@DragonSong Epirus had done exceedingly well blending into the halls of Wyrdwood Academy. In a short time, he became familiar with every corner and corridor without being obviously out of place. Today, he was just another student in a school littered with students.
He knew his target. He knew her name. He knew her face.
He was precise. He even knew the course, the subject matter, of the class he found himself sitting in. He knew where she would sit, so he positioned himself in in the best possible seating a few rows behind to keep an eye on her without drawing suspicion. If she were just like any other prey, this would be an effortless task.
Yet, she was not any other prey. He had looked into the woman enough to know this would not be a simple request, so he needed to study her. He needed to be in the same room with her. Epirus was not the sort to downright attack his target. He needed to learn as much about her until he could stare into her soul to find out why he was asked to do this. Only then could he execute his attack.
The man's hallow gaze stared to the front of the room as he sat quietly in his seat. He had only made one mistake: he entered the class too early. There were a few students filing in, and one or two more already seated, but he was one of the first and his target had yet to make an appearance.
Rory was running late. Of course. She cursed quietly under her breath as she raced down the hall toward her classroom, books clutched tight to her chest.
She managed to slow down and collect herself a bit before she actually entered the room, so when the professor gave her a rather harsh look she could smile beatifically as she took her usual seat toward the back of the room.
There was a new student. The young mage paused as her eyes lit on him, then slowly sank into her chair. He seemed a little old to actually be a student. Perhaps he was simply sitting in on a few classes? Plenty of mages had done that in her time at Wyrdwood, people who hadn't received formal education in their younger years seeking it out as adults.
Putting it from her mind, she attempted to turn her focus to the lecture.
Had she already noticed him? If so, she was just as expected. Excellent.
The man's mind stayed on Aurelia as his eyes and ears focused toward the professor's lecture. With the regular dull absence of his eyes, he imagined that would give off a look of non-interest or boredom - perfect for the classroom.
Aurelia Marigold. Rory. Summoner. Daughter to Theodore and Hero Marigold. Sister to Claudius Marigold. Sent to the Academy a little over seven years ago. A full-figured, beautiful young woman with many suitors - for obvious reasons. Coming from wealth, she was also wanted by many - dead or alive - for even more obvious reasons.
His plan was to study her silently throughout the lecture, but since she had already spotted him, he thought he might try something different. Leaning up in his seat, he slowly turned his head to face her. His empty, shallow gaze absorbed everything about her - though he didn't meet any part of her body other than her eyes.
A small smile formed on his face as he continued to stare.
Growing up the way she had, Rory was quite good at telling when she'd drawn attention- wanted or otherwise. She could feel the stranger's eyes on her throughout the lecture, though she did her best to ignore it and focus on taking notes.
It was difficult when the theory being spouted at her was one she already knew. The less her mind was occupied on the lecture, the easier it was for her attention to be drawn toward the man just...staring at her.
Creepy.
Glancing at him sidelong, she tried to brush it off with a quick, polite smile, hoping an acknowledgement of the attention might steer it away.
Epirus was locked in, persistently looking at the woman with his humble grin. His eyes were devoid of any sort of emotion - making it impossible to register any change when she acknowledged him.
Her reaction was fascinating to him. He never understood the human instinct to avoid eye contact in such situations, or any for that matter. She obviously knew the subject matter, so--
"Excuse me," the professor cut through his concentration. "You sir! Are you in my class? Even if you are just sitting in, I ask you to face forward and pay attention!"
The uninvited guest shot a quick glance to the older woman lecturing the class. His eyes, though brief, flashed a crimson red. "Yes," he replied calmly. The professor's eyes widened for just a bit before continuing her lecture as if that interaction never happened.
Epirus returned his gaze to the young woman of his interest.
Rory started and swallowed nervously, the eyes of half the class casting back to the corner where she was studiously ignoring the stranger's stare. Quickly enough everyone turned back to the lecture at hand, but the nervous fluttering in her stomach refused to fade.
Finally, the lecture ended, and she quickly began sliding her books into her pack, hoping to be on her way and perhaps grab something to eat before she needed to meet her adviser to discuss thesis work.
The man's smile grew slightly as he watched the woman. She was nervous. That much was understandable. Most of his prey experience this nervous reaction, at times a flight or fight sensation, when he's narrowed in on them. Though he has yet to reveal his true intentions, they almost always have the primal instinct that he was no friend. Incredible.
He adverted his gaze away from her and placed the back of his hand over his mouth as if to suppress a gentle laugh.
As the lecture ended, Epirus quietly slipped out of the classroom before his peers, but not without shooting Rory one more glance as he headed out the door.
Well. At least that was over with.
Trying to shake the encounter off, Rory gathered up the rest of her things and slipped out of the classroom, hurrying down the hall toward the dining hall.
The man quietly circled back around a corner to position himself behind the hurried woman. He followed her intently with only a handful of students in between them, with his stride being unusually slow for the amount of distance he was covering. His eyes flashed red with delight. The thrill of the hunt.
Epirus' pace picked up, steadily closing the gap between the woman and himself, only to duck off at the next intersection of halls.
As a few friends pealed away, either to study, head to another class, or find meals of their own, Rory found her step faltering. She still felt like she was being watched.
Swallowing, the mage drew one hand into the folds of her robes and began moving her fingers in a subtle dance, murmuring under breath.
A glyph appeared on the flood just behind her, silvery white and glimmering. As she continued the Summoning, the glyph glowed brighter and brighter, until finally a figure rose from it, a white knight that sort of shimmered at the edges, and seemed almost translucent when it moved.
Rory glanced at the Spirit Creature and nodded, satisfied. Maybe she was just paranoid, but she felt better with a little extra protection.
The sound of a flute began to sweep the hallways. It was a beautifully melancholy tune, with an eerie undertone that clung to the walls. The man watched with blood-stained eyes from afar, tucked silently in a corner as he played his tune.
Only those of weak wills would truly succumb to the instrument's enchantment, but he was curious to see how the young summoner would react. And, of course, how her summoned creature would react. Only they, or maybe just she, could hear - that he made sure of.
He lifted himself out of the corner, still carrying the sound, and continued his slow approach.
The white knight swung toward the sound, eerily silent despite the heft of his armor. Rory shivered, an unnatural chill running down her spine. She glanced over her shoulder toward the sound, feeling herself sway toward it for a moment before she caught herself.
Enchantment. She frowned. "Look, whoever you are, powerful enchantments aren't allowed on school grounds without supervision," she called out, trying to see who was casting.
The flute stopped.
There were a few moments of silence before a gentle, sincere chuckle echoed through the hallway. Without supervision. How beautifully innocent. Epirus revealed himself, moving away from the shadows and into the light as he approached the woman and her spirit creature. His overall demeanor was calm and collected, but his facial expression was that of delight.
"Quite right," he said with a quick nod. "Thank you. I haven't had a good laugh like that in a long while."
The tall man pocketed the flute and then placed both of his hands behind his back, cupping them together. "It is nice to finally meet you, Rory."
Rory took an instinctive step back. The white knight hefted his lance and raised his shield slightly. "Who are you?"
She winced at how harshly her voice cracked out and tried again, the polite tone of a well-bred young lady. "Forgive me, ser. I don't recognize you, so you seem to have me at a disadvantage, knowing my name." She tried for a small, polite smile.
Epirus studied the white knight momentarily before returning to the girl. "Impressive," he said softly. "What is also impressive is how easily you resisted my enchantment. It has been a long time since I have actually had to put the work in."
He flashed her a smile of admiration. "I apologize for my rudeness earlier. My name is Epirus Clove," he introduced with a slight bow of his head. "I have been sent here to kill you."
Th mage's eyes widened. Without missing a beat, she called out something in a strange, crackling, echoing language as she turned on her heel and started racing down the hall.
Her Summoned Creature swung around to stand in front of the assassin, looming with his lance raised high, prepared to charge.
They always run. Why do they always run?
The man looked at the creature before him for a few moments before raising his hand as to signal him to stop. "Easy," he said quietly. "I am not a threat to you."
The creature remained as he was, but something was different. He was immobile. He stared through the demon man as if he could not see him. With a satisfied smile, Epirus walked past and began following the young mage with moderate strides.
"Please do not struggle," he called out. "It will only make things worse for you in the end."
His pace steadily picked up speed until he was dashing after her. Narrowing in, he lashed his weapon forward and the whip darted toward her legs.
Don't struggle. Yeah. She was just going to make his job easier for him. Right.
Rory chanced a glance back over her shoulder and cursed softly. He'd done something to her Spirit Warrior, though she couldn't tell what. Did she have time to Summon another?
Probably not. Her best chance was to head toward the dining hall. He wouldn't attack her in a room full of witnesses, right? She turned quickly down a hall and continued running, hearing her breath wheeze and her heart pound in her chest.
His whip missed its target. Damn. She was pretty fast for her kind. Epirus needed to close the distance between them before she could surround herself with other students. He had no business with them, after all, and it appeared she was attempting to reach the dining hall.
His eyes flashed red as he locked onto his target, his speed increasingly greatly until he was within arms reach. He placed a hand on her shoulder and then passed by her down the stretch. Whipping around, he came to a stop, his red deviled eyes glaring down at her.
"That is enough."
Rory drew up short, eyes wide and chest heaving as she panted. She was no sprinter, and fear could only move you so far. She glanced from side to side, shrinking back from the assassin with her arms raised protectively.
"I- I'll scream," she stammered out. "You really think you can deal with all the mages that will bring out?"
His voice became sterner, a rare occurrence from his usual calm demeanor.
"Would you willingly risk the lives of your classmates by doing so? Even one?" he asked, taking one step forward. "I do not fear death, girl. I will take on this entire school if I must in order to get the job done. I am bound by an oath, Aurelia Marigold, and I must obey that oath."
He let out an exasperated sigh and his eyes returned to their steely blue state, grip still firm on his whip's handle. He had yet to attack. He studied her panicked face a bit longer before speaking again.
"Why do you fear death?" he asked sincerely. "I do not understand. Why are humans so attached to one world when they will just be brought to another?"
Tears gathered in her eyes. She shook her head, backing up another step. "Please," she whispered. She didn't care how weak she sounded, how undignified. She could barely comprehend his questions, fear gripping her heart and clouding her mind.
