Realistic or Modern Summoning Trouble [Closed]

[Tarmagon]

Kyle could tell that things weren't quite right with Esme, but she was putting on a brave face, so he would do her the honor of ignoring that which she wished to be ignored, at least for now. Maybe when he actually learned more, when he, how did these humans say, 'had a clue', he could undo whatever mess he had made. Esme identified the room she had just exited as guest chambers, and invited him to use them when a noise from the front of the house cause her to pale slightly.

"Shit," she whispered, "Just... stay in here for a minute or two after I leave. The last thing you want is her to think we were doing things."

As she was speaking, Esme was attempting to get Kyle to move into the guest room. He cooperated, his mind trying to catch up with the events that had just transpired. Esme departed as stealthily as she could, then a moment later he heard her voice greeting her mother and inquiring about the long absence. Kyle ignored it all, dropping straight to the floor where he was and assuming a meditation posture.

"One happy benefit of my studies," he thought wryly. "I control my body, and without resorting to active magic for a task as simple as this."

Kyle centered himself, then began to erase the effects of the last, had it been nearly an hour? from his body. Excess adrenaline was reabsorbed, the chemical imbalances caused by his anxiety corrected. His heart slowed, as his breathing steadied. Two minutes later Kyle was the perfect picture of cool detachment, and he hoped that enough time had elapsed so that his entry back into the main living area would not seem, untoward.

"My apologies for my tardiness Lady Witch," Kyle said as he re-entered the kitchen area where the two women were eating. "I was meditating within the, guest room?"

Kyle wasn't certain that the older woman believed him, but it was the absolute truth. There was perhaps a slight narrowing of her eyes as he addressed her as 'Lady Witch', but there was nothing for it. Esme had given Kyle her name, but the older woman hadn't, so he would not speak it until she did so.

"Thank you for the meal," he said, picking up a slice of pizza. "Esme has offered me the use of guest room, but while this is her home, this is your house, so I shall not presume upon your hospitality until it is extended by the mistress of the house. In the meantime, is there aught you would speak of while we dine?"

Noticing some small packets labelled 'red pepper flakes', Kyle gathered several and ripped them open, dumping their contents onto his slice of pizza before taking another bite.

"Ah, tasty."

Fable
(It's not ghost wings, but it will do. Hope Esme and her mom didn't want any.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(We can timeskip - such as them back at the apartment - since Esme is going to hide out in her bedroom for the rest of the night, or you can have Kyle intrude. X3 )

Esme's eyes slide over when she noticed Kyle moved to join them. Her own eyes narrowed as have calm he was now when before he had been just as flushed as she had been. For him to be able to suddenly just switch his demeanor so easily bothered her greatly, but she kept her mouth shut.

"Thank you for the meal," Kyle said, picking up a slice of pizza. "Esme has offered me the use of guest room, but while this is her home, this is your house, so I shall not presume upon your hospitality until it is extended by the mistress of the house. In the meantime, is there aught you would speak of while we dine?"

"I see spice still attracts your kind," Áinfean commented as she watched Kyle consume the pepper coverd pizza. Esme wordlessly finished her own slice of pizza and wondered if her mother had grabbed the packets because she knew demons liked hot foods.

"And yes, something needs to be discussed. I've made all the travel arrangements for us, including him considering the Pact between you two is also a problem to be dealt with. In two and a half weeks is when I scheduled our departure date from the train station. That way if something happens, we won't be stuck in the air with no way out should we have taken a flight to New York."

"So lovely and considerate of you to plan out everything," Esme said with barely contained bitterness in her voice. "If someone asked you to do what you are asking me, you are just so... and I'm just supposed to..."

Esme knew she was entering into the same argument they had previously about her refusal to just stop her life because of something her mother refused to explain.

"As much as my protests are meaningless to you, what bothers me most is how easy this all is for you. The secrets, your overbearing control, and how you've lied to me for my entire life." she shook her head and held her hands up in almost a surrendering motion. She was just done and so tired of it. There were strict parents, and then there was her mother who took it to a whole different level. She left the kitchen then, not even hungry any more. She went into her bedroom and closed the door, there was nothing left for her to say to her mother. She knew what was said was the final word on the matter of Esme leaving. She put on her headphones, laid down on her bed, and played music to drown out the sounds from the outside world.

Áinfean didn't react or reply to Esme, she just stood there silently until Esme was heard shutting a door. "You can use the room, it doesn't matter to me since I've already let you inside my home. If you have anything you want to say to me, get it over with. I have my own things to take care of before we leave."

 

[Tarmagon]

Kyle watched the two women, one young and one older, and wondered how in the nether-hells they could be related. He was starting to seriously reconsider the wisdom of allowing this, person, to direct Esme's path. Unfortunately, removing the Sealing was beyond his skills, and he was certain that should it remain, it would cost Esme her Power, if not her life. Looking the older woman directly in the eye, he spoke in a voice carved from the deepest layer of glacial ice.

"You remind me of my father. And you would be right at home by his side upon my world."

Setting the rest of his pizza slice down, Kyle retrieved his boots, slipping them back onto his feet before picking up his guitar case and the bag that Esme had lent him.

"You may inform the Lady Esme that I may not, in good conscience, remain under this roof tonight." Kyle said as he moved towards the front door. "I have sworn to protect her, and as of this moment, YOU are the greatest threat to her life and happiness. You are also her mother, which puts me squarely in the path of the behemoth. As such, I remove myself from your abode. Ye have sown the whirlwind, and I pray your daughter survives your harvest."

Kyle hoped that Esme would understand when she found him in the rental the next morning. It was going to be a long night.

Fable
(Nope. Kyle had to get himself out of the house before he did something they all would regret. Timeskip at your convenience.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(Timeskip it is~)

Liz didn't say a word when Esme and Kyle returned to the apartment. The somber mood after Esme's visit was thick. Esme did end up informing Liz about having to leave for New York, along with some venting and cursing about it all. Liz had patiently listened to Esme troubles with her mother, and her ramblings about her confusion concerning Kyle. Now Esme was having to create a reason for her taking a leave of absence from her college, which was more paperwork than she had expected. She'd been on the phone for over and hour now, constantly being redirected to someone else who was supposed to be in charge of dealing with such requests. It was honestly the more frustrating out of all she was having to do to prepare to leave.

During this time, Liz was practically glaring at Kyle after speaking with Esme. However, eventually Liz finally snapped and stomped over to Kyle, "You and I need to have a private conversation." It was a demand rather than a request. She went to the door of the apartment that led into the hallway, showing she didn't want to risk Esme overhearing what Liz had to say to him. Liz made her way up to the rooftop of the apartment, which wasn't used that often, but it allowed for privacy compared to the thin apartment walls.

Once the door access to the roof of the building clicked shut, Liz crossed her arms over her chest and tried to give Kyle an intimidating stare, "I am trying to keep myself calm and let you have a chance to explain what happened between you too. Maybe it was a simple misunderstanding that needs to be cleared up. So, I'll ask you directly, what exactly is your motive, or perhaps feelings towards Esme? I am asking this out of trying to be respectful towards you, but I swear if you are here to just emotionally destroy her again I will ruin you. I may not be a witch, but I will find some way."

