[ He just leaves it at that. Silco needs some time with other people first, because even if Tezcatlipoca is hardly bothered by the idea of Silco taking out his frustrations on him, there's still a little bit of his Trial that he won't share here.
"I have people". He bets Silco doesn't even realize how significant it is that he said that. He has other people he can rely on, and that's an important takeaway, even if it's subconscious. It's the nature of things that Tezcatlipoca won't always be there for him.
...But, the next morning, there's a knock at Silco's door. ]
Yo, Silco. Open up. I know you're in there.
[ Okay, sure, he doesn't. But he has a good guess that he's still sulking in there. ]
[ Silco is ignorant of it, as always. Why would he bother thinking about it? Self-reflection, after all, isn't his strong suit in the slightest, and Silco isn't about to start thinking about the fact that he... relies on someone.
Let alone anything else.
He is, however, sulking inside.
For sure. ]
Oh yes, as if I could go very far.
[ He says, sourly, opening the door. He's fine for the most part. The bleeding was stopped, Jessica's healing did well.
[ Tezcatlipoca gives Silco a quick once over, but making the determination that he's not so injured that it'll matter, he loops an arm over his shoulder and starts to walk him out of his room. Apparently, Tezcatlipoca has some kind of plan this morning, and it involves Silco not sulking by himself. ]
And you won't! You were probably out gettin' ready for the auction, so you missed tamalli day. Can't do all that, since makin' them's an all day kinda deal, but it's put me in a cooking mood lately.
[ Silco is continuing to be tugged along, but at least now the destination is more obvious. The kitchens, apparently. ]
[ See, he might not be that injured, but he's still sore enough from the healing and the pain that he can't exactly fight him off, despite the look that he gives him out of the corner of his eye, as if to ask: 'are you serious?'
He had missed it, but he would have missed it anyway, and Tezcatlipoca knows it, since Silco tends to not eat anywhere near the cafeteria and tends to consume meals either in his room or in his office. It's certainly workaholic behavior, but worse than that, it'st he behavior of someone who doesn't trust anyone.
That paranoid beast rearing its head again. ]
Trying to smooth things over for your priest?
[ He grouses, but he's not fighting him off, either. Or stopping him. He's getting drug along. ]
It won't work, you know that. You probably enjoy the conflict.
[ Silco isn’t fighting back, so he’ll take that as a good sign. His arm over Silco’s shoulder relaxes once he’s accepted it, however begrudgingly. ]
C’mon, man, you think I’d do that? I’m the god of conflict! So you’re damn right I’m having a good time watching the fireworks.
[ He’s purely here for Silco’s sake alone. It’s partially reciprocity, considering how he’d patched up Daybit last night, so this is keeping things impartial. But far more than that? He knows Silco well at this point, and in fact, he knows him far better than Silco would think he does. He may never admit it, but he knows Silco would interpret it as Tezcatlipoca making a choice. That’s a feeling he wants to quash, considering how sore of a feeling being left behind was for the man.
Not that he’d ever tell Silco that he knows that, though. He’s also an asshole that would stubbornly deny that he has those kinds of feelings. ]
Nah, if you two wanna duke it out, I ain’t gonna stop ya. I’d prefer you don’t kill each other, considering I’m fond of you both, but if it goes that way, hey.
[ Tezcatlipoca pats Silco’s shoulder as he withdraws a little but continues into the kitchen. He gestures to the small table that’s there for quick meals, and it’s already set up for two people. ]
I’m makin’ chilaquilitl. You prefer crispy or soft, texture wise?
[ He's still grousing, of course. Silco was the type to hold onto those angry, negative feelings, cultivate them like a bed of thorns until they were liable to cut and tear not just his target, but himself apart as well. Daybit, in particular, had incited probably his worst qualities: the persecution complex.
After all, He'd put his gun down. Was he truly disarmed? No, but he didn't know that.
Was Daybit in a lose/lose situation? Yes, absolutely he was. ]
Whatever's easiest. [ He finally responded. He wasn't actually all that picky about food, for what little he ate, but then again, meals to him were a matter of efficiency for Silco. Necessity and not one that he spent much time fretting bout.
