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Who: Harlan Halliday, Leo Flynn
What: Bout time for these two to meet face to face and probably be angry about it.
Where: West island, near the orchard.
When: August 16
Warnings: Nothing right off the bat but this might get ugly so will update as needed.

[Apparently the orchard is in pretty bad shape these days, huh? Farming is not one of Harlan's strong suits, so he'll leave the replanting to the experts, but he does head over to the west island to check things out. Mostly it's because he has nothing better to do, but also, oh no, what if the weed got fucked with?

He teleports over to the island, landing near Love's temple because it's familiar. He doesn't want to risk slam dunking himself into the middle of the ocean again. This means he has a bit of a trek ahead of him to make it to the orchard, but he doesn't mind. It's nice to get out of the house.

He spots a guy he doesn't recognize milling around near the hot springs as he passes by. It's sort of rare that Harlan sees anyone he doesn't at least have a passing knowledge of, but it's not the weirdest thing in the world. Maybe he's new this month, or something. The possibilities are basically endless around here.]

Hey.

[He says it as he walks past because he's polite and says hi to people on the street these days. What a guy.]

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[Leo's been kind of moody and withdrawn lately. He's never been surrounded by water for this long in his entire life. So there was no way anyone was going to be getting him on a boat, not even at gunpoint. So he's stayed behind and is just wandering the island instead. It's rather quiet with so many people gone.

He's got a shiny guitar made out of steel with him and his hands move automatically, the song that calls people's souls to the surface moving across the strings. He's got an unusual finger-picking style of playing. What can he say? Music is an instinct with him. He's kind of lost in his own head as tends to happen with passionate musicians, so there's kind of a sharp look up when he's addressed. It breaks the song before too many notes can be strung together.

Leo's got dark blue eyes, darker than any human has ever possessed, and small black crosses that go up most of his left arm. To anyone else but him, they look like tattoos. He looks and immediately sees the shadow writhing behind Harlan. A sinner then.]

I haven't seen you before.

[But Leo rarely leaves the island if he can at all help it. He has too much fear of the water to trust any method of getting around to the other islands.]

[Usually, it's nice to see a fellow musician around Hadriel, especially one that plays guitar, but, hm. There's something about the way it sounds that strikes an unpleasant chord with Harlan. He's heard it before, though he can't immediately place where. He doesn't like the slight tinge of magic that hangs in the air after the notes land, either. It's faint, but it's there.

He stops, turning around to give Leo another once-over. Who the hell is this guy? Why does he seem familiar?

It's when he speaks that it clicks. Ah, fuck. This is not what Harlan wanted to deal with today. He straightens, eyes narrowing, and readies himself to defend against Leo's magic should he try anything.]

I'm Harlan. We've spoken before.

[That should be enough to jog his memory.]

Oh yes. The one with the lectures and immunity to my song.

[He sounds just a little bit annoyed. Really, were he anywhere else, he'd just eat Harlan's soul and be done with it. But no. He has to play nice here because having people come after him with torches and pitchforks will not end well for anyone.]

Why is that?

[He might just be putting an extra bit of that honesty power behind the question to get the real answer, not some evasive bullshit.]

In the flesh.

[So he made an impression. That might not be a good thing, but Harlan doesn't care. Let Leo come after him if that's what he decides to do. Things will come to a head eventually, anyway. It feels inevitable at this point.]

I can use the same type of magic. I've built up a resistance.

[Power or not, Harlan isn't one for evasive bullshit. There's no reason to lie.]

I don't know where you get off, playing morality police when you go around fucking with people's heads. That's hardly noble.

Never heard of that before.

[But then the only powers in his world was possessed by monsters. Humanity was definitely at a disadvantage.]

I have the right. [He says loftily.] Someone needs to judge the sinners of the world. [Also, monster's gotta eat, but that doesn't sound nearly as righteous.]

[Harlan doesn't bother elaborating. Leo should be smart enough to know that just because he's never heard of it before doesn't mean it's not possible. Hadriel is full of surprises in that way.]

You have the right? Are you kidding me? No one has the right to hurt another person. Who the fuck are you to judge anyone?

Because when my world became unbalanced from all the evil in it, I was created to balance things back out. That's my right. Interesting that you're all about judgment considering what you've done.

[Don't throw stones, Harlan. Leo can see you're living in a glass house made of sin.]

We're not in your world. Don't be stupid.

[But he does tense slightly at Leo's words. How much does he know? Nothing, probably, but it's tough to say with someone throwing around enchantment magic like Leo does. Who knows what he's capable of?]

