Casting Shadows [Closed]

The lake had always been such a peaceful spot for Devin, and why wouldn’t it be? It was a spot of refuge with everything being so stressful lately. His black and green tipped hand drummed lightly on the side of his head as he leaned on it in a bored position. The tapping didn’t help with the headaches that had been plaguing him - now worst than ever- but it was something to pass the time. His eyes were half open as he stared across the lake, slightly aware of the green light that escaped them and sent a pale glow across his face.

His glowing eyes flickered close as he hugged his knees to his chest with his free arm, letting the sound of the lapping waves of the lake wash over him. He wondered what he had done to be stuck like this - partly transformed into his demon form. His faint glowing eyes and mostly black claws were not the only burden he was stuck with as two large, pitch-black wings with a green hue at the base came from his back. They were folded slightly to wrap him within their dark grasp, isolating him from the rest of the lake.

Going back to the question he had just asked himself, he dimly noted that it wasn’t completely his fault. As he had told Magic and Gabriel when he had met them - it was his gift. However, he was sure it was how h had responded to his own gift that caused him to be like this as it was a backlash. Ever since Alaska he could feel the tug of his demonic side wishing to run a muck - even now he felt like his mind was split on whether to restrain or release, with the pounding headache helping little on the matter.

It was clear in his focus of restraining his power he had made a mistake. He had walled it off like a dam does to a river, but his ‘river’ seemed to have swollen in size that the dam was not meant to hold, increasing the pressure and causing leaks with the wall, with the rest wanting to follow-suit and escape. He found that to be a fitting metaphor for what was going on in his head, the headaches being the increase of pressure of the energy wanting free - making sense how he had been getting them.

The first he could clearly say the headaches started was no doubt after Aleta had talked to him and he had tried to talk to Leo. His eyes flickered open as he stared at the shimmering water, reflecting the sunlight above him as he grimaced. He hated not following up on his word of talking to the angel but when the headache started to show up when he even got close to Leo, he would back away from the pain of it only for it to lesser. It didn’t take long to realize that his power wanted free more than ever around Leo, causing the headaches.

Then it started to build until it was happening whenever, first starting when he was talking with Magic and Gabriel. It was a minor pain that he could stand but the biggest factor that caused a crack in his ‘wall’ was no doubt the evaluation. His demonic powers went loose in that dream and he was sure it had its echo on his real body. The headaches grew worse after that until he was where he was now - sitting on the bank of the lake with claws and wings.

He pulled one of his wings closer to him, reaching over toward it with the arm he had been using to hug his legs to his chest, frowning slightly at the odd feeling of the thin black skin that span across the wing. The feeling in his hand was also off, the feeling of half-numbness running through it. He pulled the wing away, slowly getting use to the feeling of the extra limbs on his back and how to control them as he raised up his black hand as he waited for it to disappear. It looked rather normal other than for the fact that it was almost completely pure black, with the fingers being tipped green like his wings and were more like claws.

After a few moments of staring at his hand, he lowered it to the small wooden cross that hung from the cord around his neck. Finally taking his head off of where it was leaning on his other hand, he stretched that hand to fend off the cramps before resting it on his knees. His father had always warned him - up to the days before he left to Beata - that his gift would be troublesome at first but with focus and training, he would be able to heal that split mind that his family tended to have due to the gift and never have to worry about it again. He ran those words though his mind over and over as he curled his tail around his side. Focus and training...The training could come later, he noted to himself as he closed his eyes as a soft breeze brushed past his face and ruffled his hair. Now he just had to wait until his body returned to normal or the headache went away, whichever would come first. At least he didn’t have any distractions...

It had been around a week since Leo got back from Michigan. Honestly, he hadn't seen anyone since he got back. Sure he met a few people, but it still bothered him that he couldn't find Devin anywhere. He wasn't sure if it was on purpose or if he was just missing him by accident. A frown cast across the blond's face as he flipped through a book. Was Devin's problem about what happened back in the Alaska trip? Leo thought that they had already sorted it out...

A knock on the door to the dorm room filled the air. Leo glanced around the living room. Per usual, it seemed no one else was in the room with him. Placing a piece of paper which he used for a bookmark in the book, he gently placed it down on the counter, and began to make his way to the door. Based on the rhythm that was beat against the door, it was Aleta.

