[ It has occurred to him, from the way Kazuya is speaking, that he's drawing from deep personal experience. But even so... Hyoubu knows very well that forgiveness is the path to redemption. But he has strayed so far from that path, he knows he'll never find it. Besides, forgiveness isn't something he's willing to give, nor does he expect it from others.
Saotome was a monster, as were his collaborators, as are all the Normals who prey upon espers.
He'd been half-standing up during Kazuya's speech, but now he sits down again, heavily. ]
You're right about that.
[ He's a monster, too. He has no illusions about that. After a while, the cloud across his face passes, his features smooth out, and he even manages a smile. ]
Well. Do you feel better now, having unburdened yourself?
[Well, the anger had been interrupted, although Kazuya was unsure if his message had gotten through. Most likely not. He frowned, but reluctantly let it go, because he didn't want to harp and preach. His words would never be considered if he became a self-righteous, insistent nag, like someone he could name (Metatron)]
Kind of. I think? Ish, maybe. I got too riled up. [he slouched in his seat, choosing which poor meal to demolish gruesomely] Bad memories aren't pleasant, even if you get like a two second bit of relief for picking at them.
[He picked up a simple-made ham sandwich, looking at it contemplatively for a moment before saying with forced casualness;] Besides, I never got round to my confession, since it's going to come out at some point. I mean, you seem like a very open minded guy, revenge issue aside, so I guess it'll be fine. Not like I care or anything, but people tend to get fussy over it.
[Once he says it, and Hyoubu accepts - well, then Kazuya can properly relax around someone and won't worry about checking himself, since he'd know the important, dark secrets to be 'in the know'. If not, then, well, he'll still hang around if he'd tolerate that, but Kazuya will know to not get emotionally invested. Safer that way.
He took a bite out of his sandwich, looking anywhere but Hyoubu, a brief pause settling over them as he chewed and swallowed. He sighed;] Okay, fuck it: I'm a demon, just so you know.
He should have anticipated this punchline, he realizes in retrospect, what with the whole "becoming the thing you hate" commentary. And "humans being humans." Now that he's paying attention, he fancies he can feel the self-loathing coming off the boy (he still thinks of Kazuya as a boy) in waves. So he's careful to keep his features composed, maintaining an expression of interest and anticipation even after Kazuya drops his bombshell, as if to imply, "is that all?" And then, when it's clear Kazuya is finished, he leans back and says pleasantly: ]
I'm afraid that really doesn't mean much to me. Demons are mythical creatures. They don't really exist. You might as well tell me you're a dragon.
[ He glances at Kazuya's ham sandwich, and then pointedly at the piles of food, and then back at Kazuya. ]
[A tension that lined Kazuya's shoulders relaxed a fraction, and he lifted his gaze, staring at Hyoubu as if trying to sniff out any sign of deceit. He couldn't see any. Hyoubu looked completely unruffled, and it was enough to make Kazuya feel a little emboldened, a hesitant smile teasing the corners of his mouth for a brief moment. He'll keep quiet on the fact that dragons exist too (in his world, at least)]
I remember being human enough to be against cannibalism. [he pulled a face at the thought - and decided not to admit to the fact that most demons were psychic vampires anyway, devouring the emotions humans experienced like some kind of succubus. The more intense, the better. As for the physical eating, well, apparently demons just liked the taste] Nope, cakes and steaks and all kinds of snacks are my main food source, so don't worry about me eyeing you up for dessert.
[ He watches Kazuya, taking in the look of disbelief, and then the tension flowing out of him, followed by a flicker of a smile. It's a familiar sight, to him. Espers are commoner now than they were in the past, and often a single esper child would be born into a town that had never seen one before. And if they were powerful...
The look on their faces when he rescued them and told them, no, you're not a monster. This is what he's seeing now, on Kazuya's. ]
And I was going to say, I suggest that you don't make a meal of my acquaintances, either.
[ There's a delicate emphasis on the word "suggest" which implies painful, drawn-out, bloody revenge. He says it with a bright smile, however, and adds: ]
But since you prefer more conventional means of sustenance, there's no need. I'm what's called an "esper," by the way. In my world, I suspect it means the same thing as "demon" does in yours.
[As if Kazuya needed to be warned from eating people. He gave a semi-offended sniff, but tactfully said nothing on the matter. He truly did understand the caution, since humans were normally a favourite in a demon's diet]
You think? You seem pretty human to me. [As in, 100% human, albeit one with weird powers] I mean, demons are a completely separate species. Are espers the same in your world? Like, an evolutionary upgrade or something?
A common mistake. I made the same one myself, for fifteen years.
[ He now reaches for something to eat — from one of Kazuya's plates (obviously). It's a fancy miniature cake, decorated lavishly with confectionary flower petals. He turns it in his hand, regarding it from all sides, as if he were thinking about how to elaborate on that, before finally popping the thing in his mouth. ]
[Kazuya frowned at the blatant theft of one of his food, and pointedly dragged (the numerous) plates closer to himself, very much like a dragon attempting to loom protectively over its horde - albeit a very tiny dragon with a horde that was food rather than gold, but he was still very threatening thank you very much (he wasn't)]
Oi, eat your own food. [he huffed, eyeing the miniature cake Hyoubu was eating with ill-disguised envy. Damn, that looked tasty, and that bastard swiped it! Curse him and his children and/or grandkids!] Hmph... anyway, an upgrade on humanity, huh?
