middaeg | [closed] 🧙 yes hello, your wizard is here

[ The sound of sudden laughter causes Howl to freeze, his hand a moment away from pushing through the reeds again. It's as if he just heard a window breaking in the middle of the night while home by himself - something he'd known was possible, and had feared could happen, and had taken precautions against, but was happening anyway, and now there's a stranger with access to his metaphorical jewelry and who knows what else. When the plants begin talking back, a knot twists up in his stomach, and then there's a response, and at that point he can't take it anymore.

A moment later, Howl emerges from the other side of the shrubby reeds, on his feet, scowling apprehensively. ]

Wh-Who are you? What did they just say? What agreement? What are you laughing at?

[ A vaguely delighted murmur spreads quietly among the unpicked flowers. Yes, very brilliant gossip indeed! How interesting!!

"His name is Anthony Crowley! And Mr. Crowley, let us introduce you to Mr. Howell Jenkins!"

In the blink of an eye, all of Howl's agitation is redirected at the plants again. Oh, no. ]

[ This really is the rudest plant he's ever had to argue with, and that includes the time one had a whole leaf covered in spots. ]

Now listen --

[ He says, apparently fully prepared to pick a fight with a plant over explaining anything to Howl. ]

This guys got a basket full of your friends, and mine isn't exactly empty. So I want you to think about this a long moment. Are we people you really want to cross?

[ People who... pick flowers?

It is, perhaps, more intimidating if you don't think about it that way. Still, just to underline his threat Crowley reaches out slowly -- plucks one fuzzy flowerhead off.

Well, reeds? Your turn. Oh, and he supposes he should -- ]

Did tell them to shut up.

[ To Howl. That was the agreement! They had to stop gossiping! ]

Forget them! [ Howl cries, turning his glare back on Crowley, and as his mouth closes on the last syllable into gritted teeth, some sort of force pulses from around the area of his chest. It's akin to a shock wave or a vibration, and not very strong, but it's enough for the reeds he's standing beside to rustle against each other. Whether Crowley can recognize what just happened will be up to him, but the flustered young man had essentially expressed his anger and anxiety with a weak burst of magic.

"But Howl didn't!" one of the flowers squeaks, breaking the silence that follows. Howl ignores it and steps closer to Crowley. ]

You're not to tell anyone the name you just heard! Or that other thing they said about me! Or am I going to have to barter with you? You're a demon??

[ That's --

Weird.

Crowley looks up and around as Howl snaps at him, blinks at the shock-wave and tries to assess how he's managed to lose control of the situation so quickly. ]

Err...

[ He manages, and tries to work out how to escape this situation. ]

Dunno what you're talking about.

[ He tries, and as the reeds begin to protest and he reaches out to pull some flowers off to try and smother them. Stay out of this, flowers. ]

[ "Lying! He's lying! The demon is lying!" the flowers sing vindictively, even as Crowley smothers one of their siblings. Howl has grown pale by this point; at least one of his questions have been answered indirectly by the plants.

This man isn't nothing like the demons spoken of in Ingary. Nothing like Calcifer, the mild-mannered demon he'd sold his heart to out of pity, and received immense magical power in return. This person seems to be... a guy. Just a guy. A regular person. How is this possible? Howl is stunned and confused and caught entirely off guard. Not only has his plan to keep his secrets to himself by staying alone backfired, but it's backfired by coming across the worst possible person. ]

You're a demon. [ he states matter-of-factly, expecting him to confirm it. ] If they're saying so, it's true. Stop lying.

Alright, alright, it's not a big deal -- yeah? Not a big deal. Doesn't need to be a big deal. So... maybe I'm a demon. So what! Lots of weird people here. I saw a guy with full body fur and huge teeth!

[ Monsters! Lots of monsters here. There's a whole thing about Witches and Monsters that Crowley... about halfway paid attention to. ]

So -- not a big deal. Just a label. A label that covers a pretty broad spectrum, really, not very accurate to just paint everyone with the brush of demon and expect them all to be the same.

[ Is this helping? He's not sure if it's helping, but he's hoping if he keeps talking it might. ]

[ Good news, Crowley, because it sorta is helping? Howl stares at him as he rambles, his fear downgrading to cautious apprehension. If he understands correctly, this demon doesn't want to be associated with other demons - but why? Calcifer wouldn't ever do that. Then again, Calcifer is the only demon he's ever really known. Then he remembers that there aren't any demons in Aefenglom - he'd discovered as much in the first few days he was here - which means this person has to be Mirrorbound. There's no other explanation.

