[User]
When Ruth answered the door, she held up the bottle. From Ruth's tone on the phone, Petra had a hunch that it might be one of those evenings, the ones that followed a bad date. And there were few problems that some nice red wine couldn't solve.

"Sounded like you needed it." she said with a shrug, shrugging off her coat. "And you look... like you need a girl's night in. Wine, either good food or an affordable Indian takeaway, and a boxed set on Netflix. Trust me, that's the solution to every problem. I read it in a medical journal."

Petra George was quite an eyecatching woman, and she had worked hard to become more so, with the twenty-plus tattoos that studded her back, arms and shoulders. Her mixed black and East Asian parentage gave her a somewhat stand-out look, that she had experienced as both a curse and blessing. Her hair was cut short and swept off to one side, leaving one of her temples with just a fuzz remaining. She was dressed for some serious slouching, in tracksuit bottoms---having just come off her afternoon jog when she got the call---and a tank top.

"So go on. How bad was the date... this time?" she asked with a wry smile.

[Assistant]
Over the last month and a half and on a loose weekly basis, those girls' night had become some sort of a ritual between the two girls, Ruth's doorbell unerringly marking the beginning of each ceremony with the same festive, short-lived ring that ultimately led up to the appearance of Petra on her doorstep.

"Oh, I knew I could count on you!" Ruth replied, stepping aside to let her friend in before closing the door. "And---yes, wine! Yes! And food, oh my God, I'm starving... aren't you? Indian food sounds great! I mean, just food sounds great! And..."

Ruth's phone buzzed on the kitchen counter, bringing the girl's otherwise seemingly endless rambling to a sudden halt. "...oh, guess what?" Ruth asked after a quick peek at the screen. "It's him! The guy, fucking Adrian!" Rolling her eyes, she handed over her phone to Petra. The last two messages read ‘Hey' and ‘We should go out again!', respectively.

"So, it was..." Ruth puffed out her cheeks, wrapping up in her cardigan as she quickly recollected the utter catastrophe from the evening before. "...like, really bad. The kind of rom-com bad. I guess Mr. Big Shot---Adrian, I mean---thought being an absolute jerk to the waiter would make him look sexy. And, oh, Petra! You wouldn't believe just how boring the guy was!"

"Good looking, though. Like... George Clooney-esque kind of good looking? I don't know. And now I hate myself for even having thought for a single second of sleeping with him, you know, just to let off steam. But then I thought---Christ, am I that desperate? I mean, the guy's almost twice my age---is that some sort of unresolved daddy issues there or...?" Ruth chuckled and shook her head, fiddling with her hair as she glanced at her friend. While a bit taller than Petra and despite the fact they were of the same age, there was something about her friend's personality that Ruth found... overwhelming, but in a very pleasant way.

[User]
Petra made the OMG gesture---hands to her cheeks in an expression of surprise, indicating herself, and then putting her hands together in a praying gesture. She was already flipping through her phone, starting on the order with one eye as Ruth described her terrible date. "What? You mean flexing on some poor guy just doing his job doesn't make the panties drop? Who could have seen that coming?" she replied. "But... well, he doesn't sound quite as bad as that one guy who opened the conversation by talking about how Jesus could save your soul. I mean... I'm the last person to ask about dating guys, but it really doesn't sound like you had much luck finding any decent ones."

She thought for a minute, and gave Ruth a cheeky grin. "Want me to post a reply on your behalf? Oh Adrian, I've developed a terrible skin disease and I must forever shun the light of day lest my hideous face scare the children! Oh Adrian, I witnessed a mafia hit, and I must go into witness protection and move to a trailer park in Arizona! Oh Adrian, my husband just got released from jail where he's spent ten years for grievous bodily harm against a man he thought was checking me out!"

She paused for a moment, before trying one more and seeing Ruth's reaction. "Oh Adrian, it could never work, I've suddenly realized I'm madly in love with my BFF!"

[Assistant]
"Oh, right, the Jesus guy! Almost forgot about him! I guess it must be some sort of self-defense mechanism, my brains firewalling such traumatic experiences..." To be sure, those evenings of theirs had very little to do with drowning Ruth's self-pity in tons Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough flavored ice-cream. Nope, none of that sad old spinster's crap. Those get-togethers were closer to an emergency task-force whose main purpose consisted in mocking both Ruth's latest Tinder match and taking the piss out of the girl's seemingly never-ending streak of bad luck.

And, really, Ruth could hardly imagine a better partner than Petra to wipe it all out under fits and fits of laughter. "Wait, isn't ghosting still a thing?" Ruth smirked as her friend was still in the process of rattling off a list of potential replies. "Also, why would I go into witness protection and tell Adrian where I'm headed?"

Ruth was searching the drawer for a corkscrew when Petra came up with the umpteenth and last variation on the theme of potential answers, this time managing to get a snort of amusement out of her. On second thought, she should have probably---no, definitely---seen it coming, given just how much Petra seemed to love teasing her on the subject of... fucking lesbianism, really.

"He'd probably find the idea a turn-on, maybe suggest he'd join the party, so... no, not a good one!" Ruth sighed as she struggled with both opening the bottle and hiding her own sudden display of discomfort. Too late for that, though: she could already feel her own cheeks growing warmer and, presumably, pinker.

_I'm such an oddball,_ she thought. "And..." Ruth cleared her voice. "...I would never date you. Wait, I don't mean you as in, you know, you. I, uh... mean girls! Like, in general!" Realizing she had already lost the thread, Ruth grumbled to herself---cursing her trademark awkwardness---and started over. "So, you know, we need something believable. Or, well, we could have it my way and I could just go MIA on him."

[User]
"You can't blame a girl for trying!" said Petra, throwing up her hands. She did notice the blush, though. Ruth was so cute when she was embarrassed!

"I mean, if you want to be boring, you could just vanish, that's always an option." she continued, heading over to the couch and flopping into it with a sound of deep satisfaction at the softness.

She looked round at Ruth thoughtfully for a moment. It was entirely true that Petra liked teasing her girlfriend with some playful flirting. And maybe... yeah, maybe she did hope she would come to her senses at some point. Yes, Ruth said she was entirely straight, but Petra's lesbian detection instincts had never been wrong. Almost never been wrong. Had over a 50% success rate.

"I'm just teasing you!" she said, as she hunted between the cushions for the remote control. "It doesn't have to be a date." She waited until Ruth was sitting down or otherwise engaged before she delivered the next line in a playful tone, aiming for maximum blush. "You could just use me for my body, and then never call me again."

[Assistant]
Truth be told, Ruth had come a long way from the uptight, anal retentive girl she used to be back in the days when she first set foot into their college dorm, marking the beginning of her adult life. As the cork eventually came off with a muffled pop, the girl stole a quick glance at Petra---now seated on the couch---and found herself wondering whether she, Ruth Hayward, would have ever come out of her shell without her help... or made it fairly unscathed through the whole 'Ryan's breaking up with me' accident, too. The answer was---probably not. Definitely not.

And yet... Petra also had the power of breaking the space-time continuum and make her feel like the teenage dork she once was, the eternal bespectacled wallflower. All she needed was a single fucking joke, some playful flirting and---boom---good old Ruth came back to life.

"Stop it, would you?" Ruth begged her as she joined her on the couch, a glass of wine in each hand. "Besides... we're already dating. As friends. Best friends---'cause you are my best friend and, I mean, I'm not a lesbian!"

Feeling as if she was trying... no, struggling to justify herself with Petra, Ruth couldn't help herself but look away and blush even more, the reddish complexion of her cheeks now closer to the ruby shades of the wine. So much for damage-control. "And... and... who would come and rescue me after the next bad date? No one. No one would!"

[User]
"Hey! If you don't want to tease me, don't look so cute when you're embarrassed!" said Petra, accepting the wine. She couldn't keep a grin off her face, but dropped the teasing.

Was there really anything there, or was it wishful thinking mixed with a dry spell on Petra's part? She didn't know, but there was no harm in checking every now and then, right? "Now then, what do you want to watch?"

A few hours later, Petra stopped herself from pouring out another glass, as she recognized that pleasantly buzzed feeling had about peaked. Any more, and there was a danger of karaoke breaking out.

She tuned back into the latest of Ruth's fully-justified complaints about her love life. All Petra could think that she hadn't had anywhere near as rotten luck as her friend had in that area. Though maybe that was because Petra didn't really do second dates...

[Assistant]
Although short-lived and sporadic, there were times when Ruth would bring her own life into question, veiling the girl's hazelnut eyes behind a pale shade of melancholy. Drinking wine was often a major factor behind such moments. All in all, things came down to one, single-yet-unanswerable question: 'what the fuck is wrong with me?'

Every now and then the thought haunted Ruth and whatever castle she had managed to build upon the ruins of her previous relationship---mostly with the help of her friends and relatives---would begin to creak, making her feel the most miserable creature on this oh-so-blue planet of ours.

Those were the risks when one relies too much on other people for the well-being of their own persona, now, isn't it? All of this, though on a way more light-hearted note, Ruth had been telling Petra ever since the closing credits of some Breaking Bad episode... slurring her words on a few occasions.