 

[Tarmagon]

"I am trying to keep myself calm and let you have a chance to explain what happened between you too. Maybe it was a simple misunderstanding that needs to be cleared up. So, I'll ask you directly, what exactly is your motive, or perhaps feelings towards Esme? I am asking this out of trying to be respectful towards you, but I swear if you are here to just emotionally destroy her again I will ruin you. I may not be a witch, but I will find some way."

Kyle had put up with the dark looks Esme's mother had bestowed upon him as they left. He had put up with the monosyllabic conversations with Esme ever since their unproductive visit, made all the more painful by the brief moment of playful joy they had shared. He had endured Liz's judgemental glares, but even his patience had limits, but Liz''s repetition of her earlier threats made something inside him tighten past its breaking point.

"What the fuck makes everyone on this fucking world so certain that they have the right to judge me? " Kyle asked. "Oh yes, all that bullshit you call knowledge. Well here's a clue. I didn't have a choice in coming here! Here's another. I'm not a fucking incubus, or whatever the hell you call them, so QUIT FUCKING IMPLYING I'M ONE!"

Liz actually stepped back a pace at the combination of fury and agony in Kyle''s voice. She would probably have fled outright, except.

"Kyle? "Liz asked very, very quietly. "Are you, crying? "

Kyle didn't so much sit as collapse into a heap where he was. When he spoke, Liz could barely hear his voice.

"I'm over four thousand of your years old Liz. In that time I've had exactly one friend and one lover, and she was killed in order to send me a message. I had barely started to figure out how to be her friend when we became lovers. Then, nothing. On my world friendship is a weakness, love is a weapon. Well, I'm weak. I want to be Esme''s friend. Hellfire, I want to be your friend, but I screwed that up trying to protect myself. My intentions towards Esme? I don't know myself. If we could get past the immediate problems, get to know each other? Now? A friend. Then? We'd have to find out together, but I'd be willing to risk the pain. I just don't know how. Not now, maybe not ever. I asked Esme for help, but you see how that's working out. She said I should ask you, but you know I'm irredeemably evil and untrustworthy, so why bother? "

Kyle couldn't bring himself to say anything more, so he just sat, wrapped in his misery.

Fable
(Liz pushed one too many times. )

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(Now Liz feels like a bitch. X3 )

"I didn't bring you out here to call you an incubus. I've been trying to chill out regarding you because Esme asked me to try and give you a chance, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered to try and speak to you at all," Liz tried to placate, not expecting his outburst from Kyle, the big terrifying demon. She sighed and felt a bit like an jerk for making him seem to break down. She approached him and sat down next to him, not so close to touch him, just close enough she'd have a presence.

"I didn't mean to make you upset. I just want to protect Esme. It must have been lonely, all that time without a friend, then to just lose someone so important. I can't say I can empathize, but I am capable of sympathy. I don't mind if you want to be Esme's friend, a true friend that is. Esme has this wall, this thorny, prickly, angry side she presents towards others. She told me that she'd rather feel angry because it was better than feeling pitiful and sad. It's why I am defensive towards you and what your intentions towards her are. She is very closed off. I don't know if she's always been like that since I only met her in college, but I do know of a certain catalyst that did not help. It's actually just because of what happened we're even friends, I pushed myself on her you could say. I also have quite a bit of patience, it was actually three months of me tagging along after her that I saw her laugh for the first time. So, the fact that you got her to rough house with you in a week's time is pretty impressive."

She leaned back and used her arms to hold herself up, looking up at the sporadic clouds in the sky, "Esme is a bad ass, but deep down she's pretty fragile, and she'll do whatever she can to protect that part of herself. However, that are ways to lure out Esme's fun side. She has a weakness for cats. She loves carnivals. Get enough alcohol in her and she'll even do karaoke. Give her a some time to de-stress from dealing with her mom. That woman always puts Esme in a bad mood, so don't take it personally. She's not upset with you, if she was pissed off at you, you'd be getting an angry stare down from her."

Liz sat back up and leaned forward to try and look at Kyle's face, "I don't hate you, you know. If I really did, I wouldn't have told you any of this, or even bothered talking to you. But I still stand by what I said, I will protect Esme from you if I have to. Just, I know I may seem bitchy, but what I say next isn't out of spite or intended to harm you. But is it really right to become friends with someone who you are just going to leave? You eventually have to go back where you came from. What then?"

Liz got up and used her hands to dust off her backside after sitting, "I want you to consider at least that much. It's not like you're going to another country. You'll be vanishing from this place entirely." She left the rooftop then, heading back down to the apartment where Esme had finally taken care of requesting personal leave. "Where's Kyle?" Esme asked as she saw Liz enter the apartment.

"Ah, while you were battling against endless red tape, we talked on the roof. I... sort of upset him. It wasn't on purpose! I think he may have hit a breaking point. I feel kinda bad about it, honestly."

"Liz," Esme sighed, not even sure what to say to her friend right now. Her brain was tired from having to ague with people over the phone.

"I'll make it up to him later. Oh, I almost forgot. My parents invited you to the party again this year. Please don't say no this time! Just, think about it. You can even bring Kyle," Liz suggested. Liz's phone chimed and her eyes widened. "Crap, I promised I'd help Jess move into their new place. I gotta run, but I will be back later!" Liz did a mad dash to grab her things, texting Jess as she did so in her rush to leave. Esme smirked and shook her head, but said nothing as Liz flew out of the apartment in haste.

Esme wasn't in the mood to call her boss to put in a two weeks notice. She'd do that in person at her next shift, and this was not a conversation she was looking forward to having. Since the apartment was under Liz's name, Esme didn't need to stress about transferring a lease over or anything like that. She'd told Liz she wasn't sure how long this Seal removal thing would take and that she'd store her stuff if needed. However, Liz said Esme could leave her things here for however long she needed to.

She glanced at the door, wondering if she really should leave Kyle alone if Liz really had upset him.

 

[Tarmagon]

Kyle felt more than saw Liz leave. Surprisingly, her words had been gentle, though the message was clear. Was it fair to become friends with someone with the intent to leave? Of course not, but Liz hadn't bothered to ask one very important question. Did Kyle want to leave? She was just assuming that he had to leave when the Pact with Esme was done. He didn't. He couldn't leave until the Pact was complete, but he was not going to be immediately forced back to his own world when the Pact had run its course. Hellfires, he wasn't sure that this odd Pact would ever be completed unless he and Esme together made the decision to end it.

