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• 

  Legion August 4, 2024 at 5:22am

  Legion did, in fact, seem just a little too nonchalant for the situation at hand. Ordinarily, he would not seem so dismissive. But it seemed something had come over him, and Aurora’s rage did nothing to evade Legion’s attention away from what he was doing. When the witch moved to attack him from all sides, it seemed as if the barrier moved with her, tracked her movements and attacks.

  It would certainly be frustrating. Luckily for her, perhaps, the protective spell – if that’s what it even was – was not something he could hold onto forever. It was only a temporary solution to the problem. But it worked for whatever task it was Legion had been hoping to complete. Soon enough, Aurora would find the demon slipping his phone away again, and dropping his hand, the protective barrier fading away like it had never been there.

  This also, probably to Aurora’s delight, allowed quite an intense ball of energy to hit right in the center of his chest. It didn’t send him down, but he did stumble, an impressive feat. It left a gaping hole in his black shirt, exposing pale skin otherwise decorated with just the very edge of a tiger’s paw on a black background, just a hint of a tattoo the demon never showed, or at least had yet to show to Legacy, considering he wore long sleeves all the time. The pale, ghostly skin that was exposed was now tinted red and scarred, as if that energy had left a severe burn behind. Or maybe it had always been there, the scar, and no one had seen it yet.

  Either way. It did not fell the demon. He was like a tree, strong and heavy, and it would take a lot more than that to fully take him down. As Legion watched Aurora’s attention turn to Legacy and Jupiter, his gaze sparked. A blinding flash of white light where those empty dark pools had been. It was like a camera flash, there for just a second, and then gone. Judging by how distracted everyone was, they may not have even noticed it. Legion’s own gaze settled on the two cats, watching on how this death match would inevitably turn out. Legion was a bit sad for it. Even though he objectively understood that Jupiter was the bad guy, he hated to see any animal get hurt, really. Even evil ones. Especially cats. Not that Legion would say that though.

  And when the limp body of the cat fell to the floor, growing colder by the second, Legion knew he had only one chance to act before Aurora’s rage was turned on anything that wasn’t Legacy’s cat form. And so he did move, at a speed that was thankfully quicker than most humans would have been able to, to intercept the fire thrown at the cat.

  Legion could lie and say that it didn’t hurt. He could say that this only was a scar, a mere flesh wound that would heal. And it would heal. But it did also hurt. Contrary to popular belief, and even to his own ability to play with fire, a targeted attack of concentrated energy pushed together to make a ball of fire hitting him squarely was painful. It caught the fabric of his shirt and spread. He had enough sense to drop his jacket to the floor before the flames took that with it. His skin burned, sizzled and began to turn black, began to melt into something else. The pain was written on his face.

  But it did not stop him. If Aurora, blinded by rage and her sadness, was distracted enough, Legion would reach her without struggle. His fingers, his nails, much sharper than they ever should have been, dug into her throat. If she was quick enough to pull away from that at least, it would leave sharp cuts in her flesh, ribbons of skin pulled away to gush blood. If she wasn’t, though… Aurora would find her throat ripped out, without a second thought from the demon. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for Legacy, it was something Legion likely would have done much sooner. It was not a pretty sight either way.
• 

  ᴛʜᴇ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴅᴏɢ August 3, 2024 at 7:35pm

  ||You're very welcome and thank you for accepting and also I must say that you have quite the interesting character here, I hope you have room for another thread? If not than I understand but if you do, I would be more than happy to plot a storyline out with you ^^
• 

  Nascha Kaltain August 3, 2024 at 7:29pm

  She turned over the information Legacy provided, a small frown marring her brow. "Did you actually see this museum with your own eyes? Beyond looking it up online?" As she spoke she began to pace, as if movement helped her to puzzle through a situation. "And where did you meet this Ryan?" It was a long shot at best, but if she went to the place where the other witch met with her human contact, perhaps she could pick out a scent that Legacy might have missed. Not to say the feline's nose wasn't keen enough, simply that in her experience wolven noses were keener still. She snorted softly at the mention of the Salem Witch Trials, as far as she was aware most of the victims of that atrocity weren't even witches. Human hysteria knew no bounds; sometimes they even turned on each other. 

