kaisou | Open Log

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moxxie

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WHO: Moxxie and OTA
WHERE: Undertown (both wandering around and in the Enki Education Center)
WHEN: The morning after his drunk post
WHAT: Moxxie looking for answers
WARNINGS: Will add as needed

Moxxie would like to say he remembered everything from the night before, but that would be a lie. However, recording his conversations did mean he only had to go back to check on his posts to catch up on everything...and, strangely, once he replays the conversations he'd had, he's grateful he drunk posted when he did.

Well, a sober post would have done the same thing, but Moxxie knows he'd have never been brave enough to post a video of himself while sober, but seeing that everyone else on this app seems to know about the supernatural...well, maybe that should change.

The knowledge that there are people out there who could help him and that there's hope that he could fix this gives him renewed vigor. Sure, he has a terrible headache and a bit of nausea, and he cringes whenever he has to look in the general direction of the light, but his renewed hope is enough to get him to push past all that. No longer is he assuming he'll just live in his apartment until the food runs out, only to go out and live the remainder of his life scavenging trash cans like a possum. Now he has a plan, a back up plan, and a whole future ahead of him.

First he needs a doctor's note to send to the university's main office so he can save his job. Second, he needs to research and find a way to turn back. If that fails...well, there's a whole secret supernatural world out here, apparently, including an Education Center. If his life is ruined in the natural world, he can start everything over in this one.

That's why he can be found wandering around Undertown, asking anyone who might listen, "Hello, do you know where I can find the Education Center? Also, a doctor. I need a doctor's note for a my work. I'm not sick or anything, but I'm going through a supernatural...thing right now, which you probably noticed, and I'd like to find someone to help me with my cover story."

Though with how pale and nauseated he looks from his hangover, one might question whether he really isn't unwell.

Or maybe you find him later, sitting quietly in the education center, pouring over the books and looking frustrated. "...I'm not sure how to even start looking for this. What would 'how to turn back from a demon' even fall under?"

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Luz was walking around Kaisou city, still trying to get a handle on everything, and wandered into the educational district. She couldn't help but notice the person in the educational center who seemed knee deep in his own problems right now.

But him being a demon, of course, caught her eye, and then hearing him mention to himself he wanted to turn BACK caught her interest even further.

"Couldn't help overhearing. Why would you want to turn BACK from being a demon?"

"Because it's interfering with me doing my job!" he says, frustrated but not with her. The whole situation just has him on edge. "Every normal human I run into apparently can't see me how I really am, and their brains keep telling them I'm a possum!"

Because, of course, since he's only a couple feet tall, it's easier for a human to rationalize that they're seeing some kind of animal than to see him as his old self or any sort of human.

"How am I supposed to do my job when I'm just going to get chased out of the building with a broom!"

And in truth, not being able to work is far more upsetting to him than anything about the form itself.

"A possum? Really?! My first guess would have been a Faun, like Tumnus from that Narnia book series. But I guess some people see what they want to see."

A possum? Good grief. Besides, possums were cute...from a distance. Luz was pretty sure she wouldn't be dumb enough to try chasing one with a broom.

"What exactly IS your job?"

"Well, from what I've read, the reason they don't see that is because apparently humans that aren't exposed to the supernatural will try to rationalize what they see. They won't see me as a faun, because a faun is still supernatural. A possum is not, and is the same approximate size."

And while Moxxie might not look anything like a possum, his size is fairly close.

"I'm a music theater teacher at Kaisou University...although that'll be in the past tense soon if I can't change back."

"Oh! Right, that makes sense. Ok, so they see you based on size and compatibility to said preconceptions, and that's a possum? Not just an animal able to stand on its hind legs?"

That was curious, as was most things here.

"What about if you just taught people who COULD see you then? Is there anyway you'd manage to do that?"

Luz was honestly doing her best here. A scenario where you could only be seen by certain people sounded very taxing.

"Apparently."

Sure, he doesn't know why exactly, but it certainly seems to be the case.

"That's definitely something to consider. I was going to use that as a back up option, since obviously I couldn't keep my current job. There'd be no way to make a class at a university that required students to be aware of the supernatural, but since there's apparently a whole secret community of the supernatural here...well, if I can't find a way to change back and get my old life back, then I could always look into getting a job here."

