Who: Lina, with a certain half-demon from the past What: Amends between the sorceress and trickster priest When: October 31st, during Pete and Lina's wedding reception Where: Park with da crater Rating/Warnings: Relatively low Status: Complete!
Xelloss had never experienced anything so... strangely intimate. It was exactly what Xelloss would have imagined for Lina's wedding, other than an Elvis impersonator and Vegas lights. There was just something about that crater and the pumpkin centerpieces and the fart jokes in the vows that just seemed so perfectly, comfortably, Lina. This was a Lina he had only seen when it was just the two of them. Happy only for him in only brief moments of normal. This Lina was happy... all the time. Openly. This was a Lina that had no place for him in her life. Even though he had been invited, she didn't need the feeling of his energy looming during this happy event. She didn't need to see him in the bride's section of the seating before saying her vows. Seeing her up there, husband and child, white dress and lovely, content with life... Xelloss felt the need to hide from her sight during the ceremony.
He watched though. From the astral plane. He watched Lina living the life he always wanted for her. All it took was for him to truly leave her for her to find happiness. He supposed he should have felt sad about that, but he felt very little these days. Xelloss didn't allow himself to be visible or felt until the reception. Clad in his old suit from his previous life he stuck out amongst the sea of costumes. When asked what he was supposed to be, he answered with a cheerful smile and the word "Human." The vagueness of his unusual answer was enough to end most conversations at that. Xelloss didn't need to summon Lina over. Didn't need to look at her or call her name. He simply walked to the edge of the crater she had once created and waited, sipping his black drink from a cone shaped martini glass.
Pinky out, of course. It was a wedding, after all.
No, he didn’t need to ‘summon’ her or say her name - Lina Inverse-Wisdom could recognize the backside of a cockroach (only half-kidding, maybe) through the intimate crowd.
It was a beautiful night; dusky skies with the fire of the setting sun, lights wrapped around trunks and branches and even in the air because, well, why not add a little magic to a sorceress’ wedding? Lighting spells were about, dispersed into tiny balls of light that were akin to fireflies in the air. Honey-mead in rustic mugs, food trucks stationed about, braided bread in the form of King Cake in place of a traditional three-tiered gunk of fondant, the mouth-watering aroma of medieval styled turkey legs. Good eats were important for her wedding day, and it was everything she’d ever wanted in a day like this - she and Pete were in it ‘til the end, even beyond the damn world unraveling around them like it once did.
There was no doubt about that. No second thoughts, as if she ever even had any of those.
And, alright, having friends and family around to celebrate a symbolic union of their lives together (like little Amelia Wisdom, their own daughter, wasn’t proof enough already) was also an important factor in all this. Everyone who was near and dear to her was there. Hopefully with nice gifts, too, but even if Lina was never entirely sold on the concept of gratuitous public displays of affection, she did want them present.
Including someone she shared an ugly, messy, complicated history with - someone who’d once been her best friend, someone who’d once been more, and the same someone who was now otherwise gone from her life. That old number she still had, she’d known it was still in service, and she’d known that he had received those frantic voicemails she had left him those years ago in her search to find him and make sure he was at least alive. He’d receive the latest voicemail too, the most recent one after such a long pause of silence. An invitation.
Xelloss had taken it.
“You in a suit,” the sorceress began, approaching the edge of the crater while the reception behind them flourished. Her dress of choice was white, but not exclusively bridal; short, lace sleeves, and a plunging neckline to accentuate those well-earned breasts from the trials of motherhood. Orange-red hair was tastefully tousled in waves and down, adorned with little flowers here and there - she looked a little older, unsurprisingly a bit maternal, but there was still hint of impish danger in those ruby-tinted eyes. “I didn’t know if I should have expected your cheap looking priest clothes or a shirt that said ‘fuck you’ in flowery print.”
One was worn by a demon with an indecipherable smile, the other by a human who liked clothing that was either offensive or had some kind of nerdy pop culture reference on it. But he wasn’t exclusively either or; she knew that Xelloss was both.
