“Oh.” Joey said, not quite getting the idea of daemons; at least he could answer that his world didn’t have anything like that, to his knowledge.
“Hybriiid!” Bendy pouted at their interrupting Zeron again. “Just because Joey likes talking over his friends doesn’t mean it’s okay!”
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t keep bringing me into this.” Joey pointed out, though the fact that he wasn’t helping Zeron get a word in was very telling.
“Ah, sorry!” Bendy flashed him an embarrassed grin.
They both listened to Zeron give more context on his rocky diet. “Oh,” Joey said, “I suppose you could utilize spell components that are edible, though it doesn’t come up much in my own work… I might have to experiment with that; though of course for me it wouldn’t be with magical rocks, it would have to be magical herbs or something instead.“
“Gosh, you really can’t eat those foods because they’re too good for you?” Bendy asked. “That sounds weird, but I guess that’s also how sugar is for humans? You eat a lot of it and it’s just too much even though you definitely need a little bit in your diet! I’m just getting more and more glad I only have to eat ink, that’s a lot to remember just to not starve!”
“No such thing.” Joey scoffed at the idea of things not meant to be understood, though it was clear the words had come out before checking with his brain as he averted his eyes and didn’t push the issue. “Let’s just chock all this up to the fact that emotions are far too complex and language is far too inefficient.” He fell silent in mild surprise as he and Bendy listened to Hybrid’s quotation.
“That was a real keen quote!” Bendy smiled at them.
Joey raised an eyebrow. “First Corinthians, I believe. Let me think, I believe the Book of Deuteronomy is a good example of where, despite being from the same religion and alleged author, it goes far more in the other direction. I’m going to paraphrase, mind you, because we’d be here all day even if I was remembering it word for word.”
Joey cleared his throat. “If your family or friend ‘who is as your own soul’ - that bit’s a quote - seeks any other god for you or for themselves to worship, you should not listen to him but rather you should kill him, throwing the first of many stones until he has been put to death.
“Such is the fickle duality of man, and gods made in their image or that which made man in his own image are surely just as mercurial.”
“Mercurial means something prone to quick and random changes, a mercurial mood is equivalent to mood swings. Basically I’m saying that any religious text only supports love and respect and peace if you catch it on a good day, and otherwise there’s a lot of murdering or otherwise sacrificing your loved ones because your religion told you to. And also, well, I agree with what Zeron just said.”
“Well. I learned a new word and you two agreed on a thing, so that’s good!” Bendy let out a quiet, awkward giggle.
“Yeah well… Information still matters…” Hybrid huffs toeing the ground just slightly. “Context helps and all…”
“Yeah!” Zeron nods his head, before frowning for a moment and tilting it. “Though I don’t know about it being too good for us…”
“It’s somewhat like what happens if someone who’s been starved for a long time is suddenly given a lot of food that’s rich and full…” Hybrid considers. “It’s not able to be processed, because the body has gotten used to less…” needs to rebuild. “So it just makes you sick.” and that sounds like they’re talking from experience in a distant kind of way. Before they giggle. “And some humans can’t have any sugar at all… unless it’s already in fruits…” they frown… “Allergies… and all that have been on the increase… Mom believes that it’s because of all the fake stuff they’re putting in food now…”
Zeron snorts as Hybrid frowns, their brow furrowing. Before the other shakes his head, crosses his arms and rolls his eyes.
“Yeah, it’s ridiculous. Although there are some who manage to make sense of it…” he stops for a moment. “Something about thousands of years, and the fact that the last books are a new order that overtakes the old… blah blah…” he still doesn’t agree with it. “Still nonsense, and events that never happened though.”
“Huh… I’ll have to keep that word…” Hybrid mumbles to themself, repeating it softer under their own breath to try and make sure that it will remain in their head. Mercurial, that’s a good word.
