(2018-03-07) The Demon's Shadow
The Demon's Shadow
Summary: Besa, Ashton, and Loukanos discovers that Besa and Ashton share a connection that neither want.
Date: IC Date (2018-03-07)
Related: http://coralsprings.wikidot.com/log:2018-02-27-personal-demons
NPCs: Players go below, other chars that deserve mention can be listed here
Scene Runner: Who ran this scene, NA if no-one or mutual
Players:
ashton..besa..loukanos..

Scene Soundtrack: Summoning the Gods by Trobar de Morte

Back Lawn — Winbarry Estates


A large swatch of green that goes in all directions. To the east and northeast, the lawn goes from the green of grass to the yellowish-brown of sea grass and then sandy beach, the blue-green of the ocean spreading out as far as the eye can see. In the center is a tall overgrown hedgemaze, with dormant flowering bushes at the corners.

Today's the day…hopefully. The weather is nice enough that A blanket has been spread out and with a jacket, there's no need for a earth run. Besa's already sitting on the blanket, legs cross crossed, waiting. A small note pad and pencil next to him. He's in his uniform, as it's only lunch time. Cocoa is running around being a dog, happy with the weather.

While Besa might be waiting with anticipation, Ashton feels the anxiety building up with each step. He, likewise, is in his uniform; the blazer left unbuttoned. He sees Besa and walks over, stopping a few feet from the blanket. He reaches up and rubs the back of his neck. "Um.. hi… " He looks about as nervous as a mouse in a room full of cats, and ironically, Besa is the cats, this time.

Cats Besa looks up from where he seated and smiles at Ashton. "Are you well?" He was healed yesterday, but now the teen look like he might throw up? "Would you like to wait a day?" Is that concern? Besa wants to be wrong, but needs to know. It's very conflicting, these emotions.

Ashton chuckles softly, though it is not humor that causes it. "I'm not sure how I should answer that. I'm not feeling sick like I did yesterday… My nerves are doing cartwheels in my stomach that's all. " He looks like he could say yes, wait until tomorrow, wait until next week or next month.. He sighs and shakes his head, "Like to? Yeah, I'd like to, but I need to know… " he swallows, "one way or another." He just hopes that it is one way and not the other.

Besa nods and then motions for Ashton to sit down in front of him. "Would you like to call Loukanos to be here?" Emotional support might help the hopefully not demon boy. The sketchbook is opened up and he shows Ashtona very complex looking rune, "This is what I shall be casting."
You paged Loukanos with 'You available for RP this morning?'

Ashton kneels down on the blanket. His eyes widen a touch. "Yeah.. " he chews on his lower lip. "How did you know that I could?" He doesn't even know if Louk knows how to use a cellphone much less have one. He closes his eyes and concentrates. He's never pushed his thoughts further than across a room before. // Louk… If you can hear this.. please come to the back lawn… I think I need you here. //
Besa blink, he meant on a phone, but ok. "I meant…" He lets the sentence trail off and runs his hand through his hair, out of his eyes. While he waits for Ashton to finish and Louk to show up, he arranges a fresh piece if paper and stretches his arms some.

Summon and you shall receive. Like a godling in a bottle, only without the bottle (or a genie), Loukanos appears before Ashton in a flash of golden white light. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" He hurries to ask before the light has even faded from his eyes and body.

Ashton has to admit that he was surprised that he could in fact touch Loukanos's mind from here. He looks over at Besa and blushes, "Oh.. um.. yeah, why didn't I think of that…" When Louk appears, the dark haired boy looks up from where he kneels on the blanket across from Besa. He swallows, "Besa has finished preparing his spell to reveal what's up with me…" He looks down a little bit, not really liking having to admit to the weakness, "I.. we thought it might be good for you to be here… um.. just in case."

Besa's head snaps around when Louk just appears, much less the worried questions. Concern starts to edge onto Besa's face, what did Ashton say to Louk to have him thinking there was something wrong? He frowns then outright. "I did not mean to imply anything other than for moral support for you, Ashton." He's getting tired of everyone implying things! He sighs, looking down at the paper. "I do not have the clay yet form Ronan and Theodore. So paper will have to do." It's better in clay, but Besa doesn't know if the others ever went to get the clay or not.

"Oh…" Loukanos is still in attack mode, but he's trying to calm himself. After their conversation last night…well, he expected a sick Ashton. Or worse. He runs a hand through his golden locks and falls to his knees. Deep breath. "Okay. Great jobs, Besa," He offers a strained smile. He really did think something bad was happening! "How'd you manage to recall it?"

