[ Tezcatlipoca ignores Silco's pithy comment, since the answer to his question is more important than that (for once). The answer gets him to look Silco's way, but the expression is hard to read. He's not surprised, but it's not judgemental either. It's oddly neutral.
Because honestly? He knows who that is and he knows the importance, but only in its basics. By the time he properly showed up, it'd already resolved. Hell, in a way, he still thinks that it's because it got resolved that he showed up. Indirectly.
He looks back to his work. ]
Won't give you my criticisms about all that. It's a done deal, yeah? And besides. You're a big boy. You can do what you want.
[ The phrasing is joking, but not quite condescending. It's just Tezcatlipoca being himself—A bit of a dick. He opens up the grinder and starts to pick through it to grab the pieces that don't make the cut. ]
I could see your fate the first time we met, but other than that? You're going to have to fill me in.
[ Silco's happy to watch him separate out the usable from the stems and whatnot, eyes still tracking his every motion. Okay, so he (mostly) doesn't think Tezca would kill him this way; but he still watches with the same level of suspicion he watches everything. Call it the paranoia in him. ]
And the fact that I escaped it, I assume? Hopefully I don't need to tell you what he is, hm?
[ He hoped not. Silco was many things, especially when power was involved, but he wasn't an idiot. He wouldn't break the agreement. Maybe skirt it, use wordplay or manipulation when needed, but he wouldn't break it. After all, whoever didn't look at the profile may never know the truth. ]
Originally, I made a deal to deal with a... trouble. When we first arrived on Kenos. An old rival had appeared, and with enough allies from our fellow arrivals that I knew I would be at a disadvantage if I did not find one and fast.
Things...escalated from there, culminating with your sibling.
[ And that's exactly why he's going through the extra trouble of making this in front of him rather than just grabbing one he'd already made. He knows Silco well enough to expect his paranoia. ]
Know that he's a demon, yeah, but not much more past that. The way he seemed to "work" for you ain't how demons work where I'm from. Doesn't matter, though. I get the point. You traded your right to an afterlife. That's what I saw, more or less.
[ It's a bit more complicated than that, but he keeps things simple for Silco. It's not out of any disrespect to his intelligence, but more that he's just not a man that considers the metaphysical. It'd be too easy to get mired in those details, if he engaged with them at all. He's just as likely to brush them off.
But. That doesn't stop him from asking a pointed question. ]
Did you realize what you were giving up? Since, trust me, I'm the one person that gets hatin' Quetzalcoatl, but. That's a big price for one death, even if it's a god.
No. I didn't. Souls are... not really of consideration where I am from. What need do we have to worry about souls? When I was a boy, I was more concerned with the next meal, or repairing a pair of shoes, or avoiding a mining accident, not... [ He waved his hand. ] Where my "soul" is to end up.
It was a worthless concept, something I knew people used when they wanted to manipulate the easily led. Religions rise and die as quick as the waves in the undercity, desperate people are a fertile ground for sowing hope, but...
They aren't exactly providing funds.
[ And instead, he was manipulated by his lack of concept of it. Ironic! ]
I didn't even believe in an afterlife. [ Now? He still mostly doesn't, but since it's Tezca... ] So what did I care?
Well, I'm not here to lecture ya on faith. Believe it or not, doesn't actually matter all that much to me, at least not nowadays.
[ Centuries ago, when his people were at their height? Perhaps. But he was still always more permissive than other gods, despite his reputation amongst humanity. His "what will be will be" attitude extends even to worship. The course of humanity and their lives was more important than his own renown.
He reaches into the bag again with a hand to grab the rest of what he needs, which is mostly just the tray and papers to roll it up. And, alas, no matter how he tries here, it'll be just a little bit shit. That's simply canon. ]
But I'm assuming he came to collect? How'd that go?
[ Silco hasn't seen him roll yet, or he'd already have taken the tray out of his hands. ]
He did. After I killed her, of course. I'd thought it wouldn't mean anything, when he took it. Oh, it would be gone, but what was it?
[ There's a twitch of his lips, something unpleasant coming to mind. He swallowed, and touched his lips. It's a routine gesture for Silco, but even so, his hand lingers, considering. ]
He tried to take it from me, and I am used to pain. I've lived with it for so long, I barely notice it. I will never forget what it felt like, to feel my soul ripped out.
She saved me. The Matron. [ He hated her, for what he could only think was capitalizing on his grief and false belief over his daughter's (he'd thought certain) death. He hated her for that, but she had saved him. Would he even be here now, had she stayed her hand? Thought Silco's life was not worth the effort. ]
my characters pointing a gun at each other round 2
[ How he'd escaped his fate isn't a total surprise, if only because Tezcatlipoca isn't surprised to hear about the Matron's... care, he supposes. It's not the right word, he doesn't think, but it doesn't matter so much anymore. She was far away at this point, and Silco had lived. That's all of that past that matters.
