Broken In So Many Ways [Open]

Turning at the shouting, she would somewhat calm at the sight of him, though it would not go past her face as her power continues to come down as pressure upon everyone nearby. At first going to place a barrier between her and Aphelion with one hand, she would lose all control, being turned into a ragdoll and tackled by him, heading straight for Melissa and by extention - Drake as her Aura stays fully aflame.

Well now. This was awkward.

The serious face was having very little impact as all hell had just broken loose with...well...everyone showing up. Funny. No one shows up in his grief apart from the beautiful Angel of Devastation but everyone shows up when there's about to be murder.

He is of course just giving Melissa the 'WHAT.' face. Her words are pretty much enough to throw him completely off as he tries and then stops trying to make sense of what was just said. He'd deal with the torture and dissections later.

Seeing a complete lack of assistance, presumably from the fact that Alex froze earlier on and Arthur...probably wasn't insane he makes his way carefully over to the Talons, clicking the fuel casing, letting the canisters fall out before reloading and starting to slot the Talons back into place. Of course he was going to be the target.

He was not afraid. There was no fear in his eyes. No desire to run or scurry. Instead he just keeps himself calm, in control and carefully getting ready. Should she get past his suddenly great amounts of defenders he'd bring the Talons around swiftly, fighting purely on the defensive, making the most of what little reserves he had left.

Just as long as Melissa got away safe and unharmed.

"Well sh~" Arthur says as he sees the approaching Aoife, who seems to be very angry. She looks very angry he thought.

Arthur knows he has to act quickly. Everyone at this school is insane. Completely. Insane. "Only one thing to do I guess." He says to know one in particular as he goes to stand between the oncoming Aoife and Melissa/Drake. And raises his shield.

I immediately regret this decision

"I love it when you burn." Aphelion said with a gleam in his eyes, pecking Aoife on the neck, "Even if my hug costs me a pot of SoupPot."

Tch, I wanted to talk to her and stop her, but Metalbrain shows up and runis the moment.

Hitting her head directly on the shield, she blink and try to rub her head, failing to do so due to the nerve staple. As if thinking that if she grew as strong as possible, the Nerve staple would stop working, she would completely disregard everyone except one person, firewall manifesting on her except for the outline of Aphelion, using her eyes to look at him as much as possible, "Why are you here?"

"Silly, did you think I wouldn't be there to see my girlfriend shishikebab someone?" he asked innocently, before going for another kiss on the other side of the neck, "Now turn off your flames before someone's manhood boils off from the heat."

Okaaaay. This is also something. This is clearly the one who is already with the Angel of Devastation.

With that Drake starts to walk forward, carefully, moving toward Melissa to try and get her back toward safety. Or at least further away from the front line and the insanity that was there. He could at least hope that the big machine-man realised that there was no aggression in his movements, even as he carefully places the Talons in front of Melissa to shield her, moving to take her into his arms.

She was tiny compared to him.

Smiling timidly, she would return to her normal mode of Unstable crazy, the flames dying down and turning into her passive, Blood red aura, "He deserves it, he sexually assaulted me! I was only going to break an arm or leg."

"Clearly the man has great tastes then." Aphelion chuckled. He moved one of his hands away from the hug and tossed the bottle of aphrodisiac at Drake and Melissa.

He then picked up Aoife, giving her a piggyback, and went up to Leo, "Can I have her back now?"

With his little comment, she would set her aura alight briefly to singe him. "You know, if you don't pick up my weapon for me. I may have to kill you." She wouldn't even look at Leo, the only thing she would give him would be a murderous intent matching that she would of given to Drake, despite the joking manner she would have with Aphelion.

''...Okay, but don't use it once you get it.'' he said, reversing back to the weapons with a moonwalk and picking up the weapon. ''I'd rather not die before growing an epic beard.''

"I don't need my weapon to kill, you should know that by now. And a beard? Really? You really want a beard?" Smiling, she would try to hug him but fail once more, only getting more angry though containing it only because it would lead to injuring Aph.

''Of course I would, but only if it got long enough to stroke while saying philosophical stuff.'' Aphelion assured Aoife, sitting down and putting her down, folding her legs into lotus position.

''Want some mint gum? It'll calm you down.'' he said, offering a piece of gum.

"As soon as I can actually move my limbs, sure." Replies the still immobile Aoife, gravity slowly kicking in and falling backwards, saying with a slight hint of irritation, "Preferably that would be soon."

