[Kenoma] Discussion

[lachtara]

( 🟣 - Emet, 🔵 - Ciel )

Good Evening.

There are some within our ranks who we have not had the pleasure of meeting. I am Emet-Selch. Ciel and I serve as tacticians and teachers to the Kenoma.

I function as acting counsel for devising strategies. Additionally, some of you may find yourself in possession of new magical abilities that you did not have before. I am available to assist you with honing your newfound magical skills. To those of you who find yourself injured, I can provide my magic to heal your wounds so that you may be hale and whole once more.

[ He sighs. My, is this a mouthful. ]

My name is Ciel. I am versed in martial arts and am proficient with most types of weaponry. There are various means of developing melee combat prowess across Achamoth, but if you would like personalized instructions at any level, please contact me and we’ll arrange for a schedule. I can also perform magical healing along with Father Paul.

Unfortunately, We do not have much time for pleasantries. The Pleroma will soon be at our doorstep. Their goal is to retrieve their allies who remain captive inside our walls, and our goal is to lure them deep within the Citadel where we may enact our own plans. You will be provided assignments once it is closer to the promised hour. Prepare in your own way meanwhile; The Citadel is host to all manners of weaponry and the army's training grounds.

[ It’s kept a little vague and unspecific. Though they do intend to give adequate information, there is also no question that they have had traitors in their midst as of late. Everything will be doled out with due caution. Although, there will be a silent message sent to each person asking them to respond with some information of their abilities. ]

We are at war, bloodshed is inevitable. We will be attacked soon, and we must defend our keep. Consider this communion address a formal hub for discussion and organization of the battle to come. We will begin with information sharing of the Pleroma: knowing their names, appearances, and capabilities will better prepare us in dealing with them in combat. Aions may develop new abilities at any time, however; intel from the mission in Venera and Godsblood may very well be outdated by now, so do not assume anything we go over in this address as the extent of what they can do. Anything you may have witnessed at the shrines can be helpful, including other newcomers you may have met that did not return to Achamoth..

To the third wave of newly awoken Aions, it is regrettable that we cannot welcome you better, you’ve unfortunately arrived at a tumultuous time on Horos. If this is all too much for any reason, that’s fine. Contact me privately, and we can at least arrange for you to be somewhere safe during this. To those used to wielding great power, please get some practice in and verify your new limits. Becoming an Aion may have weakened you, do not let that catch you off-guard on the battlefield.

To those who are new, introduce yourselves and ask any questions you have. We will answer your questions as best we can, and I encourage our fellow Kenoma to chime in where they may. Do try to keep your questions interesting enough to be worth reading.

Comments

[uproared]

Sure is — and food, too. That's why it's best to have a lot, so there's enough to go around.

But I guess you're the kind of guy who never had to think about where his next meal was coming from, huh? [ lol... ]

[cutlery]

[ ah. lol indeed, which is why he truly cannot help himself from playing with his words ]

Quite the opposite, actually. There are some times where I have gotten a meal easily, but generally not and I would absolutely call them uncertain... I have had to work very hard for everything I eat, so Horos is quite the change in that respect!

[uproared]

So you're a rags-to-riches type? Never would've guessed.

[ But she can respect that. Just a shame she's completely off the mark, because lol again. ]

[cutlery]

Oh, I've no riches at all, really. I am but a servant.

[ Which is a set of statements that's both totally lies and totally true at the same time... demons, ]

Most recently, I was serving as the head butler of an Earl of England, if you are familiar with the country? Which feels quite strange to say, but such is the marvel of different worlds, I suppose.

[uproared]

[ At first, it's the word "servant" that gives her pause... but there's no emphasis, and nothing to suggest he isn't speaking in the more traditional sense. She dismisses the concern as fast as it came, with only a slight hitch in their communion to show for it.

Then, without warning, a wave of pure emotion blasts through: angry, contemptuous, and bitter. None of it aimed at Sebastian himself, and all seemingly centered around one single word. ]

... Yeah. I'm familiar with it. [ It's all she can manage to say to such an absurd question. ] The England of your time... describe it to me. Do its people still fight amongst themselves, or are they united? Is it a prosperous land, or one steeped in decay? And this Earl you serve: what kind of leader is he?

[cutlery]

[ He's startled by the sudden, sharp intensity of emotion that comes through, and especially the particular combination of them. There's a moment's pause before he answers, since he traces back through his words to see if there's something he said that might have prompted such a response unintentionally, but he's still left rather perplexed.

