Practice Makes Perfect

Dipper tried not to worry about Gideon and Pavonis. Maybe they wouldn't find anything. And if they did... well, Bill could stop them from actually doing anything, right? Bill had said that Pavonis was a younger demon, so Dipper assumed he wouldn't be as powerful. But Bill explained that young demons had new tactics, strange ways of thinking. They may be weaker in ways, but they could be unpredictable. He said that Pavonis was usually too lazy to really be a threat, because even if provoked, the psychic demon would often just roll his eye and disappear to another dimension to get away rather than fight. He rarely raised his voice.

But Pavonis has proven himself to be extremely dedicated once a deal was made. Once he knew there was a prize waiting, he would do jobs very quickly and efficiently. He didn't waste time on theatrics like Bill, he simply did the assigned task and got his payment before returning to contently watching people and places using his abilities, simply gathering information, sometimes even getting glimpses of the future if he really concentrated. His perception made him a credible threat, and Bill was considerably worried.

"If Pavonis and Gideon come after us, they shouldn't be hard to stop, right?" Dipper asked the next day, after waking up to find Bill already out of bed and writing in a journal, deep in thought.

"Shouldn't be," Bill said, rubbing his eyes; there were lines under them.

Dipper frowned. "Have you been up all night?" He could have sworn the other had fallen asleep with him.

"No, not all night, but-" Bill was interrupted by an involuntary yawn. Once it was over, he said, "I got up at like... midnight, once I was sure you were asleep... I didn't want to bother you."

"Bill..." Dipper pushed his covers aside and got up, walking over the other. He flopped into the chair with him, glancing at his notes. They were all written in Latin mixed with a symbol code that Dipper was quite familiar with by now. He then craned his head back to look up at the other's face. "We're a team, remember? I can help you."

"Heh. You're clever, kid, but... You aren't up to fighting another demon." Bill pressed a kiss to his head. "He'd crush you."

"With how good my magic is? It won't be easy."

"No, it wouldn't be easy, but he could do it. You need so much more conditioning before you'd be ready to channel the kind of magic it'd take to fight one of us. Pavonis is young, you could maybe knock him out. But of course, that's if you're just using your own power... there are ancient spells of course. Magical words, rituals. Things that take magic from places other than you. You know about these things. I've been writing one for Pavonis. Just in case."

"Wow, really?" Dipper looked at the notes again with interest, deciphering them. "How's it coming along?"

"Heh. I'm getting there." Bill shifted, resting an arm around Dipper to accommodate him better. "If he tries to hurt us, I can get rid of him. I know how to break him away from a deal, at least. I know Pavonis. If I render his deal void, he'll just get lazy again and leave. That's a difficult spell but not too hard. You could probably do it with some training. It involves taking whatever Gideon had offered him and giving him an equivalent, if not greater, amount of pure magical energy. He'd take it, not need whatever Gideon had offered, and leave. And then we destroy the pudgy bastard before he can try to summon another demon."

"I like the sound of that. But what if worse comes to worst and we gotta kill him?"

Bill lifted an eyebrow. "Killing a demon ain't easy, kid. I could kill him, probably. But it'd be hard. I definitely couldn't do it through this body. And I'm not as strong in reality, where he'd be. Even with all the power I've been collecting. He was made for manipulating reality. He's a psychic. I'm meant to have total dominion up here." He tapped on Dipper's head.

"So what if we drag him into the Mindscape?"

"That would give me the home-field advantage. But he wouldn't go easily. One of us would have to be willing to give up a lot of energy to get him in there, while the other finishes him off. So... it'd probably be you who pulls him in, and I attack."

Dipper leaned back more against the other, enjoying his warmth. "What if we kill Gideon? What happens then?"

Bill pursed his lips. "Different demons would react to that differently... Something tells me that Pavonis would be angry for missing out on whatever he had been promised, and take his fury out on us, but he probably wouldn't kill us. I mean, I'd probably just give him the equivalent just to get him away from us. I really don't like cocky little demons like him."

"Cocky?" Dipper grinned. "You're cocky too, you know."

"Yes, well... I've been around long enough, I've earned it," Bill sniffed.

Dipper just chuckled and shifted so the other could continue writing, reading along.

After a few minutes, he asked, "Where do demons come from? You said he was young, but... how are you guys born, exactly? I don't think you've ever told me."

Bill chewed on the end of his pencil as he considered the question. "Well, that's hard to explain... there are many ways... Some are just... I don't know, they just kinda... come into existence. With some great concept or another, they exist to embody it. Like I don't remember ever being anything before this. Maybe I was simply spawned as a demon. Maybe I had a human life. I don't remember. It's not important. It would have been thousands of years ago. But I do know that demons can be made. They can be created by other demons, or a human can make themselves into one with the right magic. Heh, I really don't know how to explain all of the ways, and I'm kinda not supposed to."