Picking up the speed, Leo reached the door in a few seconds. His frown as replaced with a smile, happy to see her face. He stood at the threshold, door open wide to the living area. His feet were bare, and he wore black shorts and a grey sweatshirt that has seen better days.

"What's up?" He asked with a tilt of his head, obviously not expecting what his answer was.

His sister's eyes held a glint of ire in them. It was either from Leo's happy-go-lucky mood he had at the moment, or the fact that she couldn't find Devin. Perhaps a mixture of the two were causing a bit of anger in her. Devin had promised he would talk to Leo when he got back from the Michigan trip, and yet Leo has not said a word about it to her.

"Has Devin talked to you since you got back?" Aleta demanded, standing on her tip toes in an attempt to get in her brother's face. With an owlish blink and a shake of his head, Aleta's question was answered. "Damn it! I can't find him anywhere." The girl puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms grumpily. She had checked every corner of campus. Starting from where she saw him last, to the most obscure places. Such as the tennis courts. But the fact that Devin still hasn't talked to Leo yet, brought the anger to her eyes.

Leo made a thoughtful face, blissfully unaware of his sister's frustration. "Have you tried the lake? I heard him talk about it once or twice." He ran a hand through his golden hair, pondering the other places where his friend could be at. "Or maybe the gy-" He was stopped before he could finished his sentence.

Aleta began pulling him out of the dorm, despite his protests of not having any shoes on. "Then fly you dummy!" It took them a few long minutes to fly in the direction of the lake. Aleta was not too fast with her wings yet, so Leo had to slow down his speed so she didn't feel bad about not being fast. However, they soon landed, Leo with practiced grace, and Aleta falling flat on her face.

With a pout, she brushed off the grass from her dress, and put her wings away. Her dark eyes looking along the bank of the lake, squinting a bit to see if there was anything in that direction. However, as she turned around, Aleta watched her brother begin to walk in the other direction. His eyes fixed on something along the shore there. Unknowing what to say, she followed close behind him, her hand grasped on the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

Something seemed off. Devin’s eyes flickered open as the ever-so faint sound of flapping wings tickled the edge of his hearing. His eyes remained fixed on the lapping water as he focused on the sound of the wings for the few moments before pulling his wings closer around him as the sound of the beating wings ended. He thought about sparing a glance around the lake but when the thumping of his headache started to grow louder and louder he quietly became too fearful to do so.

He raised his hands to his head, pressing his palms into his forehead as his green-tipped claws ruffled his black mess of a hair, gritting his teeth. His headache started to grow stronger and stronger, the glow in his eyes doing the same as he easily put together why it was doing so. It was like the sound of drums - drums foretelling the arrival of an ‘angel’ of course. Slowly he lowered his hands and placed them on his wings, pulling it back so he could peer from behind it.

Drawing his knees in closer to him, he felt his tail flicker with uncertainty as he scanned the edge of the lake until he saw them - Leo and Aleta heading his way with Leo leading her. An almost squeak escaped him as his focus in keeping his headache out of his thoughts slipped, causing the pain to suddenly double. His whole body went rigid - his wings curling to protect him on instinct - with the splitting pain echoing in his skull.

Quickly he struggled to turn his attention from the pain and headache but soon he found the pain lessening slightly before Devin found himself peeking from behind his leathery wing once more. Emotions tumbled over in his stomach like a washing machine as he struggled to sort them out. Fear and anger were the two that threatened to overwhelm him, both directed at Leo. He was half in his demon form - would rage threaten to overtake the angel like it had in Alaska? Devin held no bitterness toward the angel for it was he had not been himself either but...Rage and anger was to easy to be driven by - as his other boiling emotion showed.

It was the natural rage he had been struggling with ever since he had walked into that same gym as Leo. It had always been manageable before but now that his demonic energy was leaking out, he could feel the same sway that he had fallen into in Alaska - of hidden anger toward the angel threatening to come to light, with simply unnatural hatred thrown in. Both of these emotions kept him rooted in place - frozen with fear like a deer in a headlight but quivering with anger as if boiling water as he tossed around what emotion to use with other ones peppered in like spices; happiness, relief, worry, sadness…

He took in a deep breath as he flickered his glowing gaze from Leo to the person behind him - Aleta. It was her presence that calmed him and kept him from attempting to bolt to avoid dealing with Leo. She had shown understanding and insight for Devin while dealing with the aftermath of Alaska, and also happened to be a completely neutral being in all of this...Of sorts. He blinked as he recalled the stories that she had told him about what she used to do to Leo as kids. Clearly there had to be some sort of hatred there, maybe stemming from the same kind of unnatural hatred that Leo and Devin both suffered from together, but at least it wasn’t as bad as his. She was simply a ‘fallen angel’ while he was a ‘demon.’

