Chapter Text
Being a warlock sucks sometimes.
Well, actually, no. Being a warlock is fine. Aside from the fact that my face is half-snake, I have four extra arms, and the general exclusion from most of society- it’s fine.
The sucky part of being a warlock is mostly that the warlock who discovered you (abandoned in a storm drain when you were a baby) has bigger priorities than teaching you.
Or raising you. But that part isn’t exclusive to warlock-ivity. Because the warlock also has a son that didn’t inherit any warlock powers and he doesn’t seem too interested in raising him, either.
Instead of raising either of us, Alaric tends to show up every once in a while, lecture us about warlock-y stuff, and then drop us at another ‘safehouse’. Basically, he has a bunch of warlock/witch friends who aren’t really in the game anymore who he dumps us with while he does whatever he does instead of taking care of his son. And me.
His son’s name is Virgil. He wasn’t even a year old when Alaric found me in the storm drain- I’m two years older than him and his relationship with Alaric is probably even worse than mine. His mother didn’t know Alaric was a warlock until he was already born, and she abandoned both of them because she was afraid Virgil would be a warlock too. He isn’t. I’m pretty sure he wishes she’d taken him, I’m sure he’d be a lot better off. I’m also pretty sure he thinks his dad favours me for having powers, and given that magic is the only thing Alaric ever talks about, I can kind of see where he’s coming from.
Anyways. The latest person to get stuck with us is some lady named Lil who used to be a witch. Now she owns a law firm. She has four sons- the youngest two are twins and are the only ones that inherited powers. Funnily enough, they didn’t get stuck with a snake face and six arms. Alaric has just finished briefing Lil on his very urgent warlock situation (there’s always a very urgent warlock situation. He just jumps between emergencies), so now he comes over to Virgil and I to say goodbye. I’m sure it will be very heartfelt.
He meets my eyes with the deep intensity of a man who hasn’t relaxed for a second of his life. “Janus, practice your magic. With all your hands. Use the book I gave you.”
I nod, rolling my eyes. When I was young, he gave me a book of witchcraft. I went through it so fast at the time- I was so excited to learn magic. I really thought he would teach me, back then. I’ve since learned that the extent of his lessons is telling me to practice with all my hands (which I don’t do. I hide all my extra arms, all the time) and use the book, which I have now memorized from cover to cover.
He turns to Virgil and takes him by the shoulders, staring into his eyes so hard Virgil looks down almost instantly. “Virgil. I… I’ll be back soon.”
Virgil nods, still looking at the ground.
Alaric releases him and sweeps away with more grandeur than necessary. “Thank you again, Lil, I shouldn’t be long. Be good, boys!”
And then with a twirl, a spell, and a lot of sparks, he’s gone.
Lil sighs and looks at me and Virgil. “Well, then. I’ll show you to your rooms.”