deadly_ned | 015 - Banana Creme

Alpha, Digby and I are on walkabout. If you need to reach us, please leave a message at the tone.

[Private to Alpha

I have to get off this ship.

We. We have to get off this ship. Pick whoever you want to be, I'll dress to match, and we're going to...go into this port and have a good time and I don't..know what else. Whatever you want to do.

[Private to Dean]

Um. Problem.

[Private to Arthas]

Hi.

Uh.

I know we don't...talk much.

I just.

Wanted to see how things were going.

How are things...going?

[Spam]

[The Piemaker has never been to L.A., never stepped foot in California before. But while the discomfort of another yet-unfamiliar place was, as usual, all-encompassing, at least this unfamiliar place was stationed on Earth. The Piemaker could pretend for a little while to be normal.

He's taking that opportunity now, dressing up in the manner of a Hollywood B-Lister with shades and expensive clothes to match. Now fully in his role, he steps off the Barge to begin his new, pretend life for four days]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

darknessb4me

I know how long a minute is!

[He has no idea how to feel about Riddick dying for him and it comes out in his voice as something like anger. He didn't ask for that. Too many people are dead because of Arthas already. Maybe he'll cut his heart out again out of spite.]

Can you summon it back to you, or do I need to catch it again?

From:

deadly_ned

[The Piemaker flinches in his seat, hunching his shoulders. He's feeling betrayed and furious over Riddick in his own quiet, solemn way, and is even sort of jealous that Riddick's love for the man in front of him is worth more than Ned's entire existence]

I can't. But the kitchen door's shut, I've had to catch rabbits before. Let me.

From:

darknessb4me

I- alright.

[Bereft of an immediate problem to be solved, Arthas pulls back and sits down, puts his head in his hands. Damn it. Damn it damn it.]

I didn't mean to snap at you. You were used, I know what that's like.

[That was out loud? Oh well.]

From:

deadly_ned

[The Piemaker's eyes are locked on the rabbit. When the little creature gets close, he reaches down and picks it up in both hands. Just like that, it's dead again.

He places it on the table and tries not to look at it, folding his arms over the table and hunching down]

It's a terrible feeling. I didn't. Tell anyone for twenty years because I didn't...want to be used.

He did it because he loves you. People do...stupid, terrible things in the name of love. I know what that's like.

From:

darknessb4me

[Well, he has no idea what to do with this information either. Love, like what kind of love?]

I didn't give him permission to do that.

From:

deadly_ned

I know. I didn't give him permission to tell my secret to Tirion Fordring, or use my gift, or make me accidentally kill him.

It was fairly traumatic. He's a...jerk, like that. A big, huge...jerk.

From:

darknessb4me

Fordring won't tell anyone.

[He sounds dismissive of the very idea.]

What happens if you touch me again?

From:

deadly_ned

Too many people know already.

...You die. And presumably, you'll death toll and be up again in a week, thanks to the Barge.

From:

darknessb4me

And the heart is lost.

From:

deadly_ned

And the heart is lost.

....Well, actually, I don't know if the Barge resets my powers or not, but it's best not to test it, eh? I don't...think it would.

From:

darknessb4me

No.

[No one's testing it. Another reason to wear gloves all the time, besides Barron.]

Why didn't he tell me?

From:

deadly_ned

I won't touch you. I'm...very good at not touching people.

My, um. My girlfriend, she. Died.

...

Maybe because it was my secret to tell. Maybe because he thought you'd be angry. I don't know.

From:

darknessb4me

If you don't want word to get out about this, I won't be the one that tells people.

From:

deadly_ned

[The Piemaker visibly sags in relief; even Digby under the table gives a friendly tail wag]

Thank you.

No, thank you. I, um. I know you didn't...ask to be dragged into this either. You have...no idea how much that means to me.

From:

darknessb4me

It's something you can be hanged for, on my world.

Are there others like you?

From:

deadly_ned

Hanged would be the best-case scenario in my world.

No. It's just me.

As. As far as I know. But I...looked, for a long time, for patterns like mine.

But it's just me. I didn't ever want this.

From:

darknessb4me

[Arthas is silent for a moment.]

Do they always retain free will, the things you raise?

From:

deadly_ned

Always. You're talking about voodoo. It's not like that.

It's like...pressing an "Undo" button on death. You come back, just the same as when you were alive, with all your memories and...willpower and things. I don't have any power over you that wasn't there already by...dint of me being a warden, and all.

Oh.

Um. This hasn't really been...proven, since I don't really make it a habit of bringing back humans, but.

You're not going to get sick. No...flu, or cancer, or anything.

And you might be immortal. Just not invulnerable. You can still...die, just not of natural causes. You won't age.

I think.

From:

darknessb4me

The rabbit still had a broken neck.

From:

deadly_ned

Yeah, that. I don't know if that heals or not. It's a little...wonky.

If it's not too personal a question, can I ask how you died in the first place?

From:

darknessb4me

Coming to the Barge or turning into this?

From:

deadly_ned

Turning into this.

From:

darknessb4me

I made a deal. With good intentions.

[Arthas smiles humorlessly.]

I wanted the power to protect my people and was converted on the spot. Undeath on Azeroth always includes servitude to the entity that creates you. Your living identity and desires are usually lost and always irrelevant.

From:

deadly_ned

Then you're okay. You're wholly, fully alive again.

And you're not. Enslaved to me. I just want to make that clear. I'm just the vessel death travels through. I'm the light switch.