But what Sebastian had attempted to do, that's different. Tezcatlipoca sighs, and it's a heavy, thoughtful noise. A silence lingers as he finishes up his task of picking out the seeds and stems. ]
You're lucky.
[ That's what he lands on first. It's clear that there's more than that behind the words, but it's all the sorts of sentiments that he finds better left unsaid. If he reveals his disgust at what Sebastian had tried to do, it'd come off the wrong way. It's not so much for Silco himself as it is something protective of all souls... And perhaps that's why demons (and daemons) aren't like Sebastian in his world. Nearly every god with dominion over the soul would surely hunt such creatures down.
...But even if he leaves that unsaid. It's not strange for him to encourage something different. ]
So? Whatcha gonna do about it?
[ Satisfied, he starts to set the ground up leaves into the wrapper to roll it up. Don't look, Silco... Ignore his crimes and focus on— ]
Can't say LILITH would make it easy with how it wants us to play nice and all. But I know you at this point, I'd think.
[ Exceptionally. He had not even realized it, until it was almost too late. He remembered his heart slowing in his chest, the beating that had been so flush from the high of blotting out the sun with a squeeze of his fist. He'd taken his time, he'd made everyone experience it. Made them feel it. Oh, how he had so desperately enjoyed the experience of watching her very soul expire in his hands, from his power.
But...
Sebastian knew how to sour that just perfectly. The words in his implant were seared into his mind. How much was him, and how much was Sebastian? He'd prided himself so highly in doing things himself. Birdie, making the deal with Aetós, everything before he even arrived in Kenos, but... When it had come to the god...
His lips turned down sourly, and he stared ahead. He's staring at his hands working on the joint, but he isn't really even seeing it. How even this victory felt sickening with those words. Sethad so chastised him for almost dying and leaving Jinx; but he'd never truly expected to make it to see her. All he had been hoping for was to cement it , so that she could have a truly wild playground to run rampant through.
He'd always known he would die. He hadn't expected it to be that moment.
And it hadn't been. So why did it feel so soured by his words. ]
I... know things about him. Things I won't share. They give me... an advantage, of sorts.
[ With one joint (terribly) rolled, he leans back in his chair to pass it to Silco for inspection. Truly, he does know him. But before passing a lighter, he’ll work on rolling his own, since he at least won’t be letting Silco get high on his own. ]
Hey, not askin’ you to share, at least. This is the kinda thing I can’t get involved in, strictly speaking. But personally? I’m on your side here, since with what I do know, can’t say he’s something I approve of.
[ As might be expected, honestly. Tezcatlipoca is a strange, fickle god who is as happy to kill people as he is to sit here and quietly provide some thoughtful comfort, but he’s still one that looks out for souls. Naturally he wouldn’t like Sebastian’s diet, even if demons weren’t really something that existed in his culture. ]
So? What kinda advantage are you talkin’? Killing him? Or just makin’ him wish he was dead?
[ Silco looked it over, the joint. He sniffed it, but after a second, he licked a finger, and sealed the edge of the roll just a little bit more. It's thicker and thinner in places, but it'll do. He flicked an eye toward him, and then at the one he's rolling.
Should he teach him how to roll better...? He's tempted. ]
Don't approve of them? [ He asked after a moment, before he offered a half-surprised chuff of a laugh. he started patting at his pockets for his own lighter. It isn't exactly far from his grasp in his room. Everything smells like a cigar smoker in here. ] I'll keep that in mind lest I'm tempted again to take another deal. I don't want to sully your... work, after all.
[ He wasn't likely to do it again, certainly. ]
I don't know if he is killable, and while I would like to see if I could work around LILITH's restrictions... no. [ He doesn't know if he can be so elaborate to take out Sebastian. ] However, I would like to make him regret knowing who I am. [ A smile. ] If I can make him wish he is instead burning in that pit of a home he calls hell, even better.
[ But really... ] More than that, they allow me to... predict for him a bit. Keep him from getting too close. I'm wiser to his ways than most, after all.
[ Silco, unfortunately, has fallen into a bit of a trap. Sebastian was generally pleasant with most. The fact that Silco knew who he was meant...he didn't have to pretend with him. ]
[ Tezcatlipoca makes a soft noise at first when it comes to approval, since that’s a complicated matter that he doesn’t completely think Silco will care about. It’s not that he wouldn’t be able to wrap his head around it, but Silco just isn’t someone who concerns himself with the supernatural. That’s the problem, isn’t it?
As he finishes rolling his joint and turns back towards Silco, that little comment about Sebastian’s immortality catches his attention. His gaze turns sharp and intense in the way that’s usually obscured by his sunglasses. ]
You’re not?
[ He laughs with mild surprise, then leans back in his chair as he pulls the lighter out of his pocket. He doesn’t open the flame yet, but he twirls it in his fingers as he makes his point. ]
Got good news for you there, then. He can die. There’s no doubt about that. Might be difficult, hell, maybe even impossible for you, Silco, can’t lie. But everything dies. Humans, gods, entire worlds. Wouldn’t expect you of all people to be wondering about that. You’ve seen all of those get ground to dust.
