<div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial;">Between Time and Outside</span></strong></span></div><br/><div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/a5/4a/d0/a54ad0c78fe6f6ed9893fe8a6eb846e1.jpg)</div><strong>NAME:</strong>Date Toshiro | Date Marceline<br/><strong>DAY:</strong>June 15th, 2021, 9:30 AM<br/><strong>LOCATION:</strong>SOPHE Headquarters, Main Floor<br/><strong>TAGGING:</strong>Kyless | Mentions:<br/><strong>EXTRA:</strong><br/><strong>WEARING:</strong>As pictured, but with a few more wrinkles in his clothing and a far more disheveled head of hair. | A red nylon collar with a small golden bell<br/><hr/><br/>It was often a difficult thing to parse the meaning behind demons' words, and not always for a deception either offered or perceived. Leaning back to stare out of the window, his upper body now propped up on his hands pressing against the cool tile, Toshiro's angle making the clouds appear to crest the tips of bluish green treetops. He hadn't interrupted Kyless as she told the final portion of her story, focusing instead on taking in her changes in expression and traces of non-verbal communication for any<em>thing</em>that might lend itself to better comprehending her as a sudden thought hit him, 'Why would a demoness so reliant on illusions to express herself suddenly rely purely on verbal communication.' A wide smile spreading across his face made it apparent that he found himself to be rather smart for having thought this as her actions had very much filled in the gaps of her story where words had failed.<br/><br/>Recalling the beginning of the story's summation, Kyless' explanation as to the difference between relationships built between demons and humans, he wondered aloud as his pupils followed the clouds drifting from left to right, “Are what characters feeling not an important part of demon stories? You said your own troubles didn't matter enough to go into, but I imagine knowing them would help bring the Last and his Rulebreaker to life, to make them more understandable.” From the way she had so quickly passed over the subject, Toshiro knew that she had little desire to speak further on the matter in favor of discussing the tale, so he would shelve the topic for the moment, but he would certainly come back to it in time.<br/><br/>His brow somewhat furrowing on a head tilted in thought he both explained and queried with more friendly curiosity than frustration, “Humans become familiar with time shared, but not necessarily closer. It's when a person can make the small amount of time we have wonderful that we begin to care for them.” Thinking on a way to illustrate his point beyond the potential vagueness of language he continued, “If we were both Nosthervim with all the time in existence,  endlessly being next to each other in silence, it would mean less to me than a few moments shared basking in the sunlight, watching the clouds drift by, and discussing Jollytwills and Jagraws.” Toshiro hadn't meant this as a compliment, but as he realized the truth of the statement, he silently hoped it was received as one.<br/><br/>“Maybe that's part of how demons get closer through magic? Moments made into more through honestly showing off who someone is with big shows of illusion, violence, control or lust?” Turning his head towards Kyless without removing his gaze from the tranquil sight beyond the window, he continued, “What do you think? What is it about magic that brings demons together?” Toshiro knew that Kyless' linguistic skills probably didn't allow for the best exploration of a philosophical question that human variants still had the world's greatest thinkers arguing, so he returned his attention to trying to understand the story.<br/><br/>“Am I understanding this right?<em>Things</em>made of magic can't change on their own? At the very least they have to exist inside of what the rules allow it to be? But the Jagraw, their rules made things stagnant, unchanging in a boring and unpleasant way.” Turning his gaze downward to regard his well maintained black running shoes swinging side to side like a pair of leather metronomes he continued, “The Last protected the Jollytwills with... some kind of...” Blowing out his cheeks for a moment in imitation of Kyless he continued, “Some kind of illusion bubble that kept it hidden? Only let demons in he wanted to to let in, and he wanted to let you in so you could give him the change he wanted but couldn't give himself, like some kind of... like a catalyst. Some<em>thing</em>that sparks a change in other<em>things</em>. In other things, although not always itself.”<br/><br/>Seeing Kyless' look of dejection and defeat, Toshiro was quick to reply a shake of his head towards her statement at what the Last must have thought of her and a warm smile, Toshiro placed his hand gently on Kyless now drooped shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze, “A hard story to tell will never get easier if you don't ever tell it, and I think the Last would probably be happy even if you just attempted it, and he'd definitely be proud of how hard you're trying in a language that wasn't always yours. Though I only know him from your story, but do you think he let you have his story so you could keep it a secret?” This last point was more a way of applauding her sharing over condemning her for not sharing the story with others, if anything, Toshiro couldn't help but feel flattered that he was the one she'd chosen to share the story with first.<br/><br/>Sitting up straight to free his hands so he could continued stroking Marceline's fur, he continued thinking through the story for a moment before asking, “You said the Jagraw had many rules, so that means they were unchanging, death aside, lives must be uncommon with demons right?” Removing his hand from Kyless he gestured towards her and a passing fox demon, “Most of the demons I've met don't seem to have much in the way of rules holding them back, but...” Scratching his chin in thought he added, “Although I imagine those held back by rules don't have the freedom needed to make themselves known, to step out of where they're held.” Furrowing his brow at the thought of why any creature would subject themselves to this, he added curiously, “These rules the Jagraw followed, how did they get made? And by who? And why? It seems weird that they would exist to exist, even if so much magic seems to at first glance.”<br/><br/>