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Re: Thoughts That Breathe [L]

Postby crow » 10/11/2017 4:14 AM

Behind him, Leo could hear a voice he didn't recognize. He wasn't paying much attention to the words, but if he had to guess, the possessed one must have finally started talking. That probably didn't mean anything good.

But it wasn't his problem. As soon as he managed to extricate himself from this situation, he was also going to extricate himself from them.

Still that was easier said than done. He dug his nails into his palms, trying his best to maintain his concentration over whatever tenuous grasp he had on these people. Manipulating emotion wasn't an ability he was totally unfamiliar with, but he wasn't exactly a practiced hand at it either, and he wasn't sure he'd ever deliberately held it over so many people at once.

Being shouted at wasn't helping.

"Look," he said through gritted teeth, "I'll be fine, but this isn't going to hold if I don't... hold it." Though the question of how much longer he could keep going was going to be real pretty soon. "The sooner you leave, the sooner it'll be over for me. I'm not the one they're after, am I?"
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Re: Thoughts That Breathe [L]

Postby Night » 10/11/2017 4:40 AM

"No, but you are the one in their way. Trust me, you're not going to enjoy what that means for you. How long are you going to be able to keep that up?" Frankie had seen firsthand just what all that could entail, and even if Oliver wasn't dead he sure as hell wasn't in the greatest shape at the moment. "You can move your ass or you can wait to see how the dice roll when they break free of your freaky voodoo mind control bullshit. Your choice." He'd done his part. Lero turned, jogging down the hall and pushing his way outside. He was pointedly not going to think about the fact that random lawyers morphing into demonic entities was actually not enough to significantly phase him anymore.

Bob had managed to contain Oliver in the backseat, legs tied with duct tape and wrists bound together with Jay's belt. He was twisting his fingers against the leather, trying to work his way loose while spitting insults at whoever was close enough to listen. Brian started the van.

"You're not afraid of me now, are you Joshua?" He was saying now, casting a lazy grin in Jay's direction. "Or maybe you're just realizing you'll never be able to live up to this. You always have been in his shadow, haven't you? Trying so hard to prove your more than just a pretty face but too stupid to even see where that could get you."  He laughed. "I could show you, you know." His eyes slid lewdly over Jay's form, curled in the seat in front of him.

"Am I the only one who's tired of hearing this fucker talk?" Lero interjected.
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Re: Thoughts That Breathe [L]

Postby crow » 10/11/2017 5:12 AM

Much as Leo hated to admit it, the guy had a point, whichever one he was. He was starting to feel distinctly queasy. If it had been his sister, he was sure she'd be fine--- this sort of thing was nothing for her. But then, their situations were different, for a lot of reasons, and right now he didn't have it in him to make up the difference.

Life was all about cutting losses. Leo cut his and ran.

Unfortunately, he hadn't really come out with a plan in mind. The law office was in the middle of a bunch of other commercial buildings, restaurants and dry-cleaning and a bank branch, all ringed around shared parking lot. The good news was that Leo had a car. The bad news was that he'd had to park it on the other side of the lot, and the cultists, as it turned out, were hot on his heels.

The group from the consultation had piled into the van. Leo glanced between the cultists and the van with a possessed man and decided that he'd take the singular demon over the throng of humans, and piled in with them, scooting into the last available seat near the door. "Pardon the intrusion," he said, a little indistinctly. His vision swam. The backlash from having over-exerted his abilities was coming and going in waves, and he had to close his eyes and endure it as another surge of sickly exhaustion washed over him.

As soon as it passed, he decided he wasn't in a hurry to experience it again. Grabbing the nearest person, Leo pulled him in for a kiss--- and then another, as the first hadn't turned out to be enough.
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Re: Thoughts That Breathe [L]

Postby Night » 10/11/2017 6:05 AM

Lero was relieved when Leo came running out the door, waiting until he climbed inside before slamming the door and telling Brian to gun it. He collapsed back into his seat, settling his head back against the scratchy fabric and closing his eyes. Oliver was rambling in the back seat. Between that and the running, he was starting to get a headache.

