Initially known as the life of the party, this robot went from door to door within his neighbourhood, telling a knock knock joke- At first, doors were slammed in his face, though gradually it'd turn to the laughs of his fellow folks, which turned the overall atmosphere upside down. For as long as he'd known, the world Laszlo was born into, was a dying one- It was a more than fair reason to be down about it all, yet Laszlo longed to see smiles and hear chuckles. Once it started working, the robot became beloved by his peers, which was the first time he'd gotten himself some friends! Other robots he could laugh with, and spread the happiness further! Sticks and stones may break bones and clones, but words would never!

At least, that was his thinking.

Laszlo remained the sole system within his neighbourhood to turn those frowns upside down. The robot tried his hardest, yet the smiles didn't seem to last- They'd always falter in the face of it all, especially if one reminded the dullness of the world. Though that was no way to give up quite yet, he had to try harder is all! Laszlo would find a way to wipe the doom and gloom above their heads away, as if they were merely bad weather! Laszlo would fix the world, through the only way he knew how to! Life was always better if you went through it happier, even if it wasn't remotely close to genuine!

— HARSH UNVEILED REALITY —

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Barely an adult, Laszlo immediately jumped to leave his admittedly shitty life behind, when the opportunity arose to. A war announced between the robots and the organics, Laszlo couldn't wait to simply fuck off and try something new- He was sick of his neighbours who'd stopped trying, who'd given up, who'd such a bleak outlook on everything. Known as the life of the party, the robot would bring this image to his platoon as well- Everyone around him was tense, afraid or addicted to adrenaline, which wasn't quite the good look! Joking around would help them- Above all, it was a way for the robot to cope, for as long as he'd known.

When it seemed he did quite well with guns, Laszlo was assigned to be a sniper unit, due to his noted excellent vision. For the next decade, his comrades wouldn't and couldn't hear the end of his wordplays and puns- Which only seemed to increase as time went by. Eventually, joking around and clowning about was the only thing Laszlo was known for by the others, an image the robot didn't mind having whatsoever- Until the day came that someone peered straight past that image, into his soul as if he was dissected.

Words were way above the usual sticks and stones, then.

The first comrade to tell him off, was a ground unit of the name Ophiuchus. Telling him she couldn't focus on their practice targets at the range, Laszlo had to simply shut up for the time being. Perhaps the sniper had forgotten a tad about timing, in the years he'd served his species in the war- Perhaps he'd forgotten a tad about manners, as well, though luckily it was water under the bridge. Ophiuchus seemed to genuinely not mind telling Laszlo as it was, which was quite refreshing for once- Other comrades would slowly shuffle away, keep quiet or merely ignore him if found too annoying- Except if he were dealing with authority, in that case, Laszlo did learn to not talk the hard way.

Thus, slowly began the robot's introduction to the more complex range of emotions and life itself. It hit him hard to realise he hadn't ever fully matured- Due to his young age when he jumped into the conflict- Due to his silly take on life, not wanting to hear any of the negativity tied to their dying world. Where Laszlo was upbeat, albeit less genuine with time, Ophiuchus was laid back, albeit more stressed with time. The two comrades stuck together within their group, which strengthened further once they met a tank unit called Faldorn- Who'd prove a nice, solid rock for the both of them to lean on.

Though, none of them reached their peak, until an aerial unit, Nestor, had joined, and dynamics were improved tenfold. The four of them worked so well together, they were promoted to special operations a decade later- Answering to their superior, Caesar, who was the older brother of their most recent ally. Their team named the Quadrivials, the four were one surprising new element for the war. Succeeding at various missions, such as retrieving information and uncovering spies, Laszlo still kept up with his allies despite the fact he was youngest of all. The sniper formed a close-knitness with these comrades as if they were family- An unfamiliar but more than welcome feeling that he wanted to keep.

With these comrades, Laszlo felt he could be truthful, for once. Forced happiness gone, he could rant, vent, hate as much as he wanted, and his friends would understand. They'd soon learn, Laszlo was more miserable than his image allowed them to perceive- The robots would cling together as if one unit as a whole, going through every single thick and thin obstacle life had to offer them together. These were the folks Laszlo wanted to keep around, truly and genuinely.

