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 Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 8:20 pm
The rain just would not stop. It was starting to really bother Edward- bother him a lot. He had had to purchase a new coat. The old had become too waterlogged for use anymore, and though Edward was not much for change, he was less for catching pneumonia. Most would find it hard to summon the unholy calvary of Hell through a stuffed nose.
Today he found himself checking in on one of the summoners. It had been at least four months since he had heard from the boy, and beyond that, there was a vague professional curiosity to it. How the hell did a contracted relationship like that last? Edward didn't believe that most people would want to stay in that sort of situation that long, but... He wanted to know how the contract was panning out. He hadn't, in fact, intended to come by the boy's house that day.
He was avoiding Tae-yul, actually.
With a sigh, he knocked on the door. If the boy didn't want to talk to him, they wouldn't talk. Easy as that.
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Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 10:34 am
The one to answer the door was neither Soah nor his Incubus, and quite possibly the last demon one would think to answer the knock at the Dresden household.
At first, the door swung open, seeming of its own will. Then, above the human eye-level, colorless orbs formed against dark sclera's that came into view, the rest of a distinctly feminine face forming against them. A crown of short but sharp horns came next, the dark hair brushing over pale shoulders and a voluptuous figure, the green tattoo on her right arm seeming to writhe before settling into place. Hazy gauze barely considered clothing wafted around her assets, one clawed hand curled against her hip, wings not visable for the moment.
Astaroth manifested at the front door, her neutral expression without a hint of surprise at the human's presence, and perhaps a lack of modesty at her own. "Little one," the cold velvet voice purred, steel gaze on the man, "you have a visitor."
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Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 10:57 am
The vacuum almost had him defeated, because after zipping through the entirety of the house to clean every carpeted floor, his arms were getting tired. But this was his last rug, the one sitting innocently just at the entrance way. After this, all he would have to do is dust the house and he'd be free to do what he wanted. After bartering intensely with his father, he'd managed to win over a night at Neil's house in return for getting his own home clean. Soah had actually gotten up early to start this task, so it was only around noon when he started hauling the vacuum down the stairs on his trip to the front hallway.
Astaroth was around here somewhere, probably hiding because Soah had finally won. The terms of his winnings? She was giving Neil a break from his tiresome lessons, just enough time for Soah to spend most of the day with his lover. It all worked out perfectly, bargaining with Ezeoha, trying to put Astaroth in her place for this one time... all of it worked towards the ultimate goal. He was going to have the perfect day with his boyfriend.
Smiling to himself, he fondled the ring upon his finger, caressed over the smooth lettering that told him he was Neil's. His cheeks reddened with pleasure, and with a soft intake of breath, he continued his trek to the front hall. He hardly noticed when the door was knocked on, or when Astaroth appeared to answer it. Honestly, he was surprised when she did come out of hiding, jumping a little at the sound of her voice. "Oh?" He righted the vacuum and made the last of his journey alone.
The youthful teen appeared then at Astaroth's curvacious side, seeming unfazed by Astaroth's state of dress. He'd try to get her to wear something more, but he had just won with getting her to lay off Neil for a little bit. He wasn't going to ask any more of the demon Prince. "Mister... Edward? Ah! Come in." He blinked, clearly surprised by the visit, and mayhaps Edward was more surprised. There was a demon that clearly wasn't contracted to Soah at the boy's home, and then Soah himself was rather healthy despite the terms of his contract.
Something was off.
Soah smiled in greeting.
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Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 1:19 pm
Courtesy was one of the things that had been beaten into Edward as a boy, so upon seeing a woman- ignore the fact she was a demon, ignore the fact that she was practically nude- he swept a perfect bow. "Prince Astaroth," he said in an eminently genteel tone, for after closer inspection it was clear that it was the Prince of Lies he stood before. That was odd, very odd, somewhat troubling in fact. Edward didn't see how anyone could mistake Soah Dresden for a tall man with red hair, which was the description he'd been given of Neil Argyle in the logs. It could just be that Mssrs. Argyle and Dresden were friends. Yes, that could be; his demon was quite friendly with Tae-yul's. And he'd never had any reason to distrust Hae-min, who had recorded the entry in the log.
"Thank you," he said, once Soah appeared, "You look quite well. I must confess, I wasn't expecting it."
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Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 1:39 pm
Amusement passed through her eyes, not a line of it on her face. Manners were lost on her, even frowned upon; respect, she understood, but politeness? Useless. There was something else not within his favor.
He reeked of Legion; he was with the traitors.
"Call if I am required," she spoke to Soah although her eyes did not turn to the teen, critically remaining upon Edward. Astaroth would not excuse herself in front of them, but it was her method of doing it all the same. As Edward walked in, she walked out, fading out of existance just as her wings began to spread from her back. The rain did nothing to hinder her, not even giving her form away as she leapt up and onto the roof of the house, claws curling into the roof and perching upon the slant.
There, she soaked in the fruits of her human's labor, welcoming not only the rain but the misery it wrought. She could still taste him, even being with his toy, trying to sleep off their last encounter. The Prince tilted her face to the sky, long, snake-like tongue curling outwards to taste each bitter drop. Astaroth would remain as bidden by her human, as there was precious little that could happen in the space of time it would take her to return to the blonde. Not that she'd need to, if he felt threatened.
