Oh, I work as a personal assistant for Inspector Javert, and I work as a housekeeper for Handsome Jack.
[Those were two positions in completely opposite directions, weren't they?]
They both pay me really well, and I get something to do all day. I actually kinda dislike just sitting around, and when I was at home I was... sort of doing that because of this and that. You know, before I decided to go to college this year. That... sort of got cut off because of all this, but, what can you do?
[Eridanus grows quiet as he remembers the events that had transpired just a week ago by the former of those two, and for a moment, he wonders what Peace thinks of it. He's quiet for a long time, letting his words settle heavily between them as he contemplates bringing it up or not.
But ultimately, he decides not to. This is Peace's night, after all.]
I'm lucky in that the job I've taken here is quite similar to the one I held before coming to Ryslig. I've always been good with accounts, so it is like second nature to handle the finances for the Devil's Nest.
It's nice to have something familiar where there is no familiarity. Honestly, I have things I should be doing at home, and I'm worried about the implications of not doing them when I'm stuck here.
[The bit of candor comes out unbidden, the one, consistent worry for her, whose heart is always at home. She pushes down whatever bit of melancholy is trying to rise from her compartmentalization, instead of dealing with that, she pushes it down and lightens her tone.]
And you know, not starving to death because you don't have money for a hamburger is also nice. Or something nice to wear when you want to feel attractive and special again. Which is why I have two jobs.
[Eridanus chuckles, the sound of it more understanding than anything. To find some form of normalcy, some attempt to stay sane is something he had ultimately wanted with the job. Though it didn't hurt that handling the finances for an entire crime city came with a good pay. That, and he isn't against going for prey dressed in nicer clothes, with heavier wallets.]
I cannot fault you there, Miss. Finding your own slice of happiness, even here in Ryslig, is important. A good friend I've made since coming here told me that. Just because we are monsters, does not mean we should suffer and deprive ourselves.
[The elevator dings as they reach the top floor, and he gestures for Peace to exit first before leading them towards the large, gold-gilded double doors to the restaurant. The maître-d' bows to them at their approach, where Eridanus nods his own curt bow and leans forward]
Reservation for Sungazer. [The human hums and nods, before sweeping a gesture for them to follow him.]
I don't think of myself as a monster, though. I was turned into one, but I'm still myself under all the opals and everything else.
[She shrugged as she followed after him and the maître-d' their table.]
But my feelings are not the popular ones here. I'm just kind of hoping this all falls off in the future when I go back home. Very hard to be a normal person when you have skin as hard as mine and all the opals everywhere.
[Eridanus nods along as they are brought to their table, where the maître-d' pulls out Peace's chair for her to sit. He claims the chair across from her, and it's then that he would notice that their table is right up against the window, where they can easily see the brightly lit city below.
It's a beautiful view, unlike any other he had experienced.]
Yes, it seems many are conflicted about being here, about being a monster. It has its benefits and its downsides, like anything it seems. Though I'm sure our appearances only last while we are here, since it is the fog that makes us their way.
[There's a quiet curiosity in Eridanus' gaze, Peace's nuance not quite lost on him regardless of the depth her words held. They are veritable strangers, made kin by the fog god, with little knowledge of the other's past life and experiences — and yet, there is something to the melancholic cadence of her voice that speaks to him.
Rather than inquire though, Eridanus turns his attention away the moment a waiter steps into his periphery.]
An older vintage merlot, if you please. [The waiter gives a wordless bow, unable to offer them specials nor other options for drink, before turning to retrieve the bottle as requested.
Eridanus' ardent gaze returns to Peace, and he quietly leans his opaline chin into his palm.] You would make an enemy of monsterkind for selfish gain? You surprise me, Peace. I never thought you to be the kind who goes against the grain.
It isn't selfish, honestly. Back at home I had a very important job. Um, a sort of family business outside of the accounting.
[She shrugged slightly.]
