[User]
Seren's apprehensiveness seemed to slowly melt away when sandwiches appeared. Sure, she was confused by their appearance, and eventually concluded that these were inter-dimensional sandwiches, summoned by the demon before her. Were they dangerous to ingest? Her stomach growled before she could protest much more against the thought of consuming them. She reluctantly picked a sandwich up from the table.

As Azazel spoke, the brunette could be seen inspecting the sandwich, first visually. It looked normal to Seren. Then she sniffed it, and upon determining that it didn't smell very strange, she took a bite. It was a simple ham and cheese sandwich with an herbaceous spread to make it taste a bit fancier. After the first few tentative bites, she seemed to lose all inhibition and began eating like she normally would, albeit a bit more vigorously. Azazel's thoughts had been correct---she had been starving.

Although some may have reacted negatively to what Azazel was saying, Seren looked at it in a more educational manner. She was intrigued by what he was saying. This was simply how Seren was. When she learned something new and grew interested in it, she wanted to be consumed by it. However, when he mentioned the sexual aspect of what he needed as a demon---and that other demons also needed things from humans---she felt her cheeks flush a bit.

Luckily, the awkwardness was stopped when a portrait of Lena was revealed. She raised her brows and seemed to be mesmerized for a moment. There was undoubtedly a resemblance between the two women. Their structures were nearly identical, aside from the differences caused by their differing nationalities. While Lena had been purely Austrian, Seren's bloodline had mingled with Asians and Spaniards over time. So, her features had grown darker. But the most strikingly similar feature that they shared were their green eyes. It was the same exact shade.

"She's beautiful..." Seren's voice was quiet, but she cleared her throat to gather her courage. "Thank you for the compliment earlier, by the way." She wasn't one to be rude---especially to a demon. She still had no idea what Azazel was capable of. "So... you're a demon that feeds off of sex. That makes you an incubus..." She tapped her chin and looked to the ceiling. "And I'm a sorceress. Or I could be, if I was bonded with a demon." She ran a hand through her hair and let out a sigh, which slowly turned into a groan.

"I'm fucked either way, so here I go," she spoke to herself before turning her attention back to Azazel. "I've lived a boring life, and I don't... I don't really have a life to go back to in America..." She let out a sad laugh. "I risked everything I had to come here. Sold everything I had other than what I brought with me." She kicked her backpack, and seemed to be a bit nervous.

"So... what I'm saying is that I'd like to stay here and help you with the manor. If you'll teach me how to use magic in turn." She was actually implying that they become bonded, but she didn't want to say that out loud. The idea of admitting that she wanted to be tied to a demon was not only naive, but it would make her realize just how strange and unreal everything was.

[Assistant]
Azazel smiled and watched as she struggled with her words. He knew what she was dancing around and he knew what she wanted to say even if she did not want to admit it. He watched her kick the backpack and he smiled again. "So you need a place to stay and you will want to learn magic? Well it is more your home than mine. I can not exactly say no to you wanting to stay here since you have nothing else to go home to."

He stood up and walked around her chair to the back of it and he looked down at her with a grin on his face she could not see. "The teaching you magic part is a lot trickier though. Unless you want to learn very minor magic you will need to bond with me. Are you ready to do that? Are you ready to form a bond with me and have sex with a demon? I can look more like a regular human if that appeals to you more. Trust me I am still just as good and just as endowed in my human form" He said.

He walked back around her chair to the front of it and a more normal looking human was standing in front of her. He did not look a day over 25 but his eyes still were the same red color as when he was a demon. His hair was just as red as his skin was when he was a demon and if she looked close enough she would be able to see a small set of horns mostly hidden bu his think red hair. He smiled a crooked grin at her and sharp canines could also be seen.

"Is this more to the way you like things? I can stay in this form for as long as i need to. If we ever go through the veil though. If we ever cross over and go to my plane of existence I will have to look like a demon. Makes everything easier that way." Azazel said. He then sat back in the chair he had been sitting in and smiled. The suit he had been wearing before was replaced with a more normal shirt and jeans. He said "Now what do you say to all of that young lady? Do you take the offer of bonding with me or do you leave it. Also you are welcome, you are just as beautiful as she was." He said with another wicked grin.

[User]
Seren felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up when the demon walked behind her chair. She could tell he was plotting something, but that came to light when he spoke. She would have to bond with him unless she just wanted to learn lousy party tricks. The blush that had previously faded was now present again, and her eyes seemed to search the room for anything to focus on. She chewed on her lower lip nervously.

When he came back to the front of her chair so that she could see him again, he was... human. Well, at least he was close to human. He was indeed quite attractive, although Seren hadn't really concerned herself with any romance or serious sex before. She had always been struggling to thrive and pay bills. She licked her lips absentmindedly, a sign that she was at least moderately interested in his appearance.

"This appearance is much less intimidating. I'll say that much..." She struggled to look at him for too long without feeling overly embarrassed. She was essentially going to agree to have sex with a demon in order to learn magic. It was a situation she never thought that she'd be in.

"I... I believe I'll accept your offer." After all, if she decided that she didn't want to continue their bond, she could just end the bond, right? There were too many questions she wanted to ask, but she'd have to ask them later. She tucked some hair behind her ear and took in a deep breath. "I need to learn about my ancestry. And if I can learn from someone who knew Lena, then I'll do just that."

[Assistant]
Azazel clapped his hands together and a smile appeared on his human face. Even in this form it still had a devilish look to it. He said "Then if you are ready for the ritual you can follow me. I normally would not rush these sorts of things but you seem eager and I feel very cut off from my magic. I need this to happen soon or else nothing good will happen. I can not protect this house without my magic and it would be sad for both of us." he said as he turned and walked out of the room.

He lead the way down a set of stairs that lead to the lower level of the castle. It opened up into a large storage room with several rooms set to the side of it all hidden by doors. One had his name on it as it was were he slept most nights since his mistress had gone away. The other three rooms all had similar rooms each labeled for what they were. The door next to his said laboratory, the second door said spell books, and the third and last door said spell room. This was the door they went into and he smiled as the door closed behind them.

He clapped his hands and fire sprang to life on the hundreds of candles around the room. He looked back at her and motioned to a space on the floor that looked vastly different than the rest of the room. While the rest of the walls, floor, and ceiling looked made out of the usual stone work this was different. It was still made out of stone but it had been sanded down to be perfectly smooth. He snapped his fingers and the circle of candles around that area lit up as well.

Lines old and fading were painted and drawn all over the floor. He waved his hand and the floor as instantly cleaned off. "Do not want any old spells mingling with ours, that could go very badly for both of us." He said. He then walked over to a giant bookcase that sat along the back wall and pulled out a ancient book bound in dark brown leather. He said "This is the book we will need. It has the magic circle we need and it is very precise. It has to follow the book exactly. I do believe this part is best done by me. If you would have a seat I will get with you in a moment." He then pointed to table with high backed wooden chairs around it.

[User]
Seren's heart tensed when the smile on Azazel's face seemed to have a demonic tinge to it, still. She swallowed a thick lump in her throat as she began to have thoughts about her decision. There was no turning back now, though. She needed to know everything. And the best way to get knowledge was to buddy up with the demon and bond him to herself. She could become something much larger than she'd ever dreamed of. She could become a sorceress, and she could use real magic. Now that Seren thought of it, she'd always pretended to be a witch as a child. The world of make-believe was slowly becoming reality.

"Then from now on, this place will be mine to protect as well..." she mumbled under her breath as they passed through the halls. When they arrived at their destination, she had giggled slightly at the labeling of the rooms. When she would be restoring the home, that would definitely have to go. Sure, it would be useful at first, but it was almost childish that the rooms were labeled. Even if Azazel wanted them to remain labeled, she could come up with more distinguished names for the rooms.

"Understood," she told him as she situated herself near the table. She didn't sit down, per se, but she did lean against the table itself. She felt far too anxious to sit down and stay still. She slowly pulled her phone from her pocket and looked at the time. Apparently it was just past midnight. She did notice, though, that her battery was extremely low. Another thing that she'd have to see about is if they could incorporate electricity---or some magical form of it---into this house.