— REMAINING DECAY —

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The rollercoaster hit a new low, when Faldorn was discharged after years of loyal service. It left Laszlo distraught, dealing with a new squad leader- One he couldn't connect to as much, akin to the others- But unlike his comrades, Laszlo's efficiency was more affected than theirs with the change. While he'd matured throughout the war and become less of a silly billy jokester, the robot still had plenty of obstacles to deal with. The last five years, prior the awaited finale, were an utter drag.

Then, the rollercoaster crashed and exploded, when Laszlo and his friends returned from the war, seeing their old ally again after years. It felt genuinely painful to be chased out of his house, after Faldorn seemed to not recognise them whatsoever- The robot soon learned, Faldorn hadn't been alright either- And the same went for his other allies. Caesar would walk in circles, pondering their dying world. Nestor would cower within even more than before, becoming akin to a shy animal in its husk. Ophiuchus would be so drained from it all, leaving them and this world behind for a voyage into the stars.

And Laszlo?

Laszlo tried to keep it together, for them all, though not necessarily for himself. The robot wanted to see their smiles and hear their chuckles. Soon, he'd spiral back into old habits, joking around with the belief that everything was alright- Even when it really wasn't, but he dared not to let his friends worry about him. They had more urgent matters on their plates- Laszlo being just a little sad wasn't one of them!

The sniper was the first to perk up at the idea of leaving this mess behind. After Ophiuchus had left, he stayed with the others and the rest of society, attempting to restore what had died- When nothing seemed to work, even after decades, the opportunity to skidaddle formed itself in the shape of galactic anomalies. They'd leave through wormholes, the four of them- Three from the Quadrivials, alongside Caesar, into worlds unknown with likely greener pastures.

The last remnants of their robotic society, their home would be completely desolate after their leave. Though Laszlo didn't expect to feel completely desolate himself, once he, Faldorn and Nestor arrived elsewhere. It got worse, when it was clear Caesar wasn't with them, Nestor screaming for him desperately for what felt like an eternity. All the sniper could do, was get up and run on his instincts, shutting himself off.

— WRETCHED WORLD —

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Sticks, stones and all the other nearby flora grown, Laszlo was the first to put together resources and set up a camp. He was the only one who truly knew how to, as he'd made frequent use of it as a sniper- Adapting to a strange new world fell somehow easy to him, though it was only out of a survivor's instinct. Over the next year that followed, Nestor and Faldorn would ease more into the swing of things, despite the difficulty- Nestor had to deal with the loss of his brother- Faldorn had to deal with not knowing anything let alone his memory- Laszlo had to deal with his protocol to stay the fuck alive- And the three of them, had to deal with being essentially stranded on a world unwanted.

Several attempts were made to try and go home. More several attempts were made to try and communicate with the stars, in hopes of speaking to another robot. Many several attempts were made to try and remind Faldorn of his past, though it'd result in despair and sometimes an ally hit in the face. Endless attempts were made to gather information on this new, more primitive world, which was the only course that succeeded eventually.

Slowly but surely, Laszlo would turn into the worst version of himself. A husk of a former husk, the robot would be lying left and right to convince his friends he was alright- Laszlo being just a little sad was of no concern! Whenever asked how the food was going, he was cooking it well done! Whenever asked how he'd slept, he was fully rested! Whenever asked how he was doing, he was fine! Truly! Entirely! Genuinely!

The facade would grow and grow and grow, until the robot had managed to convince himself, he was going through life quite splendidly. From then on, he'd shielded himself from his friends, not realising it'd cause more damage than good in the long run- Though that was a matter for another day, there were other urgencies to worry about.

Such as the one time he'd scouted the new area they camped in- The walls crumbling for a second, Laszlo called over his comrade Nestor swiftly. Spotted with his weapon and excellent vision, it was nothing to lie about- A clone in the flesh, right then and there, walking alongside a group of knights, seemingly adjusted far better in this medieval world than they were. It was.. Absurd. Upsetting. Infuriating. Genuinely boiled to the core, Laszlo refused to let this individual walk- Even if he and Nestor entertained the idea of letting it go for one second- But no! Faldorn was there to think about! This urgency could help another on their plate!

