Flipping Through Time [Selenus]

    She just...couldn't stop.

    No doubt she looked like some placated child, sitting there on her chair and flipping through her compendium with a small, blissful smile playing across her lips. Perhaps it was even a little eerie, as she was, once again, stationed in that room full of cells until her sister returned from her duties. She couldn't find it in herself to care, however.

    Paige was lost, and this time to a much more tangible memory. It had been far, far too long since she'd seen the book, and even though the memory of it was fresh in her mind, there was something special about experiencing the book all over again. She ran her hands across the pages, breathed in and sighed out the comforting scent of age and knowledge weaved into the parchment. She seemed blissfully unaware (or just plain ignoring) her surroundings at this point.

The events of last night still weighing heavy on his mind, Selenus decided to clean his cosnsciousness by going to the one place that seemed to be the most related to it: The Velvet Room. Though his initial experience with it was... less than pleasant, he'd come to realize - after a lengthy bout of consideration and thought - that the answers to a lot of his questions might indeed lie in the blue room itself. Besides, it wasn't all bad; the room was handled by what might just be the kindest person Selenus had ever met.

Going in through the mysterious blue door, Selenus felt the chains appear on his legs once more, except... this time something was missing. Selenus couldn't feel that dreaded lock-up program anymore. Good! That thing was a royal pain in the ass. Approaching the edge of his cell, Selenus spotted a familiar figure sitting in the center of the multi-celled room reading a book. She seemed to be completgely absorbed in it though, unable to see or hear him.

    "Hm...?"

    Blinking slowly, the woman raised her head (albeit regretfully) from the pages, scanning the area in front of her. ...How odd...she'd heard her name...from...that direction...?

    She turned, finally spotting Selenus, her eyes growing wide with surprise before she hurriedly called her compendium away with a flash of blue light and stood up. After gathering her skirts she was at the cell door in moments, fiddling with the latch on the door.

    "Oh, do forgive me...!" she murmured, a light blush of shame covering her cheeks. How long was he here? Was he kept waiting for ages? Oh, she hoped not.... The door was soon open, and she was suddenly kneeling on the floor in front of Selenus, hands hovering over the chains on his legs before she blinked and sat back. Oh...oh, of course, she couldn't...she was in such a rush... Offering a small, sheepish laugh, she finally looked the guest in the eye, smiling softly. "You still have your key, yes?"

As soon as Paige took notice of Selenus's presence, he saw her... disintegrate? Dissipate?... Put away whatever it was that she had been reading and before picking up her long skirt and rushing over towards his cell, apparently embarassed by her lack of lucidity. When she asked him if he still had his key, Selenus grabbed the string around his neck with his tail and presented it to Paige. "Right here."

Now that he could take his time since this time around he wan't in a state of paranoid panic, Selenus slowly took in the ambient of the mysterious room as Paige unlocked his door. It was imposing and undermining, but at the same time it reminded Selenus a lot of himself; It was filled with cells and a cold unbreaking silence, but at the same time it was warm and welcoming. If this place truly was related to the human mind, it certainly was almost as complex as it.

    Had she not known that a guest's key would remain with them always, she may have flown back into another frenzy. Luckily she, as always, remembered, and easily slipped the cord from around Selenus' neck. Then it was merely a matter of fitting the key into the locks, which had long ago become second nature to her.

    She paused momentarily at the third cuff, derailed by the question. How long? ...Hm. Time had always been a tricky thing in this room. Out there, things were much more...solid. Despite her brief outings, she had long memorized the feel of days, hours, minutes, seconds...longer stretches of time were still somewhat foreign to her, but she had a general idea of how they worked, at least. In the Velvet Room, however? Those feelings were skewed, to put it lightly. Add in her...fits (during which time did not exist for her), and pinpointing a general time was very difficult.

    She finished unlocking the cuffs before she answered with a small smile. "I can not say. Perhaps a day, a week? Time means...very little, here." She carefully slipped his key back around his neck, offering a gentle pat behind his ear before she stood. "Now, how may I assist you today?"

"I... see..." Selenus commented as Paige unlocked his cell. Was there an equivalent ratio of time spent in the real world to time spent in the Velvet room, or was it constantly fluctuating? If it was the latter, that could potentially lead to complications. But whichever it was, it didn't seem to affect Paige. Maybe she was just used to it, or maybe she just had no notion of time to begin with. Though... the amount of time needed to completely lose one's sense of time would be astronomical. How long HAD Paige been alive, anyway? Considering that traditionally, women seemed to be offended by someone asking their age (for whatever ludicrous reason) and Paige seemed to be an old-fashioned lately, Selenus decided to refrain from asking.

A sense of relief overcame Selenus as he stepped out of his cell and into the room. "I was meaning to ask you..." Selenus started as he turned to face Paige. "What do you know about demons? My... activities yesterday led me to confront some of them, and up until then I just assumed that they were mindless beasts, or, in the case of the few demons with minds, only focused on destruction and mayhem." It was hard for him to admit to this behaviour when he was questioning whether it was or not a generalization on his part. "Now, however, I'm not so sure. The only demons I'd seen before now had been as I thought yesterday's to be, so I just.." The feeling of guilt overcame him, and he simply cut himself off with a sigh. "Paige, do you think I'm a horrible person for killing demons?" He asked as his tail fidgeted with the floor.

