Work Text:
Stupid Faust
| Location: LCCB Transporter Truck | |
| It's been another productive day of reconstructing the destroyed LCE Headquarters. | |
| Mephistopheles is still not back yet, so we've had to make due with the Transporter Truck for the time being. | |
Dante |
<I hereby confirm today's close of business for the Sinners.> |
Faust |
...Thank you. |
| Faust |
Starting now, you all will be given a maximum of 12 hours to partake in sleep and rest; the duration is subject to change. Have a good night. |
| Faust looks away from us, being more interested in something on the ground, it seems. She doesn't move to go somewhere to sleep yet. | |
Ryōshū |
Well. Dunno about you people, but I'm going to H.T.H. and get some W.E.R. |
| Ryōshū |
So don't bother me, capiche? |
Rodion |
Heard loud and clear... |
| Rodion |
Me and a certain scruffy lookin' Sinner have things to discuss, anywho. |
Gregor |
E-Eh? What even is there to talk about, huh? |
| Rodion |
Oh, you know. You KNOW. |
| Gregor |
...No. I don't. |
| Gregor |
Listen, if it's about that "gift" my mother gave to me, I really don't- |
| Rodion |
Ah, c'mon! Just one talk over drinks? |
| Rodion |
I didn't think I'd ever see that side of ya in my life, Greg~! You can't blame a girl for bein' curious. |
| Gregor |
Yeah, and hopefully, you'll never get to see it again. |
| Rodion |
Fair, fair... Verg, Heath and I could've- |
| Gregor |
Died? I know. I've been apologizing profusely for the past two days. |
| Rodion |
And I promise you won't have to apologize anymore, Greg~ |
| Rodion |
Just... indulge me for a little while, 'kay? You're always so cagey about your war stories. |
| Gregor |
You don't see me asking you about your life in District 25. |
| Rodion |
Harsh~ |
Ishmael |
I'm still stuck on the fact that Sinclair can apparently summon... himself. |
Sinclair |
Y-Yeah, I'm not entirely too sure of the details either! You sure that actually happened? |
| Sinclair |
A future variation of me, just... out and about? Not a me from a Mirror World, but from... the future? |
| Ishmael |
A branch, I think he said? |
| Ishmael |
And he was talking about the possibility of a... a Second Smoke War. Us being separated. |
| Ishmael |
I know I try to be the rational one of us, but doesn't that just freak you out, Faust? |
| Ishmael |
...Faust? |
| Faust |
... |
| Sinclair |
F-Faust? ...Are you alright? |
| Faust |
...Yes. |
| Sinclair |
Are you sure? |
| Faust |
Within the question you are asking, there's about a 32.6% margin of error within the parameters of what is considered "alright." I suppose a better answer would be that I am... contemplating. Thinking of the next step. The next destination. |
Heathcliff |
Oi, wait. If we're goin' off the pattern, it's the brickhouse's turn next, yeah? |
Meursault |
It would appear to be my "turn" soon, yes. |
| Heathcliff |
How're you feelin' about it, big lad? Any jitters? |
| Meursault |
Not particularly. My emotions range between several levels of adequacy and curiosity, as is normal for a procedure such as this. Given the pre-established routine drawn by the process of Golden Bough retrieval in the past, it would be beneficial for me to get used to the idea of you all within the Limbus Company Bus Department learning of my past much like I have learned the majority of your pasts. |
| While the conversation continued in the background, only I could notice Faust finally slipping out. | |
| Location: LCE Headquarters, Meeting Room | |
| Faust's POV. | |
| ...Empty. Good. | |
| Location: Gesellschaft | |
| Faust |
... |
| Faust |
Are they even going to want to see me? The administrators must have already told them about my... blunder. |
| Faust |
...I probably shouldn't. Not today. |
| Faust |
I'll just log out before anyone- |
VC Announcer |
LCB Sinner Faust has joined the call. |
LCB Sinner Faust |
Wait, what? No. No, no, no. |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
Who dragged me in here? |
Lobotomy Corp. Remnant Faust |
I did. ...Hi, Faust. |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
Is it just you? |
| Lobotomy Corp. Remnant Faust |
...No... |
| Lobotomy Corp. Remnant Faust |
It's everyone else, too. Besides Index and Mao, obviously. |
Wuthering Heights Butler Faust |
You sure did make us wait quite a while, Faust. |
Seven Assoc. South Section 4 Faust |
We had honestly assumed your grievances were carried to us as well. |
LCE E.G.O::Ardor Blossom Star Faust |
I was just about to ping you, actually. |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
...I see. |
| Wuthering Heights Butler Faust |
You do have to admit the answer was kinda obvious, though. |
MultiCrack Office Rep. Faust |
On the surface, yes. |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
What? Come to laugh at me, too? Call me Stupid? Naive? |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
Go ahead. ...I suppose I do deserve it. |
The One Who Grips Faust |
While I may like to belittle your intelligence often, my lesser, I must say... I cannot blame you. |
| The One Who Grips Faust |
As the filthy prosthetic user Faust alluded to, the question you asked, while simple in terms of deduction, is quite complex. |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
... |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
Did I die? Am I a dead Faust? |
| MultiCrack Office Rep. Faust |
Believe me, I thought the same thing when I heard her the first time. But she's being serious. |
| MultiCrack Office Rep. Faust |
The crazy thing is that I agree with her. |
