Tag: Ethan Acharya

Profile: Ethan Acharya

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Personal Data

Ethan by Angelo Lyttle

Name: Ethan Acharya
Gender: Trans Male
Pronouns: He/Him
Age: 15
Birthday: February 29th
Ethnicity: Indian
Nationality: British
Species: Human
Sexuality: Bisexual

Family: TBA

Strengths: Agile, quick thinking, outgoing, proficient in urban navigation.
Weaknesses: Poor academics scores, low attention span.

Appearance and Style: Ethan is a somewhat short teenage boy with a warm coppery skin tone, bushy brown hair, and light brown eyes,

He fashions himself in the Goth style, wearing a lot of black and grays and many accessories, he has a dozen piercings on his ears, lips, nose, and eyebrow.

Ethan has a white mandala flower tattoo on his upper left arm done by one of his mates, much to his parents’ disapproval.

Superhero Data

Supranym: Blight
Status: Alive, Active

Metahuman Type: Magic
Abilities: Ethan’s soul and reflection are bonded with Jack-of-Smiles, a powerful demon of filth and disease, while Ethan can call upon Jack himself, he can also channel his control over insects, vermins, and disease.

Ravenhold Data

Acceptance to Ravenhold: Recommendation

Class: One
Power Category: Mystic
Roommate: Grant

Backstory

Ethan’s life before Jack was quite simple; born in a middle-class Indian family that had been in England for over two centuries, it was rather comfortable and his parents accepted his gender at a young age, allowing him on blockers and then testosterone some years later.

From a young age, he was fascinated by real-world mysteries and secret histories and this would eventually lead him into the world of Urban Exploration, joining a group of like-minded teens and young adults. It was during one of their dive into a ruined victorian house that the group found a strange ritual site, a covered mirror standing in the middle of a magical circle.

When they disturbed the site, they unleashed Jack-of-Smiles a once-powerful demon who had fed upon the death and pain caused by the outbreaks of tuberculosis in the Victorian era before being sealed away by some long dead and forgotten mystic. Intent on devouring the teenagers’ souls to regain his power and escape, Jack, begin afflicting them with sickness, they would have died but Ethan made a deal; He would willingly become Jack’s host if he allowed his friends to live.

Jack couldn’t pass such an opportunity and accepted the deal, unfortunately for him after his slumber he was too weakened to completely take over Ethan, and the two were stuck together. Alerted by the display of magical power the White Warden of Whitechapel came and discovered the situation, although he could heal the teens and remove their memories of the incident, he could not unbind Jack without killing Ethan, but he couldn’t allow Jack to be free.

The White Warden had only one choice; send the young boy to Ravenhold where hopefully he could learn to control Jack.

Misc Information

  • Ethan is Hindu but not particularly devout, mostly going to the temple to celebrate holidays and special occasions with his family.
  • Ethan is a skilled urban explorer and has been through many of London’s greatest sites with his friends. He also likes to g around town on a skateboard and people watch.
  • Ethan is interested in urban legends, the occult, UFOs, and other mysteries which fill his Tumblr and Instagram.
  • Ethan can’t handle spicy foods, joking he,s the only Indian kid who’s missed that gene.
  • Ethan’s had a few relationships and flings but is currently single.
  • Ethan has ADHD, mostly in the inattentive type.
  • Ethan speaks primarily English, some French, and a somewhat clumsy Tamil he speaks mostly with extended family.
  • Jack of Smiles appears in any nearby reflection, often replacing Ethan’s own as he is not powerful enough to manifest physically since being trapped in the mirror.
  • Ethan enjoys soccer, musicals, circus, and video games as hobbies.
  • Ethan is far-sighted and wears glasses for it.

A New Home: Chapter 2.6 (Ethan)

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After hanging out with the others, Ethan made his way upstairs, picking up the bags the staff had left at the staircase. He went up and found his way to room two. He’d seen on the board his roommate was a “Grant Smith” but he hadn’t met him.

When Ethan walked into the room he found his roommate, a black androgynous kid with short-cropped hair, wearing a raggedy hoodie. He was bent by the bedside, the drawer under the bed pulled out, and he was building something that could only be described as a shrine; a deer skull, bones, and other weird occult tchotchkes he’d seen in his sister’s witchcraft phase.