"Weird. I just see you. You look like a demon."

Is Luz phased by this? Clearly not. She had met a fair share of demons.

"Is there really no way to make a curriculum based on the supernatural? I attended Hexside school in the demon world, and there were several different subjects of magic you could be taught as they exist in the Isles. The supernatural in this world wouldn't be nearly as extensive, but I figure you could just bump it up with various tales of folklore from around the world."

Please excuse Luz. This is the nerd in her talking. That, and she might be missing her magical school back in the demon world.

"Yeah, that's what I see when I look in the mirror, too."

He's noticed most people seem more confused than troubled by it. Maybe it's because since this happened, he's been so clearly confused and scared of his new form. In this girl's case, though, it seems she has quite a lot of experience with demons, more than he expected anyone he encountered to have. When she mentions the 'demon world', though, a memory pops into his head.

Suddenly he has a sharp, clear memory of standing next to two other demons that both seem to be the same species as him. All three of them are much shorter than a human would be, and the male has the same black and white pattern on his horns as Moxxie does.

In the memory they're talking to a group of attractive, scantily clad people. The demon lady that's with him says, 'It would be a shame if anyone found out you guys were behind a giant monster fish in the human world.'

And just like that, the memory ends, and Moxxie is left there, blinking.

"Um..." He can't explain it. He's completely confused. But, for now, he decides to address her suggestion. "No, no I couldn't do that. First of all, I'm a music teacher, and second, I only just found out about the supernatural when I woke up like this. I don't know enough about it to teach a whole class on it."

"And that's surprising to you?"

That was the part that wasn't clicking. If he was always like that, he wouldn't be so bewildered. But he was, like there was some kind of almost "glitch" somewhere. It was almost as if things were starting to make sense: Eda being modified and given the memories of being in this world, and now here is someone who's feeling a similar displacement?

What exactly was magic DOING in this world?

"Oh right, you'd be lacking." Now Luz was really lost. "Music? What kind of music?"

"I mean, I guess at this point I've started to accept it, but...I just woke up like this earlier this month, and believe me, it was very surprising when I'd been human the night before."

And that wasn't the weirdest part. He's worried that he might sound crazy if he mentions that flashback he just had, but...he realizes that it's moot at this point. The whole situation is clearly crazy.

"The weirdest part is...I think I just had a flashback. A little bit ago. But...it wasn't anywhere I could have possibly been before. I was on a beach and I was in this form with other creatures that looked like me, talking about something getting released into the human world like there was another world I was a part of."

But maybe he can focus on the music part of all this. After all, letting people know what his career was could be useful if he has to start over from scratch.

"Musical theater. I taught musical theater."

"So you were a human before, but then you became a demon."

Luz was trying to get all the facts straight in her head, to see what worked and what didn't. She was definitely wondering if it was true that he started out as a human, because why would a human TURN into a demon? That just didn't make any sense.

"Uh huh," Luz said, nodding. She figured she was right about this. Like Eda, he was probably made to THINK he was human just as Eda had been, but that was eroding away. Whether the spirit realm caused this or didn't, she knew it was having an impact on SOME people that were different from others.

"How long would you say you were 'human?'"

Would he remember, or would that be hazy?

"Ooh, nice! Got any students here?"

"Exactly."

Simple, straightforward, and completely confusing. He's going with the theory that he must be cursed for having overly complicated coffee orders. Then the girl asks how long he's been human. What kind of question is that?

"Uh...my entire life? Thirty years? Turning into a demon was some weird fluke thing, I've always been human before this. And yeah, I was teaching at Kaisou University, so all my students are here. I even have a few I talked to on the app. Elliot and Tenn."

In case she's having any doubts that he actually was human until recently and needs to verify it.

Well that complicated matters. In his eyes, he'd been human the whole time, but if that were true, why was he having flashbacks of being a demon before this?

How EXACTLY did this place scramble your brains, that you had memories of being here but also memories of you before this?

