ataraxion | video;

[ since the elevators malfunctioned, arthur's returned to dressing in full armour constantly, and so he's clad now in chain and plate as he addresses the screen. he's sweaty, dirty-blond hair plastered to a forehead pinkened with exertion, though his breathing is even. ]

Evening, Tranquility. Back home, in Camelot, I spent a large amount of my time training the knights; and with their honour and devotion, as well as their skills, I honed them into the finest warriors in the realm.

[ there's something rose-tinted about that nostalgia. he's right at the point where he's starting to forget to miss camelot, sometimes, and he's clinging onto thoughts of it fiercely. ]

Though my men are not with us, and I'm lacking an armoury—

[ some amusement in his tone at that. ]

—I thought perhaps I'd extend the offer to any who wish to learn to defend themselves. You'll be assigned training tasks to improve your general fitness and understanding of strategy, and I'll teach you the sword. I'm skilled in plenty of weapons, but not many of them can be substituted with sticks.

[ and then he draws his blade from its scabbard, twirls it in his hand with idle showiness. ]

The amount of time I'll have available will obviously depend on the level of interest. I've already got a couple of pupils, but I welcome more, so long as you're willing to work hard and obey orders. You may think it absurd, but a blade never runs out of bullets.

[ obviously nobody's told him about blasters. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Her species' reputation is forever tainted by Eridan's sour greetings S I G H. But she doesn't mind the sour face or questioning, chalking it up to cultural differences. ]

Hardly! My species is almost entirely self-reliant. I've been hunting with these claws since I was about three. Plus I have quite a bit of expurrience under my belt taking down various foes, but that's kind of a long story.

Why? Are you considered to be too young to fight by your kind? Beclaws I don't want to beat up any youngsters!

[ Is she serious or is she teasing? The world may never know. (No she's actually just teasing, though if he did answer "yes i am human babby" she'd... wait that'd probably make no fucking difference to her. Still gonna wave those blades around.) ]

[ a light scoff. ]

I've been fighting since before I could walk.

[ which is to say, no. he does have some slight admiration that she seems to have had a lifelong dedication to it as he had — and perhaps for her species gender wasn't of any import. ]

Your species isn't one I've exactly had close interaction with.

[ there's still distaste in the word. he really needs to stop being racist against robb's bannermen. ]

Now that's impurressive!

[ Hyperbole what hyperbole. She had no idea that little humans were capable of defending themselves that quickly, but then again, she vaguely remembers an infant Jade holding two pistols...

Her smile fades a bit at the mild hostility. Insults and bafflement she's used to, but she's never fan of conflict (especially now with Equius around to check her temper). ]

In that case, I'm glad to serve as an ambassador to trollkind! As I understand it, you're hardly unusual. Most humans around here aren't furmiliar with other races, let alone trolls.

I've met a troll before. She didn't look like you.

Really?!

[ She's immediately assuming it was another Alternian troll. ]

Well there are some minor physical diffurences between us, like how humans don't all look alike! The shape of our horns and blood color diffur between individual, and some trolls live in the oceans so they have features like gills.

What did the troll you meet look like?

Er, well. She was grey... sharp teeth, with sort of, er, tusks... very large. You know, a very robust woman — troll. Long grey hair with who knows what in it. Red eyes. Quite dirty, but then I'm quite certain she ate dung.

What.

Was this in your own universe or...?

Yes, obviously. She er. She was my stepmother.

Oh!

[ VISIBLY RELIEVED sorry dude. ]

I'm not entirely furmiliar with human families, so if I may ask: what's a stepmother? Do they normally turn into trolls?

It means she married my father. After enchanting him, of course. People do not typically marry trolls. Mostly we kill them.

O... kay.

[ She frowns. Yeah she doesn't get what distinguishes that from a regular mother but okay dude. And what he says next? Doesn't give her a reason to stop frowning. ]

You do realize that's a rather awkward thing to say to a troll, right? I'd like to be clear here that I don't present any danger to you. Actually I was hoping we could get along!

[ She's not particularly worried if he does decide to go after her since she can hold her own. Mostly disappointed that she's lost the opportunity to hear tales of knighthood because the knight is a racist 8( ]

Were you.

[ he seems bemused by the thought, though not overtly hostile. ]

Well, I suppose I can try. You don't eat dung, do you? Or use magic?

Nope and nope! I assure you, my diet is primarily meat and tea, and magic is only an element of fiction.

[ although they do dress up dried animal dung for their version of christmas but shhhhh no need to mention that. ]

I'm glad you're willing to give it a shot! You look like a human, so is it safe to purrsume you are one?

I am indeed.

[ he tries not to be insulted by the question. ]

I'd ask if you'd met many of us before, but you'd have to be blind, deaf and dumb to have missed us all.

[ Hey man who knows you could be a robot-pretending-to-be-human like Wheatley. ]

Even befur coming here I knew about humans! Of course, I didn't get to meet them face-to-face like I've had the oppurrtunity to do here, and since there were only four left I'm not sure that would constitute as "many."

What do you mean, only four left. What happened to the rest of us? —Them?

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