#;alastor

[praeteritus-memories]

"So is Labubu how the youth these days are trying to speak French now? Ha! Keep trying."

[rauhaven]

--- STARTER CALL !!

[praeteritus-memories]

"Oh, darling..."

Xifeng doesn't even need to ask what could be the matter the moment her scarlet irises land on him. Without another word, the phoenix demon moves closer to her soulmate, gently taking his hands off of the top of his head before placing a small kiss on both of the nubs where his antlers usually are.

"Would you like for me to use my flames to soothe the itch? Or would you prefer if I just stayed with you, dearest?"

He used to think shedding for a deer was probably painless, though Alastor's empathy for animals wasn't very strong either. It's only becoming this monstrous deer form as a mockery of his death, did he realize how agonizing the pain is.

"Oh, dear, if you could be so kind." Fluffy ears flick back from the ache and pain that came from his head being so bare of his antlers. "Hah...so many years and yet...This pain is still horrific!"

[praeteritus-memories]

"...A what now?"

[praeteritus-memories]

The hotel's been rebuilt, the dust has settled, and the Extermination has been cancelled. That, and although she believed he had been killed by Adam, Xifeng had seen Alastor at the reunion, which gave her relief, however he still made her worry that he actually died and that's something that she can't quite let slide without letting him know just how it affected her.

And so, when he's alone, she silently approaches him and, without a greeting, she'll simply ask:

"So, when were you going to let me know that you were, in fact, still alive and not worry me to a permanent death?"

Alastor felt utterly humiliated that he was nearly killed by the first man. He thought he was so much stronger than that, the man was even sloppy in his fighting so he should have won! Yet all it took was a reckless blast from that axe and his microphone was broken.

He only just barely managed to fix it, far too much work that's for sure, but he wasn't in the best head space knowing he didn't just lose a fight but realized he hasn't grown stronger at all since he died!

"I needed a moment, my dear." In his brand new broadcasting room, where he had decided to spend his downtime in instead of his office. "A moment to heal, as I didn't want anyone to see me in such a sorry state, and a moment to collect my thoughts. Fighting Adam and this deal I've made, I've begun to realize I've yet to grow stronger! My powers...I'm not stronger than a Goetia! We've consumed so many useless souls and yet I'm not one bit stronger! I should have won this and didn't need this contract!"

[praeteritus-memories]

"hey, i liked that song."

"Oh, I remember this song! Didn't this song play during my outros on my radio show back in the day? Ah, brings back such memories! While everyone was gushing over that noisy Oz movie, you and I were playing real entertainment over broadcast." Playing some records he recently purchased, some were unfortunately unlabeled.

Everyone lacked culture down here, when records were scratched or damaged down here. Some vagrants were cruel enough to rip off the paper on the vinyl record itself to remove what song it even was!

[praeteritus-memories]

❛ how is it you always know what i need, huh? ❜

"Darling, we've been together so long that how could I not know what you need?" Giving a laugh in his radio filtered-voice, he sits her down and begins to clean up her ruffled feathers of her phoenix wings. "Don't think I don't know when your wings need a good brushing, dear."