riverview | @wikus.vandermerwe: Video (Warning: Some Body Horror)

[The video starts with the view blocked by a hand. The view shakes a little.]

Is this started- right. Okay.

[The hand draws back, revealing a rather mousy brunet man. He's smiling, but his lips keep twitching as if they might collapse into a frown at any moment. His gaze keeps flicking away from the camera, as if he's having trouble keeping even virtual eye-contact. The nervousness might have something to do with the fact that his left eye and hand are distinctly not human, and there are several inflamed patches on his left cheek where something dark and chitinous pokes through the skin.

He tries to fold his hands, twitches slightly when the human right touches the inhuman left, and settles for strumming his fingers on the table instead.]

Since we're all going to be living and working together in this city for the next couple years, I thought it would be good introduce myself. Less of a, uh, surprise that that way.

I am Wikus van de Merwe, and I am- was- an employee of…

[Trailing off, he seems to think better of that particular fact.]

I'm from Johannesburg. That's in South Africa, for those of you, ah, familiar with Earth and it's countries. I grew up there, and it's where I live with my beautiful wife, Tania, who I know is- she's waiting for me to come home, and-

[Another pause, this one accompanied by placing a hand on his forehead and inhaling deeply through his nose. It takes a few moments before he's ready to speak again.]

Anyway, if you're worried about this- [He lifts his alien hand, clenching and unclenching tentacle-like fingers.] You don't need to worry about this. I'm not- it's not contagious or anything. I just had a little accident and- Ow!

[He claps his hand to his mouth, coughs, then promptly spits something out. It's hard to tell given the camera's focus, but it looks like it might be a tooth.]

Fok-! [The alien hand reaches out and the video ends.]

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I'm not going to stop anyone from curing me but that won't fix everything.

Edited 2017-04-17 03:38 (UTC)

Visits to doctors is what medical histories are made of.

I... understand.

[Unfortunately.]

I sincerely wish you luck, Mister van de Merwe. Even if everything can't be made right for you... I hope that some of your ails might be relieved.

I've never heard of it. They must call it something different during my time. If you pointed it out on a map, I might know.

[They called it Frisia during the period of time Ivar is from, and indeed, his people had raided it many times. He practically preens a little under the attention from Wilkus. Ivar may put on a tough front, but he's got a lot of hidden insecurities. To have someone actually appreciate what he is.]

You should see me in battle. That's where I do my best work.

[He takes the throwing ax off his back and holds it up to the video screen. It looks like a formidable weapon.]

I'd think more complex than 'I visited the hospital', but again. Alright.

[Shit, he feels bad now, being snappish with a nice girl - she sounds like a girl anyway, what is up with that helmet?

So he actually switches to voice, sounding tired and sincere.]

Hey, thanks, man. I appreciate that.

Holy shit, look at that!

[Wikus has seen - and handled - some serious weaponry. An axe doesn't really compare to Prawn weaponry, but it's also a real viking axe held by a real viking.

A bit of reality leaks through.]

Hey, man, I hope you're not planning to, you know, raid anyone here. Modern society tends to frown on that sort of thing.

Well now you know I've been poked and prodded by the medical community. Any other concerns?

[Hey, hey, Scott's an idiot, not a monster! He didn't mean it like that.

Okay, he meant it like that, but not that way. At least that's what he's thinking at that Awkward Silence that's attacking his phone.]

Hey, just sayin', you know, there's gotta be a bright side?

No there doesn't.

Sure, there does.

[Crap. Scott's no good at being a pep talking type of guy. ]

Do you get to do anything cool with it or anything? Fly? Impervious to bullets? Invisibility? [How thieves define 'cool'?]

I can use alien weapons and that almost got me dissected and eaten, separate incidents, so not a big plus for me there.

[Ivar flips the ax, catching it in midair with one hand. He's spent his whole life handling the weapon, so he is very good with it.]

Of course not.

[Those words aren't very reassuring as he adds on.]

I'd need a group of at least ten for a proper raid.

Yeah, no. Guess no---

[Wait a minute.]

Eaten? Did you say 'eaten'? What the fuck is WRONG with people?!

[Wikus silently flips his shit at that casual axe flip. What the hell, that's so cool! He's kind of jealous. This kid could definitely kick his ass. He'd been a complete wimp at that age.]

Yeah? I wouldn't bother raiding me if you get them. I haven't got anything worth much.

[But seriously, he hopes Ivar doesn't raid anyone. It's all well and good in fiction and history, but in reality it would be awful.]

[The power of wanting to rant has unlocked Wikus's voice.]

I don't fokken know, man! He wanted to- to gain my bloody power by eating me or some shit, that would never fokken work!

And my father-in-law, my wife's fokken dad, he just gave permission to dissect me! Like I was a fokken frog! Who does that?! Bliksem!

[He breathes heavily into the phone for a moment, then adds a finale note:]

Fok!

[Chalk that up to one of Scott's special powers: he can bring out the rage in everyone. Just ask Cassie's (jerk) stepfather.]

Yeah, this is probably going to sound all culturally insensitive, but...that's beyond fucked up.

Geez, I thought my exwife's new boyfriend was an asshole. [Pause. Nope, he's still an asshole. Just slightly less evil about it?]

Hey. Hey, seriously. I mean, maybe you can find a way to stop it here, right?

The only culture my dad-in-law had was corporate. [Technically Wikus was also part of corporate culture, but if he'd had the cut-throat attitude of a true businessman then Piet Smit might have actually liked him.

He lets out a sigh, calmer after his little rant.] They're working on fixing it. I thought maybe they'd got it to stop, but I guess it just slowed down.

[A pause, then.]

Sorry about your divorce, man.

[ of course it's not fine ]

Are you sure? I mean, people will worry.

Whos going to worry about me? I already said it's not contagious.

[Ivar learned to be tough early on. He was forced to, being unable to walk in a society that favored physical strength over everything else. At sixteen, he's pretty much a badass.]

Don't worry. Vikings tend to stick to churches, castles, you know, places where people store their wealth.

[Now it's his turn to ask questions. His curiosity is definitely peaked with the way Wikus looks.]

So if you're turning into an alien, what are you going to end up looking like?

Everyone else? Even if it's not a disease, people will worry about each other.

No.

I'm not concerned. You seem to have it under control.

Not sure you'd find many of those around here. [Do the people here have churches? He hasn't checked.]

Uh, if it keeps going... If they don't stop it... Then kind of like a big... Bug. Sort of human shaped, still, they've got arms and legs like us, but with a shell and antenna and, um, this weird... This kind of mouth tentacles...

[Just thinking about it is making him queasy. He doesn't want to look like a Prawn!]

People are assholes, man. Nobody's going to care about some freak they don't even know

[Is it bitterness over how he was treated back home or projecting his own personal flaws? Why not both!]

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@wikus.vandermerwe: Video (Warning: Some Body Horror)

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this didn't show up in my inbox??

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;) all good

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Voice

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i'm sorry he's like this...lol

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