[Ah, Cervo. If his name was mentioned, this conversation would quickly turn from small talk to pointed interrogation. What the deer gets up to when he is out of Diavolo's sight is ultimately not his business, but it is increasingly concerning how many others know of his existence.
Steven's responses catch Diavolo off guard every time, leaving him blinking at the screen before settling in to respond. There are a few fundamental truths he believes in. He's been around other monsters just enough to catch onto the faintest patterns. Demons are meddling and irksome; harpies have tended to be noisy. His sample size is small, as insular as he is, but it's just enough to make him curious. If each person here is, upon arrival, shaped into a form that suits them ... then where do the similarities between himself and Steven lie? There must be something. This requires further probing.
If he could see Steven for himself ...]
Forgive me if this is sudden, but I believe it would be easier to continue this conversation face-to-face. [A lie; he is most at ease with the screen to act as a barrier between them. But there is no way to size Steven up from afar, to assess his mannerisms and his words in the heat of the moment. He could have Doppio act as a go-between, but ... hasn't he been trying to get out more? Was that not the point of the exhausting festive ordeals he went through in the weeks before? He did not spend a day baking only to cower at the thought of leaving the house. No. He is far better, far stronger than he was a year before.] If you accept, you may choose the location.
<sleepless>
Steven's responses catch Diavolo off guard every time, leaving him blinking at the screen before settling in to respond. There are a few fundamental truths he believes in. He's been around other monsters just enough to catch onto the faintest patterns. Demons are meddling and irksome; harpies have tended to be noisy. His sample size is small, as insular as he is, but it's just enough to make him curious. If each person here is, upon arrival, shaped into a form that suits them ... then where do the similarities between himself and Steven lie? There must be something. This requires further probing.
If he could see Steven for himself ...]
Forgive me if this is sudden, but I believe it would be easier to continue this conversation face-to-face. [A lie; he is most at ease with the screen to act as a barrier between them. But there is no way to size Steven up from afar, to assess his mannerisms and his words in the heat of the moment. He could have Doppio act as a go-between, but ... hasn't he been trying to get out more? Was that not the point of the exhausting festive ordeals he went through in the weeks before? He did not spend a day baking only to cower at the thought of leaving the house. No. He is far better, far stronger than he was a year before.] If you accept, you may choose the location.