As she put her phone away, she began making a list of things to do in order to adapt to a new life away from her old home. She would practically be starting over, now that she thought about it.

[Assistant]
Azazel ignored her for the most part as he walked around the room seeing what he needed and what to draw the circle with. He walked out of the room and came back a few moments later with a bowl and various other things. He took out a piece of white stone and looked at the book for a few moments before he started to draw the pattern on the floor. It took him several minutes to draw the circle as he was being very cautious and careful to get every part of it right. When he was done he smiled at her and sat down in the middle of the circle.

In the middle a smaller circle had been drawn and that is where he put the bowl he had bought with him. He looked up at her and said "Two things to know before we get started. One I am going to have to cut you to get a small amount of blood for this. It is not a lot that I will need, just a small cut on the hand. Two if you like those clothes at all you are going to want to take them off before you get down here with me. I can not guarantee they will make it though the process, although if they get destroyed I could restore them, so it is up to you really."

He then set about putting everything from the list into the bowl. He had to grind a few of the things up first before putting them in the bowl and if she looked at the vials they would all have odd names. She would even see him adding in a small piece from a jar labeled lover's last kiss. After adding the dry ingredients he moved on to the liquid ones. These did not need grinding but they also had to be measured out and this took him a few minutes.

He then looked up at her and took out a small dagger from his pocket. He said "Get down here and join me. We are ready to add in the blood." He then waited for her. When she joined him in the circle he took the dagger and grabbed her hand. He put a nice sized cut on it so that it would bleed and the did the same to his own hand. He then took hers in his and muttered a magic word. The combined blood of their hands dripped down into the bowl and he smiled before healing their hands letting go.

He took the bowl and said "This is the part where you need to throw your inhibitions out of the window and enjoy it. This is going to make you want sex more than you ever have in your life." He put the bowl to his lips and he drank a small amount from it and handed it to her. "Not to much now. Drink about as much as I did, any more and you will be so consumed by lust that you will forgo everything for sex until you eventually die from dehydration. Magic is powerful but fickle and will take you if it can." He said as his eyes began to glow a deeper red as the binding spell started to go through him.

[User]
Seren's green eyes followed Azazel's arms as he prepared the circle. What interested her more, though, was when he began mixing up an unknown concoction. His comments on her clothes made her nervous, as she wasn't sure what he was implying. She felt a chill run down her spine, but she took off her jacket anyway. The backpack that she'd carried into the room was placed on the table along with her discarded jacket. She was left in a pair of stretchy skinny jeans and a long-sleeved blue shirt that exposed her neck and collarbones. She was still modestly dressed, to say the least.

When she was finally beckoned to join him, she did so, although she was quite slow in her movements. Obviously, she was nervous. She took in deep breaths, despite the fact that her heart was racing. The brunette took great care not to step on any of the lines that had been drawn on the floor by Azazel, so she stepped lightly, her shoes barely making any sound.

When her hand was cut, she let out a small whine, her face scrunching up in pain, but she was fascinated by the adding of the blood to the mortar's concoction. Then, before she knew it, her wound was healed up by the very demon that caused it. She wiped the remaining blood on her jeans, as they were dark enough that she didn't fear they'd become stained. Her shock grew and she felt her stomach turn slightly at Azazel's drinking of the concoction, though.

"I've got to... drink it?" She looked down at the small bowl and crinkled her nose, obviously uninterested in drinking their combined blood. Though, since he had done it... she sighed after several moments of apprehension and ultimately placed the lip of the bowl to her own mouth. She took one sip, expecting it to taste like pure awfulness, but it somehow tasted sickly sweet. The best way that she could describe it would have been cough syrup made entirely out of honey.

Just after putting the bowl down, she felt a rush of warmth between her legs. She was becoming aroused, without any stimulus. Her thighs twitched as she squirmed. Her entire body was beginning to feel prickly, like she needed to be touched. It was something she was familiar with, as she wasn't a complete stranger to sexual situations, but this was much stronger than anything she'd felt, physically, before. She sucked her lower lip into her mouth and bit on it, her cheeks flushing as she let out a heated breath.

"Fuck... you weren't exaggerating," she commented, her voice a bit more breathy. Her eyes seemed to be slightly brighter. Her magic was awakening, even though their bond wasn't completed.

[Assistant]
Azazel smiled at her as he could see the spell working through her eyes. He also knew it had worked because of how obviously aroused she was getting. "I told you that it would make it worse than you have ever felt before. That is why you only drink a little bit of the blood, if you had drank more you would be consumed fully by desire. Now let us see just how bad it makes you. We need to do this and I have not in such a long time. It will feel good to be powerful again." He said

He licked his lips as he looked over at her and stood up to move over to her. He could feel both his own magic and the magic of the spell coursing through his veins. He looked down at her and said "I do not think you want to do this in the floor. Now that the spell is inside of us we can do it anywhere." He then reached down and helped her up off of her feet. Touching her was intoxicating and he almost pushed her right back down to the floor.

He took her hand in his and he started to lead the way out of the room. He stopped in his tracks and sighed before looking back at her. "I thought I could take it but I can not. I need you and I need you now." He moved her over to the table she had sat at earlier and he put her up on top of it. He moved forward and pressed his body to hers. With a smirk across his face he leaned down a little still being taller than her in his human from and kissed her lips.

The kiss started off innocent enough but soon the electricity going through his veins as their lips touched was to much. He moaned against her lips and parted them with his tongue. He pressed his tongue to hers and his hands went to the bottom of her shirt to push it out of the way and get to her jeans. He continued to kiss her as he undid the button on her jeans and then stopped and moved his hand to her face. He cupped it gently before saying "Clothes off now." He wanted her to take her own clothes off as he stepped back and removed his shirt and jeans.

[User]
Seren almost couldn't focus on walking as Azazel attempted to lead her out. She was scared that she may have drank too much of the concoction, though she knew that was false. She was merely paranoid, though that disappeared when she felt a particularly strong pulse of desire shoot down to her core. She let out a tiny whine and squirmed, just before the demon paused at the doorway. Apparently, they wouldn't be going somewhere more comfortable. That was fine by Seren. She would just make a fool of herself moving around.

She let out a tiny yelp of surprise as she was picked up and moved to the table that her pack had previously been on. When she was sat down, she pushed her backpack onto the floor, just as Azazel's lips pressed to hers. The kiss was sudden and awkward, but the desire changed that. She moaned as his tongue invaded her mouth. Her hands moved to his shoulders, clenching his shirt in her hands and attempting to rip it off of him. The brunette nearly growled when he pulled away, but she understood when he stated that her clothes needed to go.

Cheeks flushed and out of breath, Seren took her pants off and removed her shirt. While she managed to pull her bra off, she left her underwear on, growing impatient with her clothing. Her eyes moved back to Azazel, obviously desiring his touch again. It was obvious, even through her underwear, that her lower lips were already glistening and ready for stimulation.

If Azazel wanted a better look at her body, now would be the time to do so. Her upper half wasn't quite as voluptuous as Lena's, at an average C cup, but her hips and thighs were full and supple, perfect to bite into. If one were to turn her over, her rear would have been just as full. "Hurry up," she pleaded, her legs closing just slightly out of embarrassment. The air of the room felt chilly on her exposed skin.

[Assistant]
Azazel watched as she took her clothes off and he enjoyed the show. He could resist this a little more than she could but not by much. When she left her panties on he snarled lightly. He moved back to her and taking her by the shoulders he turned her around and pulled her panties down. He bent her low over the table and smiled at how wet she already was from the spell. A finger trailed up her sex and then back down it as he teased her.

When he pulled his fingers back he smiled at the wetness on them and then he pushed his jeans and boxers off. He put his hands on her hips and lined himself up with her entrance. After a quick slap to her rear he smiled and began to sink himself inside her. He moaned at how good it felt and the need to seal there contract came over him. He started off slow and soft but quickly built up a good pace as he thrust deeper into her.

