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Vance paused in his forward movement and squinted at the paper in his hand. It was things like this that made him feel like such a servant. Merci had handed him a list and asked him nicely to pick up the things on it. She knew very well that he couldn't tell her no. It was her way of being lazy and forcing her chores off on someone else. His features were set in a glower as he cast about at the nearby storefronts. The medusa was drawing some stares from passersby, as his kind wasn't widespread and he was rather gregariously dressed.

Sully had settled herself on the brim of Vance's top hat. It was much easier to ride there then it was to float after him. Especially considering the time of day. The sun was still shining, and she always felt a bit drained when it was bright outside. Her flames were burning low, and she was huddled in the shadow that was cast on the brim from the hat itself.

The blindfold over Vance's golden eyes didn't stop him from being able to read the signs over the businesses. He was sure the places he needed to stop at where nearby. Actually now that he thought about it, Twilight Designs wasn't that far away. His fingers slipped down the list and pulled the folded map from behind it. According to the things Merci highlighted, he needed to stop at a nearby bakery and some bookstore for a couple dime novels. He wasn't far from the bakery she indicated, so he decided to head towards it first. His body flexed, and with a slither he started forward again.

The wisp loved riding up here. Her guardian didn't bounce around when he moved, it was much smoother then riding in Merci's pocket. She rolled lazily toward the edge of the brim, and looked out at the new things that were passing them by. She'd rarely been let out of the hat box, so she was quite excited for this trip.

Vance paused for a moment and his face twisted a bit when he saw Smokey. Seriously? Was he a magnate for them suddenly? He folded the paper and tucked it into his jacket so both of his hands were free. He was pretty solidly sure that Sulfur would do something to draw this odd shadow's attention.

Sully could barely stand it, she saw another fiend and she immediately rolled right off of her comfy perch. Her flames immediately shot up and she curled into Vance's neck. It helped her avoid the direct light, and she inched along the shadows cast by her guardian's body.

The medusa sighed a bit, cause he knew exactly what his stone was doing. Though feeling her rub against his body the way she was, was a tad bit creepy. He shifted his long tail and slithered forward again toward the girl. "Excuse me." Vance's voice was practically dripping with sarcasm, "I'm fairy certain that my little firefly is going to go crazy if she doesn't get a chance to say hello." His hands moved up and cupped around Sully, scooping her away from him and trapping her in a cage of fingers. He then extended his arms toward Smokey, so the flaming chunk of Sulfur was visible but still confined.

Vance looked down at his hands and he could feel Sully's little shadows reaching between his fingers toward the girl. "I suppose it couldn't hurt." His voice was gruff and he parted his hands upward, a bit like a Venus Flytrap opening. "Oh, don't worry about the fire. It looks like it'd burn the crap out of you, but it's harmless. Her bark is way worse then her bite." His blindfolded face regarded the shadow in front of him. It was the first time he was really curious what his chunk of rock would look like when she sprouted. They were all so ridiculously different from each other.

Sulfur's shadow's seemed to peek out of her opened cage, but they shied back away from the light. She built up her courage and then launched herself across the gap between Vance and Smokey. The little blue fireball punched through the light, and huddled close to the other fiend. It was so much better in the shade, she felt stronger then she did when she was in the bright stuff.

When she was safely next to the object of her curiosity, little black shadows seemed to reach out toward Smokey. It was the only way she had to say hello.

The medusa dropped his hand and adjusted his top hat. "I haven't seen you before. Suppose I should introduce myself. I'm Vance, I belong to Merci." He seemed to be looking right at her, even though his eyes were hidden behind cloth and what looked like playing cards. "You are?" Okay so he wasn't being overly friendly, but seriously these soul sucking things gave him the creeps a bit. He was definitely not being rude though, Merci would have his skin for boots if he was.

Vance made a face before he really meant to. His hands dropped to his side and he seemed to be watching them, despite the fact that his eyes were completely hidden. "I'm a Medusa. I've heard of these naga things but I've never met one before." His powerful body flexed and his tail curled up around him. It wouldn't do to have some pedestrian walk by and step on him on accident. Though to be fair, most normal folk were giving them a wide berth on their way down the street. "I would suppose we're different. Though I don't appreciate being called weird." The last wasn't as abrasive as it sounded, there was a plaintive note in his voice that made it sound more like whining then admonishing.

Sully seemed to relax as the darkness settled in around her. Though it did nothing for her curiosity. Her blue flames, illusion or not, still cast off an odd ghostly glow. The black tentacle like shadows, that usually twisted with the flames around her, were reaching out toward the older shadow. They moved softly over her hands, as if she were a blind person using them as fingers to see.

The Medusa canted his head to the side, "Figures you'd have met that pain in the a**. Yeah I know Dio. He belongs to the same lady I do. They are the whole reason I have that thing." He poked a finger toward Smokey's hands, and the stone that was safely inside them. "Do all of you know each other or something? I swear it's like you have radar and can seek out your own kind." He was grumbling now, obviously Vance was a grumpy b*****d.

