2nd Battle | UN: Childe / Video

[monoceroscaeli]

[His transmission is short. He sits at home, holding his Omni up in front of him while his fox omen sits in his lap, curled up. Possibly one of the few times it wasn't causing all sorts of chaos.]

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I figured there would be at least a handful of you who would like to know.

[He pauses for only a moment.]

If you knew Manabu Yuuki, he was killed. I imagine he won't be back for at least a few weeks or so. His corruption had gotten the better of him, so I made sure his death was quick and painless.

Comments

video; un:mako

[arclightning]

[ It takes Mako a long, long time to even turn on the video and respond to this.

It shouldn't be surprising. It isn't even the first time: he knows Manabu died back in Deerington, and he knows that he wasn't doing well when Mako saw him recently, but—

This still sucks, and Mako's face is pale and set when he turns the feed on to ask an important question. ]

Where is he?

[monoceroscaeli]

He's here. I've iced his body to preserve it the best I can for his return.

[He's never had to do this before. He hopes that it's enough.]

[arclightning]

Good. Let me know if anything weird happens. What—

[ Spirits, this is hard. There's nothing Mako can do, and that's always been the toughest thing. Yes, Manabu will probably be back, but Mako should've been able to—

Fix it. Somehow. Talk to him. ]

There wasn't a way to bring him back from it, huh?

cw: body horror

[monoceroscaeli]

[He sighs, recounting the events of the battle that had happened.]

The creature...the shadow that's been following many people around these past few weeks...it had fused into him. I don't think there was any way of removing it. I had to cut it out of his skin after he died.

[He doesn't go into detail. The tendrils gripping his neck and his wrists, using him as a puppet. The dislocated arms. It was something he imagined would come right out of the Abyss itself.]

[arclightning]

[ Mako lets out a little curse, glancing away at something off the screen with his jaw tight. ]

So whatever was happening had been happening for a while, then. That's... alright. That... can't have been easy. You doing alright?

[Video] un: Alberich

[unmelting]

[Now, Kaeya has not met this Manabu yet, but that doesn't stop him from showing up on video here. After all, he has met Childe, and Diluc has told him of another mercy killing that Childe had stepped up to in the place they were before this.

So. He can't help but being curious.]

That does seem to be a common hazard as of late, here.

[Curious, and maybe just maybe, concerned.] Are you all right? Being the bringer of death does have that tendency of being heavy at times, even when it was necessary.

[monoceroscaeli]

You could say battle is something I've grown accustomed to. It's not the first time I've slayed a powerful foe, though the kind of enemy this time was certainly a first.

[He's still processing his own feelings on the matter. Was he okay? Yes, but this kind of kill was different this time. He couldn't express it to Mako even if he tried.]

It's easier knowing that he will eventually return to us. I appreciate you asking.

[monoceroscaeli]

I assure you that I'm quite alright. It's hardly the first enemy I've struck down.

[He is, but he's not. It's a lie, but it's easy to tell it without breaking the facade.]

I do appreciate the concern though.

[arclightning]

Easier, sure, but even if you're used to it—

[ Mako's bad with words, is the thing. He can't express, really, what he means: that he's done the same thing, killed someone out of necessity and watched the life drain from them. He doesn't regret doing it, and he would've done the same thing given another chance, to save Korra, but...

It's hard. And Mako's never taken the life of a friend, or someone he was trying to help. It feels like a useless platitude to tell Childe that Manabu would've wanted him to do it, or that he did the right thing. If Childe wanted to talk about his feelings, he would have said so: Mako knows that posting something as clinical as this can be a calculated move.

So he nods, careful, trying to ignore the press of worry and sadness and baseless, useless anger. ]

When he... does the squid thing, let me know.

video | un: spcschnee

[winter_bestowed]

That is regrettable to hear. Do you know what lead him to become corrupted to such a level?

[monoceroscaeli]

Of course.

[He double checks the username on this guy- Mako. The name instantly rings a bell.]

If memory serves me, you must be that friend Wu has mentioned. If I'm unable to contact you, I'll make sure Wu can let you know as well.

[monoceroscaeli]

I imagine it was the same thing that almost consumed me. I'm sure you are familiar with the corpse-like beings that followed others around?

[winter_bestowed]

Yes, I've seen several and stopped a few when they became hostile.

[unmelting]

No, I'd imagine not. But I imagine this one didn't exactly start as an enemy.

[A thoughtful hum and the shrug of a shoulder.]

Just remember that. I'm a conscientious and excellent friend.

[He even says this with a straight face.]

[monoceroscaeli]

Imagine if one took over the body of the person it was feeding off of.

[He closes his eyes. That image isn't going to leave anytime soon.]

Molded onto them. That is the unfortunate truth of Manabu's demise.

[monoceroscaeli]

I'd say you are excellent at pointing out the obvious.

[But Kaeya is right. He certainly hadn't started as an enemy- they'd been though a lot together, ever since arriving in Deerington.]

[unmelting]

I'm a man of many talents.

[No lying there. Not all of them are good talents, but he has many.]

Well, regardless if you feel like company, it seems an important thing here lately... [Like, super important, if one doesn't want to be consumed and corrupted by the actual embodied spirit of loneliness following them around.] ...and I prefer not drinking alone.

[winter_bestowed]

I've seen something similar before. I'll be sure to update other hunters and have there be a more thorough eye kept out for these things.

I'm sorry for your loss, should need assistance in the future please do not hesitate to contact me.

video

[ghostharasser]

[He can't say that he's met Manabu, but he's seen the name around. He does know Childe, though, and the heavy implications of this post definitely leave him feeling a little unsettled.]

[Still, there are questions to be had.]

Hey, if you're up for talking about it, what exactly happened? How did the "corruption" get the better of him?

[monoceroscaeli]

Ha, you're not afraid either of us would succumb to loneliness, do you?

[It's sort of rhetorical- Childe almost did, but he seems to of had the curse lifted from him. He's not sure if Kaeya has had the same unfortunate experience.]

Though, a drink doesn't sound all that bad right about now.

[monoceroscaeli]

I'd be more than happy to, but I didn't quite catch your name.

[unmelting]

It does sound unlikely, given how charming and approachable we both are, I agree.

[He nearly lost to it as well, if not for Flynn's intervention, so as per usual Kaeya is full of bullshit.]

Ha. Good. Then you should let me treat you, to repay the favor when I first arrived.

[monoceroscaeli]

[He takes a deep breath, mostly for himself. It's still a fresh memory, and despite killing countless monsters in the past, this one hit a lot differently for very obvious reasons.]

He'd stalked me as I walked through town. When I turned, I found a monstrosity- the curse that had been laid down upon Trench had fused with his body. It was an unsettling sight, to be sure.

[ghostharasser]

[Dipper swallows. His blood had given him the sight to see some of these strange specters following people around. None of them had fused to the person, though.]

Yeah, I bet. It sounds like ...it was a pretty awful thing to have to do. I'm sorry, man.

[A pause, thoughtful.]

I've seen those weird ...entities following people around, but when I see them the people in question are usually alone. I wonder...

video; un: naruhodo

[convene]

He's dead?!

[He just talked to him - was there something he missed? Something he didn't see? It was days ago now but still, maybe he could have helped.]

You had to kill him -- what became of him that you needed to do something so drastic?

[How is murder justified in this case? What does it mean that his corruption got the better of him? Sorry he's new to all of this, but he needs to wrap his head around it.]