caughtinanetwork | 005 || video;

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... ich diese nachricht für Ratsche, sollte in der Lage sein zu entziffern.

Ich werde zurück zum schrottplatz, sollten sie mich gesucht. Und ich hoffe sie tun es nicht. I. .. sie sah, was geschehen war. Ich bin nicht sehr stabil. Und ich glaube nicht, dass ich nie mehr sein wird genug, um sie ständig an meiner Seite.

Sie können immer noch kommen Sie und besuchen sie. Aber versuchen Sie nicht, bringen sie mich zurück.

[He sighs, sitting back and switching back to a useable language. And in his hand, he seems to be attempt to repair a small device, shattered glass spread out like a puzzle all over the table and a small wrench in hand.]

...I would like to think things are back to normal. Or... heh. Whatever's considered normal around here.

Look, just... let's just disregard it. Forget what you saw, forget what happened. I'm willing to.

[He continues working on his project, pulling a pair of goggles over his eyes.]

Thank you.

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[It takes a few hours after the message for Ratchet to decode it. He had to do it letter by letter, guessing with some as he couldn't remember the entire alphabet. Three and a half hours later he knows what the message says and doesn't respond. Instead he walks down to the Junkyard and knocks on the door of his friend's hut.]

[And three and a half hours later, he's still hard at work trying to repair that watch, back turned to the door and leaning over the device. He remembered enough that he'd been the one to mangle it this badly, and the fact that it was broken at all... it tore at his heart to see the shattered glass and mangled metal. He pauses a moment, one gloved finger longingly trailing over the image of his old friend.

Then his ear turns, finding someone knocking at the door. He knows exactly who it is and why he's come... so he keeps his hand away from the unlocking mechanism for now, going back to his work.

Ratchet didn't need to see him like this. He shouldn't have even come.]

You okay, General? What'cha workin' on?

Everything's fine now, Demyx. There is no need for alarm. Wenn nur ich die Vergangenheit ändern konnte.

...ah.

{He looks down again, at the shattered remains of a small metal object in his hands... and the Lombax's ears fold back in concern, mourning the broken device.]

In the instability of the curse, I managed to... damage something that held value to me. It's nothing a few modifications won't repair.

Really? Man, that kinda sucks... Is, uh... I'm not that great with fixin' a lot of stuff but is there anythin' I can do to help? What broke?

_{[Nevermind that he barely understood machinery and just gave Alister a crude scribble of the 'walking fish bowl' as he labeled it on the top. At least when it didn't involve music.]}

I think I got a screwdriver somewhere in the house I could let you borrow or somethin'...

[The mournful look turns into a sad smile, and wordlessly, the General turns the shattered device in the direction of the SFC, making its remains clearly visible.

Tiny, and to many others possibly even insignificant, there is a watch with a cracked picture inside, the normally bright lights and turning gears on the other side now dull and still.

But the other Lombax in the photo... that's not Ratchet, is it?]

Whoa...

_{[Really. That's probably one of the neatest things he's seen that small so far in the city. Not to mention it reminds him a little bit of the pocket watches that Myde would recover in his childhood from the various shipwrecks scattered along the ocean floor.

And he's never exactly seen one with a picture in it. It actually looks like a locket too, he notes.]}

S'that you? An' did'ja have a brother or somethin'? Both of you guys got the really long ears 'n stuff! You guys jus' got different color fur!

A brother... heh. I suppose he could have been considered one, yes. Of all the Lombaxes I'd known back on my homeworld, I don't think anyone would have been able to take Kaden's place.

[His fingers curl protectively around the broken pocketwatch, the metal lightly scraping against the heavy wood table.]

This was taken some thirty years ago, when I had been promoted to General of the Lombax Praetorian Guard. Kaden insisted we take a photo together so he could try and embarrass me later.

It's... strange. How fate turns out.

What was he like? I mean if he was your best friend he had to have been pretty awesome. Cuz you're awesome too. I don't really know you that great but I get a weird uncle vibe from you.

_{[He pauses and scoots a bit closer to his SFC, head tilted to the left.]}

Also, uh... What's a Praetorian Guard? 'n did all Lombaxes look like you guys? Orange and white fur? Did'ja ever have any with black fur? _{[Another pause, then sheepishly;]} Erm... Sorry for all the questions. Curiousity, yanno?

Ha! What wasn't he like? Kaden did it all - military, hoverbooting, science, literature. If there was something he could get involved in, he'd do it. I don't think he ever sat still.

Though... you shouldn't judge someone before truly getting to know them. I'm honestly surprised you've gotten this courage to even confront me after that whole mess.

[But now was not the time for wondering what could have been. If anything, the distraction was a welcome one, even if it was still related to the dream disaster.]

There were different areas of Fastoon, with different climates. So Lombaxes ranged from different breeds, species, and origination. You... might notice my own structure differs from either Ratchet or Kaden's. It's because I'm a Siamesisch.

Slingin' those words right back at you, General. I'm not really the kind of guy to shoo someone away just cuz of something they do during a curse. This place has a real nasty way of messin' with you--I've been here for over a year and I see it a lot so don't sweat it if you're worried 'bout driving me off, okay?

