Chapter 230: James' a dad

HardCored - Chatroom JamesIsInTheDark: You know, after everything you've said about it, I might give that show a try. TechnoGogo: You really

HardCored - Chatroom

JamesIsInTheDark: You know, after everything you've said about it, I might give that show a try.

TechnoGogo: You really should. I love the parallel making-of series where they show how the machines work and everything, but the base show is fully accessible to everyone. It's fun and it has some nice action.

JamesIsInTheDark: Yeah, I'll try to give that a watch too. I'll admit I may drop it, though. I love documentaries, but anything that gets too technical can lose me.

TechnoGogo: Yeah, that's fine. I know the secondary series isn't for everyone. But it's fun for me!

Saray: I never watched the making-of, but the main show was great! The first season, at least. I never got around to watching the rest. I liked the season one finale, and I never found the time to continue.

The Silence: I will admit, it is interesting to see what makes them tick. They are rather unique designs, so it is always fascinating to learn how they work and realize that they can even function in the first place. Lord Omega, for instance, is covered in so many spikes, I wouldn't believe he could walk, let alone run, if it weren't for the making-of.

TechnoGogo: Silence? You watch Gear Guardians? I thought it'd be too much mindless violence for you.

The Silence: You say that like I'm a pacifist, opposed to brutality. I merely prefer more intellectual pursuits in general. It just so happens that behind its robot fights in the foreground, the Gear Guardians series has a complex lore and quite clever political struggle in the background. Besides, I can still appreciate robots fighting each other, even if I'm more invested in the rest of the show.

KillLaKrill: And Princess Killaray is hot.

MagicIsTragic: The one with a railgun for a head?

KillLaKrill: I know what I like. Besides, she's awesome.

MagicIsTragic: Meh. I've never clicked with the show, even after a few episodes, and I found her really annoying. Like, stupidly so.

The Silence: She does often have a lot to say about nothing. It's impressive how much she can stretch her speeches and employ remarkable vernacular, all to say very little in the end. I'm fairly certain she has the most dialogue out of all the main characters, bar maybe Chancellor Sheer, and even then, it's in good part because he also serves as the narrator.

TechnoGogo: You'd know something about, wouldn't you?

The Silence: Vile and baseless accusations.

Saray: So, it's been a few days. How is your new job going, Silence?

KillLaKrill: I hope that with our intel, Magic prepared a nice surprise. Really, if she failed to come up with a good cake after every secret I've spilled, that would be a great show of incompetence!

MagicIsTragic: **** you, Krill.

(Mod)Seagullag: Language, Magic. But Silence, if you're willing to talk, I'll admit I'm curious how you're handling things as well. I know Magic said the place was nice and Silhouette's a good boss, but you never know. She's part of the creative team, maybe he goes easier on them.

KillLaKrill: Spill the beans! The delicious, drama-filled beans.

TechnoGogo: You're weird, Krill.

KillLaKrill: Nah, everyone loves office drama. It's part of sapient nature. Like getting annoyed at your neighbors.

The Silence: I can confirm that the Penumbral Palace is a good workplace and that Silhouette is a fantastic employer. He's a great listener when he has the time to drop by. Frankly, at times, he feels more like a friendly manager than a CEO. He's also quite happy to have someone he can discuss his office décor with. Not everyone can perceive it the right way.

KillLaKrill: Wait, the black room of doom? There's actual stuff?

TechnoGogo: I think he already brought it up after his interview.

MagicIsTragic: Ah, yeah, he did. Man, I don't know if I'm jealous or not. On the one hand, the box of doom is cool, if a bit trippy. On the other hand, I'd love to see what he actually likes, beyond the creepy, spooky shadow stuff. I know you described it, but seeing it yourself is different.

Saray: Ah, right! You two are coworkers now!

KillLaKrill: Yes. She even asked us for tips on what cake to make to welcome him. Did you miss that bit?

Saray: Sorry, I just had a lot of work lately. I'm not as perceptive as usual. Some things slip by me. So? How was it, hanging out for real? Just the two of you?

KillLaKrill: Just the two of them? Oh my. Romance...