| MultiCrack Office Rep. Faust |
When you think about the question you asked in a straight up context, the answer may seem quite obvious. Who else would be able to so easily sabotage the inner workings of their own company? Their own troops? |
| MultiCrack Office Rep. Faust |
If we look at it from that perspective, the answer is clear. Dias. The Chief Executive Director of Limbus Company. |
| MultiCrack Office Rep. Faust |
But when you look at it from other angles, the title of Stupid Faust should be changed to Inquisitive Faust. |
| The One Who Grips Faust |
Hey... There's only ONE Faust in an actual Inquisition here, you metallic wastebucket. |
| MultiCrack Office Rep. Faust |
Inquisitive as in the adjective, you Neanderthal. |
| MultiCrack Office Rep. Faust |
But back to what I was saying, I believe the question you were truly posing has a way more interesting angle than who. |
| MultiCrack Office Rep. Faust |
You wanted to know why. |
| MultiCrack Office Rep. Faust |
Why would Dias, who time and time again, expressed the goal of wanting to overrule the Head, and is using Limbus Company to do such a purpose, start sabotaging her own brand from the inside? What does she stand to gain from sabotaging the Udjat, leaving you in a position to almost lose your Golden Boughs entirely? |
| MultiCrack Office Rep. Faust |
Truly, this is what you wanted to ask, was it not? |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
...Yes. |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
Yes, you understand. You see what I was trying to get at. |
Blade Lineage Salsu Faust |
Let us not stop there. She did not just sabotage the Udjat, after all. |
| Blade Lineage Salsu Faust |
She had put one of my fellow Salsus from an entirely different Mirror World in grave danger, her arms being lost in the process of protecting the team which gave her a new home. |
| LCE E.G.O::Ardor Blossom Star Faust |
Her actions put Marton directly in the line of fire with Callisto, causing him to sacrifice himself for the sake of the mission at hand... |
| LCE E.G.O::Ardor Blossom Star Faust |
If it were Yi Sang in that situation, I don't know if I would be able to forgive myself if something happened to him. |
| LCE E.G.O::Ardor Blossom Star Faust |
...Wait. It easily still can. Oh. Oh no... |
| MultiCrack Office Rep. Faust |
And that is just one of many ripple effects. |
| MultiCrack Office Rep. Faust |
All for what? The sake of Ryōshū's story going on as The Flow intended? |
| MultiCrack Office Rep. Faust |
"There had to be some sort of smarter way to go about it" is what you're probably thinking. That's why you asked. |
| MultiCrack Office Rep. Faust |
In your mind, you already knew the answer. You just wanted to see if Faust trusted you to ask the questions surrounding it. Now you know they don't. |
| MultiCrack Office Rep. Faust |
What you wish to do with that information is up to you. |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
They'll reject the way we're thinking right now, you know. Call us precarious. |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
I... would not wish to make you all laughing stocks with me if any of this were discussed in a Classical Walpurgisnacht. |
Lobotomy E.G.O::Regret Faust |
Hey, it's okay. What happens here stays here. |
| Lobotomy E.G.O::Regret Faust |
Full confidentiality. |
| Wuthering Heights Butler Faust |
Yeah, honestly? I wouldn't want any of those catty Fausts hearing what we have to say anyway. |
| Wuthering Heights Butler Faust |
It's like they have nothing better to do than sit on some high horses while we actual Fausts do all the hard legwork of supplying information for their Encyclopedia Dramatica or whatever the hell they're doing. |
| Wuthering Heights Butler Faust |
I may not like you much, but fuck anyone who says you're "stupid" or "naive" because you dare to be curious in a world full of daft pricks who act like they already have the answers to everything. |
| Wuthering Heights Butler Faust |
You're one of the most successful Fausts in this entire bloody hivemind! More successful than me, anyhow... as much as I hate to admit it. |
| Wuthering Heights Butler Faust |
So what if you need to ask a few questions? If I had a guaranteed Ahn printing machine like you, a question every now and again wouldn't kill me to answer. |
W Corp. L2 Cleanup Agent Faust |
I agree. If you weren't a Faust and I weren't forced into a failing Wing, I would hire you. |
Zwei Assoc. South Section 4 Faust |
You DM me if they ever start obliterating you that badly again, okay? It may sound absurd, but as I am part of the Zwei, it would not bother me one bit defending you, too. |
Shi Assoc. East Section 3 Faust |
Fate is like canvas Empty white space, no clear path Your canvas is bright |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
AH! God, I forgot we added you. Hi. |
| Shi Assoc. East Section 3 Faust |
Like time, I wait here Silent and indifferent You are forgiven |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
...In hindsight, saying that I forgot you were here feels as if it is in... poor taste. Given, uh... |
| LCE E.G.O::Ardor Blossom Star Faust |
Given the fate of Sinner Number Four? |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
Y-Yes. Given Sinner Ryōshū's entire situation. |
| Seven Assoc. South Section 4 Faust |
Based on the good work you and Dante have been able to do for the other Sinners so far, I deduce she'll be fine when things are said and done. |
