[OPEN] Now Please Excuse My Sudden Interest

[lonelysmiles]

Who: Alastor and you!
Which: Log or Interactive Dream depending on prompt, Open
Where: Depends on prompt
What: Open log for August.
Warnings: It's Alastor who is a literal demon from Hell which is not a nice place. Also potential sensitive issues if people decide to grab the "Nightmare Walking" prompt.


[Nightmare Walking]

Nightmares truly were fascinating things. They allowed a peek into the deepest, most private thoughts of the dreamer. Like how a Hellish demon's body reflected what had been hidden beneath the skin in life along with their punishments.

It was one more reason why Alastor enjoyed walking in others' nightmares, the dark and twisted "fantasies" an unending source of entertainment. But if the game started to get dull, he would step in. Where was the fun of a broken performer, after all?



[Glitching]

The glitching had slowed down some thanks to the Moon Crystals, but he was needing to go to the kirin oases at least twice a week now to cleanse them.

It was getting louder and more noticeable, too. The high-pitched whining started at near-maximum volume nowadays. He took slow, shuddering breaths as he fought the urge to be sick. The sound threatened to split his skull in two. He sat in the darkest corner he could find, his shadow friends trying desperately to further block out the light as he held a Moon Crystal between his palms, doing his best to pour the noise and glitch into it.

He wasn't even sure where he was right now. All that mattered was trying to ease the pain.



[Spicy Foods/Spicy Food Challenge]

"Oh, these are absolutely delightful!"

Alastor deliberately scooped up another of the Devil's peppers directly into his mouth before turning back to his bowl of...what had they called it again? "Raw men?" (What a silly name! There clearly weren't any people in this dish, men or women!) He was using a spoon and fork since chopsticks weren't exactly easy with his claws.

He finished the bowl and daintily wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"Delicious! My complements to the chef! Quite frankly, I'm tempted to order another bowl!" He turned to the person next to him. "What do you think?"



[Sharktopusnado]

Alastor's ears flattened with irritation and disappointment as he loomed over the director. "What do you mean 'illusions'? There are real sharktopi out there ready for the taking! I'm sure they'd be thrilled to help with the realism!"



[Stalker Corgi]

Alastor was used to having eyes on him but there was something very unnerving watching him. If he turned around quick enough, he'd spot the source watching, waiting, biding its time. The vile creature had selected him as its prey. It would only be a matter of time before it chose to claim its victim.

To everyone else? It was just Aerona, a little red corgi, who'd apparently decided that the deer demon was the most friend-shaped thing she'd ever seen. The little darling was sneaking about, just trying to get close.



[Wildcard]
((OOC: Bring your own prompt!))

Comments

[lonelysmiles]

"I have no idea what that metaphor means exactly but I can get the gist of it."

Someone hasn't seen a "picture show" since the early 1930's.

"I suppose you're welcome. However, I must say I'm surprised."

[itsgunnabe_mei]

Another head-tilt. "Why? ... Oh, because I took so long to understand? Satan clued me in, it was thanks to him I understood what you were really doing."

[lonelysmiles]

"Because you're thanking me, dear."

Because nobody thanks him. He's the radio demon. Best to run away before he tricks you into a Deal.

"And what did Satan tell you?"

[itsgunnabe_mei]

Because he did a good thing for her? What does not compute?

"Well, he was like 'wow so you and Alastor are good, I'm glad!' and I was like 'why wouldn't we be good'? And he was like 'oh Alastor told me things might be weird because of something he did'! See, up until then, I thought what happened on the beach was a nightmare. He's the one who told me it was actually REAL real."

[lonelysmiles]

"...You thought it was just a nightmare."

Seriously? Seriously?! It was almost insulting!

[itsgunnabe_mei]

"Well, since I woke up after it happened, I thought it was a pretty good guess?" She shrugged helplessly. She had fainted, after all.

[lonelysmiles]

"Oh applesauce," he muttered under his breath.

He should've known that was a mistake, but he hadn't been comfortable just leaving the girl there where she could've drowned when the tide rolled in.

Louder, he said, "Well, my dear, now that you're aware it was real, where does that leave us now?"

[itsgunnabe_mei]

"What do you mean?" Mei raised her eyebrows. "Oh, your lessons? You were right, I definitely shouldn't take them. But Satan's gunna teach me some stuff instead, mostly about how to handle dreamotion."

[lonelysmiles]

Alastor raised an eyebrow. "You're still risking learning magic from a demon, you know."

[itsgunnabe_mei]

"A demon you consider to be way weaker." Mei wagged a finger playfully. "And with no soul offering, time-sacrificing, or any kind of contracts or loopholes I can mess with. The only thing he's getting is the occasional panda hug."