"Well, who's gonna catch you, the demon police?" Dipper teased.

"As a matter of fact..." Bill laughed, giving him a small shake. "I just don't like to talk about it. It's a touchy subject, trust me. Just know there are many ways to do it."

"So how did Pavonis come along? Do you know?"

"Oh yeah. I remember when he first showed up. Confused, annoyed... apparently he dabbled into magic he shouldn't have, he was an aspiring psychic, and well... he destroyed his body experimenting with his gift. Became kinda an embodiment of psychic power. Not a bad deal though he was stripped of humanity, who needs that though, right? He wasn't even an adult yet when it happened, so you'll still see immaturity in him. They say that the reason he's so cruel in his jobs is because he's still taking out his anger on people for what happened to him. He doesn't fully remember who he was, but he remembers enough to know that everyone he ever knew or loved is dead, and it still upsets him."

Dipper nodded a bit. "Do you think that human form he was using is supposed to resemble his old body?"

"Yes, or at least, a more attractive form of his old body. I see into a lot of minds, kid. Millions. I knew him before he became Pavonis. I watched him quite a few times because I was intrigued by his power, though I never confronted him about it. He really wasn't that sharp, but he was determined. Had organized thoughts, at least. It's almost a shame such a promising human was cut down and became what he is today."

"I can't imagine... being changed like that by your own powers..." Dipper lit a flame in his palm, watching the yellow fire dance softly. "It must be frightening, waking up to find yourself as something completely different..."

"Yes, very. I see plenty of stress from new demons before they eventually adapt. Some do it more quickly than others." Bill put his journal aside and gently clasped his hands around Dipper's, the fire continuing to swirl, Bill's bright blue fire joining it. "But you don't need to worry. Unlike him, you have a tutor. I've taught you how to use magic very carefully. Pavonis lost control trying to empower himself, he got his wish in ways he didn't expect. You, however, are still human, and look at everything you can do. Be proud of it."

Dipper nodded, allowing his fire to die down, and Bill did the same.

"I hope we won't have to kill him," the human said quietly. "Or Gideon. I may not like Gideon much, but... I don't know, maybe prison changed him. He could be a better person now, still arrogant, but just wanting to bring what he sees as a serial killer to justice. He didn't seem to want to hurt us at all."

"I don't know, there was no reason for him to bring Pavonis in here to talk to us if his intentions were completely innocent. Something tells me if it had been just you in here, he would have tried to hurt you."

"He wouldn't have been able to."

"Heh. I know. You're so strong, after all." Bill brushed a hand through Dipper's hair, making him laugh, and leaned down to kiss him.

"Out of curiosity," Dipper breathed against Bill's lips, always reduced to a strange whisper when the other was so close and looking at him with those golden eyes. "How much magic do we leave behind when we do our work?"

"Not much. Small traces, the kind of thing that only an experienced mage would notice... or another demon." Bill pecked at the corner of his mouth, enjoying the light blush the human had. "We really are very discrete with what we do, but... there is a kind of residual left after we teleport to and from a location. It lingers for a while. And of course whenever I do my sweep to clear the area of any shreds of hair or skin that we may have left. That's a finely tuned piece of magic, it leaves a trace as well. Like a footprint, really. The kind of thing that if another demon were to pass by, they'd probably just glance at it and keep going without finding it interesting. But Pavonis... He'll stop to look. He'll examine it like... like one of your paleontologists finding a dinosaur footprint. But it'd be more like a fossil to him. He'll be able to look and use his power of retrocognition to get glimpses into what happened in the past in that location. He'll see the emergency responders and investigators and all those people who were there... and then he'll get a glimpse of us. Murdering the person. And he'll show that to Gideon. Who will immediately recognize us."

Dipper swallowed, mouth dry. When he spoke, he stuttered nervously. "B-But Pavonis isn't really a threat. We'll be able to stop him. Gideon doesn't really know any real magic, it'd be Pavonis against both of us, you're thousands of years old and I'm pretty experienced, we'd totally win."

"Of course. We'd totally win." Bill looked at his notes, writing a final symbol. "But I want to practice this with you anyway. If, somehow or another, it seems that Pavonis is actually stronger than us... I'll want you to know how to kill him. I'm... putting a lot of trust into you, because you could kill me with this too, if you chose. It requires a lot of magic, but I think you're capable of it. Especially if you draw from your surroundings, and that reserve of soul magic you have saved up. I can kill my own kind, but not with this particular spell. This is for humans to use."

"I wouldn't kill you." Dipper gently took the journal and pencil out of Bill's hands, putting them aside on the desk. Then he turned to sit on the other's lap, legs straddling him as he rested their foreheads together. "You can trust me."

He felt the other's light breath as Bill chuckled. "I dunno, kid... A lot of demons have met their doom that way. Trusting humans. They let them in too close, next thing they know..." Bill snapped his fingers, the sudden sound making Dipper jump. "They're dead, their power taken, never to come back."

