Devian let a smile curl his lips and he backed away. "Very well..." He stretched his wings again and let the wind fill them. "Come to me, and I can shield you from the coming rain." He drew Verlin close to him despite his lack of clothing and grasped the small fae close. "Don't squirm." He warned. "And as soon as we're near humans, you and I will be on our separate ways." He wanted a human---needed someone to give themselves up. If he killed them, so be it, but he needed energy. He breathed in, sprinting to the edge of the sheer drop and catching the wind, rising slowly in the air and flapping his wings hard. They were huge, his wings, and not as heavy as they looked---they lifted him and the extra weight easily, and shielded the young fae from the rain that began to fall. Despite the disturbance in the wind, Devian could smell it---human. Their thick, smoky, animal-like scent hung heavy on the breeze.

He huddled into the other man's embrace. Rain, oh how he hated it! But this being could be a shield for him. Had he intended it when he freed Devian? Perhaps, just a little. As they began to soar over the forest, Verlin squirmed just a little. "If you leave, how will I get back? What happens if the humans turn on me?" He had heard horror stories of other fae being captured, taken, played with and never let go. Humanity could be so cruel, so entirely heartless, while giving a semblance of innocence.

Devian rolled his eyes. "Can you not take care of yourself? You may be small but the small ones can be so vicious." He flapped his wings a bit hard without realizing, hearing a small gasp and settling himself on the currents to glide. "Ahh... It feels like it's been a millennium since I've felt the wind in my wings... Ah, right, right, but you have a predicament..." He shook his head, closing his eyes to the wind in his face. "Hmm, perhaps I could accompany you on your little quest. If you find actual clothes for me first. You can hide your wings easily, and I'm sure you'll be safe on your own for just a little while. Steal them from a line if anything."

They were over water now. It might have been a massive lake, but could have been part of an ocean. He didn't know this world enough to pinpoint what it was specifically.

"Under any other circumstances, I would be perfectly fine on my own. But with the rains..." He did hate having to rely on anyone else for such a simple thing as flight. The sudden lurch of the demon's movements had the fae letting out a sound of distress, and wrapping his arms tight around Devian's neck.

"Of course I could find clothing for you. I'm sure it wouldn't be all that hard.. But not from the lines, they would be quite wet, and probably uncomfortable." He knew for a fact that humans had created wayside places, made for travelers. It would be an easy thing for a fae to sneak in with magic and trickery. Actually, that sounded entertaining. "This .. will prove to be funner then I thought it would be." And then there was the chocolate ..

Devian twitched a little, but didn't show it. At least the fae wouldn't be falling anytime soon---he was clinging too hard to him. He shifted his arms a little and rolled his shoulders, directing his wings to send them a bit lower. They seemed to be alone, and the scent of humans was growing a bit stronger, but it was still light.

"'Funner' is not a word." Devian added with a stony tone. He hated when people used wrong grammar---a problem he had come to annoy everyone with in his constant interruptions and corrections. He had made sure to correct every one of his mistakes, written and spoken, regardless of whether he was being spoken to or not. The frustrated, and eventually enraged expression on the man's face had been worth it every time. He had laughed like a maniac, but his laugh was actually rather low and rocky under any other circumstances.

A sign of annoyance? The fae laughed as they approached the earth. "Of course it is! And so is cuddlier. You should work on that, actually.. Mister Flame-hair." Once both of them were safely upon the ground, Verlin wriggled himself out of the other man's arms. He tugged at his clothing until he was sure his wings were safely, and securely, hidden from sight. Even with the rain falling they remained quite dry. Now all that was left, with chocolate as the prize, was to find his serious new friend some clothing of his own.

Verlin was tempted to return with a long, draping, dress.

When they landed about half a mile away from the moderately sized village, near enough to a road to keep an idea of where one were headed but far enough away that no one traveling would see anything odd. He set the fae down roughly, and when he went off in search of clothing, Devian leaned against a nearby tree, heedless of his own lack of clothing for the time being. He hated the stuff, having tried it on a time or two, and found it pinched in the most uncomfortable places and constricted him dreadfully.

