[Ain finds himself thinking. This is never a good sign, because Ain frequently does not think about anything, except lately rearranging the hospital to his specifications. They are Very Bad specifications, mind; any medical personnel that could possibly have worked here at any point would flay him for his reorganization. But, in the meantime, he's made the lobby pretty and the vending machines are full of stale chips and very warm cola, and hey, sometimes that's all you need in life!
Anyway, the point is, Ain is thinking (this is still bad). After reading some books he looted from the public library and brought here instead, he's starting to understand a little bit more about what humans in this world thought about demons — which he supposes is the same thing as a Daemon, yeah? just one letter off? — and what they were said to do. Importantly, he learns about summoning rituals for them, which are different than Elrian rituals would be — on Elrios you open a portal and say "come on in" to no specific demon in particular, only really being able to lure out particularly strong ones. Here, it looks like you need candles, a sigil, a name, and intent...
Hm.
Ain spends a little bit making a sigil for himself, deep in his books at the hospital's front desk. The only light coming in is through the windows and the candlelight, which isn't Great, and largely the whole place is cast in darkness despite his best efforts... but it does make for some spooky ambiance while he reaches out to Wolfwood through the Murmur.]
Hiii Mr. Priest~. Where are you? Did you get a horsey when you woke up from the dream? Oh, and can you come to Lenox Hill Hospital near Central Park too?
While Ain is working on fixing up his living conditions at the hospital, Wolfwood is...decidedly not doing that. He did get a horse, and after he and that horse had some time to get acclimated (she wouldn't let him ride her at first, which is fair and valid he'd be wary of him too), he'd been using her as a means to get around quicker as he explores the ruins of the city. Sure, he could learn how to fly...but he's still not super interested in breaking all of his bones. The best he's figured out thus far is minor gliding, and even that feels excessive. Granted, he's never been the best with riding creatures like Tomas, but a horse is at least a hell of a lot more stable than a bird-thing.
Anyway, he's passing through an empty sort of side road when he hears a familiar voice ringing in his ears, prompting him to slow her to a walk as he looks up at the sky for a moment.]
You think I've memorized all these street names yet? Gimme a minute.
[Looking, looking for a sign...]
...I ain't far from there. Why, what happened this time?
We've been here for many months~ you should learn how to read a map by now.
[Why are you so mean to him?]
Nothing "happened" per se. I want to ask you something in person, not over the Murmur. That feels a little cold, don't you think?
[Wolfwood will get vague flashes into his brain of what Ain is currently doing, though — books on Demonology and pacts being sorted on the shelves behind him, candlelight flickering, and one page of a book open to something about summoning circles with a carefully-drawn sigil on a sticky note stuck nearby. Ain's slender fingers are clearly hard at work, and it looks like he's stolen some nail polish for his claws too. They're currently a pretty green.
Someone has been raiding.]
If you have your horsey with you, you can park it out front by the patient entrance, which is where you should come in at. It faces Park Avenue. Mine is out there, you'll see it! And if you don't see a horsey, you're on the wrong side~.
[Wolfwood just sighs, looking up at the sky with a moment in a very sort of "Dear Lord give me strength" kind of way before he "replies".]
Yeah, I got her. I'll be there in...probably fifteen minutes.
[As much as he'd rather just like. Leave, and not socialize, he has to agree with Ain that he hates communicating via the murmur. Hates it. So...whatever it is Ain wants to tell him, it'll just have to be at his little hospital set-up.
Ain may or may not be close enough to the hospital entrance to hear the sound of horse hooves as Wolfwood approaches, bringing his horse up to the front where Ain's horse is also situated. From what he can tell these things won't run off on them or anything, and he doesn't have a rope to tie her down with, so...honor system rules, he guesses. If they leave, then they leave. Maybe the two will keep each other company.
Wolfwood makes his way inside, managing to push the door open despite the dilapidated nature of the place.]
Hello~ welcome to Ain's Hospital! Are you a patient or are you here for visitation? Haha~.
[That's what the banner out front says now. "AIN'S HOSPITAL", in big party store style letters. And, from where he's sitting at the front desk spinning in his chair, he giggles and pretends like he's taking down Wolfwood's patient info by pantomiming writing over his book before he spins again, kicks his hooves into the ground, and stills.]
Here, I won't make you play with me for too long. I found out there's something that Daemons can do, though, and I want to try it with you. Do you know much about how pacts work?
[Yeah, he gathered that much from the extravagant sign. He can't help but wonder where Ain found that...must have gotten lucky raiding a dollar store or something.
Wolfwood eyes the building with a sort of unusual kind of. It's not fear exactly, but he's definitely uneasy. Even with the dingy walls and dirt on the floor, it still rings very much clear that this was once a pristine, white, sterile place...and it's unsettling.
He has very, very bad affiliations with those kinds of places. But whatever's on Wolfwood's mind, he's keeping to himself, his wings folded to his back like a hunched over vulture.]
You say that like I'd know more about Daemons than you do.
[Humans wrote these books, so surely Mr. Priest, who is a human man and not a bird typically, must know! Hm... does Ain's knowledge contain gaps?
He flips through the pages to his notes.]
Whatever. Pacts would allow us to share more things. Like, when you need me — and you usually do, we keep having sex — you could summon me by etching a circle into something and lighting some little candles. Something like tea candles, which are easy to carry, would work. And we would be able to share magic powers, it looks like.