“Sup, I’m Ethan, looks like I’m your roommate.”

Grant looked up at him, and a tiny fennec fox climbed onto his shoulder, eyeing him. “Grant,” he said cautiously. 

“Careful this one also smells of old gods!” Jack spoke, appearing in the room’s large window. 

“Shut up Jack,” Ethan sighed, putting his bag down. He’d already picked a fight with one person, Ethan dreaded a second enemy. 

“What’s wrong with old gods?” Grant asked, getting up and facing him with a defensive posture. The fox growled at Jack.

“Oh great you can hear him…” Ethan said, “Nothing is wrong, Jack’s a twat who picked a fight with some other magic kid,” Ethan says.

Grant nodded. He went back to his shrine, finishing arranging it to his liking, and then bowed, whispering something Ethan couldn’t understand. That done, he put down an apple and closed the drawer. 

Great way to attract ants, Ethan thought, but didn’t say, he unpacked his bag quickly. Jack kept prattling off warnings, but Ethan tuned him out. 

It was then the Fox came down from his owner’s shoulder and jumped up on Ethan’s bed, yipping for his attention. 

Ethan bent down to pet it, “Hey you little thing, what’s your name?”

“Killer,” Grant said. 

“Hi Killer.” 

“Don’t let that cursed familiar touch you, you don’t know what it could do,” Jack warned. 

“I’ll take my chances, now shut up.”

“Killer isn’t cursed.” Grant snarled.

“Again, Jack’s an asshole,” Ethan sighed and sat down on his bed. “So, what’s your magic god-whatsit? I’m stuck with an incredibly annoying plague demon.”

“She’s a nature goddess. Really old one called Reka.” Grant picked at invisible lint on his sweatshirt as he answered.

“Never heard of her, want to trade?” Ethan joked, “I’ll pay you.”

Grant rolled his eyes, “fat chance.”

“Damn it,” Ethan laughed, “Was worth a try.”

Grant laid down on his bed, “Reka would probably still give you some perks if you prayed to her.” 

“Neat, how do you do that?” Ethan asked, more curious than committed to the idea, he had his hands full enough with Jack.

Grant paused for a bit, “I made a shrine under my bed so you can just pray in front of that and leave some food or something,” he explains, stuttering a little at first like he hadn’t expected a positive answer.

“And then the human sacrifices follow!” Jack said, “Next thing you know you’re in a temple and cutting people’s hearts out!”

“You are literally a plague demon who brags about how many he’s killed,” Ethan answered.

“Excuse me, I killed them myself, I didn’t have my minions do it!” Jack said, utterly disgusted by the comparison. “I don’t need sacrifices, human pain and misery is enough for me.”

“Like that’s so much better.”

Grant spoke, he was quiet, “I did do a human sacrifice but that was just for the powers and to become her like high priest or whatever.”

Ethan stopped “You what?” he asked flatly. Had he misheard?

“Killed my parents.” Grant said, bored matter-of-fact, he stared down Ethan’s no expression on his face.

Ethan just blinked, “what?”

“I. Killed. My. Parents.” Grant enunciated each word in an exaggerated way.

“Right…” Ethan turned around. How in the hell was Grant in Ravenhold? Murdered his own parents? Without a hint of remorse? Ethan gave him another glance; he was so relaxed, bored even.

“See? Pure evil!” Jack said, “We should kill him preemptively!”

“I’m not killing anyone, Jack”

“Well obviously the school doesn’t think I’m pure evil or else I wouldn’t be here.” Grant said with a shrug, rolling over so his back was to Ethan. Killer left Ethan and jumped onto Grant’s bed, curling up against the small of Grant’s back

He had a point? Maybe there were extenuating circumstances? 

“I feel like maybe this needs a little more context?” Ethan asked, trying to be diplomatic, he had to live with this guy after all…

“They were pretty shitty parents.”

“Ah.” Ethan said, everything went quiet for a moment, awkward and heavy silence settling between them. 

“I’m watching you, cultist,” Jack spat out. Ethan looked at the window which was swarming with bugs so much you couldn’t see out anymore… He realized he’d been subconsciously calling them to his side. He took a breath and dismissed them. 

