[Circumstances had meant that actually waiting until Neku wasn't laid up was all but impossible. Circumstances, unfortunately, meant that Joshua was to leave his UG (and by extension this RG) soon. He knew he'd be back. Of course, he would- but the whole affair was something out of his hands. Something that he hadn't particularly wanted to do either... but that, honestly, was neither here nor there. He was going. That was that.
And if there was one thing his ex-Proxy understood of him, it was the fact that he didn't back out of agreements. So. Much earlier in the day he'd arrived at Neku's family's apartment in the RG, as agreed. Pleasantries, of course, had been exchanged- and to Joshua's eyes, it seemed, vaguely, that the other seemed to be adapting pretty well to actually living again. Grown a few centimeters too.
He was of that age, he supposed. For all intents and purposes, his vibe tuned down in order to physically manifest in the RG, he himself seemed identical to how Neku would have remembered him from the Game.
So. He was here. Presently, he's in the other's room, and typically, he's acting like he owns it. A series of things- some CDs, some books, perhaps even a few mementos from younger life have been well and truly rifled through because honestly, it wasn't like Neku could stop him. He was still limping from his injury. And honestly? For him, it was like leafing through something alien. He never had any of this. Not really- but there's another feeling, too. Just as alien.
Endearment? Can't be.
He places a book back on its shelf, and takes a few steps to the left. There's a series of pictures on the wall. A strange patchwork of bright colour, each piece of paper depicting varying things, in a highly familiar style. The inking, the lines. Each picture is practically identical to CAT's own style... save the command codes, of course. Each gets a cursory glance, until something catches his eye underneath. One piece of paper is lifted, and...]
Ooh, interesting. An academic excellence award? Dated... five years ago.
[Another piece of paper is carefully lifted.]
...Top mathlete. Dated just last year. You beat other students from the Koeniji and Roppongi areas in some math-off.
[ he knew that joshua would make good on his promise to visit, he just didn't expect it to be so soon. no, he was expecting something quick, a bowl of ramen and a lap around hachiko - not for joshua to show up at his place, to head into his room. for the first few moments he haphazardly grabs some things off the floor - clothes and papers, general clutter that's accumulated while he's been mostly immobile.
but then joshua starts going through his things, and neku can't quite keep up. finally, eventually, he drops heavily into the chair at his desk and props up an ankle that's beginning to throb dully. ]
Can you stop digging through my stuff? [ the snap in his tone is a result of pure embarrassment. ]
[There's a vulnerability in this for sure. Perhaps that's the enjoyment he's getting out of it. Or perhaps it's something else. Little details left everywhere, each small thing- as physical as what CDs he listened to, what books he chose to keep rather than discard upon completion, down to the way in which everything was stored. (Neatly and quite tidily, by the by. Save for obvious clutter which didn't seem that old) which were indicators.
Indicators of something underneath what he already knew. Things beyond what anyone could pick up mentally. They're here. And it's so interesting, a life documented in items.]
It bothers you?
[Spoken while of course, continuing. It was hardly as if him bothering anyone was ever a reason to stop. Never had been. Never would be. ]
Of course it wasn't. You're quite the student. ...That explains why you did such a bang-up job on the puzzles that came with the Game.
[And after the awards have all been observed..]
And these? [A glance to the drawings.] I thought I'd seen all of the graffiti in the city. These are new. Or are they old enough to have been covered up?
[He might be assuming they're copies of CAT's. Oops.]
[ neku is back on his feet barely thirty seconds after he's sat himself down, moving to follow after joshua as if he might mitigate some of the damage being done. he's come a long way, learned to open up, but there's something intensely personal about someone disaffectedly going through your things. he had been an excellent student, clever even when he wasn't engaged, and he's reaching over to try to claim joshua's attention.
his music has all gone digital, but it's clear that he's kept every cd that he's ever owned. ]
School's always been whatever. [ the remarks make his cheeks burn. ] And what are you talking about? I haven't graffitied that anywhere in the city.
