Video; 25 or 6 to 4

[stealyoursoul]

[There's a face that hasn't been seen for a few months on the network. Still, it's hard to forget someone who has black smudges for eyes when viewed either on video or in a photograph. Leo looks very much the same as the last time he was here, although there's a weary air about him, like he's not been able to rest in quite some time.

He just gets straight to the point, not in the mood to beat around the bush.]

So, what did I miss?

Comments

[stealyoursoul]

Hope was still missing. I had to eat Curufin's soul or I would've lost control.

[So yeah, it's been quite a bit of time. He also doesn't know that Curufin didn't come back to life after he'd killed him.]

[pocketspa]

Shit, you missed like, a whole ass planet.

[He kinda twirls his wrist as he tries to think of the important parts of what he was out.]

Uhhh, liches found their way back bit by bit, except the Null found Tranquility first. Delight's like ultra dead now in getting him back, aaaand the planet was actually full of squid things that tried to kill us. We might still have some? Ask around.

[Well that was maybe a quarter helpful.]

[stealyoursoul]

[Well, that was only about 57% helpful in understanding what had been going on, but A for effort, Taako. Leo seems rather nonplussed about the whole thing.]

You know, it says something in that what was going on here was only half as weird as what was going on at home for me.

[pocketspa]

That just kinda sounds like what happens to you.

[If anything that Taako remembers about what was happening with his whole thing is still going on, that is. Something something soul vore something something sinners. It's kind of a mess in there.]

Look, what's up is we're about to like, murder all the Null once and for all, so you kinda t-posed and clipped through the floor right to the end, seems like.

[stealyoursoul]

Oh trust me, things managed to get even weirder then last time. I'll tell you about them if you're inclined to hear.

[Leo seems none too surprised to find out he's arrived in time for another fight. Really, when he got right down to it, that's what his entire life had always been made up of, just one unending fight.]

Perfect. Finally I can murder without judgment.

[pocketspa]

[Okay, that makes him laugh.]

Of course, that'd be your priorities. Let us do aaaaaall the legwork and you just show up like a spinning blade of bullshit.

[He'll be good to have on hand though. Anything at this point is a boon.]

Do they have souls you can rip out anyway? Were you here last time?

[stealyoursoul]

Exactly. Why bother with behaving myself when I'm eventually needed to do the dirty work anyway?

[Now he's sounding a bit more like the arrogant monster who had been here last time. At the question of the Null, he shrugs.]

I don't know. From what I heard they're like living robots, right? So I don't know where that qualifies them on the scale of creatures with souls. Guess we'll just have to see and find out.

[pocketspa]

[Well, some things never change. Some things are murder. Bygones, bygones.]

You should try and let me know. If we can like, possess souls and shit, it sounds like it could go really wild. Good info to have, even if we're in the uh, in the whole thick of it.

[stealyoursoul]

I will, providing I get more then a moment's notice. At least if these things can die I'll be able to do some damage to them.

[He's never met something yet his demonic fire and smoke form can't hurt even a little bit. Even The Visitor here, which was more like an astral projection then anything else, had taken damage from him.]

[pocketspa]

I mean they can deffo die, if you like, believe machines have consciousness or whatever. You can shut them off, so.

[But that sounds like a philosophical debate that he doesn't actually know anything about.]

Can't you just like, rip 'em to pieces anyway? You can't just have the soul trick.

[stealyoursoul]

Oh, I can totally do that.

[He rubs at the crosses that run up his arm and disappear under his shirt sleeve to where they continue on across his chest and back in an unconscious manner.]

It's been a long time since I went dark on purpose.

[Taako's never been around to see Leo turn into the devil monster form that lurks beneath the surface.]

[pocketspa]

Go dark. Man, you sound like such a goth. Or I dunno, some kind of 12 year old with a fantasy Livejournal. Are you gonna just leap into a rage and go absolutely feral?

[Sorry, Leo, this is probably a very serious thing! Too bad Taako has the emotional processing capability of a corn chip!]

[stealyoursoul]

I didn't come up with the name! [That would be his sister...she was kind of weird like that.] It involves burning away the outer human-looking part to reveal the monster made of fire and smoke beneath, so yeah, it's kind of intense. And yes, feral is a good way to describe it.

[He's not telling you anything anymore Taako. You are The Worst.]

[pocketspa]

Wow yeah that's like, ultra goth. Dude, I have to see that at some point, please give me a ring before you just absolutely lose your shit next time.

[He will take that trophy with pride, thanks.]

For now though you might as well just hang. Not much to do until we start knocking heads, unless you wanna get the lay of the land or whatever.

[stealyoursoul]

Be careful what you wish for. I might end up eating your soul in the process.

[Taako, will you ever learn the value of common sense? Ultra-raging soul-eating monsters are not good things to be entertained by!]

I think I'll just sit in my house and learn the chords to every Beatles song ever created instead.

[pocketspa]

[He's very good at staying alive, thank you very much. He's only died like twenty something times, and most people on the mission he was on had numbers in the fourties or higher. That's a much better ratio.]

Pssssh, you wouldn't dare. And if you did I'd kill you. Pretty simple, I'd say. I think you've got a good enough want to live to like, not.

[Just said so casually. Sorry Leo, until you know him 50+ years he'll prioritize Not Dying.]

[stealyoursoul]

Hard to threaten someone with death when it's already happened once. It didn't feel so scary last time.

[Is this how one interacts with friends? Leo's never had too many so he's not sure how this whole deal is supposed to go.]

[pocketspa]

[By constantly one-upping each other in increasingly terrible ways? Yeah, basically. That's Taako's idea of friendship anyway, chuckling in response.]

You are like a little baby, call me back when your count's in the 20s and we can compare.

[He knows that isn't like... an accomplishment, strictly, but. It's fine. Come to think of it, he's going to have to update that count fairly soon, because he just recently went down for the first time here in the city. Whoops! Oops! Oopsy! Sometimes, things!]

Go on, get your bearings together, this place isn't big. I'll find you soon.