### Sex God Saga 15
### Home, Sweet Home
Still WEDNESDAY:
It was getting dark.
Oswald Drive was full of plain, but manicured front lawns with some pretty old trees. Enough to distract the passing eye from how shabby most of the houses looked upon closer inspection.
Coralline was in the back with Theo. She wore a green, flowery dress with a color matched jacket. "Is it insensitive to ask about them?"
Theo gave a shrug. "I don't hate my adoptive parents. They weren't abusive but they weren't... a lot of better things they could have been either. At the time I felt like being gay was the final straw but in hindsight, we were never going to stay in tight contact."
Keith put the phone down. "Everything's ready. Your parents remain at work, the guys have set up."
They left the white Ford -- a car old enough to blend in just fine with the neighborhood -- and stepped around the dark van parked to obscure the driveway to Theo's old home.
Bastian Mills, Omen of Concord, straw-y red-blond hair and glasses so thick they distorted his eyes, was drawing in chalk on the concrete.
Remi Boyd, Omen of Spheres and Coralline's dad, was setting up sacrifices of wine, chocolate, kindling and a plastic box full of grasshoppers.
The sweep for remaining demonic activity had revealed something odd.
Remi nodded at Theo. "If there's an Outsider in your home it could give us answers, even if it's not actually related to you. But if it is, you being here might be a trigger of some kind."
"We're ready," Keith said. "Right?"
Theo gave a solemn nod.
Remi added his power to the chalk diagram. If Theo sensed the glyphs right they spoke of good intentions for communication.
An Outsider manifested to his mediumship. Tall as a person -- a muse -- but blurry and unwilling to sharpen.
"Hello," Remi said. "We come in peace. If you're no demon, we will leave you alone. We just want to confirm a few things. Would you like any of those offerings?"
The being wobbled into the shape of a semi-transparent woman, middle aged or older. She was tall and had a hoity expression, her clothes simple but flowy. She indicated the milk and chocolate. "The household goods."
"Ah, muse of the hearth? Partake, please."
Theo wondered if this explained the repeated 'who ate my pickles' incidents.
She made the offerings vanish, then looked at Theo. "I can divulge little information," she said. "I was bound by greater forces."
"Any god we have named?" Bastian said. "As far as you know?"
The muse shook her head. "I am not bound by a god."
"Not... by a god?" Remi said, more statement than question. Gods were his specialty. "Who else has such power? A city full of shamans? But then someone would have to go by and give you V occasionally."
"Old blood," the muse simply said.
"What?"
"The 'races', dad," Coralline said. "The demi-humans or whatever term we've settled on this week."
"Was it Stygians?" Remi asked the apparition. "Or Primals? Or... others?"
"I am not at liberty to divulge. I must protect..." She looked at Theo again. "My task has become complicated."
"What does that mean?" Remi asked.
"I will not divulge," she said.
Keith raised his hand. "Hey, muse lady. Do *you* have questions for us?"
She gave him a long look. "Theo," she said and turned to the blond. "You are Knowing now. And your capacity has revealed itself. And you don't return anymore to this place I could keep sanctuary."
"Uh, correct," Theo said.
"Would you say you are reasonably protected but independent from this place?" She gestured behind herself at house where currently no light burned. Eyes glowed behind the windows, but those were just the Watcher.
"I guess?"
"Then my pact may be fulfilled. I have watched over you since the day old blood placed you in my care. Your distance in these recent years made it difficult, but I extended what protections I could. Farewell now."
"F-fare...?" Remi said but the figure was already fading.
Keith sighed and made his shoulders jump. "Should have brought her more household goods, huh?"
"Dad?" Coralline said. "Does that mean the Stygians who kinda botched Theo's creation, no offense, sent a protector for him?"
"Seems reasonable to assume," Remi said. "Although I'd like to prepare more tests. There's another issue now, though. If this muse was protecting Theo, is he still save?"
Bastian Mills poured water onto the Atlas glyphs to wipe them away. "May have to bring him to the Refugium again. Or post guards. Maybe don't sleep alone tonight. Don't mean to scare you but..."
Theo nodded. "I can arrange a sleepover."
Keith tapped his chin. "I have an idea for a longer term plan."
### ### ###
Theo knocked on Mako's apartment door. Since the Forgedancer was likely listening to music or gaming, he wasn't likely to respond but to Theo's pleasant surprise, the Japanese boy-literally-next-door opened, wearing a sleeveless silver-white gym shirt and basketball shorts.
"Hi?" Mako said, as his expression lit up. "Need to borrow a cup of protein powder, neighbor? Or can't you sleep without an Asian man wrecking your hole?"
