Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?

[chalicejoker]

Heads up--if you run into Teruo, Kinji's infiltration, some kind of yellow sea snake mermaid--be really damn careful. He's a menace.

Asshole goaded me into what I thought was a spar, but then he started singing, and it...

[Hajime's mental voice trails off in embarassment here before picking up again.]

Look, I'm not proud of it, but it's hard to get me to back down from a fight. And what he did, it...I just stopped fighting. Didn't even think to defend myself. He kept it up long enough to hit me with a cheap sucker punch.

[The irritation is just coming off his mental voice here.]

He also said several times that if I was a warrior, I should be sticking closer to the boat and protecting my school--I'm still not sure if that was a threat or not. I wouldn't put anything past him.

...and if you do end up talking to him and he mentions someone named Chalice, that's me--I'm not about to go by my real name in the same world as the Bando, even if I'm a fish this time around.

Comments

[chalicejoker]

If he drives me away from places just by being there, he's manipulating me anyway.

[Stubborn wounded pride talking over here.]

[professorwolf]

No, you're making a choice to avoid a conflict, and to avoid risking yourself and thus all of the rest of us. I know it's hard for you to do, but I believe you can do it. Chasing you away is probably not actually what he'd want to do, anyway-- if he has a power over you, I'm sure he'd be happy to keep humiliating you with it, instead.

[chalicejoker]

[Hajime looks frustrated for a moment, then ducks back underwater. Is he trying to walk away from the conversation?

Nope, just breathing--he can't stay above the surface of the water for too long. The look of frustration lingers when he surfaces again.]

I still don't like it. He shouldn't...I don't like anyone holding that sort of thing over my head.

[Still wants to tie the snake in a knot.]

And he's been threatening other people in our group, too--it's only going to get worse before it gets better.

[professorwolf]

The other people in our group aren't Undead who are next to impossible to stop when they really get going. While I don't want anyone else under his power, either, most of everyone else is less dangerous than you are.

[He makes noise that could be annoyance, and could be amusement.]

You saw Spiderman, right? With great power comes great responsibility. Sometimes that responsibility means you have to be careful and avoid the fight you'd rather confront.

[chalicejoker]

If he tries to make me rampage, at least I'm used to holding that sort of impulse back...

And I can't just let him get away with doing this...

[There's an irritated sigh, he sinks underwater again, and...yeah, he's sulking. Probably better he do that than rush out there after Teruo right then and there, at least.]

[professorwolf]

[Too bad running away in this case doesn't mean he can't still talk to you. Lyall crouches down and sends along the network, privately now:]

Once we know more, then maybe you can make a show of dealing with him. But right now, until we have more of an idea of what he's capable of, I need you to stay away. Just for a few days, a week maybe, until we can have our other mermaids ask around about him, and we can put together what we know about Singing from those who are still investigating.

[chalicejoker]

Fine, fine.

[He surfaces again.]

I'll back off, but I'm sure as hell not going to act like I'm afraid of him. But I'm not.

[No, he's long ago decided what he's capable of as Joker is the only thing he needs to be afraid of. Even if he'd never admit that to anyone.]

[professorwolf]

You don't have you. I'd prefer he not even see you at all, to see how you're acting.

[And with that relenting, he opens his hand to offer the earplugs. Kinji isn't the only one out in these waters to worry about, after all.]

[chalicejoker]

I'm acting fine.

[Not unlike a sulky teenager, but when you're this proud of your fighting skills and have some weird monster instinct tying them in to your very right to keep existing...]

I'll be careful.

[And he takes the earplugs.]

[professorwolf]

I didn't say you weren't. You said you weren't going to act like you were afraid of him, Hajime, I just said I'd prefer he not see you to see any way you acted at all.

[Touchy, touchy.]

[chalicejoker]

[The touchiest. Hajime sighs. There's a quick dip underwater, but it's just to take another breath, not to hide.]

Right, right. Maybe I better stay here for a little bit, take a nap, try to sleep some of this off...

[Or, you know, tell Lyall he's doing that and then make some kind of underwater punching bag to vent on, same difference...]

[professorwolf]

[Either on is better than hunting down Kinji, so Lyall honestly doesn't care.]

I'll be in here a while longer. I need to be available for other people who need earplugs. Let me know if you need anything, all right?

[chalicejoker]

Yeah, I will.

[Hajime gives Lyall a smile, even if he's kind of forcing it. At least he's putting forth the effort.]

...and don't worry, it's not like I'll be alone down here.

[At that, a very exciteable, very brightly colored mantis shrimp pops up out of the water, gives a little wave, and goes back down.]