't see me. But now that he was staring at the back of the ninja's head, it was starting to sink in just how ridiculous he was being. Why did he care so much what this one thought of him? Why was he so fascinated by this particular model? It pissed him off. And yet...

He was here. In this stupid tree. Doing this stupid check up on a bot who wanted nothing to do with him.

Ghost laid his head back against the trunk of the tree, brunette bangs moving ever so slightly as the breeze went through the leaves. At least it was a nice day out...

[m3chanical-rhythm]

Relationship asks: Ghost/Ody (future obvs), BO/Ody

(( im only answering for Ghost here this once since you put them in the same ask. Any further questions on Ghost, PLEASE send to @masters-menagerie ! ))

"Odyssey? She's cool. She's got attitude and does what needs to be done. I respect that. Wouldn't really say we have a relationship beyond acquaintances and occasional partners, though."

"Odyssey...She is clearly hiding many things. But she's capable, and her skillset is valuable. She is useful to me, for now."

[masters-menagerie]

Ghost flinched and jerked his body away the second Shadow's hand was on his shoulder. Now was not the time to touch him, not with how angry he was at this--at himself. And who was he, that he would offer a stranger his company? This Shadow knew nothing about him, or what he was going through.

You're not him.

"Please don't touch me right now." Ghost grumbled. "And don't pretend you give a damn about me. We're strangers--nothing more."

You look like him, and it hurts.

Ghost looked to the door leading out of the lab. Perhaps now, was a good time for him to take his leave. His mood was shot, and he didn't have the patience or energy to try and deal with an alternate of someone so dear to him right now.

"...I've overstayed my welcome, anyways. I should be going."

masters-menagerie​:

Ghost watched and waited, expecting him to have a seat–or at least MOVE–but furrowed his brows as Shadowman didn’t even budge. He opened his mouth to say something, but thought better off it. He clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth instead and went back to what he was doing.

“Suit yourself.”

He set to work plugging everything into the back of his neck, pulling up the program he wanted to run first from where he stood–an easy task for a robot master. He scanned for any foreign programs that could have a bug, or God forbid a virus, but came up with nothing. He searched again–still nothing. As frustrated as he was, it didn’t show on his face at all.

There has to be something…!

What do you hope to find? What good would it do?

…Dammit–!!

Ghost suddenly turned and sped walk to the console behind him, a newfound bitter determination set in his body language. He pulled up his very code, and began to comb through it meticulously. Everything, right down to the most mundane and trivial programs, like the motor function that controlled his blinking.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing stood out. On paper (or screen, rather) he was the picture of perfection. But that couldn’t be. Something HAD to be wrong!

Ghost yanked the wires out of his neck and threw them on the table, too frustrated to bother closing things down and undocking properly first. He’d tried everything! Tested and scanned and tinkered with everything he could get access to himself. The only thing left he could think of was…

His hands hit the table, balling into fists, as he leaned over the keyboard seething.

Shadow watched as Ghost scanned his systems, his empty gaze following the man to the console. He watched him comb through his entire code, saw the way he double and triple checked each minute function–and how he gradually got more frustrated as nothing out of the ordinary stood out.

When the other yanked the cables out of his neck, Shadow finally moved, silently approaching Ghost’s seething form and hesitantly–gingerly resting a hand on his shoulder. Whether it was an attempt to comfort, or simple solidarity, he was unsure, but his hand remained a solid, grounding presence.

It would be fruitless to state the obvious results of the other’s vain search for something amiss, so instead:

“…Perhaps this is an issue that cannot be fixed. However, you are not alone in your suffering.” A beat. “I… frankly do not know what may help you, nor do I expect that anything truly will for either of us. All I can offer you is my time, should you want it.”

It was an offer of companionship, in a sense; he knew exactly what the other was experiencing, and was probably the only one who could understand it. He doubted his presence would make much difference, but maybe a sense of camaraderie would at least make things more bearable for the both of them.

[masters-menagerie]

@melodic-mayh3m

"Who the hell are you calling sleeping beauty?"

[masters-menagerie]

"Ugh, my fucking head..."

[masters-menagerie]

Ghost is leaning back against a wall, watching Shadow with a VERY amused expression.

"Damn, dude. Can't hold your liquor?"

[masters-menagerie]

Moon had a good point. Honestly, she was absolutely right, but Ghost was too drunk and stubborn to admit that to her right now. So instead, he just hummed in acknowledgement at her philosophy.

Upon asking if he had a place to stay though, he barked a short laugh.

"Of course not. I don' need a babysitter tonight though, Moony. I'll be just fine--but you! You should go to bed. Don't you have work in th'mornin'?"

Moonfall looked away as Ghost pulled his helmet off, and didn't look back until he had successfully put his glasses on. She wasn't quite sure why she did -- only that to see his eyes and bare face in this state felt horribly wrong.

