tippingthehourglass-blog

[tippingthehourglass-blog]

waywardlightbearer‌:

He attempted to muster up all the fire that he could, but he could immediately see that it wasn’t going to be enough. Still, he could at least minimize the damage, could he not?

But then there was a change- the air was charged with a very familiar energy, and at the same time the wards on the door flared. For a moment he stared, fascinated at how the two different types of magic were mixing together. But even if both energies were working to achieve the same end, it was a rather volatile mixture, and he realized this wasn’t going to end well for her.

“Hour, I think you should-”

But it was too late. Suddenly she was blasted backward, and he was stepping forward to attempt to take the brunt of it, frowning as he was showered in tiny ice crystals that melted on contact. He seriously needed to get himself dry somehow.

“Warlocks,” he sighed. He stared at her still form, not sure what he was supposed to do. He was no healer, and he had no way to get ahold of one. While he was still debating whether or not to move her to the couch in the office, she stirred. 

He smirked. “I may not be an expert on the matter, but I seem to recall you saying that was an explosion rune, was it not?”

“I’m going to check and see if the old furniture is still around, and I think there’s  a tinderbox in the office. Humans light fires with those, don’t they?” It was always included in emergency kits, but Lucifer had never seen a use for it seeing how he could start fire without any extra help. But then he had never depleted his own reserves to this extent before, either, so maybe it wasn’t as foolish as he had previously thought. 

Hour let her head hang in defeat. She couldn’t do this anymore- she couldn’t put up the false bravado, she didn’t have the energy for it, and she couldn’t sit here and deal with Lucifer acting like this was somehow funny. So she sat there, shivering in a puddle with her breath fogging. At this point her clothes were soaked through, but she couldn’t do anything about it. Sure, she had a rune in the cloak she could activate to get most of the dripping water out, but she didn’t have any magic left after the blast.

She tried grabbing hold of the wall and pulling herself to her feet to no avail and she realized with a start that she couldn’t feel her legs- either from the blast or from the cold or from the magic depletion, maybe all three, she was numb from the waist down, making walking an impossibility. The witch let out a quiet string of curses and started trying to rub some warmth into her legs, trying to feel something, something, anything. Nothing. 

She wasn’t sure how long she sat like that, but eventually Lucifer came back and she was a right hot mess by the time he did, cursing a storm and rubbing and slapping tiredly at her legs with a lethargic desperation as the temperature and the magical exhaustion started catching up with her.

“Can’t feel m’ legs, can’t walk.” She mumbled as explanation, her eyes half mast. 

Fire Dance

[tippingthehourglass-blog]

waywardlightbearer‌: 

“I couldn’t stop myself. I was being pulled and nothing I tried could stop it. If you were anyone else, I’d have tried to kill you right there.” He cringed inwardly- he knew that wasn’t helping his case at all. “That sounds bad, but we’ve spent a lifetime confiscating any information out there that can be used against us.”

His eyes narrowed as he stared at the rune. He couldn’t just let her destroy a perfectly good (and expensive) door and draw unwanted attention. He didn’t have enough energy replenished at this point to cancel out the spell, but he might have enough to weaken it. He was hoping it wouldn’t come to that, hoping he could talk her out of it. Either way, timing was everything.

“You were different. From the moment we first met, I tried to keep my distance. But you weren’t like any other new recruit, lording it over everyone and trying to prove themself to their superiors. You offered to help.

“The Gulf’s ending was-” terrifying, a nightmare, an atrocity. He cast around in his mind for a way to put his thoughts to words without revealing just how much it still affected him after all this time, and he settled on “- not ideal, but what it was before that was beautiful. Getting to know you made me realize that with the right people, it could have turned out exactly the way it was meant to.”

He stood up, eyeing her carefully. This was it- if he was going to interfere with the spell, it had to be now, but he wanted to give her a chance to choose not to do it herself. This would draw attention, and he didn’t know how to explain this if she went through with it.

A shudder ran up her spine. He was dangerous- he kept reminding her of that. She could live with that though, she was dangerous too. Her magic was dangerous, and she could defend herself. Maybe not after she drained herself activating this rune, but normally she was just fine at it. 

“You may want to step back for this. For the record, I hope your new neighbor likes dragons.”

Settling herself with a hand on either side of the rune, Hour started to gather her energy around her. The buildup made her skin itch and her fingers twitch. Once she felt close to breaking with magic she channeled it into the door with a massive push.

Everything seemed to pause for a second an Hour furrowed her brow, brushing her hands together to get rid of any charcoal powder. And then everything seemed to move in slow motion, first she was thrown back by a blast of ice cold power that lifted her feet off the ground and sent her into the far wall, then she noticed the thick sheet of ice envelope the door, and then it all went dark.

