All men must die, but first he must live.

[reddosmod]

SEPTEMBER 2021 EVENT

IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: Woman holding skull in bag. ]
[Image Two: Plants sprouting out of earth.]

Prompt Two
[Image One: Woman rocking back and forth in dark.]
[Image Two: Woman rowing down river with corpses on stakes on horizon.]

Prompt Three
[Image One: Beef cake man breaking arrows off of shield with a sword.]
[Image Two: Beefy man slamming axe into troll-like creature, spraying blood.]

[NAVIGATION]

Prompt 1 • Prompt 2 • Prompt 3 • Plotting • Newsletter

[JUMP TO COMMENTS]

GROWING PAINS

WHEN: September
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: Minor blood ritual.

---

September, for many in Trench, is considered a month of personal sacrifice. It is the month of self-actualization and promise. To grow your future, you must first be willing to sacrifice your past. You cannot walk forwards while walking backward. All throughout Trench, natives can be seen in yards and on plots of land digging small holes and planting a variety of items. Some plant seeds, some drop in a ring, others bury small parts of a body. But the ritual is simple: bury something that represents your past and seal it with a promise for your future.

You can write yourself a note or cut off a lock of your own hair. The ways in which people do this are limitless since it's a largely personal experience. Find a small patch of soil and dig yourself a shallow hole. Bury the item inside, say goodbye to who you used to be, and cover the item up with dirt. Once you are done, you must shed at least one drop of blood onto the sacrifice. It must be your own blood willingly given. Once the blood hits the soil, a small flower will miraculously grow out of the earth within seconds.

A single, powerless flower, but this flower will be completely immortal. You can either keep it on the patch of land or dig it up and bring it home. The flower will be a representation of your progress in Trench: if its petals wilt, you are lingering too much in the past. If it is in full bloom and vibrant, you're on the right path to a better future. If the flower starts to rot, you're heading down a dangerous path.

The flower may not be able to sway you one way or another, but it may serve as a valuable reminder of the kind of life you wish to lead. Some people abandon the flowers entirely and never bother with them. After all, there are no real consequences if you let the flower rot. If a character is dropped, their flower will fleck away like dust. Many believe that the flowers are made of the same stuff omens are made of.

You can dig up other people's flowers and watch their progress (make sure to get player permission) instead. After all, not everyone will care enough about their own flowers to really observe them closely. The flowers can come in any species or size, even fictional flowers, but they will only be replicas. Meaning if your character's flower is typically used for healing, there will be no healing properties in this replica. The flowers cannot be destroyed.

Many natives in Trench will repeat this ritual a few times every couple of years since the ritual is for letting go of the past. After all, the promises you make to yourself now won't be the same promises you make to yourself ten years from now. People change and so too will their flowers. What the characters bury is largely open to interpretation.

RIVER OF REGRET

WHEN: September
WHERE: Some obscure location within Gaze
CONTENT WARNINGS: Mangled corpses of loved ones, birds eating corpses, themes of regret.

---

You will find raven feathers all over Trench. They may drift through the air, lightly touch you, or you might decide to pick one up. The moment you come into physical contact with a feather, a conspiracy of ravens tears through the air and scoops you up into a whirlwind of feathers and caws. It only lasts a few seconds before you're deposited into a canoe drifting along a still river. Another Sleeper is in the boat with you. You pass beneath massive stone walls carved into the likeness of Never Mind and his ravens.

The world is silent around you. There is no rain here. Instead, sunlight pours through breaks in the clouds. Sunlight dapples across the water and golden-red leaves of nearby trees. It's more serene than most places in Trench.

You turn a corner and smell it before you see it. The picturesque summer day is dampened by the stench of rot. Then you come upon them: corpses. Corpses tied up to posts with barbed wire, corpses put through spikes and suspended in the air. Ravens flutter to and fro, picking at strips of meat. It isn't until you're close enough that you realize you recognize the corpses.

They are the corpses of people you have hurt. And that doesn't just mean people you killed or physically harmed. These are the bodies of people you have deep regrets towards: a lover you wronged, a best friend you lied to, an enemy you wish you had forgiven. Not everything is as black and white as murder, after all, and this grisly graveyard of mangled bodies says as much. Sometimes our regrets haunt us like the dead, and it seems like yours have followed you to Trench. You might even see your own body up on a post or the body of your canoe companions.