Ashton looks to Besa, "I know… I didn't take it that you did… " He chews on his lower lip, looking to Loukanos, "Everything is alright, at the moment… I just thought that if.. if the news wasn't good, and Besa too, thought that I might need you here…" He pauses, "Um, Louk.. it's never come up.. but do you have a cellphone?"

Besa shrinks slightly into himself, looking down at the Rune he's spent so much time on. "I….mediated, mostly." Lots of Past Lives digging. He lets the two chat for the moment, picking up the pencil and saying a silent prayer to a few of his own gods.

Loukanos tilts his head, "No. Do I need one?" He has gone this far without one. Nodding slowly, "I am here for you, Ashton." Unlike the other two, the godling has accepted that Ashton may very well be a demon. "Besa. If the news is not to your liking, please try to keep an open mind. Ashton is not evil."

Ashton smiles slightly, "It might not be a bad idea… " He reaches over absently just to seek out Louk's hand with his own. He looks to Besa, almost holding his breath. Ashton normally looks a little young for his age, but right now he looks even younger than normal and definitely more vulnerable. "What? What do I have to do?" As Besa begins to, presmably, work his ritual, Ashton becomes silent. He drags his teeth over his lower lip. He cocks his head, watching the Egyptian cast his ancient spell.

Besa glances up and over at Louk, some of his teenager showing in the frustrated sigh. His liking? Why is it always his fault, his bad? He that needs to open his mind, while everyone else yells at him (half the time to change, half the time to adapt to the new world). Besa thinks he's being pretty open minded by even doing the rune! Pressing his lips together he situates himself, "You just need to sit there Ashton. I will do everything." And he does. He speaks the rest in Coptic, prayers to ancient gods that maybe Loukanous knows personally, who knows how the gods work (Besides the gods). and then his fingers start drawing out the rune, complex and large. It may be the biggest Rune Besa has attempted here on this plane.

"Maybe. I admit it's a little jarring to receive messages telepathically that are not from Mother," Loukanos smiles back. His hand is easy to find. "I don't know that I would be able to use one, though." Technology is complicated. To Besa, the godling's calm blue gaze remains level. Luckily, he is not privy to Besa's inner thoughts. When the Egyptian chants in Coptic, he leans forward to listen. There are comparisons, depending on the god. Some are called by different names or certain aspects can be identified with others.

Ashton looks over to look, "If it is jarring, I won't do it again… " Ashton's ears don't automatically translate the coptic so the words remain completely foreign to him. He watches the gestures with rapted attention.

The rune takes some time to draw, it's complex and complete, unlike the ones in his notes that's missing a few line strokes so it's not an active rune, just laying around. Once he's down drawing it, he holds the piece of paper up in Ashton's direction, and then simple tears it in half. There's a moment of nothing happening. A long moment, but then those with the ability to see such things see the magic surging over Ashton. It's nothing he can feel, but the strong magic creeps over him, looking for what is hidden. Marks where Ashton has cut himself casting magic show, glowing a molten red, his eyes a shimmering jade green. As the magic seems to seep into the Ares, a circle pools out around him, symbols and runes of binding and trapping all around him. The pills that Ashton takes seem to fall from nowhere, falling around him in the same manner as the binding circle. And then shadow, inhuman and large casts over not only Ashton but Besa as well. This is the only physical sensation the rune gives. Cold, devoid of warmth and light. almost like it's absorbing it. The Shadow, not necessarily Ashton, feels evil. But it is clearly over Ashton and Besa, connecting them in a way the ancient boy did not expect.

Loukanos opens his mouth to respond to Ashton, but Besa's casting prevents him from finishing. Instead, he stares at the younger boy as the rune magic courses through him. Absolutely fascinating. Those bright sapphire eyes go wide. While the magic is not cast on Louk, he can feel it, and it's damn impressive. The results elicit a thoughtful frown, and the godling's hand instinctively tightens around Ash's. With the other hand, he reaches for one of those pills…only to find nothing is there.