"Please, please don't hurt me," she whimpered, stumbling back again. "Please..."
Fear was something he knew all too well. Most of his victims would break down in utter fear when their final moments were upon them. But, most of his victims were not innocent, confused youth like this one. Their fear was developed from the panic that their past has caught up to them. A murderer. A rapist. Even a lowly thief. They all wronged someone time and time again.
But not Rory. Her fear was different. This was probably not a fate she deserved, and she was understandably confused as to why this was happening.
"Poor creature," he said softly, cupping her cheek with his hand. "Do you know why this is happening?"
"D-Don't touch me." She tried to flinch back from him, but she couldn't get far. Her heel caught in the hem of her robes and she tumbled backward with a sharp cry, just barely managing to twist and brace her palms to break her fall onto the hard stone floor.
Crack.
She winced and glared up at the assassin, still trying to scramble back. "I don't know why you're doing this. What do you want from me?" If he was going to kill her, why didn't he just get it over with?
He was unmoved by her tumble and continued to stare at her blankly.
"Does the name Aaric Rosewood sound familiar to you?" he asked. "He is an acquaintance of your father. He is the one who hired me to do this, though I am failing to understand why. You have not done anything wrong. Why would another human do such a thing without any priors? Is it in the human nature?"
He studied the woman's face almost as if she were some sort of specimen. His eyes flashed a fierce red as he tightened the grip on his whip. "I do not wish to kill you, Aurelia. But I am under oath," he explained, looming over her. "What would you have me do?"
Rory sniffled, trying to shuffle back awkwardly. Silent tears streaked down her face.
Aaric Rosewood? Under oath?
She shook her head. "Why?" she whispered desperately. "Why take such an oath? Please, just...just let me go," she begged quietly, blinking in a futile effort to hold back more tears.
"I was not always like this," he began, attempting to answer her question. "I was banished by my people, given human form and placed on this earth to continue my work on foot. I have always collected lost souls, guiding them from one place to the next, but in this form I have certain... needs. I'm hungry. I need work."
He gave her a sympathetic smile, completely oblivious to the human emotion.
"I accepted the request to end your life," he said. "I did not see anything wrong with the request so I humbly accepted. It was my word, and my word is an oath. The only way to reverse the oath would be for me to kill the one that hired me."
Sighing, he raised his whip, ready to attack.
"B-but there is something wrong with it!" Rory scrambled desperately. "You said it yourself, there's no r-reason to kill me!" She swallowed nervously, eyes darting from side to side as she desperately searched for a way out of the situation.
"Hmph," he sighed wearily. He really didn't want to kill the girl, but she wasn't giving him any sort of counter offer. He could easily turn this around on the man who ordered her assassination if she asked, and for the right price, but he could not allow himself to come out and say that openly. Despite being cursed with this human body, he couldn't give in completely to that of human nature - he needed structure; he needed rules.
He took another step closer, about to lash his weapon upon the woman.
"Hey, stop!" a young man cried out from behind them, others his age in accompaniment. "W-What the hell are you doing?"
Rory nearly cried with relief. "Help!" she shrieked, "Help, please! I-- I'll do anything!"
Her eyes were still locked on her attacker, and for the briefest moment she almost seemed to be pleading with him in her fear.
Epirus shot a red-eyed glare over to the other approaching students, causing them to momentarily stop in their tracks.
"F-Fuck this!" one of the students said, falling back to his rear.
Another girl stepped up, her voice trembling. "B-But we have to do something!"
The young demon continued to stare blankly at them, but his mind was whirling. This was just too much. He had no intention to harm anyone else, but they were leaving him no choice.
Unless.
He had an idea. Turning back around to face Rory, he scooped her off of the ground and began running away with her, her fellow students in cautious pursuit. Hopefully the young girl did not try to resist too much.
"I have a proposition for you," he whispered to her as they turned a corner. "Do not say another word until we are out of sight."
Rory screamed, but she couldn't struggle. She was too scared, too startled. She couldn't even call on her magic.
Calm down, calm down, I need to calm down!
"Why didn't you kill me?" She whispered, staring up at him with wide, terrified eyes.
Epirus didn't answer at first. He continued to carry the girl, making quick strides through the hall and turning different corners until he reached an empty classroom. Upon entering, he locked the door behind him and set the girl down.
He did not want her to try to escape again, so he remained standing in front of the door just in case.
"Your eyes," he replied finally. "They are so innocent. So full of fear. That's not something I particularly enjoy seeing before making a kill. Sure, I've done it many times before but..."
He stopped, contemplating his next answer. "It doesn't make sense to me anymore. I will spare your life, but under certain conditions," he said. "Are you willing to listen?"
Panting, Rory scrambled back the moment he set her down. She almost darted for the door, but then he'd moved to block that escape route.
She stared at him, chest rising and falling rapidly with panicked breath. Behind her back, her fingers began sketching glyphs.
Her eyes? Innocent? What on earth was he talking about?
She swallowed nervously. "I'm listening..."
He held up one hand as to motion her to stop.
"First," he started with a commanding tone. "Stop what you are doing behind your back. It won't help, and will only change my mind."
He waited for a moment, searching her eyes for understanding, before continuing. "As I said before, I am bound by an oath to carry out your assassination. The only way for me to break that oath is to create a new one. Specifically, with you. Your father is rather well-known, and thus has garnered a handful of enemies in his time. These people intend to hurt you - I know this, because I have already been hired to do so by one."
The mage froze, then slowly placed her hands in front of her body, wringing her fingers nervously.
She swallowed, staring at her would-be assassin as he spoke, then ventured carefully, "What-- what kind of deal?" Her eyes kept flicking toward the door. Someone had to be coming, right?
Finally.
She was finally coming around, not that he could blame her for the way she had been acting up to that point. He was trying to kill her. And, of course, the red glow of his eyes and his overall demeanor could be rather... intimidating, to the say the least.
"You have to hire me," the man said. "You have to hire me to kill the man who hired me to kill you. For one life spared, another must be taken. It's as simple as that."
Rory swallowed thickly.
He made it sound so easy...
She shook her head slowly. "I-- I can't," she whispered. "I can't...kill someone. I just can't." She drew in a shaky breath. "Does that have to be the deal? Can't you just-- I don't know, can't it be something else?"
Speaking truthfully, he really didn't know. His oath was more of his word than anything else, though the plains beyond would expect a replacement for the soul he was sparing. Of course, he did not have to tell her that exactly.
If he was hired to kill her, someone else would come after her eventually. That's when he could even the field.
"Sure," he lied. "Hire me to be your guard instead. There will be more people coming after you from now on."
Epirus' lips curled into a soft smile. He wasn't much for lying, but it works.
The mage stared at him a long moment. Then, slowly, she nodded. "Alright," she whispered. "I-- I want to make a deal with you to-- to protect my life rather than take it..."
"Then it is a deal, Rory Marigold," he said with a sly smile and an offering hand. "I will protect you to my fullest ability. You think you can call off your fellow students, now? They'll be here soon."
Rory swallowed thickly, eyes red-rimmed with tears, then took his hand. Her fingers were icy with fear, but she nodded. "I c-can," she murmured. "But...you'll have to play along."
She swallowed again, still trying to understand what was happening. Gods, she was too frightened to think clearly, fight-or-flight reflex refusing to calm.
"You have nothing to worry about," he said calmly, sensing her lingering fear. "I am not going to hurt you anymore."
He shot a glance at the door, before focusing back on her. The other students were right outside, nervously checking the other classrooms and calling out to her.
"I'll play along."
Rory took a shaky breath and pushed herself away from the table she'd essentially collapsed against. Another breath, taking a moment to smooth her hair and robes, then she straightened her shoulders and moved toward the door, opening it carefully but determinedly.
"Hello," she called with a small smile to her classmates, hoping the evidence of her tears had faded. "I-- I'm so sorry to have scared you all, there was a...a misunderstanding."
"Yes, a misunderstanding," his calm, emotionless voice came from behind her.
He did not know how she wanted him to play along, but after observing humans for so long, he had a general idea.
He joined Rory in the doorway, his eyes showing no signs of red, and looked upon her approaching classmates. "I'm Rory's boyfriend. Nice to meet you."
Rory choked, eyes going wide as she looked back at him.
That was what he went with?!
"R-right." She forced a smile and turned back to her classmates, none of whom looked very convinced. "My, uh, b-boyfriend." She cleared her throat, mind racing as she tried to come up with a plausible story. "I was, um, working on a new spell, a new glyph, and I wasn't expecting him to be here, you see, and the magic was muddling my mind a bit, so when I saw him I sort of..." She trailed off and shrugged helplessly. "Overreacted?"
Epirus watched the woman struggle to come up with an answer before speaking up.
"What Rory means to say," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I saw her working on her new spell, and decided to throw her some real world experience. You never know when you will need to defend yourself!"
He tried his best attempt at a smile.
That seemed to be settling the crowd down, at least a little, though about half still seemed wary or irritated. Rory breathed a quiet sigh as they began to drift away though, returning to classes or their dorms.
The young mage turned to quirk an eyebrow at her new "guard", fear replaced almost entirely with incredulity. "Boyfriend? Really?"
Epirus raised his eyebrow at the young woman, puzzled by her response. "Was that not a good explanation?" he asked sincerely. "You are a girl. I am a boy. I am your guard now, which I fathom would make us friends. So, boyfriend. Is that wrong?"
His eyes scanned the hall outside the classroom that was steadily emptying out. "Looks like it worked."
Rory gaped at him. Resisting the urge to drop her face into her hands, she groaned, "That's not-- do you even realize you just implied that we're lovers?" she demanded exasperatedly.
Any lingering fear she'd felt for this man was quickly fading into irritation.
He stared at her blankly with those dull blue eyes.
"I don't see a problem," he said, still baffled at her frustrations. "So, you have many lovers then?"
The mage choked on her own voice, eyes going wide. "Wha-- I-- No!" Cheeks very red, she scowled at him and folded her arms. Irritation had faded quickly to embarrassment. "Wh-what would make you say that?"
The man simply shrugged. He was still learning about humans and all of their terms, and it appeared as he still had a long way to go. Though he felt that he was pretty spot on with his description, and the girl was overreacting just a bit.
