un: aquila

[leitstern]

Name: Jasper
Date: 12/21 [Forward-dated]
Format: Text

[Come the evening of the 21st, a message pops up in words and sentences. Not a single letter is out of place. The script is formal and almost designed for an audience.]

It is a truth unfortunate that joyous times bring out those villainous souls who prey on the citizenry.

Bandits and cutpurses. Thieves who steal and contribute nothing. Should it be illegal to transmogrify those vermin into forms more suited for their crimes?

[The message falters for a moment; its sender considering his own question. Would he curse such boorish people? Yes. Would he were it illegal? Well, he ignores the fact he might have done so and continues.]

Rats, perhaps?

There is poetic justic in such literal representation if nothing else.

[This is all hypothetical. Clearly.]

Comments

text; un: styx

[tothemetal]

[Styx's typing style is in stark contrast to Jasper's, almost comically so...but his inquiry had struck a surprisingly personal chord with him. no matter how long it takes his massive thumbs to laboriously text out an answer, he's determined to give it.]

i actually did that once
it was a mouse though but
thats pretty close i guess



dont really think people should be able to do it just cause

[leitstern]

[What the hell kind of grammar is that? He is appalled.]

It would wipe the streets clean which is all some care about.

But in the grand scheme of things, I certainly agree with you. I dislike people running amok myself.

[tothemetal]

[would you believe me if I told you this is a big improvement from his texting habits at home]

i mean
i guess ?
not like you could be everywhere at once though
and
like
basically what you said
if people did that all the time i dont really think itd make them any better than the ratpeople

[leitstern]

[Not without evidence!]

Oh, do you believe adherence to laws and prescripts makes some people better than the rest?

Each individual is generally no better than the next, I should think.

[Jasper is not... a fan of people in general.]

[tothemetal]

i dunno about like
law laws
all that shitty stuff in dorchacht used to be legal too right ?
being in charge dont make you nice or nothing
kinda more like
i dunno
dont feel right deciding shit for people like that
you know ?

[leitstern]

I dare say I understand. You seem an incredibly empthatic person. Cautious of your impact on people, I dare say. If you will forgive the observation, friend.

[tothemetal]

haha you dont have to be sorry for anything :)
plus your right!
uh
back home ive always been way bigger than everybody else
kind of even too big honestly
so im always thinking about how im gonna hurt somebody if im not careful

its kinda the same here with magic and everything
just different things to look out for i guess

[leitstern]

That is most correct. We all are living outside what makes us feel comfortable and safe; stuck as we are away from home.

Therefore, I do not believe others are facing entirely different predicaments. Perhaps it is a relief that we are all stuck in one boat, I suppose.

[tothemetal]

know it is for me !
but its hard for me to be by myself since i cant really make decisions on my own or nothing
so i dunno if its really as bad for other people haha

its why i try to be extra nice when i can though
everybodys having a real hard time
double if youre a monster i think
no reason to make it even rougher for people

[leitstern]

Very much so. Then time itself makes it even more difficult.

How long have you been living here, friend?

[tothemetal]

since jul
jury
jur
juril
?

[so many of these month names sound too similar to the ones he's used to, tripping him up every time. it would have been easy enough for Styx to backspace all of these embarrassing failed attempts, but he's unfortunately not tech-savvy enough to even think about that.]

its not really as long as a lot of other people have been here
although i guess its gonna be half a year soon isnt it ?
havent really thought about it until now

[he...doesn't really know how that makes him feel, and it prevents him from typing any further in his typically chatty manner.]

[leitstern]

[The same time as himself. He denotes the useful fact and saves it for later. In fact, he files away the sudden, steep decline the message takes as soon as the person realises it hasn't been on their mind.]

Why think today when you can think tomorrow? Or so they say...

I would hardly worry too much, friend. There are pressing matters plenty enough in this place. One for every month, I dare say.

[tothemetal]

uh well im real stupid haha
so if im gonna try thinking about anything tomorrow id probably need to start now

[he's joking, but not by very much. Styx knows that his mental capacity is a far cry from even mediocre, let alone intelligence; deep contemplations such as the impact of his slowly lengthening stay in this world simply didn't come naturally to him.]

youre right though
about stuff always popping off here i mean
sometimes it kinda feels like they always happen in clumps on purpose or something ! haha

[leitstern]

I would not hazard a prediction that some force is behind events. Of course there is always some monster behind the curtain pulling the strings, but that, too, is a problem for another day. Let all the world be good and agreeable before the walls crumble down.

[tothemetal]

[...uh. the gears in his brain whir violently because he can just barely sense that something about this reply strikes a dissonant chord, but with so few brain cells at his disposal he can't quite close the gap and make a connection. at length he's forced to give up and accept a more reasonable explanation: he's stupid and reading into things that don't exist.]

uh yeah
im really hoping things stay pretty chill for the holidays too
everybodys been working real hard you know ?
itd suck if we didnt get to enjoy it all

[leitstern]

That is most correct.

People who endeavour to do their utmost deserve to enjoy the fruits of their labour, if nothing more. Let us hope the citizenry here enjoy this time of year before the next unfortunate tragedy.

[tothemetal]

or like
maybe nothing bigll happen this year ?
its supposed to be a new year here soon right ?
thatd be killer too

[leitstern]

Killer is a poor turn of phrase given recent happenings, friend.

I truly hope you are being positive.

[Look, this is a man who does not understand "cool". It's not in his vocabulary.]

[tothemetal]

yeah of course ! why wouldnt i be?




oh
oh !!!!
oh sorry dude i didnt realize you were old
my bad

[you'd think, considering how many times this misunderstanding has happened, Styx would have learned to be a bit more judicious with his application of his favorite slang...but no. at least his incorrect assumption is sincere, as is the apology for upsetting the old dude.]

sorry for delay. busy with christmas and moving home

[leitstern]

Apology accepted. Though I cannot blame you for only becoming aware of the fact I am a few years older than you, friend. Perhaps it should be a more pleasant surprise than anything else...

[He is only thirty-six you little shit.]

np! think everyone's a little slow after the holidays haha

[tothemetal]

[um excuse you that is sixteen years older than he is? that's basically one really bad windstorm from disintegrating into dust.]

i mean yeah its kinda cool !
most of the older dudes i knew back home had a hard time using phones and stuff
not that im really much better at it
haha
but thats just cause my fingers are big
so i think youre doing really really great !!

[leitstern]

Oh, please. Something so simple is hardly worth congratulating.

Some people are simply more astute than others.

[Smarter than. He means smarter than.]

[tothemetal]

just cause its easy doesnt mean you shouldnt feel good about it !
though youre definitely right
stuff comes a lot easier to people when theyre smarter

[thank you, captain obvious. also if Jasper was hoping to be subtle about this little display of arrogance...apologies, but Styx doesn't really know that 'astute' is meant to have more nuanced connotations. oops.]

its hard to remember sometimes though i think
i mean
more like that if youre not thinking about it you just see everything from your own level
you know ?

[leitstern]

Indeed.

Unfortunately, such a narrow perspective tends to leave everyone behind. It is lonely at the top, or so they say.

[SPEAKING THEORETICALLY. Hopefully this young man's lack of astute conversation won't go digging up what's heavily patted down? Who knows.]

[tothemetal]

haha wouldnt know !
im usually at the very bottom
but anywheres kind of lonely if youre the only one around
starts to make you feel trapped

[and he thinks...or rather, he feels. maybe there's another question he should be asking here.]

hey
youve got somewhere to hang out for the holiday
right ?
uh
not just with rats and stuff i mean