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[reparator]

Who: Cerealians from all over!
When: Various
Where: Various
What: This is a general overflow log! Use this whenever posts hit captcha and a new one will be put up each time this post also hits captcha.
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GENERAL OVERFLOW
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Comments

[rebelia]

[The second statement is rather peculiar, enough that IV's interest deepens at the disclosure. He glances over at Naoki, his temporary gaze falling on the markings.]

No more than it is living here when it gets like this, I'm guessing – if not worse?

[The colony's only unbearable at select times, and even right now it's not so bad.]

[masakados]

[If Naoki notices the attention, he isn't saying, looking straight ahead with the fire warping lightly around his fingers.]

Worse. In comparison, this place is actually pretty nice, even at times like these. [He pauses for a moment...]

My world's a wasteland, full of demons. And if you're not strong enough, you don't survive.

[rebelia]

[The corner of his lips tugs into a wry smirk as IV follows Naoki's example and looks straight ahead.]

Heh, isn't that how it is just about everywhere? In most places, I would think the weak perish. Although, demons . . . those are another story.

[masakados]

[Naoki thinks of Chiaki, for a moment, and her philosophy... but just as quickly shakes off the memory of her words.]

Yeah, one wrong move while fighting with a demon, or if you let your guard around one... you can be dead just like that.

[He snaps his fingers.]

[rebelia]

[Despite the subject matter, IV finds himself still smiling. The thought that comes next is just a little humorous, to him.]

Is that right? You must have faced against a great many of them in your world. The demons here don't seem so troublesome – the one that I met, anyway.

[masakados]

[More than I could count, Naoki thinks. He faced off with so very, very many demons he can't even recall all the battles.]

Oh, really? I've met a couple of others who aren't as fight-mongering or "I want to eat people" too, it's a big change.

[And there's himself, of course. Only a demon in body, though, damn it.]

[rebelia]

[Apparently, there are demons that want to eat people. IV isn't surprised.]

The guy I encountered talks about how inferior humans are every other breath. [He lets out an exaggerated sigh.] Good grief, it's tiring.

[masakados]

I mean, sure, some humans don't have abilities and demons do so there might be that, but.

[Naoki shrugs.] Plenty of humans here are strong in their own right.

[rebelia]

It doesn't even seem to be that. [He looks away in a vague show of rolling his eyes.] He's convinced we can't do anything for ourselves.

But you, you're different. Right?

[masakados]

Yeah. I like humans-- more than I like demons, usually.

But I was completely human before, so I'm a little different. [He brings his hand up to his head, tapping his forehead lightly with a finger. He's got that human state of mind and, well, state of heart, you could say.]

[rebelia]

[He watches the gesture, not in the least surprised that Naoki is something else. But the "was" there piques his curiosity more.]

If you were completely human before, what are you now?

[masakados]

My body's a demon's. I was given this...

[His fingers work at midair as though he's reaching for a good way to describe it.] ...worm-like thing, like a parasite. It's the essence of a demon, so it was strong enough it could even turn a human into one.

[rebelia]

[Despite Naoki's fingers at work, IV stares at his face before turning away to look ahead.]

So that's what happened. Your body is now that of a demon's . . . but on the inside, your heart is still human.

[masakados]

Bingo.

[Got it in one. Naoki smiles, mostly to himself, and he's glad for the relative dark.] Hence, I'm not really like a 'typical' demon.

[rebelia]

Heh. I like your style better than the typical demon's.

[masakados]

[Naoki grins.]

Thanks. This might shock you, but I don't hear that that often. [That's because you lean toward being a smartass to cover up your true dorky center, Naoki--]

[rebelia]

[That'll do it, Naoki.]

No? I suppose it's not all that surprising. You're an odd case, aren't you?

[masakados]

You go from liking my style to calling me an odd case.

[SIGHS, but his tone is easy.] But you're not wrong. I don't meet a lot of people who've gone through similar things.

[rebelia]

[It makes him unique, okay.]

I imagine parasites like the one you were given aren't very common. Or is it just a difficult process?

[masakados]

Probably both.

[Naoki glances back at him in consideration, then jabs in the direction of his eye with his thumb.] It went in through here; it wasn't pleasant.

[rebelia]

[He stares, then looks way with a shrug of his shoulders. Of all the places, there?]

It's never pleasant in the eye.

[masakados]

[Naoki laughs quietly and gazes ahead again.]

Yeah... I didn't have any choice in it, otherwise I wouldn't have wanted to get it.

[rebelia]

Becoming a demon wasn't a part of your agenda? But it must be what made you so powerful.

[Not that he's saying Naoki was weak as a human. Some things make you stronger.]

[masakados]

[He was weak as a human, at least compared to demons, he can say that much--]

Yeah, it was. I just dunno if I would have chose it on my own. [...] But, can't change the past now. In the end, it's helped me survive.

[rebelia]

[That's very true. Survival is important if one's to think about a tomorrow, no matter how ugly the yesterday was.]

That's what matters. You've survived, and that means you now have the power to shape your future.