[Video | Week 17, Day 4 | morning] So am I still waiting for this world to stop hating

[whitenighting]

[ The feed clicks on with the Hitomi apparently propped up on a table or the like, catching a clear view of a white-haired older teen who seems to be peering at the recording for a second, making sure it's lined up properly. He sits back after the confirmation, smiling pleasantly in a way that makes the scar over the left side of his face twist a

Comments

[video | private, a late reply, after dark]

[mightstealyrcar]

[Matt noted this message earlier, but all he did was make a mental note to keep an eye on the situation, as he's been doing for the last little while.

A lot can change in a few hours.

Since Matt took half-hearted notice of Allen's broadcast, his house has been invaded, his girlfriend threatened, his... whatever-Elfangor-is hurt, and one of the people responsible is still out there and probably even more pissed than before.

He watches it carefully this time.

When he sends his reply, he's smoking, and for once, doesn't look like a smile is anywhere in his repertoire of expressions.]

I'm in. I know I don't look tough, but. [He pauses, takes a quick drag. Is he really going to offer this? His house still reeks of blood. He's doing it.] I... have a way to get, um. A hell of a lot tougher.

[Video | Private]

[whitenighting]

[ If Allen were someone... not him... he might be tired, cranky, drawn in the face and ready to lash out at everyone because one of his closest friends just disappeared to nowhere except maybe home and...

And he wasn't...

He's not used to this. But he can always school himself enough to smile, that painful smile he has to, in order to answer Matt. ]

A lot tougher...?

[ Allen's not doubting, but he is a little... ah... well, why are you making a big deal out of it? ]

I understand. You've been here a while now, right? I only mentioned that because, well... you know how... strange and difficult creatures can be here, I imagine.

[Video | Private]

[mightstealyrcar]

Um.

[Matt rubs at the back of his neck.]

I can turn into a dragon. And a tiger.

[There's something off about Allen's smile, but Matt doesn't know him well enough to ask what the deal is.]

So I can, y'know, get people to safety if I need to. And I've been here a while. [Matt thinks. Time is so weird here.] Since the summer. It feels like a long time. Got a death under my belt. [He shrugs, the casualness only half forced by now.] Hope we never see those bullshit things that killed me again.

[Video | Private] 1/3

[whitenighting]

Uh.

[ ... Eloquence, right. He should attempt it. Um. A dragon? ]

... A dragon, you say?

[Video | Private] 2/3

[whitenighting]

That could be useful.

[Video | Private] 3/3

[whitenighting]

[ Ah, Matt had died? ... He hadn't realized. It smooths his expression. ]

I'm sorry. At least a lot of the creatures from that week... if that's when it happened... they don't seem to be around anymore.

[Video | Private]

[mightstealyrcar]

It was that week, all right. And the thing wasn't... entirely real to begin with. I don't think. I hope not, anyway.

[He takes another puff, then ducks his head, a little embarrassed over the whole morphing thing, still.]

And yeah. A dragon. Like a copy of Iskierka, actually.