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Cam is dipping a grilled cheese sandwich into a bowl of tomato soup when he feels the summons. He goes ahead and grabs it. Doesn't even drop the sandwich.
Adanya summons Demon Cam
from_scratch
"I was a demon before! I have spent a hundred and fifty years perfectly content in my identity as a demon and now there is a snake!"
"Why is there a snake?" wails the snake.
"Why is there a snake?" wails the snake.
stars_and_sky
"Because you have a soul and if you didn't, you would be mindless? ... Are you like one of the bears, is your soul your armor or something...?"
from_scratch
"Oh, spare me the theological handwringing and explain the snake as though I really and truly on no level expected the snake, please."
stars_and_sky
"... Very well. Every single human or witch in the world has a daemon. The daemon is their personified soul. That is the literal definition. Souls are not - theological, that would be idiotic, why would I care if they were? If one of them is hurt or in pain, the other is hurt or in pain. No one but you should touch your daemon, outside of someone you trust completely. Daemons know their other half outside and in. The snake is you, without her you would not be a person. If you had shown up without one I would have thought you were a zombie, because a soul is a rather important thing to be missing. You missing your own head would be less jarring."
She doesn't seem to have a snake of her own, strangely enough.
from_scratch
"Okay. Questions remaining. Where is your soul snake. How would you care to explain my century and a half of snakeless yet entirely persony existence. What am I supposed to do with her. Why can't other people touch her. Is she in fact a her."
"I think so," says the snake. "But I don't know any more about snake junk than you do."
"...okay. And what is the deal with bears."
"I think so," says the snake. "But I don't know any more about snake junk than you do."
"...okay. And what is the deal with bears."
stars_and_sky
"My soul is not a snake, I am a witch, so he is a bird. He is away on an errand, I was summoning him to save him the flight back, but before I'd even finished my runes, you appeared. Mortals' daemons can be various animals. I... wouldn't know what to think. Perhaps your soul was curled up inside of you, asleep? If that was not the case, you would not be a person. Other people can't touch her because she is - your soul. It's. The most personal and private and vulnerable part of you. I believe mortals in this country execute people who purposely touch someone's soul. I know witches would, certainly. And armored bears keep their souls in their armor, I don't know why, I've never met one."
from_scratch
"You sent your soul on an errand," says Cam.
"What the hell happened since last Tuesday," cries the snake.
"Snake, any input on the asleep hypothesis?"
"...I mean, I know it was last Tuesday when you were summoned last? And stuff? I know things."
"What the hell happened since last Tuesday," cries the snake.
"Snake, any input on the asleep hypothesis?"
"...I mean, I know it was last Tuesday when you were summoned last? And stuff? I know things."
stars_and_sky
She sighs. "Because I'm a witch I can be separate from my soul. So he is on an errand, because it's convenient."
from_scratch
"Okay. And the demon-summoning is hilariously accidental and I'm in an alternate fucking universe with witches and a law of nature mandating soul animals the only exception being bears what in the name of the infinite void..."
stars_and_sky
"Yes. I am quite confused myself. Where are you from that summoning a person is ordinary, and why do you not also have soul animals, how do you do anything? Why do you have wings? What is a demon?"
from_scratch
"We do things without soul animals! Quite ably!"
"I expect to be pretty inconvenient, if it's a special witch thing to be able to leave your person!" adds the snake unhappily. "What if we can't take summons anymore and someone terraforms Mars without us?"
"I am from - starting from the basics - I am from a world where humans live mostly on a planet called Earth, with some on space stations, Earth's moon, or a neighboring planet, Mars. The year is 2159. In addition to humans there are three kinds of daeva - demons, angels, and fairies - and if you draw the right things on the ground you can summon us to do things in exchange for stuff and then send us back where we came from, respectively Hell, Heaven, and Fairyland."
"I expect to be pretty inconvenient, if it's a special witch thing to be able to leave your person!" adds the snake unhappily. "What if we can't take summons anymore and someone terraforms Mars without us?"
"I am from - starting from the basics - I am from a world where humans live mostly on a planet called Earth, with some on space stations, Earth's moon, or a neighboring planet, Mars. The year is 2159. In addition to humans there are three kinds of daeva - demons, angels, and fairies - and if you draw the right things on the ground you can summon us to do things in exchange for stuff and then send us back where we came from, respectively Hell, Heaven, and Fairyland."
stars_and_sky
"... There are no daeva here, and no space stations or colonies on either the Moon or Mars. And the year is 2012. Aside from that, this is Earth, and there are mostly humans living on it. Along with witches and armored bears and soul animals."
from_scratch
"Well, that's weird," says Cam. "This is all weird enough that I'm not at all confident you could even send me home, or send me home without somehow screwing up the whole thing with my snake in one way or another."
"Do soul animals get names?" asks the snake.
"Do soul animals get names?" asks the snake.
stars_and_sky
"I apologize for potentially causing you harm by accident," says the witch. "I will try to get you home safely."
She looks at the snake. "Yes. Usually they're named on birth by the parent's daemons. But you're something of a special case."
She looks at the snake. "Yes. Usually they're named on birth by the parent's daemons. But you're something of a special case."
stars_and_sky
Witch-lady quirks an eyebrow. "That was fast. Well, it's a fine name, and sounds daemon-ish."
stars_and_sky
"Not really, but they're usually... longer than ordinary names. Somewhat more formal. It would be strange for you to name a daemon Tyler or something."
from_scratch
"Wouldn't expect you to. Anyway, what's your plan for sending me home? I am highly nervous about having you do it the usual way when I'm now metaphysically attached to another organism. Summonings and dismissals do not conventionally involve passengers."
stars_and_sky
"... I need to understand the method I used to summon you before I can think of putting you back. It wasn't a witch spell." She motions to the circle. "And what's the 'usual way' of putting you back?"
from_scratch
"I'm not sure I want to tell you yet, in case you decide to try it before I'm convinced it'll avoid horrible snake-related fallout. I am very new to having to worry about horrible snake-related fallout."
"...I have demon magic," observes Atriama. "Excuse me, summoner, but what exactly would count as 'touching' me, can I just laminate myself and call it good?"
"...I have demon magic," observes Atriama. "Excuse me, summoner, but what exactly would count as 'touching' me, can I just laminate myself and call it good?"
stars_and_sky
"I wasn't going to send you back unless you'd like me to. Especially considering 'horrible snake-related fallout.' That would be cruel. Someone physically touching you is what does it, Atriama. Laminating yourself would probably fix the problem, but it might be uncomfortable."