Seasons - Lucifer's Voicemail

[dadbeatdad]

Why hello there. You've reached Lucifer Morningstar. Sorry I can't come to the phone right now. Leave a message after the tone and I might get back to you. Make it good~ Byyyyyyye~

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[bluediligence]

[ Did Korone just turn more red? Yes. Yes, she sure did, and she is going to hide behind her wing and flappy-hands stim about it. ]

[ Bullies. She's surrounded by bullies. She makes a very quiet grumbly flustered sound, ruffles her wings again as she unburrows, and plops down — still thoroughly pink in the cheeks, fwiw — in the super comfy kitchen island couch nook. ]

Lucifer-ojichan is an adorable menace, I see. [ GRUMBLES. Munches a cookie. And finally, ]

In the last place that kidnapped me, the soul-eating god of nature and conflict and his cultists carved a bunch of rules — objectives and taboos — into me. Positive and negative reinforcers that replenish or drain my soul respectively.

They were s'posed to have been removed before I left; everyone else's were. But, um, my soul was all kinds of swiss cheese at the time for a bunch of reasons ... that may be why they stuck around.

It's not the most ideal situation. Or, um, safe. I've found a way to cover them up, kinda like a shield or a glamour, as a stop-gap.

[ Korone takes a breath, and also another cookie. ]

I want to see if we can use the ninpo to get rid of them for good. [ She has faith in her family and the ninpo. She knows they'll find a way to make it work. But they don't have to muddle through all by themselves anymore. ] ... With adult supervision and guidance from a trusted expert, if you'd be willing-?

[dadbeatdad]

[Lucifer is truly a menace and a half. He giggles at the scooping, petting, and feeding. Oh he happily munches those out of Macaque's fingers. Yes, Macaque is King of ears. Doesn't mean he can't also have some ear stuff going on. Just not as good.

Though the happy sort of vibe does fade as he listens. Oh dear. That isn't good, at all. If he ever meets this god of nature and conflict, he'll punch the douchebag in the dick, once for every soul he and his shitty cultists carves rules into their very souls.

Still, getting mad isn't the point. He listens. The ninpo isn't something he understands well but he does understand souls.]

Oh. Me? You mean me. I would be more than happy to supervise. Of course. I am very honored you'd think of me. I know my method of fixing Macaque's soul wasn't something you cared much for. So it means a lot to me. Yes. I will.

[castaside]

"Thank you, love," Macaque says to the bunny in the crook of his arm. "We'd like to try before Wash's heart game, for perhaps obvious reasons."

Someone who wanted to be a Big Asshole who knew that those things were on her soul could do a lot of damage, and Wash would struggle with having done that.

"We'd have to explain the ninpo to you, how it works, but one benefit is that the kids will have access to my magic reserves." It's a big boon in a thing like this.

[bluediligence]

[ At this point, heartfelt conversations when one of the participants is an adorable bunny is totally normal. Korone's fluster softens into a warm, grateful smile. ] Thank you. So much. It means a lot to me. [ She chuckles, rubbing the back of her head. ] More than I know how to say, really, so … thank you.

— for what it's worth, it's not that I thought there was anything wrong with the way you helped him. [ Just! In case he was worried about that! ]

[ She nods to Macaque. ]

The ninpo is a huge pool of mystic energy connecting the Hamato clan both past and present. Like a lake — a lake with hundreds of tributaries flowing in and out, and dams operated by love, trust, and belief: "You are not alone." [ Thinking about it always punches her in the heart and she is trying super hard not to get all sappy about it right now. ] It can do … so much. Like Dad said, we can share power and energy … and then there's different levels of mindmelding: from sharing present thoughts and such to way, way beyond, like mindscapes and deeper mindscapes like heart games.

[ God, she hopes it won't take another heart game to fix this. GOD, SHE HOPES. ]

I only found out the objectives and taboos were really-for-real still active when Dad n' me used a combination of the ninpo and his magic to check on another issue. One of my objectives triggered and he was able to sense it.

