video

[consumeation]

Thank you, those of you who helped me when I first arrived. I don't think I caught any of your names, or I would contact you personally.

[Kei looks much calmer, his hair neatly combed, every visible piece of his suit in place. That said, there's a barely detectable waver in his voice.

The use of video is very much intentional - he hadn't been in a state of mind to give his name to anyone when he'd first arrived in Aifaran, and he wants to be recognized.]

Comments

video;

[driverslicense]

...You look different.

[Why yes, that is certainly the most significant thing he could be commenting on.]

video [private]

[consumeation]

[Kei reaches out to switch the encryption level. Much as he'd wanted to get in touch with those who aided him when he'd first arrived, he would rather their conversations not be visible to just anyone. Having too much information about himself - about their meetings - visible to just anyone would be embarrassing at best and dangerous at worst.

Besides, his first meeting with this person went particularly poorly.]

I suppose I do.

I'm sorry for giving you so much trouble. I wasn't quite in my right mind.

[An apology largely to head off any future negative interactions. But an apology nonetheless.]

[driverslicense]

[Chase gives a blank look at that; it doesn’t really matter to him that much. Better than the trouble it could have been, at any rate.]

Who did you think I was?

[consumeation]

[...Exactly how much did he say while not quite in his right mind?]

I'm afraid you'll have to refresh my memory.

[driverslicense]

"Belial."

[Chase being Chase, he doesn't think to consider that that topic might be awkward at all, so he responds with the bluntest answer possible in this situation. Sorry, Kei.]

[consumeation]

[...Of course. Who else would it have been, really? Kei hesitates, conflicted between the many possible answers. In the end, he settles on the truest reason he can give.]

Belial... was my entire reason for living.

[He tries to appear calm. He really does. But for a moment the mask breaks, and he looks terribly sad.]

[driverslicense]

[Chase understands that, sort of. He knows the feeling of losing his purpose, at least.]

You must find another one.

[It's not said unsympathetically, but his voice is still a little lacking in inflection.]

This Belial's ideals...what were they?

i'm not deep enough into ultraman for this

[consumeation]

I suppose so.

[Hard as it is, so soon after the fact.

........And he's just going to edge around that question. Thankfully, his writing's given him plenty of practice.]

He was a great hero.

[driverslicense]

[Living for a hero doesn't seem to Chase to be a very good idea. But he's not here to criticize other people's choices.]

From your planet?

[consumeation]

...No. He was from far away. He... saved me.

[driverslicense]

[...He finally realizes that Kei's reaction to this Belial might have...reminded Chase of someone, which has been informing how he's been approaching this conversation. But that brings home the fact that something must have happened—]

...What were you doing before you arrived?

[consumeation]

[Trying desperately to win Belial's favor back, to prove he could still be useful. (Trying not to accept that he'd been completely thrown away.) But he's not going to say that.]

Fighting. At that point, I didn't have long to live.

[driverslicense]

Aside from that.

[From Kei’s reaction, it’d been pretty clear he’d been in a fighting mindset, after all.]

What were you fighting for?

[consumeation]

[That's too much to answer. There were so many things, wishful thinking, desperation, trying not to acknowledge his losses and repress the negative emotions the only way he could think of. A way that didn't work well, that was utterly useless here.

Kei looks down. It's better than looking at the camera and letting his expression be seen.]

I'd rather not answer that right now.

[driverslicense]

[A small pause as he takes that in, and then—] I will not force you.

[But trying to get at the ideals behind the Belial-worship doesn't seem to be doing any good right now.]

...You have something else you can fight for?