Audience: Ashiya Douman

[probe]

Comments

[commedia]

Oh?

[A slight tilt of the head.]

And whose decision was it?

[probe]

That, you may work out for yourself.

[they either won't or can't, but they do not say which.]

[commedia]

Mmm. [Hm.] Do you all work for someone, then?

[probe]

We certainly do not.

[commedia]

How interesting. And you all manage to get along? Its impressive, especially for Avatars representing such volatile sins.

[probe]

[they exhale a slight sigh.]

So long as we are all capable of performing our duties, we need not get along.

[commedia]

And your duties involve running this place?

Do you at least get rewarded for it?

[probe]

So they do. As for being rewarded-- everyone has something they desire, do they not?

[commedia]

So you are all working for your desires, as well? And here I thought Avatars were the type to not want for much.

[A sip of the tea.]

If that's the case...then is this truly a competition, as some people have said?

[probe]

It is as much of a competition as the lot of you make it.

[they delicately pick up a cup in their clawed hands.]

[commedia]

[They purse their lips.]

I see. But you...do you want to fight for your desire? I can imagine the Avatar of Despair may have an incredible wish to work for.

[probe]

Right now, my duty is overseeing all of you... difficult as some of you are determined to make it.

[they may get the distinct impression despair rolls their eyes, behind the hood.]

[commedia]

Ahaha. Let this humble priest guess - making messes and the like everywhere did not at all help our case.

[A light smile. Well, they didn't make any messes!! They're good!!]

Mmm, but more seriously. Is there anything that can be done to make your burden a bit lighter?

[probe]

Aside from attempting to ensure your compatriots exercise a bit more respect for their surroundings, no. There is not.

[commedia]

A shame.

[A light huff and shrug.]

Do you do anything outside your duties?

[dude do u have hobbies]

[probe]

Why, every minute of every day is spent with my full focus upon all of you, of course.

[they say that so dryly, chin resting in one palm, before they wave their free hand.]

I prefer to keep to myself, really. On occasion I play an instrument or three.

[commedia]

Oh, as if we aren't all a headache and a half.

[A smirk twists up to the side.]

A instrument? You're a musician? What do you play?

[probe]

Strings, largely.

[of course string instruments vibe the most with someone associated with despair.]

Of various sizes, though I do prefer the deeper tones.

[commedia]

I don't expect we'll hear a concert from you anytime soon? Or at the very least, I would like to hear it. This humble priest can't exactly recall the last time they heard performed music like that...

[probe]

No, I do not expect you will. I do not make a habit of performing in public.

[and, considering the way despair does not move or offer to remedy the fact they haven't heard a performance like that recently... a performance will not be forthcoming now, either.]

[commedia]

...Ah. Yes, yes. I apologize. There are such things that are better for the soul when done on one's own.

[And a pause - there's a bit of a bittersweet smile on their face as they sip at their tea.]

Honestly, I didn't indulge in such hobbies when I was alive. I had so much work, day in and day out, and I...thought that was all this humble priest had to do, considering the amount of work I put on my own plate to keep up with the rest. [A hum.] So, looking back, I admire that. Finding something to soothe the soul for yourself.

[probe]

Do the actions you take now still not satisfy your soul, then?

[how is the clownery working out for you so far, douman.]

[commedia]

...

[A sort of rueful smile.]

Do you think I have a soul?

[probe]

You exist in some sense, do you not? There are many who would say this is all that is required to consider there to be a soul. You have a mind and personality, though I do suppose the completeness of your existence as a whole may be up for some debate.

[commedia]

...

[Haha. Yeah. That is...]

Its odd, ever so odd. Ashiya Douman, the preeminent onmyouji rival of that despicable Abe no Seimei, the one who killed Seimei...there was never much in history recorded of him. Just a role in another's story.

[Even if the true Douman is deep inside, that doesn't change the fact that the Servant, the Heroic Spirit, was based on...what, exactly?]

People pick and choose what to remember. My "whole existence" was never that from the start, haha.

[A being from the slim pickings of history, the weight of biased perceptions, the sorrow and hatred and envy of a man gone wrong.]

[Of course, they would never be complete.]