hadriel | 006 [Video]

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006 [Video]

So uh... Hey everyone. Again.

[He could probably get a better opening line, but whatever. Moving on.]

I know like, a bunch of people just arrived so... Welcome, I guess. We're still working on the newbie's guide to waking up in a cave-city run by gods, but until then like, if you have any questions I can try and help? Also uh, it's probably safe at this point and we're just being paranoid, but you may want to avoid eating any meat products you find here. For reasons.

[MOVING ON.]

Also uh, sort of related, but I was thinking that maybe before next month we should really... Plan some way to help out? I mean, people just sort of show up and half the time there's monsters too, and... Maybe some sort of organized thing for helping the new people not get like, eaten or whatever would be a good idea.

[This is not exactly his area of expertise, so if other people want to take charge on this he's more than happy to let them, but otherwise he'll try and figure something out. It really seems like something important to get established.]

In uh, a rare moment of good news though, the whole coffee thing worked out. So if you want coffee there's some at Delight's bar now, though you'll have to like... Be kind of patient with me and the others being possibly terrible baristas. Still kind of getting the hang of the whole thing.

[But surely coffee itself is well worth any less-than-practiced customer service; they're at least pretty good at making coffee, including somewhat elaborate drinks, and as far as Chris is aware they're all trying. That's what counts, right?

Right?]

I think that's about it, except for that like... If anyone's curious, the handheld games from the arena this month are just normal games. I thought maybe they'd be some sort of weird alien-versions of them, but I guess not; I took one apart and it was all the expected stuff inside it.

That said I'm totally betting I can beat anyone's high scores.

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Competition isn't fun.

[ Frowning so suspiciously. ]

All of competition in nature is survival. The strongest, the fittest, the fastest. Is there something wrong with playing a game because you enjoy it?

[He's about to argue that video games provide pretty much no measure of real-world skill to be competing about, but then he remembers that it's probably because of video games that he can shoot a gun at all, let alone well. So nevermind.]

Well, no, there's nothing wrong with playing a game just for fun. But after awhile there's not a lot of challenge left to just playing alone, you know?

I don't play them for the challenge, either. I enjoy them, and it seems like a productive use of my time.

[ Sure. Productive. Who's fiddling while Rome burns? This guy. ]

If you just play them to enjoy them then that's cool too; I mean, everyone here can afford to have some fun. Which ones do you have?

[Because that seems like a good way to steer the conversation.]

There's one where you drive a car around obstacles in the road, and another... Perhaps you can shed some light on this for me--why is the orange so intent on devouring the other fruit, and why are the avocado ghosts so eager to prevent it from doing so?

[He laughs a little at the description.]

There's no good explanation for these kinds of games' plots. Kind of have to suspend disbelief and just go with it.

I find it difficult to suspend disbelief where it comes to aggressive fruit. Or ghosts, for that matter, although they at least I found to be in character, even if the sprite designs were completely out of fashion with the appearance of real ghosts.

The colors were nice, however. I liked the colors.

Aggressive fruit is harder to believe than being here?

[That's hard to imagine, but then again he knows the whole video game thing can be kind of incredible to people who aren't already used to them.]

If you liked the colors it's too bad we don't have like, the really powerful game consoles here or anything. Games on them can be really amazing to look at.

Well, yes. Falling into a pocket universe... Well, it's common knowledge that there are places you can tumble into where it's somewhat harder to climb back out. It's the climbing back out which is the trick, you see.

[ So that's maybe helpful in the means of judging what his approach to all of this is. He looks hopeful. ]

What about board games? Or...playing cards?

[Huh. That's interesting; he knows some people here have more experience with this sort of thing, but that level of 'more' varies. This is definitely the most casual, but if that casualness is for a reason...]

Yeah. That makes sense. Does this sort of thing like... Actually happen where you're from?

[He considers the question a moment.]

There's a really wide variety of just like, stuff you can find in the shops. You could probably find playing cards or board games, or maybe ask Delight about them? She'd probably trade you something.

[Seems like something that might be worth it to her.]

Yes, but I usually have a little more control of it. Influence. But god seems to trump angel, in this case. It's something to consider, I suppose.

[ Just as before, he says it nonchalantly, like it's not a big deal. It isn't. The people here have accepted that these supposed gods brought them here, so he's not worrying so much about not identifying himself. In the grand scheme of things, it's just less important. ]

What sort of thing to people usually trade? What is it the gods want that they can't simply take for themselves?

[Chris has gotten pretty used to all the weird stuff here, and to people having supernatural powers or being something other than human or whatever, and it doesn't really bother him anymore as long as they aren't trying to hurt anyone. But he hasn't heard anything about angels, and so that's enough to give him pause for a moment.]

Wait, angel?

[He's half disbelieving and half curious, and the latter will win out soon enough.]

Usually it's just like... Extra, of whatever they're already wanting. So like, Delight basically just traded us coffee in return for us serving it to people and making them happy. So like, more power for her than she would've had otherwise, basically.

[And Delight is definitely the god he's least concerned about the consequences for powering up.[]

Yes. Yes, angel. Like--

[ And he is the most ridiculous, because he makes little wing gestures with his hands, and then puts them together as though in prayer, and rolls his eyes upward as though in sincere reverence, and it's all pretty freaking comical.

But then he's right back to soft, encouraging smiling. ]

You haven't considered that, perhaps, it might be unwise to have too much of a good thing? Gods, in my experience, are prone to fits of jealousy--they don't like to be... Um. Elbowed out.

[...Castiel what are those gestures supposed to be. But okay, Chris gets the point, even if he's still having a little trouble reconciling the person he's talking to with the concept of Biblical angels.

But okay, sure. Weirder things have happened, so he'll just... Accept this, at least for now.]

Okay. Well, um, sort of, but I guess it's just... Kind of worth it? Yeah, there might be some downside, but I'd rather give her extra power than give it to like, Rage or Fear. And I mean, I don't think either of them is like... Not doing something that they'd then do out of jealousy? They seem to just do whatever they want whenever they want and can.

[ Castiel nods, thoughtfully. He has to agree with the logic, after all, because if it were his choice to feed fear or desire (it pretty much isn't, not even a little bit), he'd help Desire out every time.

But he hums to himself, thoughtfully, and muses out loud. ] --And perhaps they'll learn from whatever mistakes they made last time.

[He pauses a moment.]

You mean like... Whatever happened to make Hope have to bring all of them but Fear back to life?

[Because he's been wondering about that.]

Is that what happened? Then yes, that. There must have been a reason.

Yeah. We don't know exactly what it was, but something happened that left all the gods but Hope and Fear dead, I guess? And also wiped out all the uh, people or beings or whatever that were here before us. I dunno if they happened at the same time or not.

[But he'll guess they're probably related.]

Dead, or at least gone because there was no one here to worship them.

Maybe that was the cause of it; I mean, who knows what happens if they don't get any emotions from people?

That's how things were for creatures such as them in the world I came from, at least.

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006 [Video]

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