adam young, the sweetest of antichrists. (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} slouches) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} dunwichgame,@ 2023-03-26 20:11:00 |
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| Entry tags: | !log/thread/narrative, ∙ plot: 002 the hedge maze, ◌ inactive: adam young, ◌ inactive: diana bishop |
DIANA BISHOP
ADAM YOUNG
WHO Diana Bishop and Adam Young (feat. Corra the firedrake) •
WHERE Diana's hospital room •
WHEN Wednesday, 22nd March
I was just- while I'm here and can't move much, would you mind keeping an eye on Corra? Please?
Do you- am I right in sensing that you have powers?WARNINGS None!
Drip. Drip. Drip. There was a leak in the faucet of her room, and Diana sighed, staring up at the ceiling tiles. There was a crack in the corner of one, and she was pretty sure one of the fluorescent bulbs was about to go out, because the buzzing was starting to go intermittent and she could hear it flickering. Jake was supposed to stop by later after his support group meeting, but that was hours away, and she didn't even have a crappy tv to watch in here. Whatever drugs they'd put her on had knocked her out pretty well, and she awoke with her ankle and ribs wrapped, and informed that she'd had a pretty nasty cut and blow to her head, along with several scrapes and bruises. Something had gotten her pretty good in the side, which accounted for the IV she'd had earlier.
It still hurt to look at her phone for too long, but she'd wanted to at least find out what had happened, and to check in on Jake- she was glad to hear that he'd made it out alright. Adam offering to bring food and a book was good, and Corra- now that she'd rested, wasn't really up for just hanging around. Diana had remembered sensing that Adam had some kind of..power or something, but she couldn't quite place what it was. But Corra had met him, and maybe he'd be willing to help keep an eye on her until Diana could leave.
But that leak was getting annoying. She was just about to sit up, thinking of maybe trying to do something about it when footsteps approached. Pushing herself up, she brightened with a smile. "Hey, Adam!"
There was a tiredness to Adam that day, the result of losing a sip of his life-energy to a psychic vampire. Still, the smile he had for Diana was genuine. “‘lo,” he said, drawing a chair up to sit down at the side of her bed. He pulled his backpack into his lap, and took out first a slim, colorful book. “Thought this one seemed alright,” he said as he handed it over. “It’s about this lady who’s an adventurer. And there’s a crocodile on the cover.” This, as far as Adam was concerned, was a clear point in its favour.
"You're the best," Diana replied, smiling in return. She accepted the book with a slight wince as she shifted her weight- her ribs were aching and she supposed she really should be leaning back against those pillows. Sighing, she leaned back up against the headboard. "Thank you."
She tilted her head, noticing his tired smile. "How are you holding up? I know you're upright, but I'm sure you've got to be as tired as the rest of us."
Adam shrugged. It had been a fairly big night for him, but he had a tendency to measure everything against Armageddon. Few things were as bad as losing it with the Them. “I’m alright,” he said, and was quiet for long enough to notice the drip drip drip and the faint sound of buzzing. He tweaked reality, and both were fixed. “Left my dog back at Pickman, so he could help look after folks.” Speaking of Dog reminded him of Corra, and he looked for the firedrake with interest. “Your Corra alright?”
"I'm glad." Diana fell quiet as he did, blinking when the buzz and the drips went silent. Well. That had seemed to confirm that. She still didn't know what type of creature he was, but that at least confirmed that he had the ability to do some sort of..magic. Or something. "Thank you. And that was good of you- I'm sure they're all in good hands. Or paws, so to speak."
She nodded, as he mentioned Corra, and she could feel her familiar stirring. "She's- well, she was exhausted, but I think she's starting to get a little restless. At least with these surroundings. I don't blame her." Diana glanced at the door and with a careful breath and a wave of her good hand, closed it, adding a ward so they wouldn't be overheard. "Do you- am I right in sensing that you have powers?"
Adam had been thinking of suggesting they go outside, but at the question he straightened up. He hadn’t overtly shown off any of his powers around Diana, so this was interesting. “Yeah, that’s right,” he said, not bothering to disguise the curiosity he felt. “How’d you know?” Sight pause, as he weighted up the possibility she might ask for something he wouldn’t give. Seemed unlikely. “D’you need something?”
"I can.. Sense other creatures. Witches feel.. Probing. Vampires feel like ice. Daemons feel like lips pressed to my skin, almost like a kiss? And yours.. I can't tell what it is, but I can sense that you have some sort of powers. I won't pry or ask what those powers are. I was just- while I'm here and can't move much, would you mind keeping an eye on Corra? Please? You wouldn't need to do anything, really, I mostly just want her to have more familiar surroundings - I can give you the key to my apartment and she can rest there, fly around a bit. She's met you, and I'm not sure whether Jake would feel comfortable alone with her." Diana worried her lower lip for a moment. "I'd owe you, certainly, and I'm willing to negotiate what that might look like."
