[video]

[husbun]

[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.

Comments

[sheisthewind]

Then stop thinking about everything that could possibly go wrong, and just live.

[husbun]

H-hey! That's a different issue entirely! I wasn't allowed to just live, so I'm still figuring that part out, too!

[sheisthewind]

Start simple. Get chroma from people petting you or from hugging, then go out and buy yourself some food.

[husbun]

That's too simple. I already know I'm supposed to make money and eat and get stronger and, you know, avoid dying. But what am I supposed to do with the rest of my time? What do you do with your time?

[sheisthewind]

I explore the city. I try a new kind of food at least once every other day. I joined the Lunar Scientia because I want to learn more about how things work. What kinds of things are you curious about that you didn't have the chance to try before?

[husbun]

Uh...pretty much everything? Where I'm from, there's...

[Ugh. He shouldn't be saying things like this.]

There aren't really any cities left to explore. And...there's no fancy food, either. Now that I can shop and explore and eat whatever I want, it feels a little overwhelming. And even when I went somewhere else, war was breaking out again, and...

[What is he curious about?]

I really don't know what I want to learn about. I never had time to think about it.

[sheisthewind]

[She can understand how all the choices would feel overwhelming. It was like that for her too, although she'd been eager to explore. He seems more wary. She's silent for a moment, thinking. At last, she settles on a simple suggestion.]

Try ice cream. Start with strawberry.

[husbun]

Ice cream? I think I've seen that before, but it looked kind of funny to me. But strawberries are delicious, so it can't be that bad.

[That's actually a nice suggestion. Eating berries! This woman seemed a little scary, but maybe she's secretly soft?]

[sheisthewind]

Lick it and let it stay on your tongue instead of biting it. It's cold, but refreshing.