"...but I really should stop boring you with all this crap," Ruth concluded before pouring herself another glass, relishing the gentle, wine-induced sensation of dizziness. "And I guess the wheel will turn, sooner or later! And what about you, actually? Any news on the girls-loving front?"

[User]
"Oh, me?" asked Petra. "I'm at a loose end. Free agent. Swinging bachelorette. Things just didn't work out with Roxy. She wanted to move faster than I felt comfortable with."

She was referring to her latest girlfriend, with whom she had split up two weeks earlier. And her name had been Ruby. And if Petra were to tell the whole truth, which she wouldn't, 'move faster' had been simply 'wanted to meet her friends after three dates'. But even a hint of that claustrophobic sense of being pinned down, and Petra hit the ejector seat.

She paused for a moment, using a handful of peanuts to justify the silence in lieu of wine. "Hey, bore away, if it makes you feel better." she said. "So what's the plan now? Try again, take a break? Ask your flatmate if he's got any cute friends he could hook you up with?"

[Assistant]
Roxy, right. Ruth had almost forgotten the girl's name, mostly because all Roxy was in her mind was... well, just a name Petra would randomly bring up. Not a picture on Petra's social network. Not even mentioning the idea of introducing Ruth to her over dinner or drinks or whatever. As far as Ruth was concerned, Roxy was a ghost: Petra's phantom girlfriend.

Nonetheless, Ruth knew Petra all too well to even consider the idea she would lie about the whole having-a-girlfriend thing. Hence, Roxy existed and now was no longer Petra's girlfriend. Instead of resorting to some triviality, Ruth nodded.

"Oh... I don't know..." Ruth frowned, hiding behind her glass for a quick sip. "I guess I might try living the life of a... how did you call it? 'Swinging bachelorette'? Yeah, that could work for me. Sleeping around. No strings attached. And David, well, he's kind of useless for this kind of stuff, like, he's no Cupid, if you know what I mean."

Stretching her legs, Ruth brought her heels against the edge of the coffee table. "Besides, all his cute friends are taken! And that guy, Frank... I don't know, he's a bit of a weirdo, right?"

[User]
Petra let out a chuckle as Ruth mentioned her flatmate. "Useless at hooking you up, and he doesn't even have the decency to be single himself?" she asked, shaking her head somberly. "The guy's lucky he's cute!"

She kept quiet for a few moments, watching as Ruth stretched. There was a kind of artless grace to her in moments like this, ones where for all her usual bundle-of-nerves air, she was surprisingly relaxed and sensual. And sexy in a way that she couldn't have managed if she were deliberately posing.

"It's the best way, trust me. Serial monogamy, I mean" said Petra, curling up her legs under her and going fishing for a stray bit of chicken korma. She gesticulated with her knife, like she was a professor using it as a lecture aid. "No worries, no fretting about the long term, no worrying about what she does or doesn't want out of a relationship. Just keep it simple. Keep it fun."

She paused for a moment more, before adopting a tone of utterly unconvincing innocence. "Of course... maybe the problem isn't you, and it isn't with the guys. It's that you're trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. I think it might be... you're drawn to bad dates because you know on some level guys aren't what you're really after. Just a theory..." she said with a shrug that belied the attention she was paying to Ruth's reaction.

[Assistant]
Her legs stretched, drawing two parallel lines, Ruth contemplated the gentle movement of the ruby-red fluid in the glass. One could easily spot the signs of a somewhat mild inebriation in her now-watery eyes, the reddish shades on her cheeks no longer due to embarrassment, but to a glass too many. Feeling warm, she shook the cardigan off her shoulders, revealing a black, fairly low-necked top as she listened to Petra's take on the advantages of the whole no-strings-attached paradigm. Most of it, Ruth considered, sounded reasonable... had it not been for the whole stepping-into-the-unknown dilemma.

Ruth needed coordinates, the relationship equivalent of... what, the Greenwich meridian? Whatever. Nothing she could possibly find by seamlessly jumping from one guy to the other... and so on. When she was ready to expand her thoughts on the subject of joy and sorrows of a libertine life, Petra got back at... it.

"Alright, what the fuck now?" A suddenly (though not unexpectedly) fired-up Ruth retorted. "That's your theory? Seriously, is that what you think? That I'm... that I'm... some sort of a closeted lesbian? Well, I am not! And... for God's sake, Petra: I mean, you know me! I'm not into girls! I'm not!"

And there she was again, dear old Ruth: with her cheeks burning red and her lower lip slightly trembling and her chest rising and falling, softly gleaming with sweat. Her outburst, she immediately realized, was completely out of place. She looked away with a frown alike that of a little girl.

[User]
Petra was taken aback by the fierceness of the reply. Of course, she made a habit of joking with Ruth about seducing her, but something about that had touched a nerve. She didn't know exactly what, but there were times to push and there were times to back off a bit.

"Hey, sorry. I didn't mean to be insensitive." she said, holding up her hands. "Guess I have a bit of a one-track mind, huh? I mean... I'm not gonna lie, I find you sexy, cute, gorgeous... but as well as that... well, I don't know what. I just keep thinking there's something there. It's a hunch."

[Assistant]
It didn't take long before Ruth cooled off, a friendly smirk taking over her lips as her eyes travelled back to Petra's. "It's cool. We're cool," she murmured by way of apology after a minute or two. "I don't know why I got so nervous. I can be such a drama queen, now, isn't it?"

Ruth shook her head and took another sip off her now almost empty glass. "And... I mean, I guess you're sweet. Like... I don't know, you were trying to cheer me up, right? And I got angry for no reason. Sorry. But, really, I never looked at girls like... like you do? I mean, I can tell a pretty girl from a, uh, not so pretty, I guess? But who doesn't?"

As she paused, Ruth lowered her eyes to her glass, a gentle buzz in her ear. "That doesn't mean anything."

[User]
"No, I get it." said Petra. "You're having a rough time, wondering why everyone else seems to be having an easier time than you finding the one. I've been there, trust me. And then your red-hot friend starts questioning if you're even straight. But it'll happen, yeah? When you've just about given up, you'll bump into the right... guy when you're not even trying. Yeah, we're cool." She could have left it there. Just settle down, de-stress, stay good friends. Nice and safe.

But in the end, Petra was Petra. Which meant she couldn't resist poking. "You ever thought of... testing it?" she asked casually.

[Assistant]
"I... uh... no. Never. Like... never never!" Ruth shot a somewhat bemused glance at Petra. After all, didn't she already know? And then again: why the hell was she supposed to test it when she had never felt the slightest attraction to another woman?

Had Petra ever tried dating guys, Ruth wondered to herself before deciding that... yeah, she probably did. Feeling cornered and a bit tipsy, Ruth found herself conceding something to her friend.

"Alright, let's pretend I'd consider giving this a shot. How would things go down? Hey, nice to meet you, uh... Carol? I'm Ruth and you're my personal guinea pig in this weird experiment I'm currently conducting just because, you know, my friend Petra asked me to. I'm not even sexually attracted to you, so I don't even know why I'm here, but, hey, let's enjoy our dinner. Something along these lines, right?" She chuckled and finally emptied her glass, realizing she already had more than enough drinks for the night.

[User]
Even 'let's pretend' was more than Petra had ever expected, and she swallowed for a moment before replying.

"No, nothing like that!" she said. "I mean, it wouldn't really be fair to just grab a random lesbian and use her to test the theory out, right? But why would you need to grab a random lesbian, when you've got one right here?" she asked, and let that hang in the air for a moment.

"If you're thinking about trying this out... you know I'm the best choice. We have a few dates... and if you're right and there's nothing there, you get to say hey, I tried it, nothing happened. And you get me off your back forever. You're... really not the least bit interested in finding out?" Her tone was still light and teasing---privately, Petra was pretty sure this was where she got shut down for good. It would be a pity, she did enjoy recreational flirting with her straight friend.

[Assistant]
With a snort of amusement and both her arms wrapped right below her breast, Ruth turned away.

"Okay, first---I'm not thinking about it... you are!" The girl pointed out, just hating how high-pitched her own tone of voice sounded. "And second---seriously, how could we go on a date? I mean, isn't that what we already do? What would change? Like... holding hands on the way home or something?"

It was all too clear that Ruth was trying hard to play it out cool. Alas, it was also rather obvious that the whole conversation hit a sensitive nerve with the girl. The signs were all there for Petra to read and, quite possibly, enjoy: the never-ending rush of blood painting her cheeks, the little quiver in Ruth's voice, as well as how her eyes constantly avoided meeting the other girl's.

"And... besides, it would be weird. I mean... dating you?" Hers was no doubt a rhetorical question. And yet... it was a question nonetheless, Ruth herself realized. Fuck, she thought.

[User]
She still hadn't turned it down outright. And she seemed agitated, but in a good way this time... was there something there? No matter how small, was there an ember she could blow on? "You know what I mean." said Petra. "Not a date with a girlfriend, I'm talking a date with a girlfriend. All right, that didn't make much sense, but you know the difference, right? Imagine you've just met a guy who seems really nice---smart, funny, articulate, utterly gorgeous. And quite possibly into you, at least enough to ask you out. So what do you do? You say yes. You give it a try. And if it feels like everything's going right, you... get a little closer."

