1 [Voice]

[integrity]

[Crowley has been on the ship for hours.

The whole business was rather unpleasant, as is being branded like some kind of animal, but all in all, the demon is rather unruffled. Transport into another universe was something of another day's work, though it was an alarming coincidence that it occurred so closely to his greatest victory. Was this his punishment for his involvement with defeating the Leviathan?

Unlikely, the demon decides, and so he goes about his business.

First, it is a matter of discovering his locker, of removing his things, and of disappearing. He has little interest in socializing immediately and, as a result, Crowley vanishes into the shadows to dwell and think -- and, most importantly, learn. Within the hour, Crowley has all he needs to know at his fingertips, and with a flick of his fingers, his comm turns on to broadcast his soft accented English to the Tranquility.]

I'm afraid I require a bit of explanation as to why, exactly, someone thought it would be humorous to shove a Hellhound into a test tube.

[There's an artful pause.]

And also the location of the nearest groomer. This filth is absolutely disgusting.

[There's another three second pause before his own transmission ends.

Let's see who decides to come forward with information about why he, the demon King, is here.]

Comments

[integrity]

It isn't so much about self-sufficiency as it is I simply don't want to do it.

[Crowley may be the demon King of Hell, but he is an honest one. Most of the time.]

Surely you can sympathize with not wanting to shove a massive Hellbeast into a bathtub and utilizing the shower feature.

[wentshopping]

We all must occasionally do things we don't want to, even an emperor.

[Ah, so it's a literal beast then? Well.]

But I can understand that, quite easily. If nothing else but that you;d likely smell of wet dog for days after.

[integrity]

I'm somewhat used to the smell of wet dog, unfortunately.

[Pause.]

Did you say emperor?

[wentshopping]

As I suppose one would be, after living with large dogs for a while.

Yes, excuse me. It seems some turns of phrase become quite natural, after thirty odd years.

[integrity]

Do you have an emperor in your world, then?

[Emperor Crowley has kind of a nice ring to it.]

[wentshopping]

One--or, rather, three of them, yes. Other worlds have different governmental systems. Many of them far less Imperial.

[It's been tried. You'll have to go through Cordelia first. And if hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, just imagine what fury the foster-mother of the emperor might have.]

[integrity]

You seem remarkably okay with that.

[wentshopping]

The system, as it is, works, and one cannot ask much more of a government than that, I suppose. I have learned to live within the system, and what's more, to alter the system from within, so that helps with the 'okay' factor.

[integrity]

So it's a system of acceptance with mild indignation.

[wentshopping]

Mild? Oh, I wouldn't say that. Very little about the system can generally be summed up as 'mild'.

[integrity]

Then what word would you use?

[wentshopping]

To chose one word for the chaos, beauty, corruption, honor, stupidity or the system, and the work I have seen it do all the same would be... difficult.