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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.

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[Geralt can lift curses, but it sounds like this man is determined to stay a bloodthirsty beast.]

You're not serious. How does your wife feel about that? Your family?

[Geralt is from the Middle Ages. Someone Ben's age would definitely be married with children. Finding out that Ben has no wife or children won't soothe Geralt's mind any. In fact, it would just convince him that Ben is crazy. Who would want to stay a werewolf?

Geralt wishes for his silver sword, which would make the fight lopsided in his favour, the way he likes it. Werewolves have lots of good body parts for potion-making. He squints at Ben.]

[All right, the squinting? That's getting a little scary. Ben shifts from foot to foot a little.]

Iiiiee, uh. Wife, d-doesn't, uh, I'm not married. Not necessarily my romantic inclination. Family... uh, most of the family I'm actually related to doesn't know. My little sister was afraid of dogs, but, uh-- she's-- she's cool with me.

The, the people that-- my friends are my family. And... and all of them know. I-- I met them 'cause of my lycanthropy, actually.

[Geralt has no idea what a 'romantic inclination' is. It sounds like Ben just wants to fuck women all day and never have to settle down with a family. Geralt isn't homophobic, he just comes from a time when people have sex with each other, without labels or distinction. The notion of an 'orientation' doesn't exist to him.]

Haven't you ever tried to have it cured?

[Geralt's met one other werewolf who wasn't evil. Just one. Right now he squints at Ben again. A fork in the eye, cutting his throat... if he gets Ben when Ben is human, it will be a lot easier. Then he could take some of these werewolf organs and brew up some really potent shit.]

U-uh-- y-yeah. I-- I mentioned the research, before, right? I started out looking for a cure.

[He weighs his options as to whether to explain or just skip to the "I didn't find one," bit. He decides to make it short.]

There are a few different sub-species of werewolf. There's the, the, uh, classic ones. They were born that way, created that way, whatever you believe in or want to say, you know, that's how they are. They're the first.

[He's hoping that talking very fast keeps Geralt from getting bored. Or losing his temper.]

There's a couple of others in between, from interbreeding and all sorts of shenanigans, but, what... what I was infected with is a very new strain, comparatively. A couple centuries back, some witch or wizard or someone got the bright idea that werewolves were too hard to control, but would be useful to have under their thumb. So, basically, they-- they made some of their own. And that strain got passed down through infection, blah blah blah. That's what I got infected with.

Magic... mutates, over the centuries, apparently. And the cures that worked on the old wolves... don't have much affect on me, unfortunately. But, uh, all the other stuff I found in my research, I-- I helped other people with! Cured a few of the first type of wolves who came looking for help, too. So that was...

...that was, uh, cool.

[Beat.]

I-- uh, sorry. I, I talked too much.

[....you are a very scary man with a very scary face, Geralt.]

Edited 2014-10-20 05:19 (UTC)

[Geralt is a very scary looking man. Even if he didn't have the gigantic scar running down his face, Geralt is still a hulking man in chainmail. His long hair, weirdly enough, doesn't soften his face. It's as the Spartans said: long hair gives beauty to a comely face and strength to a terrible face.

Geralt's face is definitely more terrible than comely.

Ben rattles off words like they're distance between the two men and Geralt doesn't care to interrupt him. He learns a lot, though obviously some of the lingo is out of his reach. Sorceresses are the ones who deal with mutagens and it makes sense that some meddling ones might try to make tamable werewolves.

And then Ben admits that he helped cure some werewolves. That's good.

Geralt listens to the entire speech with an idle scorecard in his head. Some ticks fall under 'kill Ben' and some fall under 'let him live'. So far, 'kill Ben' has more ticks.]

...

[Geralt waits an extra beat to make sure Ben is done talking before he replies.]

You're quite the talker.

[He tilts his head, hair falling over his shoulder.]

Let me see if I get this; you're a breed of werewolf developed to be more controllable. Is that right?

I-- I'm sorry.

[He nods meekly in response to Geralt's question, though.]

Originally intended to be controlled by outside forces, but-- I, uh, I have complete control over myself as a wolf. It's... it's just me, but. You know. Canine.

[Does he look like he would be even REMOTELY threatening, even as a horse-sized dog?]

[Geralt ignores the apology. Ben seems like your typical geeky mage, and Geralt is pretty sure he could startle Bennet by shouting 'boo!'. He's not sure if that's what he wants out of Ben, so Geralt doesn't hasten to reassure Ben that everything is alright.]

I'm going to ask you a question, and I need you to be very honest.

[Geralt looks even more serious than before, which is a feat. His gaze sharpens and his mouth thins.]

Have you ever passed on the curse or savaged someone?

[His expression tightens a little, and he fights the urge to step back. Dear GOD, let honesty be the best policy with this man. Honesty is all Ben has.]

I-I have never passed the curse on to anyone.

I did... h-have to hurt someone to, to save my, my little sister. He was... was trying to strangle her. I-- I was in the right place at the right time, with... wi-with the only weapons I could use.