"There's got to be something more to all of this than just freak coincidences. You say you were just turned into a demon, but also remember talking with other demons. So its possible one of these is true and the other is something this place concocted in your brain. What I can't figure out is WHY and HOW."

"Well, considering I have a whole lifetime of memories as a human and just one memory as a demon, I'm going with the human memories being real. Especially since I've spoken to people who clearly remember me as a human. My theory is this is all a curse to punish me for my overly elaborate coffee orders."

Sure, that sounds ridiculous, but only because she hasn't heard his coffee orders.

Was that true? If she asked Eda, would she also say she had memories of being a human all her life too? Now Luz was pretty curious about how far all of this truly went, but she also knew she was going to have to talk with Eda more and see if she remembered anything else.

"Wait, how elaborate are we talking, and how witchy is the place in question?"

"Well...I don't know how witchy it was, but I guess it only takes one employee with that kind of power to make this happen? But my coffee order is...well...it depends on my mood. I either order a Neapolitan cappuccino more cappu than ccino and I always want them to make sure there's no more than four ounces of milk. The beans won't have the right texture otherwise. If I don't order that, I usually get a venti traditional misto with soy milk and two blond shots, Affagato and ristretto. I'd also love 3 vanilla pumps at the bottom, then add the coffee and add two more pumps after."

So with a coffee order like that, he might actually have made a barista angry enough to curse him. Or, perhaps, it's evidence that no matter how nice and polite he generally is, Moxxie is truly a demon at the heart of it all. It could go either way, really.

"Whoa. That is a LOT of instruction. I have no idea how you'd even get more 'cappu' than 'ccino.' I just figure that the Barista is usually in the know of what I want, otherwise I tell them specifically. It has been a minute since I even had one though."

It would have been before she was brought to the Isles, of course.

"Sounds pretty delicious though."

"Well, actually I just mean more coffee than milk."

Then why doesn't he just say that rather than making a nonsense request? Who knows. This is why he's probably cursed.

"It is!"

He does enjoy his overly complicated coffee, at least.

Luz snickered. "Ha ha! No kidding? And you don't outright say it? That's so mean!"

It was a little funny though.

"So now you're just going to look up spells so you can go back to normal? What if you never find out why you were turning into a demon?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I just like saying it that way better. Not sure why."

Maybe it's a small demonic trait to make things pointlessly difficult for people. Who knows. Perhaps true evil is being needlessly nonsensical when ordering coffee.

"Yeah, exactly. And if I don't find anything...well, I guess then I'll just have to look for a new job somewhere in Undertown."

"It does sound impressive that you can say it that easily," Luz commented. "Almost diabolical."

Ok, she did that on purpose. It was funny!

"I wonder what kind of jobs they offer to demons here. Where I came from, demons are everywhere. Heck, it's even called a demon realm."

"Well, maybe whoever cursed me was onto something, then."

He's just joking, of course. He certainly doesn't think he's the least bit demonic and absolutely does not think he deserves this, but he can still make a lighthearted joke about it.

"Huh. So you're actually from a demon realm. I wonder if whoever cursed me knew something about that demon realm? Since they seem to be crafting fake memories to make me think I'm from there."

Or a demon realm, anyway. He doesn't know if they're the same one.

"And...I don't know. I just hope I can still do something with music. Or do something with the history of ranged weaponry, because I think that's neat, too."

Especially guns, but he won't spurn the occasional crossbow.

"If that was the case, pretty sure I'd be an imp or something!"

Luz was still pretty mystified about how he would have been turned into a demon. Of all the things that had happened, that seemed to make the least amount of sense to her, and the poor guy seemed to be just as confused as she was.

"I'm from there as in I just came from one, but I'm not naturally from there. I'm human, after all. But that is a head scratcher. And you said that memory is the only one you have?"

She was starting to think he might eventually get more, if he was having the same kind of memory lapses Eda was.

"Weapons, huh? Guns, you said? Do you have a long history with those too?"

"Huh...imp...for some reason I feel like 'imp' should have a lot of meaning for me, but I'm not sure why."

Says the tiny, 2'5 impish looking demon.

