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[stealyoursoul]

This is Leo. Leave a message and I'll get back to you.

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[stealyoursoul]

A couple of weeks, maybe three, but that's cutting it really close. Someone offered to let me kill them, but things are complicated there. [He had no doubt that while Harlan wouldn't make a fuss, Michael would not take it so well, and likely sic the Visitor on him again.] People threw a fit last time I killed someone and Abigail willingly did it too.

[He just sighs heavily, that kind like the weight of the world is on his shoulders.]

There's a reason I never got to know my food at home.

[It's easy to kill people when he didn't give a fuck about them. A lot harder now that he's gotten to know some people here.]

[so_dark_a_road]

I know about Abigail. She told me that you were both hoping it would help her. I am very sorry she experienced death, but I do not hold it against you anymore than she did. And you sound worried about taking up the offer of this unknown person. [ The word complicated rather suggests this! ]

Not much you can do about keeping people emotionally at arm's length in Hadriel. It's a small town, and nobody does well if they stay isolated. We've all got to have friends and friendly acquaintances.

[ He stops to slap a glove against his sleeve, knocking some snow and ice off his arm. ]

There are some questions I've never asked you. Obviously, Abigail got her soul back after you were through with it. Did she get it back the same as it was before? She seemed to think so.

[stealyoursoul]

There will be retribution if I do feed of him. Someone close to him isn't very fond of me. And without Hope here, he's not gonna come back anytime soon.

[That's putting it lightly. Last time, he and the Visitor had done their absolute best to kill each other. Harlan had to intervene then. Without him there, there was nothing to stop him and Michael from finally doing it this time.

He snorts inelegantly at Curufin's assurance that he needs friends. He does not, thank you very much. He is perfectly fine with being a monster hermit for the rest of his life. He can't lie to people. Only to himself.]

I don't know. People don't come back from the dead where I'm from, so I don't know how it affects souls here.

[so_dark_a_road]

Hmm. That does present a problem.

[ Curufin chuckles in response to Leo's snort. One of the things he likes about Leo is his directness! If he's a loner, then so be it. Curufin, who once had isolationist tendencies himself, understands. ]

Where I'm from, mortals don't come back from the dead, but Elves sometimes do. Even if our bodies die, our spirits retain the memory of the body and may be able to re-manifest it. As beings, we fall about halfway between mortals and those immense spirits, the Maiar, who can take any form they like and are servants to the Valar, our gods. We Elves are more limited, we can't take any form but an Elvish one, but we retain the Maiar's strange relationship between being and the intention to be, body being merely the visible part of soul.

[ He smiles a little. ] I tell you this not to bore you with Elvish philosophy, but to explain why I may be able to help you. Elves have very large souls. I may be able to spare some of my fiery soul-energy, enough to keep you from having to devour anybody else. If you're interested, I'll make a suggestion as to how.

[stealyoursoul]

[Leo will never get used to people offering themselves as meals to him. The amount of self-sacrificial mindset it takes to offer must be immense. He considers Curufin's offer carefully and can see only one problem in the solution.]

Unless you have a way of splitting that soul energy off yourself, I'm afraid that I'd have to take your whole soul, and kill you. It's an all or nothing deal with my powers unfortunately.

[so_dark_a_road]

[ He thinks about that. Could he truly deliver some of that energy to Leo without actually dying? Does he even want to try? It would complicate what is actually a very simple situation. He scratches his head, thinks some more, and then replies.]

All right. Let's keep it straightforward. You can have my whole soul, and I'll die and then attempt to return without the intervention of the gods.

[ They're talking about what could be a dire event for Curufin, but then, he's Curufin. He can't help chuckling a little. ] I have no idea how the soul of an Elf might affect you. You might be reeling, stumbling, falling-down drunk on my energy!