[ He flicks the flame on, but he waves the lighter idly, as if he’s wanting Silco to watch the path of it. His blue eyes are sharp and piercing behind it. ]
What makes a demon so different? He make you lose that nerve of yours?
[ There's a part of him that does think he's lost his nerve. Maybe it's because he had had his soul nearly ripped from him that made him lose it. (just wait...) He breathed out, before he finally pulled out his lighter, and lit the end of what Tezca gave him, and breathed in.
It's rougher than tobacco, but not so much rougher than the horrible shit Silco smokes. If anything, this is almost milder. He closed his eye, before he exhaled a plume of thick, pungent smoke. ]
You're right, of course. I should remember that anything can die, though...
[ he opened his eye to level his (less intense) but as intense as he could have gaze to Tezca, to match it. ]
With LILITH interfering, I don't think it's possible for me. Not without giving up something again.
[ Not without flaying himself even further than he already has. ]
[ Tezcatlipoca stops playing with the lighter long enough to see Silco take that first drag, and it’s satisfying. Just seeing him close his eye and relax for just a moment is good enough for him, and he hums a note of approval. His agreement also satisfies his point, so he relaxes too as he lights his own. ]
Probably, yeah. And wouldn’t encourage you to do it either. I’m all for taking risks, but not so much that you’d be throwing your life away on a gamble.
[ He pauses to take his own first drag as he tucks the lighter away. He still prefers tobacco, honestly, but a little relaxation isn’t bad for him either. It’s one advantage of this human body where he can actually experience the effects of various vices, at least. ]
But, hey. Can’t kill him yourself, but doesn’t mean you have to help him, right? If a mission doesn’t go well for him… [ He shrugs with a slightly toothy smile. ] All the better for you. If he just so happens to run into some bad luck with kaiju, well, oops.
[ Silco was used to microdosing a drug that could be considered an upper, but this is distinctly different. He know better than to smoke it fast, though. Silco was nothing if not thorough when it came to the local flavors of drugs. He wasn't exactly out there running lines of coke, but he'd done his research and knew what to expect with most of them, were he to try them. Which means he holds onto the joint, and doesn't rush into another smoke, even though impulse would suggest he should.
He laughed though. ]
I wasn't planning on helping him, that is for certain.
Though perhaps I should... aim to put him in distinct danger. [ He had those three chances, after all.
He'd thought to use them with a particularly nasty crime lord, but... perhaps the Kaiju would offer more opportunity. ]
[ Tezcatlipoca scoffs, since he’s not so sure about that… But he’s sure that’s what Silco thinks, absolutely. He’d say gambling is what got him into this mess in the first place, but he also has no idea of the circumstances that had led Silco to that point either. And granted… Neither does Silco, technically. ]
Hey, you’ve got multiple gods you can pray to now. Maybe one of ‘em will listen!
[ He says it like it’s a joke, but maybe it’s serious? It’s truly impossible to tell, and he moves on like it’s just an offhand comment. ]
If I see him in trouble, then I ain’t helping either, that’s for sure. That’s nothing personal for you, for the record, but I’m a god that looks after the souls of the dead. Of course we’ve got some issues.
[ He pauses for a moment in consideration, since also personally speaking… He’s fairly sure that he probably could actually kill Sebastian, though it likely wouldn’t be easy or straightforward with the limitations he’s subject to. That’s something he’ll have to mull over. Purely a thought experiment, of course, as he wants to remind the unhappy buzz of his implant. ]
But for you? Guess it depends on how much you want him gone.
[ A soft scoff of a laugh. Perhaps between Tezcau and Set, he would have a chance, but he wouldn't put any faith in the rest of the gods. Not enough to save him should he need it.
Tezca kept speaking, and Silco's single eyebrow drew down in thought. ]
I didn't realize they were real, souls. Everything we have in the undercity, it is just the physical, the here and the now. Religion is... well, there is the occasional cult, but it is nothing like what he tried to take from me.
[ He'd been so, so ignorant. See, Silco is smart, ish. He's a back-alley thug who used his quick thinking, wits, and talents with numbers to get out of the mines, but he wasn't exactly building things for the people of Zaun. He was administratively? Sharp, almost a genius. Even with people — at least with the ones he dealt with in the Undercity — he knew how to work them.
When it comes to the theoretical? He simply can't fathom it. He's learning. He can at least research it, and he's been doing it in spades since Sebastian had pulled the wool over him. But he's still just simply... behind. He doesn't have the interest in it, it's all just information to use. ]
I do. [ he said, bluntly. Still, he shook his head, and sighed. ] Unfortunately, I'm rather used to not getting what I want. If I see the opportunity? I would take it.
[ His implant hummed unpleasantly behind his ever-open eye, and he winced with his mouth only. ]
However, I know the folly of being too fervent. In making oneself his sole focus. [ He'd been privy, after all, to quite a bit of it. What he had done to others in Kenos who caught his attention. ] I know better than to be stupid about it.
