July 24 Afternoon [Video]

[thebestandwurst]

[Germany is baaack, and looking pretty refreshed considering all that's happened. The wonders of a lot of sleep and an Italien... Ahem.]

Thank you for your participation in the fight against Adachi. I hope that all the injured are well into recovery by now; otherwise, please contact the medics immediately. We cannot afford to have people disabled for any extended length of time considering our short numbers and the war we have at hand.

On more pertinent matters: Shibusen has given the approval to build a clinic in both the Casualty Communal and Death City Heights, as well as to renovate some partner-sized residences in the Communal so that we may leave meister-weapon couples on guard there. I have been informed that Shibusen currently does not have any personnel that they can lend in aid of the effort. I would like to ask members of the guests to assist in the endeavor, especially those with abilities in carpentry and construction.

Last: We have lost some of our comrades during the fight with Adachi. Among the names that come from our ranks include Captain Li Shang and [A pause here, deep breath.] Griechenland, better known to you as Greece. The others involve the following: [Have a list of NPCs from Shibusen here.] It would be appreciated if everyone were to attend their funerals, to be announced at a later time.

Comments

[Video]

[smokeeasy]

Aw shit, Cateus. [And he does look genuinely troubled to hear about his death. He liked the cat-man. He's silent for a few moments and then he sighs.]

I can help with the construction thing if you want. Dunno if you'd call it "experience" but I kinda had to rebuild this restaurant this one time after I kinda got it all shot up by this bunch of gangsters.

[audio]

[bulletcarnage.livejournal.com]

[Video]

[smokeeasy]

[A few seconds is plenty long enough to see Badou's expression fall, if Heine is watching at all. Badou knows exactly who it is, but he doesn't know any more what to say than Heine does. If there was any doubt in his mind as to whether Heine knew that it was him who'd leaked word of his plans, that uncertainty is gone in an instant. He knows he needs to say something, and he wants to, he's just at a loss for what. Finally he opens his mouth to speak.]

Heine, I--

[But the feed has already gone dead.]

[Video]

[thebestandwurst]

That sort of experience will be invaluable to the project. [pause, he will ignore that last bit]

[another pause when he notices the exchange above] Was that not Heine?

[Video]

[smokeeasy]

[Obviously very distracted after the brief exchange with Heine. His voice sounds a bit faint, like he's saying something automatic without having listened to what Germany said at all.] Yeah, sure, I can hammer my thumb with the best of--

[And then the question about his friend catches his attention.]

Wha--? Oh, uh, yeah.... I guess it was.

[Video]

[thebestandwurst]

[Puzzled.] Ah, you have not spoken yet? It seems that they are allowing him and Kanda visitors at Professor Stein's.

[Video]

[smokeeasy]

I...don't really think he wants to talk to me. Or, ya know, uh see me...right now.

[Video]

[thebestandwurst]

[Not getting it.] I do not see why. I thought you were, ah, friends?

[Video]

[smokeeasy]

[Well of course Germany doesn't know what Badou's done, but the prospect of having to explain the whole mess to someone else right now. He sighs.]

You know what he and his partner wanted to do during the battle, man?

[Video]

[thebestandwurst]

....

[It is actually a point of guilt for him. He should have done something, but...]

Yes.

[Video]

[smokeeasy]

.... [He was actually expecting to have to explain.] Oh. I guess news travels, huh.

Guess you know they didn't manage it too then.

[Video]

[thebestandwurst]

I—No. I knew of it. Before the… fight. [Eeergh.] The fact that the operation succeeded is… very telling. I have also spoken to Heine.

[Video]

[smokeeasy]

[Jumps on that last bit first.]

You did? Is he okay? I just heard that his meister took the worst of it, but--

[Pauses, realizing that he probably sounds desperate for news (which he kind of is). And only then, belatedly, does he catch the first part of what Germany said.]

Wait. How's that? You knew before?

[Video]

[thebestandwurst]

He is fine. There are not much damage to him, though Kanda has yet to regain consciousness.

[pause, LOOKS AROUND LIKE A HUNTED CRIMINAL. Oooh, their points of guilt are so the opposite of each other.]

I-- he-- during recruitment, that is, [MAN UP SELF. Ahem.] he told me about his plans.

[Video]

[smokeeasy]

[Still--wow, he'd heard that Heine's meister was badly off, but that didn't bode well at all. His guilt creeps up a notch.]

Oh. And you...wanted them to try it? [Yeah, way to misread a situation there, Badou.]

[Video]

[thebestandwurst]

NO! [hnnngh] I attempted to dissuade them. Heine. I attempted to dissuade Heine. But he was adamant about it, and I did not take further steps to stop his plan. I was

certain.

That he would not succeed.



It was most unwise.

[Video]

[smokeeasy]

[Oh.] Well, you were right--they didn't succeed.

[He sighs, looking away from the camera as he continues.]

Anyway, at least we've got the trying to dissuade them in common.

It's just that I...uh...didn't stop there.

[Video]

[thebestandwurst]

I did not expect damages to be this terrible. If I had known that Heine's life was at stake, I would perhaps have had them both locked up for the duration of the fight instead... something far better than this. [woeful rambling, maybe. Mostly straight-faced.]

Did you... take further action?

[Video]

[smokeeasy]

[Well the cat's out of the bag anyway, right? Heine obviously already knows it was him, so it's not like he's got a reason to keep the secret now.]

Yeah, well. Guess you could say I'm kind of the reason they didn't succeed.

[He leaves the first part of Germany's remark alone--he knows Heine well enough to guess that he'd take being locked up a damn sight worse than being nearly killed.]

[Video]

[thebestandwurst]

[interested] What did you do?

[Video]

[smokeeasy]

[Torn between taking undue credit here and naming his co-conspirators, he's trying to find a middle ground.]

Look, I'm not saying I did it all by myself or anything but I...uh [A deep breath, and then he speaks all in a rush, running his words together.] Kindafoundsomeonewhocouldgetdownintothechamberandstopthembeforetheycouldkillthebastarddead.

[Video]

[thebestandwurst]

[Sorting that out, sorting, sorting.... Ah.]

... It was wise of you.

[Video]

[smokeeasy]

[Blink blink.]

Interesting word for deceiving my friend and going behind his back.

[Video]

[thebestandwurst]

I do not know Heine as well as you, but he did not seem easy to convince. Perhaps that was the only choice left for you to make after my own failure to cease his actions or at least his liberty to act on his plans.

[Video]

[smokeeasy]

[A humorless chuckle.]

Yeah, you ever try having a nice reasonable chat with a slab of concrete to try and convince it to budge up to the other side of the road? It's about like that. Doesn't make a guy feel any better about whipping out the sledge hammer though, if you take my meaning.

[But he seems to sense the proclivity for this line of reasoning to lead round in circles.]

Look, don't worry about it, big guy. He'll just hold it against me until, ya know...he, uh, doesn't anymore.