Fantasy The Rogue Escape Lounge

[Scripted Away]

The evening had ended with Damian falling asleep on the couch. Minuet had continued to watch some awful shows on TV until he himself had grown tired. In the meantime the man had slumped over to the side, leaving him to suspiciously eye the head resting on his shoulder for signs of him starting to drool.
At some point he had carried him into his bed, removed his clothes and put them down on the chair, neatly folded, before he himself had gone to sleep, too.

Now he was laying on his stomach in just his black trunks, one arm and one leg hanging off the couch, his silent snoring just interrupted by an occasional, soft mew.

The duct tape star was surrounded by a circle of arcane runes, meticulously pieced together from small pieces of duct tape, in lack of supplies to write them with.
Laying on the table next to him was a sheet of paper and a latin-english dictionary of unknown origin.
He definitely had been busy tonight.

Starting silent but growing louder a growl rose from his chest while his cat-like claws extended from his fingers to scratch over the ground nervously.
"pleasedontkillme!"
The demon shot up into a sitting position panting heavily as he looked around and lastly sighed relieved.
Thank God... Here was here, not in hell.

"Oh, Damian", he sighed upon noticing the man staring at him. "Good morning."

 

[Susi]

Damian's plan to firmly address the issue of removing his clothes while he was asleep was canceled as he saw fear flashing in Minuet's face. Who was going to kill the guy and why?

"Good morning... you okay?" he asked, sitting next to the catboy.

His eyes wandered to the new pieces of duct tape art on the floor and a grin appeared on his lips. The guy had had the nerve to judge his achievement but was doing the same thing! Then again, Minuet had probably just run into the same problem as he and used what was available and Damian wouldn't use it against him.
A quick look at the time made the bartender think about his upcoming night shift. They would still need to come up with a background story-... unless he'd just go with a half-truth and tell them they met last night and since Wednesdays were quiet too, he had asked him to hang out in the bar.

Damian turned his gaze to examine the other. Looked like he had had a nightmare.

 

[Scripted Away]

Running his hand through his hair a couple of times to wipe the wild, tangled streaks out of his face, Minuet took a deep breath, eyes closed as he sat cross-legged, playing with his tail nervously.
"I'm fine, I'm-... Okay, at least", he sighed silently.
His gaze lingered on the floor for a moment before it flicked to the summoning circle and nervosity crossed his face once again.
"Just-... you know how a summoning works? It basically tears a rift between your world and mine open and sucks the target through it. But... It won't close until the contract has been fulfilled and the entity that passed through it passes through it again. So that there-", he waved one hand towards the duct tape star "- is an open rift between our worlds. Through which others may pass if they happen to stumble upon it. I drew some runes and sigils around it that should keep entities from leaving the circle, but-... Sleeping next to it does make me nervous, especially as my kind is not exactly... Respected, where I come from..."

He took another deep, deep breath before he got up and moved to put on some black jeans, white button up shirt and a gray leather jack... Wherever he'd gotten those from...
After announcing that he'd go get himself himself another tea he headed for the kitchen and returned with a cup a few minutes later.

"Okay, so, I don't know if you remember, but we talked about coming up with a story last night."

 

[Susi]

Damian wasn't sure if hearing what Minuet told him about summoning was really what he wanted to hear. According to him, Damian basically had a non-stop online connection to another world. While it may have sounded cool, it was nothing of sorts and messed Dami's head more.
Additionally, the story for Minuet hadn't been on the top of Damian's list, but it was probably worth thinking of as his earlier idea of the half-trust might actually do more damage than good. And honestly, it wouldn't have been like Dami at all to voluntarily spend so much time with a complete stranger. Except in this situation.

"So... We've been dating for about two months", Dami started his story.

It was important to keep the relationship new, so he could still be a little awkward about it and it also explained why he hadn't talked about it before.

"You are crazy about me and can put up with my occasional brooding..." They would have started spending more time together only recently, like the past two weeks, as Damian has come to the realization that he really likes Minuet's company...

At this point, Damian looked at Minuet, giving him a chance to add something to the story, then something else occurred to him from what the cat boy had said earlier.

"Wait, hold on... did you actually make an attempt to talk yourself into my bed back there?"