There are a lot of things that are wrong here, and if I had some of my abilities back, I could fix it. Not a lot, I can't... move mountains or turn back time, or anything like that. But I can do one small thing that repairs a lot of other things. I'm not afraid to be someone's enemy over that.
[Still, she smiled at his last comment, all guileless and sweet.]
I might work for Javert, but we disagree on a lot of things. I think that's important, too. You shouldn't have someone who always agrees with whatever you're doing or whatever you're saying all the time. Otherwise you end up in this echo chamber of "it must not be wrong, because they said it wasn't."
[During Peace's little rant, the waiter returns with the bottle of merlot. Brandishing two glasses, he silently pours them each their fill before taking the bottle away once more. Eridanus' attention remains undivided though, his gaze fixated on the girl before him with curious interest. Despite being in Ryslig for months, the diversity in those he met has yet to cease amazing him.
At her conclusion though, Eridanus chuckles warmly—the sound akin to a father entertaining his child's excited rambling.]
Do not fret, my dear. [The words are a honeyed purr over the rim of his wineglass,] I am well aware that people are not who they associate with, though more spiteful creatures may disagree. People may only be measured in their own actions, ultimately.
[And with that, he takes a leisurely sip of his wine, savoring the bitter bite of it as it coats his tongue. His sip punctuates with an indulgent sigh, and he continues as the glass is lowered back to the table.]
So, with that, I say indulge in your selfish desire. Neither of us rely on souls to feed, so what does it matter to us? Just don't come seeking any allies when your altruism comes back to bite you.
Oh, I wouldn't. If I'm going to do something, I'd rather do it by myself than bring anyone down with me.
Anyway, it isn't the first time someone like me was nailed to a wall.
[Or burnt at the stake. Good thing fire doesn't really bother trolls.
Peace took a small sip of the merlot, trying to get used to it. Before Ryslig, she never drank before, and she didn't drink now (except for that time in March, when she died). So she was a little concerned to taste the dry wine. Like a child, she wrinkled her nose just slightly.]
[The martyrdom in those words doesn't quite inspire any feelings of comfort in Eridanus—and while he has been trying to force himself to understand that the young women he's encountered on this peninsula are more than capable of caring for themselves, he still doesn't enjoy the way fear coils in his gut like a wary viper. He washes the taste from his mouth with another sip of bitter wine, but it doesn't do much to actually quell his thoughts.
Peace's reaction to the wine is distraction enough, for the moment. Eridanus chuckles, the sound light and airy in comparison to their heavy conversation.] My apologies Miss, would you like me to order you something sweeter? Typically dessert wine is reserved for the after-meal, but it is your celebration, after all.
[He sets down his glass with graceful talons, before catching the attention of a passing server. He briefly whispers his order to the woman, nods, then turns his attention back to Peace. Her words still claw at the edges of his mind, and he finds himself unable to move past them.]
Just because your people are used to being the recipients of subjugation does not mean you should invite it upon yourself. I'm sure you have seen just how... hostile monsterkind can be. If you are killed enough times, you will begin to forget who you ever were. Is that what you want? All for the sake of ferrying souls?
That's true; I only tried alcohol back in... March, I think it was, before I got sacrificed to a tree. I don't remember much about that week, but I do remember not drinking a lot of dry things.
[She laughs lightly, then watches his face, her pale, pale eyes looking him over.]
Well, that doesn't really matter, actually. Who I am now, and who I am when I die are two different people. Where I'm from, there's a cycle of reincarnation. The only souls who don't make it are those whose lives were truly despicable over and over again no matter how many chances they were given.
And then there are people like me, who ferry the dead. I've been reincarnated a lot, but I'll never remember the people I was before. They were just Witches, over and over again. That's why it doesn't bother me that someone might find joy in murdering me until I forget who I am and where I'm from. When I do really die, then I'll just come back.
Like snapping your fingers. Like magic, almost.
[It all makes perfect sense to Peace. She is not a cog, but outside the machine entirely, looking upon human lives as the same as forces of nature. There is no good or evil, but lives well lived and lives well wasted.]