He sits, and pulls a cigar out. Clearly, he's healed enough to use his arm. This is about the wounded pride. ]
Oh, I don't doubt that you're going to enjoy the fighting itself. You were the same way about Kaladin, if I remember right. [ But Daybit was... Daybit. It was different, right? ]
You know I would also prefer to not get killed. So we're in agreement. [ no promises about daybit though. ]
[ Since they’re about the same, Tezcatlipoca just takes “whatever’s easiest” as “whichever one you prefer”. Might as well be the same thing, since it’s not like it matters to Silco, right? So with a nod, he pulls his hair up into a ponytail to get to work, and after turning one of the stove’s burners on, he heads to the coffee pot running on the counter. ]
Yeah, exactly. And y’know what’s funny? I don’t think Daybit and Kaladin would have gotten along that well either, but more because Kaladin would just be perplexed by Daybit’s whole deal.
[ He laughs as he pours two cups, since imagining the scenario is pretty funny. Kaladin would do his best to be nice to Daybit, he’s sure, but it’d lean too much into pity for Daybit’s tastes. It’s why he doesn’t tend to reveal his condition, but too late on that. Tezcatlipoca just figured at this point that the guy wouldn’t be joining the party, so he blabbed.
…So, yeah. Good thing it’s Silco who doesn’t give a fuck rather than Kaladin who gives too many fucks.
He turns and sets a cup in front of Silco, then it’s back to preparation for him. Luckily, he just makes tortillas whenever he feels like it, so he grabs his stash which has indeed gone nice and stale. Perfect. ]
Tell ya what. I won’t let either of you kill each other. That’s fair, right?
[ Coffee, at least, is one of the few things Silco drinks that isn't liquor, and so Tezcatlipoca at least knows that the insomniac with poor eating habits is going to drink immediately. ]
I think it would be obvious that he wouldn't like him. [ A beat. ] Perhaps that's just the requirement for being attached to you.
Conflict begets conflict.
[ And so on, and so forth. Weren't they all mired in it? Even Daybit, whom Silco now loathed, was a man who had done that on purpose. That was the shot of someone who wasn't going to let Silco get away with... well. Being himself. With winning. Because he knew that if Daybit had turned... Well.
Even Silco, who has no self reflection capabilities at all, knows that he would have probably goaded him for that. ]
Fine. You had better tell him of that fact too, before he tries again.
[ Tezcatlipoca says it so cheerily, but at this point, would Silco expect anything else? Unlike a normal person, he’s not bothered by his “friends” all fighting. It’s a positive in his book, but at least they all know that. Tezcatlipoca may be a hard god to understand in some respects, but in this, it’s always straightforward.
He takes his own sip of coffee as he heads around the kitchen to grab the variety of ingredients he needs. Eggs, cheese, and most importantly, an unlabeled jar of a red and green mixture. It’s Tezcatlipoca’s own salsa, naturally, and keeping it unlabeled means people stay out of it. ]
But yeah, yeah, I’ll tell him. [ Into a pan goes a healthy quantity of the salsa, and he turns around at the oven to face Silco while it heats up. ] Does it make you feel better that you got him pretty good in the leg, at least? Had to stitch that one up myself.
But I do take pleasure in surprising them. He shot me after I lowered my gun, you know.
[ A beat. ]
He didn't expect my hand to have one. So in a way, that's your fault.
[ See? Tezca is helping them get along in the best way he knows how. And Silco is going to make sure Everyone knows it. He doesn't mention that Jinx is also planning on her own revenge. That will be something for Daybit to discover on his own, and discover that Silco has his own allies and loyalties. ]
And next time he tries to shoot me, try concocting a better reason than simply "he feels like it". I don't enjoy being injured, you know.
[ It reminds him of before. Of the number of times he died, of being on edge, trusting nobody, looking over his shoulder and feeling that constant crawl of paranoia against his skin. He's not truly over it all, but there are times he... doesn't look at others like they will take the world — his world — away from him. ]
[ Tezcatlipoca does laugh when Silco mentions that it was the gun in his hand, since, yeah, that’s fitting. People here have tended to balk when Tezcatlipoca explains that his divinity is absolute. LILITH may have sapped away a fair portion of it, but there was still a level that they couldn’t touch, and it was things like this.
