[DR Side Thread - Private to itsaleash (again)]

[demoncompkid]

[[A silentafterglow is fine too.]]

[Right so now that all of that was over... it was time for some answers. It had been long enough, so Michi knocked on Orpheus' door. ... Hmm. No answer.]

[... Oh hey it was unlocked. Which probably meant he was hiding out in the pocket dimension again.]

Orpheus, I'm coming in.

[... Just in case he was doing something that

Comments

[itsaleash]

[Oh you and your dirty thoughts, so unfounded. Considering you can hear that tinny noise of bass and static that comes from blasting music too loudly in a set of headphones. And he's off in one of the corners, surrounded by open tomes and composition notebooks, writing away into another one.

Though he does twitch a bit the moment he walks in, quickly jerking upright and staring at the wall across from him. Unwanted visitor entering without permission hisssss glare shot over-- quickly fading to neutral and pulling one of the earpieces out.] Oh. It's you.

[Stare in silence. Then messing with the MP3 player to pause it. Back to deafening silence, even that constant ticking absent for once. Though you might notice said watch resting on one of the book piles nearby.]

Knock first next time.

[demoncompkid]

[Hey, you've got a girlfriend, that's more than he's ever had. :( Weaves his way around the stacks of books and manages a little bit of a grin.]

I called out, but I guess you couldn't hear me.

[Ugh why so awkward it's not like you're facing down another horde of angels or demons or whatever. Yet still Orpheus is kind of unnerving.]

... Feeling any better?

[itsaleash]

As if I would. [Taps headphones once. So, if you over-think his answer a bit too much, you might catch it as meaning you could've waited forever trying to get his attention by knocking and he wouldn't care. Maybe that's why the statement's made jokingly.

Until the question. Then it might be obvious why he's unnerving. The moment his eyes lock on Michi's again, it's that same piercing stare like he's tearing apart your soul's defenses. Because when that forced good mood falls away, he is a rather... frightening individual.]

Somewhat.

[demoncompkid]

[Aaaand at that gaze the business mode kicks in. Partially learned behavior and partially instinct... danger he can deal with. He's dealt with those kind of gazes before.]

That's good.

[... Enough pleasantries. Down to facts.]

... Who was she, and why did you guys react like that?

[itsaleash]

[Good. Being in mutual Business Mode makes it easier get this over with. Especially going by his expression that says he'd rather rip your eyes out then have to explain it. But... sigh. You were actually there. So there's no way to get around it.]

Nyx.

[Yes. That Nyx. A hand lands on the watch on said piles, that same aura of reality being morphed through it. Huzzah pocket dimensions. Have one of those chairs from the table over yonder suddenly appearing next to you. Like it's always belonged there.

Handwave. Sit if you wish.] And there's no shorthand for me to explain it. My apologies for taking your time.

[demoncompkid]

[Mutual Business Mode does make things easier, yes. For a moment, considers Orpheus' expression, and just... accepts it. Okay, you don't want to tell me, but you're going to anyway. Etc. etc.]

Thank you. And it's no trouble. [Sits. Being in the mall means there are infinitely fewer appointments to keep.]

[itsaleash]

[The expression fades, eyes closing momentarily. What and what not to say already being sorted out in his head. There's no breaking the rules, that would be the fusionist's role. But bending them? Nothing against that. Why shouldn't it apply to statements as well? I'm not lying or anything. Just not saying the whole truth.

Sigh, then leaning back against the bookshelf, calm and collected. Let's keep it abridged with the details cut out, shall we.] What you need to know beforehand. Nyx is the primordial goddess of nightfall in the Greek pantheon. An entity of such power even the likes of Zeus feared angering...

Though to be relevant to the point: In my world, she awakened in response to humanity's collective malice and sought to end all life on the planet to answer it.

[demoncompkid]

[Fair enough. He waits for Orpheus to start, and when he does, he considers what's being said carefully. A goddess of that kind of power... mm.]

And? [A simple question, with the 'what happened next?' pretty heavily implied. His world might be destroyed for all he knows, like Shura's is, but then again... it might not be.]

[itsaleash]

Erebus is the one who calls her. The one who gains strength when people wish death upon themselves or others, who let their malice consume them.

And I was the one who threw my soul away to be a seal between the two. To save humanity from its own sins.

[Throwing one's own soul to oblivion. As spoken as casually as one talking about the weather. The annoyance is still there, but it's obvious now it's not that he has any problem with the subject at hand. He just doesn't like explaining it to anyone else.] This body is my corpse, as you know. And my soul remains as the seal on the doors keeping Erebus from summoning Nyx. What you saw was It reacting to Nyx's presence. And trying to destroy me to get to her.

There's your answer.

[demoncompkid]

[... All he can think of in response to the information about Erebus is: "Damn. Cain must have fed that thing so much over the years."]

[He can understand the casual tone, though. There's people who don't understand what he did or why he did it, and he's accepted that. It's just The Way Things Are. His reasons are his own.]

I see. [In a way. Of course he can't understand completely, that goes without saying.]

[... Closes his eyes for a moment, and sighs. The constant wear... if just being near Nyx took that much out of him, and if Orpheus' soul is still mortal, then...]

You can't keep it up forever. [Statement of fact, not even a question.]

[itsaleash]

[Probably. Especially if you consider Erebus is larger than a fucking skyscraper. That actually elicits a slight wince from him. But otherwise nothing. Silence. Then the same casuality. Though... it's probably a bit more obvious that it's a cover-up this time. Considering his eyes seem a bit more distant than they were a moment ago.]

At the current rate of degeneration, this body will be unreachable within a matter of months.

[demoncompkid]

[Just puts a hand over his eyes and lets out long breath.]

You're too young.

[Uncovers his eyes and looks at Orpheus again.] There's no one to take your place?

[itsaleash]

...It depends how you define "age", I suppose. [But right afterwards. Your stare is met by a tired glare, but with that special brand of determination behind it that gives one the ability to go "up yours" to two of the universe's most powerful entities.]

I won't allow it.

[demoncompkid]

[Have an equal brand of determination, then. Which seems to have a distinct flavor of amusement behind it, too.]

Because you really think it's your responsibility, because you were forced into it, or because no one else will?

[... Trick question. Only one out of the three is an "incorrect" answer.]

[itsaleash]

[And actually rises to his feet at that question. Irritated? Ohhh, yes. And borderline hitting you for it as well. That weariness is there, always, but that aura bearing down on you is one far rarely seen. And infinitely more effective. Ex-teenager with the power of God? Meet ex-teenager with the power of the Universe.]

Because I made that choice. To save their lives no matter the cost. And I will not allow a single person to suffer for it.

[And something about those two words are oddly similar to The Voice you can pull out on other demons. Sorry, Michi. That statement is now infallible. Kind of like redtext.]

[demoncompkid]

[He vaguely expected that reaction, though of course Orpheus is... kind of hard for him to predict still since he doesn't know him well enough. Still, he just looks at Orpheus calmly, even though the aura is actually making his own push back defensively.]

Even if it destroys you.

... You're a brave and noble man, Orpheus.

Brave, noble, and possibly a bit insane. Though I guess the last part's to be expected at this point.

[He smiles very slightly.]