"So you travelled to a demon world? Just like we were talking about something getting sent to the human world in the flashback? And yeah, that's the only memory I have. Well, the only memory that's clearly not mine that I have, anyway."

He lights up when she mentions the guns.

"Oh, a very long history! I've honestly been interested in them since I was a teenager. Collecting them, learning about their history, shooting at the firing range...it's just a hobby of mine ever since my dad taught me how to shoot."

"If I were to say what kind of demon you resembled, 'imp' would be the first one to come to mind."

Not that Luz was trying to be insulting, but it would have been the first one she thought of.

"I stumbled into it, yeah! That's why I can do magic now, though I'll admit I'm not super sure why I can do it here when it's supposed to be a gift from the world I went to."

There was still a lot she didn't understand about the Boiling Isles, though Kaisou was becoming a close second.

"Interesting. And you never thought to do a 'History of guns and warfare' class? I feel like that might attract some people."

Certainly not Luz, who was not a fan of guns, but certainly other people!

"Oh. I...guess if I'm actually supposed to be some kind of imp, that would explain it."

And maybe he just naturally recognized that as the word for what he is for the same reason he just got a memory from the life of the imp he's turned into.

"I mean, that would definitely be fun. I also enjoy teaching music and theater, though, so really, any opportunity to teach any of those things would be perfectly fine with me. If I have to start over from scratch I'll probably ask around in Undertown, see which subject people would be most interested in signing up to learn about."

"Nothing wrong with imps!"

Luz had seen a few before after all. She couldn't imagine how much harder it was for Moxie though.

"You never know what opportunities you'll find if you have to embrace this new form! Who knows, maybe you'll have to utilize some of what you know with all of the stuff that's happening in this world. You might have a few people who need to learn how to use those guns you're so knowledgeable about!"

Not that Luz was thrilled with that idea, but clearly there had to be uses for just about everything in this world when it came to the Spirit World.

"Yeah, I could definitely teach people about that. And with all the stuff that's happening, the fact that I can use them might be useful on it's own. I am a very good shot, after all."

Sure, he may be stressed about his situation and being trapped as an imp, but he is very proud of his marksmanship. Which...might be a bit worrying to some, but he's typically oblivious to any concern about his fixation on guns.

"Sure, assuming it's not some magical creature in origin. Then again, maybe there's a way to use bullets against a supernatural threat."

Not that Luz was in love with the idea of shooting or even killing for that matter, but clearly there were things in this world that meant to do them harm, and it would be pretty silly not have a way to protect themselves. If ghosts could actually hurt them, it would be a good idea.

"I wonder if there's anyone in town who specializes in spirit bullets?"

"Oh."

He hadn't thought about the possibility that bullets would just not work on supernatural creatures.

"I...really might want to look into that, because guns are kind of the only way I could hold my own in a fight."

Which is a very fair assessment. After all, he has no experience in fighting in general and on top of that, he's small enough that he's currently wearing clothes he looted from a ventriloquist dummy.

"It still might hurt them, but I'm thinking of those things with either intangible abilities or really thick hides. That'd be much harder without getting some enhancements."

Luz was always going to try and think about worse case scenarios: after everything that had happened to her, she was beginning to understand that there had to be a plan within a plan.

"How are you with, uh, melee weapons?"

Still not Luz's preferred way of fighting, but she doubted he had magic up his sleeve.

"Yeah, I'll definitely want to look into enhancements, then."

It's his primary means of defense, after all. He wants to make sure it'll work no matter what he runs into.

"Um...not very good. At all. I have no idea how to use melee weapons."

Sure, he could try, but he'd rather stick with what he's good at.

"I'll keep an eye out! I don't know anyone right off my head who does magical weapons, but there has to be someone like that here!"

With all that Zodiac was doing, Luz refused to believe that they weren't already starting to make arsenal for fighting if they ever needed to take something magical down for study.

"Oh. Well. Hopefully you'll get what you need to take them out from afar!"

She just hoped no enemy tried to catch him up close.

He's glad to have a second set of eyes on this, even though he does intend to look into it himself. It shouldn't be too hard, right?

Well, maybe he shouldn't be too optimistic. After all, look at all the luck he hasn't had in figuring out how to turn himself back.