"In a literal sense, no, I suppose I don't belong here. But belonging is about making the most of the cards you're dealt with and finding satisfaction in what you've made. Finding a sense of belonging takes effort... but you're right. I am lucky. Some people try and try and never successfully find a place they belong."

The huntress pulled at the clasp that held her hair in place, letting it tumble down her back. "...Do you have a place to stay?" She asked, idly pulling one of her antennae through her fingers. "I don't want to leave you alone like this."

[masters-menagerie]

@darckcarnival

"Yeah yeah, Whatever. I'm here."

[masters-menagerie]

Intrusion

@kyabetsunomuses

It was almost concerning how easy it was for Ghost to break into this place over and over again. He had to hand it to the reploid that ran it, though--she had upped security considerably since the first time he popped in unannounced. Of course, that didn’t stop a prototype with a plethora of tech knowledge like himself. He could forget, sometimes, that he was an outlier; most robots weren’t supposed to be able to do these things.

Either way, the end result was the same--he’d broken into Cain Labs again. He knew Aria would be out at this time, and it gave him time to get comfortable and take care of what he needed before she came back home. He navigated through the halls of the second level, heading straight for the lab. Once again, it was too easy to disarm security and make his way inside. He knew there would be tools here that he needed and couldn’t carry on his person--and with whatever was going on with his processors, it needed to be taken care of as soon as possible.

Ghost made himself comfortable, removing the helmet from his head and setting it on a chair, followed by his coat--the less layers in the way, the better. He shook his hair out of the helmet shaped mold it had formed to, and slipped on his shades.  He got familiar with the space, scanning the room as he pushed the sleeves of his grey turtleneck up past his elbows.

Surely Aria wouldn’t mind, if he helped himself to her supplies to make some repairs.

[masters-menagerie]

"Hah! I didn't think anyone was easier to fluster than Orion. Amazing!"

[masters-menagerie]

It just so happened that someone else was there looking for parts. Ghost's bike had been making some rattling noises and stuttering, and he wasn't about to let his favorite project total itself. Best to try and fix the problem before it turned into something worse. He had all the tools, he just needed the parts to switch out.

He had found a couple engine components that he was holding onto, but he was still looking for some pistons and a spare battery, if he was lucky. Most of the one's Ghost came across were dead, fried, or nearly empty and not worth the effort of carrying around in his subspace. He was combing through his third heap of the day when a familiar shade of orange caught his eye. For a flicker, his core was hopeful--but he remembered quickly that it wasn't who he was hoping for.

He watched Cutman looking around on the same heap he'd also been digging through, watching the bot's face scrunch up and fall between emotions of frustration and disappointment. Was he looking for something in particular? For a second, Ghost thought about offering to help...

....

Actually, maybe he'd found enough for today. He had barely escaped an interrogation the last time he ran into this Cutman, and it would likely be harder to avoid it a second time. Perhaps now was a good time to leave....

Starter for @masters-menagerie

"Maybe I shouldn't have just gone to do this..."

Cut Man mumbled to himself while he looked over the recycle yard of the city. A place where Humans and Reploid's could go to try and find parts that were still good and allowed to be taken or reintigrated. Almost like a refurbish sort of place really. And he had been wanting to try and get himself some sort of vehicle for himself, Shaska ahd agreed to make him something, so long as he got the right parts fo it.

The problem? He wasn't sure what sort of vehicle he wanted, speed or space... Let alone just what would be best to handle whatever he chose. Maybe something small and speedy would be the easiest, like a bike. But with a side car maybe? That could be fun... And handle the space problem.

Cut Man stopped near a section of engines, and leaned his ehad back with a defeated groan, the scissor blades on his head folding down. "Should have just stuck with assistant and not on my own!"

Sure, he scans, he knows-- but he can't decide. Already trying to put together some sort of rough blue print in his mind. Maybe he should have just stuck with teleporting.

[masters-menagerie]

Ghost's eyes always did remind Edeline of the earth and sea when she first saw them. Yet there's his smile--the humor and mirth he brings along with him in almost each of their meetings that she finds herself loving, too.

She supposed the red that occassionally dusted his cheeks was rather endearing as well, but that would be best left a secret, wouldn't it?

(@lcveblind)

WELL DAMN EDDY, GET HIS ASS--

[masters-menagerie]

@bionicparrot

These Mavericks couldn't put a bigger target on themselves if they tried. Who parks a giant fuck-off airship this close to a major city? It was practically begging to be robbed.

And Ghost was happy to oblige.

From the data entries he'd read and the newsclips he'd seen, this looked like a refurbished Repliforce airship. It was bound to have some useful data and supplies on there, even if it had been turned into some gaudy luxury sky-cruise for rich criminals. If nothing else, maybe he could pilfer some expensive stuff to sell in the underground markets.