Brian pinned the gas pedal to the floor, maneuvering out of the parking lot and onto the street with only a nod to traffic safety. They may have a lot more business for what was left of Leo's firm by the end of the day. If they were ever allowed back, which he was doubting. Staying in their lane and stopping at red lights became abstract ideas as Oliver's efforts to break free doubled.

Jay was contemplating the likelihood that this was all a dream, and was prepared to believe it. The addition of Leo's sudden affection did little to alleviate the worry. He sat frozen for a moment, blinking, before giving in and returning the kiss. An impromptu make out session hadn't been high on his priorities, but it was better than mulling over other much more pressing matters. The bespeckled man sat back in his seat, blinking when it was all over.

"No offense, but what the fuck." Now that he was paying attention, Leo was considerably less... human than he had ben previously. "Is everyone fucking possessed around here?"

Aesoth coiled back in disgust as the newcomer settled it's filthy hands on his prize. He pulled against his bonds with renewed vigor, cursing his inability to ascend to his full power and just take. He hissed, thrashing his head back against the seat and trying to kick his feet into the seat in front of him.

Oliver began pulling his arms apart as hard as he was capable, threatening to dislocate his shoulders. The hard leather of Jay's belt dug into his wrists, the metal of the buckle leaving angry red marks against his skin. A feral growl curled out of his chest, his eyes tinted black. "You would do well to keep out of this, boy." He spat at Leo, his countenance twisting into a snarl. "Are you such a reject of your own kind you don't know well enough to leave yourself out of the affairs of those above you? I will boil the water in your veins and watch the ones you love freeze from the inside, and laugh as you call out for help from a God that will not come."

There was a tugging in the back of Aesoth's consciousness, a tiny trail of thought from the useless flesh he inhabited. The jumbled string of disjointed sentience jerked a laugh out of him, a cruel and ugly sound that was much more incredulous than it was any sort of amusement. "He likes you, you know. Thinks that shitty glamour you've managed to cobble together makes a pretty face. Maybe you are supposed to meddle, Leo. You two deserve each other - the world's crappiest priest and the universe's worst excuse for a demon." He spat on the floor in disgust.
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Re: Thoughts That Breathe [L]

Postby crow » 10/11/2017 6:21 AM

Leo winced as the car jumped into motion and he was thrown against the back of his seat. He felt better--- not good, but less on the verge of passing out, which was always something to aim for, if he could manage. He allowed himself a moment's peace before, addressing the inevitable questions.

The demon had other ideas. Leo felt it kick his seat, and leaned forward to avoid more discomfort. He glanced at the man he'd kissed, frowning. What, so laying hands on that one had pissed it off? And it hadn't escaped him, either, how that was the man who'd been defending the possessed one earlier. There was a slight resemblance between the two, which only confused matters further. What the hell were they doing?

It knew his name too. Great. He didn't know how valid its threats were, but he'd definitely have to ask V about it when he got home. She was either going to love his story or rip into him for being an idiot, and he didn't know which to hope for. The bit about glamor made Leo frown a little more; he probed into that part of himself, and for a moment his horns flickered like TV static, but they remained. He didn't have it in him to hide them again, not if he didn't want it to cost him.

It wasn't worth responding to, at any rate. He closed his eyes again, this time to mitigate their effect. Not much he could do about his horns and the ears, unless someone wanted to volunteer to make out with him again.

"I'm... half incubus," he said, though he spoke the word 'incubus' as if he was describing a particularly unpleasant ailment. "My... abilities operate on... sexual energy." His expression grew more wry and unhappy the more he spoke. It wasn't something he liked to think about, much less bring up, but it would be easier if they were at least sort of on the same page. "I don't get... I don't have much in the way of reserves, and I over-exerted myself a bit. That was..." He rubbed at his forehead with one hand. "I don't enjoy it much myself. Not that you weren't a charming partner." Though the man could have had a pig's nose and a third nipple, for all he cared. The demon side wasn't picky, if his sister's conduct was anything to go by.