[According to what he's read, anyway.]
I came up with a sigil for myself for you to draw! It's easy. See?
[He turns the book around, holds it up in front of his face, and taps his finger against the sticky note. Green eyes peek over the top of the book.]
[Not how books work. But Wolfwood hasn't read very many books himself so maybe he's also not the best person to ask.
Either way, he folds his arms over his chest as Ain explains what he's been working on, his brows furrowing a little at the "you usually need me because we keep having sex" part, but he manages to keep his mouth shut until he's shown him everything. Because yes they DO keep having sex, that isn't something he can deny.
Frowning, Wolfwood will reach out with his claws to take the book if Ain allows, holding it closer to his face so he can get a better look.]
So how do you know this sigil will actually work for you? Is there some kinda...incantation or somethin'?
[Ain will let him look at the book with his eyes, yep! Enjoy it. It's book-shaped!]
The book says words are power and gives specific incantations for specific demons, but I think you'd have to come up with one on your own. But that's why you're here, you're here to test this with me!!
[His tail is wiggling. Danger.]
You could just say something like "Ain, I need you" orrrr something cute like... "Ain, you're really hot and I need your help". Or something dramatic! Like... "Dark Lord of Evil, Ainchase Ishmael, I beg thee: Come to me in my hour of need, and I will give you snacks." Hehe!
[He looks at Ain over the top of the book, raises an eyebrow, then hands it back.]
I'll stick with somethin' simple, thanks.
[And that's only IF he agrees to do this...which he hasn't. Yet. Obviously.]
You realize that's a lot of power to give a guy you've barely known that long, right? What if I just call you over while you're takin' a shit or somethin'?
You have this convenient thing called a Tether with me and you can reach out into my brain and say "hey are you busy" and I'll say "yeah I'm shitting give me a second". [ROLLING his eyes.] I doubt that'll even happen, though. You can summon me when I'm bathing if you'd like, but make sure we're somewhere private, okay~?
Besides, I trust you... probably more than anyone else here. [Bar Caelus, but he's not having sex with Caelus, now is he? No he is not. Therefore, Wolfwood gets priority because he's railed Ain's brains out twice now. That's how this works.] That's why I'm offering. And maybe you'll get a cool Daemon power to go with it!
This isn't an unfamiliar concept, given their Tether. Wolfwood knows it to be true, because he's actually felt it. He knows Ain isn't lying...he's being genuine here. He just thinks, maybe...Ain doesn't know him well enough yet, doesn't know what he's getting into. Doesn't realize that trusting him is the WORST thing you could possibly do.
He's not above doublecrossing, backstabbing...whatever he has to do to prioritize himself and his goals. He's done it before...no doubt he'd do it just as easily here.
Right...?
Well, whatever. It's his funeral.]
Fine, fine...
[Sighing, his feathers ruffle as he gives his wings a stretch before looking back out towards the floor of the front entrance of the hospital.]
So where did you want to try this out?
[It's dark in here...neither of them realize they're about to get fucking flashbanged by the lights suddenly working again.]
There are a lot of spare rooms for us to try this on, but maybe we could put it in the office I use as my bedroom? That way if the magic circle blows me up, at least I'll die somewhere familiar to me, haha~.
[Ain... why.]
Here, follow me upstairs. The elevators don't work, so we'll have to go up the stairs... which, if I fall down because of my hooves, you can't laugh at me. It's mean. [you're mean to him daily hello] Then we can do everything we need to.
[The Lights Will Be On In Five Minutes. Get Ready Assholes.]
Just on the second floor, at the window that overlooks the entrance you came in at.
[It's very much a corvid hopping after a goat, especially when Ain starts to sort of... hop? as he goes. There's no reason for it, it's not like he's jumping over something. But sometimes, he gets a little excited that Wolfwood agreed to do this, and every time Wolfwood feels the excitement through their Tether...
Spring sproing.
Anyway, when they get to the stairs — the unfinished sort of echoey stairwell, you know the kind — Ain crouches down on all fours and climbs the stairs like a little kid would.
So yeah hooves and stairs aren't friends.
They make it to the top of the landing either way, though, and then Ain shoulders open the big heavy door and leads Wolfwood down another hall to where the office he's been living at is. The file cabinets have been moved, but the desk is there still, and he's dragged a mattress into the room to sleep on on the floor. His clothes are in the cabinets...
It's not much, but it's a room. The dawn's light coming in through the window will at least light it up decently.]
See? I have a nice view, and whatever this grey box is.
[This is the computer.]
Anyway, let me move the mattress to one side... and then we can do the pacting and summoning thing!
[He absolutely does feel Ain's excitement through the Tether...gross. Feelings. It ripples between them as they make their way, with Wolfwood walking normally up the stairs...if you could call it "normal", given that his own gait has changed more and more as his body has. It has to to accommodate wings and claws, after all.
Anyway. Sure is an abandoned office-turned-bedroom, but it's nicer than ANYTHING Wolfwood has been using as a bed lately, which has amounted to: the ground outside, in most cases. He glances behind him into the dark hallway and decides to pull the door shut for no particular reason, then picks a wall to lean up against while Ain moves things around.]
[Ain reaches into the desk drawer and pulls out chalk. Yeah, he got this.]
Yep~. I think it works by... according to the book, you bind a Daemon to the circle first, and then you make a pact. So let's try the circle first. Here.