She obligingly illustrated by shuffling a little closer. "And if it keeps going well... you think there's really something there... you take it another step. Exact same thing here... the only complication is that a label might not fit any more."

[Assistant]
But did she? Did she know what Petra was actually implying? Ruth didn't have the slightest clue, but for the first time she didn't seem anywhere close to getting on the defense. Was she... just playing around with the idea? She glanced at Petra: her best friend, now perhaps a tad closer than she would be normally comfortable with, but her best friend nonetheless.

It was harmless, she decided. Just some small talk with her BFF, nothing too... dangerous. "I..." Ruth sighed. "...I don't know what you mean, no. I mean, of course I know the difference... like, duh! But it would be weird... right?"

Ruth insisted, albeit a bit more weakly than she herself expected. "Okay. For fun. Let's pretend I say yes and I go out on a date with another girl. You. What then? I mean, you go out on a date to get to know the other person, right? But I already know you! And it would be weird, you know that! And then we'd wave goodbye to evenings like this one!"

[User]
"Friends fall for each other all the time!" said Petra, her heart quickening. Was this... working!?

"I know I'm not a handsome stranger who's going to sweep you off your feet, we've known each other for years and all that... but we'll find things to talk about." she said. To tell the truth, Petra wasn't good at small talk in the first place, but generally managed to get by without it. "Maybe that's what isn't working for you? You usually meet guys you've never met before, you go straight into dating without really getting to know them? At least from what I've heard? So maybe, even if I'm totally wrong and it turns out you're not a great big lesbian in denial... you'll still learn something useful about yourself, and see how it works when it is someone you're already friends with! Really, this is a golden opportunity! And you know... you can still fall for someone and be friends with them. Or... friends with benefits." she added with an exaggerated and salacious wiggle of her eyebrows, before giggling and breaking the tension a little.


[User]
Jackson was confused at the spectacle he just witnessed and was even more confused as the being spoke to him. Now he wasn't one to doubt that specters or otherworldly beings existed but he certainly wasn't trying to summon them out of thin air! After she spoke the man couldn't help but give an awkward half-smile. "Ya know, I was thinkin the same thing." He closed the book slowly, it landing shut with a soft thud. "This is not what I ordered." Straightening out some, he sat up and cleared his throat some. He wasn't exactly sure what to do or how to go about it but the two things that he knew for sure was that there was a big scary demon lady in his apartment, and he really should not have that book.

The man almost felt too scared to move, but he also knew that when you have a guest over it would be impolite to not offer them a beverage. Slowly sliding off the chair, the same half-smile still on his face he made his way over to the kitchen and gestured lightly. "Would you care for a drink? A snack maybe? Not exactly sure what uh... you eat, but I'm sure I could whip something up." The man tried not to look at the woman, out of respect for her state of nudity but also because he wasn't sure if having that book was punishable by death. Sure he had a decent and comfortable life but he also didn't feel like losing his life on a Tuesday afternoon in sweatpants and a tank top. Finally, he gathered up the courage to look at the woman. She was certainly beautiful, and her nakedness certainly added to that factor. He wasn't sure what he did in life to be face to face with a dripping wet demon lady but he assumed that he wouldn't be looking at her for very long. With another sheepish smile, he gave her a light shrug.

"I'm gonna be honest miss if you've gotta kill me for summoning unholy evils upon the Earth then ya know I'd call it fair. I promise you that I know I shouldn't have that book and in hindsight, I probably shouldn't have started reading it either..." Jackson turned his gaze away from the woman as he continued to mumble to himself about the logistics of the situation and how he was going to explain to his clients that he summoned a big demon lady into his residence.

[Assistant]
Well, this was interesting. Most mortals would either be gawking or screaming with fear, but the one before her seemed more awkward and confused than anything. He wasn't running or screaming, and so far he wasn't ogling her naked form either. Every move he made seemed to be calmer than the last, deliberate and cautious as he offered her one thing after another and her brain struggled to adjust to the language.

Lilith cocked her head slightly when the human finally looked directly at her, her tail twitching behind her back as she crossed her arms over her chest and watched him curiously. What unholy evils had he apparently unleashed upon the Earth? Her? That seemed the most logical, but considering she hadn't seen that book in some time, there was no telling what the mortal had managed to summon from it aside from her.

"No, should not have the book." She took her time moving slowly from where she'd appeared, circling around him before reaching out to poke at his shoulder and then step back. "I have forgotten how strange you mortals are." Now what was he mumbling on about? "Where did you get the book?"

[User]
Jackson's eyes followed the woman, swallowing hard as the woman came closer to him. Being touched however, the man did jump back slightly before letting out a nervous chuckle. Oh man, he really might die here. It wasn't the hardest or toughest poke he's had before but it certainly was threatening enough. "I ordered something else and that came instead, here let me show you." Once again the man moved cautiously and slowly over to the dining room table to pick his phone up before making his way back to the counter and where the demon lady stood.

Unlocking it, something he slightly fumbled at doing, Jackson pulled up the order in full and pointed it out to her. He made sure to set it on the counter in front of her so she could see clearly. "See? It says 'Foam Prop---Spooky Book' and what's sitting on my kitchen table is certainly not foam." He clicked on the item further so she could scroll through pictures of the item he was supposed to have received. He wasn't exactly sure if she'd know how to use a phone but maybe she'd pick up on it from seeing him? He looked back at the box and stared in wonder, did he have what he ordered and someone switched it out? And why would they choose his box? Those questions probably wouldn't have answers anytime soon.

So turning to look at the woman once again he stuck out his hand and nodded to her some. "The name is Jackson, it's um... a pleasure to meet you I suppose. What is your name? Or I suppose what can I call you might be a better question to ask?" He tried to keep from being nervous, but his hand softly trembled on and off as he held it out to the woman.

[Assistant]
So that was what made Jackson jump, a little touch like that? Lilith smirked as she watched him jolt back and then move to show her something else. Good to know she hadn't lost her touch after all. If she couldn't even scare one human, what good was she as a demon, let alone an Archfiend? Her attention shifted to the device he had grabbed and brought over, her eyes narrowing as he swiped his fingers over it and an image suddenly appeared. What blasphemy was this? She bared her fangs and hissed at the phone, looking between it and the actual offending book several times before she leaned over and sniffed at him. If he was playing dumb and had purposely summoned her with some kind of magic...

"Do not smell like magic." She wasn't sure if that was a relief or not, however. It still didn't answer the question of how a book capable of summoning her had gotten into mortal hands again. At least if the man had done this on purpose there might have been a trail to lead back to the finding of the book, but he seemed just as dumbfounded as she was.

She stared at the outstretched hand and sniffed him again before stepping back. She didn't shake hands like some common human, but she had to admit the way that his hand was shaking was amusing her, so after a moment she took his hand carefully in her own, tracing a line across his palm with her sharp nails before her tongue darted out for a quick swipe.

"You may call me Lilith." She dropped his hand abruptly and turned her attention to her wet hair, frowning as she detangled it with her fingers and huffed. "Is this the same human world where kings and queens once rules, or have your kind created another world?"

[User]
Jackson was taken aback at her reaction to things. He certainly wasn't sure how to begin to deal with the whole situation and was even more confused as the woman took his hand. He let out a sharp inhale at being cut and a furious blush crossed his face as she quickly licked his hand. As he listened to her name he swore to himself mentally. Not only did he get sent the wrong damn book, but he also conjured up Lilith and she was now standing in his fucking kitchen. Going and getting a paper towel to hold onto the minor cut on his hand chuckled a little at her words.

"Yeah, we used to have kings and queens. Well, Britain still has a queen, but most other places don't. Here in America, we have what's called a president. He's not like the sole ruler, he's got like advisors and stuff. And people elect him in through voting." Once his hand had stopped bleeding he carefully picked up his phone, not wanting Lilith to hiss at it again. "I'm assuming you don't go out much if the last time you were here kings and queens ruled the land and the church was one big nasty dilemma?" he asked as he looked back at the woman. He still couldn't believe he was talking to a demon and he was still incredibly nervous, but the fact he knew her name and he was still alive gave the man somewhat of a confidence boost. "Ya want a hairbrush for that mop?"

[Assistant]
Lilith stared at him blankly as he explained how the world worked. Most of it didn't register or make sense to her, but in the end she was able to parse out that it was still the same realm she had been to before, it had just been some time and humans had clearly evolved and furthered their technology significantly. That was... well, she wasn't sure if that was good or bad news for her while she was stuck there.

"Why would I come here?" She gave him a minor look of disgust and continued working at her hair until he uttered his last question. Was he truly referring to her beautiful long hair, albeit currently messy and wet, as a mop? If she hadn't looked offended before, now she certainly did, her hands falling away from her hair as she pointed a finger at him and frowned. "It is only a mop because you took me from my home, including my clothing and brush."

