Week 4: Tino/Søren

"I'm not one to judge if your decision is good or bad. All I'm saying is that it's very... Unusual. Most people enjoy admiring the fruit of their work."

The demon felt the boy's hand slip away. Perhaps the kid had needed a reminder of his monstrosity. He'd rather not get involved in a case of fatal attraction. Not that this boy was a likely victim, he kept his cool pretty well. "I sure will. They are my tools of the trade, so to speak."

Søren saluted Tino with a grin on his face. "Ok. I'll be quick!" and with that, the demon was off, finding the door with ease. He slipped outside, and sniffed the air. Olivier Touissant, Olivier Touissant... There! The demon moved along the trail as swift as he could without drawing unwanted attention.

"I really don't have any reason to admire it. Once it's done, it's done, and I have nothing left. I'm alone, I have no family, no future, and no reason to stick around. Plus, I'm sure you'll enjoy my soul more than I have."

"They're quite intimidating..." Tino considered the demon's fangs. "And they will be the last sight many a man will see before we're done."

When the demon left, Tino flopped into his chair behind the desk. His fingertips ran lingeringly down the worn pages of a book, tracing the words as he stared off into space.

Søren waded his way around the city, thinkin of Tino had said. No family, he had guessed that one right, but what about others? Humans usually had friends, possibly a girlfriend in this case. Might have been a boyfriend, it was hard to tell, but the gender wasn't important now. Had he lost them too? He had said he had no reason to 'stick around'. Not that it mattered, but the demon found himself curious. Unusual indeed.

The scent got stronger with every step he took. He was so close that he could already see the trail, a sick green thread of vapour leading him on, towards the building Olivier was in now. It was tall, and looked like it was made of glass. Søren couldn't tell if it was meant to be lived in or not as he had never seen such a thing, but the trail led inside, and the demon followed. Inside, the thread faded, and floated around generally everywhere. This was certainly the right place.

He headed for the stairs, and started climbing. It took a while, but finally Søren found the floor with identical vapour in the air. The hallway was neatly decorated with a carpet, paintings and a few fake flowers, but something was off. He could sense a demonic presence. It was best to go back. Søren hurried down the stairs, certain he could hear someone calling after him.

In the study, Tino waited patiently for the demon's return with a book laid open over his face. The process of summoning Søren had taken a lot out of him, and now he felt like curling up on the floor for a nap. But he had to wait for the demon to come back and tell him what he discovered.

Soren didn't pay much attention to being inconspicious on his way back to Tino. He felt an almost animalic need to hurry back as fast as possible, in case something was following him. At the doorstep, he finally stopped to breath. He glanced around, but didn't sense anything demonic in his surroundings. He entered, and hurried into the study.The demon didn't even consider knocking, and simply barged into the study. He glanced at the boy, who seemed to have been waiting for him. Of course, he had the information Tino wanted.

"I located his apartment. Some of you humans live in very queer places. I located the exact floor, and most probably the correct apartment as well, but my investigations were cut short. A demon was lurking in the hallway, a being just as sane as me. I fear it recognized me, but I didn't recognize it. That is all."

The demon waited for the boy to react, eyeing him a little nervously. He was sure he's be put aganst the demon he had encountered

Tino jumped when the demon stormed in, barely catching the book that fell off his face before it crashed to the floor. He eyed the demon curiously as it reported back what it had learned. Perfect. The strange demon would be a test for Søren's abilities.

"All right. Now that you know where you need to go, I want you to return at full dark. You will dispose of the demon and the man then."

He knew it. It was going to be a fight, unless the other demon was one of those wimps that had been created a few hundred years ago. But no-one would use them as bodyguards. The demon sighed.

"Okay. I'll do just that. Is there anything else I should do while waiting?"

Søren wondered if the boy had been sleeping. Tino did look rather tired, to say the least. Devious plans took their toll.

With a sigh, Tino pulled a bottle of whiskey from beneath the desk and set two glasses out, filling the one in front of him.. "Want a drink?"

The demon nodded. Alcohol was one of the few things that aided his powers, though the effect tended to wear off quickly.

"Never hurts to have one before the task, eh? I'll be able to restore a little."

Tino smiled. "Good." He filled the second glass and pushed it across the desk to the demon. "When you go back tonight, I'm coming with you."

He should have known ths was coming, and he knew it would be useless to try and tell the boy that it might get really dangerous for a human being. He decided not to even try, as Tino probably didn't even wholly trust him yet, and would like to see the demon actually complete his task. He sighed.

"Fine. Just take care not to get killed. Things might get dirty."

"I'll be fine, trust me. I'm not quite as delicate as I look." The boy rolled his eyes slightly and refilled his glass. He didn't like feeling so underestimated by people, even less so by the demon. There was more strength in him than they knew, and he could use it. "Plus, I really want to see what you can do. See if you live up to your reputation."

Better be, the demon thought. He wouldn't be too happy to miss on the soul he had been promised. And getting back might prove difficult, though he had his tricks. This boy was more of a pampered brat than he knew, but Tino did seem to have a lot of brains, no matter what he said.

"I suppose you have the right to. Not everyday you get to see your enemies ripped apart."

"Exactly." Tino leaned back casually in his chair. "And if you want to be sure you get what's yours, you'll just have to make sure no harm befalls me. After all, I'm only human. I can only do so much on my own," he murmured, a little facetiously.

He wondered just how much this demon hated him. It was a little difficult to judge with these sorts of creatures, but he felt it was safe to assume it was a lot. The thing probably despised him. Good. He liked it that way.

The demon grinded his teeth. The boy was getting cocky, and Soren hoped he wouldn't be going much farther. Then again, in a way, this was better than the naively stupid kid Tino hae been at first. He wondered if he should open his mouth to retort, but his nature got the better of him.

"I have many reasons to keep you alive, you know. I have my pride, and not fulfilling my task would deal a nasty blow to it. Far worse than simply missing on one petty, delicious soul."

He did have repivät assuring himself that what he sais was indeed true, as his thirst for a human soul was very strong after long sleep.

"I'm sure your pride could handle it," Tino replied coolly. "And I suppose you could just wait for someone else to come along and offer up a soul for you. After all, I'm sure that happens all the time."

The boy stretched out with a sigh. Having this thing around was going to be more of a bother than he'd planned. It had opinions. It had emotions. Or something akin to emotions. As close a thing to emotions as a demon, a soulless being, could have. And it liked to share them. Tino wasn't even used to listening to other people's opinions.

"You have no idea. But yes, someone else woild certainly come, you are right. I would survive, no matter what would happen to you."

Sören snarled. He would never ever admit that his days had most probably passed, and it was a rare occasion if he actually was summoned. The demon eyed the boy once again. Tino seemed to be thinking, and the demon felt no need to disturb him. Nevertheless, he opened his mouth.

"So, what have these people done to you?"

Tino sighed. "They ruined my life. Everything. My family, my home, my heritage. They betrayed my parents and had them killed. I want them all dead."

"Such harsh words from one so young."

The demon smirked. This boy kept coming up with new surprises all the time. Søren had the sudden urge to ask more, but controlled himself. It wouldn't do to get attached to the kid in any way.

"But I see why you want to go to such lengths to get rid of these people."

"Good. You understand. It's simple. An eye for an eye. Since they received no justice from anyone else, I am giving it to them. They would have been better off if they had gotten it from anyone else." Tino heaved a sigh.