dear_mun | Voicetesting one (1) tiny bastard

Czes!

How ya been, buddy?

We haven't seen you in ages!

[Czes blinks in brief surprise. It hasn't been nearly so long for him, but given these two, he supposes ages could mean anything.]

Isaac-san. Miria-san. I'm glad to see you.

[Oh, that adorable little buddy of theirs. He deserves a bear hug.

Which they promptly wrap him in.

It's good to see you too, Czes! Such a brave trooper, all on his own!

So brave!

But don't worry! Maiza, Firo, and Ennis are a-okay!

There's no need to worry at all!

[Czes' eyes widen as their arms close around him. It takes him a moment to find his voice.]

I-- you... the two of you know Maiza?

[[Canon point's right before the train arrives; sorry if it's confusing!]]

Of course! He's a good friend of ours!

Not to mention Firo and Ennis and both the Martillos AND the Gandors! But you knew that Czes!

[[No confusion at all! Just Isaac and Miria being oblivious as usual.]]

Then the Runoratas...

[It might be for the best his explosives seem to have been pilfered. Hard enough to deal with Maiza with these two in the way... and he has to eat Maiza when the train arrives; he has to. A shaky breath, and Czes finds himself shaking his head.]

Sorry.

[[<3! And I think you mean "being awesome".]]

Sorry for what?

Are you feeling alright, Czes?

[[XD]]

I...

Yes. It's nothing.

[Attempted smile is go.]

Great! Then it's our job to give you the grand tour of this strange place full of mystery!

[Miria's eyes widen.] Mystery?!

Of course! This whole place has plenty to explore!

Like the games!

Exactly, Miria!

[Their attention rapidly shifts back to Czes.] Are you looking for a game?

I... ah... [Enthusiasm, wat do. Czes blinks, taken aback, before shaking his head.]

No. But I don't think that will change things.

Oh, that's a shame! Because they're plenty of games out there!

Like

gargleblasted is in space! With guides for hitchhikers!

And

high_seas has pirates! And treasure! And it's young! Like you!

[He steps back to make a triumphant pose.]

But Miria and I are on a grand adventure of our own!

To get back our stolen memories from aliens!

[That's... not how that game wo-

They immediately lean in closer to Czes.]

And once we have our memories we can fight the aliens and. [Dramatic pause...]

savetheearth.

[Take a bow.]

[An unwilling smile twitches up partway at the litany. ~~Angstbucket or no,~~ it's hard to resist the force of nature that is Isaac and Miria.]

I didn't know it needed to be saved.

oh...

[Watching the kid sadly.]

You're looking for people too?

[Older stranger? Manipulation powers Activate~! ~~Too low on san points for the wings to register straight off.~~]

Th-- that's right, miss!

I was going to New York to find my... to find a friend. [Eyes wide, expression childlike, though there's a stutter at the almost-lie. (Not that friend is any truer. ~~He thinks.~~)]

Now the mun-lady is talking about taking me somewhere far away. It's scary! Can you help me, miss?

[That makes her frown and shake her head. The halo floating above her waving with the motion. ~~By the way, there's a halo too.~~.]

I'm so sorry for you. I don't think I can do anything to help.

Maybe your friend will be there?

Maybe, miss.

[Another useless person. Czes is about ready to dismiss her as such when... well... something ripples above her head, and something twitches behind her, and those pieces that hadn't quite matched click into place.

Wings. Halo. Not human. Czes doesn't have much hope for gods or angels... but he's had a recent refresher course in the fact that monsters can be very, very real. Eyes widen with just a little too much fear for the confused child persona he's projecting.]

You... what are you?

Wha... [She looks behind her at whatever the kid was looking at. Then she remembers that not everyone here knows.]

Oh yeah, I'm a Haibane. [Rakka spins around, giving Czes a view of her back while she flaps her wings.]

My name's Rakka.

My name is Thomas.

[He can lie about his name... so not an Immortal. Good.]

Hai-ba-ne. Is that an angel? You look like an angel, miss Rakka.

Well... I'm not sure if I'm an angel, seeing as I've never heard of those.

But I guess since everyone calls me that, I am an angel.

Wow! You must be really amazing, miss Rakka!

[Aaand, intel-gathering.]

Are there more angels like you here?

Heh, I'm not really that amazing.

Yeah, there's others like me. Like Reki, Kuu, Kana. I think there were others... but they're not a round anymore.

Not around?

What happened, miss?

Well...

I'm not sure. After some time, the day of flight appears to a Haibane and they... they disappear.

[And she's really sad about that.]

Edited 2013-09-13 04:40 (UTC)

[Disappear. Not entirely reassuring, but it does mean there's a way to remove them if needed.]

That must be really sad for you, miss Rakka. Were they your friends?

Eh? Didn't I shoot you?

[Oh. You.]

You tried.

You'll have more time for games after you find your friends, right? You don't have to necessarily rush into these things.

[A scowl.] Tell her that.

...

And they're not my friends.

Muns aren't always the best at listening when you tell them you don't want to be part of something. Mine's especially bad at that. But with any luck, maybe it'll be a nice game?

...Oh, are they just acquaintances then?

I don't want to play games. I'm not— [He catches himself.] I don't want to.

[...Acquaintance. It's the wrong word for Maiza. But if there's a better one, Czes isn't willing to look for it now.]

Yes.

