A Dash of Luck [Asuna feat. Pumi]

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    • Dane rolled onto his side to be able to look at Ro. He was still the young man he'd been the night they met but at the same time he'd aged so much. This is not how things should've gone for him. He should've had time to figure himself out, figure out his relationship with Dane, should've aged in years, not days. One more item on the list of Aimeric's sins. One more reason to make him pay.
      "Of course. We can go wherever you want to."
      He raised Ro's hand to his lips and gently kissed them. His mind was trying to convince him to think up any number of contingency plans but he knew he couldn't. Not now. Not when everything was still so fresh. So raw.
      "You know I love you, right?" Dane said, unprompted.
      He didn't know why he suddenly felt the urge to tell him that. Of course he knew. Just like Dane knew that Ro loved him. Still, he had to say it out loud.
      "I'm going where you're going."
      He pulled Ro close again, placed his head on his chest, right above where his demonic heart burned with the stolen magic that created him.
      "This beats for you. Only you. It's yours."
      He nuzzled his face into Ro's hair, inhaled his scent.
      "I have waited eternities to find you. I'm not letting you go. Not so soon. Not ever. And..." there was an idea, a stupid one, but an idea nonetheless, "...and I would like to know that dragon inside you, too. You come as a packaged deal, just like Asa, Mace, and I. Until now I always saw you two as separate and I didn't like him, because he hurt you. I think he's hurt, too. Your name... it was taken from him just as much. He probably doesn't know what to do either. So I would like him to know that we're all in the same boat. That I will fight for him just as much as I'm fighting for you. Because he is you. And you are him. And I am yours."


    • Ro managed to muster a faint smile for Dane. He knew he could ask his partner for anything that might help him. That small request for an outing was probably the least of their worries.
      “You know I love you, right?” Dane said out of the blue, and the thin smile on Ro’s lips grew a little wider, a little warmer.
      “Of course,” he replied without hesitation. “I love you too. Thanks to you, I finally know what that actually means.”
      Since Ro had found his way to the demon, his life — and his emotions — had become a roller coaster. He’d experienced so many new things in such a short time, things that might have taken years otherwise. It felt like he was living through entire years in the span of weeks. A pace that didn’t exactly sit well with him.
      “I’m going where you’re going.”
      “Hm, I’m at least trying to keep up with you.”
      He didn’t quite manage to bring lightness into his voice. Instead, Dane pulled his head down to rest on his chest, where Ro could not only hear his heartbeat but also feel the flow of his centered aura. A steady rhythm that would last for eternity — and quite literally didn’t belong to this world.
      “This beats for you. Only you. It’s yours.”
      Ro pressed his lips into a thin line. His own heart clenched at those words. That wasn’t entirely true. Dane had so many more friends, family, people who meant something to him. He thought of the pack, of Asa, of Mace. Dane’s heart beat for them too, even if Ro might one day be the one to hold it in his hands. But that was a burden he wasn’t sure he could carry.
      The young Drakin braced himself for the words Dane murmured into his hair — but nothing could have prepared him for their weight.
      “You’ve touched him before. Spoken to him, or whatever. And it went completely sideways,” Ro pointed out, pressing the fingers he had resting on Dane’s skin a bit more firmly into him.
      “I know I was the one who said we’re a package deal. But… man, I think you’re right, unfortunately. Maybe I have been blocking him out without realizing it.”
      That was another theory. Even if Ro always said he and his dragon were one, if his subconscious thought otherwise, it might shut the dragon out entirely. It wasn’t something he could help. He’d first have to get in sync with his subconscious.
      Ba-dum…
      Ba-dum…
      Ba-dum…
      Ro swung a leg over Dane’s hips and cuddled in even closer.
      “Okay. Then let’s go somewhere tomorrow where we won’t be disturbed. Where no one sees us — except maybe Asa or Mace. When it’s just the two of us, we both tend to act without thinking. So maybe having a third party around wouldn’t be the worst idea. Just in case.”
      The corners of his mouth twitched up slightly as his eyes fell shut and he focused on the steady beat of Dane’s heart.
      “Maybe we’ll kill two birds with one stone.”

      The next morning, Ro woke up feeling relatively well-rested. More than once, he asked Dane — who of course had already been awake for a while — whether they should postpone their outing since Dane had work to do. In response, the demon made a few calls right from bed and cleared his schedule for the rest of the day.
      Ro stayed curled up against Dane a little longer until his stomach made itself known, and they both headed down to the kitchen. Ro sat at the island while Dane rummaged through the fridge.
      “Do you think we could ask Mace to jump us somewhere? Or are the woods around here enough? I can’t really judge,” Ro said as he stirred his fresh coffee with a spoon — the one Dane had placed in front of him.
      “I imagine it’s probably noticeable when large amounts of — oh, shit.”
      The spoon clattered against the cup as Ro let go of it and stared at Dane with wide eyes.
      “Dude, we just left yesterday like it was nothing, but what about Baxter?! Shit, I completely forgot about him!” Ro ran his hands over his face and was already about to storm out of the kitchen to check on the warlock.

    • Dane stayed awake for a while longer, just watching Ro and desperately trying not to think. At all. There was no direction for his thoughts that wouldn't make him angry, so he tried to just not think. Easier said than done but Dane managed. It certainly helped to see the love of his life so relaxed in his arms. And his cute little snorrs helped too.

      The next morning, Dane woke with the sun like he usually did. But he didn't get up because of the very same face. When he slept, Ro was at peace like he rarely was when awake. He could just rest and be. It was a beautiful look on him and Dane's chest ached to make him look like this all day every day. He wanted to make the world safe for Ro, he wanted to make everything right, so the other man could be so relaxed.
      Eventually, Ro came to as well but neither of them moved. It was too cozy, the thought of facing the world too daunting. So they stayed here, in their own little bubble. Ro protested, said Dane had to work. So Dane grabbed his phone and told his secretary to reschedule every last meeting and delegate everything else. There. No more work to do. Five more minutes in the bubble bought.
      The next intrusion was harder to ignore or made to go away. Dane smiled and pressed a kiss to Ro's forehead, before he forced himself to get up. He stretched a bit, then put on some casual clothes: dark grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt. Ro put on a similar outfit and they headed downstairs to the kitchen, where Dane set up a hearty breakfast spread after serving coffee first.
      "Do you think we could ask Mace to jump us somewhere? Or are the woods around here enough? I can’t really judge."
      "Mace will whine about it until I bribe him with his favorite ice cream but that's just him and his usual emotional manipulation. He'll be happy to help, don't worry. Where we need to go on the other hand," he placed a plate and a knife in front of Ro, "depends entirely on what you want to do. You didn't really go into detail with that. I imagine you want me to reach out to your Dragon again? In that case I suggest our forest. Maybe by the lake? If we do it here, we can contain everything: the land is ours, so no unwanted witnesses, and if all goes even more sideways than last time, we have the pack, Asa, and Zephy around for damage control. I don't expect a full breakout of your Dragon, but you know me: I like to be prepared. Eggs?"