Leonius glared at Aoife a moment, before he terminated the signal. He did, however, keep his barriers prepared in case he had to knock Aoife senseless. He barely watched Kirkka go, making a note to have a 'talk' with her later, but keeping his attention focused on the crater.

"Thank you, Aoife Knight... for this demonstration... of why you have that nerve staple..."

The giant crossed his arms, growling softly.

"And thank you for assuming it was only me who did all this damage, you half-human tin can." Comes the almost passive reply, reaching to take her spear from Aphelion and swap it into sword and sheath, putting it on her belt, "Though if you want a demonstration, feel free to fight me in the arena, I may not hold back against you."

Aphelion didn't feel like trying to hold Aoife back on this one. Well, the plan is kind of in shambles... I doubt I can convince Leo to take out the staple now... and certainly not attempt Plan B with Aoife here.

He popped a piece of mint gum into his mouth and started chewing, observing how the drama between Leo and Aoife would continue.

"The damage alone... does not concern me as much... as the fact that you returned to a fight... with intent to maim... and threatened your friend for... standing between you... and your target." He approached the lip of the crater, looking at Melissa.

Slowly, he gestured at her.

"Someone... who defended you... in the face of this shackle... Who decried the idea... of you hurting the innocent... as a meaningless what-if... And here you are. Threatening her... with the flame..."

Leo's arms returned to his chest, and he growled again.

"Fighting you in the arena... will prove nothing. I have crushed you twice... already. You cannot out-think me... you cannot overpower me... you can only outrun me. Only flee..."

Of course at this point Drake is busy spluttering. Something had pretty much gotten him square in the face. He shakes his head irritably and turns his arms, picking Melissa up carefully, the blades of the Talons still covering her sides as a shield of sorts. He moves, carefully and looks up at Leo, showing very carefully that he was not a threat.

Of course he had no clue what had hit him. Or Melissa. But he knew well enough he would protect her. That was currently his only goal...even if there was a risk of dissection and torture later. WHAT.

"And yet you feel it necessary to staple me? Those are the actions of a coward, not someone who is all powerful or all seeing. And being innocent is a lack of doing wrong doing am I correct? Then my target is evidently not innocent, and neither is anyone who would defend them, or has the crime of guilty by association not been added to that thing you call a brain. If I was going to go through with what I said to Mel, it wouldn't of been a threat, I would of just done it."
Finishing by flipping him off, her aura returning as well as the overwhelming pressure emanating from her as she gets up, looking at Aph as she goes, "Do you mind if I can use my full strength on him? Though I would doubt he is anything but talk, as that is all a robot is good for: Being only able to win if they use underhanded tricks, such as removing motor functions, hiding behind others or attacking from behind. Even Grimm are more civilised than those who are not even human."

"I do mind, actually. If you kill him we'll never know how to take out the staple, and if he gave control of it to someone unworthy, you'd be stuck like that forever. Sadly, this is a situation where the offender is the hostage." Aphelion said, trying to sound stern, as he forces his hand onto her shoulder, "We have to figure out a way to do it without violence."

Having said that, he looked Leo into where he expected his eyes to be with a look of pure, uncensored disgust.

Her voice taking on the same, hate filled yet dominating tone as before, sounding almost demonic. Giving a single glance to Aphelion before speaking, the grass by her feet once again being burnt to a crisp by being just near her, "Very well then, I may have to hold back then. That is if the animal knows how to play without his remote control."

"Incorrect..." Leonius glanced at Aphelion. "Both... of you. The implantation... of the nerve staple was not my decision alone... nor am I the only one... who can remove it. You suffer... a judicial punishment... It is by hands greater than my own... that authorization for your leash... was signed." He sneered under his helmet at Aoife. "The mere fact... that you think your judgement... beyond reproach... that your right to murder sacrosanct... and that any who stand between you and your bloodlust... guilty enough to merit violence... is enough to remove question... of the nerve staple's necessity... Or perhaps... what was originally instructed..."

He pointed at Aoife.

"The original instruction? ... It was a call... for your termination... Your death... I was told... to crush your skull... underfoot... To put down... a rabid dog... A verdict I found... distasteful... Instead..." He tilted his head, his sneer turning into a snarl. "You are shackled... as a beast should be... for all of your talk of humanity... is meaningless before your actions... Your words ring hollow, Aoife Knight..."

His arms returned to their crossed placement, and he looked at Aphelion.