Kyle rose and began to pace the roof, examining his innermost thoughts carefully. He was afraid of this world. He was repulsed by the casual cruelty that the humans seemed to take for granted. On his world there was always a motive, a reason beyond inflicting pain for the sake of pain. Okay, that wasn't really... well, even Vyseriad inflicted pain for the purpose of gathering Power, so to them, there was a reason, however twisted. Violence was random, sudden, and usually lethal. There would be other witches wanting his Power, the government wanting the same , or his destruction should they learn of his differences. He had barely scratched the surface of the odd culture, and then there was the way humanity saw his kind. But then, humanity had its positives as well. Esme, trying to fend him off with a broken bottle. Liz, despite her fear and negative opinions, speaking gently to him. Esme, not fleeing screaming once she realized that Kyle was a demon. The wonders humanity had created for themselves. He had used Esme's computer nightly, and he knew most of what he saw on-line had to be taken with a grain of salt, but while there were terrible things there, there were also moments of pure selflessness, heroism, and altruism. All things that his world sorely lacked. All things he was always taught were weaknesses. And they could be, in a world where such things were aberrations. Here, while not commonplace, they still happened enough that he was certain there was something in the human psyche making many humans prone to such actions.

"I, want to stay," he said aloud, the truth surprising him even as he spoke it. "Even if Esme decides she cannot be my friend, I want to stay. I want to learn."

Kyle found his steps turning back towards the roof access door, and he paused, wondering if he should erase the ravages his outburst with Liz had caused. After a moment, he shook his head and headed back to the apartment. Esme had called him two-faced more than once. Maybe she could understand if she saw.

Esme looked up as Kyle entered the apartment, and didn't even try not to stare. He looked, terrible. He looked like Liz after one of her crying jags, eyes puffy and red, cheeks flushed, and generally beaten down and disheveled. He caught her gaze and chuckled ruefully.

"Not looking my best am I?" Kyle asked, the aftermath of the emotional outburst putting a slight quaver in his voice. "I know, and don't blame Liz. She didn't ask to speak to me with the intent of causing me to have a breakdown. She, raised some valid points and made me take a long, hard look at my situation."

Esme looked like she wanted to say something, but Kyle held up a hand, forestalling her words.

"Indulge me, please." he said, closing the door and moving to sit on the futon that had become an old friend. "You told me once that you thought me two-faced. I understand how you could think that now, so I want you to understand. Watch."

Kyle centered himself, then reached deep inside himself, repeating the process he had used when he had visited Esme's home. His eyes cleared, the swelling vanishing as he instructed his body in what he expected it to do. The flush faded, replaced with his usual slightly pale complexion. As Esme looked on, Kyle completely erased any sign that he had been the victim of an emotional storm.

"It's not magic," he said, his voice now normal. "I told you I studied the body, and as a result, I have better control over mine than most. I can cause my body to 'normalize' when I need to. I learned it as a protective skill. I still feel whatever is bothering me, but I keep it bottled up inside, only showing a calm exterior to the world. One of your, defensive measures, I think. I'm sorry if I gave you a poor impression of myself by using it, but it's a coping mechanism, and a survival skill."

Kyle really didn't want to say anything more, but he had to. He owed it to Esme, and himself.

"Liz asked me if it were fair to try and become your friend, knowing I would leave one day," he said, keeping his voice level. "She was right of course, it would not be fair, but she did not ask if I wanted to leave. I do not. I want to stay here. I want to make friends. I want to learn. It is true I may be forced to leave by outside forces, but it is also true that any friend I make may die, or leave, or change their mind and become an enemy. I'm not going to dwell on that. It is your fault I am here now, but were the Pact dissolved this instant, I would not choose to leave. Thank you for bringing me here, however accidentally. I... when we manage to have that Seal removed, I'll... I, will tell you my True Name. That way, if you choose, you may reach me, even if something or someone forces me back to my world."

Fable
(Uncertain demon has made a choice, now he has to wait for the consequences.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
( Esme cant help being curious. )

"Not looking my best am I?" Kyle asked. "I know, and don't blame Liz. She didn't ask to speak to me with the intent of causing me to have a breakdown. She, raised some valid points and made me take a long, hard look at my situation."

Esme wondered what the hell Liz had said or done to seriously upset Kyle to the point where he had cried. He said that he didn't blame Liz, but still, she'd seemed to cut Kyle deep somehow. Al Esme could do was really stare at the disheveled Kyle. She'd seen frustrated, angry, defensive, and that 'protective' form. She probably should have pressed Liz for the specific details of what was said, but since Liz was going she'd just have to ask Kyle, though he held up his hand in a motion to discourage her from interrupting him.

"Indulge me, please." Kyle said, closing the door and moving to sit on the futon that had become an old friend. "You told me once that you thought me two-faced. I understand how you could think that now, so I want you to understand. Watch."

Esme quirked a brow at him, but stayed quiet and sat there, crossing her arms over her chest. In a short moment, any evidence that he'd had an emotional outburst was gone. He was back to the version of him she was used to seeing. She frowned slightly at what seemed an emotional off switch that he could use. She felt a pang of jealousy over being able to do something like that. Her only option really was getting shitfaced drunk. The frown faded as he explained what he had done wasn't magic, and that it didn't actually cease all feeling, just made it look like you hadn't been made an emotional mess. She honestly couldn't really fault him for doing it. She wasn't able to do that, but she was able to pretend like she was fine usually. She remained silent as he continued speaking, mentioning what had been brought up between him and Liz.

"I thought you hated being here," she began, leaning her back against the futon and getting into a more comfortable position, "I mean, I want to correct my mistake with the whole Pact thing I royally fucked up. Lesson learned, never be drunk and play with magic. If you want to stay in this world now, that's honestly all your decision. I'm not going to force anything on you. I sorta... already did that bringing you here against your will. Stay. Leave. All your choice. As far as Liz, she tries to sort of be my body guard. I don't see why anyone would bother with me anyway. I've learned to put out a pretty strong 'don't fuck with me' aura that works fine keeping people away, though there are a few that are too determined or dense to read that signal."

Esme's phone rang and she groaned, she didn't care for the interruption and she didn't want to talk on the phone again for the rest of the day. She picked it up and rejected the call seeing it wasn't anyone she considered important.

"True Name? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even be able to pronounce it anyway," she joked. "Though, you make it sound as though some point you'll be forced back home anyway, if you're going to tell me your True Name to use as some sort of communication... thing? I think I heard of something like this regarding fae folklore, though it tends to be a trope in movies dealing with demonic possession. I'm not saying you're going to posses anyone, just... trying to recall the lore regarding it, though it's probably horribly wrong based on the steep learning curve I've been on. Also... off topic... kind of... you said you assumed forms... plural."

Esme cleared her throat and looked away, trying to appear nonchalant, "Are they like that other one?"

 

[Tarmagon]

Kyle chuckled at Esme's question. It had come out of left field, and the innocent curiosity of it made him smile.

"Let me answer things in order please," he said once his chuckles had died away. "I do not expect to be forced to return home, but I do acknowledge that it could happen against my will. I hope that day never comes, but only a fool hopes for the best without planning for the worst. As for my True Name, it's not exactly, words. There's a reason I can't tell it to you until your Seal is removed, the telling requires magic. It... means trust, since the holder of a beings True Name can always find, see, communicate with, and cast spells upon the one who's Name they know. It does not grant the Named any influence over the holder of their Name."

Giving Esme a moment to absorb that, Kyle stood and moved into the kitchen area, standing behind the island as he calmly began to remove his clothes. The island would keep Esme from seeing anything below his waist, for now.