 

[Scripted Away]

"Hey don't act like I'm the pervert here, in case you don't remember, you've basically been throwing yourself at me just a few hours ago", Minuet grumbled lowkey offended. Okay, maybe not that lowkey. His kind was already seen as prostitutes back in hell, and he really didn't have the nerve to deal with that prejudice here as well. "I have more important things to worry about than getting into your pants."

After sipping on his tea and staring, well, glaring at the table for a whole while the demon took a deep breath and leaned back on the couch, now looking somewhat tired as he watched the steam emerging from his cup and swirling into the nothingness.
Stupid human not showing the slightest bit of gratitude for the fact that I'm doing all this acting-to-be-in-love shit just to dl him a favor!

Finally, he sighed beatenly. "I hate suggestive jokes because of various bad experiences from my past and your brooding doesn't bother me. I can be like that, too. We met at a diner where I've been working as a waiter until I quit because of various customers and colleagues harassing me. As I've been living in an apartment right above that diner you recently offered me to stay at your place for a while. Sounds good?"

 

[Susi]

Yeah, throwing yourself at a demon did seem like a good idea before you knew he was a demon or that he would just turn you down.

"Sorry, I keep sounding a complete jerk", Damian mumbled, grabbing MInuet's pillow and cover and disappearing into his bedroom with them.

Once alone, he took a couple of deep breaths while placing the bed stuff next to his own. His bed wasn't a king-size bed, not even a queen, but there was still a slight chance they'd fit in it without any black eyes. Something clearly worried Minuet and since Damian was kind of responsible for him being here, he could try a little more.
Needing a little more time alone, Dami pulled out a towel and headed to the bathroom, calling out from the door that he'd take a shower.

The shower was a place where Damian's brain seemed to reset. Warm water and white noise took away any thoughts that were stubborn enough to try to emerge, most of the time Dami just didn't think about anything.

After a good fifteen minutes, he came out dressed in black jeans and a matching t-shirt, rubbing the towel on his hair.

"Okay, let's try this again", Dami suggested, tossing the cloth upon the door to dry.
"I think I like you, for real, as in you seem cool. Something makes you really worried and I wish you'd talk about it. And I do not mean to be an ass, I'm confused."

It sounded like a checklist of things to say out loud, but at least he got it worded instead of keeping it locked away inside his head.

 

[Scripted Away]

"Pretty much, yeah."
Minuet watched with a bit of a frown as Damian picked up his bedsheets and carried them into the bedroom. Thanks to his fine ears he picked up the sound of him putting the pillow and cover down on the bed. Sure, it was unconventional, but he'd rather share a bed with a stranger than sleep next to a rift to a world full of people who's have a blast killing him or at least beating him up.

While Damian was showering, Minuet listened to the sound of the water. It didn't rain in his realm, in fact there was no weather at all, so it did remind him of better times, of rainy days spent cuddling or playing chess with Alex in her cozy little cottage.
Wherever you are, Ally... I hope you're happy.

His wistful brooding however soon was interrupted when Dami came back into the living room.
Huh, that guy was the kind of person who actually looked good with wet hair. Minuet however... Rather looked like someone had slapped roadkill on his head. He didn't really mind it, but he was still fascinated by what kind of magic those people had working for them.

So he really wanted to talk, hm?
"Ah you know... Got into a bit of a squabble with a very dangerous entity, uh, you might know him as Death... and also -..."
Sighing softly he lowered his gaze to the ground while his expression darkened.
Fishing for the right words, he played around with the zipper of his jacket.
"It's not easy for me to talk about", he finally admitted silently. "You see... I'm an Incubus. We make our victims compliant by sleeping with them, then we suck out their souls and eat their flesh and heart. Most of us don't do that anymore, we've grown much more civilized, but the reputation of being a bunch of whores stuck. My addition to our story, with the diner, that was the truth. And hell that night could have ended way worse, too. I just want to leave that hell hole behind me and this rift right there just- makes me nervous. If the wrong creatures fall through it I'll be as good as dead. Or you'll be as good as dead. Or both of us. And my life might be one big pile of crap but I don't wanna die yet!"

Finally he looked up at Damian again and defensively lifted his shoulders, ears flattening slightly.
"There, talked about it. Happy now?"
He sounded quite snarky, but the scared look in his eyes gave him away.

 

[Susi]

Of course, a demon would have demon problems, but with Death himself? Was Death a demon, too?
Damian touched Minuet's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Yeah, I am. Thanks," he smiled.

