animus_network | [video]

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[video]

[The video switches on and... All anyone can see is a hand trying desperately to hit keys on the keyboard. And then, an annoyed little grunt is heard and the hand disappears, seemingly giving up.

And then, the terminal starts rocking. Lightly at first, and then violently enough that the desk the keyboard was in and the monitor go toppling onto the floor. By some odd miracle, they still actually function.

Now that it's down on the floor, the video shows Stein looking rather pissed off, and kind of like she was playing Twister without a mat. The awkward positioning of her legs and left arm is held in place by some glowing white strings stitched between her hand and feet, and the floor. Weird.]

I'm in the library. I need something sharp.

...Please.

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I've never heard of a soul going haywire. [He gets to his feet, smiling, and glances at the sickle in his hand sheepishly] Thanks. It's a treasured possession.

[He captchalogues it again and grins at the human woman] Do you think that'll happen again?

[She smirks. If he got that affectionate about an object, she was curious to know how he'd survive in her world where he could actually befriend a sickle.]

Hard to say. I'm not entirely sure what caused it in the first place. I have a theory, but if I'm wrong then it's possible it will. [She tried to ignore how uncomfortable all those teeth made her. At least this guy was quite a bit smaller than the last adult troll she met up with. And his horns were a lot less sharp which was definitely a bonus.] ...You wouldn't happen to know what the fate of people who leave the tower is though, would you?

[This is a boy who hasn't had that many things in his life. He'll get affectionate about things that save his life over and over.]

You mean people who just vanish from the tower without dying or jumping off? So far as I know, they go back to their own time and forget about the tower. Sometimes they come back.

[Stein lets out a breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding.] That's what I'd suspected, but it's still nice to hear it from someone else.

Knowing that in itself might keep my soul from going haywire again. [Famous last words, those are.] I'm Stein, by the way, and I really do mean it when I thank you for coming to my rescue. [She extends her arm out to shake his hand, assuming those aliens have the same sort of introductory practices as most humans did.]

That happened with my matesprit, twice. [He smiles sheepishly] I have to believe she's all right.

[He extends his hand as well, uncertain, but clasps hers. He's seen this done] Nice to meet you, Stein. You can call me Signless. [He beams] It was my pleasure. Not all the time that I get to ride in to someone's rescue, but it's a thing I enjoy doing.

What's a - [She never really got the opportunity to say matesprit, because she was too busy realizing what was about to happen, pulling her hand out of his as quickly as humanly possible, and still managing to slightly attack his soul with hers. It wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, considering he was still standing and conscious, but it was still no doubt painful, and she still felt bad that she sort of electrocuted her new friend.

And she was pretty resistant to try and do anything like hold him up or catch him if he starting falling or touch him at all ever again.] I am so sorry; are you alright? Usually that doesn't happen. Really.

[He yelped and cringed a bit, teeth bared as he looked up at her. He might have gotten more angry, but she did look pretty apologetic, so instead he took a step back and rested a hand on the nearest bookshelf, pushing himself back up]

What the taint-chafing fuck was that?

Eloquently asked. [Honestly Signless, is that anyway to speak to a lady?]

And that was my soul continuing to go haywire. [She twisted her bolt around a few times, like a normal person might awkwardly play with their hair in a situation like this.] Really, after the stitches started acting up I should have expected this to happen...

[Look, you're not his mom!]

I didn't know souls could do that! [He's mesmerized by the screw, crimson eyes widening a little]

Most of them can't, but mine - and a few other people's are special. That's how I could tie myself down with it too. Mine's bigger than the average one, so it's more powerful.

I'm actually surprised you believed in souls to begin with. Most people I've talked to are quite skeptical about it to begin with. [Her screw thunks back in place and her hand falls back to her side.] And before you ask, turning it helps organize my thoughts better.

I don't really know what souls are... but I'm sure they exist. There's something inside us that makes us, us. [He crooks a smile] And well, you've just demonstrated it pretty clearly.

It organizes your thoughts? Are you a cyborg or something like that?