"As to the rest," he said, watching Esme blush slightly as he set his clothing neatly on top of the island. "It's easier to, demonstrate."

Kyle touched the well of his Power, letting it course through his body as he held the shape he desired in his mind. Unlike the movie versions of transformations he had seen, his were painless and swift. Bone and muscle realigned themselves under the flow of Power as he dropped to all fours, his body rippling through the changes. A few seconds after he had dropped out of sight, a large, black wolf with one grey and one blue eye walked around the island, plopping down on its haunches and lolling its tongue at a dumbfounded Esme. Kyle gave a quiet woof, startling a slight jump from the young woman staring at his new form. Mischief gleaming in his eyes, he jumped up and began to chase his tail energetically for a moment before turning and walking behind the island again.

As he ducked behind the island, Kyle let his Power flow once more. He rather enjoyed the wolf shape, but he preferred the image he held in his mind as his body shifted and flowed. Rather than a wolf, a sleek panther slid around the edge of the island, the only thing to mark the fact it was Kyle being the blue and grey eyes that were full of amusement as Esme's jaw dropped still further. She held perfectly still as Kyle wound around and around her legs like a huge house cat, purring loudly, whether from shock, fear, or wonder Kyle couldn't tell. Taking pity on the young woman, he slid behind the island one final time, letting his human form reassert itself. Rising, he grabbed his clothes and began to dress, casting an amused glance at Esme, who seemed frozen.

"There are others," he said grinning. "But given your lore, I thought those might make the most, impression."

Fable
(Who needs pets when you have a demon?)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
( That's when the landlord asks why there is a large dog in your apartment, lol. Pet demon wolf. X3 BTW are Kyle's eyes the same color as in those forms? My mind is drawing a blank if that had been mentioned before. )

Esme accepted Kyle's explanation regarding how she needed to be able to use magic to even know his True Name. Honestly, she'd probably butcher his real name and not his nickname. However, she was a bit shocked he'd trust her with something that seemed so important. She wanted to ask him why he'd tell her, but she wasn't able to since he went on to answer her question about his other forms. She was still wary since the very first one he had done was fairly scary, not to mention unexpected when he had done it.

She watched as he moved to go behind the kitchen counter, hoping that it wasn't something large that would damage anything. When he started to undress, she couldn't help but blush and really wanted to protest his actions. "It's easier to, demonstrate," Kyle said to her before his body began to shift and change forms. He was gone, and she seriously hoped he was not wandering around the apartment in some invisible state. A black wolf walked from behind the kitchen island and over towards her. She blinked a few times at the wolf and laughed a bit at his silliness. When he went back behind the counter and returned as a black panther to rub his body across her legs, she kept still since she wasn't sure what to do, her legs feeling the vibration of the feline's body as her purred.

"There are others," Kyle said grinning. "But given your lore, I thought those might make the most, impression."

"I was expecting something frightening. Not saying those were all cute and cuddly, but just not, normal? Not that it's normal, just something that doesn't exist in form here is what I was preparing for. I have to wonder now though, you mentioned other clans doing things along the lines what we'd call evil things. However, then there is you and I'd have to say you more... like a Fae, I guess? Hang on," she said as she got up to go into her bedroom. A few minutes later and after some shuffling sounds, she returned with an book. She walked over to Kyle and held out the book for his inspection. Victorian Faire Folk was the title, though it wasn't an actual Victorian era book, it just was a book that had a bunch of the fairytales from the time when there was a booming interest in the subject.

"You are probably sick of being compared to the existing lore here, but you might find this interesting regarding the Fae Courts. I'm not saying this lore is any more true about your kind than the myths regarding demons, but it's a less... harsh view on those who are otherworldly, well.. at least for some of them. I guess this is me failing at trying to tell you that I guess I see you more as just an individual rather than defining you by a generalization. You're just Kyle," she said the last sentence with a bit of a shrug.

"That's probably as close to an apology regarding that you are going to get from me," she teased. "I am sorry for being a bitch towards you. I mean, I'm sure Liz pressed some of your buttons earlier when she spoke to you, but I probably added to whatever stress caused you to actually get upset in front of her. You have permission to tell me to back off if I cross a line." Esme held her hands behind her back and fidgeted slightly. She always sucked at apologizing directly, but she did try.

 

[Tarmagon]

Kyle perused the book that Esme had presented him with while she spoke. He could tell where some of the stories had their origins, but some seemed made up out of whole cloth. He turned his full attention to Esme as she began to speak, something hovering just behind her words.

"That's probably as close to an apology regarding that you are going to get from me," she teased. "I am sorry for being a bitch towards you. I mean, I'm sure Liz pressed some of your buttons earlier when she spoke to you, but I probably added to whatever stress caused you to actually get upset in front of her. You have permission to tell me to back off if I cross a line."

"Apology accepted," Kyle said, his voice sincere. "And for the havoc my presence here has wrought, as well as my, touchiness? about certain subjects, I apologize to you. I don't know your world, and you don't know mine, so we'll just have to work together on truly understanding each other."

Kyle reclaimed his seat on the futon, sitting with his back to one of the ends, and gestured for Esme to join him. After a moment she sat as well, mirroring his posture.

"I have no preparations to make save visiting the owner of the carriage company tomorrow," Kyle said. "I will see if he has anything that needs repairing so I can have a little more cash on hand for our trip, but that shouldn't take but a few hours at most. Is there anything I can do to help you in your preparations for our upcoming, mission with your mother?"

Kyle heard the tone of his voice as he mentioned Esme's mother and winced. Even through the forced calm he had placed on his body, the thought of that, individual, irked him.

"Sorry," he said. "I need to control myself a little better it seems, but your mother certainly managed to push my buttons? during our visit. Add to that Liz's comments, no matter how innocent they were to her, and... well, you saw the results. I owe Liz an apology for breaking down like that."

Fable
(I didn't think you'd mind me having Esme take a seat. And Kyle really doesn't like Esme's mom's attitude and actions.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(Nah that's fine. :3)

"Sorry," Kyle said. "I need to control myself a little better it seems, but your mother certainly managed to push my buttons? during our visit. Add to that Liz's comments, no matter how innocent they were to her, and... well, you saw the results. I owe Liz an apology for breaking down like that."

Esme wasn't actually bothered by Kyle's tone regarding how he spoke about her mother. "Oh no, it's not just your skin she gets under, it's pretty much... everyone, at least from what I've witnessed. My mother isn't friendly and honestly never really has been. My Nana said she wasn't always like that, and as much as she tried to avoid the subject behind the 'why' of it, it was easy to guess. I'm what you'd call an illegitimate child. I put together the clues to figure out my mother had me when she was in college, so I guess a boyfriend cut and run when he found out and left my mother to raise me with my Nana. It's not like it's an uncommon story, but being abandoned that way, sometimes makes it really hard for me to be angry with her. However, this Seal situation, she is not getting any compassion from me."

She shook her head, and gave her cheeks a new light taps as it trying to shake off the building animosity she was feeling. She also hadn't really intended to share that, but being without a father wasn't actually a big deal. There were more single parents then ever before since the divorce rate was around fifty percent. Honestly, not knowing her dad didn't bother her at all, she had only ever asked about it a few times in her life. She just hated the feeling like she was being blamed and even punished at times for what her biological father had done.