"That covers me. So now that we're here, would you mind telling me why you have that?" he said, indicating the possessed man in the back.
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Re: Thoughts That Breathe [L]

Postby Night » 10/11/2017 6:50 AM

The boys did their best to ignore Oliver as a whole. It was strange seeing him like this; he was normally a very peaceable individual, and although they knew it wasn't him, the demon had Oliver's face and Oliver's voice. He had done so well convincing them that it was the priest that they'd carted him around for more than a week believing that it was their friend. The words hurt, as much as all of them knew they shouldn't listen.

Brian maneuvered around another corner, sending them all knocking into the doors and barely keeping all four wheels on the payment. He'd lost sight of the cloaks, but that wasn't to say they didn't already know where they were going. They had a strange propensity for finding them everywhere they went. Another sharp corner, and then running a red light - they weren't far now. Their best best was the Cardinal would be waiting for them; Lero had done his fair share of channeling spirits and syphoning energy during their adventures, and if his account was anything to go by it didn't do a body well - and that had never been anything of quite this magnitude. It seemed in their best interest to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

Jay and Lero listened raptly to Leo's explanation, both wearing similar expressions of disbelief. Frankie was the first to break the silence. "And what, you moonlight as a lawyer when you're not out consuming people's... sexual energy?" It seemed a little far-fetched. He'd never met a demon that didn't have it's heart set on fucking over everyone in its path. Although, Leo had done his part to help them out.

Oliver screeched when he was ignored, kicking at the seat again. One final yank gave him the leverage to break his hands free at the expense of a series of nasty friction burns and a dislocated shoulder. He moved to leap over the seat, set on going for the throat. Jay startled before he was over the seat and pinning Oliver in place, wrestling with him to keep him in the back. "Brian, if you could hurry?"

"It's a bit of a long story." Frankie's eyes were pinned to the backseat as he slid into Jay's place, prepared to help if he couldn't manage Oliver alone. "We had an unfortunate run in with the cultists when Oliver was investigating what we thought was a haunting at Bob's house. Turns out it was some kind of summoning ritual and they were trying to raise... whatever or whoever that is into Bob." He was glad they didn't. Bob was significantly larger and would be much harder to keep restrained. "We sort of interrupted it. We thought we had stopped it, but I guess we just ended up switching who it ended up in." It was the best short term explanation he could manage.

The church was just up the street - Brian spotted the bell towers and slowed down, jerking them to a stop just in front of the doors. An elderly man in thick white robes was waiting outside, already ushering them in. Lero quirked his eyebrows upwards at Leo even as he leaned over the seat to help Jay get Oliver pinned down enough to transport. "Are you... like, can you go inside?" He nodded over his shoulder at the church.
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Re: Thoughts That Breathe [L]

Postby crow » 10/11/2017 7:11 AM

"Look, some of us don't want to lean into the whole infernal blood thing, alright?" Leo snapped. It was funny, really, that it was the regular humans who were getting to him, and not the thing in the backseat, but it had been a sore point since childhood. When he'd been younger and more mulish, he'd liked to point out that he hadn't asked to be born anyway, but it hadn't done much beyond making him sound like a sullen teenager. Which he had been, at the time.

He also, emphatically, didn't want to think about 'sexual energy'. Actually, he should probably ask for that volunteer soon. He didn't know if their destination was going to be amenable to how he looked right now, and if he didn't shove his tongue into someone else's mouth, he wasn't going to be able to do anything about it.

He had just enough warning to avoid the demon-priest when it came for him, though he was still glad to see someone else moving to restrain it. Normally he might have fared alright against someone of that size, even with the possession, but he really hadn't anticipated how tired he would be after doing what he did. He was only half listening to the explanation he was given at first, distracted by everything else going on. At the mention of a summoning ritual, however, he made a face.

"Right, as if they needed the help," he said.

In the periphery of his vision, he could see that they were pulling up, so he leaned over to get a better look at where they were stopping. The sight of the church didn't exactly fill him with glee, but he supposed it made sense, given the situation.

