TIKI.

           tiki didn’t pay much attention to the house, he never observed details too well. but the very back of his brain told him that it was better than the current denizen he’s living at… illicitly. but he wasn’t focused on living matters, he was more fascinated with the glass of water. he took the glass into his large hands with reluctance. did he hate water? no. but it was all he drank at the laboratory. once he was liberated, he discovered soda and grew a preference for the beverage.

           nonetheless, he still took the glass’ rim to his rosy lips and sipped on it. ❝ thank you, ❞ was said after pulling the glass away from his mouth. the laboratory taught him many things, such as being polite and always thankful for any good deed. ❝ delighted to… make your acquaintance, elliot… elliot, ❞ he repeated the name. he found the name to be pleasant on the tongue. ❝ that’s a… beautiful name,

❞ he added.

           not many people asked him about his religion, he assumed that nobody cared about the subject anymore. but tiki didn’t mind being asked, he wasn’t ashamed of it. to begin his answer, he revealed a cross necklace that hid under his shirt. ❝ oh yeah, i think… i’m a christian. i love god and jesus and mary and joseph… and the whole lot. i go to church… every sunday… when i remember. ❞

                      _{———A SMILE GRACED HIS FACE AT THE COMPLIMENT. he wasn’t used to the sort of politeness that came in situations like this. too many questions, too much confusion ; when it came to conversations like these, many young people were quick to display their emotions in a negative space. tiki felt almost… reticent.}

      _{❝ i used to be a bit more religious myself, but i still practice to a degree. ❞
he wondered if the young man had ever met anyone who wasn’t christian. a town like this did not offer much in the way of selection, yet that wasn’t exactly something he considered heinous for the size of the place. usually, he would have liked to separate religion from the matter, but it was hard to know what the kid would believe.}

❝ i ask, because i was not born with my abilities. ❞
from what he could tell, this wasn’t nearly as arcane of a union as elliot’s own situation. there needed to be a bridge he could work with, and religion seemed to be just that.

❝ do you believe in demons, tiki? ❞