Please. It's not as if I'm wading through mountains of sweaty socks and...
[A faint smile, the ghost of a smirk.]
Other things.
[Teenager things. Teenage boy things. Honestly, he'd hardly pegged Neku for a slob, but thosee things? He'd thought them par for the course given that Neku very much is a teenage boy.
...And one swiftly approaching with a speed that's definately going to be the cause of some regret later, injury and all.
He stands his ground. (As if he'd ever not...) and he looks to the drawing again, before meeting Neku in the eyes. He's blushing. So, they really were his.]
Not bad. They kind of look like someone else's though. A lot like someone else's.
[ neku drags his fingers through his already messy spikes of hair, aware that joshua is just trying to needle him. and it's working! breathe, he tells himself, just breathe, don't give him the satisfaction of riling you up. ]
Yeah, well... you already know CAT's the best around. [ and neku tips his chin up very slightly, pushing back. ] You want it? I'll autograph it, even.
[A small lie follows, something practiced. Something easy.]
Not like I get why.
[There wasn't much point of lying to him any more. But some things? Like what the graffiti really was? Yeah. He couldn't know that.]
But... whatever floats your boat seems to float everyone's. So you're right. Probably. And I'll take one, I guess. Providing it doesn't look like these.
[A few steps backward, toward the window. It's... an unexceptional view. He can see the apartment complex's communal yard, electricity poles and their cables, and narrow, suburban streets dotted with bright vending machines. In the distance, vaguely, is the shopping district. He turns around again.]
I want something that's your style. You have one, right?
[ it was meant to be a joke. a... challenge. he was expecting josh to laugh at him and, maybe, if he was lucky, to back down. ]
You only say that because you know the guy. [ that's got to be the reason, right? ] It's not his fault you let the magic wear off. [ the allure of CAT's art is what he means. the acquiescence catches neku off guard then, and he glances briefly at a yellow sketch book tucked under a pile of other supplies. ]
[Oh no. Maybe because whatever he does draw has a purpose, and might just find its way to a certain someone. Call it a memento. Could even be a parting gift.]
Is that so? [A noncommital sound follows.] Well, I've decided. Whether you've found your style or not, I want you to draw me something new. Now's a good time.
[A smile!]
You've got the things, right? I saw your markers earlier.
[As Neku looks, he shouldn't find any sense of mockery. Joshua's eyes are benign, cold (of course) in some sense, but there's no flicker of malice in them. Though they do darken, somewhat, at the refusal. He's about to say something, but Neku's moving to his desk and taking some kind of sketchbook.
So. He moves to the bed, deciding to invade the last of Neku's privacy and make himself at home on it. Or the end of it anyway, crossing his legs underneath him.]
Mm? Well...
[Another lie. Or... this time, perhaps simply not the whole truth.]
It's quiet currently. And it's going to get busy later. Busy enough that coming here's not going to happen.
[A hand rises to twist, vaguely, in a lock of his hair.]
I thought rather than not turning up, it'd be better to come sooner.
[ neku had been expecting something along the lines of 'i thought it'd annoy you,' or 'i wanted to catch you off guard.' the sincerity of it relaxes him, and neku flips the book open, cutting his eyes up to where joshua has made himself comfortable on the bed. he smiles at him then. he smiles, soft and sincere and brief, like he's embarrassed about it, before reaching for a marker. ]
Thanks for keeping your promise. I appreciate that. I - do you want me to order something to eat? It's gonna take me a while. I've got enough allowance for pizza.
[The other looks... far more touched than what he actually expected. His eyebrows raise, curious- before his hand drops from where it absently is coiling locks around his index finger.]
Pass. Though if you're hungry, get something. It's not as if I mind.
[ He's seen Neku speed-eating often enough in the Game after all. He decides to lie down, widthways, on top of the bed, pulling his phone out of his pocket and idly checking it while Neku sketches. Of course there are messages. A great deal, actually.
...All of which are left on read for now. So.]