"It does not matter," he responded shortly. "Where to next?"
Muttering something under her breath about "audacity" and "implications", Rory turned and stalked off down the hall.
Now that the adrenaline was fading somewhat, it struck her just how much of an unfortunate position she was in. Lowering her voice, she said to her new...companion, "You and I need to have a thorough talk, if this is to be any sort of successful, working relationship."
The man followed her down the hall, watching her every move. Curious by humans in general, he studied the way the woman walked - and caught himself trying to imitate her movements. Humans really are fascinating, after all.
His train of thought was interrupted by her voice as she addressed him again.
"What is there to talk about?" he asked, cocking his head slightly to the side.
"Well...this." Rory waved back and forth between them, frowning slightly. "I think we should probably work out some...ground rules, as it were," she muttered, worrying her lower lip again.
Epirus nodded.
The girl was right, they needed to discuss this further, though he was not exactly sure what "ground rules" meant.
"Not here," he said softly. "Is there somewhere else we can go?"
She nodded briskly. "Yes, my room. That's where I'm taking you."
The implications of that suddenly hit her like a blow to the gut and she froze, then abruptly whirled and pointed a finger in his face. "Don't think that's giving you any sort of liberties," she muttered with a scowl, a tinge of panic creeping back into her voice. "This is-- this is strictly business."
"Of course," he agreed. "Strictly business. After all, we have a deal."
He followed her through the halls a little longer, when some students from earlier passed by - still carrying that same uneasy, skeptical looks on their faces. "Hello friends of Rory," he said in his best attempt to sound polite. "We are off to Rory's room. Good day!"
Oh dear gods.
Rory went beet red and grabbed her almost-assassin's wrist, tugging him along with her head down as her classmates exploded into laughter.
"See, that's why she won't accept any suitors," one of the girls giggled, elbowing a friend meaningfully.
Mortified, Rory essentially dragged Epirus through the building until they reached her dorm. She more or less shoved him inside before slamming the door and leaning back against it. "Oh, I am never going to live that down..."
Epirus looked around the girl's dorm with curious eyes before taking a seat on her bed.
"Live what down?" he asked, still glancing about the room. "Is something the matter?"
The mage rolled her eyes and dragged a hand down her face. "Look, if you don't understand, I'm certainly not explaining it," she grumbled.
She opened her eyes to see him sitting on her bed and bit her lip again, considering. It was just...such an odd picture. "Alright. Let's start with you telling me just what in the name of all hells you are," she decided, folding her arms.
If she acted confident, maybe she would be.
"You're certainly not human. I may not have been exactly lucid earlier, but even just prodding with my magic I can tell that."
Epirus returned a glance at Rory, an amused smile on his face as she folded her arms over her chest.
"Just remember," he warned, "We are on the same side now. We've entered a deal for me to protect your life."
This was something he felt the need to precursor, because usually when people found out who he was - if it wasn't obvious enough already - they would turn heel in flee. He was a bit tired of the cat and mouse game the two shared, and didn't want to prolong it any further.
"Your people would call me a Demon."
Rory's eyes widened. If she hadn't already been pressed up against the door, she would have tried to back up a step.
She closed her eyes, took a breath, opened them...took another breath.
"Okay." She rubbed at her eyes, then her temples. "Okay, that's...okay." She'd taken demonology courses, she could handle this. "What are your-- rules? What kind of demon are you?"
She took it better than expected.
"Rules?" he asked at first, looking quizzically at her. "Well, I am a Soul Piper. It is my job to guide the fallen souls of this plane onto the next, and if a soul was expected but its owner carried on living, in some way or another, it was my job to execute them so I could collect their souls."
He continued after a brief pause. "More recently, I've been given human form by my people. With that, I have human wants, and needs, like food. So I needed a new job, thus why I became an assassin. It only makes sense."
The man stared blankly at her, awaiting a response after he spoke of life and death so casually.
Rory blinked at him. "Alright... But an assassin will kill anyone, for the right price. It sounds like you have-- well, more of a code." She pursed her lips. "At least you did." If he'd only killed people who were supposed to be dead already...that didn't actually seem so bad.
Could have been far worse, at least.
"Ah, yes. I suppose I do have a code, as you say. But that is somewhat of a long story."
He rose to his feet, taking a step closer to the girl. Removing his flute out of his pocket, he displayed it in front of her. "This is what I use to collect them."
She resisted the urge to flinch back, glancing from the flute up to his face and back several times.
"...It's a flute."
"It's more than just a flute," he said quickly, showing just the slightest bit of emotion. "This flute has the power to move souls from one realm to the next. It has the power to seduce and enchant the weak-hearted. I once wiped the minds of over 50 men at once, making them come to me willingly, drop to their knees and accept death without a fight."
His eyes, gliding over the flute in his hand, flashed red, and the wooden object slithered animatedly into the long, formidable thorn whip. "As you can see, there is more to it than meets the eye."
Rory started and skittered to the side.
"Right, um... Just keep that away from me, okay?" She ran a hand nervously through her hair and licked her lips, obviously uncomfortable.
"R-Right," he said softly, coming back down to reality.
The whip descended back into its flute form, and he shoved it back into his pocket. "So, that is who I am. Or rather, what I am," he explained. "Does that answer your question?"
Relaxing slightly, Rory nodded and moved to sit on the edge of her bed. "It does, thank you."
She chewed at her bottom lip, brow furrowed in thought. "So... Since you didn't kill me, do you think your-- your employer will send someone else?"
"I would assume, so, yes," he said after some thought. "Though, they did not expect me to fail. I imagine it will be a few days.. but yes. Someone else will come. Is there a reason why your father would garner such enemies, to put a target on his daughter's back?"
She sighed and shrugged helplessly. "The same reason most nobility do, I imagine. Power."
Her family didn't have much in the way of lands or titles, but they were wealthy enough, and someone's that was all that mattered.
She sighed again and dropped her head into her hands. "Gods, what am I going to do?"
"You have nothing to worry about with me here," he said confidently, though his tone was as absent of emotion as ever. "Try not to worry."
He gave the room another glance around. "So, is this where I will be sleeping?"
Oh good gods.
Rory flushed and looked around the rather small room. A bed, a desk, a wardrobe, a vanity...and that was it. Not a whole lot of floor space.
"Ah, I suppose..." She furrowed her brow and pursed her lips. "I could...lay some blankets out on the floor for you?"
Epirus grinned a teasing grin. How very human of him, he thought.
"I am only joking," he said reassuringly. "I would better serve you looking out from the outside, at least while you are sleeping at night. Do not worry. If you call, I will come."
"Oh." She relaxed slightly, a soft sigh pulled from her. "Well, good. That's...good." She nodded at him once, firmly, then hesitated.
"Ah...could you step outside then? I need to..." She gestured vaguely at herself, then her wardrobe, trying to indicate that she needed to change. Her cheeks flushed rosy pink.
His brow furrowed as the woman tried to get him to leave the room, but he only grew concerned and took a few steps in her direction. "What is wrong with your face?" he asked curiously. "It was not this red a minute ago. Have you fallen ill?"
Almost instinctively Rory raised a hand to her face, trying to hide the redness. "I'm fine," she snapped, feeling a tad defensive. "It's just...warm in here. Really, it's fine just-- just go on." She tried to wave him out of the room.
"Sure," he nodded, finally getting the picture. "As you wish. I will be right outside if you need anything."
The man walked through the door, closing it behind him.
Rory huffed out a breath and nearly collapsed back against her bed. She buried her face in her hands with a soft groan.
What on earth had she just gotten herself into?
"Are you really Rory's boyfriend?" a student asked just outside the girl's door.
For the sake of "playing along," Epirus nodded in concurrence. "Yes, young lad," he said calmly. "For a long time, at that."
"L-Long time?" the boy outside asked skeptically. "Just how long are we talking?"
"Well, we have been lovers for at least twenty years now," Epirus lied, not really understanding the concept of age amongst humans.
Flopped on her back on the bed, Rory's eyes widened as she heard the conversation outside. Swearing under her breath, she jumped to her feet and threw the door open.
"Joking, he's joking!" she said with a forced laugh, "playfully" hitting Epirus's arm.
"Ah, yes," Epirus muttered. "Just a joke. Now, go away boy."
The other student stared quizzically for a few moments before shrugging it off and walking away. Epirus peered over at his shoulder to see Rory still in the same clothes as she was wearing before. "Does it normally take someone this long to change wardrobe?"
Rory glared up at him balefully. "If I didn't have to babysit my almost-assassin it wouldn't," she hissed.
Arms crossed she nodded into her dorm room. "You, in there. You are officially no longer allowed to mingle without supervision. You can guard me perfectly well from inside."
Epirus gave her a gentle nod and stepped back into the girl's dorm. "As you wish," he said as he walked through the door.
The man closed the door behind him, and then turned around to face it. "Go ahead," he said. "I won't look."
Oh, right.
Maybe she hadn't entirely thought this through.
But he had his back to her, and he didn't seem all that interested in turning around, so...
Rory changed as quickly as she could and hurried to climb into bed. She was just lucky it was an acceptable time to be going to bed, otherwise she'd have to be up and...socializing with her new "guard"?
A dubious prospect at best.
"Ah, alright. You can turn around now."
With another nod, he turned around to see the woman sunk into her band covered with blankets.
Quite the unusual transition from earlier when he had her marked for death.
Satisfied, he slid down the door until he was sitting, and folded his arms. "Feel free to go to sleep any time you wish. I will be right here."
He still needed to figure out when and how he was going to replace her spared soul with the man who hired him, but he needn't let her know that. For that moment, he was content with his decision to spare her life.
She blinked at him. "You're just going to...sit there? Don't you sleep?"
He actually mustered a light chuckle.
"Yes, I do sleep," he replied after some thought. "But I wouldn't be a good guard if I fell asleep before you did. Get some rest, and we can decide what to do about your other... pursuers... in the morning."
"Um...alright." Rory huffed quietly and rolled onto her side, curling up with her back to him.
It took a long time for her to fall asleep, but eventually she managed it, some of the tension bleeding from her bunched form under the covers as she slipped into unconsciousness.