You have one of two choices: ignore your regret or face it.
Choosing to ignore your regrets doesn't seem to have any ill consequences at first. You pass by the corpses and continue on your river voyage. But the water grows thicker, and you come across the same corpses only in a worse state. The situation gets progressively worse each time you ignore it, and the river gradually becomes a river of blood and gore. The stench becomes insufferable and you will become increasingly corrupt. Some may even turn into beasts right there on the river.

Facing your regrets means talking about them, even mildly, to your canoe companions. You simply need to acknowledge the corpses, acknowledge the slightest truth to your feelings towards those regrets. When everyone in your canoe has acknowledged their regrets, the ravens will come for you once more. You will be brought back to Trench and awaken in the School of Mutter. Those who faced their regrets will discover that they have been gifted a white gold compass. The compass's needle will always point in the direction of the nearest Lamp Friend no matter the chaos going on in the world. But the compass only works once you have calmed down and focused.

QUICK FACTS

1. Each boat can hold up to 4 people. There can be multiple canoes in the same area.

2. If you try to leave the boat, you will drown in the River of Regret.

3. This does not have to encompass every regret someone's had. It can only represent one or two things. The regret should have to do with another individual or one's self. Something like "I regret not going to college" wouldn't necessarily work within the parameters of the prompt.

4. The river can only be accessed by touching a fallen raven feather. Touching a raven feather attached to the bird or a quill does not count.

5. Characters can engage with this prompt as many times as they touch a raven feather.

6. Characters with no regrets will not see corpses, but they will still be able to interact with characters who do have regrets.

BLOODSPORT

WHEN: During the Blood Moon
WHERE: Everywhere but specifically, The Gate
CONTENT WARNINGS: Violence, fighting, forced aggression/violence, forced fighting.

---

The Blood Moon invokes religious reverence among Trenchies. September and October are the ultimate months of sacrifice to pay tribute to the gods and the blood that rules this world. An energy begins to swell among Trenchies and you keep hearing the same word whispered excitedly around the city: "Bloodsport."

As the Blood Moon floods the streets in red, you begin to feel antsy, like you don't know what to do with yourself. You're not necessarily angry, you just have an abundance of energy. You don't need to be told what it is: your blood is reacting to the moon. The Blood Moon enhances blood powers significantly and you're simply not used to that yet. You don't feel in control of your own power or maybe even your own mind. At least until you exert some power, some force. Slam a door shut or swing a sword, shoot some electricity or spit some poison and you'll feel at peace with yourself. That nervous energy will ease out.

Only to come back twice as strong. It starts to put you in a real fighting mood and you start to realize why the locals call this Bloodsport. Hunting down beasts and monsters might seem like the fun thing to do right now, but the real attraction for Bloodsport takes place at The Gate. You can hear the roaring crowd blocks away. Hundreds of Trenchies have settled in to watch Sleepers duke it out with each other or with locked-up monsters. Maybe join in the fight. At least you know the other Sleepers there want to be there...Right?

Unfortunately not. Those who resist Bloodsport will find themselves passing out more and more frequently. Eventually, they will be taken by Mysterious Forces to The Gate to be pitted against other Sleepers and monsters. Some Sleepers will be forced into a gladiator-style fight that they either must win or die trying. Most fights at the Gate do end in death, but there are some circumstances where someone surrenders. Of course, that never stops their opponent from killing them anyway...Hopefully, you're fighting someone who is still relatively reasonable. Both parties can be resistant to fighting, but they will feel obligated to fight each other. If they don't, monsters will be unleashed into the arena and your situation will get a whole lot worse.

Bloodsport can greatly enhance a Sleeper's ability and many believe it is a gift from the Pthumerian gods. It is generally considered an advantage to Sleepers during the Season of Blood to prepare them and train them to hone their skills for the Season of Bone. Many believe it is wisest to submit to Bloodsport and let yourself get used to the motions of violence in order to survive the remainder of the year.

QUICK FACTS

1. Casual physical training will alleviate Bloodsport feelings. You could get through the month just by jogging around a lot.

2. Characters forced to the Gate will not remember how or when they arrived - they will just wake up and be thrown into the Gate by some shadowy force.

3. Characters who willingly participate in violence/fighting will feel temporary relief from Bloodsport only for the feeling to increase.

4. Effects of Bloodsport last as long as the Blood Moon shines through September and October.

5. You can treat symptoms of Bloodsport with calming techniques such as aromatherapy, meditation, medications, etc. Can be based on what would ICly help calm your character but it should require a lot of it.