But he would have to grit his teeth and deal with the awkward, bunching fabric if he wanted to appear even halfway human. That reminded him---Devian gritted his teeth hard, grasping the tree behind him and digging his claws in tightly as his wings began to shift, crack, and pop, sliding back inside him and vanishing from view. Panting slightly, Devian roughly pushed his hair back and disregarded his tail. It would be easy to say it was an embarrassing little curse, little more. He sighed, ruffling his hair in the rain. Its fiery tone was no duller even soaked and plastered to his shoulders.

It was a harsher landing then he had expected, but nothing too difficult for a fae to shake off. Verlin made up his mind as he walked to the nearby city non-chalantly. He would indeed return with a dress for his demon companion. It flows much better then men's clothing," reasoned Verlin silently. A wonderful plus was the way he was sure the demon would react.

Streets were blessedly empty. Though perhaps that could pose a problem. Verlin crept through the streets, between buildings of stone and wood. Walking into the inn, or so Verlin assumed it was, he swept past humans with nary a glance and use magic to enter one room after another. He plucked a dress from one, a lovely orange hued rich thing, and a pair of shoes from another, and jewelry to match from the next. This he brought out awkwardly, clambering through a window.

After that, it was just a matter of walking down the path, and returning to the tree where he had left Devian. A mischievous grin bloomed on Verlin's face as he held out the things he'd gathered wordlessly.

While he was alone, Devian rubbed one of his horns against the tree and smiled a bit. He normally kept them small, but enjoyed the rough feel of grinding the exposed bone against something to either sharpen the points or file them down so they didn't catch upon anything. He didn't have the right type of stone to help actually grind his horns down, however, so he would have to deal with that until he could get back home. How could he get back home...?

His meditation was interrupted by Verlin, returning with something that looked disgusting. Devian growled in annoyance. "That." He spat, taking the cloth. "I knew I should have gone on my own. You think this is funny, but I certainly do not." To show his disdain, Devian ripped the cloth and tied certain parts together, making a wrap that he knotted over himself. "This is hardly funny. I should have known trying to repay you would be more pain than it's worth. You have your location, now go find your obsessions. Surely a sweet little fae such as yourself could charm your way into any free thing." He stomped around Verlin, his tail slashing from side to side and his wings aching to burst from his body. But he didn't let them---these people probably didn't know what he was.

"But ..." The fae ran to face the other man. He held out his hands, and shoved lightly at Devian's chest. "I chose the color to match your eyes and hair, all of it." He let his eyes fall to the ground. "You never said what type of clothing you wanted .. so I thought it mattered not at all." Yes, he had wanted to make some kind of jest, but ... only because he had thought the reaction would be something more comical then angry.

Verlin had to wonder how Devian would react if he ever found out that the fae had lied to him. He bit his lip, and backed away. Then, the fae ran. Though it rained, he stayed away from the buildings for a while. It was frightening to think of how the demon would take being lied to. It had, of course, begun as jest ... Just like Verlin's lies always did.

Devian almost let his expression soften and deal with what he had been given---it had been something after all, which was more than he could say for where he'd been for a very, very long time. Then Verlin ran. Devian startled, watching for a fraction of a second, then darted after him. The fae couldn't fly still, so his wings didn't come out. They would just catch on the low tree branches anyway. He felt... alive. As if he had finally broken chains that had surrounded him for far too long.

He was catching up quickly, but his hands tingled.

In some places, roots rose from the ground, or stones lay upturned because of wagons and foot traffic always rumbling past. Verlin, unused to such things, paid them no heed. It was his undoing. Just as he thought he would lose the demon by twisting one way, his body went the other. The fae whimpered from his new spot on the ground, and looked at his betraying feet accusingly.

Devian snarled as he ran, ready to leap onto the fae and bring him down like a carnivore would their fleeing prey. He was glad he didn't have to leap, however, as Verlin fell on his own and Devian slid to a halt directly over him. His chest heaved, Verlin looking no better as he panted and stared up at the incubus. Devian's hands were burning now, and when he looked down at his hands, they were surrounded by a dark fire. "Why did you run?" He demanded, Devian's voice low enough to rumble in his chest. "Answer me." He was finished with expending his energy in blatant screams and tantrums. He was quiet now, and his power would help him do his talking.