One of his hands left her hips and moved around to the front of her body. He brushed his hand over her breasts and then moved it back down to her hips. He was being gentle at first but the need and want of his magic took him over more and more. He had missed this feeling, he had missed his magic for to long and he could feel it building up more and more inside of him. He smiled at her and took her hair in his hands and pulled her up a little so she could hear him clearly. "This feels so good after so long. My magic is coming back already but it will not be full until I cum inside of you." He said. He then pushed her back down gently put kept his hand in her hair.

[User]
Seren's heart rate spiked at the slightly animalistic snarl she got from the demon in front of her, and she let out a tiny yelp when she was turned over and her panties were forcefully removed. Now, she was left completely naked. Her cheeks were flushed, and though she was completely and totally aroused, she was still embarrassed by some unknown means. She looked over her shoulder at him, though she was kept on the table with just a bit of force from Azazel.

She didn't notice how wet she was until he traced her core. She was so hypersensitive that she nearly jumped, but it was followed by a soft, nearly unnoticeable moan. That moan turned into a whine when he pulled his hand away, and Seren's nervousness returned when she felt him line up with her entrance. The lap on her ass distracted her, but she wasn't ready for how full she would feel when he entered her. Seren didn't have much sexual experience, but she was sure that demons, on average, were more hung than humans.

The thickness of his member alone made her moan, but she let out a gasp when he bottomed out. The pace was soon set, and Seren grasped at the table to attempt and ground herself. Her mouth hung open most of the time, letting out moans. When she realized how loud she was being, though, she began to bite her lip. With the deeper thrusts, her eyes often rolled back into her head just a bit.

She let out a surprised yelp when he pulled her up by her hair, but she'd be lying if it didn't excite her. She couldn't feel magic in her body just yet due to the fact that she was overwhelmed with the intimacy and pleasure of the situation. She could only focus on not seeming like a complete fool by being too loud with her moans. His mention of finishing inside of her, though, made her whine and she felt her core clench down on him a bit tighter.

"In-inside me?" She hadn't been told of that deal. And while she doubted that a pregnancy could occur between a demon and a human, it still scared her. "Why---ah!" She was cut off by a harsh wave of pleasure. "Why is it that way?!"

[Assistant]
He smiled when he heard her let out a louder moan but then he noticed she was biting her lip to keep from doing so again. He leaned down as he thrust into her and whispered in her ear "You do not have to be quiet. In this castle no one can hear you but me. You do not have to pretend you do not like this. I can feel it and see it that you do. This is sex, pure animalistic sex, do not beat yourself up over it and enjoy the ride."

He nipped her ear gently as he stood back up and he moaned at how good it felt for her. He could tell she had sex before but she was still tight around him and he loved the temperature of her body. It felt a lot like having sex with her. Something he had enjoyed a lot and often when she was alive. He knew her name but he still could not bring himself to say it often. It hurt what was left of his demon heart and soul every time he did.

He noticed her groan and her apprehension and he said "Think of the magic you have as a small fire. Me finishing inside you is like a fuel that makes it a roaring fire and you able to use it. It goes the same for me in a way. The process of finishing inside you lets me take some of the sexual energy you have stored up and use it to fuel my own magic." He watched her to see if that would be enough of a explanation as he continued to pound into her a little harder.

He looked around her body as he lifted her up off the table a little again by her hair and watched her breasts bounce. He liked the way that human breasts bounced while they had sex. He reached around and played gently with each one kneading it slowly in his hands. He then moved on to her nipples and he gently started to tease them. He was not sure what her reaction to this would be but he was willing to find out.


[User]
All Lily could do was sniffle and shake her head as he took her to the kitchen where he poured her a cup of tea. She took a seat at his small kitchen table, her elbows resting on the table as she stared at the pattern in the wood until he came to her, handing her a mug of tea. She held the warm cup in her hands and watched the steam rise from it before looking at her best friend and meeting those gorgeous eyes she knew so well. She just shook her head for a moment before answering.

"No, mom and dad are okay. I just," she took a deep breath before explaining. Her tears had dried and now instead of sadness, she was just feeling anger.

"I went today to see Deborah about the seating arrangements like I had told you. I told Derek I was going to stop by this weekend because I didn't have time to do it this week but I was able to get out of the bakery early so I figured I'd get it done before he got home today." She gripped the mug and her eyes seemed distant as she remembered what had happened. She shook her head.

"When I got there, Derek's car was there. I was thinking that maybe he had just been doing the same thing, wanting to get it done so I wouldn't have to do it, but joke's on me." She put the mug of tea down and ran her hands through her red hair, shaking her head again.

"I am so stupid." Lily groaned. "He was fucking her, Jackson. When I walked into Deborah's office, he had her bent over her desk and he was fucking her." She looked at her best friend then.

"You never liked him. I should have listened to you. You are always right about shit like this," she said said with another groan and ran her hands through her hair again. A vibration sounded on the chair beneath her bottom. She pulled her cell from her back pocket and a familiar ring tone was playing. She swiped end call. She didn't want to talk to Derek right now.

[Assistant]
Jackson sipped his own tea silently, letting Lily tell the story in her own time. His own tea also helped to fully bury his powers. He put one hand over Lily's as she started to talk, brushing his thumb over her knuckles in a feather-light caress. He tried to remember exactly what Deborah's position was in the scheme of the wedding. He nodded slowly as she spoke, although a brief frown appeared when she mentioned Derek's car already there. He suddenly had a feeling he knew where this story was going. As subtly as he could, he tried to look for Lily's engagement ring. He didn't see it just as she mentioned catching Derek in the middle of fucking Deborah.

A sharp growl escaped his lips before he could think about it. "I'm going to kill him. I'm going to fucking kill him." He shook his head and ran his free hand through his hair before he reached down and took both of Lily's hands in his. "If he was so desperate for new conquests that he was doing this before the wedding, then forget him." He waved off her comment about disliking Derek, since it was definitely mutual between the two men. "Do you need a place to stay for the night? Just until you get him out of the house?" There was an unspoken "I'll toss him out on his ass if you want" in the soft smile he sent Lily's way.

He bit his lip and shook his head, pulling his hands away to run them through his hair. "I hate to do this now of all times, but I need your help, Lily. Blake dropped by this morning and told me I'm expected at dinner on Saturday. I told him we had a wedding rehearsal because the dumbass who couldn't keep it in his pants demanded perfection. Now I need a new excuse or I'm going to be forced to spend the evening with Mom and Granddad. And Blake, but he's the most tolerable of the three when they're together."

When Lily's phone rang, Jackson frowned. He recognized that ringtone, it was always going off when he and Lily spent any time together. _Oh, now he's going to start convincing her to give him another chance._ he thought. Jackson was careful not to let any distaste show on his face, but his smile was sudden and genuine when Lily ignored the call. Ten seconds later his own phone began to vibrate in his pocket. When he pulled it out and saw Derek's number, he groaned and showed the screen to Lily before ignoring the call himself. "I am not home. After dealing with my family this morning, I am not home. Especially not for that asshole." Jackson could only pray the idiot didn't show up at the house and pound on the door. His nerves would not be able to handle that today.

Finishing his tea, he stood and offered his hand to Lily. "Come on, let's go find something trashy on TV and pretend we're not home."

[User]
Derek even had the balls to call Jackson? He had to fucking be on drugs because really? Lily slipped her hand in Jackson's and grabbing her tea in the other, went with him to the living room.

She put her mug down on the coffee table and went to sit down but realized she was still in her work clothes, a pair of black pants that had a slight smudge of frosting on the leg and a hand print of flour on her hip probably from Deidra. She unbuttoned the white smock she wore, revealing the white wife beater style tank top beneath.

"Jackson, can I snag some gym shorts so I can get out of my work clothes? And if I'm crashing, I'll probably just sleep in them too."

[Assistant]
"Lily, you can borrow whatever you need. You know where my gym shorts are. Grab a t-shirt too, if you want. You're welcome to the guest room or mine, I'm pretty much up for the day. I'll probably watch some TV, and lunch will be around when you wake up." Jackson smiled at his friend, this was hardly the first time she'd crashed at his place after work, especially since the wedding planning started. Jackson went to the couch and turned the TV on, finding some kind of documentary to distract him. He kept the volume low, aware that the guest room shared a wall with his living room. He hardly paid attention to the show, it was mostly background noise to help him think.

