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I need to spar with someone.

Floor of your choice. I'll be using my sword only - I don't waste bullets on people - and my demons will only come out if there's deadly intent, which will not end well for you so I really don't recommend it.

-Aleph

[Lucifer can handle anyone who insults him by himself - except now that he's gone.]

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[Diarmuid smiles gently.]

That is a beautiful name. I bet she is extremely proud of the son she raised because it seems like you are a lot like her.

We were separated shortly after she gave birth. I only met her again recently.

[Not that you're wrong about the pride thing.]

Some things are passed on from parent to child even if they cannot be together.

[That's part of the reason Diarmuid fears someday becoming like his biological father even though he spent so little time around him.]

And? Was she proud of you when you met again?

We spent a while traveling together before we learned about our relationship... It was awkward for a while, but I think she's proud of me now that the shock has faded.

[He laughs lightly.]

Oh, I bet it was! Wow... What were doing while you were traveling? Was it on your quest to kill that god?

We hadn't originally set out to do that. Actually, she first approached me looking for help searching for a boy who'd gone missing... who turned out to be me.

Amnesia and artificial growth are a terrible combination when it comes to finding somebody.

Indeed!

[A look of confusion crosses his face.]

But artificial growth? What exactly happened to you after you were separated from your mother?

Shortly after I was born, I was raised to be an ultimate human - this included strength and speed, and the alterations done to me also made it so that I grew extremely quickly. By the time we met each other again, I looked about the same age as my mother, who's still in her twenties.

I'm only about one year old now, and that's after six months here.

Oh!

[Diarmuid's eyes widen in shock. It is hard for him to believe something so terrible, but it does actually explain some of the odd things Aleph has said.]

So that is why the sun is so important and you said you remembered so little of your home!

Exactly.

[Just don't treat him like he can't take care of himself, now that you know how young he is.]

[Diarmuid nods for a few moments, thinking. He knows a fighter when he sees one and even if Aleph is young, he's a fighter. It's just now he knows he's a fighter in more ways than one.]

This might seem like an odd question, but do the demons ever seem like family to you since you have been together for so long and you rely on each other for so much?

Family is... odd for demons. I wouldn't consider them anything they couldn't return, but demons and summoners can get pretty close.

I suppose it would be, but at long as there is something there what it is called really doesn't matter. You take care of each other and that is what is important.

[Aleph nods at that.]

If I asked how old you are now that you know my age, would that be offensive?

[Diarmuid smiles slightly and shakes his head.]

It's not an offensive question at all, just a difficult one to answer because of my very nature as a servant. You see, I may introduce myself as Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, but I am not, in truth, him. I am a copy of his soul brought back to life by magical means long after his death. However, I know everything he knew, I feel what he felt, my wishes are the same as his were and so I speak as if I were him.

If you want to be picky, when I died in the war, I was not even a week old, yet much like you I obviously look older than that.

[He pauses to laugh, though it's a little strained. Sometimes being so honest isn't easy. He doesn't like talking about being a copy of someone else's soul because it reminds him he isn't really real, that he shouldn't be here, that nothing he claims as his really is.

Even his much cherish family memories aren't technically his.]

And that is not even all of it. I died in my forties, though I looked much younger because of some magical berries that I once ate. On top of that, the magic that brought me back to life brought me back at my prime so I look even younger--perhaps around 25 or so.

...That is complicated. I'd rather think of you as in your forties since that's what you remember being.

[It's simple that way.]

[Diarmuid nods, smiling slightly.]

That is fine. It is truly a messed up matter. I probably should not know all of that, but between the Grail, the tower and my master I do. It is...difficult to handle sometimes knowing I am not what I really feel I am.

If it helps, I'm sure you're not alone.

Yes, that is what people tell me. It's just hard to remember sometimes when so much seems to be swirling around in my mind. Somehow, though, I don't think they will let me forget so easily and for that I am very lucky.

We're lucky for a lot of things - it's just easy to forget in places like this.

You are right, of course. I suspect that is part of this place's purpose.

[Diarmuid looks over toward where the demons have been fighting. It seems like they have finally cleared all of the monsters from the floor.]

It's a shame that killing off the monsters is so temporary. It would be nice if we could find a way to make things safer for everyone so we can just focus on the administrators' experiments instead of fighting the monsters too.

If we could make any progress, that would be nice.

[Shrug, as the demons start to return to him, chattering to each other.]

But I'll take what we can do, for now.

One step at a time, right?

[Diarmuid nods at the demons.]

Thank you for letting me see them work again. Do you feel any better?

A little. The fights earlier today today helped, too.

I am glad to hear it.

[He smiles.]

If you don't mind, I think I will leave you now. I've been trying to regularly patrol the new floors to keep those who don't know them out of trouble and I should get back to it.

[Diarmuid pauses a moment.]

Would you like to join me? There are always plenty of monsters to deal with, so I won't turn down any help I can get.

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alephbet - 2013-02-16 21:59 (UTC) - Expand

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