“Well, I probably should shower and hit the hay early,” Ethan explained, “It’s been a bloody long trip for me.”

“It’d have been faster if you followed me down the Abyss like I said,” Jack calls, “Much faster!” Jack had insisted he knew a ‘shortcut’ through whatever the Abyss was, Ethan had opted with an eight hours plane ride instead. 

“I’m not going into whatever hellhole you say for a shortcut.” 

Ethan grabbed a change of clothes and showering products. 

“They said it was good she was dead. They locked me in the basement and I couldn’t even go to her funeral.” Grant muttered, was it to Ethan, or just to himself? Ethan wasn’t sure but he didn’t answer. 

Ethan gave him a last look, he was curled up in the fetal position, shaking lightly. What the hell had happened to this kid?

Ethan went out for a shower, coming back with pajama pants and an old shirt. “I’m back,” he announced gently, putting his dirty clothes into a hamper. “Do you mind if I close the light?”

Grant sat up, looking as deadpan as ever. He pulled his arms into his hoodie. After a few seconds he stuck his arms back thru and pulled out some ace bandages and dropped them under the edge of the bed before laying back down, “go ahead.”

Was Grant trans? That explained his more androgynous appearance. Maybe his parents…  Ethan thought. 

“You shouldn’t use bandages,” Ethan said, “It’ll fuck your ribs up.”

“Yeah yeah.” Grant yawned.

Knowing he wasn’t going to win an argument, Ethan didn’t push it, closing the light and getting into bed. He looked back at Grant, seeing his silhouette in the dark. Ethan had been maybe harsh, he didn’t know anything about him, Grant probably needed a hand to reach out, someone who wouldn’t judge him?

A New Home: Chapter 2.2 (Riley)

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Riley was the first of their class to make it onto the house, hurrying inside with quick bouncy strides and a big smile on their face. They found their way into the kitchen where a dozen boxes of pizzas of various kinds were stacked, to which Riley added their cookie collection. 

“My cookies!” Teddy complained. 

“There’s enough for everyone!” Riley said, patting their friend’s head and feeding him his favorite, slightly burned snickerdoodles.

A white kid with long champagne blonde hair in a braid followed soon after, his face covered in colorful band-aids. “We got pizza,” he says “Oh, man that is beyond cool!”

Riley grinned at him and pointed to the Tupperware full of snickerdoodles they just brought out at him, “Wanna cookie? I baked them myself yesterday!”

“Ab-so-lu-tly!” Axel answered with a grin, “I’m Axel! Strongest hero you’ll ever meet.”

Riley giggled, “I’m Riley! It’s nice to meet you!”

A tall Indian boy with coppery-skin, dark hair came in next. His face bore makeup; black mascara, eyeliner, and lipstick. He was wearing a dog collar and a mesh shirt under a black tee.

“Did I hear cookies? Nice.” He said, “I’m Ethan…” then his eyes fell onto Teddy. “You have a weird naked monkey-cat thing on your shoulder, is that normal?”

Riley’s eyes went wide and they leaned forward excitedly. If they weren’t still holding the snickerdoodles they might have grabbed Ethan’s hands, “You can see Teddy?!”

Teddy hissed at Ethan, “Don’t let it go to your head.”

“What monkey?” Axel said looking back at the two, unable to see Teddy. “Your eyes okay?”

“There’s an imp on the kid’s shoulder, it’s invisible to most people,” said a black girl coming in, she had Amazonian stature, over six feet in height, but what drew Riley’s eye was the pregnant swelling of her belly.

“Ugh, imagine wasting your time making a pact with an imp of all things,” Another voice said, that of a posh Englishman. Riley looked around for it, and saw a weird thing in the reflection of the stainless steel fridge;  a cartoonishly deformed and slender English gentleman with a hat and bugs crawling along his skin.

“What do you have against imps, huh!?” Teddy hissed. Riley picked him up off their shoulder and hold him in their arms. 

“Shut up Jack,” Ethan muttered under his breath. So the bug-man was definitely with him.

Teddy shouted a string of insults at Jack, but Riley ignored the demons’ fighting, turning their back to Jack’s reflection so that Teddy was blocked from his view.

