deercountry | 11 . clockhouse rebuilding!

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11 . clockhouse rebuilding!

Who: Those who have offered to help rebuild the Clockhouse, and anyone else who'd like to pitch in!
What: An open mingle log to repair after fires and floods.
When: Throughout September, precise dates not specified.
Where: In Gaze, at the forest's edge.

[ When the weather and chaos dies down, work on the Clockhouse picks up. The building was once an old Deerington mansion, luridly green and eccentric; age faded it into half a ruin, and July's fire did the rest. August's flooding came fast and hard, and now there's very little left to salvage.

The first step has been a damage assessment, with volunteers picking through the structurally unstable ruins, finding singed fiction novels, crisped houseplants, and a weird number of melted grandfather clocks. Demolition goes quickly, while Ozpin stands by and does not even try to control the situation.

Volunteers are needed to design the new structure, carry in materials, and build... and then to decorate and enchant what they've created. The few Sleepers with genuine construction experience provide direction, Ozpin sometimes among them, but things are largely chaotic. A few Sleepers provide snacks and cheerleading.

This is a mingle log. Please feel free to make a toplevel, and comment with your character's contributions below! ]

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[ There's a thoughtful hum at the question, like she's considering it.

Truthfully, Ange doesn't feel like she's ever been the best at naming things either. She thinks of Maria back home. Maria - who could seem to create life out of nowhere at all times, naming everything around her and breathing life into them that way. And then there was Ange, who mostly just used the names that were given to things by Maria in the first place..

She wonders if Paimon feels the same way, or if he's just defaulting to leave it to her since she's the witch here. Maybe he feels like she ought to do it.

.. Ange isn't sure. But after a moment of thinking, and staring at the googly eyes which stare right back at her, she says-- ]

I like what you like.

[ Just in case it is him defaulting to the authority here. Ange doesn't want it to necessarily have to be like that. If Paimon is capable of creativity, at least enough to make these small things, then he could be creative beyond that.

So she just smiles at him, full of encouragement. ]

If you want to think up the names, then I'm fine with that.

( He's not explicitly aware of the fact, but it does give him a certain permission, what she says. That it's okay for him to make up the names, and for a being like Paimon, such things are important. He nods, wide-eyed and somber, because this is Very Serious Business. The demon moves to sit down fully on the ground, slowly crossing Peter's long legs inwards, and leaning forwards to stare intently at the spread of creatures there.

....

....

.... )

I like the name... Luna.

( He points at one of the creatures as he says it. Paimon....... can't you think of other names... Yes, he can! Because then he points to another, and proclaims— )

And Ange. And Ruby. And Lucifer.

( Those seem to be... some of his favourite names. )

[ .. of all possible names, huh.

Still, despite that thought crossing the girl's mind, she just smiles a little. ]

Those are good names.

[ Or rather, it's mostly just.. cute to Ange. The names Paimon likes are the names of the people important to him. Sure, it's mostly cute since she always views the demon through such fond glasses, but Ange can't help it.

She reaches out, gently running a finger across the top of one of the small creations, making sure to avoid the googly eyes. ]

One of my demon friends back home was named Lucifer too, so I like that one as well.

( The demon's creative spirit can piece things together meticulously, crafting with small pieces, finding what seems right. He enjoys breaking old things apart and making new things — creating the imitation of creatures and people, faces and bodies. Legs don't have to be the same size and shape or even the right one at all. A leg can be made out of something completely new. A mouth can be an eye. An eye can be a dead insect curled in on itself. Almost anything can be glued to make something else.

But when it comes to naming things... clearly, his creativity hits a wall. Maybe it's because something in him doesn't feel it's his place, to give name to another. He's a being of Knowledge, meant to uncover truths, but not forge new ones. Maybe it's because he does default to imitation so often, not remembering his true self just yet. He uses the names of people he knows, people who are held in high esteem. Witches and a being with silver eyes and the name of his master.

Speaking of....

Paimon's wide eyes shift to watch Ange as she reaches for one of the stone creatures with a delicate touch, listening with piqued interest. He knows the demons of hers back home are different versions of the ones he might have known once. Even his master is different from the being Ange knows. )

What is yours like? Your Lucifer.

Lucifer, huh..

[ Ange repeats the name for a moment - giving herself a moment to think. It's not that she doesn't remember, but to make her memories truly vivid, she really has to think back. It's been so long since she spent each and every single day with her demon friends, after all.

But she does remember. After digging for a moment, she finds it. Like opening a treasure chest full of fond memories.

Just the thought of it makes her smile a little, though she's still staring at Paimon's creations. ]

She's the oldest of the seven sisters of purgatory. Because of that, she tries to be strict and keep her younger sisters in line, but.. [ She shakes her head. ] That's a lost cause.

[ They are demons, after all. And they have huge Teenage Girl Energy on top of it.. ]

Her little sisters tend to bully her a little because of it. She's the demon of pride, after all, so she hates being humiliated. But she can be really sweet in her own ways too, and I could tell that she was also trying to keep everyone else in line to look out for me.