Epirus watched her diligently until he was absolutely sure the woman had fallen asleep. Once she had, and he was satisfied, he slowly closed his eyes. He highly doubted anyone else would be on their way, so he may as well get some rest while he had the chance.
He slept, but never moved from that spot against the door.
Rory slept fitfully, but she slept. By the time she woke, groggy and a little confused, the sunlight was creeping through a crack in her curtains.
She yawned and sat up, reaching her arms upward and arching her back in a long stretch.
Then her eyes lit on the man sitting by her door and she recoiled with a sharp, "Ack!" before she remembered who he was and why he was there.
The man went undisturbed by her sudden outburst, and continued to sleep. He had woken up several times over the course of the night, routinely checking his senses to make sure no one was on their trail.
What's more, there was a small noise coming from the corners of his mouth.
He was snoring.
Okay. Right.
Demon.
Slowly, Rory tried to creep out of bed without waking her new guard.
Epirus shot one eye open.
"Hello Rory," he said with a yawn. "Sleep well?"
Damnit!
She squeaked and nearly fell over, clutching at her desk to stay upright. "Kia! When the hells did you wake up?"
He perked an eyebrow up as he watched the woman struggle to stay on her feet.
"Just now," he replied honestly, and dully. "I have very sensitive hearing. I heard the sheets move as you tried to slip out of your bed."
"Well, that's unsettling," Rory muttered. She eyed the demon, then sighed and rubbed at her temples.
"Okay. Just...turn around for a minute. I need to change into day clothes."
Epirus sighed an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes.
"As you wish," he said as he turned away from her again. Humans changed clothes so often, he really didn't see the point.
Rory waited until she was sure his back was turned, then quickly changed into her school robes. With a soft huff she perched at her vanity and started dragging a brush through her gilded curls.
"Alright. Well, I've got classes to get to today, and a thesis I've been working on for months-- and I think you have to come with me. So we need to get our story straight."
Still facing the door, the man replied.
"What do you propose, then? Every time I mention that we are lovers, you seem to get upset. Do you have something else in mind?"
Gods she wished she did.
"No," she sighed, glancing toward him. "Oh. You can turn around now, if you want." Facing the mirror again, she added, "I don't have a more feasible cover, but we need to figure out-- uhg. Details. Such as..."
She twisted to face him again, pulling her hair into a messy braid. "We have not been together for twenty years. That would mean we'd been lovers since I was an infant." She shuddered. "Ew."
"Ah. That."
Epirus turned around to see her in her school robes, watching her blankly as she tried to come up with "details."
"Yes, I may have miscalculated a tad," he said modestly. "So what would be an appropriate time frame for us to be together that is not.. ew?"
Rory considered it, tilting her head from side to side. "Ah...a few months. No more than a year." She sighed as she finished tying off her braid and stood from the vanity. "Plenty of students here are from noble families, and I've had my fair share of suitors. I mostly fend them off by telling them my father is busy setting up an appropriate match."
She gestured to Epirus vaguely. "...I suppose you'll have to do."
"Sure," he accepted. "I am much younger than I look, anyway. We can just go with that, and say that I have a rather... colorful personality. What with the jokes and what not."
A thought came across his mind. "But, I was not planning on attending any more of your classes since the one yesterday. I didn't think I would need any sort of explanation for that, because I didn't intend to stay past that time."
Rory resisted the urge to drop her head onto her desk. "That's fine, you can just...wander the school while I'm in class. Just stay out of trouble."
She sighed and tilted her head at him. "How old are you, anyway?"
He nodded, satisfied with her answer.
"Well, for my tribe, I am a little over three-hundred years old," he said motionlessly. "Just a cub. But in human years, that would make me in my late teens/early twenties, though I've taken on the appearance of someone in their late twenties."
The mage blinked at him. "A cub," she repeated incredulously, eyes wide.
Right. Demon.
With a sigh, she shook her head and moved to step around him. "Alright then. Just-- try to keep out of trouble, won't you?" she begged as she reached for the door.
"Not a problem," he stated with confidence. "Being in the shadows is how I've always operated. It will be like I'm not even here."
Oh gods she could only hope.
"Right. Well. This way, then," Rory sighed as she slipped out into the hall of the students' quarters.
Epirus followed her out of the dorm and into the hall.
"If you need me, call me," he said simply, not elaborating any further. "Otherwise, what time should I meet you back here?"
"Um...alright." She blinked, decided not to ask questions, and replied, "I don't have classes this afternoon, I can see you back here then."
She gave him once last glance, then started off down the hall, mind whirling. Perhaps she should contact home? No, her mother would be horrified by what had happened.
Well...maybe she could just...bend the truth a bit?
The man watched his new employer make her way through halls until she was out of sight, and then he slipped into the shadows until he was completely out of the building. After several minutes of outside exploring, he found a shaded, secluded spot under a tree.
Satisfied, he took a seat under it and let out a heavy breath.
What to do? What to do? He never had to "pass the time" before, and he still needed to figure out how to kill the man who originally hired him - to make it even for the soul that was spared.
Contemplating, he removed his flute from his pocket and placed it gently on his lips. If he was going to wait, at least he could do something to set his mind at ease.
He began playing the melody, a beautifully haunting melody that cut through the air like a knife. It was only after several minutes of the hymn that he peered up from his wooden instrument, seeing that several students had gathered around him, all with blank eyes and motionless expressions.
Shit. He accidentally put them in a trance. Not exactly laying low.
This had been going well-- at least normally-- until she heard the flute. Even from inside the building, the melody floated through a barely open window and twined around the classroom.
Rory felt here eyes growing heavy, her body leaning into the music...then she suddenly realized where it must be coming from and snapped back to attention.
"As I was saying," her teacher mumbled, blinking sleepily. "The, ah, mana involved..."
Fuck.
"I have to excuse myself," Rory said abruptly. Without waiting for a response, she jolted to her feet and hurried out of the classroom. She could only avoid falling under the spell by humming a silly ditty in her head to counteract it as she tried to trace the sound to its source.
"Take a seat, my friends," he said with a calm smile. "I will play for you."
Should be fine, he decided.
As he continued to play his melody, the students around them slowly took a seat in the grass, each one folding their legs over one another as they stared emptily at the piper.
Rory came upon them just as the students were settling in. She bit back a grown, fixed a smile on her face, and strode forward into the group.
"Darling," she exclaimed, eyes snapping fire at the demon. "What on earth are you doing out here? I thought I told you to stay out of trouble!" she laughed. Her tone was playful, teasing, but her eyes promised murder.
Oh. Rory.
He peered up from his instrument and distanced it from his mouth. She was being unusually friendly for someone who was clearly angry.
Sighing, he waved his hand in front of the group and they slowly began to come to.
"Yes, lover?"
Oh gods.
Keeping the smile in place, she tilted her head and said brightly. "That's a lovely time, dear, but don't you think these students have places to be?"
"If they had somewhere else to be, wouldn't they be somewhere else?" he argued back, learning that that was the typical things a couple would do. "I can't help it that I have a gift."
He shot her a sly wink as the students began to get to their feet, confused.
Rory gritted her teeth, but her smile never slipped. "Of course, Love, you're so talented," she cooed.
She may have been laying it on a little thick, but damnit she was irritated.
He smiled, and got to his feet before walking over to stand next to the woman. "Have you all met my lovely girlfriend, Rory?" he asked the remaining students still around. "We have been together for no more than a year."
Oh dear gods.
A few of her classmates looked at each other or her curiously, and she laughed and wrapped her arm through Epirus's. "Yes, of course, that's right. Lovely seeing you all, but we have to be going."
She turned quickly and dragged the demon along after her.
Epirus waved goodbye to the other students as the woman dragged her away. He turned to the woman with a small smile on his face, but it quickly faded and he narrowed his eyes.
He felt something.
Something was on its way, and way sooner than he expected.
He didn't want to alert anyone else though, so he tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. Placing his hand on his back, his stride picked up a bit and he whispered, "We need to get back to your room."
Rory tensed. "What's going on?" she asked out of the corner of her mouth.
Maybe it was because she could feel that he was on edge, but her magic started to prickle in that eyes-on-her-back kind of way.
"Someone's coming," he said quietly, escorting the girl back into the building. "I'm not sure if they've sent someone new or if it's something else entirely.."
He trailed off, shooting a look over his shoulder as they walked. "But someone is coming."
She paled, all of her brief confidence draining away. "How can you tell?" she asked softly, voice shaking just a little.
"I can feel it."
Shuffling her into the building, he grabbed her hand and picked up his feet into a full on sprint. Whatever was coming, it was definitely something powerful. He was sure he could take care of it with no issues, but he needed to get Rory to the room first, and then lure it away from the school.
Rory squeaked as he started to run, nearly falling on her face as she stumbled trying to keep up. "W-Wait, slow down!"
"Shut up and run!" he barked harshly, nearing the hall where her dorm resided. "Get inside your room and lock the door! Do NOT come out until I tell you to."
She stumbled as they neared her door and more or less threw herself inside. "Wait, where are you going?!"
"I'm going to lure whatever is coming away from the school," he said quickly, closing the door from the outside after she had entered. "Don't worry. You'll be safe here" he said from the other side of the door.
He took a few steps forward into the hall, his eyes glowing fire, and removed his instrument from his pocket.
"Wait--" Too late, he was already gone. Rory stared at the door, eyes wide, as her mind raced and she tried to figure out what to do.
A muffled, sinister chuckle came from behind the girl. It belonged to a man who had previously stood unnoticed in the corner.
He stood tall, taller than Epirus, and looked eerily similar to the woman's new guard. Silver haired, dark skin, and silvery-blue eyes that cut through like a knife. A devious smile sneaked onto his lips as he took a step forward and he gave her a near silent applaud with his hands.
"Hello Rory," he said with twisted eyes. "Some guard you have there."
"Ah!"
She whirled, eyes wide and lips parted.
Oh no.
Without a word, she ran for the door again, aiming to throw herself back out into the hall. "Epirus!"
"It's locked now, you won't be able to break the seal."
He took another step closer the woman, tilting his head as he eyed her up and down. "So, you're the one my brother spared," he hissed. "Didn't think he would have such a soft spot for such a weasel of a... human."
