Helstrom (demonwithin) wrote in afternightfalls, @ 2019-03-05 14:15:00 |
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Black salt encircled a stone entrance into a graveyard. Ancient symbols and words in a language long since dead shined with a glassy light as their shapes became etched into the ground. Sulfur burned at the edges, making the space feel like home, and stopping the wind in its tracks leaving everything else moving in the cemetery. “She would never…” Malachi sighed, cutting his sentence off as the demon interrupted his retort. “I know. I understand that, but a Hellhound? Harper is an accepting and gifted child, but this is not a typical assignment for that kind.” The argument had to be made. Malachi knew Moloch would not put Harper in danger and the whole purpose of the summoning came from the desire to protect her. The warlock merely thought the Hellhound would find any way it could to make them pay for summoning it for this purpose. Hazel eyes shifted into darker, the pupils dilating as Moloch took over. He could use Malachi’s magic without him being in control- well as much as he needed for this occurrence. “She owes me her life. And no other magic will be stronger than the use of her true name in the summoning.” Moloch did not need to speak out loud to speak to Malachi. When Moloch was in control Malachi rarely knew what was going on, he cradled the soul of his devoted host and held him in a floating slumber to not have to experience anything he did not wish for him to experience. Tonight Moloch would allow Malachi to be there, watching, as it was the combination of their powers that made the Hellhound stay. Finally lighting a flame with the flick of his fingers, a spark jumped off the single red and black candle and sent a wave of flame skating around the inside of the circle until the emblem of the Hellhound’s true name burnt the ground and glowed red. “Come, I summon you, Lilin. Stand astride the way between worlds and tend to my wishes.” He pulled at the invisible chains to drag her to their summon circle if she tried to resist. --- The summoning was simple, but effective. More complex, flowery rites had failed in the past, no matter the power of the creature leading them. Hellhounds, such as they were, were difficult to catch in the first place, more difficult still to hold onto. That's what came as a consequence of their natures: they were made to slip between the worlds, collecting on the debts of other Infernals, snatching life in bloody jaws and then dragging souls back across the Veil. They weren't made to be bound. But Moloch's tactic was foolproof. Her true name, the single chain that could bind her, dragged her into the circle as surely as any leash could drag a mortal hound. The beast that came was huge and sleek, like an oilslick in the shadows, with eyes that blazed like hellfire. There was a sharp snarl, a single piercing howl -- a sound never meant for the ears of the living, one that could drive a mortal mad. And then raised hackles, bared teeth that put large, wild cats to shame, and a low growl that rumbled through her chest dangerously. At her feet, Lilin's true name blazed, keeping her bound in the circle. After a moment, the Hound huffed a deep breath and shook, her canine form melting away. The scent that filled her senses was familiar, if not welcome. The woman that took its place rose from a crouch, watching the warlock with narrowed eyes. “There are better ways to ask for my services, Moloch,” she ground out, her voice still husky with a growl. “Easier ways to name your victim than dragging me here.” --- The demonic howl, a mix of insanity on the human eardrums and a sweet, dripping song to the demonic mind rendered no reaction from the warlock outside of the summoning circle. Moloch could have done a great many things to pull the hounds from their shadows, but a human meal would have meant a different task. As a demon of human sacrifices and children, Moloch had many instances of working with Hellhounds. Many owed him, many more hated him for the contracts he held over them. To Moloch they were beasts of burden who fooled others with the humanoid form they could take. Moloch could feel Malachi's curiosity and interest of the feminine shape before them. A blip of lighter hazel crossed the shadowed eyes as Malachi peered through the shared form. “I have a very different task for you, beast.” The demon answered. “This warlock has a child of ours and we have decided she is in need of a full time protector.” Moloch pushed Malachi off into the slumber he usually was kept in while Moloch had complete control. “My child, my host, has duties to me but with the whispers of his insistent sister he has doubts of the girl's safety in this city. His sister will need to be watched as well, but she is a secondary to Malachi's household and child.” --- Even in her human form, Lilin's growl was an impressive thing, a sound that would make wolves hesitate to tangle with her. Not that her sulfur-and-blood scent wouldn't see them turning tail, but… “Your manners still leave something to be desired,” the words were half-snarled as she turned away, prowling the edge of the circle slowly, testing for weakness. She may have owed the demon a debt, but she had no intention of serving a sloppy master. “And so? I'm not the nanny type,” she rebuffed, smirking over her shoulder. “And children make poor meals. Give me a better task, Moloch. This one is beneath both of us.” For just a moment, the scent of the demon's host intrigued her, but it was buried too quickly to enjoy. Lilin wrinkled her nose as she turned back, hands on her hips, expression impassive. --- The magic of the summon grasped tight around the circle as it did the energy-formed chain that slowly, barely noticeable, wrapped itself around the hellhound. Power woven from the warlock's magic as well as the demon's gave a unique signature, especially linked