You don't know anything about me. I don't have anymore right to play moral compass than you do.

Oh, sure, I suppose I should just stop then, and starve to death. All for a noble purpose.

[It was a little hard to stay on the wagon when he needed to eat souls to survive and all.]

I know you did something you can't come back from.

[There's a very clear list of Big Sins that one shouldn't commit. They're pretty clear cut, so Leo's not about to absolve anyone just because they now felt sorry about what they'd done.]

Why not? Hope would just bring you back. I bet the gods could even hook you up with an alternate food source.

[Or... something. Harlan's definitely talking out his ass at this point. He's not sure what "starve to death" means in this context.

That said, he doesn't much care to find out. The fact is that Leo is dangerous and is willing to prey on people in the town. That's not going to sit well with Harlan no matter how you spin it.]

That's vague as shit. You could say that about most people.

When a human being starves, they just die. When a Sunai starves, people die. [There's a pause because that really doesn't sum up the gravity of the situation.] A lot of people. [There. That's better.]

[Yeah, he could be more specific on the ins and outs of his powers, but that requires a level of trust he hasn't even given Seth and Margo when they're practically family.]

You tell me then. I'm not a mind reader. People just tend to be honest with me.

[Not like it's something he can control. He's just gotten used to people telling him the truth when he asks, which is why he's phrasing it more as a command than a suggestion.]

The hell is that supposed to mean?

[It's a genuine question despite the obvious rancor behind it. But as to the rest, Harlan scoffs.]

You're that reliant on magic? Fuck you. My life is none of your business.

It's not reliance if the powers in question don't come with an off switch, you ignoramus.

[Leo gives a long-suffering sigh. This one isn't too bright now, is he? Looks like he's going to have to spell things out for Harlan.]

If I go too long without eating souls, I lose control, and turn into a big fire and smoke monster that devours the souls of anyone around until I calm back down again.

It's reliance if you don't know how to function when they don't work, asshole.

[Two can play it this game.]

The gods wouldn't let that happen. Hope would rather fix whatever fucked up condition that is than waste all his power reviving your victims.

[He's just gonna ignore the first part because that's what he does when he can't think of a good comeback to someone who might be right. As for the second...]

Forgive me if I don't put all my faith in either the word of a sinner-- [And boy does he manage to put a lot of self-righteousness into that single word.] --or a bunch of gods that like to fuck with people. Pretty sure some of them might enjoy a bunch of people dying painfully.

[Harlan throws up his hands. This "sinner" business is more than he can take.]

It's not a matter of opinion. Christ. I'm stating fucking facts about how this city works. Why the hell would the gods want a mass murder on their hands? Hope would need to revive everyone, and the gods would lose out on a food source until they came back. How would any of them enjoy that?

[Sorry, Harlan. Leo's now going to likely be terrible to you for the rest of time.]

Have they ever stopped anyone before?

[Serious question. He's met some people here who are a lot worse than him and that he's sure would have tried to kill people too. Maybe not as many as him, but serial or spree killer, it all boiled down to the same thing.]

[GREAT.]

Caedra. I heard the gods altered her power after she summoned all those demons and shit. You know, the ones that almost killed a shitload of people.

[He's a bit startled by the sudden serious question, but hey, if he can convince Leo to check in with the gods about this issue, that's a win in his book.]

I get that you think I'm scum, but it's worth a shot, isn't it? Wouldn't it help you too?

[Maybe not? He doesn't know Leo's life, but that soul diet thing sounds mighty inconvenient.]

Wasn't here for that, but we've met. It doesn't surprise me from what I know about her.

[The only reason he hasn't killed her yet is that he considers her something of a friend, which really just shows how hypocritical Leo can be with this whole sinner business.]

It's different with me. She kills because she finds it amusing. Me, I don't get a choice. That's part of what I am.

[His eyes narrow. What? He's not talking about Caedra in the way Harlan expected. It sounds almost like they're buddies.

It would make sense if Leo wasn't so hung up on this "sinner" shit.]

She gets a pass but I don't? And, what, you get a pass too because you can't help it? Bullshit. If you're going to throw around judgment you have to be consistent.

[That makes him mad, having his hypocrisy called out like that. He'd very much like to hit Harlan, but if he did, assuming Harlan didn't pull out his magic, it would likely end with the other man spitting out teeth. Leo's a lot stronger than he looks.]

I said nothing about anyone being exempt. The only reason I haven't killed anyone yet-- [....Key word there being yet.] --is that I'd prefer not to piss everyone off and have a mob with torches and pitchforks after me.

