He didn’t so much as glance up from the pages of the book he cradled like a babe in his arms when she made her appearance downstairs, though his lips did twitch in subtle bemusement; her only indication that he had even noticed her. His lashes drooped low, his chiseled features rapt and set in an expression of determination. It was as if he were taking a venture down memory lane within these pages. In the light of the day that filtered in from between the blinds he had cracked in her living room, he looked far more haggard than he had the night before. Even that, perhaps, had merely been a trick of the night, or by fault of the goggles they had both worn over their eyes in light of something new. Or it could have been something else entirely. Either way, the lines of his face stood out even more than they had and his shoulders slumped forward, drawing attention to the wards etched across his torso. One side of his hair stuck out boyishly and a deep dimple appeared in the groove of his cheek when she wandered past him, but that was it.<br/><br/>“You’re going to learn how to summon, capture, hold and potentially kill a demon today,” he stated absently. Like he was discussing the weather, or how they were going to go walk in the park and enjoy a picnic; something pleasant, mundane, and also something to look forward to. To say that his tone was flippant was an understatement. His fingers flicked over the pages, turning to the next.<br/><br/>“Because it seems like all you know is a vague sense of history, random legend that you probably plucked from some commercially sold Wiccan book or a fantasy novel, and have never actually encountered one before. So on top of that, we’re going to test our theory from last night to an extent.” This time he did look up at her with eyes gone dark and muddy. They lacked the luster from whatever stored up power he held just underneath his skin from the night before and instead simply belonged to a man.<br/><br/>Settling the book open in his lap, he reached out so that he could pull the chair she sat in closer to the one he occupied then ran his palms up her bare legs to her hips to give her a tug. It made for easier access when he himself leaned forward to meet her halfway, catching her mouth against his own. “But you’re also right,” he added softly once he drew back and released her to her own chair. “It’s also harder than you might think for one of their kind to take over a human host. It’s not like in an episode of Supernatural where they body hop like a spreading STD and Moose and Dean have to kill a bunch of body suits before miraculously finding a long lost weapon of lore in some random barn somewhere in Wyoming that they can use to kill Lucifer himself with.” He loved modern day TV.<br/><br/>“It’s a longer game than that. Suckers like myself help them get a good foothold into the world. And they are exactly like parasites. Besides, regardless of whether you<i>dabble in darkness</i>, it’s good to build your defenses, Lane.” There was, perhaps, a hint of regret in his voice that softened his expression when she reached out to turn the pages for him. His hand caught hers on the withdrawal so that his thumb could stroke against her wrist.<br/><br/>If she wanted to help him, to be involved in this mess, he had every intention of breaking her out of her comfort zone. It started with that smell of mint that still hung in the air, mingling with the coffee. “After you drink that cup of coffee, I also made tea especially for you, darling,” he snarked and grinned. He ran his free hand once over the pages of the book, then set it aside so that she could grab his full attention. “But I’d only advise that you drink it if you want to find out just how much of your ancestor you really are. Think of it as advanced memory enhancement. Better than any vitamin you can buy at the store. I came up with it when I was trying to figure out an actual way to create the perfect drug, like they have in Limitless. Other than giving you a temporarily photographic memory, I’m not sure what the side effects are going to be with you. I took the opportunity to write my memoire, and how growing up in the seventies was a farce. Did you know that He-Man used to be my idol? Then I realized just how unhealthy his relationship was with She-Ra and that he actually had feelings for Skeletor that he never got closure for. Plus, any strong, burly man with no hair is unnatural. Much like PCP, expect a kind of.. disembodied experience,” he joked. “It could prove to be very<i>spiritual.</i>”