video; un: METTATON

[glitzandglamour]

Name: Mettaton
Date: 02/20
Format: video
Warnings: mention of death (he's better now!), talk of the recent event (Cwyld, kidnappings)

[Propped up against a plain pillow in the Coven's infirmary is Mettaton. His manner is languid, slow, and his rabbit ears are in such poor shape that they no longer stand anymore, sore-ridden and flopped over. Cradled against his shoulder and chest is a man's head, dark haired with a shock of white at his bangs, fast asleep.

Ears aside, his hair... is perfect. He flashes a photogenic smile otherwise interrupted by rabbit-like teeth.]

Hey there, beauties! It's Mettaton again, coming to you live from the... infirmary. [Not very glamorous, suggests his flat tone.] My sincerest apologies to those of you who've encountered me over the past few weeks. I haven't been in my right mind!! And not only that, but I was infected with the Cwyld. It was horrible. Terrible! Disturbing! To clear things up: I don't actually endorse contracting the Cwyld. In fact... Oh my. I died, thanks in part to it.

In the end, I was offed by one of you lovely darlings, before I... Before it got too bad. I was told it was a duo! [Mettaton tilts his head.] If that encounter sounds familiar, get in touch, gorgeous! I want to thank you personally. I promise I don't bite much... Haha.

[The idol pauses heavily, stuck with a smile. This is the more taxing part of his broadcast, and there's a flash of remorse in his gaze. Mettaton is a practiced face, however, so he's able to pull himself together with startling ease despite the overall tone.]

I'm sure many of you know Mikasa Ackerman. It seems... she's departed all too recently. I looked for her. Everywhere. Trust me. [Mettaton sighs; it's clear he's trying to remain composed enough for conversation, but he allows a measure of genuine sorrow to soften his expression.] She's... one of my best friends. She's a remarkable human who never fails to entrance me, no matter how quiet and stoic. She's powerful, protective, and fierce, and you'd know what I meant if you've met her. She's amazing enough to dazzle yours truly!!

...I tried to tell Eren about Mikasa, but I couldn't reach him, either. If anyone knows where... if he's still here, would you be a dear and let me know? He still owes me money!!

[Mettaton smirks playfully, but it fades as he continues.]

Well. Ahem. As some of you may have known, Mikasa and Eren live in a perilous world. It didn't sound... [Mettaton glances aside, disturbed.] I can't help but wonder if she... If they'll be all right.

[A surprisingly thoughtful silence follows, but Mettaton's quick to shake off his reverie with a quiet sigh and a hard blink. He puts his best face forward and continues, addressing more the rest of the Mirrorbound.]

Speaking of perilous... After a week of disappearances, sickness, and kidnapping alike, how are you all doing? Talk to me, darlings. You aren't going this alone!

Comments

Re: video

[whomthebelltolls]

[Fiancee, huh? Seems like so many people she knows are getting married, here. Maria supposes the Bonds are like that, though. They let you into the other person's mind so intimately it's easy to... let yourself fall into a trap of love.

It had been easy to avoid that with Eren, but that came on the heels of her tripping up with Alex, accidentally. At least she can say losing the second Bond wasn't her fault.]

I don't know what kind of situation they're getting into back at home, but I hope this was a good reprieve for them. And I hope it is not too bad for either of them afterwards. [Her start with Eren had been quite rocky; in fact, they'd spent the better part of the first year either actively ignoring or butting heads with each other, but then... something had changed. He was calmer and easier to get along with, and they had become good... friends. Yes, friends. Mikasa was something similar, though she knew the younger woman actively looked up to her. She never did understand why.

But all of this is caught on his next statement. She's been doing her usual thing of sublimating her problems and feelings so long (or drowning them in alcohol) that she hasn't really... processed what all this meant.

More than that, she's not used to someone asking how she is. After taking a hit in battle, sure, but... not like this.]

I am [She starts typing, then pauses. She can't just let the originally boisterous individual on the other side's calmer demeanor fool her, she thinks. She doesn't know Mettaton. There's no reason to say how bad it makes her feel; how she's really not looking forward to the magic buildup hallucinations making her... mental state, her nightmares, worse.

Try again.]

I will survive. You mentioned he may still owe you money - he was a dragon with quite the hoard of weapons in his chosen den. I can't think of a good use of them for any individual; perhaps you could sell some?

[glitzandglamour]

[Maria, it's the power of love...! So Mettaton would insist, probably.

To start, Mettaton nods along with Maria's first response. A reprieve... Those are some familiar words he's even used before other aimless Mirrorbound, and they provoke a sort of bittersweet smile from him. Whatever happens to them after this, though, was questionable. Mikasa had made it feel hopeless, which only further fuels the somberness. But he keeps himself upbeat; Eren wondered if he could change while he was here, and Mikasa was determined to see things through. Surely, there was a combination here that he could be optimistic for...