Still confused, he takes a step back and sits on the ground, watching the man carefully. ]

...You're right. Maybe I can't expect them all to be the same. But it's still a "big deal," as you say, to me. [ he pauses. ] Is Anthony Crowley your name, or the name of the man you overtook? [ he gestures towards him, his body. ]

[ What? Crowley blinks in genuine surprise, then scrunches up his face. ]

No, no, no this is my body! Well, alright, it's not like I was born with it like you lot but it's my body. Had to fill out a lot of forms to get it, you know, and if I lose it there's no way they're giving me a new one.

[ Especially not now. He scrunches up his face. ]

Uh, but. Crowley, yeah.

Edited (oops italics) 2020-07-28 17:12 (UTC)

[ What in eternity is he talking about? Filling out forms for a body? Losing it? How would a demon lose a body? His brow furrows with confusion, but he's willing to keep his questions to himself, assuming that this is either trickery or something that could be chalked up to differences between their worlds. ]

...alright. [ another pause as he studies Crowley again. Maybe this situation isn't as disastrous as it looks.

He reaches out with one hand and picks an isolated flower from a reed, being very careful not to touch any other part of the plant as he does. It stays silent. He deposits the tuft into his basket. ]

I'll ask again, then. Please, don't tell anyone what you just heard from these diabolic plants.

[ Hopefully, Crowley remembers what he's referring to. Especially that name that he no longer answers to. ]

Me? Didn't hear anything. Bit deaf, actually.

[ He's not strictly certain which bit he wasn't meant to hear, though. Also, he's absolutely going to tell Aziraphale anyway because Aziraphale doesn't come under the umbrella of 'anyone' to him.

Actually, though: ]

You really made a contract? What for?

[ Too nosy, he can't help himself. ]

[ Howl frowns, and he's about to berate him - what about "don't tell anyone" makes you think it's a subject for a good chinwag right after?! - but he stops himself when he realizes that there's nothing stopping him from answering Crowley's question. The contract's terms keep him from telling anyone about the contract unless they already know about it, and... Crowley knows about it now. The metaphorical chains around his tongue are gone, control of his freedom to speak on this one tiny topic returned to him. The mere sensation itself is so alien that he actually feels a bit dumbfounded.

His frown fades in the empty seconds that follow as he stares at the ground, thinking. Crowley already said he wouldn't tell anyone. If he goes back on that, well... Howl will just have to take care of him. It should be fine. ]

...Sorry. Nobody's ever asked me that so directly before. And, more importantly, I've never been able to answer. [ When he finally speaks, he frowns again, but now it's more at himself. He rests his chin in one hand. ] Uh... how should I put this?

[ Never been able to answer? Ooh, magical censorship. Interesting. ]

Power thing, I'm guessing? Normally a power thing. Y'know, destroy your enemies or live forever or something like that.

[ Humans tend to have fairly self-centred interests, normally. He can't imagine you bargain for a demon for anything that isn't personal gain. ]

[ Crowley's logic is completely reasonable, but Howl isn't a reasonable sort of person. When it comes to his deal with Calcifer, he's got it backwards. The conversation has him thinking back to that night, more than a decade ago, when he caught a fading star falling from the sky, how sorry he'd felt for it back then, how much that sympathy changed his life afterwards.

It's not a surprise that Crowley assumes he'd done it for himself, though. That's what people always assume, in the few instances anyone ever found out. ]

Is that what you'd normally contract for? [ His tone is a little cranky again. Defensive. Howl stares into the reeds and sighs; they're probably eager to blurt it out at the earliest opportunity. ]

No. He was about to die, and I felt sorry for him. I let him make a contract with me so he could keep living.

[ That's the real truth, too. Howl reaches out and snaps off a reed from the bunch, which say nothing in response, so he can start picking cotton again. ]

[ Hang on.

That isn't how that works! That isn't how any of that works! Which means either this guy was being conned by a demon who lost their body, or conned by a demon in... general? It has to be some sort of trick, overall, because -- ]

When you say... about to die...

[ He prompts, confusion clear on his face. ]

What're we talking about here? Holy water to the face sort of situation?

[ Howl frowns and glances at Crowley again. What is he talking about? First, that body talk, and now he seems not to know the first thing about demons, despite claiming to be a demon himself. His earlier passing thought comes back to him.. ]

...no. Regular water to the face. Are you really a demon? [ He leans closer to him, peering. ] As in - a disgraced angel? Once cast out of heaven, it manifests as falling star, seeking a few moments of freedom before it touches the earth and burns away.

[ Is he really a demon? What a question!

Crowley leans back, frowns as he processes that description. ]

Err, well, about half right I suppose. Dunno about all that star stuff, never heard of that before.

