✗ ━ 「 V: I Pray For The Wicked On The Weekend 」 Undercity. - Blog Posts

@grimesucker​:  there's not much by way of a celebration, but there IS a package of base-white outer-shell pieces that can be attached to fifteen's prosthetic arm ; additionally, a note : 'nothing great, but me n the kids pitched in to get you a little more layers. happy birthday.'

  given he’d practically forgotten about his OWN birthday to begin with, he expects no celebration. in fact, he always figures that dox won’t remember -- not because he doesn’t CARE, rather there’s so much else to worry about that birthdays just don’t matter as much as they did on med-lev. and yet, every year he’s been surprised to discover that NOT ONLY has dox remembered, but even went so far as to put together a gift for him.

approaching the box curiously, shiro picks up the note and reads over it, unable to contain the SMILE that grows with each word. not just dox, but THE KIDS, too. the various little slumbrats he’s taken to helping dox look after helped out with the gift. --granted, it may have been all of dox’s money rather than any of them pitching in, but honestly? it means more to him that they’d care enough to want to be included. it really solidifies that feeling he’s had, of being something like a BIG BROTHER for them. that alone is a great gift.

now grinning to himself, he slips the note into his pocket  ( yes, he’s going to keep it! it officially has SENTIMENTAL VALUE )  and moves on to slowly opening the box. what’s revealed inside... it takes shiro a moment to put it together. at first, it just looks like maybe some assorted pieces of plastic, but the more he looks at them while keeping the note in mind, the more he realizes what ‘layers’ dox was talking about.

he’s never THOUGHT about making his arm look nicer. it functions, that’s the part that matters. not that he’s going to turn the opportunity DOWN  ( maybe it’ll make the thing a little easier to look at and feel more like his arm than a simple prosthetic ).

slowly, carefully, shiro clips the plates into place one by one. he MIGHT need a bit of help later securing them fully, but he manages well enough on his own and, when it’s done, he has to admit: he’s impressed. it gives his prosthetic a completely different look. he... kinda LIKES it.

flexing the fingers, smile remaining securely in place, he wonders how he can thank everyone. maybe cake? he should have enough counts to pick a CHEAP ONE up... definitely can’t bake one himself, he’ll BURN THE HOUSE DOWN. the kids would like something sweet, he knows it, and why can’t he make them happy on his OWN BIRTHDAY? decision made, shiro hurries for the door, grabbing his jacket on the way, and he leaves the rundown home with excitement shining in his eyes.

grimesucker​.

TOO LATE, HE’S ALREADY AWAKE. aggravation sees upper-lip CURL, but fifteen should know well-enough that dox’s temper EBBS & FLOWS - he’ll be GROUCHY for some time, but it’s not as though he could actually remain upset with the kids—he KNOWS that he’s, well, their SOLE SOURCE OF COMFORT - if one of them has something that demands they rouse him at UNFUCKLY HOURS, than he’ll get over it & tend to their bullshit. he’s all they got.

                                                                       “ nah, c’mon kid. ”

pushing himself from frankly derelict mattress, dox adjusts into a sitting position & beckons fifteen back over.

                                    “ i’ll be MORE pissed if it ends up bein’ for nothin’.                                                                             what’s goin’ on ?”

  there’s HESITATION, even as dox gestures for him to come back, and shiro simply remains paused in place for a long moment. he really does hate waking dox, and not JUST because it’s rude and the mender gets crabby, but... well, he’s almost an adult. he shouldn’t be waking his effective CARETAKER up in the middle of the night like he’s six.

     “ it’s fine, it’s not... ”  trailing off before finishing the sentence, the boy exhales and shuffles back into dox’s doorway, hand gripping at what remains of his right arm.  “ ...my arm just hurts. ”

something which sounds small and not worth waking someone for, except that with SHIRO... if he feels the need to tell someone that something hurts, it means that it really hurts. used to being in pain more often than he’s not, he won’t bother anyone about it until he’s about in AGONY. tonight, he’s been unable to sleep due to the pain, even having to remove his prosthetic in an effort to ease it.