"Cheap looking?" Was his first answer, a pout on his lips as he turned to her. After all, those clothes were sort of made of HIM. Though, honestly, the suit was as well. Xelloss was far too many people trapped in one body. He was the geeky idiot Lina knew in private. He was the obedient and sharp servant of his family. A ruthless killer with no remorse. A demon from another world. It was hard to keep track of who he was at the time. Perhaps that's why his life had been a whirlwind of confusion these last few years. He had no idea where he belonged anymore. Part of him still pulled him toward Lina. A lingering assignment from his demon half or his old self longing to resurface, he wasn't sure. He just knew Lina always existed in the back of his mind. It was one reason why he had to keep his distance.
He took a sip of his drink casually. "You really fill out that dress. Congratulations on the breasts." She looked lovely really. Motherhood really did look great on her. She was a type of beautiful Xelloss never knew about. He thought briefly of his own mother, though he supposed she never was his mother, was she? Not in their world. Lina though, she was a real mother. "You have a beautiful family." He added, with a bit more seriousness to his tone.
Well. Lina’s eyes tightened a little, because really? Then again, she was the one that had been searching for something both comfortable and that flaunted the boobage a bit - shamelessly so in the case of the dress - but that still didn’t stop that infamous sight of the middle finger making its debut at his general direction. Good to know he continued to be as irritating as she remembered. It was a comforting constant, though she knew that obnoxious trait wasn’t bound to ever change in any world they met.
There was a couple moments of pause, however, to look at him. Really look at him. To assess his presence and make comparisons to the half-demon he was now, the human she’d once known, and the demon she dreamt of. All sorts of memories came to mind. None of them mattered anymore - it was what it was, she’d made peace and moved on without reservations or even a glance back to the ghosts of the past.
But she wouldn’t lie and say it wasn’t nice to see a familiar face, and that she was glad he came. It meant he wasn’t completely lost. “Thanks,” she replied, her mouth slowly forming a crooked grin. “Had to go through some interesting hoops to get to this point, but I think I did pretty good. Cranky but really attractive Brit for a husband, and fifty percent of his genes helped me make a really cute baby.”
Amelia’s first Halloween. Dressed as a spider with googly eyes on her hairband, she was nearing six months and a giggly ball of gummy smiles and definitely the belle of the ball next to the bride. Lina’s greatest creation.
"I see." He smiled in Amelia's direction but kept it brief. Xelloss looked no different from the day he had left aside from a hell of a lot calmer. The demonic other world him had washed over, eliminating the need to be so stressed. It really wasn't so bad being a demon. Honestly, everyone should try it. Especially when you suddenly found yourself your own boss. Not that he didn't love to take full advantage of his free time when working under Zelas. It was memories like that that brought him back to Lina. Popping in on her all the time. Irritating her. Protecting her. It wasn't unlike their life together in this world. But that life seemed so long ago. Behind them. Forgotten. For both of them it seemed.
He sighed and smiled. "I suppose this is the part where I apologize." He scratched his cheek timidly. "For the stress I caused you in my leaving so unexpectedly. Hurting you was never my intention. For that, I am truly sorry... But you would have never had this life with me. This contentment. This family. I have no regrets. They suit you too well to think I could have done it better." That smile.
An apology wasn’t something she’d expected or even wanted - she’d been able to go on without it, the ultimate closure of that chapter being Shabranigdo’s death by her own hands (and a letter opener, how really fucking anticlimactic in comparison to a good ol’ fashioned Giga Slave). It didn’t mean she was surprised to at least hear it.
“I hope this isn’t you coming here to take credit for what I’ve built for myself,” Lina remarked, arms folded, and she cast a brief glance to the festivities not far from them before focusing back on Xelloss. An eyebrow rose. “You left, but I made the decision to not keep going after you - it’s a little hard to save someone when they don’t even think they’re worth saving, don’tcha know.” He didn’t have to be doomed to a demon existence, and there was a path to a human-demon co-existence as proven by none other than Garv. In the end? It was all his choice, and hadn’t she always been badgering him to make a choice?
