kenoscomm | open | an alenroux press release

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open | an alenroux press release

[A couple weeks after the conclusion of the Exalt Oracle trial, a communion message goes out to all Kenos’s shard-bearers — at a brisk mid-morning hour for Springstar residents, and evening for those night owls in Highstorm. Surely an agreeable enough time for all, yes? The voice will be familiar enough to anyone who listened in on the ambassador talk a Kenos month ago; it’s Liem, ~~mayor of Alenroux~~ Meridian’s resident straight man.]

Greetings, everyone. I have some updates to share regarding efforts to make Alenroux fully and safely inhabitable, which I hope you will be pleased to hear.

Last month, prior to the events surrounding the Oracle, a contingent of Springstar military overseen by several shard-bearers launched a multi-pronged expedition north into Alenroux’s forests, in order to locate the source of the monsters that continue to infest the woods. While I’m sure those of you who frequent Alenroux will have noticed that the flow of especially dangerous, augmented creatures mostly died off after the dismantling of Aetós’s underground facility, we have not been able to expunge the general monster population from the forest despite ongoing efforts, so this was an attempt to remedy that.

These expeditionary forces succeeded in locating three separate cornerstones and portals that were previously disgorging monsters. At this time we think it likely that they were connected to the timestream in some way that allowed creatures from other worlds to come through, but the portals themselves proved extremely hazardous to life attempting to breach from this side. All three have now been destroyed, and while we cannot say with certainty that there are no further portals out there, we are optimistic that this will allow the danger to those living in Alenroux to be further reduced by the joint forces still stationed there.

If you have further questions, you may direct them to me, or to Hayame, Akua Sahelian, Keitaro Miura, Gray, Byleth Eisner, Link, Kim Dokja, or Dee. [He means D.]

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Oh?

[ Most Devils in her world (The equivalent to Sebastian's Demon — odd how so many worlds used these words differently, and yet the creatures so similar) would have such restrictions in place as well. Deals, contracts, and bindings were sacrosanct to her own devils, and she expected the same would be of Sebastian. That was almost a laughable boundary, as she wouldn't dare — and lmao couldn't — but...

To hear they were a meal makes things even more interesting.

There's the impression of golden eyes focusing in the dark, to accompany that smile, as if Akua's Knowing Eyes are directed right toward Sebastian. She may be mortal, but she is also... More in her communion. Named, and in a way immortal. ]

Fear not, I would never interfere with a Demon's meal.

[ Where the warning came with a glimmer of a sharp edge that showed how very seriously Sebastian took the matter, it’s also quickly gone. He’s back to his pleasant, playful amiability. Why wouldn’t he be? She understands, so no further elaboration is needed. ]

Then we shall have nothing to worry about!

[ But he does not miss how her focus shifts at all, though he doesn’t acknowledge it. How interesting that her demons (or at least those she was familiar with) didn’t seem to contract for meals. What would they want, he wonders, but it’s just an idle curiosity. He has no affection for his own kin, much less those of a distant world.

…But, since it surprises her. He sees no harm in offering elaboration. She may well find it interesting. ]

I labor quite intensely to make sure a soul is to my taste, after all. I would be cross indeed to have it be ruined… It is not even so much a matter of hunger as it is to labor. No one enjoys effort wasted, my kind least of all.

Oh, I understand what it is, to put a great deal of effort into making something... perfect to what you want, only to watch it slip through one's fingers.

[ Mind. That also was her folly, but! She remembers the pain, hatred, and fury of watching her magnum opus crumble before her very soul, as she was enveloped in something to take her, keep her. ]

I cannot imagine what wrath you would bring, upon one who would take what you work so hard to...cultivate.

[ A beat. ] I imagine that this one must not be your first, yes? I wonder if there have been any of such souls that were... challenges for you?

[ It's not so much wheedling for information now, as it is pure conversation. She truly can't help herself. ]

And it is something best left to imagination, hm?

