Apologies for the lack of manners-- my name is Goro Akechi, one of the recent arrivals. I was wondering if I may have a word about the services you provide? I must say you have quite the reputation.
[ As a battle-hardened mercenary? No. As a filthy smut writer, but he doesn't make that clear. ]
I see, you're a client. Well, normally I prefer to take commissions in person, but through here is fine. What service do you require? Protection, reconnaisance, or elimination?
[Of course, Byleth's first thought will always be towards mercenary things - not helped by Shez's arrival reminding him of his mercenary roots - and, admittedly, a part of him was mildly excited about the idea. The last time he had some sort of mercenary job was... well, when Hayame recruited him to accompany her in Alenroux's monster-infested forests. While it had been a difficult and arduous journey, it had been the most fun he had in a long while.
It seemed despite his cravings for peace, he couldn't entirely get rid of the Ashen Demon inside of him...]
I am. That's a [What would Shez call it? Ah, right-] side-gig. My main profession is that of a mercenary. But if you want to discuss my published works, we can do that.
A mercenary, is it? Quite surprising, but I'll keep it in mind for any future eliminations.
[ An elimination of Akechi's own doing, that is. This guy can clearly fight, and since he didn't refute the "reputation" bit, that means he must be skilled at it, too. ]
For the time being, I only mean to get more acquainted with your literary work, particularly your latest. Would you be willing to answer some questions about the siren and the psychopomp?
[ Or: the author must die for it, yes. MOVING ON... ]
Now, if we may begin: how did you come up with the names of your protagonists? If I had to guess from yours, you would hail from the West-- or rather, Western mythology. For a novice, would it not make more sense to borrow from your roots?
[ With a name like that, he could be a Persona. He should write about Personas rather than their users! ]
[Hm, thinking on it, Byleth supposed Fodlan was technically west? It was to the West of Almyra, where, if Jeralt was to be believed, more countries lay eastward, and the ocean and some islands were situated to Fodlan's west coast. He just never heard Fodlan as a whole referred to that before...]
I've never heard Fodlan called that, but... I'm not very knowledgeable of the myths or tales of my land. I'm only aware of Sothis, the goddess, but her name isn't suitable for a love story protagonist.
[Do you know how insufferable she'd be if she woke up and ever found out???? Byleth would spare himself the pain.]
[ Do you know how insufferable Goro Akechi is going to be now that he's the protagonist of a love story with his one true rival? Writing a torrid love affair between Sothis and Epimenides would've been less offensive! ]
Fodlan? Ah, I suppose we hail from different places. I come from Japan, on Earth.
[ Which... makes this whole deal even more suspicious, tbh. Who is this Goddess and how does one get rid of her... ]
Regardless, I'm not aware of any such Goddess in the mythology of my home world, but your namesake is well known in certain witchcraft circles. 'Byleth' is the name of a demon-- the king of Hell, if I recall.
[....that's a pretty good idea for his next work, actually... the true enemies-to-lovers story of the ages...]
Is that so? Interesting. I was called the 'Ashen Demon' in my world, though not due to being some supernatural demonic creature.
[Um, well, eeeeeeeh on the 'supernatural' part, but he could say with total confidence that he wasn't a demon. Not the sort that people usually meant, anyways, pouncing out of the dark to consume sinners and torment the virtuous for no other reason than 'it was in their nature'.]
But from what I understand, the name 'Byleth' doesn't have demonic connoctions in my world. How about 'Jeralt'? Or 'Sitri'?
I suppose. I'm an effective mercenary of some skill.
[This wasn't even false humility. In Byleth's mind he was a decent enough mercenary, but the likes of Shez proved he still had plenty to learn and improve on.]
As for the names - parents. Jeralt is my father, and my mother was Sitri.
[Even more interesting. Sitri was a demonic name, but Jeralt not. Considering his mother was like him, a Nabatean-hybrid of some... dubious sort... maybe in this person's world, the Nabateans were demonised? Maybe he came from a timeline where those mysterious Dark Mages, or the like of Shez's 'Arval' had overcome the native Fodlans and coursed a new future for themselves...]
My, my. It would seem 'Ashen Demon' is a most fitting moniker for you, Eisner-san. I hope you'll have mercy on my limited knowledge.
[ Okay, new working hypothesis: is he a Persona of some sort? They don't seem to come from the same world at all, but at least half his bloodline is connected to the Ars Goetia? Hmm!! ]
To answer your question, two of those names would be unfamiliar, though 'Shez' may be an alternate spelling for 'Shaz', just like yours is for 'Beleth'. Are those extended family members as well?
