[ShadowStitches]

(cheesy title is cheesy )

Leanis

she liked coming here.
Taking a long, deep breath, the young looking woman with the coppery-blonde hair looked out at the endless sea, looking a little melancholic. Why could it not be like this everywhere? calm.peacefull. no trace of anything bad or spoiled.
she whipped some stray hair out of her face. She knew, the times that where about to come would be rather dark. She wished, with all her heart, that the things would take an other turn, that something would happen to protect the ones that would suffer the most from the actions of a certain…being. however, she could not change what lay ahead. not this time. and she knew that it was time for Alice to see what she really-

her eyes snapped open suddenly. while she seemed deep in thought and more or less at peace one moment, she now seemed to vibrate with tension. something was here. she could sense it. and it seemed oddly familiar in a way. she tilted her head frantically away from the sea towards the small sleepy fishermans town. //a demon? here? now? but why?// these thoughts circled in her head as she carefully made her way  towards it, every sense focusing on her surroundings.

(hope thats okay)

[Mousen]

Believe it or not, he'd actually come here to relax.

One week with those madcap idiots was enough to drive anyone insane, he'd had enough of Sasha and Angus and sleeping on the lumpy sofa of a tiny flat and being woken up by a deranged feline trying to claw his eyes out at half past six every morning. He'd have gone back to his old home, a rambling 16th century town house, filled with books and butlers... But he just couldn't face it. There was so infinitely depressing about being surrounded by the past, well, not the past. The past was half-remembered fairy-tales and people in funny hats and knights and stories and Charles had lived through it all. What was infinitely depressing was his own past, to be reminded of who you had been and what you had done in times and places that were no longer and all those burred faces that seemed to come and go far too quickly. So, he'd thanked Angus and Sasha, packed a tiny suitcase containing a change of clothes a cheap paperback and he'd left.

Charles Dransfield was quite simply a demon, he had been a demon for as long as he could remember and he really wasn't too bothered by that fact. Though to most, he was a man of around forty with short dark hair, Greenish-grey eyes, a well cut English suit and a black bowler hat. Even though he'd never had any real complaints about being a demon there were occasions where he longed for something a little simpler and a lot shorter. While most sentient beings dreamed of being gods, Charles often dreamt about being a mayfly. Mayflies, he'd decided, had it rather good. They lived a steady, boring life and then right at the very end of it they got to have some fun. What was better than that?

That was when he first noticed it, while walking through the town. Something light, bright and altogether too... nice. There was an angel around, which meant that there was going to be trouble. The thing was, when you were as old and as powerful as Charles, you weren't very easily ignored by the upstairs lot. After a quick glance around, his eyes locked onto a woman with copper coloured hair, there was something familiar about her, but he couldn't really put his finger on it. Still, there was nothing for it, was there? She was going to see him sooner or later. He decided to approach her.  "I'm not here to cause any trouble you know, I'm a tourist."

[ShadowStitches]

She pretty much turned around when Charles approached her, freezing in her movement. She could not help to look a little shocked for a short time, maybe even afraid for a brief, almost un-noticable moment. That was wiped away by anger however. Of all Demons and other evil creatures she could think of it had to be him. of course. why could it not be just a young, maybe 300 years old demon? But no, luck was not on her side today, as it seemed.

Leanis' whole body seemed to tense up, and she took a pose that was subtily defensive. should he come closer,
she would be able to defend or attack him fast...should that be necsecary. Their last encounter was a lot less then pleasant, and tho it was a few hundred years ago, she still remembered quite vividly what happened back then. Her eyes, a light baby blue in her human form, normally seemed soft, warm and content. now however,
she where incredibly cold and angry. yes, she was angry. an emotion she normally did not let through often, but in this case...he was ruining her day. And she had enough stress as it was.

at his words she only huffed, narrowing her eyes. " And what exactly makes you believe that I would buy that, Charles?" she asked, her voice a little more then an icy hiss. She was not entirely sure  if he recognized her yet. after all, it has been a while, and he was a LOT older then her...but maybe he would remember eventually. there was not much going on in the streets today, and that was a good thing. she really did not need too many witnisses right now...