His mind would probably freak about Minuet's story later, after organizing everything, but right now it was all good and Damian felt like the first step for establishing trust had been made. Possibly stretching that trust, he couldn't help thinking about the incubus part.

"Your face, where we were taking the picture in my bed... Was that related to you being an incubus?", Dami asked.

He didn't want to sound worried, but he was probably poor at hiding it. If it was that easy for the other to start losing control, how the hell did he think about sharing a bed.

 

[Scripted Away]

Minuet fell silent, surprised by Damian's sincere and surprisingly friendly response. Where had that come from now, the guy had been acting like a jerk just minutes ago! But it wasn't like wasn't glad about this sudden change in attitude. Hed take what he could get. In the end this human couldn't hurt him in any way anyway.

He attempted a small smile at the man, trying to show his appreciation for the friendliness.

And then he asked about his face.
Min sighed. Dammit, he had hoped that Damian hadn't noticed that, but he didn't want to lie to him now, so the only thing left was to tell him the truth.
He nodded silently.
"What you saw there was, well... the inner 'monster' trying to break through. But don't worry, I'm usually good at keeping it under lock and key. That just happened because-"
Now he actually blushed and locked his eyes to a spot somewhere above Dami's shoulder. Damn it, he wasn't supposed to feel awkward, he was an age old being straight from hell!
"Well, as I said... you are kind of... attractive..."
His tail was twitching nervously as he fumbled for words.
"But, no funny intentions, I promise. And I got it under control now, I'm not gonna go all 'Memento' on you. But, I mean, I could sleep in the bathtub, too, if it makes you feel to uncomfortable. Just everywhere but next to that thing there."

Oh what would he give for some calming ear scratching now.

 

[Susi]

"So basically you get hungry when you look at me", Damian concluded, his voice not telling much about how he felt about it.

A morbid thought occurred to him, making him realize that if Minuet had just granted him his wish, he'd be a dead bartender now. Most likely a horribly mauled bartender. But if the demon was concerned about his well-being like that, didn't he kind of owe of to him too?
So scared or not, Dami was not going to make the catboy sleep in the bathroom.

What really interested Damian was Minuet's face and what he told about his 'inner monster'. Did Minuet have an alternate form, or was the cat one actually something he preferred to look like, rather than the face that had tried to emerge earlier. And if so... how did the face look like.
Dami had seen pictures of demons in various places, portraited by different people from different origins and the images were always monstrous and cruel. Now when he thought about a demon and Minuet in the same sentence, the whole concept was hard to understand. How could anyone as adorable as him be as horrendous as the images? Then again... maybe exactly that's why.

"So no suggestive jokes. Is there anything else I can do?"

 

[Scripted Away]

"It's not exactly hunger", Minuet corrected Damian's conclusion a little hesitantly. How exactly could he explain what was going on in an Incubus when he slipped into hunting mode?
It wasn't hunter per se, that knotted up feeling in the stomach, it was more than that, it ran deeper...
Something that touched them right at the deepest, darkest point of their black souls.
"You know how sharks basically drive nuts when they smell blood?", he finally asked. It wasn't the best analogy, but better than nothing. "It's somewhat like that. Every single cell inside our body is taken over by the craving to kill. And at the same time it's... A kind of emptiness."

His eyes locked to the floor once more, partly because it was a topic he hated to talk about, partly because he really needed to focus to find the right words.
"See, we are monsters without a conscience. We don't know sympathy, we don't know mercy. Our souls, if we even have one, are as black and rotten as they could be. At least... That's what we are by nature. Some of us are trying to be better, but it's hard."

He could almost see the thoughts running to Damian's head, the questions about what the monster he was keeping inside looked like, the realization that he would've been dead by now had he been granted his wish.

Dami's question however made a surprised smile cross Minuet's face.
He didn't seem to try to keep him at the biggest distance possible, no, he was actually asking what else he could do to, what, make him feel welcome? Comfortable?
The surprise written on his face soon turned into gratefulness as he looked up at Damian with his blue eyes wide and sparkling.
"Thank you, Damian... You've done more for me than anyone has in the past one hundred and fifty years just by asking that question", he whispered. "But... If you really mean it and it isn't too much to ask for..."
He blushed a little as he not his lip, playing with the pillow next to him.
"Could you maybe... Scratch my ear like yesterday...?"