    • At least they had Mace on their side so easily. Ro hadn’t had enough contact with the demon to really assess him yet. At least Mace wasn’t as creepy and intimidating as Asa. Ro still got goosebumps around him.
      “Hm… okay, so… I briefly thought about jumping somewhere by the sea, but… you’re not exactly fond of water, and if things go really bad…” Ro shrugged apologetically. “You know.”
      He gripped his coffee mug before taking a cautious sip.
      “I don’t want you to make contact unless you have to. I just… I just want to let go for a little while. Usually, I go outside for that. I feel full, restless, wired.”
      He nodded toward the eggs and picked up the knife from the plate to balance it on his fingers.
      “We’ll just start here in the woods, okay? If nothing happens and everything goes smoothly, then that’s fine. No reason to jump somewhere far.”
      Whether he really believed that himself was another matter. In any case, his face didn’t carry its usual brightness and lightness. Instead, it was shadowed — especially under his eyes, where dark rings had formed.


      Roughly two hours later, Ro and Dane were trudging over soft forest ground. The young Drakin had insisted on informing Greg and his pack, just in case something unexpected happened. He didn’t want the wolves to be summoned and possibly end up as collateral damage. As an ancient demon, Dane had no trouble keeping up with him — but wolves were a different story. And Greg had children, on top of that.
      Ro walked ahead. They had long left the house behind and were now surrounded by trees and underbrush. Slowly, he began to release the constant tension that had gripped his body since the day before. Just as slowly, the pent-up energy seemed to flow out of him — directly into the earth and air, where it began to accumulate. If he belonged to the Clan of Storms, the air would now be crackling with static. As it was, the humidity rose, and the ground became damp.
      “Repression. That’s what it is,” Ro said after what felt like an eternity of silence. He was heading straight for the lake he could find even without knowing the area well. “I can’t even imagine it. That… that it could be over soon.”
      He didn’t want to say it out loud. Another form of repression — he knew that — but he just couldn’t bring himself to speak the words. How was he supposed to imagine losing mornings like this with Dane? He had finally found a place and a person where he felt accepted — only to lose it again? That couldn’t be. It mustn’t be. At the thought, he clenched his fists, and a tremor ran through his body. Like a shockwave, he emitted his aura and magical capacity, which had been simmering under the surface for a long time. The faint bluish shimmer of his skin in the sparse light filtering through the treetops surprised no one. Stiffly, he took one step after another — deeper into the forest, deeper into the calm he carried with him.
      “I don’t want to think about it, Dane,” Ro finally pressed out, his voice sounding lost and fragile. “I can’t. When I think about what Jona said, it feels so… wrong. That can’t be. It can’t be that I…” He swallowed hard. “…that I’m supposed to die just because my name is missing. I don’t want that. I don’t want to lose anything.”
      The part of him that housed the dragon vibrated. Ro stumbled forward as acid rose in his throat. It was agreement. Wild agreement — that much he understood. Mentally, he tried to reach the dragon. Tried to touch the cocoon in which it hid. But just before he could, he hesitated.
      In reality, he had dropped into a crouch and was bracing himself against the trunk of a nearby tree. Once stirred up, the magic inside him developed a life of its own. That was exactly what Ro had feared deep down. Cold sweat broke out across his skin, and his pulse quickened. It felt like an immense power was surging just beneath the surface. Like cold fire he couldn’t extinguish.
      Would it feel like this when the end came? Only much, much worse?

    • Forests. They were chaos but Dane could stomach it, as long as he had time to prepare for it. Nature, he had learned, had a way or organizing things so minutely, that even he could learn something. You just had to see through all the chaos first.
      Knowing that they would come out here, Dane had elected to not go for a black on black suit. Knowing what they would do, he also ditched the idea of wearing anything casual-business like. Instead, he stomped through this forest in a rather rare outfit for him: he looked as if he were on a trip to the gym. He wore black shorts and a black tank top, leaving his tattooed limbs bare; rounding out his unusual attire were a pair of running shoes. Of course, it was all as black as possible. And he was a menace to any and all insects daring to come close to him. At about three centimeters distance to his body, they just burst into tiny flames.
      "Repression. That’s what it is. I can’t even imagine it. That... that it could be over soon."
      Dane felt similarly about the situation they found themselves in. He refused to believe that they'd exhausted all of their options already. Because they hadn't. There was Aimeric, and if that oversized lizard couldn't help, Dane would find this Melidae and rip her a new one, if need be. The way everyone was cowering in her presence... she had to at least know something.
      "It won't be," he said. "I refuse to let it come to that."
      "I don’t want to think about it, Dane. I can’t. When I think about what Jona said, it feels so... wrong. That can’t be. It can’t be that I... that I’m supposed to die just because my name is missing. I don’t want that. I don’t want to lose everything."
      Dane caught Ro as he stumbled. He didn't look good and it gnawed at Dane that he couldn't tell if it was this accumulating magic or if this was a result of the mental load such news bore.
      He let Ro go when he made another step and then watched the young man crouch down next to a tree. No, this was most definitely the magic. Ro looked so small, so lost. Damned dragons.
      Carefully, Dane put a hand on Ros shoulder. He would do anything for this young being. It had taken him too long to find someone like Ro and he knew, deep down, that he might never find someone like him ever again. His core being objected to the possibility to live alone again.
      "Let it happen," he said, his voice low and gentle. "I'm here. I'll keep you - both of you - in check. I'll take it on, when it gets to much. Do you trust me?"