That isn't to be confused with things like martyrdom or anything like that. I've always been OK with dying, because that's what happens when you live. It has to come to an end sometime, no one should live forever. Though people certainly do try!
[Eridanus watches her keenly as she speaks of her purpose, her life before. There's a moment where he wonders just why Peace would want to return to such a thing. Was it the familiarity? Was it just to feel like she was doing something rather than nothing, and if that were the case, why not find new purpose?]
How wonderfully poetic, miss Peace. [He hums as he swirls the dark wine within the bulb of his glass.]
Yet, doesn't holding on to what you were before defeat the idea of reincarnation? And how are you to know that this world operates in the same ways yours did before, perhaps your magic will not be what you imagine it to be?
[He pauses,] if you mean to ask miss Mana for it back, you should be careful what you wish for. What if what is gifted to you ends up being something else entirely?
What, do you mean being a Witch? It's not so much holding on to what was before. We just are. I can't escape being a Witch no more than you can escape who you are right now. I don't think that the Fog God is the be-all-end-all of things here. If that were the case, then I don't think Mana would have the ability to bring things from home.
Though, honestly, I don't think they're truly our things. Just stuff we remember as-they-were.
[Peace doesn't speak with conviction very often - it isn't her place, when she is below everyone else, after all - but there is such as certainty to her words. Despite this place, despite all of the grotesque changes wrought on her without her permission, she knows. She knows who she is.
Still, she remembers her place, birthday or not, and flushes pink.]
I don't think it's wrong to want to return. Some people don't have the luxury of going back, like my boss, I know. But those of us who do, should be allowed to.
[Eridanus' talons curl around the stem of his glass as he lets Peace's words soak into his mind. They were interesting theories, and had him curious about what she may not be letting on about.]
Some could reason that Mana is another being as powerful as the fog or the fourth, but a neutral being who uses pocket portals and dimensions to summon the things we barter for. Some could argue it benevolent, or perhaps cruel to make one pay for the things they are missing from home, when they were kidnapped.
[He's distracted from his thought then, as the waiter returns with a bottle of Muscat white wine, and a new glass. Without a word, she pours the glass for Peace, and retrieves the merlot from before her. Eridanus nods his thanks to the waiter, and she leaves once more. He takes another sip of his own wine as he gestures for Peace to try this new one.]
[Peace took a little, polite sip of the wine, then nods.]
It is, thank you!
Mmm, regarding Mana, I think that even if she's a neutral entity, that it would've behooved her to help the people already here at this point. We're... moot. I think. Not exactly necessary for the continuation of the place we're in.
Though yes, the weird coins do make paying for what already belongs to us kinda cruel.
I hope I'm not boring you. I do think about this a lot.
[Eridanus gives a half-shrug, not seemingly bothered by her thoughts.]
Honestly, I am rather intrigued by this conversation, I apologize if my demeanor makes it seem otherwise. I think that you pose some very interesting ideas, ones I have not heard of from others during my three months here.
[He swirls his wine once more before taking an indulgent sip. When his lips leave the rim of his glass, its with a heavy sigh on his lips.]
If anything, in terms of longevity, I am more concerned with what happens when our food sources run out. Sure, Bavan is over-populated now — but have you seen how many newcomers show up here? Who's to say in a few years time, we may all be starving to death. At that point, there is no continuation of Ryslig, there is only desolate wasteland.
A lot of people fall into two camps, for the most part. The ones who just go Outback Steakhouse all "no rules, just right", and those who kind of resolve to end up living here forever. Time wears a lot of people down here, you'll see it in the way they hold themselves.
Then there are people like me, who are doing their best to adapt to the situation, but there is no way we are staying here.
I guess time will really tell if I'm in camp A or camp B, but we're not beasts, when it really comes down to it. We're kidnapped.