6. You can invent the monsters/beasts that are at the Gate. They should be killable creatures and easily captured for the purpose of the Gate.

CODING

Comments

suddenly this turned into my little demon: friendship is magic....

[entreats]

Well..

[ There's a lot of things to ponder here. Whether or not the demon is okay, for one, since the way he's straining his eyes doesn't.. exactly look like it could be comfortable. But it's not like Ange has ever dealt with demons in this place. She doesn't know what's normal and what isn't for otherworldly demons, so maybe she shouldn't comment on it unless it starts to look even more serious?

And then there's his question to ponder. It's an odd question for a demon, sure, but it suits the way he seems to be weirdly naive about certain things.

Like he's a demon still learning how to be himself. ]

You just.. become friends. [ It's her instinctual answer, but Ange slowly figures that an answer like that probably is not enough for a demon, considering their definition of being 'friendly' often involves stabbing of some kind, if experience is anything to go by. ]

So you just do things that friends do for each other, you know? Talk with each other, hang out together.. be there to help when the other needs it. That's what Mammon always did for me.

[ Ange quietly stares at the other for a moment before she speaks up again. ]

Is there someone you want to become closer with? [ Since she doubts he'd be asking all of this otherwise. ]

CURSED.... but somehow pure....

[possessum]

( "Friend" in general is a rather weird word for him, not one that's ever really.... been relevant for what he is (an ancient being whose true form could not possibly be Perceived...)

...but then he was inside of a small human body for thirteen years, stuck there, kept caged like a bird on the plane belonging to humans. And though Charlie had always been separate from others, living in her own little world.... there had still been some quiet human connection with certain others. With Mom and Dad and Peter, and especially with Grandma. And maybe a couple of kids at school who were kind to her when most of them weren't, and though she didn't need friends, sometimes it was nice to have them.

Paimon knows what "friend" is, even if it feels like touching a memory that isn't exactly his own, but is inside of him somehow. He knows it's a word that matters to Peter. He knows it's a word he likes. )

I have a witch, ( he tells her, though he seems to struggle with how to word things. ) We help each other. Like you. Like Mammon. But..... we do not talk. We do not hang out. We... are like this.

( He lifts his hands, holds them apart from one another. To... signify distance, perhaps...? Things have been strange; he's been working with Luna for a good year now, and yet... their connection is still strained. Not only for a lack of both sides knowing how to really handle things, but he'd... hurt her in his wrongness, and recovering from that is an odd process still. But if he could learn how to be more like a "friend", like how Mammon is for this witch.... His relationship with Luna has been mostly business, so cautious, but perhaps more of an intimacy is needed.... )

How do I talk to her? How do I... know what to say?

( ....He is asking for help on his interpersonal skills, this is really a thing that is happening. )

[entreats]

[ Ange is probably the least suited person to ask about anything that involves social skills. After all, it's not like she had a whole ton of friends before showing up in Deerington - and even then, do her demons count as friends when it comes to proof of having social skills...

But it's not like she wants to leave him out in the cold either. Even if she might not know very well what she's doing here, she wants to try. There's something almost weirdly cute about a demon who's trying so hard to get a better relationship with the witch he's working with, after all. ]

Well..

[ She's tempted to say 'just be nice', but she's well aware that the concept of nice is hard for demons. ]

It could help to find out about the things she likes. Then you'll have things to talk with her about. Or..

[ Ange's hand moves across the currently opened page of the book on her lap, like it's just idly moving while she's thinking. ]

It also couldn't hurt to just be open with her, you know? Have you told her that you would like to be closer? It's pretty important to communicate well.

[possessum]

( Paimon's attentiveness doesn't waver, every ounce of his concentration focused on Ange's words. His eyes are locked on — quickly flitting down to watch the movement of her hand, then jolting back up to her face. He seems excited by this witch's words, brightening up. There's even a little humming sound in his throat for a long moment before he speaks again, like he's...... buzzing, a bit.

Talking to someone who understands all of this is extremely enlightening and it makes him feel very pleased, like with Lysithea. As though he's a little less loss. )

She.... knows, because of our Pact. The Pact we made... many days ago. ( "Many days" being... over a year ago, now. However... Ange is making him think of something. He hasn't really explicitly said so much that he wants to be closer to Luna; it's been some thing he's just assumed will happen along the way. Thinking that's just how witches and demons work, but... work will have to go into it. Especially now that he's been on awkward grounds with Luna. )

...But I have not told her. I will tell her. That I would like that. ( He kind of shudders for a moment where he's sitting, almost like he's... vibrating. )

Because... because we were becoming... closer. Before. But I did something mmmmmmmmmm bad.