[He hands the chalk over, and then he will carefully instruct Wolfwood to draw his mark on the floor, then put a circle around it.]
And when you do that, you'd put one of these small candles at th—
[KRRCHK!!! all the lights flick on at once, which causes Ain to shriek and jolt a half-foot into the air.
[Wolfwood curses, every single feather on his body fluffing up at once with alarm as he quickly lifts his forearm to shield his eyes, though thankfully he'd at least managed to finish the mark before that happened. Somehow it was easier to see the light chalk in the darkness, just barely illuminated by the window.]
[Sad baby goat noises... he's getting up to turn the light switch on the wall off. He didn't even know it was on in the first place... Ugh, and the computer is on too and he doesn't know how to shut it offffffff.
Blanket goes over computer and then he sits down next to Wolfwood again.]
Okay, I guess I'll be dealing with the other lights later. Ugh, I bet every room here has them on... stupid.
[Which honestly kindof comes as a shock to Wolfwood, considering the state of this whole damn city, but whatever it's fine. There's light coming in from the hallway now (kindof), but it's easily enough to ignore. The shrouded light under the blanket casts the room into an even more eerie relief than it had before, so maybe that's just...more appropriate for a Daemon pact ritual anyway, somehow.]
[Since the sigil is drawn, Ain scoots to the other side of the office and stands in the corner, far away as possible so that if he does get teleported, it's obvious he didn't step into the circle as though it were a joke.]
You light them, and then you say some sort of incantation and think about summoning me. And if it works, I go in the circle, annnnd we'll do the next part when we get there!
[It takes a moment, but he manages to produce a lighter from his pocket, flicking it a few times to get it going. He'll go to each candle and light them one by one once they're set up, then stands back upright when they're all alight and flickering in the circle, trying to keep his feathery tail out of the way so he doesn't accidentally set himself on fire.]
Some sort of. Uh...incantation.
[So what does he fucking say? Does it have to be the same thing every time? If so, it better not be super long...but it can't just be like. "Come here", right? It has to be specific. Maybe. Fuck, he doesn't know how magic works.
He caps the lighter and puts it back into his pocket, brows furrowing as he thinks.
And he thinks...
......]
Ain...I need you.
[Need. Not "come here", or "I summon thee" or anything more standoffish than that. It's an oddly intimate, personal way to put it. I NEED you.
But it's what comes to mind, what slips off the tongue, and that's the intent that goes through the Tether, straight to Ain.]
Before Ain can get too into the blushing hand-over-heart gross icky sticky feelings, he feels himself suddenly being pulled through what he'd call aether or maybe just the void itself, his vision going black as he's effectively pulled from his position in the corner to the circle. It's a blink and you'll miss it moment; one second he's on one side of the room, and the next he's in front of Wolfwood looking shocked that this worked despite his confidence that it would.
It isn't a very large circle, so the most he can do is sit down while he's stuck in it. He also can't leave the boundary of said circle until Wolfwood erases the chalk, as he discovers when he tries to reach for the other man and his fingertips collide with an invisible barrier.
...
Spring sproing! In the contained space. It's a very short spring sproing.]
Okay, that worked! Now we need to seal our pact, which was... you have to state your intentions to make a pact with me, and then we have to seal it somehow. Like with blood, or a kiss, and you'll probably have to reach into the circle 'cause I can't leave.
[Wolfwood tilts his head (much like a bird would, which he doesn't realize as it happens) and leans in towards the circle, which isn't going to affect him at all since he's not a Daemon. He won't feel the barrier, so he can do whatever he wants...meanwhile, Ain is in circle baby jail until further notice.]
I guess? The book said you could just say you wanted a pact for power. That's good enough, right? Like I said, maybe you'd get powers from me or something? The goal was just to be able to summon me when you needed me, and now that we know that works, we can tie ourselves more permanently together with this.
[His tail flicks.]
And I would say something like... "I consent to the pact" and then we figure out how we're going to seal it. And then! You'd have to erase part of the circle to let me out.
[............why does this feel like a marriage proposal-
Wolfwood works his jaw like he might if he was clenching a cigarette between his teeth. God, he wishes he had one. He still hasn't had a chance to go to that library that guy said someone hid a pack in...maybe he'll go there next.]
Alright. Well, uh...
[He rubs the back of his neck, then lets his arm fall back to his side.]
I'm makin' a pact with you cause I want power. And...I want to not have to trek across the country if I need your ass for whatever reason.
[He's twirling his fucking hair. Why. Why is he like that, we just don't know.]
I accept your need, Mr. Priest Nikolaus Wolfwood, [that's not his name] and I give you my promise that I'll always be summonable for you, provided you remember how to draw and light some candles and stuff. And I'll give you power if I can do that.
[You two are soooo awkward. Anyway, Ain reaches out like he wants to take Wolfwood's hand before his fingers thump against the barrier.]
Wolfwood clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth, and where it used to just be a habitual thing he did, it sounds...very birdlike, like the sound a crow might make when they're vocalizing in the back of their throat. He doesn't even mean to do it, it just. Happens.
Hm.]
Yeah yeah...
[He sure does make it SOUND like he's put out by having to kiss, but that doesn't quite match up with the way he leans in and reaches for Ain's hand past the barrier with his claws, taking it while his other hand reaches up to rest against the side of his cheek as he presses their lips together.
