[2.] video | un: 2cool | february 19th

[glitterpants]

_{[ The feed clicks on and shows not one, but two-almost-Karamatsus. The difference between them is easy to see once you find it: Karamatsu’s confident posture and Ichimatsu’s slouch— Karamatsu’s bold eyebrows and Ichimatsu’s stubby ones. Yes, this is one out of the five other identical brothers that Karamatsu has. Some of you have met them both and maybe have noticed the difference right away, others may still be struggling to tell them apart. Here they are, side by side, though, and it may be hard to make out good details of them in the dim light. Karamatsu clears his throat, looking rather serious for a change. It takes him awhile to speak, running one hand down his face and curving it around his chin, obviously distressed by all of this. Ichimatsu? Not so much. ]}

Ah, good evening, everyone. It’s I, Karamatsu.
It’s been.. awhile since I have spoken with you all, but I come baring some tragic news. Yesterday, me and my brother took a walk through the atrium to find better sources of light. What we found was something else. In the trees, we found the gruesome display of organs thrown over the vegetation in a horrific showcase. A—ah, that’s.. not all that we have found..

_{[ He looks a little pale just talking about this and for a moment he has to pardon himself out of the camera. ]}

...You’re still sick about that? Pansy.

[Ah, there’s another difference. While they both speak in deeper voices than one might expect from their looks, Ichimatsu speaks much less clearly, barely opening his mouth and mumbling as opposed to Karamatsu’s clear enunciation. Nevermind the fact that Ichimatsu looks approximately like he’s not used a hairbrush in a week. He rolls his shoulders and takes over, scrunching his face at his brother off-screen.]

There was a boot in the trail, dunno what happened to the other one. The viscera was all up in the trees, like he said, but it was too dark to really tell what was where and if any of them was still intact. There was also a heart in a gold box-- we surrendered it to find out who it belonged to, so I guess there’s not really anything for a burial.

_{[ Karamatsu returns to the feed, wiping his lips across his sleeve. ]}
….For those of you who are friends and family of a passenger named “Rey” … my condolences go out to you. Please keep close to those people you love. Thank you.

Comments

butts in here,

[ichimyatsu]

[Leaning over Karamatsu again to speak his piece, Ichimatsu sets an elbow against the juncture of the older's neck and shoulder and leans his chin in that hand. It doesn't look especially comfortable for either of them.] I think now that Pukeymatsu here has wasted no less than two lunch portions, we're fine.

[Somewhere behind them, Nyanko says something, but it's muffled, and Ichimatsu chooses to ignore it and hope the other two won't notice.]

[sixth]

[ Wash doesn't miss any of it, though he doesn't pursue the subject and call them out. They're civilians, not soldiers. He doesn't know what their lives have been like prior to coming here but he's pretty sure it hasn't included finding bits of people scattered about. ]

I did. I went to see if whatever did that was still in the area, but I couldn't find any trace of it.

[ Which is a whole host of other problems he doesn't want to burden them with. ]

How about you guys? Have you seen anything suspicious? Anything at all in the last few days that seemed a little off? Doesn't matter how strange or silly it might be.

[glitterpants]

_{[ Karamatsu thinks for awhile, then looks at Ichimatsu to see if he's got anything to say. ]}

Nothing, but _{[ Ichimatsu is a lot more observant than he is tbh.. ]} it did seem awfully quiet in the atrium.. almost as if all of the insects were too scared to make a sound.

It's unnerving.

[sixth]

[ Wash isn't an expert on the animal kingdom, but he's smart, he remembers what he hears, and he knows this much anyway. ]

So it was a predator. An obvious predator. One even the insects recognized.

[ Great. ]

You've got protection, don't you? Guns? Knives? Weapons you know how to use?

[glitterpants]

_{[ sweats... ]}

I, uh...
I do have a weapon.
_{[ he doesn't really know how to use it, though.... not like he wants to say that. Owning a weapon is good enough, right? ]}

[sixth]

[ Owning a weapon's part of the battle. Only part of it, though. ]

How proficient are you with it?

[glitterpants]

... I know how to turn it on. I can turn it on exceptionally! I am the best and turning the weapon on.
_{[ they're doomed. ]}

[sixth]

[ Jesus Christ. ]

What kind of weapon is it?

[glitterpants]

Ah.. it's a revolver that Miss Sombra helped me get. We got it at the market.
_{[ he knows now that the black market isn't like.. the grocery store like what he originally thought. Still, for some reason, he feels guilty about going to a black market.. he's a criminal now! What would mom think, etc.. so, he'll make it sound innocent. ]}

It does not shoot bullets. It shoots lasers.
_{[ why was giving him this a good idea??? Sombra please. ]}

[sixth]

[ That's not too different from a plasma rifle. He's got this. ]

Would you like me to show you how to use it? Our weapons don't fire lasers, but I'm familiar with plasma weapons and particle accelerators. The principle's the same and you need to know how to defend yourself with it if something happens.

[glitterpants]

_{[ Karamatsu perks up right away. ]}
A—ah, I see, you would do something like that?

_{[ SENPAI. ]}

[sixth]

Of course.

[ He might not have been the best Freelancer, but he was ranked sixth out of fifty. He's pretty damn good. ]

We'll practice until you're comfortable with it, all right? Stationary targets, moving targets. When you can hit me with it, you'll know you can hit anybody.

[glitterpants]

_{[ OH NO.. ]}

I.. don't think I could hit you. Wouldn't that hurt you? I don't want to cause the people I care about such pain.
_{[ He already does that by being a flowery talking, sparkle wearing douchebag. ]}

[sixth]

Don't worry. I'll be wearing armor. It won't hurt me.

[ He's pretty sure about this, anyway. ]

We'll test it on a piece of the armor first just to be sure.

[glitterpants]

_{[ Good. He settles down. ]}
As long as you are protected..

For now, though, it is probably best Ichimatsu and I stay here until the coast is clear. Then I will eagerly await your training.

[sixth]

Sure. You let me know when you're ready, all right?

[glitterpants]

I will. Hmph. We will be fine.
Thank you for checking in on us.

_{[ He's overwhelmed by all of these people responding to their message and asking if they're okay. Maybe a bit too overwhelmed, because when he turns off the feed he can only avoid eye contact with his brother and scrub lightly at his eyes. ]}