Forgotten Horrors

[spacepanda]

Happy to have a moment alone, Anja quickly nodded and went over to the kitchen. While it was technically in the same room, there was a small wall that shielded it’s view to anyone not directly standing in front of it. Once behind the security of the wall she rested both her hands on the counter, leaning against it. Deep breaths Anja, she silently coached herself, taking a moment to compose herself.


Opening her fridge she tilted her head; she was thoroughly confused. She didn’t quite understand why the Demon would follow her to her home, when he could have gone somewhere else to warm up. Maybe he has to be invited, she mused, like vampires.


She was getting nowhere fast, her thoughts were racing together from one side of her skull and crashing into the other.


“I have water, milk, and some orange juice.” She listed after a moment. Peeking her head out, she noticed for the first time, that he was still wearing his jacket. “Or I could make your hot chocolate… if you’re cold?” She wasn’t sure why she was concerned over his well being to begin with, but a part of her did feel kind of guilty for not believing him to begin with.


Then again who would? She stared at his horns again as she awaited his answer.

 

[xXRassBerriXx]

Akaski had been peering around the room once more, though he had said it to be acceptable he still was rather curious about the home. He wondered what humans considered to be typical living conditions, as did he wonder about most details to the human race. He didn't know about they're world, culture, lifestyle, but so far it had seemed to be nothing like home.


Upon being asked a question he glanced towards the kitchen, he knew what water and milk was though the other two were unfamiliar to him. He did find the last suggestion to be to his liking, he still was somewhat cold though he didn't truly want to confess this.


"H...hot chocolate, only because I haven't had it before..."


He added in the last part as an excuse, and though it wasn't a very good one he hoped it would be enough. He wasn't sure why he was making a fuss over such little things as this, but he wouldn't want to make himself appear to be weak as his first impression. It was necessary in his realm to be strong, or else you would end up getting killed at some point or another. Murder was a common thing, so Akaski chose that it would be best to scare of most competition.

 

[spacepanda]

“Right, coming up,” Anja announced. Turning the stovetop on, she grabbed a large milk pot and poured the milk in. She daydreamed a bit as it warmed, softly humming to herself. Suddenly she stopped. What if Demons were allergic to chocolate and he ended up enraged? Hoping he wouldn’t flay her alive or something else equally grotesque, she added power chocolate to the milk and slowly began to stir.


“Anja, you need therapy,” she mumbled quietly to herself.


After a couple of minutes the chocolate milk was prepared. Grabbing two mugs from the kitchen cabinets, she poured an equal amount of sweet delicious goodness in them both. She used her long sleeves to cover her contact with the mug, as they were quite hot.


“Be careful, it’s… uh… warm,” she stated stupidly as she handed him the mug. She then took a seat on her living room couch, placing her drink of on coffee table to allow it to cool. She looked away. She had already decided she would prefer not to see if her death was coming.

 

[xXRassBerriXx]

A little curiously he glanced at the unfamiliar liquid within the cup, before looking over to her once more. She didn't seem to be paying attention to him and once again her eyes remained away from him. He seemed to have made her hesitant, and though he had been aiming to strike fear into her he still felt a little bad.


He let his attention drift back to his drink and quietly he took a sip. He tensed a bit, having not expected it to be so hot he had accidentally brought a small pain into his mouth, but other than the sudden pausing of his tail he displayed no other signs that it had burnt him a small bit.


"It's alright" He said quietly, and though he had taken a liking to the flavor he didn't truly use his truthful feelings to describe it. It tasted sweet, and even if it did brun him a small bit the after taste was rather good. He didn't blame her for the small pain as she had warned him about it being hot, and he was the one who went on carelessly anyways.

 

[spacepanda]

Satisfied that she wasn't going to become his breakfast, she simply nodded at his attempted compliment. "Good." She responded, taking her own mug to her lips now. She jumped back suddenly, nearly spilling the chocolate drink on her white long-sleeved shirt. It had still yet to cool. She placed it back down, feeling a bit embarrassed. She was almost certain she had just yelped.


After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, she finally relented. She had so many questions for him, though he seemed uninterested and would probably be quite annoyed at her interview. Or maybe he wouldn't, but either way she couldn't simply stay silent any longer.


Her drink now properly cooled, she enjoyed a long sip before asking, "So, what brings you here anyway, to the... human world." She felt a bit uneasy having to refer to herself as human, having had no interaction in the past were it was necessary.

 

[xXRassBerriXx]

It seemed that his drink had cooled a bit as well, and it was now much more comfortable to sip from it as no longer would it burn at his tongue. As the question was asked he once again ceased drinking as he peeked over to her once more. He wasn't fully sure how to respond truthfully, he had just been curious over the secondary realm yet he didn't truly want to call himself curious.


