[ PERMANENT. ] a (k)atch-all log for kenos

[dawnlord]

WHO: Set ( redsoil ), Bondrewd ( dawnlord ), Drizzt ( twohand ), et. al
WHAT: i actually can't stand month-by-month logs so i'm gonna crush my boys into one perma-log for anything outside of events
WHERE & WHEN: Listed in comment headers, or under the cut.
WARNINGS: General warnings for violence, vulgarity and unethical science. Will update/comment with warnings!


I struggle so hard w/ month-by-month logs, so y'all have to deal with my weird organization...

— [MARCH | SET] GOT NO SHAME, GOT NO PRIDE

Comments

[cutlery]

[ There may be part of this dinner that has ulterior motives, but the intention is at least ultimately more benign. Getting to see what Bondrewd really is underneath all of his layers is something Sebastian is intensely curious about, but simply asking felt like he might not receive a satisfying answer. So, this at least partially works, though as usual, learning more about Bondrewd also means creating more questions in its wake…

or maybe this is how they bang, pure curiosity on sebastian’s part of “WHAT ARE YOU”, ]

Ah, thank you very much. I hope it will be to your liking and meet the criteria we had discussed!

[ He had enjoyed the extra challenge of it, unsurprisingly. But as Bondrewd greets the cat, Sebastian’s smile turns fond and warm as he gives him a little nod. ]

This is Farnese, and Cesare is around here somewhere… I am sure you will meet him as well. [ He laughs as he steps into the kitchen, and smoothly grabs his pristinely white chef’s apron from the hook. He wouldn’t wear it while doing his greeting, of course. ] And my dear Sveinn is upstairs, as he is a bit more unruly when food is involved… Ah, but I shall introduce you before the end of the evening. I imagine you will find him quite interesting.

[dawnlord]

[ oh yeah maybe this is how they bang before an aphro event!!!! ]

I believe it would be appropriate to eat first, in gratitude for your work, before I begin to fall into old habits — I will work for days without end, if I am invested in a topic. Teaching you, I feel, will be one of those topics.

[ The weight of his tail arches and waves, a flowing ribbon of segmented metal and faintly glowing violet light. It moves slowly while he does, a heavy thing that appears connected by elegant panel and bolt to the long line of his spine, the underlying metal of Canopy Unto Dawn a seemingly seamless part of his anatomy. There is really no way of telling how he might remove it, or even if it is not the base structure of his anatomy!

( Except he does apparently have flesh, or the simulation of such, upon his hands. ) ]

Hello Farnese.

[ He greets the cat dutifully, with as neutral a tone as he speaks to Rio — whom he is sure Sebastian knows of, since they are both working under Silco's order. The dark line of his gloved hand chucks under the kitty's chin, before he simply picks the creature up and settles it into the curve of his arm, to follow Sebastian into the kitchen. ]

Will you be dining with me, Mister Michaelis? I am curious about what sort of nutrients a body like yours requires, and how it remains so hale and healthy — you would be the envy of immortality-seekers everywhere. In fact, I would also love some samples of your anatomy to test my work upon... [ and he rambles, calmly and melodically and without malice at all! ]

[cutlery]

[ Sebastian just curious what his dick looks like I mean— ]

Ah, I understand completely! I am prone to the same sort of bad habit, though I suppose with as busy as I like to keep myself, it also at least requires constantly rotating focuses to finish them all.

[ Sebastian laughs warmly, both at a shared love of work and just a touch of simple, genuine fondness as Bondrewd picks up Farnese. It’s for the cat and not the man, of course, but. With the connection of Stargazers, it’s still a notable difference in the cool, dark calm that is usually Sebastian’s mind.

In the kitchen, Sebastian heads back to the counter and reaches into a nearby pot to flour the surface before he takes out some dough that’s sitting in a bowl and starts to roll it out. He’ll save the explanation of the dinner itself for when it’s all done, since he doesn’t mind indulging Bondrewd’s curiosity about his own side of things for now. ]

If you would think it strange to dine alone, I do not mind, but in truth, all of the food that I make tastes incredibly foul to me. Taste is not a sense I have perfected, though truthfully, I do not wish to. There is something to be said for retaining what is truly my sense of it.