[User]
His eyes widening some, Jackson held his hands up and took a half step back. "Woah giant demon lady, I'm not insulting your hair. It's a saying we use when someone's hair is just wet and tangled. Like a mop. Look, gimme like five minutes I'll be back." He continued to look at the woman as he backed up, continuing to walk backward and keep eye contact until he had walked around the kitchen into the living room before making his way down the hall. He then quickly made his way to his room and shut the door behind him with a soft thud. The nervous part of him held the door shut behind him, expecting the demon lady to follow but when his door wasn't being pounded on he moved off of it and two his closet.

Looking through what he had, he found one of his larger t-shirts and pulled out another pair of sweatpants. He then moved to one of his drawers and grabbed a clean pair of boxers as well before going to the bathroom that connected to his room. He scrummaged around until he found one of his larger combs and stacked it on top of the folded clothes pile. Making sure he had grabbed a towel too he then made his way back out and down the hall to her. Jackson cleared his throat and held everything out to the woman. "I figured you might want to dry off and use something that would make the detangling process go by faster. Not sure if you typically wear clothes but I brought these as well." He set them down and stepped away from her not sure if she'd take the offer. "Well whatever you decide, I do have to finish what I started if you don't mind. Once I'm done I can always send you back."

Jackson made his way back to the dining room table and took his seat once more, taking inventory of the rest of the items in the box. He wasn't sure if Lilith was looking at him or not but the sense of eyes burned the entire backside of his body. Maybe she'd stick around and help out, or maybe she'd be going home soon with his soul as a trophy. Knowing it could go any which way, he decided to continue his work like everything was fine.

[Assistant]
'Giant demon lady'? She really wasn't that large, especially compared to some of the demons in her own realm. Then again, she probably looked rather intimidating to someone who didn't see demons on a regular basis. The fact that he so readily accepted her being was strange enough, especially the fact that he didn't jump straight to assuming she was a succubus like many had in the past. The latter was definitely a benefit to the current situation, as she had no mind to be jumping into bed with strange mortal men just because she was lacking clothes.

"A moment longer and I shan't be responsible for the state of your home." Lilith huffed slightly as Jackson disappeared from the room, listening to the door thud quietly as he went off to fetch her a brush. How did time work in this realm, again? It wasn't long before she gave up trying to think on it and instead waited impatiently, surprised to see him returning with not only the brush but a pile of what appeared to be his own clothing.

"I do wear clothes, yes." Should she be offended he was so casual about the fact that he had pulled her away from her home and was in no hurry to send her back? On the other hand, she was getting a break from Beelz' nonsense... so was it truly so bad? If anything, the clothing she took from him was more annoying than the situation itself. The pants and shirt were easy enough to figure out, but she spent a solid minute staring at the pair of boxers before deciding she had no intention of wearing them and instead left them on the counter.

"You are not frightened of me?" She'd dressed herself, minus the boxers, and was brushing out her hair by the time she finally spoke and peered at what he was doing. "Most humans either demand things of me or run screaming and praying for their souls."

[User]
Jackson chuckled lightly, turning to look at her some. "Lady I'm terrified of you. You could probably snap my neck at any point, but with my job, I've gotten paid to deal with weirder. Besides, the company is nice. Haven't had many visitors of late." He turned back to the items in front of him, setting the box off to the side to clear up space at the table. Once everything was sorted, he turned to take the book and hand it back to her. He noted the underwear sitting on the counter and nodded to himself about it. "Plus what could I ask of you? To grant me powers or riches? Demand you sleep with me? I've got most of what I could ask for, and just because I'm a male with hormones I still always treat my ladies to at least one date before throwing them in the sack."

He gave her a wink, setting the book in her hands. "This doesn't belong to me, and I'm not sure if I can send it back with you but whenever you wanna go home I'll send you there. Or chill, eat some cheese puffs and watch TV not, picky with your choices. I've just got some other stuff to do so if you wouldn't mind I'd like to get to work?" He wasn't about to boss the Demon Queen around, so he posed it as a question with some implications that he did need to be working again. The shoot was in a few days, not to mention he had photos that needed to be finished editing and sent to the client.

[Assistant]
What could be weirder than a demon that could kill a human in an instant? Granted, Lilith probably couldn't kill him since he'd summoned her, regardless of whether or not it had been accidental. What was even stranger was the fact that he said the company was nice. Lilith paused in brushing her hair to stare at him strangely, vertical pupils thinning out slightly before she shook her head and returned to the task. Strange little human.

"You could ask. Many have. Many have demanded things." She had to admit, some of her trips to their realm had been amusing, or even downright fun, but some of them had been nuisances she'd rushed through as quickly as possible in order to return home. This time... well, that was still to be determined, but so far he was more bearable than her own kind.

"You are giving me the book?" Her eyes narrowed as she took it from him, accepting and testing the weight of it before she clicked her tongue in annoyance and set it over with the boxers. If he had no intention of using it further, it could sit there until her future departure, but she wasn't going to stand there and hold it for no good reason! "I do not understand these things you say. When did your cheese become puffy? What is TV?"

[User]
Jackson's brows furrowed slightly in thought as he looked at the woman. He kept forgetting that he was a human of the twenty-first century and she was a demon older than he could dare think about. Holding up a finger, he made his way back around to the kitchen and opened a cabinet before pulling out a bag of cheese puffs. He grabbed a paper towel and laid it down before shaking a few out onto it. "Try one, granted they taste a bit salty and artificial but they're not an awful snack."

He then reached for his phone and gestured to the TV with it. "That, it's like what I have in my hand. Except you touch the screen of the phone to make it work, the TV uses a remote to operate." He slipped his phone back into his pocket and chuckled slightly. "You'd probably hiss at that too," he mumbled to himself in amusement. Turning his attention back to Lilith he gave her a small coy smile. "So tell me, when was the last time you were here? Like, have a date as a reference point. That way I don't have to keep confusing you and try to explain things better."

[Assistant]
Lilith followed him to the source of these 'cheese puffs' he spoke of, watching him shake them out onto a paper towel and instruct her to try them. It didn't look anything like the types of cheese she had seen in the past. It was dry, and shaped wrong, and she sniffed at it suspiciously before picking one up gingerly and taking a small bite. Were they poisoned, perhaps, and this was how he thought to get the drop on her? No, not poisoned, just strange, and she made a face somewhere between disgust and curiosity before finishing the bite and looking at him.

"I hiss at many things." She shrugged, picking up another one of the puffs and trekking over to where the television was. While she made no attempt to hunt down the remote he spoke of, or directly touch the television, she did get mere inches from it and give it a once over before looking over her shoulder at him. Her last visit?

"When the Blood Countess summoned me." When was that, again? Humans and their numbers. She looked thoughtful for several moments before shrugging. "Fifteen... fifteen something? I do not make notes of your human dates, though perhaps I should have made an exception for such a divine being as Erzsébet Báthory."

[User] Wow, no wonder she had no idea what anything was. Her reaction to what a cheese puff even was, let alone trying it spoke volumes to Jackson. Her face was almost cute when trying the snack, it made him chuckle. Taking the bag he walked over to the living room and plopped himself onto the couch. Grabbing the remote and powering on the TV. The screen flashed on and immediately showed the afternoon news. He quickly began trying to find something to watch while he idly snacked. "That's quite a long time. Things have definitely changed, for starters we don't have any more of those Blood Countesses. At least not to my knowledge." He gestured to the space next to him, inviting the woman to sit down if she pleased. In the meantime, Jackson had settled on one of his sci-fi shows to watch as he munched.

[Assistant]
"No more?" Lilith straightened out and gave him a slightly horrified look. While Erzsébet Báthory was certainly long dead, she had expected humanity to retain some of its sadistic tendencies when it came to how they treated one another. She glanced at the television and narrowed her eyes again, pupils shifting side to side as she watched the flickering images with curiosity.

"Such a bloody age that was." She sighed wistfully and took up residence on the opposite side of the couch, curling her tail to the side and focusing on the television again. "I do love watching you mortals destroy yourselves. It is a never ending source of entertainment for my kind."

[User]
Jackson watched as she came over and sat opposite of him, eliciting a small smile from the man. As she spoke of the destruction of the human race being a free source of entertainment he chuckled lightly. "Oh trust me it never went away. Got less brute force and more clever. I could list a whole bunch, wars just got bloodier as technology improved, and domestic terrors happen almost every month. Even kids aren't safe. So don't worry we've got plenty for you to grab your popcorn and watch happily." A frown appeared on his face for a few moments before he cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the TV.

Though he wasn't one to get into all the discussions about what was right and wrong and all of that nonsense he had a deep understanding that a human was a human and that was that in the end. It wasn't just fighting for land or protecting your nation, it got twisted and ugly and he didn't like thinking about it but assumed Lilith might want to know so he steeled himself for any questions.

[Assistant] "Terrors?" Lilith perked up at the word, although there was a moment of uncertainty as he mentioned children being unsafe. She had always held mixed feelings on the matter of children, but adults, they could maim and murder each other to their heart's content and she couldn't possibly care less. It was free entertainment, and she thrived on their chaos, their anger, the plethora of emotions that ran high while they destroyed their own world. "What is popcorn?"

