Erik Magnus Lehnsherr (master_magnus) wrote in oh_marvelous, @ 2011-01-08 00:23:00 |
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What, is great Mephistophilis so passionate-
Characters: Magneto and NPC-ed Mephisto, open to Genoshans
Setting: Mags’ study, like he do. Maybe other places, we’ll see what happens.
Content: Nothing bad that I can think of
Summary: Magnus makes a pact with a devil to de-age.
The face of the man that smiled at Magnus Lehnsherr was one he had not seen in decades. He sported dark curls and bright blue eyes that snapped in a young smooth face, still fresh, touched only faintly by the fingers of age. He laughed in a voice Magnus knew and broke into a wider grin. Still chuckling, Magnus stepped away from the mirror in his bedroom where he’d been for several minutes, examining his new visage. He dressed slowly, relishing every movement, every moment without the ache of infirmity and and the weariness of dotage. Morning ablutions complete, he left for his study, walking the halls of his manor and contemplating the source of this magnificent gift of youth.
It began with a lone man on the beach just after midnight. It wasn’t a particularly surprising sight to see on an island, but this was Magnus’ private stretch of sand behind the manor and the stranger in question was immaculately dressed in a three piece suit and baring a wide toothy grin.
“Who are you?” Magnus asked but the man only smiled and twitched his hand in a salute of welcome. The black sky was clear and peppered with bright stars and the waning crescent moon shed little light, just a pale sliver hung up in the darkness. A warm wind ruffled inky waves, sent them crashing onto the pristine white of the shore and then tousled Magnus’ hair. Still, the man before him never moved. This felt like some dream and Magnus was growing indignant as he called out, his voice more commanding, “Who are you?”
“You know me,” the man answered in a voice smooth as dark bourbon that made Magnus stop short. He did know this man, though it had been years since he had seen him and it had not been to Magnus that he had addressed himself. It had been so long and the meeting so brief that perhaps, if it were anyone else, Magnus would not have remembered. But who could forget a Devil?
“Mephisto,” he breathed a greeting and continued his approach. What could he be doing here? “To what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked, with little pleasure evident in his tone.
“I have a proposition, of course.” the devil explained and up close his smile was downright wolfish. Of course Magnus thought and raised his eyebrows at Mephisto, gesturing for him to continue. There was no sense in drawing this out and Magnus wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of anything beyond polite disinterest.
As if he could read Magnus’ thoughts Mephisto chuckled and nodded to himself. “You’re old,” he remarked and Magnus didn’t seem particularly impressed by the observation.
“Yes, I was aware of that fact, thank you,” was his answer and he crossed his arms, waiting. The demon chuckled again, obviously enjoying himself. Well, that was all good and well for him. Magnus could be patient.
“And I can make you young!” was the pronouncement from Mephisto, drawled with a mixture of drama and sarcasm, and at the end of it he smirked at Magnus like they were sharing some private joke. But he didn’t add anything more and Magnus could only assume, in spite of the flippancy, that this was the demon’s actual offer.
“In exchange for?” Magnus asked shortly. He knew well enough to be wary; nothing was ever free. Quid pro quo. It was not particularly comforting when Mephisto merely shrugged. Magnus felt a surge of irritation and he snapped (perhaps unwisely), “Do you think me stupid?” Mephisto’s laughter was a rather uncomfortable sort of answer that made Magnus flush.
“Don’t take it personally, Mr. Lehnsherr, you’re mortal. You’re all a bit stupid. But that-” he held up a finger to quell the proud Magneto’s outrage, “Is not the point. The point is that you are old and you’re getting older each day.” The look Mephisto shot him made Magnus feel strangely as if the demon knew something he didn’t know. It was unsettling.
“But you still have so much potential,” Mephisto continued, “And let’s be honest, you’ve been wasting it lately. Perhaps with a little more, ah, energy you could achieve great things. Hell’s not ready for you yet.”
“What makes you think I’m going to He-” Magnus began indignantly but Mephisto cut him off with, “Mag-nus, please” and raised his eyebrows. Well, Magnus supposed, there was no arguing that point with a devil, so instead he jutted his chin out proudly to question, “if I refuse?”
Mephisto only smiled indulgently as he would to a stubborn child and gave another of those disquieting shrugs. “Then I leave,” the devil answered easily.
“If I accept?” was Magnus’ next query to which he received a more enthusiastic kind of shrug.
“Then you’ll wake up feeling better than you have in years. Refreshed.”
“But what’s the price?” There was always a price and Magnus would not be fooled, no matter how tantalizing this offer might be.
“Nothing you can’t afford-” Mephisto began but paused as he seemed to realize Magnus would not accept so vague a reassurance. “I consider this an investment, really. As I said, you have potential. You’ve done so much in your lifetime, but there’s so much yet to do. If you’re looking for an actual price, well, I can’t just make something from nothing- not in this dimension- so I’ll have to take a bit of life from others to give to you.”
Magnus frowned, but with his history he didn’t exactly have the right to take the moral high ground. “Who?” he inquired without feeling.
“There are many here on your island who would give up their life for you, I’m sure they wouldn’t begrudge a few heartbeats to keep their king around a little longer.”
It was several minutes that the pair stood in silence as Magnus considered all the possibilities and repercussions and Mephisto stood by looking downright predatory. Reflection brought Magnus to the conclusions that, outwardly, the good in this arrangement outweighed the evil (at least for him). It certainly wouldn’t be the first time he’d acted on impulse nor, given some of his past alliances, was it the first deal he’d made with a devil.
“Fine,” he eventually said and as Mephisto moved towards him he felt the blast of a hot breeze and tried to reason with himself that it was merely coincidence. “The king is dead!” Mephisto proclaimed as he grasped Magnus’ hand and gave it a squeeze, “Long live the king.”
In the blink of an eye, he was gone and- true to the devil’s word- Magnus awoke in the morning forty years younger. Now, he felt wonderful, better than he could ever remember feeling before. This was, he decided, worth whatever price he paid. Whatever ill resulted from his pact, Magnus would happily burn that bridge when he came to it.