 

[Susi]

A small laugh escaped Damian's lips even if he didn't mean to, Minuet's request was just too cute. Damian could see him as a demon even less now, yet at the same time, he realized this was probably a dangerous way to think.

"Alright, come here, kitty", he beckoned the catboy to come closer.

Damian had lived alone since moving out and leaving his parents behind. Bartending didn't leave much free time awake since Damian worked a lot, and once he got home he either slept or just wanted to be alone. He liked his job, it gave him the amount of socialization he needed, often more, so when he was home, he rarely wanted to see anybody, let alone share an apartment with someone. Minuet, however, seemed to hit him in the right spots as the thought of having him around was more exciting than a nuisance. Sure it could change in a couple of next days, Damian was like that, easy to get bored and fed up with things, but he'd worry about it later.

Petting Minuet's soft ear worked like the white noise and Damian was taken over by certain calmness. It was odd, considering that he kept reminding himself about the demon hiding in a cat disguise. It had to be a psychological effect, the reason why therapy animals were used. Petting made the brain release oxytocin and the method was ages old, Damian knew. Suddenly, he focused on something that made him listen closely. A smile spread on his face.

"You purr?"

 

[Scripted Away]

Kitty.
Normally Minuet would've beheaded everyone who'd get the idea to call him like that, but for some reason it didn't bother him right now. Maybe because the ear scratching was so good, maybe because the word itself implied that Damian rather saw the cat in him than the demon... whatever it was, it felt good.

His question about the purring actually made him grin amused.

"That's not all, watch this!", he said excitedly before he suddenly shrunk. Fur started to cover his body while his eyes grew bigger...
Until he sat there as a bluepoint siamese cat with an impossibly wide grin across its fluffy face. Sitting next to Dami he neatly curled his tail around his paws and licked the fur on his chest straight.
"That's what you get when your father's cursed", he chuckled. "There's this old family of witches, the Ravenwood Coven. My father had been summoned by Lilium Ravenwood, as a familiar. Apparently he wasn't exactly pleased and started to rebel against her... and got turned into a cat during a bit of a squabble with her. I still wonder how my mother fell in love with a cat... or how she managed to conceive me... but yep, dad's curse made me a Nekomimi. Nyaa~"
Mustering a perfect, cute pose copied from countless nekos from all kinds of media he lifted one paw up and cocked his head.
"But I had cat ears before it was a hype."

Shifting back into his, well, halfway human appearance, he flicked one ear and leaned back to rest his head on the backrest of the couch. "I bet you would've liked my father. He always had some good comeback up his sleeve. He could crack you up even on ths shittiest of days."

 

[Susi]

Not even in his weirdest dreams would have Damian expected to be sharing his apartment with an actual cat! The complete astonishment on his face was soon replaced by polite nods as he listened to the talking cat in slight confusion. Somehow demons and summoning rituals were perfectly fine, but a cat in his home was simply too much. Most likely because the Siamese cat was the most normal thing in the whole scenario. Also, Damian highly doubted he would have liked anyone resembling a cat until he had summoned Minuet. And he liked the catboy most likely only because he felt being responsible for him after his clumsy duct tape art.

"Yeah... so... We better get ready for work then", Damian said and standing up and straightening his shirt.

Was there a way to politely inform your new roommate that certain forms were out of the question? Like, the guy Minuet liked to look like was fine, the ears too and Damian would even take the 'true form', but a simple cat? No thanks. Cats were full of themselves, thinking that humans were their servants or whatever shit like that. Damian didn't notice how he was almost grimacing from frowning too hard.

No, he was not a cat person.

"You know...", Dami turned looked at Minuet as he stuffed his keys in his pocket. "I prefer you this way."

 

[Scripted Away]

Laughing, Minuet headed into the bathroom, where he made his cat ears and tail disappear and ran his fingers through his tousled, fluffy hair a couple of times.
He could've easily morphed into his completely normal human form, too, but somehow Damian's comment about how he actually preferred his not so human appearance was still stuck in his head and made him stick to his natural appearance as much as he could. Call it hurt pride or something.

While he came back into the living room his clothes were morphing as well, into a fitted, white Henley shirt, a black and dark green checkered flannel shirt and a dark gray leather jacket with a pentagram imprinted on the back.
The ripped jeans stayed the same, he just hated wearing pants without holes.