As the runes are "broken" to be activated, Ashton watches with anticipation. Then nothing happens. He cannot help but to be relieved. See this was all just an misunderstanding, then before it even starts to manifest, he can feel the surge of power and smells Besa's magic's particular scent. His eyes are wide, then he sees the multitude of "cuts" on his arm, making his arm look like it had been put through a meat grinder. There are a multitude of cuts, but almost as many demon glyphs carved into his arm as well. This happens to be the arm extended to Loukanos, so he gets to sees a year and half's worth of cuttings, up close and personal. He looks around at the circle and the pills. He thinks to himself that maybe the pills - Loukanos's theory of poisoning him - might be the source of the demonic presence. Then the shadow appears and his hand tightens around Louk's. It is enough to make him want to run away at first.

Besa frowns as the cuts appear, especially the glyphs. He starts to lean more towards Ashton was being prepared to be a sacrifice like eh was until the warding circle appears. That's…disturbing, his head swiveling to try to watch all the pills as they drop, making another circle around Ashton. Dark eyes lift worriedly, but he entire demeanor shifts when the showdown falls on him. This is something he's felt too many times. That sucking of light and life. He looks at Ashton, locking eyes. He looks like he too wants to run, trembling but unable to move. The images fade away, but both boys touched by the shadow are cold, likely to be affected by it for the rest of the day.

Loukanos furrows his brows at the falling but ultimately nonexistent pills that keep dropping. The bemusement only lasts for a moment before he begins to understand the insubstantial quality of the spell. His gaze falls to the glowing scars covering Ash's pale arm. He studies them. Of course, they are still in a language he cannot decipher, but scars tell a story, yes? Louk traces his finger on a bigger one, lining his finger around it. He sighs and looks up at Ashton.

Once the shadow fades, the look of panic doesn't really fade from Ashton's face. He is trembling slightly, and as he speaks, his voice wavers. "Wh..wha..what was th.that? " He makes no move to release Louk's hand, not even sure he could if he had wanted to. The younger boy looks over at Besa, seeing a similar look on the other boy's face. "Was that a demon? Is that what you think I am?"

Besa struggles to breath in a normal breath. he shakes his head in confusion, "T-that…was .." He can't even say it. A shiver and the two halves of the rune are dropped to the ground as Besa pulls his knees up to his chest. The spell was done correctly, the rune cast, but that's just not possible. His voice is very soft, mostly a whisper, "That was…A-" He stops and closes his eyes, "Alraxmargoth'ha." Ashton is connected to Alraxmargoth'ha. Besa looks like he may be sick.

Oh dear. Loukanos is now in the middle of two horrified boys, and there is an aching need to 'fix' the mood of the trio. That is invasive and disrespectful, though, or so he has heard. The negative emotions will run their course when they discuss. Biting down on his lower lip for a long moment, he finally says, "I thought he was dead?"

Ashton blinks in confusion for a second. It takes him a little bit to remember the name. In fact, it isn't until Loukanos asked about him being dead. He looks to Besa, swallowing hard. "I don't understand… I swear, Besa… I don't know anything about Alraxmorahha.." So he butchered a demon's name, who doesn't? He sighs figuring that this pretty much hammers in the last nail of the coffin for him and Besa being in the same room, much less being friends.

Besa's arms tighten around his knees, making the teen look like a little ball of angst and fear. If he can press into his chest, maybe his heart will stop hurting. "He is…he …I sunk my khophesh into his chest. He's dead." Finally his eyes open, bouncing between the two other boys, "He's dead." He's too upset to think of the symbolism just now. Besa doesn't butcher Alraxmargoth'ha's name. His lower lip trembles, but he nods. "I…I need to think on this…" Cocoa has been watching from the sidelines, not comfortable enough to approach with Ashton there.

"Dead," Loukanos repeats and nods. "Okay." He frowns, unable to tell if Besa's certainty is valid or if it is just plain denial. Hoping it's the former, he says, "That is likely prudent, Besa." Thinking, he means. "If Alraxmargoth'ha," For his part, Louk pronounces the name well enough. It could be his god speak at work, considering he does not know the demonic tongue. "has some type of claim on Ashton, it could be that he or someone else connected to him," Since Besa is positive the demon is dead. "could try to hurt him."

Ashton scoots over closer to Loukanos, needing the proximity to help with his nerves, though he feels a chill in the very core of his being that just isn't going away, no matter how warm the weather is, no matter how bright the sun shines. He simply nods to Besa, "If that is what you need, Besa… " He chews on his lower lip, "I'm sorry… I .. " He shakes his head, "I don't even know what to say.. but I swear I didn't know…" He sighs again, his hand never letting go of Louk's, as if it is the thing that is keeping him centered and from just running off somewhere.

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