_{[Then he grins, bouncing a little in his seat. He could've sworn he knew that word--wasn't there a cat with that name? Siam... Siamese? Yeah! But he didn't really look like a Siamese... Didn't they have black ear tips and blue eyes? But then again, this guy was another species, so maybe he was like Myde? Myde was a different 'breed' of Mer when it came to the tail, anyways.]}

So Siamesis--Siamese-chuh... Sia-mesis-ch... _{Man, I can't even say it right, Siamese are sturdier than the kind your buddies are? Was it cold where you came from or dangerous so you guys had to adapt at a young age?}

That language ...

Out of curiosity, what language is that?

[ she doesn't know what she should be pretending she didn't see, but the language is intriguing. ]

Aus allem sagte ich, das steht meist hervor?

...a dying one, unfortunately. So much that I've needed to teach it to someone of my own species.

...this leaves me to beg the question - had you even seen what was broadcast? It may change your perspective. It's... more than just a simple little curse, or anything to do with the city.

[Though a change of topic might be a good idea - it was bad enough that it had to happen at all, but bringing up that, and his broken promise to Ratchet just makes it all the more uneasy.]

I lived in the same environment as Ratchet, Kaden, and all the others of their breed. The city we lived in was warm, so much that plant-life had been rare, or adapted to the dry climate.

But the whole planet wasn't like that. I remember another friend of Kaden's mentioning there being nothing but snow and ice where she'd lived. In turn, their fur was thicker, and she usually wore more clothes than the rest of us.

With the explosions? Mm... S'not gonna make me think any different of you though. I've done my share of... Well... I don't really wanna talk about it right now. Maybe sometime later, yeah?

_{[Then he smiles softly.]}

Sounds way too warm for my blood. Well, I don't mind the warmth, I actually like it a lot more than the cold cuz I freeze a lot faster than a normal person since I was shunted outta Atlantica. I used to be able to stand cold weather no problem-o thanks to being a Mer, but get rid of that bit of biology and add in complete and total mastery to water and it kinda screws a guy up. I can't stay out in the cold without my fingers turning blue within ten, fifteen minutes so I gotta bundle up like some kind of eskimo.

But if you guys lived on the hot part of the planet and she was on the cold, what kind of food did you guys have? I mean back in Atlantica we had a ton of vegetation 'n then stuff like... Shrimp or somethin' like that but I hated eating 'em. They looked so freaked out so I grew up a vegetarian.

[Ratchet waits for a bit after knocking the first few times before he knocks again. There aren't any words, no shouts or demands. Just knocking.]

[Alister pauses in his work at the second knock, hoping his silence would be enough to deter the other Lombax.

He wanted to be left alone with his thoughts. He didn't want to go back. He didn't want to have to face Ratchet, or their broken promise. He didn't--

...

The elder Lombax opens the door.]

[The smaller Lombax walks into the shop and looks around. He's silent for a moment, in his hand is Alister's portable heater. He sets it down and looks to the General.]

...Do you have everything you need here?

[The General remains in his seat, back turned to the other and hands over his work. And he's silent for the longest time, still as a stone.

But eventually, he speaks. And when he does, Ratchet might need to strain to hear it.]

...

Bringing me back to life was the greatest mistake this city could make.

...I believe it's best we drop the subject entirely, Demyx.

[And by his tone, he means that. He barely knows the other man, and would prefer not to delve into that much information with someone he barely trusted. That kind of information, in the wrong hands, could be catastrophic.]

Wait a minute. Rewind for a second. Since you were a what? I always assumed you as one of the many 'humans' that were here. Are you trying to tell me you're not? I should be asking what your planet is like.

Lombaxes... varied from carnivores to herbivores. It depended on the Lombax themself. We were built to be carnivores, though I've known a few, even in the Guard, that opposed the idea of eating anything that once had a face and a beating heart. I personally don't mind - all creatures meet their end somehow. It's the way fate flows.

Okay.

_{[He shrinks back a bit to fiddle with the lanyard he attached to his SFC for a few seconds. He always did have a bad habit of sticking his nose where it didn't belong.]}

I was never human, dude. I've always kinda looked like one from the waist up 'n even though I look completely like a human now? I'm still not really one. 'n I had two planets. One that Myde lived on 'n then the one I did as Demyx before I came here.

_{[Then he laughs a bit.]}

I like those guys. That was pretty much my view on the whole thing cuz, well... A ton of the fish under the sea were my friends. I'd feel really, really bad if I snacked on a relative of theirs or something, yanno? 'course the whole vegetarian thing changed after I became Demyx and I was introduced to other things. I, ah... I still won't touch seafood though. A friend and I were roughhousing last year and he stuffed some of it that was fried down my throat? I felt sick for the rest of the night.

Don't say that. [Ratchet responds fast and his voice sounds firm. He looks over at the door, not wanting to face the other Lombax.]

And why not? [The Lombax swivels around in his chair, glaring down the younger.]

I nearly killed a man, Ratchet. I did kill you. I don't understand any of this.

Because I don't want you gone!

[The youngster yells but he doesn't turn around.]

It was the dreams! They kept you awake and did things to you! It wasn't your fault!

...so you did see it then. What I caused.

[Suddenly, he's not so loud and angry. The tone is soft again, the General leaning over his lap and draping his arms over his knees.]

I purposely kept myself awake in order to protect you. I didn't... you shouldn't have seen it at all. But that failed, too.

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