nice to meet you (closed)

[galdorleod]

WHO: Howl and Sebastian
WHAT: A demon and a wizard try to navigate the very weird connection thrust upon them by having the same Legacy. The unexpected happens in more ways than one.
WHERE: The outskirts of the Achamoth entertainment district
WHEN: Evening after the Kenoma welcoming communion (Firaseri 10th)
WARNINGS: None anticipated.


The sun has dipped below the horizon and its lingering light is fading fast. Soon, the entertainment district will come alive, peddling to Achamites a neverending supply of food, drugs, violence and sex. Since becoming an Aion, Howl has partaken in the city's celebrated vices far, far more than he ever did back home, and considering the host of peculiar topics weighing on his mind tonight, he feels some temptation to indulge again. But, no — unlike the typical day, he may actually be able to learn something that could assuage his worries by coming out tonight to meet this particular guest, and for once, he arrives on time at the agreed-upon location.

Howl is dressed in black, having taken a liking lately to the city's favored color. A shawl made from opalescent black feathers is pulled over his shoulders and hangs down past his waist. It matches the feathers on his face and arms. After two weeks of trying to hide the remnants of his last transformation that refused to leave his body, the wizard has mustered enough denial to embrace them instead. And it helps that his companion tonight, the demon Sebastian, never knew him before those changes to his body occurred, relieving Howl of the stress of uncomfortable questions.

A prickle in the back of his consciousness announces Sebastian's arrival before Howl lays eyes on him. It makes him shiver — really going to have to get used to this shared Legacy thing — but he steps away from the brick wall he's been leaning against to look around the darkening street corner, searching for the other man with both eyes and mind.

Comments

[galdorleod]

"I have a feeling they'll come around to your unique charms soon enough," Howl says with a laugh, although he's enjoying the compliment more than he lets on. Settling back into his seat, the folds his hands on the table and studies Sebastian curiously.

"I sense..." he begins slowly. "I sense that you're feeling a bit... mystified, is it?"

At that moment, a server trots up to their table, carrying a large bottle and two frosty glasses. Despite being as scantily dressed as the hostesses, this person is not clearly male or female — which itself seems to be the intended eroticism. They seem to be just as familiar with Howl as the rest of them, having brought the wizard's preferred label without him having to ask.

Howl nods his head to the server, quietly asks them for "his usual nosh," and waits until they are out of earshot to look back to Sebastian.

"... If that is the right word. 'Mystified,' that is. I can't tell about what exactly, but you don't seem to be uncomfortable in our current surroundings." Now, his gaze is soft and sympathetic. "Is it what I said earlier? About my old friend?"

[cutlery]

Sebastian does take a moment to settle himself as he sits more comfortably and very slightly less rigidly. His formality is second nature to him at this point, but it at least seems like he's capable of relaxing. A little. So he laughs easily, if softly in return to Howl's own and gives a bit of a helpless shrug. Clearly this isn't the sort of establishment that's completely unfamiliar to him, though perhaps not in this particular aesthetic.

As Howl asks, Sebastian's wry expression shifts in turn to one that's a little more contemplative. He knows an answer, but the server coming to do their work does give him a moment to consider it further. Their appearance also catches his eye briefly, but more in a sort of curious interest than anything else. It's all about the same to him, after all, so long as they're nice to look at, naturally.

The answer comes with thoughtful hum first, but he nod after a moment. "Surprised, certainly, but 'mystified' is not too bad a word either. A mortal calling a demon a friend while knowing what they are is near unheard of. Or at least it certainly is for you to have known them since childhood. An association with a demon rarely lasts so long in the first place."

His years long arrangement with Ciel had been a bit of an odd one, and that was only four. He hadn't been expecting it would end up going past five, if only because of Ciel's personality and circumstances, especially just before all of this mess.

"You did you fear this Calcifer?" he simply asks.

[galdorleod]

Howl's eyes grow wide, making his smile look distinctly giddy.

"Fear — Fear him? Fear Calcifer?"

Howl can't help it. He bursts into laughter, earnest and genuine in his amusement, and clearly not laughing at Sebastian but at his question.

"Oh — if Calcifer were here —" Howl stutters through the end of his laughter. "Oh... I can hardly imagine what he'd say, hearing you ask a question like that. Ahh..."

The hearty laugh is evidence of something that's becoming more and more apparent as their night goes on: Howl is regaining some of his usual energy and mirth. Why is still unclear, even to Howl, but their conversation so far certainly seems to be contributing to his in good spirits.

"To give you a proper answer, no... I never did fear Calcifer, not even at the beginning. It was I who sought him out, you see... Ignoring all the common knowledge and warnings of how dangerous demons are, and how unwise it was to..."

To contract with them, he was about to say. But Howl stops — because he was about to say it. How... odd? That should be impossible. The smile on his face wavers ever so slightly, and unavoidably, the end of his trailed-off sentence leaks out of his mind.