Just outside, Epirus moved further from the girl's dorm trying to pinpoint the location of the threat.
The mage pressed back against the door. It was like time had rewound, and she was facing Epirus again-- Epirus as she'd first met him, a terrifying, emotionless assassin.
She trembled, then suddenly set her jaw, eyes flashing. No. She was not helpless. She'd fought Epirus, she could fight this man too.
Quickly, she raised her hands and sketched two separate runes into the air, shouting in old Sylvan. The glyphs pulsed around her fingertips, then seemed to transform into beams of light that shot from her hands toward the intruder.
The unknown assassin sidestepped from the beams, with almost too much ease, but was caught off-guard when one of them cut through the edge of his arm, twisting him to the side. With an irritated huff, he snapped a glare back on the woman as his eyes burned blood red.
"You will regret that," he said as he pulled out a flute of his own. "Would you prefer a whip to honor Epirus, or would you rather be pierced with a blade?"
---
Epirus had made his way outside, searching frantically for the scent that was steadily moving away from him. And then the realization hit, and his heart shot up to his throat.
"Rory," he hissed, darting back inside the building.
Rory scrabbled behind her for the doorknob, sketching another quick glyph, this one for warding. A thin magical barrier flickered into being around her.
She could only hope it would last long enough.
"Epirus, help me!"
Epirus felt like he was in a race against time as he rushed through the halls of the Academy, knocking a few students over in the process as they moved in his way at the wrong moment. And then he made it, and he could only hope that Rory was still safe.
He slipped through the door, the seal on the doorknob not affecting him as it came from his own blood. And that's when he saw them. That's when he saw him.
"Chorin," he growled, stepping in front of Rory.
She nearly fell back through the open door, then gasped in relief as suddenly Epirus was standing in front of her.
Without thinking, she threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around his middle, peeking cautiously around him at her attacker. Strange as it may have been, the demon was the only source of comfort she had in the situation.
"Wh-who is that?"
"My brother," he hissed, eyes locked on Chorin. "He hired you?"
Chorin smirked, eyes narrow. "I offered my services to him," he responded with a sinister grin. "Did you not think there would be consequences for your actions, Epirus?"
"What's going on?" Rory demanded, voice high with fear. She clutched Epirus a little tighter.
Epirus went to speak, but was immediately interrupted by his older sibling.
"Epirus broke protocol," he said, stepping another step further. "When he spared your life, he had to make it right by giving us another, but his time has run out. Surely, he told you of this had he not?"
"Wh-what?" Rory looked between the two of them. "But...that's insane! Even if that made any sense, it's only been a day!"
Epirus' eyes narrowed. "He's right," he muttered through a growl. "Our rules are strict. A soul was needed before sun down."
Chorin took another step closer and Epirus hissed. "Stay away from her," he scowled. "I'll get you your soul, you are just going to have to be patient."
Rory squeaked and shrank back, trying to better hide herself behind her guard. She watched the exchange with wide eyes, unsure what to do or say.
"Oh, what's wrong Epirus?" taunted Chorin. "Grown attached already? Dear girl, I do not know how you put up with him. He's always been this way, that's why father-"
Abruptly, Epirus lunged at the man, snatching him up by the neck and slamming him against the wall.
She shrieked and darted for the bed, trying to get out of the way of the conflict. Even as she did though, she was sketching glyphs around herself, trying desperately to think of the correct Creature to summon.
Almost involuntarily, Chorin snorted and chuckled as the back of his head whipped the back of the wall. "Seems I've touched a nerve," he said with curved lips. "You won't kill me, Epirus. Stand aside."
It was true. Epirus didn't have it in him to do any more to his brother than fend him off from the girl. Despite his hatred for one another, he was still blood, and that had to have meant something. Yet, he kept his grip on the other demon, eyes locked tight.
He could only hope Rory had something up her sleeve.
"Y-you leave him alone!" Rory shouted at the other demon, hands cupped in front of her chest, cradling a blue glyph in the space between them. Magic pulsed around her, gold eyes flaring.
Despite the shake in her voice, it was clear she was calling on an immense amount of power.
Chorin laughed at the woman's plea just before slipping a knife into Epirus' stomach. Eyes shot open, Epirus loosened his grip on his brother's throat, casting an uncertain look down to see the blade.
"You left yourself wide open, brother," Chorin sneered. "Now, stand aside if you don't want to die today too."
Rory screamed, the sound mostly pure shock and anger. She threw her hands out, shouting in old Sylvan, and a streak of blue light burst from her glyph, taking the form of a large bird in midair.
The bird screeched and swooped low over the attacking demon, clawing for his eyes.
Chorin immediately pushed Epirus back, trying to move out of the way of the summoned creature. It went for his eyes, but he turned just in time for it to get his back, leaving a streaking scar through his shirt and into the skin.
He hissed, his neck snapping over to scowl at the girl. "Later," he said in a growl before fleeing out of the door.
Epirus stood there for a moment, eyes glazed over and his hands pressuring the wound, before ultimately dropping to his knees.
"Oh Kia!" With a snap of her fingers Rory dispelled the Summoned bird, leaping forward to catch Epirus by the shoulders. "Oh gods. Help! We need help!" she shouted at the door.
"It's not too b-bad," he tried to assure her, but the growing wince on his face and sweat on his forehead said otherwise.
Damn. The wound was deep. Chorin stabbed him in just the right spot to kill him slowly if left untreated.
"The hell it isn't," Rory snapped. She looked to the door again. Nobody seemed to be in the dorms, someone would have surely heard her.
"Alright, I have to get you to the infirmary," she said briskly, trying to hide her shaking hands and voice behind a grim set to her mouth. She looped his arm around her shoulder. "Come on, can you stand?"
His eyes moved slowly over Rory's arm as she connected with him, and then back up to her with a skeptical look. "I can stand," he managed to say through another stinging pain. "Why are you helping me?"
Sure, he was her guard now, but not that long ago he was trying to kill her. That, and Epirus was never treated to acts of kindness by strangers.
"Because if I don't you'll die," Rory replied bluntly. She pulled him to the door and nudged it open, trying to take as much of Epirus's weight as she could reasonably manage.
"Don't strain yourself," he said through his teeth. "I can walk just fine."
His lie was apparent as she shuffled him through the door and every step caused him to wince a little more than the last.
"Bullshit," Rory growled as she dragged him out into the hall.
Stumbling to the infirmary took longer than she would have liked, but finally they reached their destination. She managed to heave them both through the door and settled Epirus onto one of the beds, then darted toward the end of the long room, shouting, "Is anyone in? We need a healer!"
Gods, she hoped someone was on duty. She was absolutely terrible at healing spells.
Epirus laid his head back on the bed with a prolonged wince on his face. "I-I don't know how much.. their spells.. will work on me," he struggled to say through his teeth. "B-But I guess.. we'll have to try. If no one is here, you're going to have to do it.."
His brows angled in further agony, his face grew pale, and his breaths started to grow distant.
Thankfully, one of thee school's healers was present. He came bustling out of the small office at the back of the infirmary. "Yes, yes, what's the prob-- oh my goodness!"
Rory nodded quickly and raced back to Epirus, taking his hand and trying to prop him up slightly on the pillows as the healer hurried after her. "We were attacked in my room," she babbled, "he was stabbed-- please, you have to help!"
The healer nodded quickly and knelt beside the bed. "I'm going to lift your shirt to see the wound. Try not to move, young man, alright?"
Oh, an actual healer.
"Thank gods," Epirus breathed through his teeth, almost obvious that he thought Rory was not up to the task.
He nodded and tried to lift his arms so the man could remove his bloodied tunic.
The young mage might have been offended by the relief in his tone, if she weren't in complete agreement with him that she was hardly an accomplished healer.
The man nodded and lifted the fabric so he could get at the wound, hissing through his teeth. "This is deep," he murmured, turning to grab what must have been some kind of poultice from a small satchel at his hip. "What exactly happened? And who are you? You're not a student."
Before Epirus could answer, Rory cut in, "He's my-- my betrothed. He was just visiting and...an assassin broke into my room. I don't know how he got there, but he attacked Epirus when he tried to defend me."
"S-She's right," Epirus tried to play along. "We are to be married soon.. I just wanted to surprise her.. but it appears I was the one who was caught by surprise."
The healer sighed and shook his head. "That shouldn't be possible...only a being of extreme power could get through the wards..." He sighed again and glanced up at Rory. "I'm sure you're worried, but please step outside. I'm going to need a bit of space."
She hesitated, glancing at Epirus's face, and sighed with a small nod. "Alright..."
Epirus shot the healer a look, and then to Rory. The man was right - any ordinary person wouldn't have been able to get through, and perhaps that alone was knowing too much. His mind raced momentarily - should he enchant him? After receiving treatment, it may be there best option but.. he couldn't help thinking it may make things worse.
So he decided against it, shelving it as an option if it really came down to it. Though, he was not accustomed to the kindness of strangers, or being treated by someone he doesn't know, and more importantly someone who didn't know what he was.
"She can't stay?" he asked quietly.
The healer frowned. "It's...well it's against protocol, but she'll be able to see you once I'm done working."
Rory huffed and, a little impulsively, reached out to take Epirus's hand and squeeze gently. "I'll be right outside," she murmured with a small smile, an attempt at reassurance.
The healer's eyes softened as he watched them and she remembered she was supposed to be worrying for a lover, not a man she'd just met. Who'd tried to kill. Then become her guard.
She flushed and leaned in to kiss his cheek quickly, then straightened up again. "I'm going to contact my parents," she said briskly as she turned to leave the infirmary.
Epirus eyed Rory skeptically after receiving the peck on the cheek, but could feel his face grow a little hot. Parents? Was that such a good idea?
"You don't need to be wandering around on your own!" he tried to call out for her once she was out the door.
"I won't, I'll just be outside!" she called back, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She glanced at the healer wryly. "You may want to sedate him just to keep him quiet."
Epirus laughed, despite the pain it caused him to do so. "She may be right about that," he added softly as he looked to the healer. "What comes next? Do you need me to remove the rest of my clothes as well?"
The healer chuckled. “No no, the shirt will be fine.” He tilted his head. “Would you like some poppy oil? I don’t think you need to be sedated, but it’ll help fill the pain while I work.”
