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[codeoracle]

TEXT | VOICE | VIDEO | ACTION

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[lempereur]

What good would that do? The damage is already done.

[codeoracle]

It creates an undeniable alibi if this imposter tries something else. It's a backup in case we need it.

And I'm really hoping we won't need it.

[lempereur]

[ The footage of the wrecked parking lot and the ice spears through the windows would be more than enough to get him in trouble without any additional incidents, but she's right... ]

Okay. But not yet, I still have to give my follow-up report on Adachi.

[codeoracle]

[She doesn't like the idea of waiting to do this. She especially doesn't like the idea of him going to those...people without some kind of surveillance detail. But she knows monitoring of any kind would likely only make it easier for him to be caught.

They idea of him possibly ending up in a state like Adachi's (or worse) makes her shudder, her stomach tying up in knots and nausea welling up in her throat. She'd have to wait. ]

Alright...I'll see if there's any data I can pull from your comm in the meantime...

You can't make this report without going in person can you...?

[lempereur]

[ He doesn't want to go in person, that's for sure, but Dooku asked for the file, Yusuke can only assume he meant a hard copy.

...wasn't he expecting a courier any day now? ]

Possibly. I am expecting a delivery via courier sometime soon, reconnaissance information about the Porter bases. I may be able to arrange it so that he takes something back with him.

[codeoracle]

I'll see if any streams have cameras that get your house in view...At least that way I can monitor things until you make your report...If you can send off the report with that courier you'll have a timeline where your pretty solidly at home for the most part...

[She still doesn't like any of this. The whole situation has her on edge and it feels like she can't do anything to help. He's definitely in too deep with the organization to pull out now, but every day he's involved risks exposure.

She rolls over to sit up, setting her device aside momentarily. It was running scripts and there wasn't much to do while coding processed. She's cross-legged now, watching Yusuke carefully.]

You...can't go it alone with these people. Especially when they likely don't trust Adachi as far as they can throw him anymore...Handling Brendan and this imposter situation is one thing, but what are you planning to do about Constellation when all of that blows over?

[lempereur]

[ Being monitored to prove his innocence isn't an idea that Yusuke is very fond of. As formidable as Futaba was behind a computer screen, the Constellation had at least two people on board with similar skills, and there was always a chance that it could be found and used against him later. His best option, his only real option, when it came to them, was to stay the course. ]

I was not alone, when I started. If I had known who I was partnering with, I would not have done it, but now there is no choice but to carry on. Continue working to expose them until the mission is complete.

[codeoracle]

The fact you have to keep up with it isn't the problem. I'd like it better if you didn't, but I know the outcome is worse if you bail.

[She frowns slightly, unsure of how to put what she was feeling into words. She hadn't really taken the concept of infiltrating Constellation seriously before, but seeing what could happen to anyone that slips up under their watch terrified her--especially when such situations could include her friends.]

I don't like it when things lead to places I can't exactly follow. I can't cover you if I don't know details, and given what happened with Adachi you'll have to be more careful about what you tell us, and when...

This is a lot more dangerous than I thought it could ever turn out to be.

[lempereur]

[ He turns to her, propping his chin on one hand. Yusuke can read her pretty well by now, better than most of the Thieves ever could. What he sees is worry, not too different from the other night, but without the slithering tentacles and blood dripping on the floorboards. His fault, all the same. ]

I can tell you whatever you want to know. I am fairly confident that the...ugliness I unleashed has saved me from suspicion.

[codeoracle]

It's still risky...Even if they don't suspect you now they could later, you know? Maybe we should figure out a system...a code or something.

[She rocks back and forth slightly before flopping back on his bed to stare at the ceiling. She could read his unease to easily just then--she doubted that the blame he put on himself was going to go away, but she still didn't like seeing evidence of it. He had been caught, either do what they asked or put himself on the same level as Adachi. It wasn't a situation that was going to end pretty no matter how he had decided to handle it.

She takes a moment to check her device, pleased to see she had uncovered at least one access point from a local server. Always good to see a code working the way it was intended.]

We'll focus on this imposter for now. I bet Constellation will want to validate your reports before bringing you in for anything else...we might have time on that front. Just--keep us updated on what they're doing or what they want you to do...

[And she can make plans to do her own research in the meantime.]