When she opened her eyes again she was still in the museum and she let out a groan at the headache. She much have hit her head when she was thrown back against the wall. “Water magic. How could I be so stupid?”

Fire Dance

[tippingthehourglass-blog]

She knew the story of the Grey Gulf Massacre- most of it, anyways. She knew who the group of slayers were and who the shapeshifters were. She knew who was in the magic circle at the time who had let it all happen without doing anything to stop it. She knew about the device that had been destroyed a few years after the fact by people who realized the horror of what had happened.

But Lucifer was right- she hadn't known the circle had put the slayers up to it. Sure she had her suspicions that the history books weren't saying everything, but that didn't mean she knew what they weren't saying. The witch paused to turn and look at the dragon out of the corner of her eye. "If you hate mages so much, why did you accept my offer to begin with? Why did you respond to the summons? You could have told me to find someone else." She looked back to the rune and continued drawing. It was almost done, just a few details to go.

"I'm actually starting to believe that, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to accept your apology. Not now. Not after everything. It's not enough." She took a step back and surveyed the door with a calculated hum before stepping back in to fix lines and details.

"For the record, I'd say you have about 5 minutes left and I'm still leaving."

Fire Dance

tippingthehourglass‌:

Hour shook her head and kept going a bitterness pulling at the corner of her mouth. “Why. Let’s see. I don’t actually have friends here, not close ones anyways. Not anymore. Talia and Winston are colleagues, and James… Well, we both know he’s only into me because he gets a tilty over my magic.” The witch made an obscene gesture with her hand to clarify her point before continuing with her drawing.

“As for stability, I can get stability any where I go. I’m a tier 9 warlock. In the magic council it’s hard to get places, but in a private practice? Selling spells and abilities? I could make a fortune. Just because it’s not what I want doesn’t mean I can’t.”

“I would give this place up in a heartbeat if it means I get to be happy again. Because I’m not happy here, and I’m not happy in the private practice. I’m sad, and miserable, and I don’t care if it means I’m a weak, wallowing human in your eyes, but security and stability mean nothing to me. I’ve never had them, I’ve never needed or wanted them. All I’ve ever wanted was to be happy, and now I’m not. So yes. I’m ready to move on to somewhere new where maybe, just maybe I can be happy again.” Because I thought I had that with you, and it turns out it was just another illusion.

“It’s just another town. The sooner you realize that the sooner you stop getting attached.”

“Easy for you to say. You don’t have what is potentially centuries stretched out in front of you, constantly being hunted,” he said bitterly. “Wilderness is slowly being overtaken by civilization. There are fewer places to hide.”

“We were there, at Grey Gulf. The shining city by the sea, where all races could live together in peace and the apparent inspiration for this place. History books tell you that a secret organization of slayers entered the city and attacked, leading to a month-long battle which destroyed the entire city. What actually happened is a little different.” He paused for a moment. He did not want to relive this, because it almost always let the doubts about this town creep in, but he needed her to not only understand just what made Ash and Jinx break into the precinct, but also the significance of him even striking up a friendship with her.

“There was a shapeshifter on the loose, murdering what they considered the weaker of the city. The Mage Circle was at a loss as to what to do, and the body count was rising, so they released the slayers from prison, and together they created a device that detected magical creatures. The shapeshifter could be anyone, you see, so they might as well execute all the magical creatures in the hopes of getting the one that was causing the trouble.

“It wasn’t a battle- it was a massacre, and it was started by a group of warlocks. But, as always, history is written by the victors.”

He shivered slightly. It seemed that the cold combined with his wet clothes was finally beginning to get to him.

“I am sorry. For everything I’ve put you through. You might think I’m just saying that to protect them, and maybe I was the first time I said it, but I’ve had time to think about it, and I honestly don’t think you’ll go through with it. You came here to warn them, after all. I don’t believe you would be so petty as to put someone in danger for your own personal gain.”

[tippingthehourglass-blog]

Hour shook her head and kept going a bitterness pulling at the corner of her mouth. "Why. Let's see. I don't actually have friends here, not close ones anyways. Not anymore. Talia and Winston are colleagues, and James... Well, we both know he's only into me because he gets a tilty over my magic." The witch made an obscene gesture with her hand to clarify her point before continuing with her drawing.

"As for stability, I can get stability any where I go. I'm a tier 9 warlock. In the magic council it's hard to get places, but in a private practice? Selling spells and abilities? I could make a fortune. Just because it's not what I want doesn't mean I can't."

"I would give this place up in a heartbeat if it means I get to be happy again. Because I'm not happy here, and I'm not happy in the private practice. I'm sad, and miserable, and I don't care if it means I'm a weak, wallowing human in your eyes, but security and stability mean nothing to me. I've never had them, I've never needed or wanted them. All I've ever wanted was to be happy, and now I'm not. So yes. I'm ready to move on to somewhere new where maybe, just maybe I can be happy again." Because I thought I had that with you, and it turns out it was just another illusion.