Like. Hello???? Is it THAT muscle-memory for you at this point? Sir??????????}
[Ain is thrilled. Wolfwood will feel that much through their connection as the deal is sealed with a lingering kiss. It almost tastes like magic this time, a sort of sparkle against their lips, fizzy like a soda. As it tingles there, it will tickle elsewhere, too, as though something is breathing against the surface of their chests.
When they look down, there's a sigil mark on both of their chests, Ain's off on the right pectoral, but there's an additional mark there. A mark that, if one squints and has a creative eye, looks a lot like a sigil that Wolfwood would have, if he were a Daemon too. It's something like a tattoo, painless and feeling like regular skin when poked. When Ain spots it, he laughs a little, still holding onto Wolfwood's hand.
He wants to poke the titties, but the titties are outside the circle. Evil.]
I think you got added to the canvas~. Maybe you could draw this too, if you wanted, to summon me next time. Both probably work.
[It takes a moment for Wolfwood to notice, honestly. Maybe he just wasn't expecting it (yes) or maybe he was lost in the sauce (also yes!), but when Ain's mark appears, he'll take a moment to look a second or two later, brows raising when he realizes he's got a mark too, except his is closer to the left of his chest, around his heart.
Gross.]
Huh...could be worse places for a tattoo, I guess.
[And at least this is like, a pact brand, and not a cult brand. Very different things, those.
He pivots a little on the ball of his foot, looking down at the circle. With a flick of his tail he breaks up the chalk circle, careful not to catch a feather on fire at the same time. You'd think he wouldn't care, since his relationship with his own feathers has been rocky so far, but he'd rather not catch fire, yaknow.]
[Ain will swish the fire out with his tail, don't mind him. The candles can be reused until they're a safety hazard, at least.]
I think so. Do you feel any different?
[Ain, who is having the best day ever thank you So much, is leaning into Wolfwood's space and squishing his chest where his pact mark is. This is Wolfwood's cross to bear, because he's got the titties out after all.]
Maybe...a little? Like...I dunno. If I've got magic now, I sure as hell don't know how to use it.
[That will come with time, though. And it WILL be without warning, because nothing is ever easy.
Wolfwood begrudgingly allows this, if only because he feels like he's given up far less in this exchange than Ain has. Ain has like, basically given himself up for pseudo indentured servitude to just some guy? A guy who is an asshole, by the way?]
[He thinks this guy is super sexy and cool and pretty by the way. This guy who's an asshole and who smokes and sheds feathers all over his office-bedroom, yes. Ain is squishing up against him while his tail curls at his back.]
I barely know how to use mine, and I could do magic in my world. It's hard to get used to new magic, I think.
[Wiggle wiggle wiggle, goes the tail.]
Thank you for making a pact with me. I feel a lot better knowing we have a connection like this.
[His own tail flicks behind him, incapable of the same fluid range of motion that Ain's Daemon tail is. The feathers sure love to fluff up and give away his emotions though, as much as their Tether is already doing that.]
You got any idea how far this circle summoning thing will work from, anyway? Cause this city is pretty big.
Well, the book said it works for demons in the hells, and as far as I know, this isn't hell. Or maybe it is and you're here with me? Haha, but either way, if it can summon across dimensions, you should be able to summon me anywhere, like your house I know you don't live at.
[Rude?]
If you really don't have somewhere to live, though, maybe you could move here with me?
[Well, he supposes the only way to know for sure is going to be to test it out. That'll have to be something he does later, since he's not sure if there's like...he doesn't know, a cooldown or a limit on this sort of thing. He can't imagine he'd be able to easily do it rapidfire after all. Ain might keel over or something.
Before he can get a chance to think about heading out, Ain stops him with an offer, and it causes the feathers around his neck to ruffle a little visibly. It makes him look broader for a moment, not that he notices.]
Here? ...I dunno. It ain't like I've settled anywhere else yet.
I know, that's why I'm offering. There are lots of rooms that could be your room. Lots of extra beds. And it's dry and not totally devastated, and I know how to get up onto the roof so you can practice flying! How about it?
[Ain is still clinging, so unless Wolfwood extracts the Daemon from him, he's going to have a little Ain-backpack for the foreseeable future. Or an Ain-bjorn. One of those.]
It's big and empty here, and I'm a little lonely. I need someone to bother, haha.
Now that the pact is sealed, Wolfwood is going to attempt to extricate Ain from himself, just so he can have a little personal space to stretch out his wings again. He hates to admit it, but they are absolutely itching to be used. To fly. And guess who has been too much of a piss-baby to try throwing himself off the roof too much yet-]
...fine. Until I can find a better place of my own, I'll crash here. If you're offerin'.
[Spoilers: He will not find a better place but he doesn't know that]
[He corrects, using the edge of his foot to finish scuffing out the chalk lines of the circle just to make sure it isn't still active and doesn't somehow trap Ain again by accident.]
So I just leave my horse outside with yours, then? You'll have to let me know if any rooms are off limits, or whatever.
[Ain says this like Wolfwood doesn't already know. Did you know that your last name is Wolfwood? Are you aware???]
I've upgraded you from Mr. Priest to Nikolaus, so you should be happy. [sigh] You can leave your horsey outside, yeah, they'll hang out. And I don't have off-limits rooms, really. There are a ton of them here. You could even stay in this office with me if you wanted.
