Aimless

Mars scuffed his sneaker against the ground. He was bored. His mom was working, again, and he was left to do whatever, same as always. Azorat wasn't even half as interesting as it was cracked up to be.

The arena was empty, not that Mars expected otherwise. It was big enough for maybe a good fistfight and not much else. Getting a running start, he bounded up the steps and jumped to grab the top of the wall to pull himself up. Laying across it, he bent one and let the other leg hang within the confines of the arena.

He needed something to do.

Arsen coughed, letting the sound echo around the arena. He just loved to startle people. "I've not seen you around here before." He said as he leaned up against the arena entrance. "Yet i sense something about you that says you're familiar. Why is that?" He asked.

Mars turned his head, squinting against the brightness of the sun above to look at the guy. "Haven't seen you before, either," he stated needlessly. His accent was American and he felt no need to try to hide it. He sat up, still looking at the other guy.

"You're pretty damn quiet. Not sure I knew you were here until you coughed," Mars said. "Red eyes. Nice." He narrowed his own eyes in thought. "Should I know you?"

"So i should be. Wouldn't be as good if i were noisy would i? You American?" He asked hearing the accent as he moved into the arena to take on of the front row seats. It was an old place, but a place he'd been before with an old mentor before he'd killed him off.

"Thanks. Good for scaring the muggles." He smirked. "You should. But you don't, not yet. I take it you'll be going to Hogwarts whilst you're here." It wasn't really a question, more of a guess. He could tell it was the truth, he just knew it to be right.

"Born and raised," Mars replied.

He chuckled. "I imagine it is. Muggles are such an easily intimidated lot, though, aren't they?" The teen stretched casually, then remarked without sarcasm, "I'm sure you're someone vastly important, but you're a bit late if you're wanting to offer me anything.

"Seems some sort of formal education is required, doesn't it? Guess Hogwarts can't be any worse than Salem."

Arsen gave a lazy nod and stretched his arms over the back of the seats either side of him. "Muggles are the most pathetic of the human race... no offense." He added realising he was in the presence of a human now. It wasn't everyday he realised he found himself in the presence of a human. He tended to stick to those of either half decent or less.

He nodded. "I can tell, you stink of demon. Let me guess... crossroads demon? Lowest of the low." He said shaking his head. "Such a shame if you had waited i could have made you such a better offer." He shrugged, he'd never made a deal in his life and wouldn't even know where to begin but he didn't know that.

"Im not sure about Salem but the sooner i leave Hogwarts the better."

"Not muggle." Mars shrugged. "No choice but to be at least somewhat human." He jumped down from the wall, landing easily on the uneven levels serving as both stairs and seating.

He put on an expression of false-offense. "Hey! I'm not the only one who stinks, here, pal." His lips pulled into a lop-sided grin.

"What are the demons who go looking for you?" Mars asked in turn. "'Cos I didn't go to any crossroads. Demon came to me, asked what I wanted, I told it." Another shrug as he leaned back against the wall, folding his arms across his chest.

Mars gave a look of mild disgust. "Salem sucked. I fully anticipate Hogwarts will suck. Two years. I think I'll survive."

"You wouldn't still be standing if you were." He said matter of factly. It was a simple fact the muggles hated him and he despised them. If he could he'd wipe out the lot of them if it didn't mean wiping out the rest of the worlds population eventually.

Arsen smirked. "Touche." He had to admire the guy, the weren't many who were willing to talk to him like that and he liked that about him.

"How do you know they come looking for me?" He asked, "You must be some special human if they came to you. What did they offer you?" It was weird, they were either getting desperate or this human was seriously special. Demons were not known to go searching for deals they just made them.

"I can assure you it will live up to your expectations but two years is nothing right? Not when you have fresh blood to mess with."

"Damn right, touche," Mars smirked back easily. This guy was interesting, likable, even. Whatever he was.

"I don't. I didn't mean 'you', personally. 'You' in a general sense." He shrugged. "The offer was anything I wanted in exchange for my soul, with ten years to enjoy it. I suppose it doesn't sound like the best of deals, but I figure I'll be dead in ten years, anyway. Might as well enjoy myself." Mars grinned.

The boy chuckled. "I have missed influencing younger, impressionable minds. It always amazes me how very naive kids can be. I was never like that, myself."