[ Because in truth, even he can’t be sure what he’d do, save for the fact that it would be very precisely made. That’s the sort of slight where violence alone wouldn’t satisfy him. It’s even beyond the blow to his pride that Hayame had struck. Whoever was foolish enough to tread into that territory would wish they hadn’t, at the very least.

Though if there’s a threat there, it doesn’t carry in his voice. Similarly, there’s no need. The question is more his focus, and that makes him laugh. ]

Far from the first, correct. Though, challenges… I suppose it depends. I am hardly obligated to strike up a Covenant with everyone who asks, so I pick those who already have a natural inclination towards my taste. But they can be challenging as people as a quite separate matter. Some of my masters have made me work more difficult than others, certainly.

Oh, I can only imagine what... types would think it wise to summon and bind a demon.

[ She's thinking of her family, of course. Sahelians who bound and contracted Devils. The more powerful demons required such careful consideration and their time was so short on Calernia. Tikoloshe the incubus being the lone exception. ]

It sounds like you do not lack for boredom, in your choices, hm? Though if one was to be lacking, at least the...personalities here make up for it, hm?

Plenty of...other challenges?

Oh, not at all. Even my masters I have disliked are not boring. Any who would be willing to strike up a Covenant with me are rather inherently interesting. After all, Horos and Kenos both are interesting places that are entirely unlike the world of humans I came from.

[ And that is where the challenges came from, mostly. So his explanation serves to answers two curiosities at once. ]

For one, my kind were largely considered religious myth rather than something real. We were not able to step into the world of man freely, and what was necessary to summon us to their world required acts that a normal human would not consider. The boring are inherently pruned out by that alone. For example, my last master sacrificed his twin brother so that I may appear.

[ And in Communion, there’s a twinge of dark, hungry delight when he says it. It’s easy to attribute it to a demon’s bas personality, but it was much richer than that. “Ciel’s” circumstances had been uniquely tragic and delicious, but also irrelevant for the explanation. So, he continues. ]

And then once I am there, simply being in the human world presented challenges. I could not be so cavalier about my existence, for one, lest it inspire a religious fervor that may see a village reduced to ash. And for no reason! They could not kill me, so it just turned into a massacre, you see. So, my existence is a secret I keep tightly guarded, generally speaking. I would have here as well, had circumstances in Horos not forced my hand into honesty.

[ And clearly from his tone, he’s glad to not have to. ]

Then there are the eccentricities of my masters to tend to. I do prefer to keep them content, largely speaking. And give someone powerless a vassal who is capable of nearly anything? Why, you can guess the sort of challenges that may come up. Any hedonistic pleasure you can imagine, I have surely delivered, as the predictable example.

Ah, I know the type well, yes. Some of my own ancestors would parlay with devils for short-term pleasures. Not every Sahelian is made of the correct mettle to lay waste to lesser men.

[ There is no blanch from Akua Sahelian, predictably, perhaps. That his last master killed their twin does not even make her blink an eye — though there is curiosity at the tale. It's sordid, likely emotional for the bearer, and Akua cannot help but think about what a Name could come from that. The Bound Twin. Diabolist. (If She knew Ciel — The Hunted Earl) It spreads before her like a tapestry, the thought of it.

And Sebastian as his fate is... interesting.

She likes it, the thought of it. He can sense her almost leaning forward, that still-sharp smile on her lips. ]

I suspect you could be rather creative with any pleasure one asks for, couldn't you? [ A lilt of teasing in her tone. ]

Well, I will not seek a covenant with you for such pleasure, but do let me know if I come too close to your current... contract. I will do my best to avoid them, or at least dispatch them temporarily, if necessary.

[ Who knows! Maybe Sebastian's current master is. Uh. Powerf — no, I'm sorry, I can't finish it. ]

[ Smile is met with smile, because as is likely obvious at this point, there’s part of Sebastian that would very much like to serve Akua. She just seems fun as a master, simply put, and not in the way that Ciel or Silco or fun. They’re both charmingly, foolishly human, consumed by their own vices and hatreds. Akua was a bit more than that. She could use him at his fullest.