to the graveyard and the Hellhound. With a short, dark, and low laugh, Moloch shrugged. “Fortunately, it is not your decision. This is your task until I release you.” Striding forward, he leaned close, but not over the circle line. “These children,” he began, referencing Mal along with his sister and daughter, “are sacred to me, were given to me by this one's mother, therefore are not food. Anyone who might threaten them even barely can be disposed of however you wish. Nanny is now your job.” --- The chain might have been subtle, but there was no mistaking it, at least not for the Hellhound. There weren't many leashes that could hope to hold a shadowhound, but the blaze of her True Name in the circle and the debt that she owed woven into the magic were more than enough to do so. Until he released her, Lilin knew that she was trapped, beholden to do the demon's bidding. Even if that bidding was, of all things, babysitting. “Fine,” the Hound growled again, bristling but not in any position to do anything about her annoyance. “Until my debt is paid, I will do as you command. I will not eat your chosen humans, and I won't allow anyone else to eat them, either. Release me, Moloch. The circle chafes.” --- A grin spread over the face stolen by the demon. He did not have to have her agree to the terms, she had no choice, of course. A bored hellhound could be a dangerous creature, but that merely meant that there would be no trouble - that he cared about- around the small family. Moloch left death and destruction in his path if he did not get what he wanted anyhow, the hellhound would make a good cleaning crew for those moments. The gleam of the demon in the host eyes disappeared back into his place, just behind the shoulder with his claws ever dug into Malachi’s shoulder. Psychics tended to steer clear of Necromancers and those with death magic as it were, but those with the sight could see the demon in his natural spirit form and wanted nothing to do with Malachi. The warlock retook control, his job being the ending of the summoning circle. A small intake of breath came with the switch from one soul to another. His hazel eyes less knowing than that of the demon, but still had a dark power to them. Raising his hands, he muttered a line that Moloch had taught him in a language he did not know before continuing the closing of the circle and final binding in latin. “I’m Malachi,” he introduced himself, holding out his hand, as the circle dimmed. “I didn’t think we needed someone else, and I only have a two bedroom apartment, so you’re going to have to sleep on the couch while I figure something out.” No fear came off of Malachi in the presence of something that would have scared a normal human, but an odd sort of embarrassment that he was even there. --- Watching the transition between the demon’s control and the witch’s was interesting, and Lilin paid close attention, noting the details. The changes in the eyes, the mannerisms. Moloch had always been a bit of an ass, even as far as demons went, at least in her opinion. But the body that he was inhabiting seemed to belong originally to a semi-decent person, if she had only that brief interaction to judge by. He was polite enough, and had the good grace to seem a bit embarrassed by their circumstances. And he had released her from the circle, which put him automatically in her good graces. Lilin took a step forward, accepting his offered hand. She could count on one hand the number of mortal creatures that had lived long enough in her immediate presence to offer such a greeting, and have plenty of fingers left over if she was only counting the number of mortal creatures that had actually made it to completing the action. “Don’t good human hosts offer their beds?” Her inquiry was more than a little teasing, something in her tone making the comment sound terribly suggestive. Her smile, sharp at the edges, did nothing to help that. “I believe you know my name… although of course I would prefer that you not go shouting that from the rooftops. Moloch is plenty of trouble all by himself. I will choose a name for my stay here,” she shrugged. “And I don’t mind couches. Make sure the demon isn’t low-balling you, though. Every one I’ve ever met has a very healthy stash of human currency. Consider his securing you good accommodations his rent payment for the use of your skin.” --- She might have took off his hand in that moment had she wished, but Malachi would not have flinched. His tall stature ever composed with a macabre, yet teasing aura. A smirked at her remark, a small crinkle in his nose from his own amusement. “You'd have to buy me dinner first,” he teased back. The breeze rustled the grass around them as the magic died down. “While it is tempting to use your true name in casual conversation, Moloch raised me with better etiquette than that.” Gesturing for her to follow him, he started toward his car. Rain began to drizzle, washing away the black salt circle as if it had never been there. “Ours is a different situation. We are the same person. He had been with me since my birth and taught me my true talents, that only my sister accepts. We just try not to live above my means because there's enough to deal with with humans.” --- Point in fact, she could have done no such thing, even if it had been her wish. Infernal creatures were, by nature, tricky beings with a penchant for getting their own ways… but the debt was not a contract to be wiggled out of. If she were to try, she had little doubt that Moloch would take great pleasure in destroying her. Not that it mattered. The assignment that the demon had given her was mundane, but there were much worse things. And mortals only lived so long. “Fair enough,” she shrugged, falling into step blithely. The rain didn't bother her. In fact, it was a refreshing change from the Dark Realm's oppressive heat. “Perhaps you should find an old woman to marry. Tell everyone