The next morning, I awoke in the colonies upon the bed of an inn, my coin purse bursting with gold. I began my search for a way out of the pact the next day.
I was waiting for her in my drawing room, waiting for her and her hound, my blade draped across my lap, a devil's trap painted under the rug beneath my feet. I had heard the bale of the hounds the night before. So when the beast burst forth into my house, I was prepared. I sat patiently as I heard its paws clack their way towards me. The door burst forth and there stood the beast, snarling at me, fangs dripping.
The sight was fearsome, and I did not hesitate when it stepped forward. Swinging my blade, I cut the rope and unleashed the salt from above the beast, forming a circle around it. It shuffled on its feet within the ring, growling at me, pacing. I watched then as the beast continued to pace. I pulled the meat from the bag next to my chair and threw it towards the beast. It caught it easily in it's mouth. I smiled at the beast as I waited for its master to appear. I did not have to wait long. I felt it the moment she arrived, anger flowing from her in waves. I heard her shoes click with each step as she made her way to me. Each one landing heavy on the wood floor, exaggerating her anger. My face was spread into a smirk when she entered the room, stepping gingerly through the door.
This time, she was wearing a different body. Noticeably similar in appearance to the last body she had worn. Brown hair, green eyes, and an ample bosom, but she was far more covered than she was the last time. A proper lady. She walked right over towards me, stepping right unto the trap and getting caught in the middle of it.
"Trying to get out of our deal, love?" She asked me, trying to sound as pleasant as possible, but I could hear the anger lining it easily.
"Oh, draga, don't be like that. I wanted to see you. There is a devil's trap under the rug." I cooed back, hoping that she heard the mocking tone in my voice. Her smile faltered as I stepped forward, setting my blade on my seat behind me and the circle with her hound next to us. It's growling only intensified when I grew near. I paid it no mind, no longer afraid of what would happen. "I was raised by the Society."
I started to explain, but paused, realizing by the look on her face that she was not registering what I was talking about yet. "Do you know who they are?" She shook her head no, loosening some curls from her head as I watched. I smiled at her gently as I continued.
"The Society of Hunters is an ancient organization dedicated to hunting the forsaken." I paused, making sure she understood my meaning, "Your kind. Demons, vampires, werewolves, ghosts..."
Her face took a serious but thoughtful expression, masking fear. She understood where I was going with this. I didn't say anything for a moment, letting my words sink in. The fear spread across her face, her eyes following my movements. A show was in order now. Slowly, I reached down for the buttons of my jacket. Carefully doing each one without comment, watching her gaze trail my fingers as they moved down. I shrugged off my jacket, letting it slide to the floor behind me without a thought. Next came the cravat, carelessly tossing it towards her. It fluttered towards her feet and apprehension began to spread across her face. Rolling up my sleeves and opening the top buttons of my shirt, I stopped undressing to speak to her once again.
"The Society taught me that I should never sell my soul to a demon. They raised me to believe that there was no greater sin that I could commit against them." She was watching me carefully as I moved back over to my blade, taking it in hand and approaching them once again. "I did not realize why until after I made that deal with you. Let me show you, draga."
While she watched the blade in my hand, I walked over to her hound and placed the tip on the other side of the salt ring. I kept eye contact with the demon as I pulled the blade through the line of salt, breaking it. The hound did not move for a moment, and I swept the line one way and another, completely opening the salt ring to let the beast through. Her green eyes widened and searched into mine as the beast leapt out at me. I felt the heavy weight of its body as it tackled me into the ground, its claws dug into my flesh as it ripped down my stomach. My body writhed in pain of its own accord as I was torn open, blood flowing freely through my skin and into my shirt, soaking it in seconds. It took all my strength to keep my gaze focused on the demon, even as she watched the blood with lust. But the hound stopped, the surprise visible on the demon's face. It lowered its head to my stomach, sniffing at the blood tenderly before it stepped off of me, tail between its legs, backing away and whimpering. She gasped, and my pained triumph still made its way to my face.
