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"hmph, you and me both, mortal copycat."
He barely blinks at her little heart wrenching note, a tale as old as time. He could care less, but she quickly cares more. Turning around, eyes wide in horror as she sees him, yet bitter venom is all that leaves her mouth at who she knows is a dead man.
"Who the fuck are you?"
He pauses, head rising from his perch against the window, red eyes peering at her as something clicks and he comprehends what this means.
"You... Can see me? Hear me?"
Her face twists into a rather unpleasant emotion, this is not the man she assumed, but he still looks like him. And his face lights up in delight as she defies the impossible once again
"That didn't answer my question, who are-"
"Aha... Ahahahaha!!! YES! Finally! I'm going to have a new best friend!!"
He cackles in delight, clearly lost in his own world, one roya isn't privy to in the slightest. Devoid of context, it is quite easy to dismiss the demon before her as just a stupid hallucination born from guilt and grief.
"Ahem, so. Dead man, living little copy cat girl. What brings you to the roof?"
She clutches the note as he talks, eager curiosity barely contained as he floats behind her. Though in her current state she isn't very interested in that.
"I'm gonna jump-!"
"NO-"
before she can even sprint forward she can feel a cold grasp on her hair, roughly tugging her back. She looks up at the cruel ghost, rage and something else in her blazing red eyes as he quickly lets go, floating more casually by her side now. Leaving roya panicked at how he managed that, and comprehending herself what this means.
"I mean- no~ surely you have something better to do?"
She raises an eyebrow at his words, arms crossed in what can gracefully be called displeasure as he takes her wordless cue.
"You could use a buddy. Don't you want a pal by your side?"
He floats closer as if swimming, arm wrapped around her neck and resting on her shoulder. A sly grin on his face that she can't help but feel is unnatural, like it doesn't belong.
"Dear, the way I see it your mama should be leaving, and you should stick around. And kill her-"
"What."
"Nothing!"
He laughs it off, his feet never once touching the ground as he floats just a bit above her, enough to make himself seem taller almost.
"You shouldn't end yourself doll, simply.. defend yourself. Your mother's the one who should be up here, not you."
He floats down and grabs at her hands, pulling her as if dancing across the rooftop the earlier panic entirely transformed into more showboating as he spins her around against her will
"Together we can experiment- assassinate!-"
"No!"
His excitement doesn't do much to dim her rage, doesn't stop the unsettling feeling she gets when she sees him do anything. She roughly pulls her hands back, digging her heels and stopping his little dance. Yet he doesn't seem deterred in the slightest.
"The finer points can wait, of course. First, you have to say my name."
In an instant he disappears and reappears behind her, hands grabbing her shoulder to keep her steady. His otherworldly actions happen quickly one after the other as he takes control of the conversation. He gives her no room to speak as if he likes the sound of his voice too much.
"Go ahead, jump if you really want. But that won't change anything, it won't stop her little plan in the slightest."
He says as if he wasn't panicked dearly at the mere motion not five minutes prior.
"However, I can offer you a plan B if you will. I can bring her cruel and unusual plot to a halt, you just have to do one tiny little thing for me first."
She glares back at him as he gets far too close, she doesn't plan to show it but she is desperate here, she tilts her head away with a disgruntled look.
"And that is?"
She does her best to sound disinterested, eyebrow raised as if doubting what he wants and he takes mock offense, finally letting go to properly raise a hand to his chest as if hurt.
"Am I going too fast for you dear? Don't worry your pretty little head. I'll explain"
He gets closer again to mockingly pat her head, as if she is a failing student he needs to tutor on basic math. She steps back, knocking his hand away with a glare, yet he seems entirely unbothered
"My name. Just say it three times in a row, and my dear you won't believe the things I'll be able to do for you."
He offers his hand out, eager and ready, barely giving her time before he assumes she'll just accept
"It's rather foolish to not put a star player on the field, right? So.. come on, 'coach,' say my name."
She leaves him hanging, leaving her arms at her side to keep him waiting as she glares him down, he's really starting to wonder if she can make any other expression in his presence, it's something he can fix if it gets on his nerves he supposes.
"Does it look like I know your name?"
She refuses to even entertain the idea that his name could be Nasir, that man is buried and she watched it happen. This is not her father.
He sulks almost at her reminder, floating on his side as he puts his face in his hand.
"Well I can't say it. No matter how I try, it's a fool-proof curse."
She raises her eyebrow at that, a curse? Her bitter rage fades in the wake of his offer, now finally having a moment to breath and process it. This could work, he could be useful.. but he is far too desperate to not be cautious.
"Then... How about a game of charades?"