[ His immediate instinct is to point out that, sure, it’s one thing to have doubts in his undercity, but in Kenos? Where he’d had the physical manifestations of them…? He’s not a god that shies away from criticism, but he holds it back for now. It’s not the point he wants to make. ]
Yeah. [ It’s casual, but it still seems sympathetic, but it’s a tone that’s easily missed as it smooths out while he continues. ] That’s the way civilizations go. I get plenty of people that show up to my campfire that are shocked that shit’s real. Hell, half the time that’s the shit they need to work through more than anything else.
[ He’s sure that Silco would have been one of them, at least until he’d learned just how real they are in such a horrific way. Tezcatlipoca shrugs as he takes another quick puff, but returning to those physical things over the intangible is a bit more his preference too. ]
But you do, huh? [ He at least keeps his surprise to himself on this one… ] Fill me in? Chatted with the guy a few times, but only when I was coming to visit you at the club. Strictly professional, minus gossip and rumors that drifted my way.
[ He got there, Tezca... it just took him a bit. Blame his uh. Brainworms. ]
Do they come from different worlds to your campfire?
[ He asks it, and it's idle, but perhaps... perhaps...
Well. Silco knows someday he will die. It is a fact he's intimately aware of. Death at this point is his acquaintance that dogs his steps, always chasing after him, ready to reach out and take him at the first opportunity. He can feel death at his back, breathing down his neck. It is the promise of death that led him down his current path, after all. All of it. ]
Sebastian is... creative. Cruel. He understands people in a way that I think others will miss. Even I have missed things that he picks up on, and I'm only human, but... [ Silco's power is manipulation and thuggery. Of course, without his money and power, he has to rely on other things, but he doesn't lack for it. He's just... he pales in comparison compared to immortals. ]
He is smart, beyond what you could think, because he has infinite time. I have seen him learn new techniques, either in service, or... for his own personal pleasure.
Once, he installed a hag's eye into another shard-bearer, did you know that? Because she upset him. [ Okay, it was way more than that, but Silco's telling it and he doesn't have all of the details. ]
I only know, because it was mine. I could see through it, and I knew it was against her will.
[ Tezcatlipoca answers the question with a knowing smile, since it’s obvious why Silco is asking. And honestly, though “they do” is far too simple an answer for all the complicated processes when it comes to death, souls, and the many worlds they skirt between… He knows a more in-depth answer would be confusing, for one, but also? It’d derail this conversation.
He lets it go in favor of listening, but though his expression definitely cools, it’s a little hard to read. It’s an oddly passive reaction for him, since he doesn’t seem to take in this information like it’s positive or negative. He’s neither impressed nor disgusted by what the demon’s capable of, seemingly.
…Why would he be, after all? He and Sebastian are technically similar in that they’re both creatures who play at being more human than they truly are. The difference lies in their reasons for doing so.
It’s why he sighs, since he knows where his advice would go, then. It’s the kind that grates against what he stands for, but it’s not like he hasn’t given it before. ]
So, sounds to me like you should stay away from him. Nothin’ good is going to come from trying to one up the guy.
He wants to ask more questions, but Silco also knows that it's not likely to yield much in terms of results right now. Not when their topic of conversation is on something else — more important, he would attest.
Silco's eyes shifted to the side, and there's a look on his face that says, very clearly, that he might be in trouble about this one. ]
Ah, well... I think unfortunately... he knows that I know what he is.
[ Oops? ]
I can try, but I think that he has already noticed that I know what he is.
[ He doesn't add that he might have already... done a Whole Thing about him, and that the demon already had the scent. ]
[ Well. Tezcatlipoca can’t exactly criticize him, because honestly, this is pretty much what he expected… ]
Yeah, kinda figured, considering.
[ He gestures to Silco to refer to his everything, but the gesture lingers on the joint especially. The fact that Silco accepted it is also telling for how he’s feeling about the demon, he thinks. ]
Well, if you think it would work, you can evoke my name. Like I said, not promising to do anything about it, since this is your battle to fight. But you feel like pulling the “I know a guy” thing, I’ve got no problems with that. Up to you.
[ to be fair to him, he did think he was playing a game with him.
It isn't like that wouldn't be beyond his ability. ]
Who knows, maybe it will.
[ He shrugged, before he took another long pull of the thing. It's been a long, long time since he did this, but it isn't like Silco hasn't been microdosing harder drugs for years. ]
I'll come up with something. Either he will... let me be, or...
[ Or not
He knew it was or not, but let him sound hopeful, at least. ]
[ Tezcatlipoca hums out a note as he watches Silco for a moment. It’s hard to tell if this is something purposefully thoughtful or just, you know, a little bit of a high hitting him, but he’d gladly keep that confusion. In reality, he has a pretty high tolerance, but it’s nice to mask the consideration.