[Mousen]

Okay, so they definitely new each other, or she knew him at any rate. This was the problem when your lifetime was measured in millenniums rather than years, you tended to bump into an awful lot of people and then, if you came across them again a few hundred years later... Well, it didn't make life easy. "Because it's the truth. I got old." he answered calmly. "You're Leanis, right? I remember the hair, such an unusual colour."

Charles took off his hat, and idly flicked a speck of dust of off it's brim. "I bought this hat in 1891. It was new back then." There was a sad sort of melancholy in his voice. "Most of the demons I used to know are dead, it's always been a cut-throat world and there was no one more cut-throat than me. In the early days, I'd think nothing of levelling a small city if it suited me. I never actually managed it, of course, you people always got in the way. Even so... I don't think I was ever malicious. Wait, no. Of course I was malicious, but I don't think  I revelled in the chaos and the mess and the drama of it all, I made people's lives awful because it suited me, because it was part of the job. That's the thing, though, people are perfectly capable of making their own lives miserable now. Why are we needed any more? Maybe we've out-stayed our welcome, maybe we've all outstayed our welcomes. Or maybe it's just me."

He sat down on a near-by bench, still very much aware of the fact that Leanis was still unlikely to buy this change of attitude. "That's why you should believe me. I came here to do a little bit of soul searching and maybe tarnish the souls of a few people in the immediate vicinity; old habits die hard."

[ShadowStitches]

Leanis still stood there as tense as before,watching every movement of him, and only nodded slightly when he remembered her name. Honestly, she was surprised that he remembered it after all those years.

When he sat down on the Bench, Leanis only crossed her slender arms in front of her, furrowing her forehead slightly as he spoke. He seemed genuinly nostalgic and sad, but demons where extremely good liers. it would
take a little more to convince her that he indeed...changed? grew old?

"it is very hard to believe that you had a change of...heart in such a short time." she stated cooly,
trying to figure out what part of the story was right and what was a lie...if there even was a right part.
"The last time I met you, you where not really bothered by the fact that people destroyed themselves, but rather how you could make their misery worse, and it did not seem to be a simple job to you back then either. And now you tell me that you lost the interest in all that simply because of old age?" her eyes where sharp, inquisiting. but there was a tiny bit of a sort of misplaced  pity. should it be true what Charles was saying there, he really had a bitter pill to swallow. not being needed anymore was...quite frankly one of the most depressing things she could think of as a fate, and she wished it not even a demon. Still, it did not mean she believed him. "people where always self destructive. Even I have to admit that. That cant possibly be the only reason why you would...retire."

she felt herself relax just a tiny bit. He did not seem to want to attack her. not right away at least.
she would keep her distance tho, just in case...not that it would mean anything if something would happen, but it just made her feel safer. she wrinkled her nose at that last comment.

"...just assuming that you speak the truth .
if you come to the conclusion that you indeed are no longer needed. what do you intend to do then?"
her tone was not as agressive anymore. calmer, but still cautious, and a little curious

[Mousen]

"No one is more surprised than I am. If you think about how much the world has changed in the past hundred years, or even in the past... ten, twenty years... Is it any wonder that we're having to change as quickly as they are." He knew people who were revelling in the subterfuge of this new age, the way in which you could be the creature in the mist, the puppeteer behind the scenes and no-one would be the wiser.."I understand why you're so suspicious, and I don't expect you to trust me," he laughed slightly, you'd have to have a death wish to trust Charles. He was still a demon after all. "But it would be nice to have a bit of decorum. I don't feel like getting into a fight, besides, we all know what the outcome would be. ...Sorry, I didn't mean that. Force of habit, you understand."

Charles stopped to think about what she was saying, he had to admit, sometimes he wasn't even sure why he felt the way he did. It was just something he'd come to realize over time. "People have always destroyed themselves, there were sieges and armies and cities were destroyed and it was bloody and dramatic, and there was an odd sort of beauty in it all. In pure, unrefined chaos. You're right, it was never just a job, it was fun. Call me old fashioned, but I think there's something a bit wrong about the way someone can just push a button and destroy a city, well, that's an oversimplification, but the point stands. I just think the world has gotten to a point where it's past myths and legends, I'm beginning to believe that we've all outlived our usefulness."