[ Plus, he just likes the irony. Considering his love of incredibly gourmet cooking, it’s definitely funny that he would prefer not to eat even a bite. ]

My form is something I am able to shape completely as I wish. I take a human one because it is most convenient, and this particular appearance is simple the one I have figured out over the centuries as… Hm, let us call it the most “efficient”, essentially. [ Not in any mechanical way, though. He’s slyly referring to his truly unnatural beauty. ] So, I would not be opposed if you would like a sample, actually. I would find the results somewhat interesting myself, as all of the biology that makes me up is not strictly necessary. I breathe and haver a beating hard because it would be strange not to, not for any need.

[dawnlord]

[ opens mouth, closes it

]

I would not find it strange in the least, Mister Michaelis. Such a judgment on the nature of your being is an impossibility for me, though some people have found my words — unfortunately mocking, to their ears. They find me a flatterer, or a peddler of false camaraderie. It is adorable, to see so much hostility alongside the desire for understanding. This world is full of such complexity and splendor.

[ With Farnese now draped over his arm like a towel cloth, he continues to lightly stroke the cat while observing Sebastian's preparatory work and cooking. The demon is such a joy to watch, especially performing work that he is familiarized to — work that elicits a number of questions within him. Why had Sebastian learned such skills? What does he feel for what he creates? Does he take pride more in the learning of things, or the application of what he has learned? A sea of simple questions that would inevitably lead into deeper conversation, hovering along the dark film of their Aspected connection.

It's impossible to mistake Bondrewd's warmth for something born of emotion, when it is entirely born of rationality and logic. A curiosity that stretches toward the unknown. ]

Perhaps we could find a way to streamline your presentation. I am sure you will learn much about the nervous system through the lessons, too. It is a complex system within any thing born with it, and takes more forms than just nerves and synapses. It coordinates actions to environmental stimuli. Why, were I to strike your elbow like so —

[ And without warning, he sharply knocks the back of his armored hand in the precise spot upon Sebastian's elbow where the ulnar nerve would be. In a human, or humanoid, striking such a spot would immediately cause weakness of the limb, the pins-and-needles sensation of a nerve overloaded with sensation. He has already postulated that Sebastian won't flinch in the slightest. ]

I suspect your form would not register it in the same way another's might. Your body, when you showed it to me, seemed to have more in common with an arthropod. Capable of experiencing stimuli, but for different needs. Your evolutionary line did not need to react to the environment in the same way as a human would, but it did develop for certain purposes. No matter how occultic some view your origins, you were made with a purpose in mind.

[cutlery]

[ Honestly, Bondrewd is the only case where Sebastian finds the connection of Stargazers tolerable. Calling it pleasant would still be a stretch, since he’s fiercely protective and guarded over his truest thoughts and feelings, but at least in this case, he has nothing in that realm to hide. As he tosses a ball of dough onto the counter and grabs a rolling pin to start rolling it flat, his own mind is dark, calm contentment. Simple curiosity is a fine compliment to it.

(Though for Bondrewd, there is that incredibly faint feeling reminiscent of the darkest parts of the Abyss, that something dangerous lay waiting in that dark—But for now, it’s quiet.) ]

You know, at times you sound like a demon, Mr. Bondrewd. At the very least, how you consider the world is not unlike our own.

[ It could be an insult to some, but he’s sure it isn’t to Bondrewd. It’s just an objective observation, since, well, that’s what made it similar, wasn’t it? Bondrewd looked at the world through a harshly rational lens, and it was the same one a demon applied. Sebastian may seem more human than him in many ways, but it was only because taking on a human disposition deeply benefited him. If it did not, they would be much closer.

The physical aspect was similar, of course. He looked perfectly human (too perfectly, even), but when it comes to details, well… That’s where the disguise didn’t hold up as well. Sebastian does give Bondrewd a curious glance as he mentions “striking”, but indeed, when Bondrewd so precisely hits the area, there’s nothing. Sebastian just looks perplexed since he’s not sure what response he was supposed to have given.