A large part of him wanted to head over to Lily and Derek's place and beat the asshole within an inch of his life. He shook his head and discarded that idea. Satisfying, but not subtle enough. _Wonder if Mom has any spells for situations like this._ He mused. He almost sent her a text, but didn't want his family knowing about this development, and especially not so close to being invited to dinner. The thought of the family dinner made him groan. Granddad would have plenty of ideas on how to get revenge, but there was no way he was talking to the old man about this if he could at all help it.

Lost in his thoughts of revenge on Derek for what he did to Lily, Jackson didn't notice at first as his hair stood up into its spiked hairstyle and gained the purple highlights. His eyes became an almost irresistible green and his pupils began to swirl hypnotically. Jackson didn't even notice for a while, until he went to run his hand through his hair as he was getting ready to stretch out on the couch and doze off as well. Feeling his hair spiked up, he began to breathe slowly, one deep breath in, then out, as he'd learned when he was young. He carefully did not think about Lily, until something occurred to him. Lily was here. He had no idea how long she'd actually sleep, but there was no way he could let her see him like this. He retreated to the bathroom and shut the door, intending to stay there until his abilities calmed down again.

[User]
Lily nodded and went to Jackson's bedroom to get some shorts. "Are you telling me you just woke up? It's twelve in the afternoon," she said to him over her shoulder. She started work at five in the morning and was typically off by two but had gotten out at eleven to go see the wedding planner. She grumbled to herself as she made her way to Jackson's dresser.

She shook her head as she yanked open the bottom drawer and pulled out a pair of his gym shorts. Tossing them on the bed, she took off her smock then kicked out of her shoes before stripping off her pants and as she pulled the shorts on, Jackson was shutting himself into his bathroom. He moved so fast sometimes it was hard to keep him in her sight. She slipped on the shorts then padded barefoot to the door and knocked lightly.

"Hey, since you just woke up and it is lunch time, wanna order a pizza? I got some cash in my purse. I was supposed to use it for the place settings but guess I don't need to now..."

[Assistant]
Jackson sighed softly when he heard the knock on the bathroom door and opened it to reveal himself as he always looks, his abilities having calmed down. "A pizza sounds good. I'll grab some cash and we'll split a pizza or two. And for your information, I've been up for hours. I've just had a weird morning. And a rough night. I didn't sleep well last night. I kept having these weird half-nightmares or something. Fell out of bed this morning, which is always fun. Blake showed up unannounced this morning too, so..." He shook his head and stepped out of the bathroom. Briefly, he let his eyes linger on Lily, taking in the sight of her in his shorts and he smiled at her. "It's been a long day already. And I don't mean to rant, it hardly compares to the day you're having." He shook his head and stepped past his friend, close enough to brush up against her side as he headed for his bedroom.

He grabbed his wallet and pulled out a couple of bills, throwing them on the kitchen table to add to the pizza money. "We can order lunch whenever you're ready then." The mention of the place settings made Jackson shake his head and he went to the couch and patted the seat beside him as an invitation for Lily to join him. "What are you going to do about all that stuff? The stuff you paid for and all that?"

[User]
She gave him an apologetic smile. "What did Blake show up for?" Blake had always been an odd one but then again, Jackson's whole family was slightly odd. To this day, her dad was sure Jackson's mom was a witch. She let out a sigh and shrugged at his question.

"Dunno, but honestly, I don't really give a shit either. If you want to, we can just have the cake delivered here and get drunk." That actually did sound quite appealing. She took the seat then beside him, hip to hip, she needed the closeness, and pulled out her phone up order the pizza.

"Lino's as usual?" Lily asked him as she pulled up the menu. "And mozzarella sticks. Definitely mozzarella sticks."

[Assistant]
"What does Blake ever show up at my doorstep for? I'm expected at family dinner this weekend. Going to have to find a new and even more urgent excuse not to go though. I told them the dumbass wanted a rehearsal dinner before the rehearsal dinner because everything needed to be just so." He snorted and shook his head. "Which is the sort of thing the asshole would do, if he could keep his pants on around other women." Jackson shook his head. "Sorry, sorry. I just won't bring him up. Or my brother." He released a slow breath and wrapped his arm around Lily's shoulders while she dialed for pizza. "Lino's sounds great. Whatever you want to order is fine with me. Definitely mozzarella sticks, though."

Jackson reached for the TV remote while Lily was on the phone ordering pizza and turned it on to start flipping through the channels. He had no idea what was on, and even less idea what he wanted to watch, but the background noise would be nice once he settled on one channel or another. "You, me, and booze? We could finish that cake off no problem."

[User]
Lily chuckled at that but just shrugged when he brought up the asshat as Lino's rang. She ordered an all meat pizza, not giving a fuck about the calories or grease, their mozzarella sticks and even a slice of New York style cheesecake because she could, goddamn it. She put the phone on the coffee table when she finished and leaned back, snuggling into Jackson's side.

"That sounds like a plan to me. I think we could destroy that cake in a few hours, too." She thought for a moment about his family. "So, since there isn't a wedding anymore to practice for, we can go have dinner with your fam bam." She tapped her chin.

"Maybe your mom has something, a charm or tincture I could use to bring Derek horrible luck?" Lily knew his mom practiced witchcraft, just not to what extent. She merely thought she was Wiccan or a practicing pagan. Which didn't bother her in least. Besides, his mom had been nothing but great to her and was a wonderful woman. Hell, his whole family was great. Even Blake. A little odd, but still a good guy.

[Assistant]
Jackson wrapped his arm tighter around Lily as she snuggled into his side. He left the TV on whatever channel it was on at that moment and closed his eyes with a soft groan. "I was afraid you were going to say that. All right, all right, I'll go to dinner with my family. If you come along. I am not dealing with them alone." Mainly because he knew that if he brought Lily, they wouldn't pester him about the family abilities or what he was doing with them, or how his magic was acting. He shook his head when his friend mentioned getting something from his mother. _Oh, if only you knew, Lily._ he thought amusingly. His mother had plenty of somethings to make that asshole's life miserable, and Jackson would probably have to ask too. Out loud, he merely said "I'm sure if she doesn't have something on hand, she'll be glad to make you something. Then we can get you out of your place before you magically wreck his life." He shook his head fondly, as if dismissing his mother's odd hobby, but didn't say anything else.

"I don't even know what we're watching, but want to watch it? We can poke fun at... whatever it is, while we wait for the pizza. And not think about weddings, or my family for a while." Jackson gestured to the screen where it appeared he'd stopped on some police procedural, but hell if he knew or cared which one. "Ten bucks says the butler did it." He had no idea if the episode even featured a butler, but it was the first thing he could think of, and he wanted to see Lily smile, at least.

[User]
Lily nodded and smiled a wicked smile. "Maybe give him permanent erectile dysfunction or he can only get a boner for a guy or his mom or something," she said with a laugh but shook her head.

"I can't do that though. I'd be as bad as him and doesn't witchcraft come back on you tenfold? At least that's what they said in the Craft..." She glanced at the TV then and laughed at his words.

"I'm game. Or we can mute it and I'll be one character and you be the other and we'll guess what they're saying?" That could be pretty fun. Would help get her mind off things.


[User]
Blushing at Zurie's exuberance, it did warm the poor girl a fair bit to know that she was alright with tending to her like this in the first place. Like many things on this day alone, Sarah needed time to get used to the fact she had a demon as a companion now, if not a friend, but she felt at least at ease around Zurie now, even if it was tinged with understandable caution. That giggle was certainly music to her ears, and it warmed her in a far more comfortable fashion, squeezing the demon's hand again before she felt her body relax. Not thinking anything about it, Sarah sighed and smiled a little more freely as she was led down stairs to the living room, before finding herself in the same chair her grandfather had favored so frequently.

Despite her emotional turmoil that still remained, she felt better than she'd felt in days thanks to having sobbed her heart out, and she nodded her thanks as Zurie put a heavy blanket over her for good measure. "You don't have to do all this, but thank you, Zurie." She knew it'd probably be pointless to protest if this was what Zurie existed to do, but Sarah hadn't been about to keep her mouth shut about it either. Besides, that nameless tune that fell from the demon's lips was calming even as it brought up pleasant memories of having watched her grandfather fuss about the kitchen. Closing her eyes, she could almost ''see'' Nathan there in place of Zurie, but the tone was wrong, but she... found she didn't mind as much as she thought she would.