A gambit, for sure, as it may have been falsehoods, but it was paying off for me. I sat up, gripping my stomach, pulling myself towards the chair behind me, reaching into the bag that had I had stored the meat and pulling out a vial. The beast sat on its haunches and watched us from the remains of the doorway. Ripping off the remains of my shirt, my lie was now apparent, the bindings across my chest holding down my own bosom. I did not pause at this, taking the vial and taking the cork in my mouth, pulling it open and spitting it out. Taking a swig of the contents, I winced slightly when the effects began. This I had done before, the remaining half of the bottle I poured onto my stomach and both of us watched as the wound stitched itself closed. The gasp of pain came of its own accord as well, but quickly the wound was healed, leaving only scars in its wake.
Standing, I grabbed my blade from where it had fallen when the hound had tackled me and walked over to the woman. Swinging the blade over the rug, hesitation stayed my hand only for a moment before I dug the blade through the devil's trap, cutting the rug all the way to the end. She kept her gaze trained on me warily, not moving until I had stepped back, gently sitting myself into my seat.
"You cannot drag me to hell. Not because of our deal, not with your hounds. My soul can never be yours to take." I explain to her as she steps out of the devil's trap gingerly. She looks over at her beast, still sitting like a pup in the door, then returns her gaze to me as I take the blade to my bindings, cutting them and allowing my chest to fall free of the constraints.
"Why is that?" She asked me. A grin spread across my face. This was a good sign, she was no blind fool, fleeing back to her masters the moment something went wrong. Instead she watched me, her eyes flitting constantly to my exposed chest and my plethora of scars across my stomach. Moving to my bookshelf, I grabbed a bottle of țuică and two tumblers. Imported from Romania, sent in by a very personable hunter who had gotten me some of the information. It was too bad I had to kill him. I poured the woman a drink and held it out to her. She watched it warily before she took it, not drinking until I poured myself a glass as well. Wary of holy water as well, it seemed. Smart little demon, she was. When nothing happened to the body she was borrowing, and she calmed herself some, I chose to answer her question.
"I am a Dhampir. Child of a vampiri and a mortal woman. The society took me in and raised me to hunt the forsaken. It turns out that the reason the society forbade me from making deals not because they feared for my soul, but because they knew the truth." I waited for a moment before I continued, watching as the realization crossed her face, slowly, aided by the țuică. "Hell will not have my soul. I am not human, despite having a human soul. In case of my death, my soul is resigned to purgatory, where the queen of monsters will subject me to the whims of those I killed."
"Then why make a deal?" She asked, her brow furrowing.
"I did not know at the time, of course. And the reason the Society taught me not to make the deal was because of one simple fact." Pausing, I walked behind the desk and reaching down, pulled the hunter out, throwing him in front of me. "You still require a soul and I must provide."
She looked at me in shock, her attention drifting to the man at my feet before returning her gaze towards me. He was alive, his wheezing breath made that obvious, but he was not conscious. She hesitated for only a moment before snapping her fingers. The hound moved into action, jumping onto the hunter and tearing him open. I watched as his soul separated from his body and he was dragged off to hell. I did not even cringe when the man began screaming. He had found out what I was and had meant to kill me himself. I would not allow it, I had things to do. When the beast and the hunter were gone, she smiled at me sweetly. She made to move, but stopped, a thoughtful expression crossing her face.
”Why tell me this? Why go for such theatrics instead of merely giving him to me?” Very smart, she was. I lounged in my chair, leaning back like a man would as I studied her.
"I am over two hundred years old, draga, and I have business to do. I understand the advantages of an alliance with a demon and I am not afraid of the consequences." Explaining to her the idea that had formed in my mind. She was watching me with interest now, stepping forward, glass in hand as she stepped within my arm's reach. "I know that you can do it, a simple exchange of services. I will help you if you will help me."
