[She nods, confirming the non-question, besides. She should have been sent back to Hell, but something in that cycle very much did not apply for whatever reason — and now she’s here. Helping a wizard in this world draw a summoning circle across the ground to usher in the company of a demon.
Lucky him. Lucky her? Both.]
Lucky you. Out of all the people I walked up to, it was you. Imagine if I had fell into someone else’s lap! You’d be living a dog-less life still.
[Smiling, she watches as Warren rises back to his feet.]
[ He gives her a flat look as he wanders over to take the book back from her. ]
Yes, what a tragedy.
[ It does not sound like he considers a lack of dogs in his life to be a tragedy, clearly. But a lack of Makima? Well, now that would be a real shame, considering she proves as useful as she’s made herself out to be ].
Now we light some candles– [ romantic?? Not really. Fire is the important part here. ] –I recite a little incantation, and hopefully the demon doesn’t burn the whole place down in the process of showing up.
[Don't give her that flat look. It would a be a tragedy.
But such dour sarcasm is about all she can expect from Warren for now, so she just laughs lightly and shrugs, closing the book in her hands with the assumption that he doesn't require it any longer, handing it back.]
That would be a shame. This set is so interesting.
[Yes, that would be her main concern amid a blazing flame in this little fake house. Well, no matter. If Warren needs help with candle-lighting (very romantic, indeed -- no), then she'll set about helping with that, too.]
I suspect that a spell that makes someone fireproof is too much to ask for, hm?
Edited (clarification and nitpicking) 2023-08-10 20:09 (UTC)
[ He still needs the book for some things, just nothing at the moment. He tucks it under his arm as he retrieves some candles and a book of matches from the bag. ]
A decent Elementalist could make you fire repellant, probably. Though outright resistant to the heat and the threat of burning? Doubtful.
[ Warren doesn’t need to know what’s going on in other threads. ]
But it’s all a moot point if we’re talking about hellfire, anyway.
Oh, that's right. A lot of good that would do, anyway.
[She taps her chin as though to consider this, but there's really not much to consider at all; really, the best they can hope for is that they're not standing amid a conflagration when the demon comes knocking.
And if they are? Well. Makima's sure she can get both herself and Warren out of the way in time. It's probably fine.]
[ Warren breathes out a small laugh. It’s not a lot, but it seems to be genuinely amused. ]
You’d be the first.
[ To both volunteer and very likely follow through. A man like him doesn’t often need protection – but then, demons are a special case. Even a Destroyer as skilled as he is will have a hard time with the flames of hell.
He hands the book of matches to Makima. ]
If you’d be so kind.
[ Said as he begins placing the candles at key points around the circle. She’s free to follow along and light them as she goes. ]
[Wow, a genuine laugh! And she wasn't even trying to be too funny.
But she just smiles and nods, taking the matches and striking one alight. She follows about, lighting candles one by one. It's a hilariously simple, cooperative effort for what they're about to do.]
I take it you're more of a lone wolf type in the field.
[Even Makima occasionally worked with others at her old job. She very rarely needed protection, of course, and it was unusual for her to lend her abilities to any operation at all, but the idea of someone else having your back isn't so foreign to her.
In practice, at least. In every other way? Well, that's another matter entirely.]
[ A casual remark if ever there was one. No, he doesn't see a problem with having spent the last hundred years or so in near total isolation. That has always suited him fine. His mentor had done more than enough to demonstrate how other people are simply... a weakness.
If not for the promise of incredible power, Makima wouldn't even be here. ]
[Oh, she's under no illusions that she's special in any regard, except for what she can offer him. It's the only reason she's here, but that's fine. Their partnership is mutually beneficial.
But, there is one thing she does want to ask, something she's curious about. Something that both runs parallel to her own experiences and... doesn't.
She bends down to light another candle.]
Never compelled even once to make friends outside of work?
[ He glances over at her, the candle light and glow from above casting strange shadows over his face. It makes his expression hard to read, but there’s no doubting the ice in his voice when he responds. ]
I have no use for friends.
[ And that’s really what it comes down to for him. Usefulness. ]
[ He watches her trek across the room, face impassive in the flickering light. He’s not offended by the question, figuring it comes from a place of wanting to understand humanity rather than anything too personal. ]
Friendship doesn’t interest me. It never has. I recognize that perhaps that makes me atypical, but I’m hardly bothered.