  Shaking her head to clear it, she paused; turning to pin a look upon Legacy. "Wait...he blew up a bar?" That gave her pause, but she ultimately setting it aside in favour of her next question. "Also... who is Agatha?" She chuckled ruefully. "I know. Instincts are something we hone over time..." she couldn't truly blame the girl for being duped. Especially if she lacked any kind of formal training. 

  "Indeed, I was." A wistfulness entered her tone, gaze dropping to the floor in an effort to hide the sadness glimmering within her gaze. Wait...clan cat? Her pacing footsteps faltered and her lips parted as if she were about to question that when the rest of Legacy's words hit her. She said little to nothing when she spoke of the darkness this Agatha chose to dabble in, filing away the tidbit of knowledge that it was to that witch she was bound in servitude. "Well that explains a lot..." she mumbled almost to herself, part demon; she knew no true witch worth their salt would deal in pacts. 

  She bobbed her head as the other witch listed the magic she could do, it was a solid foundation; one that could easily be built upon with the right teacher. Her footsteps stumbling to a stop as the status of her coven was questioned, a very lupine whine passing her lips. "They're dead. Killed by witch hunters. I alone survived." Well...as far as she knew...
• 

  Alexander August 3, 2024 at 3:19pm

  Alexander watched her, his speed and agility as he hurtled from one railcar to another effortless. She leaped, but his dark eyes zoned in on her struggle. He honestly thought she’d be better than this. What kind of supernatural was she? Even a fairy could have leaped a train; or, well, flown a train.

  The vampire followed soon after, whisking himself into the train car. By this time, his clothes were saturated, rain dripping from his frame as he stood in the doorway. His crimson hues flared to life from their typical dark state, adjusting to the darkness. "First time?" Alexander questioned, running his slender fingers through his hair in an attempt to flush it backward in its soaking wet state.

  He watched her move to the back of the train and soon joined her, his back leaning against the metal wall. Her heart was pulsing a mile a minute, something he couldn’t help but pick up on. It had taken him a long time to learn to tune out the heartbeats around him, but with the adrenaline coursing through her and the calm inside the train car, it was basically the only noise breaking the tension; besides the rumbling of the tracks, of course.

  Alexander let out a sigh, indicating the ordeal was basically over. "So," he started, his voice echoing in the empty container. His silhouette went dark for a moment before his eyes reopened with their crimson glow. "Tell me about this Talisman."
• 

  Nascha Kaltain August 2, 2024 at 3:09pm

  Nascha lifted a single eyebrow in response to the other witch's tirade, her lips twisting into a rueful grimace. "Of course I'm no stranger to regret. I simply believe one shouldn't make the same mistake twice. It was making deals that got you into whatever mess you've come to regret, making another to get out of it wouldn't be the right move." She shrugged, each word had been uttered calmly without a hint of  growl. Even her pose remained relaxed in the face of being shouted at. 

  No she supposed it didn't truly matter how she'd come into possession of said artifacts, beyond her own inate curiosity on the matter, but that was a question for another day she supposed. Nascha could agree that it was of more import to find these dangerous objects, lest chaos be unleashed. She blew out a breath. "Now, where did you last see these...artifacts?" Her lips press together, whilst her thoughts spun to imagining the devastation that could be unleashed. Only to shake her head and force herself to refocus. 

  Her lips twitched as she heard the grumble, and she could just imagine the possibly violent thoughts being aimed her way. She didn't let it show on her face though, choosing to focus upon the topic of spirits instead. "Wrenching a soul back from rest would be rather rude, yes. Whole other ball game then. Wouldn't wish to dabble with spirits myself, but we each must play to our strengths." 

  The question brought her up short, stalling anything else she might have said on that topic as she pinned a narrow eyed look upon the feline witch. Why was she asking? She supposed there was only one way to find out. "I was something of a prodigy during my training, I mastered many forms of offensive and defensive magic." It might have seemed vague; but she wasn't going to delve deeper whilst she wasn't sure she could trust the other witch. 
• 

  Legion August 2, 2024 at 4:01am

  Now, Legion was really not the fighting type, more docile than anything, and it had been a long time since he’d had a reason to be in a fight at all. But if that was how things were going to go, Aurora would find herself fighting essentially a brick wall, in terms of sturdiness, that was for sure. As the witch screeched and squirmed, and yelled her words about Legacy, Legion sort of bared his teeth in a silent snarl. They were sharp, too sharp, disturbingly so. Certainly no human.