Your parents didn't leave you anything to heat up?
[Interesting. The idea of rings reminds him vaguely of a pretty famous depiction in a certain book. But more interestingly, Alastor had forgotten what the missing two were called. Part of him can't help but wonder if forgetting was similar to how the RG forgot about Shinjuku when it was purified. ...Even if it's unlikely, it sounds similar. It's something to hold in the back of his mind, anyway.
Still.]
Mm, you haven't wanted to go on a little vacation? I mean, who knows. Some of the other circles might kill some time. And bending the rules is part of the fun.
Oh I would love to visit the other Rings! Greed with Loo Loo Land doesn't sound like it's much to my taste but Wrath's more Western landscape sounds interesting. Unfortunately, it's impossible for sinners to go to any of the other Rings. Believe me, I've tried hundreds of times.
[He gives an overdramatic sigh.]
And the Pride Ring gets so dull after the first decade or two. New sinners coming down all the time to "update" the place but instead making it even more boring than before. Plus the latest batch are so self-righteous nowadays.
Both sound spectacular, actually. Especially the western.
[He loves the sound of it. An actual hellscape outfitted with cowboys. The thought's enough to make him smile, smally- but Alastor's comment about physically being unable to go sobers him. ... Yeah, he can relate.]
Mm. I'm more or less locked into my UG too. I mean, sure. I've left it... [To the RG. Boring. Stifling. Depressing. There was a parallel once, which was fun enough. But...] But it's not like I can go to unconnected things, like another district's UG. The only way out is up, I'm afraid.
[He pauses. Yeah, no.]
and honestly? I'd rather not. What I do's kind of monotonous. But so's everything else- and it's not like ascending's going to be less boring a few decades in. Besides,
[He continues walking. There's a lot unsaid, of course. Namely reasons to stay as he was. Connections. Caring- but it hardly shows. He begins to hum something cheerful in time with a melody caught on Alastor's radio, but abruptly stops as he looks to him.]
I still think you should change your situation though. Especially if you're having to share resources with riff-raff.
[He twitches his ears to change the tune he's playing. It's a bit unnerving to not have a radio signal to patch into to tell him things like the time. He hadn't realized just how much he'd relied on his ability to commandeer the radio waves until now.]
It's tempting. Besides the annual Cleanse helps separate the wheat from the chaff. Honestly, the worst I have to deal with nowadays is simple boredom. Even my punishments have gotten dull.
[The apology is unneeded. But it's also a form of speaking- oldschool manners, that's for sure. And again, he's reminded of how charming the time period Alastor seems to embody really was. At least in America.
Still:]
Oh, I never mentioned. It's pretty much the processing area. Purgatory, some would call it. We prefer the term UG, or Underground to contrast where they came from. The RG, or Realground. Essentially, the recently dead come in. Most fail the Game and wind up erased, but the ones that manage it and show themselves to be valuable get some choices.
[Either ascending into a Reaper, getting to live again, or in the case of the really gifted ones, skipping a few steps and going right down the angel path. He smiles, gently- when he sees the ears flick again in the dim light.]
I can only guess your side of things is what happens with the erased. But it's not like I know for sure. We're not told that much.
[A faint shrug. And as he continues on-]
Have any angels been cleansed themselves? I mean, I can't imagine anyone simply taking that sort of thing.
Ah, I see. So it's not that you're with the angels but more you're on the front lines sorting who goes where when they die.
[Alastor twirls his microphone for a moment.]
I don't know if there's a similar Cleanse up in Heaven. Likely not given it's population control down in Hell. We're overcrowded with so many people falling off the "straight and narrow". The Heaven I know best is very selective in who gets through those Pearly Gates! Can't imagine they'd be even remotely over-capacity!
[He could. It's a logical conclusion, sure. But it's an incorrect one.]
Technically, they're my bosses.
[And yes, a giant, grotesque hivemind could indeed be considered a boss.]