"Anyway, you don't owe Liz an apology, more like she owes you one. I has asked her to back off a bit, but I think seeing you break down might have helped her see she was being a bit too much. She even said she was going to make it up to you later. Just a warning, if she bakes you anything, do not eat it if you want to keep your teeth. How she makes cookies as hard as hockey pucks is a terrifying skill. As far as the things I have to take care of before leaving, I have to go to the college to sign some papers for my leave request and give my boss the wonderful news of my two weeks notice. He'll probably replace me quickly, it's not like bar tenders are hard to find. I've paid Liz upfront for a couple month' rent, farewell my meager savings."

"By the way, your eyes, is that something you purposefully do... I guess what'd what would be called glamour or something? Or is that your natural eye color?"

 

[Tarmagon]

"By the way, your eyes, is that something you purposefully do... I guess what'd what would be called glamour or something? Or is that your natural eye color?"

"Hmm? Oh, it's natural." Kyle said. "At least it's natural now. Both of my eyes were blue when I was born, but when I came into my Power for the first time, one turned grey. In fact, it's the one thing I can't change voluntarily. Except when I exert my Power or assume battle form, my eyes don't change. It's why I can't reliably assume the form of other people as a disguise. For instance..."

Kyle pulled an image of one of the gardeners up in his mind, then let the Power flow through him. Esme found herself sitting across from an average looking woman with dusty blonde hair and Kyle's eyes. Eyes which suddenly got very wide before narrowing in sudden pain.

"Ow ow ow ow ow!" Kyle said in a high soprano. "Stupid!"

In moments Kyle had resumed his own form, rubbing at his chest as though he were in pain. At Esme's curious stare, he grinned wryly.

"I forgot to change my clothing," he said by way of explanation. "These clothes don't have much stretch to them, and the lady I used as an example is, well endowed. I forgot to take that into account. It was, uncomfortable to say the least."

Fable
(Whoopsie!)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
( Hahaha, wardrobe is important. Liz will get her way this year, lol. )

Esme's head titled slightly as Kyle said "For instance..." She tensed as his changed his form from his familiar male physique to that of a woman. She looked completely different from Kyle, all except for his eye which hadn't changed.

"Ow ow ow ow ow!" Kyle said in a high soprano. "Stupid!" Esme's body shivered slightly as she tried to keep herself from laughing, her face stilled in a perfect calm expression, but her body struggled to contain the humor she felt.

"I forgot to change my clothing," Kyle stated. "These clothes don't have much stretch to them, and the lady I used as an example is, well endowed. I forgot to take that into account. It was, uncomfortable to say the least."

At that, Esme lost it. Her eyes watered as she laughed hard at Kyle's reaction as the feminine voice that had come out of that form had seemed so strange and funny. It was because she knew Kyle was a guy that she imagined that high pitched voice coming out of his normal form, and not the one he had assumed. "I'll bet it was. Good thing you didn't burst out of the shirt," she said between laughs. It took her a moment for her to calm down, wiping a few tears from her eyes from laughing to hard and taking a few calming breaths.

"There is a non-magical item that exists here that allows you to change your eye color. Colored contacts. Some of them can be really pretty and others unnatural. I'm not saying you should change your eye color. I think your eyes are pretty. It also means if you try to prank me with another form, I'll know it's you." Esme paused as she narrowed her eyes when a thought came to her, "Can you promise to not take on my form? Honestly, that would be a bit... disturbing. No, not even a bit, that'd be majorly disturbing."

The door opened then and Liz walked inside, "So, apparently Jess moved most of her furniture yesterday. Yay for me! I really did not want to lift a couch today." She paused in her steps as she looked up from her phone to see Kyle and Esme sitting on the futon. "Oh, uh, hey... Kyle," she started awkwardly, clearing her throat before she spoke again. "I wanted to say sorry for... making you distressed. To make up for being a grade A bitch, how would you feel about going to a ball?" She grinned almost deviously as she suggested it. Esme gave Liz a death glare, which Liz just happily ignored.

"Oh, I guess Esme forgot to mention that to you. My parents help organize a themed party once a year. It's really a bunch of their friends, business partners, and their families. Esme gets invited every year and always says no."

"I only say no every year after the first time I went," Esme protested, "and that's because you practically kidnapped me and dragged me there."

"Oh, you're exaggerating," Liz brushed off the accusations. "It's pretty fun, so I am officially inviting you."

"Liz, I know you're inviting him to try and provoke me to go along. I'd rather not awkwardly wander around for an entire evening."

"Awww, c'mon. Pretty please? I really don't want to have to trick you to get you to go. Kyle, maybe you could convince her to go."

 

[Tarmagon]

Kyle smiled inwardly as Esme's laughter rang through the room. It was worth the momentary discomfort to see her smile. Her explanation of contacts piqued Kyle's interest. He would have to investigate them. Perhaps they were something he could figure out how to magically produce. Her request that he not assume her form caught him by surprise. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind, though as he considered her request and thought of the doom that her mother seemed to think hung over her head... Best not to make a promise he might have to break to save her life. Before he could speak, Liz re-entered the apartment, apparently having dodged the need for any heavy lifting.

"Oh, uh, hey... Kyle," she started awkwardly, clearing her throat before she spoke again. "I wanted to say sorry for... making you distressed. To make up for being a grade A bitch, how would you feel about going to a ball?"

The look on Liz's face as she made the request, and Esme's reaction to it let Kyle know he was now in the middle of a contentious subject. As he listened to the two banter back and forth, he found himself intrigued.

"Whoa!" he said, holding up his hands as the two wound down. "Don't drag me into the middle of this. First, my only experiences with balls has taken place on my world, and I would not wish the experience upon my worst enemy. I'm quite certain that things would be quite different here, but until someone explains things in detail to me, I'm not going to assume that they'll be different enough for me to attend. Second, what is a 'themed party'? Is that like a masquerade? Third."

Kyle looked at Esme, letting her see the sincerity in his eyes, and damn to the netherhells what Liz thought.

"If somehow I do get dragooned into this, I should hope that you would choose to attend as well. If nothing else, we can, how did you say, wander around awkwardly an entire evening, together. I do note that Liz has yet to provide anything concrete, like venue, dress, or date and time. We have our, commitment, that must take priority over all else."

Turning to Liz, Kyle looked the young woman directly, trying to appraise her intentions. Unfortunately, he still didn't have a good read on her. The mischievous look she had didn't bode well, but at the same time, he knew she wouldn't intentionally distress Esme over something serious.

"Oh, and Liz?" he said. "Apology accepted. Don't make me regret that by dragging me into something neither us us would enjoy."

Fable
(Curious demon is curious once more.

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(Liz is much excite.)