"It's just another town. The sooner you realize that the sooner you stop getting attached."

Fire Dance

tippingthehourglass‌:

Hour was glad she had the rune to focus her energy on as Lucifer actually seemed to be trying to reason with her. Not that he was doing a good job, but still. She was beyond tired of the pain at this point, and now that she had decided, she was determined to follow through with leaving. 

“Good start.” She said after a moment of silence, swatting a stray ember away from a line of charcoal. “Not good enough.” She gave a harsh stroke on the charcoal before moving on to the next part. She was starting to lose feeling in her fingers at this point, but she pushed through. 

Her magic was already starting to rise to the surface in recognition of the rune she was drawing, which was good, because chances were she was going to pass out the minute the spell went off from magic exhaustion. She may be able to cast it, but it was a close call. At this point she just wanted to get as far away from Lucifer as quickly as possible, at any cost.

Lucifer sat down next to the doorway, carefully watching her progress. He was already beginning to feel the familiar tickle of energy, but he was reasonably sure that he’d have enough power to dispel the magical energy before she’d finished.

“Why? You have a good life here- friends, colleagues who respect you, stability. They aren’t going to fire you. Why would you give all of that up?” Confusion crept up in his voice. This was something he genuinely did not understand. He’d give anything for that kind of security- even now, in spite of his stubborn will to hold on to this, he knew that it wasn’t a guarantee. Why would she throw all that away?

“You know you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything like this. Veilmont is the exception rather than the rule.”

[tippingthehourglass-blog]

waywardlightbearer‌:

There was another retort just on the tip of his tongue, but he held it back in favor of following her to the main entrance.

“I’m not asking for your trust or forgiveness. You don’t have to like me, but all your inconvenient attempts just to avoid me aren’t going unnoticed. If you can at least return to an appearance of normal, then I’m sure I can manage to keep a low profile until these hunters leave.”

A ripple ran up his spine, his wings itching to simply burst out in protest at the idea that he was essentially confining himself to the ground, but like it or not, this was the safest way to ride out the new wave of visitors without provoking some confrontation.

“You’re right, you know. Human emotions are beyond me. We can pass as such so long as we keep our distance, but when it becomes necessary we have Azazel to explain things to us. He was human once, so that has to count for something.”

He reached out, hoping maybe he could do the job himself and hopefully save the door from some serious damage, but all he managed was a few sparks before they sizzled out.

Hour was glad she had the rune to focus her energy on as Lucifer actually seemed to be trying to reason with her. Not that he was doing a good job, but still. She was beyond tired of the pain at this point, and now that she had decided, she was determined to follow through with leaving. 

“Good start.” She said after a moment of silence, swatting a stray ember away from a line of charcoal. “Not good enough.” She gave a harsh stroke on the charcoal before moving on to the next part. She was starting to lose feeling in her fingers at this point, but she pushed through. 

Her magic was already starting to rise to the surface in recognition of the rune she was drawing, which was good, because chances were she was going to pass out the minute the spell went off from magic exhaustion. She may be able to cast it, but it was a close call. At this point she just wanted to get as far away from Lucifer as quickly as possible, at any cost.

Fire Dance

[tippingthehourglass-blog]

waywardlightbearer‌:

“And there you go, doing it again. Making it all about you. I am trying find even ground with you, but apparently it’s a waste of time because you seem determined to wallow in your own misery.”

He knew Jinx, though. He would never act without thinking, and he certainly wouldn’t give Lucifer the option to stay if he didn’t have some way to keep himself out of trouble.

“I hate to burst your bubble, sweetheart, but you haven’t convinced me to leave in the slightest. In fact, you’ve only made me that much more determined to stay. Go ahead and send your best, but know that we will fight with everything we have, and there will be collateral damage. I’ve put too much time and effort into this place to give it all up just because your feelings got hurt.”

“I don’t want even ground, Lucifer!” Hourglass screamed. “I don’t want peace! I don’t want to get along with you! I don’t want to forgive you! I don’t want to trust you! So yes, it’s all about me, because for once my wants are going to be taken into account and I’m not letting you tell me that they aren’t!”

“I’m not your sweetheart!” Hour shoved her way past him and towards the main entrance. “Fuck this. Fuck all of this. Fuck you. Fuck this museum. Fuck this town. Fuck this door!” The witch grabbed her charcoal stylus and started angrily scratching out a rune into the surface of the wood. It was large, and complicated, and would probably take her about half an hour to sketch out the entire thing. 