And the difference between me and everyone else is that humans and demons and whatever else the hell is here is that you all have the choice not to murder and torture and darken your souls. I don't have that.

[It's odd, hearing something reasonably logical come out of Leo's mouth. That's the first sensible thing Harlan's ever heard him say. The first part, anyway.]

You know better than Caedra. That's a relief.

[It genuinely is, to a degree. Not wanting to upset the balance of the town is worth something. Even if it's for a selfish reason, it's good to know that Leo doesn't actually want to rain chaos over Hadriel.]

You do have a fucking choice. You always have a choice. Your options might all be total shit, but you're still in control of what you're doing. Here? You have even more options here. Get over yourself and ask the gods for help.

[Considering the yardstick they're measuring his conduct by, it really isn't all that far too fall. Still, for all that Leo really can get sadistic when he chooses to be, he's never thought about going on a rampage through the islands. Despite Harlan's words about the gods stopping him, he's sure he could kill a fair amount of people before they could intervene.]

She's an abomination. I'm sure I might gain some points with people if I killed her.

[Well, there's goes his sensible talk. Really, it's more because he's looking at every problem like a nail when all he has is a hammer to work with.]

You'll be happy to hear I made a deal with Hope almost as soon as I got here. He provides what I need so I don't have to kill anyone.

[Which basically means he's been being difficult this entire conversation for the hell of it.]

But I don't trust him enough to rely on him all the time.

[It was always good to have options (aka meals).]

[...Hm. Well. Harlan isn't sure how to feel about that. Leo and Caedra facing off would be a damn good show, and it'd likely be a two-birds-one-stone situation. Neither would stay down for long, but maybe they'd develop an ongoing grudge and would keep each other in check.

Or, maybe they would go too far and take half the city down with them. He doubts either of them would care much about collateral damage, and there's people in town who would likely intervene in an attempt to keep the peace. There's no way the two of them fighting wouldn't result in casualties.]

It's not worth it. Caedra isn't someone you want to mess with.

[BUT THAT NEXT BIT. Christ, Leo. Harlan rolls his eyes. It's a relief, sure, but he could've saved them a lot of time and mentioned it upfront. Asshole.]

Fine. Are you planning to go rogue on a whim or are you saving your killing for when you actually need it?

[Indeed, any plan that possibly involved Leo losing control was a bad plan. Leo in his true form could have taken out an even dozen of people on just a whim. He could do a lot worse when pressed to it, feeling hungry and out of control, and that was even considering that he was the weakest of his siblings.

He scowls at Harlan's question, and is tempted to tell him to fuck off, since he doesn't really feel like answering. But maybe it's better to just flat-out tell what he thinks.]

I don't plan on killing anymore than I have to. Is that a good enough answer for you?

It is, actually.

[He doesn't exactly sound pleased, but it's not like Leo can give him anything beyond his word at this point. Whether or not Harlan trusts Leo, it'll have to do.

But he still has questions.]

You said you have to kill to eat souls, right? Does that affect how Hope revives people when they die?

[In other words, would your victims come back?]

Good question. Want to volunteer and help me find out?

[See, besides Leo having powers that make life difficult, he's often just an ass for the heck of it like right now. Still, at least he has some justifications for his actions. It's hard to be civil when he's surrounded by what look like a bunch of dinners.]

[Well, that's an even less satisfactory answer. Harlan is quiet for a moment.]

Maybe. If it ever gets to that point, let me know.

[Michael wouldn't like that answer. The Visitor is already targeting Leo, so what would happen if he killed Harlan? It would likely set off a chain of events similar to what would happen if Leo went after Caedra.

But, if it came down to it? If the death wouldn't be permanent? Harlan would let Leo kill him to spare someone else in town. He could handle it. It'd be for the greater good. Michael wouldn't like it, but he would understand. Harlan hopes, anyway.]

[Leo waits for him to say something else. But nothing comes. He blinks in surprise.]

You're serious?

[It's not like he hasn't encountered people like this before. In the silent town he'd been in before this, he'd encountered several souls willing to sacrifice themselves for others. It was something he never got used to.]

It's not a promise, but yeah. I'm serious. I've died before.

[And it sucked, but it only sucked for about half a minute, if that. Then he woke up a few days later, more or less good as new. Losing his hearing also sucked, but now he knows how to fix that. He might not even have to worry about fixing anything after the fact, really. Hope only messed up his revival because it was in the wake of the Null attack, when he was already dangerously low on energy. He might come back just fine if Leo were to kill him.]

How would you do it?

