Don't Touch The Demons

During the height of Queen Ilysandra's tyranny in Tondo Talestro, demons freely roamed the streets alongside the lun'Aeldvaren citizens. The depths of that situation has been covered in other articles, but here we'll discuss some of the safety rules, and superstitions, that developed especially around young people who grew up around infectious, potentially-lethal entities whose attention would be dangerous to draw.

D. Allory: "It was easy to avoid notice. Don't speak. Don't run. Don't look at them. Don't move your face. Don't gasp. Don't let your footsteps make sound."

For full adults who were aware of the gravity of the situation and in control of their reactions, the situation of sharing public spaces with demons was taxing. For the children being anxiously herded from safe location to safe location, having to cross streets where demons could spy them was nothing short of traumatic every single time.

I. Alypharia: "Some demons were stoic. Others would seek out signs of fear, weakness. Was easiest to get kids to react, get their guardian to step up, take a risk. They were bored. They wanted to play with kinvari. Anything to get a reaction, to give a reason to respond, to escalate."

As time wore on and tensions grew tauter, the superstitions around how not to draw a demon's gaze grew more convoluted. It had always been a losing game, but it grew more deadly as the roaming demons' privileges were ever-increasing, their oversight more lax.

D. Allory: "Before civil lockdown, it was a paranoid guessing game. What color clothes were least likely to be noticed? How could you walk in a way that was beneath notice, but not triggering a prey reaction? What breathing rhythm was safest?"

I. Alypharia: "There was never a right answer. Just a matter of time."