TechnoGogo: Pretty sure Magic doesn't swing that way. But yeah, how was it? Silence, hopefully you weren't swarmed by explosions?

The Silence: There were, thankfully, no detonations. In large part thanks to our other compatriot.

MagicIsTragic: Yeah. Turns out, it wasn't just the two of us. Surprise! Someone else in the chat works for Silhouette?

Saray: What? Who?

KillLaKrill: The bird? He's a little too serious for a drama queen like Silhouette, but he makes more sense than the rest of us. Unless Techno decided to join in the end?

(Mod)Seagullag: No, it's not me. But the Techno theory makes sense. I doubt Silhouette would hire a clownfish like you.

KillLaKrill: Ah. Ah. Ah. No one made the clownfish joke before. How original. You are a genius.

TechnoGogo: Uh, guy? It's not me. I already have a job at a small place. I'm involved in the Silhouette business. To be honest, the guy still gives the creeps, even if I can appreciate the quality of his workers and products.

KillLaKrill: Then who? Who is our mysterious... Third... Penumbral employee?

JamesIsInTheDark: Eh. Penumbral employee. I might suggest that one to Silhouette, I think he'd like it.

Saray: James?

Techno: What, James?

(Mod)Seagullag: Oh, yeah, I see it now. James makes sense.

KillLaKrill: JAMES? Our resident wallflower works for the not-evil shadow lord? Uh, thinking about it, it makes sense that a dark guy would work for a stronger dark guy. It's what Silence did, after all. But really? You didn't mention joining the admin interviews.

Saray: Or the inventor try-outs.

MagicIsTragic: Turns out, James is one of Silhouette's first guys. He's our senior. He might as well be the second in command.

KillLaKrill: What.

JamesIsInTheDark: One, as I've said repeatedly, I'm not second in command, just his assistant. Two, yeah, I've been around since before Shades got his name or Silhouette got involved with Blake Black. I'm not the first employee, mind you, that still goes to Larry and Barry, but I've been around Silhouette ever since I arrived in the city. I think we may actually have arrived around the same time? Hard to be sure when there's very little info on him, and he's super secretive.

KillLaKrill: Oh, ****, that sounds super cool!

(Mod)Seagullag: Language. But yes, it does sound like you have quite a few stories you could share, if you can. I do remember you being very tight-lipped about these things until now. Going by what I heard, I take it Silhouette is a little paranoid and had you sign magical contracts?

JamesIsInTheDark: Ah, yeah. He loosened the terms since we got a bunch of new employees with simpler and more open stuff, but yeah, the early versions could be tight. Technically, I could have had him rewrite the terms for a while, but I just didn't have much of a reason. With almost half of the regulars on the chat room working under him, however, kinda hard to talk about our day in public if I have to redact myself all the time. So, we took the time to switch to something closer to what Silence signed. Still a few secrets I have to keep since I get more info, but I'm no longer forbidden from saying I even work for him in the first place, at least.

KillLaKrill: Uh. So you've been around since he mostly worked in the slums?

Saray: James... Were you living in the slums?

TechnoGogo: Oh. I... I hadn't thought about this.

JamesIsInTheDark: No, I didn't live in the slums, don't worry. I was nearby, I won't lie, and there were times I was a little scared, but I trusted Silhouette to protect me. And I'm somewhere better now.

Saray: Still, James... You could have asked...

(Mod)Seagullag: While sharing too specific private information is normally forbidden, that's on the public side. You could have sent people private messages to ask for help. For a place to stay.

KillLaKrill: Yeah. I wouldn't have been able to host myself, being a merfolk and all, but I could have... I dunno, sent you a check to stay at a hotel or something?

JamesIsInTheDark: I just... This was all so new. It's like I told you guys, back home, there were no Aspects, no Cores, just regular humans and animals. Everything felt so strange, so alien. Even my own body felt like... What I mean to say is that, yeah, in retrospect, I should have asked for help. But what's done is done, it's all in the past now. Besides, there are plenty of people I wouldn't have met otherwise. It was a bad time in my life, but it introduced me to some of the best parts of it.