“Please ignore Jack,” Ethan asked.

“I am soooo confused,” Axel says.

The pregnant girl leaned against the counter, she looked rather pale and sweaty “Please tell me there’s some sprite in the fridge before I puke.” 

“If there’s not I got some!” Riley offered, pulling a sprite out of hell.”I’ve only ever met one other person who could see Teddy and now two in one day!”

The girl took it, “It’s piss warm.”

Riley pouted, took the Sprite back and it back through the portal, “well excuse hell for being hot.”

Next to come in was a Tzari, a race of tall aliens that are sometimes described as ‘space orcs’. Riley had never seen one so close. He wore human clothing; cargo pants and a t-shirt. He went to the fridge and took out soda.

“You wanted a drink of Sprites?” He said.

She gives him a look, “What a tusky gentleman, what’s your name handsome?”

“I am Danalar, son of Neetarin of Clan Vinek,” He offers a deep bow.

“Polite, helpful, and handsome? I like that.” the girl said, grinning and looking the Tzari up and down with hungry eyes. “I’m Freyja.”

“It is quite the honor to meet you, miss Freyja.” Danalar smiled.

“Okay, I am so uber-mega confused now.” Axel said, shaking his head, “We’ve got invisible monkeys, an alien, a pregnant chick, and inter-dimensional cookies…” Riley was about to try to comfort him when his expression changed to a grin. “This year is gonna be so AWESOME!”

A bipedal white wolf turned their head inside the kitchen, wearing a pretty flowered sundress. “What’s that about dimensional cookies?- Oo peanut butter!”  She took a peanut butter cookie and throws it into her mouth whole.

“Hell sprites and cookies,” Axel took a snickerdoodle, “Well tell the demon bakers they’re f-n good!” he said before looking at the newcomer “And now we have furries!” Axel said, “Even better!”

“Well I’m the demon baker I guess. I tried to get Teddy to help me once but he ruined that batch… way too much salt… and now he won’t try again.” 

“You got yelled at! I’m not going to be the reason you get fucking yelled at!” Teddy said, somewhat defensively. Riley gave him a loving squeeze and he scrambled back out of their arms to perch on their shoulders once more.

“You made these?” Kayla asked, taking another peanut butter cookie, “pretty good but what’s this about demons?”

“I got a demon on my shoulder. Some people can see it, some can’t.” Riley answers with a shrug. 

“This place is nuts,” Axel says, “Love it, speaking of nuts I’m allergic. Nuts are the only thing that can defeat the mighty Blademaster.” Riley felt a thrill of panic at the word ‘allergic’ and mentally ran through what they saw Axel eat.

“Blademaster?” Ethan says.

“Don’t you have a cape name?” Axel asks back.

“No?” is all Ethan answered to Axel’s question. “Am I supposed to?”

“Every hero needs a name, you haven’t thought about it at all?” Axel asked. 

“This wasn’t exactly planned,” Ethan answered.

Riley tapped on Axel’s shoulder, getting his attention again. “Well steer clear of those, those, those, those AND those. The rest should be nut-free.” Riley pointed at a few separate containers, relieved that they knew Axel hadn’t already tried to eat one.

Axel looked at the snickerdoodles, eyes narrowing. “I was playing Russian cookie roulette here, wasn’t I?” He covered his face with his palm, Riley gently patted his shoulder.

“Yes… you really shouldn’t eat random baked goods. If I wasn’t concerned about cross-contamination when making them then you’d probably be having a reaction.”

“Oh, boys playing heroes,” Freya said mockingly. 

Kayla cocked her head to the side while looking at Freya, “Ain’t ‘playing heroes’ what we’re here for?”

“Do any of you have any training?” Freya asks. 

“I do, I’ve been training for years!” Axel said. 

“Real training.” She corrects, “With an actual teacher, learning how to fight.”

Axel went quiet. 

“I trained with Tohu-wa-Bohu for a bit!” Riley said cheerfully. Tohu-wa-Bohu was one of the Legion bigshots, just like Riley he could connect to hell! 

“I am a trained Armored, all Tzari are trained for battle,” Danalar said, as he took some cheese pizza. 