…Because this is exactly why he didn’t descend to Earth beyond one-off encounters. He’s the god of impartiality, so he doesn’t take sides in anything. Thing is, that’s a hell of a lot easier to do when you don’t know people personally. It’s not like he’d hesitate, since his duties as a god are very separate from his personal feelings on anything, but still. ]
Just watch yourself, Silco. You’ve been lucky so far. And thing about luck is, it always runs out.
[ It’s not exactly cheerful or reassuring, but that’s the kind Tezcatlipoca is. It’s why the two of them get along and why neither of them did with Quetzalcoatl. There’s no heroic, caring oath he can offer, and Silco wouldn’t take it anyways. ]
[ He knows he's a Zaunite, everything they have is from sheer determination, and luck? Luck has so little do to with anything. He'd consider himself unlucky, but like most, disbelieving in it is easier, and more automatic than simply discarding it. ]
You know I am a careful man. I don't intend to make this easy.
[ curb your enthusiasm theme starts playing in the background. ]
[ Yeah, honestly. Tezcatlipoca makes a Face™️ like he can hear it, but this is also typical Silco too. ]
Sure, but luck doesn't have anything to do with being careful. Or, puttin' it another way, harder to be careful if you lack situational awareness. Not sayin' that as a dig against you, mean more that we just never know what kinda kaiju is around the corner. Shit like that.
[ Plus, though he won't bring it up, he's also noticed that Silco is just very stubborn about his view of the world. The fact that things might not fit into his understanding is inconceivable, as the whole mess with his (former) demon shows. Tezcatlipoca waves a hand to dismiss the topic, but also to dissipate some of the smoke that lingers close to him. ]
...Anyways. Said my piece, so no need to just keep reiterating it. [ He gestures towards Silco's joint lightly. ] Feeling a little more relaxed now, though?
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no subject
Because honestly? He knows who that is and he knows the importance, but only in its basics. By the time he properly showed up, it'd already resolved. Hell, in a way, he still thinks that it's because it got resolved that he showed up. Indirectly.
He looks back to his work. ]
Won't give you my criticisms about all that. It's a done deal, yeah? And besides. You're a big boy. You can do what you want.
[ The phrasing is joking, but not quite condescending. It's just Tezcatlipoca being himself—A bit of a dick. He opens up the grinder and starts to pick through it to grab the pieces that don't make the cut. ]
I could see your fate the first time we met, but other than that? You're going to have to fill me in.
no subject
And the fact that I escaped it, I assume? Hopefully I don't need to tell you what he is, hm?
[ He hoped not. Silco was many things, especially when power was involved, but he wasn't an idiot. He wouldn't break the agreement. Maybe skirt it, use wordplay or manipulation when needed, but he wouldn't break it. After all, whoever didn't look at the profile may never know the truth. ]
Originally, I made a deal to deal with a... trouble. When we first arrived on Kenos. An old rival had appeared, and with enough allies from our fellow arrivals that I knew I would be at a disadvantage if I did not find one and fast.
Things...escalated from there, culminating with your sibling.
no subject
Know that he's a demon, yeah, but not much more past that. The way he seemed to "work" for you ain't how demons work where I'm from. Doesn't matter, though. I get the point. You traded your right to an afterlife. That's what I saw, more or less.
[ It's a bit more complicated than that, but he keeps things simple for Silco. It's not out of any disrespect to his intelligence, but more that he's just not a man that considers the metaphysical. It'd be too easy to get mired in those details, if he engaged with them at all. He's just as likely to brush them off.
But. That doesn't stop him from asking a pointed question. ]
Did you realize what you were giving up? Since, trust me, I'm the one person that gets hatin' Quetzalcoatl, but. That's a big price for one death, even if it's a god.
no subject
No. I didn't. Souls are... not really of consideration where I am from. What need do we have to worry about souls? When I was a boy, I was more concerned with the next meal, or repairing a pair of shoes, or avoiding a mining accident, not... [ He waved his hand. ] Where my "soul" is to end up.
It was a worthless concept, something I knew people used when they wanted to manipulate the easily led. Religions rise and die as quick as the waves in the undercity, desperate people are a fertile ground for sowing hope, but...
They aren't exactly providing funds.
[ And instead, he was manipulated by his lack of concept of it. Ironic! ]
I didn't even believe in an afterlife. [ Now? He still mostly doesn't, but since it's Tezca... ] So what did I care?
no subject
[ Centuries ago, when his people were at their height? Perhaps. But he was still always more permissive than other gods, despite his reputation amongst humanity. His "what will be will be" attitude extends even to worship. The course of humanity and their lives was more important than his own renown.
He reaches into the bag again with a hand to grab the rest of what he needs, which is mostly just the tray and papers to roll it up. And, alas, no matter how he tries here, it'll be just a little bit shit. That's simply canon. ]
But I'm assuming he came to collect? How'd that go?
no subject
He did. After I killed her, of course. I'd thought it wouldn't mean anything, when he took it. Oh, it would be gone, but what was it?
[ There's a twitch of his lips, something unpleasant coming to mind. He swallowed, and touched his lips. It's a routine gesture for Silco, but even so, his hand lingers, considering. ]
He tried to take it from me, and I am used to pain. I've lived with it for so long, I barely notice it. I will never forget what it felt like, to feel my soul ripped out.