[dadbeatdad]

I mean it sounds like you have all the tools and support you need to fix the issue. And I will supervise and offer any advice or knowledge you need. Between this Ninpo and your father's magical energies, I can't think of anything that would go wrong. Running out of energy won't be a problem.

[No doubt in Lucifer's mind anyway. Choco and her family have that way about them of finding an answer, one way or another. Especially with everything they had all been through. He's very happy to be included, if the happy little bunny tail wags are any indication.]

And it makes sense to resolve this before Wash's Heart Game. Best to remove as many bullets from his gun as possible, I believe the saying is.

[castaside]

"Good, then." Macaque pets the bunny in his arm gratefully and feeds him more apple chips.

"If you were going about this task yourself, how would you do it? The more direction we have, it can only be helpful."

[bluediligence]

[ Bunnicifer is too cute to be legal. ]

That's good to hear. [ Korone pulls a plush cat (charcoal gray, with one red ear, one blue ear, and adorable yellow beans and nose) out of a shadow portal to cuddle. ]

… Do you think there's any chance this — [ she uses Ringo's paw to gesture at her wings ] might cause an issue somehow? My pigeon traits originated from Imeeji, and they weren't s'posed to be permanent or anywhere near this extensive. I think they, like the objectives and taboos, stuck around because of my swiss cheese soul situation. … Ah — not that I wanna get rid of them! I wouldn't even if I could; they're too important to me.

[ Like, it's probably fine! But if there are any potential crossed wires (crossed ... swiss cheese??), she'd rather consider them early ]

[dadbeatdad]

[Bunnicifer is probably illegal in at least 35 states and London. Still, he is being so cute as he enjoys more pets and just noms his apple crisps. So so good.]

Hmm. Well if I was going to do it, I would focus on outlining exactly what space of your soul these taboos and objectives take up. That way you can leave the rest of the soul untouched, for the most part. Your wings and such, unless they've become tied to the objectives and taboos, shouldn't be affected thankfully. I wouldn't see them causing a problem. Especially if they've integrated as part of you while these objectives and taboos you talk about like they're outside you. Not internalized into your personhood.

I would have you try to reinforce that with thoughts and meditation. You are not the objectives and taboos and they are not you. That should help make it easier for the Ninpo to remove them. Externalize them as best you can.

[castaside]

Hmm.

"Choco, would Lucifer helping with guided meditation be workable for you? No actual work on your soul, just words and preparation. I think that might be the best way to get ready."

[bluediligence]

They're … [ a pause, with the thoughtful air of someone gingerly poking something strange with a stick ] … not tied to them, just affected by them? Mm.

[ Not internalised into your personhood. They're not her and she isn't them. Of course. She agrees, always has; they don't get to define who she is or what she does. ]

[ (So why did she—?) ]

[ She gives Ringo a tighter squish for four seconds. ]

It sounds like a good idea. … Yeah. I'm okay with it. We'll probably step on a few rakes along the way, but — we can deal with that. [ We as in the three of them sitting in the kitchen, or we as in them? Excellent question. ]

[dadbeatdad]

I would be glad to do that, yes. We can. Um. Rakes? As in...? We might hit a few issues during the guided mediation? Okay. We can have snacks and things around and a phrase or sign when we need to disconnect and stop.

Would any of them perhaps activate while trying to separate your personhood from them? I suppose we should think about that first. I don't want to activate and possibly have the opposite affect than what we're trying to accomplish.

[castaside]

"Possibly rakes as in she has a lot of triggers and sometimes they get grazed." He's done this with Choco, after all. "But a trusted person being willing to stop or pause can make all the difference."

He nods at Lucifer's assessment. "Better for that separation issue to happen in guided meditation than when we're trying the real thing. Workarounds are always an option if we know the pitfalls."

[bluediligence]

Rakes as in … [ She nods. A few issues is potentially an Understatement, and Papaque knows the score. ] Yeah, pretty much.

