[network] @joacin; video/audio/text; poof [day 164]

[haillenarte]

[@joacin's voice is calm, husky, and professional.]

I would like to announce that the rubble in the museum has been cleared. There is now a viable path to the other side.

[there is an accompanying video:

the camera focuses on haurchefant — who else? — doing some heavy lifting, shouldering a large block of concrete from the pile and pushing it to one side. he isn't wearing a shirt, and even in the dim lighting of the museum, his muscles glisten with an alluring mist of moisture. haurchefant grunts. he doesn't seem entirely aware he's being filmed.

the camera then pans over to aymeric, who is just as topless and well-built as the first elezen, though considerably more tan, and less sweaty. he pauses in his work to sigh and roll his shoulders, running one hand through his dark and attractively disheveled hair. the camera keeps moving. house and merlwyb come into frame, but even though merlwyb has stripped down to a fairly revealing cotton bodice, the video doesn't linger on her. instead, it moves toward the last of the ishgardian knights, estinien, who has just finished removing the last of his armor; his back muscles flex while he pulls his luxurious silver locks into a ponytail — and just as he turns around, the video ends.]

Thank you for your patience regarding this matter.



[...unsurprisingly, five minutes later, @joacin posts another message to the network.]

apolgies
my apologies
please do not watch the preceding clip, here is the correct video
i am deeply sorry please frgvie me goodbye

[the second accompanying video is much shorter, and simply features the rubble pile collapsing in a cloud of dust, metal, wood, and glass while a startled hange yelps and moves out of the way. when the dust settles, there's a clear path to the other side! how nice!

...no shirtless elves in sight!]

Comments

Sighs at my active icons

[heiresy]

[ Aymeric looks amused and surprised. Part of it is not remotely understanding the term trolling. The oneupmanship is irritating but. ]

Then you are a worthy knight. We should not be at odds! We have a much more terrible adversary than one another.

[mrcreamsicles]

do we
name it sir knight
tell me where i can pick up a sword while youre at it because the best ive got on me here is a spoon

[heiresy]

That is the trouble. There is much unknown though there is certainly a puppeteer.

I have a couple kitchen knives and a straight razor. Better than a spoon certainly, but a far cry from a reasonable battle ready weapon.

[mrcreamsicles]

ugh
dont bring puppets into this
but alright ill keep looking
even if we cant fight the anomalies it feels weird without one

[heiresy]

Aye. It is as if I'm missing an arm. There will be someone eventually who can be cut down. Why have such a powerful line of defenses otherwise?

[mrcreamsicles]

ok let me revise
i dont want to cut people down
i just want to be able to defend myself if i have to
or if somehow people find a way to turn off invincibility mode on the anomalies then ill fight them if itll keep people safe
you follow my meaning?

[heiresy]

Aye, but I find it short sighted. Such a strategy will not root out the cause. The anomalies certainly aren't sentient, yet their attacks are vicious and follow patterns. They must be deployed from someone somewhere. I intend to kill him once we are assured safety.

[mrcreamsicles]

[Kill. It's not exactly a surprise hearing it phrased so, and while fantasy works were less his speed, he knows the gist. Even fantasy races have wars to fight, and that's likely what his type of knight was for.]

its not shortsighted to keep the people around us safe from the immediate threats
if you want to go after whoevers responsible
thats not my business
and its not something im going to go sticking my neck into
ill handle what i know how to handle

[heiresy]

Halone be good, I wouldn't heedlessly risk life of limb of my fellow man. But there must be an end to this. Err long we will all perish for good here. This is no way to live.

[mrcreamsicles]

whos halone
and trust me aymeric
what im saying doesnt mean i enjoy it here

[heiresy]

Halone is Ishgard's Goddess and protector.

You would be mad to enjoy it. Forgive my wording. I mean only to inspire you to reach further than defense as a knight with such a resplendent history of deeds.

[mrcreamsicles]

yeah no
im not going to kill anyone and thats final
no matter who they are

[heiresy]

There is little use for a knight without the mettle to kill. You are free to carve your own path, and I mine. If our paths intersect they will quickly diverge.

You would not be foolish enough to try to stop me, would you?

[mrcreamsicles]

i told you im not that kind of knight
ill kill monsters and other weird threats like that
but im not some useless coward just because i wont kill a living breathing person
ive saved lives doing what i do so dont insult me
im not going to get in your way because youd probably just kill me too if i tried