When they stopped, he exited slowly, unhurried movements disguising his fatigue. At the short man's question, he said, "Yes, though I don't make a habit of it." It wasn't the building so much as the people. Church types had a way of being unpleasant even when they liked him and thought he was perfectly human. Holy objects aimed at demons specifically sometimes had an effect, though most of the ones he'd encountered just irritated his skin--- though his sister took it worse, probably because she was the one leaning into the infernal heritage.

He was going to have to go into the church, wasn't he? Leo still found it a bit distasteful just on the principle of the thing, but it wasn't the worst thing he'd done today, to be sure. He followed the rest of them into the place, though he kept an eye on the robed old man who had greeted them. It looked like there hadn't been time for the--- what, the priest of this church?--- to notice him, but maybe there would be trouble when the other shoe finally dropped.
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Re: Thoughts That Breathe [L]

Postby Night » 10/11/2017 7:40 AM

Getting Oliver into the church was not an easy task. The Cardinal seemed distracted enough by Oliver's screaming and thrashing that he didn't pay much attention to the rest of them, following Jay and Bob as they shoved Oliver through the doors. Lero wavered just inside, glancing at Leo as though he couldn't quite believe what he was considering. With a sigh, he closed the distance between them and planted his lips over the other man's, pulling away after a few moments. It wasn't that he was disgusted so much as Leo was just really not his type.

"Thanks for helping us out back there." It was the least he could do to start to repay what he was sure was a mountain of debt owed. Regardless of the outcome, it was likely in their best interest to hide the fact that they were walking a second demon into an exorcism with the intent to keep him. "Whatever you need, dude. Just keep it in your pants - this is a church." As though he really even cared. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gone to a church service that Oliver didn't force him into.

The Cardinal had lain out a heavy wooden table in the center of the pulpit, the legs of which they were in the process of tying Oliver's arms to. They had pushed him face up onto it, arms and legs spread eagle to keep him more securely bound. He was straining upwards, seemingly unconcerned with his previous injury. Confident that he was properly contained, the Cardinal motioned for them to step back, standing at the foot of the table with a heavy book open between his palms. "Let us pray."

---


He felt awful, like he wanted to be sick but had nothing left in him to heave up. There were hammers breaking away at his skull, he was entirely certain, and that wasn't even to address the way the rest of him felt. Arms freed, he raised his hands to cover his eyes, trying to shield himself from the bright lights of the sun streaming through the church window and directly into his brain.

"Where are we?" Oliver's voice was raw, scraping out of his throat and making him wince. Jay released the bindings at his ankles, but he didn't move to sit up, choosing to curl tighter into himself and turn so that he wasn't in fear of going blind from the light any longer. He kind of wanted to cry, but he couldn't decide if it was pain or guilt or the sheer, unadulterated relief of it all being over. Which,

"It is over, right?" He didn't feel... well. He felt more like himself, but there had been times he'd felt like himself over the last few weeks that had proven a false hope. He could remember, vaguely, the times he'd been himself. A bit of the other times, as well. He very carefully did not look anyone in the eyes. The things he had said. How was he supposed to look any one of them in the eye ever again?
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Re: Thoughts That Breathe [L]

Postby crow » 10/11/2017 11:24 PM

Leo was in the process of arching one brow in response to the shorter man's look when he found himself being pulled down for a kiss. It really wasn't much, but this time when he reached for it, the glamor held, though it had guttered for a moment, as if warning him not to do anything like that again.

He breathed a sigh of relief. It had felt strange not having it, as if he were naked or something.

"Don't worry about it," he said, in response to the short man's thanks. He considered leaving right then; the cultists weren't here yet, so it was a good opportunity, and he felt incongruous here, among all the people he didn't know. But something made him stay, even if he did find himself lingering near the wall. Maybe he just wanted to confirm that the demon was exorcised, see it for himself when it was done.




