3693/Bloodhounds and Symbiotes

Bloodhounds and Symbiotes
Date of Scene:	05 October 2020
Location:	Harlem
Synopsis:	Levian and Mania become friends??? And explore the city after a long talk!
Cast of Characters:	Andi Benton, Levian

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Andi Benton has posed:
Mania went on patrol, her path taking her through Harlem. What was she looking for? General trouble to bust up. It's a thing the symbiote wanted to do, a way to see more of the big city and get a little action from time to time. Andi couldn't say it specifically felt like a hero thing, and she wasn't /that/ interested in risking her safety for strangers, but just sitting around trying to live a normal life wasn't really going to happen when bonded to an alien entity.

Everyone gets hungry sooner or later, and when the symbiote is involved that usually means sooner. Chickpeas Gyro would do, she decided, and she went normal long enough to pick up a couple. One for her, and one for...them. Well, both for them, really. She stood out a little in this neighborhood, not many pale gothy girls around this part of Harlem.

Levian has posed:
Levian has this tendency to run on all fours like an animal when he's tracking someone, contorting his body in strange ways.

He's on rooftops, down fire escapes, sniffing the ground as he tries to track down Andi's scent.

He finally lands lands on top of a gyro truck, sniffing around it, taking in both the complex scents of the food and Andi's own complex scent.

He isn't quite sure which direction to go yet, staying perched there as a few people give him odd looks. Luckily the man inside is so used to heroes suddenly dropping on his truck, he doesn't even bother looking outside.

Andi Benton has posed:
Mania exits the restaurant with her food, heading into an alley about a block away. A couple more in that direction leads to the gyro truck. Competition is, after all, capitalism. Maybe if she'd come in from that direction, she'd have stopped there instead.

//We can eat these...gyros...now, Andi?//
<<No, let's go up to the roof first. Nobody will bother us there.>>

A moment later, tendrils flow from within, wrapping and coiling around Andi until her appearance is back to the way it'd been while on patrol. Mania then scales the wall, a few stories up, and she takes up a spot on an HVAC unit. Moments later, a very toothy mouth forms where there had not been one before, and the first gyro is chomped down on in one bite.

Levian has posed:
It doesn't take long for Levian to scale a building. He can't stick to walls, but he grabs ledges, windows, cracks, fire escapes, drainage pipes, whatever he can. He scales it like an advanced parkour expert.

It's a skill that one learns in Hell when they're a low level demon that has to know how to scatter up a mountain when colossal titans decide to fight each other, or eat handfuls of smaller demons. Or some demon slayer decides to descend into hell again.

He pulls himself up over the side of it, sniffing over at Mania, perched like a gargoyle on the edge. "Your food smells good, and your flesh looks very infernal."

Andi Benton has posed:
The scent Levian finds is..different. There's something of Andi to it, but also something considerably alien, not of this world, and seemingly organic. Not long after the gyro is consumed, a long, snake-like tongue darts out to make a show of itself before it retreats back inside that menacing mouth.

At that point, Mania stops whatever she's doing, the second gyro nearby as her attention locks onto the spot Levian has found. The black figure hops to its feet, an immediately wary stance taken up.

//'Nobody will bother us there.' That is what you said, Andi, just before we tasted that delicious food.//
<<Oh, shut up.>>

"It's you," she says aloud, her voice sounding as if two separate ones combined together as one. Feminine, yet something else.

Levian has posed:
Levian carries himself differently from last time, his third eye immediately opening as he continues to walk on all fours, walking to Mania and sniffing around her like an animal. "Yes. Are you the creature, the demon who isn't a demon?"

He sits directly in front of her, once again very gargoyle-like, staring with a slight smile. "You look like something from my world. I like your smell."

Andi Benton has posed:
Mania's mouth curls into a wide grin, the slanted, all-white eyes shifting between widening around the time Levian crawls his way forward to narrowing afterward at the visible sniffing. By that point, the shape of the mouth has twisted around toward a more neutral expression, then it simply...fades away, leaving a mostly faceless result behind with only those eyes to give away anything.

"We are not a demon. Are you a dog who isn't a dog? You crawl like one," she answers, crossing her arms before her, partially blocking the spidery insignia over her torso. An exact copy of it marks her back as well.

//He is odd.//

Andi herself has no response to that, whether internally or externally, and she goes back to squinting at the actual demon. "We are pretty sure we are not from your world." She seems not to know what to say to the matter of smell.

Levian has posed:
"I know, but you are an interesting creature, because it means that your world may be like mine. Perhaps it's an alien Hell, or maybe you somehow descended from demons. I don't know." Levian starts to reach out, trying to poke at her forehead, apparently curious.

"Or perhaps the design best suited for killing and eating, and survival, simply closely resembles what demons are. I never learned how to possess humans, I'm very attached to my physical form. Becoming incorporeal seems difficult." He seems almost excited, occasionally pacing on all fours before sitting again. "I like what you are."

Andi Benton has posed:
Mania eases away from Levian's attempt to tap her forehead. Closer inspection reveals almost an odd texture and appearance to the thing, whatever she is now, definitely indicative of something alive rather than just worn. This is no simple costume, no basic clothing. "We cannot tell you where we are from," is all the answer he gets to that, whether it really is an alien Hell or something else.