His mouth opened slightly as he tried to think of what to say - or if he even wanted to call out toward them. He had no doubt that Leo was purposely stalking toward him - whether he knowingly realized it was Devin or not. His wings shifted as he turned slightly so he was more sticking out from behind them as he blinked a few times, the glow in his eyes growing a bit fainter as he pushed all of his emotions down other than the ones he truly wanted to feel in the moment. He found himself saying nothing as he reached up to his neck to once more clunch the cross necklace, gently wrapping his clawed hand around it as he murmured a small prayer that this whole unexpected meeting would go well.

Aleta glanced back between Leo and Devin. Her expression seemed worried. If they got into a fight, she'd have to be the barrier. And based on what she heard about Alaska, she didn't want them to fight. Not only had both of them gotten hurt, it also put a tear on their relationship. And if it were to happen again... Aleta shook her head, shaking the thoughts off. She had to believe in Devin and Leo to try and overcome that tear that was created in Alaska.

Resolute, Aleta let go of her brother's sweatshirt and matched his pace. Her dark eyes looked over his form as they approached. Immediately, she cast a worried glance at her brother. Was Devin in his full demon state? Would Leo attack him? Her eyes glanced back at Devin. Did it hurt to be in that state? The girl wanted to go comfort him, however she refrained, knowing they had to talk first.

The blond paused a few feet away from Devin, taking a deep breath to reign in his emotions. Leo's blue eyes looked over his friend's wings quietly, not remembering to have seen them before. In a calm manner, Leo sat down next to Devin, his slender fingers plucking a blade of grass from the ground, and rolled it over between his fingers.

Aleta felt relived when her brother sat down instead of doing anything rash. He must be keeping his emotions in check for him to hold back. Her worried look was replaced with a relived one. Silently, she went to the other side of Devin, sitting closer than Leo was on the opposite side. She give Devin a comforting nod, before her eyes looked back to her brother.

The blond didn't look directly at Devin. He felt that if he did, that he would lose the control over his emotions that he had spent the time walking over trying to control. A myriad of questions floated through his mind, and he had to chose one to start with. "Are you alright?"

Devin couldn't help but to feel terrified a Leo came to a pause and crouched down, only to pick a piece of grass. His fear started to melt into confusion as he watched Leo, dimly aware of Aleta moving around him. As she sat down on his other side, he glanced over his shoulder with a gentle bite of his lips as his wings coiled at his side. Her soft nod barely helped his nerves but it was a sweet gesture none-the-less.

Hiding both of his clawed hands behind his pulled up knees, his gaze drifted back toward Leo as he waited for any words to leave his mouth. While waiting, he found himself leaning slightly to get a better look at Leo's eyes to read his expression but froze when three words left the blonde's mouth.

"Are you alright?"

Devin found himself drawn back to his normal position as he gave a simple blink toward the 'angel'. That was it? He sat there, musing over the words as if not sure what to make of it or even what to say. The headache made forming words much harder then it should of as he turned his head slightly toward the lapping shores as he at in silence until he found the response he wanted.

"I'm fine," he found himself saying, his gaze turned once more toward Leo, soft and warm as the glow behind them lit up in joy. "I-I have a headache and I'm half demon right now," he said his tone quickly picking up as a strange excitement washed over him. He even let out a nervous laugh that doubled as one of relief a his tail flickered at his side. "But I'm fine, fine and happy." He titled his head slightly as he gave Leo a silly, toothy grin. "Happy to finally see you again, Leo," he stated before turning to glance at Aleta. "And happy to see you as well, Aleta."

However, his smile soon faded as the glow in his eyes dimmed slightly. His wings dropped at his sides as he wrapped his legs with his arms, his eyes falling to them as his black, green-tipped clawed hands before he bowed his head with a defeated sigh. "I-I'm so sorry I never talked to you after Alaska, Leo...Even after I promised Aleta I would! I-I really wanted to..." He drifted off, biting his lip again as the enticement he had felt quickly vanished into worry. He was sure that he was going to have to explain everything and he wasn't looking forward to that.

