Afterparty

[latinumsbetter]

[After the execution finishes and the culprit is once more dragged down into the Earth (he watches Snow be dragged down, with a pursed-lips look), and Typhon gives his goodbye, Quark doesn't wait in the silence this time. Instead, he says, arms folded:]

Well, since we're all doomed--[sarcasm, dry and acrid, edging a black humor]--then no better time to get a drink.

The bar’ll be open. Even if you don't eat or drink, stop in. [That's said with a side-glance at Leb. He then turns to look at Ferdinand, Aoi, Ranma, Cerejeira, and Vanity.] Ferdinand, you're gonna help me set up. Cerejeira, Aoi, you're behind the bar. Ranma you're in the kitchen. Vanity, if you've got more of that coffee, we could use it. Let's go.

[and he turns and walks out of the Arena. So...post trial, the Eatery’s been moved into bar configuration. There's a few more faces behind the bar again. Once again, there’s been several of the extra togas gathered and folded to be used as blankets. There are some dishes, light but filling for those that don't want to eat much, courtesy of Ranma.

Cerejeira, Aoi and Quark are behind the bar, the latter watching the other two like a hawk and teaching and helping when he needs to. They're all there to serve drinks, however. And Ferdinand? He's been relegated to the Dabo table. Maybe the first couple buttons of his shirt has been unbuttoned. He's paying off his tab!

The door is open.]

Comments

[pariunt]

What sort of deal?

[Asked very quickly. It's obvious this is one of those things he's extremely wary of, for the person making the deal's sake.]

[literarybehemoth]

A deal to protect my health.

[...]

I suppose that is an odd one compared to the usual "to avoid dying." But I was always sickly in my youth, and it left me unable to pursue my goals in the way I truly wanted. It was not enough to avoid death, though I was surely on death's door when I made the deal. It had to be more than that.

[pariunt]

[Hmm... no, Astarion does not care for this. It sounds like something that could go horrifically wrong at any moment.]

It's a dangerous game to play, even to save yourself.

The deal I made with a devil was risky, and the only thing I needed to do was send a demon back to Avernus.

[By his wording, he doesn't mean killed. He's being literal, not metaphorical.]

[literarybehemoth]

...I know. I ended up an errand boy, of sorts. I haven't had to do anything to that extent yet, at least, but I wonder... will our goals always align? She is... well. I suppose a "devil" is the closest thing you could say, but I would consider her somewhat different from that.

[pariunt]

Well, we do come from different worlds. I would not be surprised if the "rules", so to speak, were different.

[literarybehemoth]

Probably, yes. Your devils would... look like you, though, would they not? Humans and human-adjacent, roughly?

[pariunt]

They do, yes. Especially devils like Raphael and Mizora, who are half-mortal.

[literarybehemoth]

Interestingly, ours do as well.

...

Unless you look too closely. You look like a thing that could exist in my world as a proper living thing. You have skin of flesh, hair and nails of keratin, and teeth of enamel.

[pariunt]

It's... strange. How it seems some things in worlds match up more than others. I really don't know what to make of any of it.

[literarybehemoth]

I do not either. Then again, I have to wonder if worlds that were too different from each other would find the very request that brought us here incomprehensible?

[pariunt]

That does seem likely.

Though I suppose our worlds also are likely to have their own idiosyncrasies we'd expect others to be familiar with, even if they're unique.

[literarybehemoth]

Indeed. I have been attempting to read up on the other worlds through what we have access to through the library, so I have at least a bit more context. ...But even so, I do not have every piece of context, so some things go over my head.

[pariunt]

I'm not much for pondering about these sorts of things.

[It's actually quite beyond him, truthfully.]

But now that I am... it is interesting.

[literarybehemoth]

Ah, I enjoy a good ponder. Perhaps I do it too often... but situations like these call for it, do they not?