// video; open

[circumspector]

[ Angel's feature's flicker onto the screen, black-eyed, black hair, those strange blue markings that adorn her body down her left side and right horn, that telltale hint of fur that appears across her shoulders, her neck, collar-like. Decidedly, completely, not human. ]

Hi. There has never been an easy way to have this conversation so I am just going to jump into it. I'm a monster. [ Her long ears flick, pricking to sound, her chin resting in the palm of her hand. Her thick, black claws that come to flat ends tap against her cheek. ] It's a long, long story. But the sum of it is pretty straight forward, there was a God. She took people like this place takes people, she turned us into things. I became this. I wasn't always this, nor was I chosen for any grand reason. But now I am capable of smashing through concrete with one kick, I can lift ten or twelves my own weight, and I weight a lot, despite my size.

But that and the horns isn't why I call myself a monster. I'm a monster because I crave human flesh. I can and have eaten living people. I didn't get a choice about it. I can sate it when things are good. Raw meat of animals will do the trick. But, if I put it off any meat at all long enough, the hunger becomes ravenous, and I get taken over by this... this rage and hunger. I might - care for you, want happy things for you. But when I am like that? I'm not your friend. I'm not human. I'm not... not me. I can manage it, but this place just wiped my memories for a few days, so I can't make that assurance it will never happen.

So this is my permission. The day that happens, and you can't trap me or stop me, you can put a bullet in my head. I won't cling selfishly to a life where I am hurting someone to fuel myself. I'll only regret it when I come out of it. If it's me or someone else, I'll always pick for someone else to live over me hurting someone just because I am like... this.

[ She clears her throat, because what else is there to really say? So just... ]

... Do you think Tequila is bad for the Reindire? I keep feeding them mine.

[ #nailedit ]

Comments

@lazarus | video | private

[benhargreeves]

[ Ben grapples with wanting to reply by text, since he has an easier time discussing extremely serious topics that way, but it occurs to him that this person might not be able to read. Sure, the devices can convert text to speech, but that might muddle the tone, and honestly, he should just suck it up and use video. His expression is grave: ]

If it comes down to it and someone has to stop you to save lives, I will do my best to do so without hurting you. And... if I can't, then I'll kill you. You have my word. I'm... kind of a monster, too. In a different way. So I should be able to do it.

[ He doesn't want to kill anyone. Especially not someone who, from the sound of it, has been a guinea pig, who has been forced to hurt people without being given a choice. Ben knows what that's like, even if the particulars don't line up. But that is why he wants this stranger to know that she has safeguards in place. If the situation were reversed, if Ben were the one who might go berserk and hurt people, he would want the reassurance of one or two people promising they would kill him instead.

Then, in a slightly lighter voice, because he knows well that humor can really help the horribleness go down, he adds: ]

Tequila is definitely bad for just about every living animal, I'm pretty sure. Not sure if it's worse than it would be for a human, though.

[audio | @hot.damn]

[circumitus]

If it's any consolation, you're not the only monster here.

[Rey might look human, but what she's capable of and what she has done has earned her much ire and resentment in her world. She can do those things now just as easily as she did then, with the exception of having some sense of moral clarity at this point.

[Either way, there's no judgement. She's met Angel before so that she doesn't balk at her monsterous form, but Rey's also seen Elleru in a different body as well. Not that she's really addressed that yet, since asking someone if they're a talking bird-beast isn't a great conversation starter.]

Don't suppose there might be a way to synthesize human meat to satiate your cravings? Have no problems with killing, but would rather that be a last resort.

video: un: cabernet

[redwinekindofgirl]

[Well if this isn't familiar in far too many uncomfortable ways. Julie listens, takes everything in, and when she answers she's part sympathetic but entirely determined.]

If all it would take is a bullet, I can do it.

[She has an assault rifle stowed away, one that she hasn't used since she arrived here with it, but... all the better to keep it in reserve, it seems.]

Sounds like you should just eat non-human meat as often as you can. [A beat.] And tequila probably isn't good for the reindire.

video; @Spides

[itsnotaonesie]

I get that that was all super important and I definitely listened to all of it and I promise I'll do something about it if you try to eat us, but. First I wanna challenge you to an arm wrestling competition because I've never met anyone before whose strength was as ridiculous as mine. and this is kind of amazing.

[ #priorities ]

@Pratt | Text | Private

[theweakhavepurpose]

Sure. I'll kill you if it comes to it, if you promise to do the same if I start killing people.

Deal?

[Video]

[mustact]

[ Uhm ... Should he be concerned? ]

What precisely is Tequila?

Text

[nothinglikefather]

Love you really are going to have to stop telling people this stuff.

And I don't think anyone is meant to drink tequila.

video; @Qubit

[superposition]

[ ... Okay! Cool! That sure is another one to keep a close eye on! Because, you know, he didn't have enough to worry about.

Qubit lets his personal annoyance fade before he replies, though. The parallels with Carlisle's situation are pretty glaring, after all. Once human, now monstrous. The potential to succumb and, in their rage, subject innocent people to unspeakable fates. This woman's new - he doesn't know or trust her like he does Carlisle - but it'd be unfair not to offer her the same fighting chance.

He has his arms folded in the video, his expression determined, but not unsympathetic. ]

... Well. That's quite the warning label. I appreciate you being forthright about it, miss ...?

[ He is absolutely reading her username as "Four-N-Six-Three-One," for the record, because of course he is. ]

text; @apocalypseArisen (hi pretend im on time??)

[livingdeadgirl]

ok um
theres a lot to unpack in there but
out of curiosity
if it is specifically human flesh that you crave
would an alien be in the clear theoretically
just wondering