recommence | 2 - {audio}

So! Uh. Hi, everyone.

Question for the masses.

[Bennett fidgets a bit with his communicator, fingers audibly shuffling up the side and back down.]

If, if I haven't met you yet, my name's Bennett Marrow. I was a professor and researcher, back home. I-- I had a little bit of a second job, too.

[Evasive, but he's getting to it.]

Um, my question is kinda... multi-part, bear with me here.

So, we've-- we've been here for a little while, some of us longer than others, and, uh. I'm, I'm always looking for ways to understand the world around me. Aaaaand, uh, obviously, there's-- there's a lot to understand here. So, if anybody has any information about the nature of the Black Tide, or-- or, the previous ship that I've heard about, the MS Elegante-- could you please contact me? I would love to interview anyone who would care to step forward so we all have a log of information about our, uh, houseboat. Boat-home. This will not be confidential and I will be happy to share it with anyone who needs it at any time.

Also, on the, uh, confidential side of things. I, uh-- I know there are some other nonhuman and supernaturally-inclined beings-slash-people on this boat. If you need any help-- if you need anything, please let me know, okay? I'm-- I'm never going to tell anyone, but I know how-- h-how terrible it feels to try and find the help you need all alone. I'm, I'm a werewolf myself. I, I ran into a few of you last weekend.

I used to run a network for the supernatural crowd so I could bring help to anyone who needed it. I might not have all the tools I used to, but I know I can build that network here again.

[He sighs and runs his hand through his hair, fiddling with the communicator again.]

This-- this got kinda long. Sorry, everyone. Anyway. Um, I'd normally tell you to meet me at my room if you didn't want to talk over the network, but, uh, it's-- it's flooded entirely right now, so I'm, uh-- you can find me in the back corner of the shopping area. I've made a little, uh, cave.

Hit me up if you need anything. This is, is, B-bennett Marrow, signing off.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Do you have no sense of self-preservation? Geez.]

Pretty sure that the only thing that keeps supernatural beings alive is the whole element of mystery thing.

Based on my extensive research of pop culture.

But let me know how this whole "out and proud werewolf" thing works.

Edited 2014-10-20 20:09 (UTC)

[No, actually, he doesn't.]

I've got no reason to hide anything, I'm-- I'm like, the most boring, least dangerous werewolf y-you'll ever meet. Other people might have reasons to hide, but... you know, if I can help, h-here I am.

[...He wants to say he's not going to let you get him down, but you're getting him down.]

To some people "the most boring werewolf" is about as dangerous as "the friendliest axe murderer." A small fire is still a fire.

[Trust her, she knows. Not that she ever had any illusions that she wasn't dangerous.]

F-fair enough.

[He keeps his sigh to himself, not really wanting to sound defeated over the comm.]

It's... i-it's working out so far, though. Community is just as important to... to the supernaturally touched as, as anyone else. I've had a good decade or so to, to work that out.

That's why I thought I'd try to pull it together here, too.

Maybe more important, when you think about it. Humans are pretty dangerous creatures, especially when panicked. And nothing makes them panic more than non humans.

[Sorry to get you down buddy.]

Buuuuut if, e-everyone communicates and knows what to expect of each other, we can-- c-can prevent them from panicking! Or at least quell it.

[He's not going to tack on his usual, self-deprecating "kind of" to that sentence. Harmony is one of the things he's particularly passionate about, and he's not about to lose this argument. ]

Quell it maybe, but I'm not convinced that people wouldn't just--

Like, okay. So you claim to be the most boring werewolf ever. You like tummy rubs and Milk Bone. Humans'll get behind that. Humans like puppies.

But what about a vampire? Even a lame sparkling pseudo-vegetarian vampire? People aren't as fond of leeches.

[To say nothing of what they'd think about the thing that's hogging up valuable real estate inside of Tammy.]

But when someone sees a leech isn't going to harm them, generally, they're not-- you know, th-they're not going to go out of their way to scream at it.

O-or stomp on it.

[She's beginning to wonder if this guy has even met people.]

Most of the spiders in the world are, generally, not harmful to humans, and yet people will ruthlessly smash or stomp on any spider that has the audacity to come into their house. Because they're afraid of them.

[He winces. Deep down, he knows she's right, but, at-- at the same time, he so desperately wants her to be wrong.]

...s-sometimes it helps to, uh. Try for optimism. M-maybe not for everyone, though.

[Was that rude? That sounded rude.]

S-sorry.

[No need to apologize, Bennett. Believe it or not, one of her best friends is an optimist. The man never stops smiling. And Tammy would be an optimist, if she were human.]

Optimism is great, sure, so long as it's not blind optimism. Individually I think humans can be pretty okay--some people are even great--but collectively it's like the stupid increases exponentially.

I-it's... it's not blind. R-really. I-- I guess I've had the good fortune of... of knowing a fair amount of good people.

[Well, his friends are good people. His family? A lot less good. Really, if anyone's going to be able to tell you about how terrible groups of people are, he could just point at the men of his family, but... he doesn't want to.]

B-but you, uh. Talk like someone who has a lot of, a-- a lot of experience in the field.

Do I?

[If it were up to Tammy, this is where she'd be shouting warnings and waving signs and doing everything in her power to let Bennett know that she was dangerous. But Antalyon was pretty stringent about what she said.]

I-- i-it's. Just a hunch.

[Not an accusation.]

I-- I know I might not, uh, we might not be on amazing terms, but-- if-- if there's ever anything I can help you with, you can let me know, okay? I'm-- I'm Bennett, like I said.

I--

[Tammy's accustomed to feeling like an asshole, but it doesn't mean she LIKES it. She'd like to reassure Bennett that they aren't on bad terms, but the encouragement could spell trouble for him.]

Even if I'm just a human?

O-of course! The offer-- you know, the offer was really supposed to be open to everyone, m-maybe I phrased it poorly. If I can help someone, I-- I always will.

[There's a bit of a smile in his voice for the first time in this conversation.]

Naw, it was probably fine.

[Kind, isn't she?]

I'll keep that in mind, then.

2 - {audio}

[audio]

[audio]

Re: [audio]

[audio]

Re: [audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

Re: [audio]

[audio]

[audio]