Jade | MDisk 002

[ratkicker]

[The public video feed opens to Jade inside her photography office.]

Alright, so a few days ago, this thing walked into my store, made a mess, and nearly gave me a heart attack. I tried to fight it off, but apparently it's harmless.

[The feed cuts to an image of a gross flesh golem clumsily exiting a small building. To anyone who's seen it before, it's the one belonging to Emilia Westmarch.]

I took a picture when it finally left. Anyone recognize it?

Comments

[ewestmarch]

That's my brother. Take this down.

[ratkicker]

I'm not publishing this. It's just for you guys.

...But your brother?

[ewestmarch]

He wasn't born like that, obviously.

[ratkicker]

I think I can tell!

Was he infected or something? Back home, we have some aliens that can turn people into monsters.

[She holds up a hand.] Not that your...brother is a violent monster, but he does look like one.

[ewestmarch]

We both were. But he was supposed to... come back like me or at least stay dead for fuck's sake.

[She's upset, and digging her fingernails into the top of her desk.]

[ratkicker]

So...you were dead?

[She holds one hand in another and looks at her palm, contemplating what Emilia just said.]

How did you come back?

[ewestmarch]

Of course I was. Why do you think I look like this?

[She gestures to her glowing eyes, corpsey skin.]

Everyone that died of the plague rose again.

[ratkicker]

Everyone? So was it the disease that brought you back or someone else?

[But what would be the point? When the DomZ infected others, the bodies turned into more of those aliens.]

But did you just look different, or was it something mental, too?

[ewestmarch]

It was the plague.

[Emilia growls.]

We were mindless, directed by the will of the plague's originator. The Dark Lady freed us, that's why I'm not chewing on skulls right now.

[ratkicker]

[A sigh of relief.]

You don't think your controller can find you again, right?

[ewestmarch]

If he shows up here, shoot both of us.

[This does not sound sarcastic in the slightest.]

[ratkicker]

I'll keep that option in mind.

[timesbureaucrat]

[Narvin expression is one of "ewww gross."]

I believe I've seen that thing in the company of Miss Westmarch.

I generally try to avoid looking at it for very long, not if I want to eat any time that day.

[ratkicker]

I didn't really have a choice with it barging into my office. I'm just glad it's not coming back.

Does it barge into places like that all the time?

[timesbureaucrat]

I haven't noticed a problem in the lab. Just as well. We have highly sensitive equipment in here.

[ratkicker]

But your lab's kind of far from the front door, right? It'd have a hard time getting through security.

[timesbureaucrat]

Yes, people--and creatures--can't just walk in from off the street.

[ratkicker]

Good to hear.

Anyway [she waves a hand], does Westmarch keep an eye on this thing at all? I think it just kept lumbering down the street after it left.

[timesbureaucrat]

I really couldn't say. All I know is that it's generally near wherever she is.

[ewestmarch]

Yes, I do. He was running errands. I told you to take this down.

[vengeance_driven]

I didn't know it was her brother... [Now he feels bad for the earlier joke, even if he did just mean that a hug from the guy could make Belloq have the shits.]

Is okay, if he comes in again it is easy to lure him out with candy and call Emilia. He's like a big kid. Just ah... don't touch him and bleach where he's been.

[ratkicker]

Right, she just mentioned it to me. [Though she wishes the Emilia warned her once she came here.]

It took me hours to clean up the entire office once he left. Where does he even stay?

[vengeance_driven]

I haven't seen him out too often, just in her tailoring shop. I guess he is also like a kid in that sometimes he wanders off.

[ratkicker]

[That gets a bit of a chuckle.]

That's definitely like a kid to do that. Don't know if watching one giant, messy kind is harder than looking after six regular ones or not.

[vengeance_driven]

It depends on how well behaved the other six are. The big flesh golem, I've not seen him go out of his way to hurt people. He's ah... just not a guy you'd want to give hugs to.

[ratkicker]

They try their best not to get in trouble, but they're a lot less clumsy.

[vengeance_driven]

I have a cousin older than me, and he can probably find more trouble than all of them.

[ratkicker]

I'm pretty sure adults get into different kinds of trouble than kids.