I just play you a song and touch your skin. It doesn't even hurt.

[The person is already dead by the time the unfortunate side effect of their eyes getting burned out of their skull happens. Color him surprised that Harlan would be willing to help him out like this. And here he'd thought the man didn't like him at all.]

[Oh. That's... a bit boring, if he's being honest. He was expecting something much more dramatic, given what he knows about Leo.

He shouldn't be disappointed that he wouldn't feel anything, but he is.]

Alright. If Hope fucks you over and it's either me or the city, give me a call.

[He should drag Harlan along to one of his feedings. They're a lot more dramatic in person usually, what with people confessing their sins, and not wanting to die by having their souls eaten..]

Good. Exactly how mad is everyone who cares about you going to be if I do this? Because I had one guy already threatening me harm the last time we texted.

[Even if he doesn't yet know about it, the last thing he needs is to get into a dragged-out no holds barred fight with the monster in Michael's mind. That would likely end with as much damage as if he went after Caedra.]

[Lucky for the both of them, Harlan would also like to avoid any murder dominoes that might trigger as a result of Leo killing him.]

Pretty fucking mad if you do it without my go ahead. I'll talk to them, if it comes to that. No one will come after you.

[But, that's not the full question, not really. He sighs. There's not gonna be a good way to handle this.]

That was Michael. We're together. You threatened me first.

[Leo's not sure if he believes Harlan. People tend to let their emotions cloud their judgment even when the victim was willing. Upon hearing who it was]

Your boyfriend's got a charming personality. Not the brightest if he thinks threatening me was a good idea.

[Cocky thinking? Yes. But there's not a lot that could damage a Sunai, let alone kill one. Still, that monster might be the one to do it.]

[Harlan bristles.

It's shit like this where being in a relationship is difficult. Leo's right. Threatening him was fucking stupid. Not only did it stir the pot and put Michael and Harlan both on Leo's radar, but it gave the Visitor a target. That's the last thing either of them needed, Michael especially.

Like hell he'd ever admit that to Leo, though. To anyone. Michael is the only one who needs to know how Harlan feels about it, and he does, so case closed. It's tricky, though, defending Michael when all he can think about is how much trouble that choice has made for them. He has to lie. He doesn't like lying.]

He knew what he was doing. Do you seriously think insulting him is the right move after I've offered myself up as a failsafe?

[There's a very flat look in Leo's eyes. They look very dark this close up, the blue of his irises so dark that they're almost black. One of the only outward signs that he's not human.]

I warned you several times that provoking me is a bad idea. That the consequences aren't good. And despite that he seemed to think threatening me was a good idea. So, yeah, I call out someone who's being a fool when I see it.

[Not that Leo was being the smartest either. He had definitely bitten off more than he could chew this time. He was going to learn that the hard way.]

[Well, at least this part is easier to defend against. Harlan shrugs.]

Threats don't always hold water, and you don't know shit about either of us. Maybe we're the ones you should shy away from provoking.

[Harlan's a powerful sorcerer, after all, and the Visitor is nothing anyone wants to mess with. Could either of them hold their own against Leo? Harlan's genuinely not sure given that he doesn't know the extent of Leo's abilities either, but it wouldn't be as easy of a takedown at the guy seems to think.]

I'll believe that when I see it. You end up playing with fire, you're going to get burned.

[That's a literal statement, not metaphorical. Dealing with a demonic monster made of fire and smoke was not a picnic if he decided to go on a rampage. People would die. A lot of people. It always happened and was never easy to stop.]

[Unfortunately for Leo, Harlan takes it as a tired metaphor, so it just gets an eyeroll. It's sassier than he should be with someone like Leo—tired metaphor or not, Harlan does know he's dangerous. That message to the network clued him in well enough. Anyone able to wield any brand of enchantment magic is dangerous.

And Harlan does believe Leo when he articulates how dangerous he is beyond that, too. He may not realize the full extent, but he knows he's in trouble regardless. He's on Leo's radar, and Leo is on Michael's. It's an impasse. That's bad, even if none of it comes to a head for months to come. Eventually, some switch will flip and everything will go to hell. It's just a matter of timing, this conversation has made that clear. Here's hoping his attempt at an understanding will stave off the worst of it, at least.]

Let's hope neither of us has to see shit. We done here?

I've learned to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

[They'll both learn the hard way not to underestimate the other soon enough. Leo's cynicism is warranted in this case. This is a powder keg just waiting to explode. With that final parting shot, Leo turns to leave. He's going to go off and listen to some music for a while to cool back down.]

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