What may look like coincidence or simply irony is absolutely more than that, since that’s truly the nature of a god’s presence on Earth. It's why most gods also tended to stay in their various abodes, but Tezcatlipoca? Nah, he loves seeing shit play out like this. It’s fine when it’s not himself, obviously! ]
…Well, there probably is more of a reason, to be fair. Could guess at I, but don’t want to put words in his mouth, y’know? I understand how he thinks pretty well, but he still manages to surprise me.
[ He shrugs with a laugh. ]
I bet he said some edgy shit like “you’re worth remembering when I kill you” or something, right? That’s my guy. Believe it or not, that's a huge compliment!
[ Annoyance on his face, of course. The problem was, it was something Silco would use but to cut someone down, not a compliment. The fact that Daybit did it before is enough to incense him, and key him up, but is Tezcatlipoca really surprised? Daybit and Silco are opposites in just the right ways to make them both hate each other. ]
I would say he should think about who he sets off, but...
[ Well.
In this, they are the same. He just dislikes it being forced on him. ]
But I’ll do ya a favor that I know you’ll ignore and say that goes for you too. For once, no offense here, but you’d be barking up the wrong tree by trying to tussle with Daybit at a certain pont. That goes for anyone you might send after him in your stead too.
[ He’d picked up a spatula while talking, and he points it at Silco. It’s advice that he knows that Silco won’t follow, because it’s Silco, but he thinks it’s fair to give it. After all, it’s not like he’s being specific about the threat here. That’s for Silco to figure out as a consequence of not following Tezcatlipoca’s advice.
He turns his back to Silco as he starts cooking, but he’s just pushing the salsa around for now to make sure it doesn’t burn while it heats. ]
Gotta say, it is funny that you two are getting along exactly as well as I expected. [ so, not at all ] Though it’s probably the case that anyone I choose is destined to not get along with each other. It’s kinda proof that you stand as an acolyte of conflict, yeah?
[ Unfortunately for Silco, and everyone he keeps around him, he might not have a choice with people trying to tussle with Daybit in revenge. Jinx was... already angry. Already ready to get revenge in her own way.
His fingers tighten imperceptibly around the mug.
He can't let Daybit know that she might come after him.
He can't let him see her coming.
He can't let him take her from him either.
Silco's unusually quiet for a long moment. The gears and wheels are turning, winding, trying to come up with a plan. A way to ensure that Jinx survived, a way to make sure that nothing would happen to her.
He would make it work. He wouldn't let Daybit take her from him. ]
You think it's proof?
[ He does not address the other statement. This is his to solve. ]
You always knew I was, I think. I haven't exactly been shy in engaging in it, have I?
[ The quiet is a surprise, and Tezcatlipoca glances over his shoulder at Silco, but he doesn’t say anything. From his expression alone, he can tell that he’s hit the nail on the head that Silco was already at work for something. Tezcatlipoca wouldn’t interfere with that in the first place, but he’ll at least hope that look is because he’s taking the warning seriously.
After all, while Tezcatlipoca is beholden to staying neutral in action, it’s not like his feelings are that simple. He doesn’t want to see Daybit or Silco die—or at least not from something stupid like this. ]
Nope, you definitely haven’t!
[ Despite his reservations, he responds cheerfully. Naturally! ]
So maybe “proof” ain’t the right word, but “confirmation”? But it’s also not like you’d want to be favored by any other god, now would ya?
[ It's more like Silco was told by Jinx that she's going to "take care of it", and Silco... didn't say no. Because, well, he would never, let's be real. He couldn't just say no to Jinx.
To be fair, if Daybit hurt Jinx, Silco would not remember this conversation in the heat of the moment. ]
Well... [ A sly little smile, now. Teasing. He knows what he's doing. ]
There's still Set...
[ because he couldn't make it easy, even for the god of conflict. ]
Nahhh, that ain't the same. What you and Set have is different.
[ He laughs, and satisfied with the heat of the salsa, he starts to break the stale tortillas into the mix. He's going soft with this dish, since it just saves him the effort of pan-frying the tortillas to make them crispy. ]
Soulmates? But real literal, not romantic. Wouldn't think that's possible, but considering all that shit in Kenos, lucky you!