"I... wanted to see what it was like..." He replied, not using the exact word for curious though his wording could be described as it too. His own stubbornness could be an annoyance to him sometimes, but he currently didn't appear worked up as he did hide it rather well.


He was about to take another sip, though he paused a moment and glanced away. It seemed he had developed a small head-ache do mostly to the fact that he was working himself even as he was tired, demon's always would get little pains like that to serve as a warning that they're energy has been decreased quiet a bit. Though now his sip appeared hesitant, he still took it with his tail moving a bit tensely behind him.

 

[spacepanda]

"Oh, okay." Anja responded simply. She wasn't quite sure if she should be worried or satisfied that he had no real reason to be there. She decided on satisfied. She supposed if she could travel through realms for fun she would too.


"So you're on some sort of... vacation then?" Anja tried to think for a moment what she thought demons would even do on a vacation. Whatever it was, it probably didn't involve any beaches. She quickly sat up, momentarily panicked. Where was it he planned on staying, anyway?


"You can sort of... 'transform' into a human form, right?" She asked, her voice wavering for the second time that day. The chaos she imagined he would cause walking around the town in his normal form was astronomical. She was pretty sure the police would be involved... and then maybe the government.


Oh gods, she thought. Her mind was racing once more. Did the government even know about demons? She imagined Akashi on a surgeon's table in a dark gated room and shivered.

 

[xXRassBerriXx]

He peered at her curiously, he hadn't been on a vacation before yet in truth he had come here to collect information and sharpen his skills with the key, he guess it could count as one. It was sight-seeing in a way, he would want to explore more once he was back in top shape as he still was a little concerned over running into trouble. It was a common thing within the demonic realm, so he imagined it would be here as well.


As she mentioned transforming, he yes her curiously. "I don't see any reason why I would need to hide myself" He stated, flicking his tail once before continuing, "Yet, if its completely necessary I might be able to do something about it. If I use my abilities correctly, I might be able to mask them from view, though they would still physically be there. I can't really just make them disappear as if they never existed."


This did cause him to think quite a bit more, now on the topic of his own abilities. He manipulated shadows, and though it did use up energy to do such he might be able to set up the correct illusion to make it appear as if his features weren't there. Yet it would be bad if someone were to accidentally touch them...

 

[spacepanda]

Anja felt uneasy as he spoke, as she had slowly realized she was becoming used to his long horns and the sway of his tail. It’s not something she wanted to happen. Staring him in the eye, she noted their extraordinary color once more. I wonder if he thinks my eyes are a weird color…


She supposed demons must come in all shapes in sizes, just like humans. Taking a sip of her drink, a strong feeling of relief washed over her as he finished speaking.


“Good. Because you might need that skill sooner than you think.” She stated bluntly. Pondering how much he even knew about humans she continued, “You do realize people will try to kill you when they find out what you are.”


She frowned at him, not exactly sure how powerful he even was. He seemed, now that she really thought about the events so far, kinda… nice.

 

[xXRassBerriXx]

"Kill me?" He was made curious over this statement... people would just try to kill him because he was a demon? He didn't quite get this seeing as he had yet to do any harm to the human's realm, nor would he chose to just go about killing humans for being human. Anja was actually somewhat kind, he guessed that it would be a stupid thought to think that all humans were like her. After all, he knew a large variety of demons: Some good, some back... humans seemed to have the intelligence to have developed personalities.


Another thought crossed him as he thought into it, why was she telling him this? He threatened her, shouldn't she be scared of him? Really he expected that she would want him to die yet she cared enough to grant him a warning.


"Why would you care? I don't think I've given you any reason to tell me these things" he questioned, saying his thoughts allowed. Yet, his serious look seemed to suddenly gain a teasing smile, "That is, unless you care for me, even the slightest bit?"

 

[spacepanda]

Her eyes, which had been momentarily hypnotized by his tail once again, snapped up to meet his instantly. “What?!” Nearly yelling with shock, she stared at him in confusion. Not nice, I take it back, she thought as her face reddened. He was teasing her! She wasn’t quite sure how to react around him, one moment he seemed kind, and the next he either insulted her or worse. What was the point in even trying?


“Listen, do whatever the hell you want then. But don’t blame me when you’re all cut up in pieces in some sort of …” she threw her hands in the air for a lack of better words, clearly frustrated. She placed her drink down with a loud thud and placed her head in her hands, covering her face. She was exhausted.


All I wanted today was to enjoy some peaceful solitude, she reflected.

 

[xXRassBerriXx]

A small chuckle escaped him as her frustration played out, it had been what he was aiming for after all. Yet still, he did wonder what could be going through her head.... he still did wonder why she did give him the information. Maybe she would just feel bad if someone died because she failed to tell them something, yet if humans already judged him upon being a demon why would she want him to live?