Should anything happen to me- for instance, if a Reaper actually got the power to get rid of me and actually take my spot, I get a full membership. Like I said, the only way out is up.
[A glance around follows. The cave walls are getting narrower, the ground more uneven. They're pretty deep now... and his gaze is darting to the floor. Not out of coyness. Mainly in the aim of avoiding pitfalls.
But the cleanse.]
Mm, there is. It's called a purification- but you're right. It's not like it's overpopulation that triggers it. When a UG is underperforming, it's a risk to the rest of them. So, a Composer... or in a Composer's absence or should there be disagreement, an Executor causes an inversion. Pretty much, the UG, RG, and a whole bunch of other planes are folded in on themselves and the screws holding them apart get loosened. It collapses under its own weight, all of the living're dumped, the Reapers too, and it's like the district tied to it all never existed. The Composer's repurposed. Again, the only way is up.
[A faint pause.]
I tried it once with my UG. And, I changed my mind. More recently, an Executor [That he pissed off.] gave it a shot. It didn't go well for him.
[He turns then, looking up to Alastor's face. And in the dim light, he smiles.]
I'm not all that interested in a job I can't slack at.
[However, Alastor isn't upset by it. It makes for a fun game to guess and get more details to correct himself.]
I take it you're one of these "Composers"...though it sounds like you'd rather be doing something less demanding. I take it the friend you're waiting for is an Executioner? Excuse me, I meant "Executor". Most of the angels I see are Executioners, after all!
[And he's going to do a little jump over a potential pitfall. Let's see how nimble Yoshiya is.]
Mm, it was a good shot. Better than a human's or a Reaper's, anyway.
[Honestly, the system's pretty complex. If anything, it's very much a signal that Alastor's significantly more than either a human or a reaper because he understood it when properly explained. Still. He laughs faintly, listening to the gentle sound rebound over and over throughout the passageway.]
Mhm! I oversee Shibuya's UG... But I don't want to go back to the RG. Or be a Reaper, who moves between both the UG and the RG. Like I said, it's monotonous. [Depressing, too.] But it beats being alive.
[His smile finally fades at that. He's burned that bridge to the RG. And he'd burn it again if he could. He slows as Alastor makes his jump, and whether it's out of discontent or laziness... well, that's up in the air.]
Executor, Executioner. There's hardly that much of a difference. It sounds like the same guys by the job role, at least.
[Some faint hesitation. And finally, with far more grace than what should be expected of someone who looks like a young teenager, he's cleared the little hole. And he sighs, bringing his hand to the back of his neck. Great. Now he's sweating. The form he took here sure had it's limitations. ]
Not really. His designation is something else entirely. For now, he's obligated to pull me out of little incidents like this.
[His hand drops. And as he continues to walk...]
Say, do you have any overseers? I can't imagine how Hell functions without a crew, powerful demons and all.
[Well, he's not about to carry this person across obstacles. And clearly Yoshiya is older than he appears.]
Of course! What would Hell be without mind-numbing political power plays?!
[He chuckles at that.]
The system is actually quite simple: At the top is Lucifer with his wife Lillith and his daughter Charlie right below him, Lucifer being in charge of Pride. Then come the other six Deadly Princes that run the various Rings. Beneath them are the Goetic demons such as Prince Stolas and his family. Then there's the Overlords, Sinners who have achieved enough power to acquire territory and rule over other Sinners in their territory. Then the regular Sinners. Then at the very bottom you have Imps and Hellhounds.
[Alastor doesn't mention his own part of the hierarchy. Perhaps Yoshiya can guess.]
[Alastor's chuckle seems to bring some cheer back to him, and his eyes light up, just slightly, when he goes into explaining the system. And he keeps on moving. Certain names (Charlie?) mean nothing. Others ring bells. Lilith, for instance. Let alone Stolas. Accompanying him should be Vassago, Sitri, Ipos... among others. And as for Alastor's place in it all?