[ Now, granted. Tezcatlipoca would have personally intervened if Yima's plan ever made it that far. A mortal like Silco couldn't be a god. It would only spell disaster. So, he would have struck him down before that ever happened. Luckily, it didn't end up being necessary. ]
I'm better for you, is the point. You and Set are buddies, but I'm the one looking out for you both.
[ soulmates. He says it so casually. But they were, in their own way, weren't they? He can't feel Set's presence, but there will always be a part of him that feels... it. That link across worlds that feels tied to him. They had been the same. Raging fathers clawing at the bars of a cage they didn't erect, but had been forced into. He and Set were soulmates, despite his deficiencies as a mortal.
They were the same.
Tezcatlipoca was right, about that. ]
Unless Daybit decides to shoot me.
[ He says it sourly, crossing his arms as he does so.
He misses him. Set. He can't believe it, but he does. There's an aching thing in his chest, like a part of his soul feels empty for not having the god nest to him. ]
[ For most people, what would follow after their laugh would be a "of course I will", but this is Tezcatlipoca. He's beholden to different standards. ]
You know the rules. Can't interfere with shit like that. But fair's fair! You decide to shoot him, I'm not stepping in for that either. That's a conflict between the two of you, and I can't put myself on those scales.
[ He shrugs, but his tone is still light. ]
—Course, I'll be there to patch you both up after. Whether that's in this life or the next.
[ He says with a roll of his eyes. It's... well. Annoyed, but there's a softer edge to it, the slightest slip of teasing into it.
Yeah, yeah, he knows. ]
I'll remember that the next time I'm keen to pick a fight. [ Jinx asked him not to, and he'd been doing... well.
The Silco version of okay. Other than the whole rift corruption. And Daybit. Better! ]
That healer girl did the work for you this time. She was annoyed when I insisted on digging out my own bullets, as if she couldn't fathom why I didn't want her to have a knife around me.
[ Tezcatlipoca looks back at Silco, and he suddenly seems very interested, especially considering how he drops the rest of the conversation. It is, as you could guess, for a completely unhinged reason. ]
You still got it? Can I have it?
[ This probably could go with an explanation, but. Nope. ]
Lots! The biggest one would be tracking you. Like, if you get kidnapped or whatever [ again ], then I could use the bullet as material to help track you down. It’s infused with your blood and pain, and that’s potent for me.
[ He nods, and there are some other mundane things that come to mind, but his eyes light up with an idea. That’s probably something to be wary about when it’s coming from Tezcatlipoca, but Silco is used to that at this point, isn’t he? ]
…Or, y’know, we could try something weird with it.
[ Tezcatlipoca hums thoughtfully, since this isn’t actually something he’s confident that he’d be able to do here, but it’d be interesting to try. That’s much more tempting to him than the idea of keeping it for something boring. ]
Daybit won’t be happy about it, since it’ll tire him the fuck out, but, eh, he can deal with it. [ Silco might be convinced by that alone… ] We can see just how much of my divinity we can tap into for kicks. If I can wrangle enough, then we could take a peek at your future. Not this one, since I wouldn’t show you that, of course, but a “what if”. What happened if we stayed in Kenos. What happens for that other you. Things like that, but we only get one shot.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
→ 🎬
[ He just leaves it at that. Silco needs some time with other people first, because even if Tezcatlipoca is hardly bothered by the idea of Silco taking out his frustrations on him, there's still a little bit of his Trial that he won't share here.
"I have people". He bets Silco doesn't even realize how significant it is that he said that. He has other people he can rely on, and that's an important takeaway, even if it's subconscious. It's the nature of things that Tezcatlipoca won't always be there for him.
...But, the next morning, there's a knock at Silco's door. ]
Yo, Silco. Open up. I know you're in there.
[ Okay, sure, he doesn't. But he has a good guess that he's still sulking in there. ]
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Let alone anything else.
He is, however, sulking inside.
For sure. ]
Oh yes, as if I could go very far.
[ He says, sourly, opening the door. He's fine for the most part. The bleeding was stopped, Jessica's healing did well.
But he's also... you know.
His usual self, in good spirits. ]
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And you won't! You were probably out gettin' ready for the auction, so you missed tamalli day. Can't do all that, since makin' them's an all day kinda deal, but it's put me in a cooking mood lately.
[ Silco is continuing to be tugged along, but at least now the destination is more obvious. The kitchens, apparently. ]
I'm making you breakfast.
