Dead Men Smiling

3.1

I didn't make the right choices. I made the wrong ones for the right reasons.

_____

Dolan opened his eyes and let out a tired groan as he slowly sat up and stretched while taking in his surroundings. He noticed that Leilani was nowhere to be seen and frowned. "She left, didn't she?"

Malum gave him a slow, lazy blink which made him chuckle as he urged the cat to get up so that he could talk to the person who is the reason he had chosen to camp in that particular part of the forest.

He put on his cloak, sheathed his wand in the sheath on his thigh, sheathed the dagger in his leg sheath and placed his mask on his face. Malum then jumped on his shoulder and made no move to jump off causing the now known rebellion member, Hex, to smile beneath the mask.

He pulled out his wand and waved them in the direction of the campsite and nodded to himself, certain that no one could see or trace their camp. With a bounce in his step, Hex set off on his latest mini-quest, to find Beryll.

Hex was chewing on his fifth crystal when he bumped into someone.
Literally.

He groaned in pain while rubbing his chest and frowned to himself at how hard whatever he had collided with was as he opened his eyes. His look quickly morphed to apologetic as he hurriedly stood to help the other stranger to their feet while apologizing profusely.

The stranger waved off his apology with a smile, ready to verbally dismiss the younger. The pair looked at each other and froze like deers caught in headlights.

"Jesse?" Hex uttered, breathlessly.

The man assessed Hex with a slight furrow in his brow before smiling slightly. "Dolan?"

Before Hex could get any word out of his mouth, Jesse began to rant about how thorough the investigators must have been in order not to have 'innocents' locked up. He further reprimanded him for getting caught. He also sent his disappointments to Sora, Leilani and Rowan and a congratulation for Maximus for the same reason.

Hex, desperate for a change of topic, made a strange noise at the back of his throat causing Jesse to glance at him in concern. Hex waved a hand in dismissal as he faked a coughed. He then straightened. "Where are you headed?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Jesse retorted immediately, giving Hex the impression that he had something to hide. He smiled behind the mask. "Just taking a stroll. My cat needed to stretch her leg but obviously she doesn't want to do that."
"Oh..." Jesse let out a sigh, "I was off to church."

Hex nodded before frowning slightly. "Church?"
"is there a problem?" Jesse asked with a faint blush. "Not at all. It's just... don't you, y'know?"

Jesse drew his bottom lip between his teeth as he ran his fingers through his graying brown hair. "Look, I know what I was-"
"Was?" Hex squeaked. "Yes 'was'. I met a Priest who prayed for me- I know you just rolled your eyes behind that mask- and it left."

Hex had read books on Vessels who managed to rid themselves of the Demon they hosted. From what he remembered, it often ended with the Vessel running mad unless the Demon had agreed to leave. Besides that, Jesse was registered an Unwanted from birth and he could still feel the familiar level of strength coursing through the latter's veins. He glanced at the other's neck and furrowed his brow at the cross that hung there.

"So the Demon's gone? Just like that? But you were hosting a pure blooded Demon of magic and spells."

Jesse made a show of opening his Bible before closing it. Hex's gaze flickered to the well looked after book and grimaced slightly before turning his attention to Jesse who had started to speak. "I think the Priest can help you too. It's never too late to refuse the curse of your fore fathers and join the church. After all, our Creator is a forgiving father and loves all his children."