[She laughs.] Something like that. Really though, I could install one in anyone's head and they would get the same benefits; I'm just the first person crazy enough to try it out.

...Well actually I'm not sure if it would work on anyone's. Does your species have a brain in your head like us, or is it different?

A brain? [He cocks his head] We have a thinking sponge in our heads, is that what humans call a brain?

It's probably the same thing, I'd guess. Though I'd worry about your species horns getting in the way. Yours aren't too bad though. [She actually rather like yours, Signless. They're not sharp, so they probably can't stab her.] I venture to guess you're not about to volunteer your body to science, and that you don't actually want one.

[He laughs and shakes his head] No I don't really, but thanks for the offer. I'm pretty good at thinking, I think... though I suppose I don't know how much better I could be. I think it'd interfere with my cloak.

It would be a difficult adjustment. Though with some tailoring you might be able to make it work. But it's definitely not for everyone, and there is almost no chance I'm going to talk you into it, considering - no offense - the other members of your species I've met have been... Not particularly nice.

Oh? [He cocks his head, smiling, but there's an unhappiness in his eyes] I'm sorry to hear that. There are quite a lot of us who are nice, I assure you. Who have you met, before?

Well I'm one of Vriska's roommates, so I've definitely met her, but she's more antagonistic for no reason than anything else.

The first one of the adults I met was the rather pathetic one with romance troubles - I can practically taste the desperation in his soul, it's so bad. I'm honestly wondering if he ever got flat-out rejected what he'd end up doing. He's the one with the zig-zagging horns and the fins, considering I'm guessing the properties of someone's soul probably won't tell you much.

The other one of you I met... Was quite a bit larger, to say the least. His horns were straight up and spiraled a little, and he has quite a lot of hair. I have to admit, I'm really intrigued that your species has purple blood. [Quick and seamless subject change, that one was.]

[He laughs honestly at the description of Vriska] Vriska isn't so bad. She's quite young, and eager to impress, but she does have an antagonistic way of going about it.

[But he sobers at the description of Dualscar, and goes crimson as well] Orphaner Dualscar. He is lonely, I know. I wish I knew how to get through to him.

And the Grand Highblood Subjugglator. Our species doesn't have purple blood, actually. We have a hemospectrum. Many different colours. Did you get into a fight with the Highblood?

[At his question, she doesn't say a word. She does, however, take off her labcoat, letting it fall in a heap on the floor before picking up the hem of her sweater and pulling it up high enough to expose the row of now mostly-healed scratches from the Subjugglator's claws. She fixes her shirt before moving on to roll up one of her sleeves far enough to expose the area just under her shoulder where a large puncture wound was still putting itself back together, deep enough and large enough that the only logical thing it could be from was a horn. She fixes that sleeve and does the same to the other one, exposing a similar wound, smaller, from a claw this time instead before rolling her sleeve back into place.]

It was the first time I've ever lost a fight.

[He watches, but reddens a little as she nearly strips. But he nods, bowing his head slightly]

I'm sorry. He... [He lifted a hand to his own throat. The wounds have healed, since he was killed] Recently he tore my throat out with his teeth. I was hoping we could just have a nice evening watching movies together, but I guess he had other ideas.

I'm sure the next time I run into him, I get to look forward to something similar, considering that's the one thing he never attacked me with.

Funny how you know exactly what he's like and still want to watch movies with him. Sounds stupid and dangerous, honestly.

[He laughs softly, a bit wryly] I was trying to teach him that lowbloods aren't just faceless creatures to be culled, trying to put a face onto us. And teach him about red romance, and pity, and love. And basically try to teach him that there's value in not hurting people.

I guess I failed.

Some people just have a natural inclination to hurt others. And if their soul is so... Chaotic, let's go with chaotic, as his happens to be, then suppressing it is harder. Maybe if someone were around when he was younger to calm him down he would have turned out differently, but it's hard to say.

Either way, it's hardly your fault.

[He sighs softly, but nods]

We're all twisted by the way we've been raised. All trolls are forced to fight for survival to the death basically from the moment that they're hatched. I'm sure even he can overcome it, if he realizes that there's a reason to.

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