She seemed to ponder this for a moment, taking a sip of her țuică thoughtfully. She watched me, her gaze flickering once more to my chest, and I finally recognized the look with a small smirk. Lust. The demon was perhaps debating the course of events only due to my bosom since I am positive that we both knew what was required for this sort of deal. The thought brought a smile to my lips. She smiled back at me after a moment, coming to sit upon my lap. Without a word, she pressed herself against me, lips flush against mine.
---
The demon was in my bed the next morning when I awoke, sleeping soundly. She was unclothed, barely covered by the blankets around her waist. I watched her as she stirred slightly, murmuring to herself as she began to wake. I brushed the hair draped across her face to the side as her eyes began to flutter. Did demons often sleep like this, I wondered to myself. It certainly was an odd thought. She took a deep breath at my touch, jerking away suddenly awake and defensive. I suppressed my urge to laugh as she nearly fell out of the bed, grabbing onto her arm and holding on to keep her from falling. She scowled slightly, but pulled herself back up onto the bed.
Pulling myself upright, I did not bother to cover my nudity as some would. I held no shame in my body, not after all these years. She herself was unfazed as well, sitting up on the bed and watching me with interest.
"What sort of deals are you looking to make, darling?" She asked me. We had not spoken of the details of our forthcoming deal. We had simply skipped over that part in favor of a more sexual union. Perhaps it was not surprising, as demons were meant to embody the sins of man. Lust was perhaps one of the most common of sins, after all. Now, however, she was business rather than pleasure, and I could respect such a trait. Smiling, I carefully studied her as she waited.
"I have a mission to slay the vampiri that killed those that raised me." I explained to her, careful not to give more information to her than I had to until her alliance could be proven. Watching her expressions with each word I spoke, looking to detect a betrayal. "When I came to you, the last of my compatriots had been murdered. Elder Talbot. His spirit had come to me, and I knew that I must flee Europe. It will not be safe for me there. The colonies have very little in the way of vampiri, and I should be safe for a time if I am careful. They have not caught my scent."
"You intend to hide, then?" She asked me, almost looking disappointed by the thought. I laughed at her words, shaking my head in denial.
"For a time, perhaps. I may be over two hundred years old, iubit, but I am still a child compared to them. I must build up the strength and the means by which to slay them. As a demon, you have the capability to ensure that I have such means." The very base of what I wanted out of our partnership was laid bare between us. She carefully eyed me as she thought over the implications of my words. She nodded, slowly, seeming to like what she was hearing from me.
"And what can you do for me?" She asked me slyly. I suspected no different, and so I continued softly.
"I can assist you in gaining power. Both powers in Hell and powers on earth. I can lead souls to you, and I can do other things as you wish. In essence, we work within our means to ensure that the other becomes powerful." She smirked at my words, obviously liking the sound of the deal. I knew that the demon's superiors did not have the ability to see into my home. Even without the sigils written into the wood of my home, most demons did not possess the power of scrying. The power it took to do it was often not worth it, either. Even for humans, it was difficult. But the price was steeper than most were willing to give. I had no fear of other demons watching us, and I suspected that neither did she.
"And why would you trust a demon with such a deal?" She asked me, obviously assessing my own interest in keeping to the deal.
"You mean why should you trust me to keep my end of it? My kind are no longer in favour amongst hunters. I have always been seen as more monster than human." I told her with a sigh, "A demon would be far more trustworthy for someone in my position than anyone else that could help me. Crossroads demons are inherently bound to keep their deals."
paxtonifyouplease replied to your post: paxtonifyouplease replied to your post: {{Please...
((DO ET))
{{OMG, you really like it that much? I'M SO GLAD! The next bit I have ready has smut in it. And I have to decide whether or not to post what happens between now and then, however.}}
The Society taught that it was a great sin to make a deal with a demon. That one should not make such deals, for the hounds of hell shall hunt you, dragging your soul into the pits. If you manage to escape with your soul, there is no limit to the sins they will force you to commit. Making a deal with a demon is something that can only be made by a hunter in the most dire of times, as the pit is not kind to those who kill the forsaken. But the society was no longer here to monitor my actions. And there I am with my box of silver, my painting placed inside, with dirt from a nearby graveyard and a bone from an old black cat. I dug my hole in the center of the crossroads, the soil fresh from the rain and I placed my box inside. And I waited.