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He had missed it, but he would have missed it anyway, and Tezcatlipoca knows it, since Silco tends to not eat anywhere near the cafeteria and tends to consume meals either in his room or in his office. It's certainly workaholic behavior, but worse than that, it'st he behavior of someone who doesn't trust anyone.
That paranoid beast rearing its head again. ]
Trying to smooth things over for your priest?
[ He grouses, but he's not fighting him off, either. Or stopping him. He's getting drug along. ]
It won't work, you know that. You probably enjoy the conflict.
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C’mon, man, you think I’d do that? I’m the god of conflict! So you’re damn right I’m having a good time watching the fireworks.
[ He’s purely here for Silco’s sake alone. It’s partially reciprocity, considering how he’d patched up Daybit last night, so this is keeping things impartial. But far more than that? He knows Silco well at this point, and in fact, he knows him far better than Silco would think he does. He may never admit it, but he knows Silco would interpret it as Tezcatlipoca making a choice. That’s a feeling he wants to quash, considering how sore of a feeling being left behind was for the man.
Not that he’d ever tell Silco that he knows that, though. He’s also an asshole that would stubbornly deny that he has those kinds of feelings. ]
Nah, if you two wanna duke it out, I ain’t gonna stop ya. I’d prefer you don’t kill each other, considering I’m fond of you both, but if it goes that way, hey.
[ Tezcatlipoca pats Silco’s shoulder as he withdraws a little but continues into the kitchen. He gestures to the small table that’s there for quick meals, and it’s already set up for two people. ]
I’m makin’ chilaquilitl. You prefer crispy or soft, texture wise?
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[ He's still grousing, of course. Silco was the type to hold onto those angry, negative feelings, cultivate them like a bed of thorns until they were liable to cut and tear not just his target, but himself apart as well. Daybit, in particular, had incited probably his worst qualities: the persecution complex.
After all, He'd put his gun down. Was he truly disarmed? No, but he didn't know that.
Was Daybit in a lose/lose situation? Yes, absolutely he was. ]
Whatever's easiest. [ He finally responded. He wasn't actually all that picky about food, for what little he ate, but then again, meals to him were a matter of efficiency for Silco. Necessity and not one that he spent much time fretting bout.
He sits, and pulls a cigar out. Clearly, he's healed enough to use his arm. This is about the wounded pride. ]
Oh, I don't doubt that you're going to enjoy the fighting itself. You were the same way about Kaladin, if I remember right. [ But Daybit was... Daybit. It was different, right? ]
You know I would also prefer to not get killed. So we're in agreement. [ no promises about daybit though. ]
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Yeah, exactly. And y’know what’s funny? I don’t think Daybit and Kaladin would have gotten along that well either, but more because Kaladin would just be perplexed by Daybit’s whole deal.
[ He laughs as he pours two cups, since imagining the scenario is pretty funny. Kaladin would do his best to be nice to Daybit, he’s sure, but it’d lean too much into pity for Daybit’s tastes. It’s why he doesn’t tend to reveal his condition, but too late on that. Tezcatlipoca just figured at this point that the guy wouldn’t be joining the party, so he blabbed.
…So, yeah. Good thing it’s Silco who doesn’t give a fuck rather than Kaladin who gives too many fucks.
He turns and sets a cup in front of Silco, then it’s back to preparation for him. Luckily, he just makes tortillas whenever he feels like it, so he grabs his stash which has indeed gone nice and stale. Perfect. ]
Tell ya what. I won’t let either of you kill each other. That’s fair, right?
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I think it would be obvious that he wouldn't like him. [ A beat. ] Perhaps that's just the requirement for being attached to you.
Conflict begets conflict.
[ And so on, and so forth. Weren't they all mired in it? Even Daybit, whom Silco now loathed, was a man who had done that on purpose. That was the shot of someone who wasn't going to let Silco get away with... well. Being himself. With winning. Because he knew that if Daybit had turned... Well.
Even Silco, who has no self reflection capabilities at all, knows that he would have probably goaded him for that. ]
Fine. You had better tell him of that fact too, before he tries again.
