Fantasy The Divide

[Sir Raime]

Ophidius was quick to respond. Very quick.


"Ahem. Nice to meet you too, Mr. Normal McNormington. Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste...."

 

[Airagog]

John looked at Ophidius and threw his arms up, "Nope. Done. Nope, can't do it anymore. Huh uh, the demon is quoting the Rolling Stones at me. Next thing he's going to tell me he's the one who actually wrote Stairway to Heaven and that the band sold their soul for the lyrics. This is how priests go mad."

 

[Sir Raime]

"Actually, mate, it was Queen. Sheer Heart Attack was my magnum opus. Apropos of nothing, I'm glad to finally meet one person in this country who knows the Stones. I tip my hat to you good sir."


It was at that moment that Ophidius produced a hat, a red fedora, and made a tipping gesture before placing it back in the jacket.

 

[Airagog]

The Priest looks at the demon and shakes his head. "Tipping intensifies eh? You're not gonna grow a neckbeard now and start saying how much you love the series My Little Pony Friendship is Magic are you?" He sighs and shakes his head. "Great John, just great. One second you're getting your newest job assignment to kill a demon, next second one comes up in a fedora and expects no one to notice..." He sighs as he pinches the bridge of his nose. "Okay, so now I am officially confused, can we get coffee and explain why instead of trying to gouge my eyes out and eat my liver you two demons seem content with mindfucking me? Cause right now church doctrine ain't making a lotta sense."

 

[Karma200]

Mars almost smiled a bit when Johanna stood up for her, that was nice of her.


"You are a strange little human," Mars said with a raised eyebrow at the priest, she didn't know either of them and she didn't know if she should just leave with Johanna or stay continue with this. She lifted her perfectly manicured fingers that were painted with dark red nail polish; inspecting them while she tried to make a decision.


"Besides, wouldn't you know if I wasn't human if I jumped all the way from up there and I'm totally fine?" She added, the two decisions dancing around in her mind. The wind was smooth as it brushed past things, the air felt just a bit better to breath. Folding her arms in front of her, she made sure she had view of everyone so she could react to any act of violence toward either her or Johanna.

 

[Airagog]

The priest sighed, "Okay okay. You're totally right, I'm being lecture on manners from a god damn demon..." John took in a deep breath and held out his hand to Mars, "It is a pleasure, I think, not sure yet because not sure if you want to kill me, to meet you. My name is Father John Crowley. I am an exorcist who was trained by the Vatican to combat demons who possess other humans. This is my first encounter with a demon that actually, ya know, has a body. Well two of them. I uh, I imagine this is what it is like meeting extraterrestrial life. What is your name, I um, I am curious and wanting to know more about you strangely enough."

 

[MasterWarlockTyr]

Micheal left behind the kendo room and eventually the school altogether, heading into town as he tried to remember the address he'd drilled into his own head. From what he'd heard it wasn't a long walk and it was certainly not difficult to find. The moment he turned the corner and came onto it's street he figured that much out. The massive archaic building sat out like a sore thumb compared to most of the town much less the block. Still, it was an inviting enough place to look at. Memories of back home crept into his mind. The massive, dark and uninviting houses that dotted the countryside back in Europe certainly didn't have this effect.


As he walked up he idly checked himself. Shirt creaseless, hair arranged, posture straight. 'Damn it all, if I don't stop doing this all the time people are either going to thing I'm OCD or entirely too self conscious,' he berated to himself, his lips forming a hard line as he let his hands drop. Maybe it was just his upbringing. Maybe it was a bad habit. Maybe he really was OCD. Whatever the case it was a minor detail. He stopped as reached the door and somewhat hesitantly knocked upon it.

 

[SaphireTsuki]

Saphire nodded at the demon, Emma, encouragingly. "You're welcome, dear. You're a guest of mine, and that's all that matters." Once breakfast had ended she cleaned the dishes and resumed work on the porch, trying to remove the massive amount of snow... only to hear someone knocking on the gate. A tiny pout, couldn't she get some work done before they did? But she shook her head and walked towards the door, shovel in hand.


"Hello, just let me get the gate open!" The sound of her messing with the bar she kept in place, and her grunting slightly as she moved the massive woodwork. Once she was on the other side she was met with a platinum-haired man in... was that a school uniform? Ah, he must have come from some sort of club. "My name is Saphire, may I help you? Do you need directions, or are you here to stay at the inn?" A smile, not bright... but honest.