[ Her legs swing lightly, gently, beneath the table. Swing, swing. ]

I have some identity issues. [ She gives Ringo another measured squeeze—relax—squeeze—relax, centering herself, even as her gaze slides away from Macaque and Lucifer. ] … DID, essentially. And it's — [ She wiggles one wing in lieu of a handwave-y gesture. Give her a moment, she's looking for A) the right words and B) the right order to put them in. ]

Um.

[ H. Hmmm. ]

… So, um, thinking about it — I think the objectives and taboos might be mine? [ Another Ringo squish for the road! ] Or, um. 'Mine'. Inverted commas. … Like — electrical wiring, it runs through the whole house but there's a central fuse box in one room?

[ She pauses a moment, legs still swinging. ]

[ Taps her toes against the floor. Shakes her head as if to clear it, and looks back at the two of them. ]

Less personhood … more identity. [ Which in some cases is maybe probably at least slightly tied to personhood. Maybe. ] The big taboo is our original's name, and it's tied directly to Epsilon. There was a long time where I could barely think about color associations without slipping in a bad way. It's more manageable now, between the heart game, therapy, and learning to … think around things really carefully?

… All that to say — while that taboo won't actually activate, taking our time with guided meditation would be for the best. I can teach you some of the signs I use when I know I'm getting stuck. And Dad's amazing — he's really, really good at recognising what's happening and helping me out. [ Sometimes she doesn't know she's slipping or falling until it's already happened. It sucks! But her papa is wonderful and incredible and she loves him very, very much. ]

[dadbeatdad]

Oh. Okay. Rakes. Hmm. Alright. The taboos were external and tied to parts of identity but they are added and are tied to aspects of her identities? Yes? Is that about right as I am understanding you. Each of your identities are part of your personhood. Like the trinity.

How familiar are you with Christianity, Choco-chan? Just to make sure. But yes. I think guided medication, signs and me learning that, and us taking it nice and slow. Working at your pace, whatever that ends up being.

It won't be simple but I know we can get through it so you're primed for the Ninpo when you're all ready to try. There's too much support in his house to fail, if you ask me.

[castaside]

Macaque blinks a few times, going still for a second when Epsilon is mentioned. Sometimes it bothers him a little, sometimes not, but it's a minor detour. He has bigger things to focus on.

He blinks again, though for a different reason, when the trinity is mentioned. It's sure a comparison.

"We've done some explorations that went reasonably well, and Lucifer is nothing if not careful." It'll be fine.

Of course Macaque is going to be a little nervous at subjecting his precious daughter to anything that might hurt, but it's necessary.

[bluediligence]

[ She briefly catches Macaque's eye, noting that pause, but doesn't otherwise make a thing of it.

And then it's her turn to blink. ]

The — [ Trinity? What? ] … Not much. [ Sheepishly rubs the back of her head with the elbow of one wing. ] Mostly basic references picked up from Western media. Maybe bits and pieces from Imeeji's bullshit? But I don't think that counts and I'd have to dig for it anyway.

[ Sllllow kicky legs back and forth as she revisits the Identity and Personhood question. ]

The objectives and taboos make the fragmentation worse, but we're still — we're …

[ The off-white patches on her wings shift to a very specific shade of blue — the same blue as her eyes. She points to it! ] We're still blue. We, our soul, is always blue. Koronai's color is [ the feathers (and one eye) shift to teal ] and Korone is [ another shift, this time to a shade very reminiscent to ripe plums ] … but we — as a system — are fragmented aspects of one whole soul. Korone is Korone and Koronai is Koronai, but we're also each other and our original all at the same time.

[ Their eye and feathers shift fade back to their usual coloration. She gives her head another shake, blinking hard a couple of times to clear away the disorientation. ]

[dadbeatdad]

[Lucifer makes a little note to try and not to mention Epsilon around Macaque whenever possible. Let's not do that. He caught the strange far off glance that appeared the second the name was mentioned. Though at least Korone and the other one, Koronai, just described something that was very much the trinity.]