     “ i can’t get to sleep. ”

grimesucker​.

@kienokoru​ | ♥ 44 574R73R

                                                          “ it’s FOUR IN THE MORNING. ”

words spoken on rough growl, an IMPRESSIVE glare darkening the mender’s face ; lip CURLS in something of a SNARL, aggravation blatantly APPARENT at having been woken up so early—whatever it is, if it hadn’t woken dox on it’s own, that’s indicative of it being something that can WAIT - it’s too damn EARLY for BULLSHIT.

                                                                “ what do you want ?”

     “ s-sorry. ”

  taken aback by the unreserved aggression, shiro stumbles over the apology. it’s his own fault, really, he knows how... annoyed dox get upon being awoke in the wee hours of the morning -- he should have been prepared for a less-than-welcoming response. quickly deciding this was a MISTAKE, that he should just let the mender return to sleep, he shakes his head and takes a step back out of the room.

     “ --nevermind, it’s not important. ”  making to slink away, he murmurs one final;  “ sorry. ”

stolenbystars‌.

CHIN UPON PALM , adam sits towards the side ZONING OUT as a slumrat barters with his parents , the tones edging JUST SHY of AGGRESSIVE— THAT doesn’t concern him , he’s USED to this sort of thing by now - NO , the only thing that brings him back to reality is a HUSHED VOICE at his side .

BLINKING , young shopkeep looks towards the side & spots shiro , a familiar face for which inspires a SMILE to spread across his own—

the request is met with adam glancing over his shoulder towards his parents , the two showing STEADFAST PERSISTENCE in their position , giving the buyer their TOTAL ATTENTION— so it’s with EASE that adam slips from the stall , grabbing at his loose jacket & tugging it on , knocking shoulder against shiro’s own part in GREETING , part in urge to quickly blend into the crowd—

                            “ thanks for the save - did you come out here just to get me ?”

  unable to prevent a smile of his own from spreading WIDE at the sight of adam’s, shiro moves quickly at the other’s side, brushing past shoppers so adam’s parents don’t notice them slipping off. did he come out here just to get adam? one hundred percent yes. but... does he say that? or does he say he was just in the area? which one is less... DESPERATE and BLATANT in just how much he’s been craving the other boy’s company? does it... does it even matter? god, he’s so BAD at this.

     “ i--- ...yeah. ”  he decides to admit, warmth rushing to his face and eyes dropping to their feet. a quiet, sheepish bit of a chuckle leaves shiro, and he shrugs.  “ i thought you’d probably like a break. and... i missed you. ”

--was that too much? oh, it was too much, wasn’t it... continuing to AVOID glancing over at adam, shiro clears his throat and quickly adds on;

     “ i mean--- it’s been a while since we’ve hung out, you know? ”

shiro: *has a uc nickname dox gave him & everyone around them uses* also shiro, meeting someone new: hi i’m shiro

☆ @stolenbystars​ is back!!! gets a thing

     “ hey. ”

  it’s a hushed attempt to get the other’s attention, coming from off to the side. shiro’s hesitant to draw the attention of adam’s parents, but then... he’s nervous about the attention he’s TRYING to get, too. cheeks flushed slightly, he runs a hand awkwardly through his hair and glances BRIEFLY off to the side once the other boy looks over.