Rhea, yes, in a convoluted way (it involves complicated parentage). Arval and Shez, however, no. Shez is my rival, you could say.
[But interesting that their names were that of demons in this person's world, yet Arval and Rhea weren't. Hm, maybe the Nabateans hadn't fallen after all? Or perhaps Arval had been spiteful enough to consign the Nabatean's name to history, to be forgotten throughout the passage of time? He was really curious now...]
In any case this has been interesting. I'm sorry to say that the name 'Goro Akechi' has no alternative meaning in my world, though...
[Mostly because to his Fodlan ears, it was a completely made up name... inspired by maybe seeing a similar name in a few of the books he skimmed that were mostly images transcribed in that of a story (manga. he's talking about BL manga).]
Your rival? If he is anything like his namesake, then a great marquis should be no match for a king of hell. You must be pleased.
[ Or, Akechi would be, if that was the case. A rival who can catch up to and surpass him... he absolutely hates that. ]
At any rate, you must have heard that name somewhere, or at least found inspiration somewhere. Would you mind sharing your trade secrets? I promise I'm no competition.
[ Go on, tell him about that BL manga. He's going to be Very Okay with it. ]
Why would I be pleased at a rival unable to match me? That defeats the purpose of a rival.
[The sad truth was Byleth would've paid less attention to Shez if he had been too far beneath him in terms of skill and determination - had, in fact, paid him little attention after the night they met, dismissing him from his mind and walking away, thinking he'd just wander off seething and injured, but alive and grateful for it.
Instead, Shez had used that loss to fuel his determination to improve, to match him. If anything, Byleth was pleased to have a rival who so thoroughly challenged him!]
But to answer your question, I saw a name like yours in a book. It conveyed its story through pictures and dialogue... I believe the term is comics or 'man-gah'?
The purpose is to [ crush and humiliate the competition ] win, is it not? Assuming this is a mercenary rival, would it not stand to reason that you may face each other in battle and duel to the death?
[ No? Just him and his own rival? Okay then. ]
In any case, manga is a fairly popular storytelling media where I come from, so I suppose it makes sense. Did you find it in the library? What about those nicknames, "Joker" and "Crow"?
[ This is a series of unfortunate coincidences and he's morbidly curious at this point, even if he may regret everything later... ]
[He was getting a little worried about this Goro Akechi. Who taught him to view rivals as competition to be culled, rather than an equal that could drive him to higher heights? Very troubling...]
And yes, I found those names in a manga as well. Joker and Crow were a pair of thieves, if I remember correctly. The story mostly focused on their relationship, rather than their exploits, however, so I found their heists rather simplistic in nature...
[When you open a book expecting an adventurous, clever story about equally adventurous, clever thieves, and just find pages upon pages of softcore BL porn... well, Byleth still enjoyed it, but he was still disgruntled at the fakeout.]
Is that not functionally the same in your line of work? What happens if each of you is hired by a different contractor?
[ Or what happens if you're each hand picked by god-like beings as their champions and pitted against each other to decide the fate of the world... You know, very hypothetical question, not at all oddly specific and/or familiar to any parties in this conversation.......
You know what else is Not At All Oddly Specific? This manga bullshit. Seriously, what the hell. ]
A pair of thieves, is it... Do you happen to recall the author's name? I would love to search the library and read it for myself.
That is no longer an issue. We have promised to never be on opposing sides every again.
[Of course, easier said than done, as very stubborn Fate has proven, but Byleth's not thinking about that right now.]
Does the premise intrigue you? It is a good read, so I hope you enjoy it. If I remember the author was Makuto Taruki. Makoto Tamaki? Taka Mari? Something like that. I'm not particularly good with foreign names.
I'm not sure I understand how that solves the matter of logistics, but I suppose I can respect a promise between rivals.
[ But if they don't fight on opposing sides, then how are they even going to measure up against one another, to begin with?? That makes no sense?? Clearly his promise between rivals is the winner! ]
At any rate, that name sounds [ TERRIBLY ] familiar. It could be a pseudonym, as well. I will have to investigate and see if the author is in this place.
[ In which case, he'd get rid of Maruki first before turning his attention back to Byleth. That said: ]
One more question, if I may: do you plan on writing more works focused on those two characters?
I hope you find them! I'm certain they'll be happy to meet a fan.
[Oh, Byleth...]
And as for the characters... I'm not sure. The story was mostly on a whim when an idea came to me during the haze of sleep. A lot of romance stories are always about conventionally attractive people with inoffensive personalities - albeit embellished with a quirk or two to make them standout or interesting. I wanted to write something where- oh. Sorry, you're likely not interested in that.