A pretty person in a pastel pink lolita style dress with a cupcake pattern walked in. Despite their Asian features, their hair was blonde with no dark roots and coiled in beautiful, doll-like ringlets.

“Yo,” Axel says to the newcomer. “There’s pizza and magic demon cookies.”

“Hi! I’m Angelo!” they smile at Axel, clocking him rather quickly as the most normal in the room.

“Want a cookie? I made them myself?” Riley offered.

“Sure.” Angelo looked carefully through the Tupperware and grabbed a sugar cookie. Their gaze went to the pizza with a frown, “so greasy…” he muttered, shaking his head.

“Do they have coffee in this place?” Danalar asked, looking around and finding instant coffee. He plugged in an electric kettle.

 “Sir, would indulging in coffee be wise at this time?” The staff on Danalar’s back had come to life and was now speaking.

“Talking stick!” Axel said, “That’s new.”

“Am I known for my wisdom, Bardiche?” Danalar answered by putting Bardiche off his shoulder and leaning it against the kitchen counter.

“My data on this subject is insufficient to come to a conclusion.”

“Can I touch you, Mr. Bardiche stick?” Axel asks. 

“This is a strange request, sir.” The AI answered.

“Oooo alien tech.” Kayla also came over to Danalar. Poking Bardiche without asking for permission. “Sweeeeet.”

“Hey! I asked first,” Axel pouted.

“Sir, please do not touch me without permission,” Bardiche says. “Sir, please assist me with these rogues.” 

“I’m not a sir.” Kayla pouted.

“Bardiche does not understand the difference between males and females,” Danalar explains, “He is very young,”

“What is the individual addressed as if not a Sir?” Bardiche asked

“A Miss I guess?” Kayla’s tail wagged with excitement as she spoke with Bardiche

“I think that’s a lady,” Axel whispered to Bardiche.

“Analyzing data,” Bardiche declared. “Honorifics of Madam, Lady, Miss, Mrs and have been found. Please input appropriate honorifics?”

“Miss works for me!” Kayla answers cheerfully

Angelo leaned in towards Ethan and asked, “This is… weird right?”

Ethan looked at Angelo. “I mean I have an evil bug demon living in my head, I don’t know what’s weird anymore.”

“Bug demon?” Angelo shivered in horror, “sounds terrible. I hate bugs”

“Same, unfortunately,” Ethan said, “I’m Ethan,” he offered a hand to shake.

Angelo shook his hand, “Angelo!”

Everyone took the chance to re-introduce themselves to those who hadn’t yet caught their name.

Axel’s attention is drawn away from Bardiche. “Okay, names are cool and all, but have y’all picked your cape names?”

“You try to find something cool themed around bugs and disease.” Ethan joked.

“I’m not here to be a superhero, I’m just the hanger-on,” Freya said.

“Hanger-on to what?” Riley asked

“I’m sure you’ve seen my sister, can’t miss the wings,” Freya says, “No idea where she went.”

“That is the worst attitude, come on!” Axel said, “You have got to have something to show.”

“I can punch your fucking face,” Freya answered, “Break your nose.” 

“See, that’s a start,” Axel grins, “you can surely try.”

 “Hey, no violence guys!” Riley scolded, getting another round of pizza. They had already had too much, but they couldn’t stop. Hopefully, everyone would get all the pizza they wanted.

“Hey, I wouldn’t touch a pregnant chick that’s just unheroic,” Axel defended himself, “She is welcome to try to punch me.”

“Well right now I’m more likely to throw up on you,” Freya said, only half-joking. 

Danalar finished making his coffee. “Well, then this is quite a strange group. Would anyone like some coffee?”

“Wait,” Ethan says, “Isn’t coffee a narcotic for Tzari?”

“Indeed it is,” Danalar says, “What of it?”

“Lucky bastard,” Freya joked, “wish I could have a drink.” Riley looked down at her pregnant belly when she said that.

“Drinking and drugs the night before the first day of school? I like partying but even that seems too much for me.” Kayla said.

“You’re pregnant, you can’t drink!” Axel says. 

“Mind your own fucking business kid.” Freya snapped. She gets up. “I better find Michelle and lie down.” 

Danalar chugged his cup of coffee and grabbed Bardiche. “I must attend to certain personal businesses as well.”