The ritual was unknown to me. Unlike the simple summonings I had learned from the Society, this held a promise in its very base. It was vodun in origin, learned while in the continent of Africa on a reconnaissance. I had learned that all knowledge was good knowledge when dealing with the forsaken, and had earned the trust of the dark-skinned woman, encouraging her to teach me her magics. I did not know if this spell would work for me, if anything would even appear, but a summoning circle would be far too aggressive for my intent. The delay in appearance made me anxious.
It was not long before she appeared before me, however. Dressed in body of a courtesan woman, with her ample bosom pushed up enticingly by her corset. The blue of her dress meant to offset the green of her eyes. Her brown hair tied back in an elaborate style that I knew was common for the women of the age. She was delicate, feminine and beautiful. Meant to entice the human making the deal, lead their soul into hell with only smiles and kind words. I knew what I was getting into from the very start. She smiled at me ever so sweetly and stood there, looking demure all the while. It took a few moments before either of us moved. She spoke first while I continued my appraisal.
"What can I do for you, darling?" She asked me, stepping forward and running a hand along my arm without any hesitation. I paused for a moment as I figured out how to phrase the request. I could not leave any loopholes, just in case. No way for the demon to slip in some unwanted side effect, make this harder than it needs to be. With my kind, they are likely to find some sort of way to make far more difficult, far less rewarding. If she even knew what I was. The Society had told me I was protected against unwanted scrying, that I appeared to these... creatures at face value.
"I need to go to the colonies, with enough assets to live comfortably, and no trace of having gone there." I explained, hoping that I was clear enough.
"You wish to escape your life?" She asked me, and I nodded, finding no need to say any more on the matter. She paused for a moment, as if considering my wish, and I saw it appear. The great black beast with yellow teeth and glowing red eyes. The black dog, the hell hound at the demon's beck. I could smell it's breath from where I stood, putrid and rotten, with the scent of sulfur hanging about it. I kept my attention on the demon, trained not to react, despite the fear that I felt claw its way up my spine. She smiled as the hound smelt me gingerly, catching my scent for when it would be dragging my soul to the pits.
"That can be arranged." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. I did not stop her when her hands landed on my shoulders, trailing down them in an affectionate manner. I was not fooled by the display, however.
"Your price?" I asked and she froze, so caught up in her seduction that she was not expecting the question. I worried that I had given myself away as her hand paused over the seam of my jacket. She was thoughtful and I waited for her answer. Her smile widened as she gazed up at me.
"Your soul, of course." She answered, her hand trailing back up my arm. I nodded at her and her eyes flashed red. "Sealed with a kiss, sir."
I smiled back down at her. This part I knew from my previous interactions with demons, they enjoyed sealing a deal with such simple, intimate, human interactions. Further, I knew I would have time. Ten years, or so I've been told. I nodded and bent down to press my lips against hers. She was soft and yielding against me, and she held it for so long that I wondered if she had seen through my lie. But when she pulled away, she was still smiling encouragingly. She stepped back and she and her beast disappeared into the mist, calling out to me as she left. "I will see you in ten years, love."
My apprehension when she left was heavy on my shoulders, but I knew that any benefit would wait until tomorrow at the earliest. My soul twisted in my stomach as I watched the spot where the demon had stood. My heart was unsure. The Society surely would have condemned my actions tonight, but they had also taught me something else that had spurred my actions. Justice must be wrought at any cost. The vampiri that had hunted down each member of the Society and slaughtered them without mercy must be killed. Making a deal with a demon was a mere inconvenience next to what I knew was possible. Getting the information would be more difficult in the colonies, but it would not be impossible.