“If you are so very desperate to convince me, Lucifer, you have until I finish this rune, which by the way is an explosive rune.” Hour kept her eye on spreading the charcoal, ignoring the burn of her fingers when she had to smudge it into the freezing cold wood. “If you aren’t going to leave, and I’m resorting to living like this? Then so be it, I’ll leave. You get to stay, and I never have to see you again. Seems like the perfect even ground to me.”

Fire Dance

[tippingthehourglass-blog]

Hour shrank back against the wall, pulling in on herself as she focused on breathing. She hated what she was becoming, hated it. She hated how much it resembled what he wanted her to be. And he was right- she was doing it herself now. She was trapped in here and frankly a small part of her itched to keep egging him on. Maybe he would follow through on it. But that was no way to honor her parents.

"You aren't sorry, Lucifer, you're just so protective of them that you'll say anything, anything to make sure I don't live up to my promise." She choked out a bitter laugh that turned into a quiet sob as she hung her head. "Jenkins said to get out of here we had two options- either work out our differences or for me to convince you to leave. So congratulations. I found a way to make you leave. At least we know you have a heart, even if it is frozen over so no one else can get in." Hour pushed him off her and rubbed her throat.

"You know, I've had plenty of people threaten to kill me in my life, some have even attempted it. No one has ever gotten close. They chain me down and throw me in cages, they beat me and torture me, but I get out and I survive to live another day. So please, Lucifer, come at me. I've made peace with my death. It's been a long time coming." Hour found herself leaning against the wall looking up at the stupid portrait that clued her into this whole mess- the one with the dragon bond pair and their circlets. They looked so happy. How could she have been so naive to have hoped for that?

Fire Dance

tippingthehourglass‌:

The witch pushed herself to her feet and stomped over to Lucifer, the harsh slap ringing in her ears. She was furious. “You accepted these trials to. You put me through this. Just because you are too reptilian to realize that I am not without limits is not my fault, it is yours.”

“How could you say that? You sound just like him!” She hissed. She muttered a curse under her breath that turned the water in Lucifer’s clothes into thick, sticky, black slime. Hopefully it would be enough to keep him stuck for a while. It would turn back in about 10 minutes, but she wanted to disappear first. “And for the record, I noticed. I noticed and wrote it off because I trusted you not to betray me, manipulate me like that. I was wrong. And now I know better.”

“If you want me to be as heartless as you then fine, you win. You have two weeks to leave Veilmont before I tell the council that it was Jenkins and Scarlet who killed the poachers. And I’ll make sure the Hunters know to come prepared for dragons.” Hour cupped a hand over her mouth to stop the sob from escaping before she ran. She didn’t want to resort to blackmail, she didn’t want to be anything like the person Akihiko tried to turn her into and yet… Here she was. A killer and a blackmailer. What next? Would he somehow get her to torture someone for him?

He’s not Akihiko, he’s not Akihiko, he’s not Akihiko. Maybe if she kept repeating it to herself she would start believing it. Right now all she could think about was the fact that they were practically quoting each other.

He let out a string of curses when he was confronted with the sticky mess that made it difficult to move, especially after she uttered her threats and ran off before he could respond.

It took him a few seconds before he noticed it had finally disappeared. He got gingerly to his feet, shaking his limbs out experimentally to reassure himself that he could still move properly. Then he turned his attention to tracking Hour down.

It wasn’t that difficult- the place was so enveloped in cold that he only had to zero in on the only other source of heat apart from himself. He grabbed her by the back of her cloak and yanked her backward, pinning her against the wall and putting just enough pressure against her throat to make breathing slightly difficult.

“I’m sorry, do you get that? Yes, I manipulated you and set up the chain of events that led to you doing something you didn’t want to, but that is all on me. I did that; they have done nothing to you. I don’t care what you do to me, but don’t you ever threaten them again or I will end you.”

He released her before he could succeed in strangling her. It was a very close thing, as the threat to his family had finally hit home just how serious all of this was and his first instinct was to eliminate said threat.

“You do not get to claim to hate the idea of killing people one minute and then throw them to the wolves the next. And don’t even try to pin that last one on me- your choices are your own.”

[tippingthehourglass-blog]

The witch pushed herself to her feet and stomped over to Lucifer, the harsh slap ringing in her ears. She was furious. "You accepted these trials to. You put me through this. Just because you are too reptilian to realize that I am not without limits is not my fault, it is yours."

"How could you say that? You sound just like him!" She hissed. She muttered a curse under her breath that turned the water in Lucifer's clothes into thick, sticky, black slime. Hopefully it would be enough to keep him stuck for a while. It would turn back in about 10 minutes, but she wanted to disappear first. "And for the record, I noticed. I noticed and wrote it off because I trusted you not to betray me, manipulate me like that. I was wrong. And now I know better."