He could only begin to fathom how it would be to have a Bondmate leave, but he knew exactly what it felt like to have a friend depart. It's a promising start: Maria's about to talk about how she is, but she quickly switches to whether or not she'd live through it. The Puca's expression quickly morphs into a broader smile: still a touch sorrowful, but also incredulous at Maria's offer.]

No... Don't worry about his debts, darling. I don't actually care about the money! Think of it more as part of a tradition between Eren and I, as friends.

[Demanding money, being turned completely ignored... Sure, Mettaton would've taken the payment from Eren, but that mattered less.]

Anyway. I'm sure you'll survive. [He'd be especially sure if he knew Mikasa idolized her to any degree. There must be good reason for that.] But merely surviving... That doesn't mean you're without your wounds, or that you won't have a struggle ahead of you. Oh! For example, are you Bonded otherwise?

[That would be a tricky situation, he thought. If Eren and Mikasa left anyone in their departure un-Bonded, that would mean trying to move on both from attachments and the need to survive properly. He doesn't know if Maria's Witch or Monster, but either-or carries its consequences.]

[whomthebelltolls]

I see. Well, but something will need to be done about that hoard regardless. [Guess she should get some affairs in order. See which ones were stolen from people and would need to be returned. The rest... either sold, or just kept in case.

Sentimentality. She still has some of the stuff from Giorno and Fugo, stuff that seemed important and personal, tucked away in storage closets in the big mansion she lives in. Maybe she'll do the same with a few of the nicer blades Eren collected. If he never comes back, then she's never short on weapons.]

I am not, but I have been without Bonds for a time before. It is unpleasant, but I've been here for a long time.

[glitzandglamour]

If I come up with any ideas for those piles of knives, I'll be sure to let you know.

[Mettaton smiles. There's always the orphanage that Eren owned, whose ownership would... presumably go to someone else. ...With a sigh, he can't help but consider what it must be like to clean up after a long-established Mirrorbound's hoard of things. For Mikasa, it was a matter of herding some animals to other places, but that was about all she had.

Onto other matters. Mettaton blinks widely.]

So you have... It is unpleasant. [And even his smile sort of dissipates, concern knit on his features.] I assume you're a Witch, and risk a Witch's brand of madness. To Bond with Eren as your one and only... What drew you two together, darling?

[whomthebelltolls]

Yes, a Witch, and all that implies. [A pause, though he'll not feel it, as Maria considers the rest of the statement.] You say it that way as though it was romantic. I'd had another Bond before him, but it had not worked out, so I went without for some time. I'd only considered it after he and that other dragon had rent devastation across the city. Eren was a mana-hungry dragon, and a singular Witch was not enough to feed his appetite for it. Rather than kill him for any future lives that would have been lost due to that lack of control, I offered my mana. It was beneficial for us both.

[glitzandglamour]

Oh. No implications of romance here. [He waves a hand, shaking his head.] My own Bonded has had plenty of Bonds for the sake of convenience! One of which, was to Mikasa.

[But when she puts it like this... That puts the timeline into perspective. Maria had a Bonded, and lost it. After losing that one, she finally struck the deal with Eren after his face-off with Soren. It's still... an interesting way to put it, and Mettaton considers Maria's words heavily, rereading them.]

Mana-hungry... Why wouldn't one Witch be enough for a Monster? What gave you the impression that having two would stabilize his starvation for magic?

[whomthebelltolls]

His words, not my own. Something to the effect of feeling starved of mana, even with the one Witch. Dragons are very mana-aligned creatures. I would not be surprised.

[Or... that he got into something that he shouldn't have.] Or, perhaps, he got used to higher mana amounts with all the fae he was eating.

[Yeah. And she helped by feeding him pixies. So, taking some responsibility. But more than that...]

It was worth a shot, either way. I told him if he did something like that again I'd consider him a threat to the whole city and behead him where he stood.

[glitzandglamour]

[His voice is a touch lighter and quieter.] Right... His proclivity for fae. Fae are quite magical, though I find they smell different from a Witch's magic...

[Idle thought there, one that Mettaton shakes off because that's weird?? His nose wrinkles.]

Anyway. It seems he never got a chance for redemption. How sad. But you did your best, darling. Even going so far as to Bond with him... Perhaps you made all of the difference in settling his monstrosity, for his final moons here! And for Mikasa, I bet. She was constantly being hassled by him. And his tongue.

[whomthebelltolls]

I wouldn't go so far to call it that, but it was a better and more peaceable option than causing a scuffle and killing one of the other Mirrorbound.

[That comes with legal ramifications that she... doesn't particularly care for. She finds this place far too soft for her liking, even if it has also helped to soften her up a little. She wishes the city would toughen up on some things.

Regardless, she did get him to cut his leg off, so... she got some kind of physical punishment back onto him for it.]

Yes, they had some kind of odd relationship between them. I was not trying to get in the middle of it; but if it helped her, then I suppose all the better.