I... didn't pass on the curse because he... he didn't survive.

[Ben clenches his fists and meets Geralt's eyes. His voice is quiet, but does not waver.]

I chose to do that. Nothing made that decision for me. I could help someone I love, and so... I did. It's all I ever seek to do.

[He wants to avert his gaze, he knows he's being rude, but something in him won't let him back down this time. Maybe he's realized the position he's in, or maybe it's the blood he thinks he's tasting in his mouth.

Then again, if Geralt wanted to punish him for the murder, Ben could raise no argument against it. He's been waiting for the axe to fall for a month now.]

Edited (redundant department of redundancy) 2014-10-20 23:10 (UTC)

[Geralt is thinking. What he's thinking is pretty obvious by his expression: to kill or not to kill. On one hand, that was clearly self-defense and the murder of a little girl is just unthinkable. On the other hand, a werewolf savaged a man to death.

The rules say the punishment for killing a human is death. However, Geralt knows he would be unable to control himself if he walked in on a child being harmed.

It takes a minute, but Geralt lifts his chin and scratches his neck.]

No sheriff would hang a man for saving his family.

[Of course, there's obviously a lot to the story that Ben is leaving out. Just what were the circumstances? How did a strange man get access to his little sister? And, like Ben said, he chose to attack and kill.

Geralt gives Ben a sharp look.]

I want to hear the whole story. Doesn't have to be now, but soon. Everything.

[The unspoken implication being 'then we'll decide'.]

Edited (canb't speel.) 2014-10-20 23:44 (UTC)

[The skinny man swallows and finally averts his gaze, nodding. Granted, the nod is so small that it could be mistaken for his quivering, but he hasn't realized that he's shaking like a leaf just yet. It takes him another second for his voice to return.]

At... a-at your convenience. I'm, uh-- kind of obviously not going anywhere.

[He gestures behind himself at his makeshift bedroom.]

V'got no door to lock, so, uh. Wh-whenever is good for you...

[Oh, wait. He lifts his head, and, in spite of his fear, he's remembered to be polite.]

I'm-- I'm sorry. I never asked for your name. I doubt you would appreciate someone shouting for you through the halls or... or anything.

[In spite of everything, Bennett holds his hand out to shake. It trembles, but, again, the werewolf hasn't noticed it. It just happens sometimes.]

[Ben has avoided being 'harvested' for parts, as was Geralt's original intention. If the werewolf's not evil then there's no reason to kill him. Geralt knows he can always do it later if it turns out that Ben isn't to be trusted.

Besides, Ben looks like he's too terrified to spin a fantastic lie. That doesn't mean Geralt thinks he's telling the whole truth but... well, Ben's sheer nervousness and submissiveness convinced a Witcher not to do his job. Not bad.]

It's alright. I'm Geralt of Rivia, Witcher. Who are you?

[Don't expect a handshake. Geralt doesn't touch people unless he's fucking or killing them.]

[Bennett pulls his hand back a little, eventually shoving a thumb into his pants pocket to occupy himself.]

I-- I'm Bennett Marrow. Originally from Vancouver, but, I'm guessing locale isn't going to help either of us. I-- I think we're from very different places.

[He offers a tense little smile.]

When... when you say Witcher, does... does that mean that you hunt witches? That might be a bit obvious, but I'm-- I'm not familiar with the term.

Very different places.

[Geralt agrees to that well enough. He's never heard of Vancouver before, but he realises that he hasn't heard of most things on this magic ship.

He shifts and relaxes a little. He's decided he won't harvest this very docile werewolf, so there's no reason they can't have a civilized conversation. They're practically allies already. Geralt will no doubt come to Ben for information and resources later--the Witcher has already classified Ben as a scholar-in-residence in his head.]

That's fine. Witchers are mutants and we--

[How to put it. Ben gets to see Geralt pick his words carefully, a strange expression on the man who was fearsome a moment ago.]

--We end witchings and witches. I protect peasants and collect bounties on notorious monsters.

[It's a living. Can you hear the shrug in Geralt's voice?]

A mutant... does-- does that mean you're not--- well, no, I guess a mutation would still classify you as a human, but...

[He stops himself, though the curiosity has chased the fear out of his eyes.]

I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't... mumble to myself and, and you didn't come here for an interview.

[No, Ben, he came here to harvest your organs for unmentionable potions.]

[The question of Geralt's humanity has come up a lot. It's a bit of a theme with him.]

I'm something in between. It would be an offense to the elves to say my differences are as profound as theirs. It's not as if Witchers had land to lose.

[Geralt laughs, which means he exhales through his nose and smiles thinly. He's a little curious about this man who's as meek as a temple maiden. His tone softens as Geralt reminds himself to be gentler. Treat Ben like... like a skittish horse. Soft tone. No sudden movements. Steady mood.]

I'll answer your questions as long as you keep a barrel of beer tapped, and I'll have some of my own for you.