     “ uhm. any chance you’re not too busy? i thought... maybe we could hang out? ”

@grimesucker​ sent:  [text]: Quick question. What’s the protocol on going back to a bar after going home with one of their bartenders?

 tfln  ☆☆  accepting

[ txt: slum mom ]  you mean your boyfriend? [ txt: slum mom ]  i THINK you’re okay to go back [ txt: slum mom ]  protocol is not asking me about these things [ txt: slum mom ]  i don’t need to hear about your sexual exploits [ txt: slum mom ]  please & thanks

@grimesucker​ sent:  [text]: Some lady just walked up to me in the bar and proclaimed that I looked like a “shady motherfucker.” Can’t argue with that one.

tfln  ☆☆  accepting

[ txt: slum mom ]  you really can’t [ txt: slum mom ]  you’re in a bar in the uc and she picked YOU out of everyone else in that bar [ txt: slum mom ]  i’m not even there and i know that 90% of the crowd is shady looking [ txt: slum mom ]  if someone came up to you specifically to tell you that you look shady, it’s actually impossible to argue

grimesucker‌.

a TILTED grin cracks across his expression , the mender looking ALL-TOO SMUG as he reminisces a GOOD NIGHT ; it’s not OFTEN that he indulges in booze , but it’d been a GOOD BOTTLE & GOOD COMPANY—

slinging on his jacket , adjusting the collar & smoothing the fabric over weapon straps , dox peeks back towards fifteen with a raised brow—kettle , meet pot .

                                                        “ sure am . i’m ABOVE house rules.                                                                        —wanna come along ?”

  shiro MATCHES the raised brow with one of his own, though his expression weakens some when the offer comes for him to join. he WAS just going to sit up and try to find something to watch or reread those old astronomy books for the hundredth time, but... going out sounds better. more of a DISTRACTION from the thoughts keeping him awake.

     “ yeah. ”

a nod, a quick pat to ensure his knife is still strapped into place, and he hurries to the door. only THEN does he seem to hesitate.

     “ ...where are we going at this time of night, exactly? ”

grimesucker‌.

                         “ what d’you want me to say ? they brought the GOOD SHIT. ”

a single-shouldered shrug , made as dox crosses the space & collects his old jacket from where it hangs by the door ;

                         “ S’IDES , i couldn’t let ‘em drink without adult supervision. ”

     “ they may as well have been drinking without your supervision; they might have gotten LESS DRUNK than they did with you encouraging them. ”

  dox gets an unimpressed look tossed his way, shiro folding his arms. watching the other gather his coat, however, the slumbrat squints.

     “ what are you still doing up? you’re not GOING somewhere this late, are you? ”

grimesucker‌.

@kienokoru​ | 574R73R C4LL

                                         “ the fuck’re you still doin’ up ? it’s late as shit. ”

     “ what, now you care about healthy choices? LATE NIGHTS is where you draw the line? i watched you join the other kids in chanting ‘chug chug chug’ when one of them showed up with a full bottle of booze. ”

grimesucker·.

❝I don’t think you’re as apathetic as you think you are.❞ // @kienokoru·

                                                           just SCREAMS when fifteen tries to bring it up—

»» Wardrobe ( part 2 )

a bit of a contrast from his canon wardrobe, shiro’s everyday, normal life choices in clothing are, naturally, more… relaxed. the two important factors in his choices remain, however: functionality & comfort. not overly concerned with style, he wears what he likes and what keeps him comfy. he favours big sweaters that are oversized, even on him, and is well-known to have some really obnoxious and hideous patterned ones that he genuinely likes the look of. shirts, however, vary from fitted to loose depending on what he feels like wearing on a given day, and pants are much the same. his favourite shoes will always be combat boots, but he has a couple pairs of sneakers, too.

colours are most often muted and typically dark, save for his massive sweaters. where most of his shirts are black or grey or white, his sweaters come in any colour, varying brightness, and all sorts of patterns. he even has one where the front is just a massive picture of his dog’s face, but what do you want from him? he has a real appreciation for ugly sweaters.

