[ Through Communion, there’s a sense of understanding and withdrawal first. Akua names Hayame as a friend, so with what Sebastian understands and expects of humans, that serves as an answer. It’s one he would respect, even, and it’s why he had essentially asked it first. Demons are very straightforward creatures when they wish to be.
So, her further answer comes as a surprise.
His surprise is expressed as a short, but genuine laugh, but not the polite, genteel sort that he so often gives. It’s not necessarily that this one is more honest, since it’s not as if the other is disingenuous… But it is taking off a mask. ]
Forgive me… Your first answer means I did not expect the second. But admittedly, friendship is something I understand far less than pride.
[ This could be interpreted as a slight, and maybe it is, but it’s not untrue. For all of his posturing and his very carefully crafted appearance as a human, he’s not. He’s something wholly alien, a creature where the concept of “friendship” truly didn’t exist. The slight would come from human understanding, not from his innate one. So, he continues. ]
I would be a poor demon were I not a villain, I would say. So, I shall be frank. I expect that she will retaliate, as my estimation would not have her break over something so simple. I have no problem with this on its face. I only give the gentle warning to you, her friend, that each of my responses will be more villainous than the last. I do not say this as a braggart, as I hope you understand.
[ There’s not even a hint of it in his words, and in a demon’s twisted way, it’s a sign of respect both to Akua and to Hayame to say so. But it’s also chilling, at least for someone not used to dealing with his kind. That he would call what he had already done simple would seem like cruel understatement, but to him, it is. There is so much more he could have done. Could do. You never start a game with your best hand of cards, after all. ]
However, I do have my own interests to protect. This is a negotiation. [ Calling back to their earlier conversation. ] I would merely ask your oath to ensure my Shard not be shattered. Within reason, of course. I would not ask undue sacrifice of you or entangle you in the logistics of playing protector. Merely to act as you did during the trial of the Iconoclast Oracle. If she should wish to shatter my Shard, stay her hand. In exchange, you may make a request of me.
[ And she surely knows, what he asks isn’t exactly a small thing. A demon’s oath was not simply one’s word. It was a curse, at least if broken… Or even considered to be broken, sometimes. It’s why he offers her something he knows she’d have difficulty refusing. It’s his equivalent of a blank check. ]
Depending on that request, I may add caveats, of course. But that is the negotiatory part.
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So, her further answer comes as a surprise.
His surprise is expressed as a short, but genuine laugh, but not the polite, genteel sort that he so often gives. It’s not necessarily that this one is more honest, since it’s not as if the other is disingenuous… But it is taking off a mask. ]
Forgive me… Your first answer means I did not expect the second. But admittedly, friendship is something I understand far less than pride.
[ This could be interpreted as a slight, and maybe it is, but it’s not untrue. For all of his posturing and his very carefully crafted appearance as a human, he’s not. He’s something wholly alien, a creature where the concept of “friendship” truly didn’t exist. The slight would come from human understanding, not from his innate one. So, he continues. ]
I would be a poor demon were I not a villain, I would say. So, I shall be frank. I expect that she will retaliate, as my estimation would not have her break over something so simple. I have no problem with this on its face. I only give the gentle warning to you, her friend, that each of my responses will be more villainous than the last. I do not say this as a braggart, as I hope you understand.
[ There’s not even a hint of it in his words, and in a demon’s twisted way, it’s a sign of respect both to Akua and to Hayame to say so. But it’s also chilling, at least for someone not used to dealing with his kind. That he would call what he had already done simple would seem like cruel understatement, but to him, it is. There is so much more he could have done. Could do. You never start a game with your best hand of cards, after all. ]
However, I do have my own interests to protect. This is a negotiation. [ Calling back to their earlier conversation. ] I would merely ask your oath to ensure my Shard not be shattered. Within reason, of course. I would not ask undue sacrifice of you or entangle you in the logistics of playing protector. Merely to act as you did during the trial of the Iconoclast Oracle. If she should wish to shatter my Shard, stay her hand. In exchange, you may make a request of me.
[ And she surely knows, what he asks isn’t exactly a small thing. A demon’s oath was not simply one’s word. It was a curse, at least if broken… Or even considered to be broken, sometimes. It’s why he offers her something he knows she’d have difficulty refusing. It’s his equivalent of a blank check. ]
Depending on that request, I may add caveats, of course. But that is the negotiatory part.