She saved me. The Matron. [ He hated her, for what he could only think was capitalizing on his grief and false belief over his daughter's (he'd thought certain) death. He hated her for that, but she had saved him. Would he even be here now, had she stayed her hand? Thought Silco's life was not worth the effort. ]
my characters pointing a gun at each other round 2
But what Sebastian had attempted to do, that's different. Tezcatlipoca sighs, and it's a heavy, thoughtful noise. A silence lingers as he finishes up his task of picking out the seeds and stems. ]
You're lucky.
[ That's what he lands on first. It's clear that there's more than that behind the words, but it's all the sorts of sentiments that he finds better left unsaid. If he reveals his disgust at what Sebastian had tried to do, it'd come off the wrong way. It's not so much for Silco himself as it is something protective of all souls... And perhaps that's why demons (and daemons) aren't like Sebastian in his world. Nearly every god with dominion over the soul would surely hunt such creatures down.
...But even if he leaves that unsaid. It's not strange for him to encourage something different. ]
So? Whatcha gonna do about it?
[ Satisfied, he starts to set the ground up leaves into the wrapper to roll it up. Don't look, Silco... Ignore his crimes and focus on— ]
Can't say LILITH would make it easy with how it wants us to play nice and all. But I know you at this point, I'd think.
no subject
[ Exceptionally. He had not even realized it, until it was almost too late. He remembered his heart slowing in his chest, the beating that had been so flush from the high of blotting out the sun with a squeeze of his fist. He'd taken his time, he'd made everyone experience it. Made them feel it. Oh, how he had so desperately enjoyed the experience of watching her very soul expire in his hands, from his power.
But...
Sebastian knew how to sour that just perfectly. The words in his implant were seared into his mind. How much was him, and how much was Sebastian? He'd prided himself so highly in doing things himself. Birdie, making the deal with Aetós, everything before he even arrived in Kenos, but... When it had come to the god...
His lips turned down sourly, and he stared ahead. He's staring at his hands working on the joint, but he isn't really even seeing it. How even this victory felt sickening with those words. Sethad so chastised him for almost dying and leaving Jinx; but he'd never truly expected to make it to see her. All he had been hoping for was to cement it , so that she could have a truly wild playground to run rampant through.
He'd always known he would die. He hadn't expected it to be that moment.
And it hadn't been. So why did it feel so soured by his words. ]
I... know things about him. Things I won't share. They give me... an advantage, of sorts.
[ He finally says. Silco... ]
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Hey, not askin’ you to share, at least. This is the kinda thing I can’t get involved in, strictly speaking. But personally? I’m on your side here, since with what I do know, can’t say he’s something I approve of.
[ As might be expected, honestly. Tezcatlipoca is a strange, fickle god who is as happy to kill people as he is to sit here and quietly provide some thoughtful comfort, but he’s still one that looks out for souls. Naturally he wouldn’t like Sebastian’s diet, even if demons weren’t really something that existed in his culture. ]
So? What kinda advantage are you talkin’? Killing him? Or just makin’ him wish he was dead?
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Should he teach him how to roll better...? He's tempted. ]
Don't approve of them? [ He asked after a moment, before he offered a half-surprised chuff of a laugh. he started patting at his pockets for his own lighter. It isn't exactly far from his grasp in his room. Everything smells like a cigar smoker in here. ] I'll keep that in mind lest I'm tempted again to take another deal. I don't want to sully your... work, after all.
[ He wasn't likely to do it again, certainly. ]
I don't know if he is killable, and while I would like to see if I could work around LILITH's restrictions... no. [ He doesn't know if he can be so elaborate to take out Sebastian. ] However, I would like to make him regret knowing who I am. [ A smile. ] If I can make him wish he is instead burning in that pit of a home he calls hell, even better.
[ But really... ] More than that, they allow me to... predict for him a bit. Keep him from getting too close. I'm wiser to his ways than most, after all.
[ Silco, unfortunately, has fallen into a bit of a trap. Sebastian was generally pleasant with most. The fact that Silco knew who he was meant...he didn't have to pretend with him. ]
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As he finishes rolling his joint and turns back towards Silco, that little comment about Sebastian’s immortality catches his attention. His gaze turns sharp and intense in the way that’s usually obscured by his sunglasses. ]
You’re not?
[ He laughs with mild surprise, then leans back in his chair as he pulls the lighter out of his pocket. He doesn’t open the flame yet, but he twirls it in his fingers as he makes his point. ]
Got good news for you there, then. He can die. There’s no doubt about that. Might be difficult, hell, maybe even impossible for you, Silco, can’t lie. But everything dies. Humans, gods, entire worlds. Wouldn’t expect you of all people to be wondering about that. You’ve seen all of those get ground to dust.
[ He flicks the flame on, but he waves the lighter idly, as if he’s wanting Silco to watch the path of it. His blue eyes are sharp and piercing behind it. ]
What makes a demon so different? He make you lose that nerve of yours?