    • Ro tilted his head back, resting the back of his skull against the tree bark. His eyes were closed, and he breathed in deeply through his nose, exhaling slowly through his mouth — as if that alone could bring him back under control. Magic surged through his entire body like a current, calling out to be released. The hand on his shoulder struck his awareness like lightning. Tiny threads of his magic were already seeping into the demon’s palm, searching for the quickest escape.
      “Let it happen,” he heard Dane say, and Ro cracked one eye open.
      “I’m here. I’ll keep you — both of you — in check. I’ll take it on, when it gets too much. Do you trust me?”
      Ro’s face twisted with pain. “Always,” he said without hesitation, not a single tremor in his voice. His eyes opened wider, those haunting, deep lapis-blue eyes locking onto the demon’s. His pupils had already narrowed into slits. Ro was still at the forefront for now, the pain and worry etched across his face — but beneath that, something else lurked. Something bigger. Something clawing just below the surface.
      “I don’t want it to be like last time for you,” he added softly.
      That last time had left its marks. Deep ones. So deep it had driven Ro to ask Asa for help — and that said everything. He’d beat himself up over it again and again, certain it had been too much for someone of Dane’s caliber, even though he’d never been forced into anything. Their entire relationship, after all, had been built on free will — at least after the messy start. So if Dane was asking for trust, Ro needed to give it now more than ever. He’d made this choice. He knew the risks. He knew the likely outcome. And he’d accepted that you can’t play at the level of the gods without becoming something more than human yourself.
      “Okay,” he exhaled and then, with a single mental motion, let go of all the internal threads holding his being together.
      It was like a thunderclap when an enormous density of magic burst out of him. In the blink of an eye, everything that made Ro recognizable was gone from his face. What Dane now looked at was wild, different — and barely chained. The forest fell silent. Even the trees seemed to hold their breath as Ro’s head fell forward, resting against Dane’s chest. Between his hair, the shadow of horns began to emerge, and his skin didn’t just shimmer blue — it became blue. Everywhere his clothes didn’t cover, true scales surfaced, following an intricate pattern that snaked from his hands up his arms. His neck was coated too, the transformation halting only at the line of his jaw.
      The humidity spiked around them, shooting up to almost ninety percent. Moisture began to bead and drip down the plants — and down Dane. The magical pressure was so immense even the wolves in the distance would feel it.
      When Ro lifted his head again, the young man was completely gone. The eyes now fixed on Dane’s face didn’t match. They radiated raw rage. And… frustration.
      “This is the first time he’s really letting go — and why?” he hissed. “Because he thinks it’s hopeless.” He shoved Dane’s hand off his shoulder. “It’s the first time, and this pathetic body is ALL he is?”
      Disbelief colored the voice — still Ro’s, but… not. The cadence was wrong. The presence, heavier. With awkward movements, he pushed himself upright, still leaning against the tree trunk. He stared at his own hands for a moment, then curled one into a fist and swung it sideways against the bark without even looking.
      The impact cracked loudly. Bark exploded, and the whole tree shook as a chunk of the trunk was blown out with ease.
      “We’re going to pay Aimeric a visit. Now. I want my name back,” Ro growled, and waves of raw energy radiated off him like heat from a wildfire.

    • So this was the Dragon. Castrated, of course, robbed of almost all of its power simply because a single key ingredient was missing. Dane looked at the being in front of him, the entity controlling his beloved. Humans though demons could possess people - a wild misconception, all part of the marketing strategy of lower sphere angels, of course. But this looked pretty much like a possession. On a logical level Dane knew that Ro and this being were one and the same. But whatever had happened to them had split them in two destinct characters. This couldn't be healthy. Of course it wasn't.
      "This is the first time he’s really letting go — and why? Because he thinks it’s hopeless. It’s the first time, and this pathetic body is ALL he is?"
      "It's more than you currently are," Dane answered calmly.
      He wouldn't cower in front of a Dragon. He didn't do it in front of Aimeric, he didn't do it in front of this council, he wouldn't do it in front of this shrunken creature. Pathetic was the word he'd used, but who here was really the pathetic one? The Dragon, not able to break a simple tree in half? Or the boy who so completely trusted in a Demon to keep him safe from a power that could quite literally eviscerate him? Dane knew his answer.
      "We’re going to pay Aimeric a visit. Now. I want my name back."
      "We are doing no such thing." Dane crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Not yet anyways. Think about it: facing him right now, as you are, who would win, hm? Your anger is not going to get you anywhere. You have to think, as hard as it might be. Let me help. We both want Ro alive and well. I'd even argue we want that for similar reasons. We can't live without him. You quite literally, and me... well."
      He consciously stepped in front of the Dragon, met his gaze. His eyes were as deep as the ocean. Terrifyingly so. But Dane didn't flinch. You don't show a predator how intimidating they are.
      "I need you to breathe and to calm down. I need you to work with us. Stop trying to dominate Ro and instead focus on keeping your magic in check. I am well aware that without your name, your ability to work together as one is limited. But I need you to try anyway. Ro trusts me. And I have done nothing to show you that you can't do so as well. We will fix this. But we need a plan first."
      He let his words sink in for a moment and hoped that he could reach the clearly more animalistic brain of this creature.
      "You surely have sensed Aimeric Aura, right? I need you to tell me everything."


    • Ro shot Dane a sharp glance. It was obvious the dragon within him could make little sense of his human shell. How could it be otherwise, when this was the first time he had truly stepped to the front without Ro’s guidance? Deep inside, Ro's consciousness lay hidden. He had let go of all the strings, and as a certain dragon once said — he had resigned. He had surrendered to the overwhelming pressure in the hope of briefly escaping it by letting his dragon have free rein.
      But that dragon was very much aware of it — and he didn’t like it. He didn’t like that he was only now being included. Even less did he appreciate that the demon standing before him had the audacity to try and reprimand him in any way. The dragon wasn’t annoyed — he was furious.
      Ro's brows furrowed as Dane demonstratively crossed his arms in front of his chest. This rejection was not what Ro had expected. So far, Dane had always given him the impression that he didn’t think much of Aimeric. So why wasn’t he supporting him in this? "Why not? Let him see for himself what it is he’s been trying to suppress with this little stunt of his."
      The explanation followed immediately, and Ro hissed in frustration. He couldn’t deny that Dane had a point. But this way, he would never reach a state where he could truly be Aimeric’s equal. Thinking was something he had done for years, but now excess magic thrummed in his veins. Restless and unsteady, he began pacing back and forth, the imbalance weighing visibly heavy on him. Only when Dane stepped directly into his path did Ro stop. He glared at the demon with suppressed fury.
      "Of course I can’t live without him. There is no HIM or ME. WE are ME. What you've seen until now was an apprentice — a personality still in the making. We belong together because we are one. We define ourselves through our name, the one that was torn from us. So yes — what I’m doing right now is practically killing myself."
      Ro held eye contact without flinching. His gaze bored into Dane’s, eyes he had seen in so many forms before — eyes that sometimes quite literally burned for him. Behind them, the dragon saw age, power, and the kind of wisdom only an unnaturally long existence could bestow.
      He saw difference.
      He saw concern.
      He saw desperation.
      It wasn’t the fact that Dane didn’t flinch that impressed the dragon. It was the fact that Dane wasn’t exuding even a trace of the overwhelming power or intimidation he was undoubtedly capable of.
      Ro ground his teeth in frustration, feeling the magic surge again, building up and seeking release. “It’s not easy. He has no outlet. No real way to get it under control. I can…” Ro turned his head sharply to the side, as if struck by a sharp headache. A few meters away in the forest, a tree exploded from within, its crown crashing to the ground with a groan. He had channeled the accumulating magic into the trees — structures not built to handle such power. “...only offload a little. It’s not enough.”
      Ro exhaled and turned his attention back to the demon.
      “I’ve known Aimeric for as long as I’ve been conscious. I know most of the auras in my family. But what can I say? He leads the Water Dragon Clan — he’s powerful, but he knows his place. He wouldn’t risk the city. He wouldn’t let himself be provoked into making a mistake. He fears the Council — for whatever reason—but he was never truly… hostile? I don’t know. Ro interpreted a lot of emotion into everything, but Aimeric’s aura was never filled with hate or rejection toward him. No matter how he tries to spin it. The boy is in denial — I told you, he’s not mature.”
      By now, the tips of two narrow horns peeked out from between his hair, glistening like obsidian in the few rays of sunlight that made it through the canopy. Never before had Ro’s human body changed so drastically — and it was clearly painful. Tormented was likely the best word to describe the young man. “You can live on without me, can’t you? Maybe you just don’t want to,” Ro asked suddenly, his tone low. “At least I’ve never heard of demons… having this kind of weakness.”