"If you want me to be as heartless as you then fine, you win. You have two weeks to leave Veilmont before I tell the council that it was Jenkins and Scarlet who killed the poachers. And I'll make sure the Hunters know to come prepared for dragons." Hour cupped a hand over her mouth to stop the sob from escaping before she ran. She didn't want to resort to blackmail, she didn't want to be anything like the person Akihiko tried to turn her into and yet... Here she was. A killer and a blackmailer. What next? Would he somehow get her to torture someone for him?

He's not Akihiko, he's not Akihiko, he's not Akihiko. Maybe if she kept repeating it to herself she would start believing it. Right now all she could think about was the fact that they were practically quoting each other.

Fire Dance

tippingthehourglass‌:

Hour shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe I ever thought you could have been human.” She shrugged out of his jacket and left it on his couch before following. She didn’t need his charity, even if it meant she was freezing cold. God, why did it have to be this cold? Couldn’t he just transform and terrify them into a corner and make them talk if that’s what he wanted? Or pick them up and cart them off to some inescapable island for a day or 2? She was freezing!

The witch didn’t have to much difficulty following Lucifer, it was just a matter of following the foot steps in the thin layer of frost that had taken hold on the floor, making it semi slick in some places.

Hour followed Lucifer to a door she hadn’t seen before- she hadn’t really bothered to look at the layout of the building in great detail so it didn’t really surprise her if she had missed it. She didn’t say anything as he set to work, letting him have his space and his time. Instead she slumped down against the wall, her knees drawn to her chest and her cloak and arms wrapped around both to try and keep warm. She didn’t feel like talking at the moment, and it wasn’t like she could lend a helping hand without burning the door itself to a crisp, so instead she just sat there in silence, thinking. What would her parents think. What was gonna happen if this didn’t work. What was she going to do if they really were trapped.

She wasn’t a fan of her internal answer to that last one, and she already hated the conversations she was rehearsing in her head. None of them really ended well for her.

It didn’t take long before he was invaded by her presence again. Just what did she hope to accomplish by sitting there?

He didn’t know how long he stood there, all he knew was that he was starting to get tired, and he was also getting cranky from the water that was running down his arm and soaking his sleeves. He caught himself almost nodding off, and he shook his head to wake himself up. He needed to do something, anything, to keep himself awake. So he started talking, saying the first thing that came to his mind.

“You’re incredibly dense, you know. I started laying the groundwork from the moment the first trial began. It should go smoothly, I thought, just sprinkle some clues here and there, and you would put it together in no time.

“Your precious captain suspected something before you did. Taunted me with that damn flower of yours and I nearly shifted right inside that miserable excuse your precinct calls a bathroom. I didn’t, because unlike him I think with my head and not a very different organ, but trust me, if I had, my first order of business would have been to squish him like the insect he is.”

There was a slight crack, and he eased up slightly on the force of heat he was generating lest the door broke under all the pressure.

“My point is that you’re ruled by emotions, and that is your downfall. Emotions are a weakness, and weakness gets you killed. What is the point of a law enforcement officer who can’t even see what’s right in front of her?”

The ice started to fall away, and minutes later he was finally able to grab the knob and pull the door open… only to come face to face with another wall of ice. He sighed and let himself drop to the floor- right into the puddle of water that he hadn’t noticed gathering at his feet.

“I give up. And I’m all wet now, and it’s your fault. If you weren’t having this ridiculous tantrum-”

[tippingthehourglass-blog]

@waywardlightbearer

[tippingthehourglass-blog]

Hour shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe I ever thought you could have been human." She shrugged out of his jacket and left it on his couch before following. She didn't need his charity, even if it meant she was freezing cold. God, why did it have to be this cold? Couldn't he just transform and terrify them into a corner and make them talk if that's what he wanted? Or pick them up and cart them off to some inescapable island for a day or 2? She was freezing!

The witch didn't have to much difficulty following Lucifer, it was just a matter of following the foot steps in the thin layer of frost that had taken hold on the floor, making it semi slick in some places.

Hour followed Lucifer to a door she hadn't seen before- she hadn't really bothered to look at the layout of the building in great detail so it didn't really surprise her if she had missed it. She didn't say anything as he set to work, letting him have his space and his time. Instead she slumped down against the wall, her knees drawn to her chest and her cloak and arms wrapped around both to try and keep warm. She didn't feel like talking at the moment, and it wasn't like she could lend a helping hand without burning the door itself to a crisp, so instead she just sat there in silence, thinking. What would her parents think. What was gonna happen if this didn't work. What was she going to do if they really were trapped.

She wasn't a fan of her internal answer to that last one, and she already hated the conversations she was rehearsing in her head. None of them really ended well for her.

