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Sampo Koski is known for many good things!! His chivalrous attitude, his charming demeanor, his wealth of knowledge and experience-
“You are hereby ordered to halt! ”
-and also driving the right kind of people insane!
“The Supreme Guardian’s orders forbid anyone past this point! Turn around with your hands in the air and we will escort you back to the city!”
Marching feet drummed through the air, the search party doing its duty as they rushed through alleys and corners, only pausing to the Fragmentum- but they’d need a little bit more than that to deal with him.
You see, good ole Sampo Koski had just come back from a rather fruitful deal- and to be caught would drain all of his hard work into pitiful nothingness! Of course, there had been a few.. issues along the way, but it's all in the way of business, hm? At the very least, his good friends could have waited a little bit longer before spotting him.
He could hear their shout as he dashed through another alley, vaulting a low fence as his lighter clicked into ignition. A dull thud accompanied his landing, garnering attention as the fuse fizzled down. It was all he could do to grin as he heard it pop, smoke filling the alley and giving him just enough time to dart into another alley, snagging a low hanging escape ladder and swinging on up.
Really, now, they had given quite the chase today! It was nearly enough to flatter a man- he could almost feel touched from how much effort they dedicated to him!!
Not that they knew it was him. If they had, well, instead of escort, the word of the day would have been arrest! Truly cruel to little old him- but it's what you get when you're the one and only Sampo Koski, and even then, today had simply been lucky.
It was rare he got out scot-free. He could simply stride across the rooftops without a fear of chase! Belobog had already built the infrastructure so close together, which just made his path easier to find. Sure, some of the buildings in the area were… compromised- but hey, those typically had Fragmentum warning signs poking out everywhere! He knew how to watch his step- after all, in his line of work, it was a necessity.
Sliding off the rooftops and catching onto another ladder rung, Sampo swung his way down back to the dilapidated streets of what used to be a residential district. It seemed to have been consumed by the Fragmentum not too long ago, as he meandered about. Looked to be a rather worthy exploration- the lack of Silvermane Guards was rather telling.
He at least was careful to hide his footsteps. By now, he figured that the smoke bomb would have given his identity away- concealing his trail would give him at least a little time before they attempted to find him again. As much as he enjoyed toying with them, he would much prefer either see his beloved Captain or get out easily with his loot in tow. Much less hassle, and time is shield and credits~!
Though he had to admit- it was almost odd . The lack of life was nothing new- Fragmentum would devour without discrimination. Life would be consumed without hesitation, swallowed up in its crystalled destruction with nothing left in its wake. But something about this.. cleanliness bothered him. The Fragmentum had halted its advance with the Stelleron’s containment, even if it still lingered. Monsters it had once commanded now were left without direction, attacking without coordination or aim.
But this.. This was either recent, or cleaned up. Assuming it had been cleaned up though, Sampo would have thought more Guards would have been stationed about to maintain. And yet, there was no one.
Slipping over a wall, Sampo felt snow crunch beneath his feet as he finally reached the edge of the city. Sure, the looming fortress walls still remained in testimony to Belobog’s last stand- but hey, his goal wasn't leaving the city entirely . Just get somewhere a little more discrete to escape back to his old passageways. He wasn’t exactly dressed for the weather, at the moment, but hey, when the cold can’t touch you, what else should you do but enjoy it~?
Aeons’ and their finicky ‘blessings’.
Taking a deep breath, Sampo felt the sharp cold poke needles into the back of his throat. It was almost refreshing, compared to the stuffy air of the Underground or the stagnant in-between of the Overworld. If he didn’t know better, he’d assume winter had just come knocking!
The snow beneath his feet kicked up as he walked. A fluffy snow- had it just freshly fallen? It didn't have that heaviness older snow tended to have, at least. It piqued his interest- well…
At least the snow didn't breach his gloves. He had that to thank as he leaned over to gather the gentle flakes into his hands, broken-in leather making it easy to mold it into a haphazard ball- well, sort of. The moment he tried to toss it into the air, it fell apart into interlocking fuzz, patterning into the snow around him. It would have made him laugh, seeing this random, small puncture in the snows surface around a lack of footprints, if it wasn’t for a small sense of glee from simply playing with the snow.
