Hellhound AU

[just_aces]

Sometime round about 1900, a witch summoned a hellhound as a familiar.

He didn't mind it, hellhounds are loyal after all, and if some of her spells left him tired and drained, well, that was what he was there for, to keep her from using too much of her own energy for things. That and to eat the souls of her victims, sometimes.

But then, in the early 1970s, she ran afoul of a much stronger coven.

She was quite quickly banished to hell, but the hellhound couldn't be allowed to go with her, because, well, hellhounds are loyal and she was powerful and would have been able to use him to escape.

So the hellhound was made human, figuring that sixty, seventy, even eighty years if he was lucky would be enough time for the witch to have been consumed, so that even when the human-that-had-been-a-hellhound died, and Death herself realized that he was definitely not where, or what, he was supposed to be, she'd send him back.

But then one Charles Rowland kind of fucked up that whole plan by dying young and immediately running away from Death herself.

So the ghost-who-was-the-boy-who-was-the-hellhound has no idea what he was, or still is, under it all.

But, after a trip through hell to save his best friend (Hellhounds are loyal, after all) and time spent in a familiar position -though not a familiar kitchen- after that has been enough to knock a few things loose...

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[just_aces]

Something that had been coiling tight in his chest, something thorny and harsh uncurled a little at that and he felt like he was able to take a breath for the first time since he woke up, even despite knowing that he didn't actually need to do so.

He pushed himself up from his lean against the desk, clasping Edwin's arm just briefly on the way past to collect his bag, his coat falling into place even as he did. Altering his appearance was one of those things that had come naturally to Charles, he only barely had to think about it these days, which, he supposed, made up for how long it had taken him to learn to walk through walls. Though, there might have been a reason for that that he'd never known about. One more thing to add to the list of evidence, really.

Even as terrifying as the possibility was, Charles wanted to know for sure with a desire that bordered on an actual need, which meant he was ready to start the research immediately, "Right, mirroring or walking?"

[uptightboy]

They have been through literal Hell. Charles held his shoulders and told him they have an eternity to figure things out. And yet, Edwin still felt that bittersweet giddiness every time Charles touched him lately. He watched as the boy put on his coat and got his bag, trying to resist the urge to grab at his chest.

"Just a tick," Edwin said and got a card from the pile on his desk. One that they write the cases on. He quickly scribbled 'Hellhounds' on it and walked to their board with their ongoing and finished cases. He put the card with the ongoing cases. Because it may be easier to handle this like a case and not... something else. Not a possible mistake. "There. Now, we shall go. We are going to visit the small museum near Westminster, it has an archive that may prove useful to us at this point." The closest mirror to it was in a café a few blocks away, so Edwin walked to the mirror to find it. Then once they are through, only a few minutes walking through walls to get to the basement.

[just_aces]

Something about the fact of treating this as any other case caused that knot of unease in his chest to unwind a little further. Oh it was still there, he didn't think it was going to go away until they had some actual answers, until he knew for sure that he wasn't putting Edwin in danger simply by existing in the same space -something that he'd already been doing for decades but that didn't mean much if whatever he was had been suppressed somehow- but it was tolerable for now.

He was doing what he could to hold onto the things that hadn't changed, Edwin already being on-task was one of those, as was the ease with which he led them through the mirror and the underground warren of cellars and basements and empty foundations. Though that was mostly just in a straight line right through anything between them and where they were going. It was more that Edwin's sense of direction was impeccable even underground, while Charles' sense of direction was Edwin, and he wasn't entirely sure when that had happened, though it had probably been all the way back in the attic, when he'd decided to follow Edwin instead of sticking around for Death herself to arrive.

He swung the bag down from his shoulder once they arrived, rummaging around in it for a moment before coming up with a small tap-activated dome-light, "There we are." He said, grinning as he thumped it once to turn it on, it was a warm, yellow glow that wasn't too bright, and wasn't a single beam like a flashlight would be but would allow them to see where they were going as well as whatever books Edwin thought they might need.

