“So, um- yeah, I’m not actually a boy love. Sorry about that. You just happened across me while I was under the influence of some mischievous bit of magic there. At least I was taller for a good while. Me real name’s Victoria by the way, though you can still call me Brendon if you like.” she shrugged, unsure of how to really handle this awkward situation with the young (relatively) warlock.
———CONFUSION HAD BEEN THE FIRST EMOTION TO GRACE HIS FACE ; the second was a more well rounded shade of the same feeling. at first, the man hadn’t quite recognized her despite the words coming from her mouth. it wasn’t until she’d uttered the name brendondid the tale become something of a peculiarity.
❝ believe me, i’m the last person you ought to be apologizing to for gender related expression. ❞ he almost wanted to laugh, though he felt that would be in bad taste considering she had yet to truly understand the scope of the statement. offering a hand, the german smiled.
❝ victoria, then? i can’t help but notice we keep running into one another. ❞
❛ of course. i trust your judgement over the tourist kiosks. ❜ he stood up and followed close behind him. his gaze meandered as they walked; he had never stayed with elliot. truthfully, he had never stayed in germany long enough where he needed a bed for more than one evening. for him, any trip meant rushing to and from whatever country his boss wanted him to be, with no real time to stop and take everything in.
he peered out one of the windows and visibly perked up when he said “adventure.” it had been many years since he had considered such a thing … ❛ oh ? did you think i’d say no? ❜ he shook his head. ❛ if you do go on one soon, you have to tell me. ❜ he needed an excuse to escape somewhere.
———❝ MIND IF I ASK A PERSONAL QUESTION? it’s only personal because you’re so much older than me. ❞ the man smiled, setting the suitcase on the covered mattress and plopping himself down beside it. green eyes glossed over his palm, the red beneath his skin turning back to his paler shade. he wondered about his body at times, how it continued to beat and drum against an ever changing landscape, despite the unnecessity of an immortal pulse. did whittaker bleed?
❝ when is your birthday? ❞ it would be hard to forget such a day, even with the years the man had lived. he considered his own birthday, a cold day in november, a time when the death of autumn had already run its course but the beauty of winter had not yet painted the landscape white.
❝ … if we can’t have fun today, then i might consider sponsoring an adventure for the future. ❞
WHY LEAVE SO SOON—? THE GAME WAS JUST BEGINNING; For the Jester before the Devil was always bound to receive a gracious welcoming into the PITS OF HELL itself. The tall, overwhelming man stood still, as though he was rigormortis itself, as he offered no sanctuary in the realm of death / decay / damnation.
— “Leaving so soon? Is that a twinge of fear I smell in the air? How cowardly, I have yet to do anything just yet—.”
———❝ FUNNY HOW THAT WORKS — a survivor tend to be alive for a reason. ❞ he winces at the implication of intent ; the man before him must have felt he had every right to blood and bloodshed. slow as the drip of a venom laden wound, the man approached his stiffened ‘ friend ’ with a kind of put-on expression.
❝ is it cowardice or courage to live another day? ❞
tiki was used to this. the men at the laboratory had raised him to be docile, obedient. although he had since escaped from the lab, he still possessed those attributes, even when conversating with a near-perfect stranger such as elliot.
❝ blessed told me that… the young people are infected by sin, ❞ he spoke of her as if the other would know who the nun was. ❝ that the younger people are giving up on religion & faith… she told me it’s a serious issue… and… ❞ just like that, his rambling of faith came to an end. not because he reconsidered his words. they simply ended with no explanation. this was a common flaw of tiki, his brain often stops thinking, only to restart shortly after.
his fingers tapped against the surface of the table, endeavoring to remember what elliot said. ❝ you… weren’t? ❞ he marveled. tiki was the opposite, and he assumed that his powers cannot be replicated… if elliot’s were an didn’t come from another source. ❝ i’ve had them for… as long as i can remember, ❞ he mentioned.
the fingers begin to tap faster, more nervously at the given question. tiki had been witness to monsters, beasts, unspeakable creatures. but none of them has ever scared him–but demons. the thought of demons terrified him.
❝ Yes. ❞
———THERE WAS NO WORD HE COULD UTTER THAT WOULD NOT TEAR OPEN SOMETHING RAW. some time ago, he’d considered atheism. it was a darker time, when the idea of god managed only to feel laughable in the face of what he endured. such as time was past him, and he’d soon rekindled his complicated relationship with religion in general.
still, he wanted nothing more than to separate his choices from his religion. there was nothing corrupt or unholy about the jewish faith, not in the same way he was. to make this distinct connection to the demonic, he chose religion as the bridge between them. nothing more, nothing less.
❝ i was given a choice a very long time ago, and i chose to live. ❞ running a finger under the mouth of his glove, the man waited to check tiki’s reaction before continuing forward.
❝ a demon did that, and more, if you’ll believe it. ❞
Belphegor, still as a lurking cat in his position, stared back at the other’s face shield as if the faint reflection in it did not show his own complexion, but that of the man instead. If the demon had owned a tail to lazily swish from side to side with, the image could have appeared such a natural fit that it would not have raised an ounce of suspicion from unknowing bystanders.
