"You think you can keep me here? Just you wait! The second I get this off me it will be your blood on the walls. I will-"

Gavin's eyes flit open at the sounds of shouts echoing down the halls. He rubbed at them, taking in the dungeon around him, the same grey walls he'd been looking at for... how long now? Days? Months?

"Fifty-two days, seven hours, and fifteen minutes!" Eldrazi's voice piped up from the back of his mind, a warm presence in the otherwise cold and drafty room. It was a comforting feeling, but as for the words themselves...

Fifty-twos? How many tens is that again? All he knew was that they were numbers. Horrible, pointless things that never managed to stick in his mind, unlike the Demon that had taken up permanent residence there ever since his spirit had left Astren to begin life anew.

"You are so 'opeless, you know that? Look, I'll start teachin' you right now. It goes one, then two, three, four-"

Gavin shook his head, trying to focus back on the room around him. It was always so much harder to see whenever the Demon spoke. With Eldrazi quieted, he could just barely make out the start of footsteps echoing down the hall. Boots. At least... well, a lot of them, making their way towards his cell. A jolt ran through him, the skin of his arms burning in remembrance of the last visit. And the one before that. And the one before that.

His breathing sped up, heart thudding as loudly as the continued threats from whatever poor girl they were dragging down to this awful place. I don't have time to learn how to count right now. They're coming.

Part of him wanted to know how close they were, to remove the barrier he was maintaining between Eldrazi's energy and his own, but that was foolish. It was always worse if he was caught looking like the monster he was. No. It was better to remain Human for now. He reached pale, skinny arms to hug around his curled up knees. It was safer that way.

A bang sounded as the heavy door was flung open, making him jump like every other time. He winced, awaiting for the sting of a knife drawing along his skin.

But it never came.

After a moment, Gavin managed to lift his head enough to make out two guards, each one dedicated to restraining an arm of a dark-skinned girl much taller than either of them. He squinted in the dim light, trying to make out more details, but it was difficult with only a few flickering torches to aid him.

Well, I suppose that means they can't see much of me, either. With a sigh, he reached out with his mind, his conscious brushing against the boisterous sense of confidence he always lacked. The welcoming sensation of letting even a little of that energy into him– melding into one– was no stranger to him, but it still brought a smile to his face every time. Just one that wasn't entirely his own.

"You know, it'd be a lot nicer to borrow more than just the eyes..." Eldrazi's voice rang out louder now. Closer.

Yes, but not now. Gavin knew if the guards turned, they'd catch him staring through the bars with slit, yellow eyes glinting in the low light, but they were as focused on the prisoner continuing to struggle as he was.

He could make her out now, a girl most likely ten and seven years of age or so, long brown hair trailing down to her waist. Most interesting of all though, was the fierce glow to her violet eyes, shining angrily in the dark as a guard lifted his foot to kick her into a cell across from Gavin's own.

"I'm warning you! You think these bars can hold me?" She leapt up, rattling them as she called out after the two.

"Yes."

That was the only answer they gave before letting the stone door slam behind them. And then they were alone, in a room filled with stale, rancid air.

With a sigh of relief, Gavin tipped his head back, sliding down the mildew-coated stone until he was sitting on the floor. It felt disgusting, but so did the rest of him. It was pointless to care anymore.

"Those bastards!" Another rattle rang out as she kicked at the bars. That only seemed to entertain her for a moment though before she switched to throwing a fist against the wall once, twice... each one getting casting drops of blood across her knuckles.

"Are you just going to keep yelling?" He tried to ask the question as nicely as possibly. It seemed foolish to anger the girl anymore, and there was no reason to make his life anymore miserable.

"I don't know. Are you just going to keep sitting, or do you want to make yourself useful and help me break out of here?"

"Oh yes. I'm sure we 'aven't tried that yet. Breakin' out. Lovely idea. Gavin, you should let me inform her the amount o' innovation she brings t' the table."

No. He had no desire to have his tongue stolen right now, and besides, the girl was a stranger. Just because they were locked in the same prison didn't make her any less of a possible threat. If anything, she became the biggest threat of them all with how close she was, not to mention if she had magik... He pulled at his bond again, where perhaps Eldrazi could get a better look at the girl's own core.