When she started to speak again, Sarah let her deep brown eyes fall on the demon once more, her attention fully upon her as she laid out the simple fact she was well aware of what Mariah would've done with her. Blinking in no small amount of shock at the revelation that there was such a ritual in that book at all, Sarah gasped as the full weight of what she was being told hit her. "Yeah, I'd not trust Mariah with a puppy, let alone someone like you Zurie. Yeesh though, how haven't you ripped out that ritual and burned it if it can do that to you?" She asked, wondering if that was even possible. True, a little bit ago she hadn't had a clue about magic and demons and all that, but she wasn't close minded by any means. She'd seen the proof of its existence when she had called Zurie to this world, so why wouldn't she accept the rest as the succubus told her? She'd check of course, she wasn't about to take anything she said about that book on blind faith, but like everything so far, Sarah got the impression Zurie wouldn't harm her or lie to her at all. Shaking her head in any event, Sarah sighed and looked away when she returned to her mother, but nodded despite her distaste for that particular subject. "Th-thanks, for understanding." Was all she'd say on the matter, before hesitantly perking up when the food started to arrive. Her anger and sorrow about everything was momentarily forgotten when she got that first whiff of the delicious smells coming out of the kitchen only about ten feet away from her current spot.

"I'll say." She chuckled softly, marveling at the sight of how much Zurie had been able to put together so quickly. True, it'd taken time, time she had used to put herself together somewhat, but she wasn't complaining as she started to nibble at the biscuits and eggs first, having always had a fondness for those for some reason. She gasped, blinking in open astonishment at the surprisingly tasty treat that greeted her tongue. It wasn't a culinary treat as one would find in some world famous restaurant or anything, but it was a Hell of a step up from her usual late night takeout foray she'd gotten used to since moving out of Nathan's home here so she could find her own way. Nodding her abject approval, she found she didn't need much incentive to dig in, belatedly embarrassed by her sudden appetite, but she didn't much care either since she was indeed quite ravenous. When she came up for air a few minutes later, half of her plate was cleaned, and while she was still eating, she had slowed down to give her a chance to talk, noticing that Zurie hadn't made anything for herself. "Um... is it rude to ask what you eat or anything Zurie? I feel weird stuffing my face and you're just sitting there." She admitted, smiling bashfully as she rubbed one hand along the back of her neck before returning to her meal. "I... do appreciate all this, but you don't have to serve me like this if you really don't want to. It just feels... wrong I guess."

[Assistant]
Zurie watched intently as Sarah took the first few bites of food, clearly delighted in her reaction. So Nathan had not just been humoring her with his promises that her food tasted good. Her tongue slid along her lips and she smiled brightly just contently watching Sarah enjoy her food. She slid up onto the couch as she watched, perching on the seat in a crouch rather than sitting normally. It was another reminder that she was not human. "Well honestly, I can't actually affect the book, and it was originally intended as a just in case. A... failsafe Nathan called it. It has never been needed in that capacity, but as I said, it has been use for fun on more than one occasion. " Her eyebrow arched quizzically at the mention of not making food for herself and it was Zurie's turn to look a little bashful.

"Um... I guess I am eating in a matter of speaking. I can eat food but that is almost solely for enjoyment. Demons draw sustenance from human emotion, on this realm at least. As I am a succubus I draw sustenance most effectively from pleasure and enjoyment. It's why succubi have a reputation as sex demons. The intensity of the emotion makes it like gorging at a feast, whereas you drawing contentment from a good meal is light a light snack. So if my small considerations make you happy and bring you pleasure it serves my own interest as well. Because I don't think you're in the mood for sex yet." The last sentence was said in such a nonchalant way as if Zurie was certain that is was inevitable. "Would you like more coffee? And please don't worry about me, I do so enjoy my work. Every bit of it."

[User]
Continuing to eat the amazing spread that Zurie had prepared for her, Sarah listened intently to what the demon said about the book as she casually perched on the edge of the couch like an oversized cat. It was... weird, but today had just been one of those days so far. The possibility of her losing her mind was still up in the air, but Sarah shook it off as she processed what the other ''woman'' had said as best she could. "A failsafe?" She asked, nodding her head in reluctant agreement about the practicality of such a measure. She supposed that wasn't a bad way to look at it, but she wasn't about to use that spell unless she had no other choice in the matter. "W-well, I doubt I'll ever use that ritual to outright enslave you, Zurie. The very idea makes me sick to even consider..." Even so, there was a little part, long ago suppressed and a little ashamed to admit it, that made Sarah a little excited to have such power over the demon. So long as she was in agreeme---NO! No no no and no, she wouldn't entertain the thought further! Shaking her head to clear it of the very small fantasy she had started to envision, Sarah blushed and looked away before turning back just as Zurie started to look bashful for a change.

Blinking in mild surprise, at least compared to everything else she'd reacted to so far, the human cocked her head to the side, her mostly empty plate of food momentarily forgotten. "Huh. That... actually explains a lot about your species. I... don't know how I feel about you feeding off of me without telling me first, but as long as I don't start turning into a mummy or something, I guess it's not a big deal." She smiled, finding she didn't mind all that much if that's all she had to worry about regarding Zurie's needs. "Is there anything else I should know to make sure you're taken care of Zurie?" She asked, genuinely curious as she cleaned up the last of her food before reluctantly starting to stand to take care of her own plate, her slightly forced relaxed state and the fact she was indeed quite content and comfortable making it a struggle to leave the chair she was in.

In the end, she didn't stand, didn't even start to really, she simply grumbled something about being too comfortable and bashfully looked towards Zurie, silently asking her to get the plate of food before she accidentally dropped it or something. "I'd normally do it myself, b-but..." She trailed off, blushing a little since, as uncomfortable as it felt to admit it to herself, let alone Zurie, it DID feel nice to have someone taking care of her like the demon had been doing so far. "A-anyway, while I appreciate that you seem to not mind what you've been doing so far, what I said earlier still goes Zurie. You don't have to serve me hand and foot like this. If you'd rather be doing something else, just say. I'm used to taking care of myself in any event." Most of that came from her lackluster childhood of course, but that wasn't worth thinking about at the moment. And as weird as it was to let Zurie have a 'nibble' on her emotional state, Sarah found she was feeling much better thanks to the demon's attention to her wellbeing.

So much so she actually found her eyes drifting closed of their own accord. She might not have trusted Zurie outright, but she trusted her enough to sleep around her despite the fact she still had a ton of work to do in unpacking the boxes she had really just brought up to the guest bedroom she'd taken over, let alone going through her grandfather's things, deciding what she wanted to keep and what she wanted to put into storage if not outright sell or something. That wasn't even taking into consideration what she wanted to do with the house itself since, while it was now hers, Sarah had no way to actually afford it on her own. True, her grandfather had left her every cent he had to his name, which was more than enough to leave her content for the rest of her life, but all of these worries and more simply faded away as her tired, emotionally drained mind and body fell into a deep, healing slumber, leaving Zurie the run of the house, and her...

[Assistant]
"I appreciate that. As I mentioned, that failsafe has never been needed, but it has been implemented. You may find in time that you will change your mind." Sarah shaking her head no to her own thoughts coincided perfectly with Zurie's statement and the succubus just smiled softly. "We will talk about that another time." She giggled, not wanting to push. "Why would you turn into a mummy?" The pale beauty laughed. "Honestly Sarah, had I not told you there would have been no way for you to know. The energies I feed on are present with the emotion that you feel. I just take a taste of what would have otherwise gone to waste. If it could hurt you, I would not do it. Promise."

Before Sarah could stand, Zurie had swept up to her and gently pushed her back into the seat with one hand and took her plate with the other. "Nonsense. Just because you are accustomed to having to look after yourself does not mean that you should or will have to anymore. There is nothing rather I would rather be doing. I'm just enjoying getting to meet you." The succubus stood and moved to the kitchen to start washing the dishes. A different time filled the silence, this one calming and soft... and maybe with just a little magic behind it to let the poor girl enjoy a restful slumber that had doubtlessly eluded her since her grandfather had passed.