Just outside the door, Rory leaned against the wall and pulled a pocket mirror from the small pouch at her waist, murmuring a spell to contact the mirror hanging in her parents’ suite.
"Poppy oil?" the demon guard muttered under his breath. He had definitely never heard of anything of the sort, but it it would numb the pain, then to hell with it.
"I'll take all of the poppy oil you have," he replied.
He nodded briskly and de chef what appeared to be an eye dropper filled with a clear, thick substance. "Here. Try three drops, then tell me if you need more after a few moments."
Epirus obliged, taking the eye dropper from the man and eyeing it carefully. What exactly was he suppose to do with this thing.
Managing to shrug, he held it upside down above his tongue, and squirted out three drops.
"Tastes terrible."
"Aye. Some people add sugar or honey, but I don't see much point." The healer tilted his head. "Give it a few moments, then tell me how you feel."
As the doctor had said, it took several minutes for the medicine to kick in, and the stinging pain in his stomach reduced to a minimum and grew numb.
"Seems to be working," he mumbled, a little baffled.
"Good." The heart nodded and set about spreading his poultice. "I'll have to stitch you up after this."
Epirus nodded in understanding.
He remained in the room for some time, but it was no bother to him. The poppy oil had worked more into his system and he no longer felt any pain, and soon enough, the healer stitched up his wound.
"You're going to want to take it easy for a little while," the man said. "Are you able to walk?"
Epirus sat at the edge of the bed and leaned into his feet until he was standing once again. "I feel like nothing ever happened," he replied in surprise. "Now, where did... my betrothed run off to?"
Rory was waiting just outside the door, pacing anxiously. When she heard Epirus's voice again, she burst inside, darting to his bed.
"I'm here," she said quickly. "How are you feeling."
"Good as new," he said reassuringly as he managed a smile. "I hope I didn't worry you too much. Did you speak with your parents?"
She nodded and perched carefully on the edge of his bed. "I did. They, um..." She chewed at her lip. "They want me to come home. For a while, at least. They're worried for me."
Well, that was understandable.
"That may be for the best, given the situation," he said, his voice lowering a bit. "When do we leave?"
Rory shrugged. "As soon as you can travel, ideally." She furrowed her brow at him. "You sure you're alright? What can I do?" The second question was directed at the healer as she raised her head.
The man smiled and shook his head at her slightly. "He just needs rest. With a wound like that, at least a day, though the magic I've used should speed the process along, so at least he won't be laid up for a week or more."
"Nonsense, I can travel now," Epirus assumed as he took a few steps towards the door. He felt better, sure, but now that he was standing he understood that he didn't feel that much better. Still, he'd rather get a move on sooner rather than later.
"I can't wait to meet mom and dad," he tried for a joke. He really didn't anticipate the girl bringing him along, but I guess that came with the job.
Rory and the healer exchanged a look, then the mage was running after her "fiance". "Epirus, hold on," she sighed. "Let's just get you back to the room for now, okay?"
She needed to pack some things if she was heading home anyway.
"Suit yourself," he relied wryly. He slung an arm over her shoulder and motioned for her to start towards her dorm. "I may need a little more help getting around."
"Yeah, which is why we shouldn't be traveling until at least tomorrow," Rory grumbled as she guided him carefully out into the hall and back toward her dorm.
She sighed as they walked, already running through a mental list of tasks. "I'll need alert my professors that I'll be taking some time off," she murmured. "And tell Mother and Father when to expect us. And we need to come up with some sort of story for why exactly I have you with me."
"Wait," he said as the two progressed through the halls. "They do know about me, right? What exactly did you tell them?"
Rory stared at him as though he was mad. "What did you expect me to tell them? You're a demonic assassin who had a change of heart and became my bodyguard?" She rolled her eyes. "I said you're a friend from school who was defending me from the attacker and got hurt in the process."
"Ah," Epirus mouthed in understanding. "Probably for the best, then. How far away is it?"
"It's a two day ride by coach, with a little magical assistance," she replied as she ushered him back into her dorm room. "Here, sit down," she murmured, urging him toward the bed. "I'll stat packing."
Epirus obliged and took a seat on the bed. Horse coach, huh? It had been a while since Epirus traveled by anything other than his two feet, but that should work out just fine. "Works for me," he said as he watched the woman begin gathering her things. "It'll be easier for me to be aware of my surroundings if I can sit still for a while."
She huffed. "Not to mention it might help that hole in your side heal up," she muttered wryly, not quite bothering to look over at him.
Epirus almost laughed. "I knew I was marrying you for a reason," he tried for a joke. "Do you think that doctor actually bought all that?"
"Gods." Rory sat back on her heels and ran her hands through her hair. "I think so. I hope so." She sighed and shook her head. "Doesn't really matter. We need to get home and...figure this out."
"Right." He reached inside of his pockets and took his flute out, eyeing it briefly. "I don't know when Chorin will be back. You hurt his ego pretty bad, but he's not one to give up so easily.. And.."
He trailed off, not exactly knowing what to say.
Rory paused and glanced over at him. "What? What's wrong?" she asked when he trailed off.
He shook his head and mustered a soft, self-amused chuckle. "Its funny," he started in a low tone. "It was just yesterday that I was trying to kill you, and now here I am, your guard and feeling bad for what I've put you through. If I had never accepted the initial offer in the first place, none of this would be happening to you."
He sighed. It had been a long day already. "And Chorin is ruthless. He's not going to stop coming after you anytime soon, but I somewhat wonder if he would even have the inclination to if I just offered myself instead. He's had it out for me since we were children."
"Hey." She turned to glare at him. "None of that talk. We'll be fine, we'll just have to figure a different way out of this."
She went back to packing, then suddenly paused again. "Hang on. Didn't he say... Aren't you two...related?"
Epirus paused for a few moments and then let out a long, exasperated breath. "Yes," he confirmed. "He's my older brother. Family ties aren't as strong where I come from."
Rory blinked at him, eyes a little wide. "Oh."
She seemed to debate a moment, then decided not to press it, turning back to her packing. "Who's your side feel?"
"It's better," he said quietly, almost grateful she changed the subject that he started. "Thank you for your concern."
"Mm." The mage paused in her packing again to glance around the room. Was she missing anything?
"You should sleep on the bed tonight," she murmured absently. "I can take the floor."
"Nonsense," Epirus argued quickly. "I am fine to take the floor. I should be better come morning."
He wasn't sure if that was the truth or just hoping, but he's been in worse situations, and he wasn't going to let his employer sleep on the hard ground if he could help it.
"The hell you are," Rory replied just as quickly. "Look, I'm not arguing about this. You get the bed, I get the floor-- end of discussion."
Epirus could have huffed in protest. Impossible woman. "Fine," he said after some hesitation, sinking back into her bed. "Have it your way."
"I will, thank you," Rory replied primly. She seemed to be done packing, straightening up again and taking quick stock of what she'd stashed away.
"Women," he muttered under his breath.
Two nights now he stayed in this woman's bedroom, both for the same reason but with very different circumstances. He didn't fight it when his eyelids grew a little heavy, and gently placed his hand over the still-healing wound.
"Demons," Rory shot back. She slipped over to the bed to grab a pillow and blanket, tossing them out over the floor to make some sort of bed, which she curled into, keeping the bed between herself and the door.
Epirus chuckled as he heard her sink into her "bed", eyes still closed.
"Now who's protecting who?"
"Just go to sleep," the mage huffed, frowning as she curled up a little tighter, frowning.
There was silence for a few moments, then she murmured, a little softer, "...Do you think he'll come back?"
Epirus stayed silent for a few moments before answering. "Probably," he said after some hesitation. "And what's worse is I don't know when he will come back. A few days, a few weeks.. Hopefully not while we are with your parents."
Rory bit her lip, staring up at her ceiling in silence. Her eyes prickled with the threat of tears. She took a careful, shaky breath, hoping they wouldn't show in her voice.
"Alright," she murmured, turning back onto her side.
"Don't worry," his voice cut through a bit more sharp than it typically did. "I won't let anything happen to you. Get some rest, and we can worry about this in the morning."
"I'm not worried," Rory lied quickly. She huffed out a tense breath and turned her face into her pillow.
"...G'night, Epirus."
Epirus thought about speaking more, but decided against it. He assumed the following day would be a long journey, and he needed to get his rest and heal quick to make sure everything went smoothly.
"Goodnight, Aurelia."
Rory was already asleep-- that, or she just didn't feel like responding. The only sound in the room was her soft breathing, and the gentle creak of an old building.
Epirus slept very little that night, but the sound of Rory's breathing was somehow comforting enough for him to feel rested.
It must have been around dawn when Rory opened her eyes and sat up, wincing.
"Never doing that again," she muttered, glaring balefully at the hard wooden floor.
"I told you to take the bed," Epirus said quickly after she sat up. He was sitting on the floor behind her with his legs folded over one another.
"Gods above!"
Rory nearly fell over herself trying to scramble backward. "What the hells?! What are you trying to do, scare me to death?"
"Your bed isn't very comfortable," he said in a dry, near emotionless tone. "I moved to the floor shortly after you fell asleep and stayed next to you throughout the night."
He stood up quickly and offered her his hand. "No use worrying about it now."
Rory just glared at him in silence for a few moment. "Well if you were gonna scorn the bed you could've at least woken me up so I could take it," she muttered petulantly as she got to her feet.
She sighed, looked around, and started gathering the bags she had packed the night before. "We should get moving, we need to meet the coach at the gate soon."
Epirus didn't pay her comment any mind. She insisted on the floor, after all.
He knelt down and picked up one of her bags and slung it over his shoulder and onto his back, and then he grabbed another. "I'll get your bags, you lead the way."
"Oh no you don't." She lunges forward to try to take the bag from him, scowling. "You're injured. I'm perfectly capable of carrying my own things."
"Oh, for the love of-"
Epirus stopped himself and turned away. He almost laughed. That was almost the most human reaction he has ever had. He shook his head and sighed, dropping one of the bags. "I'll take the one, then. Let's go."
The mage sort of pouted at him, considering arguing, but then she just huffed and shouldered her bag. "Alright then. Front gate, the coach should be waiting for us by the time we get there."
