hadriel | 1st ❄ Video

[Onlookers are treated to the shaky camera work of none other than Haurchefant. There's a bit of jostling as he's attempting to figure out if it's working or not—technology is not his forte—but once the realization hits, he settles and the camera does as well.]

—Greetings, my friends!

[He seems pretty enthusiastic, which is a little strange considering where they are.]

I am Lord Haurchefant, however I realize that such a title holds little weight here.

Regardless, I come to you not as a lord, but as an equal, beseeching every last man and woman to hearken to me. We are but comrades suffering a similar fate, and as such we must come together.

[He gestures widely with his hands, a smile present on his features.]

We should foster camaraderie in a place so stricken with peril around every turn—we must find succor within the company of one another, and aid those who cannot aid themselves. Divided we will become nothing more than meager scraps for the fiends that skulk about in the shadows, mere marionettes for the will of these so-called gods; if we but can come together, and work in unity—we will be triumphant against such unfavorable odds.

What divine folly brought us here matters not, but what does is what we do together in this reprehensible situation we find ourselves in.

[With no small ounce of determination, he clenches his fist.]

I implore those who have combat prowess and skill to aid those who are not so fortunate, and for those who might yet hold interest in learning some modicum of self defense—I was a garrison commander from whence I hail, and to that end I am willing to teach those who are willing to learn.

We are all brothers and sisters suffering the same fate, and to that end we must assist one another, so that this burden does not crush us all beneath its arduous weight!

May Halone guide us all.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sheesh, it's only been a couple of days and we already have someone trying to unite a bunch of strangers. [ Get a load of this guy, seriously.

Despite the harsh remark, her tone is soft and her gaze elsewhere. It was as if she was looking at the screen, but beyond what the picture showed. ]

We gather and hope that increases our chances for survival. Is that it?

Would you rather one try to divide our numbers, then, my lady?

[He knows the answer to that, the question is purely rhetorical.]

To an end, yes.

We must first come together, ere we can work together to better our lives while we are trapped here. With a community, we can better bolster ourselves against what travails come our way.

[ No, she would rather stick to herself and not be concerned with how others were faring. That's the ideal way to live albeit a selfish way to. ]

Is that so? [ Fine, she'll have to throw a hypothetical spanner in the works. ]

What happens when the situation grows more grim and people are pushed to their limits? It's human nature to look out for yourself above all else.

[He's gonna just assume "human" is what they call hyurs where she's from, and not remark upon it.]

If such a dreaded scenario were to take hold, then, if our bonds of camaraderie were for naught, the obvious would come to pass: we would perish.

[He lets silence linger for a moment, his expression had shifted from the serene happiness, to something more dismal.

Only for a moment, before his exuberance pulls through again.]

But do not despair over such possibilities. While it is one that is most doubtlessly worth considering, worse has befallen men less fortunate. Common conflict forges bonds unbreakable!

I, for one, would welcome a brother or sister in arms to shield my flank, so that I could return such a favor in kind. There is ever strength in numbers and cooperation, far more than there is in division.

[ She wasn't planning on the despair part so there's no need to concern himself over that. Not that she will voice that out loud, choosing instead to listen to him speak about the possibility of everyone coming together. How hopeful-naive-he sounds when he speaks of flanking and not of murder. ]

What happens when that supposed brother in arms chooses to stab you in the back rather than defend you? Betrayal goes hand in hand with camaraderie.

[ What kind of weirdo thinks that? ] Numbers draw attention.

[He levels a somber look at her. Not that she has defeated his way of thinking, or anything of the sort, but he cannot help but feel somewhat sorry for her if she truly thinks as such.]

While betrayal is well within anyone's nature, the answer is not to separate yourself from everyone. As there are the wicked, there are yet the righteous. Those willing to give much and more for the betterment of their fellows, and the misdeeds of a few, does not revoke the heroics and good of the many.

[He lets out an even breath, almost a sigh, but not quite.]

I am no stranger to betrayal, my homeland has been at war for over a thousand summers, and within that time betrayal has left its sundering mark on mine own country. Even so, it was not dividing that has allowed us to survive this terrible war—and what isolating my country men have embraced has done a far bit more harm, than good.

[He pauses, realizing he's been blathering for quite a bit, and so he smiles and gives a dismissive sort of wave.]

But here I am babbling like an avalanche. However, I do have an inquiry, if you would be so kind?

[ Initially she believed herself to be the odd one with her way of thinking, but then he goes on about his world. A war-torn world caught in the horrors it brings for over a thousand years, yet he speaks of the righteous as the majority rather than the few.

What sort of commander over a garrison believes in the good of mankind over the wrong? ]

If you have something to ask, then out with it. You don't need to ask permission.

[ She doesn't mean to be rude, she's just so straight forward. ]

[This one here! A man who has every reason and justification to believe far more in the evil nature of men than the good, and yet doesn't. He's a strange one, even his own countrymen think as much.]

If you were to be in such a dismal situation that you were overwhelmed to the point of perishing, if such a stranger were to come to your aid, would you turn it away and embrace your grim and bloody fate?

Or would you put trust in this individual to aid you, as they claim they will, so that you might yet live against these odds?

[ She's died by her own hands once before though it wasn't her that died, it was another. Relying on others to help oppose her own mortality is something she's never had to think about before. ]

Man, that's a hell of a loaded question. [ Like a child, she blurts out with a whine when confronted with something she can't easily answer. ]

I can't decide that ahead of time. [ And to further defend herself, she adds: ] No one can.

Is this situation not much the same? We are brought here, against our will, left to the mercy of beasts and fiends some of which we have not likely seen before. Furthermore, at the mercy of gods.

'Tis true we are not in immediate danger, no, but there is that of looming death around every corner. Like the eyes of a predator, always watching, waiting to strike. A danger we all are facing, and as such, we are both in the postion of the one needing aid, as well as the one who can offer succor.

[His expression brightens, as he gestures widely.]

Should we not help those who are suffering, as if they were ourselves? Particularly when they are suffering as we ourselves are? Such solidarity breeds and inspires hope, and gives due comfort to those around us, and ourselves, than what we would afford facing such strife alone.

[He gives pause, before shrugging his shoulders.]

'Tis merely food for thought, my lady.

[ There's some truth to his words but Shiki's spent her entire life understanding the selfishness of man. A short life, as she's not yet twenty years of age and did spent a fair bit of time in a coma, but it was a life of bitterness nonetheless. ]

What you're suggesting... [ She murmurs as if she was considering the thought carefully. ] Is that it's best to have someone watching your back when you can't. It's almost as if you're practically throwing yourself in the way of harm talking like that.

[ Man, talking about this kind of stuff wasn't what she anticipated when she answered the call. It's the most she's said in conversation in months. ]

1st ❄ Video

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