 

[MasterWarlockTyr]

As Michael heard a voice on the other side of the door he shuffled a bit in the snow. He hated the cold. The way he shivered, how the snow got everything wet, how it was such a pain to clean up or get through. No way to get through it quickly without a car either and he didn't have a license or a car. Only when he had to stand still did he realize how bad it was out -- granted, it wasn't that bad to begin with but he wasn't use to these temperatures just yet.


His mind focused as he door slid open and he came face to face with a young woman on the other side. His eyes shot to her immediate features. Long blue hair, blue scarf, quite a bit on the short side. It seemed that the facts were reliable. Michael bowed his head in respect to the young woman as he began talking in his accent tinged Japanese.


"My name is Michael De Lange. I'm a transfer student to the nearby high school and I've been living in town for about a month. My parents have been sending me money for food and to pay for an apartment but..." He paused, his eyes darting to the side as he raised a hand to idly brush his bangs out of his face. A simple farce. He had no problem speaking what was on his mind without hesitating but doing so would seem rather rehearsed. Besides, a little bit of humility could go a long way.





"Well, it's pretty far from the school and it's not the homiest of places. But then I heard about this place." His eyes darted back over to her as he put on a small smile. "Do you have a place I could hunker down for a few weeks? I'm pretty sure I have the money for it and I'd do my best to not cause any trouble."

 

[SaphireTsuki]

Saphire blinked, slightly confused. Sure, the supernatural beings came here on their own, but they had their ways of knowing, a human like him shouldn't have heard of it. Not unless he'd overheard someone talking about it. Still... he seemed nice enough, and money was money. She doubted there would be a problem, as long as he wasn't too nosey. So, she flashed him another smile, waving him inside. "Come in, De Lange-san." She tripped a bit on the unfamiliar sounds, and resolved to talk slower when saying his name. Sure, his accent was thick, but it was solid Japanese that she could understand. And no worse than anyone else in the inn... who happened to be from another country, at least.


She walked aside, letting him into the yard proper. "My home's not quite presentable, but it's big and has plenty of space available. If you can't pay me at any time I don't mind, just help with the upkeep." She scowled slightly at the large amount of snow waiting for her, the half she hadn't finished just yet. "I'd be happy for the help." Once more smiling she turned her gaze back to him, "There are a few rules to adhere to in my Inn. One: Don't wear your shoes inside the building. I have a place to keep them when the weather's like this, and I'll show you in a little bit. Two: Stay out of your fellow guests business... if they ask for help you can get it. Three: No fighting in my home, and any damage you fix... either by paying for it or in labor. Four: You'll have a day assigned to make dinner. I make breakfast and lunch, but sometimes I have business in the city, so... don't miss your turn, got it?"

 

[MasterWarlockTyr]

Michael could hear her strain to say his surname as she greeted and beckoned him inside. It wasn't surprising. His name was a bit... grandiose even back home and it was hard for him to even say right while staying to Japanese. That wasn't the only thing he took note of. The use of surname at all. Quite formal and polite, quite a change from what he'd gotten use to today. As she walked him towards the mansion and spoke more he picked up other things. The rules. The first one was so casual and expected that it seemed to be trying to shadow the two that came after. Fighting and snooping seemed like rather unspoken of rules of etiquette -- a normal person might wonder why she'd bring them up at all.


He chuckled ever so slightly at the mention of cooking duty. "Actually, if you don't mind, would you mind too terribly if I volunteered a few more nights than what I'm assigned to? I'm actually something of a cook and it'd be nice to get some practice in." Half of him was quick to justify this as an excuse to gain good grace with this woman while the other half... well, was actually quite genuine. Cooking was one of his few personal passions and he really did need to get use to making some local fare.

 

[SaphireTsuki]

She nodded, a hint of what might be relief coming into her tone, "Of course you can. I'd be much grateful for the help." She rose to the top, taking her sandals into her hand and holding out one hand for his shoes. "I'm afraid that some guests like to skip their turn... it's really rather problematic, as I expect them to shop for dinner as well." She did, of course, shop for her own turn, but she only kept a few ingredients available for the use of everyone. "Anyway, De Lange-san, I have to ask... do you want a room near the front, or towards the back?"

