Belief In The Occult

Twenty Five

"And where on earth have you two been?" Cobalt said as he heard the door open. He spun around, and his eyes widened. Kodiak was covered in blood again, and Maci was grinning ear to ear in an immensely satisfied way. Sacred fires, these two were going to give him a heart attack.

"Do you remember... the girl who burned my face?" Kodiak asked. He looked giddy, which was a very new appearance for him. It was sweet, even with all the blood on his hands.

Cobalt sighed and smiled, needing no further explanation. "Yes I do Kodiak." He then pointed, "Now go get cleaned up, no tracking onto the carpet. And be quick about it Kodiak, your mentor is waiting for you."

In an instant, any amount of bravery that had been influenced by Maci had vanished, and his normal stone of anxiety dropped into the pit of his stomach. Kodiak's excited expression dropped. "He is?"

"I'm sure it's nothing serious Kodiak, just get cleaned up."

"Okay." the younger entity shuffled off.

Before Maci could follow him, Cobalt spoke up. "C'mere kid I wanna talk to you too."

They retreated into the living room, and sat down. The Chaperone began, "Maci, you've done a very good job being Kodiak's friend, you pulled him out of his shell and bit and he seems a lot more prone to smiling." she opened her mouth and he held up a finger to stop her before she spoke, "But, he's a mirror ghost. They tend to reflect their environment and mimic, at least until they set in their own personalities. Kodiak's a little behind, so you should give him a bit of space so he has the chance to learn to be himself as well."

Cobalt stared at her big eyes, and sighed, taking pity, "You haven't done anything wrong sweetheart, you're very nice to him. I'm just letting you know that he's still got quite a lot to figure out about himself, so just let him figure it out. As much as you like him, you can't be joined at the hip."

"Of course!" Maci said, "He's my best friend, I never wanna hold him back!" She ran a hand through her short, colorful hair absently. It seemed to change hues every other week. "I'm being patient, I wanna get to know Kodiak, but there's not a lot to know yet. He doesn't like food, just orange juice and ice, doesn't like the only horror movie he's seen, and he was kinda iffy towards the movies I showed him. He doesn't have any hobbies either; the only thing he really seems to enjoy in any capacity is that mp3 player Alto gave him. I'm excited to see what else he starts to like." Cobalt eyebrows drew together in concern and he wheezed helplessly in the back of his throat behind his now strained smile. Right. Obsessive personality. It was a very good thing that Maci was generally well-meaning.

"That is... quite a lot of information, young miss." The other two entities turned and looked at Varick, who was standing in the entryway between the kitchen and the living room, holding his cane. Cobalt quickly dismissed Maci, and she jogged up the stairs.

Varick waltzed into the living room, taking a seat. "I was aware that his progress in personality was going more leisurely, but not to that slow of a rate." He sighed, and leaned the cane against his chair. "I'm afraid I certainly let him spend too much time in that abandoned house, letting him reflect nothing at all. It may have stunted him."

"I'm sure you had your reasons." Cobalt said. Varick scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I believed he was much more fragile than most, he was agoraphobic and the damned puppy-dog eyes that child possesses, it's downright manipulative." Varick said, casually adjusting the cuffs of his suit sleeves as he spoke. "But I am pleased to hear that he is getting along so well with Ramsey's young ward, we were sure they were going to get along like a house on fire. Or, well, she would smell fresh meat and he would be unable to shake her, one of the two."

Cobalt couldn't help but smile, "And what made you so sure of that, sir?" 

Varick settled back into his chair, "They're just like Ramsey and I." Kodiak then came down the stairs, no longer covered in blood and in a change of clothes. The mentor raised his eyebrow, "And what were you doing on your latest excursion?"

"... Revenge."

"Very well, sit, I wish to discuss something with you." Varick said. He cast Cobalt a quiet glance, and he politely excused himself and retreated back to his office. Kodiak moved and took his spot on the couch.

Varick sat up straighter and leaned forwards slightly, "Your injury?"

"Completely... healed."

"How are you adapting to your new surroundings?"

"Fine... I'm used to it now... I have a friend." Kodiak answered.

Varick nodded, "Yes, the rambunctious one, I've heard. Good. If that's the case, then I believe it's time to resume your training." He didn't miss the excited wiggle Kodiak made then tried to pass off as just adjusting his legs. "Tomorrow morning at nine, I will be here to pick you up and take you to the abandoned house, as I believe that will be the proper environment for you to exercise your abilities."

"Sounds... good."

"I should think so."