99th moon [Another Brick in the 4th Wall]

[paladinlost]

[Every day, many wasteful acts are committed across the world: nearly empty shampoo bottles are thrown away, ice cream bowls are not carefully scraped clean with a spoon, quality cold cuts are not placed between slices of freshly-baked bread, regained magic is not cast...

Cecil Harvey is not a wasteful person.

In fact, he's such an unwasteful person that he spends a large part of the weekend teleporting up to random confused souls, offering them ice cream and sandwiches aplenty, and teleporting away.

All of that with hair that looks like it came out of a shampoo commercial, of course.]

Comments

[paladinlost]

They usually need a little more, but they've had their few successes thanks to it.

[dragoon_pride]

That's good, at least. Some success is better than none whatsoever.

[paladinlost]

Especially when it comes to fighting crime. I'm surprised the public still trusts them.

[dragoon_pride]

They've not tried to overthrow them or anything of the sort yet? How surprising.

[paladinlost]

They might not be particularly competent, but they are certainly benevolent. Perhaps that is why they are still accepted.

[dragoon_pride]

Perhaps so… acting in such a benevolent manner is certainly inspiring to people, if nothing else.

[paladinlost]

They also often go fetch travellers lost on the road, especially when the weather is dangerous. That must have earned them a lot of goodwill.

[dragoon_pride]

Yes, I’m sure they appreciate that help. It sounds like there are a great deal of threats to contend with out there, after all.

[paladinlost]

Thieves, mostly, but when their main target is both your weapon and your companion, it's best to catch them quickly.

[dragoon_pride]

It certainly is. That sounds like it would be easy enough to handle, though. Random thieves aren't typically all that skilled in a direct battle.

[paladinlost]

The natives are weak enough, and train a very limited number of species to boot. Their conscripts, however... Battling them is not so easy.

[dragoon_pride]

What makes them so much more challenging?

[paladinlost]

They come from the same worlds we all come from, they deal with this world in the same manner. Any strength we can achieve, they can achieve just as easily.

[dragoon_pride]

I like the sound of that... it means they'd be a more worthwhile challenge, a worthy rival of sorts.

[And really, Kain is all for this sort of thing.]

[paladinlost]

...A worthy challenger you could not battle yourself, and who is unlikely to fight fairly.

[Let's not forget that part.]

[dragoon_pride]

That first part hardly sounds fair. The second, I could deal with easily enough, though.

[paladinlost]

Certainly you could. But could your hypothetical newly-hatched caterpillar do the same?

[dragoon_pride]

A caterpillar? Truly? But why would I want to keep one of those as a pet?

[paladinlost]

Because most local butterflies can use Psychic-type attacks. But it can be a hypothetical fish or rock, if you'd prefer.

[dragoon_pride]

Butterflies are psychic? In what way? Do they simply read minds or...?

[Pause.]

Why a rock as a pet? Something that can fly seems preferable...

[paladinlost]

They can throw bursts of psychic energy that harm and crush their opponents. It has its uses. So do Rock-types, for that matter, considering they have the advantage against any species that can fly.

[dragoon_pride]

It sounds like how magic works, every sort of element has a weakness after all. Though that psychic energy still sounds particularly... unsettling.

[paladinlost]

Not nearly as unsettling as Ghost- or Dark-type attacks, I assure you.

[...Cecil.]

[dragoon_pride]

[Hey now, he ain't afraid of no ghosts!!!]

[But uh, well, darkness, that's... that one is really troubling.]

And what are they capable of that's so horrible?

[paladinlost]

They can confuse you, show you terrible nightmares or illusions, weaken you or steal your belongings... If they don't simply bite you to the bone.

[He sounds all too delighted as he speaks.]