In short, possibly. It depends on whether I feel there is more to tell about their story.
On the contrary, I'm fairly interested. Tell me. What was it that drew your attention to these personality types? How did these two in particular stand out from the rest that you saw fit to write your own take on a romance between them?
[ Because he absolutely does not see it!! and also, he lies. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenotebook
[ Somehow, even the name sets him on edge. Thankfully, these notes are far more... convenient than Communion. ]
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[Indeed, very convenient... enough so that the response that came through was more of a smooshed, lazy scrawl than a properly written out sentence...]
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[ As a battle-hardened mercenary? No. As a filthy smut writer, but he doesn't make that clear. ]
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[Of course, Byleth's first thought will always be towards mercenary things - not helped by Shez's arrival reminding him of his mercenary roots - and, admittedly, a part of him was mildly excited about the idea. The last time he had some sort of mercenary job was... well, when Hayame recruited him to accompany her in Alenroux's monster-infested forests. While it had been a difficult and arduous journey, it had been the most fun he had in a long while.
It seemed despite his cravings for peace, he couldn't entirely get rid of the Ashen Demon inside of him...]
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I'm afraid there must be a misunderstanding. I was under the impression you were a published author?
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I am. That's a [What would Shez call it? Ah, right-] side-gig. My main profession is that of a mercenary. But if you want to discuss my published works, we can do that.
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[ An elimination of Akechi's own doing, that is. This guy can clearly fight, and since he didn't refute the "reputation" bit, that means he must be skilled at it, too. ]
For the time being, I only mean to get more acquainted with your literary work, particularly your latest. Would you be willing to answer some questions about the siren and the psychopomp?
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You may, but first, a question of my own: did you enjoy it?
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[ Or: the author must die for it, yes. MOVING ON... ]
Now, if we may begin: how did you come up with the names of your protagonists? If I had to guess from yours, you would hail from the West-- or rather, Western mythology. For a novice, would it not make more sense to borrow from your roots?
[ With a name like that, he could be a Persona. He should write about Personas rather than their users! ]
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[Hm, thinking on it, Byleth supposed Fodlan was technically west? It was to the West of Almyra, where, if Jeralt was to be believed, more countries lay eastward, and the ocean and some islands were situated to Fodlan's west coast. He just never heard Fodlan as a whole referred to that before...]
I've never heard Fodlan called that, but... I'm not very knowledgeable of the myths or tales of my land. I'm only aware of Sothis, the goddess, but her name isn't suitable for a love story protagonist.
[Do you know how insufferable she'd be if she woke up and ever found out???? Byleth would spare himself the pain.]
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Fodlan? Ah, I suppose we hail from different places. I come from Japan, on Earth.
[ Which... makes this whole deal even more suspicious, tbh. Who is this Goddess and how does one get rid of her... ]
Regardless, I'm not aware of any such Goddess in the mythology of my home world, but your namesake is well known in certain witchcraft circles. 'Byleth' is the name of a demon-- the king of Hell, if I recall.
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Is that so? Interesting. I was called the 'Ashen Demon' in my world, though not due to being some supernatural demonic creature.
[Um, well, eeeeeeeh on the 'supernatural' part, but he could say with total confidence that he wasn't a demon. Not the sort that people usually meant, anyways, pouncing out of the dark to consume sinners and torment the virtuous for no other reason than 'it was in their nature'.]
But from what I understand, the name 'Byleth' doesn't have demonic connoctions in my world. How about 'Jeralt'? Or 'Sitri'?
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Great warriors often earn reputable monikers on the battlefield. I imagine that would be the case?
[ Hmm. If it's true, it doesn't dissuade him from murder, but he might have to plan things out more carefully... ]
In any event, I don't believe there was a 'Jeralt' in the grimoire, but there is a Sitri, yes. A great prince of Hell, if I recall. Friends of yours?
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[This wasn't even false humility. In Byleth's mind he was a decent enough mercenary, but the likes of Shez proved he still had plenty to learn and improve on.]
As for the names - parents. Jeralt is my father, and my mother was Sitri.
[Even more interesting. Sitri was a demonic name, but Jeralt not. Considering his mother was like him, a Nabatean-hybrid of some... dubious sort... maybe in this person's world, the Nabateans were demonised? Maybe he came from a timeline where those mysterious Dark Mages, or the like of Shez's 'Arval' had overcome the native Fodlans and coursed a new future for themselves...]
What about Rhea? Arval? Or Shez?