—Which is also why she’s dangerous to him, though. With that sort of understanding, she also had the potential to ensnare him or to escape her own binds of this theoretical Covenant. Neither were something he’d like.

So! He just laughs pleasantly. No need to get into that, is there? ]

Oh, yes. I pride myself on perfect service, as I believe you know at this point. [ His perfectionism is one of those qualities that’s 100% genuine rather than a disarming front, after all… ] And as I do not possess the capacity to feel shame, it works well for those bold enough to request their delights. Most do not even require a Covenant! I find it very enjoyable to deliver such secret pleasures.

[ It’s almost too bad they switched to a private conversation, since he’s sure there were voyeurs for it… And he’d love to rile them up. ]

Regardless. I appreciate your consideration. I would be straightforward about it if I were able, but alas. [ There’s a Communion Shrug™ ] I may not be able to say it, but I can at least say that it is not terribly hard to figure out at this point. Some know of it, so you'll find their name with some pointed digging.

Hm, perhaps there are those whom I know who could... inform me, if I get too close then, hm?

[ She's sure Set would tell her, if she asked. Though, she doesn't know it, perhaps with the additional caveat that she not touch Sebastian's... meal, as it were -- and she had no clue about the god's interest in said meal, either. To be fair, given who Silco was... that should not be surprising at all. ]

As it is, if I do... stumble over such a line, merely say the word, and I will adhere to our agreement.

[ She is certainly one for demonic deals, as it is. She did not make such promises lightly, and in this, she made it explicit -- even if she in her foolishness did tread, she would back off with merely a word.

Though there's a shift in communion, as she thinks to point out the other -- and frankly more exciting to her part of this conversation than Silco's identity ]

It occurs to me... I wonder how many have thought to ask for such delights here? Or rather -- how busy such a schedule would leave you?

[ Truly, curious, but also -- maybe she'll ask herself!! ]

I believe so, and I will of course inform you if you get too close. I cannot say my master will understand the necessity… But they also do not quite understand the rigidity of such agreements.

[ Maybe later, once Akua knows, he’d tease his master just a little bit for it. He wants to when he has a receptive ear that will understand the delight of entrapping someone who was very much an average man, comparatively speaking. He only understood what he’d involved himself in abstractly, but that was no different than any other Covenant Sebastian had struck up in the past. His strategy had always been centered around preying on people that thought they knew better. Not a single one had. ]

Regardless, for more fun matters indeed—

[ they have the same mindset here, unfortunate, ]

I do not kiss and tell, of course… But the Kenosians have been bolder in requesting my attentions than Shard-Bearers, I will say. I am never lacking for work to do. [ And though Communion doesn’t share expressions, you can just hear the sly, near lascivious smile in his voice alone ] In one way or another.

[ She laughed. Ah, the foolishness of mortals, who thought that they knew better than the creatures that they made deals with. Devils (and Demons like Sebastian) were unique in that they had time, experience, and power in droves. No Diabolist worth their weight and power in blood would be foolish enough to enter a contract without something to give them the upper hand.

It seems this master of his likely didn't.

Well. More the fool him, then.

lol. lmao, ]

Ah, I am sure for the Kenosians here, you must be quite the oddity, though there is merit in being so... useful to those who reside here, hm? They must look to you rather positively, which I'm sure merits in plenty of gifts, and boons. [ Oh, she understands. More than that, it meant that Sebastian likely had the luxury of grace. Something she knows people like Hayame don't have. ]

Perhaps I'll find need to call on you, for... some need, or another, hm? [ Their "game", perhaps? ]

Very much so. There are demons to be found here, but we are certainly not as common as some of the other sorts of people that have been pulled to Kenos... And it is at least my impression that I am one of the more sociable ones.