[uptightboy]

Indeed. Handling it like a case, the thrill of researching did reach Edwin. It was easier to focus on that rather than anything else. He was trying not to overthink, and reading books was one of the solutions for it. Even if they had to read about hellhounds.

Arriving to the dark room, and Charles already providing some light actually made Edwin calmer too. They were back in London, working on a case, and they still had each other. What else could they need? And yet, somehow those days seemed so far away. Edwin couldn't explain. But maybe it had to do with their trip to Hell. As if a new age was coming. And that feeling was something a ghost had rarely felt, Edwin wondered.

"Thank you, Charles," Edwin nodded and walked up to the shelves to find the books they may need. He had a few in mind, mostly remembered them from other books mentioning them as sources. He had read most of the books on Hell. But this time he needed information about its residents and the rules they shall abide to come to their plane. Demons needed to be summoned mostly, and Edwin found the hellhound article in a book that dealt with familiars. So it meant that if they find how a hellhound could be summoned they could get closer to the solution of this mystery. "Do you think you may have been summoned, Charles?" Edwin asked as he took the book he wanted.

[just_aces]

"Don't reckon I just got lost." He replied, giving a rolling shrug, and, realizing that he was once again running his knuckles against the side of his neck he stopped himself, brow creasing as he tried to sort out what it was he actually wanted to say, how being collared and chained to Esther's kitchen floor had felt familiar in a way he couldn't place, because as awful as his father had been, at least that had never been something he'd had to go through, and it definitely wasn't a punishment at the school that had managed to kill them both.

Finally he just shook his head, "I think I must have been?" Another head-shake, trying to rattle his thoughts into place, voice still low even though there was no one around to overhear, "Chained up in Esther's kitchen it just... dunno, felt like I'd been there before? Had other things to think about at the time, obviously, but it still did. Dunno how to explain it other than that."

[uptightboy]

"Being chained up felt familiar?" Edwin furrowed his brows, looking at Charles. It was awful how angry that made him. It also put some things to perspective... Beasts were expected to be chained up, yes, but this was... this was Charles. Maybe he had to endure something worse, even before his human life?

"In case you were summoned, it means you also had a master," Edwin said, skimming through the pages of the book. "Maybe you still do," he added quietly, almost to himself and his mind was trying to work on all the information he was getting. But why disguise the hound then? What was its purpose?

[just_aces]

"Yeah, but like..." He shook his head again, brow furrowed deeply, just rubbing at that spot between his brows as if that might actually spark some kind of realization or at least pull the disjointed fragments together a little more clearly, "I dunno. Same as when I woke up earlier, everything felt... just off? Like perceptions were wrong, or like... maybe I was the wrong shape?"

Which with Edwin's assertion that his spirit had apparently taken a moment to decide on 'human' once he'd died did seem to indicate that the human shape was newer, "I don't think they're the one that did, y'know," a loose gesture at himself with the hand not holding the light, "this. I think I was just the hound?"

[uptightboy]

It was important to know if Charles's current state was on purpose or maybe a spell gone wrong. Edwin did wonder which would be more plausible.

"The wrong shape, yes," he frowned, thinking. "Yes, a hellhound is a powerful creature. An ally certainly worthy to be feared. So why would they put it in such a shape? In such an..." he looks Charles over for a moment. "... innocent state." Because he was certain that Charles could not use any of the powers a hellhound could. Not yet. "It may have been either to hide it or to keep it from returning to Hell."

And thinking that who could do such a thing, who could turn a hellhound into a human boy? With so powerful magic that the poor beast still kept the play up after the vessel died.

"I may need to look into some witch history," Edwin wondered out loud.

[just_aces]

It was strange, trying to recall things that he knew were there, somewhere in his memory, but he didn't know where to even start looking.

Which was why he started with what he did remember, which was Esther's kitchen, and that was when something else clicked, "Runes." Not just in Esther's kitchen, the hastily chalked circle that Monty had broken by dragging his bag over from where the girls had thrown it, but he also remembered the same runes burned into hard-packed dirt, likewise keeping him in place, "It wasn't just the collar, it was a trap on the floor, too. They were scared of me, I think. Or... not sure they could actually control me if they needed to."

