001 {video}
[ It looks like one of Dudley's laptop computers. Harry stares at it. It's definitely not wizard made. He looks around the room for a means of escape and finds nothing. Maybe… He starts randomly pushing buttons on the device until it crackles to life.]
Er… Can anyone hear me? Is this some kind of radio?
Hello?
[ Nothing. Not a sound. His body ( Read more... )
Er… Can anyone hear me? Is this some kind of radio?
Hello?
[ Nothing. Not a sound. His body ( Read more... )
Ya ask me, the kishin sent itself. It used to be a guy. Name was Adachi. BREW dragged him here like the rest of us, but I guess he had his own ideas about what he was gonna do.
From what I heard, it wasn't all that different than what he did in his own world--killing people, attacking little girls. [He sounds more than a bit jaded as he says this, like a person who's far too used to murder and abuse just being a part of the world.] Anyway, I don't think he ever stopped being him, even when he was trying to smash a hole in the side of the school so he could get inside.
[His face appears emotionless as he answers the last part. Again with the jaded--it's not that he doesn't care, but simply that he's used to a rough world where people die. He takes a drag on his smoke.]
It was a battle. I mean, yeah. Guy named Shang, and old Cat-ecus [he smiles affectionately at the nickname before naming the country properly]--Greece. We lost both of them. And people were hurt but... [Clears his throat. Yeah, he might be skipping over some uncomfortable terrain in there.] Ya know, mostly they're healing up okay now.
But that's why we're building this here clinic. [He gestures over his shoulder to whatever it is that is providing his square of shade]. Ya know, in case there's more wounded if we get in the shit again.
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[Harry listens, going pale. He's not sure which is more disturing -- the things this man is saying or the casual way he talks about 'attacking little girls'.
Harry sits down and lays the device on the floor in front of him. He pushes up his glasses and rubs his face. It's so much to absorb, and he's still sore physically and emotionally from everything that happened to him back in England.]
I'm really sorry about your friends. I lost people too. It's never easy.
It's a kind of hospital? I... I could help with that. [He may look just a bit too eager, but if he doesn't find something to do in this mad situation, he'll go mad himself.]
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[He doesn't try to explain his casual acquaintance with either Shang or Greece. That seems less important than the sentiment, which Badou does appreciated--says that this guy's a good kid, and he wants to be helpful. Badou's a big proponent of team work. He flicks away his cigarette butt and offers a smile.]
Hey, I'm not gonna turn down an extra pair of hands. [He lifts up his right hand before the camera and waggles his fingers to display the bruises, scrapes, and cuts construction life has been bestowing upon him. There's also a big diagonal scar across the back of his hand--it looks old, and if Harry manages to catch a glimpse of his palm he'll see that whatever left it went all the way through to the other side.]
First thing we gotta do though is get you situated, get you a place to stay in the Communal. You know how to get over here?
[He takes another cigarette out of his pack and lights it, talking around it as he does.] Or I could come get ya, if you like.
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And Harry really wants to get out of that room.]
Yeah. That would be great. Thanks.
[He picks up the device and gets back to his feet.]
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Hang tight. I'll be there in ten. [And he pushes away from the wall, dusting himself off as he flips the communicator closed.]
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Under the heat of the summer desert sun, the climb is far from a stroll in the park. But he does manage to catch his breath after a moment, and he straightens, immediately reaching for his pack of smokes as he looks around for the kid he's supposed to be meeting.]
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This man who's come to meet him looks... interesting. A bit battle worn. Harry approaches him.]
Er, Hello. I'm Harry.
[He offers his hand.]
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Badou. Good to meet you, man. Sorry 'bout the circumstances, but hey, at least it's not sandstorming or some shit. Just hotter 'n hell.
[He takes a deep breath (not that it really provides any relief) and gestures towards the staircase he just came up.] Sooner we get to the Communal, the sooner we get to the air con. The damn sun's just relentless.
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That's where I'm going to live, right? Lead the way.
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Badou seems to be taking that more or less in stride though, which potentially says something about the baseline level of creepy weirdness he's gotten used to since being here. He does, after all, probably exude the vibe Muggle, so perhaps its surprising how he little he bats an eyelash at.
He rambles casually as they walk--talking helps keep the mind off the heat, he figures.]
Casualty Communal, yeah. Don't let the name put you off too much. Whoever built this city was straight up death-obsessed. They've got skulls plastered over every surface they can fit 'em on. [He jabs a thumb back at the school behind them as they walk away. Case in point.]
They got Deathbucks Coffee and DeathDonalds and Death by Pastry. And the first day I was here I nearly got decapitated by a falling sign for the Coffin Liners news stand.
Guess it's because the city's supposed to be run by a death god. Or the kid of a death god. Or something.
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He looks at the school and listens to what Badou is saying; he sees skulls and hears, 'death, death, death'.
He's pretty sure that he survived the final duel with Voldemort and didn't actually die and get sent to some surreal Death Eater hell, but still...]
I think I need a drink of water.
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But as it happens, the redhead is prepared! He's learned the survival techniques for living in a desert, and carrying water everywhere you go is a top one.
Out of one of the over-sized pockets in his overalls, he pulls a plastic bottle of water and passes it over to Harry as he motions them over to a thin patch of shade in the overhang of a nearby building. The water's tepid, what with being out with him all day, but at least it's wet.]
Look, just...try and take this place with a grain of salt, yeah? I mean, it's crazy here. You just gotta try to not let it get to you.
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As soon as he has some of that water.]
Yeah. Okay. [He nods then take the bottle and drinks.]
Thanks. [a small smile] So... The Communal?
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Once you've got a partner, they let you move in with them into another place. Death City Heights, it's called. I hear it's snazzy. But there's still a few of us with partners living at the Communal.
[It has seemingly escaped his notice that he's talking about "partners" as though Harry already knows what he's on about.]
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So you live at the Communal with your... 'partner'?
[Harry thinks of Ginny back at Hogwarts. He had been going to talk to her. As soon as he'd eaten. And slept. It just hadn't been the right time.]
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Actually, Al and I are one of those few who don't live together. I mean, I guess we kinda could move into a place, though probably what with his brother just getting here it might not be the best timing. And then there's the stuff about the contract.
[Which he oh-so-helpfully neglects to explain.]
Anyway, I'm sure you'll see him around--guy who wears the great big suit of armor all the time. You kinda can't miss him.
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