For the Ages-Levi & Oliver
TIMING: Current
LOCATION: Everlasting Garden
PARTIES: @oliver--fox & @faustianbroker
SUMMARY: Oliver and Levi run into each other again after a decade or two of being apart. Small talk and light flirting occur.
CONTENT WARNINGS: None!
As a being that was born at the same moment as the rest of the universe, Leviathan had no shortage of life experience to draw from. It had watched lesser forms of life crawl out of the muck, watched them grow, evolve, and scatter themselves across their designated space rock. It had watched while some petered out and others flourished, following the signs of life so incomprehensibly different from its own, intrigued. It had watched the evolution of humankind like so many others, and had become enamored with them. They came in so many different packages, and alongside them, perhaps where mutations occurred or environmental hazards took hold and put down roots, they became different. Changed forever. As they grew older as a species, the humans began to learn of these others, and they did not care for them. Those that were gifted with control over magic were scorned. Those that were infected or cursed were turned away from human communities, so they made communities of their own.
The ones that it always held in the highest regard were the fae. They were almost like kin, in a way, though many thousands of generations removed. To the point where no more resemblance could be found, other than the binding nature of their magic. Now, it was the fae’s prevalence for trickery and wordplay that discouraged Leviathan from working with them in most contexts, but there was a stark difference between work and play. Playing, of course, was welcome to all.
As it came to a stop in front of a shop it had never passed by before, eyes drawn to the greenery inside as it wondered if maybe Teddy would like a little venus flytrap, the demon’s neutral expression grew into one of familiarity, and perhaps even a bit of fondness. It pushed open the door, a little bell tinkling somewhere overhead (or had it imagined that?) and strode inside.
“As I live and breathe,” it said as it approached the man who clearly worked there. “I’d say I’m surprised to see you, but of course it makes sense, doesn’t it? Of all the places, I think this… little town has a leg up on most others.” Most, but not all. “Still going by Oliver?”
—
Oliver tidied up the store as he did a walk-through. He was alone for the morning, with one of his newer employees coming in this afternoon for training. It was somewhat interesting to own a store rather than just be a consumer. He had always been a watcher of the times and how they changed, but this situation felt different than others had. Maybe it wasn’t, and Oliver was just feeling nostalgia towards being back from where he was from. The only thing that mattered was that he was able to bring the joy of plants to those who may never have considered that it was an option, to begin with.
Wicked’s Rest also allowed Oliver to be in an environment that put him in more situations of running into other supernatural beings. Previously, it was a rarity for his internal fae alert to go off, or for him to run into those who were open about sharing that part of themselves. Here though, he felt as if was running into another Fae every other week, and the rumor mill of other situations was always running. It was almost nice in a sense, to feel like he wasn’t the odd one out here. The fear that he had sometimes felt about being found out was lessened here. It was still present, and he still had escape plans in the back of his mind; ready to be used at a moment's notice if needed. Currently, though, he was happy to stay for as long as he needed to.
At the sound of the bell tinkling, Oliver looked up. “Welcome to-” He cut himself off, eyes widening as he recognized the being in front of him. It had been what, 15 years? “I was wondering when we would run into each other again” Oliver found his words, a soft smile on his lips. “Yes, back to Oliver. Figured it would be weird to come home using something else” He added with a shrug. “How are you, Levi?” They were alone, so Oliver felt safe enough using its name. He had always felt it fit the other more than its assumed name.
—
“We do have a knack for it,” Levi agreed, raising a brow. “Maybe less of a coincidence, this time… you’re half the reason Teddy and I came here.” It wasn’t something Levi had shared with Teddy, since it felt fairly inconsequential — the demon had simply remembered Oliver talking about this east coast town where he’d grown up, and after doing a bit of digging on the subject, it had seemed like a perfect place to settle down. “When I realized this place was… comparatively overflowing with the supernatural, well, I had to stop in.” It glanced back over its shoulder toward the front windows, regarding the town outside fondly. “And wouldn’t you know it, just in time for a good old fashioned demonic take-over.” It huffed out a laugh, obviously referring to the legs and beak that belonged to something that was under the town, as well as the plethora of demonic creatures that’d started making the place home. It was hard to miss, though a lot of people might mistake them for strange looking animals. As for the giant body parts, well… he didn’t know what the humans thought about those, unless they just figured it was some kind of art installation. That was likely, actually. Humans, despite being one of its favorite species, were quite stupid.
