[video | open]

[ex_outofcontrol435]

[Video: start. Unimpressed teenager with slicked-back hair and a cranky expression: appear.]

Okay, so either the Professor is pulling a huge fuck you on me for leaving, everyone in this town is sharing some kind of mass delusion, or I actually got kidnapped to a Japanese city in another world to fight monsters.

Someone remind me why I'm believing the third one?

[He rubs at his eyes, then looks a bit more cheerful as he keeps speaking.]

Free room and board just for beating shit up, though. The place I came from could learn from this Philemon guy. All I wanna know is if there's any other mutants around - that's Homo Superior, the evolution beyond humans, not whatever you might call mutants in some other world. As good as this all sounds, I'm not sticking around if demons are my only alternative to humans.

[And he's done.]

((ooc: rather pertinent rewrite after he got the details about the place and actually kind of liked them. facepalm.))

Comments

video;

[trainwrecking]

That's right... This is Hinoto-Ri. You probably remember a dream about Persona before waking up here?

[He hesitates before pressing on.]

Ehh... what do you mean by "mutant?" There's nobody here calling themselves an, ahh... "Homo Superior". That's not a real term.

video;

[ex_outofcontrol435]

Whoa, look at me, here one day and I understand this place better than you do.

[He could mistake the tone for light, but there's deadly venom behind it.]

Different worlds mean different rules, genius. "Demons" aren't real where I'm from either, but I didn't tell people they were wrong when they talked about them.

video;

[trainwrecking]

That's not true. [Pyro, you're very good at pushing buttons.] A-and-- You don't have to tell me about differences! I've--

[Okay, no. Losing patience will get them nowhere, so he sucks in a breath and backs off.]

... I highly doubt there's a scientific term like that. An..yway, I've seen robots, clones, demons, vampires, supernatural humans, and dead people... So, what is a mutant to you? B-because to me, it's a biology lesson.

video;

[ex_outofcontrol435]

Yeah? Well, I highly doubt you'd last two seconds in a scientific debate with Dr. Grey, Dr. McCoy, or even the Professor. So unless you've got some credentials to take down the truth, I don't give a shit what you do and don't doubt.

[Yeah, they're on the wrong side of the war, but they're the best examples he can think of right now.]

Besides, I already told you. Humanity evolved beyond Homo Sapiens. We're what came next.

video;

[trainwrecking]

Wh-- Look, I don't know who those people are, and I'm only trying to help you! I'm not trying to compete or show off..!

[He didn't know an offhanded comment would lead to this...]

Okay, so, mutation: you have, ah, altered genes. You wouldn't be talking about it like this if it was a mutation that caused an impairment, I'm sure...

video;

[ex_outofcontrol435]

I don't need anyone's help. That's your first mistake.

[He relaxes a little as the guy starts to take him seriously, though.]

That's right. It's called the X-Gene. Totally random, and it's definitely not an impairment.

[At that, he pulls out his lighter and opens it, bringing up a flame - then drawing the flame into his other hand, where it flickers right against his skin without appearing to harm him at all. He doesn't even look uncomfortable.]

1/2

[trainwrecking]

That's not a smart way to start in a new place..!

[He knows all too well.]

X-Gene? So it's named for the variable --

2/2

[trainwrecking]

[His first instinct is to scream, of course. Otonashi leans forward, ready to snap at this guy for self-harm--really, setting yourself on fire?!--but the need never arises.]

You... ah, have immunity to fire..? Or even faster healing than we ever had before we got here...

[ex_outofcontrol435]

Close. Keep guessing.

[The flame suddenly jumps to twice its original size, and the colour shifts slightly as it starts to burn hotter.]

[trainwrecking]

That's not... a rigged lighter, is it.

[It's not really a question. It might be, if the fire was actually scalding the skin.]

You control fire?

[ex_outofcontrol435]

I own fire.

[It shrinks back down, and he makes a little arc with it in his palm before closing his fingers to snuff it out.]

If I showed you everything I could do, this place wouldn't even be standing anymore.

[trainwrecking]

[Otonashi rubs at one of his temples.]

Don't be so sure about taking out the city with just fire...

[ex_outofcontrol435]

It's not like I'm planning to. Like I said, this isn't a bad deal. But I wouldn't write off what you don't understand so quickly.

[trainwrecking]

You shouldn't either.

[Never underestimate how much Otonashi wants to help people.]

If fire is all you have, you need to have a backup plan for when you encounter monsters that have the same abilities you do.

[ex_outofcontrol435]

[Oh, great, so there's fire demons?]

I'll work something out. I've lasted this long, some demon isn't taking me out now.

[trainwrecking]

Your Persona should be able to help. They're supposed to show up when you're in danger.

[Unless his Persona is all fire too, but what are the odds of that?! Hur hur.]

[ex_outofcontrol435]

[Hey, it's got one physical attack!]

Right, the mythological being that appears out of nowhere. We'll see about that. I'll be fine in the meantime.

[trainwrecking]

[Yeah, he has one too. One attack period. High-five, losers!!]

It doesn't just... [Siiigh.] Nevermind... It appears out of nowhere, just like you did. [Which is to say "it's a little more complicated than that."]

[ex_outofcontrol435]

Hey, I've seen one of those things. Big black bird with red eyes, and it definitely didn't fly down.

[trainwrecking]

Yeah, it comes from within. The more humanoid ones even talk to you...

[ex_outofcontrol435]

I still don't get the deal with this. We had this mu - this ability all along and just couldn't use it until we came here?

[trainwrecking]

Ahh, no... Not exactly. You were always you before you came here, but it was that "dream" that gave you your Soul Persona.

Uh, how do I say this... [Especially to a guy who seems to have a serious vendetta against humans.] You, ah... agreed to it.

[ex_outofcontrol435]

What?

[That's one part of the dream that he doesn't remember.]

You couldn't ever get how little I care about the fate of humanity. Why would I agree to that?

[trainwrecking]

I, ah, really can't answer that one for you...

[And he's not sure he wants to speculate on your psyche there, friend. But he'll try his best to avoid landmines.]

Philemon is one of the gods here. Maybe he appealed to some... ah, small part of you?

[ex_outofcontrol435]

[He shakes his head irritably.]

Dreams are a shitty way of giving people information, and an even worse way of recruiting. Who the hell knows why you do what you do in dreams?

[He's starting to get pissed off at this place again.]