    • Huh. The Dragon could be reasoned with. Interesting fact. But he was right: Dane needed to stop looking at them as two people. They were one. And he of all people should be used to complicated existences.
      "I’ve known Aimeric for as long as I’ve been conscious. I know most of the auras in my family. But what can I say? He leads the Water Dragon Clan — he’s powerful, but he knows his place. He wouldn’t risk the city. He wouldn’t let himself be provoked into making a mistake. He fears the Council — for whatever reason—but he was never truly… hostile? I don’t know. Ro interpreted a lot of emotion into everything, but Aimeric’s aura was never filled with hate or rejection toward him. No matter how he tries to spin it. The boy is in denial — I told you, he’s not mature."
      "To be fair, he was never given the chance to get there, sheltered as he was."
      Dane looked at Ro, really looked. Nothing about this was healthy. The Dragon was right there, right under the skin. Like a snake stuck in its skin, unable to shed. Dane couldn't even begin to imagine how painful this must be.
      He sighed and took a step forward. Carefully, he put his hand to Ro's chest, felt his heart beat as if it were his own. He extended his magic, just a little bit, into Ro's skin, as if he could pierce the old one and help bring out the new. Instead he offered, silently, an outlet for at least some of the magic constricting the man he loved.
      "You can live on without me, can’t you?" The Dragon, Ro, said. "Maybe you just don’t want to. At least I’ve never heard of demons… having this kind of weakness."
      "There's a lot about Demons you don't know yet. There's a lot about Dragons and Drakin I don't know yet. Currently, I could exist without you, yes. It would be the most painful thing I've ever done but I would endure, because I have no other choice."
      He felt his own form shiver and strain under the magic of the Dragon. But instead of stepping away, he closed the last bit of distance between them and gently wrapped his arms around Ro.
      "Some fates are worse than dying. I'd appreciate it, if we could avoid both. For the sake of both of us."


    • When Dane took a step forward, Ro instinctively tensed. His gaze shifted from slightly pained to warning, though the source of that warning remained unspoken. Perhaps the dragon knew that the Drakin didn’t want to risk anything happening to Dane. Or maybe he simply didn’t want to allow any closeness. Both were possible. His eyes narrowed as the large hand rested on the Drakin’s chest. Ever ready to act, Ro prepared himself for the unlikely case that the demon might still try to take advantage of his unfortunate situation.
      For a long moment, nothing happened. Both parties watched each other, listened, waited. Then Ro sensed the gentle tapping of another aura. He was just about to take a step back, but only his consciousness prevented him from putting that impulse into action. With surprising determination, he forced the dragon not to simply pull away. Silent arguments flared in fractions of seconds, feeling like hours to them. Then – finally – the dragon gave in and followed the current Dane offered him.
      “You have no choice? Nonsense. Everything that lives has a choice, one way or another,” Ro said firmly, while his magic stirred Dane’s aura. He sensed the guilt rising within Ro and smothered it before it could grow. Unlike Ro, the Drakin accepted Dane’s help without protest. If it helped delay total annihilation, any means was justified. As it should be for living beings. They clung to life, fought for it, did everything they could to preserve it.
      Ro was about to add something when Dane suddenly moved even closer and simply caught his Drakin. Resistance threatened to burst from the young man, but he pulled himself together with effort. The dragon longed for freedom, while the Drakin yearned for closeness to this demon. This one being who had dedicated himself to him without compromise. Such a strange combination that the young dragon didn’t know how to handle it. He preached that Ro wasn’t fully developed yet – but the same applied to the dragon himself. Rigid and uncertain, he stood there, his brow deeply furrowed.
      “When the shell can no longer withstand the magical pressure, it’s not like dying. It’s... different. When something dies, a cycle closes. A magical overload breaks that cycle,” Ro said quietly after a while. The constant stream of magic had lessened, and he felt as if he could finally breathe a little easier.
      “...We can’t shed more magic like this. You managed to take away... maybe ten percent of the burden. I don’t know how long we can maintain it. But we have to confront Aimeric. Not in his home, not in this city. We need him outside. Somewhere people won’t care if a dragon completely loses it. I’d like to come back to your demon friend. Can he transport a Drakin quickly – and against his will?”