"Maybe... but how many of those humans were sworn to serve that demon for the rest of their life?"

"Heh." Bill laughed again, arms wrapping around the other's waist. "Not many. If you killed me, that would be the end of our deal, and you would die. Remember the wording of that deal? You're mine for the rest of your life. If I die, then you're no longer mine. Which means your life would end."

Dipper inhaled; he hadn't thought about that. "Damn. So... even if someone else killed you... I'd die too." It wasn't a question.

Bill nodded anyway, humming. "Mhmm. But I don't plan on dying any time soon. Certainly not within your lifetime."

They sat together quietly for a while, not speaking out loud anymore, just silently communicating through their bond. Dipper was more worried about Pavonis now, and Bill focused on soothing him, reminding him of all the great things he has done, the power he had. He promised that he would spend more time meditating, gathering strength for himself, and Dipper told him that he would let him have a larger share of energy from the kills they make. Bill of course tried to decline, but Dipper wouldn't hear it, saying he needed it more. He needed to be able to stay strong while in reality.

Eventually, they got up and Bill picked up his journal, and the two had a quick breakfast of oatmeal and milk before heading outside for a magic lesson. Bill was more stern today, tutoring Dipper on the powerful demon killing spell for nearly an hour before deciding to let him practice it. First, he gently snapped a collar of his own creation onto the human that would lock down his power, so he didn't accidentally cast anything. Then he made him recite the words until he had them memorized, telling him that if the time came to use it, he could not just trust his thoughts. He had to yell the spell out loud for it to have its full effect. Bill waited until he was confident in speaking it, and then began spooking him.

The first time, Dipper wasn't expecting it at all, and was well into his recital when the demon suddenly jumped at him from the side, and he jerked back, his current word turning into a startled yelp.

"You can't let yourself get distracted!" Bill scolded, smacking at him with a tree branch he had found nearby. "Start over!"

"Daemon, audi," Dipper started, only to be struck in the face. Not hard enough to actually hurt, but it was annoying.

"You have to sound more convincing than that!"

"Why am I telling the demon to listen anyway?" Dipper demanded.

"It's part of the spell, and it gets our attention when you speak in Latin! Plus, some younger demons have a hard time resisting that basic urge to obey whenever confronted in their native tongue. Start again, and act like you mean it this time."

"Daemon, audi!" Dipper shouted, and this time, Bill blinked before grinning.

"Wonderful! But don't let your volume ruin your pronunciation! Keep going."

Dipper grumbled and called, "Daemon, audi!" He continued from there slowly, trying not to stumble over his words as he watched Bill carefully. The branch hit his side and he winced, but he kept speaking, his words naturally taking on a more aggressive tone as he essentially said that he would tear his victim's body apart, but hesitated as Bill ran in front of him and grabbed his shoulders. He started to damn the wretched soul within, and then the demon screeched. Dipper reeled back, covering his mouth in horror.

Bill kicked him hard in the stomach, knocking him to the ground, and before he could recover, his partner was sitting on top of him and pinning him.

"You got distracted," Bill sang, poking his face. "And you were doing so good..."

"Bill..." Dipper pressed a hand to his heart. "You scared me, I thought you were actually hurt or something..."

"Ha, why would you think that? Your spell is doing absolutely nothing right now, thanks to this." Bill tapped on the collar he had created. "Now finish that spell up, hmm?"

"Uh... do you want me to start over, or?"

"Just finish it."

Dipper took in a breath, and said, "Et relinquam anima pravus vestra mori."

Bill gave a small shiver, and stood up. "I'd be afraid if I heard a human saying those words with so much conviction."

"It... doesn't really sound like a spell," Dipper commented as he got up too.

"Well, do you really think a killing spell should sound poetic? Nah. It's the meanings of the words that are important, and all the magic that you're putting into them. You're using energy as you state, in one of the plainest and most powerful languages, that you want to tear a demon apart and leave their soul to die. If you mean it, and you're strong enough, it'll happen."

Dipper nodded in understanding. Then he reached up to touch the collar on his neck. "So um... will I be able to practice it for real?"

"That would be difficult, I'd have to drag a demon here for you to kill. And that would make quite a commotion, it'd get more attention than you'd want."

"Can't I just summon a weaker demon and then kill them once they arrive?"

Bill stared at him, then laughed. "Kid, you just keep getting more confident. Do you really think that's a good idea?"

"Well, no, but... who cares? I want to practice."

"I don't blame you, but... that's risky. Here, how about this... we won't start with actual demons, I'll just... bring something from our dimension here, like an animal, you can kill that, and work your way up. Sounds good?"

Dipper nodded in confirmation. "Sounds good."

Bill chuckled as he shook his head, reaching out to remove the collar and make it disappear. "I'm so glad you're on my side."