Vance was taken aback by the sudden volley of information the child threw at him. He watched her for a moment before he responded, "Eh, I don't particularly like the soul leech very much." He grimaced, "He's expensive, and impossible to lock out of a room." Which had pissed him off to no end when he lived in the main house. Now that he was in the guest house though it wasn't so bad. "He has my mistress wrapped around his fingers, though she tries to claim otherwise. Ever since she brought home that stupid ring, things haven't been the same." A huge part of him had wished that they could go back to a simpler time, before Dio and all the craziness that came attached to him.

If wishes were fishes though right?

The medusa leaned down and turned his face toward Smokey, "That's a chunk of Sulfur. Pretty yellow huh? If you get close enough you can probably get a whiff of it. Though I'm pretty sure it's mostly elemental Sulfur, cause the smell is practically non existent." He might act like he didn't care about the stone, but he'd probably done some research on it to know what he did.

Sully reached out with one of the shadows and gently brushed it along Smokey's cheek. It was the barest hint of contact, and might actually tickle a little bit. The little blue flames seemed to be burning quite brightly, despite the fact that she was avoiding the natural light of the sun. She gave the impression that the light she put off herself didn't bother her in the least.

The medusa smirked a bit, Smokey had inadvertently found one of his favorite things to complain about. He didn't get the chance to vent about Dio very often, as Merci was usually around with a glare or a sharp remark. "He has expensive hobbies. Telescopes and out of print, one of a kind books aren't cheap. I don't think he has a book that's cost less then a few hundred. Does Merci say anything about it? No, of course not. He's her favorite. You know, he's going to drive the whole estate into the ground, and then I'm going to just love saying 'I told you so'." Vance folded his arms and seemed to be watching the two fiends. "So where's the poor sap you're sucking dry?" The words were a bit rude, but the tone was conversational. It seemed he wasn't trying to be offensive.

The wisp pulled back for a moment and then two little tentacle like shadows reached out and touched where Smokey's mouth should be. Like a blind man, her "fingers" moved across the skin she could reach from where she was, safely tucked in the darkness. The blue glow she put off brightened.

The snake man huffed a bit, "She does that when she's happy. You can keep her if you want to. I really didn't want her in the first place." He knew it wouldn't be that easy, but oh wouldn't it be nice?

Vance furrowed his brows and he glanced at the front of the bakery. The storefront was pretty epic, with all manner of cakes and pastries in it. He could tell just by looking at them that they were the kinds of things that would taste as if heaven and unfolded in your mouth. "Books cost that much that are really old. If only a few of them were ever made that makes them more expensive. Sometimes they are bound in leather and other things that cost more. It seems the higher the price tag, the more that black thing wants it." His voice had just the edge of spitefulness to it. The medusa had the sneaking suspicion that he'd been ousted from the main house because that little jerk had needed more room for his books.

The wisp wasn't exactly used to such an open reception. It made her braver. More of her little smokey tendrils reached out and moved over her face. Whenever they encountered a dip or valley, they would pause for a moment and explore. She was nothing if not enthusiastic.

The pinked haired snake turned his head back toward Smokey and he paused for thoughtful moment. "What do you mean, you just left him? Did he do something to get rid of you? What was it? Do you remember?" If he could figure out what this... Mythos... had done, maybe he could do it too. Then he could drop the parasite back off at the jewelry store. He was sure they could grind her down into something that would entice someone to buy her. Though he wasn't sure why anyone would really want to buy a chunk of Sulfur.

Hmmm. This would take some thought. Obviously the child did something, Vance would just have to try and figure out what that was. He knew that the pale soul sucker at the jewelry store was lying to him. How much more vague could you get then 'Dire Consequences'. What was worse, is that he'd bought it, hook, line and sinker.

Oh well, it didn't seem like something this one liked to talk about. Pushing her for information was likely only going to make her clam up more. Vance would have to try and ask other questions later. "I see, I'm sorry to hear that. You know the black one has nightmares too. He doesn't like to talk about them much, maybe it's something that all of you leeches deal with." His tone didn't imply that he meant to be insulting, no matter that his choice of words could probably have been better. Then he frowned. Damn, he really hoped that whatever problems these two seemed to have, the chunk attached to him wouldn't have too. Vance didn't really fancy the idea of having whatever night terrors she had, leaking over onto him.

Sully ventured a bit closer to Smokey, without leaving the safety of the artificially created shadows. Her curiosity it seemed had no bounds. Her dark little 'hands' moved down, and she reached toward the stone that was embedded into the other fiend's chest.

Vance offered his hand, "If she's bothering you I can take her back." He couldn't imagine that Smokey was enjoying herself. Not to mention he did have a list of shopping to get done before the stores closed. Though if he were being honest, he didn't mind missing out on running errands.