    • "You have no choice? Nonsense. Everything that lives has a choice, one way or another."
      Dane stayed quiet. That was the thing about fire, he wanted to say. Fire wasn't alive, no matter how much it imitated life by moving, my needing air to keep going, by eating through everything in it's wake just to have the energy to keep going. Sane said none of this. It didn't matter and there was no point in arguing with a dying Dragon.
      So, instead, he simply held on to Ro and focused on not bursting while he evenly distributed the magical energy all throughout his runic markings. It was enough, it would never be, he knew that. But it was a dent and right now, every dent counted, even if it only meant one more minute for Ro.
      "When the shell can no longer withstand the magical pressure, it’s not like dying. It’s... different. When something dies, a cycle closes. A magical overload breaks that cycle."
      So no simple death and more total annihilation. At least there was one Drakin amongst many, who could speak clearly. Funny that it was the one they all deemed incomplete and too young for his own power. Fucking hypocrites.
      Dane let go of his beloved and took a step back. The sudden severing of their physical and magical connection hurt as if someone had ripped a whole chunk of hair out of him but it was necessary. He'd taken as much as he could without risking a partial or even total loss of control.
      "We can’t shed more magic like this. You managed to take away... maybe ten percent of the burden. I don’t know how long we can maintain it. But we have to confront Aimeric. Not in his home, not in this city. We need him outside. Somewhere people won’t care if a dragon completely loses it. I’d like to come back to your demon friend. Can he transport a Drakin quickly – and against his will?"
      Ten percent? That was more than Dane had hoped. If he pushed himself a little more then maybe... no. That was wishful thinking. He couldn't control a dragon, that was simply not his area of expertise. Containment went against his nature.
      "The willingness of an individual is irrelevant for Mace's powers. He doesn't teleport as such. He opens portals between places. It happens very fast when he does it for only himself, that why it looks like he's teleporting. He simply needs to make a portal large enough and for long enough to get others through. And he needs to make physical contact or whoever is with him will be lost inbetween places. I'm not an expert on his powers but I believe it is a rather hostile place to be stuck. Mace theorizes it's outside of reality itself. He is the only one with the ability to navigate in and out of this place. I do not know what happens if we lose a full grown Dragon in there, so we might want to keep the physical contact up. A simple tackle by Mace should be sufficient."
      Dane shook out his hands as if he'd burned his fingers - which was phisically impossible. But it helped with the tingling sensation flooding his body. He'd need to redistribute this magic if he wanted a quick release. Otherwise, this feeling would stay with him for days. Not good enough.
      "What about water? My gut tells me we should keep him away from it but wouldn't it help you? Or is that counter-intuitive and actually hasten your... decay?"
      In order to win this without causing too much of a fuss, they needed every advantage they had. Controlling their environment was only the first step in this. Wherever they went, Dane would make sure to have reinforcements waiting and strategies to keep this pesky council away from it all. Interference by even more Dragons would only complicate things. Complications meant wasted time. Time they didn't have.
      "It would also help if you could tell me about a Water Drakin's weaknesses."


    • Ro lowered his gaze slightly as he listened inward. The imminent feeling of bursting had lessened, but it still lurked deep within him, waiting to finally be released. The ten percent he had offloaded to Dane sounded like a fair amount. The crux of the matter, however, was that this method wouldn’t hold up. Each time he offloaded his magic, his body regenerated new energy faster. With each attempt, he’d be able to offload less — eventually only nine percent. The process would come to a halt at some point, which was why Ro made an effort to include his surroundings. The Drakin resisted burdening the demon with more than absolutely necessary. The memories were still too vivid — when Dane himself hadn’t known how to handle the energy and they had had to seek out Asa. He didn’t want to repeat that, and reluctantly, the dragon had to agree.
      “Portals, huh? Alright. We should be able to work with that,” Ro said thoughtfully. The dripping of water had become a constant sound that accompanied them. Heavy drops fell from the leaves and branches onto the ground, yet the animals remained silent. His surroundings still perceived him as a dangerous and unpredictable constant. “We need to transport him before he transforms. Or rather, he won’t transform here in the city. Too much risk.”
      His lapis-colored eyes settled on Dane’s hands as the latter shook them out, as if trying to rid himself of something. Ro couldn’t help but smile grimly. Apparently, even this amount was still enough to make a demon uncomfortable. The dragon could clearly sense that Dane processed the energy differently than he did. Dragons stored magic in their core and aura, while Dane used the countless interwoven lines on his body. Even without touching them, they practically vibrated to the dragon’s fine magical senses.
      “It’s a matter of feeling, the thing with the waters.” Ro crouched down and spread his hands on the slightly muddy ground. The sludge oozed between his fingers and seemed to swallow them. “You feel more comfortable, but it doesn’t increase our capacity. We generate our magic autonomously, but it is supported by naturalistic influences of any kind. So if you really want to reduce the strain on us, the best way would be to lock us in a concrete building with no windows and no contact to the ground. But I don’t think you want to do that—to us or to yourself.” Ro lifted his head, bitter amusement and a hint of provocation gleaming in his slit-pupiled eyes.
      “As for the weaknesses…” Ro stood back up. Mud dripped from his fingertips in murky pearls. Then he grimaced, clearly not fond of the topic that followed. “The naturalistic counterpart makes life difficult for us. Which is why we don’t get along well with earth dragons. Their resilience against magical influence is high and their armor strong, but when they’re wounded, they don’t heal quickly. So physical injuries are more effective. We water dragons are very fast and agile, but of all the dragon types, we’re the least armored. Size is usually a disadvantage when we’re not in our human form. Otherwise… I can’t say much more. I’m afraid I’m not all-knowing.”

    • Total shut-off from all natural influences. That made sense. Natural magic looked for itself. Dane knew the feeling. But that also meant it was nearly impossible to take that away from Aimric. Water was everywhere - even in the air around them. They couldn't rely on that part then. Very well.
      Dane listened intently to everything Ro told him. Getting an Earth Drakin on their side was just about as unattainable of a goal than locking Aimric away from all moisture, so that fell flatt as well. But the armor-less part was something Dane could work with.
      "Quick and agile at the cost of personal defenses, that's something we can use," he concluded more to himself than to Ro.
      The Where of their plan didn't really matter, he realized. Big space, small space, nature or not, it was irrelevant for what they were trying to do. The thing that way important was whatever they threw at Aimeric.
      Inspired by Ro's little trick with the mud, Dane decided to slowly put some of the magic he'd absorbed out by first funnleing it through his own. That was the thing with absorbing magic for him: It wasn't his. Even less so when it was something so diametrically opposed to his own nature. Ro's magic floated on top of his like oil on water. It just didn't mix well. But he could push that magic through his own, diluting it and giving him more control over it. And he did.
      It was like boiling water - and felt very similar - as he pulled small bits of Ro's magic deeper into himself, combined it with small parts of his own and then released it into his environment again. Steam rose from his exposed skin where his runes met the air around him. It was a slow process, it was uncomfortable, and it required a lot of concentration on Dane's part, but ultimately it helped relieve the pressure. The best part: no harm was done. Dane's magic, so inherently allergic to this dimension, was cancelled out by Ro's which came from this place and longed to return to it. Likewise, Ro's magic could not overwhelm the environment because Dane's burned it out right before it could tip the scales. Perfect balance. But it was too slow and too taxing to use this strategy to keep Ro alive. Dane could only do so much. And it irked him to no end.
      He started pacing. He sighed. He pushed a hand through his hair - which stood up in spikes reminiscent of the popular styles of the early 2000s thanks to the high humidity in the area.
      "You've seen my chest," he said. "I presume you know the blade pictured on my sternum?"
      The blade piercing a cat like creature was hard to miss. Like everything else adorning his body this, too, was formed out of tightly packed runic script of his own making. The blade was Dane's magnum opus simply because it was the first - and only - time he'd managed to transform matter into his runic ink. The sword existed not just as ink on his skin. It was an actual sword, one he could summon and wield with all the power it possessed. It didn't have a name. It didn't have a legend. But there were stories about it. Old ones, mostly forgotten ones. But, once upon a time, this sword had killed powerful dragons. Dane hadn't been the person wielding it back then, that was long before he found it. But the sword's power was the same. And if it was able to kill dragons then, it certainly possessed the power to kill them now.
      "I need to know what exactly it is you want to do with Aimric. Because I will not pull this blade without purpose. It is yours to command, but I need you to be sure about your own intentions."