[User]
Snapping back to the present, Jackson let out a small chuckle at her question. "It's just what it sounds like, popped corn. You take a specific kind of corn kernel and you heat it in the microwave or the stove and then it cooks the inside and pops open." He munched on the cheese puffs some more before gesturing to the appliance nestled in between the cabinets on the wall.

"That is a microwave so you know. You put food in, hit the timer buttons and it heats the food for however long you put it. And a stove... well, I think they had stoves back then but they've gotten quite the overhaul. More reliable and less likely to burn your house down." Jackson looked at the woman, waiting for any other questions she might have. He found it curious she was sticking around so long but it was certainly interesting to have such fascinating company.

[Assistant]
"Why would you pop corn?" Lilith looked even more confused at his explanation, trying to visualize the food that grew from the ground being cooked and then popping open. Wouldn't they just explode? What was a kernel? Surely this couldn't be the type of corn that grew straight up from the ground! She turned her head when he motioned to the microwave, looking it overly briefly but deciding it was of little interest at the moment. She had the strange puffed cheese and images showing... well, whatever they were showing, so she already had enough to take in as she struggled with the changes of the human world.

"Why you stare?" Was he expecting something from her, or was he still adjusting to the fact he had a red skinned demon sitting on his couch? "You have questions?"

[User] Not realizing he was staring, a slight blush crept across Jackson's cheeks. "Apologies, wasn't trying to stare at you. I was just waiting in case you had anymore questions about anything." As Lilith asked if he had any questions for him, he scratched his neck some and shrugged. "I suppose I do, I mean I have no idea how the demon realm works..." He hummed to himself in thought for a moment before nodding some. "So how exactly does it work? I mean it's not Hell judging by the name, so is it where you all work? Or is it more of a realm to live in and plan and what not."

[Assistant]
If his cheeks kept turning red like that, there was the danger it might rival the red of her own skin! Lilith had forgotten how embarrassed humans could get when called out for staring at her. At least she wasn't still standing there naked and dripping, or she feared her unintentional summoner might spontaneously combust. That, and while she wasn't shy about her own naked form, she didn't want to particularly be lounging around naked for an indefinite amount of time. Eventually it tended to get cold and even demons weren't fully immune to the elements!

"It's not the Hell you humans think exist, no." Lilith shook her head and then shrugged. "Work? What do you mean by work? We hunt our food, make our own clothing and have tasks. Is that what you mean by work?" Well, most of them did things for themselves, then some of them simple existed floating by on the lower demons that worshiped them and did everything for them. That had never been something Lilith had been fond of, and she'd sent away demon after demon that had sought to be in service to learn from an Archfiend. Pathetic.

[User] Jackson nodded at her words and smiled some. "Mainly the tasks part. Though I suppose making your own clothes and such would count as work." He tapped his chin for a moment before shifting some to look at Lilith more. "So when you get summoned, is there any way you can say no? Like for example, the Blood Countess, the way you talk about her makes it seem like you actively wanted to work with her. But what if you don't want to do what someone asks of you, is there any way you can decline?" He wasn't sure if how he worded it made sense, but he was curious and she was answering his questions so far.

[Assistant]
"I very much enjoyed working with her." Lilith couldn't help the smile that spread over her face at the memory of Countess Bathory, a sort of fond emotion flickering across her expression before she laughed. "It depends on what is within my powers. Why, does my newest summoner have something he desires from me?"

If it had anything to do with causing chaos, she was certainly up for that. "You are not so frightened of me that you flee the room. You have not tried to strike me, nor command me to do as you wish. Instead you feed me things I did not know existed, and clothe me so you are not distracted by my naked form. You are truly one of the strangest humans I have encountered in my existence. The world has changed so much in my absence."

[User]
With a shrug Jackson looked at the tall demon lady with a smirk on his face. "Yeah, times do change. Especially if you haven't been here in so long. But, I suppose I have a question for you. A... request if you will." With a shoulder roll the young man sat up some and looked at the woman. "Would you model for me? After all your book was supposed to be used as a prop for work but you definitely would work a whole lot better."

A faint red hue crept up his cheeks as he waved his hands somewhat apologetically. "Not that you're an object! Just that well... I think your prowess and... quite frankly your terrifying stature would do wonderfully for what I'm trying to do. And after that I can send you on your way." Sticking his hand out some she looked at her before looking down at his hand, awaiting a shake. "What do you say?"


[User] Jonathan awoke the next morning as light streamed in through the window, blinking slowly as he groaned. The same soreness in his back was still there. Man, fuck this apartment. He turned over, trying to fall back asleep when all of a sudden his eyes shot open. Fey! There was a demon in his house! Or at least, maybe there was. It was probably more likely that he'd imagined the whole thing. He hurriedly pulled on a shirt over his head as he opened the door to his bedroom, walking out in just his boxers, unsure of what he'd find. "Fey. Fey are you uh, awake?" Or even there, he wanted to ask.

[Assistant]
Things could have been much, much worse. All in all, the night had ended rather fortunately for Fey, and even though she was exhausted, starving, and terrified, she appeared to be safe. For the first time in the couple of months she had been there, she was safe, and it was that fact combined with the exhaustion that allowed her to sleep through the night.

It wasn't the light that woke her, thanks to the blanket shielding her eyes from it, but the sound of an unfamiliar voice calling her new name. Her descent from the couch was almost comical, the flailing of limbs from inside the blanket, the thud as she hit the floor and managed to unroll across it before coming to a stop several feet away.

"Awake." That's right, she'd been gifted to yet another human the previous night, and she found herself staring at him from where she'd unrolled from the blanket and halted in a half crouch near the television. What had he said his name was, again? Something with a J. Jonathan? She could hardly recall in her half coherent state, a hand coming up to rub at her eyes sleepily before she leaned forward to grab the corner of the blanket and slowly tug it back towards her.

[User]
Jonathan couldn't help but to chuckle as the demoness fell from the couch onto the floor, writhing about as she detandled herself from it. "If you were still asleep Fey you didn't need to get up." He called, still trying to get his laughter under control. "I guess you slept well last night I take it?" He asked as he slowly walked towards her, watching as she slowly pulled her blanket back over herself. "You really like that blanket huh?" He asked, wondering if perhaps she was cold. He could always give her another one if she wanted it.

He plopped down unceremoniously on the couch, a few feet from where she now lay in her heap. "Do you still want to watch some more TV today? I have no problem having a lazy morning." He smiled as he patted the seat near him, hoping that he could convince her to share the couch. "I'm sure there's some more stuff on animal planet we can watch." He mused as his eyes darted between her and the television, wondering if turning it on unprompted would scare the girl again.

"Are you feeling a bit better?" He asked seriously now, surveying her frame as he spoke to her. "I know last night you were feeling... ill" he said, trying to find the right word for it. "Is it any better now after sleeping?" He asked hopefully. Honestly if she were sick he had no idea what he'd do. It wasn't like he could take her to a regular hospital, and he doubted a Vet or something would work either. If he were lucky it'd be the demon equivalent of a cold, and would go away on its own within a few days.

[Assistant]
"Like blanket." Fey nodded slowly. It was the only thing that she could use to cover herself properly, and since the dress wasn't the warmest or more modest of garments, she'd held onto the blanket like a security feature. That was going to need addressed eventually, but a brief look at the man told her he probably didn't have women's clothing laying around she could wear. Although at that point, she'd take pretty much any clothing that wasn't a dress meant to display her like a prize.

"Tiny better." She frowned, eyeballing the couch as she debated if it was truly safe to sit that close to him. After a moment of deliberation she deemed it safe enough, and she dragged both herself and the blanket over and tucked into the opposite corner of the couch. "Hungry." How was she going to explain that she needed blood? It was in all the paperwork they'd given Jonathan, right? She glanced at the paperwork and then back to him, tucking herself more firmly in the blanket with a tired expression.

"Do not like dress." Another frown. "Do not like uncle."

[User]
Jonathan nodded softly, already aware of how attached Fey was to the blanket. Still though, he hoped she wasn't too uncomfortable. "I can get you another one." He offered. "If you're cold or something?" He glanced at her as she sat down next to him, glad that she was willing to do that at least. "Well that's good." He said, to fill the silence. Better was, for lack of a better word, better than worse. Still though, it didn't sound like she felt that the bad feeling was going to go away any time soon. If only she knew what he could do to help her.

As if reading his mind, she responded. Hungry. That made sense, she hadn't eaten since at least yesterday. Still, he wasn't sure what demons ate at all. What did his uncle say again? Oh that's right... blood. He gulped a little, unsure of how to get that. He better find a way to get some though, lest the demon girl get a little too hungry around him. "I can cook you something up. I'm not really sure where I can get you blood though" he told her honestly. "Maybe at the butchers shop?" He thought out loud. Well that was as good a place to start as any he supposed.

