Waiting and watching.

Half of him felt ridiculous and the other half felt embarrassingly giddy. Will used to play video games at a local arcade when he was younger. He also used to read western and eastern comics. Right now, standing alone on the rooftop of a four story tall building as he waited made him feel like Batman in both good and bad ways.

He needed to be out of sight while still having a good view of the old house over by the next block. The wind blew, making him feel cooler and colder. He’d indulge in those childish thoughts for a bit if Ishtar wasn’t permanently judging him.

‘I didn’t know you had this side to you, Will. Did you used to play super hero? That’s cute.’

Will sighed. ‘I liked to be the dark, brooding type…’

‘I guess you’re still a kid.’

“...”

That was years ago, but while unrelated, Will didn’t have a retort to Ishtar’s comment. Lately he felt like a child. Like a teen brooding and sulking silently. A building’s rooftop was good for that, too, really, but that’s not what he was there for.

Will was on the lookout for someone, waiting for someone to show up at a specific spot. It left him too much time to think, and he didn’t want that, so he took the chance to carry some of his textbooks in his backpack and study.

It would’ve been counterproductive if not for the fact he wasn’t truly alone, even if Ishtar didn’t count. Right above Will, standing on an antenna, was a raven. It was a big, fully black bird. Inconspicuous amongst the myriad other ravens that flew over the city day in and day out. This one, however, was one of Belphegor’s. One of the many animals he had taken control over with his magic.

The raven kept its eyes on the old house a block away. Through them, Belphegor was watching as well, waiting for the arrival of any one of the faces he recognized.

According to the old man, who had already used a rat to verify this information, the house was abandoned. Dusty, with its wooden beams slowly rotting and with no furniture at all, the only things of interest about the old house were the absurdly high price for such worthless property and the portal to the other world in its attic.

Amelia said this was an area of the city going through… redevelopment. They were buying all the old houses to build hotels and shopping centers. Apparently the owner of the house was waiting for the value of his property to skyrocket even more before selling it. Until then, however, the person they suspected of being a mirrorkin was using it as one of their many secret portals to move around town without leaving a trace.

This was the third day of waiting.

Instead of looking aimlessly, they decided it was better to set themselves at one location and wait until someone appeared. Aoi was on the lookout somewhere else, and so was Johana. The Amazon was doing him a favor for the good fight, she claimed. Belphegor had animals waiting with them as well.

‘So… Are we really looking for a man or is it possible this is a woman posing as a man? Actually, do mirrorkin have genders?’

‘They do, actually. The usual male and female. In fact, here’s an interesting and useful fact to know. Male mirrorkin can only shapeshift into other males, and it’s the same thing for females.’

‘That seems… limiting.’

‘Right? And a lot less fun. I mean, just imagine if they could shapeshift into the other gender! They could experience sex from both sides!’

‘Yeah, I suppose that’s true.’

‘Right? And speaking of…’

‘Please don’t.’

‘Will…!’

‘Look, I know, but…’

‘You’ve been avoiding sex, William Sawyer. Don’t think I haven’t noticed. It’s been like five days, and not because there hasn’t been time or opportunities.’

‘I…’

‘I know, I get it. You feel weird, inadequate. You think sex is the only thing connecting you to the girls and that’s getting in the way of you getting turned on. I get it… I think. Never been there myself, but I’m trying to be understanding. HOWEVER, my good man, you seem to be forgetting the small little detail that I FEED ON IT!’

Will hadn’t forgotten, of course. In fact, it was a big concern at the moment. He needed to have sex to feed Ishtar, and that had never been a problem. Even now it wasn’t. It really was all on Will.

He… He needed some distance from the girls. It wasn’t a problem with them, but within himself. And it wasn’t the he didn’t want to fuck, either. The hunger for it was still there, annoying him in the crotch area every day. It was difficult to explain, especially since Will himself didn’t quite understand it. Ishtar had put it in decent terms. That said…

‘I know. Let’s focus on the task at hand, okay? I promise I’ll do something about it soon. I just need more time.’

‘How much time?’

It wasn’t fair to keep Ishtar waiting, not on this. She didn’t need sex every single day to survive. She could go weeks without it if necessary. Didn’t mean it would be pleasant. On top of that, sex kept them strong. It was the source of their power. Abstaining for five days was already having an effect on them. Not enough to weaken them, but enough to feel they weren’t at their peak.

The sudden croak of the raven above startled them both. Will looked up instinctively before realizing he should be looking towards the house. There, in the distance, he saw a short man wearing denim overalls, a dirty red shirt and a matching cap. The casual way in which he entered the old abandoned house would give anyone the impression he was a worker who was meant to be there.

Without wasting a single second, Will ran towards the back of the building and jumped off from the rooftop of the four story tall building.

Thank fuck for magic strengthening.