M A G I C I A N

Dorian Dearing is a magician who ate a demon, and is out for revenge for the murder of his family. He’s also a bit of a bastard, albeit one with a good heart. This tends to get him thrown out of places. 

                                                      ABOUT     RULES

“Nah. I’ve always thought it was kinda cool   —   like everyone gets the night off. People are out there watching silly parades and overcookin’ birds but they are doing it together. It’s awesome. They have like   …   a few hours to chill before it’s 30 days of nothing but Christmas music.”

“They do this every year on my birthday to deny me cakes and cremes.”

@mcrningstar

"I hate the basement. I'm just putting that out there."

"I've come a long way to talk to you because I think you're a piece of crap."

"Is this spirit being a smartass?"

"You look great for being... not alive."

"Ghosts don't even like me."

"It's cold, it's dark, and it's exciting as hell!"

"Are you banging your head on the wall?"

"Something is up here, gathering all the power it can."

"If this is the portal of hell, why don't you come up out of that ground and get us?"

"Here I am in the sugar shack!"

"I hope you can hear me up there in the damned attic!"

"I can't wait to get locked in here."

"Dude, he's kinda creeping me out. No joke."

"Have you ever heard of those guys who wear jackets when it's really, really hot out?"

"I can't believe they left me out here, all by myself, with this music playing."

"Wait, am I standing on his grave?"

"I have respect for all spirits... except for you."

"I just wanna see where the massacre took place."

"This right here is like putting holy water on a demon."

"I'm just pumped! Are you guys pumped?"

"I smell beautiful."

"Do you see that? Because I can't, either."

"You have reached your final desination. Hell."

"This is tougher than it looks on tv, trust me."

"This is beyond dangerous. I don't recommend anybody do this."

"It was probably the most dangerous, craziest thing we've ever done."

"Hey, we're just lost. We need a place to stay."

"Thank you for knocking."

"I've got a teddy bear for you!"

Dorian leans, and tells himself its so she can reach and not because he can’t quite stand upright on his own. It hurts now, in a way that it hadn’t when he’d been goading the man responsible for it. 

Lips are still turned upward as he looks on at the house   —   windows black. He knows, somehow, that something big is waiting. That’s why he’s here. That’s why he’s on this case. Dorian is a bonus, a little blessing in the form of backup should there be any victims still inside. People have been going missing   —   their cases cold. They’d stay that way, forever, and it’s a shame to be part of that process but Phoenix tells himself that there is some justice being done in making the list stop where it is. It’s the monster’s last night. Let it be a meal, for a change.  He looks up, for a moment. Finds where the moon in in the sky, thoughtful. Then, he snorts.

“What, you don’t want me to put my foot through it?” Chances are? It knows. Monsters always seem to have an idea when he’s near   —   but there is the very rare concept that it might be distracted. Feeding, maybe. That or resting after doing so. The element of surprise isn’t something he’s used to, isn’t something he often bothers with but now he has Dorian’s safety to consider. He moves with his free hand, unclips one of the rabbits feet from his side and offers it over without actually looking at him. “Pocket this. I’ll do the window.”

Had he known it was his safety being considered, Dorian would have scoffed. He’s a damn cockroach. People (and things only shaped like people) have tried to kill him and been trying for years now. Nonetheless he endures. 

And anyway, he wouldn’t be one to talk. It’s that idiot older brother instinct that has him wanting Phoenix in front. Its easier to keep an eye on him that way. Its protective as much as paranoid. He usually works alone, after all. 

Then Phoenix offers him a rabbit foot. It’s neon green. He stares for a second. Not sure how to feel about that. Is this meant to offer protection? Or is he joking? Well, it can’t hurt. He dutifully clips it onto the pendant of holy water he wears for insurance. 

“If you put your foot through it, I’m fairly certain I can outrun you,” he deadpans. He will do no such thing. 

Dorian draws the pistols from where they’ve been holstered under his arms, and follows Phoenix up to the house. The porch is old, lousy with rotten boards. He takes them carefully, and keeps a wary eye on their surroundings. Normally, he’d have a sort of extra sense to rely on. 

Shut up, he thinks. Do something more useful than shriek. It doesn’t listen. It’s too busy being terrified.

Phoenix, or what’s in the house? he wonders.

Once they’re close enough, from beyond the warped and weathered walls, he thinks he hears breathing.