He shook his head, knuckling the center of his brow again, "She, I think? Must've been a witch, right?"

[uptightboy]

As Charles exclaimed about the runes, Edwin looked up at him again. There were many kinds of a circle that bound multiple supernatural creatures. So yes, of course, there must have been one for hellhounds too.

But as Charles was speaking, as he was trying to remember, and could remember, it put some unease in Edwin's stomach. Collars made of iron. Binding circles. Charles's suspicion about control.

"Yes, a witch," Edwin spoke, his voice a little faint as he was eying Charles. He vividly remembered the way he beat the Night Nurse on that cliff, and it was... concerning. Terrifying too, yes, but if that was just a glimpse of what a hellhound could do... And what if the reason Charles was in this state was because nobody could control him? Because this was the only way for them to stop him? And now they were about to untangle it all. "Charles, it may be crucial you remember more. Witches have hundreds of years of written history alone, and you could be that old, if not older. We need to know more, so we can look into your background deeper." He fidgeted a little, looking over the books he planned to read. "We may have more luck digging into your history than trying to find more about hellhounds in general." And he was immediately thinking if there was a way to access old memories?

[just_aces]

It would probably occur to one of them, eventually, probably once they learned more, that Charles' behavior on the cliff had been a Hellhound in full protection of its charge. But as Charles didn't currently remember what he'd been before he'd been himself, he had no way of knowing that he'd adopted Edwin as his.

Except for the fact that he did know that, just not what it meant for a Hellhound.

For the time being he just nodded at Edwin's confirmation that it had been a witch, brow creasing a little at the follow-up, "How, though? I remember St. Hil's, I remember growing up, I only remembered about the runes because Esther used the same ones, or..." His brow furrowed, shaking his head, "Maybe the same ones, close enough I wouldn't know the difference for sure, not without seeing the whole circle." There had been one important difference, though, "It was dirt floor, before, runes were burned in instead of chalked the way Esther did."

[uptightboy]

At this point, Edwin is sure hellhounds are loyal either to Hell or those who summoned them. That was the knowledge he had gathered so far, and that was why he was a bit on edge about going further into this.

"Dirt floor..." Edwin muttered quietly. "It seems like you start to remember more and more. I suppose your time with Esther had triggered it. Do you reckon you would remember more if we recreated the circle?" Because it was sure as hell Edwin wouldn't put Charles in chains just to trigger some memories...

[just_aces]

"Might do?" A little shake of his head, "Not sure if it was Esther's or, you know, actual Hell." It was a little easier to say than it had been back in the office, but still caught a little in a way it hadn't before.

A little head-shake followed, still holding the light so Edwin could check for the books he was after, "Think with Esther it was just all of it was familiar, collar, trap, kitchen, it's how I was kept before, I think." Another frustrated little noise, rubbing his free hand up his face, "I don't know. But if sitting in a trap in the office while you do the history research is the best plan we've got to start with, might as well give it a go."

Mostly because he trusted that Edwin wouldn't keep him there unduly, that he'd have a way out if he got uncomfortable.

[uptightboy]

Edwin sent a sharp look at Charles mentioning Hell. If they won't tie Charles up in chains they also wouldn't do anything that put them near Hell. Period.

Also, Charles talking about 'being kept' in a collar, in a kitchen made Edwin more fidgety than it was necessary. He angrily glared at the books, as if they were the ones offending him instead of the completely useless anger he had felt over some witch in the past.

"Charles, this is madness," Edwin said out loud as he reached for another book to borrow. "I did expect this case to be unique but-" he huffed, reaching for another book. He didn't even read the title, he just wanted to do something with his hand. "But torturing you wasn't something I expected to be prepared to do." Or easily willing to do, despite him admitting to himself that it was the most straightforward method as of now.