The cut up in pieces part confused him as well, he was sure he could defend himself as he had lasted in his own realm, were humans really that strong? If they were, why had she not chosen to defend herself when he threatened her with a blade? He was confused by these actions, but even with the slight pinch of irritation not knowing brought him he was sure he would figure it out at some point.


Without requesting her permission he sat himself on the couch beside her, his tail curling over his lap to provide a comfortable sit. "So then, if you hate me why do you tolerate me?" He questioned her, somewhat glad to be off his feet. He was becoming tired each minute that passed by, so he tried to stall the fatigue.

 

[spacepanda]

She raised her head as the weight on the couch shifted a bit. “Hate you?” She turned towards him, her nose scrunching in confusion. “Akaski, I don’t even know you, how could I hate you?” Letting out a soft sigh, she let her eyes focus on the kitchen wall. “As for why I tolerate you…” she began again after a moment, “Let’s just say that I’m smart enough to know when I’m outmatched.”


She wasn’t sure of what kind of abilities he might have, but even if it was just the one it was still more than what a man of his height would most likely need to take her down. Anja let the silence settle for a minute while she collected her bearings. Utterly exhausted, she was still not even 100% convinced that she wasn’t hallucinating. Dear gods, she frowned, what if I’m having an episode?


Suddenly shooting her arm across the Demon’s chest, she turned to him once more. “Pinch me.” She demanded with a determined yet weary look on her face.

 

[xXRassBerriXx]

He was unsure as to why she would want him to pinch her, yet he truly didn't have much of a reason to refuse. Maybe she was searching for proof that he was real, though he knew she had already felt his horns... maybe she just needed more evidence to believe him? Was his existence really that surreal to her? He would have though abnormal phenomenon would occur here at least a small bit. He probably wasn't the only demon to end up in the human realm.


With a slight bit of hesitation he brought his hand up to her arm, he seemed to pause for a moment as he didn't truly wish to physically harm her. Pinching stung, though it wasn't truly anything near severe pain... it was still a little hard for him seeing us he still was himself underneath his rude behaviors. Hoping to hide his hesitation he pinched her very lightly, yet he still made it strong enough to have been felt at least a tiny bit.


"T...there..." he murmured, pulling his hand away.

 

[spacepanda]

Anja blinked. He had actually pinched her…


She laughed. It was a sudden, blusterous laugh that took her a bit off guard. She had actually asked a demon to cause her physical discomfort, and he had obliged. Yet he had done it in a way that was so gentle; she couldn’t help but to find amusement in the situation. Catching her breath after a moment, she looked to him again


“Was that my only wish, or do I get more?” She smiled, shaking her head at what had obviously been hysterical mirth.

 

[xXRassBerriXx]

He was caught of guard by her sudden amusement, tensing up a bit as he realized what she could be laughing at. He felt a bit of embarrassment come over him as he had known his pinch to be a rather shied, gentle one. It seemed she had noticed it as well, and she found it this hysterical.


As she questioned him, he felt his tail curl a bit on his lap. "M...My hand...!" He started, protesting as he tried to make up an excuse for having delivered such a small pinch. He truly was making a bigger deal out of this than he should have, but by this point it was in his nature to try and mask his softer self. "I-it... it... got a cramp!" He lowered his eyes, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "That's a-all!"


To be honest, Akaski didn't even known if hands could get cramps, he just made up what he could.

 

[spacepanda]

“A cramp. A sudden cramp. Right.” She snorted, finding it rather silly that he felt the need to justify himself to her. She didn’t think anyone ever had felt the need to justify anything to her before. Mostly, they just did whatever the hell they wanted, not caring if it upset her. The thought did make herself feel a bit more comfortable around Akaski, however.


Bringing her shoulders down in a release of tension she smiled at him- in a way that wasn’t entirely nice. It was the kind of smile a cat would make before pouncing on a mouse. She felt like she had a bit of insight on how his mind seemed to work now, and wasn’t as frightened anymore. For all she knew, he could be just a kid in demon years.


“You never answered my question,” she teased him. “Do I get more wishes? What kind of demon are you exactly, anyway?”

 

[xXRassBerriXx]

"Wishes...?" He wasn't one who granted wishes, he never had been at least from what he could recall. He was attempting to push aside the nagging matter of her earlier laughter as he still didn't truly like the fact that she had taken note to a bit of his weakness. It was distracting, but he managed.


"I... don't grant wishes, that's more of a spirit's thing or even some gods will do that. I do have indications that I used to be a demon of a blank nature, that being a demon without any magical strength. I don't remember how I came to be like this, though currently I am a demon who manipulates shadows. My sub-race is a little mixed up, so it doesn't have an exact name..."


Yet, not able to drop the matter of his pinch just yet, he added in with a small murmur, "A-and yes. A sudden cramp."

 

[spacepanda]

Anja furrowed her brow, the answer he gave her was not quite what she had expected.