( .....Suddenly, he seems mournful, the excited energy abruptly shifting into something heavier. His shoulders even slump, eyes gazing woefully down at Ange's book. He isn't like Mammon. He's still broken. )

Mmmmmmmmmmm...... very bad.

[entreats]

[ Honestly, a part of her kind of wants to note down all of his oddities - the way he moves, not quite a shudder, more like an odd movement. The noises he's making. It's completely unlike anything Ange has ever seen from any of the demons she's dealt with.

But even Ange, not exactly the expert when it comes to anything social, can figure out that's not really a polite thing to do when the person you're writing about is right next to you. So she refrains from doing so, instead just trying her best to commit all these mental observations to memory. ]

What kind of bad thing?

[ Her voice is surprisingly calm in the face of his off behaviour, in the way he guiltily slumps. Even her tone doesn't sound like she's judging - Ange has seen a lot already at this point, after all. A demon doing something 'bad' isn't too surprising to her.

If anything, it kind of makes her sound like she's a doctor assessing some situation. ]

Something against her wishes?

[possessum]

( He knows to be careful about talking too much about personal things regarding his witch, that others can possibly be dangerous to her — but admittedly, Paimon has pretty much immediately developed a trust in this witch..... simply for the fact she is a witch. Her so willingly helping him has only solidified that possibly dangerously naïve trust within the lost demon. Fortunately, Ange doesn't seem to have any kind of malicious intent.... because he is still so frightfully easy to manipulate.

Her energy is also.... ideal for him. The way she maintains a certain calm. Paimon reflects the energies he's exposed to, and it can be hazardous, but this witch's voice and energy feels very nice. Very quiet, like the still surface of clear, cool water. It makes it easy for him to calm back down from his own.... agitated vibrating nerves. )

Yes. Against her wishes. ( He admits, still looking downwards. ) I am...... broken, still. And I scared her. And I hurt her. Because I have not been fixed.

( His eyes slowly move to the book in her hands, and he lifts a hand, points at it. There's something almost disconcertingly childlike to his explanation. ) If I can remember myself, I can be made fixed. So I have to learn....

[entreats]

[ It is oddly childlike. Oddly for a demon, anyway. Even though Ange's own demons aren't as malicious as most people might assume their kind to be, it's not like they're ever this naive.

But what her experience with her own demons does give Ange is a bias towards them. It's hard to think of Paimon as something inherently dangerous when he's explaining things so simply to her. When he seems so upset about the idea of having scared or hurt that witch he seems to have bonded with and be so fond of. It's weirdly.. cute, if anyone could use that word for a demon.

(Ange would.)

And so she can't quite help herself. She reaches up, a calm and gentle gesture, until her hand lands on top of his head - a move only made possible by the fact that they're sitting. Peter, why do you have to be such a tall guy. ]

It's alright.

[ She ruffles his hair a little. It's a weirdly soothing gesture, like the kind one might use with a scared animal or a small child. A 'there, there' kind of thing. Yet nothing about it seems too patronizing with how gentle it is, like there's genuine care in it. ]

With how fond you seem to be of her, I'm sure your witch will understand. And I'm sure she wants to help fix you too. [ Why else would said witch have bonded with him in the first place?

Ange slowly lowers her hand again. It's weird. For how awkward she is around humans, talking to Paimon - despite having only just met him - feels so much easier. Maybe it's since she never got to properly socialize with humans, instead spending her entire childhood being besties with a bunch of demons. It feels so much more familiar. ]

Besides, I know you can be fixed. I'll help you too, if you want. After all, I'm the Golden Witch. The Endless Witch. Fixing things is supposed to be my speciality.

[possessum]

( Things like physical affection are still very new for him, and the demon isn't used to others gifting it to him. Generally it's Luna to give him physical affection: petting his face to soothe him, calm him down when he's upset. At times, she's taken his hand. Once, she had hugged him when he did something to make her especially pleased. These are very special times Paimon has collected.

It's a strange mixture of something foreign, and yet something he... longs for. A closeness, some bridge between the empty spaces and whatever he's trying to find again. When the witch reaches up to the top of his head — hand shifting gently against his hair — the demon freezes, going quite still as his eyes widen again. It's a gesture that someone did to Peter, once; Paimon's not entirely sure what to call it, but it feels nice, like being petted.

