Week 2

[airlockedmods]

[Other than the reappearance of the Overseer, there's no real change in the routine. PAL still makes the morning and night time announcements through the PIP on each Champion's arm, and still the Champion unitards are freshly laundered and re-hung each morning in their closets.

No other floors unlock, but Cece and Kip will still be appearing randomly to chit-chat.

All you know is... something has to change soon.]

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday



[ooc: Don't forget to to turn in your AC for week 1 and submit your threads for the Benefactors!]

Comments

[scourgingstars]

...That is, I will admit, several words I don't understand--but that's enough to have an idea of the answers I sought. For a brief time I was worried it might be something like I find myself familiar with, but you're not like any daemon I've ever seen before.

If you find yourself missing memories as several of the others say they are, we'll find a solution to that somehow.

[honoraryembryon]

Yeah, a... few people seem to be worried I've been this or that, but I guess the demons from my world are a little... weird. They're largely mythological creatures? What people turn into. It could be anything from small pixie-like women, to half-snake people, to... ghouls or... goblin-looking things or just monsters with several heads and mouths.

Elephant monsters too. The society has a lot of different, weird demons on their roster, but none of them are unique like the Embryon are. I... think it might have something to do with our Atma.

[ He holds up his hand--the one with the tattoo on it, the one marked with a Lightning Bolt. ]

Or maybe our strong wills just translated to specifically strong forms... I know why my friends are like they are, but my form is... up in the air, a bit. Indra's... Indra's definitely an outlier. But if you're concerned I'm going to hurt anyone, no, I should be fine, as long as I have the pills.

[scourgingstars]

Eos has an abundance of goblins on the roads at night, and half-human shaped snakes or spiders depending on what kind of dangerous places one might travel. I've no idea what determines the manner of daemon a victim turns into, and I don't particularly wish to find out.

[He glanced over the tattoo on Roland's hand, raising an eyebrow slightly; it didn't look like he was remotely familiar with it.]

Now, I never said that. If I thought you an active threat, this would be a markedly different conversation. As it stood, I thought it best to actually speak to you before I determined that.

[Beat.]

Do I want to ask 'what pills', or is that something that's certain to be incredibly concerning?

[honoraryembryon]

[ ... Small sigh. He supposes he's just too used to people immediately jumping to "threat". Too many people live in fear of Tuners in his world. ]

... If you weren't worried about it the other week, I... wouldn't worry about it now.

[ ... It's not worth worrying people over. ]

I mean, in short, it's just a supplement. But there's something you should understand: Tuners in my world, the people who can do what I do. We carry a stigma. We're considered active threats to "normal" people. They... don't like us.

So I have to ask... why you WERE asking. Because there was a point in my life I was in a situation where I was questioning a group of Tuners before I was one myself, fear holding me back from seeing them as people.

[scourgingstars]

[Ardyn held up his hands defensively, presenting as little of a threat as possible.]

It's as I said; you're unlike any daemon I've ever seen. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing for either of us to be worried about from the other.

On my world, there is a scourge that infects living creatures and mutates them into mindless creatures we call 'daemons'. They thrive in darkness and attack anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path, infecting them with the selfsame plague in turn. I was...concerned, shall we say, that either you were victim to something similar or some worse option I could not have imagined.

[honoraryembryon]

... Why is there always some kind of awful demonic plague bugging humanity no matter where I go?

[ GRUMBLE. ]

Mankind really can't get it's act together, can it? ... No, I'm doubtful they're the same. As long as I'm... maintaining, I'm fine. The same is true of most people with the... condition. But if you let your Atma take over your self... you're done for. It's a pitiful existence to become.

I've seen it happen. People can lose themselves to the Demon Avatar within, and become nothing but a beast.

[scourgingstars]

Considering ours is a scourge wrought by a god, I would assume the two are vastly different in origin.

I'll trust you to be able to maintain that condition, if that should be the case. I would prefer it not come to that, and I'm certain you will say the same.

[honoraryembryon]

... Honestly? I'm not sure I believe that. Given the prevailing evidence otherwise and the fact that it's been proven in my world God himself exists and he's incredibly disappointed in us, I'm pretty sure he probably... cursed us.

[ He has no evidence to back this up, but, y'know. ]

But I can't exactly go into the Sun itself and ask him. The only person who can talk to God... well. I was trying to get to her before all this mess. At any rate, like I told the people I was helping... if I become a detriment, you all can kill me.

[ He's. Dead serious. ]