He can guess. The shadow and the microphone seem sentient enough to make him at least an Overlord. Perhaps they're servants? Regardless:]
Well, your place is certainly more organised than mine. Makes sense, I suppose. Since yours is pretty long-term.
[The walls are getting narrower. The ceiling lower. Just a little more at this rate, and he wonders if Alastor will have to resort to stooping down. Best to keep an eye open for alternate routes...]
Long-term, yes, save for the annual Cleanse. Some sinners are unfortunate enough to manifest in the middle of the Cleanse and barely last five minutes.
[He grins maliciously at this. It is always amusing to watch new sinners try to adapt to their new forms and so on. Manifesting in the middle of a Cleanse? Why, it was hilarious to watch them suffer those last few moments of utter terror.]
So it would seem.
[His shadow darts forward to scout the area as Alastor lowers his ears slightly to keep them from scraping the ceiling.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
neku ↘
And if there was one thing his ex-Proxy understood of him, it was the fact that he didn't back out of agreements. So. Much earlier in the day he'd arrived at Neku's family's apartment in the RG, as agreed. Pleasantries, of course, had been exchanged- and to Joshua's eyes, it seemed, vaguely, that the other seemed to be adapting pretty well to actually living again. Grown a few centimeters too.
He was of that age, he supposed. For all intents and purposes, his vibe tuned down in order to physically manifest in the RG, he himself seemed identical to how Neku would have remembered him from the Game.
So. He was here. Presently, he's in the other's room, and typically, he's acting like he owns it. A series of things- some CDs, some books, perhaps even a few mementos from younger life have been well and truly rifled through because honestly, it wasn't like Neku could stop him. He was still limping from his injury. And honestly? For him, it was like leafing through something alien. He never had any of this. Not really- but there's another feeling, too. Just as alien.
Endearment?
Can't be.
He places a book back on its shelf, and takes a few steps to the left. There's a series of pictures on the wall. A strange patchwork of bright colour, each piece of paper depicting varying things, in a highly familiar style. The inking, the lines. Each picture is practically identical to CAT's own style... save the command codes, of course. Each gets a cursory glance, until something catches his eye underneath. One piece of paper is lifted, and...]
Ooh, interesting. An academic excellence award? Dated... five years ago.
[Another piece of paper is carefully lifted.]
...Top mathlete. Dated just last year. You beat other students from the Koeniji and Roppongi areas in some math-off.
[A small laugh accompanies that. And he turns.]
Impressive.
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but then joshua starts going through his things, and neku can't quite keep up. finally, eventually, he drops heavily into the chair at his desk and props up an ankle that's beginning to throb dully. ]
Can you stop digging through my stuff? [ the snap in his tone is a result of pure embarrassment. ]
It wasn't hard.
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Indicators of something underneath what he already knew. Things beyond what anyone could pick up mentally. They're here. And it's so interesting, a life documented in items.]
It bothers you?
[Spoken while of course, continuing. It was hardly as if him bothering anyone was ever a reason to stop. Never had been. Never would be. ]
Of course it wasn't. You're quite the student. ...That explains why you did such a bang-up job on the puzzles that came with the Game.
[And after the awards have all been observed..]
And these? [A glance to the drawings.] I thought I'd seen all of the graffiti in the city. These are new. Or are they old enough to have been covered up?
[He might be assuming they're copies of CAT's. Oops.]
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[ neku is back on his feet barely thirty seconds after he's sat himself down, moving to follow after joshua as if he might mitigate some of the damage being done. he's come a long way, learned to open up, but there's something intensely personal about someone disaffectedly going through your things. he had been an excellent student, clever even when he wasn't engaged, and he's reaching over to try to claim joshua's attention.
his music has all gone digital, but it's clear that he's kept every cd that he's ever owned. ]
School's always been whatever. [ the remarks make his cheeks burn. ] And what are you talking about? I haven't graffitied that anywhere in the city.
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[A faint smile, the ghost of a smirk.]
Other things.