"Alright, ready to go", he announced when the black combat boots had materialized on his feet and leisurely leaned against the doorframe, waiting for Damian to take the lead as he... Had no idea whatsoever where to go.
He just hoped his colleagues would be easy to get along with. Damian was already hard enough to handle now and then. The guy always seemed so tense!
"So, what's it like where you work?", he asked curiously as he just followed Damian, eyes scanning his surroundings. The world had changed a lot since the last time he'd been here, and while he of course had occasionally sneaked a peak through a couple of crystal balls it wasn't the same as seeing it firsthand, of course.
"Huh, last time I was here the air was gray of all the smoke coming from the chimneys", he remarked a little absentmindedly.
"I wonder... Have you ever heard of Ravenwood Manor? Is it-... Does it still exist?"

 

[Susi]

Damian had seen Minuet changing once before, just when he had appeared in the summoning circle, but seeing it again didn't make it any less fascinating. Quite the opposite. For a moment Damian felt urged to touch the catboy's head just to feel if his ears were really gone. And what about his ability to just create his favorite clothes out of thin air! If Damian could've done it, he would never need to leave home for shopping again! Damian hated shopping. With passion. Nothing annoyed him more than the cheery female shop assistants making it a contest who rushed to assist him fastest. Dami understood it was silly to be unhappy with good looks, not everyone had it that way, but still. For him, it presented a problem.

The Rogue Escape Lounge had become like a second home for him, Damian explained and chuckled how the bar's name was actually quite fitting for Minuet's situation. The people who worked there were like a family, even to the point of annoyance, but Damian wouldn't change them for anything. He wasn't really deeply connected with any of them, but the group was the closest thing to friends that he had ever had. Even their newest member, Yochi, who seemed to come and go as he pleased, but did his job just fine when he was around.
Damian paused for a moment. Yochi had been gone for a week again but had sent a calming message that he would be returning in a few days. Yochi was rather odd, Damian admitted, strange even and Damian couldn't really say he knew the guy.

When minuet mentioned smoke, Damian looked at him surprised. He had never seen the air like that in his life. Even more surprised he was to hear him asking about the manor. Ravenwood? Sounded like a witch house somewhere in Eastern Europe. Like when someone mentioned Transylvania, you'd immediately think of Romania and the vampires. Damian shook his head with a frown, nope, he hadn't heard of it.

"Was that where you were the last time you came through?" Dami asked curiously.

It was a little hard to wrap his mind around the fact that Minuet had been here long before Damian was even born. That made the catboy old as.... well, just old, yet with his ability, he didn't look like having even turned thirty. And while Damian would die, Minuet would just keep living. The thought made Damian wonder if his death would release the other from the contract and he just had to ask about it out loud, even if he was unsure whether he wanted a truthful answer.

 

[Scripted Away]

While Damian was telling him about the Rouge Escape Lounge Minuet was still looking around in fascination. Thank god he had a talent für multitasking.
The place sounded great and he couldn't help a chuckle escaping at Dami's remark about how the name was so fitting for his current situation.
Life really took some strange turns, one century you are deeply in love with the witch that summoned you, next century you're back in hell... He was missing a couple of years of those memories... And suddenly you get summoned again and find yourself in a world so very different...
It was a rollercoaster of emotions.

His ears, would they have been where they belonged right now, would have flicked in interest when Damian mentioned a 'Yochi'.
Names, as many people had forgotten, held a magical potential of their own. Knowing the true name of a person, not the name they were given but the name they carried in their soul, could grant a talented magician unexpected magical power of a person, from seeing through their eyes to possessing them... Which was exactly the reason why only one person had ever known the name he carried at his soul.
He didn't even dare to think it.
Maybe the time in hell had left him paranoid.
But this name, Yochi... He could feel the connection, like a fine, golden thread made of light. And neither Damian nor this person probably had an idea how much power this name carried.
"Yochi...", he muttered under his breath. It felt like a guitar string being plucked, a trail of vibration connecting him to this stranger.
He faintly narrowed his eyes.

Curiosity got the best of him and he whispered a few silent incantations. His eyes gained the rainy silver-ish color of Yochi's and he stopped dead in his tracks upon living through this person's sensations.
He saw a blood bag, probably from a hospital... The scent of fresh blood was blinding for his extraordinary fine nose. It was shimmering like Garnet in the dim light of a men's restroom before he lifted it up and drained the thing empty in just a few, hasty pulls.
Groaning, he snapped out of the connection as his skin turned gray, eyes gaining a flaming orange. By the time he had shoved the monster back into its cage he was panting, but the scent of blood was still lingering in his mind.
Vampire.
This Yochi... He had to be a vampire...