It had been a while since he had let himself indulge in such simple pleasures.
Without much more thought, he crouched to the ground- digging a bit deeper into the wetter snow to pull out a proper snowball. Its chill was pleasant to the touch- a decent weight that dug into his fingers, his wrists, as he kept burrowing about. If only little Miss Hook was here- the snowball fight that would ensue would have been one for the history books!!
..one day. He smiled at the thought- one day, she would be able to have a fearsome battle that would rock the worlds, wielding just the ice and snow of her homeland. And it would be soon, he just knew it.
Falling backwards onto his ass, he let himself collapse into the snow. Its burn immediately began to embed itself into Sampo’s skin, soaking his clothes in its strangely soothing touch. He could feel it crowd about his neck, puffing up around him to account for his weight. To indulge in something so soothing was rare for those of Belobog- snow was a danger, a constantly looming threat to them after all.
Could they comprehend that this weather might be a luxury elsewhere?
Sampo didn’t get much time to think on it.
A crunch echoed nearby, catching his attention. He felt himself still, drawing himself tense as he snapped into focus. Had they found him already-?
He didn't get much time to think about it as the crunches drew closer, hefty footsteps falling one after the other rather rapidly. It had to be someone experienced in traversing snow- and the only ones out here who could claim to that would be..
They paused. Sampo held his breath, closing his eyes to try and listen in better to the murmurs that rose- had they seen him yet? Surely, a misshapen lump in the snow wasn’t that suspicious, right..?
Slowly, the footsteps began again, their volume lessening as they gained more distance between them. Sampo felt himself breath again, waiting a few more minutes before attempting to push himself up out of the snow- only to find himself unable to. Ice had slowly grown up around his body, crawling just enough to lock his joints in place. Footsteps began to move again, a swear escaping Sampo’s breath as he realized just what was going on.
“I was beginning to wonder if you were awake at all.”
A shadow loomed over Sampo’s head, obstructing his view on the cloudy skies above him. It didn’t take long for him to come into focus, blue eyes barely masking amusement as Gepard Landau stood above Sampo Koski, the ice of his gauntlet matching that of the ice that had crawled up around Sampo.
Laughter bubbled up in his throat, a chuckle covered in honeyed amusement. Sampo hoisted a lazy smile to his face, pleasantly surprised at how easily Gepard had managed to snag him this time. Call it an ambush, perhaps?
“Oh, dear Captain, you underestimate your ole pal!! It would be far more effort to take lil ole Sampo Koski down~!” Though Gepard’s face was upside down, Sampo still could read the subtle eyeroll. He would have put a hand over his heart- but hes a little locked down at the moment. “Though, if you could let him go, Im sure he’d be a bit more willing to cooperate-”
A flash of surprise dashed across his face, but the ice vanished with a pulse of Gepard’s arm. The captain rounded around the conman, extending a hand to help him up to his feet. Taking the few more seconds to brush Sampo off as well, Gepard deemed his condition satisfactory after a few moments, worry dashing its traces across his face.
“..So it was you in the residential district.”
Guilt sprung to Sampo’s face, a sheepish laugh escaping him.
Gepard just sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. The bags under his eyes seemed just a bit worse, chapped lips pursed as he began to sort through his options. It was a look Sampo had seen all too many times- now would be his chance to play it up.
“Now, now, Captain, lets not be too hasty-!” Leaning forward, Sampo clasped his hands together- just because they were sweet on each other behind closed doors didn’t often mean Sampo got much leniency when he was caught!! “Ole Sampo was just there to explore and find supplies! I know it is oh so dangerous, but your good pal can handle himself-!!”
“I am more than aware of that, Sampo.” Amusement remained laced in Gepard’s voice, professional tone lessened slightly. “But I can’t look the other way. I sent the rest of the patrol on its way after I figured out it was you- but you'll still need to come with me back to camp.”
“Geppie, cmon -”
“Don't try and play kind to me, Koski.” With a light chuckle, Gepard sighed again, reaching up to readjust his arm. “Come on, lets go.”