[He's partly right, and partly not. It does come from a desire to understand humanity, but it mostly comes from a desire to understand him and this particular perspective. Because she's seen it reflected in reality and art time and time again; the bond between two people a special sort of notion, one that is always treasured. Or at least, one that everyone always seems to flourish in.
She doesn't understand it, exactly. (She wishes she could.) She can manipulate it to her advantage, but she cannot apply it to herself in the way she sees in so many examples, all around her. Is he the same way?]
Maybe that's just part of what makes you so dangerous. [She thinks that's true enough.] But now I'm really looking forward to a movie night together.
[ She’s not wrong in her assessment, at least as far as Warren’s own ideas about himself are concerned. He has no one or nothing that can be used against him, and things like “caring” will only get in his way. He’s free to do whatever he wants, whatever he needs to, and that makes him very dangerous indeed. ]
And why is that, exactly?
[ Movie night isn’t going to give her some grand revelation as to what makes him tick. Probably. ]
Because I want to know why your recommendations are what they are.
[Simply. Does he like them for the plot only? The underlying themes? Or does he appreciate the dynamic between the characters on the screen, which would somehow contradict what she's just told him now?]
That's all, really. And... what better way to make your first friend than through a movie marathon?
At least he can tell when she’s teasing, because otherwise he’d be quick to remind her that the point of their agreement was not to become friends and he’d frankly rather that they didn’t.
(Famous last words??) ]
You’re hilarious.
[ Anyway, looks like he’s done setting out candles, so once they’re all lit, they can proceed. ]
She trails after, lighting the last few candles until they’re all properly dancing with a tiny flame. But then she straightens and looks at him blank-faced.]
Then you run the risk of sitting through a terrible movie as opposed to one you actually enjoy. Is that something you’re willing to do?
[ The look he gives her suggests that's not as much of a threat as she thinks it is.
And, apparently, this line of conversation is now over, because Warren takes the book in hand again, eyes sweeping over the circle and the candles dotted throughout. He checks and double checks it against the drawings in the book, then, seemingly satisfied, turns to Makima again. ]
Fine. They can discuss Warren's taste in movies (or lack thereof) when it's an actual movie night. For now, she just exhales a little and decides to listen to his advice, moving beside him but just a few steps back.
And yes, she's been holding the movie clapper beneath her arm this entire time.]
Also, girl just put the clapper in the duffel bag. He's not going to tell her she can't have it. He doesn't care.
ANYWAY— He flips through the book to another page which presumably has the incantation he needs on it. What follows it a bit of recitation, mostly in Latin because of course it is, something about tearing through the veil and dark servants and blah blah blah. The real notable thing is that about halfway through, the flames of the candles suddenly shoot up, increased in size and heat and brightness. The fire mingles and swirls together, the heat enough to set some of the paint on the interior of the old set bubbling and peeling away from the wood.
From that swirling flame juts one leathery arm, then another. Claws dig into the floor, leaving scorch marks in their wake. The rest of the creature unfolds from the ball of fire a moment later. Ironically, it looks almost canine, if said canine were as tall as Warren at the shoulder and made out of black leather and charcoal. Its eyes are red-orange pinpricks of light, and dark smoke coils from snarling jaws. In its chest, something glows, red hot, through its ribs.
[No! She wants to hold onto it for dramatics!! Also, the demon's here now.
And it appears in such flair, fitting of a demon's entry. Dramatics, indeed. The heat of the blazing candles increase, the light practically beaming from them, casting their shadows long and twisted against the floor. And what eases up from the circle is quite the sight. She's seen stranger, of course, and far more grotesque, but it's far from a dull, mundane devil.]
Did we get a hellhound for our troubles?
[She actually sounds amused; go figure that they'd get a canine-looking creature looking as if it's churning with fire beneath its leathery skin. And while Makima has enough sense to expect for it to roll over and play dead, she's confident enough to take a step forward. This is the part where Warren's the one who needs to stay back, after all.