For a sharp, singular moment, Adam felt like he was eleven years old again, sitting in Anathema’s kitchen, staring at her with awe as she told him about auras. Anathama hadn’t been able to tell him what colour his aura was at the time; later they’d figured out it was because his aura spanned all of the United Kingdom. He wondered if maybe it was for a similar reason that Diana couldn’t define what he felt like to her, or if she could tell, but it was something awful and she didn’t want to offend him. He clocked back into the conversation in time to realise that Diana was asking him to actually look after her firedrake. “What would you owe me for?” Adam asked, affronted - though if it was on his own behalf or hers or even Corra’s, he wasn’t quite sure. “I’d be honoured to look after her for you.”
He paused, suddenly aware that Corra hadn’t met Dog. There was no real way to ask how Corra felt about hellhounds without going into the whole anti-christ thing, but he could always keep them separate, just in case. Yeah, that’d be alright. He nodded, decided. “Yeah, course I’ll look after her for you.”
"Are you sure?" The question slipped out before Diana had a chance to reel it back in, cheeks flushing at the look on Adam's face. She thought for a moment she might have offended him somehow- whether by sensing his powers or by asking for his help, which she hadn't meant to do at all, but then he'd agreed, and she relaxed, not realizing that she had been holding her breath. "I- thank you. And don't worry about Dog- she shouldn't bother him as long as he doesn't go barking after her. I just..know she'll be more comfortable somewhere that isn't here, and I'll be back there as soon as they let me go."
“I’m sure,” Adam said, injecting his voice with the kind of assurance he had to draw on from time to time, when one country or another needed the confidence boost. “It’s no trouble at all.” Slight pause, and his tone was relaxed and easy again. “You hungry?”
"Starving, to be honest with you," Diana admitted, closing her eyes for a moment to let Corra free. The firedrake rose up from behind her, circling the air around them before moving to settle at the foot of the bed. "I really appreciate you stopping by- and bringing food. I'll make you dinner sometimes when I'm on my feet again. I can at least do that."
Of course Adam wanted to watch the firedrake emerge from Diana, but it seemed like it might be on the personal side, so he averted his eyes. Just in case. It worked out, anyway; he needed to get the dish out of his backpack. “Dinner’d be nice,” Adam said, because even though he had a crock and dish that would give him whatever he wanted, it was still an opportunity to find out things he didn’t even know he wanted.
“Here you go,” he said, putting the dish down on Diana’s lap, the top still on it. “Don’t know what’s in there - it’s magic like that, but I’ve got some cutlery in case you need it.” That done, he held a hand out for Corra to inspect, smiling just a little.
"A magic dish?" Diana brightened with a smile, rather looking like a child at Christmas, excited to see a new little piece of magic. Corra, for her part, lifted her head to sniff at Adam's hand and then nudged it lightly in approval, scooting just closer before curling up and relaxing.
"I don't even know what I want most." Lifting the lid, she laughed to find her favorite pizza inside, complete with pepperoni and mushrooms. "Oh, I hadn't made it to the pizza place here yet. This smells just like home."
Picking the plate up, she held it toward Adam in offering. "Want some?"
Adam grinned down at Corra, and gave her a light scritch behind the ear. “Yeah, alright,” he said, and pulled a slice out of the dish. He thought about asking her what he needed to know to look after Corra, but decided that could wait until after she’d eaten. She had said she was starving. Later.
It still hurt to look at her phone for too long, but she'd wanted to at least find out what had happened, and to check in on Jake- she was glad to hear that he'd made it out alright. Adam offering to bring food and a book was good, and Corra- now that she'd rested, wasn't really up for just hanging around. Diana had remembered sensing that Adam had some kind of..power or something, but she couldn't quite place what it was. But Corra had met him, and maybe he'd be willing to help keep an eye on her until Diana could leave.
But that leak was getting annoying. She was just about to sit up, thinking of maybe trying to do something about it when footsteps approached. Pushing herself up, she brightened with a smile. "Hey, Adam!"
There was a tiredness to Adam that day, the result of losing a sip of his life-energy to a psychic vampire. Still, the smile he had for Diana was genuine. “‘lo,” he said, drawing a chair up to sit down at the side of her bed. He pulled his backpack into his lap, and took out first a slim, colorful book. “Thought this one seemed alright,” he said as he handed it over. “It’s about this lady who’s an adventurer. And there’s a crocodile on the cover.” This, as far as Adam was concerned, was a clear point in its favour.
"You're the best," Diana replied, smiling in return. She accepted the book with a slight wince as she shifted her weight- her ribs were aching and she supposed she really should be leaning back against those pillows. Sighing, she leaned back up against the headboard. "Thank you."
She tilted her head, noticing his tired smile. "How are you holding up? I know you're upright, but I'm sure you've got to be as tired as the rest of us."
Adam shrugged. It had been a fairly big night for him, but he had a tendency to measure everything against Armageddon. Few things were as bad as losing it with the Them. “I’m alright,” he said, and was quiet for long enough to notice the drip drip drip and the faint sound of buzzing. He tweaked reality, and both were fixed. “Left my dog back at Pickman, so he could help look after folks.” Speaking of Dog reminded him of Corra, and he looked for the firedrake with interest. “Your Corra alright?”