((Sorry for the wait. <33))

[ShadowStitches]

(its alright, dont worry. )

He had a point there, she had to admit that. Leanis slowly uncrossed her arms, and seemed to relax slightly.
she still as suspicious as before, but, in all honesty, she was not really up for fighting or even being angry
at the moment. She had a lot of problems waiting ahead for her, and she really saw no use in playing pasiv agressive in this conversation. If anything this could get interisting for both of them. Tho she seemed more relaxed, she still was ready to get ready as quickly as possible, should she need to.
one of her mouth corners twitched slightly at his last comment. A certain friend of hers would have seen that
as the perfect excuse to attack charles, just to prove how wrong he was. She however refused to use such
methods.Pride or not, she was not going to risk a fight unless she absolutely had to.

She tilted her head slightly while listening. while some of his comments where literally making her feel a little nauseous, she refused to wave her 'patriotic flag' and engage in a firece speech about her cause. She was not Kilian. instead, she listened to what he had to say. "I know enough of your kind who actually like the idea of just pressing a button to destroy a city" she said said, a slightly icy tone sneaking in again. "I personally think that...in this time of change, technology and all in all uncertainty people need myths and legends more then ever. it might sound strange, but they need something they can believe in, or put the blame on. They might not be as...scared or avestruck as before, but they still need us" //at least the angels.// she added in her thoughts grimly "to leave now would toss the world into even more chaos." she stopped, looking at him skeptically "which is, as i assume, something you would enjoy."

[Mousen]

Well, she didn't look like she was going to attack any time soon, which he had to admit was something of a relief. It wasn't that Charles wasn't confident of his own ability to look after himself in  a fight, because he most certainly was, but at the same time... he wasn't as quick as he used to be, and fights tended to end up being horribly messy and-- no. There were better ways to settle disagreements.

"...Call me a traditionalist, but the aim isn't to destroy the planet, so much as manipulate it, I'd have liked to think that there was a little bit more to being a demon than that." He shrugged, still twirling his hat around in his hands. "See, that's the whole point, isn't it? You might still think that people need you, but what people actually need is the idea of you. We're just myths to them, most of them, anyway. That makes us no more real than the Tooth Fairy... Would it really matter if we all left? The good humans would be good and the bad humans would be bad."

Charles didn't really like speaking about this sort of thing in front of the others, they already thought he was strange and the last thing he wanted to do was to feel even more disconnected to his fellow demons. Leanis, however, wasn't Sasha, or Angus  or any of the other people he liked to put on a brave face for. "...Maybe it's just me. I'd never really anticipated how much my opinions would change, nor did I ever anticipate feeling so alienated from the rest of my, to use the word loosely, species."

[ShadowStitches]

(sorry, my muse is hiding under a rock today :/)

To be honest, Leanis had far too much to worry and think about latetly, to actually think about these kind of things. listening to Charles made her stop and think for a while, leaving her with a strange taste in her mouth.
she doubted that he tried to make her insecure in a way. he seemed to just want to talk. sighing, she let one hand run through her hair, looking at him questinally "well...maybe you are right. it is true that there may be no real 'need' for us anymore" she stopped, chewing on her bottom lip "maybe it's us who need them more then the other way arround." trying to shove away the more darker thoughts, she said. "does it really matter tho?
I mean...we still have enough 'internal problems' if I might call them that way to stay...occupied" she looked a
little afraid, as if she said something...unsepeakably bad for not giving the humans the first 'priority', which was...well..very unusual for her kind.

she caught her composure shortly after tho, a small, unhappy grin appearing on her face
"to be honest, you really seem to be different from...most other demons i met in recent years."
her eyes darkened considerably "very different. I only can say, from my point of view, that your intentions seem to be...better then before. if i might say so. change is not always a bad thing...just dificult"

[Mousen]

"Maybe we do need them." Charles began slowly. "I hadn't thought of it like that... But where would we be without this one plane of existence? It all centers here. Well, it seems to center here, I wouldn't know about the creatures in the Veil. The monsters, you know. It seems a little sad to think that none of them know how important it all is." He thought for a minute about all the good times that had happened in his many years. Most of it had been war and bloodshed and pure, absolute, chaos. There had been many lies and a hell of a lot of manipulation... But there'd also been people like Angus and Sasha and, dare he even say it, Marlowe. People who he was proud to consider his friends, not that he'd ever tell them so. Especially Marlowe, he wasn't even supposed to be in contact with her... Not since the disastrous incident during the last big war.