Epirus extended his arm toward the door and motioned for her to lead the way. "After you, darling."
Rory rolled her eyes as she stepped passed him out into the hall. "Smartass," she grumbled, starting to lead them down the winding halls of the school, toward the front entrance.
Epirus smiled wearily as he followed her, students passing as they walked with all eyes on them. It appeared that no one seemed to notice Chorin's presence at the school before, and all they seemed concerned with were Epirus, Rory, and their "status," casting curious gazes and snickering through the hall as they passed.
It was all in good fun at first, but now it made him a little uncomfortable. No wonder Rory acted the way she did.
Rory led Epirus out to the front courtyard as quickly as she could, where one of the school's enchanted carriages waited— spelled for protection and swiftness, and so that a driver was rendered unnecessary.
"Get in, ill jut weave our destination into the enchantment," she said, moving toward the horses tethered to the front of the coach.
"Impressive," he said as he stepped up and into the coach. "Your magic comes in handy. You'll have to teach me a thing or two one day."
"Oh, that's not my magic," she replied, waving him off. "That just the enchantment on the carriage. It allows for modification."
"Ah," was Epirus' somewhat disappointed response. "Well, ready whenever you are."
Feeling a little guilty at his tone, though she wasn't sure why, Rory added as she piled into the coach behind him, "A could try to teach you Summoning, if you're interested. It's very similar to demonlord magic, actually."
"Sure," he agreed in his typical calm demeanor. "And I will teach you some tricks of my own. It may serve you well one day."
“Uh-huh.” She eyes him sidelong as she settled herself on the coach seat across from him. “And what tricks are those, exactly?”
The carriage lurched into motion, rattling away down the road.
"I think you'll find my enchantment is a bit more effective than anything you've seen before," he almost bragged as the coach made it's way down the path.
"Is that so?" Rory quirked one eyebrow, then glanced out to watch the road speed by outside the coach. She shrugged. "I'm alright with enchantment, but honestly I'm mediocre at just about everything outside of Summoning."
"You think so?" he asked sincerely. "I was impressed with your summoning. I was under the impression that the Academy was for mages the equivalent to teaching toddlers how to read. I'm sure you could pick it up in no time."
Epirus was unaware how rude that may have sounded.
Rory blinked at him, not sure if she should be complimented or insulted by that comment.
She settled for "neutral" and huffed softly at him, noncommittal, refraining from saying anything else as she opted to instead look out the window.
Epirus smiled, satisfied with his answer. "I am sure your parents will be delighted to meet me," he said sarcastically as he sneaked a peak out of the opposite window. "I'll try to refrain from showing them my true eye color. That always seems to shake people up a bit, for whatever reason."
The mage rolled her eyes. "Yes, I've sure it does," she muttered drolly. Glancing at him sidelong, she added, "We're just friends from school, as far as my parents know, remember? We should work out something convincing to tell them in case they start asking more questions."
She tried to ignore the prickle of guilt for that; she didn't like lying to her family, but she didn't see many other options.
"Ah, right. Sorry," he said quickly. "I don't think it's customary for someone like me to be attending any sort of school. Well, what my age appears to be, that is. Does the academy typically house older students?"
She pursed her lips, considering. "Hmm...Wyrdwood typically only takes students until their twenty-first year, but they make some exceptions for travelers who may want to simply use the facilities."
She shrugged and tilted her head at him. "You could pose to have been in such a position? Perhaps simply doing research at the academy, not a full time student."
"Research sounds like a good option for me," he replied while absently looking out of the window. "Any particular area of research?"
Rory snorted quietly, then offered with a wry smirk, "Demonology?"
Epirus muffled a laugh and smiled in return. "Clever."
Rory shrugged and continued more seriously, "It would make sense though. You know enough about demons to pass as a scholar of them, with a little finagling."
He nodded. "Sounds like we have ourselves a story. Should I keep my human name, Epirus Clove, or should we conjure up a new one?"
She shrugged again, tilting her head to the side. "I don't think there's anything wrong with the name. Do you want to change it?"
"Not particularly," he admitted. "I think it's fine as it, though I'm not sure how much weight it carries in my line of work."
Rory tilted her head the other way, looking him up and down. "Well, I don't think it'll be a problem," she said at length with yet another shrug. "Are you worried about being recognized?"
He bit his lip, and his fingers found their way to his chin as he thought more on Rory's question. "Maybe," he said half-guessing. "I've signed a lot of contracts," he admitted with a frown. "I don't think I have to tell you what that means."
She shuddered slightly, remembering the fear and panic that had overcome her when Epirus was first set on her trail.
"No. I get it," she murmured, looking back out the window. "It's...probably fine. My family is pretty sheltered, they likely won't have heard of you."
His eyes lifted slightly, though it was hardly distinguishable from the usual dead expression on his face. "My people do have the power to change our appearance," he said. It wasn't as if he was just now admitting something that he had been keeping from her, it was just that he never really thought about it before or found it useful.
"Oh." She blinked. "Are you...doing that right now?"
"Well, not exactly," he said. "This is my natural human form. We all look like this in some way or another, as you might've seen with Chorin. But-"
He closed his eyes and a sudden transformation ensued, his hair, eyes, skin, and build almost grotesquely shifting with lurching bones until he sat there, someone entirely different. He took the appearance of a young mage approximately Rory's age, a little more than handsome, with brown tidy hair, sharp blue eyes and a fair complexion.
"It takes a little bit of my strength," he admitted, his voice still the low, monotone shade that felt a little awkward with his new appearance.
Rory's eyes widened and she pressed back against the seat of the coach, shaking her head.
"No. Nope. No no no. Please don't do that," she implored, blinking rapidly.
Epirus snickered. "Close your eyes, I'll change back."
He didn't wait much longer than a second before he reverted back to his natural form in the same bone-churning process.
Rory placed her hands over her eyes, biting her lip as she waited.
Gods, that was just...unsettling.
"Are you done?" she asked after a few moments, chancing a glance through the gaps in her fingers.
"Mhm," was his confirmation, though strands are brown were still a little noticeable in his silver hair. It was amusing enough, at least.
Slowly, Rory dropped her hands. "You're laughing at me," she accused, glowering at him.
He grinned, and stuck his hands up in defense. "I'm not!"
"Yes you are," she retorted, though she was smiling a bit despite herself. This was actually sort of...normal. It felt nice.
She huffed and tossed her hair dramatically. "That's some way for a guard to treat his mistress," she sniffed, mock prim.
Epirus snickered, attempting to cover his smirk with his hand but it was a mostly failed attempt. "Well, we never went over the rules of this arrangement," he retorted. "How would you like me to treat you, Mistress Rory?"
"Oh, ew." She crinkled her nose at him and shook her head. "No no, not like that. Just...Rory. Rory is fine, I was only teasing," she said quickly, blushing just a bit.
She'd been at school so long she'd almost forgotten what it was like to actually have people address her that way-- even if he was only being sarcastic.
"As you wish," he smirked. "How much longer, Rory?"
His eyes shot back out of the window.
She shot him a quick look. "It's a two day trip, and we should stop to rest the horses soon. We can sleep in the coach, it'll just be a little...cramped."
"Ah. Right."
He had almost forgot. A two day trip. Two days of just sitting and talking, and apparently sharing the same sleeping space with his mistress. Things were a little easier when he was just killing people for a living.
"What do you mean cramped?"
"Well..." She gestured around them vaguely. The coach was comfortable enough, but it was clear that the only place they could really sleep would be the floor, as the seats weren't wide enough to do so safely.
And with two of them, it would be an incredibly tight fit.
Oh.
Epirus nodded and sighed, understanding. "Well, when we stop for the night just make yourself comfortable. I'll keep watch from outside of the wagon."
Rory glanced at him, then huffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be ridiculous. It may not be the most comfortable, but I'm not going to kick you out to sleep on the ground. We'll manage just fine, it'll just be...tight."
She shrugged and looked out the window again, evidently unconcerned.
"As you wish," he said absently. There was really no sense in arguing. Probably best to protect her from inside the coach then out, anyway. At least the trip had been calm up until then.
The coach continued to trundle along at a steady pace, and Rory found herself starting to drift off. When they eventually stopped for the night, the slight jolt of the carriage coming to a halt jerked her out of her doze and she sat up quickly.
"Wha-- where--?" she started, looking around, then she remembered where they were. Yawning, she pressed a hand over her mouth and murmured, "I'll go take care of the horses. I think there's a blanket in one of my bags, mind seeing if you can find it?"
Epirus had stayed awake through the journey, at least to the point of stopping. A small smile formed on his lips when Rory snapped out of her drifting. "Not a problem," he said before moving over to her bags. "Be careful out there. Call me if you see or hear anything."
"I will."
She stepped down from the carriage and set about untethering the horses and moving them off the road so they could graze, the coach itself settlemjust far anough off the path that they wouldn't be immediately noticeable to anyone passing in the night.
Setting up a quick barrier for the horses, Rory turned and climbed back into the coach, yawning. "If we keep up with this pace, we should reach the manor by sundown tomorrow."
Epirus found the blanket in her bag and had it in hand when she returned. "That's good news then," he replied before extending his arm to hers. "Here."
"Thanks." She took the blanket with a small, tired smile, and spread it out over the floor of the carriage. Rummaging through another of her packs, she produced a thinner quilt and curled up on the blanket she'd spread over the floor, drawing the quilt over her form.
She lifted an edge and beckoned for Epirus to get under it. "C'mon, we should grab some sleep while we can."
Epirus thought about refusing, as it felt inappropriate, but he was tired and was still in healing. Not only that, but Rory was technically his boss. He got to his knees slowly before slipping under the quilt, resting on his side without saying a word.
Rory sighed softly and turned to put her back to him, curling up on her side. "G'night," she murmured, closing her eyes and willing herself into sleep.
"Good night, Rory."
Epirus closed his eyes and focused on the silence around them, breathing lightly before eventually falling asleep.
The mage was already asleep, exhausted even though the day hadn't been all that strenuous, all things considered. She huddled deep into the little blanket nest, shivering slightly as the night gradually grew colder, but not even that could wake her.
Why was he helping Rory?