Fire Dance

tippingthehourglass‌:

She bit the inside of her cheek and swallowed a sob, “You didn’t actually do, huh? You didn’t put me in a position that ended up requiring me to end someone’s life? are you really going to claim that? Because actual events claim otherwise. It may not have been your intentions, but that doesn’t change the fact that it happened. Are you really so arrogant you can’t admit you screwed up and now I’m suffering for it? I’m having nightmares about killing him. I see his face in my dreams.” She rocked back and forth in her seat, eyes squeezed shut as she sucked in desperate breaths.  “Why are you so heartless that you can’t admit that you are at least partially at fault for that?”

Hour didn’t respond to his apology. It was minimal at best in the list of his other grievances. He still hadn’t apologized for misleading her or manipulating her, and he was nowhere near off the hook for the necromancer. “I don’t want to forget. I want to move on. It’s hard to move on when the past repeats itself.” She thought back to her uncle and had to visibly shake herself out of that train of thought. It never lead anywhere good, and right now she didn’t have the time or the energy to put up with the mental breakdown it guaranteed.

She looked at him when he turned to leave and stood to follow, setting the mug of cider on the table in front of her. “Where are you going?” She asked quietly, vulnerably. There was no heat in her voice, just curiosity and maybe a well hidden quiver of fear. If he needed to think, then fine, she had no problem with that as long as he came back before she died of hypothermia (probably not, but it was getting pretty cold), but if he was going to try and find a way out she wanted to leave the museum as well. 

“Well since you’d rather curl up and feel sorry for yourself instead of making yourself useful, it falls to the heartless one to get us out of here. You’re welcome.”

He swept out of the office and down the hallway that led to the main room and glanced at all the ice, considering where the best place was to start. The windows were out, since cold and heat didn’t mix well with glass. The double doors were also out, since they were custom-made and required Jinx’s delicate touch to undo without causing major damage. Which left the back door.

He scowled. They were technically supposed to provide an accurate record of the building’s layout, and they had conveniently left out a few things in case they needed to make a quick exit that no one knew about, as well as hide the less legal objects they acquired. The last thing he wanted was to let a council member see it, even if it was just Hour.

Grumbling under his breath, he stood in front of the door, laying both hands flat against it and beginning to generate more heat to melt the ice away. 

[tippingthehourglass-blog]

[tippingthehourglass-blog]

waywardlightbearer‌:

“They came here equipped to kill one undersized young dragon,” he said quietly. “I expect they could even succeed, if it was just me. But all three of us? The last thing the council would want is to turn this into a battleground.” But he was done arguing this particular matter. That was a problem for Jinx to take care of since he was the one who started it.

“I am not going to apologize for something I didn’t actually do!” he snapped. “I told you to retrieve the circlet. I never told you to kill anyone.” Calm, calm, he needed to calm down before he did something he regretted. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, willing himself to calm the fire that was threatening to burst out in response to his rising temper.

When he opened his eyes again, they had taken on a serpentine shape that was slowly turning back to human, but he had managed to bring the inner flames down to a simple heat that radiated outward from him. “It was just a warlock and his kid. I felt pity for them, which I already know was stupid on my part so don’t even say it. I let them into my lair, but they took more than they were supposed to. It was only supposed to be them, and it was a mistake not to investigate the matter before sending you into it. But what you did was self-defense, and if you weren’t so wrapped up in the fact that you killed them, you’d realize that. Are you truly telling me that you wouldn’t kill someone who was trying to end your life?”

“I…do regret stirring up old memories that you’d rather forget.”

The last was said quietly, barely above a whisper, and he turned to go. He’d just admitted to a moment of weakness, which was never a good idea. He could handle her anger, but he did not like the idea of being seen as anything less than the cold merciless beast that everyone perceived his kind to be. It was high time he figured out which entrance would cause the least structural damage to melt down. Perhaps Jinx was asking a bit much of them.

She bit the inside of her cheek and swallowed a sob, “You didn’t actually do, huh? You didn’t put me in a position that ended up requiring me to end someone’s life? are you really going to claim that? Because actual events claim otherwise. It may not have been your intentions, but that doesn’t change the fact that it happened. Are you really so arrogant you can’t admit you screwed up and now I’m suffering for it? I’m having nightmares about killing him. I see his face in my dreams.” She rocked back and forth in her seat, eyes squeezed shut as she sucked in desperate breaths.  “Why are you so heartless that you can’t admit that you are at least partially at fault for that?”

Hour didn’t respond to his apology. It was minimal at best in the list of his other grievances. He still hadn’t apologized for misleading her or manipulating her, and he was nowhere near off the hook for the necromancer. “I don’t want to forget. I want to move on. It’s hard to move on when the past repeats itself.” She thought back to her uncle and had to visibly shake herself out of that train of thought. It never lead anywhere good, and right now she didn’t have the time or the energy to put up with the mental breakdown it guaranteed.

