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[Eridanus would be lying if he said he didn't sigh with relief. Otherwise that would have been a very awkward conversation on how Lucius has done worse things to children than just being mean to them.

Even he doesn't like to think about it.]

I have never met this Judai fellow, but I hope to some day. Especially if you're interested in him romantically.

[HINT HINT.]

I know we're separated now, but perhaps you could spend time with Rosefica too? I know she is lonely, and I am partially to blame.
I think she might be able to lend you some motherly council, where I may fall short.
And don't let our long lifespans fool you, Rosefica is actually the elven equivalent to a human in their young adult years. She may be more relatable than you think.

Also, I am glad to hear you are not the type to... give yourself easily.
Not that it is bad but, at your age, taking things slow so that you may figure out what you want is likely the wiser course of action.

[ Annie is literally talking about three guys at once.

Altair is also on the "what was I doing last week" list but hasn't merited mention. Eridanus seems ready to go track Judai down and interrogate him.

What are your intentions towards his scorpion child? God, Eridanus is acting exactly like a Dad. ]

So you're not going to track Richard down? I'm sort of glad. I mean he's annoying but I think I can handle him. Judai is someone I'll have to think on. I know he's sweet. I know I reacted to him strongly last week but that could have been the drugs toying with me, and he's the kind of guy I wouldn't want to hurt. At the very least I like the idea of having another lady who gets how hard some of the social gymnastics of being what we are. Rosefica was super amazing. As for romance: After Dylan slow burn is the best burn. It's why I'm embarrassed over how I reacted so easily last week. You need to know if you can trust people. There are too many dangerous people even if some of us are preaching being good to our fellow monsters. Like AM. He is a creep and a predator. I don't care how he was last week. I would rather seem him bodily launched into the stars than trust him.

[ Shit. Annie reads that over. Is she actually considering getting close to Judai? She starts picking at her claws in thought. Would it be a bad idea? ]

[Eridanus is keen to reply calmly until...]

AM.

That beast is a walking insult to everything I know. A demon who clumsily trounces around in his flesh like he's still a toddler, who wields fire like it's a fist.
He had the audacity to invite me out for a blood-raising duel to the death in the Cube and what does he do?
He instead changes his invite, and asks me out for TEA!

[Did he just use caps? He totally did.]

I WAS FORCED TO ENDURE HIS PETTY ATTEMPTS AT PSYCHOLOGICAL TORTURE, WHERE HE TRIED TO MAKE ME BELIEVE WE WERE FRIENDS! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? ME, FRIENDS WITH A LOATHSOME DEMON LIKE HIM?

I WAS SO DISGUSTED BY HIS CHARADE I FELT LIKE VOMITTING, AND I WISH I HAD! RIGHT ONTO HIS ASANINE CURLY WHITE FUR!

[Eridanus may or may not have slapped the caps-lock button and didn't know how to turn it off. Or he was just angry. Maybe both.

He has also completely forgotten about boy-talk.]

[ Holy.

Holy shit. Annie never thought she would see Eridanus react so angrily.

This is not like a hate boner or anything. This is straight-up set AM on FIRE if he can. Tell Annie how you really feel. ]

It was the drugs. Where they stole my filters they turned him into that strange white haired thing. Do not forget what he is. The Fog God made his form a demon for a reason. I will NEVER trust him. If that was what he was with his personality flipped last week think of how terrible he must be. I don't want him near me. Just the fact we live in the same city unnerves me.

Oh, I know how terrible he is. I prefer him that way.
I want him to be his untainted self, full of hatred and seething. I want to watch his eyes glaze over with horror when he realizes he is not the being he believes himself to be. I want to watch his smug expression fall away from his face, instead replaced with anguish wrought by my claws.

I will make him pay for his repugnant display by goring his belly and pulling fist-fulls of his entrails out with my bare hands.

[Ok, actually? Deep breaths.]

...But yes, I agree. AM is detestable and I do not trust him. I am glad we agree there.

[ Oh. He really did tell her how he feels.

Damn, he really is one of the dangerous men of Ryslig. Yet Annie knows he isn't dangerous to her. They care about each other. ]
You're angry because you feel cheated. You wanted a fight and you had it snatched from you by someone you would rather crush. You will get to ruin him. You also get to remind him the next time you speak of every little thing you did while having tea. I don't know what you said or did but I would have walked all over him had I been in the right frame of mind.

[ Go full Mean Girls. ]

[Annie gets it. This is why Eridanus loves Annie. She is a good bean.]

Oh I will be sure to rub every mortifying action he took in his face and watch his expression twist with shame.
It's what he rightly deserves.

I would be happy to have you watch my match against him when the dust settles and we're able to pick a date for the Cube once more.

[ Annie let her inner monster out and it felt satisfying. It's a delicate balance between monster and sweet girl but Annie feels like she is doing a good job.

Not everyone needs to see this side of her. ]

It could enrage him. I wonder if his rage cows him? It is a fine line between shame and rage. I want to see him brought low. He's a hate filled thing. He isn't even artistic about it as far as I can tell. I could almost respect an artist. Instead, he's a sad creepy man shaped like a demon. I will happily watch.