Wide eyed, Verlin scrambled back from the other man. "I ... I ..." The fae swallowed hard. Sweat dripped down from his hairline as he tried to figure out some way to escape from the outrageous predicament. It was so tempting to lie, to say he had just been taken unawares by Devian's anger. And it was believable too. But was it the right thing to do? Lying did tend to be Verlin's action of choice, if he was given it. He was used to it, it comforted him.

Hard stones dug into his back, into the palms of his hands as the fae took a few deep breaths.

Devian's clawed hands flexed, and the fire surrounding them fell off in small streams. "Answer me. Now. Why did you run? What gives you the right to run? Have you stolen something? Have you given me something?" He stepped closer to the fae, then over him, and went down, pinning him to the ground and willing the fire to fade away. "I want you to speak. Speak now." His knees squeezed tightly to make sure Verlin couldn't escape. If the fae had given him something that he'd not expected, something that might have been stolen, perhaps, then Devian would want to show him the true power of the demon within him. He didn't dare meet the fae's eyes yet.

The fae whimpered and wriggled. Verlin's head turned back and forth, as internally he cursed his horrible habit. "I lied!" The fae sniveled. "I don't really like you at all. I just wanted to play ... to see how you'd react." It had been cruel and wrong, and now he was paying for it. "I'm sorry, so sorry," stated Verlin repeatedly. There was no escape. his wings were scrunched up. The tender appendages twitched and twinged painfully, only adding to the fae's discomfort.

Disheveled, hair in disarray, the pale haired fae stared up. "Please don't hurt me."

Devian growled loudly, his dark eyes now dull and deep, as if they had no end. "You..." He stifled a harsh laugh, pressing Verlin's shoulders down hard. "You..." The words were caught, and he swallowed hard, his hair slipping into his face. "... I don't care!" He roared, pushing Verlin down hard. "I don't give a damn! I never liked you, why would you think your stupid words would mean anything!? Anything at all!? You think I would adore you immediately, cling to every move you make, hang on your every word? I use humans for their energy, I use fae and satyrs and elves, anything that I can allow to feel pleasure, and that feeds me. If I began to knit a relationship based on everyone I ever touched I would be dead by now. And you think you're different. Hah!"

He forced himself up, shaking with rage and forcing his power to remain hidden within him. In the cool air, a contrast to his constantly heated body, he seemed to steam as the rainwater evaporated from him. "Get out..." He growled. "I can find my own human, my own way home." He was breathing hard still---despite his silent promise not to waste his energy, he had.

"I don't even know what you are!" The yell seemed far too loud to his ears as Verlin struggled up from the ground with a wince. He pressed his fingers against his shoulders, and then let his hands slide under cloth to test his wings gently. They were tender, sore ... He moaned and crumpled to the ground. Rain and tears mingled across his features as he found a tear in his precious wings, and then another. Those jutting stones had done their nasty work as the fae had been thrust against the ground again and again.

The fae wrapped his arms around his knees, tucking his face out of sight. Even if the rain did hide his tears, it would do nothing to disguise his sobs. The wrenching of despair wormed into his heart. What would he do without his wings, without his flight? Would they ever heal? Or would they remain as they were for the rest of his life?

Devian curled his nose. The whining coming from the ground annoyed him, but Verlin was right. The fae didn't know what he was. No one in this world did. He closed his eyes for a moment, turning his face away and looking up. The rain was light as it worked its way through the leaves and plopped against them, and he sighed. "Get up." He didn't wait for Verlin to reply or do as he said---he wrenched the fae up by his arm and pressed him against a tree, removing the wrap that hid his wings. "Are they really so fragile they'll rip at the slightest provocation?" The rocks under them, for example. They didn't even hurt Devian's feet, though he were barefoot.

