Back here again {DragonSong}

[Lowen Thorn]

Ipsen's eyes lit as the flames formed in her hands. He let out a loud, entertained laugh. "Well now that's impressive!" he yelled. "Didn't care to show that ability to your ol' pal Lowen then? 'Tis a shame, lady. I figured we'd get it on great you and I! More so than you and L-L-Lowen. Don't you ever get tired of his never-ending politeness?"

"Oh."

He held his arms up slightly in a false surrender. "An other. You got me," he smirked. "Where are my manners? My name is Ipsen. I know everything there is to know about the man you've been getting chummy with, and I'm the reason he's still alive. One might say we're brothers. Others might say we're the same person. I will leave it up to you to interpret."

His eyes shot over to the dagger that was now embedded into the wall behind her.

[DragonSong]

Hana growled again, and the flames in her hands flared brighter for just a moment. "You're not a curse." It wasn't a question- she couldn't smell any malignant magic. "And...you aren't a possession." She would have felt a malicious spirit instantly.

Brow furrowed, she moved one cautious step closer. "You're...you're just...him? But not..." The frown seemed to be slowly turning to confusion rather than anger.

[Lowen Thorn]

"What? HELL NO!" the man shouted. "Ain't ya been listening? Lowen could never measure up to who I am."

This was Ipsen's favorite part. The confusion. The feeling of betrayal. The initial transformation was always a different experience when meeting new people - going from a quiet, polite, and reserved man to an loose-cannon thug that never stops talking. They were in fact the same person as the woman stated, but Ipsen would never think of it that way. Just two entities sharing the same body of a former man lost in history.

He took one step closer to her with confidence. "I would be careful with that," he motioned to the flame in her palm. "Wouldn't want to miss and set dear ol' daddy's house aflame now would ya? I'm sure you've seen it. Lowen's fast, but I am faster."

[DragonSong]

"What do you want?" Hana held her ground as she glared up at him. Her fingers slowly curled into fists, snuffing out the foxfire. The glow of magic in her crimson eyes made it clear that it would be all too easy for her to summon the flame back, however.

[Lowen Thorn]

"Oh, I just wanted to meet you, m'lady," the man said cockily, giving her a slight bow. "Lowen has taken a liking to you, you know. You make him comfortable. You make him feel like he has friends in this world."

He let off a small shudder in disgust. "The only friend that boy has in this world is me."

He looked at her for a while longer and let out a heavy, agitated sigh. "I do not mean you no harm, Hana. I have nothing to gain from all that. I just wanted to play for a bit. It's a lonely life I lead. So," he stopped. Holding out his arms, he spun his body around as if he were presenting her a fresh new wardrobe. "What do you think? First impressions?"

[DragonSong]

"I think you're incredibly rude," she replied with an arched eyebrow.

Slowly, she backed up another step to lean back against the wall. "So. Ispen. If you really mean no harm here, tell me about yourself. Where'd you come from?"

[Lowen Thorn]

He grabbed at his chest when she called him rude. "Aw, my heart," he snickered. "You really want to know? That's a first."

What little guard the man had up diminished. He leaned against the wall he was closest to and folded his arms. "Where to even begin?" he asked, mostly to himself. "I guess it all started when that idiot's girl died. Yeah, that's when it started. When she was killed."

He spit on the floor and rubbed his chin, recollecting the events. "Poor bastard couldn't handle the truth of what just happened, went and got himself nearly killed too. When he finally came to, he was too weak to accept the truth - that's when Lowen and myself were born.. that day we woke up in those two old hags' home in La'marri. Lowen's the spineless version of the original who can't remember nothing, you see? I'm the person he should've been back then."

He exhaled a large breath and propped himself off the wall. "You got anything to drink in this dump, Hana? I'm dying for some ale."

[DragonSong]

"You're not getting any alcohol under this roof," the kitsune replied mildly. Internally she was whirling, trying to process what he'd said. "So...how did you come to be here? Erm, outside?"

[Lowen Thorn]

"Outside?" he repeated with a temporary look of puzzlement on his face. "Oh! You mean when you found us out there in the woods! Well, how the hell should I know? That was Lowen! I'm Ipsen. He wanders from place to place, town to town, looking for a place to belong - trying to find out about our past and more about himself."

He threw his fist in front of his mouth as to fake gagging from disgust. "Me? I say who the hell cares. I just want to have a little fun. And let me tell you sister," he said with a mischievous undertone, "he doesn't want to know about our past. Not really. He may think he does, but he won't be able to handle it. It'll kill him! Why do you think I haven't told him all this time? Not that he'll acknowledge me."

The man sighed. "Boy, not sure why I'm inclined to tell you all of this. You must have one of those faces," he teased, repeating her previous words to Lowen back to her. "Probably would make a good barkeep one day."

[DragonSong]

"Mm." Hana stared at him, deadpan, mouth a thin line. "Perhaps."

She sighed and rubbed at the back of her neck. It was too late at night for her life to be getting this complicated. "I more meant what are you, Ipsen, doing at the forefront of Lowen's...mind?" she guessed carefully. "Though all that information is useful, I suppose."

She shook her head. "How can he not know about you? Surely friends of his have met you."