Without much choice, and with a playful whine, Sampo followed after Gepard- playing up his absolute despair at being caught so easily- the two of them falling into easy steps, side by side. Quiet cold lingered around them as the trek began its merry way, only interrupted by faint clicking.
It was insistent- a quiet, somewhat irregular sound that just kept cropping up. Insatiable curiosity piqued, Sampo found himself leaning back, trying to pinpoint where exactly the sound was coming from. Every few seconds or so, it would appear again, maybe one, or two, rarely three- like a loose rattle.
His gaze fell sideways. Was it…?
“Hey, Geppie, my good pal-!”
A flicker of a look was all the acknowledgement he got, but it was enough.
“That clicking sound- it's your arm, isn't it?”
Gepard paused.
Heavy air fell around them for a brief moment before Gepard blew out a breath, forcing it between his lips.
“..you are rather annoyingly perceptive.” Not even trying to hide it, he had learned quite a while ago that Sampo was extremely persistent, Gepard lifted up his mechanical arm, showing it to Sampo.
Sure enough, he watched as Gepard flinched suddenly, a mechanism clicking with a puff of air. It was fascinating to watch, almost- the machinery was carefully hidden beneath a cloth and armor covering, but you could still see between the edges where the ice spikes erupted when it was active. Vaguely, he could make out the faint glow of something purple- Sampo’s brow creasing.
“It started acting up this morning.” Answering Sampo’s wordless questions, Gepard rolled and shook out his wrist, the clicking getting more insistent with movement. “Serval won't be able to visit camp until tonight, so I've simply been wearing it for show’s sake.”
Gepard’s lost arm was a bit of an open secret, Sampo had garnered. People knew it wasn’t normal, but to the extent of knowledge, it was just a gauntlet, an award. It made it easier for Gepard to dodge unneeded questions, but..
“Ain't that dangerous?? Faulty machinery isn't kind- I've seen more ‘n one rogue robot in the Underground.”
Gepard just shrugged.
“As long as I don’t overuse it.”
“Real comforting, Gep.”
“You're welcome.” His tone was as dry as ever as he drawled back- the Captain’s sarcasm so easy to miss if you weren’t familiar. “Ill be fine, Sampo.”
Sampo just scowled, but in the face of Gepard’s immense willpower, he knew his persistence could only get him so far.
Still, he found his eyes wandering- looking to where Gepard’s flesh hand was clenched into a fist at moments, aligned with the clickings intervals. His jaw was tight, eyes focused ahead, he just seemed.. tense.
They arrived at the camp entrance, only a few souls there to greet them. Sampo found himself smirking at the barely masked surprise as the soldiers saluted Gepard, letting them through the entrance easily. But before Gepard could lead them to the rundown general tent used for paperwork, Sampo snagged his hand and began off in a different direction, whistling without a major care in the world with a flustered Gepard in tow.
“Wh- Sampo- Koski, where are you-?!”
“Cmon, Cap, it doesn't take a genius to see your dealin with somethin. Your goin home!”
Gepard looked almost appalled at the suggestion, immediately pulling them both to a halt in the middle of a hallway.
“I am not.” Icey blue eyes narrowed down at Sampo, this pitiful game of tugawar at a standstill as Gepard refused to move. While they were similar in height, (Sampo mourned those few centimeters he missed to gain on Gepard), Gepard had a substantially bulkier build. Lean runner’s build that Sampo had, he could consider himself in a decent contest- but trying to move something like, lets say, Gepard Landau? He was asking a bit much without cooperation. He could try though!!
“You're clearly in pain , Gep, cmon. Kill the sacrificial, the camp can survive one night without ya!”
“I’m not going, Koski .” Gepard bit back, before he took a deep breath. “I just came back to the lines, I can not afford to go now.”
Sampo just gave Gepard an unimpressed look, deadpan. He wasn’t trying to pull Gepard along anymore, instead just glancing to the gauntlet that pulsed with blue ice spires- something was clearly wrong.
“Well, then I ain't leavin.”
“What?”