[Kazuya's glowering eased into something like consideration, staring intently at Hyoubu. He looked human, he smelled human, he felt human... maybe they were misunderstanding, then. Maybe espers were a subset on humanity? It was possible. It wasn't as if humans casting magic was anything new. They could do it since they first crawled out of the mud, apparently]
Well, what's it like, then? Being an "upgrade"? You eat different things or live differently?
No. We don't. But we might as well. That's the thing about humans...
[ There's a Pocky stick that's peeking out from beneath Kazuya's protective hoarding. Hyoubu plucks at it, telekinetically, trying to tease it out from its stack like a Jenga block. ]
No matter how similar they are, they can always be counted on to find some tiny difference to attack each other over. Of course... being an esper is far from a "tiny" difference.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Saotome was a monster, as were his collaborators, as are all the Normals who prey upon espers.
He'd been half-standing up during Kazuya's speech, but now he sits down again, heavily. ]
You're right about that.
[ He's a monster, too. He has no illusions about that. After a while, the cloud across his face passes, his features smooth out, and he even manages a smile. ]
Well. Do you feel better now, having unburdened yourself?
no subject
Kind of. I think? Ish, maybe. I got too riled up. [he slouched in his seat, choosing which poor meal to demolish gruesomely] Bad memories aren't pleasant, even if you get like a two second bit of relief for picking at them.
[He picked up a simple-made ham sandwich, looking at it contemplatively for a moment before saying with forced casualness;] Besides, I never got round to my confession, since it's going to come out at some point. I mean, you seem like a very open minded guy, revenge issue aside, so I guess it'll be fine. Not like I care or anything, but people tend to get fussy over it.
[Once he says it, and Hyoubu accepts - well, then Kazuya can properly relax around someone and won't worry about checking himself, since he'd know the important, dark secrets to be 'in the know'. If not, then, well, he'll still hang around if he'd tolerate that, but Kazuya will know to not get emotionally invested. Safer that way.
He took a bite out of his sandwich, looking anywhere but Hyoubu, a brief pause settling over them as he chewed and swallowed. He sighed;] Okay, fuck it: I'm a demon, just so you know.
no subject
He should have anticipated this punchline, he realizes in retrospect, what with the whole "becoming the thing you hate" commentary. And "humans being humans." Now that he's paying attention, he fancies he can feel the self-loathing coming off the boy (he still thinks of Kazuya as a boy) in waves. So he's careful to keep his features composed, maintaining an expression of interest and anticipation even after Kazuya drops his bombshell, as if to imply, "is that all?" And then, when it's clear Kazuya is finished, he leans back and says pleasantly: ]
I'm afraid that really doesn't mean much to me. Demons are mythical creatures. They don't really exist. You might as well tell me you're a dragon.
[ He glances at Kazuya's ham sandwich, and then pointedly at the piles of food, and then back at Kazuya. ]
You don't still snack on humans, do you?
no subject
I remember being human enough to be against cannibalism. [he pulled a face at the thought - and decided not to admit to the fact that most demons were psychic vampires anyway, devouring the emotions humans experienced like some kind of succubus. The more intense, the better. As for the physical eating, well, apparently demons just liked the taste] Nope, cakes and steaks and all kinds of snacks are my main food source, so don't worry about me eyeing you up for dessert.
no subject
[ He watches Kazuya, taking in the look of disbelief, and then the tension flowing out of him, followed by a flicker of a smile. It's a familiar sight, to him. Espers are commoner now than they were in the past, and often a single esper child would be born into a town that had never seen one before. And if they were powerful...
The look on their faces when he rescued them and told them, no, you're not a monster. This is what he's seeing now, on Kazuya's. ]
And I was going to say, I suggest that you don't make a meal of my acquaintances, either.
[ There's a delicate emphasis on the word "suggest" which implies painful, drawn-out, bloody revenge. He says it with a bright smile, however, and adds: ]
But since you prefer more conventional means of sustenance, there's no need. I'm what's called an "esper," by the way. In my world, I suspect it means the same thing as "demon" does in yours.
no subject
You think? You seem pretty human to me. [As in, 100% human, albeit one with weird powers] I mean, demons are a completely separate species. Are espers the same in your world? Like, an evolutionary upgrade or something?
no subject
[ He now reaches for something to eat — from one of Kazuya's plates (obviously). It's a fancy miniature cake, decorated lavishly with confectionary flower petals. He turns it in his hand, regarding it from all sides, as if he were thinking about how to elaborate on that, before finally popping the thing in his mouth. ]
Mmm.
[ Thickly: ]
An upgrade, that's right.
no subject
Oi, eat your own food. [he huffed, eyeing the miniature cake Hyoubu was eating with ill-disguised envy. Damn, that looked tasty, and that bastard swiped it! Curse him and his children and/or grandkids!] Hmph... anyway, an upgrade on humanity, huh?
[Kazuya's glowering eased into something like consideration, staring intently at Hyoubu. He looked human, he smelled human, he felt human... maybe they were misunderstanding, then. Maybe espers were a subset on humanity? It was possible. It wasn't as if humans casting magic was anything new. They could do it since they first crawled out of the mud, apparently]
Well, what's it like, then? Being an "upgrade"? You eat different things or live differently?
no subject
No. We don't. But we might as well. That's the thing about humans...
[ There's a Pocky stick that's peeking out from beneath Kazuya's protective hoarding. Hyoubu plucks at it, telekinetically, trying to tease it out from its stack like a Jenga block. ]
No matter how similar they are, they can always be counted on to find some tiny difference to attack each other over. Of course... being an esper is far from a "tiny" difference.