    She had been poised with an answer to his initial question. In fact, her compendium held a large wealth of knowledge on the subject, considering that one of her brother's guests had been largely involved with attempting to quell the demons a time ago. Of course, she had only been a spectator to those events, so the how and the why of the demon uprising was still a mystery to her save for the bare components.

    Information aside, it became clear that Selenus was not asking for knowledge so much as an examination of conscience. Like she was meant to, Paige stood silently, hands folded at her waist, listening quietly. And, once he was finished, she gave a soft hum and a nod before gathering her skirts and beginning to walk down a corridor. "Come." she suggested more so than commanded, "This is no place to linger. No doubt you'd be more comfortable elsewhere."

    She'd stop at the mouth of the hallway briefly, waiting for Selenus to follow. If he followed, she'd lead him back to her work room and take a seat at her desk, just like she did the other time he had come.

    If he refused to follow, she'd sigh quietly before turning to face him, hands folded once more.

    Regardless of whichever route he chose, she would begin to speak. "To be frank, no, I do not. You are correct in believing that not all demons are bloodthirsty, or sadistic,  or unkind. Demons have long reminded me of humans, in a way." A humorless smile lifted her lips briefly. "But that does not mean they are mere innocents, or misguided souls. If it helps, you may think of this as a kind of war. A quiet one, one done in shadow and secrecy, but a war nonetheless between your world and theirs. It is here you must make a choice: are the few good ones on their side worth risking the lives of others, or must they be eliminated until no threat remains?"

    Her words seemed to hang heavy in the air before she added on in a much more gentle tone, "I do not wish to alarm you. If you believe ridding the world of demons is your best course, I see your logic and approve. Were you to decide to do otherwise...there is merit in compassion as well. In the end, it depends not on what others may deem correct, but what you approve of."

Following Paige deeper into the Velvet Room, Selenus would find himself back in Paige's shop. He'd sit down on the floor and look up at Paige, who sat down at her desk. After patiently listening to the entirety of her explanation, Selenus would sigh silently to himself. "What I approve of doesn't really apply in this situation. I can trust on the millions and millions of facts that were manually uploaded into my mind when I was created to help me out when I need objective, factual guidance but... there's no facts in my database about whether fighting a war is moral or not."

Suddenly realizing he was monologuin, Selenus shook his head and looked at Paige. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go off on a tangent" He said with a slight note of embarassment "Did my arrival interrupt anything? You were pretty invested in that book of yours when I came in. If you don't mind me asking, what was it you were reading?"

    It was tempting to backtrack and explain to Selenus that morals were constantly fluctuating things, different for each person and so hard to generalize. But she was not his attendant. It was not her place to help him reach his final conclusion, whatever it may be. All she could offer was an opinion and knowledge.

    Thankfully, Selenus's topic change utilized both for her.

    With a small flourish of her hand, a blue glow settled over the desk, condensing and glittering softly until her compendium materialized in front of her. Paige picked it up almost reverently, carefully brushing her fingers across the cover with a small smile. "Ah...you saw me reading this. This is my compendium. ...I have not seen if for...a very, very long time. Until now, of course." She held the brown tome to her chest. "Your attendant, should you decide to claim one, will have a book like this, which may prove invaluable to you."

"My attendant?" Selenus asked with a hint of confusion in his voice. "How could I "claim" an attendant? I wasn't even aware there were multiple attendants! I just assumed you kept watch over this place in Igor's absence." Maybe he didn't have as much of an understanding of this strange, parallel world as he thought he did. "Besides, what would claiming an atendant even entail? I refuse to stoop so low as to even consider the idea of "owning" anybody."

    "You do not...?"

    The attendant blinked, stunned into silence. a hand pressed to her cheek as she tsked to herself. "Oh dear. I did not explain that to you, did I?"

    It was a purely rhetorical question, of course. Paige only had to think back to her first official meeting with Selenus to know that. The pieces fell easily into place afterwards. After a bout of self chastising, the woman shook her head and placed her compendium on the desk. This would not do. Only recently reinstated and yet she overlooked something as crucial as this...?

    "Before, I told you that the Velvet Room is a place of rest and assistance. This still holds true. However, we are here to provide you with help and assistance as well.

    My brothers and sisters live here alongside me. Throughout the years, we have helped others with powers like yours cultivate their abilities, grow, and accomplish their desires. In general, all of us are here to assist you, be it through providing you with information or offering advice. But, should you find one of us to be particularly helpful, or perhaps wish to work closely with one of us, there is a contract."

