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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Sep 5

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splendidly! I can whisk you to the rooftop in mere seconds. No fuss, no fall. Just pure, elegant propulsion! That is, if you're not TOO afraid of heights?❞

𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Sep 5

❝Yes. I, certainly. But two of us? No, no, no.❞ He gestured to the raygun holstered at his side. ❝This is a precision instrument! A single-target device, not some clumsy crowd-control contraption.❞

Then, with a sudden burst of enthusiasm, ❝Ah! But my hoverboard, yes! That will do

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Morrigan @ladycfdeath.bsky.social · Sep 4

She stared at him without blinking, to the point one could wonder if she had passed out while still standing up.

"Can't you teleport ?"

𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Sep 2

❝You REALLY think you're in any state to climb STAIRS?❞ replied the geneticist, raising an eyebrow. ❝I mean, if you're UP for it then, be my guest.❞

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Sep 2

Sat down at the piano. He'd forgotten how long it'd been.

𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Sep 2

❝You REALLY think you're in any state to climb STAIRS?❞ replied the geneticist, raising an eyebrow. ❝I mean, if you're UP for it then, be my guest.❞

Morrigan @ladycfdeath.bsky.social · Aug 28

With his help, she managed to be back on both feet. Ish. She could feel how unbalanced she was and even grabbed the edge of her seat to avoid falling back down and headbutting the floor.

"Pffft— please... Don't make me regret having fun now."

𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 28

Cortex set his glass aside and proceeded to awkwardly help her up. ❝Mmmaybe you should sit the whole "roof thing" out this time,❞ he suggested. ❝The last thing I need is you toppling off the side I a stupor. I'd never hear the end of it.❞

𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 28

Cortex set his glass aside and proceeded to awkwardly help her up. ❝Mmmaybe you should sit the whole "roof thing" out this time,❞ he suggested. ❝The last thing I need is you toppling off the side I a stupor. I'd never hear the end of it.❞

Morrigan @ladycfdeath.bsky.social · Aug 27

She tried to push herself upward, arms slowly dragging on each side of her body before her palms rested on the floor to give the strength she needed.

And failed.

Her forehead remained on the cold floor, palms still on either side.

"Dunno...," she grumbled. "Gravity's being a bitch, right now."

𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 27

He'd barely gotten to his feet when Morrigan hit the floor with a thud. He blinked down at her, perplexed, holding his glass out to his side as if worried she'd knock it everywhere like she had hers. ❝Are you GOOD down there?❞

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 27

He'd barely gotten to his feet when Morrigan hit the floor with a thud. He blinked down at her, perplexed, holding his glass out to his side as if worried she'd knock it everywhere like she had hers. ❝Are you GOOD down there?❞

Morrigan @ladycfdeath.bsky.social · Aug 27

She didn't hesitate when Cortex extended his glass. A hand reached out to grab the bottle, and soon enough, the empty glass was now refilled.

"That place has a roof ?"

She had always pictured the top being... tiled. Not flat, not like an open patio or terrace just... a proper roof, and not a

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 26

Cortex didn’t exactly relax, but his grip on the glass eased up. He gave it a half-hearted swirl, peered at the remnants, and took another sip.

❝Beats me,❞ he said. ❝They probably prattle on about possessions and . . . shadowy . . . things.❞

So far, not doing much to dispel the whole “socially

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 27

She didn't think the castle had a roof, I—

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 26

He senses a "dear diary" moment coming on.

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 26

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fire off a few rounds, obliterate a mountain or two, cause a rumbling earthquake. What do you say~?❞

Because nothing says "festivities" like destruction.

𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 26

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get-together a genuine celebration, we COULD head up to the castle roof. I get the sense you haven't been there. Quite the view, beneath the moonlight and the stars . . . and, more importantly, there's my giant laser cannon, which I built all by myself with no one's help at all. We could

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 26

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maladjusted super loner” vibe. So, with the enthusiasm of someone rebooting their own personality, Cortex turned to her and extended his glass. He smiled, roguishly, though clearly with effort to shake his startle.

❝If you ask me, if you wanted to TRULY commit to making this dreary little

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 26

Cortex didn’t exactly relax, but his grip on the glass eased up. He gave it a half-hearted swirl, peered at the remnants, and took another sip.

❝Beats me,❞ he said. ❝They probably prattle on about possessions and . . . shadowy . . . things.❞

So far, not doing much to dispel the whole “socially

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Morrigan @ladycfdeath.bsky.social · Aug 26

Morrigan glanced behind her. There was no one - yet - at the coffee machine. Not tall shadow waiting for its next cup of coffee, no entity lurking in the background.

Her eyes settled back on Cortex.

"Relax," she smiled. "Bob isn't here. Probably

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 26

Cortex’s gaze drifted from Morrigan to the shadows across from them, slow and almost unwilling to look. He swallowed hard. Nothing there. Still, his body had staged a quiet rebellion, both hands clamped around his glass like it might ward off the very demons she talked about.

Demons. Do you HEAR

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 26

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ready to launch himself into a sprint if anything so much as slithered out of the dark.