"Huh." He said thinking he should have known that. It wasn't common knowledge that he was on the run from demons so he shouldn't have expected him to know that. He was just some random guy he'd just met. "We can be pretty convincing when we want to be." He smirked. "But 10 years isn't long. I'd have easily asked for double that. You got scammed. What did you ask for?" He asked.

"All minds can be influenced my friend. It's just a matter of skill." He smirked tapping the side of his head. "It just happens the younger ones are easier taint." He smiled.

"'We'?" Mars immediately caught the way this guy grouped himself with demons. Pushing away from the wall, he walked down the steps, slowly approaching the guy. He breathed deeply in through his nose.

"You're not possessing that body," he said. He stopped a few feet away, looking at the other teen curiously. "What are you, part demon?" Mars hadn't known that was possible.

He grinned. "I asked to be a match for anything or anyone. Ultimate predator."

Mars agreed. "That's why you have to out-influence everyone else. It's a game and most people don't even know they're playing." He gave his own smirk.

"I like you. You're smart, cunning. Interesting. Most people aren't. Being intelligent makes everyone else a drag."

Arsen narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side as he watched him come closer. "How does that work?" He asked ignoring his question. "Do you just has the senses of an animal or stronger?" He often wondered what a demon could give.

"Match for anyone or anything? Interesting." He smiled, wondering whether he would be a contender against himself. Surely he couldn't be a match against fine but with demon magic who knew?

Arsen smirked. "No one knows they're playing. That's the fun part, people are just too stupid to figure it out."

"Grazie. It's the reason i was put in Slytherin." He smirked. "Do you know what house you will be put in yet? We could do with someone like you in Slytherin, that house has seriously gone down hill. Salazar will be turning in his grave."

Mars smirked. "Better than many, equal with the rest," he replied. "You should see my artillery."

"So the demon said. Haven't met anything I couldn't beat, yet. Oh, but some things are so much more fun to go up against." He smiled at the thought.

"Slytherin would be fun," Mars answered. "Though, being stuck with the intellects wouldn't be half-bad, I suppose. Green looks great on me, though, so they ought to put me with the snakes." He grinned. That wasn't really his reason. The Hogwarts' houses just didn't have any meaning to him.

"Artillery?" He asked intrigued by what artillery he meant. "Let's see what you've got then." He was always interested in checking out the competition, whether they were competition or not.

"Well that's because you hadn't met me. I've yet to meet anyone that could beat me." He smirked, true it took a lot for someone to get within a certain amount of feet of him without turning to ash. He didn't take an attack on himself lightly.

"You really don't want to be stuck with the intellects. Not if you want to have fun. Seriously mate they spend half their days with their noses stuck in books and the other half trying to out smart each other. You're much better off with us."

Mars grinned widely, showing off a pair of perfectly human teeth. "Checking out the competition?" he asked. "Fine." His teeth morphed into a set of large jagged fangs that distorted his features. There were natural predators with smaller fangs. Sharp claws extended from the tips of his fingers. He had them on his feet, as well, but didn't want to ruin his already tattered shoes.

"I'm also strong and fast," he said putting his fangs and claws away again. His smile grew. "Oh? Does that mean I now have a decent sparring partner?" It was the main drawback to his deal. He had no one to have a good fight with anymore.

"Sticks in the mud, are they? I guess I'll go with Slytherin, then. It will be fun."

"Of course, gotta know what you're up against." He smirked, eyeing up his teeth as they morphed into jagged fangs. "Not bad, not bad. I've seen better." He shrugged but he couldn't help but wonder how sharp they really were. Would they beat his uncles? He highly doubted that, no ones he found had beaten his so far.

"And claws? Impressive, just like a cat." He joked, he imagined they would hurt if they pierced your skin but he wasn't going to let that on. "That's good to know." He nodded taking that on board too. "Maybe, i must warn you though i don't exactly play fair and it might... no it will get hot."

"Understatement. Then lets hope you're a snake then so the torturing can begin!"

A devil-may-care grin spread across his face. "What's the fun in playing fair?" Mars said. "I've never been one to stay out of the kitchen to avoid the heat. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Cliche, but true."

"Maybe the next two years won't be so bad," he said, grinning. "Sure to be interesting, at the least."