15 Strangers Week 3 - Sunday

[godspiousjasper]

[ The meeting had all but wrapped up and everyone else had dispersed to go elsewhere, but it's in this moment that Roland approached Alastor. Wanting to catch him before he'd left along with everything else.

Surely the demonic man must have picked up on a lot of... well. obvious tell-tales during their conversations and by this point? He was tired and hadn't wished to really speak of the things he'd actually seen during that time in the chapel earlier in the day. ]

...I do not suppose you'd be against some more conversation one on one, would you?

[ A glance was spared towards the alcohol, then a soft sigh exhaled. ]

Given the looks i've been getting from you up until now, I feel as though you knew this was coming.

Comments

[superstylishsquid]

Plus, it involved drawing on some pretty unpleasant memories. The Qliphoth is just...horrifying. And the last guy who grew it...he's listed on my 'dislikes' for a lot of reasons.

[The chocolate liqueur already well broken into, he puts it down and instead grabs a fancy looking drink with an Italian name and '100 proof' on the label. Along with some scotch glasses in place of the shotglasses, since he doubts they'll be trying to get their drinks out of the way quick this time.]

[godspiousjasper]

Such a person being responsible for something so truly atrocious... I cannot say I blame you.

[ There's a nod of approval to what Alastor had chosen for the drink of choice, and he turned to head towards the door. Even moving to use one hand to hold the door to the lounge open for the older man. ]

I do hope it's not going to be any trouble to have you listen to me speak of the things i've seen today, Alastor.

[superstylishsquid]

Not just that. He killed me, then basically hung the sword with my soul in it on his front door. Got a lot of beef with that guy.

[He sighs and walks out from behind the bar to leave the lounge.]

And it's not like it can put me in a worse mood. Besides, if what I saw when we were standing next to each other at the trial is any indication, I get the feeling it's important.

[godspiousjasper]

Ah... That sounds quite disrespectful. Not to mention unnecessary.

[ Sure, when he and the other Chasseurs killed vampires? Their skulls ended up in this room in the catacombs on some shelves but it wasn't like they had them sitting around where everybody could SEE them. for good reason, but still. ]

You would be correct. It's... tied to my power here, which means it's going to be a little unpleasant and why I couldn't easily bring it up during the meeting.

[superstylishsquid]

Pretty sure disrespect was the point. Make an example of the foolish devil who dared to refuse his commands.

[A scoff.]

Worried what you saw is a bit ugly for most people?

[godspiousjasper]

Even so. It seems a little excessive, but perhaps that is just me.

[ A weary chuckle, and a nod of his head followed as they started down the hallway. ]

You could say that, yes. I'd go as far as calling it all a bit... unsettling.

[superstylishsquid]

[Honestly, it could have been worse...but he's not about to tell the guy who insists on seeing him as 'good' that he's relieved he wasn't handed to one of Mundus' generals.]

Well, unsettling to a human is less likely to bother me. I'm pretty sure my, uh...dietary preferences are proof of that.

[godspiousjasper]

[ That's enough to coax a laugh out of him and he looks a touch more relaxed and at ease. ]

Which is a relief. Though... I also suspect you may possibly be able to figure out what I couldn't understand since some of it still eludes me.

[ Like the man who had swore after trying to possess him, the things he SAW or just some of the bits of conversation he had with.. well. THOSE three. ]

It was enough that I have not quite eaten as much as I usually would have. My appetite is a little lacking at the moment.

[superstylishsquid]

I am one of...fairly few people left who've seen this tree before. Not to mention the only one here who's even from the relevant underworld.

I get the feeling I'm going to be filling in gaps a lot.

[godspiousjasper]

If it wasn't for you being here, i'd guess none of us would have even really managed to figure it out.

[ Raising a hand to scratch almost sheepishly at the back of his neck, Roland just nodded and looked up once they'd reached the deck with their rooms. It wasn't a horribly long trip, thankfully. ]

That's quite possible. Apologies for that in advance.

[superstylishsquid]

Eh, not the first time I've played the exposition faucet.

[He heads for his room, though there's a slight hesitation before he unlocks the door.]

Just, not for anything quite so...personal.

[godspiousjasper]

I suppose there's a first for everything.

[ It's all certainly under unpleasant circumstances and he doesn't like it as much as Alastor doesn't. The same can be said for going into the other man's room now that he no longer shared it with anyone else. ]

Which is unfortunate in this case, but it can't be helped.

[superstylishsquid]

I'd definitely hoped to never see that tree again. And if a devil like Delta gets his hands on it, I'm sure it'll be Mundus all over again.

[He frowns at the beds, then sighs and sits down and puts the bottle on the floor between his feet.]

I didn't wanna say this in front of everyone, in case it caused a panic, but after Mundus ate a Qliphoth fruit...he nearly destroyed humanity. If Sparda hadn't stood up for them, there's a good chance mankind would've been wiped out before Queen Sheba realized how far he was going.