Suffice to say that watching an exorcism didn't make him feel any more comfortable or welcome. In fact, half-way through, he'd wondered whether leaving wouldn't have been the better call. Just being in the room, and being what he was, had been enough to make Leo feel like his innards were being scraped raw. He was as relieved as anyone else when it was done, though probably for different reasons.

He had phone calls to make. Hells--- he was going to have to explain everything to his boss, though he hadn't the slightest idea how. For the moment he settled for texting V. It was just about all he could handle.

Something happened at work. I'll tell you about it later. Can you pick up my car?

He had the key, but she had a spare, and even if she didn't, he suspected she would probably have been able to break into it anyway. As for his boss... They hadn't called him yet, so he wasn't going to worry about it. They probably had enough to deal with as it was.

Catching sight of movement atop the pulpit, he glanced up, and closed the distance between himself at the others. He wasn't rubbernecking, really--- he just wanted to see that the guy was okay. As much as his sister liked to talk shop sometimes, he'd never heard anything in detail about what happened after a possession. Usually there wasn't much of an 'after'.
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Re: Thoughts That Breathe [L]

Postby Night » 10/12/2017 12:16 AM

For once, Oliver wasn't really all that involved in detailing their exploits to the Cardinal. Brian pulled the old man aside, talking in whispers but gesturing wildly with his hands. Oliver looked away, none too keen to be let on to anything more than he was already aware. Brian's wild gesticulating was making him vaguely motion sick anyway. He sat up, wincing against the pain in his arm and head but making a valiant effort at standing on his own. Jay was murmuring something to him, and it took a surprising amount of focus to both stand up and listen to what he was saying.

Something about cultists. He really didn't want to know. "Do you have my rosary?" He interrupted, catching sight of Leo approaching. Jay produced it from his jacket pocket, dropping it into Oliver's outstretched hand. The priest curled it around his fingers and did his best not to hyperventilate. Realistically he should be thanking the guy; he was the only reason they'd made it out of the law office, and while his memory was patchy he was at least well aware of that. Little flashes of elongated ears and horns put him on edge. He pulled the cross against his chest with his good arm and stepped back just enough to be relatively shielded behind Jay when Leo got closer.

Jay was thanking him now, and he really should follow suit in the name of good manors. He would likely never see the guy again, and he knew it would ride on his conscious if he didn't show gratitude. Every time he inhaled he thought he may be sick. Frankie and Jay were both giving him strange looks. He twisted the beads between shaking fingers and gathered his courage.

"Thank you for..." He looked down at the floor, unsure how to say that Leo had saved his life when the guy frankly terrified him. What if he was just hanging around to body shop like the last one? Though this did seem like a lot of effort to go through for a move in. And he did already have his own. He was being ridiculous. "Everything." He finished finally.

Jay frowned, eying Oliver over before turning to Leo once more. "We really appreciate your help, dude. I don't think we ever really introduced ourselves. I'm Jay, and this is my brother, Oliver." He held out his hand to shake. "You met Brian, the big guy is Bob, and the one that looks like a four year old over there is Frankie." Lero stuck his tongue out as Jay pointed at him.

Brian reappeared, the Cardinal evidently gone. "You saved our ass back there. Is there anything we can do to pay you back?" His hand moved to his back pocket, but he was out of business cards. He would have to have more printed up when they had the chance.
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Re: Thoughts That Breathe [L]

Postby crow » 10/12/2017 3:03 AM

Leo hadn't missed the exchange between the formerly possessed man and his brother, or the way he clutched the rosary to his chest when Leo drew close. He'd be lying if he said it didn't hurt, but he understood it, in a detached sense. He'd gotten a lot of similar reactions when he was younger, and less able to hide what he was, though that had been a long time ago. Glamor was the first ability he'd mastered--- and thus far, the only one.

The guy still thanked him, though now that he thought about it, Leo didn't know if he'd really done anything. "Don't worry about it," he said, again. "I'm Leo, but you... knew that." Well, maybe the priest--- Oliver--- didn't. Not that it mattered now. As for repayment, he merely smiled, a wry and humorless quirk of the lips. "I don't suppose you know any law offices that are hiring? I feel like after all that, I'm going to be out of a job." He was joking, of course. Mostly. Even if they managed to find a place for him, he wasn't sure he'd want it, given everything he's seen today.