"You are not fit to speak... of humanity... You are not fit... to wipe the ass... of civilized Man... For all your talk... for all you decry as being... at or below the level of the Grimm... your actions speak only of someone... who lacks the spark of civilization... to place herself among the ranks of Man... Every action you take... every false judgement wherein you place law and society... below your petty and childish whim... cements this fact..."

Leonius turned from the crater, his suit keeping its awareness of Aoife's position active.

"... Better Machine... than Beast... for the machine serves... civil ends..."

"Of course my words would ring hollow, how could I forget? You don't have ears. As for placing my ranks, why be among them when I am above them? Machines break down, while a beast has others what love them. Viola despises you, she has offered her life to me if it involved killing you. So you can speak for your oh so powers, but until I see them. They are just a figment of your retarded programming. Actually that makes me think, do you regard your programmer as a parent? Though I am sure you will never be the man your 'mother' does. Though even without considering that, your 'family' tree is still a cactus, because they are a bunch of pr-!"

Aphelion stepped in front of Aoife, rather aggressively.

"Don't let him lead you into proving him right." he whispered, before looking back at Leo

"You speak a slave's tongue. You, who sneers at human nature, lost his own. I don't know about law or authority, for I answer to Gods alone, but I can assure you that Aoife is more fit to be a human being than you are and will ever be. Her hatred, anger, disgust, make her more human than anyone I know. Heat is life, cold is death. Aoife lives, but you... You are already dead. No doubt your mechanical brain isn't picking up on what I'm saying, and I don't expect a machine to understand it, but emotion can be controlled, and whomever controls emotions has strength greater than one who fuels them. Good job trying to fix the problem you are a part of."

Leonius ignored Aoife, her words merely confirming what he said. Aphelion, however, he paused at.

"And yet you praise those... who are slaves to their emotions and desires... You speak of gods... and yet it is still... just a different authority above your own... Mankind's strength has always been... in organization... in the capacity for thought and reason... Blind passion, unharnessed by rationality... has been the undoing of nations... since time immemorial..."

He turned, chuckling.

"And yet you speak... of understanding... when the basics of human civilization... of human nature to structure itself... is beyond your comprehension. You speak of hate and anger... defining humanity... but not a word said of empathy or compassion... I look upon the two of you... and I see an outcast incapable of comprehending... that which makes a human... trying to pass judgement on his betters... and a sociopath... whose hubris she falsely deems merit enough to place herself... in the ranks of the divine..."

He leaned in toward Aphelion, looking down at him in the crater.

"The difference between us... Aphelion... is I am aware of how far I have slipped... How much sway the computer has... over the man. And yet I look upon one... who would indiscriminately drug those... that he would call brother and sister... and make them but puppets dancing... at the strings of his poisons... Someone incapable of understanding... why people may not wish... to be enslaved so... Someone whose understanding... of Man is so stunted... that he places destructive impulse... above care for one's fellows..."

As the giant held out his hand, a screen appeared, showing a laughably simple schematic of Sum Sine Sceleri, little more than an outline with "livable" marked inside, and "hostile" marked outside.

"You are correct... I am dead. Without this suit... I am a corpse... Doomed to return to such a state... as my scarred lungs are rendered... unable to extract oxygen... from the natural environment... I was burned... to death... And that is precisely... what puts me above you... Because I understand... pain... Because I can comprehend... what she threatens with carefree abandon... Because I know... what I protect others from... by setting aside... this defective cog... in society's gearbox... What you base animals... bereft of the touch of human civilization... fail to understand is selflessness... That it is sacrifice... that built humanity to the heights... it now occupies... Sacrifice for one's brothers... and sisters... You understand only the moment... the here and now... You poison your fellows... for amusement... because you are incapable of empathizing with them... She threatens horrific violence on a whim... because she thinks only of herself..."

Leonius returned to his full height and banished the display.

"You will argue... You will say... that you think of her... but it is that failure to grasp... the larger picture... that condemns the two of you... to the muck... It is not enough to control emotions... You restrain your anger... your outrage... but why do you do so? ... You think only of the here... the now... It is only consequence... that stays your hand..."

He shook his head at Aphelion.

"Whereas I show mercy... to this bitch... not out of any fear... not out of any consequence... not even out of obligation... or pragmatism... I do it... because mercy... is in my nature. I do it... because it is the right thing... And that is what you animals... may delude yourselves into thinking... you can comprehend... but you never will... And that is what places Mankind... forever out of your reach..."

Leonius turned, and crossed his arms.

"Your horse... better understands Man... than you... I suggest... as a pretender to the title... of a leader... that you pay attention... and learn to think of others... beyond immediate impulse..."