[An awkward pause and Geralt looks a little stiffer than normal.]

I don't know a fucking thing about this vessel.

[Ben really does have the approximate temperament of spooked horse once you get him nervous, and it can take him a long time to calm down again.

He's noticed the shaking, now, at least, and crosses arms tightly to try and get rid of it. It looks like it might work.]

Y-you and me both, my friend.

[His laugh is more tittering, matching the tremors in his hands. He didn't even notice that he referred to Geralt as a friend, either. Blind trust of people out to kill him is an obvious, running theme here.]

And, I-- I don't know about a barrel of beer, but-- if, if you give me a few days, I think I might have enough information to pass around as a basic info package for, for all of us who are a little confused about the nature of this ship. I can, uh, try and find some beer for you to make all of the information a little more palatable, too, but... any booze I find here is probably closer to what I would drink than what you're used to.

[Geralt, now that he isn't interested in killing Ben, can start to see that having Ben terrified of him won't be particularly useful. He can see that the scholar is shaking, but he doesn't want to unman Ben by pointing it out. Even the meekest man, after all, will lash out if his pride is injured. Best thing to do is just gloss over the incident.

Geralt considers what Ben has told him, but after a moment's thought he can't quite figure it out.]

I don't quite understand. Booze is booze.

[He shakes his head.]

[Ben gives a bark of laughter, startling himself-- he claps a hand over his mouth, shaking his head.]

S-sorry. Uh-- we're, I think I might need to introduce you to the... the, uh, wealth of alcohol that mankind has produced in the past... I dunno. Th-there's a lot of different types of booze, Geralt. There are like... twelve or thirteen different types of beer I can come up with off the top of my head, and, and that's just the beers. There're wines and spirits and all sorts of nonsense.

Y-you might get a kick out of some of them, actually.

[At the laugh, Geralt gives Ben a bit of a surprised look. It figured that a point of detail would be the thing to give Ben some backbone. Well, that's what Geralt wants. Ben's status is creeping closer and closer to 'protect' because he's so plainly harmless. Witchers, after all, aren't enemies of all monsters, just the kind that feed on peasant children and roam the countryside eating livestock and causing havoc.]

Spirits? Magical drinks make sense for non-humans. What are they enchanted with?

[There's no such thing as an alcohol-content test in Geralt's time, so making hard liquor is extremely dangerous. For one thing, the whole distillation setup is likely to catch fire. For another, it's easy to create alcohol that's too powerful, or of the wrong type, and therefore be poisoned or go blind from drinking it. Therefore, distilled liquor is a precious potion-base produced in quantities too small to drink for pleasure.]

[In possibly the most dog-like expression Bennett has mustered thus far in their conversation, he tilts his head to the side, confused, amused and pondering all at once.]

E-enchanted's not actually what I meant, but, you know, now that you mention it, I'm surprised some of my friends, uh, haven't found a way to enchant booze to have side effects. Huh.

[Granted, the only two witches he knows are only recently legal and firmly underage, so, that might explain a thing or two. He pulls out a pen and writes on his hand "enchanted booze" on the back of his hand.]

I'll-- uh, I'll see if I can't scrounge up a Molson or something for you. It's... r-realistically, probably like nothing you've ever tried.

[He pulls the pen back out and writes "beer for Geralt" underneath the previous note on his hand.]

[Geralt stares at the ballpoint pen.

He's never seen one before. It just makes a mark, magically, without having to dip it into an inkwell. He's never seen anything like it. This Ben has a lot of useful enchantments. He'll have to ask Ben about it later. Geralt is becoming happier and happier that he didn't kill the werewolf. ]

You don't have to do that, though I'm always open to trying new beer.

[In all honesty, Ben is becoming a downright resource and the second peaceful werewolf Geralt's met. Intriguing.]

I'll pay you back.

D-don't worry about it! I-- I don't think this ship runs on money from, from what I've seen so far. Everything seems... free, or nearly free. No one's asked me for anything in return for m-much other than favors.

[The scrawny professor shrugs, and gives one of his trademark worried smiles. He looks like he's nearly stopped shaking, at least.]

There are, are plenty of mysteries here, but-- but some of them have a right to be fun, at least, you know? Mystery booze for you... well, I can't think of any others that are fun, but, I-I'll get there.

[When the werewolf smiles in that anxious, nervous way it reminds Geralt of a whipped dog. Being experimented on by sorceresses probably had something to do with it, he thinks. Sorceresses were a frightening, powerful bunch.]

I'll count it as a favour, then. If you need some help that a Witcher can provide...

[Geralt trails off and shrugs with a clinking of his chainmail. The leather of his clothes creaks.]

That's-- th-that's very kind of you. Thank you.

[His face lights up with a big smile. It's not often he gets someone offering to help him-- he's normally on his own, or in debt to someone else.]

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2 - {audio}

He can still save himself. There's a chance.

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HOLY FUCK THAT GOT LONG I'M SO SORRY

cast off shame, write novels~

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