"Whoa!" Kyle said, holding up his hands. "Don't drag me into the middle of this. First, my only experiences with balls has taken place on my world, and I would not wish the experience upon my worst enemy. I'm quite certain that things would be quite different here, but until someone explains things in detail to me, I'm not going to assume that they'll be different enough for me to attend. Second, what is a 'themed party'? Is that like a masquerade? Third. If somehow I do get dragooned into this, I should hope that you would choose to attend as well. If nothing else, we can, how did you say, wander around awkwardly an entire evening, together. I do note that Liz has yet to provide anything concrete, like venue, dress, or date and time. We have our, commitment, that must take priority over all else."

Liz deflated for a moment, since she had thought Kyle would have been excited for a formal event. After a second, her determination returned and she placed her hands on her hips, looking confident, "It's just a formal event really. I just thought calling it a ball would interest you. Basically, it's a fancy party with music, dancing, food, drinks, and entertainment. They usually have a silent auction since it's a charity gala, but you're not required to bid anything if you come. It's not a Masquerade this year, but yeah it's a bit like that. Last year's theme was the Roaring 20's. This year is it's Fantasia, so anything fantasy pretty much. It'll be so much fun, I promise!"

Esme sighed and lowered her head for a moment as Liz rambled on about the party, her eyes closing as her friend excitedly explained the details to Kyle. "As for the venue, it's in the Great Hall at Union Station. When, a few days before you guys leave, so something fun to do before you both go. Time, it starts at 7 in the evening. It would be so much fun for us all to go, you don't have to stay, just at least make an appearance for my parents at least." The last remark was towards Esme. Esme adored Liz's family, she actually went there for holidays. "I swear, you won't regret being dragged there Kyle. You'd get to see Esme in a dress! That alone makes it worth going," Liz teased.

"I knew it was an excuse to princess me up," Esme replied, looking up at her friend and crossing her arms over her chest. "You probably have a dress already prepared." Liz laughed, "Maybe." "Kyle doesn't have something to wear," Esme countered. "He could probably just magic up something," Liz replied, clearly prepared for that statement, "Oh and before you even try to say that you can't dance, I'm sure Kyle could teach you if you asked nicely. And should you come and absolutely hate being there, you are free to leave and I will not push you to come next year."

"If I go this year, even just to walk in and right back out, you won't try and drag me to it next year?" Esme asked, just making sure she understood Liz's deal. After an nod of affirmation, Esme pondered for a few moments. "Fine," Esme said cautiously, Liz clearly about to burst in excitement, "One quick appearance and then I'm Cinderalla-ing my ass out of there." At that, Liz squealed so loudly Esme couldn't help but wince and their neighbors could be heard banging on the wall tell her to knock it off.

"Oh my goodness this is so great you are going to be so pretty and you totally won't regret it and I just can't wait! Oh, I've got to tell my mom! And Luke! They are going to be so happy you decided to come!" Liz talked so quickly it was hard to understand her, and Esme wondered if she'd even taken a breath. Liz rushed off to her room then stating she needed to plan out Esme's gala look. Esme looked at Kyle with a completely serious face, "I'm doomed."

 

[Tarmagon]

"I'm doomed."

"Whatever the trials or tribulations that befall us, " Kyle said, his face equally serious, "We shall face them together. "

Kyle didn't care in the slightest for court functions on his world. To say that they were akin to a pit of vipers would be to do disservice to the snakes. He was quite certain that there would be some one-upmanship going on, but he rather doubted it would reach lethal levels. If he was being perfectly honest with himself, Kyle wanted to see Esme in something besides jeans. It was as if she were deliberately downplaying her appearance, and based on what Liz had told him, that was probably the case.

"Do you truly despise gatherings so much? " Kyle asked. "Or is it the time spent in preparation that bothers you? I freely admit that I look forward to seeing you, hmmmm, all dressed up? And perhaps we can both enjoy an evening without worry. "

Esme didn't look convinced, but she wasn't doing more than grumble, so Kyle decided to press on.

"And if my lady would permit, " he said hopefully. "While I would not inflict High Formal dances on my sworn enemies, there are some simple steps that can be arranged in nearly infinite variety if one is willing to have a partner lead, or I would be happy to learn the dances of your world. "

Fable
(He really, really wants Esme to have a good time. And to dance with her. )

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(Esme has decided have Liz press them both on the dancing subject to be worse than actually learning how to dance.)

"Do you truly despise gatherings so much? " Kyle asked. "Or is it the time spent in preparation that bothers you? I freely admit that I look forward to seeing you, hmmmm, all dressed up? And perhaps we can both enjoy an evening without worry. "

Esme didn't look really amused at the thought of either things; getting shoved into formal wear and being around about of high society blue-blood types. She really had no small talk abilities and nothing that was ever discussed seemed interesting. The only real amusement was when someone couldn't hold their alcohol and made a fool of themselves. That and when someone who couldn't dance tried to get fancy and waltz. She'd seen a few instances of that at the one and only time she'd gone to the gala.

"And if my lady would permit, " Kyle began, "while I would not inflict High Formal dances on my sworn enemies, there are some simple steps that can be arranged in nearly infinite variety if one is willing to have a partner lead, or I would be happy to learn the dances of your world."

"You're offering to teach me how to dance? Man, you must be some sort of masochist. As far as me teaching you, I already told you I have no idea how to dance. If you want to learn the dances here, you can always try Youtube videos. Also, the only thing I could possibly teach you would be tripping over nothing. It's a skill of natural grace that takes a lifetime to learn." She smirked at Kyle after her joke, honestly, she'd managed to trip over nothing quite a few times... and even tripping over her own feet as well. "Seeing as Liz would harass me about having you teach me to dance, to save both our sanity, I'll acquiesce this time. If, while you're teaching me your hands wander where they shouldn't, you better be prepared for the consequences."

 

[Tarmagon]

"Your honor and virtue are safe with me, m'lady." Kyle pledged. "My hands will go only where required for the dance, but if you start to fall and I have to catch you, I make no pledge other than my intent will be to stop you from hurting yourself."

Kyle paused to consider the young woman, looking her over carefully with an appraising eye. Posture, straight and tall. He had seen her walk with a determined step, and he already knew she could climb rather well.

"What did you enjoy doing as a child?" he asked. "I know you climb well. Did you participate in any sports? Have any hobbies? Despite your protests, I watched you while you were at work. When you were in your element, you moved smoothly and with confidence, manipulating full and empty drink glasses with equal aplomb. I also noted that you handled heavy loads quite well."

Thinking for a moment, Kyle slid off the futon and stood in a clear spot on the floor. Kyle kept his arms at his sides, turning smoothly in a complete rotation, then extending his arms, he repeated the motion.

"Could you do that for me please?" he asked Esme, stepping aside to make room for her.

Fable
(Training demon needs to see what he is working with.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(He is working with a klutzy flamingo.)

"Your honor and virtue are safe with me, m'lady." Kyle pledged. "My hands will go only where required for the dance, but if you start to fall and I have to catch you, I make no pledge other than my intent will be to stop you from hurting yourself."

