SHUSH LEVI I AM THE BEST LEADER.

[bufudine]

Who: Serph, Cielo and YOU!
Location: Starting in the plaza! Anywhere else is fine, too.
Time: During the daaaaaay
Style: ANYTHING GOES.
Status: OPEN

[ Hello dear Vatheon, how are you? Good? Good, because you've got two rather oddly dressed guys in your plaza. They don't seem to be bothered at all by the fact they're dripping wet, though the one with the dreadlocks is carrying a submachine gun. Every now and again, they converse with each other, but they don't seem aggressive.

Approach? ... Well, even if you don't, they will be approaching you. ]

Comments

[rainbowarch]

[So...it sounds like to Cielo that people pretty much just do whatever they want here. But he's kind of curious: what do people here consider "normal?" From what they've learned from everyone they've met so far, it's pretty clear that Vatheon is a far cry from the Junkyard.]

What do you do to have a normal life?

[Please, Katsu. Impart upon them your knowledge on what there is to do aside from fighting.]

[bufudine]

[ Serph tilts his head. So, people do what they like, essentially. But given how peaceful it has been in Vatheon so far, it seems 'what they like' does not include being a backstabbing jerk to your comrades, otherwise there would probably be more conflict within the city :T Serph is alright with this.

It's clear that not everyone comes from a world of strife, so Serph decides to expand Cielo's question further, giving their stranger additional context. ]

We come from a place of war. Fighting is all we know.

[angelphones]

[He thinks for a few moments. How to explain this to someone who's known only fighting? The idea of that kind of place makes him a little uneasy, but after a few more moments he has at least a little bit of an idea.]

Well here... some people explore, trying to learn more about this place, whether the physical location or trying to collect information about it. Some people like working - performing tasks for pay or just because they want to. Others indulge in hobbies or things they just like to do. And still others, like myself, patrol the area, making sure that there's no trouble, and that when there is that it's solved quickly.

[rainbowarch]

[Cielo listens carefully to what Katsu says. He understands some of the things that Katsu says - patrolling, especially. That was one of his responsibilities in the Tribe. The hobbies thing intrigues him - things people do for fun, huh? What qualifies as a hobby? Does jammin' Latin rhythms dancing qualify?]

I get it. I think.

[bufudine]

[ He understands gathering intel; that's what you do, when you're in an unfamiliar place. Hobbies, not so much. Considering they hadn't had much opportunity to do things other than fight, Serph doesn't know what hobbies he has. Clearly he has to try everything and find out.

What the stranger has said about patrolling has given him pause. So, this one can fight? ...No, it's hard to say; Vatheon is clearly different from the Junkyard. Maybe not everything here is solved with violence. ]

What kind of trouble do you expect?

[angelphones]

Well... usually the inhabitants aren't much trouble. It's mostly for big things, like the kraken or... well. Once a lot of us got kidnapped and returned with our minds altered temporarily. I don't... remember a lot of it, but I think the defense force tried to help and make sure no one got hurt.

[It didn't help that a lot of those on the defense force were the ones taken, but that's... not as important right now.]

[rainbowarch]

[All of this sounds pretty worrying to Cielo. He's not sure what a kraken is, but he doesn't feel the need to ask, as the kidnapping thing is what has his attention.]

Who did the kidnapping?

[Whoever did it sounds like someone to watch out for, especially if they can alter people's minds, albeit temporarily.]

[bufudine]

[ Serph listens carefully, and notes down something that was missing from this explanation. He's unsure if he should press the matter, as there's likely a reason the stranger left it out.

But he needs to know what dangers may be present, even from those that may be friendly towards them, it seems. ]

You were kidnapped, weren't you?

[angelphones]

I don't honestly know. A lot of people have been here longer than I have. A lot of the more important natives weren't very talkative by the time I got here.

[... Well. He's never been that subtle...]

Yeah, I was.

[rainbowarch]

[There's plenty of questions Cielo has. Who were these people? Why did they kidnap people? Why did they alter their minds like that? But he knows Katsu doesn't have the answers to those questions, so he keeps them to himself.]

Your comrades came to save you though, right?

