soul_campaign | 002 || video || 10th May

[Anri's been laying low since her last unintentional broadcast but there's only so long she can avoid having to integrate with what is her new everyday life. And since one of the two people she knows can no longer be found, she figures it won't hurt to have more people to turn to.

Rely on. But she knows what she has to sacrifice to ensure people don't figure that out.

Though this feed is intentional, it's clear from the way she can't quite face the camera that she's still not entirely comfortable in speaking out at all. But given the turmoil the city's in right now, there's only so much she can do alone - even if stray thought has given her a clue that there's a side of her not quite as departed as she first thought]

Ah...I'm sorry to trouble everyone at such a time. I know you all have a lot to focus on but Okabe-san doesn't seem to be around right now and there are some things I need to ask.

First of all...money. I've been doing okay so far but what I get from Shibusen isn't enough when so many places won't take it. And I'm not sure they'd be any more willing to take me on either. Not that I'm sure what I could do, exactly, but if anyone has any ideas, I'll listen.

Secondly, I think I found what I can do...I think I found why I'm a Weapon. But...it's complicated. I understand, but I'm also worried about what it means...if there's anyone I could talk to about this, I'd be grateful. If there's something you want of me to make up for taking your time, I'll find a way.

[Even if it means having to fight. If it's enough to appease her worries about what she's become, it'll be worth it.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Throughout, she listens in stunned horror but there's something in particular that grabs her attention]

Madness pollution?

[The question earns her a mildly surprised glance.]

Nobody told you about the madness wavelengths here yet?

No...no, I don't think so.

[He sighs and runs a hand through his hair.]

To put it extremely simple, it's like a poison that makes you go mad. Think of black ink that gets dropped into water. If it gets too much you can become completely insane or even one of the monsters that the people here are hunting if the right conditions are mad.

[This, she can understand only too well, not so much for herself but from witnessing others affected by Saika. And something tells her the thing that protects her, somewhat, from the blade wouldn't work here.]

That's awful. Do...do they happen often? Has anyone found a way to stop them or cure them?

The enemies of this city like spreading them a lot from what I've heard and experienced so far. They used artificial emitters, found a way to poison water with it, sometimes the monsters create an atmosphere like that... It takes a while until you get really lost in it, though, unless you are weak to such things.

About the recovery, it's a case by case thing. Did your head just get a little messed up from inhaling too much? That can wear off or otherwise the city'd be a goner by now. If it gets to you enough to make you want to eat somebody else? Then tough luck, supposedly there's no cure for that anymore. They'll shoot first and ask questions later, if any, in that case.

As they should.

[Harsh as it might sound, if someone's trying to eat someone else, Anri wants to know they'll be dealt with even if she might prefer a more peaceful solution]

But there's no way to stop it or...neutralise it, maybe?

[Faint hope but she can but ask]

Nope. They're not even looking for it. [He notes her quick agreement to the rather harsh way of dealing with those things here, but says nothing about it. He also doesn't mention that he is somebody who has completely and willingly given himself to a similar kind of darkness back in his world and still thrives on it even here.]

Why not?

[Not that she's expecting him to have an answer but she can't not ask it. If it's something that's just expected here, well, Saika's probably the least of her worries]

Hell if I know. All I know is that some of the people in charge here were pretty miffed when I tried eating one of the souls that my Weapon back then had left over.

I can't say I'm surprised.

[She's still not entirely sure of how everything here works but the idea of someone eating a soul is creepy as heck]

As a free extra explanation: the Weapons here become stronger by eating corrupted souls. Those are considered different from those who aren't and it's thought of as the proper way of dealing with them. If a Weapon collect ninety-nine kishin egg souls and one of a witch that way they become a Death Scythe.

I was curious to see of that power-up effect wouldn't also work for a Meister and tried it out. All I got was an upset stomach, though.

I'm supposed to eat souls?

[It comes as more of a squeak than anything. Corrupted or otherwise, that was even worse than Saika's possession. Or perhaps just differently bad. Either way, she's not in a hurry to try it.]

But...why just the Weapons?

[Ah, so she cares about such stuff after all. He smirks to himself at the squeaked question.]

Beats me. I don't really like that idea either, but that's how things go in this world. You can howl either with or against the wolves.

But they can't make me fight, right? And as long as I don't, I don't need to do...that.

[Because that goes against the quiet life she wants now]

They can't. But you might have to do it anyway if you stay in this city.

I see.

[No point in asking why. She'd tried to avoid the mess in Ikebukuro and had ended up central to it. Avoiding only ever seemed to work for so long]

Are you scared of monsters?

No.

[How could she be when she's as good as one herself]

I'm just tired of fighting.

[That piques his interest. She looks like one of those modern day people who have no clue about a real fight nowadays.]

Tired? Do you fight a lot?

[In a lot of ways, she doesn't - the war in Ikebukuro was of a very different nature to the one here - but it's close enough for her]

No. I prefer not to fight at all. But sometimes there's no other choice.

[And threats to her best friends counted as some of those times]

There isn't. Well, I wish you much luck with avoiding it as long as you can. You'll need it.

Edited 2013-03-23 02:17 (UTC)

Um, thank you.

[She figures. But facetious or not, she's glad of the sentiment]

002 || video || 10th May

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]