“Guess I’ll see you guys tomorrow then?” Kayla said, more interested in getting more pizza now.

“Unless I get kidnapped, you never know,” Freya says.

“So boring,” Axel said, turning to the people remaining, “So you got bug powers, what do y’all have?”

“Well, you already saw the portals! That’s the main thing I can do.” Riley answered, wiping pizza grease off their lips with the back of their hand.

“I’m a hypertech! And I gave myself this beautiful body, amazing right?” Kayla flexed, her ears wiggling and tail wagging.

“So you are a total furry?” Axel raised his eyebrows at  Kayla.

“Yep! A furry through and through!” Kayla answered, pride in her voice. 

“And you?” He asked Angelo.

“Wind powers.” Angelo sends a breeze Axel’s way, tousling his hair.

 “Oooh, nice breeze.Thanks, girl.”

“I’m a boy.” Angelo corrected patiently, moving aside his white sweater to show a little heart-shaped pin with he/him written on it in cursive.

“Oh, well thanks, dude?”

“That’s an interesting choice of outfit,” Ethan says to Angelo. “Do you always dress like this?”

Angelo smiles, “Yeah pretty much. I have a few more classic lolita style dresses, some Ouji style outfits, and some casual lazy outfits that are more masc.”

Axel looked back at Kayla. “Okay, for curiosity’s sake on a scale of 1-10 how soft is that fur?”

“20. I made a special shampoo formula to make sure it’s the softest it can be. You can touch it.” Kayla offered an arm.

Axel took the offer. “Ah, man, I want a blanket made of that.”

Kayla scratched her throat with a claw as she thought about it, “I might be able to engineer that.”

While the others talked, Riley finished off their sixth piece of pizza while Teddy began to look concerned.

“Awesome,” Axel grinned. “Oh, I just realized I haven’t shown off my power yet!”

Axel put out his arms and a selection of swords, polearms, axes appeared out of thin air floating above the ground. “Ta-da!” He twirled a finger and the weapons started to slowly spin.

“Weapons? Doesn’t fighting with them get kinda bloody?” Riley asked with a frown.

Axel made a motion with his arms and the swords were replaced with batons and other non-cutting weapons. “I’m very versatile.”

Riley still frowned with their brow furrowed, “I guess that’s better?”

“Can you summon any kind of weapon?” Kayla asked, touching one of the weapons with a finger.

“Any I’ve touched,” Axel said, “But I’ve been working on expanding my arsenal.” he waved his hand off and the weapons disappeared.

“Fascinating,” Kayla said.

Riley throws their now empty plate away in the trash can and yawns, their stomach aching,”I need to go find my room and unpack a bit. See you guys tomorrow!” 

Riley hopped out of the room, only to catch Axel’s words. 

“See you later cookie-girl-boy-person?” He said, “I better pack my stuff and get my jogging done.” 

“Person! And it’s Riley.” Riley pokes their head back in to say

“Righto!” Axel says, making finger guns, “to the bedrooms!”

Ethan got up following Riley, “Well it was nice.” He grabs his bag, “better go see who my roomie is.” 

“That Axel kid is annoying, we should curse him with disease,” Jack said, making Riley frown again.

“We are not doing that.” Ethan sighed. “I hope there’s some place far away from mirrors,”

Angelo finished the single sugar cookie he took and headed out as well, “see you tomorrow!”

While the others checked their room numbers and grabbed their bags left at the bottom of the staircase, Riley slipped off to a bathroom. “Riley…” Teddy started to say something but Riley didn’t stop to listen, as they stuck a finger down their throat.

Arrival: Chapter 1.6 (Ethan)

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The trip from England to America had been long and tiresome for Ethan, not only for the usual reasons but also thanks to Jack-of-Smiles, the horrible demon that Ethan had the great luck to have confined within his head.

It was a long story, one that involved urban exploration and disturbing an ancient magical binding that ended with him being sent to Ravenhold for “Monitoring.”

“Look at all these pathetic would-be heroes!” Jack said, “We could slaughter them all easily!”

“Shut up…” Ethan mumbled, his head had already started to hurt hours ago.