MagicIsTragic: Your kids, right?

JamesIsInTheDark: Yeah.

KillLaKrill: Wait, hold up, what? James has what?

The Silence: I concur. What.

TechnoGogo: Oh. James' older than I thought, then. Gods, he's probably closer to Sig's age...

(Mod)Seagullag: You kids are ignoring the part where he met them.

Saray: Sig is right. You adopted orphans, right?

JamesIsInTheDark: Yeah. One of the Empress' drones just finished harvesting their parents when I came across them. I kinda lost it and smashed it until it stopped working.

KillLaKrill: Holy ****, James. You... You good?

Saray: James... I'm so, so sorry for what you had to see.

JamesIsInTheDark: It's fine. I don't think their parents were sapient, it took a while for the kids to grow into it.

MagicIsTragic: Yeah, they're awakened animals, not human kids. Still probably traumatizing for them, though.

KillLaKrill: At least these weren't humanoid corpses.

TechnoGogo: Still. James, you smashed a Harvester? That's... Those are really solid, dude.

JamesIsInTheDark: Yeah, it... It was a messy scene. I probably would have lost it even more if they had been regular people for sure, but I was already still shaken from the whole "ending up in Zalcien, surrounded by a bunch of weird stuff" thing. I think I identified with the kids losing everything they knew? Anyway, yeah, I rushed and killed the bot. But it was a small one, and I took it by surprise. I think it didn't realize I existed.

TechnoGogo: Still, those are tough. Even the police and new heroes can struggle to do it. You're sure you just have shadow powers, right?

(Mod)Seagullag: Techno. No prying into others' business. The specifics of their powers are for them to share.

TechnoGogo: Yeah, yeah, sorry. I almost acted like Magic or Krill there.

MagicIsTragic: Hey!

KillLaKrill: I resent that remark!

TechnoGogo: Yeah, yeah, shut it, dumb and dumber. But sorry again, James. You went through something hard, and here I am, focusing on the tech bits.

JamesIsInTheDark: Don't worry, I understand. And before you ask, I gave the thing to Silhouette. I think he gave it to Techlord to study? It's been a while.

KillLaKrill: So... Kids.

JamesIsInTheDark: Yes. Five of them. I love them.

The Silence: May I ask why I wasn't informed of this earlier? We have been seeing each other for a few days now.

JamesIsInTheDark: It never really came up. But don't worry, I was planning on inviting you and Magic over at some point to meet them. They... Well, I adore them, but I know they can be a bit of a handful. I know the eldest would be delighted regardless, but the youngest is... Prickly. He'll behave, though. I know I get worried about him all the time, but he has been getting better, even if I forget it sometimes. But still, overall, the lot of them would like to meet you guys. You're my friends, and they're curious to know more about the people I like talking to and working with.

KillLaKrill: Uh. Prickly how?

JamesIsInTheDark: A little more in line with his instincts than the rest. He's a little bloodthirsty. He has healthy outlets now, and he's well in control, but he used to have problems with that before. I still tend to expect the worst out of him, and I feel a little guilty about that. I'm working on getting better about that. That's an unhealthy trend that I know I tend to get stuck in.

Saray: Hey, raising children can't be easy.

(Mod)Seagullag: There's a reason why no one else here ever bothered.

MagicIsTragic: Yeah, it... GUYS. TV. NOW.

TechnoGogo: Oh no. What is it this time? Last time it was... Patcher's death or Silhouette's nuking a place with shadows?

KillLaKrill: Oh. Uh, Techno? Trust me, you wanna see this.

Saray: What is it? I'm in the break room, and my internet is too bad to load anything but text.

JamesIsInTheDark: Silhouette just announced a public program to locate, support, and rehabilitate the surviving Patchees.

Saray: HE WHAT?

The Silence: Ah, good to finally see this go public. I knew he was waiting for the Union to act first, but I suppose he got tired of waiting for the bureaucracy to be done with it. Good. Maria has been getting better, but hopefully a public program will let her get more help and be ready to move back in with me sooner.

KillLaKrill: YOUR MISSING SISTER?