[ Crossing his arms. Pointedly ]
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[ Tezcatlipoca says it so cheerily, but at this point, would Silco expect anything else? Unlike a normal person, he’s not bothered by his “friends” all fighting. It’s a positive in his book, but at least they all know that. Tezcatlipoca may be a hard god to understand in some respects, but in this, it’s always straightforward.
He takes his own sip of coffee as he heads around the kitchen to grab the variety of ingredients he needs. Eggs, cheese, and most importantly, an unlabeled jar of a red and green mixture. It’s Tezcatlipoca’s own salsa, naturally, and keeping it unlabeled means people stay out of it. ]
But yeah, yeah, I’ll tell him. [ Into a pan goes a healthy quantity of the salsa, and he turns around at the oven to face Silco while it heats up. ] Does it make you feel better that you got him pretty good in the leg, at least? Had to stitch that one up myself.
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[ He lies. There's a slight smile on his face. ]
But I do take pleasure in surprising them. He shot me after I lowered my gun, you know.
[ A beat. ]
He didn't expect my hand to have one. So in a way, that's your fault.
[ See? Tezca is helping them get along in the best way he knows how. And Silco is going to make sure Everyone knows it. He doesn't mention that Jinx is also planning on her own revenge. That will be something for Daybit to discover on his own, and discover that Silco has his own allies and loyalties. ]
And next time he tries to shoot me, try concocting a better reason than simply "he feels like it". I don't enjoy being injured, you know.
[ It reminds him of before. Of the number of times he died, of being on edge, trusting nobody, looking over his shoulder and feeling that constant crawl of paranoia against his skin. He's not truly over it all, but there are times he... doesn't look at others like they will take the world — his world — away from him. ]
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What may look like coincidence or simply irony is absolutely more than that, since that’s truly the nature of a god’s presence on Earth. It's why most gods also tended to stay in their various abodes, but Tezcatlipoca? Nah, he loves seeing shit play out like this. It’s fine when it’s not himself, obviously! ]
…Well, there probably is more of a reason, to be fair. Could guess at I, but don’t want to put words in his mouth, y’know? I understand how he thinks pretty well, but he still manages to surprise me.
[ He shrugs with a laugh. ]
I bet he said some edgy shit like “you’re worth remembering when I kill you” or something, right? That’s my guy. Believe it or not, that's a huge compliment!
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[ Annoyance on his face, of course. The problem was, it was something Silco would use but to cut someone down, not a compliment. The fact that Daybit did it before is enough to incense him, and key him up, but is Tezcatlipoca really surprised? Daybit and Silco are opposites in just the right ways to make them both hate each other. ]
I would say he should think about who he sets off, but...
[ Well.
In this, they are the same. He just dislikes it being forced on him. ]
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[ He’d picked up a spatula while talking, and he points it at Silco. It’s advice that he knows that Silco won’t follow, because it’s Silco, but he thinks it’s fair to give it. After all, it’s not like he’s being specific about the threat here. That’s for Silco to figure out as a consequence of not following Tezcatlipoca’s advice.
He turns his back to Silco as he starts cooking, but he’s just pushing the salsa around for now to make sure it doesn’t burn while it heats. ]
Gotta say, it is funny that you two are getting along exactly as well as I expected. [ so, not at all ] Though it’s probably the case that anyone I choose is destined to not get along with each other. It’s kinda proof that you stand as an acolyte of conflict, yeah?
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His fingers tighten imperceptibly around the mug.
He can't let Daybit know that she might come after him.
He can't let him see her coming.
He can't let him take her from him either.
Silco's unusually quiet for a long moment. The gears and wheels are turning, winding, trying to come up with a plan. A way to ensure that Jinx survived, a way to make sure that nothing would happen to her.
He would make it work. He wouldn't let Daybit take her from him. ]
You think it's proof?
[ He does not address the other statement. This is his to solve. ]
You always knew I was, I think. I haven't exactly been shy in engaging in it, have I?
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After all, while Tezcatlipoca is beholden to staying neutral in action, it’s not like his feelings are that simple. He doesn’t want to see Daybit or Silco die—or at least not from something stupid like this. ]
Nope, you definitely haven’t!
[ Despite his reservations, he responds cheerfully. Naturally! ]
So maybe “proof” ain’t the right word, but “confirmation”? But it’s also not like you’d want to be favored by any other god, now would ya?