…It’s something he’ll have to try out on someone else later. For research, of course. ]

Well, I cannot disagree with the assessment. Of course, “evolution” is certainly not the same for my kind as it would be something mortal… But our purpose does tend towards the philosophical. To be opposed to all that is “good” is not the most satisfying purpose so far as mortal conception goes, and I imagine it is not in this case either. But if there is any commonality amongst my kind, it is certainly that.

[ That’s the explanation that he tends to simply give, but as he considers it from what interests Bondrewd—of question of biology and the like—he hums thoughtfully. He’s not sure if it applies, but in itself, that’s interesting, isn’t it? ]

Truth be told, I do not know if there is any sort of category we fit into as living beings. We do not reproduce, we are generally quite hostile to each other, and most conventional markers of life do not apply... And even among demons, there is a large diversity. Most are little more than beasts, and it is rare for even those more intelligent to have true immortality or such a diversity of skill as I. We are our own taxonomy, I suppose.

[dawnlord]

[ While not at all a sentimental man — at least, not in the most traditional or correct form of the word — he must admit that being around Sebastian felt deeply, wonderfully, like being back home in the Abyss. The alien quality of his mind, the unknowable ethereality of his body, the logic and ration of his bearing were all far more familiar to him than not. It makes him wonder — if he had been able to delve into the depths, would he have come to find entities like this creature before him? Certainly, the observable abilities of a Turbinid-Dragon to prioritize targets, heedless of their edible quality, and treat their meals sadistically was similar to what Sebastian had professed about himself.

By now, Farnese has likely wedged that fuzzy little body somewhere around Bondrewd's shoulders. A nice warm spot, between the back of his helm and the broad line of his back, leaving his hands free to fold together, attention bouncing between conversation and the motion of the preparations before him. His voice a low thrum, as he tips his head respectfully to Sebastian: ] Perhaps, to those who once existed, I was to them — what you truly are. There is a certain degree of derivation, in being called a "demon" when the origin of such a term stands before me.

[ Surely, the word had been thrown around in reference to him.

He takes no offense, in the end! ]

You would be a unique category, if you are — at all — something that can be classified as 'living' in the first place. Philosophically, you are "alive". You exist, you function, you even seem to possess a soul. On an existential level, any scholar of semantics might classify you as such. Much study has gone into the human body, after all. Enough so that even you can study, research, adopt its basic functions and observable traits... but, are you able to examine yourself in such a way? Or were you "born" knowing every inch of what you are capable of?

[cutlery]

[ Sebastian nods lightly with a little pursing of his lips that says “fair enough”, since from all he’s learned of Bondrewd and his activities in his own world, it was no surprise that he might earn the term. It’s vastly different to Sebastian, truthfully… But calling a mortal a “demon” can be an apt metaphor at times. It suits Bondrewd in some ways, but not others. He’s quite amiable, most notably.

Which may be an ironic thing to Sebastian to think as he so carefully, dutifully rolls out dough for a precisely prepared meal. Yet, it’s the motivation that differs between them. Bondrewd’s amiability is perfectly genuine, but Sebastian it’s little more than acting, albeit acting that he’s incredibly dedicated to. ]

That is where the definition becomes a bit muddier, or perhaps it’s that it simply becomes more philosophical.

[ He grabs a round dough cutter and starts to cut out pieces of the dough. Apparently, a kind of pastry or hand-pie is on the menu. It accomplishes the task of making the meal portable! ]

Demons are not “born”, or at least not without stretching the definition of what the word means. We simply come into being fully formed and with all the knowledge necessary to exist in our realm. Our realm also has little in the way of its own history or its markers, so what comes before we exist is a nebulous thing at best. By my perception, I simply always have Been. [ The stress on the word is because he means it in the theological sense more than the literal, but. ] Though I am old, even for a demon, and my abilities have changed over the eons, it is always something I have understood.

[ …Though, paradoxically, he also hates calling himself old. There’s just a twinge of what might be cringing to admit it, but he’s trying to explain this objectively. And objectively speaking… He’s ancient. ]

There are some cultures within the world that understand my kind more as a force of nature, more akin to fire or lightning than to a living, breathing being. It is not perfect, of course, but of all explanations for what we are… I do find that one to be most fitting. The religious frameworks that surround us are merely painted upon that base.