"Believe me, I hope so. And thanks in advance for keeping an eye out!"

There were weird things happening with the way magic seemed to work here, and as much as Luz wanted to go back to the Isles, she wanted to know what was going on with the people that regularly lived her suddenly starting to get flashes of "other" selves.

If there was a fraction of doubt that this would bring back HER Eda, that meant that for everyone else too that were "alternate" versions here. If they were somehow "edited," that made things way worse than expected.

"Sure, of course! Since this is impacting you AND your livelihood, Zodiac should be looking into this for you so you understand why its happening."

"Oh. Yeah, you're right. They should be. Especially since it did happen right after their app showed up on my phone, so if it wasn't a barista witch who caused this, it's definitely their fault!"

And he will absolutely be bringing the problem to their attention.

"I mean, I don't trust them at all and will continue looking into this on my own, but I will absolutely be bringing this to their attention."

"Right! They should at least give you some meager compensation for your trouble. What are you supposed to do when you just wake up as a demon? You still need to make a living!"

And Luz had more than just a bone to pick with them, even if she didn't think they'd be having an audience with her anytime soon. She was JUST a kid after all, and Moxie at least had lived here longer than she had.

"You ought to! In both respects, actually. You need to be on top of all this, and you need to have a way to still make money in this city. I'm thinking you have an apartment and all that you have to upkeep."

"Exactly! You can't just cut someone off from their job and everyone they know and think they'll be fine! Of course, that's probably exactly what they had in mind. I was told about how they hire us to get stuff from the spirit realm."

And what better way to ensure a new employee than to eliminate their ability to work in the mortal realm?

"Ugh, that's gross! You think they're making it so you're having to go fetch things for them? Can't these people go and find out all of this magic stuff without our help? Or is it because we can be grabbed from our world so easily they don't want to get their hands dirty?"

That idea felt so reprehensible to her that it was just setting off alarms all over the place. HOW was Hunter working for these people?

Oh right, Phillip.

"And how does having a memory of being a demon play into this? Are they implanting these memories so you're more likely to help? I really hope they can't do that."

"I mean, I don't know for sure. I don't know it's their fault that I suddenly changed. I'm not totally eliminating the possibility that I was cursed by a barista. But I have heard about them offering money for people retrieving things from the spirit realm, and while I don't know if the people coming through from other worlds or people in this one suddenly changing is their fault...it definitely works in their favor when they want to recruit people. But I don't know if they're causing it or not."

After all, while he might suspect something like that is going on, he doesn't want to fully accuse them until he actually knows.

"And I honestly don't know. I really don't see how thinking I'm from another world would make any impact on how likely I am to help."

Luz had another theory, but it wasn't one she was going to say out loud, because it wouldn't be something Moxie would accept or like. She suspected that being a demon WAS his natural state, and it had been changed so he thought he lived in Kaisou. It hadn't escaped her notice that this had already been the case with Eda, Raine, Antonio and possibly others, so it was the thing that made the most logical sense to her.

But it was not something she thought would be easy to accept, not until there was more concrete evidence for the people involved.

"I don't get it either, but that's because I can barely make heads or tails from the things they've been doing, or why we go from a calm state to whatever weird psycho thing happens in the next cycle. All I know is that once we started arriving, that somehow affected other people who live here too, and the coincidence is too important to ignore."

"I mean, I definitely don't think that's a coincidence. I'm sure whatever's causing one is probably causing the other, I just don't know how to figure out what's causing any of it."

Since he's new to all of this and has no idea how any of it works.

"That's the boat most of us are in, I think," Luz said, sighing. "And as far as I can figure, something new seems to happen every month, so it makes things even more confusing. Getting to the bottom of this is going to take a lot of work, and I just hope it's not as long as I think it's going to be."

"Yeah. Well, I was already planning on spending a lot of time in the Education Center in Undertown, so...I guess I'll stick with that plan and hope I find something useful."

"All right, good luck then! I'd still launch a formal complaint if I were you though!"

"Oh, believe me, I will."

"Good. Let me know how things turn out for you later, ok?"

Will do!

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