He did pass on his own business card, though he wondered whether he was going to regret it. "If you need me, you can contact me here," he said. He didn't think anything would come up, but it was habit.
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Re: Thoughts That Breathe [L]

Postby Night » 10/12/2017 10:23 PM

"I'll keep an eye out." Brian, ever the king of networking, found a balled up receipt in his pocket and scribbled his name and phone number in an area where the ink had faded. Not precisely the most professional, but it served its purpose. He handed the wrinkled scrap of paper to Leo. "Feel free to give us a call if you've got any supernatural worries." He grinned, ignoring the fact that Leo was likely entirely able to address any of those kinds of problems on his own.

Jay was ushering Oliver towards the door, one arm beneath his shoulder to help prop him up. It was likely he needed to go to the hospital, though Brian couldn't begin to think of an excuse for his condition. Did they have doctors that dealt in injury related to demonic possession? It seemed like a very niche specialty. Regardless, they really ought to get going. He bid Leo a hasty goodbye, rounding up Lero and Bob to shove them out to the van. Frankie waved farewell over Brian's shoulder, his arm just barely visible over the taller man, and then they were gone. Hopefully Leo had a ride home.

------


So his shoulder was broken, which had been an unwelcome impediment to their adventures over the past few weeks. It was good that his duties rarely extended to the more physical aspects of their cases, and dealt much more in reading texts and saying blessings. It was annoying to work around the cast, but not nearly so annoying as his brother questioning whether he was alright every fifteen minutes. Oliver was half convinced that Jay had legitimately set a timer. The others were welcoming to his partially true dismissal of their worries, so why couldn't Jay just take the hint? They had much more pressing matters to concern themselves with than his deteriorating mental health.

The church had sent out agents - a set of men trained to address volatile situations involving church matters that they didn't precisely want to be public knowledge that Frankie lovingly referred to as The Suits - to both the hotel and the law office, but they had been unable to track down any of the hooded figures. Release statements had been signed, non-disclosure agreements with poorly concealed threats of repercussion should they be breached issued, and the Suits had gone on their merry way. It had been left to them to track down the origin and members of the cult and try to disband it. So far they were coming up blank. Given that their major lead was a sphere with some indiscernible symbol on it and Oliver's shoddy memory of the demon involved, Brian couldn't say he was surprised that they had been unsuccessful. While they were toiling away trying to get anywhere, more and more of the hoods had been seen popping up throughout the city.

"Do you at least know the name of the demon?" He was saying now. Yelling really. "Do you know anything?!" Oliver hunched down in his seat, trying to conceal himself behind the dusty tome in his lap.

"Leave him alone, Brian. He said he doesn't know." Jay scowled at the older man while Bob and Lero busied themselves in their own reading, not willing to get involved in another episode of the Brian And Jay Show. Books lay scattered over the seats of their van, some half open. Nothing so far had mentioned the symbol. The best they'd been able to find was some kind of how-to on raising and banishing demons from hell, which hadn't been particularly helpful after the fact.

They were parked in a gas station parking lot and they were getting nowhere. Brian clunked his head against the window with a sigh. "Surely you've got to remember something, Oliver."

The priest shook his head, looking thoroughly miserable. They were probably going to kill one another before they got a decent lead on this case.
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Re: Thoughts That Breathe [L]

Postby crow » 10/13/2017 2:09 AM

By the time Vivi texted him back, Leo had already wandered out of the church and into the nearest cafe he could find. It had been a bit of a walk too; the church was in an otherwise residential area, all nice houses with their own fenced-off yards. It was just as well. He would have had to do it anyway--- no way did he want her picking him up near a church--- so he might as well have a little more time to do it.