The wrapped gyro remains atop the HVAC unit, and one eye narrows while the other widens, the tilt of her head indicating some curiosity in there. "We are very good at those things, if we need to be," she states. "But we are supposed to be..careful. We try to be good. There is another who is much more..willing." And at this, the eyes reshape as if to indicate brows scrunching together, even though there are none. It is a sign of doubt. She continues to study as she is studied herself, watching the way Levian moves. "You like what we are?"

Levian has posed:
"Places don't always have a human answer. They aren't always planets, and our perception of a place isn't always what a human thinks of as reality. I can see more than human space with my eye." Levian points to his third eye, which always stays laser focused on her.

"I also have to be good, though I want to learn about Earth. I don't want to simply eat people and create chaos, there is enough of that in Hell. There are new experiences here, experiences outside of being a demon." Then, at the question, he nods, reaching his hand out again. Something about the texture of the suit, it piques his curiosity to a rather large degree. "Yes. You're familiar, you don't seem alien like humans do. I like humans, but I also like familiar things. We could go out to what the humans call the countryside. We could hunt animals, tear them apart, eat them, roll around in them... You're a predator like me, correct? Does it excite you?"

Andi Benton has posed:
There is silence from the alien-like creature. Perhaps there is a lengthy internal discussion taking place right now, but just as good a chance Andi and the symbiote don't know how to respond yet. The eyes fluctuate between staring at him and glancing away, still narrowed in thought. That third eye? She avoids seeming to look at it directly, a contrast to what it's doing.

"We are learning a lot about Earth through the bond. We were found from a meteorite that landed from space. We know that much. Then we were taken and tortured. That is when we found our host, when we found Andi. Now we are Mania, and we will never be tortured again." The last part is said emphatically, and the sound issues from where the mouth is expected to be, yet there is very little movement beneath the solid black visage.

This time, the eyes sharpen on the extended hand, while he tries to tempt her, them, with very specific ideas. "We would rather roll in chocolate, or better yet, skip the rolling in anything and just eat it. We do not need to hunt animals. Animals are good."

Levian has posed:
"I see, so you do not have the base instincts of a demon. I can see the differences. Interesting." Levian doesn't seem angry, he instead licks his lips at the thought, perhaps remembering the chocolate from the other day. "I would also like to roll around in chocolate. I wonder if such a thing is possible?"

He tries to look into her eyes, he's still unsure of how things work exactly. "Does Andi know how we could roll in chocolate? I'm trying to find a job, perhaps I need a job first... An explorer told me that I should find a job, and an Earth home."

Andi Benton has posed:
"We have some instincts," Mania answers without detailing them. It may be too soon for that level of trust, and after all...this is a demon being spoken to. Who knows how much he can even /be/ trusted?

Mania adds, "It would take much chocolate syrup, but we prefer eating it. It makes us feel good. Very good." Just how good? Even at Purgatory, Andi seemed to greatly enjoy the chocolate smoothie.

The eyes are difficult to make sense of. There are no pupils, and they are much larger, almost bug-like. "We do not have advice for a real job. Our host works at a music store. We also cannot help you find a good home. Perhaps if you followed someone, like a lost puppy."

Was that an attempt at humor?

Levian has posed:
"I find that humans greatly dislike being followed, but human jobs don't seem to be much different from a demon's position in Hell. Perhaps I should simply leverage my skills, and knowledge... I was told I should join some people, I think they do good things, and explore the world. Perhaps I should find and talk to them." Levian finally begins to stand up straight, though still hunched slightly.

"I don't have a phone yet, since I don't have a job. But I will find a way to get one." he assures, before asking, "Can I have your phone number? I will start collecting these things."

Andi Benton has posed:
"Bounty hunters follow people. So do private investigators," Mania explains, tapping at her chin with a finger, tipped with a sharp-looking claw as black as the rest of her. "But you would have to find people willing to pay you, people who would not be scared off by that." She points that same finger directly at the third eye.

Then, she shrugs and goes back to the HVAC unit, grabbing the gyro long enough to take a few bites of. But, before doing so, the organic mass of..whatever it is..parts and flows back from her face, framing it like a cowl so she can eat it normally. After this, she frowns. "We aren't sure about giving our phone number," she admits.

Levian has posed:
"I had to follow your scent, it was difficult. But I understand, I think. In Hell, being able to hide is important. Having a safe place is important. Though such a thing is very difficult to have there. Few places are safe, there is always someone stronger." Levian slowly walks over on all fours, sniffing at the gyro. "I would give you a summoning scroll, but I think I still don't think I understand you enough. I have some fears."

Andi Benton has posed:
The reason for Mania keeping her number to herself is not complicated: he is a /demon!/

But, even the symbiote appears to understand that saying it outright may not be the best way to go right now. Andi, for her part, eats the gyro quickly, faster than a normal person would, and it's a contrast to see her pale face with its multiple piercings showing while the rest of her maintains the look Levian was so interested in seeing.

