exsilium | [Video] Monster Warning

[Kousuke appears on the screen, covered in dust and sweat and blood. If you look closely, you can see the trails his tears have left in it. But he gives a wan smile anyway. Anyone who's seen his real smile could tell what a pale imitation this one is.]

Uh... Hey, hey everybody. I'm Kousuke Nitoh. I, uh. I'm calling you on my way back from the outskirts of town. I gotta tell you something important...

[He sighs heavily, leaning up against the wall of a half-ruined building.]

There's a monster in town, a Phantom. It, uh, well, the easiest way for me to explain it is that it... killed Haruto.

[He looks immediately despondent, having said those words. He quietly repeats it.]

Haruto's dead. The Phantom stole his body, and it's walking around lookin' like him. So if you see him, don't talk to him. Phantoms usually don't kill people, other than the ones they're inside... But he'll try to feed off your despair.

[He starts walking again, looking around awkwardly.]

It's my responsibility to kill him. I gotta do this. But if anyone could help me keep people back while I fight him, or like... Just help me out. I have to deal the final blow, though. My life kind of depends on it.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

But you care about him. His existence means something to you enough for you to save his life and wish for him to continue to be in yours.

Look, I understand perfectly. That feeling's extremely natural to my kind.

[Saying all this with a straight face and crossed arms. Gosh, why are you getting to worked up?]

Yeah! Yeah but that doesn't mean I wanna-

[He shifts his gaze around, his shoulders riding up awkwardly. He does wanna, actually, but this is not the time to be thinking about it. It makes his chest hurt to think about it, actually. He grimaces.]

Look, for humans, just cos you really care about somebody and don't want 'em to be dead, doesn't mean you want 'em in your bed, get it? I dunno what that's like for trolls or whatever.

And for humans, rivals are just people who you gotta be better than and they gotta be better than you. And it makes both of you better.

No, I never said that. But a rival is something more than that. You're an idiot to think it doesn't mean something more. [Lifts his head a little. You're lucky he has the empathy of a rock, he can't tell there's any other feelings going on here. Equius just thinks he's a little dumb.]

The same is for rivals. But the feeling of overpowering them of having them ram against your life in the most aggressive and deep of mane-ers, making you so roped in to their every deed that you feel the need to hate them with all of your mind and heart and- body~ [His teeth clench, grinding a little as his arms tense in their crossed position. Gosh, he's getting himself a little worked up talking about this.... Deeeeep breath. He swallows, pushing his glasses up and pushing his hair over his shoulder.]

There's a gosh darned reason for it, ah... thought we should probably stop, talking about it colt-sidering how dreadfoally riled I am getting right now.

[He's definitely taken aback by all the sweating, heavy breathing, and horse puns. But more than that he's frustrated by how right he is... Except for one thing. (And the horse puns)]

I don't hate Haruto, though. He's my rival, but I don't hate him. We're kind of in the same boat, y'know, so... We're cool.

[He really can't figure out what to say after that, though. So he just... tries to ignore it.]

Yeah, hey you probably should calm down a little. You look like you're about to have a stroke or something.

Hate is the name we give the feeling, but again, humans don't acknowledge that as a romantic relationship while trolls do. Your relationships are simple, you simply jam all of them together into a single one. I don't expect you to understand dividing them like trolls do.

[Ignoring it is nice, thank you... normally people bring it to attention and question it...]

I'm calm, I'm relaxed, don't bother with it. I won't have a stroke, I just got a little aherd- ahead of myself.

Well. Whatever you say, man. I mean, you might think they're simple but they sure aren't to us. Seems like your way might be a little TOO complicated.

Just don't hurt yourself, dude.

Too complicated to you, maybe.

I won't, why would I. I'm extremely durable. I can retain a large amount of damage and be fine. [Thoughts trail a little- a lot of damage, making a hate romance with him easier, but more brutal... ah- sweat beads at his brow. Goodness, need to settle down. He removes a towel as if from thin air, and dabs at his face and neck.]

Well, yeah I guess it probably comes naturally to you, dude.

You sure you're all right? You're lookin kinda... Sweaty. Also blue.

I would hope I look blue. Looking blue is very important to me.

Uh? It is? How come??

Because I'm a blue blood. It's my standing.

Yeah, but that's just a saying, isn't it? Your blood's not actually blue, you're just like... aristocratic or whatever.

It's actually blue.

Dude.

That's weird.

No, it's not.

[Video] Monster Warning

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