[PRP] ROUND 3 - FINISH HIM (Shiloh & Beel & Shun)

[Melancholies]

"So, you can traverse through the Otherworld and Ashdown at any time?"

"Yes."

Shiloh scratched his chin as he listened to the rain, seated on the front porch step of some nondescript business. Other Ashdown wasn't really somewhere he wanted to be, but couldn't really control that when he came here in his dreams. There was at least a vague sense of safety in the otherworld, however; Shiloh liked the sensation of magic thrumming at his fingertips. It empowered him. Meant he could protect himself, no matter the increased dangers this world brought.

Things like Beel, the fetch—his fetch—that he had been speaking to.

"So how do I know you won't thrust a blade into my back?" Shiloh narrowed his eyes as he continued his conversation. Beel offered a quiet, raspy hmm.

"Well, I enjoy living." his retort came with a snort, "Believe me, I didn't want this either."

Shiloh clicked his teeth in agitation, "Did you speak to Melany this way too?"

"Madam" he corrected in abstract exasperation, "And no, because I respect her. Just because you're my Lord now doesn't mean I have to be nice, just obey."

Shiloh cracked his knuckles against his palm, and Beel immediately flinched. "All bark and no bite, huh?" Shiloh said with a thick layer of sarcasm.

Beel hissed. Shiloh cracked a tiny, exhausted grin.

Blade Kuroda

come bother these idiots

 

[Blade Kuroda]

As Shun found himself in Other Ashdown yet again, he just sort of begrudgingly took the time here to continue practicing magic. He didn't quite have it down yet, but there was some improvement. So far, he had found it easier to use it to give himself little boosts here and there.

A mixture of parkour and magic is what allowed him to scale up and traverse the rooftops of several buildings in this realm.

At some point, he decided to try and push himself further. Rather than moving from buildings that were adjacent to one another, he decided to try and make it across the street. It was an ambitious move, to say in the least. He plotted out his course, then made the leap. His foot touched down on top of a lamp, allowing him to bound off towards his next 'stepping stone'. There had been a miscalculation, however, or perhaps he was just not able to boost himself enough with his current level of magical affinity.

The detective had to think fast, as he was headed towards the ground. He shifted his body, and rolled onto the pavement, tugging a few strings of magic to assist with dispersing the impact of the fall.

As he came out of the roll, crouching, he looked up, spotting two familiar figures in front of the building nearby. One was Shiloh. The other...

"Beel."

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"And for future reference, don't call me Lord." Shiloh was chastising his fetch, to which he earned an eye roll. Or at least, what might be considered an eye roll, since Beel didn't really have any eyes. The expression gave away enough.

"Believe me, you don't have to ask twice."

The conversation is cut short at the sound of a voice, one that makes Beel tense. Shiloh knows the voice well enough, and it's an acceptable surprise all things considered.

"Well? You gonna acknowledge him?" Shiloh stood up with surprising fluidity, like a waterfall in reverse. Beel only took a step back, posture bristling as he tried to hide behind Shiloh. The noble laughed, "You think I'd actually protect you?"

Beel hissed. "Detective." his voice groveled, gnarled fingers nervously playing with one another as he ignored Shiloh's comments.

"It's, uh, Kuroda, right?" For all the dignity and grace Shiloh had in his stance, it was obviously lacking in his speech, "Don't worry, he's..." he looked back at the skeletal corpse thing, expression shifting with tired, apathetic disgust, "Mine or something now, I guess."

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Shun rose up to his feet, staring hard at the fetch that was now attempting to hide behind Shiloh. Jamie had mentioned that Beel may have survived, but he hadn't quite expected to find him like this.

He nodded once to Shiloh in confirmation, though his gaze remained locked onto the skeletal form of the doppelganger. The creature seemed less confident in comparison to the last time he he had seen him. Granted, that encounter did end with Beel fleeing for his life with Jamie running after him.

"Shiloh, so you became a noble, and ended up with Beel as your fetch," he commented. That was kind of a poetic turn of events.

"I do not suppose he is completely attached and devoted to you in the way that Mare is with Thorne."

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"It's... yeah." he admitted, "I didn't really want to be one..." his voice grew quiet. "I definitely didn't want this part."

He was speaking about Beel, who still appeared ever so cowardly behind him.

"Mare is a stupid horse and neither of them will ever stand up to Madam Melany's prestige." The fetch hissed. Shiloh said nothing in regards to Shun's last comment, as Beel spoke enough for it to be answered.

"I haven't actually met Thorne's fetch." Shiloh sat back down on the concrete as he threw in his two cents, leaving Beel to flounder without a shield. "And I don't know why he got a new one, either."

"Because you let me live." Beel cut in, "It's customary. Or else Corr—"

"God, it's almost like you're asking me to deck you in the face." Shiloh groaned, rubbing the space between his eyes. A subservient fetch sounded wonderful. Actually, no fetches sounded wonderful.

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

"I highly doubt Thorne wishes to be anything like Melany in the first place. At least I certainly hope that is the case," Shun deadpanned. Beel was as lovely as ever, he could see.

"Thorne killed his double. Probably for the better, too. Though... Mare seems to be completely obsessed with him. Practically worships the guy," he scoffed. He rolled his shoulders gingerly. While he did soften his fall and whatnot, it was still a bit of a rough landing. That might have left a bruise somewhere.

"If Beel died now, my guess is you would get a replacement as well..."

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"Now isn't that a thought?" he turned to Beel at Shun's comment, to which the former wrung his hands nervously. "I sure would've appreciated anything other than you, y'know?"

