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“It sounds like a cabaret to you, and what can I do?”
“The sound of cities burning is a cabaret to you”
“And I'll bet it sounds the same to you, all of my shit”
“A nastier offense than if you'd gone after my near-perfect tits”
“So don’t play it for me”
~~~~
“Ah, Elliot, may I have a moment of your time?” 7n7’s voice rang out amongst the empty halls of the main cabin. He had caught Elliot during his late work double-checking their food supplies in the kitchen, well after everyone else had already gone to sleep.
“You already are, but what is it? I’m busy, y’know.” Elliot sighed, glancing over at the Demon Hybrid who hunched in on himself at those words.
The current 7n7 was a lot different from the one that Elliot used to know, before c00lkidd came into the picture. Miserable and weak, 7n7 was all regrets and depression, unlike before. Before, he was fiery and bright, always into some new sort of mischief, even if that included wrecking Elliot’s beloved place of work.
He could still remember it like it was yesterday. The burning of the fires, the avatars superimposed into the sky, the way all of the textures surrounding him had changed horribly. It had been an awful day.
The first time it happened, 7n7 had descended from the heavens like an avenging angel in demonic form, GUI-born wings outspread as fire lapped at his feet. He had commanded the flames, which were more decorative than truly destructive in the first place, scaring the civilians and forcing Elliot to try and stop him before his Creator arrived.
He was beautiful. He was awful. He had destroyed Elliot’s one home, the one thing he had been quite literally made to do. Elliot wasn’t sure if he’d ever forgive him for that, not fully.
“I just…. Wanted to talk?” 7n7 had lost all of his confidence over the years, becoming more of a pushover mat than a person, especially as c00lkidd grew. Elliot had never seen the man say “No” to his son the handful of times they had interacted.
“About what?” Elliot prompted, putting his checklist down on the nearby countertop, turning and leaning against it with his arms crossed.
“I…. Wanted to apologize. For ruining your life.” At that, Elliot snorted.
“Self-centered much? You didn’t ruin my life, Seven. Annoyed me severely and ruined several days of my life, but not my entire life. You’re not as special as you think you are.” Elliot laughed, dark and low at the indignant expression that spread across 7n7’s face.
There was the man he knew, underneath the ratty old cardigan.
“But- I destroyed your workplace! So many times! For fun!” 7n7 sputtered, and Elliot had to force a smirk off of his face at that.
“Yeah? So did others, after you. And so did others, before you. You’re not the first hacker I’ve met. Just the most memorable, I’d say.” Those words brought a dark expression over 7n7’s face, one of damaged pride that Elliot was all too familiar with. He smiled at the Hacker.
“I was- I was great! I was an amazing hacker, more than just memorable!” 7n7 huffed, looking particularly agitated, his tail swishing dangerously.
“Oh yeah? I thought you were here to apologize, Seven. Not boast about how good or not of a hacker you are. Were, sorry.” Elliot smirked at the angered flush on 7n7’s face, before the Hacker took a moment to take a deep breath, allowing the flush to fade, his eyes closed.
“I. Did. I am very sorry, Elliot, for what I’ve done to you, and to your place of work.” 7n7 finally said, in a slow, halting tone. It looked like it was difficult to say the words, like he was forcing a piece of gravel through the gaps of his teeth, unpleasant and painful. Elliot merely hummed in response.
“I don’t forgive you. Not yet.” Elliot decided, watching as 7n7 all but wilted in front of him.
“But- But I apologized!”
“That doesn’t mean I owe you forgiveness. I would’ve thought you knew that, by now.” Elliot huffed, rolling his eyes.
“But-”
“The more you beg, the less I want to forgive you at all.” Elliot declared, making 7n7 falter and wilt further. He sighed, deeply annoyed at the events, before turning back to his checklist, picking it up. He still had some things to look over before he’d be satisfied.
“Hey- I wasn’t finished!” 7n7 barked, and Elliot sighed again, rolling his eyes once more.
“I was.” He took a few steps away, before startling at the grasp on his sleeve.
“Elliot, please-” Elliot ripped his sleeve out of 7n7’s grasp, gaze narrowed in annoyance.
“I said no. You fucked up my days several times, and I don’t forgive you, not yet. Maybe you can earn that forgiveness, but not by acting like-” He gestured wildly at 7n7’s entire being. “-Like this!”
7n7 looked at him with a terribly cute confused expression, and Elliot sighed deeply.
“Being a loner pushover isn’t going to make me forgive you, it just means I don’t respect you. Regrow a backbone, I know you’ve got one in there somewhere, and maybe start helping out for once? Literally do anything other than sulk in whatever corner you’ve been hiding?” He groaned, fingers coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose in annoyance, before he looked back at 7n7.
