A Haunted Mirror
Jade and Jake walk behind you enough, and talk loud enough, that you can basically have a private conversation with Dave without any worry they’ll hear. That would help you so much if you had any idea what to say to your long lost brother.
“So… what’s going on with you and John?” That is an awful starter Dirk, why are you even trying? You can’t do conversation, you know that, everyone knows that, and the way Dave tenses at the conversation makes you sure it was the wrong thing to say.
“Nothing… just…” He sighs. “I’ve been having a rough time since that fucker stopped hunting us and he’s been helping me, I guess.” He rubs his arm, not meeting your eyes but looking at the ground on the other side of him to you. He looks like he did the first time he justified a bruise he’d gotten from Bro, something you remember clear as day but you hope Dave forgot. He looks like something bad happened and he’s blaming himself and he doesn’t think he can ask for help.
“What happened?” You ask, frowning slightly and your eyes trained on his face. He bites his bottom lip lightly. “Dave, whatever it is you can tell me. I won’t be mad at you, cross my heart with my pinkie..” His eyes flick to you at the silly little rhyme. It was something Roxy made up when you and her were younger and Dave had decided he wanted in. You hadn’t been happy about it at first, but Roxy was, and as you all got older it just sort of stuck as the ultimate promise. Dave takes a deep breath.
“We lost someone.” He says. “I made a deal with him a while ago, if he’d help us win he could stay out of Hell. Then I found out that, before all that, he’d made a deal with Cal. If he killed John he could be human again and go home. I was fucking pissed. I was so pissed I didn’t even want to look at him. Then, in the same moment you switched places with us, he vanished. I overheard Kanaya telling Rose he’s back in hell and a demon now but, because he’d protected us and tried to help us, he was still being tortured.” He’s looking at the ground and you’re sure he has tears in his eyes. “There was so much bullshit going on and now he’s gone and I can’t even apologize for being such an asshole. I knew he didn’t want to hurt us or go through with his deal with Cal, he said so, but I just didn’t care.” His hands at clenched at his sides.
“It’s not your fault Dave.” You tell him. “You were upset, I’m sure he doesn’t hate you for it.”
“That’s the worst part.” Dave sniffles. “He should be upset, he should hate me, but I really don’t think he does.” You wrap an arm around his shoulders and he leans against you. You notice there’s a serious lack of Harley-English talking. You turn your head and notice them very purposely acting like the ground or sky or something on the other end of the street is just so interesting. You don’t call them out on it.
“We’ll find a way to get him back Dave, I promise.” You tell him as he calms down without many even being able to tell he was breaking down.
The church you go to should probably be condemned, though it’s basically turning itself to rubble anyway. Jade and Dave both seem confused as you and Jake stroll in like there’s nothing strange or unusual about the situation. They follow you to the back and down the steps to the basement.
“Uh, Dirk, what the fuck?” Dave asks, recovered from your heart to heart enough to look as though he was never upset. You think he needed it more than he was letting on.
“It’ll make sense in a sec.” You say. You open the door at the bottom of the stairs. Inside sits a mirror, surrounded by a circle with candles that won’t ever go out, symbols that you make sure not to touch, and a salt ring.
“Nop, not making sense.” Dave comments. You roll your eyes and step into the circle. Jake stands outside it with Jade and Dave, frowning and glaring at the mirror.
“Sup.” You talk into the reflection of yourself and knock on the mirror. Nothing happens. Dave and Jade look at each other with a ‘what the fuck’ expression. You just roll your eyes and raise your eyebrow at the reflection.
It ripples. You wait.
It’s another few seconds before the demon inside the mirror appears. You make sure to look as bored as possible as you wait.
“Hello Dirk.” He’s almost shouting, pale lips and sharp teeth curled into a smirk. His arms are crossed, claws exposed, and he looks like he almost wants to bite you. You reckon he would if he could touch your shoulder without his face trying completely red. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” His lips curl around the word ‘pleasure’ like it’s a joke.
“Wow, a 2 syllable word, good job.” You mock and he scrawls.