    • That the demon seemed relatively intrigued by the idea that brute force might be effective against dragons didn’t sit well with Ro. With either of them, really. The plan was supposed to be that the son would settle things with the father — not that a third party would get involved. The steam subtly rising from the demon’s body drew a quiet whistle from Ro. He could taste, almost at the edge of his tongue, nuances of his own magic in that steam. That, too, was a way to deal with energy — a peaceful one.
      "You've seen my chest," Dane finally said after he stopped pacing lightly.
      "Vaguely. I wasn’t conscious most of the time."
      "I presume you know the blade pictured on my sternum?"
      Ro furrowed his brow thoughtfully. It took a moment, then images came to him — or rather, only to the dragon. While the Drakin immediately understood what was being referenced, the dragon needed significantly more time to grasp the broader context. Consequently, the actual Ro was much quicker on the uptake and abruptly came to the forefront of their shared consciousness. Almost instantly, the small horn-like protrusions receded, and the blue tone on his skin and the scales softened, replaced by a much more relaxed posture — one Dane was quite familiar with. Promptly, he began gesturing with both hands.
      "Oh no, no, no. You said that would never be an issue. That we should never fall back on that!" The dragon, whose consciousness was coexisting for the first time, wasn’t entirely convinced by this opinion. He hadn’t heard how Dane had described the weapon. How it had felt just to brush his fingers across it. The shiver it had sent through him. Ro’s now much gentler gaze sought out his partner’s.
      "I want to force Aimeric to tell me the truth about what happened to my name. He either has it or knows what became of it. But that doesn’t mean I want to..." Ro trailed off. He had never said the words aloud like that before, and doing so now felt wrong on his tongue. Still, he forced himself past that line, even if it felt uncomfortable. "... kill him? Argh, Dane, I’m no threat to him, I know that — but I still want to try everything I can. I know you’ll do anything — and I mean anything — for me. But this... thing..." He glanced down toward the demon’s chest. "That already scared me more than enough back then."
      Ro let out a heavy sigh that now seemed to define his entire being. With a few quick steps, he had closed the distance to Dane and wrapped his arms around him. The warmth now radiating from Dane was a welcome contrast to the cold that seemed stuck in Ro’s own limbs. He pressed himself even closer, burying his face in Dane’s shoulder. "... I don’t think he’d go that far. But if it looks like Aimeric seriously — like truly — wants to hurt me... then we’ll talk about the sword again, okay? It’s only on the table if it’s a last resort. I don’t just want the answer — I need it. But let me try first."
      That should be doable. So Ro would take the hits, the kicks, the bites, whatever came. He was no danger to his father, but he had to try. His sense of honor demanded it, his will refused to submit. Surely Dane would understand that.
      "How much prep do you need? We can start anytime. I even know where Mace could take us," Ro suggested after lifting his face from Dane’s shoulder. "To the Côte d’Azur, to the cliffs. I’ll show him where on the map."

    • Dane wrapped his arms around Ro. Picturing him and the Dragon his form housed as one being had become harder again, the second he'd seen the shift. Ro might be the most complicated creature he ever had the pleasure of meeting - and that was a statement considering that Dane somehow had managed to befriend Baxter and all their other selfs.
      He pressed a kiss against Ro's neck.
      "I know," he said. "I know you don't want to kill him. But as you said: you're no threat to him. He has no reason to give you any answers without a substantial threat. I don't intent to use it unless absolutely necessary, don't worry. But having it present might be what we need to get him to talk. That is all I am suggesting."
      He met Ro's gaze. It was so different now, so much more... him. Ro might be in love with ihm but that Dragon was a bit harder to charm, or so it seemed. How does one court a Dragon? Maybe Dane needed to feed its curiosities and thirst for knowledge a bit more. His library should be up to the task.
      "How much prep do you need? We can start anytime. I even know where Mace could take us. To the Côte d’Azur, to the cliffs. I’ll show him where on the map."
      "However long it takes to raid a supermarket for all their ice cream," Dane replied. "We need to make a couple of trips. Mace will complain, so prepare yourself."
      He pressed another soft kiss to Ro's forehead. Then he closed his eyes and called for his closest friend. A few heartbeats later, Mace poppen up behind him.
      "Phew, since when do you life in Florida, man? I can cut the air 'round here with a knife!" the Demon complained.
      "Told you," Dane whispered and let go of Ro to face his friend.
      "I had a little chat with a Water Dragon. And we decided we're going to war."
      A grin spread across Maces face and his eyes burned with the same white and black fire Dane wielded.
      "Finally," he hissed in anticipation.


    • “Do you really think Mace is going to complain?”
      The light banter helped Ro distance himself from the gravity of the situation. Bit by bit, the visible signs of his true nature faded; scales disappeared, colors returned to their natural tones, and the horns vanished completely beneath his tousled hair. Only his eyes took a little longer to look normal again. The entire forest seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as the oppressive presence began to lift.
      But the dragon in his mind didn’t return to the cocoon it had come from. It was… somewhere else.
      “I’ll get enough ice. No big deal. If there’s one thing we’ve got, it’s contacts to—WHOA!”
      Mace appeared out of nowhere, right next to them. The tight hug lasted just as briefly. The moment Mace showed up, Ro jumped away from Dane and straightened out his clothes. Sure, he knew he didn’t have to. But somehow, this sudden appearance always threw him off.
      “Phew, since when do you live in Florida, man? I could cut the air around here with a knife!”
      The expected complaint followed immediately, and Ro rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed.
      “It’s a bit more complicated than that…”
      “I had a little chat with a water dragon. And we decided we’re going to war,” Dane announced at the same time, causing Ro to grimace. That sounded way more dramatic than intended. What alarmed Ro far more was the fire in Mace’s eyes. Whatever the two demons had communicated without his input, it definitely hadn’t been his choice of words.
      “Wait, let me explain this properly,” Ro interjected, trying to at least get his own perspective across.