[ As Warren said, lesser demons are basically animals, and despite its size, this is a lesser demon. Perhaps getting to spend all this time gorging itself on the unease of wayward explorers has helped it to grow far beyond what Warren was expecting.
So, Makima is free to approach, but the beast regards her with little more than animal intelligence in those embers that sit where its eyes should be. Its upper lip curls back, letting a new stream of black smoke stream through teeth like sharpened onyx.
It sure doesn’t speak, so if it has a name that will have to remain a mystery. Instead, it’s about to try to take Makima’s hand off with a sudden lunge, jaws flashing open.
No doubt she’s fast enough to move, but even so, something unseen slams into the side of the demon’s head, knocking the attack off course. ]
None of us are here to make friends, Makima.
[ Says Warren, hand raised and poised to cast again. A small handful of his tricks still work, so long as he hits the parts of the beast that aren’t flush with hellfire. The demon turns its eyes on him with a flare of hunger, muscles tensing to pounce. ]
[Ah, well. It was worth a try; even the most animalistic of Devils back home have a name. They all do, or else they'd not be Devils at all.
But this is yet one more instance of things being different in this world than what she's used to, and that's made clear the moment the canid-demon snaps in her direction, likely in an attempt to take a limb off.
Instead, Warren's magic collides into its skull, taking it off course and saving her the trouble. She looks mildly from the demon to the wizard.]
Maybe I just wanted to put a name to my meal.
[Well, with the creature now poised to leap at Warren, the onus is on her to keep it busy, isn't it?]
Hey, doggy.
[Time to get its attention. She hops back a yard or two in one swift movement, then raises her arm in her usual fingergun gesture, pointed straight at the creature's middle.]
I'll play with you.
[Bang. That massive force of hers goes wheeling towards the enemy.]
[ The demon is pretty intent on the wizard, maw dropping open to let heat and even more smoke seep into the room. This thing is practically a living furnace, powered by the fires of hell.
Warren already has his Enhancements up, and is poised to spring out of the way, but Makima quite handily returns the favor paid just a few moments ago – invisible force colliding with the demon’s middle. The blow is far more powerful than what Warren had managed, and the demon is taken off its feet and sent tumbling into a pile of furniture. The set dressings splinter apart with the impact, and some of the pieces begin to smoke thanks to sheer proximity to that incredible heat.
The demon scrambles to its feet inelegantly, splinters of wood burning away from its flesh. Warren is already moving subtly, trying to find a more advantageous position while the demon’s attention is once again on Makima. It lets out a guttural growl, and red-orange flames begin to crawl across its flesh. A protective barrier of hellfire, casting an unnaturally red glow around the room in strange contrast to the cold light of the illusory orb floating above them.
Well, at least beyond that, the creature doesn’t seem one for tactics, because it springs at Makima, teeth flashing. ]
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finalflight2023-03-24 06:21 pm
no subject
[ It’s not really a question. It’s more that Warren is putting the pieces together for himself and musing over it out loud.
He stands finally, sparing a moment to brush the dirt and bits of chalk dust from his pant legs. ]
Lucky me.
no subject
Lucky him. Lucky her? Both.]
Lucky you. Out of all the people I walked up to, it was you. Imagine if I had fell into someone else’s lap! You’d be living a dog-less life still.
[Smiling, she watches as Warren rises back to his feet.]
So what’s next?
no subject
Yes, what a tragedy.
[ It does not sound like he considers a lack of dogs in his life to be a tragedy, clearly. But a lack of Makima? Well, now that would be a real shame, considering she proves as useful as she’s made herself out to be ].
Now we light some candles– [ romantic?? Not really. Fire is the important part here. ] –I recite a little incantation, and hopefully the demon doesn’t burn the whole place down in the process of showing up.
no subject
But such dour sarcasm is about all she can expect from Warren for now, so she just laughs lightly and shrugs, closing the book in her hands with the assumption that he doesn't require it any longer, handing it back.]
That would be a shame. This set is so interesting.
[Yes, that would be her main concern amid a blazing flame in this little fake house. Well, no matter. If Warren needs help with candle-lighting (very romantic, indeed -- no), then she'll set about helping with that, too.]
I suspect that a spell that makes someone fireproof is too much to ask for, hm?
no subject
A decent Elementalist could make you fire repellant, probably. Though outright resistant to the heat and the threat of burning? Doubtful.