"It's good to keep some secrets safe. If you followed us home, it would not be a good thing." She pauses in the consumption of the gyro following the sniffing, but finishes it off soon afterward. "It'd be better to pick a time and a place for another time. For now." Whenever the next time is, though she has not indicated leaving this one yet. But, the tendrils form again over her face, causing it to disappear as all of Mania returns.

Levian has posed:
"Perhaps a time and a place is good, yes." Levian suddenly decides to lay on the roof, rolling over until he's on his back, hands laying on his stomach. "Earth is... a feeling like being able to lay down without worrying about hellmites crawling out of the ground and devouring your flesh." he finally says, sighing.

"I can simply lay here, and nothing bad happens. I do not understand how there is a Heaven, and Heaven is somehow better than Earth. Why do humans want to go to Heaven so badly when they heave Earth?" he wonders, staring up at her. "Perhaps it's because they die eventually..."

Andi Benton has posed:
Some confusion registers in that featureless expression, shown of course through the eyes. "Hell..mites? We have no predators we know of to worry about." So, then, does she or the symbiote consider her/them at the top of whatever food chain may exist? Humans already see themselves that way, no matter the circumstances. How many 'hold my beer' moments have there been? How many Darwin Awards to show how stupid some of them actually are?

"If there is a Hell, why can't there be a Heaven? We are told Hell is where bad people go to suffer, and Heaven is where good people go to be with their friends and family." Mania pauses, then sniffs derisively. "We think religion is mostly crap."

Levian has posed:
"I don't know if human religion is true or not, I believe that humans have a truth that warps reality. I'm from Hell, but I don't have answers." Levian admits, watching what he can of the stars through the light pollution. But with his third eye, the stars are quite clear to him.

Among other things in the sky.

"There are damned souls in Hell, many of them. I do not know how they get there other than contract deals. But I do not know the origin of a damned soul anymore than you know the origin of the humans they turn into Slim Jims." He may have a warped perspective on what a Slim Jim actually is. "I only know if I'm told. I've never been to Heaven, but I've met Lucifer. They say he's from Heaven. He is obviously an angel. I've met two angels. But who knows what Heaven really is?"

"A demon in Hell... they don't know much more than a human on Earth, unless they're very powerful." So, he doesn't outright disagree with her about religion, as he doesn't seem to know himself. "Lucifer's power scares me, I don't like being near him. I didn't know he was real until I came to Earth."

Andi Benton has posed:
This whole topic of conversation comes off, perhaps, as foreign to Andi, or at least Mania itself. There is a growing quiet from the figure as she turns enough that her back is to him as she too looks out over the skies. Brighter stars can be made out, but there is enough ambient light in the area that it's nothing like it'd be away from a population center.

"We will have to take your word for all that," she finally says, shoulders rolling in a shrug as a few of those spikes along a forearm actually look as if they're shifting briefly in place. Are they, too, part of her and not just an accessory? "We do not plan to see either any time soon." No, she did not understand why he compared humans to Slim Jims. No, she is not asking.

//We find him very strange.//
<<Yeah, I know. I don't know what to do.>>
//We can observe him. We did not say we were not curious.//

Levian has posed:
"What do humans live for? In Hell, the damned ones mostly yell their regrets, or their apologies, or just their pain and anger. But humans are very different on Earth. You do things, and hope for things, you have a lot of feelings that I have difficulty translating from my own language." Levian's eyes all shift to her again, peacefully curious.

"What do you want?" he has to wonder. "Why do you want to live? What is your greatest desire?"

Andi Benton has posed:
Mania may not be looking at Levian right now, but the way she acts leads to the idea she knows exactly where he is. Perhaps he will learn about that over time, and her hands settle at her hips near the spiked belt. "We want to learn, to experience the world, to see and do things," she explains, head tilting again in thought. "To explore. That is what most humans want to do."

Levian has posed:
"That is what I want to do. It's why I don't want to return to Hell unless I become more powerful. I'll simply go back to sneaking and hiding and being called to follow orders." Levian rolls over until he's on all fours again, watching her back. "Perhaps we should help each other explore the world."

Andi Benton has posed:
//What is he saying, Andi? Does he want to be friends?//
<<I'm not sure. I don't have many friends.>>

Mania glances back over a shoulder, the eyes shifting between doubt and further thoughtfulness. "We do not do well with following orders unless they are from someone we respect. We may agree if we think it is a good idea." She just has to maintain that attitude of being free, independent, in control. "The more powerful we are, the easier it is."

Levian has posed:
"Demons have to obey other higher ranking demons, we have no choice unless we have the power to resist. I'm a lesser demon, but I'm powerful enough that usually only demon lords can compell me, and Lucifer." Levian finally stares out over the city, seemingly content with the night. "Let's explore the city, since no one can tell us what to do right now."

Andi Benton has posed:
Mania turns toward Levian, those eyes centered upon him once more. Then there is a slight dip of the chin before she turns away to approach the edge of the roof. A hand extends, and a line of webbing fires off from it, sticking to a building across the street. This allows her to swing ahead, picking up momentum before sending off another line to move a few buildings ahead. She will have to see how good he is at keeping up as they cover blocks and neighborhoods.