“You’re here for my help, I wouldn’t start mocking me if I were you.” He growls. Another insult is on the tip of your tongue but you don’t let it slip.
“We summoned Cal.” You tell him straight up. “You said once we did you’d tell me how to get rid of him.”
“You can’t.” He smirks.
“There’s got to be something.” You roll your eyes, keeping your calm.
“Step into the mirror and I might tell you.” He offers, smirk widening slightly. You’re not surprised, in the least.
“No.” Jake frowns from outside the circle and Caliborn’s smile drops into a scrawl, his eyes looking past you to your company.
“Oh great you made up with him.” He growls. “Are those your siblings. She’s ugly.” He claims before smirking at Dave. “You didn’t tell me your brother was half time demon.”
“How can you tell that?” Dave frowns and you almost groan at the inhumane grin on Caliborn’s face.
“Because I’m your Lord. Lord Caliborn of the time demons.” He gloats.
“Then why are you in a mirror?” You almost grin at your brothers response, and at the fact he doesn’t flinch at the glare he gets in response.
“Just because my sister trapped me here so she could have our body doesn’t mean I’m not a Lord.” He snaps. “You should all be grovelling at my feet, begging for my help, not attempting to insult me.” He has such an ego.
“I’ll step into the mirror.” You tell him.
“Dirk, don’t.” Jake protests.
“It’ll be fine Jake, you guys just stay out here and try to stay safe. Give me an hour.” You tell him over your shoulder before you step into the mirror and the reflection vanishes.
The other side of the mirror is small, simply a reflected version of the room on the other side without the salt, candles, and symbols. The rest is reversed and makes up the room Calliope condemned her brother to so that they wouldn’t have to fight to the death, a fight you know Calliope would have won despite the claims of both siblings. There are a few things that have been placed in the mirror, by you or her, that don’t appear outside of it. A handful of books you doubt he reads, a few sketch books you’ve left here, a couch from Calliope, a deck of cards from Calliope, a Gameboy that he stole from you years back. You wouldn’t quite say you considered Caliborn a friend, but you certainly didn’t see how the demon could be this massive evil everyone else claimed. He just seemed like a spoilt brat in time out to you.
“What is it that you’re wanting this time UU?” You ask, leaning causally against a mirrored wall.
“I want the secret of getting out of here.” It’s never a request with him, always a demand. It reminds you of a toddler stomping their foot and demanding a cookie.
“Something else.” You, in turn, demand.
“You’re asking me to tell you how to trap Cal.” He says. “Cal, whose my old teacher and my best servant.”
“He hasn’t come to save you, has he?” You leave out the fact that Cal can’t actually save the Lord of Time. He could enter this room and walk right through the mirror without knowing it. A powerful enchantment from the lady of the Void demons or something like that that prevented it. Cal scrawls, pouts really, and you walk over to him. You hook your fingers under his chin and force him to look up into your eyes, past your shades. “Tell me, please Caliborn.” You ask softly. His face turns bright, bright red and he takes a moment to jump out of your hold.
“That was positively lude!” He screeches. When you were a younger, more hormonal teen you thought it was kinda cute and only mostly amusing. Now it’s just amusing to watch him react. You don’t speak, just turn back to him and wait. “I’ll tell you what to do if you draw me some more pictures!” He eventually says, speaking too loud and too quickly.
“Alright.” You sit down and draw what he asks until you hear a knock on the mirror. Caliborn doesn’t say anything, just staring at the ‘sexual’ pictures you drew him before eventually huffing.
“Summon Cal into a sealed circle and get your brother to start a time loop, trap him in whatever doll you summoned and then get your brother to contain the time loop in it. Cal’ll be trapped in the moment you trapped him forever. Everyone knows that, honestly, you all idiots.” He sounds like a pouting 2 year old. You give him a nod and then hear the knock again. Jake pulls you out of the mirror with ease and instantly starts scolding you for what you did.
“Come on, let’s get back to the others, I know what to do.” The whole way back Jade’s hellhound is silent, you won’t admit that it makes you a little nervous.