  When the world changed around him, Legion recognized it as a trick but still he allowed it to be a momentary distraction for him, his gaze flitting about them into the dark recesses of the forest. To him, it didn’t matter the price Legacy paid, although he had to admit that contracts with devils and selling one’s soul – what he imagined the answer would be, as any transformation as great in intensity as Legacy’s often required such a payment – did put a damper on helping. Not because he couldn’t, necessarily. He had ties, unknowingly, to Lucifer. He was the most common devil to sell one’s soul to, or to make a deal with. If that had been what she had done, he could… help. At a great cost to himself, maybe, but still. It was nothing he wouldn’t survive. “The price she paid doesn’t matter. If you think I care about a precious deal with the devil or any other kind of tightbound contract, you are sorely mistake.” Legion hissed back, with the same dripping voice of many he had used before.

  When the sharpness of the blade brushed across his face, the demon blinked, snapping his gaze back to the woman who stood before him. Those already angular eyes narrowed into slits at her. Annoyed, more than anything. Yes, she would manage to draw the thinnest line of blood from the blade, but the cut was hardly deep enough to bleed profusely. It dripped thick, black syrupy blood down his face and off his chin. When it hit the floor, it sizzled, smoke rising from the droplet.

  Legion rarely sounded more than just mildly annoyed, and this was no different. He huffed at Aurora, wiping his hand across the thin line on his face. By the time his hand dropped to the side, the cut was completely gone, as if it had never been there at all. Annoyance boiled in him and he managed to raise that scarred hand to the blasting shockwave Aurora sent toward him. It wasn’t sent back to her as one might think, but instead was slowed to a stop, the energy fizzling out like the end of a sparkler.

  And then Legion was near her again, storming to her side to grab her. He let the blade grace his skin, annoyed by it but unmoved. What did move him, though, was the blast of energy sent in his direction. It didn’t knock him back into the wall like Aurora had hoped it would, but it didn’t do nothing, instead sent him back a few good feet, his feet sliding against the old wood flooring. But Legion’s grip on Aurora’s hair did not loosen. If she did not go flying back with him, it was not unlikely that a good chunk of her hair would have been ripped out of her head instead.

  It took his breath away, for the slightest of moments, and Legion huffed as he always did when he was annoyed, catching his footing to stand up straight.

  But instead of fighting back, in a gesture that likely proved confusing to all who witnessed it in a time like this, Legion pulled his smartphone out from his back pocket, and instead moved on to texting someone. He did not leave himself entirely exposed or without cover, holding up his other hand in front of him, scarred palm glowing red and orange like dying embers. A shimmering translucent black barrier appeared in front of him, just for the moment. If Aurora did attempt to hit him with something, that would be rebounded in her direction.

  Though his thoughts did shift to helping Legacy, a quick glance in her direction meant he knew she would be okay on her own. She evidently had enough fight in her to protect herself. He kept an eye out, making sure she really would be okay by herself. He would step in if need be.
• 

  Legion August 1, 2024 at 2:26am

  Of course they knew each other. No one would try getting in Legacy’s way if not for knowing her or what she was after. Legion had to admit that despite the dangerous feeling he had gotten outside of the house, he didn’t really see this kind of thing coming. But then, how was he supposed to? All the people of Legacy’s past were a mystery to him. What he could gather, though, was that Aurora likely worked for Agatha, or was at least associated with her in some way. Otherwise, why else would she be there?

  Of course that suspicion was confirmed when Legacy pointed out who Aurora really was. The demon sort of tilted his head in thought at the warning he received. Someone who fed on pain and trauma. Drew power from it. And, likely someone who knew a lot about people, could look deep inside them and find what hurt the most just to feed on the ache. Legion knew people like that. He was not one of them, to be sure, but he had been in crowds of demons in the past, and he understood how they operated. Aurora was not unique in that regard.

  Speaking of, when she spoke, when she made eye contact, Legion returned Aurora’s gaze. He didn’t mind a confrontation, though he figured this probably wouldn’t be much of one. Aurora, although powerful, although dangerous, didn’t feel like much of a threat to the demon. Or… well, demonic creature.