Leo didn't look Devin's way. He felt that if he did, he'd loose control over his emotions again. Instead, he settled for the grass next to him. The blond dropped the first blade of grass and plucked another from the ground. His blue eyes looking over its vibrant green color, however, his focus was on Devin. Who seemed to be picking his words carefully. It was after a long minute when Devin spoke. Surprisingly to Leo, his voiced seemed excited, happy, perhaps he would go even as far as to say, relieved. A bit confused, Leo's head tilted Devin's way. The 'angel' still not daring to look.

Once the dark haired boy was finished speaking, Leo let out the breath he had been subconsciously holding. A smile appeared on his face, mirroring Devin's own smile. He really had missed his counterpart. Someone who he always had day to day, suddenly not with him in his routine. It was odd for Leo, and certainly left him a bit confused. However, now he was alright. Hopefully things would return to normal. The blond let go of the blade of grass, watching the breeze catch it and carry it into the water of the lake. Leo closed his eyes.

'I'm glad you are alright, Devin.' The blond let out a chuckle as Devin greeted he hand Aleta. He ran a hand through his blond hair and responded in kind. "I'm happy to see you too, Devin."

Aleta gave the two a small smile, but didn't say a word as Devin talked, and Leo responded. It was only after Devin continued did she notice Leo freeze, hand stopped on his head. While she knew her brother wouldn't be too upset, she still didn't know how he would react to Devin. It was only after her and Devin's conversation did she remember the hatred that the two shared. Aleta was worried that it would have some effect on their conversation. There wasn't much she could do.

Leo slowly removed his hand from his head, and opened his eyes to stare at the water. "Why didn't you?" Surprisingly, his voice was quiet. Inwardly he was blaming himself. Had he scared Devin after attacking him in Alaska? Or had he said something around the camp fire?

His gaze lifted up slightly when Leo asked the simple question of why - why hadn’t he ever gone to see him. Devin bit his lip slightly as his wings shuffled uneasily on his back. “So many reasons…” he stated after a few moments, his gaze flickering toward Aleta for a few moments before he took a deep breath and went on. “The first was a stupid reason that Aleta help me see...I...I was scared of losing control as...Well, I recall the whole fight…” He winched slightly as the words left before quickly carrying on. “I lied that night I woke up. I saw the worry and upsetness in your eyes the moment I came to and...Well, I felt the same way. I didn’t want to burden you with the fact that I remembered everything as I was worried you would be angry...Angry because I had control of sorts and yet I still made my choice to fight you. But...I suppose I should've thought better of you - that you wouldn’t be angry. But I was worried and that caused me to push everyone away.”

He grew quiet to let all of those words sink in before he cleared his throat once more as he let his gaze drop onto his clawed hands. Now it was time to explain what was currently going on, so with a swish of his tail he went back to explaining why he had failed to see Leo. “After Aleta talked to me, I tried to talk to you to explain everything but...I found myself getting a headache whenever I got close; including now. I-I wasn’t sure what was the source of it other then being near you so I held back until I could figure it out but...Well, I had put some of the pieces together but not all of them until this happened,” he stated, raising one of his hands and made a small motion with it to draw attention to it. It felt slightly numb, truth be told, reminding him of how he felt before he had turned into his demon form in Alaska. Just thinking about it caused a shiver to run up his spine as he lowered his hand once more, his gaze shifting slightly toward Leo. He was ready to explain what he figured was going on, but wanted their input before he said anything else as he was explaining quite a lot at once.

Leo didn't say a word for the longest time, blue eyes stared out into the lake. A deep frown ever present on his face. His silence wasn't because he was trying to get a reign on his emotions, nor was it because he was speechless. In fact, it was because he was trying to find the words to respond with. He couldn't seem to put his emotions into words. Biting his lower lip, the blond searched himself for his voice. Leo knew for a fact that he was annoyed...or rather that emotion could be seen as frustrated. 'I cannot say I'm not angry at him for not talking to me about it...' His train of thought derailed as Devin began to explain about his headaches.

So Devin had tried to talk to him, huh? Now he really couldn't be angry. Even if the fact that Devin remembered attacking him in Alaska. Not that Leo knew exactly what happened. Most of it was a blur, or a blank time in his memory. Like the part of his brain controlling memories just shut off, or blocked him from remembering that event. Slowly, Leo looked over at Devin. His face held a bit of a concerned look to it. Before this, he had been hesitant to look at his friend with him in a partial transformation. But now, it seemed he had control over himself. It felt a bit odd to see him like this, so instead he just looked at Devin's face.