The demon was contained within him but could manifest in any of his reflections, but only Ethan and a few mystically aware individuals could see or hear him.

Ethan climbed aboard the bus, being among the last, and cautiously chose a place to sit. He saw a black teen with vitiligo and eir eyes closed and sat down. Ey wore eir hair in extremely long braids that pooled a bit on the seat.

“Hi, sorry, there wasn’t much space left elsewhere.” Although he was Indian in ethnicity, Ethan’s accent was unmistakably the Queen’s English, it tended to surprise people, especially the racists. 

“It’s fine,” the teen said, eir voice deep and somewhat cavernous even.

“I’m Ethan,” he offered a hand but the closed-eyed teen didn’t notice.

“Why did you have to sit next to the strange one?” Jack said, appearing upon the window, “His aura is unusual.”

“Shut up jack, people will think I’m crazy…” Ethan mumbled to himself.

It was then that the teen finally opened eir eyes, turned to the reflection, and spoke, “And I think you are stranger than I, demon.”

“You can see him?” Ethan asked.

The teen turned to him, eyes now open. The scleras were pitch black but one eye was gold and the other silver, not in shades normal among humans. 

“You are not the only one who has made a deal with deities or demons,” Ey said, eyes wandering around. Ethan looked and surely a few other magical beings were around, one kid had some sort of half-monkey and half-sphynx-cat creature perched on their shoulder.

“Everyone kind of thinks I’m crazy at home, only this wizard dude I met knew I wasn’t,” Ethan sighed, “Anyway, this is Jack, he’s an asshole, please ignore him.”

“You’ll do no such thing!” Jack protested

 “And what can you do to force me to pay attention to you?” 

“Smallpox, Leprosy, Consumption,” Jack listed, making Ethan shudder. “I could have flesh-eating bugs eat your eyeballs too.”

“And how much of this one’s,” the teen tilted eir head towards Ethan, “permission do you need?”

“We are absolutely not doing any of that,” Ethan scolded Jack in a hushed tone.

“The boy might be in control, but I can wrest it from him long enough if I must.” Jack grinned, revealing his filthy yellow and rotten teeth with maggots dangling out of cavities

The teen grinned and everything became darker, washed out of color, eir skin going from human-black to pitch-black. 

“Eh… you okay?” Ethan asked. This didn’t bode well… A fight between two mystical beings on a public bus…

“What about herpes! Or syphilis!” Jack kept brainstorming.

“Those sound truly terrible.” The teen looked at Ethan, ey were still smiling but something about it sent shudders down Ethan’s spine. “You should keep a tight leash on him.”

“I’m trying, mate, but I can’t exactly make him shut up.” 

“Me a leash? Says the entity that’s way off their leash, possessing that kid, how hypocritical!” Jack said, hamming it up.

“What?” Ethan looked at the teen. Was he not speaking to someone like him?

“Perhaps that is the nature of my deal with the child? Who are you to judge, little plague.”

“Little?” Jack said, “Oh now you’ve done it!”

Jack disappeared from the window and leaped back into Ethan’s mind, forcing his way through Ethan’s will and pushing him out of the driver’s seat, Ethan became nothing but a spectator in his own body.

Ethan’s face distorted into a sickening grin as bugs emerged out in a projectile vomit upon the other teen. 

“I am Jack of Smiles, bringer of plague, the scourge of the world! I have slain hundreds of millions with plagues of my own creation! And you will listen to me you little shit!

Ethan tried to take over, managing to say but a few words “Stop— That—” He coughed out more bugs, “You idiot.”

However the entity was unimpressed, shadows blackened the bus for but a second, and then all of the insects were gone, swallowed by darkness itself into only the entity knew where. 

“This isn’t over!” Jack promised as Ethan took back control. Unfortunately for him, Jack couldn’t wrestle control for more than a moment at a time.

To say everyone was glaring at them was an understatement. “Sorry, minor technical issues!” Ethan said getting up, “It’s all over!”  He then sat back,  “I am so sorry,” he added, retching, “you don’t happen to have mouthwash do you?”

The teen calmly reached into eir pocket. “Will tic-tacs do?”

“I’ll take them.” 

Ethan took some, then rinsed his mouth with a water bottle, spitting out of the window before popping a handful of tic-tacs in. “Thanks.”