 

[MasterWarlockTyr]

Michael was honestly expecting a humble decline to his offer but she not only accepted but seemed very glad to. Well, it seemed like he would actually be getting some practice down. Admittedly he hoped it wasn't too much -- he had a lot more to focus on than meal plans -- but he was confident he could handle it regardless. He stopped as she did, slipping his shoes off as she did the same and handing them over with a thankful smile. Well, this was turning to be a more pleasant experience after all.


In a split second things went from fine to panic inducing. He stopped dead in his tracks as she 'had to ask' him something. A pit formed in Michael's stomach as he braced for some all exposing question. Could he lie through it? Was she already on to him? Would she -- room. His panic died down the moment he realized that she'd said 'room'. He found himself blinking rapidly and loosening fists he hadn't realized he'd been clenching as he said, "Oh, uh... back works just fine."

 

[SaphireTsuki]

Saphire paused as he seemed to have some sort of panic attack. Had she said something wrong? It was accepting the offer, wasn't it? She'd been told, over and over, that you should never accept help from a guest, but... well, she really needed the help. And yes, it wasn't very humble of her, but... well... she was tired of coming home to an empty fridge! When he finally answered her question, however... what was a look of relief covered her face for a few seconds before one more being hidden by her smile. "Ok. I'll take you there soon."


She placed his shoes in a cubby-hole just inside the house, taking out a pen and writing his name how she thought it was spelled in English. Then she stood up straight again, walking down the hall towards a room facing the yard. Sure, it wasn't completely in the back, but it had a nice view during the spring, summer, and fall... and he could do whatever it is foreigners did with snow. "Breakfast is at 9 AM during the weekend, 7 AM during the week. Lunch is always at 1 PM, and dinner at 7 PM in the evening. The kitchen is always open, I do the shopping on Mondays for the week. Any requests write on a sheet on the fridge and I'll see about getting them. I'll pay for dinner ingredients."

 

[MasterWarlockTyr]

Michael did his best to shrug off his moment of panic and luckily she didn't seem to mind enough to ask about it. Perhaps she was use to strangeness working at this place. She was enforcing something of a privacy policy already, it'd make sense for her for her to not be asking questions. As he followed her through the halls he looked around idly but his mind was set on how something felt... wrong. No, not wrong. Unexpected. He'd known how to identify this girl right away. The place, her hair, overall appearance. But some details felt unexpected. He'd known about her height before hand but being there now, she really did feel tiny. The generalized details he was given seemed to pop quite a bit with finer details. Being around her for a minute was making her seem awfully... human.


It took him a few moments to realize two things. 1: He'd been staring at her for a few seconds. 2: He had only been half listening and had actually started to fall behind a bit as they walked. "Right, right," he said, acknowledging her talk about the meal schedule a bit after she'd been done talking about it. He wanted to smack himself right thereon the spot.

 

[SaphireTsuki]

She stopped walking when he'd taken a while to say anything. Then, turning to face him, she lifted one hand and asked, timidly, "Do you mind if I check your temperature? You seem kind of out of it..." A sheepish smile, she didn't know if he was hurt, or sick, but... "I... would rather know if you were sick before it got too bad. Being in a new environment can be draining." She'd been adopted, after all. She didn't remember much from that time, only that she'd gone from one place to another and somehow developed a fever... well, not remembered. More like was told about it.

 

[MasterWarlockTyr]

He felt his face start to burn in an instant. So his hesitation had been that obvious and now she was wondering if something with wrong with him. He took a subconscious step back as he quickly answered, "No, no, I'm fine. Just... thinking about a big assignment I have to work on is all." It was a solid lie. Just about everything she knew about him was that he was a student and in a way it was sort of true given the context. He took a deep breathe and tried to push the red out of his cheeks as he idly adjusted his collar. "Sorry, dozing off on something else altogether must seem very rude."

 

[SaphireTsuki]

"Not at all. I'm sure you're having a hard time, everything being in Japanese and not... whatever language you're used to." She lowered her hand, walking next to him now, noticing the blush. She stifled a giggle, he seemed like a shy boy, so it might be nice for him to have some friends to hang out with. Maybe Johanna...? That thought was quickly discarded, even if she'd agree to it, she was a bit abrasive for someone like whom De Longe-san seemed to be. "If you've any questions at all, I'll be happy to help."