      “So you think you can get him through a portal before he transforms?”
      With that, Ro wrapped up his attempt to bring Mace up to speed. He had outlined the basics as best he could, not wanting to leave Dane’s closest friend out of the loop. Their plan would only work if Mace played along — and that needed to be because he agreed, not just because Dane had asked him to. This time, Ro wanted to take matters into his own hands.
      “I swear I’ll get you freezers stocked with whatever flavor you want.” Even if that meant taking some pretty unconventional steps. “We just need to come out by the cliffs, then it should be fine. Almost no one lives out there, and if I ask you to jump us straight to the caves, Aimeric’s definitely going to have a meltdown. So yeah — better go for the cliffs.”
      He wrung his hands in front of him.
      “And please don’t stay nearby. I know it sucks, but I think it’ll only provoke him more. I want to try reaching him on my own before things go south,” Ro added, throwing Dane an apologetic glance.

    • "So you think you can get him through a portal before he transforms?"
      "Depends on when I get him and how long you need to put on those scales. Never took a shapeshifter mid shift with me and if I lose contact then it's bye bye for him. I come out the other end either way."
      Mace shrugged and shoved a spoon full of cookie crumble into his mouth. Dane had pulled up a satellite image view of the Côte d’Azur on his tablet which the other demon had been studying for the past few minutes while Dane himself went in search of a pair of less soggy socks.
      "I swear I’ll get you freezers stocked with whatever flavor you want."
      "Oh, you better. I want a whole ass deal for this, no wiggle room."
      "We just need to come out by the cliffs, then it should be fine. Almost no one lives out there, and if I ask you to jump us straight to the caves, Aimeric’s definitely going to have a meltdown. So yeah — better go for the cliffs."
      Mace took another spoonful before he rotated the map and zoomed in to find a suitable spot. Jumping to a cliff he'd never been to was risky business. If he was off by just a few steps someone went cliff diving. He'd be fine - portals worked quick for him - but something told him that Dane would set his ass on fire if he had to go for a swim. Well, if he didn't drown beforehand, that was.
      "And please don’t stay nearby. I know it sucks, but I think it’ll only provoke him more. I want to try reaching him on my own before things go south."
      Mace looked up to Dane, who'd just joined them in the kitchen again, having switched out his damp shirt for a simple T-Shirt. There were no shoes to be found anymore. Dane didn't say anything, he simply moved to close the door on his freezer, which Mace had left open. Oops.
      "That's something you have to clear with the big one here. I'm just the taxi."
      Mace shrugged. He picked up the tablet and migrated over to the living room, so the two love doves could talk.

      Dane waited until Mace had settled on the sofa. It wasn't so much about him overhearing them and more about the intimacy they gained by him removing himself from the conversation. Sometimes, although rather rare, Mace did understand the concept of personal space. Sometimes.
      "We'll be on our own over there," Dane said as he pulled things out of his fridge. "Just you, me, and Mace. I can't get the pack over there, I can't convince the Harpies to come either. Maybe I get Asa. It's not that I don't trust our force to topple Aimric, it's just..."
      He set down the two slices of bread he had in hand and paused.
      "I don't want you to be alone with him," he finally said. "There are so many variable I just can't predict. I don't know why he did it. I don't know where he hides you name, what he has done with it. I don't know how he will react. I don't know how far he is willing to go. I don't even know the area. I... it scares me. Not knowing scares me. And having you in the middle of all this chaos..."
      Dane shook his head and refocused on making a sandwich, just to occupy his hands.
      "There's nothing we can do about it. We don't have the time to better plan all this just to soothe my nerves. Mace and I will wait. But not too far away. I couldn't bare being too late."
      He handed Ro a perfectly made sandwich on a platter.


    • Ro was admittedly a little relieved that Mace had agreed to the plan so easily. After all, he would be the one dealing directly with a surprised Drakin, and Aimeric already seemed to have a general issue with demons. Mace would be no exception. So at least that part was settled — for now — until Ro actually decided to put the plan into action.
      Unlike Dane, Ro was still fully dressed. He’d taken the dramatic route and simply forced the moisture out of his clothes. The dirt had remained, and even though he’d dutifully taken off his shoes at the entrance, bits of earth still crumbled from his pants here and there. Whenever he noticed them, he quickly brushed the chunks aside with his socks, but eventually Dane would find them. Seeing the demon relaxed and barefoot again stirred a strange warmth in Ro’s chest. It was a sight reserved only for him — and a chosen few.
      Grateful for the privacy, Ro waved Mace off before turning to face the elephant in the room. Up to that point, Dane had been lingering by the fridge, and if Ro had had ears like an animal, he would have flattened them against his head. But the tone Dane used when he finally spoke carried no reproach. It was simply a statement of facts, which gave Ro the courage to take a seat at the island — making sure the large stone countertop lay solidly between them.
      "I know this makes you sick. You want to plan everything, down to the second if possible, with every last detail. That’s not how this works. By now, we both know how much my family loves keeping secrets," Ro said plainly, dragging his fingernails across the flawless marble in hopes of catching them on something — anything.
      "I tolerate you being nearby. No, scratch that — I want you nearby. But I don’t want any more parties involved. If Aimeric decides to pull some messed-up move, having your people around just makes you more vulnerable. That’s also why I don’t want to confront him at home. Cecilia..."
      Ro shook his head. He didn’t want to keep thinking about how his father might be using his mother for questionable purposes. Or Laurent, who was always around the estate. Too many uninvolved people Ro didn’t want dragged into this. All these thoughts swirled in his head as he watched Dane prepare a sandwich — for the sake of making a sandwich, it seemed. But his heart grew heavy the moment Dane placed it in front of him.
      "I couldn't bear being too late."
      The plate between them was completely ignored. Instead, Ro looked up at Dane with wide, deep eyes. Without hesitation, he leaned across the stone counter until he was half-lying on it, stretching out his hands expectantly. "Come on. Give me your hands. Come on... thank you."
      With both hands, the Drakin took hold of the demon’s and squeezed them. Firmly, but not painfully. He probably wasn’t capable of hurting him that way, anyway. "Tomorrow’s the day. We’ll intercept Aimeric at the estate. Mace will grab him while I confront him, then he’ll pull us through after. And whatever happens then, happens. It’ll be fine. I know I’ll make it out in one piece. I mean, I’ve got you," Ro said, trying to reassure Dane. "As if some dragon could keep you away from me."
      That mischievous, signature smile finally returned to Ro’s lips. It had taken far too long to make its way back to his face. He’d remembered, at last, to live in the now — and not just in tomorrow.

