driftfleet | indelible [closed]

Entry tags:

indelible [closed]

Who: Felix, Crowley, and Allen
Broadcast: private, if any
Action: Hotel Corona, Red Shift district
When: late December

It occurs to Felix that he should probably feel badly for luring Allen into what amounts to an ambush, but honestly neither he nor Crowley tended to consult the comfort of others. His own emotions were a quiet tangle of nervous anticipation instead, though it hardly shows on his face as he watches for signs of the young man's approach. To be honest, he does not know Allen enough to be certain of how he'll react. It's certainly possible he'll refuse, but that wouldn't mean the end to the project - only that they'd have to reach out the fleet for someone with the right kind of power to make this step possible. It was infinitely preferable, however, that word of the binding spell...or Crowley's susceptibility to divine energy...not get spread around. Besides, Felix was sure it would mean something to the demon to have someone he cared about be a part of this.

It's not unusual to see the two of them ensconced at a bar together, which is exactly the point, in case they run into any other familiar places. But it isn't the wine that brings them here, but the tattoo parlor next door. He's prepared everything up to this point. The artist has been tipped handsomely to keep the time slot open for them, and not to ask questions. His own tattoo is a slightly uncomfortable but vaguely familiar burn under his clothes, finished a few days ago.

He'd left the summoning part of the plan to Crowley, though.

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Allen doesn't know what this is about. He knows that he got a message from Crowley, asking him to meet him at a specific bar in the Red Shift district. While it's not the first time Crowley's asked him to come somewhere, it happens infrequent enough that it is worth note. Though, he has his own guesses what it could be about. Most of them were pranks, none of them are even close to the actual truth.

But still family was family, so he went. It was easy enough to find the bar- it was right next to the tattoo parlor he's already hit up a couple times while here. He's a little surprised when he sees Felix sitting with Crowley. He knew those two were together, but Crowley didn't really mix Allen with his love life all that often.

Still, he has no reason not to be polite to Felix. So he'll acknowledge him with a head nod. "Ah, hello Felix. Nice to see you."

And then he turns to Crowley. He notices that the table in front of Crowley is very much lacking in baked goods. His tone is much less polite, much more course.

"Really? You had to lie about the pie?"

He had no idea what bait Crowley had used to bait his hook, so to speak, so the outburst draws out a tiny amused glance at his companion with an added raised eyebrow that says 'really? That's what you said to him?'.

"Hello, Allen," he replies with polite smile.

It isn't directed at him, of course, but since he's complicit in this tiny con he adds, "I didn't put him up to that part, I assure you, but I'd be more than happy to buy you one once we're done here."

If the cost of bribing Allen to do this is merely a pie, he'll definitely oblige.

Edited 2017-01-06 22:17 (UTC)

Crowley just shrugs in response to the questioning eyebrow. He knows the best ways to motivate Allen to do anything, and food will consistently come out on top there. Very little Allen won't do for food, under the right circumstances.

"My pie was a metaphorical one, bonds of family and whatever," he spreads his hands to show off the invisible, metaphorical (and on-existent) pie. "But look at that, Felix is willing to buy you a real one and everything."

Crowley probably would have got him one eventually. Maybe. Like a week from now. The demon sits back with a smug smile.

"We need your help with something."

"Ah, Thank you! That's very nice to offer, but you shouldn't have to pay Crowley's debts." He says politely to Felix as he sits down. Sure, it is tempting to get a pie. But he wasn't about to let Crowley think he can pawn off anything to Felix. That wouldn't be right!

Speaking of, he gives Crowley a skeptical look. "Somehow I don't think metaphorical family pies are a thing." He isn't really mad. Really, Crowley making up fictitious food is par for the course, even if it's a low blow.

The last remark though, peeks his curiosity. Usually when Crowley comes to him for help, he tended to look much more frazzled than he did now. He looks between the two of them.

"Really? Is everything alright?"

Under the circumstances, he doesn't really mind sharing Crowley's debts. The reason they're having this conversation at all speaks to that fact, but Allen will realize that soon enough.

He gives the younger man a quelling smile, his fingers carded on the table. "Yes, everything is perfectly fine. We decided...well, I posited the idea and Crowley agreed..." he trails off with a sigh. He's not usually at a loss for words, but explaining the binding spell to someone else is a far trickier prospect, but after a moment he gathers himself and tries again, "in essence, what I'd like to do is put a binding spell on the two of us, but Crowley's nature made it necessary to take an additional step to ensure the spell stays in place."

Which is the barest explanation for it but he's prepared to talk through the inevitable questions that will arise.