With a shake of my head, I pushed the concerns out of my mind for a later date. I step from the crossroads and make my way back to the small Scottish town nearby. I have to pass through the graveyard from which I collected the dirt for the summoning, and now I take the time to examine the headstones. The names blend together in my mind as I read them. Sine, Aileen, Tavish, Kerr, Rory, Una, Lilias, Fergus... I stopped on the last one and read the epitaph out loud to myself.
"Remember me as you pass by, As you are now, so once was I, As I am now, so you will be, Prepare for death and follow me." The phrase was perhaps fitting, given the circumstances. I could not help the sardonic smile that curled my lips. It was perhaps the only headstone that I had seen that had not been religious. Instead, the simple affirmation of death was perhaps comforting. It cheered me in a macabre manner, and I continued through the graveyard with that thought.
{{Permission to God-Mod Crowley for this Starter.}}
Vanessa glared at the Demon as he sat across from her, her body paralyzed from the Juniper he had spiked her drink with. Foolish. He had slipped some Gin into her drink. She knew, from experience, that this meant that she had a job for her that he knew she would not like, but that fear that he was done with their alliance tickled the back of her throat. She had been drinking far too much blood lately. She would have to ease back on it to avoid incidents like this.
“And here I put only a couple drops in that drink, darling.” He drawled, shaking his head at the woman. “Someone has been naughty.”
Paxton was with a group of demons he had discovered several days after dying. It had been easy enough to join them, beat the leader to a pulp, kill a few upstats, torture some vampire who had been hunting them. Paxton was at the front now, fighting his way through a place that was worse than Hell in some ways.
He stood, claws, horns, and fangs glinting lightly in the dim light under the trees. He was bored and lately he had taken up hunting when he was bored. Honestly nothing pleased him more than tearing some cocky shifter, vampire, or werewolf to shreds.
Vanessa moved through the shrubbery slowly, her body hunched, hands nearly touching the ground as she walked. She barely made a sound, even to the monsters that sought her. Already her clothing was torn, her jacket abandoned during a struggle with a vârcolac. It did not help that some of them recognized her, saw her for what she was. Perhaps she had killed them in life, sent them to this place, perhaps not.
But the vampires were the worst. Always, always, they traveled in packs. And she could not hide her nature with them. They knew her for what she was, and they would come for her. She had not died yet in this place, however. She knew she would not likely be able to return if she did so.
The demons were hard to find. It took time for her, and she was forced to drink from the beasts of purgatory. The unpleasant taste they left in her mouth did nothing for her mood.
Her first sighting of the demons had been distant, watching the group rend apart a group of vampires. She had smiled at the sight, but had not approached. No, she had to be sure. She had to find him alone.
When she did, he was hunting for something. What, she did not know, but his features were familiar. The twisted mask that only very vaguely resembled humanity that all demons had the very same she had glimpsed when she had met him. Only now it was not an image, but it was real, and it was vicious. She waited to see what his next move would be.
{{Permission to God-Mod Crowley for this Starter.}}
Vanessa glared at the Demon as he sat across from her, her body paralyzed from the Juniper he had spiked her drink with. Foolish. He had slipped some Gin into her drink. She knew, from experience, that this meant that she had a job for her that he knew she would not like, but that fear that he was done with their alliance tickled the back of her throat. She had been drinking far too much blood lately. She would have to ease back on it to avoid incidents like this.
"And here I put only a couple drops in that drink, darling." He drawled, shaking his head at the woman. "Someone has been naughty."
She said nothing, unable to do more than watch him. A drop meant that the paralysis would begin to wear off soon. Slowly, but surely. In five minutes, she would be able to speak. This gave him plenty of time to speak with her, to explain what was going on. What she needed to do. In ten minutes, she would be able to move her head. But a few drops with all of the blood she had been drinking as of late... It would be about two hours before she could actually move her whole body. Five before she could stand. A day before she was functioning as a human. She did not like this one bit.