[Teenager things. Teenage boy things. Honestly, he'd hardly pegged Neku for a slob, but thosee things? He'd thought them par for the course given that Neku very much is a teenage boy.
...And one swiftly approaching with a speed that's definately going to be the cause of some regret later, injury and all.
He stands his ground. (As if he'd ever not...) and he looks to the drawing again, before meeting Neku in the eyes. He's blushing. So, they really were his.]
Not bad. They kind of look like someone else's though. A lot like someone else's.
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Yeah, well... you already know CAT's the best around. [ and neku tips his chin up very slightly, pushing back. ] You want it? I'll autograph it, even.
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[A small lie follows, something practiced. Something easy.]
Not like I get why.
[There wasn't much point of lying to him any more. But some things? Like what the graffiti really was? Yeah. He couldn't know that.]
But... whatever floats your boat seems to float everyone's. So you're right. Probably. And I'll take one, I guess. Providing it doesn't look like these.
[A few steps backward, toward the window. It's... an unexceptional view. He can see the apartment complex's communal yard, electricity poles and their cables, and narrow, suburban streets dotted with bright vending machines. In the distance, vaguely, is the shopping district. He turns around again.]
I want something that's your style. You have one, right?
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You only say that because you know the guy. [ that's got to be the reason, right? ] It's not his fault you let the magic wear off. [ the allure of CAT's art is what he means. the acquiescence catches neku off guard then, and he glances briefly at a yellow sketch book tucked under a pile of other supplies. ]
I haven't found my style yet.
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Is that so? [A noncommital sound follows.] Well, I've decided. Whether you've found your style or not, I want you to draw me something new. Now's a good time.
[A smile!]
You've got the things, right? I saw your markers earlier.
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[ and neku falters for a moment then, his eyes searching josh's face like he's not sure if he's being mocked right now or not. ]
I can't just draw on command like that, you know. It's a process. I - don't like people to watch me work.
[ he's heading back to his desk, though, snagging that green sketchbook as he does. ]
Why'd you change your mind? I thought you wanted to wait until we could go grab food.
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[As Neku looks, he shouldn't find any sense of mockery. Joshua's eyes are benign, cold (of course) in some sense, but there's no flicker of malice in them. Though they do darken, somewhat, at the refusal. He's about to say something, but Neku's moving to his desk and taking some kind of sketchbook.
So.
He moves to the bed, deciding to invade the last of Neku's privacy and make himself at home on it. Or the end of it anyway, crossing his legs underneath him.]
Mm? Well...
[Another lie. Or... this time, perhaps simply not the whole truth.]
It's quiet currently. And it's going to get busy later. Busy enough that coming here's not going to happen.
[A hand rises to twist, vaguely, in a lock of his hair.]
I thought rather than not turning up, it'd be better to come sooner.
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[ neku had been expecting something along the lines of 'i thought it'd annoy you,' or 'i wanted to catch you off guard.' the sincerity of it relaxes him, and neku flips the book open, cutting his eyes up to where joshua has made himself comfortable on the bed. he smiles at him then. he smiles, soft and sincere and brief, like he's embarrassed about it, before reaching for a marker. ]
Thanks for keeping your promise. I appreciate that. I - do you want me to order something to eat? It's gonna take me a while. I've got enough allowance for pizza.
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[The other looks... far more touched than what he actually expected. His eyebrows raise, curious- before his hand drops from where it absently is coiling locks around his index finger.]
Pass. Though if you're hungry, get something. It's not as if I mind.
[ He's seen Neku speed-eating often enough in the Game after all. He decides to lie down, widthways, on top of the bed, pulling his phone out of his pocket and idly checking it while Neku sketches. Of course there are messages. A great deal, actually.
...All of which are left on read for now. So.]
Your parents didn't leave you anything to heat up?
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「 songereign 」alastor ↘
[Interesting. The idea of rings reminds him vaguely of a pretty famous depiction in a certain book. But more interestingly, Alastor had forgotten what the missing two were called. Part of him can't help but wonder if forgetting was similar to how the RG forgot about Shinjuku when it was purified. ...Even if it's unlikely, it sounds similar. It's something to hold in the back of his mind, anyway.
