"Alright, but any time you wanna call in the debt I'll be there for you Fang." Rin told him quietly, following him along to the place they would supposedly meet this Specs character.

Fang smiled and point back behind himself toward the fence that he'd let close, "Yeah, kid. Tell it to Specs. He'll be waiting on the other side and down to bank a bit". Stopping to look back he had to admire the kid he'd found even with the serious look he gave to dispute his feeling of such. If things worked out he would see this one again and maybe even have a bit more tech from the outer family that he could pass on to this Viper and on to Specs as well, "Would guide you there, but one of us needs to be seen without the other where the tram ends. And besides, I'm overdue for a bit of rest anyhow. Just head back through that exit and follow the cityscape to the next access point and Specs'll be waiting up."

" Sounds fine I guess..."Viper blushed a little, leaning in close to give face a quick kiss on the cheeks. The urge to give that man one parting reminder of their time together had been so strong and now he felt foolish, stumbling away up the river bank like he was told. "Until next time then."

Off to meet Specs and dear god he was nervous as hell.

Fang stopped only long enough to be shown that sigh of respect, and then was gone into the darkness of the station that would lead him on to the crowd now looking through the haze to find those who had been on board the now wrecked tram. Far behind him and endlessly beyond the horizon that stretched a golden-purple before Viper's gaze a single shadow was cast into the dirt and made real by the feet which struck to and fro in a cloud of rising dirt. Set atop the low drainpipe, Specs pulled his hand to and fro as he worked a small pair of pliers between one great crack made more apparent by the panel of his left elbow that lay open on the most intricate of cog-working electrical boards known to medical science. The mechanic arm flinched once and clacked as somewhere deep inside a spark mismatched and sent the eyes tucked behind his brow into fiery look of disgust; "Damn. this thing is getting old... I.. Damn~", a hint of sorrow in his voice as he returned to working on his arm.

Viper advanced on the terrain, humming lightly to himself. Just where the hell was he supposed to meet this guy again? He hoped he wasn't lost,really, really hoped he wasn't lost in this bombed out town.

he stopped when he saw someone, hurrying closer to see if this person was in any way the infamous Specs he'd been told of. What he saw froze him in his tracks and had him staring in a mix of disbelief and shock much akin to the way very small children stare at fat people.

This couldn't be him, please he thought, please don't let this scifi esque dude be the one training him.

Specs turned his head upward at the sound of something strange, tucking the limb that still held the tool to his side and playing with some unseen device as he looked back and scanned the area while his prosthetic limb twitched once and cracked as it reset itself to raise and shield his eyes from the red-colored sun. For a moment he looked with a frantic air and then eased back to simply stare downward with a look of empty confusion that could have been any number of defensive moods. "We good?", he spoke as if to a friend of long ago and watched this new guy for any sign of aggression, "Don't look like a Guard, but if you're here to start on about turfs I can't say I really want a trouble...". Those angelically hazel eyes shone while his hand touched his side, but even through them an experienced glance could detect his silent task of marking every angle which the other could take while he devised his means of attack moments before the other could move to prompt it.

"You Specs?"Viper asked, holding his ground as he studied the man before him. Other than the freaky arm he seemed ok but that appendage was enough to have Viper seriously creeped out. And he'd thought Fang was special.

Specs gave a generous smile and pulled his prosthetic arm back to slam the open panel back into place with a sigh. As he looked at the kid from his perch the male with the false arm seemed to light up in his relief, "Yeah, man. See my friend kinda dumped you off on your own. At the wrong door none the less. But that's all good". Leaping down as he spoke, the man bent his knees slightly on impact and stood to extend the false hand mindlessly to the other; "The guys around here call me Specs. I'm a merchant of sorts, deal mostly in knowledge and tactical sh*t. And unless you're planning on ditching some bullsh*t request for that on me I can assume you're the one that Rod when to get? Viper?".

"We had to get off a bit early."He responded, staring at that extended arm for a great deal of time before timidly shaking it and looking quickly away. And yeah I'm Viper. Nice to meet you."He held in a sigh, whoever this Specs was he was not the type of person he'd expected to be trained by.