( Paimon tilts his head as he listens, completely attuned to Ange's words, absorbing them in that intense way he has. This is important, so very important. To learn about the other versions of demons and Lucifer, to find more shapes to comprehend. Maybe it will help unlock something in himself as well, but in general he's just so eager to learn anything he can.

So all of them are sisters... That's certainly different from the things he's read about his own realm. )

Did she punish them? For.... bullying her.

( He has read how his own master can be vengeful, but he isn't something Paimon fears. Because like Ange says, how her Lucifer tried to look out for her... he believes his own would do the same. He has felt it in little snippets of memory here and there; he among the other kings has an especially strong connection to the master. But... admittedly, there is a small part of him who isn't entirely sure. There's so much he can't remember, and he has wondered about it. About his loyalty to a being he cannot remember much of. About whether Lucifer would... welcome those people Paimon has forged connection with. )

There was a... Lucifer here, once. Not mine. Not yours. Another. ( He was within Sam Winchester, and he was warm towards Paimon, but he could also be... cruel. )

My witch feared him. I did not like that.

[ Ange lets out a small huff of breath. ]

Well, she sure tried. [ Perhaps a little too vague, but she does seem to leave it at that.. but with a small smile on her face. It reminds her of the sisters, and their constantly loud antics. She remembers how they accompanied her whenever she felt lonely.

Her only friends.

(Maybe that's why they're not here now, Ange thinks. Because she found different friends.)

Shaking off that thought, she wants to focus much more on what Paimon is saying here. If not just because she finds it fascinating whenever he opens up about something - and it's something she wants to encourage enough to immediately zoom in on it. ]

Why did you not like it?

[ Sure, she can guess, given that Lucifer seems so important to Paimon - or his Lucifer does, anyway.

But she wants him to be able to have the floor to voice it himself. No matter how much Ange may hate talking about her feelings herself, she knows that doing so can be a good base to figure out your feelings in the first place. ]

( Ange's Lucifer doesn't seem extremely vengeful. Or at least, her sisters seem like they were able to really push her without too much punishment... and she'd used the word "sweet" to describe the being. Paimon knows what "sweet" means, more or less. It isn't just how Luna likes her desserts and her tea.... it also means kind.

Is his Lucifer kind? The one inside of Sam Winchester had been, at times. He'd held Paimon's face, stroked it lovingly. He'd also burst people's bodies like they were balloons, without so much as lifting a finger. And he'd—

—been involved in one of Luna's deaths. Paimon is still confused about the truth of it all, believing Sam to be the one to ultimately blame, but..... Luna remains adamant that it was Lucifer who snapped her neck. Paimon flinches at the mere though, an odd shudder rippling through him as he stares widely at the ground for a long moment. )

Because....... because I do not want her to be afraid. It makes me... displeased. ( He struggles with the words, finding the right ones. )

I do not remember my master. But if he is not... kind. Not sweet. If he comes here. He might be mean to her. Might hurt her. Or you.

( What if his Lucifer wouldn't approve of the witches he's made connection with...! Paimon doesn't doubt them at all, but... it's some strange concern. Especially considering this place can... make things happen, bring in people from one's home worlds. What if his Lucifer appears some day? )

[ It's a very real possibility.

After all, Ange isn't dumb. She's well aware that not every single demon out there might be sweet, or peaceful, or even reasonable in any sort of way. And given the way Lucifer is described in most worlds.. well, she wouldn't doubt that it'd be exactly the kind of demon who would try to hurt others. So Paimon's.. fear, or worry, or whatever it is - it makes sense.

At the same time, she doesn't want him to worry about it. Paimon is technically a fully grown demon, sure, but something about the way Ange perceives him and the way he still seems to be trying so hard to figure himself and the world around him out makes him seem like something younger to her. Something that needs help, and guidance. And-- even comforting. ]

Don't worry. If he ever ends up here, and he threatens Luna, just call me over. I'll help protect her.

[ Sure, maybe there's not much Ange may be able to do. But demons are her speciality, and her powers are growing stronger in this place.. so who knows.

It's better than not trying at all.

She reaches out a hand, gently patting the other's hair, the way a parent may do to a child. ]

I won't let anyone get hurt.

( Paimon likes the attention — and it's a strange thing as so many things often are for him, split in its ways. There's the part of him that's something ancient and grand and powerful, something that thrives off of the energy and attention given to him by witches, and reciprocates it in turn. But there's also the part of him that's.. smaller, that lived the life of a young human never quite knowing what she really was inside. The part that gets lonesome and misses the faces of people from Charlie's past. The part that likes to be held and petted and talked to gently, the way Luna does.

So when Ange's hand finds his hair like that, giving soft patting motions, it makes him happy in a way he wouldn't possibly be able to explain. He's tilting his head to the touch, eyelids half-lidded, calmed by the gesture. And there are.. soft sounds, little clicks coming from his throat, thrums and chirps. ...Happy demon sounds. It's fine.

