How to Save a Hero [ManxMan]

Chapter Nineteen: I'm Fine

~Chapter Nineteen: I'm Fine~

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" Koa asks over the phone.

It is early Monday morning and, since I have to leave for work in less than ten minutes, I figured now was the time to call Koa about my little run in with Veles yesterday. Because if I choose to wait until after my shift, I will likely forget or procrastinate and do it tomorrow, which would be a mistake. No new information was really gained by talking to the god, but I still promised to call Koa if I saw Veles again and putting it off might make it seem like I am not reliable.

"I had a surprise conversation with Veles yesterday," I tell him, getting straight to the point. "I was waiting for someone and Veles wanted to chat. We didn't discuss anything interesting, though."

The captain hums thoughtfully. "Indulge me."

"He was ditching a meeting. I asked him if he was a god and he gave me a vague 'probably'. I asked why he doesn't have a beard, he asked about my lack of a pointy hat. We talked about family; he's apparently adopted. He asked if I use dark spells, and then he left because he was going to be late for something," I explain, having to pause only a couple of times to make sure I am remembering correctly.

"No beard?"

I shrug, even though I know he cannot see it. "Yeah, I mean, the descriptions on the internet are probably hundreds of years old. Maybe he decided to shave...not that he really looks like he'd need to, either. No stubble. He has the dark hair, though," I comment, recalling the god's appearance.

"Did you get a picture?" Koa inquires.

The thought never even popped into my mind.

Which is probably a good thing. It is not like I could just ask him the pose for a picture; the god is secretive and smart. Asking for a picture would just send off alarm bells in his mind. And even if he was somehow not suspicious about the request, he would be after word got out that the demons started circulating a picture of him among their ranks. I probably could have gotten a picture some other way, the quality would probably have been horrible.

"No, but I'll try to get one next time, if I remember," I promise, because it is still a good idea, even if it involves a risk. It will probably be a while before I get another chance, though, as I have no idea when Veles will approach me next. Or if he even will, since I am just his friend's boyfriend. If he shows too much interest in getting to know me, things would start to get really awkward.

Koa thanks me, which should be the end of the call. However, he just falls silent instead of hanging up. Confused, I hesitate to hang up, in case that only leads to him calling me back. Another few seconds pass before Koa asks, "Do you use dark magic?"

Why does he want to know?

"Not anymore."

The demon hums noncommittally, and when he asks nothing further, I end the call. If it were Aldis, I would be more hesitant to hang up on him, but I have no problem doing it to Koa. It is not like I want to talk to them; I just have to.

- - - - - - -

As I take a seat at my desk, two hands suddenly descend on my shoulders, startling me into almost jumping back out of my chair. However, the hands hold me down, which is probably a good thing. "Relax," my partner says, and I can picture him rolling his eyes behind me. "You're jumpy today."

"Anyone would be jumpy if you sneaked up and slammed your hands on their shoulders," I disagree, and then gesture with a jerk of my chin towards Officers Brian and Diana, both of whom have their backs to us right now as they lean over a computer screen. "Go try it on Brian and you'll see."