[ He laughs, since it’s a bit of a joke when you know what demons are like. He has his own personal theory that they’re a rarity because if there’s any will behind who (or what, in this case) gets picked, demons are more often than not a poor choice. The majority really are just chaotic brutes, and even a demon of considerable power would be crushed here in Kenos if they refused to play along. Some would have too much pride to do so. But Sebastian’s pride just worked differently. ]

Actually, the funniest case is that I have happened to become acquainted with the vampiric population of Highstorm, and quite a few very much enjoy my blood! It is a good little arrangement, since mine is purely for show, so they are able to indulge more than they may often be able… So, yes, I would say I have a little contingent of fans.

[ He’s underselling it, of course. He doesn’t think he’d truly fool Akua with it, but it is best to at least keep the extent of his influence at least hard to gauge. Even his fellow Zenites didn’t know, because that soft power was the sort of thing that Sebastian only called upon when necessary. It’s more powerful that way. ]

Regardless. You are of course welcome to call upon me at any time. It goes without saying, I should hope, but I do enjoy providing excellent service in all things.

My, an endless supply? You must be popular.

[ She understands what he is saying, of course. That sort of popularity did not come without perks, after all. That he was popular with them, as well, was just as unsurprising. Sebastian, after all, was a charming sort. Every bit the sort of powerful devil that her family would have tried to contract for Generations, if possible, or perhaps close enough to the immortal Tikoloshe who was only in a contract because he wanted to be.

She could see Sebastian doing just that, after all. Lesser devils were like beasts, but ones of Sebastian's caliber? They required careful negotiation.

It was one reason that she was so careful with Sebastian, despite being rather confident that she could handle him. (Perhaps... too confident? No, she was a Sahelian, she could handle anything.) ]

As it is, I'll make a habit of calling more often, then. Particularly with our...arrangement? I'll have a lot of catching up to do, if Set has a head-start on me, don't you think?

[ That, at least, is only mildly teasing. ]

[ While technically not truly endless, it was difficult enough to exsanguinate him that it might as well be. No one that had been feeding off of him had gotten close to that, though, so it’s of no concern. It’s why it goes without comment, and instead, he laughs with delight at the idea of Akua playing catch-up. ]

Perhaps! But I shall say that you will be much better company. Lord Set has a terrible habit of vexing me just for the sake of it…

[ It’s also probably something that he’d bragged to Akua about because, well. Annoying Sebastian in such petty ways is funny. Calling his cats the wrong names, picking the stuffing out of his cushions, sawing off the legs of his furniture… Set is a menace. Akua… may also be a menace. But he finds it difficult to imagine her version of it leaning the same way at all. ]

Well, if the two of you team up, do go easy on me. [ Teasing, of course. If they did, he knows they wouldn’t…… ]

[ She laughed. ]

Set? He's been a perfect houseguest for me.

[ Not...entirely. Her home — affectionately called the Pavillion now — was overrun in places from Set's wild plant growth, though Akua thought it only made her home feel more like... a wild and free home. Like the more lush patches of her Wolof.

Set maybe didn't feel the need to pester Akua like he did Sebastian, and she hoped that would continue. ]

I will promise you this — We will go as easy on you as you deserve.

[ Which... really said it all, didn't it? ]

[ Oh, it does. He knows precisely what that means, and he should feel a pang of fear or trepidation at the Deluxe Bullying that he’s going to be subject to. But, no. He doesn’t. ]

My, my, such a declaration almost makes me shudder in fear!

[ Teasing, of course. When he gets stuck as a bird for a week, he’s going to look back on this conversation and curse his hubris… ]

But, regardless… This has been a fun conversation, Ms. Sahelian! As always, I should note. So, until next we speak?

[ Which will be soon, since he’ll come calling for contracts, but. Waves hands at our multiple threads ]

[ A laugh that's just a touch too sharp. Too knowing. ]

Yes, until next time. It was a pleasure, as always.

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