While Sarah slept, Zurie washed, dried and put away the dishes, cleaned the refrigerator, and took out the garbage. After that, she gently picked Sarah up, with an ease that likely would have been unsettling if she had been awake. Taking her up to the guest bedroom, Zurie pulled back the covers and slipped the young woman into her bed before sliding in beside her. Sarah was a beautiful woman and it was certainly hard to resist the ease with which Zurie could have explored her as she slept. But what Sarah needed now was to feel safe and protected, feeling sexy and desirable and powerful would come later. So Zurie just cuddled up beside Sarah, wrapping her arms around her waist and holding her gently until she woke.

[User]
Despite her understandable concern about a succubus feeding off of her, Sarah couldn't help but chuckle along with Zurie when she asked ''why she'd turn into a mummy''. It did sound rather ridiculous, even though that little voice in the back of her head didn't stay quiet about it either. Still, it was an easy enough thing to ignore since there was just something... calming and comforting and genuine about the demon as she went about her business in the kitchen for the time being. She was thankful though that the other ''woman'' wasn't about to press regarding the... other thing that had left Sarah blushing at where her own mind had gone. There'd be plenty of time for that, and besides, Zurie's assurances regarding her feeding habits, while it still left her a little weirded out, it seemed she had nothing to be concerned about. "I-I see. Right... well as long as I don't start getting all wrinkly or anything I won't complain I guess." She said, offering the demon a smile of her own since she was willing to give Zurie the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. She'd try to keep her eyes open of course. She wasn't in the habit of taking anything at face value, but whatever it was about this pale beauty, Sarah didn't feel the usual degree of mistrust and fear and the rest of those things she was so used to dealing with as a kid.

She blushed and grumbled a bit about how quickly Zurie got up to her chair, taking the tray and the plates that the demon had been kind enough to put in her lap in the chair in the first place. Despite her half-hearted protests though, Sarah made no other moves to stand or to say a further word on the matter, her stung pride only slightly so more because she just didn't know how to handle being tended to for a change. Her pride further got over the imagined ''slight'' when Zurie expressed her pleasure at having someone to help in the first place, which had Sarah's cheeks turning a bit red once more, embarrassed because she felt strangely guilty over almost refusing Zurie's help over something so silly. "L-like everything that's been dropped on my lap today, it's just a lot to take in I guess." She admitted, her smile returning as she reluctantly got comfortable in grandfather's chair once more with a tired sigh. "I do like to be independent though, it's not just a pride thing, but... thank you, Zurie. I'll... try to ease up a little though." She promised, truly grateful for the help despite her slight complaint about it at the same time. But then Zurie started to hum another tune, this one far more calming and soothing, and already exhausted and drained from the last two weeks, where sleep hadn't come easily for her at all, Sarah found all those sleepless nights were suddenly coming back with a vengeance. Not that she was about to complain of course.

It was early the next morning before she finally stirred, having slept a little more than twelve hours. With a groan and a slow look down to her waist, she blinked, yesterday's events rushing back to her when she felt Zurie pressed against her back. Despite the realization that everything that had happened yesterday had indeed happened, and she was feeling far better than she'd been before passing out in her grandfather's chair, Sarah slowly turned and blinked back grateful tears as she saw the other woman had put her to bed and had stayed with her throughout the night. She'd never had that happen before that she could ever remember outside of Nathan shortly after she'd moved into his house here when she was still knee high. Hesitantly reaching out, dark brown fingertips move to gently pull aside some of Zurie's beautifully dark locks, half convinced she'd disappear upon being touched, but when she doesn't, Sarah lets out a happy little gasp as her hand cups the demon's cheek. "Th-thank you, for staying." She gasps out, blushing again at her exuberance for such a simple thing, but it meant a lot to her. Content, warm, and safe in the first time in a long time, at least with this level of intensity anyway, Sarah was very reluctant to get up. Managing to get her tears under control in any event, Sarah sighs and rolls onto her back, sitting up but not going far from Zurie, not yet. "Did you put me to bed? I don't remember coming back upstairs."

[Assistant]
Zurie was not actually sleeping since she had no need for such things. What she was doing was more akin to meditation to pass the time simply enjoying the feel of Sarah pressed against her. It was hard to resist the urge to explore, but she once more reminded herself that right now Sarah needed support and caring, not to be molested back to consciousness. So the succubus spent the night with the beautiful young woman in her arms and enjoyed the closeness that she had been missing.

When Sarah began to stir, Zurie let her eyes drift shut. She had learned that having someone roll over to see pitch black eyes simply staring at them could be unnerving. The touch was unexpected and a little shiver ran up Zurie's spine as her eyes opened. A smile curved those deep red lips. "It was my pleasure, Sarah." Her words were soft and genuine and her arms tightened to give the young woman a reassuring squeeze. The slightest pout showed on the succubus' features when Sarah sat up but when she did not get out of the bed the pout disappeared. "I did, I know that chair is comfortable, but to really get a good night's rest a bed is better. I know that sleeping in your clothing is not ideal, but I felt it would be much too forward of me to take them off."

[User]
Having missed Zurie's pout, Sarah chuckled sheepishly as she looked down and smelled at herself, grimacing at the sweat and dirt that was likely clinging to her, making her rather ripe. "I'm just sorry you had to endure my rather pungent aroma all night Zurie. Still, th-thanks for not undressing me last night." She reached over and put a hand on the demon's arm, before just as quickly realizing she really needed to pee. "Ugh... how long was I out anyway?" She asked as she reluctantly got up to use the bathroom attached to her grandfather's room. Rubbing sleepily at her eyes as she walked, she didn't bother to shut the door since it was rather pointless after Zurie had been kind enough to carry her to bed as she had. That and she doubted the demon cared about such things in the first place as she dropped her pants and sat down on the toilet, her eyes on the large sunken tub that was attached to her grandfather's room. Fond memories of her as a much younger girl, spending time in that tub as he helped her clean up for a day at school shortly after he'd won custody of her from her mother. There'd not been a lot of such times she'd been bathed by her grandfather, but that one time she'd had a really bad bout of flu had resulted in more than a few trips to the bathroom to clean up all the vomit she'd had pouring out of her. It'd been a rough time of it, but it'd also been heartwarming in its own right as she returned to the present. "I have a lot of memories of this house, Zurie. I can't begin to imagine what you likely have in the same vein, but... he was a good man, wasn't he?" She asked, hoping to hear Zurie confirm it from her own point of view. "I know he was to me. He did so much for me after he got me away from Mariah. Even before that he did what he could to make sure I was alright. And now he's gone."

With a sigh, she slowly stood and looked towards the tub, only then remembering all her clothes and personal items was in a guest bedroom downstairs. "I could really use a bath, but I don't want to be alone either. Not... not now at least. I feel better, don't get me wrong, you staying around all night like you did certainly helped, I just... there's still a lot for me to work through I guess. There's also the fact we... we need to start trying to get everything squared away, what to keep, what to sell, what to throw out... it's going to take a while and I don't know where to even begin with it all. I feel bad to ask since I've only just met you yesterday, and I wasn't exactly nice at first what with how I screamed in your face and everything, but would you... be willing to help with all this Zurie? I don't think I'd be able to do it alone." Asking for help as she was surprising, even for her, but that she was willing to trust Zurie to help her in this endeavor in taking care of her grandfather's belongings was saying something about the burgeoning friendship between them. Besides, it was hard not to be put at ease and a little aroused at the same time as she got herself put together for the time being, not about to get into the bath until she'd at least gotten her stuff upstairs first. Using the guest bathroom on the first floor was an option of course, but it'd always had a history of being a bit finicky as far as the temperature went. The last time she'd tried to use that bath, which was a fair bit smaller, the cold water had kicked in pretty hard, making it rather difficult to finish up without freezing her tits off. But all that was secondary to getting things started as far as getting things put into boxes and sorted for whatever she ended up doing, starting with her grandfather's bedroom.