"I just... Saw something", he tried to make a weak explanation for his unsettling shift in behavior. For now he wouldn't spill the beans. If this vampire was really feeding on bloot bags instead of living people he wouldn't do a thing to blow his cover or harm him.

"Uh, Ravenwood-"
Just distract him somehow!
"Ah, yes. It was back in 1850, I believe. Alexandra Ravenwood, a descendant of Lilium, the witch who had summoned my father, had summoned me as a familiar. I spent sixty two years by her side, till the day she died. I tried for years to find a way to either make her immortal or myself mortal, but she didn't want neither of it. Said that she could never live an eternal life but also didn't want me to give mine up for her. I didn't even have the chance to attend her funeral... The second she died the contract was over and I was sucked back into hell."

Looking up at Damian he slightly lifted his shoulders. "So, yeah, the contract would end either with its completion or your death."

 

[Susi]

"And... you didn't just think of killing me?" Damian couldn't hold it inside but blurted it out.

Simply put, it just was the most effective way to cancel the contract and it was something Dami would've done in Minuet's shoes. Unless the catboy actually wanted to be here. It did seem to raise some memories in him and Damian returned his thoughts to the witch Minuet had mentioned. Wasn't it annoying to get sucked into places in the middle of your Sunday stroll? Didn't that violate one's free will? Were demons just pawns to be used by others? Why had Minuet stayed for sixty-two years with the witch? Had he stayed voluntarily? If so, were they lovers? And if so, how did it feel to-... Damian had to ask.

"Was it hard?" Damian asked, one single thought clinging to his mind. "To watch her grow old and finally die?"

How could anyone deal with something like that? Damian felt like he was having just about enough in his one life, but to live countless lives watching the people you care about die? Then again, how much did he really care about the people he knew... You'd think knowing your workmates for seven years created a bond, but no matter how hard Damian searched for the emotion, he only ended up finding a lacking connection he clung to because he had nothing better.

And how did demons age anyway? Were they born or did they just appear? If they didn't age normally, they wouldn't face natural death, so would they just hang around until somebody kills them? For years? Ever for hundreds of years? Damian's mind was full of questions, to the point where he really missed the white noise, his best friend. Letting out an anxious sigh Dami rubbed his temples as in trying to keep his head in one piece.

 

[Scripted Away]

While Minuet had been staring at something in his memories for a while while, the second Damian mentioned Minuet killing him, his gaze flicked to the man with an expression of utter disbelief.
How could he say something like that?!
Sure, it would have been the easiest way and some demons would have been extraordinarily pissed for just being summoned so ingloriously, but hadn't the been enough killing already?!
And why the hell would be want to go back to, well, hell?!
He eagerly shook his head, stands of his silverish white hair flying into his face.

"Of course not!", he protested quite affronted. "I have at least ten good reasons to let you live and not a single one to kill you."
His arms crossed defensively he glared at Damian for a moment. "Most importantly I don't want to kill anymore. In my three and a half centuries of living I have left a trail of dead bodies in my wake and I don't want to go on like that. I just... I just want to love in peace, here on earth, far away from all the shadows lurking in hell."

He could almost see the gears reeling in Damian's mind as the man seemed to list a whole avalanche of questions in head. Alex had been curious, too, he remembered, but most of all she had been distrustful of him. He chuckled softly.
Right, their first encounter had been him standing in the summoning circle with a silver deggar pointed at his throat. They had been off to a really Rocky start, but in the end they had found in each other what they needed most.
Wherever death had taken her, he just hoped she was happy.

Dami's question broke through his mist of thoughts like a glowing hot knife and actually made him flinch for a moment.
"Damian I have loved her more than life itself", he spoke softly. "She saved my life the day she summoned me. Now she's gone and I made my peace with it, although I wanted to die when she faded. These days I just try to live the best I can, knowing that that's what she always wanted for me."

Silencing he watched him with an understanding expression settling on his surprisingly peaceful face. Funny how he was still young for a demon, but unbelievably old for a human. Eternity didn't seem as overwhelming when it was your daily life.
"Quite scary, hm?", he finally said softly, with a side glance at Damian and the smallest of smiles. "The thought of immortality."