[just_aces]

"Oi, having to sit still for a bit isn't torture." Probably a patently ridiculous thing to say, considering how often Charles was in motion, even idly, like sitting still for too long wasn't natural for him.

A rolling shrug followed, something that jostled the light in his hand, though not enough to do more than make the edges of shadows sway a little, not sending them skittering all over, "Besides, not like we've got a better idea yet, and if you draw it on one of the spare sheets, can just kick up the corner myself if it gets to be too much, break the lines that way and I'm free to go, no fuss, no bother."

He did reach over to clasp Edwin's shoulder with his free hand as soon as he'd said it, "Find the books you're looking for first, though, not like we're in a hurry right now, yeah?"

[uptightboy]

Edwin pursed his lips, pointedly looking at the books in his hands. He knew he wanted to get to the end of this. He wanted to know what Charles was, partly to be prepared for anything. Because it was time they faced it. But... a binding circle? And who knew what kind of memories would surface then?

Though, as Charles put his hand on his shoulder he looked at him again. It was awful. He was still waiting for these little touches. So what would happen if Charles wasn't there anymore to give them?

"Well," Edwin sighed, trying to focus on just one torture at a time... "That is true. But I also am not in a hurry to run questionable experiments on you," he added. "I won't be long, I believe these books may have all I'm looking for. And then we shall return," he added. He usually never borrowed the books from his archive, and only noted down some of his findings in his notebook. Mostly because he respected the owners of his place and he was aware that others were also using this archive as a library. So it was mutual respect. "Just a few ticks," he assured Charles.

Those few ticks turned into a couple of hours because Edwin wanted to write down everything he had found. Which wasn't that much but there were a whole lot of books to get through. He was still missing information on witch history but that could come later when they find out exactly when Charles was summoned.

[just_aces]

He couldn't help but snort with amusement, smiling broad and toothy at the mention of 'questionable experiments', but nodded all the same, "Yeah, alright, probably a better idea anyway."

After the first few minutes of standing still, Charles left the dome light for Edwin so that he could go wandering, as if to give lie to his previous statement that sitting still for a while wouldn't actually be torture. He didn't stray far, occasionally out of direct line of sight, but never out of earshot, skimming titles as he went, which had, in turn, led to becoming fully engrossed in an oversized volume on reliquaries, ossuaries, relics and similar repositories for remains of religious significance.

He only belatedly realized that he couldn't hear Edwin taking notes anymore and blinked up, gently closing the book and returning it to the shelf.

[uptightboy]

By the time Edwin considered their trip to be done, he had half the cabinet's books lying around him in a circle. If he was alive his pen would have stained his fingers to dark blue or black. But he was a ghost and he gathered all the library offered on hellhouds and binding circles, and some summoning techniques too. Incidentally, he also had to brush up on sacrificial rituals. Fun reading.

Edwin put all the books where he found them and pocketed his notebook. He looked around for Charles, knowing he wasn't far.

"I apologize, that took longer than I expected," he said when he found the book, carrying the light with him. "Now, let's go and put our new knowledge to use."

[just_aces]

Charles flashed him an easy smile, "I found something to keep myself occupied, always do, don't I?" He did, but not always something productive, which was part of the problem.

He nodded at the rest, tucking the dome light back into the backpack before shouldering it, "Lead the way." He could probably find his way back to the cafe's mirror without too much trouble, but it was easier to just follow Edwin who definitely knew where he was going.

Upon returning to the office he shrugged out of both backpack and coat, rubbing his hands together, "Right then, what do you need me to do?"

[uptightboy]

The fond 'Yes, you always do,' is silent from Edwin's part, but they both know it was there. He led them back to the office with a heavy heart, however, knowing that there was no turning back from here.

"Right," Edwin nodded, walking to their desk. He got his notebook again as if he didn't just remember everything he had taken notes of just now. But flipping through the pages he did notice himself just stilling so he stopped. "Right," he repeated, then looked around. "Let us go with the sheet method, I'd rather not draw such a circle on our floor after all," he said and already went to fetch that sheet from their closet. "The circle itself doesn't work, only when it is complete so there should be no harm drawing it. And it shall be finished while you are inside."

