Another update. Remember to wash your hands, stay isolated if need be, and practice healthy habits. (Zombies might be fun to read about, but no one actually wants you to be one!) Be well.
Hunnigan
Her mouth fell open, before she quickly shut it.
"I beg your pardon? Demon slayer?" She chuckled wryly. "Well, I'm afraid you might need to be more descriptive? There are a number of people here that may fit that description."
"There is not," Tweak was resolute. "I am looking for only two individuals. Their appearances are similar as they are twins. They were born from a human and a demon." Tweak's eyes narrowed. "They have snow white hair, eyes as blue as the sky. They have human names. Dante and Vergil. The Sons of Sparda."
"Dante is here," Hunnigan replied, confusion in her voice. "As is Vergil." We caught one and several more came running, it suggests a small community...Sheva's words came unbidden to her mind.
"I would seek an audience with him," Tweak was insistent. His eyes trained on Hunnigan. "Now." The inflection in his words-they carried Magicks with them. Word Magick. Insistence-strong insistence-and peacefulness. Tweak watched as the fairy word magick took hold of the human. Face void of emotion, Hunnigan rose to her feet, letting the notepad fall to the ground. Calmly, like a trained dog, she walked towards the room's door. It was a grim sight. Tweak remembered that yes, the fey had always used humans as a sort of entertainment for time out of memory immorium. Humans with their ability to hold multiple emotions at a time. Humans that were so easy to seduce with magick.
"Stop it!" Sarah shouted, shattering the spell with the panic in her voice. Tweak turned to her only to receive a rebuttal in the form of a pillow to the face. He knew the next object would not be so soft. Annoyed, he clenched the pillow in his fists. Her humanity was becoming a stumbling block for her. Hunnigan blinked, dumbfounded. How had she crossed the room? When had she?
"You don't use magick on people," Sarah was red in the face, gasping, "not you, Tweak." She struggled to sit, her expression of mixture of betrayal and hurt.
"I have little choice in the matter," Tweak responded in elvish slang indifferently. "I seek an audience with the Sons of Sparda and an audience I would have."
Alarm trickled down Hunnigan's spine although she strove to stifle it. Quickly she moved to Sarah's side while sneaking a glance at the other two in the room. The two full blooded fey-Rowan and Sage-only watched, waiting for the small drama to unfold further. Detached, Sarah realized, it was just more 'human entertainment' for them. Near the same look Tweak now had in his own eyes.
"You need to rest," Hunnigan's voice was soft and soothing. She gently pushed down on Sarah's shoulder.
"No," Sarah hissed, "you don't understand." She gripped Hunnigan's forearm with surprising strength, hands closing like clamps. She locked eyes with Hunnigan. "It isn't safe. You're not safe." Sarah turned to Rowan and Sage. "Are you just going to watch?" She demanded. Rowan and Sage exchanged a look.
"We have come for a purpose, daughter of Eve," Sage's voice was calming. He spoke English well. Word Magick. He was using word magick. On her. Sarah hissed at the two of them, casting about for something-anything-to disrupt the flow of Magick before it settled in. "We've little to say in the matter ourselves. Only that it was perilous coming here." With a forced deep breath, Sarah swallowed hard, sniffing. The truth of it then. They couldn't lie. Damn them. The fey couldn't tell a lie despite it all.
"You're exhausted," Hunnigan tried again. She gently pushed Sarah back with reaching for the pillow. Tweak handed it over wordlessly. She situated the young woman, smoothing out sheets and tucking her in like the child Hunnigan never had. She smoothed back the inch long fuzz, her nails lightly teasing Sarah's scalp.
"Everything will be okay," Hunnigan said. Sarah took a shaky breath only to realize she was crying. "You're safe here, Sarah. It is okay." Wordlessly, shaking her head, Sarah fell back onto the mattress. She didn't look at the fey.
"Visit me later?" She asked. Hunnigan' s eyes softened.
"Mr. Grant and I both will stop by later." She pulled the blankets up to Sarah's ears. Blinking back the tears, Sarah sniffed, her throat hurting. Mutely, she nodded, rolling onto her side to face the wall. It was easier that way, shutting out the only world she'd ever known as the only person she'd loved left. Ignoring the two other fey in the room, Sarah squeezed her eyes shut, drowning herself in the blackness, just like Aaron had told her to do when she was little. Close your eyes and listen to your heart beat. Take a deep breath Sarah. Untangle the threads in your head.
Her mind rioted as she tried to process her emotions. This was not the way she had imagined meeting up with Tweak again. Her broken heart shards had been dulled by the loss of her home, the court of thorns, when Tweak had exiled her. He had never told her the reason. One day she had confessed to loving him, the next she was in the backseat of the shitty, exhaust scented car Lor drove. There'd been explanations or a goodbye. Now he was here and wanted nothing to do with her. They would have made me murder you. He had said more than enough. Her humanity made him weak. Of course he couldn't love a human. Not when the high fey owned his name. Not when humans-who broke so easily-were a form of entertainment to the high fey. The hateful dust slingers. The confidence she'd gained helping Hunnigan and Grant earlier flagged. No. Tweak might have cared for her, but if he did love her, it was because of Aaron. He loved the idea of loving her for Aaron's sake, not for the sake of actually loving her. Taking a deep breath she sighed. Listen to your heart, The memory of her brother's voice echoed. But he had no advice on how to listen to a broken one.