"I'm glad." Diana fell quiet as he did, blinking when the buzz and the drips went silent. Well. That had seemed to confirm that. She still didn't know what type of creature he was, but that at least confirmed that he had the ability to do some sort of..magic. Or something. "Thank you. And that was good of you- I'm sure they're all in good hands. Or paws, so to speak."
She nodded, as he mentioned Corra, and she could feel her familiar stirring. "She's- well, she was exhausted, but I think she's starting to get a little restless. At least with these surroundings. I don't blame her." Diana glanced at the door and with a careful breath and a wave of her good hand, closed it, adding a ward so they wouldn't be overheard. "Do you- am I right in sensing that you have powers?"
Adam had been thinking of suggesting they go outside, but at the question he straightened up. He hadn’t overtly shown off any of his powers around Diana, so this was interesting. “Yeah, that’s right,” he said, not bothering to disguise the curiosity he felt. “How’d you know?” Sight pause, as he weighted up the possibility she might ask for something he wouldn’t give. Seemed unlikely. “D’you need something?”
"I can.. Sense other creatures. Witches feel.. Probing. Vampires feel like ice. Daemons feel like lips pressed to my skin, almost like a kiss? And yours.. I can't tell what it is, but I can sense that you have some sort of powers. I won't pry or ask what those powers are. I was just- while I'm here and can't move much, would you mind keeping an eye on Corra? Please? You wouldn't need to do anything, really, I mostly just want her to have more familiar surroundings - I can give you the key to my apartment and she can rest there, fly around a bit. She's met you, and I'm not sure whether Jake would feel comfortable alone with her." Diana worried her lower lip for a moment. "I'd owe you, certainly, and I'm willing to negotiate what that might look like."
For a sharp, singular moment, Adam felt like he was eleven years old again, sitting in Anathema’s kitchen, staring at her with awe as she told him about auras. Anathama hadn’t been able to tell him what colour his aura was at the time; later they’d figured out it was because his aura spanned all of the United Kingdom. He wondered if maybe it was for a similar reason that Diana couldn’t define what he felt like to her, or if she could tell, but it was something awful and she didn’t want to offend him. He clocked back into the conversation in time to realise that Diana was asking him to actually look after her firedrake. “What would you owe me for?” Adam asked, affronted - though if it was on his own behalf or hers or even Corra’s, he wasn’t quite sure. “I’d be honoured to look after her for you.”
He paused, suddenly aware that Corra hadn’t met Dog. There was no real way to ask how Corra felt about hellhounds without going into the whole anti-christ thing, but he could always keep them separate, just in case. Yeah, that’d be alright. He nodded, decided. “Yeah, course I’ll look after her for you.”
"Are you sure?" The question slipped out before Diana had a chance to reel it back in, cheeks flushing at the look on Adam's face. She thought for a moment she might have offended him somehow- whether by sensing his powers or by asking for his help, which she hadn't meant to do at all, but then he'd agreed, and she relaxed, not realizing that she had been holding her breath. "I- thank you. And don't worry about Dog- she shouldn't bother him as long as he doesn't go barking after her. I just..know she'll be more comfortable somewhere that isn't here, and I'll be back there as soon as they let me go."
“I’m sure,” Adam said, injecting his voice with the kind of assurance he had to draw on from time to time, when one country or another needed the confidence boost. “It’s no trouble at all.” Slight pause, and his tone was relaxed and easy again. “You hungry?”
"Starving, to be honest with you," Diana admitted, closing her eyes for a moment to let Corra free. The firedrake rose up from behind her, circling the air around them before moving to settle at the foot of the bed. "I really appreciate you stopping by- and bringing food. I'll make you dinner sometimes when I'm on my feet again. I can at least do that."
Of course Adam wanted to watch the firedrake emerge from Diana, but it seemed like it might be on the personal side, so he averted his eyes. Just in case. It worked out, anyway; he needed to get the dish out of his backpack. “Dinner’d be nice,” Adam said, because even though he had a crock and dish that would give him whatever he wanted, it was still an opportunity to find out things he didn’t even know he wanted.
“Here you go,” he said, putting the dish down on Diana’s lap, the top still on it. “Don’t know what’s in there - it’s magic like that, but I’ve got some cutlery in case you need it.” That done, he held a hand out for Corra to inspect, smiling just a little.
"A magic dish?" Diana brightened with a smile, rather looking like a child at Christmas, excited to see a new little piece of magic. Corra, for her part, lifted her head to sniff at Adam's hand and then nudged it lightly in approval, scooting just closer before curling up and relaxing.
"I don't even know what I want most." Lifting the lid, she laughed to find her favorite pizza inside, complete with pepperoni and mushrooms. "Oh, I hadn't made it to the pizza place here yet. This smells just like home."
Picking the plate up, she held it toward Adam in offering. "Want some?"
Adam grinned down at Corra, and gave her a light scritch behind the ear. “Yeah, alright,” he said, and pulled a slice out of the dish. He thought about asking her what he needed to know to look after Corra, but decided that could wait until after she’d eaten. She had said she was starving. Later.