"I have a demon I need you to recover for me." He began, taking a sip of his scotch, watching her. "You met him. The one who was watching that librarian?"
He paused, as if waiting for her to respond. Bastard knew that she couldn't, but he waited a moment anyways. A length long enough that she would have thought, said yes, and asked why he needed her to recover him. He smirked as they both seemed to go over the silent conversation.
"He's in purgatory." Crowley stated, looking directly into her eyes. He was watching, waiting for the fear to register. The one foolproof method of making the woman actually fearful. To make her actually register emotion. Purgatory. She wanted to growl, to refuse him, to deny him. But she could not. Not at the moment. He had done it on purpose.
"Yes, yes. I know, my pretty little Dhampir. You do not want to go there. But you still owe me for that little... Incident of yours I covered up for you, and I'll be bringing you back, of course. You're far too useful to go to waste."
The growl began low in her throat, the first stirrings of the paralysis wearing away, loosening it's hold on her body. He let out a laugh at the noise.
"The little librarian certainly had some interesting books, and it was quite easy to find a nice spell to pull the demon out. Of course, it required a half-breed like yourself. With a soul that was not quite human, not quite monster." He moved towards her, grabbing her by the hair and bending her forward, pressing against a vertebrae of her spine, pressing down on it through the fabric of her shirt. "I can pull you back with this."
"You are positive, Logodnicul?" She hissed, wincing in pain at the heat that spread across her back at his touch. He pulled her back up to sitting by her hair, saying nothing. But she understood the look he was giving her. No. He was not positive, but he was certain enough that he would risk her. That he would have this as an option for a deal. Perhaps it was the only option he had left.
He always came through on his deals. He had not become the King of Hell through doing nothing, after all. She growled, but said nothing else. Then the preparation began. The spell work that this required, feeding her blood to give her strength back, she helped him.
Soon, the spell was ready. Crowley turned towards her, the knife in his hand. "You're going to have to find him." He told her. She nodded as he poured the bottle of Gin over the blade. This was not going to be pretty. Dying never was. She nodded and in an instant, he shoved the blade into her chest. She gasped at the pain coursing through her body. The agony as the Juniper pulsated into her blood, every beat of her heart making the poison spread through her veins; her body was on fire, but she did not take her eyes off of the demon in front of her, even as she sunk to her knees before him.
He was going to bring he back. She had to have faith. She did not scream as her breathing slowly faded away, black darkening the edges of her mind. She heard the sickening slick shucking sound as he pulled the blade out of her chest, having to use a foot on her chest to hold her down. She couldn't feel the blade, and soon she faded into the darkness.
In the instant that death gripped her, she found herself in a forest, her body moving to alert on instinct. She could feel what this place was, every nerve on fire. She had to find the demon, and fast. She did not want to be here very long. And she never wanted to return again. She did not care what Crowley said, he owed her in this matter.
“Hello everyone. I’m very sorry I cannot personally greet you all individually as this site has failed to inform me when you have started to ‘follow’ me as it were.” Castiel said.
“I know quite a few of you and it’s very good to see you again. But to those I don’t know I am Castiel.”
The man gave her a slightly uncomfortable feeling, though she wasn't sure why. Vanessa did not like such occurrences. She watched him carefully, her hand fingering the vial in her pocket absently. She debated whether or not to take some of the blood, discover what he was, but it did not always show the person's true face. Demons, yes, but his demeanor was not demonic. She needed to respond, it was taking a bit too long.
"Hello Castiel. My name is Vanessa. It is good to meet you." She said, her accent thick as she spoke.
{{So. Vanessa is entirely too anti-social. It's a little hard to RP with her, but the mun is going to push her into interactions with others. I apologize, because she might seem off-putting, but I'm not meaning to. She's just very distrustful.}}
"Andy? Interesting." Vanessa said quietly, watching him, listening to the slow, drugged beat of his blood. She smirked at that. "A little sluggish, are you? That is not smart."