It's small if you don't know how to control your wings, which you don't~. It's your choice, you can pick your favourite room to be. There are bigger ones, but just let me know if I need to help you move the furniture around.
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timeasmymeasure
breaks open your inbox // nebulously very early january?? daemon pact time
Date: 2026-01-01 09:05 pm (UTC)Anyway, the point is, Ain is thinking (this is still bad). After reading some books he looted from the public library and brought here instead, he's starting to understand a little bit more about what humans in this world thought about demons — which he supposes is the same thing as a Daemon, yeah? just one letter off? — and what they were said to do. Importantly, he learns about summoning rituals for them, which are different than Elrian rituals would be — on Elrios you open a portal and say "come on in" to no specific demon in particular, only really being able to lure out particularly strong ones. Here, it looks like you need candles, a sigil, a name, and intent...
Hm.
Ain spends a little bit making a sigil for himself, deep in his books at the hospital's front desk. The only light coming in is through the windows and the candlelight, which isn't Great, and largely the whole place is cast in darkness despite his best efforts... but it does make for some spooky ambiance while he reaches out to Wolfwood through the Murmur.]
Hiii Mr. Priest~. Where are you? Did you get a horsey when you woke up from the dream? Oh, and can you come to Lenox Hill Hospital near Central Park too?
This is Ain by the way!
[Girl he knows—]
no subject
Date: 2026-01-05 03:06 am (UTC)While Ain is working on fixing up his living conditions at the hospital, Wolfwood is...decidedly not doing that. He did get a horse, and after he and that horse had some time to get acclimated (she wouldn't let him ride her at first, which is fair and valid he'd be wary of him too), he'd been using her as a means to get around quicker as he explores the ruins of the city. Sure, he could learn how to fly...but he's still not super interested in breaking all of his bones. The best he's figured out thus far is minor gliding, and even that feels excessive. Granted, he's never been the best with riding creatures like Tomas, but a horse is at least a hell of a lot more stable than a bird-thing.
Anyway, he's passing through an empty sort of side road when he hears a familiar voice ringing in his ears, prompting him to slow her to a walk as he looks up at the sky for a moment.]
You think I've memorized all these street names yet? Gimme a minute.
[Looking, looking for a sign...]
...I ain't far from there. Why, what happened this time?
no subject
Date: 2026-01-05 03:27 am (UTC)[Why are you so mean to him?]
Nothing "happened" per se. I want to ask you something in person, not over the Murmur. That feels a little cold, don't you think?
[Wolfwood will get vague flashes into his brain of what Ain is currently doing, though — books on Demonology and pacts being sorted on the shelves behind him, candlelight flickering, and one page of a book open to something about summoning circles with a carefully-drawn sigil on a sticky note stuck nearby. Ain's slender fingers are clearly hard at work, and it looks like he's stolen some nail polish for his claws too. They're currently a pretty green.
Someone has been raiding.]
If you have your horsey with you, you can park it out front by the patient entrance, which is where you should come in at. It faces Park Avenue. Mine is out there, you'll see it! And if you don't see a horsey, you're on the wrong side~.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-15 12:50 am (UTC)Yeah, I got her. I'll be there in...probably fifteen minutes.
[As much as he'd rather just like. Leave, and not socialize, he has to agree with Ain that he hates communicating via the murmur. Hates it. So...whatever it is Ain wants to tell him, it'll just have to be at his little hospital set-up.
Ain may or may not be close enough to the hospital entrance to hear the sound of horse hooves as Wolfwood approaches, bringing his horse up to the front where Ain's horse is also situated. From what he can tell these things won't run off on them or anything, and he doesn't have a rope to tie her down with, so...honor system rules, he guesses. If they leave, then they leave. Maybe the two will keep each other company.
Wolfwood makes his way inside, managing to push the door open despite the dilapidated nature of the place.]
Oi. Ain? You here?
no subject
Date: 2026-01-15 01:11 am (UTC)[That's what the banner out front says now. "AIN'S HOSPITAL", in big party store style letters. And, from where he's sitting at the front desk spinning in his chair, he giggles and pretends like he's taking down Wolfwood's patient info by pantomiming writing over his book before he spins again, kicks his hooves into the ground, and stills.]
Here, I won't make you play with me for too long. I found out there's something that Daemons can do, though, and I want to try it with you. Do you know much about how pacts work?
no subject
Date: 2026-01-15 01:31 am (UTC)Wolfwood eyes the building with a sort of unusual kind of. It's not fear exactly, but he's definitely uneasy. Even with the dingy walls and dirt on the floor, it still rings very much clear that this was once a pristine, white, sterile place...and it's unsettling.
He has very, very bad affiliations with those kinds of places. But whatever's on Wolfwood's mind, he's keeping to himself, his wings folded to his back like a hunched over vulture.]
You say that like I'd know more about Daemons than you do.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-15 01:51 am (UTC)[Humans wrote these books, so surely Mr. Priest, who is a human man and not a bird typically, must know! Hm... does Ain's knowledge contain gaps?
He flips through the pages to his notes.]
Whatever. Pacts would allow us to share more things. Like, when you need me — and you usually do, we keep having sex — you could summon me by etching a circle into something and lighting some little candles. Something like tea candles, which are easy to carry, would work. And we would be able to share magic powers, it looks like.
[According to what he's read, anyway.]
I came up with a sigil for myself for you to draw! It's easy. See?
