Chapter Text
“Sparing some time he says, as though I had any choice in the matter.” It’s a petty and mildly pathetic thing to say, but well, it certainly reflects how Owen’s feeling at the moment.
And if the fact that it gets a reaction out of Scott makes Owen just a little pleased with himself, that’s no one’s business but his own.
“Was that caught?” Scott turns towards a camera-man Owen hadn’t quite noticed before, seeming slightly irked. Which is strange but unimportant. What’s important is what he catches a glimpse of as the announcer moves.
Horns.
Not the usual red most people are accustomed to seeing, but a rarer blue, they’re more curved too, like a ram’s rather than the regular goat-like style, marking the demon as being from the mountains. Interesting. Though it’s somewhat shameful that he didn’t notice sooner.
“You’re a demon. It’s a wonder I didn’t see it at first, though the lighter blue does a decent enough job of covering up the horns. Speaking of, the colouring and what I assume the overall shape to be puts you, oh where? District 18? No, no, no. Can’t be that the curvature’s all wrong, District 10 perhaps? Along that mountain range? Well I can certainly understand why you’d hide them if that’s the case.” This snaps the announcer’s attention away from whatever conversation Owen admittedly should have been listening to, and back onto him.
The slight shock is evident as Scott reaches up and takes note of how the Outsider figured it out, seemingly cursing himself quietly.
Though the announcer recovers quickly.
“First of all it’s teal not a ‘lighter blue’. If you’re going to be an asshole, do it right. And really if you’re done with the socio-geographical test Owen. Does that change anything? Because I can say with certainty that you lied, and quite badly at that, on some of those questions!
“Which really only makes me all the more curious, because why would you lie, Owen? What’s so important that you’d lie even now? When you supposedly have nothing left? Are you afraid of something? Someone?” Owen can’t help how his breath catches at the announcer’s words.
Because Scott can’t know that, because that’s a weakness on Owen’s part.
He cannot show weakness, not here, not now.
No matter how his mind shamefully stutters over Apo’s name, how he can’t think back on that demon without an incomprehensible sort of regret and sorrow clouding his mind.
And it is incomprehensible, because at best Apo was a pitiable demon who despite their insistence that people use ‘logic’ never seemed to properly think through the consequences of their actions.
Of course that would only be while giving the demon the benefit of the doubt. Something that Owen’s never afforded.
Which really just makes Apo a traitorous coward, ever pinning the blame elsewhere. With the lever it was Squidney and the rest of the outsiders, running away was Bekyamon’s fault, even killing an officer was only because their village was attacked.
And of course Apo lying was his fault. Because Apo didn’t want to get him involved, didn’t want to get him hurt.
It’s pathetic.
The announcer, seemingly unaware, continues on.
“Either way I can assure you, rectifying that is far, far easier than you being able to do anything against me.” Scott’s threat effectively shuts down any remaining remarks Owen may have had.
“Of course not.” He keeps his voice carefully level, because he will not show the enemy weakness, he will not show them fear or hesitation, he will not-
The announcer is still talking.
“See! Not so hard is it? Now! As much as I’d love to keep chatting, We have a schedule to keep, and you’re already taking enough time as is.” With that Owen’s ushered back out of the room.
Once again talk stops as each of the other Outsiders hear the door open, and he again sees Graecie, Acho, Kyle, Spidey, and Red.
What?
Red?
Here?
Owen all but freezes as he registers the demon’s presence.
Red for his part, stands slowly. Not quite looking him in the eye.
“Owen.” The former leader’s voice is cold, tense.
And Owen responds in kind.
“Red.” And it’s strange, because this is the demon that outplayed him, if unknowingly. The only demon that was left in the maze when Owen was supposed to wipe them all out.
It leaves something of a foul taste in his mouth.
“So you escaped?” It’s a statement as much as it is a question.
Owen figures he owes his former ‘friend’ courtesy enough to play along.
“And you were lured back.” He says this simply enough and behind his mask Red seems to grimace at the reminder.
“I had to know what you did to Apo.”
Apo.
Apo.