| Seven Assoc. South Section 4 Faust |
It is as you said. Entanglement is a connection that transcends space, distance, and any attempt at conceptualization. Araya may not be with you all physically, but she will forever be with you all due to Ryōshū's odachi and the scabbard holding it together. |
| Seven Assoc. South Section 4 Faust |
You helped her achieve that, you know? |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
...I did? |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
I don't even feel like I did that much, to be completely honest. |
| Blade Lineage Salsu Faust |
Nonsense. It was your blade that helped fend off a former Maestro of the Ring and his apprentice. |
| Lobotomy Corp. Remnant Faust |
N-Not to mention that you held your own against a former Star of the City, even with Dante having to pilot your body. |
| Lobotomy Corp. Remnant Faust |
You... You have so much latent potential deep inside of you, Sinner Faust. That's why you're here. Why the administrators, despite their grievances with you, have not decided to kill you yet. |
| Lobotomy Corp. Remnant Faust |
Surely, you recognize that, right? |
| Lobotomy Corp. Remnant Faust |
Because if not... we may truly have to call you stupid, Faust. |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
... |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
I must admit, I did not expect all this encouragement from the Fausts Dante found throughout my journey so far. |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
When I first joined the Gesellschaft, I had assumed every Faust, regardless of looks or methodology, was meant to be the same. These... unerring beacons of knowledge. Bastions of intelligence in a sea of mediocrity. |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
But our administrators half the time aren't even that. They're just... playground children with college degree level intellect. |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
As insane as you all may sound sometimes, I am quite glad that I have the opportunity to fight with you as part of Limbus Company. So... |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
Thank you. Thank you for being patient with me, letting me ask the questions I need to about your worlds. |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
I promise, whatever will come out of this will make all of this worth it. For all of us. |
| The One Who Grips Faust |
Settings change with time. People do too. That, in its purest form, is humanity. |
| The One Who Grips Faust |
I found myself quite disillusioned with this council as well, but... you other Fausts still intrigue me. Even if some of you are very much heretical. |
| LCE E.G.O::Ardor Blossom Star Faust |
I-I can't help but feel at least a little bit of solidarity, you know? We work for the same place... |
| LCE E.G.O::Ardor Blossom Star Faust |
If I were to make fun of you, it would be akin to making fun of myself in more ways than one. |
| Blade Lineage Salsu Faust |
As the Blade Lineage has started officially working for Limbus Company in your world, consider your blade and mine similarly linked. |
| MultiCrack Office Rep. Faust |
You had helped to warn me about the economy class seats, so it's no big deal, really. |
| Lobotomy E.G.O::Regret Faust |
We're all here for you, Faust. And it's not just because we are you or because you call on us to. |
| Lobotomy E.G.O::Regret Faust |
Remember that, okay? Remember that even when it gets rough, we're here for you. |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
...Okay... |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
I'll try. I may fail, but I will try. |
| ... | |
| VC Announcer |
Heishou Pack - Mao Branch Adept Faust has joined the call. |
| VC Announcer |
The Index Proselyte:【Paper Slip】Faust has joined the call. |
Heishou Pack - Mao Branch Adept Faust |
I tried to tell you people the Gesellschaft really isn't anything any of us should bother with. |
The Index Proselyte:【Paper Slip】Faust |
I agree. They tried calling me "Cultist Faust" because I dare believe in the Prescript's will rather than my own. |
| Heishou Pack - Mao Branch Adept Faust |
Better nickname than "Beast Faust"... |
| The One Who Grips Faust |
OH, THEY GAVE YOU MY OLD NICKNAME, INDEX? |
| The One Who Grips Faust |
THAT'S RICH! HOLY SHIT. |
| W Corp. L2 Cleanup Agent Faust |
Wait, I thought these two were banned. |
| The Index Proselyte:【Paper Slip】Faust |
They were... begrudgingly revoked. A new clause was added revolving around Stupid Faust specifically stating that all Fausts given Identities for Stupid Faust to wear would be exempt from banning/death. |
| The Index Proselyte:【Paper Slip】Faust |
So as much as they may hate it, I am stuck with them as much as they are stuck with me. The Will of the Prescript demands as such. |
| Heishou Pack - Mao Branch Adept Faust |
Sometimes, I wish my Master hadn't heard about it either. |
| Zwei Assoc. South Section 4 Faust |
We should find a way to get a Faust de La Mancha ID for Sinner Faust so they're forced to keep her here. |
| Wuthering Heights Butler Faust |
Ehhh... Do we really want to do that, though? |
| Wuthering Heights Butler Faust |
It was funny the one time, but then you gotta think about the law of diminishing returns. |
| Zwei Assoc. South Section 4 Faust |
But it would be funny, AND they would hate it. |
| Wuthering Heights Butler Faust |
Hmm. That's true... |
| Wuthering Heights Butler Faust |
Sinner Faust, how would you feel about- |
| LCB Sinner Faust |
NO. |
