Afterparty Buffet

[superstylishsquid]

[So, that trial sure happened, didn't it? And on nearly empty stomachs, no less. That's why people might catch Alastor headed for the kitchen as soon as they're out of the theater, obviously intent on making food. He's in there a while, actually, and the hallway outside of it smells strongly of some rather tasty food.

What he's up to will become clear when he goes around to tell people to visit the mess hall. There, he's set up a varied buffet on one of the tables, all of various foods easy to serve in small portions. This includes small slices of beef only very lightly seared on the outside, but also more fully cooked fare, and even a few fruit and vegetable dishes. Plus the requisite spread of alcohol, because it sure has been A Day, huh?

...Also, while Hermes obviously doesn't eat, he still gets the instructions to go to the mess hall. Huh.]

Comments

[godspiousjasper]

[ He's incredibly quick to come over and read the letter, relief and happiness showing on his face for a few moments. That was a lot to take in, put simply.

Then.... Something clicks and he looks like he's been physically wounded. ]

D-Devil Arm!? I couldn't be!! That's not--


[ Give him a moment. ]

[superstylishsquid]

[He starts to reach for Roland's shoulder, then hesitates.

Maybe...a devil's comfort isn't what he needs, right now.]

[godspiousjasper]

[ He just.. needs to just process everything, glancing over to Alastor and gesturing for him to come closer to him. ]

...Do come over here... would you?

[ Emotionally compromised? A little. Though he feels like he needs to clarify something here. ]

[superstylishsquid]

[He nods and approaches, gently reaching to take Roland's hand.]

[godspiousjasper]

This... it does not change how I feel about you, I hope you know.

[ Going to give Alastor's hand a reassuring squeeze and the flash of a smile. ]

Just... [ A heavy, deep sigh, his other hand going through his hair before curling tight around his rosary. ] You must know as a faithful follower of the Lord... to be made into something with demonic power... it's a little much.

[superstylishsquid]

It does mean Heaven will be...harder for you to get to. Skewing your soul's balance, and all.

Just...does it help to know that I'm not the only devil who's also a good person? There's one humans even hail as a hero of legend.

[godspiousjasper]

[ There's something that flashed across his face briefly, and it truly did seem like Alastor's being here actually was helping more than one would expect. ]

That's.. what I was afraid of.

[ He closed his eyes and exhaled a deep, heavy breath. Roland is genuinely just trying to deal with this since it was a bit... much to deal with. ]

Yes. I... do believe you might have said that was... Sparda, wasn't it?

[superstylishsquid]

[He'd like to say Hell isn't as bad as mortals make it out to be, but...a lot depended on where you ended up, even in his day. So he just nods slightly.]

Sparda saved humanity not long after Mundus killed me. Locked Mundus away, and severed most of the connections between the underworld and the human world, so Mundus' followers couldn't just continue his crusade.

[godspiousjasper]

He truly sounds like quite a good, strong individual.

[ Roland finally released his rosary reluctantly, but there was still a furrow to his brow. ]

So... please. Tell me more about Devil Arms... and if you know of one that matches what my power entails.

[exequte]

It seems like there's a lot of things here that aren't what they should be. But... um...

[how do religion]

Wouldn't God be able to heal this too?

[godspiousjasper]

[ This is a whole-ass crisis for him. So it took a second for him to process what she said, then he practically LIT up. ]

Yes! I'm positive that when this abominable game is resolved, then God's light will reach and restore me back to my usual self!

[ While it may be a reach, it's better than him feeling upset about it. ]

Apologies, Akane! It's just a little jarring to have learnt such a thing and I feared it may have been irreversible.

[exequte]

[There's a brief pause before she smiles at him, but the expression is warm and kind.]

Yes. You just need to have faith, right?

[godspiousjasper]

Absolutely.

[ He puts a hand to his chest, seeming to relax a little. Not all of the crisis has passed, but for now this is a better direction. ]

So I will continue to have faith in the Lord and that He will fix things in time.

[ A deep breath. This whole thing was manageable! Absolutely. ]

How are you taking this news, Akane?

[exequte]

I... don't know.

I don't like the thought of no longer being human....

But, on the other hand....

What is a human, after all? How much do we really understand about the makeup of our beings?

[godspiousjasper]

I suppose that's quite a good question.

[ It goes unsaid that he didn't like not being human anymore either, but she'd helped set him on a better mentality at least. ]

The fact remains that Delta has found a way to alter the very essence of who we are, like.. over-writing and ignoring several laws of nature to do so.

[exequte]

I suppose it's a question on the nature of being. If pieces of us were taken out, those being any powers we might have had before we were brought here, and were replaced with something else, then...

Isn't that like the Ship of Theseus? And are those pieces of our souls being held in stasis somewhere? If that is what happened, then which is the real version of us? Is both? Is neither? Or might it be considered something like a prosthetic?

