Counting your chicks (complete)

[kororen]

Character(s): Leirian, Psyche
Content: Leirian checks on the demoness
Setting: Mara's penthouse, the fountain
Warnings: light angst and novel-length posts

Comments

[symbioticsoul]

The first response Kororen received was an ungrateful mental hiss from Mara. She had more than enough trouble with people invading her mind, primarily the nuisance that roomed in her body and blurred the lines of her self. She wanted nothing to do with a psychic talk right now.

The "nuisance" responded though, a mental sigh to match the hiss. "We are at home, so to speak. You'll have to forgive us. We've been having some... difficulties within ourselves and Mara is not taking it well."

[kororen]

"Difficulties?" Leirian inquired of Arshan, excluding Mara so as not to further irritate her. "I apologize. Are you well? Shall I come speak with both of you directly?" To say it was alarming that Mara and Arshan, with as much power as they had each expressed, were having difficulties was an understatement. As much of a loose cannon as the demoness could be, he still considered her an ally and neighbor, and Arshan he rather liked.

[symbioticsoul]

"She meddles. It is her way, as with all her people. I did not like it in them and I do not like it in her." Arshan floated around the edges of existence, invisible, intangible, but there nonetheless. "We met as enemies after all and it is not for nothing that I fought against her. I'm surprised our... arrangement has worked as well as this even."

The war never ended, always balancing good and evil. Arshan had hoped that a good could be made out of a necessity. "That is to say, I fear Mara and I mix as well as oil and water. She interfered with and accidentally injured someone. I opposed her actions. We had a battle of wills, resulting in results that pleased neither of us."

There was silence for a moment before Arshan added. "You may come if you wish. We are hardly good company at the moment, but someone decent to talk to might help us finish sorting out which of us is which."

[kororen]

Which of us is which. Leirian could not help but feel some sympathy for the cleric. He would not wish to be merged with Mara on any level, personally, especially not with the borders blurring.

It was a decently long climb up the stairs, but by the time he got to the point that he needed to craft an entrance to Mara's aerie, he felt much more naturally whole, rather than just functioning.

He did not go through that portal though. Speaking clearly now that he was close enough to be heard. "May I enter?"

[symbioticsoul]

"Oh posh. Arshan dragged you all the way out here?" Mara sounded pouty, lacking some of her usual innate seductiveness. It was hard to act like a proper succubus when you didn't feel like one. "Since you're here, child, come in. Make yourself comfy."

"And be sure to wipe your feet on the doormat and eat your vegetables. Really, Mara, you fuss too much." Arshan's hollow voice seemed tired somehow.

"It's your fault, you know." It was almost hard to tell which had said that.