[ It sounds... poetic? If incorrect. ]

[ Howl simply peers at him silently, looking for any signal that this could be a demonic trick of some kind, but his confusion looks as genuine as his own.

When the silence breaks, Howl looks away and sits up straight again. There are many questions he'd like to ask Crowley right now, but he'll save them for later. ]

...well. That's what demons are in my world. [ He pauses. Howl's hands rest on his knees, his fingers interlaced loosely together and his shoulders slumped and relaxed. But his thumbs tap his knees irregularly. ] One night, when I was a boy, a star shower started right outside my window. The stars sparkled like fireworks, but when they met the ground, they disappeared.

I'd read about demons once, so I went outside and managed to catch one. He begged me not to put him down or he would die, and he tried to offer whatever bargains he could think of. I did take one, but really, I just felt sorry for him back then. He was so desperate.

[ So they... die when they hit the ground? The story sounds sort of like the... general, fairy-tale heart-wrenching kind of stuff that humans love. To Crowley, though, it's just confusing. Why would they die when they hit the ground? Doesn't make sense. His mind latches on and fusses around the information, trying to make sense of it. ]

Didn't get thrown into hell then? Just sort of... thrown onto earth to evaporate?

[ Or was that what happened when they 'disappeared', they sunk through the earth into hell? That'd make more sense. Maybe the demon this guy saved just didn't want to join the legions of hell. Couldn't really blame it for that, they had absolutely no sense of humour for one thing. ]

[ Howl shakes his head, but it's an interesting question. Might that be possible? The available written knowledge on demons is scarce, and Calcifer doesn't exactly like to share. It's one of Howl's favorite things about him. He'll have to ask him about that, someday. ]

That's their fate, from what I know. [ Talking about this has made him feel gloomy. Calcifer has been his closest companion since he was ten years old - closer than any member of Howl's family - and Howl hasn't seen him or spoken to him in weeks now. He heaves a sigh, trying to let some of the heavy loneliness out of his chest. ]

...judging from all your questions, either your world's demons lead different lives than mine, or Calcifer has kept more secrets from me than I thought.

Nnnngh.

[ Crowley couldn't guess. Could just be lying, or they could be... different? Then again, a different version of heaven implies so many things that it gives Crowley a headache just to consider it. ]

Don't just evaporate, anyway. Can discorporate, though.

[ Very different! ]

Dis... "Discorporate"?

[ He's pretty sure Calcifer can't do that. Or, considering Calcifer's in the contractual possession of his's literal, living heart, he'd die if he ever did.

Plus - is Crowley saying what he thinks he's saying? ]

Are you telling me you can't die? [ Now it's his turn to look perplexed. His Welsh-accented voice rises to a different key as his sing-song questions continue. ] What would you ever need to make a contract for with a human, then? And why ever stay in the heavens to begin with?

[ Crowley makes a vague, strangled noise in the back of his throat at the rush of questions. ]

It's... complicated, really. More of a... difference of opinions than anything. Didn't... exactly plan to leave, just sort of... happened, really.

[ A rambling sort of non-answer in truth but... maybe that's... good enough?

It probably isn't, but worth a try. ]

[ It most definitely isn't good enough. Not only is all of this feeling very one-sided in terms of Howl doing all the sharing, but now he's been filled with curiosity about this other, new type of demon!

Howl quickly reaches into the flowering plant and grabs a branch, careful not to touch any of the leaves or flowers, to bend it down at Crowley. Its collection of puffy blooms thwacks him ever so softly and gently in the face. Show and tell! Someone's going to share, whether it's him or the flowers. ]

[ Now this is cheating.

Crowley had been quite sure he'd come to a truce with this plant, after the various threats and all. They'd been quiet for at least two minutes! Now this Howl fellow is using it as a weapon! Which really isn't on at all. Abusive toward the plants and to him! ]

Hey, hey, hey --

[ He flails out to pull fluffy blooms off the plant, interrupting them as they excitedly begin to talk.

He fell! He fell, with Lucifer, he fell into-- ]

Look, yes, fine, we all had a disagreement alright? Thought we were just going to bring up some general complaints, you know, working conditions -- next thing I know, that's it!

[ Howl keeps his arm submerged within the bush, pushing the branch at Crowley, continuing to threaten him with the chatty flowers even as he tries to squash them silent. ]

You didn't want to leave?

[ Howl frowns. Assuming he understood correctly, that's quite different from the demons he knows. It strikes him as particularly, uniquely sad. ]

And what about the rest, then? Who's Lucifer? What's this discorporate buzz?

[closed] 🧙 yes hello, your wizard is here

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