Chapter 382: Story of Someone Else’s life
Kat bit her lips as she went over the story Kamiko had just told her. It was strange, but she now knew more about Kamiko's past than she did Lily's. She'd asked of course, back when they were younger and newer friends and Kat had been politely, and surprisingly forcefully, especially for Lily, told the girl didn't wish to speak on it. Still, Kat was sure if she asked now she'd get an answer. Even if a small part of her denied that fact.
"I… I'd love to say I understand Kamiko, but you've heard my story and know I never can. The orphanage never had anyone around long enough to really get to know anyone as an older sibling.
"The only thing I can relate it to, is my… sort of half adoption with a girl called Sylvie. She was the first person I really considered to be family outside of Gramps, and I don't really know how it happened. I mean, now of course it is a bit more obvious because we've all moved into a nice home, but that's another issue and not really something we need to go over now" said Kat.
"That's alright" said Kamiko as she pushed herself away from the wall to resume her floating. "I think it might be better you don't try to understand. It's just nice to know that you've heard me. I'm more than aware you could have said 'I understand' it's not enough of a lie to prevent you from speaking it, especially when you think about it a certain way"
Kat clicked her tongue. *Of course. That's something I hadn't really thought about. Kamiko knows what it's like to grow up unable to lie. I… I wonder what that does to a person? Is there anything I should know? I… I guess I could ask?*
"Um, what is that like exactly? I actually only recently had that penalty forced onto me. How do you go about not being able to lie to people?" asked Kat.
Kamiko giggled at Kat's question, seeing the precious naivety of the idea. "Oh Kat, it's much too easy to lie without lying. As much as I'd love to say it is a great experience, it really isn't. Double meanings are everywhere and you can say some shockingly incorrect things if you try."
"Could you give me an example?" asked Kat. "I can't really think of any off the top of my head."
"Oh, well a favourite insult of succubi everywhere, is to say, 'you look like you've gained weight' especially when it's amongst children" said Kamiko with a grimace. "The reason they can say that, is because we all get taller and, well it simply is a rather obvious truth when you think about it. Young children age and gain weight as they become taller.
"But you can see how that is used maliciously of course. Um, a really good one is to say stuff like, 'I think this' or 'I think that' because, especially if you think the words out in your head beforehand, you can say practically anything, because even if it is untrue, and you believe it's untrue, if you run the words through your mind, you have in fact, thought whatever it might be.
"So, um… to pick something that really would be rude to others but I think you won't mind. I'm able to say, I think your mother was a terrible person. This is easy to prove false because I've never met her and neither have you. We both have no reason to believe that she was a bad person, but if I think it I can add the words and say it" said Kamiko with a shrug more to herself then Kat.
*Huh… I didn't really think of it like that. This… this curse isn't really all that restrictive is it?*
"What's even the point then?" asked Kat "With tricks like that there really isn't all that much we can't say. Plus, we just can't speak lies, does it matter if people hear only part of something? Like could I 'I think your mother is a terrible person' and then silence the rest which would be 'when she tells me off for breaking stuff' or something?"
Kamiko twisted her mouth into a frown. "You know… I don't think I've ever asked. It might be like the angels, and that we aren't really allowed to talk about the specifics maybe? Depending on how you silenced yourself it would count as lying… I think, but test would have to be done and I really don't know how you'd do them"
Kat shrugged and let the motion carry through her wings which shuddered and stirred the water around them. "Neither do I, but now that I've thought of it, I have someone in mind that would likely have some ideas and the desire to test it. Her name is Callisto. She's… well she's something"
"Tell me about her, if you don't mind?" asked Kamiko, wanting to know more about the important figures in Kat's life knowing she lacked the sibling support Kamiko had.
"Hmm, well, I guess I can" said Kat "I'm not sure what I'd call her really. It's… it's not that we have a complicated relationship per se, it's that I have no idea what that relationship is… so, to get started, I guess I should mention that I got adopted by this lovely person named Vivian.
"She… she isn't really much older than I am, only a few years really, but the arrangement was mainly because Sylvie wouldn't have accepted if I didn't, and I'm turning eighteen in a bit less than a year's time so I'd have had to leave as well, and she already figured out the big secret that I was a demon, which was becoming hard to hide at the orphanage… so it was just convenient really.
"This… sort of means that Vivian should be a mother figure, but we both recognise that she's more of an older sister figure for me if anything, but I go along with it more for Sylvie than anything else because the age difference is enough there, and Sylvie's not that old so she really needs someone to fill that role for her." Said Kat, without suspecting a good chunk of that statement wasn't entirely correct, but she didn't know that.
"Now Callisto, she happens to live with Vivian and… I can't really get a proper idea of their relationship if I'm honest. I don't exactly have enough friends to compare it to anything but it doesn't seem normal.
"Callisto lives with Vivian, doesn't really pay rent, but she has her own space… she doesn't sleep practically ever, and she somehow always shows up to do the cooking whenever it needs doing. Also she wears a French maid outfit… though I guess you don't know what that is do you?" asked Kat
Kamiko shrugged and said, "Sort of? Like, part of the translation effect means I have something of an idea about what it is, like… it doesn't exactly SOUND like this, but I get the impression it's an inaccurate depiction of what servants used to wear? Except now it is also really formal? Which doesn't make a lot of sense to me."
Kat quickly describe what the outfit in it's entirely looked like to Kamiko, elaborating on the details when asked. "Do you get it now?"
"No…" said Kamiko "Well, yes, but no. I understand what it looks like… and I understand why some people would wear it, as it sounds like it's fairly appealing attire but… yeah I also don't understand the dynamic between those two. On the one hand she is kind of like a live-in servant, but on the other, she is also somewhat like Vivian's handler even though they are the same age"
Kat nodded vigorously "Yes, it's exactly like that. Vivian is consistently making impulsive, if somewhat well-reasoned, decisions, and Callisto is forever ensuring nothing too horrible is done under those orders and things run smoothly around the house. Which, I will add, is smaller than your own so it isn't a pain to clean."
"Why would it need cleaning?" asked Kamiko
"What?" asked Kat, only for Kamiko to repeat the question.
"Well now I'm confused" said Kat "Do you not need to clean things here? Dust things off and other such things? Surely the dirt builds up right?"
Kamiko shook her head. "No, everything other than the fridge and the cutlery is self-cleaning. You can't make them self-cleaning because it removes the food from them, which is obviously a problem"
"Huh… is that common?" asked Kat
Kamiko nodded, causing large ripples to be sent out. "Yup, practically everyone has their houses set up like that. It's cheap and it doesn't ever run out as long as you have enough people living in the space, or well, there is enough power that radiates off them."
*Well damn. The more you know. I wonder if Callisto would love that or hate it? Giving her less to clean? A blessing or a curse?*
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