Jack was still present but his stunt had cost him a lot of energy. 

“So… are you a demon or something too?”

A twitch passed over the teen’s face, “I am a god.”

“Right, god.” Ethan said, “I’m Hindu we have a lot of those, so what’s one more? Come to think of it, I don’t know your name.”

“Enozi,” Ey said after a pause, “The Devouring Dark, god of night and shadows”

It was not one Ethan had heard of, “Neat?”

“Oh, another wannabe god pretender, don’t listen to his crap,” Jack said, “it’s like a lesser-G god.” 

“If I am a god pretender then what are you? A bottom feeder demon?” Enozi said.

“Bottom Feeder? I was the terror of Victorian Britain! I have slain millions and enjoyed their sweet delightful suffering! I was greater than you could have ever possibly been!

“There he goes again,” Ethan sighed.

“Victorian Britain.” Enozi scoffed, “you are almost as much a child as the one who holds your leash. I don’t squabble with children.” Enozi closed eir eyes again

“Oh you—” Jack starts.

“Okay, that’s it,” Ethan took out a bottle of rubbing alcohol and started washing his hands and face. Immediately he felt Jack’s intense discomfort and pain. It was petty but Ethan took satisfaction from that.

“Ew, no, stop that!” Jack begged.

“You act like a child, you get antiseptic.”

Enozi’s lip ever so slightly quirked up into a smirk.

“And now I stink,” Ethan says, “Anyway, sorry for all of this.”

“Caleb feels sorry for you. Ey rather hate bugs.” Enozi said.

“So, Caleb’s your… host?

“Yes. Ey are still here. Eir soul intact.”

“That’s not super reassuring… Did ey consent to this?” Ethan asked.

Enozi seemed to ponder what that meant, but nodded once.

“Would you mind if I have a chat with… eym? em? I don’t know what’s the right pronoun here…”

Enozi considered the request and then eir voice changed, the more recognizable cracked voice of an AMAB teenager.  “No!” Caleb, or so Ethan presumed, covered eir face with eir hands, “You can’t just swap with me on a dime.” Ey whined, “I need 3-5 business days to prepare!” Ey peeked at Ethan thru eir fingers, “At least he seems nice.” Ey muttered vaguely.

“Hi? You must be Caleb?” Ethan asked

Caleb lowers eir hands, “yeah… “

“Ah, the unwitting pawn of that god. Quick, strike while it is weak!” Jack declared.

“Shut up Jack…” Ethan sighed. It had become a mantra of sorts by now.  “So, you’re the vessel for some god of darkness? And you’re okay with that or…”

“The whole ‘intact soul’ thing wasn’t part of the plan…” Caleb mumbled, “I was supposed to die. Enozi didn’t get the memo.”

Ethan blinked. Ey wanted to die? Had it been some kind of suicide or evil sacrifice? “Oh… Oh… I’m sorry…?

“Enozi isn’t the worst headmate to have… better than yours anyway,” Caleb shuddered, “and Enozi is going to use my body to help people and be a hero! So maybe I’ll be useful then and people will like me… and it’ll be less painful to be around.”

“Well, thankfully Jack stays out of my head for the most part,” Ethan said. “And I’m sorry you feel that way. I’m Ethan, I’m not sure if you could hear us before, or how much.”

“During the day I can hear and see at least. Sometimes I sleep at night because Enozi is too strong and it hurts a bit to be conscious.”

Ethan nodded, “Well, it was nice to meet you, I do hope we see each other again, you know if you need someone to talk to about magical headmates and all.” He smiled. 

Caleb smiled with relief before the smile fades into Enozi’s calm arrogance.

“Thanks, I guess, and sorry again for Jack.” 

“I do not blame you for your little plague’s audacity.”

“Most gracious of you,” Ethan said, opening his bag, “are cool ranch Doritos an appropriate deific offering?” He asked, obviously teasing, “Repayment for the tic-tacs and patience?”

“Yes,” Enozi said, eir expression as solid as stone.

Ethan shared his bag with him, his mind preoccupied with Caleb, part of him wanted to save poor Caleb, free them, but if ey had consented… Was it right? Ey seemed so miserable and sad…

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