It always goes back to Apo doesn’t it?
Why?
Why?
Why?
What’s so special about them?
He should have just been another filthy half. So why does everything seem to lead back to him?
Why is it so difficult to detach himself from how he felt about them?
Owen discards this line of thought for now, he can’t allow himself to become distracted. Even if Red was the least threatening of the demons in the maze.
“And I decided that if Krow could come back from the ‘dead’ once, then so could I. That I wouldn’t stop until we were both dead.” If Owen lets slip more venom than intended when mentioning Krow, he won’t admit it.
“Well Owen, you ah- you don’t quite seem dead to me.” The Demon looks over him with such casual confidence that he wants nothing more than to pierce the thing’s heart- to watch Red stop moving as his breath drains out, to-
Calm down. This thinking will get him nowhere.
So Owen does little more than bite his tongue momentarily in an attempt to keep some form of dignity.
“Neither are you. ‘Suppose that must be why I’m still here then.” It’s almost pathetic how it takes every ounce of self control that he possesses to try and match the calm of the demon before him.
Still. He manages.
“You uh you do kinda look like shit though, Krow really did a number on you huh?” Red looks at him directly now, evidently confident in the knowledge that Owen can’t do anything to him.
And the soldier desperately wants to test that confidence, to show Red that despite the injuries and chains Owen is more than capable.
So he moves forward, to confront the demon, to show Red. To show all of them, how perilous underestimating him can be, to-
He hears the click of a bolt being loaded.
Panic grips him for just a moment, though it feels far longer as he’s made painfully aware that the demon may well just shoot him right here.
That he very well could die here and no one could do anything about it.
No one would do anything about it.
The other Outsiders move and the moment ends, their panic inadvertently ceasing his.
They all yell over one another, exclamations of shock, confusion and concern tumbling together.
All except Red that is, who remains unconcerned as ever. Which isn’t surprising, the demon was never one to take threats all that seriously.
Still, it’d be tantamount to death to show weakness here and now. Though realistically speaking doing just about anything could lead to his death.
So Owen does something admittedly reckless.
He turns a bit, just so that he can see the demon behind him, puts on the most placid expression he can muster and asks a simple question.
“Is there a problem here?” The demon shifts the gun slightly, and Owen can’t decide whether that’s a good or bad thing as she practically growls at him.
“If you keep this up I’ll be able to get rid of one. Now stop bothering people. I'm not waiting here all day.” It’s not the worst outcome possible, if anything it’s the best Owen could ask for in this situation.
The other Outsiders cause little fuss, still slightly shocked. Which suits Owen just fine as he allows himself to be led silently back to the cell.
The demon keeps her gun trained on him the whole time, it’s almost ridiculous and really just gives Owen the impression that she won’t shoot him.
“Get in.” The order, short as it is, is given as the demon unlocks the shackles and all but shoves the Outsider into the cell.
“Just out of curiosity,” Owen speaks as she locks the door. “Why haven’t you shot me yet?”
The demon doesn’t give an answer so he continues.
“You evidently want to, and while there are plenty of cameras around, I don’t doubt that there are blind spots you could abuse.” The demon stops in her tracks, looking slightly confused and more than a little irritated at him. Truth be told, Owen’s not entirely certain why he’s trying to rile her up so much. He’s fully aware that it won’t do him any good, but, well, it certainly hasn’t stopped him in the past.
“I’m sure you could find some excuse as well, something like oh I don’t know, saying I attacked you as we rounded a corner. But you didn’t, and you haven’t. It’s almost disappointing, so why not? Why keep me around whilst making it abundantly clear that you could kill me at any time?” It almost seems like the demon isn’t going to answer as she glares at him. But she’s really far too predictable for him to believe she won’t.
“Someone like you doesn’t deserve to die quickly.” Owen doesn’t do anything but blink stupidly, it’s all he can do really, he. He honestly hadn’t expected such an answer, certainly not from this demon.
She turns and leaves. This time Owen doesn’t try and stop her.
And so he’s left alone once more.
Alone with nothing and no one to distract him from- to occupy his time with.