His pondering was cut off as Fey chimed in again, voicing her disdain for her clothing and his uncle. He couldn't help but laugh. He didn't know what it was about her, but she was good at making him. "Well I'm sorry to hear that. And uh, between you and me" his eyes darted back and forth, as if someone could overhear their conversation "I don't like him much either." With that sentiment expressed, he stood up and began to stretch, flicking on the television again so Fey could watch some nature shows. "That being said, he did leave me some money to take care of you. Do you mind if I leave you alone with the TV while I go pick you up some things?" He asked honestly.

[Assistant]
"Butcher." Fey knew that word, they'd been around long enough for her to vaguely remember it had to do with slaughtering animals and selling off the different meats. "Blood...?" Her tone was uncertain even as she visibly perked up a little at the thought, and she slowly nodded her head in response.

"No like either?" So they had their disdain of his uncle in common, that was a good start, and he was talking about acquiring both food and blood for her. Those two things alone were even to put him at a higher level than any of the other humans she'd been around for the last while, and after a moment of hesitation she nodded again.

"No one else will come here?" She frowned at the sudden thought that someone may appear while he was gone. She would be perfectly content sitting and staring at the strange television and all its different animals, but if someone else came in his absence and tried to take her away again, then what? "If you go, no one else come? No one else knows?" Come to think of it, she hadn't even looked around his home properly to see where any hiding spaces would be if she needed them. That would be the first thing that she did once he was gone!

"...ah. More blankets, yes." Right after she warmed up more.

[User]
Jonathan nodded at Fey. "That's right. No one else. No one else will come." He said slowly, trying to assure her. He just hoped she wouldn't trash the place while he was gone. Or worse, attack a neighbor and get them both arrested. She was a demon after all. Still, he had to get her things or she'd die, and even though he'd known her less than a day he knew that would make him feel bad. "Alright then, I guess I'll be off." Before he left though, he went to his room and pulled his blanket off of his bed. He didn't have a spare so it would have to do for now. "here" he offered as he tossed it onto the couch, putting on his coat and his shoes. "Try to stay warm. I'll be back in a bit." With that he left, hoping his house wouldn't be on fire when he returned.

And so began what was probably the weirdest day of Jonathan's life. At least, so far. First he went to the supermarket, the only normal part of his day. Beer, groceries, a couple snacks he thought a demon would like. You know, the usual. The butcher had been more eventful. Coming up with a reason why he needed blood that didn't sound like he was conjuring demons had been difficult. Although he supposed that wasn't actually too far from the truth. He'd settled on saying that it was for some strange recipe he wanted to try out for the first time. The man there hadn't looked convinced, but at least he'd agreed to sell it. And hopefully hadn't called the police the moment Jonathan left.

Next, even though he hadn't mentioned it to Fey, he stopped at a clothing store. He knew she didn't like her dress and judging by the lack of anything that came with her it was clear she had no other clothes. The basic stuff had been easy, he didn't know her size but with sweatpants he could at least be confident that they'd somewhat fit her. She'd probably appreciate something baggy and concealing over tight and revealing anyway. With that in mind he also bought her some oversized band t-shirts, just to be sure they'd fit and hang loose. He also couldn't resist the chance to buy a demon some Iron Maiden merchandise to wear. He'd also picked out a small fuzzy blanket for her that had pictures of animals embroidered into it. He thought she;d like it. He didn't know why it mattered to him all of sudden, but it seemed important that she would.

The awkward bit came when it was time to pick out underwear for her though. Panties were embarshing, but he chose some that looked plain enough and should fit. Bras though, he had no idea. He hadn't really had a chance to ''check'' per se, and it wasn't like he could just call her up and ask. So, with a bright red face he bought a range of sizes, and hoped at least some of them fit her. When the cashier looked at him with accusing eyes he thought he might die. "There-there a-... there a gift?" He offered lamely, and just like the butcher they looked unconvinced. Oh well, looks like he'd be needing a new clothing store he thought glumly, beginning his drive back home.

[Assistant]
Another blanket! Fey had the grace to hold back from lunging for it, eyeballing it and then carefully taking it to add to her current bundle. Now she had two blankets to keep herself warm with, and once she'd gotten them both properly wrapped around herself she turned her attention back to the television. It was currently showing a pride of lions lazing about in the sun, cubs rolling around near the water while their mothers sat by watching for any other activity. It looked so ridiculously bright and warm that Fey found herself jealous of the large cats, her eyes fixed on the television as she watched one cub pounce and tumble over the other before coming to a stop in front of their mother. What strange little creatures!

She was eventually forced to reluctantly vacate the warmth of the blankets in search of the bathroom, wincing as she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She looked absolutely exhausted, her hair was becoming a bit of a tangled mess, and she had definitely lost weight since arriving in this world. She'd lost a decent amount, when she took a closer look at herself, and that would have to be remedied once she started regaining her health.

The lions were doing something else on the screen when she returned to snatch up the blankets and cocoon herself again, and it held her attention for only a few more minutes before her curiosity got the better of her. She needed to know more about this home she was cooped up in, needed to see what kinds of places there were to hide, if there was anything there that would pose a danger to her. That meant investigating despite the fact that she was still tired, and what better time to do it than when she was alone and could look freely?

The kitchen was first, and she poked around in the fridge for a couple of minutes before she lost interest and moved to the cabinets. The dishes held no interest for her and she quickly abandoned them, nosing her way around the room before moving on. The closets held little of interest to her, some towels and cleaning supplies that were completely foreign to her. The bedroom, however, was very interesting for multiple reasons. It had a bed that looked fairly comfortable, some clothes with strange pictures strewn about between a basket and the floor, but the most interesting thing came in the form of a large poster on the wall.

The red skinned being grinning back at her momentarily stunned her, and Fey tilted her head to stare at the demon depicted on the music poster. It was the last thing she'd expected to find inside of Jonathan's home, and even as she wandered back to the television a moment later, her mind kept going back to it. It was the closest thing to her home that she'd seen in some time, and eventually she found herself returning to plop down on the floor in the bedroom and stare at it.

"You're stuck here too, huh?" Fey knew the poster wouldn't speak back, that it was nothing more than a picture of what humanity thought demons looked like, but there was something slightly comforting about speaking in her own language. She sat there for some time bundled up in the blankets, chattering softly and just voicing her thoughts and concerns to the silent poster.

[User]
Jonathan barely managed to open the door to his apartment as he staggered in, hands full of shopping bags from the numerous stores he'd visited. The trip had put a pretty significant dent in the cash that his uncle had given him, but that was alright he supposed. Most of the stuff he wouldn't need to buy more than once, and it was given to him so he could take care of Fey with it anyway. Speaking of the demoness... where was she? The television was still on in the living room, but there wasn't a sign for her. Had she run off while he'd been gone? That certainly seemed possible, but Jonathan thought it unlikely. She was so weak earlier that he doubted she had the strength for such an endeavor.

Still though, he needed to find her. Maybe she had fainted while he'd been out? She hadn't eaten for a while and she did seem frail. While negative thoughts like that raced through his head, Jonathan searched his home. Not in the kitchen, not in the bathroom, that left only one last place for her to be. He slowly and quietly opened the door to his room, scanning the area for Fey. He found her kneeling in front of an old poster he had hanging on his wall, which unfortunately depicted some uh, unflattering pictures of demons on it.

He felt himself gulp as he slowly walked behind her, listening as she spoke to the poster in some language he didn't understand. Hell, the language didn't even sound human. Whatever she was saying, hopefully it wasn't a spell to bring the demon in the picture to life or something. He found himself oddly entranced by it though. He might be one of the first humans to ever hear a demon speak in its native tongue. A part of him thought it would be amazing to learn it, but he knew that was impossible. He'd always sucked at languages, and they were at least somewhat similar. Who knew how language from a different planet or whatever would even function.

His hands started to grow heavy after a moment, and he was reminded of why he was searching for her in the first place. He cleared his throat quietly, hoping not to startle the anxious girl. When she turned, he began to speak up. "I uh, I get you some things." He said gesturing to the bags in his hands. "I don't know if it'll all work well for you but I think you'll need this first" he said as he began setting some of the things down. At last all he held was a brown paper bag, which he opened up before pulling out the contents. A clear plastic quart container, filled with dark red blood. He extended his hand out to her with it, smiling softly. "I wasn't sure how much you need... hopefully this is enough?" He asked, something about the exchange making him nervous. He knew logically that it wasn't any different from eating meat really, but something about drinking blood made his skin crawl.

[Assistant]
He did manage to startle her, but only enough for her to turn abruptly rather than attempt to defend herself. When her eyes landed on all of the bags they went wide, and Fey stared at him with a mixture of shock and awe. He had gotten a lot of things, hadn't he? They couldn't possibly all be for her. He'd wiped that question from her mind entirely with the last thing he showed her, and she stared at the container before getting to her feet to hesitantly approach him. It was a decent amount of blood, maybe it would make up for the quality? One could hope, anyway, and after a moment she carefully took the container from him and slunk out of the room to the kitchen. No sense in making a mess in the bedroom of her new... host? Something like that. Intentional or not, the poor human was stuck hosting her in his home until he'd made a decision, and the many bags he'd brought into the room implied her stay would be extended.