He jumps at her solution, floating right in her face with glee on his
"YES! let's play it!"
He floats back, giving her more space so he has room to mime the words, he holds up his hand with two fingers up like the peace sign, with his other hand he points at the second finger
"Okay- so, two words. Second word-"
He moves fast, now standing more straight in the air as he mimes holding something and scribbling onto it
"Writing?"
His expression remains more stern, focused and a bit furrowed, not giving her any hints despite his own desire here.
"Paper- no, report?"
His expression shifts slightly, eyebrows raised and his grin twitching upwards, giving her the only hint to the answer
"Thesis-"
"Yes!"
He moves on, holding up two fingers and now pointing at the first one
"First word, okay, go."
He points at himself with a smug smirk
"Demon?"
Her blank statement makes him huff, moving on to his next option, he shows all of his fingers on one hand, and points towards the first one, then holding something
"Uh- first place? Best?"
He looks amused at her guesses, chuckling silent at how close she may or may not be, if he's that desperate yet still willing to play with her then she definitely feels the need to be on guard.
"Prime?-"
"Yes!"
He gets giddy as she guesses the right words, floating closer as she now has the task to put them together properly. She ignores him as she thinks, or well tries to ignore his presence just over her shoulder.
"Prime, thesis... Primethe- Prometheus?"
"I'm impressed. You're not just copying my looks it seems. and all you have to do is say it three times."
He leans over her shoulder, not quite touching again but just hovering over it, leaning over to face her
"Three times in a row it must be spoken, unbroken."
He says it like more of an incantation, he really was cursed.. but why? And he seems far too eager to break it. He doesn't let her think for long, looking at her expectantly from right beside her face
"Ready? Then go."
She waits for just a moment, a smile worming it's way across her face as she gets an idea.
"...Prometheus."
"Yes..."
"Prometheus."
"Just one more!"
"Pr..."
"Yes, yes! Finally!-"
He floats up, giddy and blinded by the sheer excitement at being freed, only to have her cut the strings that lift him up in a few simple words.
"Pretty dumb, huh?"
"What."
He almost just stops floating as she says that, plummeting down before he catches himself, she looks down on him in his surprise as he flounders almost. A smirk of her own emerging on her face as she stands tall.
"You must think I'm pretty dumb, huh? Want me to think about your offer? Well, I'll let you know that I prefer my chances down below-"
"Wait!"
He reaches out and immediately she swerves out of the way, leaving him to float past her
"Okay, Prometheus, Prometheus..."
And she rips his hope away, avoiding it once again at the last second with a cocky look in her eyes
"Promise that I'm not an easy mark. You think I'm that desperate? Try again."
He scowls as she speaks, she wags her finger at him, and for the first time in a long time she feels strong and seen, not as a human or friend but seen as a threat and she takes it.
"I've been swimming with piranha's here, i don't need a shark."
Her attitude gets more offended and exasperated, an annoyed implication that he's offering stupid things to her problem that serves to tick him off. Now she's the one not giving him any room to talk to reply, and she doesn't feel very keen on giving him back that power.
"Yes, life sucks but not that much!"
"You little-"
He reaches up and this time she grabs his wrist, tugging him along with her movements now as she giddily taunts him once again
"Alright, Prometheus Prometheus-"
He tugs at his hair with a scowl as he can tell where she's going with this, a low growl as she spins him around her and lets go, causing him to fly off from her momentum, floating back against the window as she stares him down
"Pardon me for not wanting a lecture from a demon."
He recovers quickly, floating more upright to appear more like he's standing and not like roya just chucked him across the roof like he was nothing.
"I'm offering you a full time spectre here! It's not a likely occurrence-"
she stands tall, arms crossed as she still insists at looking down on him. She knows he needs this and for once she can relish in the power that brings.
"Are you even any good?"
She counters, the mocking tone evident in her voice, as well as the fact that she's enjoying this.
"Of course! Trust me, sweetheart-"
"I just met you. And really it's a flattering offer, if I was stupid maybe."
Her gaze is sharp as she talks, filled with offense as he tries to backpedal slightly
"But don't you want to see your mother suffer?"
He pleads, well, he wouldn't call it that. Floating lower then her height as he raises his hands. As if reaching for an answer she swiftly ignores.
"I think I'd rather just jump off-"
She steps towards the edge as he quickly panics, moving swiftly as he floats close by
"No!"
In one second she's turned on her heels to face him, stepping closer and closer as she speaks and starts to shout. Her rage being contained for nobody.
"I might be suicidal, but Prometheus it's not as if I've lost my mind!"
Perhaps he'll need a different strategy for this...