"Y-You don't mean that..." Beel wheezed, immediately groveling, "Y-You'll need me! I'm the best you could have gotten; experienced, prestige. I did come from the best," the fetch paused, "And really, you did too, even though you refuse to act like it."

"As if Mel—" he choked on the word, shaking his head. Beel chuckled. It was still too much for Shiloh to say or face or deal with, "As if... this did anything to make me better..." he said sourly. Beel shook his head.

"This is what I mean. You've been given this gift but you still act like a child. Typical." Beel fed on the insecurities of others. So long as one was weak from their own thoughts, he could grow strong, whisper his nightmares, fuel the fire. He wouldn't because Shiloh was the one he had to answer to, but...

Shiloh stood up furiously, the situation escalating quickly, "As if this is a gift!" he spat, nerves wearing thin.

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Shun slowly tilted his head, watching the dispute between the two of them. He stood by, folding his arms over his chest.

"Even without killing him, could you just... trade him in for something else? I do not know so much about noble customs and laws," he suggested. He paused, furrowing his brow at Shiloh for a moment.

"I have to ask, though. You do not plan on actually... allowing this one to wear the skin of another again, do you?"

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"No." Beel answered immediately. "No trade ins. No take backs. You're stuck with me. Unless..." a smile broke out on his face.

"Unless?" Shiloh knew whatever answer it was, it wouldn't be one he'd be happy with.

"If you took a tithe," he started, "You could be rid of me. Either they lose and I take their life, or... they win, and I become their own." he paused, "Or I die, but that wouldn't happen."

"I'm never taking a tithe." Shiloh said adamantly, answering both Shun and Beel in one swift statement. "I'm never letting you ruin another persons life. Mine was enough."

Beel laughed, the sound flat like an out of tune piano, "You were not my first, you realize? And you won't be the last, either. You'll take another eventually—for some reason—but it will happen."

Animosity dripped from Shiloh's form as he nursed the space between his eyes with his hand. "Feel free to kick him." the statement was directed at Shun, but it was offhand. He didn't mean it, but he wouldn't be sad about it either should it actually occur.

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Shun's fingers twitched slightly as he heard Beel talk about all of this. The fetch's voice grated his nerves, for one reason or another. The way he tried to taunt and goad wasn't helping his case either.

"Not your first? That means you have failed to completely take over several peoples' lives. Not just Shiloh's," he pointed out. It was a bit of a surprise that had had managed to survive this long, if he were telling the truth, then. Somehow, he had a feeling that the mortality rate of fetches when it came time to confront the person they impersonated... wasn't that high.

Corr. For example.

The detective raised his brow at Shiloh.

"You really want me to hit him?"

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Beel shook his head. "Some might find that record pathetic. I value mortality more than pride." he practically purred, his unnaturally white teeth contrasting against the dark shade of his rotted flesh. "Madam Melany was by far the best I ever had the pleasure to serve. She was far better than— than this."

Shiloh shrugged, obviously growing more irritated the more Beel drawled. "I don't care anymore. Go for it."

At that, Beel immediately recoiled, his facade dropping in a heart beat, "You wouldn't!."

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

"The fact that you hold Melany in high esteem is speaking more than enough about you as a person," Shun commented. With a huff, he folded his arms over his chest. They didn't stay there for too long, as he considered Shiloh's words.

So then he just moved in and tried to deck Beel in the face.

He just wanted to get one hit in.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"Well, she did a good job, did she not? Her tithes succeeded. She saw potential in them, that—that's such a compliment." he was back peddling, but it obviously wasn't working.

So concerned with his groveling, Beel didn't notice the fist before it connected with his face.

The force sent him reeling backwards onto the pavement, his hands immediately covering his expression. He wailed, the sound creaky like a door, shrill like a rabbit screaming. Shiloh only watched. He said nothing.

"Y-You let him hit me." Beel hissed behind his fingers, writhing until his body convulsed into unnatural movements. His shoulders shook. He was laughing.

"Maybe you're more like her than I thought..." he whispered, voice not quite gleeful, not quite void of hatred either.

"I'm nothing like her." he snarled, voice cold, eyes colder. Beel peeked behind his fingers.

"Not yet." the fetch replied.

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Shun huffed out after his fist connected with Beel's face with a satisfying sound. That probably felt better than it should have. But after having been taunted and whatnot by this fetch during the ball? It was pretty nice to just deck him. It wasn't as good as if he had just beaten him down without any further assistance, but it was something.

Straightening up after he had hit Beel, he watched the two, pausing as he noticed the fetch was laughing.

"Not yet. Probably not ever," he shrugged, "It would take a lot to be like that heinous b***h."

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Shiloh relaxed at Shun's faith in him, giving the detective a thankful expression. Beel only scoffed again, but it still didn't wipe the smile from his face. His darkened corpse-flesh brimmed with a deep wine red, the skin almost pulsating from the impact. "I'm just saying," he purred, spindly fingers finally falling away from his face, "You ought to be, if you want to be a decent noble."

"Like I need respect from anything like you." Shiloh retorted, but the fury was still hot in his veins. He wanted to lash out. He wanted to hit him, kick him, make him pay; but he held himself back. It would feel good for a second, and then he would feel worse. It was part of Beel's goading. It was what Beel wanted... at least it seemed.

"You'd do well," Beel slowly staggered upright, "I could be your greatest ally or your greatest foe; any Noble would do well to know that."

"Christ you sound like you just walked out of some cheesy video game..." Shiloh sighed. "I'm... sorry about this, detective."

Blade Kuroda