sotobas_lot | [Video]

[Nowhere. Nowhere. Nowhere. Click after click, with as many haphazard groups as have been pulled together by whatever virus the community's returned in full force with, she's nowhere, not on some other world deluded into being in love, not commenting on anybody else's situation... He slumps back into his chair. His jaw shivers with building tension, blinking too quickly, too many times.

He hasn't even noticed the green haired woman behind him. She stares as if sensing it's an inopportune moment, but still not certain why he's browsing the internet rather than working. She can't very well hold it against him to take a few minutes for himself, but it's still unusual behavior.

It's not until a choked noise that sounds close to a muffled sob strains through his teeth that she clears her throat.

He quickly, with the stereotypical jerk of one surprised by an audience, sits and sloppily runs his sleeve over his eyes. It's too quick a reflex to pass off as anything but wiping his eyes, which leaves him at something of a loss for words when he turns to face her.

Her shuolders fall, but she puts on a smile which then falters into a serious, concerned expression.]

Doctor...

It's nothing... [Of course she isn't buying it.] I'm.. it's all right.

[After a short moment which seems like an endless, inquisitive stare, she accepts it as a lie and bows.] Yes. Excuse me...

[He turns back to the camera with a self derrisive snort. He's sure she's assuming it's about his wife. That's just another layer on top of everything.]

I haven't even mourned my own wife yet... Hn. How pathetic...

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Something to say about my priorities, I take it?

It's not like you're drinking whatever's going on in your town away.

Or bothered with a harem.

The town probably saw her, and maybe her friend too, as some kind of mistresses. But without them, this town is finished, anyhow.

...Who're we talkin' about, again?

[ more importantly- ] No. You better not be giving up already.

[It's fine to kick himself a bit over being so cold regarding Kyoko, but he doesn't particularly feel like having somebody else point out the disparity in missing somebody else who was much, much further from human, if the terms of her death are believable. So he'll dodge that first question.]

I may owe it a final push, but all it should take is one bite and I'll be doing more than giving up. I'll be helping finalize their plan.

[ what? is that all the prep talk that was needed? ] Can I ask how you'll be finalizing their plan? Whose plan, anyways? 'S not Kefka's, I know that...

Theirs. They'll have this town.

I don't understand it fully, but they can't drain a victim completely in one visit. None the less, even those who are still alive are compliant. They must also inject something when they take from their prey to keep them docile but functional.

I failed to examine Kyoko during that critical period. Any chance to make an antidote is lost, now.

They may have been afraid of this household, but they'll notice eventually and move in.

It's over.

Then ask for help! From others on this community! Maybe they have an antidote!

Should I ask for you?

An antidote when you don't even know what it is? There are enough people like Kefka who would help them too, who would pity them and take them off world and have them thrive... But they're something that can't coexist with us. The community's members aren't willing to accept that. Especially not on this community where predatory natures can be dismissed due to direct contact happening at most on a very small, specialized scale.

It's no different than a town that won't accept the threat because it's too much to deal with.

Yes. An antidote like that. I bet if I asked right now, others would reply saying they've dealt with things that died and sucked blood and made people become docile and they made an antidote. You've never asked before so you can't assume that everything's helpless. Don't tell me that only asking is too much to deal with.

That's entirely too specific and too broad at once. Even studying their blood, there's nothing to suggest they inject an anti-coagulant, there's no sign of a venom... I can't even begin to say what I'm asking them to fix. It's asking for a miracle.

So you're not going to even try? If you haven't been bitten already, there's nothing wrong with asking. Better something than nothing at all.

Then what does that mean for all that time I didn't try anything when I had her around?! Once I take decisive action, they'll... And without that key piece... If she isn't used, she feels...

...I'm sorry for your loss, Sensei. But it'd be even more sorry if you gave up because of it. I'm trying to say that it's not hopeless and you're not helpless.

I can't just chase them out and make them somebody else's problem... [His distracted tone should mean he is at least thinking in terms of strategy again. Of he could be listless; it's a bit hard to tell.

It's a far stretching reason; he's heard of people dying and returning on the community, but usually with no memory, in effect a different person. If she returns, she wouldn't remember him, and what are the odds of her taking out a crew of vampires to same some remote village with nobody of importance to her?

...Maybe higher than he suspects. Why she dedicated herself to the cause in the first place is something or a miraculous mystery.]

But if she does somehow return, at the very least I don't want to be somebody else she has to "murder."

[ ...at least he's being somewhat hopeful. he must be speaking of a community member. ] If you get yourself killed, they'd have me to deal with. [ because Issun is such a big threat. well. kefka thinks so. ]

[Video]

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