ceilingdemonis | fifth ▲ and now for something completely different

( Phone; lol what filters )

Do ornaments come in skull shapes? Those would be much more interesting than all these round ones.

( 835 Hastings Boulevard, front yard )

[ Amongst all the forgetting and sadness, there is one house that looks to have bucked the dreary trend. Amaimon has taken the giant tree the town has as its own Christmas tree as a challenge and has proceeded to decorate the hell out of his quaint little suburban home. Everything is covered in lights. Every damn inch out of the outside he could find Christmas lights for, especially now that so many people went and got rid of themselves so the town could have power. But that isn't the ~~worst~~ best of it...

The best of it is the colossal pine tree that has grown in the front yard overnight. Yes, overnight. There had been no trees the day before and now? A tree that rivals the town tree stands in the yard.

But it's still in the process of being decorated by dozens of little green plant men, who are clambering around the branches, hanging baubles, lights, and tinsel with Amaimon supervises from below. The demon points out bare spots or waves at things he wants moved a little to the left between decimating the box of candy canes that will never, ever make it onto that pine.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Then how do you control the little plant men?

[She is already very irritable from her nights without sleep. At this point, she just wants to punch him.]

There were people I know on that list.

[She knows that she must have known at them at some point, even if she can no longer remember knowing them.]

They are my kin. They listen to me.

[Yeah, he causes a lot of those 'punch him' feelings.]

And? I do not see why I would care if people you knew were on it, either...

[That is a curious statement.]

You do not resemble them much in appearance.

[She takes a deep breath and tries to calm down. Objectively, she knows that he is right. He has no reason to care about her disappeared allies.]

I suppose if you are really uninvolved with this current situation, I cannot force you to care. I just wished to solve Mayfield's current problem before anything even worse happens. If this is what they are doing during the days before Christmas, imagine what they will do on Christmas Day.

If they like to possess earth and plant for their bodies, that is their own choice.

[Which is close enough for him, considering he's the Earth King. Who needs a resemblance? Anyway, he's blissfully uncaring towards her attempts to remain calm.]

Solve it? Why bother? There aren't even any clear rules to play by this time. [Mayfield, always cheating. Huff.] If they do something besides this on Christmas day, I hope they make it more interesting.

This town has an odd definition of "interesting." I doubt it would match with your preferences.

[He would have to be really twisted for his tastes to match that of the town.]

Maybe they will make us hunt down the new fake people for Christmas. That would be very interesting.

[Sometimes the town is right on the ball where his tastes lay, actually.]

...

[This man seems to like going out of his way to antagonize her.]

I fail to see how that would be interesting. Tiresome, perhaps, but not interesting.

It would be much more interesting than standing around and doing nothing. I wouldn't find it tiresome at all, since I do not get tired very much now.

[He isn't even trying to. He's just answering honestly!]

And what if I told you they were never replaced? Would it still be "interesting" to know that you are not killing constructs, but actual, sentient beings?

Why would that make any difference, whether they are or not? It's all the same to me.

You have no respect for other beings, do you?

That's a strange thing to assume. If a being gives me a good reason to respect them, of course I do.

And what would that reason be?

Whatever I feel that reason should be, I suppose.

You truly are a confusing person.

[She wonders if she should stay and continue to argue, or if she should just turn around and stop wasting time with him.]

Not really. It isn't my fault you are incapable of understanding.

[Well, that's up to her, really. He doesn't seem irritated with the conversation, but not particularly invested in it either.]

Perhaps I am just not twisted enough to understand your philosophy.

[She is sure that people like Caster would have an easier time speaking to this man.]

Probably, but that still isn't my fault.

Oh? Then who would you blame? God? The world?

[Yet another man made in the mold of Gilles de Rais. How many were there in Mayfield anyway?]

That's a silly thing to ask. How would I know why you aren't twisted enough to understand me?

...I suppose you are right...

[At this point, she's too confused to say anything else.]

B-but still, your twisted philosophy is wrong.

No, it isn't.

[Is... is he just messing with her at this point?

It's difficult to tell, with his expression and tone never changing throughout this entire conversation.]

[It almost reminds her of conversations with her superior.]

How do you know which philosophy is correct? Or are you just stubbornly holding your twisted ideals without looking at the world at large?

[In a way, it is the pot holding the kettle black. She is simply too stubborn to allow someone to win against her in an argument on moral philosophies.]

I've seen a lot of the world. [He's a veteran tourist of human places!] But that hasn't changed anything. I'll respect who I want to, for whatever reason I want to.

There's nothing complicated about that.