"You like it?", Specs retracted the arm and flexed its various fingers in, slightly broken, turn as he slowly showcased the thing by turning it slightly to and fro while extending the elbow. With a look of pride he seemed engulfed as it were in the idea of the arm itself, "Made this beauty myself and the Civil Guard when into Mercy's Field and started picking off some of our guys. Took some of the tech straight off a Guard and used our old supplies to create her". Scoffing on that thought he looked back up and frowned, "Just got a few kinks in it the other day, so I'm stuck trying to debug this stupid thing now... but I guess you wanna go home now, right?". Waving him on with his good hand Specs turned his back and started up the opposite embankment so that he was now leading the new guy back into the bustling view of the city before them, starting with the road not a hundred yards away.

"Yeah um wow, that is quite impressive."He mumbled, eyeing the thing with an almost morbid curiousity. This way totally out of his league, something he thought only existed in those stupid robot shows of his childhood.

And until further notice he'd be living with this Specs guy. God how was he going to manage that without staring at that arm every day like a kid at a carnival freak show.

"....You know. You don't have to pretend.", his voice was morbid and hateful as he hopped the bank and started into the street that led them into the city's downtown blocks that lay between the true Mid-Town and the section deemed as public terrain for housing. He knew all too well which roads to take and knew the largest part of the public terrain which was proven as he gave an unfamiliar hand gesture to an empty window frame and was rewarded by the sound of someone hidden within dechambering their rifle. As they passed the block where the Civ's men had been he pulled a small inhaler from his waist and threw it backward toward the new guy as he spoke in his usual friendly tone, "The city's a wreck. If you start to feel like the radiation is going to your head use this oxygen filter, it'll help stop the debris in the air so you should feel alot better. Sorry that I can't do more for the exposure though". And raising his prosthetic left arm with a peace sign he all too quickly caught himself and looked ashamed as he pulled it back down and wrapped his good arm around it with a deep and uncomfortable look of shame.

"I'm sorry." Viper quickly appologized, the feeling of deep self loathing rising in him again. "But being able to make something like that is impressive."Catching the inhaler he slipped it in his pocket, watching the surrounding area as they passed through it.

He felt so guilty now, following Specs as the man clearly felt the wieght of his confused uncertain gaze. "I have no excuse for being so rude man.. as is I owe you and fang big for even still being alive."

Specs shook his head and cut down an alley as they started to pass beneath larger and more elaborate buildings until one huge brick structure with an almost industrial feel shot up before them like a hand reaching toward the gods. Still holding his arm to the crook of his chest, Specs led the way across and rose his real arm just far enough away that he could slide a key into the front door and let them both in before clutching his prosthetic again as they entered. The huge room inside was old and tattered, even the floor showing a time several lifetimes past as it stuck out in places and clearly defined separate original sources in the center despite it being clean and whole, "I know she ain't much, but this is home. Despite the discord with the materials I promise she ain't coming down anytime soon though". Across from them one of the two mirroring elevators pinged and let two people dressed in armor of black and gray and red slip free as they walked pass and out into the streets while Specs simply started toward the now arrived ride with hopes that this outsider would have the mind to know how much was lost in the last year and at least a clue of how far the repairs of so much of the city had already shown for progress.

"You fix this place up too?"He asked quietly, in awe of the work thathad been done towards rebuilding. Following in Spec's footsteps towards the elevator Viper nibbled his lip. There had to be a way to make up for his horrid behavior.

A city in ruins and to think the only real help it had was a bunch of idealistic thugs like himself.

"Nah. Not to any real degree.", Specs shrugged lightly as he considered the circumstances and enjoyed his stance as a party far too neutral to really find the usual bias, "The citizens like me did what we could with ourselves, I in rebuilding my research facility on the third floor of an apartment complex where we now are, but the city was mainly rebuilt by the Civil Guard. You know they were a real godsent before. They brought us food and clothes, even some of Korea's best doctors to help the sick and infected, along with the UN itself. It was only after all of that and the huge scare with the ones who were infected that they began to cease not only their support, but almost all of our importation. Way it is, everything is now delivered by truck...". As he fingered the large glass '3' button and watched the doors of the elevator slide shut behind them he stopped briefly to growl, "Digressed, sorry. It was the Civil Guard that did most of it, so I guess they weren't always the murdering hellhounds they are now..."