  This was as good a time as any, Legion decided, to let things see his eyes. Sometimes having the sunglasses off was beneficial, although he couldn’t say why that was, or at least chose not to. Although he could see perfectly well with them on, even in darkened spaces clearly, there were occasions when removing them proved useful. So he made the decision to slip the sunglasses off of his face, fold them up and put them away in his jacket pocket.

  His eyes, as he had attempted to describe before, were a magnificent and horrifying sight. They were black like Emily’s, yes, from pupil to sclera, entirely void of color, except for what seemed to be a thin red ring of color that circled the pupil. It looked as if they sat in pools of dark water, of space, floating in an absence of anything. The gory appearance might even lead one to question whether or not Legion had eyes at all. What was more, the skin under and around his eyes looked bruised, deep dark purples and flushes of red, like a lobotomy victim. Coupled with his features – his jawline and cheekbones, the swift uptilt of his eyes, the slight pointiness to his ears – and it was clear that he was not human. He was only just a little too angular to be so. He could have passed as a demon, assuredly.

  When Aurora spoke of consumption, Legion only blinked back, slowly, catlike. “You could try.” He offered, his voice sounding sorely dull. “But you wouldn’t like it. And you wouldn’t like how it makes you feel.” Even if they wanted to classify him under ‘demon’, he was no regular demon, and consuming his blood would have had an effect Aurora did not care for, he could be sure.

  He listened to every word, noting it carefully. Those sharp eyes of his narrowed into almost-slits when Aurora spoke next, and with that comment he crossed his arms over his chest indignantly. Did it sting? Of course, a little. Anyone would have felt the same. But that was a pain he was working to get over, and in response he simply raised an eyebrow. Being able to see into people’s hearts and souls was a very useful tool, he supposed. “You dare mock people’s pain?” He asked, though he knew the answer to that. He wasn’t surprised.

  “I killed myself for him.” He said it with ease, like it was just another fact about himself. A nothing in response to the hurt Aurora wanted to cause. “But I feel lighter every passing day.” That was to say, there wasn’t much she could do to harm him. At least, not in that way. Other things might have cut deeper, and physically he could technically be wounded, but that was more difficult than Aurora would likely have given him credit for. Being underestimated like that was frankly an advantage. It was best to keep one’s cards close to one’s chest.

  The fight that ensued was not where Legion thought this was going to go. Legion was also not exactly expecting for Legacy to… well, turn into a cat again. He could feel the rage jolt through her entire body. Although his plan was initially to help – he ended up at the cat’s side, a hand rested on her head, with the intention of lifting her up and taking her with him – Aurora’s words gave him pause. He did not often find threats to be anything of interest, but he had to admit that he was annoyed by them. And Aurora’s, especially, irked him more than he would have liked to admit.

  So he left Legacy as a cat, to fight with the other cat that had appeared quite out of the blue. Instead, Legion’s own gaze locked on Aurora. The demon was not a fighter anymore, not a creature that cared about battles of strength and power, who rarely had a reason to display power at all. But if that was what Aurora wanted, then that was what she was going to get. It might have been a long time since he had fought, but once upon a time he had been a formidable foe, a horrible creature of chaos and destruction.

  He took a step toward Aurora, and then another. Unlike before, where his footsteps sounded just like… well, like footsteps, they made no sound now. Well, not no sound. They had a soft quality to them, like something lightweight being dragged across the ground. That was not the most disturbing thing, though. What would have been more unsettling was the way his skin seemed to… melt. It was unnerving to watch, once solid flesh dripping away like wax on a burning candle, revealing beneath it skin that was a dark gray, decorated with abstract black swirls and spirals, body markings that covered him whole.

  He was not the type to strip – though some demons were, he knew, to show off their appearance, their power – but the way his hands, the skin around his exposed face and neck seemed to blur at the edges, a host of powerful and sentient shadows that pulled him apart and stitched him back together, made obvious there was no thing like him. His eyes, too, they glowed in their blackness, the thin red ring around his pupil pulsing especially bright with ruby light. He seemed… taller, too, or maybe Aurora was just short, and maybe it was a trick of the light.

  One thing was for certain: Legion was not afraid of Aurora. When he stood above her, his form wavering as if it hardly existed at all, as if it was hard to look at, it was clear to see why. She was a monster, a creature, a witch, yes. But she was also… just a witch. A witch with magic, who had not attempted to bind him or circle the house with something that would keep him out.