[ Warren doesn’t need to know what’s going on in other threads. ]
But it’s all a moot point if we’re talking about hellfire, anyway.
no subject
[She taps her chin as though to consider this, but there's really not much to consider at all; really, the best they can hope for is that they're not standing amid a conflagration when the demon comes knocking.
And if they are? Well. Makima's sure she can get both herself and Warren out of the way in time. It's probably fine.]
Well, don't worry. I'll protect you.
[ain't she kind]
no subject
You’d be the first.
[ To both volunteer and very likely follow through. A man like him doesn’t often need protection – but then, demons are a special case. Even a Destroyer as skilled as he is will have a hard time with the flames of hell.
He hands the book of matches to Makima. ]
If you’d be so kind.
[ Said as he begins placing the candles at key points around the circle. She’s free to follow along and light them as she goes. ]
no subject
But she just smiles and nods, taking the matches and striking one alight. She follows about, lighting candles one by one. It's a hilariously simple, cooperative effort for what they're about to do.]
I take it you're more of a lone wolf type in the field.
[Even Makima occasionally worked with others at her old job. She very rarely needed protection, of course, and it was unusual for her to lend her abilities to any operation at all, but the idea of someone else having your back isn't so foreign to her.
In practice, at least. In every other way? Well, that's another matter entirely.]
no subject
[ A casual remark if ever there was one. No, he doesn't see a problem with having spent the last hundred years or so in near total isolation. That has always suited him fine. His mentor had done more than enough to demonstrate how other people are simply... a weakness.
If not for the promise of incredible power, Makima wouldn't even be here. ]
So, lucky you, too.
no subject
[Oh, she's under no illusions that she's special in any regard, except for what she can offer him. It's the only reason she's here, but that's fine. Their partnership is mutually beneficial.
But, there is one thing she does want to ask, something she's curious about. Something that both runs parallel to her own experiences and... doesn't.
She bends down to light another candle.]
Never compelled even once to make friends outside of work?
no subject
I have no use for friends.
[ And that’s really what it comes down to for him. Usefulness. ]
no subject
No use...
[Hm. She straightens and moves over to the next candle, the little flame burning on the match swaying with the movement.]
I always thought that was just part of being human, though. That need for a connection. Are you saying you've really risen above that?
no subject
Friendship doesn’t interest me. It never has. I recognize that perhaps that makes me atypical, but I’m hardly bothered.
no subject
She doesn't understand it, exactly. (She wishes she could.) She can manipulate it to her advantage, but she cannot apply it to herself in the way she sees in so many examples, all around her. Is he the same way?]
Maybe that's just part of what makes you so dangerous. [She thinks that's true enough.] But now I'm really looking forward to a movie night together.
no subject
And why is that, exactly?
[ Movie night isn’t going to give her some grand revelation as to what makes him tick. Probably. ]
no subject
[Simply. Does he like them for the plot only? The underlying themes? Or does he appreciate the dynamic between the characters on the screen, which would somehow contradict what she's just told him now?]
That's all, really. And... what better way to make your first friend than through a movie marathon?
[That's a joke.]
no subject
[ Stop trying to game the system Warren.
At least he can tell when she’s teasing, because otherwise he’d be quick to remind her that the point of their agreement was not to become friends and he’d frankly rather that they didn’t.
(Famous last words??) ]
You’re hilarious.
[ Anyway, looks like he’s done setting out candles, so once they’re all lit, they can proceed. ]
no subject
She trails after, lighting the last few candles until they’re all properly dancing with a tiny flame. But then she straightens and looks at him blank-faced.]
Then you run the risk of sitting through a terrible movie as opposed to one you actually enjoy. Is that something you’re willing to do?
no subject
And, apparently, this line of conversation is now over, because Warren takes the book in hand again, eyes sweeping over the circle and the candles dotted throughout. He checks and double checks it against the drawings in the book, then, seemingly satisfied, turns to Makima again. ]
You'll want to stand back.
no subject
Fine. They can discuss Warren's taste in movies (or lack thereof) when it's an actual movie night. For now, she just exhales a little and decides to listen to his advice, moving beside him but just a few steps back.