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[ Okay, new working hypothesis: is he a Persona of some sort? They don't seem to come from the same world at all, but at least half his bloodline is connected to the Ars Goetia? Hmm!! ]
To answer your question, two of those names would be unfamiliar, though 'Shez' may be an alternate spelling for 'Shaz', just like yours is for 'Beleth'. Are those extended family members as well?
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Rhea, yes, in a convoluted way (it involves complicated parentage). Arval and Shez, however, no. Shez is my rival, you could say.
[But interesting that their names were that of demons in this person's world, yet Arval and Rhea weren't. Hm, maybe the Nabateans hadn't fallen after all? Or perhaps Arval had been spiteful enough to consign the Nabatean's name to history, to be forgotten throughout the passage of time? He was really curious now...]
In any case this has been interesting. I'm sorry to say that the name 'Goro Akechi' has no alternative meaning in my world, though...
[Mostly because to his Fodlan ears, it was a completely made up name... inspired by maybe seeing a similar name in a few of the books he skimmed that were mostly images transcribed in that of a story (manga. he's talking about BL manga).]
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[ Or, Akechi would be, if that was the case. A rival who can catch up to and surpass him... he absolutely hates that. ]
At any rate, you must have heard that name somewhere, or at least found inspiration somewhere. Would you mind sharing your trade secrets? I promise I'm no competition.
[ Go on, tell him about that BL manga. He's going to be Very Okay with it. ]
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[The sad truth was Byleth would've paid less attention to Shez if he had been too far beneath him in terms of skill and determination - had, in fact, paid him little attention after the night they met, dismissing him from his mind and walking away, thinking he'd just wander off seething and injured, but alive and grateful for it.
Instead, Shez had used that loss to fuel his determination to improve, to match him. If anything, Byleth was pleased to have a rival who so thoroughly challenged him!]
But to answer your question, I saw a name like yours in a book. It conveyed its story through pictures and dialogue... I believe the term is comics or 'man-gah'?
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[ No? Just him and his own rival? Okay then. ]
In any case, manga is a fairly popular storytelling media where I come from, so I suppose it makes sense. Did you find it in the library? What about those nicknames, "Joker" and "Crow"?
[ This is a series of unfortunate coincidences and he's morbidly curious at this point, even if he may regret everything later... ]
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[He was getting a little worried about this Goro Akechi. Who taught him to view rivals as competition to be culled, rather than an equal that could drive him to higher heights? Very troubling...]
And yes, I found those names in a manga as well. Joker and Crow were a pair of thieves, if I remember correctly. The story mostly focused on their relationship, rather than their exploits, however, so I found their heists rather simplistic in nature...
[When you open a book expecting an adventurous, clever story about equally adventurous, clever thieves, and just find pages upon pages of softcore BL porn... well, Byleth still enjoyed it, but he was still disgruntled at the fakeout.]
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[ Or what happens if you're each hand picked by god-like beings as their champions and pitted against each other to decide the fate of the world... You know, very hypothetical question, not at all oddly specific and/or familiar to any parties in this conversation.......
You know what else is Not At All Oddly Specific? This manga bullshit. Seriously, what the hell. ]
A pair of thieves, is it... Do you happen to recall the author's name? I would love to search the library and read it for myself.
[ It wasn't "Takuto Maruki" was it?? ]
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[Of course, easier said than done, as very stubborn Fate has proven, but Byleth's not thinking about that right now.]
Does the premise intrigue you? It is a good read, so I hope you enjoy it. If I remember the author was Makuto Taruki. Makoto Tamaki? Taka Mari? Something like that. I'm not particularly good with foreign names.
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[ But if they don't fight on opposing sides, then how are they even going to measure up against one another, to begin with?? That makes no sense?? Clearly his promise between rivals is the winner! ]
At any rate, that name sounds [ TERRIBLY ] familiar. It could be a pseudonym, as well. I will have to investigate and see if the author is in this place.
[ In which case, he'd get rid of Maruki first before turning his attention back to Byleth. That said: ]
One more question, if I may: do you plan on writing more works focused on those two characters?
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[Oh, Byleth...]
And as for the characters... I'm not sure. The story was mostly on a whim when an idea came to me during the haze of sleep. A lot of romance stories are always about conventionally attractive people with inoffensive personalities - albeit embellished with a quirk or two to make them standout or interesting. I wanted to write something where- oh. Sorry, you're likely not interested in that.
In short, possibly. It depends on whether I feel there is more to tell about their story.
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On the contrary, I'm fairly interested. Tell me. What was it that drew your attention to these personality types? How did these two in particular stand out from the rest that you saw fit to write your own take on a romance between them?
[ Because he absolutely does not see it!!
and also, he lies.](no subject)