"Stay still." He muttered, and ran his fingers down the rips. Small sparks seemed to fly from where he touched but when they faded, the wing had knitted. "Should have let me do this earlier and we'd have been able to go our separate damn ways..." He shook his head and sighed. He was using up too much energy and needed to find a focused partner eventually.

The fae made no protest when he was manhandled and wrenched about. He was too lost in his misery to care what happened next. So it came as a shock when a zing slipped over his wings. They were whole again! Beautiful, perfect, just as they had been before the rain! The rain. Hastily, the fae wrapped his wings carefully once more.

"What are you? And .. and how did you heal..." He sniffled. "I'll do whatever you want ... A fae without wings is .." No better then a human. Shunned, ridiculed, and exiled, those were the things that would have awaited him on return.

Devian made a disgusted face and shook his head. "Don't worry about what I am. I want you to leave me alone. Leave me alone..." He sighed, closing his heavy eyes and shaking his head. "I think it would have been better if I had remained where I was." He stepped away, feeling his wings emerge again and the sudden burst of power he felt made him howl. The rain was ebbing, and he felt disgusting. He had to find a source of natural water. "You. Verlin." He looked around. "I want one thing from you---tell me where to find a lake, or a river." He wanted to feel clean again and being surrounded by heat and rain and mud and drenched in sweat didn't help him in that. He wanted to be clean first, then he would find someone to feed on.

Eager to make up for his earlier mistake, the fae reached out to grab the other man's hand. "This way," said Verlin as he tugged and pulled at the demon. He walked from the village, mentally tracing the way back to the lake they had flown over only moment before. It was a large one that the fae sometimes frequented. Never to swim in, but sometimes to fish within, or to speak with the surrounding elemental spirits. They always had such interesting stories, but the moment they noticed the red haired demon they disappeared, leaving not even a trace of their energy behind.

Devian sighed, hurrying along with the fae as he ran. He sniffed the air, smelling a different tone to the air. Water. There were different tones to the water in the air. He took his hand from Verlin and ran his tongue over his fangs, watching the water. There were a few beams of sunlight showing through the clouds as they began to disperse, taking their rain with them. At least it was a quick storm, like in his home. He stepped onto the shore of the lake---it was huge, like an ocean, but there was no salt on the air. Unknotting the makeshift orange wrap from around his waist Devian stepped forward until his ankles were in the warm water, and he knelt, lowering his wings and bringing water up and to his lips, then over his head. He scrubbed the bark off his horns and checked their sharpness, testing how secure they were upon his head. They were, and always would be, but his tendency to check that they were secure had been imbued within him since he'd fought for dominance over the clan he was in, and had failed, nearly losing one. Since then he kept his horns small as to not challenge the dominant incubus again.

For his part, as the demon bathed, the fae settled down upon the lakeshore. He unwrapped his wings as the sun replaced every drop of rain. Each one was a perfect thing now. Like the wings of a dragonfly, they were delicate, finely veined and slightly translucent. A pale blue, they sparkled in the new light as Verlin pressed his fingers against them. They were whole. It was difficult to truly believe, when the tears he had suffered earlier were still so fresh in his mind.

That would teach him to lie to someone like Devian. But then, there was none other like the demon. It was even more obvious, when the fae actually put in the effort to pay attention to the details. To actually observe what he had dismissed earlier as unimportant as he sat quietly upon the grass.

Devian sighed and sat, letting the water slide over him. There was only one way back home and he didn't have it. There was a portal magic he knew that couldn't come into play in this world---only his world. He didn't know why he couldn't open a portal back home---there didn't seem to be much different in this world than in his own, but it wouldn't work. He tried again, finding only a small spark light the air in front of him and his finger and then fizzle. Sighing, Devian flattened his wings and flopped backward. "Verlin..." He sighed, looking back. "Come by. I will tell you what I am..." He didn't see why not. It didn't seem to matter, since humans knew about his kind and what they did. Mostly he and his kind didn't kill humans, and those that were taken by his own told more of a paradise where, while they were exhausted when they were brought back, only the most heavenly things happened there. Everything seemed so much sweeter there they said. Maybe it was true.