The Demon Slayers
Dante was found in the company of his twin, his lover and the half-vampire. The Sons of Sparda were slowly regaining the strength they'd lost to Karkarov's experimentation. Really their recovery rate was impressive if not short of miraculous.
Another Otherkin-Lucia?-still jogged laps. Upon seeing Hunnigan with her unlikely companion, Rayne made to join Lucia. The two redheads jogged, chatting quietly. Trish eyed Tweak, whistling softly to Dante and Vergil. That drew their attention. Their duel faltered and halted.
"You have a visitor," Hunnigan gestured to Tweak. Dante shouldered his sword, studying the lanky green hair man. Vergil was ice cold, leaning on the sword that was pointed tip first to the ground, balancing carefully.
"And what flavor of fey are you?" Dante demanded a half cocked smile on his face.
"Human born fey," Vergil growled. Tweak looked Vergil in the eye.
"You must be Vergil, and you," Tweak glanced at the other brother, "Dante." Tweak returned his gaze to Vergil, studying him. Gently Tweak touched a gold circlet at his wrist as he returned his gaze to Dante. "I was sent here to find the Sons of Sparda."
"Well you found us," Dante cast a look to his stone faced brother. Tweak nodded.
"The King fell into a trance, and after three days emerged with a tidings and warning from grandmother earth herself. It was after we heard the call," Tweak's dark, unblinking eyes didn't leave Dante's face. Dante raised an eyebrow. "I was sent to bear witness."
"Bear witness?" Dante repeated when the fey didn't speak further. "To what exactly?" Tweak pursed his lips, his black eyes slid sideways to Vergil.
"That remains to be seen, only that I am to observe and if needed, intervene." At that Vergil narrowed his eyes.
"Is that so?" He said flaty to the fey. Dante glanced over to his brother. The disgust they felt for each other was a tangible thing. The fey glared at Vergil.
"Your reputation precedes you, sir." Tweak clenched his jaw, taking a moment. "I will bear witness despite that, should you allow it"
"Riiiiight," Dante glanced back and forth between the fey and his twin. "Since when does a fey King receive prophecies about a demon?"
"He doesn't. The Unseelie are bloody enough without demonic influences. The Great Mother prophesied," Tweak explained. "The King heeded her words, fearing the worst. Thus I am here," Tweak paused. "The Great Mother did not say what I was to witness, only that I was to bear it." At that Vergil raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Neither did she say that you were the correct son," Tweak said while looking at Dante. At that Dante chuckled. Trish glanced to Vergil who glowered at Tweak.
"She didn't say very much then did she?" Dante laughed. Tweak sighed.
"As is the way of the ancients."
"Okay then." Dante shrugged, "Make yourself at home I guess."
Tweak hung his head in a mini-bow. "Please take your time to consider and inform me of your decision. The plague ravaging the humans has affected many Fey Courts. There is talk of abandoning the human realm completely, much like the demons and angles of yore did."
"Consider it duly noted," Dante said flatly, a smile no longer on his face. With a curt nod, Tweak turned and walked away. Hunnigan watched him leave for a moment before turning to face the three Otherkin.
"Demon slayer?" she asked mildly, looking between the two twins. "Dark knight?" She looked to Trish. "Fey Courts?" Trish looked to Dante then to Hunnigan. Hunnigan raised a limp hand. "Explain it, please, later. We have 20 minutes before our meeting. I need a drink." With that Hunnigan faced and made tracks towards the base cantina.
"She took that better than I thought she would," Dante commented thoughtfully as they watched her go.
Hell
Nevan fell, broken bone sticking out of her leg. Even on the blood soaked floor she snarled at me.
"Foul human," her teeth bared at me. Her beautiful face was a mess of bruises and cuts. I stomp on the arm she tried to raise. I smile at her, my mouth stretching wide. I wanted her to see my teeth. He was Present, like a shadow over my shoulder, smiling with me. He also wanted the demoness to see my teeth.
"Once upon a time," I tell her softly. "There was a demon warlord. He awoke to powers of justice and goodness. He betray his master, Mundus." I pause as I watch Nevan's eyes narrow. She has not given up on the hope that she will somehow survive this. "Mundus was a lieutenant of a very powerful God." At that Nevan freezes. "You were only a weak demonling then. When the God fell, Mundus also fell, locked away while Sparda roamed the human world freely." I grind Nevan's arm under my foot, I can feel her bones breaking beneath my heel. It is a fascinating sensation. She hissed in pain, no longer the beautiful succubus.
"You, whore, were Mundus's receptacle where you not?" I speak with His voice now, not my own. I have never heard this story before, but it must be a Truth if He speaks of it. Strange...this story seems familiar somehow… I lean forward, until my face is inches from Nevan's. "He planted his cursed seed in you time and time again. You though, you poison everything you touch." Nevan's eyes widened at that, surprised.
"How would you know?" She hisses, anger and violence heavy in her voice.
"You could never bear life, barren sow, and you refused to bear the cursed seed foisted upon you by Mundus!" I scream now. His Spirit visits my body, as does His Righteous Anger. I hit her. Hard. Her nose breaks and the back of her head snaps, hitting the ground.
"No matter," I say softly. I flick the blood from my knuckles. I take a handful of her hair and pull her upwards, towards me. "Mundus transferred something to you all the same. My Master and Lord desires it. You will give it to me." She looks at me, dazed and muted now. I lick my lips, my mouth is wide with many pointed needles. Nevan whimpers. She can't scream any more. Soon, soon I will have His Legacy. Soon, I will give it to Him. Praise be.