[cutlery]

The laughter gets Sebastian's expression to tighten, though it's in confusion rather than any offense. He's met people that are more intrigued by demons than afraid of them, but fear was always present too. There was a part of it that Sebastian had always felt was something deeper and more instinctual for humans, after all. Even if their rational mind might absolutely want to call forth a demon, there was some animal part of them that would still shy away once they met them.

He wonders if perhaps this Calcifer had simply been of a similar inclination as he was now, and Howl had never seen its true being. After all, the form that he was taking was no more a reality than Sebastian was his name. It was simply more pleasant for humans to talk to a handsome visage that matched their own rather than a black mass of countless eyes and mouths.

...Or perhaps the demons of Howl's world were more docile. It's strange to consider, and it has him more inclined to believe the first idea more.

But catching that unsaid sentence, Sebastian is drawn away from his own thoughts on the matter. He cants his head lightly as he finishes the sentence himself, though with his own term for the process, "How unwise it is to form a covenant with them?"

[galdorleod]

All amusement is gone from Howl's face now. He knows Sebastian likely sensed the second half of his incomplete statement, but this doesn't explain how close Howl had been to saying it himself. And now, in this uncomfortable pause, it is starting to dawn on him that this looseness, this comfort he's had discussing Calcifer thus far, has been there since he was waiting out on the street corner.

"...Yes," he says slowly, looking down at the table with furrowed brows. "Yes, I... I made a contract with him, when I was just a child. We had a contract."

There it is again. The chains around his tongue are... simply not there. For over a decade, they have always been there, ever-present and unassailable. It is almost paralyzing in its miraculousness, to the degree that Howl cannot believe it, and yet...

"He was — he was about to die. I caught him as he fell from the sky. I was just curious if the stories about shooting stars were true, but... He said that if I let him go, he would die, and he begged me... he begged me to let him go. But I didn't want to. So I..."

If Howl still had his heart, it would be pounding in his chest. Maybe it still is, somewhere, in the dust left behind by his obliterated world. With no heart to contain it, emotion is filling his entire body, from head to the tips of his toes and fingers. A sudden and urgent feeling of both wonder and shock, beginning to creep towards the border of delirium.

"This is impossible," Howl suddenly blurts out, clutching his forehead. This is too much — how, what is...? Is it because Sebastian is a demon? No, he'd spoken to M before, alluded to it all, but at the time he still...

[cutlery]

Sebastian watches as Howl goes through processing this revelation, and at first, his expression is that of confusion, naturally. It's inherently unlike his own contracts from the start, but the source of Howl's actual distress is one he would never guess. It wasn't his right to impose restrictions in the first place, after all, nor would he. He would love for a human to speak freely of their sins, because it would only drag them down further into mire he craved. Where Howl's tale of making his contract sounds like one that could be in a fairytale, the ones that the demon across the table from him struck were only those born from the worst, darkest places of humanity.

Though that's not the only thing that strikes him. Despite the fairytale-like nature of it, the core of the story itself and how Howl speaks about it shocks him, really. A human caring enough about an injured creature to foolishly trust it wasn't surprising. But the soft emotion that comes with the story is what makes Sebastian think that perhaps Howl was friends with a demon. Even knowing of the different sorts of demons that may exist between worlds, it feels an impossibility. He can think of no other reason that a demon wouldn't have used that human weakness to save themselves and then cut the human down once they could. There mere thought of it is...

But whatever he may feel about that, it's lost in the absolute torrent of emotion that Howl unintentionally pushes Sebastian's way like a flood. Dull as his own perceptions of emotion are, the way Howl feels it so strongly is akin to turning on a flood light in a pitch black room. It really is bright in its intensity, and Sebastian's expression turns near pained in the face of it.

"You really feel things extraordinarily intensely, don't you," he can't help but to hiss out between lightly gritted teeth. He realizes his rudeness though, and with a click of his tongue, shakes his head both to dismiss it and to attempt to recompose himself. "I do believe you have lost me, though. It is... a strange story for a covenant, certainly. But what about this is so impossible?"

[galdorleod]

As exasperated as Sebastian feels about having to partake in Howl's overwhelming emotions in this moment, imagine how Howl feels. He's been like this for most of his life, and never able to tell anyone about it, or how it happened, or why. And yet, here he is, he's doing it — somehow, it's happening —

"It's true!" Howl cries suddenly, his hands balling into fists against his forehead and then thunking down loudly in the table. It might seem that he's completely ignored Sebastian's question and is talking to himself, but he picks his head up and stares directly at the demon sitting across from him. With eyes wide and lined with tears, and his mouth spread in an odd mix of a joyous grin and a flabbergasted grimace, he does not even notice the handful of restaurant employees who have noticed his escalating outburst.

"The contract! No, more of a curse it was, to us both!" he continues. "Neither of us could tell anyone! So that our wagers could each be protected — so that neither of us could seek help in getting out of our agreement!! But look — look at me, talking to you about it, right now! I could kiss you!!"