[What an odd reaction. She wonders if she's offended him, but she doesn't want to upset him further by asking. So she'll try to be comforting instead.]

All right, that's fine. You shouldn't have to play games if you don't want to.

[A snort. Normally Czes would play along, but recent events have put him a good bit off his usual game.]

Wanting never makes a difference.

And why do you care?

Why wouldn't I care? You seemed like you were upset...

I don't know why you need to go associating with Maiza. Aren't things bad enough without you meeting up with the Camorra too?

Complain to him if you object. He messaged me.

[The words are dismissive enough (if not particularly childlike), but there's a visible wariness in the distance Czes maintains. Not trusting you, Victor. ~~Or anyone, but shhh, totally not paranoid here.~~]

What is Maiza thinking? Dragging someone like you along with him in this mess? I guess with Szilard gone he thinks everything’s fucking safe, right? Oh, yeah, sorry for cursing Czes. Just I don't know what the hell is going on in that god damn head of his! Maybe after hiding out for so long some asshole got it into their noggin that "maybe Szilard was the smart one." Maybe they'll feel a lot safer pick off the rest because of Szilard being dead.

[Oh god, remember to catch your breath. Victor barely sucks in a breath before rolling along with his rant.]

Damn, I don't mean to scare you Czes. I'm just so fucking frustrated with this whole mobster nonsense everyone seems to want to be a part of. What good are any of you guys going to do running around playing criminals? Ain't Huey enough for my nerves? I could have a fucking stroke over this. It wouldn't kill me but you'd bet I wouldn't be happy.

[There's a quirk in Czes' expression at the apology, but he controls it with long practice. It's better if Victor still thinks of him as a child. After all, Victor's right about one thing. Szilard's death did make it safe for someone to come out of hiding. Someone targeting the other immortals, someone who'd been planning this for a very long time, someone who had an advantage Szilard never could have.

Victor's not the only one who's underestimated the "child" from that ship.

But then Rail Tracer broke him, and Isaac and Miria protected what was left, and for the first time in centuries, Czeslaw Meyer's less than certain of his goals. Fists clench at each side, a fractional tremor down the right arm. Is this a warning? Does Victor know? No, if the other immortal knew, Czes has no doubts whatsoever Victor would eat him first. They all would.]

I'm not scared.

[Such a lie, especially now. Topic change, go.]

I-- I thought Huey was in prison.

Yeah, you're probably heading towards the safest bastard out there. If you get into trouble though, call me. I'm going to have to clean up after you anyways, so you might as well give me a heads up.

[Victor has already put himself as the default custodian of keeping this whole immortality thing from being a real hassle for himself, the others, and the world.
And he’s failing miserably.]

I don't think Maiza could ever go the way Szilard went. He's always been a crook but never that bad. Huey though... Yeah, Huey's still in prison. That asshole still keeps getting information to his agents out in the world though. I have him right where I want him and it seems more like I have him right where he wants to be. I could stop him for good, but I'm not going to end up like that geezer. Just eating people because you can. Shit. There I go again, talking about scary stuff.

He's gone now. I'm keeping an eye out for others like him and if I find one I'll lock them up, so don't you worry.

[Another flinch, not quite as well hidden. If Victor doesn't know what Czes was planning, he's managing to hit an awful lot of nerves through sheer coincidence. And if he does...]

What if Huey does get out? You'd go after him then?

[And eat him, because any of them would. They're all just waiting for a reason, and they'll turn out to be just like Szilard. Or Fermet.

Or Czes.]

[Well, this is the first time he had to consider that others might come out and start eating people now that Szilard is down. Before it was just everyone hiding and keeping to themselves. Maiza seems to want to talk to them all, though.]

Of course I'd go after that bastard. I'll chase him wherever he goes and lock him up again. Imagine if he got caught up with someone else? He'd talk his way up to their boss, maybe visit them in their bedroom and convince them that his crazy, shitty plans are worth listening to.

...

[It's a lie. It has to be. Or maybe Victor really is that naive. Czes can't bring himself to linger on the alternative: that he's the one who's so very different from the rest.]

...you won't get anywhere like that.

[Muttered in quiet frustration. Czes shakes his head, and if a certain Smile Junkie were around to see, the smile that comes next would definitely be labeled forced.]

Good luck with him.

[He was too busy dwelling on Huey's history of smoozing his way into people's good graces to catch Czes scoffing at his ideals. Victor is all too human to even consider stepping over the line and actually eating someone. He may be an abrasive idiot, but he lives by his laws. Even if those laws evolve and vary in importance.

He hears Czes offer that false support, believing it true, and it only makes him feel guilty.]

Shit. Thanks Czes. You shouldn't have to worry about this stuff. I figure you must have been on your own for a bit, but I still can't see you as anything other than a kid.

Just, if that bastard Maiza gets you caught up in some criminal activity, you can come running back to me and I'll fix it. Got it?

[Victor almost outright assumes that Szilard got Fermet.]

[Plenty of guilt to go around, and for a moment, Czes' expression wavers. But in the end, he nods with a noise of assent, and the cheerful mask is solidly replaced when he looks up.

However things go with Maiza, he knows he won't come to Victor out of any need for help.]

I'll remember. Thanks!

Voicetesting one (1) tiny bastard

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Your journal name is amazing, by the way.

thank you!

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/laughs out loud. That rant is beautiful.

^.^

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