#I already said it once but Seteth's writing really benefits from Nopes

[randomnameless]

Treehouse!Seteth :

I am, of course, Rhea's servant. So, in a more formal context, I must maintain a deferential distance.

After being called out for using Rhea's name without using honorifics - I mean, calling her by her name and not by her title - by Cyril, Seteth explains it's just an issue of context, and when he's formal, he always keeps a "deferential distance".

And when we see them in Nopes in the past, during Larva's paralogue, even as they were fighting, he was indeed very formal :

I cannot continue... I leave the rest in your hands, Lady Seiros!

(please don't mind the names lol).

But in JP :

かつての私は、レアに仕える者として 立場を弁えた言動を取る必要があった

Which was translated by Teaspoon translation as :

"Previously, as one who serves Rhea, I had to speak and act in a way befitting my position."

And yet, in the past, when he adressed Seiros - when she was the supposed de facto leader of the bunch - he called her like this :

セイロスの元には行かせんぞ！ くっ……これ以上は厳しいか。 セイロス、後は頼んだぞ！

There's no suffix - Flayn, I mean, Cethleann calls Seiros "セイロス様" with 様 being the -sama suffix... but Cichol has none of this.

There's no "Lady" Seiros for Cichol, no "deferential distance" whatsoever, he's just talking about his younger sibling relative.

IDK what this was changed, maybe with the different voice directions Treehouse thought Rhage and her hair-trigger temper should have a "second" who always show deference? And that would explain why Whitten was directed to voice a more "mellow" Seteth than Koyasu's?

Another example is in the Chapter 17 convo of Golden Shower, when Rhea announces her plan to lead a suicidal last stand in Tailtean, while Treehouse!Seteth finally calls her by her name, without any honorifics in the last line - as she told him she'll fight and only Sothis knows the outcome - but when she tells him "if anything happens, take Flayn and gtfo of Fodlan" basically asking him to abandon her if she dies or if the situation is dire, despite having the shocked portrait, Treehouse!Seteth says this :

Lady Rhea, you cannot mean that!

Jp!Seteth?

レア！？　それは……

His sister relative just told him she was ready to die and he and Flayn shouldn't follow her but live instead, Seteth drops all honorifics (even if there's a random monk nearby).

Tl;Dr : Jp!Seteth drops the honorifics more easily than Treehouse!Seteth when he's talking to his sister relative - I can only surmise the choice to emphatise his role as Rhea's second - but clearly under her authority - instead of his role as Rhea's advisor - only pretending to be under her authority when people are looking - had something to do with Rhage and the fact that even Seteth grows distrustful of her for player pandering and Hresvelg Grey reasons; granted, JP!Seteth being written the way he is written and yet still able to "disagree with the doctrine because CoS BaD under Rhea''s leadership for some reason" or having all his doubts/mistrust in WC/Tru Piss or even just wanting to find her "so she can reveal to Billy the circumstances behind their birth" feels even more artificial, but that's avatar pandering for you.

Tru Tl; Dr : JP!Nopes shows us how close the lizard fam is, deferential distance/"one who serves Rhea I had to speak in a way that befits my position" my rear, whenever they're talking about her security/safety/fighting, Seteth always calls Rhea by her "name of the moment", without adding any honorifics.