"That still doesn't tell us what he is," Ruben finally broke the silence. "We already know he's not a normal human. He resurrected his cat. Now it's talking like a sentient being. And obviously, he shares some kind of connection with you, Dorian."
"Perhaps you should dig deep into your own memories," Virginia said. "If you share something with the boy, that's where you find the answers."
"I've tried," Dorian rubbed his chin. "And I can't find him. There's nothing I can connect him with."
"Are you sure all your memories are intact?" Ruben suddenly asked. "They weren't erased at some point?"
"Why would someone erase my memories?" Dorian frowned.
Both Ruben and Virginia remained silent. They knew the reasons why someone's memories were affected. It almost always suggested a possession. A demon feeding on the weakest parts of the human mind. But neither of them sensed the presence of demons around him. His connection to the Beyond was very strong, strangely so, but demons often hid in clever ways. In order to corrupt the souls they wanted to possess, they attacked their host's memories and fed on them. Eating away the memories or twisting them made their victim's weaker. It also made the emotional bond fragile and corrupted, which made the process even easier.
"If my memories were affected, how would I know about it?" Dorian asked.
"It's hard to say," Ruben replied. "You'd first have to find out what you don't remember and why. Then who or what erased or affected those memories. I have no idea how it works. Demons are not my expertise."
"For once, this moron is right," Virginia agreed. "You've been alive for seven hundred years. Trying to recover memories from so far away might be impossible."
"Besides, you don't even know for sure have your memories of him been erased," Ruben concluded. "He claims to know you. It could be that he's just mistaken. Sometimes that happens too. A soul gets imprinted on another soul and they believe it's a divine fate or something, soul mates, their one true love, whatever. It could be that when he called out to you on the night of birth, like a little duckling that opens its eyes for the first time, he imprinted himself on you and now he believes he knows or remembers you from somewhere. That's why he seeks you out."
"That really happens?" Dorian frowned.
"Where do you think we get all the sappy love stories from?" Ruben crossed his arms. "The true love that the universe itself selected for me. Surprise, surprise. It's just your insecure soul imprinting on a confident one, something that seems safe and secure. The confident one wants to protect and keep the weaker one safe and that is what causes the main attraction between those two. They are practically designed for each other."
"If that's the case, wouldn't that make me a confident soul?" Dorian cringed.
"Not necessarily," Ruben shook his head. "The insecure souls don't always imprint on the confident ones. Sometimes they imprint on something dangerous and those stories don't have a happy ending. All I'm saying is that he might see you as something secure but that's only his fascination for you. As long as you ignore it, he shouldn't be that big of a problem."
"Virginia?" Dorian asked. "What do you think?"
"As much as I hate to admit it," Virginia groaned. "Ruben is right. If you really have no memories of him, then that's the simplest way to explain it."
"Great! Now that that's been taken care of, I have something to talk to you about," Ruben turned to Virginia.
"Why should I talk to you?" Virginia growled. "I have nothing say. Get lost!"
"But I have," Ruben smiled and turned to Dorian. "Do you mind? I would like to exchange a few words with my dear wife."
"Play nice!" Dorian warned him. "You better not ask me to collect the pieces of your body later on. I won't do it, you hear me!"
"No worries," Ruben assured him. "I'll be gentle."
Dorian turned, glanced at them one last time and left. As he disappeared behind the corner, Virginia's leaves began to shudder. She was rattling them like a snake giving off a warning. But Ruben knew this woman, had known her for thousands of years. There was very little she could do that would take him by surprise.
"No need to get agitated," Ruben soothed her. "I'm just here to talk."
"I've got nothing to say," Virginia's voice was cold and distant. When Ruben took a step closer, she pulled her leaves away. "You better stay back if you know what's good for you."
"You decapitated me once already," Ruben mentioned. "Without a good reason, I might add. If you want to do it again, be mindful of my hair."
"Without a good reason?" Virginia fumed. "You were fucking three other women at the same time, behind my back! If that's not a good reason then I don't know what is!"
"Technically that's not possible, love," Ruben pointed out. "But yes, I was using my hair and my fingers at the other two, so I guess that counts. I admit it. Guilty as charged."
"You admit it? And you still have the nerve to stand there and speak to me, you son a bitch?" A thick, green whip, armed with deadly, sharp spikes whooshed towards him. He didn't flinch or move but a strong, silk-like strand of his golden hair lashed against Virginia's poisonous tentacle and wrapped around it like a strangler snake. He yawned and glared at Virginia.
"I told you, be careful around my hair!" Ruben said and his voice was calm and cold.
"Then fuck off and leave me alone," Virginia hissed and tried to pull her tentacle away.
"I love it when you talk dirty, my love," Ruben purred. "It's even hotter when you try to use your tentacles on me!"
"I can show you a world of pain if that's what you want," Virginia gnarled. "Just step a little closer and I'll gladly demonstrate."
Ruben chuckled, shook his head, and released the strong, pulsating tentacle from his grasp. It slithered back to the humongous green mass and disappeared within the writing leaves and tangled roots.
"So, this is where we left off after our little spat," Ruben laughed. "My poor little baby. Deprived of all attention. You should have told me you missed me, I might have come and found you sooner."
"I'd rather spent an eternity here than see your face ever again," Virginia grumbled. "Now, what'd you want?"
"You've been on this very spot for centuries," Ruben took a step closer and the nasty, green leaves trembled violently. He tamed this fiery lady once, thousands and thousands of years ago. He had never been afraid of her, no matter how much she spat her fire and curses at him. "You have been here long before Dorian even came to this world. That young man...how are they really connected to each other?"
"What makes you think I know?" Virginia scoffed. "The same could be said about you. I'm not the only creature who likes to poke his nose where it doesn't belong. And didn't you just convince him that it simple imprinting? Your flawless explanation seems to have convinced him for now."
"You love the gossip," Ruben chuckled. "You love to listen. You keep your ears constantly peeled. There's no way in hell that you don't know what happens around you. Why don't you share some of that information? I'm very interested to hear what you have to say."
"Figure it out yourself," Virginia slapped his feet with her leaves.
"I can't," Ruben pouted. "Because of the mess you made, I was demoted. I don't have the clearance to get the information."
"The mess I made?" Virginia's voice was deceivingly low. "I never fucked anyone behind your back! Don't you think I was entitled to cut your head off when I found you elbow-deep in that little bitch of yours?"
"Ouch," Ruben rolled his eyes. "It was just a couple of fingers..."
"Whatever, I'm not talking to you anymore," Virginia's voice drifted away and the leaves and the spiky vines blocked his away. When she closed off like that he knew he wouldn't be able to get the information he wanted. There was no way of getting in the middle of that mess of deadly leaves and green, poisonous foliage without a serious, violent struggle and he was not in the mood for that today. He shrugged, turned and walked back to the house. Dorian looked at him with genuine surprise when he arrived back in one piece.
"Still intact, I see. How was it?" he asked and couldn't help but smile.
"Making progress," Ruben replied and leaned against the wall. "She called me a son of a bitch! That sweet little thing! She really loves me. And I didn't even realize how much I actually missed her."