136th moon [video]

[paladinlost]

[The feed, when it turns on, mostly shows the barely-lit left half of Cecil's (clothed for colder weather, thankfully) chest. When he adjusts the angle to look at the camera properly, his surroundings become somewhat visible; he's in a cave, though the cave in question may only look familiar to the few people who fought a certain dangerous creature years ago.

Also, a non-negligible portion of his hair is stuck in a chunk of ice. What a weekend, right?]


Due to circumstances beyond my control, please note that the Lunar Gym will be closed tonight.


[Offscreen, a Golbat screeches in pain. When it flies by in a panic, Cecil ducks nonchalantly.]


And most probably tomorrow.


[Absentmindedly, he steps aside to avoid Rosie the Clefable, who appears to be gleefully chasing the fleeing bat.]


Frankly, I'd not get my hopes up for Wednesday, either. We'll see about Thursday.


[Thursday is also not looking good, to be honest.]

Comments

[wrappedwarm]

[Okay, that was better than sleeping in a puddle and getting frozen to it. Maybe he wasn't hopeless.

Look, Mikasa had low standards for people being competent.]

...It's bad that can happen. At least it wasn't fire. That'd be bad.

......You'd be bald then.

[Ah yes, that was the concern.]

[paladinlost]

A terrible fate, that. Though one less alarming than my uncle's hairstyle; the top of his head is entirely bald, but the rest of his hair is nearly as long as he is tall. Mere baldness is easier to pull off.

[Is he genuinely concerned about hair-related heredity, or is he simply humoring Mikasa? The world may never know.]

[wrappedwarm]

[She just...pictures a guy who looks just like him. Minus the hair on top.]

Why doesn't it all fall out?

[paladinlost]

[What a shame it is that such a mental image is missing the beard! Meanwhile, Cecil ponders her question.]

An excellent question! But one I cannot answer, sadly. He is a powerful mage, however, so perhaps he knows a spell that slows down hair loss? That cannot be much more difficult than throwing lightning bolts.

[wrappedwarm]

Doesn't it get in the way? [Like Cecil's had with the ice?]

[paladinlost]

...Now that you mention it, he tends to walk and move very slowly. Perhaps it does get in the way! Of course, his long robes and advanced age cannot help either...

[Some men are simply meant to have a very low speed stat.]

[wrappedwarm]

Being old sounds annoying... [The tiniest pout.]

[paladinlost]

[That gets a slight laugh out of him.]

It does come with its limitations, yes. But an active, healthy elder might enjoy a better quality of life than a younger person with a weaker body.

[wrappedwarm]

[Mikasa was still serious...deadly serious. Her head hanging slightly.]

Yeah... If you're body is weak, you can't work and you'll die. [Attack on Titan is a world.]

[paladinlost]

[Well. That's a rather alarming observation, coming from such a young girl. Cecil doesn't feel much like laughing anymore.]

...Does your home not have charities to take care of the ill and infirm? Strong support systems for their families, at the very least?

[wrappedwarm]

[The silence said it all really.]

...I don't know what those things are?

[paladinlost]

...You live in a terribly harsh world, then. I'm sorry to hear it.

[How can he describe those concepts to someone who is entirely unfamiliar with them...?]

Back home, there are groups that regularly gather money to help feed those who are too old or injured to work anymore. They hardly live like kings, but they're not at risk of starving and dying, and their families get plenty of time to rest.

[wrappedwarm]

They just leave them back home if their families can't look after them...

[But she got it, he'd made sense. Even if the idea was still pretty alien to her.] I got taken in by Eren's family... [Where would she have gone otherwise?]

[paladinlost]

Far from an ideal situation, for everyone involved.

[And a rather unpleasant thought besides, though the sentence that follows lifts his spirits a little.]

I'm glad you found a new home, then. They must be very kind and welcoming people.

[wrappedwarm]

Yeah... [Was...Was that a blush as Mikasa ducked her face into her scarf? Yes, yes it was. And she didn't add anything else. Only hiding in her scarf.

Well done. Good talk Mikasa.]