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To be fair, if Daybit hurt Jinx, Silco would not remember this conversation in the heat of the moment. ]
Well... [ A sly little smile, now. Teasing. He knows what he's doing. ]
There's still Set...
[ because he couldn't make it easy, even for the god of conflict. ]
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[ He laughs, and satisfied with the heat of the salsa, he starts to break the stale tortillas into the mix. He's going soft with this dish, since it just saves him the effort of pan-frying the tortillas to make them crispy. ]
Soulmates? But real literal, not romantic. Wouldn't think that's possible, but considering all that shit in Kenos, lucky you!
[ Now, granted. Tezcatlipoca would have personally intervened if Yima's plan ever made it that far. A mortal like Silco couldn't be a god. It would only spell disaster. So, he would have struck him down before that ever happened. Luckily, it didn't end up being necessary. ]
I'm better for you, is the point. You and Set are buddies, but I'm the one looking out for you both.
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[ soulmates. He says it so casually. But they were, in their own way, weren't they? He can't feel Set's presence, but there will always be a part of him that feels... it. That link across worlds that feels tied to him. They had been the same. Raging fathers clawing at the bars of a cage they didn't erect, but had been forced into. He and Set were soulmates, despite his deficiencies as a mortal.
They were the same.
Tezcatlipoca was right, about that. ]
Unless Daybit decides to shoot me.
[ He says it sourly, crossing his arms as he does so.
He misses him. Set. He can't believe it, but he does. There's an aching thing in his chest, like a part of his soul feels empty for not having the god nest to him. ]
You going to stop him next time?
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[ For most people, what would follow after their laugh would be a "of course I will", but this is Tezcatlipoca. He's beholden to different standards. ]
You know the rules. Can't interfere with shit like that. But fair's fair! You decide to shoot him, I'm not stepping in for that either. That's a conflict between the two of you, and I can't put myself on those scales.
[ He shrugs, but his tone is still light. ]
—Course, I'll be there to patch you both up after. Whether that's in this life or the next.
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[ He says with a roll of his eyes. It's... well. Annoyed, but there's a softer edge to it, the slightest slip of teasing into it.
Yeah, yeah, he knows. ]
I'll remember that the next time I'm keen to pick a fight. [ Jinx asked him not to, and he'd been doing... well.
The Silco version of okay. Other than the whole rift corruption. And Daybit. Better! ]
That healer girl did the work for you this time. She was annoyed when I insisted on digging out my own bullets, as if she couldn't fathom why I didn't want her to have a knife around me.
[ There's the paranoia. ]
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[ Tezcatlipoca looks back at Silco, and he suddenly seems very interested, especially considering how he drops the rest of the conversation. It is, as you could guess, for a completely unhinged reason. ]
You still got it? Can I have it?
[ This probably could go with an explanation, but. Nope. ]
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Of course I do.
[ He reaches into his pocket, to pull out two bullets.
He eyes him suspiciously. ]
Did Daybit give you the one I gave him already?
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Nah, wasn't in him still. Otherwise I definitely would have taken it! I just stitched him up since it grazed him, but it ain't like that's nothing.
[ So, you know. Don't feel bad, Silco. He knows you. ]
Seriously, can I have one? Shit like that is handy for me doing magecraft if I need to.
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He's keeping one of them, jerk. ]
What kind of magecraft can you do with it?
[ He hasn't pulled it out for him, and clearly he's dragging it along. ]
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[ He nods, and there are some other mundane things that come to mind, but his eyes light up with an idea. That’s probably something to be wary about when it’s coming from Tezcatlipoca, but Silco is used to that at this point, isn’t he? ]
…Or, y’know, we could try something weird with it.
[ Tezcatlipoca hums thoughtfully, since this isn’t actually something he’s confident that he’d be able to do here, but it’d be interesting to try. That’s much more tempting to him than the idea of keeping it for something boring. ]
Daybit won’t be happy about it, since it’ll tire him the fuck out, but, eh, he can deal with it. [ Silco might be convinced by that alone… ] We can see just how much of my divinity we can tap into for kicks. If I can wrangle enough, then we could take a peek at your future. Not this one, since I wouldn’t show you that, of course, but a “what if”. What happened if we stayed in Kenos. What happens for that other you. Things like that, but we only get one shot.
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