  “There is much I will tolerate,” he said, and when he did, his voice was a dichotomy of senses, a sibilant whisper that could be heard inside one’s own head, but also deep like endless black oceans, like trenches. It spoke with multiple voices, too, a chorus of them. The accent he carried around with him, the British one, was replaced with something else, something otherworldly and difficult to lock down. “Even death threats. You puny creatures mean little to me, little in the grand scheme of things. But attack my friend, threaten her, and I must admit I have a hard time keeping my emotions under check.”

  When he lifted his hand, there was a symbol on the palm. Some kind of magic circle, maybe, although not one any person of this would have recognized. It was not black like the markings on his skin, but instead carved into it, a wound that never healed and stayed gory and shiny.

  He did nothing with that palm, except that he reached up to grab Aurora by her hair, tugging to tilt her head up, his eyes boring down into hers. Legion knew how to instill a sense of fear and foreboding, a general chill that ran down one’s back, although it was hard to pinpoint what that fear really came from.

  “You have a single chance to leave here before I skin you and your cat. I don’t much like the taste of witches. But that does not mean I won’t eat them.” He was close enough to bite, inches from Aurora’s face. She could have if she wanted to. She would have been met with strangely thick skin, like a shark’s, though. It was sharper teeth that were needed to get through this form.
• 

  Alexander July 30, 2024 at 1:13pm

  "I'm not dragging you anywhere," Alexander snapped, almost cutting her off, his frustration evident. While he had tried to drag her earlier, she had chosen to pull away instead of listening to him.

  Alexander continued his stride, his senses sharp and alert. The birds chirped in nearby trees, even though it was late at night, with dawn just barely breaking. The darkness still cloaked the surroundings, making the chirping seem oddly out of place. As the two passed by, the birds fell silent, hushing down in their nests for the remainder of the night.

  His attention shifted to the right, where a low, deep rumble echoed from the ground. It was far off in the distance, a sound only someone with supernatural hearing could pick up. Veering off the shabby dirt road onto a patch of grass, which broadened into a small housing section, Alexander weaved between a couple of buildings before pausing once again.

  The vampire didn't respond to her apology. What could he possibly say? The earlier thunder returned, a clear sign that rain was imminent. As they ventured further into the housing district of the old traveler's town, the rumbling grew louder, revealing a train approaching. It was clear that they would soon encounter the tracks.

  With the houses behind them, Alexander stood in an open field. The grass crunched underfoot, the brown blades a testament to the lack of rain. Overgrowth of weeds showed how neglected the outskirts were, some even encroaching on the tracks. The rain began to fall, a welcome relief for the parched land of Louisiana.

  The rain picked up, falling in steady, rhythmic patterns. Drops landed on Alexander, slowly drenching his hair, matting it to the sides of his face and trailing down his shoulders. It wasn’t the first time he’d been caught in the rain, and he too hated being wet.

  The train roared closer, its front light growing brighter at a rapid pace. "Come on," Alexander hissed, turning to Legacy before quickly shifting his attention back to the approaching train. He had been in this town for only a few months but long enough to know that this poor country city was planted alongside a frequently used freight train track.

  As the first few train cars came into view, Alexander spoke, "Let's go, you'll have to jump." His dark crimson gaze locked on her, the cars now passing behind him, causing wet strands of raven hair to blow wildly. With that, he leaped backward, grasping a railcar handle and flipping himself atop the train car. As a vampire, this was easy for him. He had been jumping rail cars since his days as a young human hunter in Russia.

  Standing upright, Alexander began to move backward, jumping from car to car, closing the distance between himself and Legacy. He didn’t expect her to reach the top of the train as he had. The most common practice for hitching a ride on a cargo train was to jump into an open car. As the train roared on, he watched, waiting to see if she would make it.
• 

  Legion July 30, 2024 at 12:42am

  At the comment about his eyes, Legion simply tilted his head in thought, peering down at the witch. “They don’t exactly.” He admitted. They were… similar to Emily’s, of course, blackness and emptiness, but they looked… worse. It was true he hid them because of humans for the most part; they were the most frightened. But in general, they tended to disturb many different kinds of creatures, and it was easier to keep the sunglasses on when he wasn’t at home or somewhere he knew other beings – specifically humans – wouldn’t see him.