[lempereur]

[ A code, or something similar, was probably a good idea, but Yusuke doesn't have the energy for much more than a nod in her direction before he slumps over on his side. There is plenty of room for him to curl up at her feet, exhausted from not just the recent horrors he's had to deal with, but everything. He is just so, indescribably tired, in his head, in his heart, in his blood. ]

Right now I am keeping my head down and playing the diligent student. I have another training session with Grievous later.

[codeoracle]

[Futaba watches him slump over, curled in on himself and looking pathetically exhausted. Not that she can blame him, considering everything that has been happening recently. It's as if they haven't had time to breathe as long as she can remember.

Still, she feels guilty taking up most of his bed when he's so obviously tired. She shifts to one side of the bed, settling on the edge before patting the space next to her.]

If you're going to train, you need to rest...and there's plenty of space for both of us. It won't bother me at all.

[lempereur]

I'm not asking you to come here only to fall asleep while you work.

[ He says, as he stretches out a little more, until the crown of his head just barely brushes against Futaba's leg. Yusuke remains mostly curled up on his side, he never takes up all of the space he could, even when alone. ]

What are we waiting on?

[codeoracle]

It's fine if you need to sleep...

[Honestly, she wouldn't mind if he did. She could work just as well with him awake or not. In her opinion, he needed to take better care of himself and his needs--not that she was one to really talk.]

We're waiting for my script to finish running. It's got through to several feeds already, but I want to see just how many pop first...We should be able to monitor for your doppelganger well enough once this is done.

[lempereur]

[ Yusuke's arm curls up to act as a pillow, as he watches the screen, not sure at all of what he's looking at, but he knows, instinctively, that Futaba has it under control. ]

Pop? I only understood roughly...half of that.

[ Yawn. ]

[codeoracle]

It means I'm waiting to see what other video feeds I might be able to access.

[That yawn catches her attention and she can't help the roll of her eyes before she reaches to brush some of his hair back. Her mom used to do that when she curled up waiting for her to finish work--it's a habit she must have picked up on.]

Inari...just sleep. I can wake you up when this is done.

[lempereur]

[ He doesn't mind having the hair in his face, thank you! But...still, the gesture is oddly relaxing. Intimate, even. Not the sort of thing he would expect from Futaba. ]

No, I'm fine. I can cancel, tell him I'm occupied with Dooku's assignment. Talk me through whatever this is.

[codeoracle]

I'm probably just going to bore you to sleep anyway.

[She teases, but still, she turns the device a bit so he can see the screen more clearly.]

My script is running different protocols to try and get through the security channels on video feeds. Closed circuits like this only run on so many channels, so getting in isn't too hard.

I'm just making my device part of the network temporarily, so I'll have access to the video. I'll be able to watch for your copy like some mall cop.

[lempereur]

You're right.

[ He buries his nose further in the crook of his arm, hair messy from stress and scattered sleeping falling back over his cheek. ]

That is hideously boring.

[codeoracle]

And watching it run is like watching paint dry.

[She laughs softly. Watching the code run, for her, could be mesmerizing--for everyone else? She knew the bore it really could turn out to be.]

It's why I can work from anywhere with a connection though. Just sit back and let it run its course.

[lempereur]

Mmm...something else to talk about, then.

[ Don't let him be alone with his thoughts. This is the closest he's been to feeling genuinely relaxed for days, maybe he can fall asleep, if he has something else to drown out the noise. ]

[codeoracle]

[Something else, something else...oh.]

Did you know that cats can absolutely wreck furniture? Morgana never did it because well...I guess he wasn't exactly a cat. Caroline tore apart the couch...

[Her newest pet was a safe subject right? It's all she can come up with on the fly, but maybe that wasn't quite right...She looks around his room, trying to find something to talk about. The paintings.]

You know...I can't help noticing all the holes in the paintings...

[lempereur]

[ He closes his eyes with a groan, and brings his other arm over his head. The tips of his fingers brush across her leg as Yusuke thinks back to the other night, the same one where he was supposedly trying to lure Brendan to his death. ]

I was attacked by a patron on the night the impersonator tore up that empty lot. It's nothing, just months of work down the drain. That is why my window is melting, she broke that too.

[codeoracle]

...You're kidding, right? I'm guessing that didn't count for an alibi considering how Brendan was acting.

How do you even meet these people, Inari?

[Seriously, he needed better friends. At this rate, she's just going to be in a constant state of worry over which one was going to screw him over next. If it wasn't one near heart attack, it was another.]

[lempereur]

I met Mai when I first got here, she was offering food in exchange for designs. Brendan, I met at that party, he kissed me, and it got out of hand.

[ Just the facts! ]