“I said, I ain't leavin camp. I'm staying till Serval’s got your arm fixed and your good to go so you don't do anythin reckless.” Sampo finally let go of Gepard’s wrist, folding his arms.
“Sampo, that's incredibly dangerous-!” Not even bothering to refute the alleged recklessness, Gepard scowled, barely noticing the increase of fog leaking from his arm. It pulsated, a frustrated glow echoing from his gauntlet as that faint purple light began to flicker again- much brighter now if Sampo was able to see it from this far. “I will be fine , my men need-”
“What they need is their captain in tiptop shape.” He firmly cut the Captain off, all oily pretenses dropping. His words sliced through with ease, gesturing to the fog that now began to cling and crystalize on Sampo’s clothes, an unnecessary shield.
“And I am -”
“Gepard, look around ya, will you?”
He froze up at that, seemingly beginning to realize the ice now cropping up quickly in the crooks of the alleyway, the thick fog that swirled at their feet- the crystals of snow that now spread like fine silk across Sampo’s clothes and skin.
It began to thin immediately, its rampant vapor responding to Gepard’s will as it twisted up into a spire, hardening before shattering into thousands of glittered particles.
Silence stretched between them, Sampo not missing the way Gepard grit his teeth as he wrested control of himself back, sighing as the faint purple spark vanished with the spires on his gauntlet. It weighed in, Gepard’s eyes darting side to side before he settled, his other hand idly coming to rest just above his elbow.
“..come on. I'll show you to my tent.”
-
The heavy canvas wasn’t as difficult to close as Sampo expected it to be, clicking together the buttons to seal it shut behind them. They had been lucky enough that no one had been around to see them, either shut in their own tents or out on their duty for the day. Afternoon, noon, morning all blended together on the frontlines- the light levels all evened out by the thick cloud cover that had a home above Belobog.
Sampo had it in him to look around in intrigue at least. It was pretty barebones, a simple portable Geomarrow heater, an idle fold up desk, and a decently sized cot with a thick, heavy-looking blanket draped over it. Everything looked worse for wear, veering on the older side.
Gepard wasted little time sitting down, hissing through his teeth. Since their little fight in that hallway, Gepard’s carefully put together facade had cracked, pains teeth beginning to bare as his grip on his bicep got tighter. Sampo wasted little time in approaching him, helping him disengage it and set it aside to take off his outer coat.
Just taking it off seemed to relieve at least a little of the discomfort, by the looks of it. It completely turned off, surprising Sampo a little bit- he wasn’t fully aware of the details, after all.
But still, Gepard’s reach just lowered, as if to grasp at a wrist that wasn't there. He grimaced over it, rolling his shoulder as Sampo got up and busied himself around the small area, rifling through one of the bags that sat in the corner by the heater.
“Clothes, clothes, trinket.... not even any snacks?? Captain, you are cruel !” Gepards head snapped up, looking to where Sampo was sifting through various items left in their bags.
“Of course not, meals are provided.”
“Whaa- not even a single trick snack?!”
“A what now?”
“Don’t worry about it. But seriously, Gep, do you not have anythin in here other then essentials?” Looking over his shoulder, Sampo could barely hide the pout on his face- not a single valuable??
“If you came here to simply snatch one of my items, I will not hesitate to arrest you.” Gepard gruffly responded, rolling up the cut off part of his sleeve to expose a band of metal tied tightly to.. Well, what was left of his arm. It caught Sampo’s attention- it was already rare enough to see Gepard without his arm, but he hadn’t really thought to inspect it either.
It was dashed from his mind as Gepard grimaced again, all pretenses of calm, collected, this is fine Gepard slowly draining away. Replaced by just a grimace, Gepard’s eyes now hooded and the bags under his eyes even more prominent than before.
The cot sagged a bit under Sampo’s weight as he sat next to Gepard. He was still being stubborn, refusing to relax even when Sampo tried to tug him towards him.
“...what hurts?”
Gepard glanced at him, sighing. It was a strangled sound as he lifted his bicep up.
