I Know My Target {DragonSong}

[Lowen Thorn]

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?"

[DragonSong]

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."

[Lowen Thorn]

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."

[DragonSong]

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?"

[Lowen Thorn]

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.

[DragonSong]

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.

[Lowen Thorn]

"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."

[DragonSong]

She resisted the urge to flinch back, glancing from the flute up to his face and back several times.

"...It's a flute."

[Lowen Thorn]

"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."

[DragonSong]

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.

[Lowen Thorn]

"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?"

[DragonSong]

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?"

[Lowen Thorn]

"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?"

[DragonSong]

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?"

[Lowen Thorn]

"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?"

[DragonSong]

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?"

[Lowen Thorn]

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."

[DragonSong]

"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.

[Lowen Thorn]

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?"

[DragonSong]

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.