@grimesucker​ sent:  his OD had PINGED the notification , allowing him some time to PREPARE---...still, something feels INAPPROPRIATE about this , in how he presents a BOTTLE of SEWER WATER with a BOW around the neck ; look , he doesn't have a lot of EXPERIENCE in buying presents, & alcohol always seems like a good idea. ...& if not , well , he's got some solid itch brownies as back-up. "hey, fifteen - happy birthday."

 belated birthday wishes

  surprised by the bottle thrust in his direction, shiro is LOST, glancing between it and the man holding it with a questioning quirk in his brow. expression softens, however, when explanation comes in the form of dox wishing him a happy birthday. huh, he didn’t really think the mender was one to keep track of that sort of thing.

     “ thanks, dox. ”  accepting the sewer water, despite it not being the sort of thing he’d ask for or even purchase for himself. it’s a gift, and one from DOX for that matter, so he appreciates it regardless. it’s the THOUGHT that counts, and dox cared enough to think of him on his birthday and buy him a present. smiling, the boy holds the bottle in both hands, the one of metal clinking against the glass, and gives it a GLANCE OVER. the bow is a cute touch.

raising his head again, shiro nods toward the kitchen and raises his eyebrows at dox.

     “ why don’t we share this? ”

no addressing our problems we downward spiral like MEN

                                                  dox  &&  fifteen                                  @grimesucker  &&  @kienokoru

verse tag dump.

✗ ― 「 v: dear atlas / you must endure 」 main. ✗ ― 「 v: what a beautiful day to make a break for it 」 overwatch. ✗ ― 「 v: i pray for the wicked on the weekend 」 undercity. ✗ ― 「 v: there’s a madness that’s coursing right through me 」 undercity: ii. ✗ ― 「 v: they dragged you into darkness & you came out shining 」 witch au. ✗ ― 「 v: just & loyal 」 hogwarts: i. ✗ ― 「 v: i am brave / i am bruised / i am who i’m meant to be 」 hogwarts: ii. ✗ ― 「 v: you’ll have to watch me struggle from several rooms away 」 modern.

@grimesucker​ sent:  puts hands on his shoulders from behind , tucks forward & plants a kiss in his hair .

  cozy on the couch, shiro doesn’t even hear dox coming up from behind. he’s too focused on the OLD BOOK on astronomy in his hands and the CAT in his lap. even when the weight of hands fall on his shoulders, he’s slow to pull himself from the paragraph he’s reading. the KISS placed against his head, however, is enough to tug him much more quickly to the moment, blinking in surprise. head raises and he glances over his shoulder in an effort to glimpse dox, honestly startled by the blatant act of affection.

     “ feeling sentimental tonight? ”

though there is a teasing lilt in his voice, the smile on shiro’s face is PURE of intent. he’s always been a physically affectionate person but, in the undercity, it’s rare that he gets to express himself that way these days and rarer STILL that someone else is affectionate with him.

that said, it’s ALWAYS a nice surprise.

@mekabound​ sent:  “ you’ll be okay somewhere in that vague future tense ” (uc verse? :0)

 cursed suggestion   ☆☆   accepting!!

  at that, he can’t help but snort a weak laugh. it’s not the most REASSURING way to word such a thing, but the fact that it earns amusement might actually make it MORE USEFUL.

     “ i think you need to spend less time with dox, ”  he comments, shifting his position on the couch where they both sit, legs bent at the knees and feet occasionally touching on the middle cushion.  “ you’re starting to SOUND like him. ”

in this case though, shiro doesn’t mind it so much. he minds even less that d.va is HERE, keeping him company on one of the days where his symptoms are flaring up enough that the pain is TOO MUCH for even stand up for long. her company is some which he’s already come to enjoy, but on days like this... the distraction of having another person around helps a LOT.