    As if on cue, Paige's compendium opened, the pages flipping as if caught up in a rush of wind. Suddenly, they stopped, and the words printed in careful script began to unstick themselves from the parchment. The letters, now glowing blue, swirled and reformed in front of Selenus, showing the simple phrase:

    The momentary silence was not a pause for effect, but Paige staring nostalgically at the words, lips parted in wonder. She knew what had happened, and yet...yet seeing the contract was such a jarring experience. So many years spent away from guests and now...the chance that she could help again sent chills through her.

    Her voice returned, and she continued evenly. "This is my personal contract. While they may be written differently, they all entitle a guest to the same service.

    Taking on a personal attendant means that we may personally assist you in your world. For example, were I to venture with you outside," the thought sped up her heartbeat, "it would be of my own volition, and should any danger befall you, my powers would be restricted and I would be unable to help you. By signing the contract, however, I would be required to accompany you wherever you requested and assist however my Master would allow me.

    This contract will benefit the Attendant as well. We are powerful creatures, but become stagnant in this room. Here, we cannot grow. But when we accept a guest and become closer to them, we grow stronger and become even more capable allies."  

   Paige gave Selenus a level look, folding her hands on the desk as the words of the contract faded away. "Taking on an Attendant is not required, of course. In the end, it is merely another service we can provide, and we encourage you to do what will benefit you most."

"A contract?" Selenus asked to himself as Paige finished explaining to him the purpose of Velvet Room attendants. He watched with interest as Paige summoned a mysterious book into her hands and willed it to flip pages until it landed on a specific one. To his surprise, the words inscripted on the page she had stopped at began to... separate from the book? Very unusual, but he'd long since come to terms with the supernatural, so it didn't shock him as much as it would've shocked somebody else.



Selenus listened closely as Paige explained what it truly meant to have a personal assistant. While it wasn't entirely like he initially feared it would be, there were still some red flags present in the idea. What if the attendant didn't wish to go where the contractor had requested them to go? It's not like they were getting paid for it, it would be some sort of sworn duty. Selenus knew perfectly well what it was like to be forced to follow orders with no say in the matter.

On the other hand though, Paige seemed... eager to recieve a new contractor. Was having a contractor some sort of privilege to Velvet Attendants? Each moment they seemed to be less and less like humans, but more and more like people, even if Paige intentionally referred to her kind as "creatures". It was as if her kind had been made solely to serve as helpers to other individuals with no chance of experiencing an individuality of their own despite the fact that they clearly had intelligence, personality and a will of their own... and this, to Selenus, was absolutely repugnant.

But at the same time... Paige really seemed to have a longing for a contractor, as if she didn't care about her own self, or maybe Selenus was just misinterpreting this. Even if he was, her desire was clear. Then, an idea struck Selenus... he was the one who had compromised himself to help repair Paige, and if the contract carried the benefits Paige said it did, Selenus had found a way to do so.

"Paige..." Selenus began, looking sternly as always at the woman in front of him. "I realize this might sound asinine, but..."

    It would be a lie if she claimed to not have considered it. Showing off her contract like that felt...bold, offering, even, and for a moment, she had wondered if Selenus would attempt to sign it. But as for actually becoming his Attendant...?

    "Of course, it would be my pleasure, but you said yourself you were not aware of other attendants." Forcing herself to smile, she gestured to her book. Another image, this one of a young man with white hair and long bangs like her, materialized over the book. "It may be prudent of you to meet the others first. My brother, Alexander, is a wonderful, charming man." Another image replaced that of Alexander, this one of a young girl brandishing a gun. "My sister Felanie is also quite capable in combat; no doubt she would be quite useful to you as well."

    The images disappeared with a flicker. Paige crossed her legs, settling her hands in her lap. "Would you like me to arrange a meeting between you and the others, so as to pick the best candidate?"

Selenus solemnly shook his head. "I'm sure your brothers and sisters are wonderful people Paige, but I'm afraid they're not fit for the job." Selenus's tail would unconsciously swish around on the floor, repeatedly changing the direction of the rug's matting. "I need my attendant to be someone who understands my situation. Even if you don't know the details of my problems and I don't know yours, we've got a lot in common."

Selenus's tail grabbed the key dangling from his neck and tugged at it with light force, significant of the slight nervousness and ebarassment that washed over Selenus at having to tell Paige all of this. "You fear too much freedom, and I fear too little of it. This means we can help each other, and that's exactly why I want you to be my attendant: I don't need an underling; I need a companion." His tail would let go of the key and slowly grab hold of Paige's shoulder.

    What a stubborn guest. Why Selenus was so fixated on her, she was unsure. Some part of her didn't care, too eager to begin her role once again. Another part was doubtful of this decision. Was it the right one? Was she ready, even though it had been so long? Could she, on her own, give a guest the support they needed?

    These thoughts battled in her head until one dominated the others with its directness. The question was not "what was she sure of", but "how best to serve the guest". If Paige was who he wanted...well, she couldn't exactly say no.

    Offering the mechanical guest a small smile, she turned her book around to face him and pushed it to the other end of the desk. Her contract appeared in the air above the book, hovering almost expectantly.

    " Please remember this contract is binding and will remain until your time in this room comes to an end. If you are confident in your decision, however, write your name or place your...paw on the page."