un: bottled up inside | video;

[deescalate]

[Hello, fellow kids, have a friendly local ginger on your devices, albeit a ginger with a much scruffier ginger beard than he usually sports. Anyone seen a razor?

All the same, he gives a little wave before speaking.]

Hey, I'm Cal. Cal Kestis.

[A pause, as he considers.]

I'm not a pirate or anything. Sorry. Might as well get that out of the way before anyone gets their hopes up? Oh, and if I promised to keep up with anyone but haven't, uhh...hey. I'm still hanging in there, hope you are, too. I hope everyone is, actually.

Which gets me to the main thing I wanted to talk about. Obviously, it's crazy out there right now and I doubt it's going to clear up any time soon, even if all the talk and plans go off without a hitch. Societal upheavals are never clean, even if the intentions are good. Someone always suffers and it's usually the little guy.

Right. It's bad right now and it's really bad for anyone who was supporting Messalina, as I'm sure you're all aware. So I want to offer up myself as protection if any of you feel you need it. Or even if you weren't part of that group but still feel unsafe. I'm a warrior, of sorts. Former soldier? Had a short stint as a gladiator here, and not for the first time in my life. Still not a pirate, though. Just in case you're curious about my credentials. But...yeah. I can't be everywhere at once, but if you need my help, just buzz. Day, night, it's all good.

...Stay safe.

Comments

un: absterge

[downswing]

( Stay................ safe. )


We number a few absent combat ability.

[deescalate]

And that's why I'm here to help.

[downswing]

Kind offer.

[deescalate]

It's the least I can do.

But how about you? You hanging in there?

[downswing]

With claws and fangs. As we all do.

[deescalate]

I'd say I'm glad to hear it, but I wish no one had to struggle like that.

But I am glad you're okay.

[downswing]

( You hardly know of me. )


What use complaint?

[deescalate]

[You haven't tried to kill him yet, so you're leaning more toward the friend side of the spectrum.]

What about compassion?

[downswing]

What of it?

[deescalate]

Feels better than complaining about things you can't change. You can at least give people a good feeling, even if it might be useless in the long run, too.

[downswing]

An optimist.

[deescalate]

I try to be. Or at least an optimistic realist. Sometimes it even works.

un: qishan

[silverneedles]

"Still not a pirate" makes me suspicious that you either were a pirate or desire to be a pirate.

[deescalate]

...Okay, maybe we've done some acts of piracy, but it's not my crew's whole thing.

[silverneedles]

You have a crew, too? Are any of them here?

[deescalate]

Just one. Have you met Merrin?

un: nami (text)

[cartographie]

What's wrong with being a pirate?

[deescalate]

I mean, generally, pirates aren't the nicest. But there was that guy a few days back who was talking about being a pirate and he seemed really into it, so I just wanted to temper expectations. Therefore, I'm not a pirate. Probably.

[cartographie]

Probably?

You sound like a pirate.

[deescalate]

We...may have done some acts of piracy, but it's not a habit. Our ship isn't really made for that type of maneuver, anyway.

un: witchful thinking

[nochnaya]

Of sorts?

[deescalate]

I'm trying to be more than just...that.

[Be more than just a lightsaber, as Greez would say.]

How would you describe me?

sorry boo

[nochnaya]

Rash, stubborn, and reckless.

[ She's joking. More seriously: ]

A warrior of a different kind, perhaps.

[deescalate]

[Okay, he left himself wide open for that, but he laughs at her poking.]

Yeah, yeah.

A different kind?

[nochnaya]

[ There's a short, thoughtful pause. She's trying to put this into the right words. ]

You fight. Not with your hands, but with your spirit. That kind of warrior.