Glancing around the place, Levi had to admit that it was nice. Cozy. “This is yours, then?” If it was, that meant Oliver meant to stay for a while, just as Levi did. Interesting. They’d never occupied the same city for very long, only passing like ships in the night, hailing each other down for a raucous evening of fun, then sailing away on their headings once more as the sun rose.
—
Oliver felt his face heat up when Levi mentioned that he was the reason they had come to Wicked’s Rest. It shouldn't have, but it made him feel warm inside. It was a reminder that he could leave a lasting impact on someone. “That tracks, it seems like a place you would do well in.” He said, a full smile now taking over his features. “I do gotta say, I don’t think it was quite this saturated with supernaturals back when I was growing up. There was a handful, sure, but nothing like what is now”. It was mildly impressive, and while a study would never actually be able to be run, Oliver would love to see when more beings had started coming through. Had it been in 1921, when Serpents Flat had shown up? Oliver had been in Tennessee then, and remembered seeing it in the paper. He had been more surprised to see a story from his small town in the paper across the country, but he supposed a weird anomaly was going to draw attention. Maybe the mass migration of supernatural beings had shown up before that, or maybe they didn’t show up until years later as a moth attracted to light.
At the mention of the…strange being that had recently come up from the sea, Oliver couldn’t help but sigh. “Speaking of that, any chance you have an idea of what it is? Or, what it’s gonna do?” It was a long shot, but maybe the two of them could have devil conversations. Oliver didn’t love that it was just there and that people were disappearing and strange beings were seen coming out of its mouth, but he was also kinda just hoping that it did whatever it needed to do and then went back underwater.
Oliver nodded at the other’s question “Yes! I opened it not long after I got here, so it’s been a few years. It’s a nice little place though” He looked around his shop, trying to look at it through the others' eyes. “How are you and Teddy doing by the way? They’d be, hmm, in their 30s now, right?” Older than Oliver looked at this point. He had thought he might have seen a glimpse of Teddy a while ago, but it had been from a distance, and also wasn’t sure and didn’t want to guess wrong. Looked like he might have been right though. Levi hadn’t been with them though, Oliver would have recognized him; he was sure of that.
—
Levi had an idea of what it was, that was true. And even though it respected Oliver enough to want to tell him, it was promise-bound to deflect. There had been a distinct lack of sincerity in the way it called the thing coming out of the ground demonic — it would neither confirm nor deny these theories, but sarcasm was an easy enough way to get around the rules without breaking them. It was being asked directly now, though, and that would require a little more finesse to answer. “It feels… important,” the demon replied slowly. “Like it is supposed to be here. I can understand how the sudden appearance might be alarming, but I wouldn’t worry about it too much.” That was an easy thing for a greater demon to say, it supposed. Still, though.
With a satisfied nod, glad that the conversation was turning elsewhere (despite having been the one to bring it up — the Leviathan was a fickle creature), Levi smiled at the mention of Teddy. “Yes, they’re quite the real adult now. It’s… interesting, to say the least. This body,” it gestured at itself, “is one I’ve used for so long, I never really felt the need to change it, but… now my child appears to be the same age as me, and it confuses people.” Levi laughed. “It’s funny, if I’m honest. I just tell them I’ve aged well.” A thought struck it and it reached a hand into its pocket, pulling out its phone and unlocking it. “Please tell me you’ve been keeping up with the times,” it chuckled as it passed the phone to Oliver. “More efficient than birds or letters, I suppose.”
—
Oliver huffed a breath “Yeah, it doesn’t feel like it’s here for no reason. I’m just concerned about the whole…why situation.” He explained, scratching the back of his head. The way Levi danced around the subject reminded Oliver a bit of a snake. Not necessarily in a bad way, but just that the other was careful about what and how they said things. It was a slippery subject it seemed. Oliver couldn’t help but grin when the other spoke about the trouble of having a non-aging body. It was something that the younger fae he interacted with didn’t always seem to grasp; so it was nice to have someone who shared the same woes that he did.