“Phantom pain. It's near constant, but it comes in waves sometimes where it just.. gets a little unbearable.” His voice was tight, the edge gravelly. “Usually, my arm dulls it, since my brain registers that I still have an arm, even if it’s fake. But other times-”
He suddenly hissed, clutching the metal band as something pulsed underneath it. Just barely, Sampo spotted hairline fractures as he reached to support Gepard, black and gold, embedded in his skin just above the band. It quickly retreated, just as quickly as it flared up- the rim light in the middle of the band glowing a bright blue.
“...other times, it- it doesn’t care at all.”
Finally leaning on Sampo, Gepard relaxed, his breathing labored. His hair, a little stiff and rough from the cold and a lack of recent, decent shower, brushed at Sampo’s neck. It was a rare show of vulnerability, Gepards free hand crawling over Sampo’s to anchor himself through the sudden wave.
“Mind if I ask somethin?”
Gepard blinked slowly, but he just sighed. The tent door was shut, none would disturb him unless he called for it.
“..go ahead. No guarantees I'll know the answer.”
“Your arm, the implant. Is it-?”
“It’s containing Fragmentum.” Gepard seemed almost ready to answer that question easily. “You know how I lost it, right? A blast from a monster nearly took out my men, but I managed to stop it in time with just my arm being the cost.”
Sampo nodded along, quietly listening. It almost made Gepard smile- it was rare to catch Sampo’s attention so thoroughly that he was quiet.
“Well, it left Fragmentum embedded in my arm. I would have lost more of my arm if it wasn’t for Serval’s research and quick thinking, maybe even my life.”
Both of them were aware that talking so casually about death might not be a good sign, but far be it from them to try otherwise. It was a constant presence that loomed above Gepards head- a threat that lurked behind corners for Sampo.
It was one of the things that they took solace from in the other.
“Im bettin our good Mrs. Landau figured out how to turn it into a power source then, huh?” Gepard’s head lifted in surprise, though it was quickly turned into a chuckle.
“You don't need to call her that. But yes, Serval managed to figure it out- though it mostly is lost on me.” He began to idly rub at it, the junction of his skin and metal. “She's incredible.”
“You mean terrifying.” Sampo playfully retorted, even going as far as to shudder in faux fear- though, there was a little of it still ingrained in him. She instilled the same sort of fear in him as Natasha did.
But Gepard just laughed again, a deep, gentle sound that seemed to float like snowflakes. Sampo found himself leaning forward just to look more at Gepard’s face, the crinkles in the corners of his eyes, the darkening roots of his blond hair, the way his blue eyes seemed to be warmer than a midsummer day when he was smiling.
It felt even better when their eyes met, Sampo just grinning at him as he leaned on his palm, watching as red flushed Gepard’s face, unable to hide his embarrassment but just sighing along with it, face slowly relaxing- though it quickly contorted again as the blue line flared up again, Sampo immediately sitting back up.
Glancing to the cot they sat on, Sampo, slowly guided Gepard to stand up, falling back onto the cot. It was on the smaller side, sure, but hey- they had to make do. So he gently tugged Gepard back down, carefully letting them lay side by side– it mostly ended up with Gepard kind of resting on top of him though, to which Sampo didn’t really mind, even if Gepard was heavy. He tugged off his gloves, ignoring Gepards half hearted protests about how dangerous that was in this weather, beginning to mimic how Gepard had rubbed against the junction of metal and skin.
Its effect was practically immediate, the tense muscle relaxing under his touch as Sampo carefully massaged it. Gepard relaxed as well, the pain in his eyes still lingering, softening slightly as he finally let his guard fully down.
Sampo could see the storm in his head begin to whirr to a close, watching as Landau blue slipped close. Pain took a toll on the mind- and Gepard was no exception to that rule, especially since it was every day for him. It took alot to even begin to get a hint of a waver in the unmovable Iron Wall, but Sampo knew well enough that for all his strengths, Gepard just needed a few minutes to truly relax.
So when Serval slipped into the tent, she just rolled her eyes as Sampo lifted a finger to his lips, letting her sleeping brother rest with a pointed glare at the conman that he promptly ignored- he would have to simply explain later.