And yes, she's been holding the movie clapper beneath her arm this entire time.]
I'm ready for the show.
no subject
Also, girl just put the clapper in the duffel bag. He's not going to tell her she can't have it. He doesn't care.
ANYWAY— He flips through the book to another page which presumably has the incantation he needs on it. What follows it a bit of recitation, mostly in Latin because of course it is, something about tearing through the veil and dark servants and blah blah blah. The real notable thing is that about halfway through, the flames of the candles suddenly shoot up, increased in size and heat and brightness. The fire mingles and swirls together, the heat enough to set some of the paint on the interior of the old set bubbling and peeling away from the wood.
From that swirling flame juts one leathery arm, then another. Claws dig into the floor, leaving scorch marks in their wake. The rest of the creature unfolds from the ball of fire a moment later. Ironically, it looks almost canine, if said canine were as tall as Warren at the shoulder and made out of black leather and charcoal. Its eyes are red-orange pinpricks of light, and dark smoke coils from snarling jaws. In its chest, something glows, red hot, through its ribs.
Warren blinks a time or two. ]
Ah. It's bigger than I expected.
no subject
And it appears in such flair, fitting of a demon's entry. Dramatics, indeed. The heat of the blazing candles increase, the light practically beaming from them, casting their shadows long and twisted against the floor. And what eases up from the circle is quite the sight. She's seen stranger, of course, and far more grotesque, but it's far from a dull, mundane devil.]
Did we get a hellhound for our troubles?
[She actually sounds amused; go figure that they'd get a canine-looking creature looking as if it's churning with fire beneath its leathery skin. And while Makima has enough sense to expect for it to roll over and play dead, she's confident enough to take a step forward. This is the part where Warren's the one who needs to stay back, after all.
First thing's first, though.]
Hello. [Pleasantly.] Do you have a name?
[Does it even speak?]
no subject
So, Makima is free to approach, but the beast regards her with little more than animal intelligence in those embers that sit where its eyes should be. Its upper lip curls back, letting a new stream of black smoke stream through teeth like sharpened onyx.
It sure doesn’t speak, so if it has a name that will have to remain a mystery. Instead, it’s about to try to take Makima’s hand off with a sudden lunge, jaws flashing open.
No doubt she’s fast enough to move, but even so, something unseen slams into the side of the demon’s head, knocking the attack off course. ]
None of us are here to make friends, Makima.
[ Says Warren, hand raised and poised to cast again. A small handful of his tricks still work, so long as he hits the parts of the beast that aren’t flush with hellfire. The demon turns its eyes on him with a flare of hunger, muscles tensing to pounce. ]
no subject
But this is yet one more instance of things being different in this world than what she's used to, and that's made clear the moment the canid-demon snaps in her direction, likely in an attempt to take a limb off.
Instead, Warren's magic collides into its skull, taking it off course and saving her the trouble. She looks mildly from the demon to the wizard.]
Maybe I just wanted to put a name to my meal.
[Well, with the creature now poised to leap at Warren, the onus is on her to keep it busy, isn't it?]
Hey, doggy.
[Time to get its attention. She hops back a yard or two in one swift movement, then raises her arm in her usual fingergun gesture, pointed straight at the creature's middle.]
I'll play with you.
[Bang. That massive force of hers goes wheeling towards the enemy.]
no subject
Warren already has his Enhancements up, and is poised to spring out of the way, but Makima quite handily returns the favor paid just a few moments ago – invisible force colliding with the demon’s middle. The blow is far more powerful than what Warren had managed, and the demon is taken off its feet and sent tumbling into a pile of furniture. The set dressings splinter apart with the impact, and some of the pieces begin to smoke thanks to sheer proximity to that incredible heat.
The demon scrambles to its feet inelegantly, splinters of wood burning away from its flesh. Warren is already moving subtly, trying to find a more advantageous position while the demon’s attention is once again on Makima. It lets out a guttural growl, and red-orange flames begin to crawl across its flesh. A protective barrier of hellfire, casting an unnaturally red glow around the room in strange contrast to the cold light of the illusory orb floating above them.
Well, at least beyond that, the creature doesn’t seem one for tactics, because it springs at Makima, teeth flashing. ]
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