She looked at him when he turned to leave and stood to follow, setting the mug of cider on the table in front of her. “Where are you going?” She asked quietly, vulnerably. There was no heat in her voice, just curiosity and maybe a well hidden quiver of fear. If he needed to think, then fine, she had no problem with that as long as he came back before she died of hypothermia (probably not, but it was getting pretty cold), but if he was going to try and find a way out she wanted to leave the museum as well. 

Fire Dance

[tippingthehourglass-blog]

waywardlightbearer‌:

He knew Ash had been concerned about the hunters in town, and they were making even Lucifer nervous, but he had always seen Jinx as an unshakeable force. It didn’t seem like him to act without thinking. If Lucifer had been there with them, he could have cleansed the area of their magical signatures. Then again, if he’d been here, maybe they wouldn’t have felt the need to do something so reckless.

He shook his head- it was useless thinking of all the what-ifs. What was done was done, and all he could do was focus on now. “They were eliminating a threat. You overestimate the usefulness of the council’s protection. How does one benefit from the protection of a government that is unaware of one’s existence? And hunters do not fall under the council’s protection unless they are in custody.”

He stepped past her to open Jinx’s private icebox, pulling out a jug of apple cider. He poured some into a large glass mug and wrapped his hands around the mug, letting some heat emit from his hands to slowly warm it up.

“Thing is, hunters aren’t the only ones to hear about a dragon apparently settling down here. We are social creatures, even if current circumstances force us to wander around alone.”

Deeming the cider warm enough, he pushed the mug into her hands. Moments later he was shrugging out of his coat and draping it around her shoulders. Because of where it originated from, the cold would eventually get to even him, but he was sure he could withstand it longer than she could.

“Do you think we like moving from one place to the next? Some like to travel, but no one likes being driven out. Things need to change, and it’s high time we all stopped waiting for someone else to make that move.”

He hesitated, eyes dropping while he considered how to put his next thoughts into words. “I don’t know what I did wrong, and I’m tired of asking. I realize now that manipulating you into doing things that technically only benefited me  is no way to begin any kind of relationship, and maybe I should have come clean when you first cust the summoning spell.

 “But I know you. You want to make a difference just as much as I do. Just because the trials didn’t pan out the way either of us wanted, doesn’t mean we can’t at least be-” well, not friends, it was too late for that, but maybe- “allies.”

“The council protects against poachers Lucifer, poachers. Hunters are legally allowed to do what they do, and they are highly trained to handle it.” Hour was shaking her head as she said this. “I know the council isn’t infaliable, it’s why laws are very lose around what qualifies as provocation- so magical creatures can defend themselves- but what Scarlet and Jenkins did? Lucifer if the council finds out what Jenkins and  Scarlet did... it doesn’t matter if you want to stay, this place will be flooded with poachers and hunters alike, you’re going to be given no choice but to leave. It would be suicide to stay.”

The witch sipped at the warm cider and groaned in appreciation. She herself couldn’t perform any spells that created heat- yes she could create fire, but it was a heatless fire without any fuel to transform into heat. All it was was light. 

She accepted the coat gratefully and adjusted it on her shoulders to trap as much heat as she could. It was warm from his naturally elevated body heat and she nestled into it with welcome relief. 

“You don’t know what you did wrong- and yet you can carelessly admit it like it’s nothing. You manipulated me. You made me do things I would never have done of my own free will normally- even if they weren’t your intentions you should still feel sorry for putting me in that position to begin with. I killed someone Lucifer, don’t you get that? I spent 6 years being tortured by a maniac trying to manipulate me into killing for him, and you got me to do it for you in under a week.” Hour sniffled a little bit and looked up to meet him with a bitter smile and laugh. “And you’re not the least bit sorry about that. I’m sorry, Lucifer, but I can’t. I can’t work with someone like that.”

Fire Dance

[tippingthehourglass-blog]

waywardlightbearer‌:

He stared in dismay at Jenkins as he left. It was ridiculous, because it was usually enough to spend time with the fraction of his hoard that was available here, but now that access to his lair was cut off, he had a sudden intense desire to go take a nap surrounded by the main hoard.

He attempted to ask Hour why she had come here in the first place, but she kept avoiding him, so he decided to let it go- for now. Obviously they were going to have to speak to each other at some point, but it didn’t necessarily have to be right away.

So he went into the child-friendly section and started to rearrange all of the exhibits in alphabetical order. Jenkins wouldn’t be happy about it, but if he was going to lock Lucifer in here without any forewarning then he had it coming.

Once that was done, he decided to see what his companion was up to. He stepped inside his office and surveyed her for a moment. “You’re being a bit childish, you know,” he informed her. “I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising, given the company you keep these days, but you’re better than this.”