     “ ‘ that vague future tense, ’ huh, ”  he repeats, tugging on the blanket spread across the both of them in an effort to cover more of himself. there’s no malice whatsoever in his tone as he continues, merely a WRY smile to signify he’s joking, albeit rather darkly;  “ so, the day that everyone in the city GETS ALONG and the barrier is opened? ”

@grimesucker​ sent:  ❛ Everyone has secrets and if you keep asking, you’ll see how far I’m willing to go to keep mine. ❜

across the universe   ☆☆   accepting.

  brought to an abrupt halt by the words, or perhaps more by the severe tone in which they’re spoken, shiro falls still and simply blinks at dox, eyes wide. while he’s NO STRANGER to dox’s more harsh tones of voice, it’s not often that they’re directed at HIM. typically, dox is talking to some other slumrat in this manner, whether they’re deserving of it or not, so whenever it does come ‘round to focus on him... shiro is startled every time.

it isn’t as though he’d been egging the man on or anything, either. yes, he may have been asking questions, but they had been INNOCENT  ---  mere efforts to understand dox better  ---  and not remotely forceful. ironically, these are usually the things that have made the mender snap at him in the past, too, although there have been times where the boy had been more insistent.

     “ i’m not trying to... ”  trailing off, shiro blinks again, hesitates, then lowers his gaze. he GETS that everyone has secrets. he GETS that people in the undercity have more than people on med-lev. he GETS that they’re willing to go farther to protect them. what he DOESN’T GET is why, even when they’ve practically become family, dox is so ABSOLUTELY ADAMANT to not share so many things with him.

for a moment, shiro remains as he is, but soon exhales a low breath. a step is taken back to signify him backing down from the confrontation  ( one that he didn’t want started in the first place )  and, turning away, he shakes his head.

     “ sorry. i wasn’t trying to upset you. ”

grimesucker‌.

MOST PEOPLE wouldn’t have such a TOUGH TIME picking a weapon - a lot of people came in already with an idea of their FAVORED TYPE - something SHARP ? something BLUNT ? something HEAVY ? —but dox supposes there’d never really been much fantasizing towards PERSONAL COMBAT MECHANICS during fifteen’s time up on MED-LEV. lot less CRIME, lot more KUMBAYA. 

…& in all honesty , he’s pretty surprised he got the kid to AGREE to come weapons shopping—DON’T GET IT WRONG, he’s GLAD that there wasn’t any HEEL-DIGGING, he’d just been prepared with a whole SPEECH that now he feels STUPID for rehearsing over & over in his head.

—though he doesn’t feel this way for LONG, self-criticism making way for something like PRIDE as fifteen’s attention seems caught by a KNIFE - dox’s own favorite type of weapon , & he wonders if fifteen’s into it for the TACTICAL benefits , or because he’s seen dox’s own proficiency & thought it NEAT .

        …most likely the former , but the grimesucker still awards himself a ‘ 6 ′ .

                                                            “ nice choice. ”

praise given sincerely , dox more than a little SMUG in the face of any option taken that involves BLADES— a nod towards cipher, who recites ‘450 counts,’ these of which dox passes off with a quick transaction between cipher’s collection device & his online drive ; during which they make remark, ‘ corrupting the kids again?’ to which dox responds with a shrug , ‘ i’m only equipping them to better handle it. ’

—with purchase made cipher passes over a nylon of which fifteen may attach to his person, the knife nestled neatly inside. as dox loops an arm around the kid’s shoulder & steers him away, cipher bids farewell with ring-adorned fingers waving goodbye in disconnected intervals. half-joking , dox grins in fifteen’s direction—

                                                      “ wanna get some PRACTICE in ?”

  with the knife, neatly sheathed, handed to him, shiro grips it in his hands and continues to eye it with some degree of WARINESS. this is his now. this is something he has to keep on his person at all times. while he may have been living in the undercity for a number of MONTHS now, it’s still difficult for him to grasp just how likely it is to wind up in a violent and dangerous situation at any time of any day. 

giving a slight start when dox’s arm wraps over his shoulders, the boy blinks and PULLS his attention away from the weapon. allowing himself to be steered away, eyebrows raise skeptically at dox’s prompt.