Still.]
Mm, you haven't wanted to go on a little vacation? I mean, who knows. Some of the other circles might kill some time. And bending the rules is part of the fun.
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[He gives an overdramatic sigh.]
And the Pride Ring gets so dull after the first decade or two. New sinners coming down all the time to "update" the place but instead making it even more boring than before. Plus the latest batch are so self-righteous nowadays.
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[He loves the sound of it. An actual hellscape outfitted with cowboys. The thought's enough to make him smile, smally- but Alastor's comment about physically being unable to go sobers him. ... Yeah, he can relate.]
Mm. I'm more or less locked into my UG too. I mean, sure. I've left it... [To the RG. Boring. Stifling. Depressing. There was a parallel once, which was fun enough. But...] But it's not like I can go to unconnected things, like another district's UG. The only way out is up, I'm afraid.
[He pauses. Yeah, no.]
and honestly? I'd rather not. What I do's kind of monotonous. But so's everything else- and it's not like ascending's going to be less boring a few decades in. Besides,
[He continues walking. There's a lot unsaid, of course. Namely reasons to stay as he was. Connections. Caring- but it hardly shows. He begins to hum something cheerful in time with a melody caught on Alastor's radio, but abruptly stops as he looks to him.]
I still think you should change your situation though. Especially if you're having to share resources with riff-raff.
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[He twitches his ears to change the tune he's playing. It's a bit unnerving to not have a radio signal to patch into to tell him things like the time. He hadn't realized just how much he'd relied on his ability to commandeer the radio waves until now.]
It's tempting. Besides the annual Cleanse helps separate the wheat from the chaff. Honestly, the worst I have to deal with nowadays is simple boredom. Even my punishments have gotten dull.
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Still:]
Oh, I never mentioned. It's pretty much the processing area. Purgatory, some would call it. We prefer the term UG, or Underground to contrast where they came from. The RG, or Realground. Essentially, the recently dead come in. Most fail the Game and wind up erased, but the ones that manage it and show themselves to be valuable get some choices.
[Either ascending into a Reaper, getting to live again, or in the case of the really gifted ones, skipping a few steps and going right down the angel path. He smiles, gently- when he sees the ears flick again in the dim light.]
I can only guess your side of things is what happens with the erased. But it's not like I know for sure. We're not told that much.
[A faint shrug. And as he continues on-]
Have any angels been cleansed themselves? I mean, I can't imagine anyone simply taking that sort of thing.
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[Alastor twirls his microphone for a moment.]
I don't know if there's a similar Cleanse up in Heaven. Likely not given it's population control down in Hell. We're overcrowded with so many people falling off the "straight and narrow". The Heaven I know best is very selective in who gets through those Pearly Gates! Can't imagine they'd be even remotely over-capacity!
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[He could. It's a logical conclusion, sure. But it's an incorrect one.]
Technically, they're my bosses.
[And yes, a giant, grotesque hivemind could indeed be considered a boss.]
Should anything happen to me- for instance, if a Reaper actually got the power to get rid of me and actually take my spot, I get a full membership. Like I said, the only way out is up.
[A glance around follows. The cave walls are getting narrower, the ground more uneven. They're pretty deep now... and his gaze is darting to the floor. Not out of coyness. Mainly in the aim of avoiding pitfalls.
But the cleanse.]
Mm, there is. It's called a purification- but you're right. It's not like it's overpopulation that triggers it. When a UG is underperforming, it's a risk to the rest of them. So, a Composer... or in a Composer's absence or should there be disagreement, an Executor causes an inversion. Pretty much, the UG, RG, and a whole bunch of other planes are folded in on themselves and the screws holding them apart get loosened. It collapses under its own weight, all of the living're dumped, the Reapers too, and it's like the district tied to it all never existed. The Composer's repurposed. Again, the only way is up.