[Beasts are born, not created, Eridanus thinks to himself. He's been who he is since before coming to Ryslig, but such an unshackled world made worse by his lack of inhibition in this new form, has simply indulged that beast further. But Peace does not know that side of him, and he's happy to let that sleeping dog lie.]
I, too, wish to leave this wretched place. I do not looking like a monster and feasting on human flesh, but they are necessities. [Eridanus takes a pausing sip of his wine before continuing,] do not confuse this though, I will not allow myself to feel miserable here.
[His shoulders roll in an indignant shrug.] If I am to be stuck in hell for the short vacation here that I am, then I will do as the devils do.
I don't think people necessarily need to feel miserable about being here.
Back home, I'm an heiress of a huge fortune, and I can do whatever I want. Money in my world isn't a problem. My sister is the same, but our inheritance is split between our maternal and paternal lines. While I don't and have never really cared about the money aspect of things, I miss everything about home. Even the people that twisted their DNA.
[Peace looked softly down at her wine. There was so much about home to miss, that she couldn't even fathom it.]
My family. I'm sure my uncle is out of his mind right now with worry. I think really, that's why I can't quite allow myself to act in a way in discordance with my nature. I'm really outside of everything like that.
[Eridanus' brow knots are he watches Peace's own expression falter with her words, and he can feel his stomach wrench similarly. Luckily, the waiter returns to check on them before he needs to lend any more words to this conversation — and he finds himself feeling relieved for it.
The waiter bows,]
Good evening sir, miss. I am Jean, your waiter. On the menu tonight we have filet mignon with duxelle and fresh vegetables; our catch of the day fish with risotto in beurre rouge; and chicken in persillade with sweet potato.
[Eridanus looks towards Peace, unsure of what half the things this waiter has said means. This is the first time he's ordered at a human restaurant in this world.]
I'll have the... catch of the day, please.
[Jean nods and turns to Peace, then.] And for the Miss?
[She smiles at the waiter, who returns it only barely. It must be strange to be spoken to by a monster who is not actively trying to eat you. She looks back at Eridanus,] Are you sure you don't want the filet mignon? It's steak, and really good. Unless you don't like mushrooms, then the duxelles is right out.
[Eridanus waves a claw at Peace and shakes his head.]
I grew up near the sea, I prefer fish over red meat. [He answers her honestly, before taking up his glass of wine again. He's only one more indulgent gulf from finishing it, and when he does, he sets the glass back down with a slight hesitation.]
I think most people miss their family. [He begins abruptly,] I am lucky enough to have my wife here, though it's a luck I squander regardless. I miss my children, even if two of them are not mine by blood, and my son hates me. I miss my brother, and the way he would always tease me, despite being the younger of the two of us.
[His expression grows distant, and he turns his verdant gaze towards the window, admiring the illuminated skyline.]
It is impossible to forget the love you have known, but there is also love here. I'm sure you've met others whom you care deeply for, but you would leave them behind?
Is it mean of me to say I would? Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of people I care about deeply here. But I don't think that if we're ever allowed to leave that we'll get to go with them.
[She surely wouldn't with Todomatsu, after all. but he'd be fine. He was sometimes stronger than he gave himself credit for. But only sometimes.]
Or vice versa. So I enjoy the time I have with them now. Someday, I'll be able to tell their stories and that's all that matters.
[Still, the talk about his family...] If you've been fighting with her, maybe have a talk. I don't intend to marry, myself, but my grandmother always said if you are fighting over something with a loved one, don't let each other go to bed mad. Even if it takes all night to sort things out.
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[Those were two positions in completely opposite directions, weren't they?]
They both pay me really well, and I get something to do all day. I actually kinda dislike just sitting around, and when I was at home I was... sort of doing that because of this and that. You know, before I decided to go to college this year. That... sort of got cut off because of all this, but, what can you do?
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[Eridanus grows quiet as he remembers the events that had transpired just a week ago by the former of those two, and for a moment, he wonders what Peace thinks of it. He's quiet for a long time, letting his words settle heavily between them as he contemplates bringing it up or not.