Her particular questions do give him a guess, knowing that she's a knight, but not enough to make a full connection. As it is, after the moment's pause, he just smoothly answers them. ]

Well... It was 1889, under the reign of Queen Victoria. I would say that was united and prosperous, at least as a whole. There are squabbles between nobility, of course, but quite minor. England's eyes are no longer turned within, and tend to be looking towards empire in places like Africa and India. And of course, you have the normal politics of England with Germany and France...

[ france v england name a more iconic rivalry, etc ]

As for my master— [ Sebastian pauses again, and there's a flicker of emotion, though nothing nearly as strong as what Mordred had felt. It's small, but it's a sense of loss. What a good, loyal servant, missing his master and definitely not just a demon still upset that he missed out on his meal. ]

He was young, first of all, only a boy of thirteen. But he took his duty of Earlship quite seriously despite that, and had a surprising aptitude for it. For example, because of the low cost of imports of agricultural products from America, the domestic prices depreciated quite a bit. The young master personally used some of the coffers of his title to foster agricultural development to guarantee that the people of his domain lived well. That is the sort of leadership he preferred, as the other duties of his title kept him quite busy besides. That is part of why I was in his employ, since these are all matters to which I was able to offer my advice.

[ ...this is all probably more of an answer than Mordred really wanted, but give Sebastian a chance to talk and boy, will he. ]

tears

[uproared]

[ At least his rambling gives her a chance to collect herself, because there's a lot to unpack here. Her end of the communion remains a roiling, emotional mess all through his answer, though she's clearly hanging on every word; any (verbal) silence indicative of thought, not disinterest.

For one: the reign of Queen Victoria? Sure, she'd heard of other nations being led by women, but never Britain. Not not then, not now, not ever. Wasn't it the cause of her father's deception, her mother's bitter rage, that neither of them would ever be allowed to rule as they were, and to be accepted as a leader of men?

... In the end, she supposes, it doesn't matter what changed a thousand years down the track. Like a dog guarding a bone, she's just pleased it didn't meet its destruction at anyone else's hand after her death (Regent aside, of course, but she's working on that); and as great as the country he describes is, she can still do better. The thought calms her, and she sounds much more normal when she responds. ]

You're a political advisor as well...? Jeez, is there anything you can't do? [ She seems annoyed and impressed in equal measure. ] ... Hey. Would you consider serving someone else? Not right now, of course, but... ugh, nevermind. I don't know how that would even work.

[cutlery]

[ The undercurrent of emotion does give him a sense, for once in his life, that he's rambling (but also, not enough to have stopped, so). It's confusing, since he's now quite certain he's saying nothing disagreeable, as they're all boring, rather mundane facts. It's a curiosity he's going to be unable to let go of, though he also has a feeling questioning it may not go well... But he'll get to that eventually. Jumping right into it makes him certain that it wouldn't. ]

Ah, well. My service comes at a very high price, so excellence in all things is something I seek to provide. If there is a skill I do not know, then I have always sought to learn it.

[ That part comes easily, since it's the perfectly and ill-fittingly business-oriented answer, considering what the cost of Sebastian's service actually entails. ]

But yes, I would. I believe technically speaking, I already am, though the Regent has not requested anything so formal as to be binding. [ much to his annoyance, actually ] My contract with the young master was always a temporary one. When it completed, I would naturally serve another, though this is not exactly how I had hoped our arrangement would end, mind you...

[uproared]

Right, right. The Regent...

[ It's telling what her own thoughts on the arrangement are that she didn't even consider them as a factor. Their hand might be the one holding her leash, as she put it to Gray, but that doesn't make her their servant, with or without the capital S. ]

Once I'm king, I'd be able to pay you pretty well. I thought it might be good to have an advisor... not that I need one. But it's impossible right now, so ahead and forget I even mentioned it.

[cutlery]

[ A few of his questions of curiosity click into place when she says she'll be king (...other than the gendered portion, but). From the curiosity about the sort of leader Ciel was to the interest in advising, it makes perfect sense for a future monarch. ]

Ah! Well, in that case, I believe I understand a bit better.

[ Not that it's going to be very clear to her just what it is he understands, but he continues smoothly. ]

If you have an interest in such a thing, I can at least say that I am happy to offer my counsel or knowledge at any time. It is a more advantageous situation for you on Horos, to be frank. Were I to serve you in a truly official capacity, I do not believe the terms of my covenant would be to your liking.