Crowley very rarely sees Felix fumble with his words. The man usualy uses them like well aimed weapons, ones he's always confident in hitting their mark. It's a interesting thing to see, this little slip in the defences, and he watches with a half-confused, half-fond smile.

He turns his attention back to Allen once Felix stops talking, sitting forward a little. As much as he likes messing with his nephew, as much as he enjoys getting him to do numerous (and often stupidly pointless and/or humiliating) things- it's rare he has a genuine favour to ask. One with real weight to it. He knows Allen would only refuse if it's something he genuinely couldn't do, but a touch of underyling nervousness creeps into his tone all the same- hidden in his usual laconic tone. It's a big ask.

"Ït's in the form of a tattoo, the spell. Something Felix has in his world," he explains. "But for it to stick, I need someone to bless the ink, otherwise it'll be as lasting as a doodle on an etch-a-sketch. You're the only person here I really trust to do it and not...well, you know, kill me violently in the process."

Allen is the only person he trusts to do this, period, in all honesty,

"A binding spell?"

His voice shows his surprise as he looks between them, trying to get an idea of what they were asking. He was caught by surprise, that much is for certain. Allen was no mage, but he had grown up around magic enough to recognize some of the meanings. But a binding spell could mean a lot of things, major and minor. But to have one that requires a tattoo...that definitely had to be one of significance. Which was even further surprising, because Crowley was definitely not the sort to commit to something as permanent as a tattoo.

Well, besides the Bentley. But that was different. A Bentley didn't talk.

So of course, many questions started coming into Allen's mind. He has to take a moment to try to figure out which one to ask first.

"What sort of binding spell are you talking about here?"

He has to remind himself, yet again, that nobody else knows the history of the obligation spells. Crowley's impression of it, while unpleasant, is only that - an impression. The truth of the litany of pain and servitude that spells like this had written both in his hands and the wizards of the past was a long one, carved into the bedrock of Mélusine itself. But history was his to defy. The same way he'd done it over and over back home, and the same way he'd been helping Corbie to do the same in Corambis.

Felix's hesitation this time is far more slight. "It's...a type of magical bond, if you will. The intention here is to give us a way to keep track of each other, forming a spiritual, empathic beacon that we can follow should either of us be separated, lost, or captured." He's more than aware that if anyone is going to be any of those things, it's him, but it's best to plan for all contingencies.

"There are versions of this binding spell that are far more...severe. But I've come up with a framework that makes this version more akin to...a partnership." The longer he goes on the more it starts to come out in his lecturer's voice, as if Allen were one of his students and not someone, in all probability, more powerful than himself. But the mental distance that provides makes the words flow more easily.

Crowley's noticed The Tone, and a small smile creeps across his features as he listens. He knows the ins and outs for the most part, of course, the smile is from the familiarity of the tone. When Felix has his teaching head on. He doubts Allen would appreciate it, if he realised what that tone was, but he smiles all the same.

"Yep. Pretty much that. Nothing creepy or anything."

A magical bond that keeps track of someone....

Allen wasn't unfamiliar with the concept. Timcanpy had one built into him, that allowed him to find his owner. It's come in handy several times in the past, and probably will come in handy again in the future. Allen took no issue with Timcanpy having such an ability.

But...Timcanpy wasn't a person. As much as Allen cared for the golem, as much as he referred to him as a friend, Allen knew he was just a machine. He couldn't scheme or act outside his programming. The idea of having that sort of bond between two people? To have someone always know where you were, maybe even what you're feeling or thinking?

Allen could feel the hairs on the back of his neck raise at just the thought of having something like that attached to him. Allen rarely did anything that shady, but he's had far too many bad experiences with his freedom taken away to trust this sort of magic near him. He could only imagine the fight that would ensue if Clay ever brought up an idea like this. The fact that this wasn't Clay and not his relationship is probably the only reason he's not immediately saying no.

"It sounds creepy." The lecturer tone doesn't help it make it less so. "Are you sure you want this? Why do you want it?"

Edited 2017-01-11 22:29 (UTC)

That was, perhaps, one of the downsides to having the bulk of your education being undertaken by an immensely creepy blood wizard. He sounded like Malkar more than he'd liked, but Malkar had never been terribly patient or soft-spoken, so he takes a modicum of offense to the creepy remark. He shifts in his chair, fingers clenching.

"Is it me you're asking, or Crowley?" Felix asks, gesturing to the side, terse but purposefully calm all at once. He could explain his reasons, though he wasn't especially in a hurry to do so.

"...Okay, maybe it does sound a little creepy."

