ataraxion | ▓ ０4 Ｐｔｓ．► video ► h0ld th3 phone h#ere!

[There is a little kid on the screen, and this shorty does not look happy, okay? Not happy at all. It may just very well be because he found his friend Kazama in the medical bay with a bullet wound. He may deal with alien monsters regularly, but he's more than appalled when people hurt each other. No, he's lost Chase, and now someone tries to take yet another friend? He won't have any of this bullshittery.

His eyes are fiery and his meeker expression from other entries is gone. No more being scared now! No more hiding away!

He spent too much time alone to want to ever be alone again!]

We gotta worry about monsters, but what about people who are mean?

There's too much bad stuff here to worry about... so don't hurt each other for no reason! Don't shoot people and don't hurt people and don't be like the monsters; I been hurt before by people who are mean for no reason, and it doesn't feel good. So--so if I learn you're hurting people, and 'specially if they're my friends, I'll stop you. Whoever hurt Mr. Kazama like that, I'm not afraid of scaredy babies who shoot people with guns.

I'm gonna--

I'm gonna--!!

I'm gonna kick your ass*!

[SO THERE, MOTHERFUCKERS.

*thanks dean]

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[A pause and a small sigh. He doesn't know what else to tell this boy, but the way he sees it, getting yourself hurt in a dangerous situation and not being able to help the person you wanted to stand up for makes the whole thing meaningless. That's how he would feel in the same situation, anyway, but his standards for himself are a little skewed.]

Do you know people who could help you? A lot of us keep an eye out for those who want to start trouble.

I know lots of people—real strong people, or smart people. So don't worry 'bout me, because I'm okay. We can all keep our eyes out.

Yeah. But be careful. Especially of people with guns. [At least he know what Takeshi looks like now, so he can make doubly sure to look out for him. And maybe ask the same of some people he knows and trusts. Just in case.]

... I will.

Promise.

[He doesn't nod sagely or praise him or anything like that, because he's saying all this not out of duty but out of real concern. Instead his expression softens slightly and his ears tilt forward more.]

I'll do my best to keep people safe too. From monsters and bad people.

I.... okay.

[That sounds okay.

...]

Are--um... Are you a alien?

Huh?

[Whoah, that came out of nowhere. His ears perk right up before folding back down while he considers that. Alien means...not like him, right? So that means yes. But maybe not.

It's confusing.]

I'm a Ribika.

It's not a alien?

[He sounds apprehensive, but not scared.

He's never... met a nice non-human before. Well, not an obvious one.]

.... I haven't met nice aliens yet...

I'm just a Ribika. Not an alien. [But the whole concept isn't very familiar to him, so he's just hazarding a guess there. He's never thought of himself as an alien. If anything, Takeshi's the alien.]

We have ears and tails like this. Is that the alien part?

[He nods slowly.]

I seen lots of different kinds of aliens. I thought you mighta' been one...

I never thought I was one. [Those ears give a thoughtful twitch, an unconscious action which he notices now that they've been talking about them.]

Do I look that weird?

I... No, you don't look that weird...

I just wanted to see if there's any nice aliens here. I don't know if there are nice aliens; I fought lots of them, and they weren't ever nice.

A lot of people from here must be aliens. They come from all over. So there must be at least a few who are good, because space is very big. [That made more sense when he thought it over to himself, but words are definitely not his strong suit. He's convinced of what he says, though; with the universe spreading out so endlessly, bringing in so many people, it would be impossible to not find anyone who's even a little bit good.]

Yeah--it's good. To meet good aliens now!

Space is super big, isn't it?

Very big. [A nod, even those two words charged with a hint of wonder.] Bigger than anything. I can't picture how big it is, or how many people live in it.

It must be thousands and thousands.

Wooow..... That's more than I can count up to...

I don't think the smartest person in space could count high enough. Before I came here, I didn't think there was anything outside of where I lived, but there is. That's why it's amazing.

Yeah.... where I'm from, people had spaceships! And they jumped on the moon, but I never got to jump on the moon. I need to go to spaceship school if I wanna jump on the moon.

You can jump on the moon?

[And perk go the ears again.] But the moon is so far. Not even birds can fly that high.

[There's a bit of a disconnect here, considering he's on a spaceship, but when he can't actually see what's going on outside it makes it harder for him to understand how any creature could get from the earth they stand on to the moon high above them.]

Yeah, it's really far. We can't go there 'less we're on a ship. Like this one! But smaller. Astronauts fly in it.

Astronauts. [He mumbles it to himself, trying to commit the word to memory.] What do they do when they're on the moon? It must be amazing.

... I dunno. They get space rocks and walk around lots and... stuff...

[okay look

i'm five

idfk]

[Can't imagine there's much else to do on the moon, but just thinking of walking around on it blows his feline mind.]

I want to see a space rock from the moon.

Me, too!

We're on a space ship--so... maybe we'll get to do that someday!