It's still strange to just talk to someone, though. Hard to put things into the right shapes and forms, and really just to talk about his feelings? Paimon isn't used to that. Here, though... it's a safe space, and Ange understands him on a level most don't. And so after a pause, he decides to actually go further with trying to explain his feelings — his concerns, worries. Things he hasn't touched on too much directly at all. It's still hard for Paimon to speak too much aloud, but he manages to work Peter's vocal chords past those odd little sounds, forming speech again. )

If he comes here..... if he would ever wish to harm mine.... or if he would wish for me to harm mine.... I would have to obey him. ( He was very torn when the Lucifer inside of Sam Winchester gave him direction. Obeying him... made Luna very upset. Now he knows that wasn't his Lucifer, but if the right one shows up...? Paimon has to be loyal to him, doesn't he? He, of all the kings, is said to be Lucifer's most loyal, most beloved. )

But you... would not have to obey him. You could try to stop him. And stop me. ( ...He knows the implications of that, and knows it's strange to voice aloud. ) I would want you to.

... I won't let you hurt someone you wouldn't want to hurt.

[ That's the thing Ange slowly says after that brief pause, seeming to consider what he's telling her here. She's not really judging Paimon for being unable to disobey his master if he were here - after all, demons aren't like humans, and it's not like Ange's own friends haven't attacked her, just because they happened to serve a different master at that moment. She gets what it's like, and she would never blame any demon for their master's actions.

On the other hand, it's still.. complicated. After all, Ange is way too fond of the demon sitting here with her - and the boy whose body he's occupying, to make it even more complicated - to think too hard about fighting him. She instinctively dislikes it, her stomach tying itself in knots like even her body rejects the idea. ]

But I'd try to contain you. [ That kind of stopping. She knows it won't be easy, but if anyone could - or should - do it, it's her, right? Even though Luna and Paimon are closer, Ange is the one with so much demon-related experience. ] I refuse to hurt you, Paimon.

[ Or worse.

The other implication of 'stop', after all, is 'kill'.

She slowly pulls her hand back to her side. ]

That's not what friends do.

[ And Paimon is most certainly her friend. ]

( It's a very severe thing that he's said, but he didn't plan for it to come out here and now — things bled into one another, with talks of Lucifers... stirring up certain fears within the demon. But the moment's simply blossomed this way, to be right for him to voice that fear, and while he had absolutely no doubts in Ange of all people, hearing her reply still surprises him a little. Simply because it's said in a way that's exactly how he needed to hear it.

A vow that she wouldn't let him hurt someone he didn't want to — but another vow that she won't hurt him, would try to contain him instead. He blinks wider, staring at her as he processes it. As she uses the word "friends".

....Like with her own demons — how she's called them "friends". Paimon's just silent for a few long moments, staring at the young witch. Emotions are still so very strange within him, but something flutters inside, something warm, touched. Maybe being within Peter allows him to feel such things, that way. He swallows, and gently sets down the little stone creature he was holding. After a brief hesitation, he reaches slowly towards Ange with his hands instead, fingertips finding her face. The way Luna's held him before, very gently cupping his cheeks. It's his turn to pet the other gently, affectionate even in his strange, inhuman way.

Because she's someone he wants to protect too, after all. And there's a pride in her; maybe he isn't one of her demons from back home, but he still feels it. )

You are very strong, and very good. ( He praises quietly. It's... fine, a demon's just stroking her face and offering praises. This is normal! )

I am happy. To be your friend. Like your demons... your friends, in your world.

( The concern about his Lucifer showing up is still there, but.. he does feel better about it, now that he's voiced it to Ange, and knows that it's something she knows about. Something he wouldn't have to face on his own. It makes him want to do more in return for her. He already spends a fair bit of time with Ange, but... there's the potential for more, isn't there? And maybe in different ways. Ways that feel more familiar to her? )

Perhaps we can do more things, together. Things that you did with your demons, back in your home. I would like that.

[ Ange simply allows Paimon to reach out, to touch her. Sure, it may be a little strange, but.. Ange also very much realises that the demon must still be getting used to this. He must still be trying to find his own way of expressing feelings like this - fondness, friendship.

She can feel it through those fingertips, so she just smiles a little, even as his initial words make her let out a faintly embarrassed breath.

(Ange never does too well with praise, after all, though she doesn't go as far as rejecting it out loud, considering the circumstances.) ]

You think so? I don't think I did anything too special with them.. Just things anyone would do with their friends.

[ Especially lonely girls like Ange, who had no human connections to turn to, leaving her to treat her demon friends like they were just regular friends her age.. ]

We just hung out together. [ She pauses, and then finally slowly pulls back a little bit. Away from the touch on her face, since it makes it a little hard and difficult to speak.. but to compensate for it, she grabs one of his hands with one of her own, holding it as she continues. ] And we played games. Like.. shiritori. Ah, I guess that's like.. "word chain" in the west. Have you ever played that before?

[ Probably not, she figures. But then again, she wouldn't find the possibility that Luna played it with Paimon at some point all that strange.. ]

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11 . clockhouse rebuilding!

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