prismatica | [video]

[The video feed opens to Yarne’s face entirely too close to the camera. He holds his phone in both hands, clearly unused to using such a device, and slowly pushes it away from him.]

Hmm... [His hum is a little louder than it should be.] How do you know if this thing is...Hey! H-how’s it going?

[His long, furry ears droop. This already feels lame, but he’s determined.]

So...there’s been a lot of stuff going on, hasn’t there? And it all seems pretty dangerous, too! I’m used to dangerous things, really, but I thought it would be better if I kept to my apartment for a while and, um...conserved my strength. For later.

[Yarne can already hear his mother yelling at him in his head. There's a pause here as he tries to convince himself he sounds believable, but then he continues.]

So, I’ve been thinking! I need to get out more, and it’s not just because I don’t have any Chroma or food left. Or because I’m worried my muscles will atrophy, leaving me in all sorts of dangerous situations where I could die. [The drama!] But there are some extenuating circumstances, you see, and...I was wondering if there’s anyone strong out there who’d be willing to protect me? In return, I’ll let you pet my ears! That’ll earn both of us lots of Chroma, right? So, it’d be beneficial to both of us, and you’d be my own personal knight! Kind of.

[He’s ending on a smile because, truly, this sounds like an absolutely wonderful idea.]

That’s it, I think! If there’s anyone strong out there who wants to protect me and earn some Chroma, you should let me know! The stronger, the better, as far as I’m concerned. And there’s no one softer than a Taguel, I can promise that.

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[... the pink skin is probably less weird than the fact that the girl who has it can secrete potent acids in her body, but you know what. It's fine. No need to go down that rabbit hole further, har dee har har.

Besides, his attention is rather stolen by the explanation of the circumstances in play, and his expression softens mournfully.]

Ah... I feel as though perhaps I was insensitive to demand such information. No doubt it is a burden which weighs heavily. My apologies.

[Oh. He did bring the mood down, didn't he? Yarne is so used to talking about these things that how other people feel about his words never really occurs to him. He talks about his extinction and lack of siblings all the time to avoid training and other duties with his friends, but...]

Y-yeah. It is pretty heavy. It's all I can ever think about, if I'm being honest. Being in a new world where I don't know anything makes it a lot harder, too. B-but I've been this way my entire life! So I'm used to it.

[Please don't look sad, bird whose name he doesn't know.]

[Being gloomy is half of his aesthetic though... but the other half is being a hero, and that's what's called for here. A huge part of his own inspiration is to make people feel less afraid, and if he can do that for this... rabbit man whose name he doesn't know, then it's a worthy endeavor.]

Then I'll do my best to lay your fear to rest.

[As gloomy as this bird is, Yarne is appreciative. It's not very often people take him so seriously. Really, he's surprised more people aren't yelling at him over the network, and talking to Fumikage makes him feel a little guilty. Deep down, he knows he doesn't really need to be protected, but...it's just really nice to think about.

And there's the Moonlacing, too.]

My name is Yarne, by the way. You, uh, sound pretty serious about this. Are you really okay with all of this?

Mm. I would not offer were I unwilling.

[A pause.]

Though petting your ears isn't necessary. Holding hands for a short spell should be enough, I believe.

[He's barely at the point of being alright with that much as it is... literally petting someone feels like a little much, still.]

Fumikage Tokoyami. I will not fail you.

Alright. As long as you're sure!

[But wait, this is a first for him. Someone. Doesn't want to touch his ears?]

You don't need to worry about my ears! They're probably a lot more fun to touch than my hands. I've never held anyone's hand before, but people grab my ears all the time.

[He doesn't really realize what the problem is here. He's normally against people using him like a pillow, but! He's trying to make a fair trade. This bird is pretty serious, and Yarne actually feels a little safer already.]

...

They "grab" your ears? Perhaps I presume too much, but it sounds as though you're being bullied.

[He's not even going to comment on "fun to touch"...]

Well...you're not wrong. Some people love pulling my ears more than others. Or they just pet me out of the blue. It's so humiliating!

I understand. On occasion, I have similar experiences.

[ It's generally less frequent, since he puts on a pretty frightening appearance most of the time, but once in a blue moon people like to just touch his feathers.

It's weird. ]

We need not bring them about upon you again.

What?! Do people pull on your feathers or something? That's really rude! What do you usually do about it?

[Actually, Yarne wouldn't mind touching his feathers? But that's different! It's different because...well, they're both animal-ish. So, they have a bond! That's what he tells himself.]

I'm okay with it if I'm giving permission, you know? It's not like I have anything else to offer. I'm just really soft.

No, not so much pulling, but I've been pet without consent before. A stern word often dissuades them.

[ ... And when it doesn't, Dark Shadow can. ]

... However, I find that hard to believe - that you've little else to offer, I mean.

How? Whenever I say anything, they just ignore me! But I guess that's true for most things.

[But he sort of brings it on himself. Alas, being Yarne is suffering.]

I dunno. I've never lived in a world like this one, so my softness seemed like a good way to make some Chroma. But...I guess there are lots of people like me, especially when the moon thing is going on. Aside from that, I wouldn't know what else to offer.

[Hiding lessons? Anti-extinction calisthenics? He's not so sure those would be a big sell.]

[video]

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