she's fabulously wealthy. Then kill her. Humans believe sillier things.” --- “While tempting, Annabelle would probably frown on that. And I wouldn’t want to confuse Harper by marrying someone.” He laughed at the idea. They could get another apartment, but it would take a moment to introduce the Hellhound into his life and figure out how much space was viable. “Plus, elderly women are not exactly on our radar for victims. Too brittle,” he teased as he opened the car door for her. It would not take very long to get to his apartment. The distance had been walkable from the Old Jewish Cemetery, but they had looked at other cemeteries before picking the one so close to home. After he parked, Mal opened the exterior door to the loft, allowing the Hellhound to enter and look around where she wanted. “Harper is not home tonight, so you may use her bed if you want.” --- “Harper,” Lilin turned the name over on her tongue as she settled into the exposed car seat. “And Annabelle. Which is which?” She supposed she would have to look after them both for a while, as well as the possessed warlock. He, at least, was easy on the eyes. By the time they reached the apartment, Lilin had a decent appraisal of the people she was now bound to. She had begun to mull over names, as well, thinking back on her explorations of the human realm over the years. She had interacted with many humans, albeit most of them in such an unpleasant way, but… not all of them. A few she had known simply because they had the Sight, because they could discern her even if she was only present to collect a damned spirit. The Hellhound breathed deeply when she stepped inside the loft, taking in the space’s smells all at once, her eyes closing as she sorted through them. The necromancer and the sulfur-rich smell of Moloch. The clean, sweet smell of the little girl. A feminine smell, presumably the sister. Other scents, lighter, perhaps visitors or cleaning people. “Where is she? The little girl. Harper. If she isn’t here, where has she gone?” --- “She is at my sister’s next door. There are nights that I work late or we have other things to attend to, so Annabelle takes her. And then some nights she just prefers to stay with her. She’ll get more knowledge about her magic from Annabelle than me. Unless she starts raising the dead, then we will take over from there.” He chuckled, as if it all were a dark joke between the demon and the warlock. Harper was a special child, with an acceptance of the dark things in life as if they were all fluffy baby animals. Her innocence was not exactly tainted from the demonic or darkness of her father, but expanded upon. She was being raised to understand that the world was not black and white. None of the witches in the covens had the depth of understanding of that than Harper and the small gathering of the Byron family knew. “Would you like anything? I have fresh meat, alcohol… water?” --- Next door, that was close enough. Lilin might not have been thrilled right to death about playing babysitter, but she had no intention of doing a poor job of it. After all, she still had a reputation to maintain, and Moloch complaining about a lack of professionalism would do nothing for it. “Water would be nice,” the Hellhound accepted, continuing her exploring prowl through the apartment. She could pick up the pools of scent where the members of the household lingered - the space under the table, presumably where Harper played, the chair that Mal had most likely claimed for himself. “I'll hunt for myself this evening… if that's alright?” --- “That’ll be fine. I’m sure you understand the consequences of leaving a trail.” While the words sounded like something Moloch would have said, it had been of Malachi’s own accord that he said them. The warlock had been brought up with the demon influence enough to be able to give subtle warnings. As more human and curious Malachi was, especially with his sister in his ear, he still had a very specific way to his life that integrated the deaths that came with the demon’s needs. Malachi retrieved a bottle of water for the hellhound, Moloch whispering in his ear that he should get a dog bowl to make it more fitting; the demonic speech likely still audible to the Hellhound’s ears. Moloch had no care for niceties towards help. “Is there anything else you need to know?” Malachi relaxed back into the couch, his leg crossing over his thigh and long arms resting along the back. --- “Don't worry. There won't be enough left for a trail,” Lilin shrugged. Besides, she would only need to consume human flesh for a day or two before the drain from the summoning wore off. Afterward, the occasional pick-me-up would suffice. When Mal approached with the water, the Hellhound accepted it with a low, warning growl. For a normal human, the sound would have induced a deep sense of fear. For Mal (and thus Moloch) she expected it only to convey her irritation. “If I'm treated like a dog, I'm going to be a lot less amiable about this whole thing. You brought me here. If you'd like someone else, feel free to end our arrangement.” Lilin perched on the arm of a chair, sipping at her water. “If I'm staying, I will need some things. Identifying documents. Clothing.” Another little shrug. “I can take a name; there are a few humans who I've found tolerable in the past. One disappeared somewhat recently in Paris. No family to speak of. It might be easier to step into her space.” --- “That would be a waste of a good contract,” Moloch took over momentarily to impose his bemusement. Irritating a hellhound could be a fun pastime and there were so few demons to interact with that having a pet dog around would have to be how he made due. The demon passed back into his shadow, hazel eyes brightening in his absence. “Just give me the name and any information you know of, refitting her identity to you should be easy.” Pulling a pen and paper from his side table, Mal scribbled