WEEK 7

[foundationmods]

Seven weeks.

Seven long, long weeks.
But with the final trial and the deaths of four of their own, the game would be over this week...right? 🗈

All the truth was theirs to know, along with other things.
And now, the survivors had a task ahead of them...
...Would they be able to end everything on a high note?

...Or would it only end....bittersweetly...?

MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

CALENDAR | LOCATIONS | PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS | WATANUKI PC POST

Comments

[cryosurgeon]

Mmm. The one with yellow eyes is Logos, the green eyes Pathos. Cats make excellent companions and familiars, due to personalities both mercurial and constant.

[The demon’s voice is so familiar, yet the cadence is more confident in a quiet way, the tone relaxed. However, he doesn’t smile, only fixing Tsubasa with a mildly curious stare.]

Do you like cats, young man?

[excavated]

Got it. [ He nods quietly in understanding -- as someone who used to be a demon himself and even has those memories, he can't help but just take it all in. ] It's nice to meet you, Logos. Pathos. I'm Syaoran. [ Since he's not sure if he should be using his real name around the demons... ] I don't mind cats, actually. Although I'm more of a dog person. I assume you like cats a lot?

[cryosurgeon]

[The demon smiles faintly, slitted pupils widening in interest.]

All animals have their merits. After all, they are part of the natural world. I admit, cats of all kin are fascinating. Dogs evolved alongside humans, domesticated by the hand of man. Cats... well, they choose to domesticate themselves when it suits their whim. Even a so-called “house cat” is oft better able to survive when gone stray than a dog. Truly they have lost less of their wild instincts.

And... Syaoran, is it? Mmm.

[The smile widens almost imperceptibly, welcoming and yet chilling.]

I am Buer.

[excavated]

Yeah, that's true. [ He seems to be paying close attention to his words, but even as his smile holds something chilling within, Tsubasa doesn't seem to back down from it. ] It is a pleasure to meet you, Buer-san. I didn't know that, actually. [ He learned something new today!! ]

[cryosurgeon]

I am always content to share my knowledge of the natural world with those awake enough to appreciate it. The moral and natural realms of philosophy are my domain, after all, as is logic.

[Logos chirps on his shoulder, earning a nuzzle from his master.]

Yes, my darling. Our new friend is quite interesting, isn’t he? All of them are, in their own way.

[excavated]

I see, so those are the kinds of abilities you have. I assume that you understand what the cats are saying, too...?

[cryosurgeon]

They are my familiars, so it would behoove me to be able to understand them. Most with the patience and intuition can understand those who do not share their language, however. You need only listen and observe, the answers are there. How else might the web of existence be kept pristine, the natural order maintained?

[excavated]

That's true.

[ He knows that familiars are definitely more intelligent than normal animals, and he can't help but close his eyes in a way that can only be read as nostalgic. ]

I'm not that good at that sort of thing, unfortunately. While I might have the patience, but my skills always lie elsewhere. But someone else important to me was the one who understood all those creatures, and even things that can't be seen or normally heard.

[ Like the trees and water. ]

[cryosurgeon]

You still have your place in the living world, however.

[That subtle but sharp smile could mean one thing... or something else.]

All things do, even us demons. If we exist, we are meant to exist.

[excavated]

... Yeah. I wouldn't have been here if it wasn't for someone else's help.

[ Guilt flashes for a flicker of a second in his eyes, but it soon fades away in that same moment. ]

Everyone's existence, human or otherwise has a meaning to it. I hope you all understand that.

[cryosurgeon]

Of course. I'm no murderous dog, after all. Though even rabid hounds have their place in the order of things.

[Buer chuckles, soft and low, but there's genuine humor in it. Not at all like the man whose face he wears.]

[excavated]

[ I can't believe Caar is being called out like this. ]

I suppose they do.

[cryosurgeon]

[It's the other demons' job to drag the dog.]

There is culling to purify the world of the weak and sickly. That, too, is a manner of curing infirmity. Though I leave that work to those better suited to it.

[excavated]

[ He nods. ]

Everyone has things that they can and can't do, after all.

[cryosurgeon]

I can, of course. I simply prefer not to. To put it simply, there are demons who enjoy killing more than I do.

[excavated]

That makes sense, of course. Is there a reason why, though?

[cryosurgeon]

I....

[His fingers twitch under his book and on Pathos's back. The cats both mew at him plaintively.]

It is simply... not my way.

[excavated]

[ He glances at him head-on with what seems to be conviction but also idle curiosity as well. ] So you're just not the kind of person that would do that sort of thing?

[cryosurgeon]

If necessary, I would. I... am a demon, after all.

[His hands steady.]

Not a person, only within the shell of a person. A vessel, given by my Lady.

[excavated]

Even if you aren't human, you still exist. It doesn't matter if you're a person or not.

[cryosurgeon]

Yes... yes, as I said: if we exist, then we are meant to exist. I am simply pointing out that many would not consider demons to be "people," only humans.

[excavated]

I guess?

But that isn't a bad thing, is it?

[cryosurgeon]

It... does not distress me. The labels placed upon us by humans mean little, they are merely the twisting of words to soothe their fears. My only purpose is to serve my Lady, and what I am called is irrelevant to that purpose.

[excavated]

[ HE'S GETTING



CAIM WAR FLASHBACKS just a little bit ]

That isn't always the case. If you want to believe that we're simply twisting our words to suit our needs, that's fine, but that isn't necessarily always the truth. At least, I don't think so.

[cryosurgeon]

A debate of belief, then. Moral philosophy is one of my domains, after all. But is there any philosophy that can truly be without bias?

No, it is how we demons are treated that determines how we react, just as it is for humanity.