03 | video | backdated to march 14

[oceanthief]

[the video clicks on to what may be a familiar sight to some, although not typically filming from this id tag - Josuke Higishikata's bedroom, albeit devoid of the owner himself. it seems to be completely devoid of anyone at first, really; the communicator is laying on the ground, showing a nice view of nothing in particular.

suddenly an adorable cat leaps into the shot, chasing what appears to be a mouse completely made of water. he pounces and bats, desperately trying to get his little paws on it, to no avail; whenever the he comes close the mouse dissolves into a sphere of water and snakes right between the oncoming paws. from time to time it even delivers a cheeky little kiss before darting away, prompting the poor kitty to give an outraged (but adorably tiny) sneeze.

the scene continues with no outside commentary for a minute or two, during which time the cat nearly climbs up Josuke's dresser and backflips off it in his neverending quest to assert his position as the alpha predator. without warning the camera jerks and shifts, rising up smoothly to finally get a shot of the bed in here.

on it is perched one Lapis Lazuli, feet daintily dangling off the edge. seated in her lap are three very content multicolored chickens that occasionally cluck softly to themselves as they nestle a little deeper into her protectively encircled arms. a thick band of water rotates just above her shoulders; within it swims a very pleased goldfish, as intent on making the most as his newfound wide open space as a fish can be. she waits a moment longer before speaking, voice a little hesitant.]

...is that long enough? I've only watched a couple, but it seemed like it was a lot easier to communicate like this instead of talking.

[it probably seems like she's talking nonsense, but a few moments of reflection should bring about the correct conclusion. Lapis was talking about watching something, and she'd just shared a video of nothing but a cat playing around.

...yeah, that's right. she thinks that all the cat videos saturating the internet are another way that humans talk to each other and decided to try her hand at it while she's got the proper animal available. it really was a lot easier than trying to hold a conversation, that's for sure.]

I don't really- [she cuts herself off immediately. no, there was no way she could admit to not knowing what the proper response to this kind of communication channel was. her shoulders square and she forces her voice to become a lot firmer.] You can post some of your own in the comments section here. He's still got a lot of energy.

[boy does that cat. the only problem with that is that Lapis' water constructs can run on a sort of autopilot if she wants them to, and while she's been busy filming her segment of this video the mouse has been doing just that. without her noticing it's led the cat directly to a large paper tree with origami cranes hanging from the branches in the corner - and prompted it to take a flying leap right at the thing in an attempt to corner the mouse.]

Oh!

[the catastrophe finally catches her attention when the tree shudders and takes a tumble towards the ground. the orbiting water snakes out to catch it before it lands and totally obliterates itself...but she'd had to move too quickly to separate the goldfish from the thing. the water had cushioned him from any damage, of course, but it still wasn't a smart idea to leave things like that - she'd have to go sort it out personally.

only...with the cat still on the move even after the disappearance of the mouse, Lapis really didn't have time to gently put the chickens down. she summons her water wings to get the job done, and with a mighty flap sends what sound like several very heavy objects toppling right off the dresser.

it's at this point that she apparently decides no one needs to have this chaos filmed. a glob of water detaches itself from somewhere and goes hurtling towards the communicator, presumably finding the off button as the feed goes dead.]

Comments

[video]

[timecapture]

What a cute kitty!

[But then... uh-oh. Those poor chickens.]

Is everything okay?

[oceanthief]

[it takes a few minutes before Max gets a response as Lapis settles things down again. when the feed turns on there's the usual stoic expression...along with a very irate cat floating in the background with all but its head imprisoned in a water sphere.]

It's fine. I took care of it.

[timecapture]

[Oh, that poor cat.]

What happened?

[Was it really that bad?]

[oceanthief]

[there was a reason for that cut, Max. a very good reason.]

It doesn't matter, it's done now.

[timecapture]

[Oh, dear. Now Max is even more worried.]

Okay. So... how are you?

[Smooth change of subject, Max.]

[oceanthief]

We're all fine.

[you're gonna have to work a little harder than that, Max. this isn't a girl who excels at small talk.]

[timecapture]

That's good! Have you done anything fun lately?

[She’s trying, dammit.]

[oceanthief]

Not really.

[FIGHT ON MAX]

[timecapture]

What have you been up to?

[SHE'S STILL TRYING, DAMMIT.]

[oceanthief]

The same things I always do. Nothing really changes here.

[timecapture]

Really? It feels like a lot has changed.

[oceanthief]

Do you mean the fighting? That's nothing new; it's just war.

[timecapture]

I'm not used to it.

[A pause. A really awkward pause. Frankly, there's no way for it to not be awkward, especially with what she's about to ask.]

Um... are you?

[oceanthief]

I am now. [even her words feel heavy and angry now] People don't know when to stop unless you make them.

[timecapture]

I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to go through that.

[None of them should.]

Maybe you're right. I just... don't want to have to do it.

[She hopes she won't, but it seems like an increasingly impossible hope.]

[oceanthief]

Then you need to be ready for the possibility that no one else will, either.

[timecapture]

How many wars have you...?

[She can't bring herself to finish the question, but something in Lapis Lazuli's eyes...]

[oceanthief]

Enough.

[fight for Homeworld. fight for Homeworld's interests. obey the command of your diamond. for so long there had been no choice in what Lapis could do when a conflict arose on a mission.]

[timecapture]

I'm sorry. You shouldn't have had to...

[How does she even help with something like this?]

I guess just about anything would be better than that, huh?

[oceanthief]

There's a lot that's worse.

[poor Max. she can't know it, of course, but she's really just saying all the wrong things if she's hoping to improve Lapis' mood. the dourness is in full effect here.]

[timecapture]

Yeah, I'll bet.

[She doesn't want to know it, though. And whoops, this is a terrible subject.]

Hey, is your cat doing better?

[Yep. Still awkward.]

[oceanthief]

He's not my cat.

[if Lapis appreciates the change of subject, or even really notices it at all, she doesn't give any sign. her expression never alters, in fact.]

...and he's still learning his lesson, I think.

[timecapture]

Then... whose cat is he?

[What.]

Uh. Why?

[oceanthief]

Someone I know. All the animals are.

[a friend, Lapis. you are watching them for a friend.]

He's not going to learn no to do that again if I don't teach him, right? That's all.

[timecapture]

Well, there are other ways to discipline him without sticking him in a bubble, you know? Have you tried a spray bottle or something?