The Trinity is what you described. Three aspects, each whole upon themselves, and part of the whole all at the same time. With that in mind, what we'll focus on in our guided meditations, will be those objectives and taboos. Separating them from the trinity. Acknowledging and working through knowing they, in principle, are the other. They were placed upon you. A wound to heal. A plaque to remove. Making it easier for your family and this Ninpo to remove them.

[castaside]

Macaque continues petting bunny Lucifer as if to reassure him that all is well. Between Macaque and Korone spacing out a bit with the Epsilon namedrop and Korone dissociating and Koronai coming out, that might have been a lot. He seems to be taking it in stride, though. Good.

"Any way I can help during this process? I'm happy to stay out of it if not. Sometimes three's a crowd."

[bluediligence]

[ Blink. Blink. She blinks again, squeezing her eyes tight shut and mussing up her glasses to rub at them. The Trinity is what you described, Lucifer says, and she thinks — Korone thinks she's following. No lost time. Just that skippy missed step sensation. ]

Acknowledging and working through knowing they, in principle, are the other … [ Korone fixes her glasses, shakes her hands out, and settles back into her seat. ] That makes sense.

[ She bites back the urge to apologise, instead looking to Macaque when he asks his question. ]

Having you with me would help a lot. [ There's a small touch of sheepishness in her smile, but a whole lot of quiet affection. ] I always feel safest wherever you are.

[ The safer she feels, the easier it is to keep her balance and recover. ]

[dadbeatdad]

[It is a lot. Lucifer is just rolling with it. Be Not Afraid is what the angels say to humans when they reveal their true form. He will not be afraid of what Choco shows him. It's all still the kind young woman who has been through a lot, who is his friend, and who he tortures with gifts and is tortured in return.]

I agree. You being there with us is a calming safety net. If we step on too many rakes in close succession on accident, you can step in if needed. Can help if I miss a sign. And make the exercise feel safe.

[castaside]

Macaque gives Choco a soft smile. "Of course. I'll always be there when you need or want me." It's not a question.

"When do we want to try this?"

[bluediligence]

[ Wow, hey, put down the steel chair! ... So thinketh the pigeon who picked it up and practically handed it to him. There's a very brief, easily missed stutter in her breathing; a gap where a chirp may have been. But she smiles back at him, soft and warm like he personally hung the moon in the sky, so clearly she's not upset. ]

Right back at you. [ She's his daughter, he's her dad, she would still tie herself into some incredible pretzels in the name of supporting him. Love Papaque. ]

[ She smiles at Lucifer as well, relieved and grateful and trying very, very hard not to let Birdensome Feelings get the better of her. ]

Thank you. Again. I … [ She shakes her head, chuckling faintly. ] I know it's, all this is a lot … so — thank you. [ Which brings them on to timing. ]

Prob'ly should avoid mornings before I work ... [ and her weekly sessions with her regular therapist ] But other than that, I'm up for trying whenever you guys are.

[dadbeatdad]

[Get loves on you two nerds!]

How about after your work shifts on days you don't have something planned after? A few days a week maybe? To start and see how it goes.

[castaside]

He gives Choco a wink.

"I'll make myself available whenever the best time is. Also, do we want to let Wash know? Maybe he could help." Since he's also a source of safety and he's known her much longer.

[bluediligence]

Mm! [ excuse her while she teleports a weekly planner notepad into her hands, it is adorable and color-coded and there's so much written on it on every single day ] A lot of this stuff can be shuffled around …

[ flips to the next page (which has a lot written on it already), and then the next after that. she hums and nods to herself. ]

Looks like Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays would be easiest. [ as for Wash — ]

… I think I told Wash-nii … something about it? Back in January? [ she tilts her head, scrunching her nose in thought. ] We had cookies and cocoa and we were gonna walk and talk … [ hmnnnnnnnn. ] … ugh, I know the memory's in there somewhere. [ STUPID BRAIN.

Cheekpuff!! Deflates with an exasperated sigh. ]

Well, anyway, I'd be happy to have Wash-nii there.