"What do you think it is?" If it was something they could work on, Leo would be all for it. He wanted his friend back to normal.

Devin's gaze shifted around, sometimes looking at Leo, Aleta, or the lake as he waited for a response as he attempted to read their faces. Was Aleta angry at him for not attempting to talk to Leo sooner? How did he feel about the whole headache and the half-demon thing. Hell, what did Leo feel? His eyes turned back to Leo only to find the angel staring at him, causing his wings to flex in worry before he spoke.

A few seconds past before he spoke. "My powers," he explained, his gaze dropping slightly. "Its always my power. A-As far I can see, this whole thing is a backlash. Ever since Alaska...My power has been active. It was always there of course but just...Dormant, but I think my fight with the 'goatman' activated it. And since then, I've been holding it in, keeping it at bay. And now...Now it has overflown." He raised a clawed hand, making a fist with it before releasing it, shaking his head. "The headache is from a build-up, starting when I was near you until it was happening on its own. And now it has started to overwhelm of some sorts..." He let out a soft sigh as he let himself fall backwards onto the ground, winching slightly at how weird it felt to be lying on his wings as he placed his clawed hands on his stomach, closing his eyes. "So now I am stuck like this, half-demon for who knows how long with my nature instincts nipping at my brain like an excited puppy begging to be free."

Occ: Suppose I should mention that I have no idea where I am going with this.

Leo looked back away as Devin did his best to explain, only looking back as the boy mentioned the goat man. Leo didn't remember anything about the fight, yet alone waking up at the campfire afterwards. So it was this 'goat man' that started everything. Whatever that was. The blond found himself wanting to ask, yet he held his mouth shut. Leo didn't think it was something that should be talked about. Considering it was what started this mess for them. Whatever it was caused their fight too. The question was; How? Yet he didn't say a word. Instead he worked on digesting Devin's words. A frown on his face as he observed Devin's downcast eyes, and him leaning back on his back.

Aleta did not feel as angry now that she knew why. Yet she was still a bit mad about him not talking to him as soon as Leo got back. The girl watched him lay on his back, her thoughts set on the possible ways of getting him out of his half-demon form. Although, he said that he was stuck like this. Aleta figured that it was not a pleasant feeling to be in a half form like this. Especially since if he was right next to Leo. "What have you tried to do in order to get back to normal?" Maybe they could try something. Either that, or it was something that disappeared over time.

ooc: Yey. Me either. 8D

It was silence until Aleta spoke up, causing Devin to open up his eyes as he turned his gaze toward her. He ran that question in head a few times as he attempted to decide what to say. Finally, he shook his head as he shrugged slightly. "I have no idea," he said in a soft voice, a sigh following it. "My plan was just to wait it out. I didn't see any real other options." A half-forced laugh escaped him. "I faintly recall what it took to get me out of my demon form the first time, and well, I would rather not be stabbed with a demonic sword again."

Leo frowned, searching himself for any possible way to help Devin. After a while he just sighed. "You might just have to do that. No matter if you want to or not." He figured that's how he got out of his demon form in Alaska. Based on the fact that he said 'again'. As far as Leo knew, Devin had only taken on this form in Alaska. It had worked hadn't it?

Aleta shook her head at her brother. "Maybe you should try and train yourself how to go in and out of your demon form." Her dark eyes looked over at her friend, and a sigh escaped her. "But I'm not sure how you are going to do it..." She trailed off, giving her brother a quick glance.

Devin blinked as Leo spoke up, before pouting as he turned his eyes to the older student. Had he not heard the part about how Devin had gotten stabbed with a demon sword? He recalled the whole thing being rather painful. He was about to restate that fact when Aleta started to speak. Turning to look at her, he shrugged slightly from where he laid. "Well, that's something I am planning to do..." he said as he shifted, feeling uncomfortable with how he was laying on his wings. He moved one of his clawed hands from beneath his head, flinching slightly at the still pounding headache. "But that is something that is going to take time to do. Besides, trying to turn into my demon form is a hazard. Even half-transformed..." he paused as he gritted his teeth. "I may not be showing it, but I am doing my best to remain in control. Of course, just talking like this is helping...The headache however isn't, but I suppose I am just going to have to deal with it for now."