Not in the grand scheme of creep that Crowley has had to deal with, after all. Hell had all the cupie dolls in that department. Even he can see Allen's concern, though, and fields the question anyway. He'll leave Felix give his own reasons- should he deign to do it, but his? That he can do.

"Remember that star system a couple ones back? The one with the slavers? Felix got himself captured- not for the first time, either," he's careful with his words, Felix's past is his own and he doesn't really want to air it out here without the wizard's consent, even if it's with Allen. "Given his...history it was a pretty fucking shitty experience for him. I almost didn't get to him in time."

Just like he almost made one of the accomplices a nasty stain on the floor, in his panic, in his anger. He absolutely doesn't want to repeat that, not ever again.

"Look. You know me and my... feelings towards free will and all that," he doesn't have to explain it to Allen- Allen is the one who finally got it through to him that he'd created himself his own free will, or as close as one of his kind could. "I wouldn't agree to it willy nilly. And I'm certainly not submitting to anything. I'm just trying to avoid anything like that happening again. We certainly can't rely on Atroma to help us out in a situation like that. Not when the alternative gives more drama."

Plus he trusts Atroma about as far as he could throw the collective of them.

"You too, Felix." If anything, he was more interested in Felix's answer than anything. Sure, he wanted to know why Crowley would agree to such a thing- and his reasoning did make sense. Crowley was always protective of who he considered his. And they had been together a long time.

Did he necessarily agree this was the route to go? No, but he understood it. Which alone said a lot towards this not being some sort of strange glitch desire.

Felix tenses slightly at the mention of his past. Even the merest hint of why being kidnapped by slavers was especially unpleasant for him was uncomfortably close to a myriad of things he didn't like to give voice to without great effort. The fact that Allen chooses not to acknowledge it, for the moment, is only a minor matter of relief.

Which isn't to say that he would lie to Allen, if details were what he needed to do this for them. He would strip his secrets to the bone. Why, indeed, did it matter so much?

There is a thoughtful pause, broken only by the distant sounds of chatter from the bar behind them, and then he draws in a breath. "He's right, but there's more to it. It's not merely for my benefit, though admittedly thus far I've been rather unfortunate in that area. But...the three of us assembled here know better than nearly anyone on his fleet that safety is never a guarantee. Simply because the Atroma have not directly meddled with us doesn't mean that they cannot. Crowley being here at all makes that a certainty. I - no, we - have lost more than enough over the last few years."

Felix leaned forward, his gaze sharp. "Let me be clear. This spell is merely a safety net - not a leash. It cannot take more than you choose to give to it and I would never give either of us that kind of power." The sentence cuts off sharply, before he nearly says the word 'again', his words beginning to come out more quickly as the agitation creeps into his voice. He steadies himself with another breath. "I hope you can trust when I say I would prefer death over the alternatives."

He leaned back again, before continuing. "Logistically, it made the most most sense to do it this way. It's not a trinket that can be lost, broken, or stolen. It's easily hidden and undetectable to anyone not looking for it. Far more reliable that the chance that our communicators might be at hand and working if the worst should happen."

The worst, of course, was relative. A kidnapping was terrible but possible to deal with. It could not stand up to the potential hole it would rip in either one of them if, say, one were to leave before the other. Or, if one left and came back with no memory of the other. "And," he adds softly, eyes cast down towards the table, "I suppose it matters as a symbol. A reminder of all our history that I would not wash away for anything."

Crowley listens to Felix, but his eyes remain on Allen, watching his reaction, trying to gauge it. He knows most of Felix's reasons already, after all. They've hashed it out before. He wants to see what Allen thinks, because if there's anyone's opinion that Crowley can always rely on- that he will always seek out, it's Allen's. Faith isn't something the demon practises, but he has the closest thing to that in Allen. Allen won't sugar coat it, he won't tell Crowley what he wants to hear. His opinion will be honest and from the heart.

His opinion matters.

Crowley wasn't expecting the last part. It's an honesty he rarely hears from Felix. Their relationship is something of an open secret. Neither of them hide it, but neither really speak much about it unprompted, either. Crowley, out of the two of them, is more inclined towards talking about it to anyone outside of the two of them. To hear Felix talk about it so openly to someone he doesn't know that well. It's...something. The smallest of smiles crosses the demon's face. More gentle than his usual smirk.

"...Yeah. That too."

Allen keeps his poker face up as he listens to Felix's reasons, assessing them carefully. Allen acted friendly and kind towards most people he met, but truth be told? He wasn't trusting fellow. It takes awhile for people to work past the mask and walls he built up over the years. This statement rung even more true when it came to matters that'd affect those he considered family.