And Howl really seems to mean that. If there wasn't a table between them, Howl might have grasped his face in his hands right now, if only to have some outlet for the joy and disbelief overflowing inside him. His crazed grin lingers on the demon for another beat, and then he turns and looks directly at the gawking employees — one of whom is their androgynous server from a few minutes ago, holding the food Howl ordered but unsure if they should interrupt whatever it is that's going on.

"Well! What are you waiting for, my dear?! Bring it here! We are celebrating tonight!!"

The server slinks over, relieved to have been given some instruction. As they do, Howl gleefully pours champagne into his and Sebastian's glasses. He can feel the demon's confusion and annoyance, but he doesn't care. He'll explain the rest of it soon enough, answer whatever questions he has. This is incredible!

[cutlery]

Finally, there's an explanation, and to Sebastian's personal surprise it's... Not one he finds lacking, exactly. The way Howl's emotions wash over him is still something he dislikes, but the annoyance at least ebbs away. The contract that Howl had been pulled into was very much unlike the ones that Sebastian would form, but it gives him an objective understanding. Naturally escaping the curse of a covenant would be room for celebration. Of course, if it were more similar, Sebastian would certainly be feeling more sympathy for Calcifer than Howl.

"Well, that does explain it," he says more coolly, with "it" naturally being Howl's outburst. "I am surprised that you have only had it dissipate now... Though from the sounds of its terms, perhaps they were not so ever-present as the sort I strike. I do not make wagers, personally, but I can see how a vow of silence on the matter would make it fairer."

It's not an uncommon arrangement, just not Sebastian's particular preference. The contracts demons formed tended to fall into the category of wagers or wishes, so it's not a surprise in that sense. And actually, if it were a contract of wager, it makes a bit more sense to Sebastian that a demon might befriend a rival, especially if the terms of the wager were relatively low. He's curious about that, but as a champagne flute is filled, he takes it delicately.

For a moment, he just twirls the stem of it between his fingers before he breathes out a single-noted laugh. The remainders of his frustrations slip away, and he raises the glass to Howl with a light smile.

"Then to your newfound freedom, Mr. Howl," his smile turns wry as he offers, "May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live."

[galdorleod]

"To newfound freedom!" Howl declares loudly, clinking the edge of his champagne flute against Sebastian's and partaking in a long, indulgent sip. The champagne is dry without tasting bitter or excessively alcoholic — a crisp, refined selection for either a celebratory night out or a regular brand that Howl always orders here. Tonight, it just happens to be both.

After his long sip, Howl sets his flute back on the table and immediately refills it. It's going to be a good night.

"Not the kind of contract you'd normally form, you say?" he remarks curiously. If he can talk about this broad topic now, without any limitations, then he is going to. "The covenant of silence is very much a standard component of magical 'locks' in my world, whether they be binding two-way contracts or one-way curses. It is much easier to craft a method of removing such locks if you know what it is that they imprison, you see."

Howl holds out the bottle, offering to refill whatever portion of Sebastian's drink he has downed by now. "I've learned that demons can operate quite differently depending on the world that an Aion comes from, of course. Are the contracts you'd forge more unbreakable as a matter of course?"

[cutlery]

As the toast withdraws, Sebastian's sip of the champagne is much more modest. In part, it's just his strict manners at work, but it's just as much how acrid it tastes on his tongue. He can tell that it's perfectly fine, as sommelier is one of the many, many areas of expertise that Ciel had forced him into. It's simply the difficulty of some things in this human form merely being approximations, and taste was one of the most difficult to refine. As such, he simply holds up a hand genially as a refill is offered.

"How interesting. Silence is somewhat implicit in the sort of covenants I tend to strike, though it is more for the contractor's side of things. I am not able to exist in the human realm so easily as your Calcifer seems to have," he explains coolly, but as he continues, his voice does soften. In Achamoth, he's not particularly concerned about the locals overhearing, honestly. His impression is more that they might love the darkness of his contracts, but of course, who could say for Howl? The softer tone is more to match the shift in conversation.

"The Covenants I strike are those of desire. Any wish a human can have, I could grant." Could. A fact that still bothers him, but he hopes that's not the piece that Howl picks out through all the rest of this information. "Should they wish to be the king of an entire realm, win the heart of the one they love unrequited, or live in luxury, surrounded by money and treasure from all over the world, then they need only call upon me. There is very little I would have to reject."

He takes a sip of his champagne at this point to punctuate the conversation. It's a larger drink this time, but still modest. Sebastian sets it back on the table with care, and his attention is drawn to the bubbles in the glass instead as his smile shifts to one that's more enigmatic.

"I will come to one who commits a great sin against God out of their desire for my power," he says coolly, though what a 'great sin' could be is intentionally left up to the imagination, "So as you can imagine, they are not inclined to speak of their transgressions. Nor am I inclined to, since there is no benefit, really."