“That sounds… complicated.” She took a sip of her hot chocolate again, even though by this time it was nothing close to hot. The tension in the air now gone, at least on her end, she now felt a bit awkward.


She wasn’t used to entertaining guests, never mind those of the supernatural kind, and she was unsure how to move forward. If he had been a friend, she was sure by now they’d be enjoying a movie, or playing a game, or partaking in some other type of joyous recreational activity. But he wasn’t a friend, he was a demon. A demon she found in the middle of the forest and took home, like some sort of…stray puppy. She cringed at the association her mind came to, and shot him a quick look underneath her lashes. For all she knew he could read minds and was readying himself to smite her.


“Soooo,” she began uneasily, and then stopped biting her lip. She fidgeted for a moment, and then attempted to look busy whilst she pulled some lint off her shirt. “What now?” She asked finally, hoping she didn’t sound too rude.

 

[xXRassBerriXx]

At her question he was forced to think a moment. He knew he was tired, but he didn't want to exit into the cold just yet... he was sure that it would grow even colder as night fell. He didn't know if his body could handle such a climate, especially in a state of resting where he couldn't gain warmth by moving. He was still uneasy about the thought of sleeping within this home, she was acting nice... yet he didn't truly trust her yet. She coudl just be playing an act to get him to drop his guard.


"I'm not entirely sure" He confessed. "This is my first time in the human realm, I don't truly know what past-times exist here."


He thought a moment longer, his tail moving to his side now rather than crossing over his lap. He tried imagining something to do, to keep him inside a bit longer, though looking around the room he came to realize that he hardly could identify half of the items within it. He could of displayed some tricks using his abilities, but he knew he would probably cause himself to pass out if he used anything more complex than a short illusion. He had no clue as to what to do, and by this point he expected that she would probably just dismiss him.

 

[spacepanda]

Anja snorted at his response. He really must be on vacation if all he could think about was past-times. Then again, so was she just a moment ago. Then again she could walk into a supermarket without the police being phoned.


“Did you really come here without any kind of plan?” She asked incredulously. Even she couldn’t imagine leaving for a weekend without plans vigorously blueprinted, and details carefully memorized. She couldn’t begin to fathom what it must be like having entered a completely different world unprepared.


“Akaski. Let’s make a deal,” she suddenly smiled, extending her hand to him. She had that cat-and-mouse look on her face again…

 

[xXRassBerriXx]

It was true that he came here without a plan, truly all he wanted to do was collect more information and possibly improve his abilities yet when he used the key to transport he had no idea which realm he would end up in or where. So in a sense he held no plans, he could have ended up dead upon transportation, but he was confident he could handle himself.


Yet as she mentioned a deal, he eyed her curiously first glancing to her hands, then up to her face. Demons where serious about deals, at least most were as a deal breaker is often seen as a weak and cowardly demon, and as most are rather stubborn and prideful not many wished for such a title.


"A deal?" He questioned her, "What do you propose?"

 

[spacepanda]

“Just a simple transfer of favors.” She replied nonchalantly, her hand still extended. “I help you out with,” she waved her hand, “whatever it is you need here. And you owe me one. Consider me your tour guide!” Attempting her best to look innocent and charming she smiled, batting her eyelashes.


To be completely honest, she wasn’t even sure that this exchange was even a smart idea, but she figured as long as he could remain in human form outdoors, everything should go well enough. The prospect of a favor, as well, seemed tantalizing. She fully expected him to disagree, based on the fact that she was only human and most likely wouldn’t be able to help him out much to begin with.

 

[xXRassBerriXx]

He remained silent a moment. The fact that she was human wasn't something he chose to take into consideration as he saw no reason why that would matter, at least it wouldn't in what he was doing now. He could use this to his advantage, as long as he held this deal it was likely that she wouldn't chose to turn on him, and that meant he could stay within the warmth. He wouldn't need to worry about freezing to death. Adding to this, she could help him locate information as he wouldn't know where to start with that.


In return, he just needed to aid her in whatever she had in mind. This didn't bug him really, it seemed like a pretty good deal to him so with a small smirk upon his face he reached his own hand out accepting her offered hand.


"I accept" He replied, satisfied with this deal without needing to tamper with it.

 

[spacepanda]

“Really?” She questioned with surprise. She hadn’t even said specifically what she might want, and he so readily agreed. Anja looked down at their hands clasped together, and let go. Why did she now suddenly feel as thought she might actually be getting the worse end of the deal?


“One minute.” Standing up suddenly, she made her way into her small bedroom. Grabbing her sketchbook from the nightstand she quickly returned sitting beside him once more. She flipped through the book, then finding an empty page she extracted a long black pencil from the ringed binding.


She looked up at him with concern. She wanted to ask him something, but felt a bit hesitant. Pencil readied on the page she took a deep breath.


“Akaski, what do you... eat?”