To Kill the Usurper or Succumb to Failure [tw]

“I promise,” he assured his mother with a confident smirk. He didnt feel like it would be a huge task to keep himself in check, but he also knew that he hadnt encountered many weakened mortals that were solely weakened because they carried a daemon child. He nodded at her update, looking the buildings up and down. He knew the western district quite well, but as they got to the residental part of the district, he realized that maybe he hadnt been everywhere quite yet. Getting out of the car, his smile broadened at the sight of Delilah, returning the hug in a caring manner. He could have been one of those regular bratty daemon-boys who would have haboured odd feelings for their mother’s closest, but Amos viewed both of the empusa women as aunts to him, solely because he had grown up with them always being around. As odd as the bloodline had seemed to be around the subject of family, Amos did have his own set of restrictions.
He let the women talk as he moved his head to look around, before he felt his mothers caress. Looking at her, he leaned shortly into her hand with a nod, to then turn his eyes to the house. Scrunching his nose he chuckled under his breath. “Why is this so like I imagined him to live in?” He asked with a sigh. Maybe a part of him had hoped his father to be less predictable. Going into the house, he stuck his hands in his pockets, subtly eyeing what he could as they made their way into the livingroom. It wasnt hard to tell that they had moved in recently, so he wondered what it would look like once they had properly settled in. He was quite aware of his movements as he went to the window to look out, somewhat light on his feet to not just intrude and wake up the fenix - He would leave that to his mother. His eyes watched the garden, but he was in his mind, a part of him wondering if the fenix would recognize him by one look - wether he resembled his father by little or enough to need an explanation.

Getting his cheek pinched made him stick out his tongue before he shook his head. He wasnt sure why the mute empusa was so persistent on greeting him like he was still merely 7 years old, but it did always make a small smile creep up on his lips. Watching the outside, he heard the fenix call out, frowning a little as he wouldnt react to being mistaken for his father - He wasnt that proud of sharing the similarity. His eyes lazily moved around the garden, he was quite jealous of the fact that his sister would grow up to run around in the grass under the sun. But at the same time, he wouldnt be able to recall if there had ever been a garden when he was a child, he had always been too busy making all sorts of trouble.
Hearing the two women talk, he could tell that his mother had little care for the fenix, making him turn as his mother finished talking. He sent the fenix a friendly smile, much like his fathers as he came closer, but but not too close. He could sense even from a distance that she was an easy target, “I’m Amos,” he simply presented himself.
“Simeon wouldnt kill Belial, just yet. If that was so, he wouldnt have bothered using me to get my mother out of there,” he then said, his eyes shortly seeking his mother’s before going back to look at the fenix in front of him. He folded his hands on his back but it was more to squeeze them together if he felt the need to. “I guess we have to wait and see what happens,” he then said, pinching his lips together in a forced crooked smile.

He wasnt sure why he was trying to comfort the fenix, but yet he had said what he predicted Simeon to do. Looking at her clutch at her stomach that was hidden behind the oversized sweater made him wonder what would happen if Simeon ever were to find out about the child. He noticed her faint smile, shrugging at her offer, “I dont mind tea. The warmth is nice,” he said before he watched the fenix go. It was a relief to have her out of the room, so when his mother suggested that he should help, he frowned and pressed his shoulders together. “Guess it would be rude not to,” he then said in a low grumble, sending his mother a look that showed he wasnt looking forward to it. Going out into the kitchen, his hands were still kept in his pocket, “Why did you choose to live in the western district?” It almost fell out of him, a serious expression on his face. The western district wasnt exactly known for being the family-friendly kind, but maybe going to the eastern would be too predictable. He didnt know what funds they had either, so maybe western had been the only choice.

He nodded at her answer, thinking it had been more simple than the answer he had predicted in his mind. He liked it when he couldnt just predict something but at the same time, he frowned a little when he realized he was wondering whether Baal would have moved closer to him or not if he knew earlier. Would the summoner even try to be a father? He pushed the thought away as the fenix looked at him. He didnt even know her name and the thought of distancing her by that made him feel like his hunger was slowly rising. He turned his eyes to the kettle. The fenix spoke but he didnt move his eyes. He had to focus on something else, so he thought of the kettle. He knew it was slowly warming up, many times had he warmed water in a similar kettle, just to feel the warmth of hot water  when he drank it. He kept watching it though nothing was happening yet, till she asked him to touch her stomach. Looking at her hand, he swallowed hard and shook his head a little, “I dont want to intrude,” he excused himself but it was really just that he was afraid what feeling her soul would do to him. “Belial wouldnt like it,” he then mumbled, though he didnt know anything of his father’s likes and dislikes. But it just seemed easier to use him in this situation.