[A faint pause.]
I tried it once with my UG. And, I changed my mind. More recently, an Executor [That he pissed off.] gave it a shot. It didn't go well for him.
[He turns then, looking up to Alastor's face. And in the dim light, he smiles.]
I'm not all that interested in a job I can't slack at.
[At least, that's his excuse.]
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[However, Alastor isn't upset by it. It makes for a fun game to guess and get more details to correct himself.]
I take it you're one of these "Composers"...though it sounds like you'd rather be doing something less demanding. I take it the friend you're waiting for is an Executioner? Excuse me, I meant "Executor". Most of the angels I see are Executioners, after all!
[And he's going to do a little jump over a potential pitfall. Let's see how nimble Yoshiya is.]
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[Honestly, the system's pretty complex. If anything, it's very much a signal that Alastor's significantly more than either a human or a reaper because he understood it when properly explained. Still. He laughs faintly, listening to the gentle sound rebound over and over throughout the passageway.]
Mhm! I oversee Shibuya's UG... But I don't want to go back to the RG. Or be a Reaper, who moves between both the UG and the RG. Like I said, it's monotonous. [Depressing, too.] But it beats being alive.
[His smile finally fades at that. He's burned that bridge to the RG. And he'd burn it again if he could. He slows as Alastor makes his jump, and whether it's out of discontent or laziness... well, that's up in the air.]
Executor, Executioner. There's hardly that much of a difference. It sounds like the same guys by the job role, at least.
[Some faint hesitation. And finally, with far more grace than what should be expected of someone who looks like a young teenager, he's cleared the little hole. And he sighs, bringing his hand to the back of his neck. Great. Now he's sweating. The form he took here sure had it's limitations. ]
Not really. His designation is something else entirely. For now, he's obligated to pull me out of little incidents like this.
[His hand drops. And as he continues to walk...]
Say, do you have any overseers? I can't imagine how Hell functions without a crew, powerful demons and all.
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Of course! What would Hell be without mind-numbing political power plays?!
[He chuckles at that.]
The system is actually quite simple: At the top is Lucifer with his wife Lillith and his daughter Charlie right below him, Lucifer being in charge of Pride. Then come the other six Deadly Princes that run the various Rings. Beneath them are the Goetic demons such as Prince Stolas and his family. Then there's the Overlords, Sinners who have achieved enough power to acquire territory and rule over other Sinners in their territory. Then the regular Sinners. Then at the very bottom you have Imps and Hellhounds.
[Alastor doesn't mention his own part of the hierarchy. Perhaps Yoshiya can guess.]
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[Alastor's chuckle seems to bring some cheer back to him, and his eyes light up, just slightly, when he goes into explaining the system. And he keeps on moving. Certain names (Charlie?) mean nothing. Others ring bells. Lilith, for instance. Let alone Stolas. Accompanying him should be Vassago, Sitri, Ipos... among others. And as for Alastor's place in it all?
He can guess. The shadow and the microphone seem sentient enough to make him at least an Overlord. Perhaps they're servants? Regardless:]
Well, your place is certainly more organised than mine. Makes sense, I suppose. Since yours is pretty long-term.
[The walls are getting narrower. The ceiling lower. Just a little more at this rate, and he wonders if Alastor will have to resort to stooping down. Best to keep an eye open for alternate routes...]
Looks like we're running out of road.
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Long-term, yes, save for the annual Cleanse. Some sinners are unfortunate enough to manifest in the middle of the Cleanse and barely last five minutes.
[He grins maliciously at this. It is always amusing to watch new sinners try to adapt to their new forms and so on. Manifesting in the middle of a Cleanse? Why, it was hilarious to watch them suffer those last few moments of utter terror.]
So it would seem.
[His shadow darts forward to scout the area as Alastor lowers his ears slightly to keep them from scraping the ceiling.]
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assuming this is one of the nightmare creatures! if not lmk and I'll adjust ❤
Nope! You were on the same page as me!
sweet!
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