But ultimately, he decides not to. This is Peace's night, after all.]
I'm lucky in that the job I've taken here is quite similar to the one I held before coming to Ryslig. I've always been good with accounts, so it is like second nature to handle the finances for the Devil's Nest.
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[The bit of candor comes out unbidden, the one, consistent worry for her, whose heart is always at home. She pushes down whatever bit of melancholy is trying to rise from her compartmentalization, instead of dealing with that, she pushes it down and lightens her tone.]
And you know, not starving to death because you don't have money for a hamburger is also nice. Or something nice to wear when you want to feel attractive and special again. Which is why I have two jobs.
[Peace motions to her dress.]
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I cannot fault you there, Miss. Finding your own slice of happiness, even here in Ryslig, is important. A good friend I've made since coming here told me that. Just because we are monsters, does not mean we should suffer and deprive ourselves.
[The elevator dings as they reach the top floor, and he gestures for Peace to exit first before leading them towards the large, gold-gilded double doors to the restaurant. The maître-d' bows to them at their approach, where Eridanus nods his own curt bow and leans forward]
Reservation for Sungazer. [The human hums and nods, before sweeping a gesture for them to follow him.]
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[She shrugged as she followed after him and the maître-d' their table.]
But my feelings are not the popular ones here. I'm just kind of hoping this all falls off in the future when I go back home. Very hard to be a normal person when you have skin as hard as mine and all the opals everywhere.
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It's a beautiful view, unlike any other he had experienced.]
Yes, it seems many are conflicted about being here, about being a monster. It has its benefits and its downsides, like anything it seems. Though I'm sure our appearances only last while we are here, since it is the fog that makes us their way.
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[Well, that's not cryptic or anything.]
I know a lot of other people have special abilities at home, but man. If I had mine here... I would make a lot of people very angry, very quickly.
[She laughed lightly. Sure, she'd be removing whole food sources, but she didn't care. The whole monster population could hurt her.]
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Rather than inquire though, Eridanus turns his attention away the moment a waiter steps into his periphery.]
An older vintage merlot, if you please. [The waiter gives a wordless bow, unable to offer them specials nor other options for drink, before turning to retrieve the bottle as requested.
Eridanus' ardent gaze returns to Peace, and he quietly leans his opaline chin into his palm.] You would make an enemy of monsterkind for selfish gain? You surprise me, Peace. I never thought you to be the kind who goes against the grain.
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[She shrugged slightly.]
There are a lot of things that are wrong here, and if I had some of my abilities back, I could fix it. Not a lot, I can't... move mountains or turn back time, or anything like that. But I can do one small thing that repairs a lot of other things. I'm not afraid to be someone's enemy over that.
[Still, she smiled at his last comment, all guileless and sweet.]
I might work for Javert, but we disagree on a lot of things. I think that's important, too. You shouldn't have someone who always agrees with whatever you're doing or whatever you're saying all the time. Otherwise you end up in this echo chamber of "it must not be wrong, because they said it wasn't."
Sorry... I took a lot of therapy growing up.
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At her conclusion though, Eridanus chuckles warmly—the sound akin to a father entertaining his child's excited rambling.]
Do not fret, my dear. [The words are a honeyed purr over the rim of his wineglass,] I am well aware that people are not who they associate with, though more spiteful creatures may disagree. People may only be measured in their own actions, ultimately.
[And with that, he takes a leisurely sip of his wine, savoring the bitter bite of it as it coats his tongue. His sip punctuates with an indulgent sigh, and he continues as the glass is lowered back to the table.]
So, with that, I say indulge in your selfish desire. Neither of us rely on souls to feed, so what does it matter to us? Just don't come seeking any allies when your altruism comes back to bite you.
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Anyway, it isn't the first time someone like me was nailed to a wall.
[Or burnt at the stake. Good thing fire doesn't really bother trolls.