Kyle really seemed to like always throw in things to her requests. It wasn't like she was expecting him to like her fall over and knock herself out or anything, but that he just didn't have his hands wander to areas she didn't want him to while being taught to dance. She pursed her lips slightly wondering if she needed to tell him to stop taking things so literally, though she decided to just let Kyle be Kyle. It was kind of amusing to see how he'd respond,

"What did you enjoy doing as a child?" Kyle asked. "I know you climb well. Did you participate in any sports? Have any hobbies? Despite your protests, I watched you while you were at work. When you were in your element, you moved smoothly and with confidence, manipulating full and empty drink glasses with equal aplomb. I also noted that you handled heavy loads quite well."

"What did I enjoy? Books, mostly. As far as sports, I was never on any team, but I liked to run on the track. Hobbies, does amateur floriography count? With work, that's a something you could say I learned over time. I didn't start off as a bar tender, and when I did start I broke quite a few glasses. What does any of that have to do with dancing though? From the one moment I did bother about trying to learn, it's about counting steps and all this other complicated crap."

She said this as Kyle stood up and moved to one of the few clear spaces in the apartment. Esme watched him as he rotated with different motions, stopping to ask her to mimic his movements. She sighed before she got up, thinking this was ridiculous. Kyle moved aside to allow her to stand in his place and Esme did what he requested without much problem, though without much effort to try and be graceful in any movement. It was when he asked her to stand on one foot that she wobbled, trying to keep her balance. She probably looked like a klutzy flamingo with how high she was holding up her left leg, which she corrected after realizing she was screwing up her center of gravity. Her balanced improved, but it wasn't perfect. She switched legs, now balancing on her left leg and having about the same balance. When asked to stretch, the only thing she could think of was what she had to do in P.E., so she bent over and touched her toes, no problems there, though that didn't mean her muscles didn't feel the tension. Balancing on two feet, no problem, one foot she'd had to flail her arms a bit to help keep herself stable.

She refused to do what she believed was a request to "twirl" in place. "Yeah, can I skip that part? I'd probably accidentally smack you with my hand before falling over like a spin-top. I still don't see what all this has to do with dancing. I mean, the stretching I sorta get, but this isn't like competitive dance."

 

[Tarmagon]

"Dancing is most definately not about 'counting steps' and 'complicated crap'." Kyle said definitively. "That is for the masters of Formal dance, which I absolutely despise. I much preferred the dances I learned when I went to study under shaman Belvarin. They were what I suppose you would call 'spiritual' or 'folk' dances, but they were a pleasure to learn and perform."

Kyle considered what he had just seen, thinking that Esme really didn't give herself enough credit. She wasn't the most coordinated person in the world, but she was far from uncoordinated. She just needed to trust herself.

"And as for what this has to with dancing," he said after a moment. "This tells me that despite your words, you do have a good sense of form and balance. You knew when your center became off, and you corrected it immediately. You are flexible, and have working knowledge of your body. You also know where your comfort zone is. So, what I shall endeavor to teach you is not to count steps, but rather the individual parts that when combined together, make up a dance. I rather think it will seem more akin to, martial arts training than dance, but I hope that I can make it enjoyable. Now, if I were to do this, what is your natural reaction?"



Fable
(Hopeful demon is actually very pleased. She's not so klutzy as she thinks.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(Break out the dance shoes.)

"So, you're gonna teach me... dance fu?" Esme asked shortly before chortling, completely not even commenting about what he said before comparing teaching her more martial arts than dance. Her mind races with hilarious imagined 'dance fu' moves as though done in a terribly dubbed over kung fu movie. "S-Sorry," she managed to say, "I swear I am not trying to be insulting, the thought popped in my mind and it was just.. sorry." She cleared her throat and offered a somewhat apologetic smile to Kyle.

"As far as my coordination goes, it's mostly an 'in movement' issue. Standing still and not falling over is much easier than running somewhere, and to make this challenge even more difficult, there are high heels to consider. Actually, wait a sec." Esme went to her room and returned with a pair black of three inch stiletto heels. "These are the shoes I wore the to the gala," she said as she slipped them on her bare feet, using a wall to keep herself upright as she did so, instantly going from her normal height of 5'6" to 5'9". "I can walk while wearing them, but as far as my balance... well."

Esme moved back over to where she and Kyle had been standing and she went to try and balance on one foot, pretty much losing her balance mere seconds after raising her left foot and pitching forward in an effort to keep herself from falling forward. She reached out and grabbed onto Kyle, as he was the closest and most stable thing in in reach, to keep herself from falling over. She scrambled to try and remove herself from his person, which ended up not helping and taking that much longer to correct her stance and stand on her own two feet.

"I feel like a giraffe learning to walk in these things," she commented, trying to laugh off her fall.

 

[Tarmagon]

Kyle caught Esme as she tottered on the ridiculously high court shoes she had donned. Tsking, he helped the young woman regain her footing, then motioned to the futon, gesturing for her to sit. After a moment, Esme took a seat, looking at Kyle curiously.

“Those court shoes, while making you look spectacular, are ill suited to dance,” he said. “It would take weeks of practice, and even then I should not think you would enjoy the experience. May I see one of them?”

Esme nodded, slipping the heels off and handing him one. Kyle examined it carefully, noting the tiny area of the heel, and the rather poorly designed, in his opinion, toe section. Setting the shoe aside, he knelt in front of where Esme sat on the futon.

“May I examine your foot please?” he asked politely, holding one hand out, palm cupped for Esme to place her heel into.

Esme stared at his hand for a moment, not sure what he wanted to do with her foot. She hesitated for a moment before slowly moving her foot to rest in his offered hand. "Not sure why you'd want to look at my feet, but suit yourself."

Kyle moved slowly, giving Esme every chance to object as he examined her foot. He didn’t know if she were ticklish, but he moved as if she were, trying to avoid the areas that he knew from personal experience were the most sensitive. Her heel seemed slightly too narrow for the shoes she had shown him, which would make it hard to balance on such towering constructs. When he asked her to press against his palm with the ball of her foot he noted good flexibility and strength, which boded well for the lessons he hoped to share.

“Thank you,” he said, releasing her foot and gesturing to the other. “May I see the other now?”

Esme shrugged, pulling away the foot he'd been methodically handling and lifting the other so he could continue whatever odd inspection he wanted to do. She was almost tempted to wiggle her toes this time, but decided not to since she honestly didn't want to prolong his analysis.

Kyle repeated his rather clinical examination on Esme’s other foot, noting slight differences but nothing major. Unfortunately, he allowed his attention to wander as he considered the modifications he wanted to make to her shoes. Rather than use firm pressure when he traced the line from the ball of her foot to her heel, Kyle accidentally allowed his touch to lighten, with rather predictable consequences. Esme let out a startled giggle, and her leg spasmed, yanking her foot from Kyle’s grasp. Unfortunately for Kyle, her reflexes planted said foot squarely in the center of his chest, and he found himself looking up into Esme’s sheepish face from a position prone upon the floor.

“Um, I’m sorry about that,” Kyle said contritely as he picked himself up off the floor. “I was thinking about how to best make proper dancing shoes for you.”

"Ah, no it's fine. I'm kind of surprised I actually managed to accidentally kick you. You seem alright, I thought I would have knocked the wind out of you or something."

"I will admit that you do pack quite a kick," he said with a chuckle. "But it's not quite the same as being kicked by a lirith, hmm, mule?"

