002 | In which Liquid is banned from Sprout Tower for life | Video/Action for Violet

[liquidation]

[When the vid feed turns on, it shows Liquid standing against the vast blue of the sky,  statuesque and impassively looking outwards, as though he was a king surveying his domain.  There is strength in the line of his shoulders and the set of his jaw.  This has clearly been staged, because no one looks like this without careful planning and a keen sense of melodrama.  Anyone who knows this guy and what he's like should be running for the hills right now, because every single inch of this is screaming I'M GOING TO RANT AT YOU UNTIL YOU LIKE IT.]

If there is anything that I have learned in my life, it is that all creatures endeavor to thrive.  Life itself is the constant struggle against all the forces that would seek to extinguish it.  All creatures, from the smallest to the greatest, abide by this principle-- even humanity.

[If you're still here, you are either brave or stupid.]

In the course of this, it is inevitable that conflict would arise.  Friction between those who would strive for the same goals.  There are only so many resources, after all, and there are so many who would wish to possess them.  It is immaterial whether that resource is food, energy, or dominance-- there is only so much to go around.  Only those with the will to take them will prevail.

[Liquid being some kind of stupid Nietzsche wanna-be social Darwinist is hardly surprising.]

War is this struggle at a macroscopic level.

[Is everyone taking notes?  There will be a test.  Everyone take out your notebooks and start taking down everything Professor British McDipshit says.]

But here, this principle is violated.  There are petty criminal undertakings and minor disturbances, but there has been no war.  In a world where every creature is a walking weapon, instead of being used in combat, they are treated as pets.  This is a world that is innocent of the true nature of warfare-- it merely plays out the simulacrum of it with its glorified dogfighting.  Like children playing with toy guns, it is unaware and uncomprehending of what it mimics.

[He smirked, and there was something feral about the set of his teeth.]  I think it is high time that this innocence be lost.  I think it is time to show this place the true meaning of--

[There was a brown and white blur, a squawk, a yell, and Liquid got nailed in the face by a passing Pidgey.  The 'gear that was recording this fell, as did Liquid, and-- wow holy shit he was high up.  Looks like he was taking the fast way down from Sprout Tower.]

Comments

1/3

[vulpesvivus]

Oh great, here we go...

[He'll just sit here and listen because god knows he's put up with it before.]

2/3

[vulpesvivus]

...

[Was that a Pidgey?]

[vulpesvivus]

Uh...

[Snrk.]

James, are you--

[pffhaha]

A-are you okay?

[pfffffhahahaha]

[liquidation]

[For several long moments, there is only the sound of wind whistling past the speaker on the 'gear.]

[Then there was a thud.]

[The gear is now recording some very nice grass with a big crack in the lens.]

[Brb, Liquid is taking a powernap.]

[vulpesvivus]

[He'll be fine.]

[Everyone knows he's had worse.]

[liquidation]

[A few minutes later, there was a string of muffled cursing. If it had been clearer, it probably would've taken the paint off of walls.]

Son of a bitch.

[A hand groped around in the grass for a moment for the 'gear. There was a glimpse of Liquid's face, which... definitely had a mark on it. And possibly a broken nose.]

[vulpesvivus]

You could look worse, all things considered.

[liquidation]

...

[He stared at the 'gear for several moments. This is why Liquid can't have nice things.]

Before I dignify that with a remark, is it possible to delete things off of the network, Emmerich?

[vulpesvivus]

Not that I know of.

[liquidation]

Goddammit.

[The story of Liquid's life.]

Aren't you supposed to be some kind of genius hacker, or has your reputation been grossly overstated?

[vulpesvivus]

Oh, it's not overrated at all.

But if there's a way to delete it, you couldn't pay me to try.

[liquidation]

...I can honestly say that I despise you, Emmerich.

[vulpesvivus]

That's fine. I won't take it personally.

[liquidation]

[He huffed, then felt along the crooked bridge of his nose. He took it around both sides and snapped it back into place with a sharp crack. If it hurt, he made no outward appearance of it.]

You're a fool, as always.

[vulpesvivus]

[...Ow.]

Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment.

[liquidation]

You oughtn't.

[When he looks back at the camera, there is a certain sharpness to his gaze.]

You know that I was being serious, Emmerich.

[About war, and bringing it here. Because Liquid can't be reasonable for even one minute.]

[vulpesvivus]

...Yeah, I know. But I also know it's never going to happen.

[liquidation]

And why would you say that? I have a certain talent for rallying men to my cause.

[Not when you're getting hit in the face with pidgeys, you aren't.]

[vulpesvivus]

Because I won't let it happen.

[liquidation]

Please, do try and stop me. I could use the laugh.

[vulpesvivus]

You shouldn't be so dismissive. I might not be able to do much, but it's not like I'm helpless.

[liquidation]

I outmatch you in strength and stamina, Emmerich. I'm a trained soldier and you are an engineer. I could kill you as soon as look at you, so why do you think that you'd stand any chance of getting in my way in any significant manner? The United States government couldn't do so much.

[vulpesvivus]

There's two problems with that, though. One is that I have an overleveled giant cobra that already doesn't like you. Two is that unlike a lot of people back home, I'm really just not afraid of you in the slightest.

[liquidation]

I promise you, I've killed and eaten worse than an oversized garden hose with an attitude.

[And had horrible indigestion because of it GDIT FATHER]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: you're a fool if you aren't wary of me. Even at my most sentimental, I was always a dangerous man.

[vulpesvivus]

Fine, maybe you were. But if not being afraid of you makes me an idiot, then I'm an idiot.