Syte Scraps (Unfinished WIPs)

“I've heard a lot about you, and– and I don't mean to be forward, but I feel a partnership would benefit the both of us.”

Xander peered down at the odd Virusyte invading her personal space. He was a raggedy little thing, with scruffy hair and an ill-fitting shirt that almost certainly hadn't been changed since he'd infected his host. He stuck out like a sore thumb in Xander's carefully maintained living room.

Had he not been in a good mood, Xander would have certainly kicked the mutt out already. But the Virusyte's blatant disregard of social etiquette had piqued his interest. He had guts- and Xander figured she could at least hear him out.

“An interesting proposition. May I have a name?”

“V1-F.”

“...That's it?”

“I don't bother with host names. You can call me V, if you'd like.”

[...]

“We can discuss this further in the morning.”

V perked up, eye shining with hope. Xander was certain that it was a false hope- she couldn't see himself working alongside anybody. But she felt a little guilty about sending the Virusyte off into the night with nothing.

If she was going to cast him out empty-handed, she'd do so in the morning.

“You are welcome to stay here for the night. No need to return to your domain; it would be a waste of effort to send you there and back.”

“Wh– wait, really?” That promising glimpse of a hardened negotiator all but vanished, replaced with a wide-eyed look around the device in which V would be staying. Xander hadn't been to many other Virusyte's home devices, but he'd been to enough to know that her spacious domain was a rare luxury.

“Of course. My doors are open to you.”

[...]

The intrusion upon Xander's space wasn't entirely unwelcome.

V was polite and timid, despite his earlier brazenness. Xander was certain it was because V was a little afraid of him. But that was for the best, as long as it kept him well behaved. V brought the slightest breath of life to Xander's dead-quiet home. It was clear that he was trying to hide his awe, but Xander could see how V's gaze lingered on the opulent displays as she led him to a room.

[...]

Xander was making breakfast, as she always did. She had to remind herself that she was cooking for two- it had been a long time since he had a guest.

It had been so long, in fact, that the creak of the guest room door caused him to flinch. Xander played off the movement as a stretch- nevermind that the embarassed display was only caught by his own cameras.

Xander turned away from the kitchenware to catch a glimpse of V trudging down the stairs. He seemed like he hadn't slept all that well, blinking blearily as he leaned against the banister. He combed his dark hair back with his fingers, a futile attempt to look presentable.

[...]

“I'd expect a successful businessman to be more accustomed to luxury.”

“I device-hop,” V replied casually. “Some spots are nicer than others. Most aren't, but you follow the money.”

Device hopping? The concept was foreign to Xander. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence, but the thought of up and abandoning his own device made his feathers bristle. Xander had spent a lot of time keeping his own network safe and well-maintained; she couldn't imagine ever moving willingly.

“...Interesting,” was Xander's eventual response. ”I'm assuming that the money's brought you here now, hm?”

[...]

V was smart, fiendishly so. To a point that it almost scared Xander. Now that the wolfman had secured an associate to talk to, he had someone to share his plans with- and share he did.

He never really calmed down- it was go, go, all the time. Heated discussions were often accentuated with a slew of digital windows, translating his rants into graphs and bulletpoints. V moved a mile a minute, and it was all Xander could do to try and keep up.