The sound of the horn outside signaled her arrival, and he sighed as he rose, ignoring the looks from the other patrons. Rolling down the window, Vivi grinned at him from behind her sunglasses. "Get in, loser," she said. Leo slipped obligingly into the passenger seat, setting his coffee in a cupholder. His cupholder.

Image


"You know, that's the first time I've ever heard the horn. And this is my car," he said.

"Mhm. What would you ever do without me, Zhu-zhu?" said Vivi, not repentant in the least. "So? What? Did you quit your job? Did some old fart grab your ass or something?"

"No," said Leo, though it wasn't strictly true. It had happened before, but he hadn't seen it as something worth quitting over, and it definitely wasn't what had happened today. "There was a... public disturbance. Teen vandals, maybe. I don't know."

"Ugh," said Vivi. "You sound like the old fart when you say things like that."

Leo didn't reply, only stared out the window at the passing scenery. It was funny. He'd planned on telling her everything, back when it was happening. He already told her plenty; they were twins, it was just what they did. And she seemed the most likely out of everyone he knew to actually have answers for him, once he figured out the questions he wanted to ask.

But he'd had a lot of time to think while he wandered around looking for a coffee shop, and somewhere along the way, he'd remembered something. He'd recognized one of the faces in the mob he'd faced down in the office earlier. It hadn't registered at first, with everything that was going on, but on the calm suburban sidewalk, with the sun on him and the birds singing in the distance, he'd been able to place it: one of his sister's boy toys of the week.

He hadn't been her type. That was why Leo had remembered him. Vivi cycled through a lot of people, but the chinless balding man with the deep-set eyes had been so uncharacteristic for her that his face had stuck in Leo's memory.

In retrospect, it had been stupid not to think she might have been involved with this. It was no secret between them that Vivi had demon associates. He just didn't think she'd be hiding anything as big as a cult from him.

But then, twins tell each other everything, right?

"Cat got your tongue, Leo?" she said. Leo leaned slowly back, running a hand through his hair and sighing.

"It was a mess at the office," he said. "I think I'm fired, for one. Hell, there might not be an office to go back to tomorrow." After a moment's pause, he said, "I had to use magic."

Magic. That was what they called it when they were kids and practicing together at home. It sounded less malicious than 'demon powers'. Leo himself hadn't referred to it at all in years. He'd stopped practicing as soon as he was sure he could keep them from acting up.

Vivi had gone further, found herself tutors when experimentation didn't take her as far as she'd liked. Now she arched a brow at him. "You?" she said.

"Yes. It was a mob and... Ugh."

Vivi laughed. "Did you have to kiss one of them? Or did you pick one of the old farts? Was it the ass-grabber? Did you make his day?"

"Eyes on the road," said Leo, reaching out with a hand to steer her gaze away from him by force. She didn't stop laughing. "Yeah," he lied, "it was Cranston. He tastes exactly like three-day-old tuna salad." He drummed his fingers on the center console between the seats. "Hey." Beat. "Can you teach me? How to do all the... magic stuff."

That really earned him a look. It was hard not to squirm. Leo wasn't the squirming type, but Vivi had known him when he was young enough to be. "Look, it's just... Things got out of hand today, and it's not like it's getting any less dangerous in this country," he said. "Some people get guns, right? I just don't want to be caught off guard again."

"Guns, huh?" said Vivi. For a moment he thought she was going to refuse, press him for a better explanation or make a jab at him again. But she didn't. She just shrugged and said, "Alright, but you'd better start figuring out who you're gonna screw. If you pass out while we're doing this, I'm not resuscitating you."




In the intervening three weeks, Leo had become certain about three things. One was that his sister was almost definitely involved with the cult.

He'd watched her more closely since then. He hadn't meant to, but the cultist he'd recognized had unsettled him, and now that he was looking, there were other clues to be found. Mostly it was just the sheer number of unfashionable older men she slept with, the ones with no redeeming qualities besides their wallets. Vivi had never been a gold-digger before, mostly because money just wasn't an issue for them. They lived in a penthouse, and they used to have help. So many of them had been white too, and Vivi hated sleeping with old white guys.