[Assistant]
Zurie gave a soft smile at Sarah's apology. "You smell quite pleasant, natural. I have no regrets about laying with you. And you are welcome. We are not yet at the point where it would be proper for me to have you naked." The light touch on her arm felt wonderful and Zurie bit her lip. Sarah was beautiful, and being in Nathan's bed was certainly putting her mind in a certain place. It was hard for her not to reach out and drag Sarah back into the bed, but the succubus resisted. It was hard for her to be so close to the woman and behave herself.

"You were asleep for about ten hours. I hope that you feel better." Zurie watched Sarah get up and tried to keep her eyes off the woman's shapely backside. She had to giggle when Sarah made no attempt at modesty, leaving the door opened as she relieved herself. Nathan usually made a point of closing the door and even turning on music so she could not hear what went on. Different generations, she supposed. When she came out of the bathroom, Zurie smiled softly at the question. "Nathan was a great man. Caring, kind, and he loved you very much. He spoke of you often. He was very proud of the woman you've become. He may be gone, Sarah, but he is with us forever and nothing can take that away."

Zurie stood and moved to the young woman. "I think a bath would certainly help you feel better. Rested and refreshed, then you can eat." She took Sarah's hand, giving a reassuring squeeze. "How about I draw you a bath, I'll be right here. Of course I'll help you my dear, and please don't give your initial reaction to me another thought. It's pretty much always like that." She gave a little chuckle at the memory of how Nathan had simply stared awe when he'd first seen her. "How about I draw you a bath and once you're all squeaky clean I can make lunch?" Whether or not Sarah agreed, Zurie stepped around her into the bathroom and started running the water to fill the tub. "Once the tub is full, I will bring your things up from the guest bedroom. That will give you time to get in the bath." She spoke softly, her voice calming as she added some bubble bath to the water.

Once the tub was full she ushered Sarah into the bathroom, not accepting any disagreement from the beauty, she went downstairs and gathered up Sarah's toiletries from the guest bathroom along with Sarah's suitcase and brought them up. "I have your things, Sarah." Zurie announced, walking into the bathroom but respectfully averting her eyes as she set everything down. "Would you like a hand washing up, or shall I go start preparing your lunch?"


[User]
It was a normal Friday afternoon for Marten. Just a quiet day at work, with nothing strange going on. The world was strange enough as is, with the cities being filled with all kinds of people of all kinds of races. Fae, demons, angels, and many more that just went about their business. He had the fortune of living in the city where they all lived in a more or less harmonious way. If you could call it harmonious. From humans needing to get saved from having entered a Fae pact to Demons having ''fun'' out in the open, police had their hands full.

Of course, there were also Fae and Demons in the police force itself, so many of these incidents were just let go with a warning. Still, it all seemed to work out. Crimes weren't very high, everybody was just getting along for the most part. If you didn't want to mingle as a Human, you knew where not to visit. Some people were into the whole mingling thing, calling the experience enriching. But Marten knew better. He wasn't cut out for those kinds of things. And as such, he just kept to the people he knew. No Fae trying to pull you into a contract, no Demons trying to seduce you when you just wanted to have a normal conversation.

And Marten had no desire to mingle. He wasn't a racist or anything, but the more outgoing nature of his fellow city-dwellers was somewhat lost on him. No, he was content working at his office, reading books, and working out. And having his coffee at the end of the week. And speaking of which, the time had come for him to grab himself that weekly coffee. Saying goodbye to his human colleagues and changing into something less warm, he made his way outside, whistling softly as he strolled down the street.

He came across a little shop he hadn't visited before, stopping and looking at the menu before going in. Smiling at the barmaid, an admittedly gorgeous woman with both Demon and Fae traits, he swung past the bar to order his coffee (Black, no sugar). He took a seat at the window, making himself comfortable and stretching a bit to loosen his shoulders. Marten was well-built, slender, and tall, with his shirt showing off the muscles of his arms quite well, his jeans just tight enough to show off his legs a bit. He hadn't really noticed nor minded. Nobody had approached him in quite a flirty way before. Marten guessed that it was his office appearance, the overly neat way he had combed his hair. Life was good, life was quiet.

[Assistant]
"Come on Kida, we got some orders finally!" Finally. The hybrid spun around excitedly, nearly knocking over one of the trays with her large tail. A guilty look was given to the lycan woman before she grinned, reaching up to pat the dark hair before giggling and going back to work. The bright lights inside the shop illuminated her pink skin, making it nearly glow vibrantly as she moved around preparing different orders for the customers. The heat of the summer had made it so that they were allowed to wear less modest clothing, not that their boss had ever quite been worried about modesty. After all, customers tended to tip better when their barista or waitress had a low cut shirt.

That said, Kida was dressed in a pair of tight cloth shorts that were designed to give her tail freedom, and a shirt that hinted at a toned stomach whenever she stretched and exposed just that inch or two of skin. She danced around behind the counter moving cups along, picking up the plain coffee before sliding out into the room and making her way across it. How people drank their coffee plain still astounded her, she had never been able to do that unless it was out of pure desperation for the caffeine.

"Hey hon!" Smiling as she reached the table that the human sat at, she set the cup down carefully in front of him. "You don't want anything to eat this time either, huh? My treat if you want a snack!"

[User]
Fair was fair. The woman that served him did brighten up his day, her smile and voluptuous figure a feast for the eyes. Before he could stop himself, his eyes already took a quick peek at those slender legs, quickly looking up into her eyes. Marten laughed softly, shaking his head as the energetic woman asked him if he wanted anything to eat.

"No, that's alright, miss. Actually, I think you're confusing me with somebody else. This is the first time I've visited this particular shop. I do appreciate the offer though! I'd be willing to go for a bite nonetheless, if you can tell me what things you have for sale here?" Marten carefully took the cup in his hands, taking a small sip before sighing deeply and closing his eyes for a moment.

"Oh, I needed that." When he opened them again, he saw the strong and dexterous tail swing by, catching his attention for a second as he looked on. It was almost hypnotic. It really was quite interested to see all the people living here inside the city. And getting more or less along with each other. Not that he had any urge to get involved with any Fae or Demon business, but talking with different folks was nice.

Looking up towards the woman, his cheeks flushed a bit as he chuckled. "Sorry for that, had a long day at the office. It's decent work, but you just get so tired after a while from it. Especially on a Fridays, hehe." He continued sipping his coffee, enjoying it slowly and his body visibly relaxing as he wound down from the long day at work.

[Assistant]
"Huh. Then I guess you'll have to visit more so I remember your face from everyone else's!" Kida chuckled, catching him eyeing her tail as it swung lazily behind her back. It wasn't unusual for humans to either stare at that or the horns on her head, and it never ceased to amuse her. "No need to apologize hon, we see all sorts in here. You're not being rowdy or breaking things, so I don't mind if you look at the tail. Most people do." She winked at him, wiping her hands on the front of her shirt before looking thoughtful.

"Well, I suppose it depends how hungry you are. We don't have any fancy meals here, but we got sandwiches. Most of the food is snack stuff like bagels and muffins that people would have with their coffee, but I can get you the menu with the different sandwiches on it. I think we have soup too." Usually she was the one making and delivering the drinks, not the food, and she bounced off to grab a laminated menu before coming down and plopping in the chair across from him. "Offer still stands, first meal's on me as long as you come back and visit again."

[User]
Her flirty words caught Marten off-guard a little, not expecting that kind of answer to be given to somebody that, in his own mind, looked like a boring office worker. He looked up and blinked, his cheeks glowing red a bit brighter as he looked at the cup in his hand, suddenly very interested in the craftmanship of the thing.

"Well, I might. The coffee certainly is good! And the service is nice too, have to admit." The man gave her a smile, clearing his throat and looking away again as she winked at him. He didn't think himself as a very submissive person, but this woman's personality and provocative attire really put him on the backfoot.

Marten was almost glad when she bounced off, thinking this was the end of it when she came back with the menu, only for her to sit down across from him and reminded him of her offer in a tone that was so rich in energy that he wondered how many cups of coffee she had had.

"Ehm... Well... I..." He began, shaking his head to get a grip. Was this normal for these sort of cafés? He laughed as he found his voice again. "You want to be visited by a dusty office worker like me? I'm flattered. You know, guess I'll take you up on the offer and hop by next Friday again, how does that sound? I can surely go for a chocolate muffin right about now."