It feels safe.

He's staring widely at her, looking almost comically stunned... and awed, eyes sparkling with a brightness. Her words.... she knows he can be fixed, she'll help him, she is the Golden Witch...... The Endless Witch.... She tells him of her titles, like how Luna is the Moon Witch, and the demon is absolutely transfixed, those wide eyes wet and shimmering now. He almost seems overwhelmed by everything she's doing for him. )

The Golden Witch.... ( Paimon repeats, hushed; it's this title in particular that seems to stand out to him. It makes sense, her magic was golden... of course.... and he has a particular connection to the element as well. "Happiness" is a strange emotion for him, one he's not quite sure how to... define, process, experience, but it's what he thinks he's feeling now.

Suddenly, he cups his hands and moves them forwards, holding them in the air as though something within has compelled him. There's a shift of energy, a sort of buzzing tightness around him — a flash of gold, and then a handful of pure golden coins appear in his hands. Their brightness reflects in his eyes as he holds them up to her. )

These— for you. You are helping me. You fix things. You put your hand against my head. ( ...This is said with the same amount of awe as the rest... clearly, it's made an impression on him... ) You are the Golden Witch.

[entreats]

[ At first Ange is mostly glad that he seems receptive of the gesture, which tells her that there's at least something good about him. It's not like he's some out of control demon. He's been sitting here, patiently listening to her. Trying to explain himself in the most simple terms possible, like he really is still figuring himself out.

And now he's even offering her something in return. If Ange knows anything, it's that no demon offers that sort of thing lightly, and so she wouldn't think of rejecting it. Even when there's virtually no use for coins like these in Trench's weird economy.

Besides.. it's not as if Ange is so used to gifts at this point that even small ones like these can't touch her as well. She stares at the coins with surprise for a moment, but then her expression slowly melts into a very genuinely warm smile. ]

Why, thank you. [ Ange moves her hand to gently take the coins out of his hand - one by one - while piling them up in her own hand, kept safely on her lap. ] It's very kind of you to give me that. It's good to see that you're such a well-behaved demon.

[ Right now, anyway. But then again, even the more bloody and gross sides of demons have never turned her away from calling her own demons her friends either, so Ange might tolerate demons in general more easily than normal humans would. So even though she doesn't doubt that Paimon would be more than capable of killing humans if he tried, she still can't help but think of him as weirdly adorable.. ]

It shows that your bonded witch is a really good influence on you.

[possessum]

( Truly, this is... such an unexpected, but very welcomed, delight. Luna is the witch he essentially serves, but he's meant to work with many people, other magic-users, witches, and he would very much like to work with this witch, too. The more connections he forms with others, the more he can practice conjuring like this. Back in Deerington, his powers had been strange, warped and limited. What he'd tried to conjure back there had been.... wrong. Odd blends of organic and inorganic materials: at times quite macabre, often failed things with feathers and blood...

In this place, he can feel that his powers don't have that odd haze over them, but he's still limited by his own botched state. It will take time; he has to practice. These coins come very easily to him; they hardly require much effort at all. And perhaps some part of him remembers that the majority of the magicians and summoners of his past had requested gold.

He's very pleased that the Golden Witch accepts this reward, staying quite still as she picks the coins up one at a time. She thanks him, praises him, and it makes him feel good, like he's done what he's supposed to be doing. Her words also praise Luna, her influence on him, and Paimon seems to brighten again, the very energy around him warming like flashes of sunlight. He forever jumps at the chance to speak well of her. )

She is very good and very strong... very wise... She is of the Moon, and she is a Raven's Claw who knows many things.

We stay together here... We have a house. She has a Room of Potions.

( ...After telling Ange all of this very proudly, he debates, for a moment, whether he should also tell her about Peter. Whose role is... admittedly important here; Peter is his chosen Vessel. But he ultimately decides not to, wanting the Golden Witch's attention for himself... and besides, Peter is very boring. Paimon simply decides not to mention Peter at all. )

I will show her to you some day. We can all... work together.

( That could mean Occult Business but it could also mean colouring with crayons together in the living room.... both would be important ways to strengthen a connection. )

[entreats]

[ It's so obvious how fond he is of the witch he's bonded with. As clear as day. He sure doesn't waste the opportunity to gush about her, giving Ange way more details about this witch than Ange ever even asked for.