"It's always cheongsam this and qipao that," she'd said. "Or that I'm some kind of mail-order baby-doll bride. And half of them think I'm Japanese. Ugh."

He didn't think she had suddenly developed a hankering for fleshy pink dicks. Not to mention how tired she'd seemed lately. And she'd been bringing some of her demon 'friends' to Leo's practice sessions, and these were a lot sharper than the ones Leo remembered seeing her with before. Leo wasn't an expert on demons, but he was going into law. He knew a viper when he saw one.

Which brought him to the second thing. If he was going to get her out, he couldn't do it alone. Those demons didn't have the same reservations about hurting him that his sister did, and as it turned out, diluted demonic abilities didn't do much against the real thing.

It almost didn't occur to him to call the priest. He'd been so caught up between figuring out his abilities and trying to land a new job--- not that he needed the money either, but the idea of being unemployed and unproductive dug at him like a thorn. It was only when he'd gone through his pockets before sending his suit off for cleaning that he found the scrap of paper he'd tucked away, and stared at it for a long moment, considering.

He dug out his phone, and immediately made a face as he saw the two dozen notifications waiting for him. This was the third thing he'd grown certain of: this whole casual sex thing he was doing wasn't working. He didn't know how Vivi managed these people. He'd tried it, mostly because he had to, but somehow it was never casual and easy, cut-and-dry. His phone was a war zone these days, which wasn't making the job hunt any easier.

He flicked through the notifications and dismissed most of them, then punched in the number he'd been given. He didn't know what he was doing. They were four guys who had indirectly led to the sacking of his old workplace. Really not the ones he wanted to be calling.

But his sister was being inducted into a satanic cult, and he needed to get her out. This was just the best thing that occurred to him.
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Re: Thoughts That Breathe [L]

Postby Night » 10/13/2017 3:43 AM

Oliver pulled his knees into the seat, the book digging into the soft flesh of his stomach. He made a concerted effort to focus on the words, squinting at the small print. The characters kept running together, blurring as his eyes focused and unfocused on the page. Jay's feet were pressing into his hip and his mind was slipping constantly to the way that he'd spoken to him. He'd done well to play it off like he didn't remember the majority of it. The entire ordeal was difficult to process; he didn't want to think about it, he couldn't stop. His shoulder ached and he just felt so... guilty. It hadn't been him that said those things, but as he had said them he remembered feeling as though he were in control. As though he were the monster and he'd just been waiting for an excuse.

The rosary was coiled in his palm, the little wooden beads clicking together as he pressed each between his index finger and thumb in a mindless rhythm. His brain supplied the Apostles Creed out of habit as the pad of his thumb passed over the largest of the beads and he allowed his eyes to slip closed. He wasn't being productive anyway, and it felt good to be able to pray again. He hadn't been able to when... Well. It had been a while.

Brian's phone buzzed in the cupholder, and Oliver let his head fall back against the seat as the other man gave his greeting. He was just so tired; surely Brian couldn't get onto him for taking a small break? Particularly while he was taking personal phone calls...

Brian glanced at the screen, surprised to see Leo's name. He slid the little green circle over into the center and pressed speaker so the rest of the party could be privy to the conversation. "Hello?"
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Re: Thoughts That Breathe [L]

Postby crow » 10/13/2017 4:35 AM

"Hi. This is Leo from... " His voice fell automatically into the pleasant tenor he reserved for speaking with potential employers, but he faltered for a moment. "From the law office," he finished. He wasn't with that office anymore, and he didn't know if they'd been to other law offices since then and met other Leos. It was probably easier to just say 'the half-breed demon spawn' instead, considering they knew, but he didn't.

Clearing his throat, he tried again. "You said to call you if I had any supernatural concerns." He considered reminding them that they owed him a favor instead, but almost immediately dismissed the idea. That wasn't the kind of note to open on, though he tucked it away in the back of his mind, in case he needed to leverage that later. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to take you up on that, but it really isn't a matter I'd like to discuss over the phone. Is there any way we could meet?"
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