"Wow, are you Primal guys all that conceited?"
Mako 'subtly' flexed, leaning on the door. "Tell me I'm wrong. Third eye wide open."
"Whatever. Turns out my parents' house was a sort of sanctuary and now we accidentally sent that muse home so I might be... unguarded in some way. Can we do a sleepover?"
"Oh, weird. Yeah, sure."
"Originally I wanted to lead with 'I need you' and see how you react before I explain but you decided to be a douchebag first."
Mako winked. "Always one step ahead. My place or yours?"
"Yours is cold, right?"
"Not, like, frosty. And you'd be under covers. But sure, I can hop over. Do I bring Everest? It's about protecting you from unknown factors, after all."
"That would be appreciated. Do you... I don't have a spare mattress. Or sofa. You've seen the place."
Mako licked his lips. "You're not sharing the bed with me?"
"If you're up for it."
"I mean fucking."
"Yeah, I got that."
"Okay, just had to make sure. I'm glad I don't have to do the whole song and dance that chicks demand. Give me fifteen and I'll be over. Sound good?"
"Perfect."
Mako moved back to close the door. "Man, I thought I was done being horny today."
### ### ###
THURSDAY:
Theo only woke up when the knocking was already getting obnoxious.
He and Mako stirred at the same time, failing to immediately extract their naked bodies from each other. Everest had been snoozing under the kitchen table and barked at the front door, which gave the knocker pause.
Theo managed to slip into gray slacks and a tan shirt with patterned sleeves -- gifts from Paris -- while Mako only put on the sweatpants he'd come in, remaining topless.
Keith had arrived with a tall package. His clothes were white save for a red belt long enough to reach his knee, his earrings were little chains of different length, his smile widened as he saw the Primal.
"Hey, Keith."
The Asian shaman nodded, then looked past him again. "Hehe, good to know Theo was well taken care of. Did you let him get any sleep, though?"
Mako gave a shrug. "We talked a lot. Personal stuff. History."
"Talked, huh?"
Theo took the package off Keith's hands and brought it to the dresser. Unpacking revealed a large mirror in a simple frame. Little patterns and symbols were drawn along the edges, like someone had brainstormed tattoo concepts.
"That's your cum rag?" Keith asked, pointing at the towel on the dresser.
"Uh yeah," Theo said. "If you want to call it that."
Mako punched Keith in the shoulder. "Mostly mine. Not to brag but if virility was a type of V, I'd be king."
Keith looked back and forth between them. "But you 'talked', huh? You sure you want to brag about how much gay sex you're having?"
Mako flashed him both middle fingers. Everest shot a quick bark.
"Suit yourself," Mako said, "but Theo can turn anyone into a fountain. Don't be jelly just cause you're not in the inner circle."
"He liked me first," Keith said, more of a mumble.
"What?"
Keith turned to Theo. "Here's my contribution. Don't ask questions."
He placed a black vial on the crusty towel.
"Why would I have questions?" Theo asked with a grin. "Am I supposed to wonder if you ever jerk off?"
Mako chuckled, one hand on his own doorknob, the other raised in a flex. "It's all he can do. He doesn't have a slut begging for his cock. Unlike me, the ultimate ass fucke- Hi mom!"
Seiko Yoshida was coming up the stair and her son rushed to help her. She carried a stack of boxes. "Theo? Express deliveries for you. From Paris, I believe."
The blond took the boxes off her hands, while Mako put down the rest.
"Thank you, ma'am. He texted me that something was on the way and that it'd even help with the ritual. Oh, thanks for letting me turn this place into-"
She waved him off. "You do whatever magic needs doing." She looked back at her son. "And you! Treat your partners with respect, no matter who."
"Yes mom."
Theo kept his gaze on Keith to watch the Duskwright chuckle quietly. Their eyes met and Keith gave him a quizzical look. The Primals left, closing the door on the way out.
"So the, uh, mirror," Theo started. "Glyphs drawn correctly?"
"Cor and her dad did it," Keith said, "so it's gotta be. In fact, they are a little too good. I brought an accidental housewarming gift from when I test activated one. In the corner."
Mediumship revealed the wisp drifting in a circle around a fantasy rune that was an Atlas glyph for 'come here and stay'.
"Reflection wisp, Mel told me," Keith said. "Transfer it out of there before we fill up the mirror."
Theo got a metal bowl and a knife. He handed the knife to Keith to start opening Paris' new gifts and polished the bowl, holding it up to the mirror.
"Come on, little magic bug. It's reflective, too. And soooo well treated. All dust free and shining. That's right."