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[ There's a part of him that does think he's lost his nerve. Maybe it's because he had had his soul nearly ripped from him that made him lose it. (just wait...) He breathed out, before he finally pulled out his lighter, and lit the end of what Tezca gave him, and breathed in.
It's rougher than tobacco, but not so much rougher than the horrible shit Silco smokes. If anything, this is almost milder. He closed his eye, before he exhaled a plume of thick, pungent smoke. ]
You're right, of course. I should remember that anything can die, though...
[ he opened his eye to level his (less intense) but as intense as he could have gaze to Tezca, to match it. ]
With LILITH interfering, I don't think it's possible for me. Not without giving up something again.
[ Not without flaying himself even further than he already has. ]
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Probably, yeah. And wouldn’t encourage you to do it either. I’m all for taking risks, but not so much that you’d be throwing your life away on a gamble.
[ He pauses to take his own first drag as he tucks the lighter away. He still prefers tobacco, honestly, but a little relaxation isn’t bad for him either. It’s one advantage of this human body where he can actually experience the effects of various vices, at least. ]
But, hey. Can’t kill him yourself, but doesn’t mean you have to help him, right? If a mission doesn’t go well for him… [ He shrugs with a slightly toothy smile. ] All the better for you. If he just so happens to run into some bad luck with kaiju, well, oops.
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I'm not one for gambling, personally.
[ Silco was used to microdosing a drug that could be considered an upper, but this is distinctly different. He know better than to smoke it fast, though. Silco was nothing if not thorough when it came to the local flavors of drugs. He wasn't exactly out there running lines of coke, but he'd done his research and knew what to expect with most of them, were he to try them. Which means he holds onto the joint, and doesn't rush into another smoke, even though impulse would suggest he should.
He laughed though. ]
I wasn't planning on helping him, that is for certain.
Though perhaps I should... aim to put him in distinct danger. [ He had those three chances, after all.
He'd thought to use them with a particularly nasty crime lord, but... perhaps the Kaiju would offer more opportunity. ]
As long as I have an out, at least.
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Hey, you’ve got multiple gods you can pray to now. Maybe one of ‘em will listen!
[ He says it like it’s a joke, but maybe it’s serious? It’s truly impossible to tell, and he moves on like it’s just an offhand comment. ]
If I see him in trouble, then I ain’t helping either, that’s for sure. That’s nothing personal for you, for the record, but I’m a god that looks after the souls of the dead. Of course we’ve got some issues.
[ He pauses for a moment in consideration, since also personally speaking… He’s fairly sure that he probably could actually kill Sebastian, though it likely wouldn’t be easy or straightforward with the limitations he’s subject to. That’s something he’ll have to mull over. Purely a thought experiment, of course, as he wants to remind the unhappy buzz of his implant. ]
But for you? Guess it depends on how much you want him gone.
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Tezca kept speaking, and Silco's single eyebrow drew down in thought. ]
I didn't realize they were real, souls. Everything we have in the undercity, it is just the physical, the here and the now. Religion is... well, there is the occasional cult, but it is nothing like what he tried to take from me.
[ He'd been so, so ignorant. See, Silco is smart, ish. He's a back-alley thug who used his quick thinking, wits, and talents with numbers to get out of the mines, but he wasn't exactly building things for the people of Zaun. He was administratively? Sharp, almost a genius. Even with people — at least with the ones he dealt with in the Undercity — he knew how to work them.
When it comes to the theoretical? He simply can't fathom it. He's learning. He can at least research it, and he's been doing it in spades since Sebastian had pulled the wool over him. But he's still just simply... behind. He doesn't have the interest in it, it's all just information to use. ]
I do. [ he said, bluntly. Still, he shook his head, and sighed. ] Unfortunately, I'm rather used to not getting what I want. If I see the opportunity? I would take it.
[ His implant hummed unpleasantly behind his ever-open eye, and he winced with his mouth only. ]
However, I know the folly of being too fervent. In making oneself his sole focus. [ He'd been privy, after all, to quite a bit of it. What he had done to others in Kenos who caught his attention. ] I know better than to be stupid about it.
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Yeah. [ It’s casual, but it still seems sympathetic, but it’s a tone that’s easily missed as it smooths out while he continues. ] That’s the way civilizations go. I get plenty of people that show up to my campfire that are shocked that shit’s real. Hell, half the time that’s the shit they need to work through more than anything else.
[ He’s sure that Silco would have been one of them, at least until he’d learned just how real they are in such a horrific way. Tezcatlipoca shrugs as he takes another quick puff, but returning to those physical things over the intangible is a bit more his preference too. ]
But you do, huh? [ He at least keeps his surprise to himself on this one… ] Fill me in? Chatted with the guy a few times, but only when I was coming to visit you at the club. Strictly professional, minus gossip and rumors that drifted my way.
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Do they come from different worlds to your campfire?