“ that seems UNSAFE, ”  he notes, frowning slightly. yeah, he’s going to have to learn how to fight with the knife SOMEHOW, but armed practice just seems like it’d be asking for unnecessary injury. ---dox’s healing abilities aside, shiro doesn’t want to harm him, and he’d really like to avoid a knife piercing his own skin. he’s still recovering mentally from the first time he experienced that.

     “ maybe some hand-to-hand instead? ”

@grimesucker​.   ( x )

[ text » 15 ]                                                       well [ text » 15 ]                                                       exCUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSE [ text » 15 ]                                                       me [ text » 15 ]                                                       i was doing something important

                          - SMS image attached -

[ text » 15 ]                                                       (:

[ txt: dirt mom ]  .... [ txt: dirt mom ]  i’m gonna alter my previous statement [ txt: dirt mom ]  i hate texting you, period.

grimesucker‌.

@kienokoru | ♥’D 44 574R73R

                                            “ SO ? WHAT D’YOU THINK ?”

inquiry made with slight NUDGE to the slumbrat’s shoulder, followed up with a vague gesture to the stall front whereupon sits a plethora of weapons set between them & the vendor , a neon-colored punk named CIPHER— a BRAT to the HIGHEST DEGREE, but the one vendor in the black market that dox has had the most dealings with - neither would consider the other a FRIEND , but dox doesn’t steal from cipher & cipher doesn’t cut off dox’s fingers for thinking about it.

they’re out here now because dox is ADAMANT on getting fifteen some kinda WEAPON, something to at least ease his OWN mind to know the kid has some means of self-defense ; whether or not he’d USE IT remains to be seen , what with his penchant for trying to remain the VOICE OF REASON , but better to be SAFE than SORRY . …actually , dox has never been sorry a day in his life - so SAFE it is.

fingers tap across the assorted weaponry - knives , throwing stars , retractable batons , knuckle dusters , a whole-ass MORNING STAR—

                                                               “ anything ya like ?”

     “ ...i dunno. ”

  clear INDECISIVENESS clings to the response, dark grey eyes scanning over the wide range of weapons for at least the fourth time now. he hasn’t WANTED a weapon, he’s only here because dox almost literally dragged him here and is now forcing him to pick something out. ...if he were to be COMPLETELY honest though, shiro doesn’t think it’s the worst idea  ---  he knows dox only wants to get him a weapon for his own safety and, really... decent as he is with his fists in a fight, having something more would help him protect himself  ( and the other slumbrats )  a lot more.

     “ maybe... this? ” 

fingers move forward, a glance cast to cipher tentatively, and curl around the handle of a steel black combat knife. the weight feels good in his hand, but it feels WRONG to be holding something like this. it’s something obviously MEANT for combat, nothing else, but out of everything laid out before him... this is what’s caught his eye. perhaps because it seems the least BRUTAL of everything.

the undercity is a world created entirely by ghost / @grimesucker​. i recommend checking out his blog if the setting interests you because it’s incredibly well developed and full of amazing ideas and characters. i won’t be explaining details of the city here, only how shiro fits into the world. for more info and explanation on certain aspects, you can find that all on ghost’s blog.

age: 17+

nickname most know him by: fifteen  (given to him by dox; because he’s missing a hand, he has fifteen fingers & toes instead of the usual twenty)

original level: med-lev

after the death of his mother, shiro ran from the home for orphaned children  —  something he now recognizes as a dumb mistake.

while trying to survive on his own, he accepted help from someone who worked for 5liip, though he had no idea, and once this was found out by authorities, shiro was marked and sent down to the Undercity as punishment.

within his first few days trying to survive on his own down THERE, shiro stepped in to a fight in order to protect a stranger. this resulted in the majority of his right arm being cut off.

both his being cast down to the undercity and being so injured were actually planned by 5liip and executed at his order. shiro is seen as a perfect way to get at dox, who has a weak spot for kids and the ability to heal. though he’s unaware of it, shiro is a tool for 5liip to attempt to weasel his way closer to dox for his future plans.

