Chapter 18: A deal is made
It was two in the morning when Dorian made his choice. A choice to protect Kelly and the others, and the world, just in case Regina did call Maizono.
He left his room and smiled at Kelly, who was sleeping on the couch. This was a risky plan, but it was for Kelly's sake. He would understand, hopefully soon.
It wasn't hard to find his way back to the woods, but it took a little longer to find the manor, and he knocked on the door and was let in with little to no issue. Many of the witches examined him, muttering about why a boy would come to them. He revealed his blackened heart, and they let him through. In the process, Dorian saw the broom closet that used to be Kelly's room, as there was still furniture inside, making it look like a bedroom.
Walking into the study, he stared at Regina and Mara with a cold expression, concealing his scythe in pen form. There were two ways this would go since he knew it was unlikely Regina would dare kill him. She placed a curse over him for a reason.
"I hear you've been looking for me." He said, noticing from one of his mirrors that there were flecks of red in his silver eyes. Regina nodded and gestured for him to sit. Mara stood guard at the door,
"Where did you go?"
"Got on a plane to Russia," he omitted simply, "It crashed in the middle of nowhere in Norway. But I've been in hiding for a little over a month. However, it recently came to my attention through Amelia that you would potentially call upon a necromancer named Maizono?"
"What makes you think that?" Mara asked, "The last thing we need is for you to get killed."
"But why, though?" He asked bitterly, "What's so special about me?"
Regina smiled, helping him to his feet, and he was shocked to see the whole city within her cauldron, at a birds-eye view,
"You have no idea the power you and Kelly together can possess. Have you realized that bond yet?" Dorian remained silent, but it clearly gave her an answer, "You love him, but he is either oblivious or doesn't return those feelings?"
"Mine and Kelly's love lives are none of your damn business. I came here to let you know I'm still in this world, and to get the damn curse removed. That's all."
Mara came over, "What you call a curse is actually a gift. We've opened your eyes to how dull the world is." She gestured to the people in the park as she used magic to zoom it in, "Look at these mortals, how they crawl around like little ants, doing very little other than confusing fate with what is merely chance."
Regina's smile was dark yet also wistful, "Having been a former mortal, you may not yet see the appeal, Dorian. But give it a few decades of being twenty forever, and you will find humans hilarious little creatures, just living every day till the day they die, going through the motions as if there will be a reward. When they don't find one, humans rely on this pathetic thing they call love until they fall."
"Former mortal?" Dorian looked at his hands as though expecting to see something other than flesh and blood. No, he still looked human, other than the glowing hair and the black heart. Then again, both Regina and Mara also looked human.
"Yes, former mortal. Former human, too, actually. I don't know what exactly you are, but you and Kelly both yielded your mortality and, technically, your humanity. That doesn't mean you won't find joy in human activities, and nothing is stopping you from returning to your life. But why I chose you instead of Kelly? Honestly, you weren't special, Dorian. A capable fighter, and I see many uses for you, but the first time I tried to corrupt you was a heat-of-the-moment decision, and the second time was after convincing of both Adelina and Chandra."
"Well, if I'm not special, let me go! What if I just want a normal life? Or as normal as I can have." He felt that fire at his fingertips, "Let me go."
Regina's expression was that of mock pity, "Oh, Dorian. It's cute you think I have the cure. Inflicting a curse and lifting it, especially one like this, are two very different things. There's only one thing that can truly heal you, and the chances of you finding someone willing and able to do it are slim to none."
"What would I need?" He asked, and Regina chuckled,
"Why should I tell you? Now that you have powers relevant to me..." she then brightened, "I'll tell you what. I have terms for you. If you fulfill my tasks, any task I give you, I will tell you how to break the curse and how to get it." She held out a hand, "Deal?"
"On one condition."
Mara was clearly taken aback, "She's given you what you want, and you make terms?"
Dorian nodded, "Because, for all I know, she will use me to harm those I care about. So my term is that Kelly, Amelia, Harrison, and the Sommers family cannot get involved with your requests. And I am allowed to refuse requests, with the only penalty being not told information about it. Once my curse is broken, or one of us is dead, I'm free of this bargain."
"I cannot control their actions," Regina replied, "But I will not request anything that would put them in direct danger. The rest of your terms are reasonable. Deal?"
"Good enough." He shook her hand, shocked when a tattoo appeared in the form of a cresent-moon on his bicep. "Huh?"
"Just proof to others that this bargain exists. It's also a way of marking your territory," he growled at her for no heads up, "Is that all?"