Preparing over the next few weeks, Laszlo and Nestor ensured they knew as much as they could before attacking. Where he was, how he was, what he was, who he was with, the list could go on with the specifics. With the last bullet he'd orginally kept as a trophy, Laszlo reloaded his weapon for a final time and followed right after Nestor. Who knew that the metal keepsake would come in handy once more?

His comrade leaving the woods to casually impose the enemy, the sniper camouflaged behind in the comfort of the trees- There he was, the duplicate, the clone, the enemy- Right in his sights, aimed for a headshot- A small crack of a branch- Misaligned and a missed bullseye by the millisecond- No matter, he hit him still- Yelling loudly in their old language he'd saved that for him- Technically a lie- Quickly working his way out of his post- Hell broke loose, and Laszlo wasn't going to miss it.

Least to say, he was disappointed when Faldorn came running out of the woods, too, minutes later, screaming for everyone to stop. At least everyone got out of it alive, he supposed, but at no other gain or loss either- Except the agreement that the robots would leave Raptor and the knight squad he belonged to alone. Nestor naturally annoyed with another failure, Laszlo tried to be positive about a next time, although it was hard- The sniper felt the dents made by bricks for weeks after that.

More impactful, however, were the doom and gloom looming over both him and Nestor, as they kept pressing on with their existence on this wretched, medieval planet. The robots would eventually move from place to place, working as mercenaries, paying coin for their lodging. His last bullet spent, Laszlo turned to the bow for these situations- Although the robot would never become as skilled as he was with guns. Like his friend Nestor, Laszlo wasn't really sure why they were doing this- It was only a means of survival being stranded, gaining not much if anything.

It was admittedly a shitty life, but Laszlo couldn't let that thought loose to bring his allies down.

— END OF DAWN —

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Laszlo possibly cried tears of joy about a handful in his life. Two of those moments happened during the End Of Dawn events, when allies and enemies alike found themselves on a strange world anew, again. The sniper utilised his survival instincts yet again, though this time he'd helped Raptor and his knightly allies build a base. Laszlo was admittedly less against working together, as it was beneficial in uncertain circumstances like these- Nestor much less so, and Faldorn didn't have a care in the world as usual.

Out of left field then, appeared Ophiuchus once again, now going by as 4STR0N4UT. Accompanied alongside Raptor suddenly at base- As if she returned from a lengthy holiday, she was welcomed in the strange alliance without issues. Laszlo wept, Nestor wept, and Faldorn waved a friendly hi. From then on, the Quadrivials were together again, more or less, even if they'd all changed for better or worse. Fighting alongside the enemy against demons, was admittedly nice- A common goal to work towards, everything past forgotten about, it felt they were all a team- The sniper felt a similar comradeship forming as the events continued.

Laszlo and Nestor wept again, with their fourth ally joining in this time, as Faldorn's memories flooded back to him in the midst of battle. The Quadrivials from then on, were truly together again- Once the End Of Dawn was beaten by the mortals, they sat down and shared laughs again after years- Truly fully genuine, now with hope on the horizon and a real goal to work towards to. A space ship from then on available, provided by the fourth, the stars could be scoured for the true home their species had moved to. It'd take years, but for once, Laszlo could tolerate this wretched planet for a little longer, especially with his friends by his side again.

Witnessing his friends improve on themselves and heal their scars, Laszlo decided to do the same. The robot had always been mentally and physically fragile, which he didn't think would go away anytime soon if possible- Though with time, he could learn to be truly fully genuine, sharing his emotions and thoughts as they were, with the ones he cared about most- For they'd understand, that he knew, and it was high time for his self-constructed walls to be broken down completely. It'd only take so long for a facade to be so draining and tiring- His allies had proven the same, being there for one another- As rocks to lean on- As a solid squad to rely on- It was a familiar feeling Laszlo didn't want to deny anymore.