I would much rather deal with his rage than... whatever that was. That is not the demon that tried to kill me before, that was an abomination.

[Not to mention it only further solidifies Eridanus' beliefs that no one is truly good-hearted.]

I'll be sure to let you know when it happens...

But onto happier topics:
What else did you do this past week? Besides luring in the hearts of young men across Bavan, and talking to me, of course.

I don't like what was done to him. It's even grosser than other things I can imagine. Psychological torment is like, the worst. I gave a cute dog Lucius and I took from my first meal and gave him to a friend. I think he'll be much happier! (The dog. No idea about my friend. Crabby fellow. Hates fun but I find him a decent guy.)

How fortunate for your friend.

[Sarcasm—Eridanus hates dogs.]

It sounds to me like you've been on quite the adventure this past month, Annie.
No wonder you wish to lay low.

I feel fortunate enough that mist did not affect my psyche beyond making me inherently truthful.

[ It was a small white fluffy thing. It barely counted as a dog. ]

Between that and my actual job? I have been busy. I noticed that my ability to filter and mask my feelings was just gone. That's what got me into trouble. Anything I felt was intense and almost demanding? I don't like that. I like being able to think things through.

[Huh, that feels like his normal psychology now.]

I came to terms with feelings such as those rather early on in my arrival to Ryslig. Apparently trolls are prone to extreme mood swings, which I have certainly felt.

[And showed her!]

It's still rather jarring, especially since I used to be so level-headed before.

I like to think I was level-headed. Honestly I just put on a really good front. I did notice some slow changes to how I think? I'm having difficulty not cleaning everything. It's an obsession at this point. I was not this bad before now.

Rosefica is the same way, she has always been meticulous before but it's worse now.
It's likely a thing of arachne psychology.

I can't see how a clean home is a bad thing, perhaps you can come clean our apartment.
Lucius doesn't clean, though I'm not sure if it's because he doesn't know how to, or that he doesn't care... And I try but I am no good at it.

Edited 2020-09-24 07:10 (UTC)

It is when you've cleaned things you know are already clean. I haven't gone that far but I have heard of cases where cleaning became an obsession that was unhealthy. I'm not sure he would want to? Cleaning doesn't quite fit with what I understand of him. I'm glad my Mom made me learn to care about my things. Dad was bad before they got involved according to her. Like buy new shirts because he hated washing or didn't have time.

Rosefica was once a commoner, so she is more keen on these skills.
I have heard of this obsessive compulsion to clean repeatedly, though I doubt you have anything to worry about. By my understanding, Arachne just like to have clean "webs."

Lucius is better than I am at living in dismal surroundings, which is why I've started to pick up when absolutely necessary. Both of us had servants for that kind of thing before.
If you had told me I'd be cleaning a home just a few months ago, I likely would have laughed in your face.

My Dad liked to think he was capable of taking care of things too. He was okay I preferred going to my Mom for things like that. He was more of the parent who would recommend a good book or show. We'll see how I actually react. Seriously? That's pretty bad. Some stuff needs to be cleaned a specific way or you risk destroying it. Please tell me he knows how to get his clothes cleaned? Buying more when what you have gets stained doesn't count. It's just super wasteful to do that.

Lucius doesn't even know how to properly dress himself. I have watched him pick up random clothing from the ground and just put it on, regardless of how garish or tacky the combination is.
It is actually hard not to get angry at the sight, but when I try to dress him, he ends up peeling himself out of half the layers!

Regardless, I have been good at outsourcing some of the cleaning, such as taking our clothes to the drycleaners. I am not sure what else I can hire out for. Perhaps some human maid service, but I don't trust Lucius not to torment them while they work.

Offer them hazard pay? No, seriously. Offer the cleaner extra in tips or whatever should Lucius torment them. They are there to clean not be his entertainment and deserve compensation for dealing with things outside their normal duties. Also offer to make sure they are safe while in your employ. Don't let other monsters eat them, that'd be tacky. I have nothing to say on someone more than ten years my senior who can't dress themselves. That's all on him. He's an adult.

Luckily Djavulenstad has a very strick "no killing" policy within its city limits. Lucius has been rather well behaved about that rule, despite loathing it.
Perhaps I will look into it, though... I really have no clue how to go about cleaning and while I've managed so far, having a job and then coming home to clean is not my definition of fun.

As for the dressing, I don't think he's worn anything outside of armor for more than ten millennia, so I don't really blame him.
He's compliant enough until the clothing becomes restrictive. It seems I am the only one who appreciates the snug fit of a well tailored suit.

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<archmage> cw: uh, minor gore ideation?

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WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, ERIDANUS SUNGAZER. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 099.23.886.00 * Archmage has joined 099.23.886.00 <Archmage> Hello, this is Eridanus Sungazer. <Archmage> In the event I am currently unavailable, please leave a message. <Archmage>** I will answer back, promptly. If I feel you are worth the trouble.