The Demonic Hacker looked like a kicked puppy, with large, sad eyes, and a major pout going on. If memory served him correctly, Elliot could remember the same exact expression on c00lkidd’s face, the few times he saw the child begging for something from his father.
Guess the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. After the last time c00lkidd was at the pizzeria, that sentiment stayed strong. There was a reason the two were banned, after all.
“I-” 7n7 started, a hand raising as if to grab onto Elliot again, before he wilted, those puppy eyes staying strong. “Okay. I’m sorry. I’ll be better.”
“Good.” Elliot stated. “I look forward to a better apology, then.” He decided, before smiling warmly at 7n7, startling the Demon Hybrid slightly.
“Go get some rest, then! You need to be at your best for tomorrow, especially if you’re going to help the team more!” Elliot declared, hands on his hips definitively as he nodded at 7n7.
“Ah- Alright. Good night, Elliot. You should get some rest soon, too. You’re the most important person here, right now.” 7n7 reminded, and Elliot sighed dramatically.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m almost done, anyway. Now shoo, out of my kitchen.”
“You’re not even using it right now??”
“My. Kitchen.”
~~~~
During the next day’s Rounds, Elliot didn’t hold his breath.
He wasn’t really expecting 7n7 to heed his words at all, fully believing he’d find the Survivalist hidden away in some corner, hoping that the Killer would ignore them until later on in the Round. Or maybe he’d be working on Generators, which, while useful, wasn’t the only thing to be done during Rounds.
Luckily, it seemed that 7n7 was determined to prove him wrong today.
It was a Round with Noli today, something that Elliot had grown to start despising, if only for the constant Hallucinations that Noli applied to the Survivors. It was infuriating, seeing the after-images of Mia, his father, and his Creator, all chasing and haunting him as mirages flooded his vision.
From false spells of protection from Dusekkar, to mirages of Noli chasing him, to his own fake pizza slices being thrown at his feet. Noli was an infuriating opponent.
It didn’t help that he put fake Generators all around the map as well, too.
Elliot was in chase that Round, being hunted by what he was about 85% sure was the actual Noli. Only the real Noli was clever enough to use these tricks, his mirages would always just Void Rush over and over, and swipe at him when close enough. The real Noli was much more fond of using his Nova as a crowd control method, helping to spread damage equally amongst the Survivors.
It was Glass Houses today, the map they had been sent to. The broken down parts of map geometry were his only saving grace as he darted to and fro, trying to avoid another Nova to the face.
Right as Noli was about to reach out with his Void Star once again, 7n7 rushed past, blocking the attack right before it could connect with Elliot’s back. Noli released a glitched screech of frustration, turning his attention to 7n7 and beginning to maul the figure. Elliot decided this was the perfect time to escape, as his pizza was still on cooldown anyway.
It felt a little bad, leaving the Demon Hybrid to his fate, but in a life or death situation, you pick whatever option keeps you going.
Besides, Elliot could spot a clone from a mile away. 7n7 never moved that stiffly.
He ducked into the main house of the map, sprinting up the stairs and hiding in the shadows. Soft hoofsteps followed after him, and 7n7’s mop of unruly brown hair could be seen beneath his silly burger hat.
“Good save, thanks for that.” Elliot smiled at him, relishing in the slight blush that spread across 7n7’s face, barely visible in the low light.
“It’s, um, no problem. You should get moving, he’ll be coming here soon. I think he saw me running this way.” 7n7 shrugged helplessly, and Elliot sighed in response. The inevitable fate of being chased around again wasn’t looking very exciting, but Elliot would persist. He had gotten incredibly good at looping the Killers, after all.
The soft sounds of 7n7’s GUI echoed in the quiet space, making both of the Survivors wince as the countdown started. Elliot sighed, heading out onto the balcony to see where, exactly, the Killer was.
Ah, he was charging directly to the house. Of course he was.
And 7n7 was gone, having teleported away. Naturally.
“ELLIIII!~” Noli’s glitched voice called out, and despite himself, Elliot hesitated for a moment, curious.
“DON’T YOU WANT TO TALK TO YOUR [best buddy] PAL NOLI?!” The Deity cackled, the sound of Void Rush beginning to wind up, and Elliot braced himself. It was time to run.
Instead of racing down the now-blocked stairs, Elliot swung off the edge of the balcony, eternally grateful that there was no fall damage in this Realm. He darted back inside the building, avoiding the Void Rush entirely with his quick thinking. Noli had been sent careening into the further away map geometry, and Elliot could hear his annoyed growls in the distance.
As he made his way back up the stairs, he noticed some items that had been dropped before the chase, presumably by 7n7.
A Bloxy Cola, and a Medkit.
How sweet of him.