[Assistant]
"Sure, why not? You're cute!" Quite cute, for a human, and she propped her chin in her hand while looking at him. "We don't get a lot of cute humans in here, so definitely come back and give us girls something nice to look at." She hadn't missed the way the lycan had glanced at him either, and with her grin widening Kida pushed herself back up.

"Muffin it is!" The glass case near the counter was opened up as she used a napkin to remove a single muffin, closing the case again before slipping back to the table. "They were just made a little bit ago too, so they're extremely fresh. Good enough to melt in your mouth." The hybrid could feel the eyes of the lycan on her as she took a seat again but she ignored it, too busy focusing on the human she was serving. "Do dusty office workers do anything fun on the weekend?"

[User]
The only thing Marten could do for a bit was blink at her, still a bit red on the cheeks. Hiding his slight embarrassment behind taking a sip of his drink, he waited a moment before responding. "Thank you, I appreciate the compliment." To be fair, the woman was very attractive in her own right, a real eyecatcher that would draw every man's gaze towards her. The tension releasing a bit, he grinned at her.

"Well, coming here to look cute and get muffins out of it doesn't sound like a bad deal. So sure!" He joked as he looked at her standing up again. While she grabbed the muffin, he grabbed the opportunity to look around, seeing the lycan woman looking at him too. Quickly, he averted his gaze and looked back to the hybrid woman as she sat down again.

"Fresh and melting, huh? Guess I picked the right time then!" Gingerly, he took a bite, humming a bit in surprise. They really were good, still warm too. He was just chewing the piece when she asked if he did anything on the weekend. A piece of muffin immediately lodged itself in his throat, the man coughing softly as he tapped his chest.

Looking at her, he shrugged with an apologetic smile. "Nothing much, really. Working out, watching a movie, reading a book. Just relaxing and laying back. A bit of peace and quiet after a tough week, you know?"

[Assistant]
"Peace and quiet?" Kida chuckled, her expression clearly speaking far more than her words. Peace and quiet wasn't something she was accustomed to, nor was it something that she enjoyed in large doses. There were far too many options, far too many things to do in the world to just sit around doing nothing. Even when she worked constantly, her time away from the job was usually filled with a variety of activities, and she clearly found it hard to believe the human wouldn't do the same.

"You should go out and do something, enjoy life! There's this really cool night club you'd probably like," She tapped her long nails on the table, looking him over skeptically. "Although not in those clothes, but if you changed into something more casual I think you'd fit right in. I usually go there on the weekends, you should come with me!"

[User]
At the chuckle, Marten got a little bit more distant, getting the impression he was being made fun of. Probably could've expected somebody as pretty as her to be a party animal and not appreciate the goodness of a bit of peace of mind every once in a while. But he wasn't one to judge somebody's hobbies. The man listened to the waitress' chipper voice, slightly raising an eyebrow at her shaded assumption that he wasn't enjoying life. People had different tastes, dangit!

When she finished, Marten looked at her surprised when she invited him to come along. No spitting out coffee, no stammering, just a surprised stare as Marten's mind caught up. Slowly, he shook his head.

"Trust me, you wouldn't want to be found dead with me. I'm not much of a night club kind of guy." It was his turn to chuckle now, plucking at his suit to accentuate his next couple of words. "Dusty office worker, remember? Plus, I'm such a bad dancer that I would embarrass you within the first five minutes. I do appreciate the offer though, thank you."

He took another sip of his coffee and a bite of his muffin. A thought wormed his way into the front of his mind. It began bugging him, and although he knew that he was giving this lovely yet very intense-feeling woman a hook, he couldn't resist.

"So why do you think I would like that? I mean, I don't really look like a party animal, do I? I am quite curious about that. Have to admit that I don't speak to somebody that's not human often." He chuckled softly. "First time somebody invited me to a nightclub too out of the blue. So I do have to admit I'd kind of flattered."

[Assistant]
"I'm found alive with you right now, why not?" She shrugged and then rolled her eyes. "I highly doubt you could embarrass me after what the wolf behind the counter has done before." Oh, those had been some interesting nights, to put it nicely. "I'm not a teenager, anyway, a little embarrassment isn't going to kill me even if you did." She'd simply laugh it off and continue going about her night as she always did.

"No, you don't look like a party animal," She chuckled, mouth twitching with a grin as she realized she'd caught his interest. "You just look like you could use some time to cut loose and not care what anyone thinks about you. I'm sure working in an office means there's a lot of gossip, so surely you could use a change of pace for once."

[User]
With a slightly raised eyebrow, Marten glanced at said wolf behind the counter, wondering what kinds of shenanigans this woman was talking about. Then again, the shenanigans involved would probably have been far too much for him to handle, so maybe he was better off not knowing. But the thought remained as he listened with a smile, slowly realizing that the demonic fae woman had captured his interest in a big way. He was definitely interested in her, in that seemingly boundless energy she exuded. He softly laughed and nodded, forced to agree with her. They were both adults, so a fluke or two wouldn't be much to worry about. Part of life, so to speak.

Marten almost admitted then and there that she was right, only barely keeping himself from admitting she was spot-on. The office was thriving on gossip and appearances, the workers there always working behind a mask. To be fair, he was no different. Under other circumstances, he would've said no immediately at her offer. But something about her forced him to hesitate, to think. For a few moments, he looked at her in thought. Then, slowly, he nodded. "Al... alright. Guess I can give it a look at the very least. Just while it stays fun. If it gets too hot under my feet, I'll call it a night though."

With a bit of a blush on his face, he quickly took a sip of his coffee to hide his uncertainty a bit. He looked up, eyes wavering over her face and chest with a small grin. The man seemed nervous, yet excited. "I'm Marten, by the way. If I'm going to a club with you, I do want us to be properly introduced, haha."

[Assistant]
"Really?" Kida lit up as he agreed, sitting up straight in the chair and beaming at him. That was easier than she'd thought it would be. "Kida. I get off work at six, but then I still need to change beforehand. Here, one second." She disappeared from the table again, dancing back over to the counter to tear off a piece of receipt paper and scribble on it with a pen before bounding back over.

"Pick me up around seven, yeah? If you drink too much I'll pay for your ride home, alright?" That seemed fair enough to her, and since she had no intention of driving herself, there would be a ride involved by the end of the night anyway. It was just a matter of if he stuck around or not. "As long as you don't show up dressed like that," She gestured vaguely to his suit, "You'll be fine."

[User]
The way her face just lit up with joy was just an unfair amount of cute. The happy twinkling in her eyes and the bright smile on her face made something stir within him. Marten's doubts were quickly buried underneath that cheerful demeanor, the man smiling back at her. There was no way he would be able to resist that smile. Little did he know how far this rabbithole of not resisting her would go in the following hours, days and even months, but for now he didn't suspect a thing. Kida, huh? A cute name to be sure.

Marten looked at his watch as she danced across the floor, his eyes pulled to her bouncing... everything really. Chuckling, he shook his head as he double-checked the time. It was ten past five at the moment, so he should have enough time to get chanced. "Deal." He said when she came back with her address. "And seven it is." Marten glanced down at his clothes. "I'll make sure to slip into something more casual, don't you worry."

He swigged back the last bit of coffee and finished his muffin, quickly paying as excitement inevitably roiled up from within. Glancing at her address again, his cheeks got red again. He actually got a cute woman's adress and---did she just rope him into a date? Marten looked at her once again with an impressed look on his face. This was one impressive woman, both in mind and in looks.

"Well, I'll get changed quickly then. See you in a bit, Kida!" And with a new spring in his step, he headed out of the café and towards his apartment.

Slightly less than two hours later, there was a ring at Kida's door, Marten somewhat nervously twiddling his fingers in front of her door. He was dressed in a casual buttoned shirt, a stylish pair of pants completing his ensemble. It showed off his trained body quite a bit, although it was still quite modest. When she opened the door, he smiled at her brightly, his mouth slightly open as he was in awe for a moment due to how good she looked. "Evening! Are you ready to go?"