IC CONTACT

[deaftly]

--shit's supposed to record my voice? Why the fuck would I want to leave a message on this thing anyway? They should know who the fuck they're calling if they're calling me in the first place, and obviously I'm not gonna pick up if I don't like them so...

What do you mean it's already recording?

Comments

[deaftly]

[It doesn't take too long for Naki to return the call. From the background it's obvious that he's somewhere in Goldenrod, which really shouldn't be a surprise.]

"Silver play"? What the fuck's that supposed to mean?

[...Well, at least nothing's changed here.]

[preybeforemeals]

[Some things never change, do they.]

...I really ought to try to ask you sometime what you think half our conversations are about.

[BUT THAT IS NEITHER HERE NOR THERE...]

Ah, but not today, however! I trust you've been well?

[deaftly]

[Well they would if you'd speak up, speak slower, and stop speaking in languages that aren't Japanese!!]

Yeah, I've been fine. Nothing to report here. What about you? I doubt you'd call just to chat, so what's up?

[preybeforemeals]

[...He'll grant you the point about the speed, at least...]

I've recently spoken to someone who knows quite a bit about this place; he calls himself "Tensai" - and yes, I know, it's probably the most obvious alias I've ever heard, but his information seems consistent with mine.

He told me some interesting things, however. Things I didn't know about, regarding how this place works.

[deaftly]

Well don't keep me in suspense! What did he tell you?

[preybeforemeals]

You remember that incident at the end of October, don't you? I was gone for a few days.

[deaftly]

...Yeah, I remember. What about it?

[It's not something he really wants to think about, but he nods slowly anyway.]

[preybeforemeals]

I believe I may have killed someone while I was there.

[The words are blunt, but he doesn't seem bothered otherwise; why should he?]

I know I've killed humans by using about that much force on them before, it makes their heart stop; I have no reason to think that one was any different. But there wasn't any body; that simply vanished once I was through with him.

I don't want to test this theory just yet, monsieur, so I still think we shouldn't do anything stupid. But Tensai believes that's an innate quality of this world - that as soon as lethal force is dealt to someone, the person is sent back to a Pokémon Center, where presumably they'll just...wake up, as though nothing had happened.

Do you understand what I'm telling you?

[deaftly]

[Naki is silent for a moment and you can probably see the gears turning in his head as he tries to make sense of this.]

...So you're saying you think death isn't permanent here. That if you die, you'll just wake up in a PokÉmon Center somehow?

[preybeforemeals]

[Good boy.]

That's what I've been told, yes.

[deaftly]

That's crazy! How can death not be permanent here!? That doesn't make any sense!

[It's also kind of unfortunate, it means he can't just kill people he doesn't like. They'll wake up and remember it. Ugh.]

[preybeforemeals]

...Exactly how much of what we've seen here does make sense?

[deaftly]

...Well, yeah, I guess you've got a point there.

[preybeforemeals]

Look on the bright side, amore. At least you don't have to be quite so concerned, if this is actually true.

[deaftly]

I guess that's a good point.

[...]

Not that I was concerned about it to begin with or anything.

[preybeforemeals]

Of course not.

That's a bit too close to human sentimentality, isn't it?

[deaftly]

Exactly! I'm nothing like a human!!

[Even if he's technically a human here...]

[preybeforemeals]

See to it that you keep it that way.

[deaftly]

You don't need to tell me that!!

[preybeforemeals]

I'd certainly hope not.

[He's not sure why he's getting so irritated about this; it's not worth fighting over, they've verified that much several times. Just the same, there's something in it that makes him prickly, and he has to bite it back harder than he'd like.]

There's another concern as well, you know, that we haven't discussed.

[deaftly]

Yeah? What is it?

[preybeforemeals]

Do you know a man who goes by Greed?

[deaftly]

Oh yeah, I know him. We've spent some time together since he got to the city. What about him?

[preybeforemeals]

Does he know about you?

[deaftly]

About me...? No, of course not!! You think I'd just tell someone about that!?

[...Though he knows that Naki isn't human, given how he reacted...]