“What a bold assumption.”
He did not think to further evaluate his cryptic answer. Peor had never been one to make many words where they were not necessary, even in his old days. Common conducts such as manners did not interest him. Whatever he did he would do without apology or explanation, and without asking or announcing himself first. Passion was about the only thing capable of loosening his tongue. Passion, and at even fewer times curiousity.
“Why did you kill him?”
———IT WAS THE KIND OF QUESTION THAT GOT STRAIGHT TO THE CORE OF THE ISSUE. the man was never the type to remain cryptic for long. instead, he approached with the kind of fearless grace a dancer would on hot coals. head behind fiberglass and padding, his voice only carried so far.
❝ it was not my intention to steal your prey. ❞ he began, this time much more sincere in his words. his quota was not exactly large when it came to killing, but it still ran the risk of outpacing his abilities. he was picky with his jobs, and the vigilantism only paid so well.
“ … straight to the point , huh ? “ she let go , busying her hands with far more important things ; like straightening the wrinkles the wind had blown into her dress , and patting down the wild curls of her hair . her mouth had screwed into a pout , and after she was done looking tidy in that mediocre way of her’s , she opted for a more beneficial method of conversation .
“ but … no . how about this ? we’ll do a question exchange ! you get to ask something , and i’ll get to ask something in return . you already went first , so— mau . i’m mau . who’re you ? “
———❝ YOU ARE AWFULLY CHEEKY FOR SOMEONE WHO JUST SAW A DEAD BODY. but you’re right, mau, i’ve been awfully unfair in this exchange. ❞ the man shifted a bit, beginning to herd them both toward a safer area where they wouldn’t be questioned. it was almost comedic, the fireman saving the girl from a tree.
❝ my name is elliot. is there anything else you’d like to know? ❞
elliot’s reply caused him to chuckle. he leaned back into the chair and traced the tip of his finger around the rim of the mug. ❛ hah, sounds like you had fun then. ❜ he haphazardly ran a hand through his hair. ❛ i wish i could travel like you do. seeing the rest of the world sounds like a dream. ❜ he may have had all the time in the world to travel, but certainly not the money.
❛ i’m sure i can say you had a better time than i’m having. i hate staying inside all day. ❜ it sometimes felt like the only traveling he did was sitting on a plane for a few hours; for the rest of the time he was stuck inside, often without being able to go out and sightsee ( even after so many years, he hated being trapped indoors. it conflicted with his upbringing. ). ❛ if i can, i’ll make time to get away. what should i do while i’m here this time ? ❜
———THERE WAS A PAUSE FOLLOWING HIS THOUGHT. their truth in the immortal game was simple ; where some counted vast riches, others depended on the occupations that came to them. elliot was not proud of his job, the job that sustained him, yet it went without saying that he could live life comfortably on the few hours he put into it. smiling, the man turned his cup and placed it down on the knit coaster beside whittaker.
❝ i’d like to show you around, if you’d let me?
❞
he lifted to take what of whittaker’s the other had packed, gesturing towards the backrooms of the flat.
❝
maybe i’ll be able to convince you to join me on an otherworldly adventure in the future ; for now, staycations seem safe enough? ❞
‘ — Ah. I think they’re leftover from the original store owner. His tastes were very … eclectic, to say the least. You’re probably the only person beside him that’s had an eye for it. I’m almost tempted to give it away just to free up space on the shelves. ‘
Words spilled out before thought could be put into them and the next moment he was ducked around the other side of the shelf. Not that he needed to hide, or anything – but he could feel himself speaking too fast and hovering too close. Part of him worried it was noticeable to the other man scanning pages of foreign text. Though he brought the conversation up and approached he found that it was harder to keep an even expression.
‘ Oh – you know … I close the shop around six so, maybe seven or eight? ‘
———THE MAN SMILED AT THE NOTION OF A FREE SET FROM HIS FAVORITE WRITER, but instead placed the book back into its sleeve beside the others in the collection. plucking the set from the shelf, he made somewhat of a gag hauling it over to the counter where the owner no longer waited, turning to give the man a smile.
❝ that’s not necessary, i’d like to make a purchase. ❞ he knew exactly what it was like owning a storefront at the man’s age and experience. it was no laughing matter, hard hours and little pay off aside from meeting new people. eventually, the requirements of his curse turned into more of a job than a hobby, and vice versa for his profession.
❝ consider it fate… i’m probably the only person within a hundred miles who would be interested enough in buying it. ❞ he plucked a pen from the counter top, scribbling down his name and number on the back of a card, and wedging it between two crisp fifty dollar bills. he considered that some incentive to pick a nice venue.
———❝ PARDON ME… was that like an innuendo? ❞ blinking, the man wondered momentarily on the woman’s wording. something about how the phrase danced around a secret he’d been keeping, a secret he was sure she could sense. this was no ordinary person, not if she chose her words so close to home.
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.
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