    • "Come on. Give me your hands. Come on."
      Dane did as he was told, albeit a little confused about what was happening. The sight of Ro just leaning over the kitchen isle was a strange one for sure.
      "Thank you."
      When Ro squeezed his hands, Dane felt better immediately. As if he'd been floating on all those uncertainties and the Drakin grounded him by simply holding on to him. Maybe it was the remnants of his magic that recognized itself, maybe it was the power Ro had over his core being, maybe it was much less esotheric than that. But it worked, and Dane was grateful for that fact.
      "Tomorrow’s the day. We’ll intercept Aimeric at the estate. Mace will grab him while I confront him, then he’ll pull us through after. And whatever happens then, happens. It’ll be fine. I know I’ll make it out in one piece. I mean, I’ve got you. As if some dragon could keep you away from me."
      Dane smiled softly.
      "Tomorrow then. But allow me a slight adjustment for efficiency's sake: Mace should deposit me in France first. That way he can make sure to hit the target with a possibly raging Dragon in tow, I can make myself familiar with the environment as well, and then, Mace can get you and Aimeric through in one go, leaving Aimric little time to figure out what is going on. Surprise is our best asset, we should not give it away so lightly. Startled people don't have time to come up with lies, let alone battle plans."
      Dane placed a kiss on each of Ro's hands before letting go.
      "Now eat. You haven't had anything all day. I will not let you starve while we are trying to fix your overcharging issues."
      "You guys done being all emotional over there?" Mace asked from the living room.
      "Yes, you can grace us with your presence, Mace," Dane replied.
      Not half a second later Mace popped up next to the kitchen isle, tablet in one hand, his bucket of ice cream in the other.
      "Cool. I found a spot we can hunker down in..."
      Mace ran the locations he'd picked out by Ro to make sure it was all to the Drakin's liking. He also spoke in favor of Dane's plan, not only because it cut down on trips he had to make but also because it just made sense.
      "Coolio. Then all that's left is to make that deal about the ice cream," he concluded.
      Dane sighed. Of course his friend would secure himself those rewards. He couldn't even be mad at him - he'd done the same in his situation. In fact, the only reason he didn't want to secure himself with a deal in this scenario was the fact that he'd do anything for Ro, deal or no deal. Ro made him ignore his own nature. Such was the power he wielded over him. It should scare Dane, this total loss of control and how willingly he gave it up. But it didn't. Was this how his brother felt with Greg and Zephy?
      "I want two full-sized freezers - you know, the one's people hide bodies in? Those ones - filled with my choice of brand and flavor of ice cream. And I am allowed a mix of brands and flavors, permitted they fit in the freezers. In exchange you get my services as a personal teleporter for one full day - twenty-four hours - of your choosing. I port anything and anyone you want to wherever you want and how often you want within the specified time frame. Deal?"
      Mace held out his hand, fire burning in his eyes. Dane knew this was a cheap deal, this was an easy deal. He knew this was his friend, his best friend, who meant no harm. And yet he found himself internally fuming at the sight. Ro was his. How dare he make a deal with a different Demon?! How dare another Demon even try to make a deal with him?!
      "Relax, big man," Mace said, not taking his eyes off Ro. "It's just ice cream, not his first born."
      "My quarrel lies with your wording," Dane replied, trying to do what his friend had said. "It's sloppy work."
      Mace grinned and his general approach to this deal wafted over Dane like a soft blanket, prompting him to actually relax a little. He smiled, too.


    • Ro gave his one true demon a slightly smug grin.
      "Of course you get to be placed there first. In the meantime, I'll provoke the old man enough that he’ll want to go for my throat — makes things easier for Mace."
      The kisses Dane placed on the back of his hands were warm. Maybe even warmer than Ro had imagined — or maybe his hands were just horribly cold. When Dane pulled away from Ro’s grip, the young Drakin’s smile vanished as well. Dane had only let go of his hands... So why did it feel like he had pulled away from him, taking all the warmth with him?
      Unseen, Ro withdrew both his hands and himself from the kitchen island. Not exactly gracefully, he slid back onto his seat and stared at the perfect sandwich like it was his arch-nemesis. He didn’t feel particularly hungry — and the dragon, who had recently been much more present in the background, only acknowledged the plate with mild interest. Quietly, it increased the humidity throughout the house — a measure to keep the energy level from exploding again.
      "I'm good with the food..." Ro mumbled, just as Mace appeared half a second later out of nowhere — scaring Ro so badly he nearly fell off his chair. Just in time, he grabbed the edge of the counter to avoid an undignified landing on the floor.
      "Coolio. Then all that's left is to make that deal about the ice cream," Mace said, wrapping up the topic.
      Dane sighed, and Ro looked back and forth between the two so-called friends, slightly confused. There was something in the air. You could practically smell it. Smartly, Ro kept quiet and instead listened to what kind of deal Mace was proposing. And before he knew it, a wide grin crept across his face: after his verbal duel with Dane, he could see massive holes in Mace’s offer — perfect for him to exploit however he pleased. Dane was absolutely right; Mace was sloppy — or careless, depending on your point of view.
      "The chests that fit just one body? No problem," Ro grinned.
      There were plenty of chests that size — a child's body was still a body, just smaller. Or a very small adult. Mace hadn’t mentioned any specific volume, after all.
      "Flavors of your choice and mixed batches are doable. But you’ll have to accept the list of wholesalers I can get access to. Oh, and I can only fulfill the deal if I’m still in one piece after tomorrow. No outsourcing to Dane or my mom, please."
      Not that he’d ever accused Mace of that. But he wanted to be sure. Then the blonde demon extended his hand, and when Ro met his fiery gaze, his grin froze just a little. The dragon inside him considered a deal — with any demon — as neither good nor wise. A matter of principle, as Ro was beginning to understand. He, on the other hand, was feeling... a little weird. Making a deal with someone else while Dane stood there watching?...
      Speaking of Dane—
      A quick, regretful glance brought his eyes to a seething, cold Dane. Guiltily, Ro bit his lower lip and looked back at Mace, who was eyeing him like a piece of meat.
      Creepy...
      "Okay, deal!" Ro blurted out and slapped Mace’s hand.
      Unthinking — as it turned out. As soon as the connection was made and Mace’s nature was touched, Ro’s magic spun out of control again.
      He yanked his hand away, but too late — a whole tsunami of naturalistic magic and shards of his aura crashed into Mace and all but washed him away. Ro gasped — partly relieved at the sudden drop in pressure, partly shocked — and was about to reach for the blonde demon again, but managed to stop himself just in time. The dragon in his head hissed, radiating rejection and resistance. Quickly, Ro pressed his lips together and reeled the magic back in, channeled it — accidentally flooding half the kitchen in the process.
      "Oh shit, oh shit, oh—" Ro at least managed to push the water toward the walls, where it began to pool and reflect light in shimmering waves.
      Dane was going to kill him...
      "Uhh... Mace, I think now’s a really good time for you to go..."
      And just to make everything worse, Ro spotted the sandwich drifting in one of the watery walls—neatly dismantled into its individual parts, after he had swiped it off the table while reaching for Mace.