03. [video] Show off

[mech_and_mutt]

I dunno if you guys have seen it, but...

[The feed starts off to the sight of Red reclining in a cockpit chair, with a drone of engines in the background and a passing of clouds in the windows surrounding him. Someone's more than a little bit proud of his airship finally flying again, it seems.]

There's some big new project goin' up by Curti Center, right? Well, back at the festival, I got talkin' with the guy that's settin' all that up. And I don't think he'd mind if I drummed up a li'l excitement in the meantime.

[His usual toothy grin quickly returns to his face.]

Two words: Monster Arena. Go ahead and think back to the biggest, greatest monsters you've gone up against, here or back home-- and keep those memories fresh, 'cause apparently that's what they're gonna be usin' to make the battles! I didn't know we even had that kinda tech here in Vaikuntha...

Now, I know not everyone here enjoys gettin' their hands dirty, but for those of you who do-- Got any awesome fights or big beasties you wouldn't mind givin' another go? I'm sure some of us might get some useful trainin' and experience out of it.

Oh, and speakin' of...

[He tips the camera over to his face, with a focused stare and a more personal and fond grin.]

Keep an eye out for me in the next Dragons match. They're finally gonna be bringin' me out to the field.

Comments

[acapriciousreaper]

That

is accurate, yes. Mistakes were made.
It is one of the reasons I am not terribly keen on returning to Gaia. Everyone there I particularly care about would most likely think me dead, and would most likely be happier for it.
But, blind chance has apparently deemed it appropriate that I be allowed to start over, far away from all of that. On a happier note:

Congratulations are in order for your promotion. I could be convinced to purchase a ticket to a game, if I could ask you to 'splurge' on a ticket to a show.

It is, perhaps, a fairly transparent attempt at a change of subject.

[songbird_slayer]

A few. Another one of the beasts that loaned me the parts I used to upgrade my guitar to a more battle-ready state.

Imagine this if you will: A large lupine dragon that calls the very forces of lightning into his very core... and with a howl, a storm rages down upon all who dare to face it.

Speed. Fury. Precision.

[littlemhigan]

Not a whole army, jes' a small one. Anyroad, there were other dragons, but of those I care te share, Vishap was most certainly the best of 'em...or would've been if not for the dire circumstances his presence brought, but that's hardly the point.

Besides, if it's jes an arena, what's te keep us from tryin' again until we don't need an army?

[mech_and_mutt]

Consider it done. And I don't think you'll have to wait long seeing me on the field-- you know how often the substitutes come in.

[The change sticks- he's quite okay with talking about his illustrious up-and-coming career.]

You got any good shows comin' up?

[mech_and_mutt]

I hope not. Most of the ones I fought didn't have a whole lot to say, but the ones that did...

[Red starts fidgeting restlessly.]

...It ain't stuff I wanna hear a second time.

[mech_and_mutt]

[Stop it, Madhuri, his bone can only get so upright!!]

You mean to tell me you fought some kinda lightning-wolf-dragon? And you made a guitar out of it??

[mech_and_mutt]

Impossible odds, eh? I like your attitude. Remind me to bring you along for my next fight.

Then again, I'd be going into it with a mecha. I wonder if that counts as 'cheating', but it's the kind of Arena combat I'm used to.

[acapriciousreaper]

Madhuri is planning a show for Samhain- actually I think it's called Hallow's Eve or something, here. I shall certainly let you know when I've landed a part.

[songbird_slayer]

Well yes. I got his claws and the like from the body, as well as two strange crystals it had formed within itself from the excess magic it had stored. That does remind me that I've only used one of them and ought to think of what I'd need do with the second...

[video]

[mech_and_mutt]

Wait a sec. Those all sound like names. --Y'know, not monster names, people. Did you end up makin' a lot of enemies?

[I mean, sure, Sora was a little bit weird sometimes but he didn't really strike Red as the type to end up having people come after him... or the type to pick fights.]

[wind_in_my_ears]

[Klonoa takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly in his room. He knows all too well how that feels.]

Yeah. Let's ask about that when we can.

[mech_and_mutt]

["When." Well, Kuja did know a thing or two about theatre.]

Fingers crossed ya don't end up as the ditzy first victim.

[mech_and_mutt]

[A pause.]

Do you...

Do you have it with you? Here?

[mech_and_mutt]

But there were others you could fight again, right? Somethin' that didn't talk and wasn't some friend of yours?

[songbird_slayer]

The jasper? Oh, heavens, no. But I do have the other parts.

[Right here, she'll pick up Vespertine the guitar.]

I've upgraded my guitar, you see.

Re: [video]

[keymemory]

[ Sora chuckles lightly and ends up snorting before he responds. ]

Oh.. man, well.. sure! Some of them might be monsters! Nah, just kidding, just kidding! [ He laughs again. ]

Um, so Cerberus was a monster, sort of, I think? He was a three-headed-dog! He was big, super big, but I wasn't afraid! Then there's the heartless, and they come in all sorts of different sizes and shapes..

I just fought those who wanted to hurt other people, take over worlds, ruin them, you know.. that stuff!

[wind_in_my_ears]

Yeah, there were. People can fight the nightmare crystal as much as they want. I don't think my scribbles can really do it justice, though..

[One more scribble. It sort of looks like it took him longer to draw.]

I'm just glad we got rid of it when it counted.

[video]

[mech_and_mutt]

Yeah, that hero stuff. Been there, done that.

[So humble.]

At least those are the sort'a enemies that are worth making. By the way, don't think I ever asked-- what job didja pick up here?

[mech_and_mutt]

[Just give him a minute to gawk. To gawk at the amazing electric monster-guitar.]

PLEASE tell me that thing sounds as cool as it looks...!

[mech_and_mutt]

[Wait. Full stop. If there was one thing he'd learned over the past few months, there was one word that was always important whenever it came up.]

...Crystal?

[4got10]

Don't know why they call themselves monsters, but they don't seem to mind it. Never asked them, but they seem happy to be known as monsters. Maybe it was always the name of their race before humans.

Humans call them monsters because humans hate, and will hurt, anything that isn't them. They're selfish, greedy, and dumb. That's just deep down what humans are.

[mech_and_mutt]

They... wha?

[He'd happily buried it for a while, having been surrounded mostly by humans ever since he'd arrived, but those recollections of just what happened to the humans of his world bubbled back up to the forefront again.

But... one thought at a time.]

...So what're you?

[4got10]

I’m human.

[Its short and brief, and shows how much they’d rather not be human. Or at least how much they were led to believe they shouldn’t consider themselves such anyway.]

Re: [video]

[keymemory]

Um, so there's a bunch of stuff on the board I have been doing to make gil. I just got something for advertising the chocobos! I'm super excited about that! What about you?

[ That's what you meant, right? ]

[video]

[mech_and_mutt]

[Red didn't know which irked him more-- the fact that Sora missed his actual question, or that people just don't seem to recognize his up-and-coming sports career.]

...Asterisks. What'cha got for Asterisks. Or are you goin' into the arena with handbills and thumbtacks?