 

[MasterWarlockTyr]

"French," he was quick to inform her, trying to distract himself from the stifled giggle he'd just barely heard. The work was a bit difficult to do in a language he wasn't use to but for him translation was harder than the problem solving. He'd covered quite a bit of advanced stuffed back home and subject on history and such were the only things that got him off guard. The money here... that was the worst. He was still struggling with what was probably elementary school problems on that front.


He let out a sigh as she offered her wisdom on anything he might ask, quietly responding with, "Thank you, Saphire-san."

 

[SaphireTsuki]

Saphire blinked in surprise, he'd remembered her name... just like Akio had. She'd expected him to act like someone from her schools, talk amiably with her but forget about her as soon as she left the room. "You're welcome. You're room's just down the hall and the third on the left." She resolved to make a map to it for him, knowing well how confusing her home could be. Sometimes she got lost, and she'd lived here most of her life. A small breath out, and then... "Umm, if you want something in particular for dinner, or even lunch, just ask. It's my turn tonight anyway."

 

[MasterWarlockTyr]

Michael caught the look of surprise written on her face for a moment after he thanked her but quickly shrugged it off. Maybe she was use to this being a thankless job or maybe she hadn't expected him to remember her name in the passing. Either way he didn't see anything suspicious about it. His eyes wandered away from her and down the hall as she pointed out his room, securing the spot in his mind for when he'd be coming back.


... With his stuff. The horrible realization that he'd have to bring him stuff -all- the way from his apartment to here in the snow made him want to break down right there. His expression turning rather stony, he only brushed off the feeling as she asked about dinner. Michael hesitated at first before deciding to go all in honest on the matter. "Well, unless someone else has already come up with a request I've been wanting to try cold served soba for a while now."

 

[SaphireTsuki]

A smile, "Of course. Something wrong? You... for a second it looked like you'd just realized something horrible." She itched to place a hand on his shoulder comfortingly, but decided not to. He didn't seem to like being touched... or was it that she was remembering that she wasn't supposed to be touchy-feely with strangers? No matter, he wanted something for dinner and she'd gladly give it to him, cold served soba was something she hadn't made in a while anyway.

 

[MasterWarlockTyr]

"Well, like I said. I don't have a car and where I've been living is pretty far from the school... I think it may be even further from here." He grit his teeth ever so slightly and scratched the back of his neck as he thought it over. Walking was -not- an option, even if it wasn't snowy out. Maybe he could rent a bike and go back and forth -- wait, snow means ice. Ice means slick. He preferred no crashing. Honestly this suddenly seemed like a poorly thought out plan...

 

[SaphireTsuki]

A blink of surprise. He hadn't hired movers? Well... "I can help you tomorrow. If you'd like." She thought for a moment, was there anyone who would help? Akio might, but something told her not to bring those two close, Johanna... again, no, she wouldn't want to. Emma... didn't seem interested in people. Anyone else she could ask? She hadn't seen the other fallen in a while, so not him. She guessed it was just the two of them, then. "As for tonight... if you've no-where to go I can let you borrow some furniture. I have several futon, as well as many kimono and yukata, so whatever fits you can use. If that works?"

 

[MasterWarlockTyr]

He was rather taken aback by her offer to help. This was truly getting ridiculous. He began to wonder if any of this good behavior had to do with -- no, he said he wouldn't do that. Generalization is something -they- did, not something he'd allow himself to start doing. Regardless, he considered declining the offer. For starters he wasn't entirely sure how much help she could be, even with a car. She didn't seem like she'd be the best heavy lifter in the world. The other problem was one of pride. He may have accepted help from others -- okay, probably not -- but one of the last people on earth he wanted help from was her. It was enough that he was going to live under her roof and eat her food. He didn't want to feel any sort of obligation in the future.


"I'll just figure something out tomorrow," he half muttered as he glanced away from her, staring a hole in the wall instead. He'd regret it before the end but it was something he felt he had to do. She began to offer him some spare furniture for the night and as he looked over at her she mentioned clothes. He stopped dead in his tracks -- all but a cold shiver that shot down his spine -- at the thought of wearing... those. Japan was a wonder filled nation of beauty and culture and Michael was an open minded person but something about the local clothes he just did not like. Somewhere between his masculinity and his European upbringing made him shy away from the robe-like clothing. "I... I think I'll just stick to what I have on. Maybe it won't wrinkle if I sleep very still..." he muttered distantly to himself, his appearance obsessed self weeping bitter tears at the thought of walking around looking like a train wreck.