She certainly seemed Human, with her rounded ears and lack of any other distinct features, but there was something to her Will: a sharp, fiery feeling that burned like the air outside the prison walls. Whatever race she was, she was hiding it, just not very well.

"Why don't you use some of that magik of yours to solve all your problems?" Gavin suggested, shrugging. That was how it always seemed to be with Immortal folk anyway, not that he would know.

"Duststone bracer, genius." She held up a wrist, a black, shining stone shackle clasped tightly around her reddening skin. "The gods can't hear your Will if communication is cut off. No magik, no healing, absolutely diddly squat..." she trailed in a singsong tone, one ground out in some part from frustration, but mostly from fear.

But even if her sarcasm was reasonable, given the circumstances, it didn't stop Gavin's brow from twitching in annoyance. "If the gods could hear our Will, I would've left this place a long time ago," he muttered bitterly. Akasha was a loving Goddess, the mistress of Balance, the All-Mother. I may deserve to be here but surely... She'd think I paid the price already.

"Yes, how unfair of them to lock us up for grand larceny. Definitely not worthy of torture, not at all." Eldrazi snorted, and Gavin didn't need to close his eyes to pick up the smirk in the Demon's voice, or the way he was no doubt rolling his own gold.

The girl paused for a moment, pulling a bloody hand from the wall to pop a seat next to the bars. Her head tipped, purple eyes scrutinising. Unease crept through him as she squinted, trying to see him in the dark. "A long time huh? What'd they put you in here for?"

Then Gavin's mouth went numb before feeling foreign entirely. His tongue lightened, loosened, but not of his own accord. "Oh! For thef—"

Eldrazi! We are not telling her that! With a tug, he yanked on the bond, crushing it like a stamp on the foot before biting at the forked tip of his tongue. A taste like stale coins flooded his senses, but he cleared his throat, pushing past it. "For the... the fact that I'm a Dávoln."

The word was dark, spoken like the curse it was as he looked away, but it didn't seem horrible to admit. After all- "That's why they took you here too, right? You just happen to be a halfbreed." It made sense to him. Eunsi commonly had blue eyes, and it wasn't impossible for Demons to have red. He couldn't think of much reason for someone to have violet otherwise.

"Oh yep! That does seem to be the problem here!" She clasped her hands, but the humour fell short on her face as she swept her long, unruly brown hair out of it. "So, now that we have been wonderfully acquainted, why don't we work on the getting out of here part? Two is better than one, right... or three I suppose, since you're a Dávoln and all," she continued to ramble, her antsy plain to see as she started to bounce on the edge of her toes.

"For what purpose?" Gavin drew in a deep breath, the air tasting musty, sickeningly sweet and sour from mould as he flicked out his tongue. They all know my face. It would only be a matter of time before they drag me back. "There's nothing out there for people like us."

The girl rocked back on her haunches, raising a brow at him. "You really think I'm desperate to get out of here for nothing?"

"No. I think that you're like everyone else when they come to this place. Scared, afraid of what the punishment will be... until you realise it doesn't matter if you're behind bars or not. You're always trapped." He closed his eyes with a sigh, leaning his head back against the stone even as a thick sludge leaked through his hair to wet his head. So what if it was a prison? Even outside, the Cearte would hunt him down and find him. It was what 'The Righteous' did.

"Maybe for you." She paused for a moment to inspect the blood across her knuckles, but there was no missing the wry smile on her face. Or at least, the girl's best attempt at one. Gods, she was rattled. "Outside of here, I have... let's call them friends. Ones that are fighting for the rights of non-accepted races, Halfbreeds, Dávolns." She glanced up at the last word.

"And you got caught for it." He blinked at her, confused. Another flicker of his tongue gave him a steady, genuine feeling off her, but even if that wasn't a lie... She wants me to trust her based on other people I've never seen, and a promise that she can't make true?

He mulled over the flavour, the smooth butter of determination made bitter with another emotion: Desperation. He frowned at it, focusing on her once more. "Besides, if you had all these connections, why haven't they come to save you? Why rely on a stranger?"

"I didn't expect to be taken to Malin! There's no one here- Please!" She screeched the last parts, hands shaking the bars back and forth. "You don't know what it's like to have your magik wrenched from you, walled up in yourself like- like some kind of vaeloc barrier! Please!" Her voice fell to a whisper. "I'll do anything."