[He turns the book around, holds it up in front of his face, and taps his finger against the sticky note. Green eyes peek over the top of the book.]
What do you think?
no subject
Date: 2026-01-17 10:23 pm (UTC)Either way, he folds his arms over his chest as Ain explains what he's been working on, his brows furrowing a little at the "you usually need me because we keep having sex" part, but he manages to keep his mouth shut until he's shown him everything. Because yes they DO keep having sex, that isn't something he can deny.
Frowning, Wolfwood will reach out with his claws to take the book if Ain allows, holding it closer to his face so he can get a better look.]
So how do you know this sigil will actually work for you? Is there some kinda...incantation or somethin'?
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Date: 2026-01-17 11:17 pm (UTC)The book says words are power and gives specific incantations for specific demons, but I think you'd have to come up with one on your own. But that's why you're here, you're here to test this with me!!
[His tail is wiggling. Danger.]
You could just say something like "Ain, I need you" orrrr something cute like... "Ain, you're really hot and I need your help". Or something dramatic! Like... "Dark Lord of Evil, Ainchase Ishmael, I beg thee: Come to me in my hour of need, and I will give you snacks." Hehe!
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Date: 2026-01-18 12:17 am (UTC)I'll stick with somethin' simple, thanks.
[And that's only IF he agrees to do this...which he hasn't. Yet. Obviously.]
You realize that's a lot of power to give a guy you've barely known that long, right? What if I just call you over while you're takin' a shit or somethin'?
[I'm sorry-]
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Date: 2026-01-18 12:31 am (UTC)Besides, I trust you... probably more than anyone else here. [Bar Caelus, but he's not having sex with Caelus, now is he? No he is not. Therefore, Wolfwood gets priority because he's railed Ain's brains out twice now. That's how this works.] That's why I'm offering. And maybe you'll get a cool Daemon power to go with it!
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Date: 2026-01-18 01:02 am (UTC)This isn't an unfamiliar concept, given their Tether. Wolfwood knows it to be true, because he's actually felt it. He knows Ain isn't lying...he's being genuine here. He just thinks, maybe...Ain doesn't know him well enough yet, doesn't know what he's getting into. Doesn't realize that trusting him is the WORST thing you could possibly do.
He's not above doublecrossing, backstabbing...whatever he has to do to prioritize himself and his goals. He's done it before...no doubt he'd do it just as easily here.
Right...?
Well, whatever. It's his funeral.]
Fine, fine...
[Sighing, his feathers ruffle as he gives his wings a stretch before looking back out towards the floor of the front entrance of the hospital.]
So where did you want to try this out?
[It's dark in here...neither of them realize they're about to get fucking flashbanged by the lights suddenly working again.]
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Date: 2026-01-18 01:13 am (UTC)[Ain... why.]
Here, follow me upstairs. The elevators don't work, so we'll have to go up the stairs... which, if I fall down because of my hooves, you can't laugh at me. It's mean. [you're mean to him daily hello] Then we can do everything we need to.
[The Lights Will Be On In Five Minutes. Get Ready Assholes.]
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Date: 2026-01-18 02:17 am (UTC)[Because if you live on like, the twentieth floor and fall down all those stairs every time, that's a choice YOU made at that point.
He will put his hands in his pockets and start following Ain though, looking much like a massive corvid hopping after a goat as he does.]
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Date: 2026-01-18 02:27 am (UTC)[It's very much a corvid hopping after a goat, especially when Ain starts to sort of... hop? as he goes. There's no reason for it, it's not like he's jumping over something. But sometimes, he gets a little excited that Wolfwood agreed to do this, and every time Wolfwood feels the excitement through their Tether...
Spring sproing.
Anyway, when they get to the stairs — the unfinished sort of echoey stairwell, you know the kind — Ain crouches down on all fours and climbs the stairs like a little kid would.
So yeah hooves and stairs aren't friends.
They make it to the top of the landing either way, though, and then Ain shoulders open the big heavy door and leads Wolfwood down another hall to where the office he's been living at is. The file cabinets have been moved, but the desk is there still, and he's dragged a mattress into the room to sleep on on the floor. His clothes are in the cabinets...
It's not much, but it's a room. The dawn's light coming in through the window will at least light it up decently.]
See? I have a nice view, and whatever this grey box is.
[This is the computer.]
Anyway, let me move the mattress to one side... and then we can do the pacting and summoning thing!
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Date: 2026-01-18 02:35 am (UTC)Anyway. Sure is an abandoned office-turned-bedroom, but it's nicer than ANYTHING Wolfwood has been using as a bed lately, which has amounted to: the ground outside, in most cases. He glances behind him into the dark hallway and decides to pull the door shut for no particular reason, then picks a wall to lean up against while Ain moves things around.]
You got anythin' to draw it on the floor with?
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Date: 2026-01-18 02:48 am (UTC)Yep~. I think it works by... according to the book, you bind a Daemon to the circle first, and then you make a pact. So let's try the circle first. Here.
[He hands the chalk over, and then he will carefully instruct Wolfwood to draw his mark on the floor, then put a circle around it.]
And when you do that, you'd put one of these small candles at th—
[KRRCHK!!! all the lights flick on at once, which causes Ain to shriek and jolt a half-foot into the air.