Charles shrugged. "Oh, well that's old age for you, isn't it?" he said quietly, still wearing his slightly wry smile. A smile which faded slightly once he heard the rest of what Leanis had to say. "Don't say that, 'better intentions'? My reputation's ruined, what's left of it anyway. Oh, woe is me. Seriously though, Leanis. That's the last thing I need to hear, I'll have to set fire to an old people's home or something now just to make up for the slight." His tone was half-exasperated, half-amused. "If we're going to be keeping balance, we might as well do the thing properly. There wouldn't be any good without the bad, you know."

There was a moments pause, while Charles looked down at his shoes. It wasn't so much awkward as thoughtful, nothing Charles did was awkward, teenagers were awkward, not aeons-old demons. "Leanis, since we seem to be perfectly capable of holding a conversation with each other without something exploding, well, do you fancy going to get a cup of tea or something? Coffee, perhaps?"

[ShadowStitches]

(so so sorry for the wait!
and for this uninspired post...my muse is a little fickle today I'm afraid...)

She nodded her head slightly. yes, center was the best word to describe this plane. She only scrunched her nose for a second for a moment when he mentioned the 'others'. She for her part was pretty happy they did not know how important this was, considering that it maybe could get a lot more messy the this all already was in a way.

She had to bite back a uneasy laugh at his little scolding, smiling a little crookedly instead "alright, alright.
Charles, I take it back." she was not sure if he was just joking about the old people home tho, making her a little nervous. She would keep an eye and ear open for events like that. At his last comment, she looked a little more serious "you are right. I'm sorry, I guess its just a sort of....habit of mine" she looked at him, a slightly amused spark in her eyes "I thought I'd just give it a try"

at his offer about going to a cafe, she could feel her suspiciousness rising again. However, she came to the conclusion that if he indeed wanted to harm her, He would have already tried to. still, she felt as if she
let her guard down. sure, she was not really at ease the whole time, but this was somehow pulling her back to attention. still tho. he was right. So far, the conversation was more interisting then unpleasant. To be honest she was just surprised by the question. " well, I...dont really see why not, considering the lack of catastrophies so far" she looked to their left "there's a very nice cafe just down the road. we could go there if you want"

this was all too odd. She came here to relax and get her head free before- well- before a lot of things would come crashing down for her and quite a few people she knew, and maybe even have much bigger consequenzes then she wanted to think of right now. Instead, she was about to drink tea with a Demon she fought centuries ago.

(again, sorry :/)

[Mousen]

"Good, the last thing I need right now is a blessing." He replied, still not being entirely serious. It was easier to joke around than talk about things properly, because when you came down to it, they were still on opposite sides. Any serious discussion would probably end in an argument of sorts, not that Charles had any patience for arguments now. Some of the more scholarly demons often argued philosophy with the other side, it never ended well. He'd made a point a long time ago to never argue about the schematics of these things, unless, of course it was over a glass of wine. Several glasses of wine, actually. The only real way to reach a conclusion was to make sure that the angel on the other side of the table passed out before you did. (Which wasn't hard, usually angels were lightweights when it came to drinking.)

He twisted to look at the little cafe, it seemed nice enough. One of those old Victorian places, no doubt, he could almost see the wood panelling, rickety little tables and big old silver tea sets now. Good. The last thing he needed was to be accosted by over-cheery waitresses in a faux-French, white-painted, shabby-chic dungeon where the closest they came to vintage was a 1987 penny that had rolled underneath the side board. "Is that it, down there? I must say, I approve. Shall we go, then?" Charles stood up and offered Leanis his arm. If there was one thing he prided himself on, it was his manners, however outdated.