  “I tend to only take them off when I’m home, or performing. It’s just easier that way. Even if they don’t bother you–” He had a feeling they would, anyway. “–they would likely bother someone, and especially now when what you want is answers, is not the best time to go around frightening humans with my appearance.” Humans were strangely delicate creatures. Not all of them, of course, but many were, and Legion decided that it would just be easiest if they didn’t have to deal with humans having a fit over what he looked like before they even got a chance to talk with them, barring they had to.

  When the conversation turned back to Legacy, though, Legion decided to drop the subject and instead listened to her talk with a soft smile gracing his features. “I love chickens.” Legion said easily, nodding as if empathetic. “They make quite good pets, I’d say. They can be very kind. And of course, free eggs are a plus. I’ve always been a fan of cats myself.” He knew she was one, or had been one, but evidently had no qualms with saying so. He was pretty catlike himself, despite not technically being one. “My sisters, though, they make it difficult to have a pet.” He had always been a good caretaker, but he had decided a while ago that pets were something he couldn’t have reasonably and make sure they were happy. Well, no. He would dedicate his entire life to taking care of them. But there was still some difficulty there for him. It was… complicated.

  “I do believe medicinal herbs are useful.” Legion agreed easily. “For many things. Especially mild ailments like colds and sore throats. Sometimes more severe things that are magical in nature, like curses or attacks from ghosts. It all just depends.” On the user, on the creature it was being used on, on the severity of the illness. Legion so rarely took medicine that he couldn’t even remember the last time he had. He had a pretty killer healing factor on his own.

  As Legacy stated her readiness, Legion rested a hand on her shoulder to lead her forward, allowing the two of them to teleport in the same way they had done just the day earlier. As they approached the gleaming white house, Legion gazed over it in interest, despite his hidden gaze the witch could tell he felt a modicum of concern. Even before she had bothered knocking on the door, the demon could only rest a hand on her shoulder.

  “Something isn’t right.” He warned her, but allowed her to do as she wished anyway. That seemed to be his way of things, letting her do as she wished despite knowing better. When the door finally swung open to reveal such an interesting interior, Legion only frowned further. Why have such nice furniture but not bother building a bigger house? Why own all the land and do nothing with it? Although he could sense the other being in the house, he had to admit he didn’t know who they were. He did know, though, that there was magic in the air, a glamour that hid forms. Once again, his fingers brushed over Legacy’s shoulder, a silent warning to be careful, before Legion was finally clasping his hands behind his back and following behind her in silence.

  The form he was expecting to see was not a boy, he had to admit. A young thing with golden hair and soft skin. He could see a shimmering outline around him that made him look… wrong, but Legion couldn’t exactly place his finger on what form was hidden beneath that. As he found himself behind the angry cat and laughing creature, his head tilted slightly, perhaps hearing something no others could hear. The door slamming shut made Legion scoff in a way that wasn’t exactly dismissive, but was certainly unhappy. Like most creatures, he was not a fan of cages. They made him antsy and angry.

  The fireball was new. Though he supposed there had been no reason for Legacy to use her magic up until now. What he saw was something not quite controlled, but powerful. Considering she used to be a cat, it was fascinating how much power she held inside of her. She was certainly someone that, with effort and training, could wield it well. Legion was not the one to teach her how to do that, but he knew many people who could.

  “Friend of yours?” Legion asked. There was a strange deepness to his voice now, one that wasn’t there before. It seemed his tone shifted. It could shift more, too, though that hardly seemed necessary. At the moment, anyway. “I don’t make a particularly good meal.” Legion added, just in case the jab was directed at him. As if on instinct, Legion moved slightly to be in front of the witch. He didn’t seem worried. He wasn’t even tense. But he didn’t like the direction that this was heading, and ‘deadly foe’ was much more of a threat to Legacy than it would ever be to Legion.