Ohhhh you motherfuckers—]
no subject
Date: 2026-01-18 03:06 am (UTC)Motherfuck-
[Wolfwood curses, every single feather on his body fluffing up at once with alarm as he quickly lifts his forearm to shield his eyes, though thankfully he'd at least managed to finish the mark before that happened. Somehow it was easier to see the light chalk in the darkness, just barely illuminated by the window.]
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Date: 2026-01-18 03:11 am (UTC)[Sad baby goat noises... he's getting up to turn the light switch on the wall off. He didn't even know it was on in the first place... Ugh, and the computer is on too and he doesn't know how to shut it offffffff.
Blanket goes over computer and then he sits down next to Wolfwood again.]
Okay, I guess I'll be dealing with the other lights later. Ugh, I bet every room here has them on... stupid.
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Date: 2026-01-18 03:27 am (UTC)[Which honestly kindof comes as a shock to Wolfwood, considering the state of this whole damn city, but whatever it's fine. There's light coming in from the hallway now (kindof), but it's easily enough to ignore. The shrouded light under the blanket casts the room into an even more eerie relief than it had before, so maybe that's just...more appropriate for a Daemon pact ritual anyway, somehow.]
C'mon, let's just get these candles lit.
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Date: 2026-01-18 03:36 am (UTC)[Since the sigil is drawn, Ain scoots to the other side of the office and stands in the corner, far away as possible so that if he does get teleported, it's obvious he didn't step into the circle as though it were a joke.]
You light them, and then you say some sort of incantation and think about summoning me. And if it works, I go in the circle, annnnd we'll do the next part when we get there!
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Date: 2026-01-18 03:49 am (UTC)[It takes a moment, but he manages to produce a lighter from his pocket, flicking it a few times to get it going. He'll go to each candle and light them one by one once they're set up, then stands back upright when they're all alight and flickering in the circle, trying to keep his feathery tail out of the way so he doesn't accidentally set himself on fire.]
Some sort of. Uh...incantation.
[So what does he fucking say? Does it have to be the same thing every time? If so, it better not be super long...but it can't just be like. "Come here", right? It has to be specific. Maybe. Fuck, he doesn't know how magic works.
He caps the lighter and puts it back into his pocket, brows furrowing as he thinks.
And he thinks...
......]
Ain...I need you.
[Need. Not "come here", or "I summon thee" or anything more standoffish than that. It's an oddly intimate, personal way to put it. I NEED you.
But it's what comes to mind, what slips off the tongue, and that's the intent that goes through the Tether, straight to Ain.]
no subject
Date: 2026-01-18 04:10 am (UTC)Before Ain can get too into the blushing hand-over-heart gross icky sticky feelings, he feels himself suddenly being pulled through what he'd call aether or maybe just the void itself, his vision going black as he's effectively pulled from his position in the corner to the circle. It's a blink and you'll miss it moment; one second he's on one side of the room, and the next he's in front of Wolfwood looking shocked that this worked despite his confidence that it would.
It isn't a very large circle, so the most he can do is sit down while he's stuck in it. He also can't leave the boundary of said circle until Wolfwood erases the chalk, as he discovers when he tries to reach for the other man and his fingertips collide with an invisible barrier.
...
Spring sproing! In the contained space. It's a very short spring sproing.]
Okay, that worked! Now we need to seal our pact, which was... you have to state your intentions to make a pact with me, and then we have to seal it somehow. Like with blood, or a kiss, and you'll probably have to reach into the circle 'cause I can't leave.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-18 04:15 am (UTC)I'll be damned.
[Wolfwood tilts his head (much like a bird would, which he doesn't realize as it happens) and leans in towards the circle, which isn't going to affect him at all since he's not a Daemon. He won't feel the barrier, so he can do whatever he wants...meanwhile, Ain is in circle baby jail until further notice.]
My intentions? [...] Like...what I need you for?
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Date: 2026-01-18 04:23 am (UTC)[His tail flicks.]
And I would say something like... "I consent to the pact" and then we figure out how we're going to seal it. And then! You'd have to erase part of the circle to let me out.
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Date: 2026-01-18 04:38 am (UTC)Wolfwood works his jaw like he might if he was clenching a cigarette between his teeth. God, he wishes he had one. He still hasn't had a chance to go to that library that guy said someone hid a pack in...maybe he'll go there next.]
Alright. Well, uh...
[He rubs the back of his neck, then lets his arm fall back to his side.]
I'm makin' a pact with you cause I want power. And...I want to not have to trek across the country if I need your ass for whatever reason.
[He doesn't realize the innuendo there.]
no subject
Date: 2026-01-18 04:42 am (UTC)[He's twirling his fucking hair. Why. Why is he like that, we just don't know.]
I accept your need, Mr. Priest Nikolaus Wolfwood, [that's not his name] and I give you my promise that I'll always be summonable for you, provided you remember how to draw and light some candles and stuff. And I'll give you power if I can do that.
[You two are soooo awkward. Anyway, Ain reaches out like he wants to take Wolfwood's hand before his fingers thump against the barrier.]
Can we seal our pact with a kiss~?
no subject
Date: 2026-01-18 04:51 am (UTC)Wolfwood clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth, and where it used to just be a habitual thing he did, it sounds...very birdlike, like the sound a crow might make when they're vocalizing in the back of their throat. He doesn't even mean to do it, it just. Happens.
Hm.]
Yeah yeah...