Peace took a small sip of the merlot, trying to get used to it. Before Ryslig, she never drank before, and she didn't drink now (except for that time in March, when she died). So she was a little concerned to taste the dry wine. Like a child, she wrinkled her nose just slightly.]
It's a little bitter, isn't it?
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Peace's reaction to the wine is distraction enough, for the moment. Eridanus chuckles, the sound light and airy in comparison to their heavy conversation.] My apologies Miss, would you like me to order you something sweeter? Typically dessert wine is reserved for the after-meal, but it is your celebration, after all.
[He sets down his glass with graceful talons, before catching the attention of a passing server. He briefly whispers his order to the woman, nods, then turns his attention back to Peace. Her words still claw at the edges of his mind, and he finds himself unable to move past them.]
Just because your people are used to being the recipients of subjugation does not mean you should invite it upon yourself. I'm sure you have seen just how... hostile monsterkind can be. If you are killed enough times, you will begin to forget who you ever were. Is that what you want? All for the sake of ferrying souls?
no subject
[She laughs lightly, then watches his face, her pale, pale eyes looking him over.]
Well, that doesn't really matter, actually. Who I am now, and who I am when I die are two different people. Where I'm from, there's a cycle of reincarnation. The only souls who don't make it are those whose lives were truly despicable over and over again no matter how many chances they were given.
And then there are people like me, who ferry the dead. I've been reincarnated a lot, but I'll never remember the people I was before. They were just Witches, over and over again. That's why it doesn't bother me that someone might find joy in murdering me until I forget who I am and where I'm from. When I do really die, then I'll just come back.
Like snapping your fingers. Like magic, almost.
[It all makes perfect sense to Peace. She is not a cog, but outside the machine entirely, looking upon human lives as the same as forces of nature. There is no good or evil, but lives well lived and lives well wasted.]
That isn't to be confused with things like martyrdom or anything like that. I've always been OK with dying, because that's what happens when you live. It has to come to an end sometime, no one should live forever. Though people certainly do try!
no subject
How wonderfully poetic, miss Peace. [He hums as he swirls the dark wine within the bulb of his glass.]
Yet, doesn't holding on to what you were before defeat the idea of reincarnation? And how are you to know that this world operates in the same ways yours did before, perhaps your magic will not be what you imagine it to be?
[He pauses,] if you mean to ask miss Mana for it back, you should be careful what you wish for. What if what is gifted to you ends up being something else entirely?
no subject
Though, honestly, I don't think they're truly our things. Just stuff we remember as-they-were.
[Peace doesn't speak with conviction very often - it isn't her place, when she is below everyone else, after all - but there is such as certainty to her words. Despite this place, despite all of the grotesque changes wrought on her without her permission, she knows. She knows who she is.
Still, she remembers her place, birthday or not, and flushes pink.]
I don't think it's wrong to want to return. Some people don't have the luxury of going back, like my boss, I know. But those of us who do, should be allowed to.
no subject
Some could reason that Mana is another being as powerful as the fog or the fourth, but a neutral being who uses pocket portals and dimensions to summon the things we barter for. Some could argue it benevolent, or perhaps cruel to make one pay for the things they are missing from home, when they were kidnapped.
[He's distracted from his thought then, as the waiter returns with a bottle of Muscat white wine, and a new glass. Without a word, she pours the glass for Peace, and retrieves the merlot from before her. Eridanus nods his thanks to the waiter, and she leaves once more. He takes another sip of his own wine as he gestures for Peace to try this new one.]
Hopefully this is more to your liking?
no subject
It is, thank you!
Mmm, regarding Mana, I think that even if she's a neutral entity, that it would've behooved her to help the people already here at this point. We're... moot. I think. Not exactly necessary for the continuation of the place we're in.
Though yes, the weird coins do make paying for what already belongs to us kinda cruel.
I hope I'm not boring you. I do think about this a lot.
no subject
Honestly, I am rather intrigued by this conversation, I apologize if my demeanor makes it seem otherwise. I think that you pose some very interesting ideas, ones I have not heard of from others during my three months here.