But she doesn't mind. Ange may have incredibly little patience with humans, most of the time, but her unique fondness for demons makes that she's perfectly fine with him rambling on about how great he thinks his witch is. (Ange is pretty sure Mammon would have done the same in his shoes, or so she likes to think.)

So rather than seeming annoyed, Ange actually smiles a little, still holding the golden coins in her hand. ]

Sure. I would like to meet her. [ Ange may have had a huge aversion to witches back home, and even through half of her stay in Deerington.. but she has learned by now that most aren't so bad, as long as they come from worlds other than her own. ]

I wish I could properly introduce you to Mammon too, but I'm having trouble summoning her to this place in her usual form. [ There's a hint of something else in her tone as she says that - like this is one of those things that genuinely bothers Ange, making something a bit deeper burrow underneath her flat tone. ] Would you want to meet her if I ever manage to get it right? Meeting other demons might be good for you.

[ If he's still learning how to properly be himself again. ]

[possessum]

( While Paimon does forever jump at the chance to gush about Luna, he doesn't really get to say these types of things about her too much. He wouldn't even tell most people that she has a potions room, because it could be something others might use against her somehow... or they might try to steal from it. But Ange being another witch, he feels safe chattering on a bit more. It's... weirdly nice? Sitting down and holding an actual conversation with someone? Who knows how much longer it might last; he still wavers and fizzles out so easily, unable to form words too much, at least in such lengthy spells.

But this is nice; he's really enjoying it. Feeling included, even needed. Because he can help this witch, too. He can provide things for her — gold.... for now... which might essentially be almost worthless (though can possibly be traded to some Trench townspeople seeking Shiny Things). But perhaps he could conjure better things later, for Ange.... )

I would like that. To meet her. ( Oh— he really would....! Paimon shows this by widening his eyes like saucers again and not blinking. He's very serious... Meeting another demon "like" him?? One who works with this witch? He's encountered a few different sorts of demons through Deerington, but none that really feel much like the type he is. The thought is terribly exciting; he can't wait to tell Luna about this.

—But something flickers, some... awareness of upset in the witch beside him, quiet though it may be. )

Are your powers.... affected here? Or does she not... want to come?

[entreats]

[ Realising that he picked up on the way she was actually feeling, Ange glances down at the book and the coins on her lap, the expression on her face turning into a slight sad smile. ]

I hope it isn't the latter. I'd be pretty upset. We're best friends, after all.

[ And she can't imagine it's true either. Maybe earlier on this sort of thing could have happened, but after everything they went through together back home? There's no way Mammon would just suddenly abandon her for no reason.

So she shakes her head. ]

No, I think.. something about the barrier between this world and my own might be too strong for me to summon their true forms all the way to this place. It's not just Mammon, after all. Asmodeus, Beelzebub, Belphegor, Satan, Leviathan.. Even Lucifer. No matter how much I try, I can't get them to fully manifest here. [ Her fingers pick up one of the coins, staring at it while she's thinking.

It's all a little more candid and open than she'd usually be, but then again - this is exactly how she'd be talking with her own demons too, if they were here. She may not know Paimon as well yet as she knows them, but there's something about interacting with him that feels just as easy as talking to her own demons. Her friends. ]

.. or maybe it's just that I still have a whole lot of growing to do as a witch.

[possessum]

( Best friends.... He understands that this seems extremely important. The demon gazes solemnly down at the witch beside him, mournful for her plight. While emotions are still strange in him, he has a certain.... sensitivity, to the energies of others. The great Paimon, who amongst his gifts of treasures and secret things is also meant to lend emotional support, direction, and guidance. He may not be so great these days, but remnants of that self still flicker there in him, especially in the presence of those with magic.

He's silent for a long few moments, absorbing all of this. The barrier... he thinks he understands. They've been freed from the haze of the dream that was Deerington, but rules of this new place may still be different from the rules of others. He can't return to his home of Hell, after all. He's trapped within Peter... bound by the ritual that put him into his host. And those responsible for that can't be reached, anymore. )

I will help you. Perhaps.... since I am like Mammon... and the others.... ( All of hers. Her demons. His eyes gaze down to the book once more, forming an idea. This is... good for him; he's having to think, to reason. Luna says he's a demon of knowledge. )

Perhaps your energy... your power.... Perhaps I can help it become stronger, too. And me— also stronger. Us... our energy.