Ghost had made his way in by now, skulking around the maintenance and staff areas to get around. He'd pocketed a couple small and flashy trinkets here and there, but what he was really after was a way to hack into their databanks. And after taking care of a few Mavericks and came upon an important looking door, it would seem he had found what he wanted. Odd, that no one was guarding it. He kept his guard up.

Upon darting across the hall into the room and quickly closing the door behind him, however, he found the guard inside; they were slumped against the wall in a corner, Ghost having only caught sight of them through the scanner in his helmet alerting him. It didn't matter though, as this Maverick was expired--their core dead in their chest. Someone else was here; and they could very well be after the same thing he was.

Creeping forward, Ghost kept an eye out for any sign of company. Turning a corner, he saw some monitors and large databanks--but no additional thieves like himself. Until he suddenly got the familiar, unsettling feeling that he was being watched. And before he could turn around, the confirmation alerted him that he was not in fact, alone.

"...I would say this isn't what it looks like," Came his modulated voice through his helmet. "but it's hard to lie to someone getting up to the same shit you are."

[masters-menagerie]

Cicada, Ghost, Pharaoh - Lapis and Prussian

Lapis: What’s your best fantasy?

Prussian: Confess a kink to me?

CICADA

"Honestly? I've indulged in the idea of making love to someone that I can call my domestic partner. Marriage isn't really possible for us, but...I don't know; finding someone I can spend the rest of my life with just sounds perfect."

"A kink? That's a tough one...giving praise, maybe?"

GHOST

"I don't really have fantasies? I don't even think about sex unless i really like somebody, and that can take a while."

"....biting."

PHARAOH

"I'd rather keep that private, actually."

"Restraints."

[masters-menagerie]

Ghost wasn't all that surprised by Shadow's raised voice. If anything, he was just waiting for it to inevitably happen. He just sat there and waited for Shadow to be done shouting; fists clenched and jaw set tight, as he fought with every fiber of his synthetic being not to lash out in return.

He had a feeling Shadow wasn't talking about him with some of those accusations--and honestly, that only wounded him more. Was it really so easy to just lump him in with every other alternate of himself? Then again, he used to think that about the Shadowmen, until he started to get to know each one a little more. It was easier to think they were all the same, so he didn't get attached--so he didn't get it thrown back in his face, like it was right now. But Ghost didn't take his own advice, like usual, and now it was coming to bite him in the ass; a reminder that no matter how hard he tried, he would never change. He would always be the disappointment golden child. The prototype. Blues.

After Shadow was done, silence hung in the air for what felt like ages. It made the words from the ninja's mouth feel even heavier. Ghost was attempting to gather his thoughts, to come up with some sort of snarky comeback to throw back in Shadow's face...but he just didn't have it in him. He didn't didn't know what upset him more; the lack of a comeback, or how much he was legitimately hurt by this reaction from the Wily bot. And when he did finally manage to speak, it was bitter and sarcastic.

"Tch...Your perception really is unmatched. Well, message revieved loud and clear Shadowman."

Ghost picked himself up from the table. Reaching into his subspace, he withdrew a single E-Tank which he set down in front of Shadow.

"Sober up. Wouldn't want anyone to take advantage of your inebriated state, would we? Or maybe we do--you tell me, since you have me all figured out."

Of course, he had no interest in letting Shadow answer that right now. If he stayed any longer, he was bound to say something stupid. So with a half-assed salute, Ghost turned away to start taking his leave.

Shadow didn't see the way Ghost flinched, but he could hear the bitterness in his voice. His hands tightened a bit, pulling slightly at the synthetic skin on his face, before slamming down onto the table with more force than he probably intended.

“Yes! I would rather, actually!” His voice was raised with uncharacteristic volume, and whether his face was reddened with alcohol or anger was anyone's guess. In any normal scenario, he would have kept such thoughts to himself, but he wasn’t really thinking them at the moment. More so just letting them roll off his tongue as they came. “Why d' you keep trying t' be ‘nice’ to me?! What're you trying to get? Do y' think I’ll let my guard down aroun' you? Or that I’ll give you something you weren’t able t' weasel out of the city’s database?”

His words were specific and clearly not solely directed at the Proto Man before him, but he continued anyway. At the moment, he was quite literally pointing fingers at Ghost and he didn’t much care whether or not they applied to him specifically. A Proto Man was a Proto Man. A traitor was a traitor, and could not be trusted. He knew that, he knew it as fundamentally as his core programming. He wouldn’t let this- this rogue trick him by playing with his emotions any longer.

“I know you think I’m stupid, but ’m not stupid enough to fall for. . . whatever it is you’re doing! So you c'n stop wasting your time and leave me alone.”

[masters-menagerie]

Ghost is losing his shit at Nix' expense.