[bufudine]

[ Serph, too, has questions, but they are of an entirely different nature. The mention of 'important natives', for one. But since Cielo's already asked a question -- Y U DERAIL HIS LINE OF QUESTIONING, CIELO?? -- Serph will save his own for later. ]

[angelphones]

... Yeah. It didn't end well, though.

[He rubs the back of his neck, and looks down.]

I... uh. Sorry. I don't really want to talk about it.

[He doesn't want to kill anyone else. It still hurts to remember that he's killed twice here already.]

[rainbowarch]

[Not wanting to talk about things was something Cielo understood. Some subjects were just things people didn't want to discuss, or some people were like Gale who just didn't like talking about those kinds of things period.]

Ah, sorry for asking then.

[Okay Serph, you can ask your question now.]

[bufudine]

[Serph understands, and won't push the topic, either.]

What do you mean by 'important natives'?

[They've been told that the quiet natives don't really do much.]

[angelphones]

There's a priestess that no one's seen for a while, the station master who runs the elevator to the surface, Alpha, who's a doctor, has been quiet too... there was a new one - I think her name is Carol? She showed up recently, but others got more information out of her than I did.

[rainbowarch]

[Priestess and station master are terms that Cielo is not familiar with. He might ask about those later.]

So they are the ones who rule this place?

[bufudine]

[Serph makes a mental note to check out the elevator to the surface at some point. Who knows what it'll be like up there? He thinks it's more important to know their more immediate surroundings first, though.

So many questions. But he'll let Cielo get his out of the way first; there's some overlap between his questions and Cielo's. Like now, for instance.]

[angelphones]

They don't rule as much as have more information about it than we do.

[rainbowarch]

[Ah, the problem of people who are either not easily found or difficult to get to talk. Cielo couldn't help but wonder if a certain person he knew could maybe get some information out of them.

The issue of the definitions of "priestess" and "station master" could wait until some other time. Cielo didn't want to stretch Katsu's patience thin and surely Serph has something he wants to ask.]

[bufudine]

[Serph nods. So, not quite leaders. Someone like Angel, then.

One last thing...]

Should a repeat of the kidnapping occur, what danger do you pose to us?

[If people are kidnapped and lose their minds... then Serph will ensure it ends before they can hurt anyone else. This stranger is lucky a solution had been found that spared his life; their solution has always been to kill before being killed themselves.]

[angelphones]

[... Katsu lets out a long breath. It's not a question he was expecting, and he debates how straightforward to be with them. He might as well be honest, but...]

I don't know how strong you are... but in my world I'm considered pretty powerful. If I wanted to I would be able to do some damage... but you two aren't typical humans either, are you? I can sense that much, at least.

[rainbowarch]

[People here have said that they were different and strange, but Katsu is the first person to make a comment on exactly what he and Serph were. Sensing, huh? Did that mean he had the ability to sense demons?

Did that mean he was a demon himself? That he was like them?

Regardless, there was no use hiding it. He knew.]

Yeah. You're right.

[bufudine]

[At Katsu's words, Serph focuses his senses more on the other foreigner, actively seeking out demonic presence. Unlike Cielo, he could gather a dim sense of other demons... but only if he makes a point of searching. That feeling is there though. That demonic presence.

Serph nods, confirming Cielo's words. And though he doesn't feel much need to hide what they are, Serph figures if Katsu already knows they're part demon, there's no point explicitly stating it.]

Your power here isn't the same as in your home world.

[Serph can feel his Atma is weaker here -- many of the skills he's learnt are missing -- so he thinks it must be the same for Katsu. Still, he doesn't want to explicitly state that they're not as strong as they normally are.

Nevertheless, there's a calm confidence in his voice, as if Serph thinks they can take whatever Katsu throws at them.]

[angelphones]

No, it's not. It takes more out of me. Still...

[He nods... and then smiles.]

It's okay to be different like that here, though. People don't seem to mind as much. Human, demon, animal, something else... we all live together here more or less peacefully.

[rainbowarch]

[Privately, to himself, Cielo wonders how peaceful things can be with him and Serph around. They want to live peacefully. It's what they've always wanted. But is that possible with them as the way they are?

If everyone here lives peacefully, are they going to shatter it?]

It sounds nice.