A bitter scoff left his throat. So it really was true. The second you took magik away from the other races, they didn't know what to do with themselves. It was almost sad, that a single, black stone did them in. That the worst she had to fear was a wall. The only thing I've ever wanted.

That would have kept the knives away, the man who crept in every hour to carve off another cube of flesh. And another... and another. How long had it been already? When would he come again?

"Gavin..." The sound of Eldrazi's heavy accent cut through his heart thudding in his ears. "Actually, let's 'ear her out."

What? Why? He thought back, the world slightly unfocusing as he devoted more attention to the warmth of the bond. She's naïve. Just fighting? That just leads to more hatred, more violence. It's a waste of time.

He closed his eyes, and an image floated into his mind. A Demon with brown hair tied back into a short ponytail. He sneered, fangs poking out past scarred lips. "Because, like you said, she's naïve. Delusional even. But, if she's tellin' the truth about being a 'Alfbreed, then she's more powerful than we could ever 'ope to be."

Powerful enough to get us out of here? Gavin forced his eyes open, watching her glare at the brace on her wrist, clenching and unclenching her fingers as if the ashen feeling of her energy could burst to life in her palm through spite alone. If he focused on the taste of her magik, even tapered down it was enough to spin both his stomach and his head. With the Duststone removed...

"Powerful enough to finish what we started." A spark of mischief ignited in Gavin's chest, Eldrazi's thin smile stretching across their face. "Like she said: Anything."

With a sigh, he pushed himself up, feeling the weight of chains at his ankles. Metal scraped behind him as he moved to the front of the cell, nausea swirling through him, but he shoved the feeling away. He needed to stand. He needed to look confident for this. "Fine, but on one condition. After we get out of Malin, whatever your 'friends' are doing, whatever plan you have, I'm joining it."

She looked up at him, her breath hitching as a soft, genuine surprise rounded out a face that had seemed so haughty only moments before."Really? You would do that?"

He tapped a boot, listening to the sound echo around the dungeon. "If they can really protect me, then why wouldn't I? I'd be an amdain not to, and besides that—"

I'm sick of dying. Not that he'd ever seen the edge of Astren, but the amount of times he'd felt its dark, empty hold over his Will before his body healed itself... A shudder laced through his arms, beyond the room's damp chill. He shook his head, trying to clear it, at least, as best he could with Eldrazi permanently stuck there.

A scoff reached his ears. "And here I thought you were not only offering to get me out of here, but even to help me out after." She shrugged. "Guess you're just a coward who wants to save his own skin though."

"I'd rather be a safe coward than a brave corpse."

Another laugh, followed by a large grin. "Well, you said it, not me. Anyways, deal's a deal. Can I have your name then?"

Gavin hesitated. There wasn't much she could do to make his situation worse though, he supposed. "Gavin, and Eldrazi," he finally answered, eyeing her warily.

She blinked. "Oh. I guess that makes it easy to guess who's who then." She left it at that, putting one boot on the bottom bar of the call to yank at another.

Gavin only watched. "And yours?" He didn't like the silence settling over the dungeon hallway. Even with the bars between them, there was something unsettling about how she already knew enough about him to stab him in the back later, whereas on her end... I know nothing.

"Hmm, oh right. That would be fair wouldn't it?" She paused for as long as she could as he continued to stare at her, brows raised. "All right, fine. It's Aoife."

"Thank you." It wasn't much, but it was something. "So, how do you plan on getting out, then?"

"You want me to come up with a plan? Where is your chivalry? I am but a– in my opinion– very fair maiden, locked up against my will. Shouldn't you save me with your Dávoln powers or something?" She laid a hand to her head, sarcasm dripping off her vocal cords as she pretended to faint dramatically.

This is a waste of time, isn't it? He took a deep breath, trying to be as clear as possible. "If I could've gotten out of here of my own volition, why do you think I would still be here?"

"Because you seem like a depressive stick in the mud who just admitted he's a coward."

An obnoxious laugh rang out in the back of his head, cutting off his thoughts. "She's got a point there, Gav. Why don't you let the not-coward 'andle this one?"

Do you want the entire list of reasons, or just the top ten?

"Bold words for someone who can't even count that 'igh. Now let me do my thing."