When Felix and Crowley are done speaking, there's a pause as he finishes sorting out his thoughts. As if he was going through each thing Felix said, line by line, and assessing their validity. How much he could believe them.

The last part was a nice touch though, but it's probably the rest that convinces him. Finally, he opens his mouth to speak.

"...All right." He gives a little nod. "It's not a path I would choose to take for myself, but I can help you two follow yours."

Felix found it difficult to lie. He avoided, obfuscated, and stretched the truth sometimes, sure, but when it came to lying for his own benefit it was never something he could do with a straight face. Malkar had seen to it that he always answered the question asked, but it was also true that he was tired of lies, and to respond to a genuine request for his reasons was impossible to meet with anything but honesty. Still not entirely unvarnished, true, but as complete as he could muster in the face of his own fear.

Allen was an unknown, but Crowley trusted him - probably far more than any other person, and even if he had never gotten to understand exactly where that trust stemmed from, he'd been on the same side as Allen in many of the same battles that had left marks on them as a whole.

When he speaks, Felix relaxes, the rigid tension in his arms and shoulders dropping a few degrees, and he lets out the breath he'd unconsciously been holding.

"Thank you." And there was the most honest words he could offer, simple though they were.

If pressed, not even Crowley would really be able to pinpoint the exact point in which Allen had earned his trust. It wasn't something he gave willingly - not out of any personality flaw, but simply by his nature of being a demon. A demon who trusted anyone was a demon that found themselves fucked over very quickly. Hell is Hell, after all.

He manages to play out casual gratitude well. Like he had utter faith that Allen would always say yes, because of course he would. That tiny niggling feeling of doubt does filter away though, and as casual as he looks, the relief is still there, if someone knew where to look. Which both Allen and Felix did.

"Cheers, Allen."

That's about as heartfelt as a thank you as he's getting, really.

Allen smiles now at both of their reactions, feeling good to see them. Even if it's not direct, Allen knows that Crowley is thankful. Felix too, seems pretty sincere. It's a good thing, right?

"It's no trouble," and then, said a bit wistfully. "I just wish Ino was here for this. She would find this whole thing very romantic."

"Ah...I'm not certain about that. This is mostly a matter of practicality," Felix said, though naturally he's betrayed by slightly widened eyes and the faint blush on his cheeks. It isn't quite a lie, because the utility of the spell was the reason he'd thought of doing this in the first place, but the practically was undermined by the reasons he'd already outlined. It seemed that every time he tried to resist acknowledging their bond, the more tightly he ended up clinging to it in another way.

"Please don't say that. You might summon her here."

Crowley would have left it at that, really. The horrible dawning terror of a possible Ino. But then Felix reacted like that, and he really wouldn't be a demon worth his salt if he didn't troll a little. So, he leans forward, a wide grin across his face.

"Could you imagine how angry she'd be? Knowing after all this time of trying to get me to settle down, she actually missed it? There'd be no living with her."

Okay, so it's like 70% trolling and 30% being perfectly fine with what it seems to represent. He's been with Felix for a while, after all- no sense in pretending that wasn't the case. He's happy, and even if he and Felix don't exactly go around announcing their relationship to the universe all the live-long day, he isn't afraid to acknowledge it, either.

But he really does enjoy the trolling.

Well well, it was interesting to see Felix get all embarrassed while Crowley simply trolled. He had expected Crowley to do the same as Felix. But perhaps he was much more comfortable than was worth getting embarrassed about for his own demonic dignity.

Good for him.

"I know. She'd throw a tantrum and make you repeat the ceremony, I'm sure."

He could see her doing it too. Quite easily. Oh he did miss her, quite a lot. He clears his throat and smiles.

"So what do you need me to do?"

It doesn't escape him that this is a particular piece of nostalgia that he isn't quite privy to. He'd known Ino perhaps a fraction better than he does Allen, but even then it was fleeting, as things in the castle tended to be. It seems inappropriate to comment on something he was never a part of. Sacred ground, in a way, he has to business treading on.

Felix latches happily onto the segue, breathing another discrete sigh of relief.

"We've already booked time with the adjacent tattoo parlor and informed the artist of what we'd like to do. He's agreed to allow you to interact with the inks. The rest is up to you. I'm not quite sure what your, ah...process is?"

Ino would be a nightmare for all of them. Felix should consider himself blessed to be on the periphery of it all, honestly. He could have a chance to escape from any Ino-related tornadoes.

"See? You hardly have to exert any effort at all."

Not as less as Crowley does but you know, expecting effort from Crowley is asking a bit much. They're lucky Felix is pro-active or literally nothing would be done ever.

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