oo1. VIDEO (cw animal death)

[oversear]

[ The video starts too close to Armand's face, blurring the image, making his stark white skin appear to be glowing with the poor lightening. He seems to be somewhere very dark with a lone candle burning. The seconds tick by as he plays with his own image in the frame. Eventually he finds the proper distance to hold his camera. He breaks his silence with a very soft voice. ]

My impression was that I had landed in Hell but now there is an atmosphere of a child's fantasy. There are monsters yet candy rains from the taps and there is light pouring in from inside the cave. I cannot make sense of it.

[ He stops speaking for a moment to think this statement over. ]

I come to this strange community with a request. These animals that have appeared. Rabbits and kittens and such. I would like to welcome them into my home. If someone could deliver them to me I would find a way to repay you. I have fallen ill and unable to leave myself.

[ Not with the chance of encountering odd hours of daylight. He can hardly believe he's using such simpleton tactics to obtain blood. ]

I'm afraid that is all I can say at the moment. My thanks in advance.

Comments

[Video]

[thechoiceisyours]

[Chris offers a small smile in greeting, sympathetic to how weird this place is to new arrivals. Showing up here and being sick--or getting sick soon after arriving--must be even worse on top of that, so...]

I uh, I'm not too great with animals except this deer that keeps following me around, but maybe I can help anyway? It might sound crazy if you're like, pretty new here, but I've got this healing power that I think works on illnesses too.

[So maybe he can help in that respect, and this new person can go out and enjoy the... Kind of ridiculous cheer instead of being stuck inside.]

video

[oversear]

[ Armand is still painfully new to the concept of other worlds, other creatures, other abilities. It hadn't even occurred to him that someone might possess the ability to heal. Perhaps illness was a rather lazy excuse but he was never one for imagination and dreaming up an excuse as to why he wasn't able to walk about in the sun.

His face is serene as he thinks over his options. He ignores the part about the deer. He knows that there is no place to hide if this person desires to start a man hunt against him once he figures out he is speaking to someone who is undead. ]

How did you come across these powers? Were you gifted them or simply born? My illness is terrible and may not be remedied easily.

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[thechoiceisyours]

This is gonna sound even crazier, but I uh... Was given them by one of the gods here. It's just temporary, but he said he can heal pretty much everything but death.

[And it's only temporary so Chris wants to put the power to good use, although a small part of him is also just really curious to try it out.]

video

[oversear]

Ah, the gods. Then you are a follower.

[ Armand spent most of his mortal life a devout Christian. The concept of real live pagan gods is strange and off putting. But it sounds like they have no mastery over death. Perhaps not so all powerful.

He's mouth stays a straight line as he considers whether he needs blood that badly. He has never had to go without since he was first made. It was probably a good idea to keep up his strength, to not become too weak. ]

You should come. With the deer.

[video]

[tongueamok]

[Well, it seems like the video is on, though wherever Carlisle is sitting must be pitch black. He keeps his voice low, but audible.]

You... want the pests in your home.

[Said with all the incredulousness he possibly has.]

[video]

[oversear]

Are they pests? It seems to be that most people enjoy a pet's company.

[video]

[tongueamok]

A pet, yes. I suppose. A kitten might pass for that, but rabbits are absolutely pests, especially to any with a garden.

[There's a loud, snort on Carlisle's end -- heavy, bestial. He drops his voice to barely above a whisper.]

Some of us are currently plagued by worse.

[video]

[oversear]

[ A small laugh. He finds the idea of anyone tending to a garden in such conditions to be ridiculous. ]

Such as? There are rainbows and sweets. It seems the gods are trying their hardest to rid us of all pain.

( video )

[oversear]

I'm a lover of animals. Better here in my home than in the jaws of a beast.

( video )

[oversear]

[ He raises his eyebrows. He wasn't expecting this creature to be so resistant. Perhaps it felt kinship, it looked bestial after all. ]

On the web of our mobile phones there have been videos expressing such sentiments. I do not mind the burden of keeping them safe.

[ He's a little annoyed and decides to throw the last bit in to be a little shit. ]

You are most welcome as well.

[foundafamily]

Sorry, kid, but that's the kinda thing you've gotta do yourself.

[It's not like he needs pets anyway, right?]

Anyway, if you're sick, shouldn't you be worried about medicine?

[oversear]

[ Only a few people have ever called Armand 'kid' and it never fails to amuse him. He smiles in response. ]

I'm afraid my malady is the type that no medicine can remedy. It's rather serious. I would like to suffer with company I find most pleasant.

[foundafamily]

Seriously?

[That's something that he's pretty familiar with; plenty of people fell ill in his childhood neighborhood, and he can't remember many who had something curable or could afford the medicine if it was. He's a little more sympathetic to this, in that case.]

What's wrong with you?

[oversear]

[ Damn, he just had to go and ask. Armand lets his tongue moisten his lips as he thinks over every serious epidemic he has seen befall the human world. What would be convincing. ]

The spanish flu. I am not fit to be among people.

[ Video ]

[anthropophagite]

Uhm, why do you want them? It'll be difficult to take care of all of them, eventually.

[ Video ]

[oversear]

[ Good point. But he sounds sincere, his face open and seemingly honest when he answers. ]

I'm a lover of animals. I would hate to see someone neglect them. They will be safe with me. The burden of caring for them will be nothing compared to the pleasure I will receive making sure they are cared for.

[ All lies, but who's keeping track. ]

[ Video ]

[anthropophagite]

I'm sure a lot of people won't find them a burden. [ he smiles a little ] It's kind of you, though, to be willing to take care of them. [ but your house will probably become a zoo in no time.

In any case - ]

Ah, you said you were ill. There is a clinic, if you need help.

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[skelebro]

[An honest-to-god skeleton doesn't seem to mind the guy's unearthly pallor, mostly because it takes a lot to be paler than someone who's literally made of bones.]

Trust me, it ain't usually like this.

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[oversear]

[ Having lived in a cemetery for centuries Armand is well accustomed to skeletons. Just not live, moving ones. Ones that talked. He stares, trying to make sense of what he's seeing. It's just not computing.

He entirely ignores Sans comment. ]

You move. But how? Are you one of the monsters that haunts these caves?

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[skelebro]

If I had a G for every time I heard that one.

[He should really just slap a post-it note that reads "note: not hostile" on his forehead. But then that kid might sue him for false advertising. And they'd win, too. They're goddamned relentless about pretty much everything.]

I'm not really from around here, if you catch my drift.

video.

[truthvalue]

[Oh dear. Souji appears quite concerned when he answers.]

We do have a doctor here. I could ask him to pay you a visit if you tell me where you are.

video.

[oversear]

[ This is the last thing he wants. But then again it could be a blessing in disguise. ]

Is the doctor a noble man? Is he trustworthy?

video.

[truthvalue]

[Well ... those are sort of strange questions. Souji blinks, puzzled, then nods.]

I guess so. He's a doctor.