"I came all this way, you might as well give me a hint about how to break this damn curse."
"Of course." She removed her necklace and handed it to him, "There's your clue."
It was a simple necklace, with a silver chain and even more silver used to keep a small gem of tanzanite in place.
"What the hell is this supposed to mean?"
Mara laughed, "You've got the trio on your side. You figure it out. Goodbye, Dorian." When he was gone, she turned to her mother, "Mother, why would you tell him how to break the curse? Tanzanite alone might be enough if I'm right about Morrigan not really being dead."
"No need to worry, Mara. The favors I'm asking of Dorian will help in our goals, even if he doesn't know it. And it's not like I'm going to ask him to do anything without year-long gaps, both to avoid suspicion from anywhere he goes, and to make sure it will be years before he figures out what he needs to do. Even then, where is he going to find someone powerful and suicidal enough to do it?"
OoOoO
Just as Regina said, it was a year before she asked something of Dorian. In that time, Chandra and Joselyn had left after Joselyn asked for some guy call Ugin to make sure Dorian didn't kill himself. Still, since that was no longer an issue since Dorian had hope that he could break the curse on his own, Ugin's services were not required—much to the annoyance of Joselyn, who had been walking for months, only for none of it has been necessary.
Dorian's frustration at being unable to figure out what the tanzanite meant grew into a rage which had Kelly forcing him to take up embroidery, since stabbing people every time he was in a pissy mood is frowned upon in society.
Harrison and Amelia were officially a couple, with Kelly being there every step of the way while also training his powers with Dorian—his equal. Dorian's love grew into a burning passion, and he knew he would do anything if Kelly told him to with even a hint of care.
The medication Harrison was giving him was helpful for the most part. However, they had to be careful since Dorian's desperation for a cure was turning into an addiction for the medication, and they didn't want to risk messing him up even more.
Another thing that had started was Dorian once again moonlighting as Misfit as Amelia's partner. Kelly didn't like that since the curse had caused unpredictable moments of violence. Sometimes it gradually built up over the day, and then he snapped, or he went from zero to a hundred in seconds. But Dorian needed something to do other than practice his powers or do schoolwork since it distracted him from the things Chandra planted in his head about one day becoming a villain. Best do as much good as he could before he couldn't anymore.
When he finally got the call that Regina wanted something, he jumped on the chance quickly but was quickly frustrated when he couldn't find his scythe anywhere. Instantly, he knew Kelly took it, so he went down to the park where he saw Kelly sketching as children played around him.
"Hey Kels," he sat down cheerfully and turned with an equally cheerful tone, "Where's my fucking scythe?"
Kelly didn't even look up, "Dorian, there are children here. Use proper language," he gestured to the children playing not fifteen feet away from them, some of them talking about the Garth Brooks concert in the park a couple months prior. Kelly and Dorian hadn't gone, but they'd been able to hear it from miles away.
"May I ascertain the current whereabouts of my fucking scythe?"
"Smartass." Kelly looked up, "Why do you need it?"
"A... Job." Dorian explained, "I was promised information on how to break the curse if I do this." Kelly paused, glaring at him,
"Dorian, what did you do?"
"You think that disapproving glare still works on me after all the times I've seen it?" Dorian asked, scoffing a little bit. Kelly was not amused,
"You're going to do something crazy." Not a question.
Dorian playfully touched his heart, trying to ignore what he would find if he looked, "Thank you for not saying 'stupid.' Even if it's probably true, it means a lot. But don't worry, I'm the kind of person that thinks things through."
That had Kelly laughing, "Since when? Just this summer, I watched you eat a marshmallow that was still on fire!"
"Yeah, well, can I have my scythe?"
Kelly pulled out the pen and went to hand it to him with a begrudging sigh, before hesitating, "Tell me who's hiring you."
Silence.
"Dorian," he warned, "How much have you been doing behind my back?" Those eyes were going to be the death of him, and it made Dorian relent,
"I went to Regina a year ago. I honestly thought she'd forgotten about it."
Kelly was silent for a moment, his left eye twitching before he grabbed Dorian's shoulders and shook him,
"You idiot!" He roared, "What the hell were you thinking to talk to the wicked bitch of the west?! I thought you said you weren't gonna do anything stupid!"
"When did I say that? I thought we established this plan is insane and most likely very stupid."
Kelly got up and brought Dorian back to the apartment, "She's the one who gave you that necklace." He muttered, "I should have known when you told me not to worry about it." He pulled out his phone, "Harry, I know this is probably a bad time, but please get over here."
