Demons (Damirae)

Chapter Ninety-Eight

Having finished an hour in the simulation room, Damian decided he would take a break and get something to eat. In the kitchen, a few minutes later, he was buttering two pieces of toast when -besides him on the counter- his phone began to ring (nearly causing his tea to spill as it vibrated).

Mr Leiwandowsky. Damian picked up the phone.

"Hello Damian,", he said, greeting the teen familiarly- Damian had been sent on various tasks by the gargoyle aristocrat, and their bond had grown steadily- with a voice scratchier than usual.

Damian returned, "Mr Leiwandowsky."

"I hope I haven't troubled you, but could Raven and yourself make it to the Blue Dragon as soon as possible. I must leave urgently and there are somethings I wish for you to know."

Whatever it was, he apparently couldn't (or didn't want to) say it over the phone.

Damian, after taking a sip of tea, answered, "Of course, we'll be there shortly."

"Thank you Damian." He closed the phone.

Damian finished buttering his toast, downed his tea, and took his plate upstairs to find Raven. Had he not been a trained assassin, Damian would have fallen down the stairs- what with Belladonna being chased around the house by Dick for stealing one of little Mar'i's toys. As expected, his girlfriend was in her room, reading.

He asked her what book it was, sitting on her bed before biting in to a slice of toast. She responded that it was one given to her by Zatanna about navigation of the nether-realm (and old tome, found in some dark corner of the House of Magic- very interesting though).

She got up from her armchair and sat next to him, stealing a toast from his plate as she placed a bookmark in the book. Raven asked, "What is it?", and took a chunk out of the toast with her teeth. A few doors away, Mar'i began screaming again, having just woken up after a restless night eventually ending in sleep.

"Mr Leiwandowsky called, he wants us to go over."

"Did he say what about?", she asked.

He shook his head. "Something significant certainly, what?- I don't know."

After notifying Dick that they were going out, Damian returned to Raven and the two of the walked through a portal of hers, in to Mr Leiwandowsky's office. In good nature, the gargoyle laughed, "You scared me half to life!"

He got up from his chair and straightened his bow tie out of habit. In a moment of fragility, Mr Leiwandowsky let out a hacking cough, covering his mouth with an embroidered handkerchief. He smiled at the two teens, but it felt more like he was trying to reassure himself than them that he was fine.

"Are you alright Mr L?", Raven asked, frowning.

"Oh yes yes,", the gargoyle responded, "I'm well, thank you my dear. Actually...I'm not particularly well, but it is nice to pretend so."

"What's the matter? Is this what you wanted to speak with us about?" Raven prompted.

The dapper gargoyle waved a hand, "Oh no-no-no my dear...well yes- in a sense. It's part of the equation." He brushed down his waistcoat- a snazzy, velvety, embroidered black and plumb article matching his plumb purple Oxfords. The two waited for his to continue. He began with a sigh, "You see, I must be returning home, shortly. Thus quitting all my assets in this world."

"For what reason?" Damian demanded, not without warmth- the thought of the old gargoyle leaving for good was a bleak idea.

"This world has been chipping at my health for several centuries, it's really kicking in now, I'm not as young as I used to be.", Me Leiwandowsky chuckled. "I've been advised by a healer to return to my homelands. I don't think I could bear leaving it again- I've missed those hills dearly."