Maahes shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "I'm technically a demon, but not the type that Auryon is referring to." He wished, for a moment, that they were the same type - then he could actually be useful.
"He's not from Hell, he can't do anything. Will you please let me in now?"
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
Maahes bit his lip. What was he supposed to do? He trusted Auryon. If only she was the only one on the other side of the door; then it would be easy to make a choice. But dealing with the possibility of Apophis appearing once more made it nearly impossible to know if the decision he was about to make was right.
"I'm going to open the door," he said, "but you have to let us know if Apophis is about to take over again."
A long pause. If Apophis does regain power, she doesn't want to defy her. But for some insane reason, the drive to keep from being alone wins over her better judgement. After so many years one would think she'd be over that, but Leo...Leo is different. He's not like those of her past, and maybe, just maybe, she could have a better future, if a short one.
"Alright," she finally concedes.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
He gently pressed his hand against the door. The lotus flower bloomed, and the door began to open. He pushed it a little more. Peering out from behind the door, he gave Auryon a wave.
She stands, grimacing. Her arms are burned, and presumably so is the rest of her. Luckily, Apophis preserved most of her upper body. "Great, thanks."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
Laurel's defensive countenance dissolves slowly as she sees that Auryon... was injured, and appeared to be more of a victim of Adophis than anything else. James stood, still defensive, but his countenance softened just a fraction.
"Oh geez," she whispered. "Is there... anything we can do to help? It looks like you're hurt," she said with sympathetic concern.
She looks up, surprised. She wasn't sure what she expected, but it most certainly wasn't worry. "Uh...no, I'm fine, been through worse," she chuckles, using such humor to brush off the awkwardness.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