Kyle paused for a moment, going over what he had learned about the structure of Esme's feet, then examined the shoes yet again.

“Anyway, may I modify these shoes?” Kyle asked, holding up the high heels. “I promise that I can and will return them to as they are now should you not like the final product.”

Esme shrugged, "Honestly, I don't care. I only ever wore them one time and they've been stuffed in the back of my closet since. You could break the heels off of them for all I care. You should be more concerned about Liz finding out about you experimenting on them."

"I don't think removing the heels entirely will be necessary," Kyle said, picking up the shoes and stepping well back from Esme. At her puzzled look he just said "Seal." Esme nodded her understanding, and Kyle turned his attention to the shoes in his hands.

Thanking the Goddess that things like this took little effort and Power, Kyle first instructed the shoes to remember, so that if he needed to return them to their current shape, it would take but a touch and a word. Then, he set to work with a will. Under the touch of his Power, the heels lost some of their towering height, the mass going to thicken the remaining part of the heel. The base still wasn't to Kyle's liking, so the closed toes melted back, forming a series of interlocking straps. The sides also diminished, melting back into the body of the shoes to flow down and add their mass to the base of the heel, causing it to flare out rather than shrink to a tiny point. Fishing into his pockets, Kyle pulled out a couple of coins, which became tiny buckles under his focused attention.

“Please try these on,” Kyle said, handing the newly modified shoes to Esme. “I think… I hope, that they will suit you better in this configuration than they did before.”

Esme looked at the shoes skeptically, while they may have been minutely shorter and a different heel style, she didn't have much faith in them being an improvement. High heels were high heels, and those were a pain to wear. However, since he had gone through all the trouble, she'd humor him. She slipped on the shoes, pausing before she stood to wiggled her toes experimentally. Esme stood up, walked a few steps, turned and then walked back.

"They're more comfortable now," she said, almost seeming to not want to admit it, "but that still doesn't mean I could ever dance in them."

"I think that you will find yourself more capable than you realize," Kyle said, sincerity in his voice. "And now we come to your first task. Wear these as much as you can to become comfortable in them. If something does not fit right, please let me know and I shall do my best to correct it. And inform Liz in no uncertain terms that these WILL be your footwear the night of the ball. I can change the color and texture of the outside, but the the form will not be changed. And don't worry about being rough on them, I've made them a little tougher than they look."

Fable
(Maybe he should get work as a cobbler. And here's his handiwork.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(I almost write Esme telling him to design shoes in the PM, lol. Sorry if I didn't give much to reply on. X3)

"I think that you will find yourself more capable than you realize," Kyle said. "And now we come to your first task. Wear these as much as you can to become comfortable in them. If something does not fit right, please let me know and I shall do my best to correct it. And inform Liz in no uncertain terms that these WILL be your footwear the night of the ball. I can change the color and texture of the outside, the the form will not be changed.. And don't worry about being rough on them, I've made them a little tougher than they look."

Esme visibly blanched at the thought of having to wear the shoes as much as possible. That just felt like self-inflicted torture to her. If there was such a thing as comfortable high heels, that brand would have made billions. She sighed, though maybe having her feet hurt from wearing the shoes could be used as an excuse to avoid dancing the night of the gala. "Why can't I just wear a nice pair of flats?" She wasn't really asking Kyle this question. "If only Liz would let me wear a comfy pair of flats. It's not like anyone is going to see what shoes I am wearing . Anyway, I'll tell her, just... be prepared for some style demands. She will also probably ask you to change her own shoes to look like designer shoes as well."

She spent the rest of that day wearing the heels around the house. The moment Liz heard about the magical modifications, she pretty much stole Kyle away to her room to go over her ideas for the shoes appearance. She showed Kyle a few snapshots of the dress so he could make something to match. As Esme had predicted, Liz also inquired about having her shoes be magically altered to some designer shoes, though it seemed as Liz didn't think Kyle would humor her. Liz figured it didn't to hurt to ask.

The next day Esme had gone to the university campus to finalize the forms for her personal leave request. After that she went to her job to give a formal two week notice. Phil wasn't too pleased with the news. Esme had lied a bit saying it was a personal issue with her family, that something came up with her mother and that she had to leave for a bit. After a bit of discussion, he decided to just tell her she didn't needed to stress about work and on paper put her as on personal leave instead of employment as ended. It was Phil's gruff way of saying she'd have a job when she got back. That only added to her guilty feeling of having to lie about her circumstances.

With no school and now not having to go in for work, Esme was pretty much stuck lazing about the apartment wearing the heels Kyle had produced. Wearing them for prolonged periods of time did result in some foot pain, after all, she was having to put weight unequally on parts of her foot because of the added height to the heel. Having nothing else to occupy herself with, she hesitantly approached Kyle about the whole dancing issue.

"Have you had a chance to look at any Youtube videos on dances from here? I'll be honest that I have a slight concern about what is considered a basic dance where you're from. There isn't any lifting or twirling is there? If it's anything like swing dance, I am going to just shut down this whole project here and now. Then there is.. what is it called, river dancing? That'd also be a deal breaker."

 

[Tarmagon]

"Have you had a chance to look at any Youtube videos on dances from here? I'll be honest that I have a slight concern about what is considered a basic dance where you're from. There isn't any lifting or twirling is there? If it's anything like swing dance, I am going to just shut down this whole project here and now. Then there is.. what is it called, river dancing? That'd also be a deal breaker."

Kyle chuckled a bit at the trepidation in Esme's voice. He had indeed viewed some of the videos of what passed fo dance these days. Some had been, fascinating in the way a dangerous animal could be. Some he hadn't been able to call dance, no matter how hard he had tried to stretch his mind, but some had been incredible. One particular show had produced more than its share of moving moments, but those contestants had devoted their lives to dance. What he had in mind was much, much simpler.

"No Esme," Kyle said, trying to reassume her. "I've seen some of the videos of which you speak, and such things are far beyond the scope of what I wish to teach you. However, I have seen you mincing your steps slightly. Are the shoes bothering your feet?"

At Esme's reluctant nod, Kyle made a slight tsking sound, and gestured for her to take a seat.

"I imagine you have been wearing these non-stop," Kyle said slightly reprovingly. "I meant for you to become comfortable in them, not to harm yourself."

Esme looked as if she would protest, but held still as Kyle claimed the shoes from her feet. He stepped back and exerted his will on them, causing the heels to shorten further until they were a bare inch and a quarter. He kept the surface area the same at the tips, but thickened the shafts to absorb the extra mass. Handing them back to Esme, he looked at her sternly.

"I imagine this ball will only last for a few hours," he said. "From here on out please limit your wearing of them to no more than a few hours at a time. I've shortened the heels until they are no taller than the boots I shall be wearing, but I still wish you to limit yourself a bit. And to set your mind at ease, no lifting, no twirling, though I do wish to teach you a simple pirouette, and don't give me that look! If you'd care to put on a pair of comfortable shoes, I think that we should move up to the roof for a short lesson."

Fable
(Concerned demon wants Esme to be a little more careful.)