 

[Susi]

Three and half centuries...? Damian's face screamed obvious disbelief as he looked at Minuet.

"I don't think I could... ever...", Dami stammered shaking his head.

Even the idea was overwhelming, going on day after another with no purpose in life. At least in this life, he'd eventually die and it served as a purpose to go on.

Damian had never loved anyone even seemingly close to what Minuet described. Love seemed like a cool concept and at least on a mental level, Dami had nothing against it. It just hadn't happened to him. Not that he had really looked or welcomed it in any way. When rational thoughts returned, Dami looked at Minuet again.

"So you just keep living? And, let's say you can stay with me as long as you want, what happens when you outlive me and I die? The portal sucks you back in?"

The questions started coming, as the more Damian knew, the more he wanted to know. He was fascinated by the demon and while some things did make him feel uneasy, they didn't stop him from approaching Minuet. It reminded him of a series of books he had read years back, where the girl found out her boyfriend was a vampire and she just was like 'cool, let's kiss!'. Damian had laughed his ass off at the unrealistic turn of events. Now his own story had taken a rather similar, if not even more unbelievable turn but he wasn't laughing at all. He had, after all, summoned a demon to sleep with him.

Damian pointed his finger to the other side of the street.

"There. That's The Rogue Escape Lounge, REL, as we call it", he stated.

 

[Scripted Away]

It was a silent, knowing chuckle that rose from the demon's chest at the sight of Damian's utterly shocked face. He could only imagine how incredibly old he had to seem for someone with such a short life span.
"Try to see it like this- for you, an ant has a very short life. From the ant's point of view, your life is unbelievably long. In this case... You are the ant though."

He watched in silence as Damian seemed to be processing everything he'd told him. Funny enough he kept wondering how a human could be satisfied with such a short life. They barely had enough time to watch their grandchildren grow up, let alone get to live through an entire phase of change in their ever changing world... He could tell from experience that the age of enlightenment for example had been utterly fascinating.

Sure enough Damian came around with another question. He'd expected it, something he really liked about humans was their natural curiosity, and who was he to deny him the answers to his questions.
"You are somewhat right but also not", he said, at the same time realizing that that might have been a little cryptic.
So he went a little deeper on that.
"Most demons live like that. Mainly guided by their instinct to kill and devour... I was raised differently. In fact I was born here on earth. Had a bit of a dark time and was exorcised to hell, but...Im just trying to be the best person I possibly can."

He inhaled deeply, enjoying the fresh air and the sun warming his skin and painting a halo in his silver hair before he gave Damian a side glance. His eyes were shining with happiness and peace, all in all he looked like-
"I'm finally back home."
For a moment, a small frown crossed his face though.
"But yeah... Unless we manage to find out with what spell my parents had managed to stay on earth I'm gonna be sucked back into hell the second you die."

His gaze flicked to the bar Damian had pointed at. While he didn't let it show, all his instincts were on alert the second the door opened and a pink haired guy came out to wipe the neon sign clean.
He knew human noses weren't good enough to notice, but with his fine senses it struck him like lightning.
Even when they stood right at the entrance door, just a few feet away from him... He didn't have any scent.
There was aftershave and the faintest smell of blood, but no scent of his own.
The vampire.
The guy's gaze flicked forth and back between Damian and him for a moment, he clearly sensed that he wasn't a human, either. The subtle look in his eyes said enough. Don't blow my cover and I won't blow yours.

"Damian", he greeted him with a bit of a strained smile, but had to grin at his next words. "It's not too late to run. I swear I've seen Noah prepare an investigation on you and-" his eyes flicked to Minuet once more.
"Minuet. Hi", he just said with a warm smile and a subtle nod, hoping his silent agreement to a peace pact was clear enough.
"Minuet", the name rolled of his tongue like silk. "Nice to meet you. I'm Yulian." Grinning at Damian he playfully raised one eyebrow. "Should I get some sedatives from the hospital in case Noah goes hyper again?"

 

[Susi]

"It's all good, that's why I brought him", Damian smiled, giving a warm glance at Minuet. He'd play his role.