( Though he's hardly the most eloquent at the moment, he means what he says. An equal exchange, a mutual benefit: both of them growing stronger, if they work together sometimes. That's what witches and demons are meant to do, he thinks. )

[entreats]

[ Her gaze flutters up from the coin she was staring at, and over at Paimon.

And for a moment it just lingers like that. Ange doesn't even say anything right away - instead there's something like.. surprise in her eyes. Sure, Paimon has been nice enough so far, so it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that he's offering to help here. And yet the concept of help being offered so easily still is a little foreign to Ange, even when he's making it clear that it's not like he wouldn't be getting something out of it herself. ]

Really? You.. wouldn't mind?

[ But there's something else in Ange's voice too. Something almost like anticipation, like an extremely nervous kind of excitement. Because the idea that maybe with an actual demon's help she may be able to summon her demons' full forms after all..

It's nice. She wants to see them. She's missed them. ]

.. it doesn't sound like a bad idea.

[possessum]

( The demon watches her carefully. He's still unsure how to exactly go about trying to form connections with more witches and magic-users. With Luna, it happened out of her desire to help Peter. She came to him with sacrifice and offered to become Bound to him, in exchange for him to stop trying to claim this body all for himself. There's also the mage Lysithea, whom he'd engaged in a blood ritual with.... and which was also for Peter's sake. Her desire had been for the frenzied, restless demon to try to find peace with his host. Both of these interactions had been born out of some sort of desperate necessity to help the boy he lives inside of.

But he doesn't really know how to.... connect with magic-users in the average day-to-day. It's something he and Luna are still having to learn: what tasks to get up to, how to strengthen such a deep, ancient connection. He knows it's important that he tend to "summoners". And even if none of the magical girls magic-users in question had exactly summoned him, they still fall under that category in his mind. The people he's meant to work with, as a goetic demon.

This witch... The Golden Witch, The Endless Witch, he should form a connection with her. )

I would not mind. I am meant to. ( ...But not only that— )

I want to.

( Luna often does ask what he wants instead of outright commands him, but he's still growing used to the concept, and it's said more softly. )

You can— call for me. Whenever you need. I will come and I will assist you.

[entreats]

[ It's kind of nice to hear him say that he wants to - especially when it seems to come as an addition or a correction after he says he's meant to, making it very clear that there is some personal will involved in the offer the demon is making here.

And while Ange, through circumstances, lives with the twisted belief that demons offer help more easily than humans do.. she's still a little surprised to hear this offer being handed to her so easily. Pleasantly surprised, really. It's nice to know that even in a place like this, so far away from home, there is a demon willing to give her some assistence when she needs it. ]

Thank you. [ She makes sure to repeat it again now, even though she's already told him it.

Look, reinforcing positive behaviour is important at times like these. ]

Though.. are you using the word 'call' right now in the normal people sort of way? [ Because Ange thinks calling him magically might be hard when he's already bonded to another witch-- not to mention rude. She's not going to pull him away if he's doing something important! ] Because I'll need to know how to find you over the Omni. Is your name also Paimon on there?

[ Please, Ange, not everyone is uncreative enough to use their actual name as their handle on there, okay... ]

[possessum]

( The demon dips his head forwards very solemnly in response to the gratitude, so much calmer than he usually is. This all really is very good for Paimon; Luna would no doubt be pleased that he's learning some nice things from another witch. (Like how to behave....)

When asked about how to be called..... he falls silent, considering it. Ideally, he could be summoned from Hell as he's meant to be, but of course that isn't an option.... The Omni device is something he rarely uses, not only because he has to share it with Peter, but also because Paimon has a difficult time with working the thing.

However, it would be the easiest way to reach him... He will simply have to become better adapted to using this technology! )

This name... is how I am reached. P.... G..... ( Paimon traces out "P.G." for her, slowly, including the dots after the letters. Though there is the major concern of Peter intercepting any messages she sends, and the fact he wants to keep the existence of his vessel from her. )

Though when you call for me..... you must say or write my name, exact. Exactly... my name. Paimon. It must be the first word said... and I will answer...

( This makes it seem as though there's some special process that must be undergone to reach him.... but it's literally just so that it'll give him enough time to wrench control from Peter, or so that the boy will hand over control willingly. Thanks to Luna, there's been more of an understanding between them in regards to certain privacies.

