Around Town, Thursday Night
Cole was feeling restless and irritable, so he made lame excuses to Phoebe and Sam and left the house, not wanting to snap at them. He also didn't want to risk disturbing the baby by way of Phoebe's empathy, since he didn't know if the baby would tap into that as well. And he especially didn't them to see how his skin had been rippling and turning red, as if he was changing into Belthazor. That wasn't possible. He still had demonic energy, but his actual demon half had been vanquished years ago.
So for now he stalked through Milieux, trying to shake the hunger he was feeling, the craving to satisfy his baser instincts. The roar of a motorcycle interrupted his brooding. For a moment, he thought Sam had followed him, but as the motorcycle got closer, he could tell it wasn't Sam's bike. He tensed, his instincts reacting with an almost animal-like territorialness, as the motorcycle drove by him, did a sudden u-turn, and came to a stop a few yards away. The rider had an old-fashioned leather helmet and goggles on, hiding his face as he hopped off the bike, bounded toward Cole, and threw his arms around him. "Bel! Buddy!"
Cole's reaction was to snarl and grab the rider around the throat, slamming him up against a tree. "Hey, easy, easy!" the rider laughed. "Is this about the twenty bucks I still owe you?"
Cole blinked, releasing the rider and stepping back. "Drake?"
Drake pulled off the helmet and goggles and ran a hand through his hair. "The one and only," he grinned. "Miss me?"
"What are you doing here?" Cole demanded. Something felt wrong, something felt off.
Drake snapped his fingers and a newspaper appeared in his hand. "Lonely school seeks literature teacher for friendship, maybe more. Must like fine wine and long walks on the beach, and have a sense of adventure."
"You're going to be teaching?" Cole said incredulously. A demon teaching at the school. This wasn't going to go over well with some people.
Drake vanished the newspaper. "I applied, they accepted," he said. "Fresh young minds, mine for the plucking."
"Do they know you're a demon?" Cole asked.
"But you are mistaken, my friend," Drake said. "I am no longer a demon. My demonness is pining for the fjords. It's rung down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. I am an ex-demon."
Cole stared. ". . . what? How?"
"I took the Sorceror up on his deal," Drake said. "I'm human now. I've still got my powers, but if I use them for evil I'll burn in the Wastelands for all eternity, but other than that, it's great."
"But what about the one year clause?" Cole said. The Sorceror had offered him the same deal, years before, but he'd turned it down, unwilling to have only a year of life, and by then he'd embraced his demonic nature.
"It's worth it," Drake said. "Now all I want to do is pass on what I've learned about literature, about life and about love. I want to make up for my demon days. It's all good."
Cole felt a surge of jealousy at Drake being human, but on the other hand, he wanted years and years with Phoebe and Sam and the baby, not just 365 days, so even now he'd never take that deal. "Make sure it's worth it," he said.
Drake just grinned. "So how about you show an old friend where he can get a place to stay around here?" He waggled his eyebrows.
Cole held up his hand so Drake could see the ring there. "Married now," he said. "Don't get any ideas." He didn't mention Sam yet, because he knew that would just encourage Drake and make him even more of a handful.
"To a witch, you kinky devil," Drake said. "I always knew you had it in you. Make love, not . . . assorted bad things. So when do I get to meet the missus?"
"Later," Cole said. "It's late." He paused, and added, "We have a guest room. You can stay there tonight."
Drake flung an arm around Cole's shoulders. "Lead on, buddy," he said. He glanced over his shoulder. "C'mon, boy. Heel." The motorcycle rumbled and started to follow after them by itself as Cole led Drake toward Blueberry Hill.
[Preplayed with carpe_demon. AKA myself. Dirty! NFI because I'm going to bed!]
So for now he stalked through Milieux, trying to shake the hunger he was feeling, the craving to satisfy his baser instincts. The roar of a motorcycle interrupted his brooding. For a moment, he thought Sam had followed him, but as the motorcycle got closer, he could tell it wasn't Sam's bike. He tensed, his instincts reacting with an almost animal-like territorialness, as the motorcycle drove by him, did a sudden u-turn, and came to a stop a few yards away. The rider had an old-fashioned leather helmet and goggles on, hiding his face as he hopped off the bike, bounded toward Cole, and threw his arms around him. "Bel! Buddy!"
Cole's reaction was to snarl and grab the rider around the throat, slamming him up against a tree. "Hey, easy, easy!" the rider laughed. "Is this about the twenty bucks I still owe you?"
Cole blinked, releasing the rider and stepping back. "Drake?"
Drake pulled off the helmet and goggles and ran a hand through his hair. "The one and only," he grinned. "Miss me?"
"What are you doing here?" Cole demanded. Something felt wrong, something felt off.
Drake snapped his fingers and a newspaper appeared in his hand. "Lonely school seeks literature teacher for friendship, maybe more. Must like fine wine and long walks on the beach, and have a sense of adventure."
"You're going to be teaching?" Cole said incredulously. A demon teaching at the school. This wasn't going to go over well with some people.
Drake vanished the newspaper. "I applied, they accepted," he said. "Fresh young minds, mine for the plucking."
"Do they know you're a demon?" Cole asked.
"But you are mistaken, my friend," Drake said. "I am no longer a demon. My demonness is pining for the fjords. It's rung down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. I am an ex-demon."
Cole stared. ". . . what? How?"
"I took the Sorceror up on his deal," Drake said. "I'm human now. I've still got my powers, but if I use them for evil I'll burn in the Wastelands for all eternity, but other than that, it's great."
"But what about the one year clause?" Cole said. The Sorceror had offered him the same deal, years before, but he'd turned it down, unwilling to have only a year of life, and by then he'd embraced his demonic nature.
"It's worth it," Drake said. "Now all I want to do is pass on what I've learned about literature, about life and about love. I want to make up for my demon days. It's all good."
Cole felt a surge of jealousy at Drake being human, but on the other hand, he wanted years and years with Phoebe and Sam and the baby, not just 365 days, so even now he'd never take that deal. "Make sure it's worth it," he said.
Drake just grinned. "So how about you show an old friend where he can get a place to stay around here?" He waggled his eyebrows.
Cole held up his hand so Drake could see the ring there. "Married now," he said. "Don't get any ideas." He didn't mention Sam yet, because he knew that would just encourage Drake and make him even more of a handful.
"To a witch, you kinky devil," Drake said. "I always knew you had it in you. Make love, not . . . assorted bad things. So when do I get to meet the missus?"
"Later," Cole said. "It's late." He paused, and added, "We have a guest room. You can stay there tonight."
Drake flung an arm around Cole's shoulders. "Lead on, buddy," he said. He glanced over his shoulder. "C'mon, boy. Heel." The motorcycle rumbled and started to follow after them by itself as Cole led Drake toward Blueberry Hill.
[Preplayed with carpe_demon. AKA myself. Dirty! NFI because I'm going to bed!]