"I suppose so.. its stupid how quick humanity will turn on its fellow man when the fear of death and destrution is rooted in the mind." Sighing softly he leaned against the side of the elevator, comtemplating his fate and the new home he was going to live in.

"You got a name other than Specs?"

Specs shook his head in agreement and sighed, "Only issue is that the Civil Guard ain't never feared death. Don't think they even feel... Might be robots....". The thug smiled at his own joke for the bastards that killed like literal robots and too often seemed not to feel pain OR fear even as they died. Looking at the boy with an obvious sign of his feelings the thug purred, "You got one besides Viper? Not that your telling me is going to get you anything more than my gratitude. I am, after all, an information jockey". He tapped his temple in a sign of saying 'think about it' as he barked, "Not the type to like real names when I'm involved."

"Its Rin, not that it matters anyway. I'll go by Viper on the outside but if you wanna call me by my given name at home feel free."Smiling he found this errily similar to when he'd first joined his home gang. It was like seeing Cobra again and the pain flashed in his eyes as he thoughts of his friends.

And how he hadn't said goodbye, hadn't covered their graves in every flower he could find for that one final time.

Specs reached out to touch the boy's shoulder, having to turn as the elevator eased to a stop so that he could make that contact with the hand that still remained flesh and blood. When the doors slipped open to reveal the hall Specs retracted the touch that would have been and simply placed the hand upon the groove of the door as he spoke, "Go on ahead. Its three twenty four. I'll follow you there... And sorry if I seemed a bit cold with the whole arm thing. Its.. a sore discussion."

"You had every right, I was being an idiot for staring at you like that. "He appologized, grasping that flesh and blood hand in his own. "And I'll make it up to you Specs, I swear. Whatever it takes man.." He was sincere, haating himself for the fact that he'd hurt his allies feelings. Three twenty four, it wasn't too far away luckily. Three twenty foour was to be his new home and Specs his new best friend. It was time to let the past rest, to embrace the present for what it was.

And he vowed to himself that touch by gentle touch he'd get used to that prosthetic arm.

Specs followed behind with little other choice than be dragged, not disliking the act of being led about but knowing that it was a recoiling effort to alienate his situation more and more as this other was no less guilty of than any other. Striding away behind the boy and fishing the key out he took a long moment before he could look back at the other male who was already at his door and waiting for the rush of bottled air within. Specs needed only to slide the lock into place and turn before the feeling of wind against there feet welcomed them to the large single room den/dining/kitchen that jutted on one side to reveal a door nearly centered on the wall and another on the far end; Showing his bedding in the first and a discarded bath robe in the second. Inside the room was undamaged and the furniture was intact if a bit older and more strict than what would be thought. Pointing to the far door, he barked; "Go ahead and splash some water on your face, its heavily purified, and while you do I will start you some tea.

"Thanks, Its a nice place you have here."Smiling Rin headed in, noting that his hands had a bit of blood smeared on them as well. Washing both his face and the digits he felt cleaner than he had in a very long time.

It had been ages since he'd had tea and maybe now would be the best way to getto know Specs better. "What kind of tea you got?"He asked curiously, coming closer to Specs than he had after figuring ut the arm was fake.

Striding into the attached kitchen, it didn't take long before the male returned to his view with a question of some interesting connotation. Raising his eyes from the boiling pot he purred, "Merchant in the center of town had gotten some untainted red-bush tea from the cultists. After I helped him with a bit of a repair he gave it to me as a gift". The male with one real arm nodded toward a small mason jar beside him that had been filled with black-brown shavings, "Thought I'd share the spoils."

"It svery kind of you. Hell This is all very generous of your people. letting me live somewhere nice insteda of wandering around here alone."Sighing he showed his appreciation with a gentle embrace, hugging Specs from behind. "You volunteer to help me or did I just get dumped on you?"