[godspiousjasper]

[ Once they're both inside he shut the door and came over to sit just a little bit from Alastor on the bed, eyes widening a bit as everything truly sunk in. ]

...The power to ultimately wipe out humanity... do you think that's what Delta is trying to do with this?

[ An even more grim conclusion rose up and he went a bit pale. ]

Unless he's trying to go after multiple worlds instead of just one..

[superstylishsquid]

I dunno, but if he wants the fruit for himself, it's not like he won't have motivation. There aren't many ways to reach the level of power it takes to challenge a demon like that, and getting rid of the tree's favorite food would mean one less.

[He hands one of the glasses off to Roland and puts the other in his lap.]

[godspiousjasper]

...What a truly despicable man he is.

[ He accepted the glass carefully, exhaling a small sigh. ]

I remember speaking with him that first time.. discovering that the god he follows is not only different from my own but had said I was missing the details and I would have to find out what those were. [ A hand came up to absently brush against his rosary, a small comfort for him. ] He also said his goddess has punished him several times and it was due to those punishments that he was going through with this game.

[superstylishsquid]

It can't be the goddess of the underworld, she doesn't bother with any sort of punishment short of turning you into a smear for threatening the stability of the worlds.

[He fills Roland's glass, the his own.]

Aoi doesn't have any idea who she might be, either. He says Delta...isn't the type to worship anyone but himself.

[godspiousjasper]

I would also surmise that he usually wouldn't be the type to take on a large-scale project as what's being done now...

[ A nod of acknowledgment and then he paused. No. He didn't want to be right about anything of what he was going to say, but.. ]

Have we considered the possibility this goddess perhaps has brainwashed him...? Or that she's holding something above his head to have him do all of this for her?

[ That was not proven but for now it could be a possibility here. He raised his glass up to take a sip of the drink, humming softly in thought. ]

I hate feeling so helpless. Each week passes and it feels like I have more questions than answers.

[superstylishsquid]

[He takes a sip of his own drink, with a sharp inhale as the strong liquor hits his throat.]

It's not impossible...I've seen the results of things like that before. When Mundus brainwashed my master's brother, he couldn't really communicate, but if it takes less of a heavy touch, I don't see why someone couldn't still be functional.

...I wonder. Can you bless things? Like making genuine holy water. Stuff's like acid to demons, so it'd make a pretty good underworld weed killer.

[godspiousjasper]

So it's on the table as a possibility, considering all of us here are from a number of different realities.

[ So there being some godly being able to brainwash in a certain way where the victim was able to be coherent and maybe even believing they were in control was a very real thing to consider here. ]

I don't know how efficient it'd be compared to one of the priests who conduct sermons in the church, but I should be able to manage something that should still work.

[ With his knowledge of the bible and the Lord's teachings, it wasn't out of the question here. One could also consider it a light amongst all this darkness here. A small one, but still. ]

...That reminds me. When I was in the chapel? I saw a blue light there, but it had the shape of a man and he was quite surprised I could see him.

[superstylishsquid]

Even a minor blessing can do some damage.

[To him, too, but...some risks are worth tasting. Even if the thought of handling the stuff prompts him to take another swig of the brandy.]

Sounds like you saw a ghost. I knew the lounge was haunted, but I don't have the magic to see disembodied souls right now.

[godspiousjasper]

Precisely. Which is why I do not mind giving it a try at the very least.

[ To some extent he worries about if it would also harm Alastor which he does not want but he understands well about these necessary risks that must be taken. ]

Ah, that would explain it. [ He frowned, trying to recall as many details as he physically could manage. ] This ghost... he looked very annoyed but used my title. He tried to possess me and I saw some... interesting things only for a moment before suddenly things were back in my control and he used some very crude language before leaving.

[ Now it's his turn to take another sip of the brandy. ]

[superstylishsquid]

'Interesting things'? Gonna go into detail on that? And how much do I not want to have anything in my mouth when you do?

[godspiousjasper]

Well. I think they aren't anything truly shocking, so you should be fine.

[ While he didn't know the significance of the last question, Roland figured it was something he could ask about later. For now, he closed his eyes to recall the images that had flashed through his mind earlier. ]

A young woman singing in a church... and ah... not sure if it was ME necessarily... but me laying on the ground. I was hurt and holding a hand up as I was bleeding. [ Roland paused at that, brows knitting into that of a concerned frown. Surely Alastor might notice he definitely looks a bit paler than before. ] The last one... really stuck out to me. It looked like... bodies but they weren't.. they didn't look right. They were like statues, looking as if they were screaming and crumbled from touch.

[superstylishsquid]

[...Yeah, that last bit? He goes rigid, before just...sighing heavily and taking a long drink. It burns his throat, but at least that's something to focus on other than the images flickering through his mind.]

Those bodies...were victims of the Qliphoth. It drains the blood from those it catches so fast that it turns them into a snapshot of their last moments, at least until something disturbs the dust and they crumble away from the network of roots that spread through their bodies.