hadriel | ✘ Round 7

[Glacius is keeping up with his usual tradition of only posting to the network when something important or noteworthy has transpired. It doesn't help that he doesn't have quite as much to do as usual, given the circumstances that have him stuck inside his apartment for hours at a time, so utilizing the network actually feels like on of the more productive ways he could be spending his time... how odd.] Hello. How are you all finding our change of scenery? For me, it is... quite disagreeable. This scorching heat makes it very difficult for me to get out as much as I would like. [As much as he needs to, honestly. Even though the circuits woven into his flesh allow him to weather this alien planet's temperatures for brief to moderate chunks of time, he's not a creature that does well cooped up for any duration. It was bad enough when he felt confined to the caves; now this...

... but he cannot dwell on that. The point of making this post was to distract himself, to find ways to stay relevant and useful despite the obstacles in his way. He clears his throat quietly and then carries on.] Nonetheless, I am still doing what I can, using snatches of time in the suns and the brief darkness that falls over the land to hunt monsters and accrue supplies for those that may need it. [So his close friends that have received offerings or supplies at their places of business or residence as if overnight can probably now figure out just where, or more accurately, who they came from if they hadn't surmised as much already. As usual, Glacius isn't going to put himself in the spotlight by outright taking credit for it.] If you would like to help me, you can keep me apprised of any reconstruction efforts in the wake of the Null's attacks. If you leave instructions by any damaged areas or specific structures, I will follow them and use that time to aid in the rebuilding. After all we have been through, it is... good for me to find ways to be of use.

I suppose that is everything. Just remember... for anyone else who may be struggling right now... it is adversity that builds strength. We may have lost much, but at the same time there are still things to be grateful for, and... if we remember that, we can endure. [He could say more on that, but the last thing he wants to do is come off as preachy, especially when he's still convinced that most humans would be more likely to find it presumptuous for someone as different as him to be speaking on such things. So he cuts it there and hopes he'll get some more direction; after seeing so much suffering in so many different capacities these past weeks he just really, really wants to be able to help.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I think we're all finding it too hot. I hunt sometimes too. I don't recognize your voice. I'm Abigail.

[She pauses.]

Will's back. That's something to be grateful for.

[Glacius lets out the slightest, barest chuckle--he doesn't doubt that she hurts, but he doesn't know if it's quite the same.] My name is Glacius. We probably have not spoken before; socializing is not... exactly something I do often, nor is posting to this network.

But I am glad to hear one someone close to you has returned. Having those that we care for, and who care for us in turn, make this place more bearable. This is something I have learned quite well over the past couple of months. [The ice alien pauses, about to leave it at that, but... he really could learn to talk to people a bit better, couldn't he? He can at least make the effort if people are going out of their way to sympathize with him.]

Would you... like to tell me about him?

[There both hunting monsters, instead of hunting in a way that makes them monsters, and that's enough of a similarity for Abigail. Though it would be easier for her to hunt if she had her rife and other hunting gear with her.] Nice to meet you.

It does make it bearable. I'm hoping Hannibal will come back too.

[She pauses a moment, wondering what she can say about Will that she knows is true, rather than what Hannibal had her believe.]

Will's one of the good guys. He's saved my life more than once.

I do not know either of them. [And though he's not sure if he's sold on the label of "good guy" just because this person he's never talked to before is saying they are such, he can at least make note of it.] But I believe you have reason to call him such, and if he works hard to help others, then I am inclined to agree. I am glad that you have good people who are willing to help you.

I'm glad for that too. Do you have anyone helping you?

Yes, I do. A small handful of people, some of them departed, some of them that have gone and returned, and some of them that have always been here. And one of the latter, in particular, has been my saving grace. I am thankful every day for the understanding and compassion that he shows me.

Some of them are departed? Then you think people who are gone, aren't completely gone? That they keep on influencing us.

[A pause, as she tries not to make it seem like that's the only part she heard.]

I'm thankful for what this place and the people have shown me too.

Yes, that much is undeniable I think. We carry their memories with us, and it shapes how we think and how we act. Though they might be gone from this place, the part of themselves that they gave to us cannot be erased.

It's nice to hear someone else put it so succinctly, though. Tell me--what sort of things have you been shown?

I think so too. I'd like to think that I have something of my friend Marissa, and my Mom, and Hannibal, with me.

[She pauses. She wonders about having the bad too - that she might be carrying some part of her dad with her.]

I've been shown that people are willing to help me even if they don't know me. hat people are willing to be my friends and even family. And that I'm not a monster. I don't have to be defined by my past or scared all the time.

[Now it's Glacius' turn to pause, for that last bit hits a bit too close to home for him. Before Hadriel, back when he was trying to achieve his mission on earth, he'd all but resigned himself to being viewed as a monster by humanity. They were wary of him at best and downright hateful or violent towards him at worst, to the point where a large group of them had wrongly imprisoned and tortured him. He managed to escape before too long, but it had taken the peaceful alien quite some time here, in this cave full of open-minded people who were more willing to accept him despite how different he was, to let his past be just that.

Sometimes he doesn't always manage it-- he'll probably always been wary of humans, the price to pay of what they put him through-- but... things are getting better. Of course, a lot of that is too personal yet for him to explain to someone he's just met, but his tone is notably understanding when he speaks next.] Yes, the past can be hard to let go of, especially when it was colored by misunderstanding and fear. Thankfully the people here are... generally less ready to resort to that. I understand what it is like to be tormented by your past and the perceptions of beings from it... but my own woes have been eased by the same qualities of those here that you have experienced. Those who treat us like friends, or family. It is... one good thing about being here, no?

The past is always with us. We can't really escape it. But yes, it is good to be here with people who can treat us like friends and family despite it.

✘ Round 7 | [Audio]

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