voice ✖ un: M0003

[farmerofwrath]

[Under normal conditions, Zen wouldn't bother resorting to the network for this kind of question, often preferring to investigate on his own. But growing impatience pushes him to do this, in a way he assumes will yield quick answers.

When the audio starts, there's a distinctive sound of a lighter, followed by an exhalation. Smokers, and those who have been around one for long enough to recognize this combination of sounds will easily be able to infer that he is, in fact, smoking.]

I guess this has been asked countless and countless of times, so what's one more time, right?

[A small pause as he takes another drag, breathing the smoke out more softly this time. Despite the sharp wording, his tone is somehow controlled.]

Anyone know of a way to stop whatever this moon's doing that's getting on my nerves?

[Because it's hard not to make the connection between the sanguine moon up in the sky and the maddening restlessness.]

Comments

[farmerofwrath]

[Riling people up is one of Zen's pastimes, but he knows it's time to tone it down when he accidentally trips on a very sensitive topic. All he's going to get from pushing this guy's buttons further is entertainment in the poorest taste.]

I'm implying there's something wrong with you not paying attention at all to anything I've said so far.

[Feeling himself a lot more irritable than usual, Zen can almost relate to the man's plight. But damn, the way the guy's blaming the moon is just pitiful.]

So what? What's so bad about looking like that?

[anotheroldfashioned]

I'm a human being, not a teddy bear.

[He's not a teddy bear, he looks like something out of a nightmare.]

Plus your brain takes a vacation. I'm normally...I'm normally a lot clearer and a lot more lucid and...

[Instead a rumbling noise as something crashes nearby.]

[farmerofwrath]

Sure, I believe you. [He doesn't sound serious though.]

Even though you don't look—[He stops as he catches that noise, and stares into the screen, as though trying to find anything that might have been the source of it.]

Should I be asking what that was?

[anotheroldfashioned]

[His teeth bare in a snarl and the bear-man tilts his head at him.]

Do you really want to find out?

[His eyes are bright on the video feed.]

Now I gotta know. What don't I look like?

[farmerofwrath]

[Snarl at him all you want, Don.]

Well, I'm curious now.

[There's no hesitation before he answers the second question.]

Human. But you don't really have any other choice but to accept what you've become, do you?

[anotheroldfashioned]

There's a goddamn cure for this.

[There has to be. He's not going to allow this to beat him. Yeah it'll change but he doesn't like bad days like this. No No no.]

There has to be. And it'll happen to you too.

[farmerofwrath]

What if there isn't? You're just gonna spend the rest of your time here in denial?

[And who knows how long it'll be.]

And I wouldn't be so sure of it. Unlike you, I still look completely human.

[You (re)started it, Don.]

[anotheroldfashioned]

Give it time.

[He looks annoyed. Can you pray to a moon. He's not a religious man but having one person know his pain would be a real blessing.]

Not wanting to be a bear isn't denial.

[farmerofwrath]

[There's a brief sigh.]

Yeah, yeah, not that it'll make any difference to me.

[Or so he wants to convince himself, but if he would hardly be pleased if he turned into a monkey. It would be like having karma bite you in the worst way possible. He hasn't run into any people with monkey features yet, so it's not really worrying.]

There you go saying things that make no sense again. You're clearly in denial.

[anotheroldfashioned]

[That gets a finger pointed in his direction.]

Don't talk to me like that. I know what denial is.

This conversation is a waste of time. Clearly, if you're not going to listen to me.

[And he switches the feed off.]