Second Duel (Forward dated to late Saturday morning)

[facedthetruth]

*It's Margulis' first appearance on the network, and...well, he looks horrible. He looks like he's barely slept in days and he looks almost sickly pale, except for where he skin is inflamed red from the cold. His scar is an angry red line down the side of his face and it doesn't take a doctor to figure out that it has to be causing him pain. It's no wonder he looks somewhat annoyed, right?*

I hadn't thought you the sort of coward who would leave a message and then refuse to show his face, Jin Uzuki. Or have your scant manners finally failed you completely?

More generally, I've been indisposed for the past two days. If anything of note has happened in that time, I'm interested in hearing about it.

Comments

[video]

[wasjustascratch]

[Whoa. WHOA! YOU DID NOT.]

A coward, colonel? Not at all but I wasn't going to sit around and wait for you.

You did something very reckless, and don't think I'm not aware of it.

[video]

[facedthetruth]

*He did too. Just because he knew it would make sure he got your attention. And maybe also because he's a bit annoyed at you.*

And our paths not crossing before now is sheer coincidence, is it?

Hmph, I'm well aware of the risk involved in my actions, Uzuki. And I'll admit that my detainment wasn't something I had seen a high likelihood of, but it still turned out better than I had expected.

[video]

[wasjustascratch]

[Jin is annoyed too, you know.]

I've had other things to occupy my time.

[He didn't want a fight.]

And yet you still went through with it with those other idiots? I'm sure someone explained the tower and its dangers when you got here. I expected better of a soldier of your skill.

[video]

[facedthetruth]

*This look? Does not believe you.*

The difference between me and those fools was that I held no expectation of an obvious victory.

[video]

[wasjustascratch]

[He didn't think he'd get away with that anyway.]

Then why did you bother?

[video]

[facedthetruth]

I wanted to see our enemy with my own eyes. Besides, I would prefer the risk to my physical condition over standing aside and letting him believe he had my cooperation.

[video]

[wasjustascratch]

The risk isn't worth it when you could hear it from others who have been here longer.

[Ugh.]

And you wonder why I only left a note.

[video]

[facedthetruth]

I doubt others here could relate what I saw during my captivity.

*Smug and vague. The best way to give information, right?*

[video]

[wasjustascratch]

You can't be sure unless you've spoken with everyone about all their experiences, can you?

[video]

[facedthetruth]

I saw the others' reactions. It wasn't a normal occurrence or common knowledge.

[video]

[wasjustascratch]

But not everyones.

[He's crossing his arms and sighing. Why is he bothering again?]

This is ridiculous.

[video]

[facedthetruth]

Hmph, we'll see. But I'm not going to explain it over this hunk of outdated machinery.

[video]

[wasjustascratch]

They're useful enough, no matter how outdated they might be.

[Text]

[lightofhumanity]

Margulis, you look like you're about to lose a few fingers. If you need help warming up, let me know. I have already put my blankets and sheets in your bed, but if you require more, I can warm you up. You just need to ask.

[Video]

[facedthetruth]

*He still has his fingers, but they're too stiff for him to really type effectively. So he'll reply with video.*

I still have some ability to make use of my Ethers. I'm not in danger of losing fingers yet.

[Text]

[lightofhumanity]

That's probably true. However, the fact that you didn't reply in text probably means that your fingers are so stiff with the cold that you cannot move them. Where are you right now? I shall come to you and warm you up.

[Video]

[facedthetruth]

*He hates that chaos is right, almost as much as he hates that chaos figured it out. And it shows in the growl to his voice.*

I'm on the first dormitory floor.

[Text & Action]

[lightofhumanity]

Alright then. Please wait a moment..and there's no need to be angry. We all need help sometimes. Even I do. there's no need to be mad about it.

[A few minutes later, chaos can be seen walking down the steps onto the first dorm floor, looking around for Margulis.]

[Action]

[facedthetruth]

*He's sitting at one of the terminals, arms wrapped around himself when he's not replying to messages. It's pretty obvious that the cold is really bothering him. But he does spot chaos when he comes onto the floor.*

I'm over here.

[Action]

[lightofhumanity]

[chaos nodded, noticing how cold Margulis looked. He walked towards him and put a hand on his shoulder, warming him up and healing him.]

Sorry for the wait. I would have been able to help you sooner, but I got a little sidetracked.

[By death. It was something chaos was still getting used to-how could he die so easily..and just wake up the next day? Plus, that whole ordeal meant that there were things here that even he couldn't handle. That he'd be powerless to stop. That made him feel pretty powerless, but he wasn't going to show it. He wasn't going to worry anyone.]

How did you end up getting this cold? Did you get punished for joining that mob?

[Action]

[facedthetruth]

*He doesn't have any actual injuries, but the healing does help with the scars that have been aching from the cold. He generally dislikes relying on healing Ethers, but this is petty enough that it doesn't sting his pride too much. And he visibly relaxes when his body starts warming up.*

Yes, however I did discover something interesting during my stay under Jason's hospitality.

[Action]

[lightofhumanity]

[chaos smiled when he saw that Margulis was relaxing a little. He removed his hand from the mans shoulder and nodded.]

I see. How interesting is it?

[Codewords for 'Is it safe enough to talk about it?']

[Action]

[facedthetruth]

*He starts flexing his fingers as they thaw. It burns, but that's a small price to pay for being able to feel them again.*

Interesting enough that I don't plan on discussing it with people who might misuse the information.

*Code for 'Doubtful.'*

[Action]

[lightofhumanity]

[chaos nodded, thinking about whether or not he should use his powers here. It might be suspicious..but he was certain that Margulis would probably just accept that he could do this, if he had been comrades with the man in a previous Recurrence. So, he used his telepathy.]

'How about thinking it then? Ah, and please just think your answers. I'll be able to hear them. As for how I am doing this..this is just something else that I can do. It is nothing to worry about.'

[Action]

[facedthetruth]

*It was a little startling at first, but he had long since gotten the idea that there was something not quite normal about chaos and gotten used to surprises from him. Having his mind read was...not exactly comforting, but it was one way to get the message through.*

'We encountered a small girl during our captivity. She admitted to being the subject of successful experimentation, but wasn't familiar with Jason's name. She was also capable of influencing the cells as well as teleporting and evidently reading minds.'