Shenanigans!

[phaselocknroll]

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[phaselocknroll]

It's a lovely thought. [ It sounds an awful lot like "settling down", which she finds herself surprisingly okay with. But she had a feeling that whatever favors Lilith and Roland called in were not going to be simple to repay.

And there was still the matter of the Order and the Ravagers. ]

Know that... whatever happens, whether we stay here or not, I'll always be with you.

[nostalgiabomb]

Yeah, I know. [ And he does, surprisingly; he says it lightly like it goes without saying. They haven't known each other for very long, but for a while there? Yeah, he was legitimately afraid of her disappearing on him or ditching him or any assortment of things that involved the two of them not traveling together anymore. But now, she's one of the few things he's sure of. ]

Besides. Even if you weren't, I'd track you down, wherever you went. [ He reaches up to run his fingers through her hair -- and he's pretty sure that shade of blue is the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. ] Sorry, but you're pretty much stuck with me.

[phaselocknroll]

[ She runs her fingers along the angry red lines scoring his chest. It's her fault they're there, but... he chose this just as much as she did, didn't he? ]

Of all the people who could have found that relic, I'm glad it was you.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He hums quietly (mostly because he likes the way she touches him, finds it odd how someone as powerful as her has the capacity to be so gentle). ]

Yeah. We both pretty much lucked out on that front. I could've accidentally summoned some kind of tentacle monster, all fangs and tentacles and groping.

[phaselocknroll]

What? Not keen on getting a hug from some tentacles?

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He shudders, affecting a horrified face. ]

I'll have to take a pass on that, thanks all the same.

[phaselocknroll]

[ She chuckles ]

Probably a good choice.

[nostalgiabomb]

Smokin' hot Siren orrrrr horrifying needle-toothed flailing creature from my darkest nightmares?

Pretty easy decision, honestly.

-- unless you have a cousin who looks like that. In which case, I'm sure she's got a lovely personality.

[phaselocknroll]

I'm flattered that you think I'm... "smokin' hot".

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He laughs a little -- mostly because that was weird coming out of Maya's mouth, and it didn't help the sort of awkward way she said it. ]

You're welcome, but. Maybe don't say that again.

[phaselocknroll]

That was a little strange, wasn't it?

[nostalgiabomb]

Way more than a little.

Try, like. Monumentally.

[phaselocknroll]

[ She gives him a lazy smile, leaning in to plant a kiss on his collar bone ]

Sorry for ruining the mood.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He lets out a quiet breath. ]

You'll just have to make it up to me later.

[phaselocknroll]

I assume much later. At the very least, after-a-nap-later.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Okay, at that, he yawns, then settles into the bed. ]

Read my mind.

suddenly timeskip

[phaselocknroll]

[ They spend a week in Sanctuary, recuperating and relaxing for the most part, though there are odd jobs for some of the townsfolk that manage to bring in some decent coin. Maya is allowed to let her Siren nature show through- Lilith apparently had some major part in saving the city at one point, and her sister seems to be just as welcome.

All in all, it is a wonderful reprieve.

Until Lilith sends for them one day. There is a strange man with them in Roland's office- pale, dressed in furs and wearing dark glasses. He has the means to fix their problems, a ritual he knows of that will dampen Peter's demonic nature. He has nearly everything he needs, being something of collector of magical artifacts and lore, except for one thing.

The heart of a dragon.

Maya shoots Lilith a look. "I said you were going to owe us, didn't I? This is it." And she tells them about a dragon further up the pass, nicknamed "The Destroyer" by the locals. It's been terrorizing travelers, traders, and hunters alike for nearly a month now. They want it gone.

Two birds with one stone.

As they're leaving the headquarters, Maya gives Peter a sideways glance. ]

So... a dragon.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ First. The pale man? There's something deeply unsettling about him, and Peter finds himself keeping a wary eye on him. He thinks the man casts him curious, interested glances every once and again, and it makes his stomach churn.

Second. What the fuck are they supposed to do about a motherfucking dragon?

Each step they take away from Roland's office saps away more and more of Peter's resolve. They're fucked. They're seriously fucked. There's no fucking way-- there's just. There's no way. He'll just have to live with this thing inside him, this thing that destroys and kills without blinking. Those few moments were still just a blank space in his memory, but he thinks he remembers flashes of feelings. Rage. Blood lust. A bitter coldness.

When Maya speaks, he's opening his mouth to speak as well. He waits for her to finish and shakes his head. ]

There's no fucking way.

[phaselocknroll]

Peter... [ she can feel it, the way he's uncertain ] We have to try.

[nostalgiabomb]

Yeah, or we could be killed.

[ He pulls his hand through his hair, equal parts frustrated and, if he cared to admit it, frightened. ]

When she said favors I thought she meant-- taking out slavers. Killing bandits. I didn't think she meant this.

[phaselocknroll]

That dragon would need to be dealt with one way or another. Lilith wouldn't just... send us out there if she didn't think we could handle it.

[nostalgiabomb]

You could handle it, more like.

I was hoping those favors would be something I could at least help you with, but I'm really out of my depth, here.

[phaselocknroll]

You're a lot more capable than you give yourself credit for, you know.

[nostalgiabomb]

Yeah, sure. All I've gotta do is ditch the pendant.

[ at length, he sighs. ]

We should figure out a plan. Maybe something better than shoot at it and hope for the best.

[phaselocknroll]

That isn't what I meant. [ honestly, she's a little taken aback that he would think she feels that way ]