notes of the things he need to get for her. As far as anyone would be aware, the human identity would be that of an au pair for the Byrons. It gave her freedom from too many questions if his co-workers should be around. “Clothes? You mean you can't just run around naked? Hmm, I should have made a better deal,” Mal teased with a wink. “You'll find there's some yoga pants and shirts for you in Harper's closet, but we weren't sure the size shape you would take so it was a guess.” --- “It would be a shame to have to tear up the furniture,” Lilin replied to Moloch. Acting like a dog would be a petty response to his bad manners, but she wasn't above such things. Once Mal's eyes had changed, though, she let it go. The necromancer seemed personable enough. His flirting made her lips twitch with amusement. “Oh, there's still time to negotiate some nudity,” she teased back. “But I wouldn't want to frighten the little one. As for the human, her name was Máire Renault. I believe she worked for a department store in Paris. Very unhappy with her life.” No one would question that she had run away to Chase something better. And for what it was worth, Lilin had made sure that her killer died a particularly painful death. As if trying to weasel out of his deal wasn't bad enough, he had killed a number of human girls. Lilin didn't have any particular fondness for humans in general, but the innocents weren't so bad. “What are you telling the little one about me?” --- “She's smart. She's been told the truth. We don't keep information from her, since she has to learn somehow. Harper is beyond her years and really accepts every creature as something worthy of love and compassion.” Mal smiled to himself. She would be the type to hold a hellhound puppy in her arms like it was a normal dog while placing a sparkly collar on its neck. At the same time speaking to it as if it were just another one of her friends. “My sister will also know about you as soon as I see her. We generally ask for forgiveness rather than permission when it comes to what she is told before summonings and blood magic happens.” Most demons would have rid the world of a sibling, had she not been his twin. The connection there was a strong one, kept Malachi collected, and if it was necessary Moloch secretly had a back up plan of using her as a host should this own become unusable- not that it would be an easy task to take out his host given the benefits the demon added to the body. “Your cover for all others is that you are our Au Pair. So I guess it fits that you are taking Maire's life. Any seer who has a problem can be dealt with. And if the little one isn’t here, feel free to be nude… the female human form is a beautiful one and shouldn’t be hid.” Malachi enjoyed a little flirtation, even if it was with a Hellhound. He tried to keep him conversation light, even if his reality was darker than most. The growls and sounds of a demon had no affect on him and he could watch a body be ripped into a million pieces along with its soul and he would not flinch, but he came off as a fun-loving nerd. --- “An au pair, running away from Paris to play nanny to a wealthy family. How quaint.” Although her tone might have been a little bored, Lilin -- no, Máire -- was pleased enough. She would not have to hide her nature from her charges, or worry about what they might see or hear. “Staying clear of seers shouldn't be too difficult. And if it proves to be, there are spells to obscure. Blood rites don't seem to make you queasy.” Standing from her perch, Máire banished the clothing that she had pulled together when she was summoned, nothing but a tiny flicker of magic pretending to be fabric. She had no sense of shame, none of the insecurities that plagued human women. No, she knew that her chosen form was beautiful, that she could be as enticing as any succubus if she applied herself to it. A couple of steps and she could lean over Mal invitingly, her hands on his shoulders. She didn't slink into his lap -- not yet, at least. Better to be invited, to see where she would stand with the necromancer. “One of the delightful things about your particular breed of warlock,” the demon purred, her bored tone dismissed for one more enticing. “You're not afraid when magic gets a little messy…” --- Wealthy did not describe his family so much as comfortable. Money went a lot farther in Europe than in America, though, making it easier to have a relatively luxurious apartment- even it was one room short for the amount of people. “My magic wouldn't be very useful if blood rites made me uneasy.” A hand snapped up to Maire's throat, holding her away. “As amusing as watching you two flirt is, we do not have time for this, hound. You are here to work not distract my child from his own.” Moloch pushed her off to the side of couch. Fire danced on the tips of his fingers running down her leg. “If the child is not around and you are unneeded in that manner, you may wander at your leisure, cause trouble if you want, but remember I’m always watching.” --- Máire’s growl was low and warning, the hellish sound and sudden black cast to her eyes at odds with her human form's pretty face. It ended only when she had been pushed aside, when the necromancer’s hand was gone from her throat. The oath she was bound to kept her from retaliating -- to hurt the demon would be to hurt her warlock charge -- but the urge was still there. For a moment, her flesh seemed to ripple with intense heat, to shiver with the impulse to change shape and bare her teeth. But she collected herself, sliding smoothly to her feet instead. “I've never known such a foolishly jealous demon,” she offered, turning to leave the room. It seemed an appropriate time to hunt for the provided clothing, and then perhaps to go shopping. After all, the little one wasn't home, and she hadn't explored Prague in many years. “You live in his skin, Moloch. He can't really leave you out.” --- |