The summoner was harmless. Superbia could handle himself.
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Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 7:22 pm
He was used to Astaroth by now, the aloof aura she gave off whenever she appeared or disappeared into someone's line of sight. This was the demoness who had attacked him, had thrown him through a glass door with full intent to kill him, and yet he was standing comfortably by her side. Time could heal many things, and for a teenager who put just a little too much trust in the world, it was easy for him to accept the apology Astaroth had given him and move on as if nothing had happened. Even now, some weeks he swore he saw more of Astaroth then he did his own demon. He imagined that Merihem was with Neil, or out in the streets where he seemed more at home. He had faith the demon wouldn't break his contract, he would feed from those willing, and that was all that Soah cared about.
He nodded his head as Astaroth took her leave, indigo eyes following her as she disappeared under the constant shower of rain. It was gloomy, this rainfall, and yet it did nothing to dampen Soah's mood. No, he embraced the weather, could gaze fondly at the dark sky and see beams of light outlining the dark clouds. Rain had its own form of beauty, and he was sure that the plants and animals would have their fill of drink for the days to come. Still, manners advised that he shouldn't let Edward stand outside when it was supposedly so dreary. He stepped back, giving the man space for a clear entry.
"Ah, well, I just have to finish cleaning up the house, and working always gets my energy up." He didn't understand why Edward would think he was anything other than happy and full of energy. Soah was perfectly clueless to the adverse effects Merihem's feeding could have on him. Having Neil around was lessening the tension Merihem's hunger put on Soah. "What brings you here?" He figured he could hold off on vacuuming that last rug. Instead he scoured the front closet and picked out the duster, cleaning a few of the surfaces as he guided Edward into the house. "I have to go to Neil's soon..."
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Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:40 pm
He watched the Prince go, and once he could no longer see her, he turned his full attention to the summoner. Stepping into the hallway, he didn't bother to look around and instead continued to search Soah's face for some sign of tension- but there was none. How odd... With an Incubus feeding off of him and a Prince hanging about his house, the teen should have at least looked a little tired. But... nothing.
At all.
"Ah, I'll try not to keep you, then." Edward should likely head back soon, anyway. Perhaps Tae-yul would be out- but he had acted as if he had all indications of staying put. "I just wanted to know if your contract was doing quite all right- loopholes, such as that. I was informed... Hm." He paused. "I understood the Prince Astaroth was contracted to a tall, red-haired man named Argyle, and I find myself rather curious as to why she is here, and the Incubus you intended to contract is not. Is it something you're comfortable with explaining?"
Of course he had other questions, such as why is Astaroth a female, and why are you so healthy. But it would be rather rude to ask them, and likely the boy wouldn't know either.
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Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:29 pm
He really didn't want to go into depth about his contract with Merihem, because in the end it embarrassed him. There was far more depth to the contract now than Soah had ever intended in the beginning. It was supposed to be a simple trade-off of sorts, Soah's body in return for leaving his friend and everyone else alone. Yet, the contract had deepened when he had met Neil, who was practically his saving grace. Still... he couldn't help but feel bad sometimes for the things Neil did with Merihem for his sakes. His lips pulled down into a tender frown at the thought. He'd never been the kind of teen to hide his emotions. His thoughts, though, always led him back to Neil, and he realized quickly that he wouldn't have had things turn out any other way. He had Neil, the only person he would love so intensely, so insanely. He was crazy for the man, and if it wasn't for the contract, he would not have met him.
"It's amazing!"
...Wait.
Okay, that was a little awkward.
Soah coughed discreetly, his cheeks flaming with the heat of embarrassment. Oh, man, he hadn't meant it that way. Shyly ducking his head, he became rather preoccupied with dusting off one of the vases in the front hall. "Ah, I mean, it's good. Ummm, I don't really get why Astaroth is here, but I think it's better than her being with Neil. Merihem's probably with Neil, or he's out searching for someone willing to feed off of. He's considerate some times, but he's probably with Neil since Astaroth is here. He's kind of been avoiding her lately...
Eh, she probably scares him a little." He was talking more to himself than to anyone else, trying to figure it all out in his head. Likely the information he was feeding Edward amounted to nothing, and while he had no problem explaining things in depth, it would take too long, and he wanted to go see Neil now, in case Merihem was really with him.
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 5:33 pm
After a good fifteen years of summoning, Edward had learned that sometimes the key to learning what was really going on was the face. Experience with a person helped, yes, of course it did. But he didn't have the luxury of actually knowing Soah that well; he'd have to go off generalizations, which didn't make for the best research. If that's what was required, though...
It was like watching a slideshow of the emotions he'd usually noted in someone whose summoning was treading a middle road. Embarrassment, of course, because some people didn't like it when others knew what they were doing, and then... A frown that made Edward wish he knew what the boy was thinking about. (He had a feeling he'd find it interesting.) What he didn't see, generalized or otherwise, was regret.
How odd.
"Amazing," he said dryly, a small lilt at the end of the word to make it a question. But almost before he finished, he got his answer. Edward nodded, smiling in an indulgent way at the teenager's blush. "Ah, so it seems that you're not as inconvenienced as I'd thought. I'd be rather frightened of the Prince as well. It'd be a stupid man who wasn't, don't you think?"
He paused, then shook his head. "Never mind. You said you had some place to be?"
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