[He swirls his wine once more before taking an indulgent sip. When his lips leave the rim of his glass, its with a heavy sigh on his lips.]
If anything, in terms of longevity, I am more concerned with what happens when our food sources run out. Sure, Bavan is over-populated now — but have you seen how many newcomers show up here? Who's to say in a few years time, we may all be starving to death. At that point, there is no continuation of Ryslig, there is only desolate wasteland.
no subject
A lot of people fall into two camps, for the most part. The ones who just go Outback Steakhouse all "no rules, just right", and those who kind of resolve to end up living here forever. Time wears a lot of people down here, you'll see it in the way they hold themselves.
Then there are people like me, who are doing their best to adapt to the situation, but there is no way we are staying here.
I guess time will really tell if I'm in camp A or camp B, but we're not beasts, when it really comes down to it. We're kidnapped.
no subject
I, too, wish to leave this wretched place. I do not looking like a monster and feasting on human flesh, but they are necessities. [Eridanus takes a pausing sip of his wine before continuing,] do not confuse this though, I will not allow myself to feel miserable here.
[His shoulders roll in an indignant shrug.] If I am to be stuck in hell for the short vacation here that I am, then I will do as the devils do.
no subject
Back home, I'm an heiress of a huge fortune, and I can do whatever I want. Money in my world isn't a problem. My sister is the same, but our inheritance is split between our maternal and paternal lines. While I don't and have never really cared about the money aspect of things, I miss everything about home. Even the people that twisted their DNA.
[Peace looked softly down at her wine. There was so much about home to miss, that she couldn't even fathom it.]
My family. I'm sure my uncle is out of his mind right now with worry. I think really, that's why I can't quite allow myself to act in a way in discordance with my nature. I'm really outside of everything like that.
no subject
The waiter bows,]
Good evening sir, miss. I am Jean, your waiter. On the menu tonight we have filet mignon with duxelle and fresh vegetables; our catch of the day fish with risotto in beurre rouge; and chicken in persillade with sweet potato.
[Eridanus looks towards Peace, unsure of what half the things this waiter has said means. This is the first time he's ordered at a human restaurant in this world.]
I'll have the... catch of the day, please.
[Jean nods and turns to Peace, then.] And for the Miss?
no subject
[She smiles at the waiter, who returns it only barely. It must be strange to be spoken to by a monster who is not actively trying to eat you. She looks back at Eridanus,] Are you sure you don't want the filet mignon? It's steak, and really good. Unless you don't like mushrooms, then the duxelles is right out.
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I grew up near the sea, I prefer fish over red meat. [He answers her honestly, before taking up his glass of wine again. He's only one more indulgent gulf from finishing it, and when he does, he sets the glass back down with a slight hesitation.]
I think most people miss their family. [He begins abruptly,] I am lucky enough to have my wife here, though it's a luck I squander regardless. I miss my children, even if two of them are not mine by blood, and my son hates me. I miss my brother, and the way he would always tease me, despite being the younger of the two of us.
[His expression grows distant, and he turns his verdant gaze towards the window, admiring the illuminated skyline.]
It is impossible to forget the love you have known, but there is also love here. I'm sure you've met others whom you care deeply for, but you would leave them behind?
no subject
[She surely wouldn't with Todomatsu, after all. but he'd be fine. He was sometimes stronger than he gave himself credit for. But only sometimes.]
Or vice versa. So I enjoy the time I have with them now. Someday, I'll be able to tell their stories and that's all that matters.
[Still, the talk about his family...] If you've been fighting with her, maybe have a talk. I don't intend to marry, myself, but my grandmother always said if you are fighting over something with a loved one, don't let each other go to bed mad. Even if it takes all night to sort things out.
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CW: disordered eating
CW: Eating disorder
CW: Eating disorder
CW: Eating disorder
CW: Eating disorder
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