EXCOLO

(Friday, October 9th, later afternoon)
(A house outside the main town)

I hate to admit it, it's good to feel Lucien in somewhat better spirits.   I never realized how much of a drain it is on both of us when he's miserable.   The pony.... even I have to admit that was a downright decent thing to do. 

Lucien spent most of the day doing house calls, managing to keep in good spirits.  He's thinking about both his women on the walk back from the outlying farms, thinking maybe he could have dinner with Miao, or entice Wanda out to the bar.  I am content enough to just listen in on his thoughts, not intercede.  I think I've done enough damage to him for the time being, and soon enough..... soon enough.....

We're passing a small, rough looking house when the smell of disease and impending death reaches us on the wind.  Lucien stops in his tracks, the medical concern that seems inbred to him crowding out thoughts of perfumed hair and soft lips, and he enters the house quietly.
All the way in a back room, the man lies in bed, alone, writhing in pain, death hours away, if that.  Lucien pulls up a chair and sits besides the bed.  There is nothing that can be done.  The cancer has spread over the entire body, it's a wonder the poor wretch lived this long.   Lucien is wracking his brain, trying to figure out what to do, when I finally speak up, quietly.   "Lucien, he's too far gone.  You can't heal him, and yes, I could, but it would tax you far to greatly."  We think for a minute, and the answer comes to me.  I mentally share it with Lucien, and with a sigh, he surrenders control to me.
I smile softly at the man with Lucien's face and lay my land on his chest.   "I'm ready,"  He gasps, body convulsing.  "But it huts so bad... can't get past the..."   "Shhhhhh, friend.  Peace, I know.  I'm going to take the pain away briefly.... that should give you the peace you can't reach.... are you ready?"   He nods, eyes glassed over with agony.  "Please, please, God help me please." 

I take a deep breath, and instead of releasing sickly green fire, the purity of the Light I still contain engulfs him, and his face is transformed.  His face turns to ours and his smile is beatific.  "Thank you.... oh thank you.... you're an angel...."  I would laugh bitterly at that, but he turns his face at looks at something I cannot see.  Not to my eyes, not anymore... but I can feel it, i can feel HOME, and I want to weep at the beauty of it.....

and then he's gone, and we are alone.  Lucien stirs, confused and concerned at my unbearable sorrow.  I cannot, I can't... I render him unconscious.

I am alone. The only demon who still carries the Light, the only demon who regrets.
I am alone.

(open to Lilith)
(Closed)

(Thursday, October 1st, day 123)
(Early evening, The Miskatonic Cafe')

Decided it was time to truly pay Lucien back for knocking me senseless for hours.  Once he rose out of a dreamless sleep next to his woman, I swiftly rendered him unconscious and took over as "Dr. Lucien Constantine" for the day.  It was easy..... no one noticed.

Honestly, it is a refreshing change to be a bit more active, even if I have to wear the 'Lucien suit' to do so.
It is a fair form, and it catches the eye of more than a few females *and males, to be honest*, and I could have been trapped in worse.

After office hours were over, I wander through town a bit, before deciding to indulge in the thing humans seem to be so addicted to, coffee.   Find a seat near the window, and before I can even order, the waitress who is so much more than a waitress, places a coffee cup in front of me, along with a plate of food.  A hamburger and french fries.  Must be a standard order for my host then.  Settle back in the chair and watch life go by the window.  Maybe, after dinner, I'll go back to the Dormouse tonight, see if Wanda will notice the difference.  Lovely, little Wanda.... she's most likely scream if I reveal myself mid-coitus, but how she'll scream..... whether in terror or pleasure....
With that though making me smile, I sip my coffee and listen to the music swirling about me.

"hate, I'm your hate
I'm your hate when you want love
pay, pay the price
pay, for nothing's fair

hey!  I'm your life
I'm the one who took you here
hey!  I'm your life
and I no longer care

I'm your dream, make you real
I'm your eyes when you must steal
I'm your pain when you can't feel
sad but true

I'm your truth, telling lies
I'm your reasoned alibis
I'm inside open your eyes
I'm you
Sad But True"

(closed)

(The outskirts of Excolo, along the riverbank)
(Late evening, Monday September 7th)

The truly wonderful thing about Lucien's relationship with his woman?  They are comfortable enough with each other to spend time apart.  As devoted as they are to one another, they are not joined at the hip.   Some may see that as the sign of a shallow relationship.  Not I.  I think it shows that they are stronger than either one believes. 

So Monday night finds 'us' wandering about town, just observing the life that moves around us.  To all eyes, it looks as if the good Doctor Constantine is enjoying a late night stroll, but it is I that controls the form, my senses reaching out all around me.  I have a purpose tonight, but I am in no rush.  Lucien is not expected back for several hours.

We swing by his office to retrieve the bauble that belongs to my Lady, and after I slip it around my neck, we start to travel along the riverbank.  As soon as we are past the confines of town, past the clustered human dwellings, I change from Lucien's form to my human one.  Still ambling along, we start humming a tune I heard a few centuries ago, and once I realize we've gone as far as Lucien's confines will allow, I find a comfortable patch of grass and sit.

Taking a deep breath, I open myself up and cast my darker self out, and whisper one word to the night breeze. 
"Lilitttthhhh"

She will come.  Turn my face to the night sky, to the stars and the moon, and wait.

(Closed)