“You could always say that you two are cousins or something, even siblings” Oliver offered up as a suggestion. He, at least, could take on new names, new backstories, or even a new accent whenever he needed to. It would be harder if he was traveling around with someone who was more mortal and you have a story that you needed to follow. He rolled his eyes at the comment about keeping up with the times but nodded as he took the phone. “Yes, cell phones are something I’ve been using for quite some time.” Oliver explained as he put in his number and handed the phone back. “Birds and letters; even emails! They are so much more fun though. Plus, they are more reliable than a smartphone” He scrunched his nose. Oliver would still have a Nokia if he knew he wouldn’t get bullied for it. “Technology moves so quickly, it can be hard to keep up”
—
“The ‘why’ won't matter, eventually. I don't think knowing the reason is going to change anything.” The demon smirked, giving Oliver a noncommittal shrug.
That was a funny thought — referring to Teddy as anything other than his child. But… “I guess I might have to, eventually. When they start to surpass me.” Levi could always alter its own appearance, which was the more likely scenario. Calling Teddy by some other familial title just felt wrong.
“Mm. That's true,” Levi agreed as it accepted the phone back. “Dangerous to let yourself linger in nostalgia, though.” It winked at Oliver, clearly being contrarian just for the sake of it. “Though, speaking of nostalgia… don't suppose I could talk you into meeting up with me tonight, hm? For old time's sake. There's a lovely little speakeasy in Nightfall Grove that I've been meaning to visit.”
—
Oliver hummed quietly at the other's response “It wouldn’t, but knowing would allow me to start figuring out plans for if it all goes sideways, you know?” He shrugged. Having an escape plan had become a necessity the older he got; it didn’t have to be planned out, but knowing the basics was important. For instance, Oliver knew that several early morning trains left Portland every day; plus he knew the directions of all three of the airports within the state. However, he supposed, in this situation, if things went sideways it could mean that it was more than just Wicked’s Rest that was impacted. So he would just have to suck it up and deal with the anxieties that the shadowy beast brought. “Ha, yeah you could at one point pretend to be their son. I’m sure they would get a kick out of that.” The last time Oliver had seen Teddy it would have had to have been at least a decade ago, maybe two. It was always a bit strange, being reminded of how quickly Mortals can age.
“I suppose that’s true.” Oliver grins and raises an eyebrow at the other’s proposition. “That sounds lovely actually. I close up here at 5; but I’m free after that.” This was not how he had expected his day to go when he woke up this morning, but he would be lying if he didn’t feel a spark of excitement about going out with Levi tonight. “The Raven, right? It’s a pretty nice place to go. Nice and spooky.”
—
That was a fair point. But as Leviathan looked around the place, an idea struck him. “I don’t think you’ll have much to worry about,” it answered, and left the statement at that. It knew Oliver would likely have more questions: frankly, it anticipated that from anyone who knew it was a demon in disguise, but it had things it was prepared to say. Truths, or… half-truths, that would most likely dampen any overt curiosity. That was part of the deal, after all.
“The very same,” the demon confirmed, grinning and nodding its head. “Well… tell you what. Sell me a succulent to take back to Teddy, one they won’t kill very easily, and I’ll let them know it’s from you, hm?” There was a cheeky look about him as he followed Oliver over to the succulent section, taking the first thing that was suggested and purchasing it without any follow up questions. The two shared in a bit more chit chat before Levi insisted that he must take his leave, saying his goodbyes and stepping back out onto the street. He hovered in front of the door for a moment, though, hand pressed to its frame, gaze fixed on the spot he was touching. When he moved his palm, there was a mark there—the same could be found on the frame of his own front door, if one were observant enough. No, Oliver would have nothing to worry about. Probably.
—
The way Levi phrased that answer made a small chill run about Oliver’s back, but he held his tongue on trying to get more information. It was clear that the other either couldn’t or simply wouldn’t be able to answer his questions directly; Oliver wasn’t interested in testing the other’s patience. At the request for a succulent, Oliver nodded quickly and moved over to the table where many of the succulents were. He picked out one that was pretty but was also low-maintenance. “Do you talk about me enough for them to remember who I am?” Oliver joked as he packed up the plant, handing it to the other. If their relationship were different, he probably would have argued against Levi paying for anything; but it wasn’t and so he didn’t. That knowledge didn’t stop him from giving a small wave when the other took his leave and went elsewhere in the store to deal with the blush that he was sure was dancing around his cheeks. He hadn’t seen Levi stop by the door, and whatever mark he would later spot, he would likely just believe it had always been there.