“So then it’s not like you’re having a swell time with family as well,” he said with a uncertain smile, keeping the tray perfectly balanced as she poured in the hot water. He looked down at the cups as he clenched his jaw a little, trying his best to keep his mind occupied. “Simeon has tried to be like a dad to me, but it just didnt feel sincere. Sometimes I wonder if things had been different of my real father stuck around.... but well. It’s fairy-tale thinking. And I’m not really bothered by the way things are,” he then said, frowning a little at his own words. He just wanted to contribute to what she was saying with something of his own mind. He looked down at the three mugs, “I dont know what the seraphim are like when it comes to family. But they would be fools to shun you,” he then said with a more sincere smile. He hated being kind, but it kept his mind from imagining how her soul would taste.
Going in to the livingroom, he sent his mother eyes that wasnt quite happy with having to be alone wirh Buffy. He placed the tray on the coffee table before he sat down and waited for Buffy. He grabbed the box of different flavours and shifted through them all before he settled on a regular black tea with some sort of berry-flavour that he couldnt distinguish at first glance. He dumped the teabag in the water before leaning back, hands resting on top of his thighs before he closed his eyes for a moment. He thought about what Buffy had told him.

Some time went by and Amos had fallen asleep in a leaning position against the armrest that probably didnt look as comfortable as it felt. But he was unmovable by any means once he had decided to sleep. It had been a long day for the young daemon with many different impressions that he had to digest. His arm almost hugged around the armrest like he was used to hold something close as he dreamt of all and nothing. He barely noticed that the door opened followed by a loud thump.

He should have stayed away till he was aware of what was happening to him. But it wasnt easy when he was guided by no other than an annoyed Trent. Looking at the mark on his wrist that had meddled with the marks, he should have known the celestial had some sort of ace up his sleeve. Trent stood outside with the guarding empusa Delilah, his hands raised as he chuckled and shook his head, “...Brought the guy didnt I? But please do hold me back so he can go nuts in there with whatever is in his body. Either way, I’m not doing this for anyone of you’s,” he explained with a smirk, though he wasnt really sure why he was helping. He had only been lucky that his mark was something that bound to flesh and not soul, otherwise it would have disappeared with Nova’s at the ceremony. But did Nova still care about thos couple? Was it even for Nova he did this? Or was it the child Buffy bore? He didnt want to think of it.

Being lifted to his feet didnt seem to faze him much as he looked around, seemingly confused and unaware of where he was. His body was tense like it was fighting off some sort of pain, but his face showed no sign of hurting at all. Lifting a hand, he rubbed his forehead before running the hand through his hair. Her demand for an explanation made him turn his eyes to her, it seemed like he didnt actually see her at first till some sort of realization came to mind. He pushed himself from her grip just to tumble into the wall, gasping for air. “Dont touch me,” he mumbled a little slurred, pressing a hand to his chest. He frowned to himself, looking at the ground with empty eyes. “The artifact...” he mumbled, pointing to the spot he had been pressing, where his heart would be, “... It’s there,” he continued as he glided down the wall to sit. He curled up, the marks under his shirt glowing with some odd light to them like never before. Closing his eyes he gritted his teeth. “Trent brought me here.. I told him not to,” he whispered to himself, clenching his hands with every wave of pain that he began to feel slowly but quite intense.

Trent looked the empusa up and down before he seemed to grow impatient of her holding him back from going inside. “If you let that fenix in there touch him, the artifact will do whatever it can to harm the baby in her stomach. It feeds on the dark energy your kind bears,” he then said to put it simple. Crossing his arms he decided to let her choose if she still wanted to detain him.

The pain was so intense he could feel it like a ringing in his ear and a blur in his vision. Hearing Buffy made him shake his head but he was unable to move and let her know to stay back. He could only be thankful that the empusa stopped her before she could get to him. Trent sent Buffy a smile as he saw her but it was more a proud smile to mock the empusa in fromt of him  than a friendly greeting to the fenix. When he was allowed inside, he went to Baal, crouching down next to him before he placed a hand on his neck. The celestial closed his eyes for a bit as he concentrated on the connection he had to the summoner, before Baal fell limp. He lifted the summoner up in his arms before looking at the others, “Bed?” He demanded, walking ahead as he looked for a place to put the sleepy daemon. Either way he would find a way to get the daemon to lie down somewhere away from the other daemons. With a deep sigh he turned to the others, wiping a little sweat off his forehead, chuckling under his breath, “He doesnt look as heavy as he is,” he mumbled before looking up. “He should have been dead,” he said with a shrug before he looked at Buffy. Lifting a finger at her, he flashed a small smile, “But you were smart, werent you?” He then asked, pointing at his wrist. He had seen the mark. “Now, just because he isnt dead, doesnt mean this couldnt turn sour in a heartbeat. His blood allows him to absorb the... whatever is in him. But as I said, it wants more of that dark energy,” he then explained.