Hour snorted at the irony in the statement. Her, childish. “You have no right to criticize my behavior. I told you to stay away from me, I’ve just been trying to live up to my end of the coin while still doing my job. Why do you think I’m even here? I’m certainly not here for you.” the witch spat, her crimson glare shooting daggers at the dragon. her hands formed fists in her cloak. 

Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down, her head hanging between her shoulders. “Jenkins and Scarlet killed the two poachers who were in booking in the magic council last night. The poachers were unarmed and sleeping in their respective cells, awaiting lawful punishment. They were arguably helpless and hadn’t provoked an attack. That’s why I was here. I was trying to warn them that if the council found out it was them, then they would be labeled as dangerous. I’m sure you know what happens when a dragon is labeled as dangerous and it’s whereabouts are known to hunters. They were unbelievably foolish.”  

Hour didn’t look up to see Lucifer’s reaction. If a magical creature was labeled as dangerous by the council, they lost the council’s protections, leaving them free game for hunters, and council members weren’t allowed to do anything. It was like a cop telling a bounty hunter not to arrest a wanted felon.

“Scarlet and Jenkins seem eager to leave, and frankly it’s far too dangerous for any of you to be here anymore. The poachers are everywhere, and now the council is going to be looking for the elementals that killed the two in the precinct. I can only distract them for so long before they get someone else to take a look.” Hour took a deep gasping breath and closed her eyes tightly, tapping her foot nervously. “I think you should leave Veilmont.”

Fire Dance

[tippingthehourglass-blog]

i stayed up like an extra 3-4 hours so i could change my stupid class schedule bc they had a hold on freshmen schedules and they really did a number when they scheduled me 

lemme just say

I’m bitch ass tired and i stg if i dont atleast get 8 hours tonight i might cry. 

[tippingthehourglass-blog]

waywardlightbearer‌:

Jenkins whirled around, eyes flashing angrily, and within moments the door and the windows were covered in a thick layer of ice. “First of all, we are not your courier service. Deliver your own messages, if you even have the backbone to do so. Second, if you are going to pretend to be an advocate for dragons, the least you can do is show a little respect.”

“Jinx, I don’t think-”

Lucifer abruptly stopped speaking when Jenkins rounded on him. “You have made a mess of things here, and you are steadily making it worse. This town is infested with hunters and until they’re gone, I expect you to check in with me at least once a day. Do not make me try to track you down again.”

“That- that was partially my fault,” Azazel spoke up, shuffling from one foot to the other nervously. “I didn’t think we’d be there so long-”

“You are older!” Jenkins snapped. “It’s time you acted like it. Stop dragging the other two into trouble. As for you-” he turned to Ash. “You are to stay out of this whole affair and let Morningstar handle his own problems like the adult he is supposed to be. Now both of you get out of here. Take the private entrance.” He shoved Azazel and Ash toward the door that led to the storage rooms and, coincidentally, the secret exits.

Jenkins turned back to Hour and Lucifer, glaring at each of them in turn. “You two are going to stay here and sort yourselves out, and I’m not letting you leave until either you-” he jammed a finger into Lucifer’s chest, giving him a slight shove backwards- “have managed to fix this mess, or you-” he glowered at Hour- “have convinced him that leaving Veilmont would be in his best interests. I don’t care what happens, as long as something changes around here. I suggest you hurry, it will get a bit chilly in here before long.”

With that, he stormed off after Ash and Azazel, taking care to seal that entrance behind him as well.

Hour could feel the color drain from her face at the surge of magic in the room, leaving her shaking from both the bite of frost in the air and the left over crackle of the ancient magic. At least she knew which dragon was which now. She cast frightened eyes at him and stumbled back from the door, knowing immediately that if she tried to touch the ice it would be cold enough to burn her. Instead, she pushed herself up against a wall and warily watched him on his tirade. 

Hour watched Scarlet, Azazel, and finally Jenkins leave and swallowed heavily.  She didn’t want to be trapped in here, let alone with Lucifer, and she certainly didn’t need to be forced to talk to him. 

The witch pulled her cloak tightly around herself, the thin material doing very little to help against the chill radiating out from the door. She pushed herself off from the wall wordlessly and headed further into the museum, away from any of the obvious signs of ice and away from the source of all her recent problems. 

It took about twenty minutes of her walking around and dodging Lucifer for her to realize she was getting nowhere fast, and her breath had started to fog in front of her. 

She settled herself down on the couch in Lucifer’s office eventually, her cloak and arms wrapped around her to try and preserve warmth as much as possible. 

Fire Dance

[tippingthehourglass-blog]

Controversial thought- commuting to college sucksssssss

I just want to sleeeeeeep

Instead I have to drive

Uuuuuuuuugggggggg