With that, the warmth of the bond grew until it encompassed their entire chest. The world was yanked into a blur, eyes dazing as a black fog enveloped his vision until his sight was nothing more than a window out of the darkness. A dripping noise became apparent, as did the sound of scampering feet across the dungeon floor as their body's ears became far more tipped than the half state he'd been maintaining. The window then moved up, Eldrazi tipping their head back and grabbing to hold their hair off their neck as he looked up at Aoife. "All right, let's try this again. True, I don't usually go for damsels in distress, but it could be a fun change o' pace."

Already, Gavin was trying to cut in, mentally running across the endless void of the headspace until he was right beside his only view out: Their eyes. It wouldn't be hard to push forward on the image until it rippled, and it wasn't as though Eldrazi would fight him if he wanted out. The Demon never did.

Then again, there was no point to it either. If they could work out something, then Gavin would be dragged along without any effort needed on his part, and if they couldn't... things were the same as ever.

Across the room, the girl perked up, shock widening her eyes as she tried to squint through the dark at him again. "And I'm guessing you are... the Demon?"

"That would be me!" He dropped their body into a dramatic bow. "I 'ave to ask, what gave it away? My dashin' looks? Charisma?"

"Heh. Luckily, I can't see what you look like yet. I'll save that comment for later. All I know is you stopped sounding like a Durnish farm boy."

Hey! Heat rose to Gavin's cheeks in embarrassment. His accent wasn't that bad, was it?

"Like I said, charisma." Eldrazi shrugged, easing some of the stiffening ache in their shoulders. "Now, going back to the pressin' matter at 'and, as much I'd love to 'elp you with my amazin' Demon magik, I'm afraid I ditched a lot o' it to keep Gavin alive with his sad, pitiful 'Umanity. All I can do is just mess somewhat with Wills, which I can assure you doesn't 'elp much, or I'd've left this place a long while ago."

So he didn't have ideas either then. It made sense. Magik was only a matter of what the gods willed. If one of the gods' children could convince their creator that they should shift, or that another should heal, then they would until it was willed otherwise. And those gods had decided that Dávolns were cursed, being the only ones to have crafted their own existence. It was a fact the Cearte repeated often, only driving in the point that he was powerless, trapped, and always would be.

"Messing with Wills?" Aoife asked, tapping a finger on her chin in thought. "That's... odd. Like, you can manipulate other people?" Her eyes narrowed, squinting in confusion. "Couldn't you have made the guard give you the keys by now then?"

"What do you think I am, girl? A Sixth god?" A light laugh escaped their lips, an earthy taste reaching Gavin as a waft of air brushed against their tongue. "Actually, that would be wonderful. Please refer to me as that and only that from now on."

"No."

"Ah well, it was worth a try. Anyways, to answer your horribly misinformed question, no, what little magik I can use can't do that. All it means is I can... suggest on someone's Will. Slip me an extra piece of bread through the bars because that's a kind thing to do, be a little 'appier, 'esitate for a moment... It's all playing around with people's emotions like the 'eartbreaker I am. Not mind control." He spat the last word out with distaste.

As much as the idea of fully manipulating someone's soul– their Will– twisted his insides uncomfortably, Gavin almost wished that was the case as Eldrazi continued to explain. At least then he could've made the guards let him go. Make them take their torture weapons back and leave him alone. But instead all his Demon's magik could do was make suggestions while his Human body paid the price.

"So you're telling me you can't make them take this vaeloc bracer off?" Fury glinted in her eyes as she shot a look only a little off from where Eldrazi stood.

"Oi! You can't be usin' language like that around Gavin. 'E's practically an infant." He reached up to jokingly clamp their ears around their head. "But... I'm curious. You're dead set on gettin' that thing off. If I do that much for you, can you guarantee us a way outta this place?"

Aoife nodded, determination set on her face. "I swear on my life."

"And you're an Immortal, right? That means you only got one o' those to barter with." His lips curled up into a smirk.

"Of course." She nodded. "That makes my word mean more, right?"

Gavin perked up at that, the distance between himself and the world fading as Eldrazi encouraged him back into a more mutual state. Even so, he could still feel scales spattered across his cheekbones from Eldrazi as he nodded at her. "Indeed it does, and if that's the case..." he trailed, finally meeting her eyes through the bars. "-then I think I 'ave an idea."