It was a shitty one in her book, but she wasn’t going to tell him how to live his life or what to do with what he’d become. Lina would always be here in case his mind ever changed, though - she’d help him in a heartbeat. All he’d have to do was let her.
A deep breath was sucked in and then exhaled seconds later. Her smile was still present. A little less sassy and oddly more empathetic. “I guess I could accept the apology if you at least try not to be a total stranger. Guess still remembers you.” As fat as she was nowadays.
His smile widened at her words. "I'd love to watch someone try and take credit for anything you've built. No. This isn't me." Being a demon wasn't so bad. He was never that great at being a human anyway. He had been so scared and ashamed before to find out what he was becoming but now he couldn't understand why Lina seemed to think this existence was dooming. It made things... easier, honestly. His powers allowed him to do what he wanted. The elimination of Shabranigdo and the fact the other demon lords were either dead or hadn't gained their other selves left him unopposed as top of the demon food chain. The tiny pieces of his humanity kept him from COMPLETELY destroying the earth. It felt like, after all his life of obeying and living in fear, a vacation. A dream. Like his job and family had finally somehow killed him and he had slipped into limbo.
However, Lina never failed to surprise him.
"You're not going to blast me into a wall again, are you?" He joked playfully. Well, half joked.
“Nope,” came her plain, simple answer - there were worst things she could do to him. Mention the Lord of Nightmares to maybe see him sweat like he was irreversibly constipated, or maybe preach about love and justice for a little bit of psychological warfare. None of that was actually necessary, but there was something else she had in mind.
There was always this innate ability of hers to somehow, someway, detect the exact location of his nipples when he was clothed. Twisting a nip on a half-demon wasn’t something she’d ever done but that wouldn’t stop her anyway, and the touch of violent nostalgia would hopefully shatter the rest of the uncomfortably awkward tension between them.
Like the switch from serious to ridiculous was flipped. “You do owe me, by the way - remember your little stunt at IHOP?” Huff. “You sneezed and teleported into that bar, I had to cover your bill and waste gas to come find you? Yeah, don’t think any wedding present’s going to compensate for the ten dollars and eighty-seven cents you owe me, asshole. Those are two completely separate obligations.”
Because of course she’d remember.
Lina had many talents. Nipple tracking was definitely one.
"HOW? How EVERY time?" He frowned LOUDLY at her and guarded his chest with his hands with a step back. Switch flipped, he dropped his drink, which vanished magically, and put his hands in his pants pockets. "You're still butthurt over that? I was trapped in a woman's bathroom stall!" But the smirk returned and the mischievous and familiar look spread across his face. "Maybe I can work it off babysitting. Imagine the fun Amelia could have with her demon uncle Xelloss."
Yep. That skill was still there. You’d think she’d gone rusty after all this time, but, nah.
“It’s a gift,” Lina answered smugly, crimson eyes flashing with mischief. Ah, man. That felt good to do again. She looked infinitely satisfied. “There’s also no way in hell you’re babysitting my kid, either. That involves feeding her. You can’t even follow microwave directions right, so I highly doubt you know how to properly heat up a bottle.” Uh, hello? Need she remind him of all of his culinary failures? Especially the one in that stupid tower that turned him into - uh, nevermind. That was a weird period in their other lives she’d rather not dwell on.
The next gesture was more of a playful shove. Not a titty twist, you’re welcome, but she actually laughed a bit in genuine amusement. “You could maybe let me pick your brain at some point. I have some historical, magic-related questions that I want answers to but if you tell me ‘it’s a secret’ that’s probably when I’ll actually blast you into a wall a second time.”
"Oh, that's right." Xelloss said sarcastically, nodding. "I forgot children had to EAT things. Ooo. good call. That could have been a disaster. She's old enough to eat cake and ice cream though, right? I'll just pump her full of that."
