fandomhigh | Library [08/19]

"Oh, yeah, now's a great time. I'm just killing time, I'm not doing anything that important," he assured her. "You still want to talk about demons?"

Raven nodded. "Yes. I am very interested to see if they are like those of my world," she said. "And perhaps I may learn something of how to deal with them."

"Is there anything you want to know in particular?" Sam asked. "I could probably talk about them for days if I had to."

"What form do they commonly take?" Raven asked. "How are you able to identify them? What are their powers? How are you able to imprison or destroy them?" She ducked her head and blushed a little. "I have many questions, as you can see."

"Questions are never a bad thing, really," Sam said. "Our demons take the form of the people they're possessing. If they're not possessing anyone, they just look like black mist. It's easier to get around that way, but it also limits what they can do. Once they've possessed someone, they're super strong and capable of telekinesis. You can imprison them with a devil's trap - it's a circular symbol and if you draw it on the floor or the ceiling, the demon can't move outside of it, or use any of their powers. As for destroying them, you can't, not really. All you can do is exorcise them and send them back to hell."

"What does this devil's trap look like?" Raven had to ask as she wondered if such a thing would trap her as well. She didn't want to find out, so it was best to avoid them if she could. "I do not know of a similar thing on my world."

"It might not work if your demons are different, but..." Sam trailed off for a moment and grabbed a piece of paper, sketching out a rough example of the trap. "The symbols aren't quite right. I don't have them all memorized by heart yet, but you can get the basic idea."

Raven took note of the shapes so that she could try to avoid such a thing if she could help it. "The demons of my world are different," she said, nodding. "There is one I know of that is hundreds of feet tall, with red skin and antlers like a deer and two sets of eyes, though he is capable of assuming a human form." As he had done for her mother years ago. "He has destroyed entire planets and conquered hundreds of dimensions. He would be akin to your world's Lucifer, I think. He controls other demons, but they are not as powerful as he."

"We have demons that are more powerful than others too," Sam said, thinking of Yellow Eyes and how much more damage he could do if he had the power to destroy an entire planet. "But as far as I know, they all have to possess people to have a human form."

"I wonder if your devil's trap could contain Trigon," Raven said thoughtfully, looking at the drawing again. "Or perhaps one that was altered with symbols more familiar to my world. Do you know of any other ways to repel demons?"

"Yeah, there's a bunch of ways," Sam said. "Holy water will burn a demon, and it's good because it doesn't hurt the person they're possessing. If you want to keep demons out, you can line your doorways and windowsills with salt, because they can't get past that."

"I believe holy water may work as well in my world," Raven said. "But I have never heard of salt keeping a demon out." She'd eaten foods with salt, hadn't she?

"If one is possessed by a demon, are you able to see it? Is there any outward manifestation of the corruption within?" she asked.

[yis, I've totally set myself up to be Christo'd, so if you want, go ahead. ;) ]

"Unfortunately, if someone's possessed and the demon isn't using any of their powers, they look completely normal," Sam said. "If they do start to act out, their eyes go black. You can either watch out for that, or if you want to test someone, you can say Christo."

[I didn't want to do that without asking first. TY! :)]

Raven's eyes didn't turn black, but they did glow red (all four of them) as she flinched away from Sam with a startled gasp. She stared at Sam in fear and dismay, tensed to flee. "Do not be afraid," she pleaded as her eyes (only two now) returned to normal. "I will not harm you, I swear it."

Sam's instincts had kicked in at the eye glow, and he'd taken a step back, but he hadn't gotten much further than that. "Because you can't, or because you don't want to?" he asked.

"Because I do not wish to," Raven said. "I do not wish to harm anyone ever. I use my gifts to heal. Please, you must believe me! You and your family do not have to kill me."

"We--we won't kill you," Sam said, at least partly certain about that. "What just happened? Why did you--when you said you wanted to talk about the demons from your home, I didn't think..." He trailed off, not sure what to say.

"I wanted to know if there were ways that you or your father or your brother could trap me or expose what I am," Raven admitted. "The demon that I described to you -- that is my father, Trigon. But I am not like him. I will not be like him."

"So you're a demon too?" Sam asked. "You're not like the ones I've met. If you were, I'd be dead, so that's a point in your favor."

"I was raised to resist my heritage," Raven said. "So that when my father comes to claim me, I will be able to fight him, not submit and rule at his side. I am a healer, not a destroyer. I am sorry I misled you, but I feared I would be killed or forced to leave the island if anyone found out what I am."

"I guess talking to my dad didn't help with that, huh?" Sam asked. "We hunt things that are evil, but when it comes to here...it's different, we know that. You're not the first demon we've met who wasn't out to harm anyone."

"I am not? Are there others like me here?" Raven said, allowing hope to begin to dispel her fear. If Sam was attempting to trick her, then he was doing an excellent job of concealing his emotions, but she cautiously chose to believe him. "Yes, your father left me with the impression that if he knew what I was, he would seek to destroy me. I cannot help what I am; I did not choose my father, nor did my mother understand what he was when he came to her. But here in Fandom I am attempting to find my own path, and my own strength."

"My dad's a little more sensitive about the subject of demons," Sam explained. "It's hard for him to see the gray areas when the demon that killed my mom is still out there, taunting us. Before we came here, I never would have believed that someone related to demons could choose to be good, but I've seen it. There was a student here our first year here who was half-demon. I mean, he wasn't citizen of the year or anything, but he proved to be a good guy, so we left him alone. I wouldn't recommend coming out and telling my dad about yourself," he added quickly. "He won't hurt you, but he probably won't like you very much either."

"Your father told me he had personal reasons for being so determined to hunt demons, but I did not realize that was why," Raven said quietly. "I am sorry; that is a terrible thing to suffer, and I hope you are able to find the one responsible and punish him." She looked up at Sam. "You will not tell your father about what I am? I would be grateful if you would keep my secret. There are some here who know the truth, but I would rather others learned it from me."

"I won't tell him. It's your secret, not mine," Sam said. He knew all about keeping secrets, after all. "I'm sorry I, you know, set you off."

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