"Thank you." She managed a quiet thanks on her way by and into the kitchen before she set the container on the counter, poking at it until she found the corner tab to pry the lid off of it. She could have simply tried to poke a hole in it with her nails, but the risk of spilling it and wasting all of the precious blood was too great, and she had enough manners not to make a mess for him to clean up.

She wasn't sure if it was the taste or the texture that made it hard to choke down, but drinking cold blood had always made her gag. The cold, sludgy feeling of it sliding down her throat made a small noise of disgust force its way out, but she had the decency to remain quiet for the rest of it until she'd thoroughly drained the container's contents. Now what did she do with it, did she just leave it on the counter, or was she supposed to throw it away, maybe?

"What I should do with?"

[User]
Jonathan smiled honestly as Fey thanked him for the blood, taking it from him as she walked past. He picked up the rest of the bags as she kirted by, making a note to give them to her when she was finished eating. He followed her into the kitchen curious as to what she'd do next, watching in morbid fascination as she removed the tab and brought the container to her lips. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't help but to almost gag as he watched the demon essentially chug a quart of blood. It must have been so thick and coppery, he couldn't imagine doing it himself. Judging by the small noises she made near the beginning she hadn't been a huge fan either which he was sorry for. Maybe next time he should ask what kind she'd like, instead of just taking what the butcher would give him?

He gently took the now empty container from Fey, setting it down to the side on the counter. "Don't worry about that, I'll throw it out in a second." He assured her. "But hey, I got you some other stuff, if you'd like to see?" He asked, pulling some items from the bags he had set by their feet. First, the soft animal blanket. He draped it on her shoulders as he chuckled. "There, you can add that to you collection." He said, clearly amused by her antics with them. He also started fishing for other clothes in the bags.

"Here" he exclaimed, handing her a pair of sweatpants and a large gray t-shirt. "You can go change if you like. There's other stuff in here as well, if you want to take a look." He said handing her the whole bag, unwilling to pull out her underwear to display it for her. She knew what it was, and she would be able to find a pair that fit her by herself. At least, he really hoped so.

"I can take down the poster while you change. If it makes you uncomfortable?" He offered, not really sure of her feelings about it.


[User]
After a good night's rest for both Oliver and his horse, the pair were ready to take on the day. Before he met up with Trevor in their agreed spot in the woods, the man wanted to run through the small general store to look for a few supplies to take on the road. He didn't possess a particularly large amount of funds, but he wanted to make sure they had enough supplies to keep them alive for a while. Who knew how long they would be holed up in the woods before they were able to get more supplies from another town?

Ollie walked through the town with Ronnie behind him, attached to his rider by the reins. Once they reached the general store, the horse was tied up out front and the brown-haired man headed inside. He looked through the store for a few minutes, thinking over each item. Whatever he got would have to last them a while and would have to remain in edible condition probably for a while, which greatly narrowed down his choices. Finally, Oliver decided on what to purchase and left the store with a sack of rice thrown over his shoulder. Rice was cheap enough for a large sack like this and would last them plenty long enough, considering it was just he and Trevor. He put the sack on Ronnie's back, positioned just behind the saddle, and anchored it down with a leather strap.

Now set, Oliver hopped onto the saddle himself and ushered Ronnie to walk on out of town. He had the horse walk at a slow pace, which wouldn't attract any attention to himself, but it seemed like the town wasn't paying much attention any how. He figured that a sleepy town out of the way like this learned to mind its own business pretty quick.

Throughout the walk, he kept an open eye and ear for any sight or sound that he was being followed, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. After a while of riding, Oliver hopped off the saddle and walked alongside his mount so he could keep an eye out for Trevor. He was pretty close to where they had agreed to meet, and eventually, he spotted the bulk of a horse between some branches. Though it was hard to look at the coat pattern from here, he was fairly certain it was Trevor's horse, so he headed in that direction. Sure enough, there was the horse and there was Trevor.

"Hey," he said in greeting as he entered the pleasant little clearing.

[Assistant]
Trevor should've heard Oliver approach sooner than he did, but he heard the man just the same. He wanted to make camp here, set things up and have it ready for when they returned with their kills, wolves or otherwise. It be a nice spot at least for a day or two, to their bearings and find those wolves. It didn't really occur to him much to think beyond that because even in his element, which he was not in, this all would it wasn't his place to make the plans, just stick to it, make them happen. He wasn't in a gang anymore though which made this all so strange and in some regard, a little unwelcome.

He gave his partner a brief nod. "I figure this is a pretty good spot to set-up camp." Trevor needlessly explained. "It not too close to where those wolves might be, close enough to circle make to in the evening." He just kept with what he was doing, using some low branches to hang his canvas since he really didn't have a proper tent, laying out his bedroll and finishing get some rocks in a circle for a simple campfire. It was too early to waste the wood in starting one, but the warmth of it was something to look forward to. "Wolf meat isn't the best, but will do in a pinch." They'd be pinching for a few days at least. This was when Trevor noticed the sack of rice. Oh. Oliver thought ahead and had a bit of money for that. This was, well this was good. It'd make the meal a lot more filling except, well...

"You know how to make that?" Trevor knew how to make a few things, mostly just cook stuff until it wasn't red anymore or, if it was a vegetable, until it was soft. Potatoes and rice weren't the same though. He was pretty sure you had to make rice in a special way to get it soft.

[User]
Seeing that Trevor was already setting up his sleeping quarters, Oliver decided that he should probably do the same. Considering most of their gang had similar supplies, Oliver's bedding was almost exactly the same---a tarp to cover his body and a thin bedroll to go under it. There was a second set of low hanging branches within the circle of the make shift camp that would do well for his purpose. It was near to Trevor's and the fire, but not too close to either. Ollie detached his supplies from Ronnie, setting everything to the ground for now that he would need, and tethered the horse to a sturdy tree so he could graze. Then, he went to work attaching his covering to the branches and getting his bedding area set up for the upcoming night.

"I don't think I've ever had to eat wolf meat before. But I guess meat is meat when there's no other supplies left," he commented as he finished with his covering and unrolled his bedroll beneath it. Sleeping in the tavern last night would be a like a dream after sleeping out in the elements again with nothing but a thin bedroll to provide any warmth. "The rice? Yeah, my Mother used to make us rice. It's cheap and easy if you have the know-how. You gotta boil it until it's soft, then you can eat it. I've got a tiny pot in my stuff somewhere. It will probably only make one serving so we'll have to boil some twice. Rice is filling and lasts a good while so I thought to grab some just in case. Though, now I don't got a lot of money left."

[Assistant]
Trevor smiled. It felt like the first real one he managed to show since everything fell apart that wasn't just relief that there was water, or that there was a plan or that life might not end suddenly. He smiled because it occurred to him that Oliver here might actually be someone to come up with a plan or two. Buying rice like that didn't occur to him, even though he knew they needed supplies and with as little money as he had. He picked up some bullets in case he missed. The thing about predators was they weren't that easy to sneak up on, and once they knew you were around, they tended to move real quick, either at you or away. He figured himself to be a pretty good shot, but he wasn't so good to expect to land all his shots. "All right then. Let's get settled up and then see if we can find their tracks. I don't know that we'll have much luck finding any of them today, but if they're here, that means their prey is here, rabbits and such at least." He finished tidying up the place and relieving the horse of what little he had that didn't need to go with them hunting.

"Hopefully we'll find something to add to that pot for supper. If we both know a thing or two about tracking, then we've got a chance." It also meant Trevor might need to find some other way to make himself useful. In a gang, a man filled a spot with a skill or a purpose. He was another gun, simple as that. He could hunt, sure, but there were others that were better. He could read a map and read a little, but again there were those that had been better. He rode pretty well, well enough fire from a moving animal which, no matter what those short stories said in those books, wasn't an easy thing to learn to do He'd seen plenty of young men fall flat trying to do it.

"Wolf meat is..." Trevor frowned and dropped his eyes for a moment. He realized he already explained what he knew about wolf meat. Saying again probably made him seem stupid, but he wasn't that. It'd just been awhile since he needed to say much about anything. Again, there'd been plenty of others to fill up time with chatter around campfires and in discussion making his need to do so almost non-existent. He still should've said more during that last one. They were wrong, and he knew it. "Well it'll be fine mixed in with rice I'm sure."

Trevor stood. "No one mentioned anything about the robbery in the store, and didn't see it on the front-page of the paper either. Maybe, maybe they figured they got all they aimed to get."

[User]
As the two men talked, Oliver continued to remove his belongings from his steed and neatly place them underneath his make-shift sleeping quarters. There wasn't much, but there was enough to have kept him alive this long and hopefully continue another long while. Besides, all these items would only make the horse stand out more and possibly cause extra noise while they were out looking for their wolves. "Even if we can just find some tracks today, that would be a good start. It'll at least assure us that they are even around here."