So Paimon will make sure that Peter knows he might get calls sometimes, and that if "Paimon" is said or typed, then the message is only meant for him... )

[entreats]

P.G. [ Ange repeats it to show the demon that she's understood. Even his request of saying his name before anything else when sending him a message doesn't seem too strange to Ange. After all, she's used to demons, and if she has learned anything at all about them over time, it's that they can be very.. particular about things.

Perhaps later on she will realise the true reason he told her that, once she meets Peter. But right now she just thinks it's the way this demon prefers things, so she nods. Remembering to say 'Paimon' before all else is not very difficult. ]

I understand. [ She nods. Honestly, she's already grateful enough that he's so willing to help her out if she calls.

So perhaps the last she can do is offer the same in return. ]

Similarly, if you need my help.. You can find me by just looking up my last name on the Omni. It's 'Ushiromiya.' [ Because Ange picked a VERY creative handle, yes. ] But if that's ever too difficult for you, you can just stop by where I live, especially if there's an emergency. I live in the big, green house in the Gaze district.

[ Giving directions to her house is truly the only thing that weird exterior is good for.. ]

Don't hesitate to ask for help, alright? I'm pretty experienced when it comes to demon business.

[possessum]

( Paimon listens to her own instruction — quietly repeating the word that she gives him. (It's okay Ange, Peter was so unbelievably uncreative that he literally just used his initials for his own handle. At least "Graham" would have been more interesting....) )

Gaze district...? My witch. And me. We live there also.

( Again, he.... simply doesn't mention Peter. We don't know Peter. And now it's his turn to express gratitude, mouth tipping open, tongue fluttering for a moment. To be given an invitation to come to her home itself... and to ask for help if he needs it. This is very important, too. Once again, he's feeling so pleasantly stunned that he's met a witch with demon experience, who can offer him assistance in his own pursuits. )

Thank you, Golden Witch. You can... teach me more. About the other demons. And me. ( He looks back down to her book for a moment; there's so much more to learn from it. Considering he still struggles with reading, perhaps she could read to him like Luna does..... )

I will talk with you soon. ( .....Though unbeknownst to him, Peter will actually be talking to her first. It's not ideal.... )

[entreats]

[ Indeed. Little does Paimon - or even Ange - know in this moment that her next encounter with this body is going to be.. well, let's say significantly different.

For now they can remain oblivious though. Oblivious enough that Ange even smiles a little as she hears him say that. Having a magic studying session with a demon.. doesn't sound so bad. It makes her think of those first days where she started to learn magic back home, and Mammon was there with her the whole time to guide her..

It's a little nostalgic, but in a good way. It certainly keeps that smile on her face. ]

Yes. Let's do that sometime soon.

[ Or, well, you know.. after getting interrupted by cultish meat factories - thanks, Trench - and meeting Peter.

But. Soon after, perhaps.

Ange stands up, putting her grimoire back into her bag, along with the coins she got from him. She moves over to scoop up the hamster made out of golden light that's still skittering around, and gently puts the creature down on Paimon's lap. ]

Here. It won't last long, since I didn't put much magic in it, but.. you could probably keep it with you for the rest of the school day. [ Before it'll vanish into nothing. ] See it as my small thanks for letting me meet an actual demon again. It's rather nice.

[possessum]

( The witch is still smiling at him, and though Paimon still can't quite... emote the expression back, his eyes are sparkling, pleased. He's.... happy. Really happy. This place has already been so much better for him than Deerington ever was — he's more free here. There are ways he's still wrong, still trapped, but he can feel that the bonds are slowly loosening.

And the prospect of a future that involves working with more witches and regaining yet more of himself... The demon wouldn't quite understand the sensation of "hopeful" in explicit terms, but it's how he's feeling. His own golden spirit prickles with it, a pleasant buzz and thrum, those countless sparks of life. )

Soon.

( Then he's blinking down at the golden creature she sets in his lap, hands carefully moving to cup near it on either side, protectively. Oh... he gets to keep this for an entire day.... The generosity reminds him of Luna, how kind she is to him. Truly, he's meeting the best witches a demon could ask for?? )

Thank you.

( With that, he'll slowly sit up straight and just..... stare at her, unblinkingly watching Ange take her leave. Eventually he'll get up too, and go to some more of Peter's classes (it's not like his vessel wants to learn, anyway...), keeping the little golden creature with him. For now though, he must sit there unmovingly and absorb everything that has happened, staring straight ahead with very wide eyes. Perhaps startling a student or two who passes by. )