If a man loses a limb, and that limb is replaced by a prosthesis, he is still considered human. So... at what point would that no longer be true? Is the nature of a human in the essence of our being? And, if we are still the people who we were before, does that mean that even in this we are unchanged? Or, in having done this to us, has it already made us something other, even if we are outwardly in almost every regard the same people as we were before?

[superstylishsquid]

[Alastor looking over, tail flicking behind him.]

If you ask me, human is more about...mindset and experiences than the state of your soul. Humans and devils can interbreed, but if someone has so little demonic blood in them that you can only tell from their magic, then they're basically still human, right?

While some warlocks only have magic at all through pacts with devils, but they're so demon-like in behavior that I consider them just devils in waiting.

[pegasinister]

... personally, I am rather glad to have any remaining claim the Goddess may have on me scrubbed off.

[hubert that's not helpful]

[godspiousjasper]

[ He's still reeling. Give him a second.

Going to also look a tiny bit appalled because how could you say such a thing, Hubert?! ]

Why would you say that??

[ Managing to not sound absolutely appalled or anything, thankfully. ]

[pegasinister]

Simple- I despise her and would rather boil in the fires then 'bask in her light' or any such rubbish.

But who can say, maybe your God is more competent.

[godspiousjasper]

Whatever has your goddess done to make you despise her so?? Please, Hubert. I'd like to understand.

[ Mostly since this is a concept for him he's passionate about and he's also a tiny bit concerned WHY you hate your goddess and all, sir. ]

The Lord has proven to be nothing but a helpful, guiding light to me! Without him I never would have met the people I know now or had my eyes opened to the truth regarding vampires!

[pegasinister]

[He doesn't seem against the idea of explaining- in fact he's quite passionate about it. But:]

It will involve quite a history lesson. Are you sure?

[godspiousjasper]

I am.

[ There's a very firm nod of his head that follows this. He very much wants a distraction while letting everything else sink in, though he also does want to know. ]

I admit I have been curious about your home world from the little I have heard, so please. I am ready to listen.

cw: religion, also Hubert's biased and only half true understanding of events lol

[pegasinister]

Very well.

Thousands of years ago, before the nations of Fodlan existed. Before Fodlan as a named land did, the Goddess, Sothis, came down upon it from the Blue Sea Star. The humans of that time were barely above beasts, and so she took pity on them. Gifting them with magic and knowledge. She birthed many children, the Children of the Goddess, who were between gods and men and who mingled among humanity as leaders and prophets.

[He recites all this with the knowledge and care of a former Catholic schoolboy- certainly someone who grew up deep in the Church]

This peace would not last. After a time Sothis and her people were attacked by evil gods who craved her power. A great war was fought, and to aid her in her cause she blessed a man, Nemesis, and his allies, with powerful weapons, as well as strength beyond any other men. This blessing was the Crests. Power passed in the blood that allowed one to wield these divine weapons and well as perform inhuman feats. He and his Ten Elites destroyed the outsider gods and their followers, but the battle had scared the land beyond living. And so in her wisdom Sothis took flight, using her blessings to heal the land and return it to fertility. But in doing so she became weak, and went into a deep sleep to recover.

It was while the Goddess was asleep that Nemesis became corrupted by his power, and moved to kill the sleeping Goddess and all her Children. All would be lost if not for the appearance of Saint Seiros, a woman also blessed by the Goddess. Her and her fellow Saints rallied those humans who were still loyal to the Goddess, and Nemesis was killed. To prevent this from ever happening again, Seiro started the Adrestian Empire, blessing it's first Emperor with her Sainted blood and her Crest. The other Saints did the same to his most trusted allies, and so my homeland, and the Church of Seiros, was borne.

The Ten Elites, without Nemesis, were also given lesser power in the new order- and their Crests were passed down to their children, leading to the Noble Houses of the Kingdom and Alliance as they are today.

That is... the story as we were all told it for a thousand years of the Empire. But it is not the truth.

[he pauses to give Roland time to process and ask any questions before he continues]

[godspiousjasper]

[ As the tale begins to be told, it's like listening to a story and he's riveted to every word.

The imagery is fascinating and there's so much going on but it's interesting enough that he's hanging on every detail. A Goddess who did so much for her people, then the tale of someone corrupted by that same power. This whole concept of people who had power passed on through blood that allowed them to wield Divine weapons and in the end that conflict actually lead to the birth of a nation!?

Only by the time did Hubert pause did the majority of it all sink in, and the pressing question he'd left hanging there. ]

Not the truth? [ Roland repeated, blinking a couple times. ] So you're saying someone spread a false story for a thousand years? What purpose would that serve?

[ Some part of him wants to ask more about people who can use divine weapons and more about the crests but the things he'd asked seemed more important to ask here. ]