[He sure does make it SOUND like he's put out by having to kiss, but that doesn't quite match up with the way he leans in and reaches for Ain's hand past the barrier with his claws, taking it while his other hand reaches up to rest against the side of his cheek as he presses their lips together.
Like. Hello???? Is it THAT muscle-memory for you at this point? Sir??????????}
no subject
Date: 2026-01-18 05:01 am (UTC)When they look down, there's a sigil mark on both of their chests, Ain's off on the right pectoral, but there's an additional mark there. A mark that, if one squints and has a creative eye, looks a lot like a sigil that Wolfwood would have, if he were a Daemon too. It's something like a tattoo, painless and feeling like regular skin when poked. When Ain spots it, he laughs a little, still holding onto Wolfwood's hand.
He wants to poke the titties, but the titties are outside the circle. Evil.]
I think you got added to the canvas~. Maybe you could draw this too, if you wanted, to summon me next time. Both probably work.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-18 05:09 am (UTC)Gross.]
Huh...could be worse places for a tattoo, I guess.
[And at least this is like, a pact brand, and not a cult brand. Very different things, those.
He pivots a little on the ball of his foot, looking down at the circle. With a flick of his tail he breaks up the chalk circle, careful not to catch a feather on fire at the same time. You'd think he wouldn't care, since his relationship with his own feathers has been rocky so far, but he'd rather not catch fire, yaknow.]
So that's it then, it's all...a thing, now?
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Date: 2026-01-18 05:16 am (UTC)I think so. Do you feel any different?
[Ain, who is having the best day ever thank you So much, is leaning into Wolfwood's space and squishing his chest where his pact mark is. This is Wolfwood's cross to bear, because he's got the titties out after all.]
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Date: 2026-01-18 05:31 am (UTC)Maybe...a little? Like...I dunno. If I've got magic now, I sure as hell don't know how to use it.
[That will come with time, though. And it WILL be without warning, because nothing is ever easy.
Wolfwood begrudgingly allows this, if only because he feels like he's given up far less in this exchange than Ain has. Ain has like, basically given himself up for pseudo indentured servitude to just some guy? A guy who is an asshole, by the way?]
no subject
Date: 2026-01-18 05:47 am (UTC)I barely know how to use mine, and I could do magic in my world. It's hard to get used to new magic, I think.
[Wiggle wiggle wiggle, goes the tail.]
Thank you for making a pact with me. I feel a lot better knowing we have a connection like this.
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Date: 2026-01-18 08:42 pm (UTC)[His own tail flicks behind him, incapable of the same fluid range of motion that Ain's Daemon tail is. The feathers sure love to fluff up and give away his emotions though, as much as their Tether is already doing that.]
You got any idea how far this circle summoning thing will work from, anyway? Cause this city is pretty big.
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Date: 2026-01-20 04:38 pm (UTC)[Rude?]
If you really don't have somewhere to live, though, maybe you could move here with me?
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Date: 2026-01-21 11:46 pm (UTC)Before he can get a chance to think about heading out, Ain stops him with an offer, and it causes the feathers around his neck to ruffle a little visibly. It makes him look broader for a moment, not that he notices.]
Here? ...I dunno. It ain't like I've settled anywhere else yet.
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Date: 2026-01-22 08:02 pm (UTC)[Ain is still clinging, so unless Wolfwood extracts the Daemon from him, he's going to have a little Ain-backpack for the foreseeable future. Or an Ain-bjorn. One of those.]
It's big and empty here, and I'm a little lonely. I need someone to bother, haha.
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Date: 2026-01-24 10:39 pm (UTC)Now that the pact is sealed, Wolfwood is going to attempt to extricate Ain from himself, just so he can have a little personal space to stretch out his wings again. He hates to admit it, but they are absolutely itching to be used. To fly. And guess who has been too much of a piss-baby to try throwing himself off the roof too much yet-]
...fine. Until I can find a better place of my own, I'll crash here. If you're offerin'.
[Spoilers: He will not find a better place but he doesn't know that]
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Date: 2026-01-27 09:51 pm (UTC)[.........oh No—]
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Date: 2026-01-29 08:35 pm (UTC)Wolfwood.
[He corrects, using the edge of his foot to finish scuffing out the chalk lines of the circle just to make sure it isn't still active and doesn't somehow trap Ain again by accident.]
So I just leave my horse outside with yours, then? You'll have to let me know if any rooms are off limits, or whatever.
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Date: 2026-01-30 06:04 pm (UTC)[Ain says this like Wolfwood doesn't already know. Did you know that your last name is Wolfwood? Are you aware???]
I've upgraded you from Mr. Priest to Nikolaus, so you should be happy. [sigh] You can leave your horsey outside, yeah, they'll hang out. And I don't have off-limits rooms, really. There are a ton of them here. You could even stay in this office with me if you wanted.
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Date: 2026-02-04 02:31 am (UTC)Wolfwood uses a claw to pick at his teeth as they talk. Romantic.]
It's a little small in here for two people, ain't it?
[As if on cue, one of his wings almost knocks something off a shelf when he shifts his weight to his other foot.]
no subject
Date: 2026-02-04 10:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-02-05 01:45 am (UTC)[And like, probably full of trash and...glass, and shit.
Wolfwood makes a huge show of looking like he's being inconvenienced, rolling his eyes and flicking his tailfeathers.]
It's already cleaned up in here, so this is fine, I guess.