[just_aces]

He considered this for about as long as it took Edwin to actually fetch one of the spare sheets -and they had a stockpile, along with a few that had already-completed circles for various things- and he nodded in agreement, "Makes sense, yeah."

A little shrug, "And that way if I start feeling off while I'm drawing it I can just, not finish it." Which he hadn't actually thought of as a possibility until he was actually saying it, brow creasing a little, "Huh." That was as far as the consideration got, not about to get ahead of himself with what-ifs, especially the bad ones, not right now.

He went to get the paint out of the supply cabinet, pausing only when he'd grabbed the usual pot of black tempera and ash, "Wait, are we going to need something besides the normal?"

[uptightboy]

As Charles got the paint, Edwin laid the sheet out for them.

"Yes, we need to be very careful about this," he warned, pulling at the sheet a little nervously to flatten it even more. As the question he looked up from where he was crouching. "You said Esther used simple chalk, right? It is entirely possible you do not need anything special while you are in your current state. If it does not work, however, we shall look for other tools to create the circle."

Other tools... iron? Fire? Literally creating a circle out of metal...? Edwin hoped it wouldn't come to that.

So with a determined look, he stood back up and opened his notebook to show the circle to Charles. Some of the sigils they knew from other kinds of rituals, but Edwin did note a few new ones, probably connected to the nature of the thing the circle should bound.

"The method is the same as with the others. Start from the outside and keep working toward the middle," Edwin reminded Charles. "And if you feel anything strange, or you remember anything, we stop."

[just_aces]

"I think so?" He shook his head, "Woke up already in it, and dragging my bag across it was enough to disrupt the lines, so if it wasn't plain chalk it was as good as." He made sure the lid on the jar was tight -as if he would have put it away haphazardly in the first place- before shaking it steadily with one hand, flicking the fingers of his other for Edwin's notes, and his comment of: "Let's see it, then." Dissolved into a warm smile at the fact that Edwin was already holding them ready.

It didn't seem to be any more complex than any other circles he'd drawn out, most runes were fairly simple, a couple he didn't recognize, but they were easy enough to copy down. Even as he started working, brow creased in concentration he said, "You'll probably notice before I do if I start getting sluggish or anything, so obviously just say something." Not that he thought Edwin wouldn't but keeping them both on the same page was important.

[uptightboy]

"Right, good thinking, Charles," Edwin nodded, letting the boy start working.

Any kind of magical circle was tricky to create. That was why Edwin was annoyed when some of the movies they watched the characters just simply drew ritual circles without reference or with such neglect. If a magical circle was wrongly made it could have had disastrous consequences. It wasn't once they also ran into trouble with Charles about this, especially at the beginning of their detective careers but they have gotten better. They worked out a proper system for it. Now they could do it quickly and effectively, and almost as second nature. And yet, Edwin felt like they were doing it the first time. Maybe because it was related to Charles's case?

Charles knew what to look for, and Edwin could also instruct him when something was off, or if he felt the circle start to fill with power.

"You are doing excellent so far," Edwin muttered, keeping a careful eye on the picture in his notebook and the one Charles was creating on their sheet.

[just_aces]

Charles, for his part, had made himself slow down from the practiced speed he usually used, needing to not just get this one right, but make sure he was paying attention to how he was feeling while in the middle of it.

The thing was, there was no change while he was working, maybe a little prickle of anticipation up his spine, but that was normal enough that he didn't think it was because of the circle.

It was only when he'd finished and capped the paint again that he barked his knuckles on an invisible barrier trying to set it on the floor beside the sheet. It was enough of a startle that he dropped the jar, though as it was already closed it didn't spill, just rolled harmlessly to the floor where he'd meant to set it. His brow furrowed, reaching for it cautiously only to come up against that invisible edge again at the outer bounds of the circle.

All he had to say was: "Well, looks like it's working."