And to be honest, she'd be offering those up without question. Getting a hot guy to hug her? She'll take any route to get that!

[lonelysmiles]

"Oh I view him as weaker because he doesn't behave like a demon, but I digress." He gave a bemused smile at the panda hug comment. "Ah, so that's your payment!"

[itsgunnabe_mei]

"So we're all good in the hood!" Mei cheerfully proclaimed, and then offered a hand to shake. All's well that ends well!

... Except -

"By the way, when did you get a dog?"

[lonelysmiles]

"She isn't mine. She's been hunting me for weeks now."

His ears twitched backwards slightly as he looked down at the corgi.

Aerona wiggled with glee at being acknowledged.

[itsgunnabe_mei]

"Hunting?" Mei looked down at the corgi who didn't look like it could even squish an ant. "Awww, c'mon, she likes you! I bet she just wants to give you all kinds of sloppy kisses!" Then lightly and playfully nudging Alastor's chest. "Kinda like Angel!"

[lonelysmiles]

"Is that supposed to make me like her more?" Alastor asked with dry humor. "It's not working."

He glanced down at the corgi who panted up at him.

"The problem is she hasn't gotten it through her skull that I've no love of her species."

[itsgunnabe_mei]

Huh, thought that would at least get a little chuckle out of him.

"... More of a cat person?"

[lonelysmiles]

That actually earned a snort of amusement. "While I do feel that cats are far superior to dogs, no, that isn't the reason. But simply telling you? Oh that's no fun at all!"

He slowly turned in a circle, his shadow slipping around him, as he moved to avoid Aerona's attempted affections.

"Every sinner's body tells a story, my dear! Not just how they lived, but also how they died!"

He turned his head around a full 180 degrees to look at her.

"Let's see if you can guess what story mine tells, hmm?"

[itsgunnabe_mei]

Mei blinked rapidly a bit, confused. Some of this wasn't making sense.

"Wait, you have to die in order to become a demon?" She asked. "I thought you were, like, born one?"

She also wasn't quite sure she wanted to hear how a friend of hers died, thank you very much! Though she had a sneaking suspicion this was attempt #2 at him to do that whole dumb "push you away so you won't get hurt" tsundere stupidity.

[lonelysmiles]

Alastor clicked his tongue, waggling his finger. "Darling, you clearly haven't been paying attention. While there are natural-born demons -- Hellborn like Charlie -- neither Angel nor I are among them. We're sinners, those who turned our backs on the rules handed down by our Creator in life and therefore surrendered our right to Heaven. And Hell is bursting at the seams with us, so much so that there's an annual extermination to thin our numbers."

And that was one reason why he'd done his best to scare the girl: To make her understand that he paid the ultimate price of learning that magic.

[itsgunnabe_mei]

Huh. It was hard to imagine Alastor or Angel doing anything bad enough to warrant that sort of punishment and transformation - and she didn't wanna know about it either! ... Though hearing they exterminated people... who were already dead... that was... buh?

"Y'know, I hope whatever we've got in my world for the afterlife isn't nearly as confusing."

[lonelysmiles]

"What's not to understand, Miss Mei?" Alastor began pacing around the girl. "When humans die, if they violate the laws of their Creator, they get sent to Hell and become demons to be punished, presumably for all eternity. But given how dreadfully overpopulated Hell is, angels come down once a year to slaughter as any of us as they can."

He leaned over her, palm up to conjure a little version of himself in green flame.

"And when that happens..."

He crushed the flame version of himself in his claws, reopening them to show nothing left.

"...we're gone for good."

[itsgunnabe_mei]

On the one hand, this knowledge and the little show was thoroughly creeping her out. On the other hand, she knew he was creeping her out on purpose. Even if this was all true and Alastor had done something bad enough to become what he was, that didn't mean he was 100% evil. Redemption arcs are a thing! But she was wising up to the fact if she actually said that, he'd squash that theory flat in seconds.

Like with most of her negative emotions, she kept that sucker inside.

"So, hot guess, but did you try any of that shadowy glowy stuff to the dog here, and that didn't work in scaring them off?"

[lonelysmiles]

Mei was learning!

Alastor's ears twitched backwards in irritation. "She's annoyingly persistent."

So yes.

[itsgunnabe_mei]

She is an honors student!

"So, just like me." Mei couldn't help but quip, but she was still going to try and help. "How about fetch? Or food? Either one of those work out?"

[lonelysmiles]

"Fetch doesn't work for long. She goes back to the tree she's been staying at before we met -- presumably to get fed and have a proper bed -- but then she'll be back. And if I teleport away, she uses that nose of hers to track me down. I might get an hour or two of respite before she finds me."

Aerona panted happily. It was such a fun game her friend played with her!