  He also wouldn’t say that he was masquerading as anything, except that he had many forms he could take and this was the one he used most often. “Speaking in riddles becomes tiresome quickly.” He pointed out dully, and then added, because she had already made a similar threat, “Don’t make me eat you. I really doubt you’d taste good.” But it had been a while since he had eaten, now hadn’t it, and he was certainly going to need a next meal before long. It wasn’t something he wanted Legacy to see, and typically he ate humans over other creatures, but… well, beggars couldn’t be choosers, and he was picky about who he ate. “What happened to the resident of this home?” He glanced around, then, frowning slightly. “Or have you put a portal on the front door that leads somewhere else?” It was only a guess, and he wasn’t sure he was right, but it could happen. It had happened before.
• 

  Legion July 28, 2024 at 11:21pm

  Well, it was not any story Legion felt like telling, that was for sure. And it was certainly not a story the witch herself would want to hear. It would be better to stay that way unless absolutely necessary anyway. He felt no need to dump trauma on this mortal he barely knew. She had enough problems going on in her life, and frankly, he did too despite his own quiet nature about his life and what went on in it.

  Legion was quick to follow behind the witch as she stood, and he went with her, clasping his hands behind his back. This was likely the most productive they could have been today, and that had to feel good to Legacy. It felt good to Legion, too. Even if this wasn’t his fight or his adventure, he was still sucked into it regardless, and he seemed to be fine with that. Hadn’t  complained at all about coming despite the fact that it clearly took up almost all of his time. He found it interesting, at the very least.

  Legion didn’t mind taking the witch away, and he dropped her off at the hotel as requested, gave her a polite little bow. And he turned on heel, took only a couple of steps, and disappeared into what was essentially black smoke. The witch was right. Legion would much rather have spent his time in his own home than a hotel. He didn’t need to sleep, but he liked it. The more comfortable, the better. And he truly was exhausted. Not just because of Emily, but because he was technically nocturnal, and he had been spending an abundance of time out during the day. He could never understand diurnal beings and now they made it through life in the sun, the day time. He had also grown used to the isolation it caused, which meant even people themselves were quite exhausting. And that was coming from a demon who typically liked people.

  Which reminded him that he was going to have to eat soon. What was one more day? He could hold off for just a little while longer. Another day or two. His energy was drained, but some of that could be replenished by sleep. Food was just such a hassle to have to get that it almost made eating not really worth the effort. Except that it made him feel horrible.

  And despite Legacy’s own search, Legion did not do any of it. When he got home, he crashed, finding himself asleep once again. At least the energy it took to free Emily would mostly be replenished during sleep. Anything else would come back to him, albeit slowly, eventually. And Legion, unlike Legacy, slept for hours. He fell asleep before the sun even rose, and he slept well into the evening, until it was dark. It was much easier for him that way. Being nocturnal could have its perks, but unfortunately the drawbacks were not few and far between either.

  And when he did wake, the demon did with a pounding headache, with several texts and missed calls from a friend – or his manager, more like it. He was groggy and still tired, though better. He kept Legacy waiting while he showered, while he changed into a black and white striped shirt, a leather jacket, and another clean pair of black jeans, along with the books he seemed to always be wearing.

  He even took his time returning to the town, instead opting to grab coffee from a shop. It was a rainy evening in London, although Legion couldn’t complain about that too much. He thought the rain was beautiful and the way it made the light of street lamps glisten on the pavement felt like a painting.

  He did finally return to the hotel, knowing Legacy was waiting for him, and when she jumped right into the details, he blinked behind his sunglasses, evidently taken aback.

  For a moment, he turned his face away from her to take off the sunglasses he wore, shielding the appearance of his face while he cleaned off stray water droplets. He had appeared the same way he had disappeared: plumes of black smoke. At least teleporting didn’t seem to take any energy from him. He only turned back to the witch after he had placed the sunglasses back on his face, and he regarded her with a tilt of his head and a bit of interest.

  “Medicine is related to magic, in its own way.” Legion said somewhat nonchalantly, and slowly began to nod. “Interesting that he would fall into such a profession. Also, houses on hills are almost always haunted.” That was just a general rule, Legion was sure. Especially large mansions. Even the most modern ones had an aura about them that he wasn’t particularly fond of. It was probably why he chose not to live in one, despite his wealth.

  “All we can do is find his home and see, right? Whether he’s dead or alive, whether he had any children? If we keep looking we’re bound to come up with something. Exeter is not the largest city in the world, although it’s not village sized either. If you know where he used to work or where he went to school, perhaps it would be worth it to ask around about him. Or neighbors, providing you have his address. You already know his name.”