[ShadowStitches]

(sorry that it took so long. dont know whats wrong lately...I'm pretty creative drawing and designing wise at the moment. but writing? ugh.)

Leanis took the offered arm with a smile, starting to walk next to him towards the cafe.
She threw a short sideways glance at him "I thought so that you would like it." she said with slight amusement in her voice. She herself loved the cafe, and saw it as a sort of refuge. a place to calm down and a welcome variety to all the highly modern, top notch and...cold restaurants she seemed to be forced to dwell lately, if she even got out. Yes, this little cafe was something different. When they entered, the air smelled of coffee and a bit dusty, like old books. It was small, in its busiest hours it maybe held place for...14 people at most.
And it was a bit lighter then it looked from the outside, due to the relatively big windows to the west, but that did not taint the over all genunly old feeling this place was giving of. "you know..." Leanis said, almost more to herself then the Demon "I might not be as...well...old as you Charles. But I think I understand a bit of  your nostalgia. I really miss this time period" she let her gaze trail over the wood furniture. her thoughts where interupted by a short, slightly chubby waitress with a friendly face, and clothing that was not entirely fitting into the cafe, but one could see that she at least tried to keep it authentic. After they where seated, Leanis looked at Charles thoughtfully. "I'm sorry about my behavior before by the way. I'm just a little on edge because of certain unpleasant events lately. And after our last meeting I well...wouldn't have thought hat we would drink tea together one day." she smirked slightly

[Mousen]

((It's fine, my inspiration for writing has been a bit dodgy too. xD; Charles is one of my favourite characters at the minute, so that's really the only reason I've been able to reply relatively quickly. ))

The cafe was just like he'd expected, there wasn't a chrome counter top of reproduction white-painted bird cage in sight. Though, there was something so achingly familiar about the place. At first Charles wondered whether everyone felt like that when stepping back into the tiny room with the bandy-legged chairs, sepia photographs and a top hat that was being used as a tip jar. But, perhaps not. He'd been many places in his time, and for as many memories he had stuck in that old skull of his, there were twice as many that lurked nebulously around the edges of his mind.

"I was fond of this era, too. Not the cleanest era by most people's standards, but it had it's charms, no doubt." He paused for a moment, preoccupied with finding a table. There was a small table by the window, he pulled out a chair for Leanis before sitting down himself. "Believe it or not, I actually spent most of that era living with a priest. Nice chap, if a bit devout. I failed utterly on that point, fifty years living with him and he still ended up with your lot." Good old Quincy, he still missed the bugger some days.

Charles shook his head. "Don't apologise, not only is it perfectly understandable, it's also very wise. Very few people can let their guard down around a demon without it ending badly for them, even other demons. ...And may I enquire as to what awful events have put you on edge? Or would you rather I not know, Leanis?" The demon smiled wryly at Leanis's last comment before replying. "Nor would I."

[ShadowStitches]

(finally!
okay so...took me a bit to get back into this, so this post is a bit sloppy.
but anyway, new post! yay!)


Leanis listened closely to the short story about him and the priest. She could not help to feel proud for the priest. Withstanding a demon for so long really asked for a lot of devotion. She decider against commenting on the whole issue to not drop a teasing comment, tho she had few on her tounge. instead, she only smiled and stirred her tea.

she looked up at him at his question, obviously pondering. she would…well she could obviously not tell him everything, and, if things would go as she feared they would, he most likely would find out about it pretty easily anyway. with a small sigh she set the spoon neatly aside. "well…honestly, its nothing much out of the ordinary really. The usual erm… 'bickering' between your kind and mine. its just…I know the guy who is causing the problems currently pretty well. and I also know that he for one will not only cause massive trouble for us but…If he manages to succeed in his plan" she stopped and looked at charles, a troubled expression in her eyes."he might be able to throw everything out of balance. I think you would think of him as promising, you know. He's quite the handful, very eager to reach his goals, backstabby to no end. And all that would not bother me too much, but I know what he is planning, at least a bit of it and I don't think he grasps the dimensions of problems he could rise, again, should he succeed. Not only for myself and the other angels, and humans, but also for your kin." she knew she was being quite vague, but she would not, as 'tame' as Chalres was at the moment, take any chances.
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