❝You, uh, learn all this . . . stuff from your family, or . . . ?❞

𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 26

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yourself?!

He looked thoroughly spooked, though. Understandable, considering she'd just told him her pet was a freakin' banshee and all.

❝R-really? How . . . interesting,❞ he said, voice wobbling.

Suddenly, sitting felt like a tactical error. Too exposed. Too couch-bound. He edged upright,

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 26

Cortex’s gaze drifted from Morrigan to the shadows across from them, slow and almost unwilling to look. He swallowed hard. Nothing there. Still, his body had staged a quiet rebellion, both hands clamped around his glass like it might ward off the very demons she talked about.

Demons. Do you HEAR

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Morrigan @ladycfdeath.bsky.social · Aug 26

"Your loss, doc'," she shrugged then took another mouthful of her glass to finish it.

"What...? The undead golem ? Nah, that was Tim. Bob is Uka-Uka's friend. I... think they're friend ? Anyway, he's the freakin' tall guy addicted to coffee. Maybe you've seen him around ?"

She gestured

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 26

No connection to science. Obviously. As if Uka Uka would ever hire someone with ACTUAL qualifications around here.

Most would argue that “evil” and “competent” were terms that weren't even coexistent, but we digress.

❝Modelling? Modelling WHAT, exactly?❞ he asked. ❝Actually, no. No, I don’t

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 26

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want to know. Nevermind.❞ He took another loooong sip, before asking, ❝And Bob? Please don’t tell me it’s that twitchy, half-melted THING you summoned in N. Tropy’s office. The one that tried to GRAB me?❞

𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 26

No connection to science. Obviously. As if Uka Uka would ever hire someone with ACTUAL qualifications around here.

Most would argue that “evil” and “competent” were terms that weren't even coexistent, but we digress.

❝Modelling? Modelling WHAT, exactly?❞ he asked. ❝Actually, no. No, I don’t

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Morrigan @ladycfdeath.bsky.social · Aug 26

A new chuckle when he mentioned he had been to some parties. Yeah... sure. Anyone would have believed his words. Even in her drunken state, she knew it was a lie. Or a twisted look-better-in-another-light type of light.

"Suuuure thing, doc'."

She moved slightly back, leaning against her

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 25

He recoiled with the grace of a skittery rat when she leaned in. And she REALLY leaned in. His stomach clenched, his knees staged a walkout, and his heart? Oh, that traitorous lump melted like a popsicle in a volcano.

Blast those eyes. Vivid, hypnotic. CLEARLY weaponised. And that voice; smoky

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 25

Also, SIX?!

SHE DRANK SIX BOTTLES BY HERSELF?!

HOW IS SHE ALIVE?!

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 25

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came here, anyway?❞ His tone was half interrogation, half desperate attempt to redirect the spotlight from his tragic social résumé.

𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 25

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precisely two beers. Not even strong beers. Just the kind that tasted more like the can they were in then hops.

We're . . . not talking about any of that.

❝And you?❞ he asked, squinting suspiciously. ❝YOU don’t strike ME as the party girl type. What did you do before you

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 25

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accused him of being socially extinct.

Of course, the truth was . . . less glamorous. Cortex hadn’t EXACTLY been the life of the party, more like the cautionary tale. Pushed into the pool twice, vomited on the only girl who dared speak to him, thanks to a lethal cocktail of nerves and

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 25

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head away and took a sip so long anyone would have thought he'd not had so much as a sip of water in a year, much less alcohol. His face, howbeit, betrayed him entirely; flushed like a pumpkin at a harvest table. ❝I went to a good few!❞ he declared, sounding vaguely offended, as if she'd

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 25

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and French.

Ridiculous, wasn’t it? A man who could face interdimensional horrors without flinching, who could meet the empty gaze of a demon mask without hesitation, now found himself unnerved by a woman armed with a bottle of wine and an utter disregard for personal space.

He turned his

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 25

He recoiled with the grace of a skittery rat when she leaned in. And she REALLY leaned in. His stomach clenched, his knees staged a walkout, and his heart? Oh, that traitorous lump melted like a popsicle in a volcano.

Blast those eyes. Vivid, hypnotic. CLEARLY weaponised. And that voice; smoky

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Morrigan @ladycfdeath.bsky.social · Aug 25

"Six," she corrected. "But, hu... the fourth one accidentally ended up falling by the window."

To her sorrow.

She rolled her eyes and leaned slightly forward, deep jade eyes staring at the man.

"Pretty sure you didn't go to too many parties when you were younger

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 25

Cortex took a swig. The drink hit his tongue like a cactus slap: pungent, bitter, and drier than a fruit cake in a wind tunnel. His moustache, ever the dashing, loyal sponge, absorbed most the first sip. Now he’d smell like a wine merchant's armpit for the foreseeable future. Smooth.

❝A whole

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𝗡𝗲𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝗣𝗵𝗗. @doctorcortex.bsky.social · Aug 25

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bottle?❞ asked Cortex, his tone suspiciously akin to someone who hadn’t YET given up on his dignity. ❝How many have you HAD already?! I've seen . . . BEEN to frat parties with more restraint. I can count four empty ones on the floor alone!❞