He accepted the shove, more than pleased that the atmosphere had settled into something a bit more casual. He had hoped she wasn't angry if she had invited him to her wedding but you never knew with Lina's mood swings what she was going to do to you. This, however, was nice and familiar. It was like nothing had changed. He liked that, however briefly.
He wagged his finger at her. "I make no promises."
“Yeaaaah, considering she doesn’t even have teeth yet?” Lina had to twitch a little, because the idea of him in some kind of nanny-role trying to babysit her daughter - that was one giant hell no if his goal was to give her a sugar rush and cavities. Even if the sight of spit up on him was potentially hilarious. “That’s a huge negative, your babysitting application’s been officially denied. But, see, that’s the kind of comment that makes me want to use your head as a springboard.”
It happened in a dream, literally, and she swatted at his finger like a cat - put that thing away before she cuts it off, Xelloss, she hated the finger wag as much as she hated his token one-liner. “I’ll trade you with spoilers, though. I know you’re dying to know the gory details of what happened with your demon uncles.” Garv, Hellmaster. “But that’s a discussion for later. What have you been doing all this time? Shabranigdo’s not around to dish out orders.”
Mmmm. You had his interest, Lina Inve--Sorry. Wisdom.
"A discussion we will have. Sounds like a fair trade to me." That once wagging finger went to his chin this time as he furrowed his brow and thought back on the years since he had last seen Lina. It all meshed together, really. It hardly felt like any time at all had passed. Having been collecting the memories of over 1000 years of life seemed to make time pass quicker as he knew he had more of it to spend than others. What was the gentlest way of saying 'Have you watched the news much since I left? Because I was responsible for about 70% of that.' "Just... enjoying my vacation time." He answered vaguely with an innocent grin.
How unsurprising. A vague answer from Xelloss. Lina knew how the game went, she wasn’t an idiot - there was more underneath the still waters of his stoic facade, and she knew he wouldn’t freely indulge the details. Her tongue clicked with a nod, her grin sardonic and knowing but she wouldn’t poke further.
Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Both statements applied to him. She knew what he was capable of and what he’d done in this life and the other two, and now she was in the process of a third - what else would it bring in regards to him, she wondered?
“Fair enough,” she submitted. There was a faint call of her name from the crowd that caught her attention; the older Inverse sibling, the infamous Ceiphied Knight with her towering height and intimidating posture. Well, maybe not so intimidating with a bundle of baby in her arms - Amelia was in her hilariously adorable arachnid costume, making all sorts of bahbahabahbah sounds at the sight of her mother. Luna’s eyes were inquisitive but she said nothing after she got the attention of her sister.
Lina waved a hand real quick to her, a be there in a second thing. “Big Sis beckons, gotta go back to being the bride and have people interrupt me while I try to stuff my face, but -” There was a sigh as she pat-patted him on the arm. “Thank you. For coming. It...means a lot, you know.”
Sister? It was strange to think of Lina with family. He had mostly known her under the influence of his own family, separated from her own. He supposed her life truly was back to the seemly impossible prospect of normalcy. Well, at least, as normal as it got for a sorceress in modern times. Xelloss raised an eyebrow at Luna for a moment, sizing her up, and amused himself with how much he liked her hair.
He pulled a phone out of his pocket and held it up.
"Thank you for inviting me. I'll pop in every now and then. Though, contrary to the dream world, I'll try and announce myself first. Avoid alarm... Most of the time." He smirked. "Yes, return to your celebration. I'll be by the... cake."
Always about the cake with him, wasn’t it? Lina mirrored his smirk, and she squeezed his arm while her hand was there before letting it fall. “By the cake,” she echoed, and turned to walk away.
But before she went too far -
The sorceress halted and turned sideways a little, glancing back over her shoulder with a face that implied she was about to tell him something important. “Oh, and - Xelloss?”
Wait for it.
“You lost the game.”
His expression didn't change with her words. He stood there quietly, letting the entire thing sink in, before he nodded fondly at her.
"I've always hated you." Xelloss said, with the most loathsome affection and a wave goodbye.