a slumbrat finds the bleeding shiro and brings him to dox, who heals the injury and thus saves the boy’s life.

from here, shiro takes to crashing on dox’s couch, at first allowed to stay until he recovers. even once he has though, with nowhere to go and very little understanding of the undercity, shiro sort of just… stays. dox never actually kicks him out. he becomes an uninvited roommate but is eventually accepted as actually living there.

he helps dox out wherever he can, part to earn his keep and to try to pay the guy back. in particular, he helps out with the kids that dox watches over.

dox makes shiro a prosthetic arm. it’s low quality, made from spare parts he has around, but it’s functional and shiro  is eternally grateful for it.

shiro is regularly sent baskets of food from 5liip, an “apology” for his fate of being trapped in the undercity.

the slumbrats don’t accept shiro in the beginning, as he comes from an upper level, something he catches a lot of shit for. over a long span of time, however, they do come around, as he’s become something of a big brother to them all, helping dox to take care of them and often putting himself at risk for them.

in kind, dox and shiro develop a familial relationship over time. they’re brothers, they mean the world to one another, and will protect one another at all costs.

though it never affected him much when he was on med-lev, as they have technology to suppress and treat such things, shiro is chronically ill. in the undercity with none of the treatment he once had, he is faced with the symptoms for the first time in his life. the disease is one which affects his muscle function, causing them to tense and tighten severely to the point of pain and even difficulty moving the affected part of his body. some days it’s manageable and others he can’t really leave his bed.

overall, shiro remains fairly naive and idealistic compared to most others residing in the undercity  —  he doesn’t believe that everyone down there is terrible and he often steps in to help others, strangers or not. it’s something dox continues to give him shit for, though it never convinces him to stop.

this is an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE from shiro’s main undercity verse, an offshoot in a different direction which eventually meets with ghost’s ‘inheritance’ verse for dox.

initial events unfold the same, but this verse diverges in shiro being successfully manipulated by 5liip after meeting him face to face in the undercity. shiro agrees to join the gang {black bracket}, believing the things that 5liip tells him about it not being what dox has told him and accepting the help the gang leader says it will provide him.

this ruins the relationship between shiro and dox, the latter of whom hates gangs more than anything else. shiro is kicked out of dox’s home.

5liip replaces the prosthetic dox made for shiro which a much higher quality one.

shiro undergoes training to improve his fighting skills and he begins accompanying 5liip on jobs once he’s shown to be talented.

originally, he’s still little more than a tool to eventually bring dox to 5liip, to put dox in charge of the gang (shiro still, of course, completely unaware of this fact). he proves himself to be useful as much more than his, however, and ends up holding the interest of the gang’s leader.

5liip enforces the beliefs shiro gained from growing up on an upper level, that the people of the undercity (those unaffiliated with the {black bracket} gang, at least) are awful and undeserving of sympathy. this makes it easier to mold him into a perfect soldier.

shiro climbs through the gang’s ranks quickly, eventually becoming something of a third in command. 

eventually, shiro becomes a legitimately feared figure, as he’s a frighteningly talented fighter, has become quite ruthless, and, completely trusting in his leader, does whatever 5liip asks of him.

when 5liip dies and passes on leadership to dox, shiro is apprehensive at first. he’s been angry with dox for years for being kicked out and abandoned over one decision, and he’s grieving over the loss of someone who had been so important to him. he still trusts 5liip, however, and thus accepts dox as the new leader of the gang regardless of how he feels about the guy.

it takes time, but the two do make up and start to improve their relationship again.

dox makes shiro his second, but relegates him more to duties around the base rather than sending him on any jobs that require violence, not liking what 5liip has effectively turned him into.

this is frustrating to shiro, who feels he’s far more useful in the field, but he does as he’s told regardless.