D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad

--- Kamiko ---

They'd been at this a while. Meg was being less and less forthcoming with answers, and the occasional glares at the rest of the group ensured they didn't buck that trend. Bower did look like he wanted to more than once… but he also didn't know the answer to those questions most of the time. Meg was… Kamiko really wasn't sure what Meg was.

*She's definitely trying to give the impression that she's growing impatient with Corela but I'm not sure she has any more or less patience now then she did at the beginning. Which was… essentially none but nearly infinite for Hunter and this was, at least in Meg's mind I think, Hunter's idea. So… what does that mean? Like… are we just going to keep killing time?*

As if Meg could hear Kamiko's thoughts, they were given voice, "So how much longer do you need to think about this? Does your old lizard brain still need a few more morsels to snack on? I've got some real food somewhere I'm sure…"

"Look, you ask me to make the decision of my lifetime, and GENERATIONS of my people. Sure I don't care about them individually, not after all this time and the ever changing faces amongst them but I DO care for the wellbeing of the group. It's why I went to all this trouble. I get you pulled me out to stop the procrastination from getting too bad but… this is really bad!

I'm a biologist and reluctant mechanic not a fucking political or sociologist!

"I know just enough about both to say we're fucked. Dunno how we lasted that long… and I mean… gods I just. What does this sort of stuff mean for the cryo pods? I've been avoiding that one but so many people in this room that may or may not be dead…" Corela sighed, trailing off with a lot of the wind knocked from her sails.

"Well in regards to those… they're pretty much dead. Not all of them but most of them. The soul has left the building so to speak. You guys didn't really test for those sort of effects. You're fine because the, suspected, dragon ancestry of your people is REALLY strong in you. At the very least you got all of the factors for successful hibernation and they… did not.

Their bodies might be fine, but most of them are quite definitely dead," stated Meg, with Kamiko being a touch surprised. This was the longest answer Meg had given in the last half an hour.

Corela sighed. "It would be something like that wouldn't it? I'd have thought the time magic would allow for that to be properly ironed out?"

Meg shook her head, "Nah as I explained to the others before it's not the same. I don't quite understand why… because I also don't understand why the process has the effects on souls that it does and I don't care enough to find out. My best guess about the magic though? The soul recognises that magic is actively interfering with its perception of things and tries to tough it out.

If the body survives then you keep going. Besides time magic doesn't normally go soul deep anyway,"

"Right, right of course it would be something like that. Not happy to hear it but I suppose it does make sense that-" Corela paused when Hunter and Meg snapped their heads towards the door, Hunter a second after Meg leading Kamiko to guess this was more of a show for the rest of them, especially when Bower turned from looking at them to the door himself with some speed.

Kamiko glanced at the door not really sure what was going on until… "Seems like your littlest dweller decided she didn't want to wait anymore. She's going to be at the door soon. Want me to lock it?" asked Meg.

Corela glanced at the greed demon, "How old is she again?"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Meg glanced at Hunter with a shrug, so Hunter answered. "Very unclear. Based on her scent she's definitely less then twenty and older then twelve, the worst part of puberty, the part many recognise AS puberty is over but not long since. I'd guess she's fourteen or fifteen but that is a guess based on standard humanoid norms. Many creatures like elves buck that trend massively in some dimensions,"

Corela raised an eyebrow, "You can tell that much from just-?"

Meg cut her off, "She's nearly here. Like thirty seconds. In or out?"

Corela thought for a moment, pushing her brain to consider everything as quickly as possible. Ten seconds passed. Fifteen. Twenty, Kamiko felt the grains of time slipping away so slowly even though she hadn't done anything to augment her own mind. "Let her in," Corela answered softly at the twenty-five second mark.

Meg nodded and just waited. Not long afterward, Kamiko could hear the door click and it slowly opened. They could see the younger girl carefully back into the room while watching the corridor… and thus missing the room full of people staring at her until the very last moment when she clicked the door shut and turned around.

Her face was frozen in a mixture of confusion and terror when Meg suddenly appeared behind the girl and slapped a hand over her mouth. Meg looked unsure of what to do for a moment before shrugging and walking over… in Kamiko's direction. Kamiko looked around confused for a few moments before a teenager was dropped into her lap literally.

Kamiko and the young teen, who really wasn't THAT much younger then Kamiko herself in the grand scheme of things… looked at each other awkwardly. "Um… it's alright to scream?" offered Kamiko.

The girl seemed to consider that for a few moments. "Um… no… I think that… um that ship's sailed… um…" the girl glanced around the room. "I have no idea what's going on anymore…"

"Demons woke me up. Crystal you guys found is a small piece of something that can destroy the world. We can either leave when they leave or stay but they're taking the crystal and destroying it. They wanted me to make the decision because they don't want to, and some of them," Corela looked at Meg, "don't actually care. Now you get to join in… whatever your name is,"

"Three," answered the girl. Three?

"Wait you're named Three?" asked Corela.

"Well technically my name is Three-Two-One because my parents are awful people but I mostly got called Pipsqueak when I was younger until Pip took off because Pipsqueak was too long. I dunno, I kinda hate them all but I also don't really mind because they're all MINE and that matters or something? I got over it a long time ago for the most part. Just… um… call me Pip I guess," said… Three? Pip?

Kamiko wasn't sure what to think of the girl.

Corela sighed, "You got any alcohol?" Kamiko pulled out a bottle and gently threw it in Corela's direction. A tad awkward with Pip in her arms, but she managed. To nobodies surprise Corela downed the entire thing in one long chug and Kamiko praised her foresight in handing over one of the weakest bottles she had. "Is kill them all an option? Or not Pip obviously… but like… is it on the table?"

"Yes!" said Meg with a smile. "It was of course, what I suggested at the beginning,"

Pip giggled until Corela fixed her with a glare. "I may have been joking kid, but demon's don't, CAN'T lie. They can twist the truth into pretzels if they want, though many of them don't develop the skill… but she's not lying. That was not a joke. If she had her way she would take the crystal and walk out, killing any problems along the way.

Do not let that smile and pleasant seeming demeanour fool you,"

"Booo, I wouldn't hurt children, certainly not intentionally," said Meg firmly.

"Indeed you'd make it painless for them wouldn't you?" challenged Corela. Meg just shrugged. "Right, Pip I guess… so the gist of everything? We're fucked. I am currently trying to work out how to ensure we are the least fucked… but we're very fucked here and not sure what my preferences are,"

"Told you you're losing it granny," said Meg.

"Um… what… what do you mean?" asked Pip.

Meg let out a long sigh. "It'll take a while to explain the specifics and I'm quite sure you wouldn't understand them the way Corela was so… short version? This place is breaking down. Might only have a century left. Might have more, might have less but once it's down? You're fucked.

If you go to the outside world? You lose all of your comforts from here. We take down the barrier somehow? Either we break those comforts or the government finds out and takes your shit OR the monsters wreck your shit. What's the best option,"

"Oh… we ARE fucked," said Pip.

"Language," said Kamiko.

"You're not my mum," grumbled Pip.

"Correct, but she's not worth listening to and hopefully I am. It's fine because this is really bad but… try not to use that sort of language to often. I find it… sticks in your vocabulary and you don't want that. It'll make you seem crude," answered Kamiko as she started to pat Pips head.