That was the first thought that came across the demon's mind when he awoke the next morning. He remained in the "bed" they had made for themselves, eyes staring up at the wagon covering and not checking to see if his companion had awoken yet or not.
It would've been easier to just carry out his mission and kill her. Of course, that was no longer the case. He spent too much time learning about her, too much time toying with her, and allowed himself to falter to easily when she suggested the bodyguard arrangement. If he wasn't so fascinated with the human species to begin with this could have all been avoided. Emotions were a silly, messy thing.
Even if he did protect her from Chorin and anyone else that may come her way, something would eventually get to them. He didn't want to admit it, but he could only do so much against his brother and the rest of his clan.
He couldn't save her forever, and now he had to save himself too. Being on the run was not something he was use to, and surely it would only be a matter of time.
He sighed, trying to push those thoughts away for now. He tilted his head to look at the woman, his steely blue eyes actually soft for once (instead of the usual empty-vessel state) as he examined her.
"Mmm..." Rory gave a soft, sighing sort of sound as she felt her sleeping partner shift and curled in toward him unconsciously.
Gradually, she seemed to begin to wake. She stirred and blinked, yawning as her back arched in a small stretch. "Wha' time issit?"
Epirus watched her cautiously as conflicted emotions danced in his mind. Another sigh escaped his lips before he moved stray strands of her hair out of the way of her eyes. "The sun is just now rising," he replied, probably louder than the girl's ears were ready for. "You should go back to sleep, there's still time. I want to take a look around."
Carefully, he moved away from her before getting to his feet and peaking through the curtain to view their outside surroundings.
Rory blinked her eyes open and sat up, yawning. "Hey— Wait a second. What's the rush? What if it's...not safe out there?"
The last was said with no small amount of trepidation, eyes widenin slightly, sleepiness quickly fading.
Epirus muffled a small laugh under his hand.
"It probably isn't," he said with a shrug. "Better the reason for me to take a look around now. Just lock the door behind me and I'll be back in just a bit."
"Wait." Rory scrambled up, scraping her hair back off her face with one hand and trying to tie it haphazardly. "I'll come with you. If there's something...bad out there, better two of us than one."
Insolent-
Epirus' eyes flashed red for a split second, the demon inside of him of peaking its way through in a hidden moment. If it was noticeable to Rory, he wouldn't have realized. "I've got it," he said definitively.
Outside the sun was rising, the air was cool, and his confidence was slipping. With an incomplete contract, he didn't know how much longer he could protect the girl.
His strength was fading.
Rory suddenly tensed, staring at Epirus warily.
Right. Demon.
Somehow, she'd almost forgotten.
"...Fine." The young mage settled back into her seat in the carriage, then tossed her hair and turned her attention to rummaging through her bag for something to eat; she'd only packed enough for two days, so she'd have to hope that they would reach her home by tomorrow morning at the latest.
Fishing out a small sachet, she murmured an incantation that released the charm keeping the food compacted and allowed to scones to pop into being in what was now a silk handkerchief. As she did, she glanced out the open door of the carriage, watching Epirus's back with that reborn wariness still firmly in place.
Dumb bastard.
Always the soft spot for human girls. The "emotionless" demon was not as emotionless as he'd like to think he was, and now he found himself a prisoner of his own mistake.
He should've just killed her.
He had no obligation to let her live. It was never his place to pass judgement on who lives and who dies. After all, he was no god.
He should've just killed her.
Her fear shouldn't have affected his decision, yet it made him sympathetic and an looking for an alternate route. So he lied. He lied and made a "pact" with her, though it was really no pact at all. The only thing he had really accomplished was defied the existing pact, and now he's suffering the consequences.
How very human of him to allow the fear of a pretty young human girl get the better of him. Why had he become so fascinated with them? So sympathetic? Soul Pipers were not meant to live this way.
His powers were draining. He wouldn't be able to protect her anymore. Hells, the only choice he could see.. if he wanted to return back to normal.. was kill Rory.
He shrugged off the thought immediately. Surely, there had to be another way.
There's the human coming out in you again, he thought.
There was still time. Once they made it to the girl's parents, he could think more.
Stepping back inside, he greeted Rory with a forced, tired smile. "Nothing to see out there," he reported, taking a seat. "We should be getting there soon, right?"
"Um...yes." Rory blinked up at him, feeling a little thrown by the abrupt change in his attitude. "Hopefully later tonight, if we push through a little. Tomorrow morning at the latest..."
[Time skip?]
Epirus nodded, and didn't speak another word until morning.
As the sun began to rise the next morning, they drew closer to the girl's parents. Epirus didn't have to peak out of the window to know it - he wouldn't know by sight regardless.
"We're here" he said. "I can smell your scent."
Epirus, not exactly being known for his way with words, meant the scent of her parents, the familiar scent of their family, and not her specific scent right in front of him. Hopefully she would understand that.
Rory, who had been resting her head against the window of the coach, started slightly and blinked at her companion. "You... Okay then..."
That sounded creepy.
But she didn't bother to dwell on it. Maybe demons were just like that-- her brief acquaintance with Epirus certainly seemed to indicate so. Besides, she didn't really have time to think about it too much; the carriage trundled in through the gates of her family's manor and she felt her heart swell for a brief moment, the familiar scent of maple and silvergrass on the breeze.
Home.
"Rory!"
The first person out of the house to greet her was her brother, as she'd known it would be. With barely one foot on the ground, still holding one of her bags haphazardly under one arm, Rory found herself suddenly swept up into an enthusiastic hug as her twin spun her around, making her drop the bag and grab onto his shoulders to steady herself.
"Claude, stop!" She was laughing, the admonishment in her tone a formality at best. Truth be told, she was a little surprised by his enthusiasm-- he hadn't been this openly affectionate with her since they were children. "Stop that, put me down!"
Claudius relented with a laugh, plopping her back onto her feet and holding her at arms length to look her over, a smile plastered all over his face. "Gods, feels like it's been years, you know that?"
Rory shook her head at him. "It has been years," she laughed, though a bit of the joy seemed to fade from behind her eyes at the reminder.
If there was any a time for Epirus to act like he was someone he was not, it was now. He had done it before, and got away with it, though it may not have been quite as graceful as he would like to believe.
Hearing the laughter of the two siblings outside, he took a deep breath and stepped out of the carriage. His towering physique almost loomed over the twins as he studied, analyzed, the brother.
He didn't say a word. If the boy had acknowledged him, he did not show it in return. After his steel eyes rested on Claude for a moment, he began to scan their surroundings.
Obviously, he would let Rory make the introductions.
"Oh." Rory's brother blinked as the stranger stepped out of the coach, looking from his twin to the unknown young man. "Right. You did say you were bringing a friend home."
His arched eyebrow said quite clearly: You never mentioned he was a man. Father is not going to be pleased. At least, it was clear to his sister.
"Yes, well..." Rory cleared her throat and tried for her most charming smile. "Epirus, this is my brother, Claudius Marigold. Claude, this is my...my very good friend, Epirus." She turned up the brightness of her smile a few degrees. "He's a demonolgist, he's been acting as my-- my tutor! He was with me when..."
She trailed off and her brother's eyes softened slightly. "Right." He laid a hand on her shoulder, then drew her gently against his side and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. When had he gotten tall enough to do that. "Look, you don't have to explain. Mother and Father will understand-- you said he saved your life."
Taking a step away from his sister, Claudius looked to Epirus again and inclined his head politely. "You have my most sincere thanks for what you have done for Aurelia, sir."
Ah, there he was. The heir apparent to the Marigold name.
Demonologist. Right. He had almost forgot.
He looked the boy up and down, not necessarily impressed with what he saw, or what he felt.
"You're welcome," he said flatly. It seemed like the right thing to say.
Shortly after, he turned to Rory. "Should we meet your parents now?"
"Oh, um, yes. Yes, we probably should." Rory took a breath as she looked up to the manor. She hadn't been home, even for a few days, in nearly three years.
It was...strange, seeing the place now.
Claudius glanced between the two of them, brow furrowed, but if he had any suspicions or trepidation he kept them to himself. "Right then. Shall we?" He extended his arm to his sister with a smile and she took it, offering a small smile of her own in turn. "Mother and Father will be waiting in the parlor," he said as he set off, glancing over his shoulder to keep an eye on Epirus every so often.
Why is that boy looking at me?
Epirus's eyes stayed focus on Claudius as he lead them to what he assumed was the parlor. He kept glancing over his shoulder as if there was something on his face, and for some reason or another the demon did not like it at all.
"Something on my face?" he asked the boy after a few look backs. "I promise I don't bite."
He sighed, but mostly to himself. Should've just kept his mouth shut - he needed to where he was, who he was with, and who he was supposed to be.
Taking the comment as a joke, Claudius chuckled and shook his head. "Forgive me, sir, I am just...surprised. Rory had never had an occasion to bring a guest home before." His expression tightened a bit, some of the light dulling behind his eyes, and he murmured, "Though I do wish it was under better circumstances."
Rory winced, glancing back at Epirus herself. She did hate lying to her family, but what was she supposed to say? That there had been not one but two attacks on her life-- and the perpetrator of the first had saved her from the second? Not to mention they were both demons, and she had somehow got herself wrapped up in a pseudo-contract with the soul piper who'd tried to kill her.
No. No, definitely not. Whatever they ended up thinking of Epirus would be better than that.
The demon-in-disguise let himself calm, and managed a smile. "Me too," he said simply. "But I'm just glad that everyone is safe. We'll figure this out."
Epirus gave Rory a look sidelong, almost as if he was looking for approval.
Rory caught his look and gave him a small, encouraging smile in response.
She didn't have time to offer much else though, as Claudius steered them into the parlor and she found herself suddenly wrapped up into an embrace of silks and saffron.
"Rory, darling!" Her mother squeezed her tight, then stepped back to hold her at arm's length. "Come! Let me get a look at you. Oh it's been so long!"
"Mother," the young Summoner protested, squirming in her grip. She glanced back over her shoulder. "We have a guest," she tried to remind her desperately.
Standing a few paces behind the lady of the house, Lord Theodore Marigold chuckled and offered their daughter's guest a small, almost apologetic smile. "Welcome, sir." He strode forward to grip the younger man's forearm in greeting. "We are pleased to have you."