Dorian looked at his feet, "Are you mad?" He had never seen Kelly like this before, and quite frankly, it scared him. He knew the others were worried about his mental state, but Kelly had always been concerned about his safety. And he could be firm at times, putting his foot down when things crossed a line, like any good friend would, but never had he resorted to yelling and saying he was an idiot. Then again, he had gone to Regina of all people, who Kelly knew quite well.
Kelly faltered, "Yes, I am mad. But mostly at the situation, and that you didn't tell me. If you had just told me, Dorian, we could have found another way."
"But Kels, you don't understand! I'm running out of time, and I'm running out of it fast. And in my mind, it makes sense to go to the one who cursed me. Clearly, Chandra didn't want my curse broken, but it's my choice whether I become some evil mastermind or not, not Regina's and not Chandra's. And even if I hadn't, I went to her a year ago, and we've come up with nothing with just the tanzanite necklace. We need more clues or..." he wept, "I'm done for."
Kelly softened, hugging him, "I understand. If I were in your shoes, I'd do the same thing." He put two fingers under Dorian's chin, "Sorry for calling you an idiot, I just don't want to see Regina taking advantage of you like I know she will. She's probably going to string you along until its too late and the use you as a slave."
"I'll kill her myself if that happens, but I have to take the chance."
Harrison and Amelia came in, both more than a little confused as to what was going on, "Kels? What is it?"
"Dorian made a deal with Regina to learn how to break the curse. They made the agreement a year ago, and only now has it come up."
"Wait," Harrison crossed his arms, "To break the curse, or to learn how?"
"To learn how." Dorian muttered, "She said breaking the curse is harder than placing it. And the tanzanite thing is my only clue."
Kelly shouted into the air, "Death!"
Death appeared, "Hello, Kelly. What do you need? Are you going to use your favor?"
"Wait, I have a favor?" Kelly brightened, "Why didn't I know this before?!"
"It's part of the agreement back when you were the council's intern. You were an outstanding intern and thus get a favor. I will do anything in my power for one wish of yours."
"... Sweet. Break Dorian's curse, please." Death sighed,
"I'll look and see what I can do." She vanished and came back two hours later, "I'm sorry...that's not in my power." Dorian's eyes widened,
"You're in charge of death! Please, there has to be something you can do! P-Please... Please, I'll do the intern thing, I'll do anything." He got on his knees, "I beg you."
"I... I'm so sorry, Dorian. I'll keep looking, no favor required. This isn't fair to you. But... no promises that I'll find anything. As much as I hate to say it, his best chance is to work with Regina. Maybe just keep tabs on him while he fulfills her task. Okay?"
"O-Okay." Kelly bent down beside Dorian, wrapping him in a blanket as Death left,
"How long until you meet with Regina?"
"A-Around midnight." Harrison pulled out some movies,
"Well, we're gonna be here for you. What time does your Dad arrive home tomorrow?" Dorian's eyes widened,
"Crap! I forgot about that!" It had been over a year since he'd seen his father. Hadn't even seen him at his mother's funeral. To be fair, his parents were separated, and the only reason they had worked together was the fact they both loved their son and wanted answers. They'd told him over the phone about what happened, and Mr. Nanami decided to come home for a bit to spend time with his child to figure out if there was anything he knew of that could be done, "I think around noon."
"I'll send for a driver to pick him up," Harrison smiled, "Maybe he'll have an idea."
"I don't know. If even a death goddess can't do anything..."
Amelia ruffled his hair, trying to give him a shred of hope, "Well, are we the type to give up? We're gonna get through this, Dorian. Don't worry."
Dorian felt asleep, weeping quietly. They all knew he was scared out of his mind. Hell, they were scared out of their minds too. But he clearly needed all the support they could give.
When the time came, and they had a half-hour until Dorian's meeting with Regina, Kelly woke him up with a gentle shake, startled when he momentarily saw swirling in his eyes, before they cleared again.
"Time to head out, Dorian," Kelly said, waking up Harrison and Amelia. Harry handed Dorian a headset,
"This way we can communicate. Use this," he put a little button on Dorian's suit, "To let us hear Regina and overanalyze her words for clues."
Amelia clapped Dorian on the shoulder, "Stay out of trouble."
"Not my strong suit. But I'll try."
He ran out to the woods and saw Regina waiting for him in a clearing, the hood of her cloak up,
"Hello, Dorian," she said fondly, "Ready to help me?" When she saw him nod, she handed him a scroll, "Here's what you have to do."