Wednesdays weren't usually that busy in REL, but some of Dami's workmates showed up even on their day-offs and Noah was one of such individuals. Sighing, Dami entered the bar and pulled Minuet straight to the back room with him, pointing out where he could leave his jacket and stuff, where was the bathroom, and the backdoor in case of any kind of emergency.
He'd probably have to discuss Kate's upcoming birthday party the next weekend with Yulian... and Noah since he was here, and later in the evening with Roy and Brent who were coming to the night shift.

Kate was cheerful and really into games like truth or dare or strip poker, anything that normally made people uneasy and embarrassed, but in a good way. She was born to host parties and was most likely already aware that her co-workers were planning her a party and just waited for a chance to take over. Dami didn't mind, he didn't consider himself much of an organizer.

"Please, help me survive through the day..." Dami breathed at Minuet, brushing his hand through his hair. He stood at the doorway and looked at the counter, where Noah was giving him intense looks.

 

[Scripted Away]

Minuet's eyes widened in excitement the second Damian led him into the bar. Black leather, neon green accents, polished surfaces...
It was the exact opposite of the ramshackle little diner back on the border between heaven and hell.

"This place is-... Amazing-!"
And not a single crypto in sight. Well, except for the vampire wiping the neon sign.

He listened closely at Damian's explanations, looking hilariously fascinated by basic things like a backroom with clean walls and seperate bathrooms for male and female. Gil's had exactly once restroom, and it was barely more than a drainpipe sticking out of the ground.

He just wanted to make a joke about it when he felt Damian's unease washing over him like a tidal wave. His gaze wandered from Dami to the guy watching them intently and back to Dami. Smiling calmingly, he wrapped one arm around his waist, took a deep breath to keep his cool and planted a gentle kiss on his temple before he led him to the staring guy.
"Hey there", he said with his warmest, sunniest smile. "Great to meet you, I'm Minuet, Dami's boyfriend. I hope you don't mind me coming along, I might have talked him into finally letting me meet his friends."
He chuckled softly as he winked at Damian. With the way he was radiating love and happiness it was hard to keep in mind that he actually wasn't deeply in love with Damian. At the same time it was a glimpse of what he must have been like when he'd been with Alex.
"But I hope I didn't pressure you too much, love."

 

[Susi]

"Ugh... no...", was all Damian could muster to come out of his mouth.

He looked at Minuet closely, looking for anything suspicious on his face and relaxing only when he found nothing. He hoped Minuet could control his face, because if anyone saw it, they'd be in trouble. Or how exactly would you explain to your friends that your boyfriend, who's really not your boyfriend for real, is an incubus who'd suck your soul out if you ever got careless with him? The thought was absurd.

“And even if you did, it's probably just good for me”, he then added, touching 'his boyfriend's' head on the spot where his cat ear would have been.

A small smile played on his lips at the thought of Minuet purring mentally to his touch. When Noah wanted to know why hadn't Damian brought Minuet in earlier, Dami only gave him a meaningful look; what do you think? Noah laughed embarrassed, but smiled then, welcoming Minuet aboard. Seemed like Dami had dodged the bullet.

Dami turned his attention back to the catboy in disguise.

“What do you think? Gonna hang out with me more often now?”

 

[Scripted Away]

Not much of an actor, huh?, Minuet chuckled internally as Damian seemed to be left a little speechless. Oh well, he had over three hundred years worth more experience in acting than his fake-boyfriend, so he couldn't expect too much.
"Ah you know -", he said with an ironic half grin, shrugging at Noah's question. The implication was clear: You know how he is.

He closed his eyes in silent joy for a brief moment at Damian's touch. It was only a guess, but that hadn't been meant for his fake boyfriend but for the actual Minuet, after all humans most likely didn't have a soft spot for touches somewhere on their heads. He purred silently, so silently inyk Damian could hear it and gave him a warm smile.

Honestly it was so hard to see him through. One moment he seemed to be all caring and sweet and then again there were moments when he was just weirdly distant.
Oh well he'd have plenty of time to brood over that when they'd gotten through the day without blowing their act.

"Dami this place is amazing", he said happily. "Remember I used to work as a waiter back in my... Town? Imagine blank concrete walls, questionable stains that wouldn't go away, dead plants and a neon sign that would flicker and only show half of the letters- on a good day."
Leaning closer to Dami so he could be sure only he would hear his next words he murmured "-plus a bleeding wall and a cursed cold store spewing zombies... You have no idea how often I had to wipe rotten brain off the walls..."