[ He asks it, and it's idle, but perhaps... perhaps...
Well. Silco knows someday he will die. It is a fact he's intimately aware of. Death at this point is his acquaintance that dogs his steps, always chasing after him, ready to reach out and take him at the first opportunity. He can feel death at his back, breathing down his neck. It is the promise of death that led him down his current path, after all. All of it. ]
Sebastian is... creative. Cruel. He understands people in a way that I think others will miss. Even I have missed things that he picks up on, and I'm only human, but... [ Silco's power is manipulation and thuggery. Of course, without his money and power, he has to rely on other things, but he doesn't lack for it. He's just... he pales in comparison compared to immortals. ]
He is smart, beyond what you could think, because he has infinite time. I have seen him learn new techniques, either in service, or... for his own personal pleasure.
Once, he installed a hag's eye into another shard-bearer, did you know that? Because she upset him. [ Okay, it was way more than that, but Silco's telling it and he doesn't have all of the details. ]
I only know, because it was mine. I could see through it, and I knew it was against her will.
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[ Tezcatlipoca answers the question with a knowing smile, since it’s obvious why Silco is asking. And honestly, though “they do” is far too simple an answer for all the complicated processes when it comes to death, souls, and the many worlds they skirt between… He knows a more in-depth answer would be confusing, for one, but also? It’d derail this conversation.
He lets it go in favor of listening, but though his expression definitely cools, it’s a little hard to read. It’s an oddly passive reaction for him, since he doesn’t seem to take in this information like it’s positive or negative. He’s neither impressed nor disgusted by what the demon’s capable of, seemingly.
…Why would he be, after all? He and Sebastian are technically similar in that they’re both creatures who play at being more human than they truly are. The difference lies in their reasons for doing so.
It’s why he sighs, since he knows where his advice would go, then. It’s the kind that grates against what he stands for, but it’s not like he hasn’t given it before. ]
So, sounds to me like you should stay away from him. Nothin’ good is going to come from trying to one up the guy.
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He wants to ask more questions, but Silco also knows that it's not likely to yield much in terms of results right now. Not when their topic of conversation is on something else — more important, he would attest.
Silco's eyes shifted to the side, and there's a look on his face that says, very clearly, that he might be in trouble about this one. ]
Ah, well... I think unfortunately... he knows that I know what he is.
[ Oops? ]
I can try, but I think that he has already noticed that I know what he is.
[ He doesn't add that he might have already... done a Whole Thing about him, and that the demon already had the scent. ]
no subject
Yeah, kinda figured, considering.
[ He gestures to Silco to refer to his everything, but the gesture lingers on the joint especially. The fact that Silco accepted it is also telling for how he’s feeling about the demon, he thinks. ]
Well, if you think it would work, you can evoke my name. Like I said, not promising to do anything about it, since this is your battle to fight. But you feel like pulling the “I know a guy” thing, I’ve got no problems with that. Up to you.
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It isn't like that wouldn't be beyond his ability. ]
Who knows, maybe it will.
[ He shrugged, before he took another long pull of the thing. It's been a long, long time since he did this, but it isn't like Silco hasn't been microdosing harder drugs for years. ]
I'll come up with something. Either he will... let me be, or...
[ Or not
He knew it was or not, but let him sound hopeful, at least. ]
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…Because this is exactly why he didn’t descend to Earth beyond one-off encounters. He’s the god of impartiality, so he doesn’t take sides in anything. Thing is, that’s a hell of a lot easier to do when you don’t know people personally. It’s not like he’d hesitate, since his duties as a god are very separate from his personal feelings on anything, but still. ]
Just watch yourself, Silco. You’ve been lucky so far. And thing about luck is, it always runs out.
[ It’s not exactly cheerful or reassuring, but that’s the kind Tezcatlipoca is. It’s why the two of them get along and why neither of them did with Quetzalcoatl. There’s no heroic, caring oath he can offer, and Silco wouldn’t take it anyways. ]
YELLS TEZ
Please, if this is luck...?
[ He knows he's a Zaunite, everything they have is from sheer determination, and luck? Luck has so little do to with anything. He'd consider himself unlucky, but like most, disbelieving in it is easier, and more automatic than simply discarding it. ]
You know I am a careful man. I don't intend to make this easy.
[ curb your enthusiasm theme starts playing in the background. ]
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Sure, but luck doesn't have anything to do with being careful. Or, puttin' it another way, harder to be careful if you lack situational awareness. Not sayin' that as a dig against you, mean more that we just never know what kinda kaiju is around the corner. Shit like that.
[ Plus, though he won't bring it up, he's also noticed that Silco is just very stubborn about his view of the world. The fact that things might not fit into his understanding is inconceivable, as the whole mess with his (former) demon shows. Tezcatlipoca waves a hand to dismiss the topic, but also to dissipate some of the smoke that lingers close to him. ]
...Anyways. Said my piece, so no need to just keep reiterating it. [ He gestures towards Silco's joint lightly. ] Feeling a little more relaxed now, though?
🎀