[Lowen Thorn]

"Friends," Ipsen muttered, amused. "Well Lowen ain't go no friends, missy. Every time he starts to get chummy with someone  they always end up backstabbing'em somehow. Even if they don't, they will! I can see it in their eyes! No, I'll cut those loose ends before he lets things get carried away."

The way the man spoke was gruff, rude, and borderline paranoid. He shook his head furiously and looked on Hana once more. "And you ain't gonna tell him nothin' bout me neither!" he barked.

He eased a bit, cooling off.

"Sorry," he said, mustering an actual apology. "I tend to talk without thinking almost always. But the truth is, I have no idea why I am here right now. I know why I exist, but in this very moment, no idea. Ol' Lowen only retreats to his corner when the times get tough - that's when I come in. I do the dirty work. Or maybe something in this house triggered the poor bastard's memory. Sure, I can take over when I want to but I really didn't want to this time. Hell, maybe I did. Maybe I was just dyin' to meet ya."

"Does that answer your question?" he asked with an impatient huff. "Or are you looking for a history lesson?"

[DragonSong]

"Why?" Ignoring his outbursts, Hana settled herself back on her heels, watching him with an almost predatory kind of calculation. "Why can't I tell him about you?"

[Lowen Thorn]

Ipsen's eyes burned.

"Why would you?" he hissed. "Do you really want to tear that poor bastard up like that? I kill people for us. I do what needs to be done. He can't handle that! And besides.."

He stopped for a moment, pondering his response. "At first I was insulted he could never remember me. But then, I thought, this is a good thing!" he said, beginning to pace around the room again. "Can you imagine him finding out about me? If he does that, then he's one step closer to finding out who we were four years ago. If that happens, what's the point of me? He may not need me anymore. We can't have that, now can we?"

[DragonSong]

She shook her head. "He deserves to know," she said, soft but firm. "What you're doing is cruel. He may not remember you, but he sees the effect the two of you have on people. He has a right to know that he's sharing head space with someone else."

[Lowen Thorn]

He shot her a quick look of disgust. "Have you not been listening to me?" he said, his voice filling with rage. He took a few steps toward her. "If he finds out about me, he'll eventually find out about everything - If that happens, I could cease to exist! I am not going to let that happen."

Malevolence and insanity returned to his eyes as he stared down the Kitsune. He continued to pace forward, circling around until he was side by side with the dagger he previously slung into the wall. His hand dropped onto the hilt, grasping it.

"Listen, missy. I ain't got nothing against you," he said cautiously. "But if you keep talking like that, I will break your ne--"

Snap.

His head jerked around, eyeing the front door for a moment. "Someone's outside."

[DragonSong]

The moment he went for the dagger, Hana's hand was on his wrist, her eyes blazing at him. She didn't so much as flinch under his threats, the air around her slowly heating as magic gathered-

Her ears swiveled toward the sound and she snapped her head around. "Stay quiet," she hissed, perking her ears forward in the hope she may hear something that may offer a clue as to who- or what- had made that noise.

[Lowen Thorn]

"Scaaaaaaaryy," he groaned, ignoring her order. He couldn't help himself.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

Whoever was out there was now banging on the front door.

"Okay, open up! We heard ya in there!" a gruff voice called from outside the home.

"Yeeeah," a second, sleazier voice slipped in. "Let us in and no one will get hurt! Don't make us kick this damn door down!"

Just then, Ipsen looked back at Hana with a big, stupid grin on his face. He was excited. He was actually excited someone was trying to rob them. From the sound of their voices, they weren't too clever either. It was a miracle they even made it this far undetected; probably thanks to the fact that he and the Kitsune were too busy sniffing each other out to notice. He covered a hand over his mouth to conceal a snicker while shooting her a look as if to say 'Are these guys serious?'

"Oh, Hana," Ipsen began with an exaggerated tone. "You better do what they say! Please, let them in!"

[DragonSong]

"Would you just shut up," she snapped, glaring at him. Before she could make any sort of move, there was a shuffling sound behind her and she whipped her head around.

Tobin had come tottering out of his room, rubbing at his head. "What's all the damned racket?" he grumbled, squinting from his foster daughter to their guest.

"Da, shh." Hana shot both men a stern look. "Neither of you move. I'll handle this." Cautiously, she crept toward the door, the tips of her tails twitching ever so slightly back and forth.

[Lowen Thorn]

Seeing the old hermit stumble into the opening, Ipsen had to ignore her request again. He really couldn't help himself.

"What... the hell is that thing?" he asked, blinking at Tobin in disbelief. Oh. The father. Ipsen remembered hearing him grumble and spat with Hana when he was in the backseat of Lowen's mind. "So that's what you look like. Gods. You two clearly aren't blood related."

He glanced over to Hana as she tiptoed forward when the door slung open. The two men actually kicked it in and barged into the home.

Big mistake.

[DragonSong]

Tobin blinked, then glanced to Hana. "What the hells?"

"Both of you shut up-"

Then the intruders were inside and she sank back into a crouch, instantly flashing into her fox form. Teeth bared in a savage snarl she leaped forward, blue fire trailing from her paws.