Oliver knew that he was a reasonable tracker, but he wasn't sure what skills Trevor brought to the table. Everyone had something they were good at and that's what they did, more or less, within the gang, but that didn't mean their skills ended there. Oliver wasn't great friends with Trevor so he had never learned what else he could do other than be a man with a gun. Maybe he was a good cook, a good hunter, he wasn't sure. It sounded like he was also reasonably good at tracking, from what the man said, so together, he was sure they were to find something to go off of to locate these wolves.

"Yeah, with rice, it'll probably be better than the last time you had it. Or maybe it will just taste like bad wolf meat still, if you leave cooking to me. I'm not that great at it." There was a little humor in the tone of Oliver's voice as he spoke about his ability to cook. He wasn't that good at it, no, but he was able to cook meat well enough to make sure it wasn't raw and that was all that mattered.

It didn't take long for the man to finish unpacking his small amount of belongings from the horse. By the time Trevor stood and spoke about the lack of news in the town, he was straightening himself out and turned to look at him. "Maybe so. I didn't hear anything about the robbery while I've been in town, either. There's no posters about us anywhere, no lawmen questioning anyone, and no one was saying anything. Either they gave up or we're just ahead of the lawmen." Regardless, Ollie didn't want to let his guard down. He hadn't been caught by the law yet and he wasn't planning on it happening anytime soon. "You about ready to head out and look for some tracks? I think I'm good to go."

[Assistant]
"I should've said something." There. Trevor said it. He got it off his chest, put his fault out there and to rest. It felt good to say it even if his companion might not have a lick of an idea of what he was talking about. It didn't matter though because he should've said something, and damn it to hell, he didn't.

Having got that off his chest, Trevor focused on the current conversation, problem, or maybe it was an idea this point. Really, he didn't know what they were doing except trying to move on, and moving on had to be a good thing because going back just weren't an option. "Good, good." If no one was talking about the robbery, maybe the law just went and gave up on them, or better yet, didn't know a thing about the two of them. It seemed the other man had much of the same thoughts on that at least, so that made him feel a bit better to. "You go by, go by Ollie right?" Trevor almost remembered someone calling him that, except the man that said it had no name and no face, just the words uttered from his lips which means it could've been the boss or even some random ass making fun of the man so best, best to ask.

Trevor squinted at Oliver trying to recollect better, but it didn't do him any good. It gave them a fresh start together which ought to be a good thing considering being tied to a gunned down gang might not give them the best foot forward. "I figure, Ollie..." And he said that carefully and slowly to try and suggest he wasn't committed to the name if the other man wasn't. "We go out and see if we find those tracks for a couple of hours. If we don't find it. We'll just eat what we have for the night and have a fresh early start in the morning. I didn't see the tracks here, so I'm thinking we're near but not too close. If we get at least a coupe pelts each, even if we find some of their prey and not them wolves themselves, we can get enough to travel to the next place for some real supplies before heading." And where were they headed exactly? They didn't have that long-term of plan did they? Well away from where they were was good enough for now, and building supplies meant they could find another place to hang their hats that wasn't in the middle of forest.

"Yeah. Let's find some water too, while we're out." If the wolves weren't to far, he figured there'd be a real source for that too, and not that tried up place that damn company ruined for everyone. Out here without a horse that didn't want to drop on him and a partner not so down as he was, well Trevor figured a little of the annoyance and anger out to shine through more instead of the desperation he let hang over him like a cloud for a few days. He hopped up on the horse and motion in the direction he hadn't gone too far in. "I went bout twenty minutes that way, but saw no signs of a big predator. It's as good direction as any." He glanced up, no clouds in sight. In the forest like this, it would be cool but not too bad. It could even be a pleasant ride. "And if you can cook anything at all, you're a might be better than me. All I know to do is sear meat so it don't kill yah. I know a little bout foraging because if a man can't' do that, he might even starve in the spring and fall which is a real shame considering how much is out there that time of year. I'll stop us if we get near something real nice."

He waited a minute or two for his companion to mount out and then headed in the direction he said, only partially paying attention until they reached his last scouted patch and then began the look out.

It was quiet like he remembered, small squirrels and birds moving about in high branches. They could be eaten if necessary but were a lot of work for so little meat. He hoped for bigger, like maybe a plump rabbit or raccoon if no wolf showed itself. They could grab themselves a deer if they were about, but he hadn't seen any sign of them either. The wolves might've scared them off if they were near. His horse at least seemed surefooted enough in the undergrowth of it all, might be smart enough to warn them of a threat nearby even but the poor thing hardly had a day rest after all the fleeing. He didn't count on it just yet.

[User]
Hearing Trevor's words caused Oliver to look over at him with a bit of a confused look that only lasted a moment until he realized what he was talking about. The gang and the disaster that had occurred. His new companion didn't seem happy with himself about what had happened and Oliver could understand why. But he didn't think he should feel like he should take any blame. Their gang had a good run, but they would have to meet their end one way or another. No gang lasted forever. Ollie would talk to him about it later, but it seemed like Trevor didn't want to talk about it much right now considering he changed the topic of conversation back over to the town.

"It's not your fault," he said, referring to the talk about the gang before they fully transitioned over to the next topic, being the town and then his nickname. "You can call me Ollie, sure. Some call me that and some don't, so I don't mind which you prefer." Not a lot of people called him that, mostly those he were closer to prior to joining the gang and then a few within it. But now that he had formed a partnership of sorts with Trevor, he didn't mind being called that by the other man.

"That sounds like a fine plan to me," agreed the man with a nod of his head. It was a plan that prepared them for their next plan, which they hadn't thought so far ahead of yet. What, exactly, were they going to do once they got these pelts? Sell them sure, but where? That was something they could figure out as they went along, he figured. They were both new to working as partners and not a gang, or at least he assumed Trevor was as well, and they had a lot to figure out for the future. Where to take those pelts was just the first of many things they had to work with. "If we can't find of wolves but we can get some smaller critters, we can always keep looking for more as we head on out to the next place. Small things ain't worth much, but they're at least worth a little. And a little is better than nothing."

Oliver was about to mount his horse when Trevor motioned towards the direction he was speaking of, so the man took a second to see where he was motioning to before hopping up. "I don't know about that," replied Ollie to the mention of him being a potential better cook with a small grin on his face after settling into the saddle of his horse. "But I suppose I can try to cook and we'll find out if I'm as good as you think I am. I can forage a bit but I'm not that great at it. Can pick a little bit of things here and there but I'm not all that learned in plants."

Oliver let the other man take the lead and he followed behind on his horse. The day was nice and pretty clear and the shade from the trees created a comfortable temperature underneath. For once, Oliver was feeling pretty relaxed since the police had thwarted the gang's plans. He had a partner so he wasn't out here alone, they had a plan, and they had enough supplies to last them at least a few nights without worry.

[Assistant]
It's not your fault? That's what Ollie said, and Trevor didn't recollect real well if anyone had ever said something like that to him. Maybe they didn't always assign him fault for a job gone bad or something he'd done poorly. Maybe a lot of folk patted him on the back sometimes, said he'd do better next time or even offered a beer when nothing turned out right, but he sure couldn't remember anyone actually saying he it wasn't his fault. Trevor swallowed it down though, not really prepared or capable of handling what that meant or why it felt strange to hear those words strong together and directed at him like that. At least he could call him Ollie. It made things different right? Trevor didn't really have much of a nickname himself. Sometimes other called him Trev which he didn't mind but never really knew why because his name weren't long. "Ollie it is."

He led them, almost relaxed, through a forest that seemed quiet despite the bustling activities of small animals and insects, seen or otherwise. It felt nice really to be out in the open with another near him. They'd spent so much time in cramped camps sometimes surrounding some abandoned building or a cave or just some other spot they could get water or resources that just traveling for a little bit, without the worry, had become an almost lost memory. And here they were, looking for wolves or maybe something more for dinner. To be honest, he preferred to find something else now and the wolves later because deer or goat or even rabbit just tasted better than wolf. Almost anything tasted good when hungry, but he had preferences like most folks. At this point he glanced at Ollie wondering why the man took this all so well. Maybe he had no attachments in the gangs, nothing especially firm to hold onto. He supposed that would make some sense, but... he did seem happy they ran into each other.

As they looked around for game, Trevor had them stop a few times to pick some wild carrots, a few small green onions and berries. Berries wouldn't taste any good in rice but they were refreshing, so he munched on those as he shared a carrot with his horse. The sage they got later would be nice and he was investigating what he thought might be thyme when he saw a number of deer wonder just out of the corner of his eyes. It was... pretty remarkable actually. A couple of stags and some doe but something sort of gnawed at his gut, a feeling really, a sensation that made him think there was something else nearby watching too.

He waved at Ollie to get down while he grabbed his rifle. After all that admittance to needing to say more, speak up, Trevor didn't actually do that now either. He didn't tell Ollie he was looking for something else, but it was clear enough from his scanning of the horizon and not looking directly at those deer that the was on the lookout. A part of him hoped it wasn't a wolf or even wolves, certainly not a pack large enough to try and take down a full-sized stag both because he wasn't itching for taking on a entire pack but also... well the first fire shot would send that little herd running.